After finishing my meal, I headed straight to the fourth training ground.
"Nobody's here."
As expected, the fourth training ground was deserted, with only the morning dew greeting us.
After my usual stretching, I was about to start a light jog when my eyes caught a short dagger in the weapon rack.
"Let's see…"
I picked up the dagger with a hint of anticipation. The Sichuan Tang Clan specializes in hidden weapons—maybe something would happen.
"Hm. Nothing special."
As I prepared to throw the dagger at a tree across the training ground, something strange appeared in my vision.
"What the…?"
It was like an FPS game—a crosshair, like the ones in first-person shooter games, appeared in the center of my vision.
"Have I finally lost it?"
I aimed the crosshair at the tree I'd targeted earlier and prepared to throw the dagger. Recalling my military training, I controlled my breathing and hurled it.
Whoosh!
Thud!
The dagger spun fiercely and embedded itself halfway into the thick tree.
"Whoa!"
"Gasp!"
Not just me—Arin let out a surprised gasp from behind. When I turned, she was staring at the dagger in the tree, her usual composure gone.
"Young master, how did you do that?"
It was the first time I'd seen her so shocked.
She'd watched me throw daggers and knives daily, never hitting the mark. Seeing one not only hit but bury itself halfway into the tree was understandably shocking.
"I don't know, I just threw it. Guess a month of training finally paid off."
I couldn't tell her about my trait, so I brushed it off.
I hadn't learned anything from the Sichuan Tang Clan's Hidden Weapons category—just having the trait made this difference. My novel's traits were absurdly powerful.
The moment I threw the dagger, a surge of hot inner energy rose from my lower abdomen, flowing into my arm and the dagger. The Tang Clan trait must have instinctively guided my inner energy.
This time, I picked up a short sword. It felt no different when I held it, but the moment I thought about throwing it, a small crosshair appeared.
Whoosh!
Thud!
The short sword lodged into the tree just like the dagger.
"Gasp!"
Arin's second gasp confirmed it wasn't a fluke. Her expressions had grown more varied lately, but this level of shock was refreshing.
The crosshair was like a cheat code from a shooter game.
I'm a bit embarrassed to admit, but I once took second place in a local PC bang tournament for a shooter game called Power Attack. Over 40 teams competed, and I proudly earned free PC bang time for a while.
"What's going on?"
"Arin."
"Yes?"
"Do you sense anything from me?"
"Sense something?"
She approached, looking me up and down, then tilted her head, puzzled.
"Nothing, except you've lost a lot of weight compared to yesterday."
"A lot?"
"Yes. You've been training excessively and eating Chirein Soup, so you've been losing weight daily, but today's change is significant."
"I see."
Her reaction confirmed it. I hadn't included inner energy in my novel's setting. Since it didn't exist here, even someone as perceptive as Arin, with her aura training, couldn't detect it.
In this world, inner energy was my secret weapon. I could exploit others' inability to sense it.
"I've got something incredible."
I kept throwing daggers and knives at the tree. Like the PC bang tournament runner-up I was, every projectile hit exactly where I aimed.
As I got a feel for controlling inner energy, the weapons that initially lodged halfway began embedding to their hilts.
"What in the world!"
Arin's shock turned to frustration at the inexplicable phenomenon. She tried throwing a dagger herself, but it either missed or didn't stick.
"You can't do everything, huh?"
"Ugh!"
Whether due to our time together or her rising affection, Arin's expressiveness was growing, and it was fun to watch.
Thud!
As I admired a short sword buried to the hilt, a new message appeared.
[Sichuan Tang Clan - Hidden Weapons unlocked.]
[Direct Shot unlocked.]
[Direct Shot: Allows faster and stronger throwing of hidden weapons, including stones, wood pieces, iron swords, and other objects.]
"Whoa!"
The top skill in the Hidden Weapons category, Direct Shot, was unlocked—a technique for throwing projectiles faster and harder.
With no more edged daggers or knives around, I grabbed a broken wooden sword from the corner.
