The Land of Shadows has to be the last place any scenery-lover would ever want to visit.
There's no blue sky or drifting clouds here, no green rivers or misty mountains—just unchanging gray stone and a suffocating aura of death wherever you look.
Life here is dull, too. Scáthach's daily routine consists of fishing, taking walks, and "walking" her bird. If she hooks a fish, she picks a fight with it. If her stroll leads into some powerful monster's territory, she picks a fight with the monster. And as for walking the bird—she first picks a fight with the crow, then walks it afterward.
Of course, Scáthach has other ways to kill time besides brawling—such as using [Clairvoyance] to watch events unfolding (or yet to unfold) on Earth, where Sung Jinwoo lives.
Her eyes might not be as versatile as Merlin's, but when Scáthach had confined herself to the Land of Shadows, she'd always kept watch on the living world. Now she was doing the same, only able to see that far because a Gate linked the Land of Shadows to Earth.
"What a waste… The warriors of this world are all so warped. You can't find a single decent seedling worth nurturing…"
With a heavy sigh of resignation, Scáthach voiced her lament.
Ten years ago, humans on Earth were ordinary people without any remarkable power—until one day, Dungeons connected to their world, and more and more individuals Awakened as ability-users.
But in truth, that power had never belonged to humanity.
The "Rulers," created by a god from fragments of light. The "Monarchs," fashioned from fragments of darkness… The conflict between those two factions had raged since the universe's birth, continuing even now.
The Monarchs existed for one purpose: to bring destruction to everything.
The Rulers existed for one purpose: to protect worlds and annihilate every Monarch.
To give humanity a chance to survive the coming calamities, the Rulers shared their power. In other words, how strong Hunters became—how high their ceilings rose—depended entirely on how much power the Rulers chose to grant.
Among them, only Sung Jinwoo was different…
...
Today, Sung Jinwoo went to the Hunters Association for a re-evaluation.
He believed he already had the strength of an S-Rank Hunter, yet on paper, he remained an E-Rank. If he could officially attain S-Rank status through the test, many things would become easier for him.
An S-Rank's mana output can't be measured by a standard device. In other words, if the machine displayed "unable to measure," that alone would confirm an S-Rank.
"So, my S-Rank status… Guess I won't have it for a few days, huh."
After leaving the Hunters Association, Sung Jinwoo drifted down the street without a destination in mind.
"Maybe… I should go see Shishō. I wonder what kind of training she has in mind."
Honestly, after learning that Scáthach was a terrifying powerhouse even the System seemed to fear, Sung Jinwoo couldn't help feeling a flicker of anticipation for her training plan.
If he trained under her… he didn't need to become as strong as Scáthach. He'd be satisfied if he grew strong enough that the System wouldn't dare use him.
The moment Sung Jinwoo entered the Land of Shadows, Scáthach sensed him.
"Oh? That brat finally came looking for me?"
A hint of expectation appeared in her smile. She withdrew her spear intent and waved goodbye to the group of monsters around her.
"I'm going to see my disciple. Let's play again next time."
As Scáthach's back disappeared into the distance, the monsters she'd beaten half to death immediately burst into tears.
That damned demonic woman finally left!
Who can understand our pain? We were peacefully sleeping when some crazed woman showed up with two long spears slung over her shoulder and—without even asking—beat us to a pulp.
What did we ever do to her?!
Next time? You still want there to be a next time?!
We don't want a next time for the rest of our lives, okay?!
...
Entering the Land of Shadows again, Sung Jinwoo didn't use the Gate in the plaza as he had the first time. Scáthach had given him an item that could directly open a small Gate into the Land of Shadows.
Previously, several South Korean S-Rank Hunters had teamed up to explore the Purple Gate in the plaza, only to retreat after being unable to handle the giant spider's potent venom. Recently, South Korea had decided to include additional S-Rank Hunters, including an S-Rank specializing in healing, to clear the dungeon. Within a few days, they planned to make a second attempt on that Purple Gate.
This meant the plaza area around the Purple Gate was now packed with people. Sung Jinwoo couldn't slip in as easily as before—hence the item from Scáthach.
Today was his first day of training. He was genuinely curious about how Scáthach would train him.
"So, according to you—as long as you fight, you gain experience. Once you've accumulated enough experience, you level up. Then you receive stat points, and by allocating those points, you can freely raise your Strength, Stamina, Intelligence, Perception, Agility, and so forth. Is that right?"
Sung Jinwoo had shared part of what he knew about the System with Scáthach. She folded her arms, looking completely unsurprised.
"Shishō, you understand all of that?" Sung Jinwoo was a bit baffled. He'd thought that Scáthach, having been shut away in the Land of Shadows for ages, would find concepts like games unfamiliar. Yet she'd grasped it instantly.
"I can see from your face exactly what disrespectful thoughts you're having." Scáthach narrowed her eyes slightly. The danger in her tone made Sung Jinwoo shiver. "Don't forget—my Land of Shadows receives the dead from countless worlds. Some come from civilizations far beyond your Earth. I've dealt with them. I know more than you imagine."
"Ah… I see."
"To grow stronger simply by fighting—how convenient. And how perfectly suited to my tastes."
A smile appeared on Scáthach's lips. Sung Jinwoo recognized it immediately: the smile of awakened battle lust. His shishō wanted to fight again. And as the most likely candidate to serve as her punching bag, Sung Jinwoo saw nothing "beautiful" about that smile—only looming danger.
"Shishō… can we discuss the training plan first?" Sung Jinwoo tried changing the subject to divert her attention.
