## Chapter 350 – The First Dream (5)
<Aaron's Parallel Story Episode 21>
***
The silence continued.
The two men’s gazes crossed for a long time.
“You want me to help you?”
Sragin spoke in a monotone voice.
“It’s not just a friendly duel, is it?”
“That’s right.”
In a duel, both sides gain something. But what Aaron was asking for was teaching. For Sragin, it would be a unilateral loss. That is, Aaron was asking Sragin to dedicate his time to helping him.
“I’m aware that it’s a brazen request.”
Aaron didn’t have much to offer. Just a talentless and worn-out body. In fact, given the difference in levels, even in a duel, Sragin wouldn’t gain much. The agreement between the two wasn’t fair. Although it seemed humiliating. Although he had to crawl through the mud. He had to become stronger.
“Wow. Is that all you have to say after appearing a month later?”
It seems it’s not going to work.
Then…
“Alright.”
“….?”
“It will be a good pastime. I’ll help you when I feel bored.”
“Really?”
“Anyway, it’s necessary. Just hitting a scarecrow isn’t efficient. And it’s not fun either.”
Aaron bowed his head to Sragin.
“Understood. Thank you!”
“You don’t need to thank me. It’s not like I’m losing anything.”
Sragin continued.
“From what I see, both you and I have hit a wall and that’s why we’re here, right? If you manage to overcome that wall here, it will be proof that I can do it too. Besides, I’ll be able to put that arrogant brat in his place.”
If he overcomes his limits, that man called Sragin will also gain certainty about his own potential. This was the agreement.
“So, put in effort. As if you’re going to die.”
Sragin smiled broadly as he looked at Aaron. Aaron nodded.
“So, how should I help you?”
“Do you know anything about the use of spears?”
“The spear is my secondary weapon. I don’t handle it as well as the sword, but I have some skill.”
“I’d like to know about LanNaChal.”
Sragin observed Aaron from top to bottom. He also knew that Aaron spent all day in his room studying martial arts.
“Although you know it from books, it’s difficult to put it into practice, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Give me the spear you have.”
Aaron handed him the wooden practice spear he had in his hand. Then, unexpectedly, he received something that Sragin threw at him. It was Sragin’s sword.
“Attack me.”
“This isn’t a practice tool, is it?”
It was a sharp sword, capable of killing a person.
“You said you wanted to learn about LanNaChal, right?”
“Yes, but…”
“Don’t worry. Come. Don’t waste time.”
Aaron changed his expression.
Yes, there’s no need to hesitate.
‘Let’s see. Is this the handle?’
He clumsily grabbed the sword. He moved his shoulders and feet to adopt a stance. It was the stance he remembered seeing Han use. Of course, it didn’t come out right.
“Ja.”
Sragin, apparently disappointed by his poor stance, put his hand to his forehead.
“Go!”
Whoosh!
Aaron, with a clumsy stance, lunged with the sword. A thrust inspired by the use of the spear. The target was the shoulder.
“This is Lan.”
In an instant, the spear shaft turned and enveloped the sword. A strange rotating force was applied from inside.
“….?”
Clang!
The sword flew out of his hands and flew through the air. Before Aaron realized it, the spear tip was on his left chest.
“This is Chal.”
“How…?”
Clang!
The sword that flew away was stuck in the ground. Sragin didn’t say anything else.
“Pick up the sword.”
“Alright.”
Aaron picked up the sword. He adopted his stance again.
“Go ahead.”
“Go!”
This time, a horizontal cut. He put all his strength from the tips of his feet into the attack.
“This is Na.”
In an instant.
Clang!
The spear descended from above and hit the sword.
“….?!”
He couldn’t resist the force. The direction of the horizontal cut changed completely. His stance collapsed.
“Ah!”
Thunk!
Before he realized it, the sword was stuck at Sragin’s feet. The trajectory of the horizontal cut had been destroyed.
“Again, Chal.”
The spear tip gently hit Aaron’s forehead.
“Once more.”
