Me, a Novelist! Not a Hero
A hero existed to fulfill other people's requests.
Ever since the "Descent" incident, outsiders calling themselves players had invaded this world. As the fires of war between the Churches and the fanatical faithless grew ever hotter, forgotten aberrations had also forced their way into people's view...
But none of that had anything to do with her anymore.
If she could, the hero no longer needed by anyone just wanted to write something and finish a story...
The problem was, the girl wasn't good at creating things. She couldn't write well about things she hadn't experienced.
To finish that story, she decided to say goodbye to her ordinary life in retirement and stir up trouble, adding all kinds of crises (crossed out) fun to everyone's boring daily lives.
What, you have a problem with that?
That's disloyal.
The train king is here to aggro everything with passion. Just so you know, your home is gone.
And that was that.
Welcome to the Old Dream Court. Group chat number: 420128098
Me, a Novelist! Not a Hero
Essence, Energy, and Spirit
Mai stopped talking to Shuya about his peerless good looks after he retaliated like that.
Shuya was so engrossed in training that he couldn't stop, and barely spoke to her beyond the occasional bit of small talk.
But he still kept his promise and played guitar for her.
After working out, he hurried off to meet Junior Sister Seisen and happily study music.
For Shuya, that music lesson was the best time to rest.
Being by Little Senior Sister's side always gave him a sense of peace. It was incredibly soothing.
Happy times flew by, and by the time Shuya got home, dusk had already fallen.
He didn't have time to go next door and keep them company, either.
He slipped up to the apartment building's rooftop and practiced the fundamentals Li Shuhong had taught him.
Shuya used the qi he had newly cultivated to help him with the basic exercises.
His qi was only the size of a fist, but it didn't have to stay in that form.
Qi could be compressed or spread out.
It was easy enough to understand.
Compression concentrated the qi and increased its density, making it purer and more destructive when focused on a single point.
Spreading it out weakened the qi, but covered a wider area, allowing him to strengthen his entire body.
Shuya spread the qi throughout his body and felt the sensation of being strengthened.
His strength, stamina, flexibility, and more all increased.
But he had no idea by how much.
He would have to test it to find out.
In the twilight, Shuya began practicing basic punches and kicks on the rooftop.
Every punch and kick cut through the air with a whistle. Shuya believed that even an adult would be in trouble if he landed a blow.
The boost from qi was powerful.
But Shuya knew it still couldn't compare to a bullet.
As Li Shuhong had said, the decline of martial arts was inevitable as technology advanced.
Shuya's cultivation speed was no point of reference.
An ordinary person who started training in martial arts as a child would still be in their thirties before they could cultivate qi.
Li Shuhong had told him that, in this day and age, anyone who could cultivate qi before turning thirty had pretty good talent.
Compared with the hardship of martial arts training, a single bullet could easily kill a martial artist without qi.
The difference was despairing.
Though Shuya was a genius, he couldn't afford to act recklessly unless he wanted to be unable to get by in society.
Thinking about it, he deeply felt how much this power was restrained.
With limits everywhere, his thoughts naturally couldn't flow freely.
And if his thoughts couldn't flow freely, he couldn't cultivate qi.
After cultivating qi, Shuya had truly felt its nature.
Qi was a substance made up of essence, energy, and spirit.
Essence referred to a person's vitality. The stronger the body, the greater the vitality, so physical training was the foundation for producing qi.
Energy referred to one's drive, or having a clear goal. It could also be understood as unwavering conviction.
For example, during the World War, Great Hua had produced many martial artists who cultivated qi because they were willing to die to protect their homes and country. They carried a resilient energy in their hearts.
And lastly, spirit.
That referred to the power of the soul.
The power manifested by the soul was the Power of Will.
The Power of Will was even more unusual than qi, but note that "unusual" didn't mean it was stronger than qi. It meant that its uses were more mysterious.