"Hm… Right. Training…" Scáthach tapped her chin thoughtfully, then nodded. "Since you can raise your Agility, Strength, and Stamina by allocating stat points, physical training isn't particularly meaningful at this stage. What you lack most right now is technique."
"I told you before—you're extremely crude in both combat technique and mana control… In fact, I was being polite. In my eyes, you're so atrocious it's painful to watch! All you rely on is your sharp perception—brutish, like a wild beast. And your mana control is worse than a beast's! Even a newborn handles it better!"
Scáthach's merciless assessment gradually twisted Sung Jinwoo's expression into a sour grimace, driving home just how lacking his technique really was.
In truth, he wasn't quite as terrible as Scáthach suggested. Most beings in this universe—Rulers and Monarchs included—didn't bother honing their technique. At their level, they simply crushed everything with raw power, making "technique" essentially irrelevant.
But Scáthach was different. She embodied the absolute pinnacle of technique, wielding divine arts capable of slaying gods—of cutting down immortals and demons alike.
When a single spear strike reaches perfection, even killing a god becomes as effortless as flicking one's wrist.
In Scáthach's eyes, it wasn't just Sung Jinwoo or Earth's humans—every living thing in the cosmos was hopelessly crude. This was why she could belittle him into utter worthlessness without blinking.
"So, in conclusion… come fight me to the death!"
"In conclusion, my ass! How did we jump to 'fight to the death'?! Aren't you supposed to train my technique?!"
As Scáthach drew her spears, battle intent thickening until it felt suffocating, Sung Jinwoo screamed internally.
He saw it clearly. She wasn't holding one spear.
She was holding two.
She seriously planned to kill him, didn't she?!
"Before you learn how to fight, you must learn how to take a beating." Scáthach's voice was cool and matter-of-fact. "I'm a practical instructor. While I pound you into the ground, I'll carve every technique and skill into your body—and even your soul. If you think I'm going to teach you gently, abandon that naive fantasy now. My training comes with the risk of death."
"I can die?!"
"Of course. I do know the difference between training and slaughter. I'll do my best not to let you die during training."
"Your best—?!"
"Relax. Before you, I trained several disciples. They all achieved something noteworthy while alive—and endlessly praised my methods." Scáthach's mouth curved slightly, clearly in an excellent mood.
Thus began Sung Jinwoo's hellish training.
Whenever he lay bloodied and broken, thinking he might finally get a breather, Scáthach would toss him a healing rune that instantly restored his injuries—then beat him again. Over and over.
To summarize—
If you can't train him to death, then train him like you're trying to.
At first, Scáthach only used spears. Later came blades, swords, scythes, hammers, axes, whips, daggers… Every weapon under the sun—she made Sung Jinwoo taste them all. Towards the end, she didn't even bother with weapons—she just beat him bare-handed.
Initially, Sung Jinwoo clung to a faint hope. His shishō might be absurdly skilled with spears—but perhaps other weapons wouldn't feel as natural to her? If so, maybe he'd have a slim chance to resist, or at least avoid being utterly helpless.
Reality quickly proved him naive. No matter what she wielded, Scáthach pinned him down and pummeled him into the dirt. Soon, he was questioning the very meaning of life.
That night, Sung Jinwoo had no idea how he made it home. His mind was so clouded with exhaustion that the moment he hit the bed, he passed out.
And that was only the beginning.
"The human body forgets quickly. Slack off for one day, and a month's effort is wasted. The most important—and most difficult—thing is consistency."
Over the next few days, Sung Jinwoo returned to the Land of Shadows daily, enduring Scáthach's Spartan training.
Initially, he wondered if it was really necessary. Spending the same time clearing Dungeons would surely earn him plenty of experience.
But one day, when he opened the System, he was astonished to discover he'd gained several levels.
Could he actually accumulate experience just by getting beaten by his shishō?
Sung Jinwoo grew increasingly confused by the System's standards for "earning experience." This was the first time he'd gained so much without killing enemies.
...
Only three days had passed, and Sung Jinwoo was already adjusting to Scáthach's rhythm. At the very least, he wasn't so thoroughly exhausted that he forgot how he'd gotten home, like on day one.
"You don't even have the strength to swing your blade." Scáthach slipped past the dagger aimed at her, her movement ghostlike as she appeared behind him. The red spear slammed into Sung Jinwoo's back, sending him crashing face-first into the ground. "What—did you forget to eat?"
"…All right." Scáthach paused. "We'll stop for now. Eat something."
It was the first time Scáthach had ever suggested a break. Sung Jinwoo had no idea what she was thinking, but he wasn't stupid enough to ask—and he certainly wasn't going to refuse. He immediately agreed.
"Go to the river nearby and catch a fish," Scáthach said flatly. "One should be enough."
As she watched Sung Jinwoo trot away, her crimson eyes shimmered faintly.
"No wonder you chose this little one as your successor… What astonishing resilience."
With a smile containing deeper meaning, Scáthach murmured softly to herself, "If I am someone untouched by death… then this little one must be my perfect opposite."
Sung Jinwoo, of course, heard none of this. He was preoccupied with the fishing assignment.
"Why did Shishō say one fish is enough? Two people eating—one fish can't possibly be enough…" Staring into the gray water, he frowned thoughtfully. "Does Shishō not plan to eat? Come to think of it… does she even need to? I don't think I've ever seen her eat…"
---
T/N: heres ur updates :3 meeting the 4 chaps a week quota :3
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl