Reversing Life With Item Copy

“I lost.”

Do-joon sighed heavily just as he was about to fall over and soon fell on the grass. As he fell, the dewy cold grass cooled his body.

Three days from the day they first met. Do-joon ate and slept in the residence of Jecheon Kang, and spared dozens more times chatting with him.

"It was pretty fierce today."

"Yeah, I couldn't even reach you.”

"Don’t look down on yourself while facing a stronger opponent.”

Jecheon Kang plopped down beside Do-joon. He held the sword and put his hand into his large sleeve.

Unlike Do-joon, whose whole body was drenched in sweat, Jecheon Kang did not have a single hair that was untidy.

Do-joon looked tired as he stared at him.

Jecheon Kang asked him with a smile.

"What do you think? Did you see something today?"

"……Yes."

Do-joon nodded a little uncomfortably to the question.

Even after seeing his past fighting with Paeng Jazulan on the first day, he had occasional different memories too. It was seen for a short while and briefly at a critical moment during the sparring.

All that was about fighting and killing people.

"This time you were fighting with someone who was in a monk's uniform. I think he was called the Ambassador Beomji."

"Oh, that's right. he was one division lower than the main one, and he was quite strong."

“… … They call you the villain of the world.”

"There was just a little misunderstanding."

Jecheon Kang laughed away even in Do-joon's eyes, who stared at him suspiciously.

Despite peeking at his memories, Jecheon Kang didn't mind or hurt Do-joon.

Rather, he proudly talked about who the opponent was, how strong they were, and how he knocked down strong men. He seemed happy to share his old memories.

Do-joon had nothing to be afraid of by the attitude of the person concerned.

Whenever he could see the memory, Do-joon was desperate to steal something from the fight. Just like he saw the battle with Paeng Jazulan and responded to the single sword of Jecheon Kang.

"The man named Beomji fought a defensive battle.”

That was the impression Do-joon saw. It was the exact opposite of Paeng Jazulan, who moved his dominating energy without hiding.

The application of the inner air force through strong mental strength was so solid that it even blocked the sword of Jecheon Kang once.

But.

"The second time, it couldn't hold out.”

As he said, it couldn't stand the second blow. That was Do-joon's question.

"Your second blow didn't look so strong. At least rather than the first blow.”

Of course, he’s not saying it wasn't really strong. His sword was also a blade that cut through the sky.

It just meant that it was not much different from the first swing from his sword. But, why couldn't Ambassador Beomji, who blocked the first blow, be able to stop the second one?

"You just have to know how to watch it."

"What do you mean by watching?"

What does he mean about watching?

When Dojun made a questioning expression on his face, Jecheon Kang spoke up.

"Aren you curious? Then try to win this fight."

“…….”

Indeed. That was the rule.

“Whoo~!”

Do-joon let out a big sigh. Their record so far is 37 matches and 37 losses. In thirty-seven fights, he never won once.

Defeated in all the battles, Do-joon had to answer more than 30 questions, let alone ask questions.

Now that he lost again, one more was added.

"What's the next question?"

"Hmm…… It's a job to think about asking questions every time."

Do-joon laughed awkwardly. He asked him 36 times, so it was reasonable.

At first, he asked about Do-joon's martial arts. What is the name of his martial arts, what kind of history it has, and what are its characteristics.

He was very interested in the kind of martial arts invented by Kalish, but no matter how much, he could not raise 30 questions by that alone.

Do-joon was still learning, and Kalish didn't have much to talk about because he didn't remember.

So after that, it was all about Do-joon's world or his personal life.

"I can't think of anything at the moment. I'll ask you later."

"Sure."

That was the end of the conversation.

Jecheon Kang had his eyes closed as he put his arms in his sleeves. Do-joon could not even guess what he was thinking.

Do-joon lies on his back and looks at the sky while resting.

After a while, he spoke.

"I think I have to go home now."

More than ten days have already passed since he entered the labyrinth. Before he came in, he said he'd be late this time, but it seemed too late anyway.

People must be worried outside because they can't do a phone call or contact him by any means.

Jecheon Kang slowly opened its eyes.

"Go ahead. Does that mean you can come back again?"

"I can come back in a week."

Do-joon got up and brushed off the dirt on his clothes. Then he placed his hand on the return skill button.

"Oh, by the way."

Then, Do-joon suddenly spoke.

“Can you wrap me some peaches?”

* * *

After returning, Do-joon had to listen to Siewellin and So-eun's criticism. Such as, “Why are you so late? We were worried.”

After all, he was away from home for more than 10 days, so he seemed to have caused them a lot of trouble. If he were in a foreign country, he could have called them saying he was safe.

But fortunately, the peach that he received was fresh.

It is the most delicious peach that Do-joon had ever tasted in his 35 years of life. The ladiesalso fell for its unimaginable sweetness and delicate taste.

The three of them ate fruits in the living room, and Do-joon spoke about the strange old man he met in Sky Road.

He said that he was late because he was sparring with the old man, and that these peaches which he got were also grown by that old man.

「"Please tell him that I ate well.”」

"Me too! I ate well too. Please tell him!"

The girl's interest seemed to be more on the peaches grown by that old man rather than the old man himself or Do-joon's training.

Do-joon smiled and replied that he would convey their message to him.

That was how his first night back went.

A week after that. He didn't enter any dungeons, he had, afterall, a lot of work to catch up on.

First, he heard the news of the expedition through Son Chang-il. It's been a while since they’ve went in, but they haven't found anything in particular yet.

The only surprising news was.

"They ran into a foreign expedition team?"

– Yeah. They must have entered through an overseas stem, but they said they ran into us.