“…. ”
Aaron unsheathed the sword stuck in the ground in silence. He began to attack again. The basic sword movements are three: horizontal cut, vertical cut, and thrust. Imitating what he had superficially seen, he continued attacking without stopping.
“Hah!”
Aaron shouted as he attacked vertically.
Thunk!
From somewhere, the spear appeared and pushed his sword.
“Huh?”
A rotating force was applied at the same time. The sword moved against his will. His stance was miserably broken. The spear tip hit his left chest, a sign that he had died once.
‘Again.’
This time, a thrust. The spear rose from below and enveloped the sword. A snake-like movement.
‘I can’t get rid of it!’
It was as if it were stuck with adhesive. The sword was dragged by the spear’s movement. Aaron’s stance balance was broken.
‘It’s coming.’
Thunk!
The spear tip hit his left chest.
‘Again!’
He attacked again and again. Running and cutting, attacking from a low stance, cutting diagonally and thrusting. He attacked until he couldn’t move anymore.
The result was…
“Hah… Hah…”
Aaron was breathing heavily, lying on the ground. He tried to get up, but his worn-out body didn’t respond.
“This is all I can show you.”
“Uff…”
He was breathing rapidly to catch his breath. He had many questions.
“LanNaChal is the foundation and core of spear use. It’s a unique technique only for the spear.”
“…”
“Listen while you’re lying down,” Sragin said. “The spear has a long reach. It has an absolute advantage. Whether in attack or defense, it can move one step ahead of the enemy. LanNaChal is a control technique that dominates the spear’s battlefield, longer and wider than the enemy’s.”
Dominating the battlefield. That was also written in the texts about spear use. Aaron began to understand the meaning of those words.
“Counter the enemy’s movements from a distance. That’s how their stance crumbles. This is Lan and Na. Then, stab the incapacitated enemy to subdue him. This is Chal. In short, counter and stab. Do you understand?”
Sragin raised the spear.
“The essential thing is to crumble the enemy’s stance. Then, he won’t be able to avoid the stab that follows.”
“How… do you crumble the stance?”
“You saw it a moment ago.”
Aaron frowned. He had seen it. He had experienced it countless times. Every time he adopted a stance, it crumbled.
But…
‘How?’
Aaron’s face hardened.
Sragin scratched the back of his neck. This is where words fell short of explaining. It required a subtle perception of the user.
“The basic thing is to spin the spear shaft to create rotating force.”
Sragin grabbed the spear. Then, with the spear in a horizontal position, he began to slowly spin it.
“With this rotating force, you deflect the enemy’s weapon, push it away, move it aside, and drag it. Then, you stab.”
“That’s right…”
“Of course, simply spinning the spear doesn’t create rotating force. You must intertwine the muscles and bones of your entire body to amplify the force. It all starts from the tips of your feet.”
Sragin adjusted his grip on the spear. Then, with the spear tip stuck to his waist, he spun the spear while forcefully hitting the ground.
Bang!
The air ripped with a tearing sound. The spear shaft bent and violently shook in all directions.
“If you do it like this…”
Sragin released the spear. The wooden spear flew into the air and began to spin on the ground.
Swish!
The spear shaft moved with such force that the ground was filled with scattered dirt.
Aaron watched the scene with his mouth open. A shaft over 2 meters long was spinning on the ground, drawing a circle like a whirlwind. It was a scene that challenged his common sense.
“If you perfect this spinning technique, it will become the Spiral Spear.”
The spear’s rotation decreased and eventually fell to the ground.
“I think I understand why the weapons were deflected every time they touched the spear.”
In the texts about spear use, there were many references to typhoons. At that time, he couldn’t understand it. Now he understood. It was a comparison to that kind of spear movement. With that force, he could push and deflect anything.
‘Can it also attract?’
If it spins outwards, it’s a typhoon. If it spins inwards, it can attract anything. That was the abyss the texts were referring to.
‘Lan, Na, Chal.’
The typhoon that pushes. That’s Lan.
The swamp from which you can’t escape. That’s Na.
And the lightning bolt that strikes in the next instant. That’s Chal.
Simply stabbing from afar has its limits. But if you crush the enemy’s defense and attack before stabbing, no one could resist it.
