Future Knight

Chapter 33

A few days ago, Jaina had begun throwing herself into the waterfall.

However, with her frail body, it was impossible for her to withstand the water pressure from such a tremendous height.

The excruciating pain felt like being beaten all over with a club, and the first time she threw herself into the waterfall, she couldn’t endure even a few seconds and had to jump out immediately.

The pain from the waterfall was far harsher than she had imagined.

“To think that the old man continued enduring something this painful for years.”

Recalling how Kang Chan spent most of his days enduring the waterfall, she couldn’t help but genuinely respect him.

Jaina gritted her teeth and threw herself into the waterfall again. The sole reason she pushed herself to such extremes was because she wanted to become stronger.

She suddenly felt a strong comparison between herself and Kang Chan.

Even though they started learning swordsmanship at almost the same time, he had already become a Sword Expert who could handle mana, while she still couldn’t perfectly understand even the basic movements of the Elven sword, let alone handle mana.

Feeling the stark contrast between herself and Kang Chan, Jaina decided to follow in his footsteps as closely as possible.

So, she threw herself into the waterfall, not wanting to show her inadequacies in front of him.

Day after day, Jaina relentlessly hurled herself into the waterfall, and her physical condition was terrible.

Her body was covered in bruises, and she was on the verge of exhaustion.

The same training method as Kang Chan’s was absolutely impossible for her.

No, it would be impossible for any elf.

It was a reckless training method that only Kang Chan could endure.

Despite this, Jaina continued to throw herself into the waterfall.

She felt she wouldn’t be able to bear the self-loathing if she didn’t at least do this.

As Jaina was losing consciousness under the waterfall, Kang Chan came roaring down from the sky on his air bike.

“Jaina!”

Kang Chan’s loud shout as he jumped off the air bike brought Jaina back to her senses.

“Ah, oppa?”

Kang Chan waded through the rough water and grabbed Jaina by her shoulders.

“What are you doing here?”

“……”

He carried her out of the waterfall and examined her condition.

Knowing how powerful the waterfall’s drop was, he was worried about Jaina’s condition.

While he had a metabolism that was several times faster than others, Jaina was just an ordinary girl.

As expected, her shoulders were swollen and bruised.

Her body, robbed of its warmth, was as cold as ice, and her lips had turned blue.

Despite this, Jaina managed to speak with great difficulty.

“Why… why haven’t you come for a while?”

Seeing Jaina struggling to speak through chattering teeth, Kang Chan’s heart ached.

“I had some quiet training to do.”

“Oh, I see.”

Seeing her shivering yet smiling, Kang Chan’s chest tightened.

“Why are you doing something so foolish?”

“You did it too, oppa, so I can do it too.”

“Am I the same as you? I, I…”

Kang Chan wanted to tell her that he was different from ordinary people, but he couldn’t bring himself to say that to Jaina. So he made a flimsy excuse.

“I’m a man.”

Jaina flared up at what sounded like gender discrimination.

“Women can do it too!”

“Yeah, I get it. But stop now.”

“No, I won’t! What’s the difference between you and me? I can get stronger too!”

As Jaina stubbornly insisted on becoming stronger, Kang Chan was momentarily at a loss for words. He then began to cautiously coax her.

“This isn’t a normal method. Withstanding the waterfall is possible because it’s me. No one else, including you, can do it. Let’s take care of your body first.”

“No! I won’t! I don’t want to show you my inadequate self anymore! Ahh!”

Jaina’s tearful outburst left Kang Chan speechless and frozen in place, like a person who had lost his soul.

Only then did he realize why Jaina had thrown herself into the terrifying waterfall.

Jaina, who had always been by his side, taking care of him in every way and worrying about him, had never been looked back at by him.

He had only ever focused on his own path.

While he rapidly advanced, Jaina, who had been stuck in the same place, must have had many thoughts watching him, thoughts he had never considered.

Suddenly, Kang Chan felt a pang of guilt and sorrow.

He felt incredibly sorry.

He realized that he had only thought about himself, neglecting her.

Unable to say anything, he silently hugged Jaina tightly.

