Chapter 29. Half-Body (2)

‘Now that I think about it, this old man... he’s been wandering around strangely for the past fortnight.’

Johan, who had been hard to see for the past few days, was up to something.

At the time, he hadn’t paid much attention, but why was he feeling so uneasy now?

Ignoring Yul’s furrowed brow, Johan shouted towards the forest.

“Ralph, since you’re there, bring that thing over!”

Yul wondered if Ralph would understand, but surprisingly, a voice echoed back from the forest.

“Damn it, do you think I wanted to come here? You send me flying and then make me do errands!”

After the angry voice rang out, a moment later.

Thud- Thud-.

The forest shook with a heavy sound.

Rustle- Rustle-.

A massive shadow appeared.

“Wouldn’t it have been fine if you had brought it over yourself?”

“I was going to, but I heard some punk cursing me.”

“Hmph!”

Ralph grumbled but did as he was told.

On his shoulder was a massive object, about 5 meters in size.

Seeing it, Yul pondered.

‘Huh?’

What was this?

‘A ferry boat?’

It was definitely a ferry boat.

The problem was, why would a ferry boat be in these mountains?

Moreover...

‘Why is there a handle on the ferry boat?’

A handle attached to the front of the ferry boat.

It looked like the handle on a cart.

‘No way...’

At the realization that flashed through his mind, Yul shivered.

Thud-.

Ralph set down the ferry boat with the handle.

Johan quickly climbed aboard and called out with a sly smile.

“Alright, let’s greet each other after a long time. This is our newly reborn Bung Bung!”

“...”

“What are you standing there for? Get into your designated seat quickly!”

Johan pointed to the handle with his prosthetic leg.

Yul’s expression soured even more.

“...”

About half a year ago, Bung Bung, who had fulfilled his duty, had disappeared.

Now, seeing Bung Bung reborn as a ferry boat with a handle, Yul had only one thing to say.

“...Damn it.”

* * *

It was a bizarre sight, but the ferry boat was descending the mountain at a considerable speed.

It was moving quite fast.

As they watched the ‘reborn Bung Bung’ gradually disappear, Muchi blinked and spoke.

“Grandpa.”

“Hmm?”

“Until when do we need to enter the cradle?”

“The entrance to the cradle is usually around November 20th. It’s been that way all along.”

“But it’s September 20th now?”

“Is it?”

“Then... how can we reach the cradle in two months? Oh my! Does that mean Yul can’t enter the cradle?”

Muchi’s worry and question were valid.

Even if they traveled in a straight line from their current location, it would take at least eight months to reach the cradle.

That’s assuming they rode horses at full speed.

Therefore, it seemed physically impossible for Johan and Yul to reach the cradle on time.

Ralph smiled as he stroked his grandson’s head, which was tilting in confusion.

“Muchi.”

“Yes?”

“You will experience many things as you live on. Hard things, happy things, sad things, and so on. All sorts of events and accidents happen in the world.”

“Yes!”

“But no matter what, there’s one thing you must never forget.”

“What is it?”

“Worrying about Johan Redner and that guy Yul is like throwing your precious time into the toilet!”

“...”

“Instead of worrying about such people, it’s a hundred, a thousand times better for your mental health to clean your feet and go to sleep, aah! That’s how it is! So, you must! Remember this well!”

With the intense gaze of his grandfather, who insisted he never forget, Muchi nodded involuntarily.

* * *

Swish-.

The ferry boat, which had been moving swiftly through the water, gradually slowed down and reached the riverbank.

Inside, the one-legged old man, Johan Redner, lay with his legs crossed.

A soft blanket was placed at his head, and his arms were crossed behind his head.

Hmmm-.

Johan, with a long blade of grass in his mouth, hummed a tune.

The long blade of grass swayed with the rhythm of his humming.

Swish- Thud!

As the ferry boat finally reached the soft sandy shore, Johan’s eyes opened.

“Is this the end for today?”