What happened is that they encountered with the hunters from abroad inside the stem. Which means that the inside of the stem is also connected to the stems of other countries.

Unlike the roots, which used to be an independent space, the stem seems to share the inside even if the entrance is different.

Other than that, there was nothing special about it. Monsters were seen from time to time, but it is said that there was no attacks by the elves which kept everyone on edge.

The next thing he asked was about the special promotion schedule. And he said he called the agent to confirm the promotion schedule.

Two weeks later, fortunately, the promotion came early.

The remaining time was spent carrying out administrative tasks and procedures necessary for the promotion.

After a week like that.

[You have entered "Sky Road".]

Do-joon returned to the Sky Road once again.

* * *

Swooosh!

The sword flies in.

Do-joon let the sword slip while raising his spear. Although it was clearly an indirect blow, the aftermath remained, making Do-joon's arms tremble.

― The angle is off. That's what happens when there's a bigger shock than you expected. Under no circumstances should that disturb your posture.

‘Yes.'

Do-joon replied while dodging the flying sword again. It didn't stop there. The sword of Jecheon Kang embroidered the air and blocked Do-joon's escape.

Do-joon clenched his teeth. Even though it's one-on-one, the pressure felt like being surrounded and attacked by several people.

Even while Jecheon Kang is just standing there, Do-joon felt a chill running down his back.

― Judge it. Some of them are just a bunch of crap. The force is weak, so get out of there!

Chaang! Claang! Claank!

Do-joon spun the spear around and countered the sword strikes on the left.

He almost dropped the spear in the process, but he grabbed the spear so hard that his hands were red. Thanks to this, the mishap of missing the weapon was avoided.

"You're avoiding this much now.”

Jecheon Kang talked while retrieving his sword.

If it had been the Do-joon from the first day, he would have lost without a hitch. However, he was satisfied that he was able to avoid it.

"It's all thanks to you two."

Do-joon took a deep breath and wiped the sweat under his chin.

Sparring was now almost like an educational battle. When Jecheon Kang attacks according to the appropriate level, Kalish gives advice. And Do-joon responds to it.

It was definitely far from the real thing. However, fighting itself helped him in improving his skills immediately.

Until now, Do-joon had to train by himself. Days of swinging a spear in the air listening to Kalish's advice. Or the days of killing orcs, who are suitable punching bags.

It's not that the practise wasn't helpful. However, it was not comparable to the current learning battle.

‘It's not like I'm learning a new skill.’

He further refined the skills he had learned so far.

How he can use his skills against his equal or stronger enemies.

A method of evading with minimal damage by distinguishing between the real and the fake attacks of the opponent.

A way to read, rush, or reverse the flow of the battle.

It is not a special skill in particular. It’s just the basic elements of a battle. If he has to name it, should he say "way to win"? Sparring nurtured such things.

Sure.

"But you still have a long way to go to win.”

― Yeah, that’s right.

But that didn’t mean he can win this match though.

"Whoo."

Do-joon took a small deep breath at the words of the two elderly people who matched well.

At this point, he slowly started to feel anxious.

It is good to improve his skills. However, the wall between him and Jecheon Kang has not been lowered at all.

It was only natural. It's because as Do-joon's skills improved, he also improved his skills and was working on his secret mission.

"I'll go again."

Do-joon took his stance again. The posture of Jecheon Kang remained the same. The left hand is on the back and the sword is stretched out with the right hand.

He moved sideways one step at a time, moving the tip of the spear little by little.

He became worried. How the hell is he supposed to win?

‘There is no gap.’

There was no gap even though Jecheon Kang was just standing and doing nothing in particular.

There could have been some hesitation. So far, he has jumped at Jecheon Kang in that stance a hundred times, but he has lost all a hundred times.

"Come to think of it.”

Then Jecheon Kang opened his mouth. As soon as Do-jun was still, he became a little freer.

“I haven’t asked the previous match question yet. I just thought of something appropriate.”

“A question?”

Do-joon asked back. At the same time, he did not stop looking for a gap. That might be ready to pop out at any time.

But.

"Why do you want to be strong?”

The question raised by Jecheon Kang slowed Do-joon down.

Why does he want to be strong? Unlike all the specific questions he has asked so far, this time it was quite an abstract one.

‘The reason… … .'

Do-joon was lost in thought for a moment.

Once he does, he'll have fun.

Every time he slays a monster, his fit rate goes up, it feels like he’s levelling up, and sweeping away monsters that he has been struggling with the other day is a pleasure he can't taste with anything else.

[T/N: So, the lust for hunting has finally taken over him….]

But before that kind of fundamental.

Do-joon had a purpose.

"I have a daughter."

[T/N: A purpose with endless dedication.]

"Daughter?"

"She is sick…… Maybe she'll die before she becomes an adult. I'm trying to be strong to get my daughter medicine."

Be strong to get medicine. In a way, it doesn't add up.

However, Jecheon Kang could understand it at once. In his world, hundreds of people were often killed just for acquiring a small dose of medicine.

Jecheon Kang nodded. But.

"Because it's a congenital mana disease……. It is said to be a disease caused by too much mana in the body from birth.”

Do-joon's next words slightly hardened his expression.

“From birth, mana… … So, it's a disease caused by a lot of internal mana?”

"Yeah, I think it's also called the Ninth Yin Pulse."

And now, Jecheon Kang's expression is clearly strange enough that even Do-joon can recognize it.

Do-joon's heart fluttered at the reaction. Something unknown premonition began to flow down his spine.

By any chance.

“Have you ever heard of… … ?”

He thinks he might have found a clue.

Jecheon Kang let out a small sigh and talked.

"There was a man, a monk, among the people I knew who had the yin pulse."

As he said that, his eyes became full of remorse.