"It said anything works, so this should too, right?"
Thinking of Direct Shot, I threw the wooden sword. A larger surge of inner energy than before drained from my dantian.
Whoosh!
Boom!
The wooden sword flew straight and embedded itself in a tree too thick to wrap my arms around. Even with an iron core, a wooden sword shouldn't do that.
"So this is Direct Shot."
Huh?
I felt a burning gaze and turned. Arin was staring at me, her face flushed, her eyes demanding an explanation.
"Young master! What's going on? That strength—"
"I-I don't know, maybe it's the power of practice…"
"Don't give me nonsense!"
How could I explain the Sichuan Tang Clan? I could only dodge the question.
If we ever truly trusted each other, maybe I'd tell her, but for now, I had to deflect.
"Arin."
"Yes?"
"I know you report my actions to Father. But please don't mention this."
I looked her in the eyes, my voice serious.
"What? But…"
"I'm testing things out right now. I'll tell Father myself later, so please wait."
"I…"
Arin's eyes wavered with confusion, but I held her gaze steadily.
"Understood."
After a moment of thought, she agreed. Her rising affection over the past month likely swayed her.
"Thanks."
My reason for asking was simple. Someone poisoned me just for training. If word got out about my mysterious power, assassins might come.
With Ten Thousand Poison Magnetic Spirit's mastery rising quickly, I'd soon be strong enough to handle most threats. Then, revealing my abilities wouldn't matter.
"Let's get back to it."
To boost Direct Shot's proficiency, I practiced using it repeatedly.
Thud!
Crack!
"Huff, huff."
Having used up all my inner energy, my projectiles barely flew. As my dantian emptied, my head grew foggy.
Overusing inner energy caused severe headaches. Unless it was a critical moment, I needed to regulate it.
"Young master, the sun's fully set. Let's call it a day."
"Yeah."
I had no energy to speak.
Lost in training, I hadn't noticed time passing. The sun was gone, and a half-moon hung in the sky.
"Let's head back."
"Yes."
Moving too fast made me nauseous, so I asked Arin to walk slowly as we returned to the mansion.
"Hm?"
"What's wrong?"
A prickling sensation hit my neck.
Poison and now surveillance—starting yesterday? I'm running out of time.
Back in my room, the meal was, as expected, Chirein Soup laced with Hanyang Herb.
[You have ingested poison (Hanyang Herb).]
[Ten Thousand Poison Magnetic Spirit absorbs the poison (Hanyang Herb).]
[Ten Thousand Poison Magnetic Spirit's mastery has increased.]
[Weak Paralysis Poison's proficiency has increased.]
Each dose of poison boosted my technique's mastery, making the anonymous poisoner an unwitting ally. Poison isn't easy to procure, yet they cooked it deliciously. Whoever they are, I'll repay them.
"I'll head out now."
"Yeah, rest well."
After sending Arin off, I opened the door and looked downstairs. Despite the late hour, the servants were bustling, wrapping up the day.
"Let's see who I can find."
[Creator's Eye activated.]
I scanned the servants with Creator's Eye, focusing not on affection but on traits.
"Most have no notable traits."
As unnamed extras in the novel, few had special traits. Some had potential for magic or scholarship, but they were just servants.
Like in reality, people in this novel's world often lived unaware of their talents. Treasures were within reach, but most couldn't seize them due to choice or circumstance. A pity.
Not that I'm one to talk.
Lost in bittersweet thoughts, I kept searching but didn't find my target.
From my position, I could see the mansion's back gate. Servants couldn't use the front gate and had to pass through the back to reach their quarters.
I noticed the servants' affection had improved significantly. Once filled with hatred, their scores, though still negative, had risen. Despite doing nothing for them except staying out of their way, their improved affection showed how vile Yuren had been.
"Hm…"
Leaning on the railing, I spotted an unfamiliar, dazed-looking servant.
Using Creator's Eye on him, I continued scanning.
After an hour, with my brow furrowing, I finally found my target.
"Got you."