As soon as his question ended, a white hand emerged from the back of the ferry boat.

Snap-.

A hand swollen with water.

The hand that stepped onto the ferry boat trembled, and its owner appeared behind it.

“Grr...”

Yul, as soaked as the swollen hand, groaned and staggered onto the shore.

Crunch- Crunch-.

He walked on the sand and then collapsed.

“Huff- Huff-.”

Lying flat, Yul panted heavily.

It was a cold November day, and he had just emerged from icy water, but Yul didn’t care.

His well-built body, hardened by muscles, continuously emitted heat, causing steam to rise.

‘It’s spinning... the sky is spinning.’

Was the clear blue sky, without a cloud, turning yellow just a mere illusion?

[Since we’ve dragged it on land, let’s try dragging it in the water, shall we?]

The water-dragging exercise with Bung Bung, initiated by Johan’s request, was not just to torment Yul.

It was also part of his training.

[Castles built on sand easily crumble. It might be a bit tedious, but laying a solid foundation will allow you to leap higher in the future. It’s an old saying, but it has been passed down for a long time because it’s close to the truth.]

Yul, who had just started learning the flow, had already grasped the flow of mana with his remarkable talent.

However, Johan emphasized the basics and gave him homework.

[Where the constant flow occurs and where the flow intertwines. Also, where the flow changes more easily than anywhere else. Where is it? Of course, it’s in the water.]

The homework Johan gave was simple.

Read the rapidly changing flow of water and try to use it.

It was a vague assignment, but Yul accepted it without complaint.

The only problem was...

[Now that I think about it... I don’t know how to swim, do I?]

Yul had never swum in his life.

Thus began Yul’s ordeal.

He started by tying a rope around his waist and dog paddling.

That was the best he could do at the time.

Even then, Johan had to pull him out of the water dozens of times when he nearly drowned.

As a result, the distance Yul dragged Bung Bung in a day was only a few hundred meters.

But Yul didn’t give up.

He vomited the water he had swallowed until his stomach was empty.

Then he would fall back into the water and fill up again.

Yul, who seemed unafraid of drowning, kept jumping into the water, and his swimming skills improved dramatically each time.

After a week, the person who had been dog paddling was nowhere to be seen, and Yul had become more skilled at swimming than a fisherman who had spent decades in the water.

Another week passed.

Yul had a faint realization.

Until then, he had seen the flow as resistance, but in reality, he had been obstructing the natural flow.

After gaining this small insight and another two weeks passed.

Yul could naturally merge with the flow of water.

‘Ah, this is it...!’

Yul finally felt it.

The true path created by the flow of water and the changes in mana mixed within it.

From the moment he realized this, Yul’s swimming skills transcended the human realm.

The flow of water was no longer an obstacle to Yul.

Instead, it became an ally that helped him move faster, safer, and more efficiently.

Yul swam freely in the water like a mermaid in a legend.

However, to do this, he had to constantly use mana, which was no easy task.

Therefore, he had to take breaks on land when he was exhausted, like now.

‘Damn, I’m going to die. Is this... something a human should do?’

Despite the difficulty, Yul was happy.

‘Still, I can definitely feel the foundation being laid.’

What he was doing was not just swimming.

It was the repeated process of operating the constant flow and grasping the rapidly changing flow.

Naturally, his ability to detect the flow improved dramatically.

The significant changes he could feel were worth the effort.

As Yul’s lips curved into a small smile, a sound that instantly erased his smile rang out.

“Yaaawn!”

Seeing Johan lying on the ferry boat Bung Bung, yawning lazily, Yul grumbled.

“Really, you’re so relaxed?”

Johan, who seemed to have become one with Bung Bung, spent most of his day lying down.

It was a familiar sight, but...

‘I can’t get used to how annoying he is.’

Yul’s muttering made Johan snort.

“You don’t know anything. Do you think lying down is easy? While you were fighting with the water, I was fighting with boredom.”

“...”

“So, push harder. Make it go whoosh