For qi to be born, the final condition was to absorb Purple Qi every day without fail, using the Power of Will to wash through the body and unlock the body's potential, making it purer.
To sum it up, one needed ample vitality, years of cleansing the body with the Power of Will, and unwavering conviction to cultivate qi.
The first two could be made up for with hard work. Conviction was the difficult part.
Especially in peaceful times, when people lived uneventful lives. Where was one supposed to find unwavering conviction?
Qi was so difficult to cultivate, so naturally it was powerful.
Just the qi the size of a fist had already doubled all of Shuya's physical capabilities.
"Looking at it this way, those older martial artists must be ridiculously strong, huh?"
Actually, Shuya had misunderstood.
Qi varied in quality.
He had a Natural Martial Bone, so the qi he produced was of very high quality.
Other people had to repeatedly refine their qi to remove impurities and compress it.
After testing it out, Shuya continued practicing the basics with his qi.
Once he was done, he walked to the edge of the rooftop and leaned against the railing, eyeing the rooftop of the building across from him. He hesitated.
Li Shuhong took him leaping from building to building every day, and it had sparked a keen interest in jumping between rooftops.
Now that Shuya had cultivated qi, he couldn't help having a bold idea when he looked at the building opposite.
After a moment, he wisely gave up on it.
Better to take it steady for now.
He could go wild once he was stronger.
Shuya thought about his dad. That cautionary example worked like a charm, instantly calming his restless heart.
Without a backward glance, he turned and went downstairs. After going home to shower, he headed next door for dinner.
It was past eight now. Rena should be home and have dinner ready.
Shuya changed his clothes and leisurely rang the doorbell next door.
"Shu-chan! You're back!"
When the door opened, the liveliest one, Yotsuba, poked her little head out.
"Yeah, I'm back."
Shuya automatically replaced her words with, "Daddy, you're home!"
"Good girl."
He patted Yotsuba's head affectionately.
"?"
Yotsuba didn't know what was going on, but she still giggled.
Shuya didn't explain.
He walked inside, ignoring the four little girls in the living room. His burning gaze landed entirely on Rena's back as she cooked in an apron.
Rena didn't turn around because she was busy. Her gentle voice rang out. "Welcome home, Shu-chan."
"...Yeah, I'm home."
"Was it tiring today?"
"Not really. It wasn't too bad."
The corners of Shuya's mouth rose uncontrollably.
The scene before him was practically a conversation between husband and wife, wasn't it?
...The only problem was that there were a few too many pets, and they were kind of dumb.
Shuya quietly put Ichika, who had jumped into his arms, back on the sofa. Then he dodged Nino as she pounced on him and casually took the snacks from Itsuki's hands, putting them back in the cupboard.
Itsuki: "!!!"
She looked at Shuya in anguish, her little mouth opening as if to cry out.
Shuya pointed at Rena, and Itsuki clamped her mouth shut.
She knew that if Rena found out she'd been snacking before dinner, Rena wouldn't help her. She'd lecture her instead.
She covered her mouth, her big eyes darting around.
She hurried behind Shuya and ingratiatingly massaged his shoulders, hoping he wouldn't tell Mom.
Her little hands were so soft that Shuya could barely feel the massage, but how could he refuse his daughter's thoughtful gesture? So he grandly enjoyed her service.
He casually dealt with the Quintuplets while watching Rena fall into her usual little fantasy.
"Dear, dinner will be ready in just a little while."
"It's fine." Shuya waved a hand. "I'd wait any amount of time for a meal made by you, Rena!"
"...Mmm! You're awful!"
"Ahahaha! Ahahaha!"
Shuya wore a silly grin.
Yotsuba pointed at Shuya and turned to Rena. "Mom! Shu-chan's acting silly again!"
"Ahem. What are you talking about?"
Shuya's delicate body jolted. He snapped out of it and glared at her.
"I saw it too!"
"Shu-chan's smile is super weird!"
Rena tilted her head slightly, watching her daughters and Shuya make a commotion.
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