Startled by the sudden embrace, Jaina struggled a bit, but Kang Chan held her even tighter.

Soon, her struggles subsided, and she leaned into his embrace, crying.

The sound of her sobs, drowned out by the waterfall, echoed faintly.

After a while, Kang Chan gently caressed her tear-streaked cheek and pressed his lips to hers.

Jaina accepted his kiss without resistance, and they confirmed their love for each other beneath the waterfall.

After the dreamlike sweet moment, Kang Chan hugged Jaina tightly once more and spoke.

“I’ll protect you forever. So, don’t push yourself, Jaina.”

Jaina’s pale face blushed like a peach.

“Okay.”

Though it wasn’t a formal confession, Kang Chan conveyed his true feelings to Jaina, and she accepted them.

From that day on, they were no longer just friends but lovers.

In an effort to warm Jaina’s cold body, Kang Chan quickly built a small campfire.

Sitting closely by the fire, they clung to each other, unwilling to part.

Though it was still a bit awkward and they hesitated to speak, their faces bore happy smiles.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yes, I’m fine now.”

“You had a lot of bruises on your shoulders. Let’s see a healer.”

“This much is okay. I brought a potion from home. It’ll disappear once I apply it. Don’t worry too much.”

Jaina took out a glass bottle filled with red liquid from a bag made of woven reeds, and Kang Chan offered to apply it for her.

Turning her back to him, she lowered the straps of her top below her shoulders.

At that moment, Kang Chan swallowed hard.

‘Gulp!’

Today, Jaina looked especially mature.

As he carefully applied the potion, Kang Chan asked her,

“You seem to have grown a bit in the few days I didn’t see you?”

As Jaina, her back to the campfire, smiled shyly, her cheeks flushed red, Kang Chan was momentarily entranced.

In just a few days, Jaina had undoubtedly changed.

Unlike humans, elves take a long time, about 100 years, to reach adulthood. However, they do not grow slowly and steadily over that time but instead have the unique ability to grow based on their will.

Whenever they earnestly wished to grow, their growth would commence, whether driven by hatred or love.

Elves who harbored intense hatred and resentment could transform into entirely different beings—Dark Elves.

A Dark Elf, transformed by malice and resentment, was condemned to death by elven law. Their blackened skin, tainted by hatred, was irreversible. Moreover, the children of Dark Elves were invariably born as Dark Elves, perpetuating a cursed bloodline.

Fearing the contamination of their noble elven blood, elves adhered to a strict policy of executing those who turned into Dark Elves to preserve their race.

To survive, these transformed elves were forced to live hidden underground, and the elves referred to them as Drow Elves, viewing them with great disdain.

However, unlike them, Jaina, who was growing through love rather than hatred, was transforming from a girl into a woman, becoming truly beautiful.

As time passed after applying the potion, Jaina’s dark bruises gradually faded, leaving only slight marks.

Adjusting her clothes, Jaina changed her posture and approached Kang Chan with earnest eyes.

“Oppa, I have a favor to ask.”

“What is it?”

Kang Chan was willing to grant any request as long as it wasn’t about breaking up.

“I want to see where you live.”

“…?”

Kang Chan flinched in surprise.

“Why suddenly there?”

“Well, I’m curious about how you live there… and I’ve always heard about that giant ark that fell from the sky. I wonder what it looks like…”

Come to think of it, Jaina had always wanted to visit there, though she never voiced it.

“That’s not difficult at all. Luckily, I brought the air bike, so I can take you there in no time.”

“Really? Thank you!”

As Jaina suddenly leaped up and clung to his neck, Kang Chan’s face turned beet red, and he lifted her up with a smile.

“Kyah!”

Kang Chan carefully seated Jaina on the air bike and fastened the seatbelt.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay!”

Kang Chan’s demeanor as he sat on the air bike was entirely different from when he rode with Zikyon. His stiff posture was reminiscent of a driving manual.

Worried that Jaina might fall or get scared, he piloted the air bike with meticulous care, like a novice driver.

Thus, the two flew slowly toward the Red Mars.