‘Is this spear use?’
It was like opening his eyes. The unknown concept was restructured in his mind with a refreshing feeling. But there was a problem. Understanding it and doing it directly were very different things.
“Come on, try it.”
Aaron got up. Sragin handed him the spear.
“You must create rotating force.”
“Understood.”
He firmly grabbed the spear shaft. Left hand forward. Right hand back. He slightly bent his knees and extended the spear. He began to spin the spear clockwise.
“…. ”
Sragin’s eyes narrowed.
“It’s not just spinning it. It’s creating a rotation.”
“What’s the difference?”
“You just saw it.”
That was true. At that moment, Aaron was only spinning the spear shaft with his strength. He wasn’t ‘rotating’ it. If he released the shaft, it would simply fall to the ground. It wouldn’t keep spinning in a spiral on its own.
“As you’re a beginner, you don’t need to do that. But if you force it to move, it will be worse than doing nothing.”
“I’ll try.”
Don’t force it to move. Make it move naturally.
Aaron tried to follow the instruction. Time passed slowly. Who knows how much time passed? When sweat drops began to appear on Aaron’s forehead, Sragin spoke.
“Don’t you know how to generate force?”
“How to generate force?”
“Your thrust was pretty sharp.”
He didn’t know what Sragin was referring to. Aaron decided to be honest.
“I’ve only practiced the established movements.”
“Have you only memorized the sequence and the stance?”
“Yes.”
An emotion appeared in Sragin’s eyes.
“So, if your stance isn’t perfect, can’t you do a good thrust?”
“…”
“Have you only memorized the form without understanding the principle?”
He didn’t know the principle of the thrust. He had only memorized the form.
‘It’s true.’
It could be true. Aaron had been infinitely practicing the correct stance for the thrust. Without knowing why he needed that stance. Why he had to grab the spear like that, breathe like that, and take a step like that.
“I see. It’s like asking someone who doesn’t know how to walk to run.”
“…. ”
“Give me the spear.”
Aaron handed him the spear without resisting.
“Watch what I’m going to do.”
Sragin adjusted his grip on the spear. Suddenly…
Bang!
The head of the scarecrow that was at a certain distance was pierced.
“Can you do it?”
“That was…?”
Aaron stood there, perplexed.
“Again.”
Sragin put his left hand behind his back. With only his right hand on the spear. He didn’t even adopt a proper stance. He was standing, with the spear lowered. In that position…
Bang!
The spear tip was stuck in the scarecrow’s heart.
“What was that?”
“How… did you do it?”
It was a thrust. A thrust as precise and sharp as an example of spear technique. The problem wasn’t that.
‘With his left hand behind his back, using only his right hand, standing?’
The stance was terrible. Terrible didn’t even describe it. He hadn’t even focused his gaze. For Aaron, it was impossible. For him, a thrust was a blow launched with a precise and perfect stance. It wasn’t an attack launched without following any rule or sequence.
“You don’t know how to generate force or the principle of the thrust. You’ve only memorized the form.”
“…”
“This is absurd. It’s like being a cook without knowing the difference between sugar and salt.”
Sragin sighed deeply. Then he murmured something that it was unknown if it was for himself or a complaint.
“Normally, when you memorize the form, you also understand the principle. How can someone be so insensitive?”
“Is it that serious?”
Sragin was lost in his thoughts with his arms crossed. He didn’t seem to hear Aaron’s voice.
“If you’ve mastered the thrust, it shouldn’t be impossible. Will it be that you lack innate sensitivity? Like a cook who can’t taste? Hmm…”
Sragin’s words pierced Aaron’s heart like a needle. Although he didn’t fully understand, he knew they were referring to his talent.
“…. ”
He knew he didn’t have much talent. But if it was causing so much concern to the one who was teaching him, he knew his lack of talent wasn’t normal.
That’s why…
“It’s useless.”
The young man suddenly said. Aaron couldn’t refute it immediately.
“Everything you’re doing is useless.”
Right after, the young man suddenly appeared, without making a sound, and smiled broadly.