Conversations in the Spirit Realm
"Take rest and don't worry about what happened in the school," Yeji replied, showing off her nonexistent biceps. "I won't let them get away with this!"
The sight made Gojin smile as he remembered his mother had the same reaction in his past life. But that's when things went downhill for them. He knew the school wouldn't investigate anything.
They will blame me for everything, and my mother will have to grovel before Taejun's mother, that bitch, to ask the principal to rescind my expulsion.
It was a sight deeply engraved in his mind. That was the day Gojin lost the prideful mother Yeji was, and he was determined not to let that happen in his second life. Even if it meant doing something out of line.
But for now, he went back to the room. There was something else on his mind that he needed to think about.
***
"Now... what is this screen?"
[You have used all your synchronization attempts for the day. Please try again after 12 hours 21 minutes 21 seconds.]
The same screen appeared before Gojin when he tried thinking about his ancestors. He remembered seeing such things shown in manhwas and novels.
He waved his hands over the screen, and to his surprise, it changed. Now, the screen showed a picture of him, along with his name and some other information he didn't know the significance of.
[Name: Kim Gojin]
[Nicknames: Burden, Useless trash, Unlovably single, Weakling, +5 more]
[Grade: What's the point of grading someone useless?]
[Aura: Akin to an ant (Someone destined to be trampled on by others)]
[Skills: Suplex (Beginner)]
[Synchronization attempts left: 0/1]
Burden... Useless trash... Unlovably single...
Reading those words hurt Gojin more than Taejun's gang ever had. Moreover, no overpowered hidden skills were waiting for him there, unlike what he had hoped for. He had hoped that checking the screens would help his situation, but it didn't seem like it would.
With a sigh, Gojin flopped onto his bed and closed his eyes, his mind drifting back to his meeting with the principal. So far, the only thing that had changed from his previous life was Nurse Lee and the reaction of his teachers around her.
It made him wonder why she was getting such special treatment. Then it hit him. Nurse Lee and Principal Mr. Lee... they could be relatives! That's why even the demon of a vice principal was acting so sweetly around her!
"Did it truly take this dullard such an extended period to comprehend that?" someone remarked. "I once considered the appellations given by the others to be excessively severe, yet I now see they were remarkably apt!"
Hearing a bunch of never heard before words, Gojin opened his eyes and found he was back in the domain of his ancestors.
"But I thought I had used up my synchro attempts, whatever they are..." Gojin mumbled, turning around to see a man dressed in traditional robes of deep blue silk.
The man had a calm face adorned with a feathery beard and neatly tied hair, topped with a small, elegant hat. His posture was upright and wise, showing he had spent years studying as a scholar.
But that wasn't the only one there. The burly looking ancestor who had helped Gojin was present too, alongside the elder they called the elder or the old man.
However, the muscular spirit didn't spare Gojin any attention, as he was occupied doing push-ups with an enormous mountain on his back. But Gojin noticed something peculiar.
Each time the ancestor completed a push-up, the mountain on his back grew slightly larger. It made Gojin ponder whether this was a punishment and how long the ancestor had been exercising for the mountain to become so massive.
"This simian likely merited the chastisement meted out by his peers," the scholar commented once he noticed Gojin drifting away.
"Do you speak any language that I know?" Gojin retorted. "Because all I hear are words that make little to no sense."
But before he could continue, someone smacked him on the back of his head. It was the elder who didn't look pleased at all.
"You know, if you keep hitting me in the head I'll grow dull-"
Gojin tried to complain politely. But it earned him another smack.
"I reckon it can't get no worse for a man crawling in the dirt," the old man yelled and kept hitting Gojin.
Gojin raised his hands to protect him from the old man's vicious blows. But then he realized something. Apart from the sharp pain in his head from the old man's slap, he couldn't sense any other wounds from the earlier altercation with Taejun.
"Of course, you can't feel those damned injuries," the old man replied. "This isn't the mortal realm, but the spirit realm. Here, no soul can carry its pain and suffering from the mortal realm, and likewise, it holds true in reverse."
"However, there exists no limitation upon the transference of one's experiences from one realm to another," the scholar chimed in.
Gojin rubbed the back of his head and mumbled, "So that's how it is..."
"But wait, if I'm here. Then what will happen to my-"
"You slumber in the mortal realm," the scholar replied, concealing his face behind a hand fan. "It is the sole means by which you may join us for a considerable amount of time."
Gojin nodded when he remembered how the burly ancestor had knocked him out and swapped souls with him. So being unconscious was the key to visiting his ancestors, even though it seemed like a strange method.
"By employing the art of synchronization, you may exchange your soul with that of one of your forebears," the scholar added. "However, do note that this would limit you to conversing with a single ancestor, unlike the manner in which you are presently engaging with us."
"I see... but why am I here?" Gojin asked, expecting the old man to strike again.
Instead, the old man's face twisted into a wicked grin as he spoke. "You required help, did you not? Besides, seeing you endure such a pitiable thrashing, I've resolved to toughen you until you can stand on your own without dishonoring our lineage."
Saying so, the old man instructed Gojin to get in position to do push-ups. Fearing another smack coming, Gojin obeyed. Then he noticed the old man summoning a grain of sand and placing it on his back.
"In each instance, you finish a push-up, the grain's size will grow," the old man said before pointing at the burly ancestor. "Your aim is to make the grain of sand reach a tenth of the size achieved by Kim Kangho."
"Wait... you're telling me that mountain was a grain of sand all this time!?"