3
7
3.
Although my new shoes were soaked with a little moisture due to the snow, I did not use my technique because it felt like walking on an untrodden snowfield.
It had been quite a while since the sun rose, but there were no students coming and going from the academy.
Now the time has come to leave the academy.
Senior Brother.
Four
The Gold, Silver, and Bronze brothers approached from the direction of the dormitory.
Saryeon was also approaching, perhaps because he had been with them.
Eunho asked me in a hoarse voice.
Wall of a Thousand Swords
Are you going to [that place] now?
“Right. It’s time to study, so didn’t you come for nothing?”
The deep, sallow color around the eyes looks pitiful.
I know why you said you were going to such a strict place.
“No matter how busy I am, as a disciple of the Taeeulmun, shouldn’t I watch this?”
However, the guy smiles broadly with a haggard look, as if he is delighted just by the thought.
I shook my head.
What is this?
Others entrust it to a stonemason.
However, it is not that I do not understand that feeling.
I, too, have come out like this to do the work myself that I could have left to a stonemason.
“Let’s go quickly. I’ll wait.”
At Saryeon’s urging, I moved my feet again.
We caught up on all the stories we hadn’t been able to share because we were too busy with Mugak support and exams.
Actually, this strange silence was uncomfortable and unbearable, so I had to say something.
Anyway, it looks like I sent the priests to Baekranggak to volunteer, but I’m the only one who came out.
however.
“What? Where are you going?”
I was surprised by the sudden news Dong-ryong brought up.
It is the Mengzhu battle.
Did the Mengzhu War officially select someone?
No, before that, can a student from the academy enter the Alliance Leader Battle?
From the very beginning, the Alliance Leader’s Tournament rarely recruited new members, and even when it did, it only occasionally accepted those who had surpassed a certain level in martial arts prowess, experience as a warrior, and reputation in the martial arts world, reaching a state of mastery.
But you accepted a fresh graduate student?
Due to those who are wary that the Leader of the Murim Alliance might privatize the alliance, it is extremely difficult to even select a single person for recruitment.
Therefore, the reality was that only those who had naturally risen to the ranks of the elite could barely manage to get a job.
In a way, the Mengzhu Palace is even harder to enter than the Mantongbu.
The news that such a leadership battle was recruiting was surprising enough, but the fact that Dong-ryong had joined was even more astonishing.
“Wh-what do you mean by that?”
Geumpyo, Eunho, and Saren also seemed unaware, as everyone stared at Dongryong with wide eyes.
That’s a relief. That I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know.
Whether we were terrified or not, Dong-ryong scratched his head and quietly muttered.
Actually, I was planning to decline, so I wasn’t going to tell you separately.
What did I just hear…?
The disciples of Taeeulmun were all shocked.
Rejection? That Alliance War?
“You said that Senior Brother and Senior Sister are both going to Baekranggak, too. I didn’t want to go alone.”
At the overly nonchalant answer, we just gaped like carp spotting prey.
Even though there have always been surprising things up until now, this was a different matter.
“Not all of them. Senior Brother is missing, after all.”
He was about to say something about Sa-ryeon’s unnecessary remark, but the glare he received was sharp, so he just kept his mouth shut.
But I asked if they could possibly agree to the conditions, just in case.
Another shock bomb flew in.
“…….”
We looked at each other at the same time with expressions like temple Buddhas.
They didn’t say it out loud, but it felt like they were communicating to each other through their eyes, “Our youngest is so sharp. To think he would make a deal with the Alliance Leader.”
As the silence continued, Dong-ryong fidgeted with his fingers.
“……
Did I do something wrong? I felt that if it were Senior Brother, he would definitely present what he wanted in a situation like this…
For some reason, Saryeon glared at me with sharp eyes.
“What did I…….”
“Don’t you know you have to be careful even when drinking cold water in front of kids!”
Hey, you’re so sharp and good, why are you acting like that for no reason?
However, I quickly changed the subject, fearing that if I said that, they would bring up the fact that I couldn’t go to Baekranggak and lash out at me.
So what did you ask for? Surely not money…
You weren’t asking for the same thing, were you?
If that happened, I feel like I would really want to die…
Private lessons.
“huh?”
I requested private lessons.
Dongryong’s shoulders slumped.
“I felt it in Mukrim. I still have a long way to go to help Senior Brother. No, I felt that if things continue like this, I might never be able to help Senior Brother in my lifetime.……”
…so I asked… …ugh.”
Saryeon suddenly hugged Dongryong tightly.
Although Dongryong had grown a lot tall, Saren still held him tightly as if he were the youngest, and Dongryong slightly bent his knees to match his height.
“No, Dong-ryong. You are doing well enough. Besides, we received a lot of help from you in Muklim as well.”
Dongryong, who had been burying his face in Saryeon’s shoulder for a moment, raised his head and looked at us.
I will try harder. For my own sake, and for the sake of my brothers.
At Dong-ryong’s determination, our brothers naturally smiled.
Everyone realized a truly important fact.
As the senior brother, I looked at them and spoke forcefully.
“Right, kids. What does it matter where we go or where we can’t? In the end, as long as we look out for each other, that’s all that matters…”
“The person who ran away alone, please keep quiet.”
Oops! Sorry.
It’s a failure.
Saryeon, who had been glaring at me, suddenly softened her expression and patted Dongryong on the shoulder as if to say she was proud of him, while Dongryong scratched the back of his head, seemingly embarrassed.
While the heartwarming atmosphere continued with no one else around.
“But who will supervise my individual training? There isn’t really a unit to speak of for the Alliance Leader battle anyway.”
Eunho tilted his head as if finding it strange, and Geumpyo immediately patted his shoulder as if to say he was worrying about everything.
“Come on, there are so many masters in that place. Do you think they can’t spare Dong-ryong?”
“No, those people all have their own schools and things like that… so you can’t just teach them carelessly, can you?”
“That’s true…….”
“Hmm, aside from those guys, they’re just guards… Do you really think a bodyguard would come out and teach Dong-ryong?”
Geumpyo also seemed to sense something was off, so he asked Dongryong.
“Dong-ryong, was there any talk of someone teaching you?”
Dongryong shook his head.
“No, I told them separately that there is someone I would like to be taught by. Fortunately, they gave me permission.”
The heads of the Taeeulmun disciples turned in unison.
I expressed my skepticism, wondering if there was anyone Dong-ryong knew among the characters in the Mengju Chronicle.
Who is that?
Dong-ryong answered cheerfully with his characteristic innocent smile.
It is the Leader of the Martial Arts Alliance.
And I was speechless.
“Uh… um… that….”
My mind went blank, and I stared at the priests.
Seeing everyone’s eyes pop out, I guess I wasn’t hallucinating.#“What are you doing here?”
We snapped back to reality at the sudden sound of Seongmo-ran’s voice.
“Why are you still here? Thousand Sword Wall”
Isn’t it time to be at…?
Ah, well… I heard something so surprising… Anyway, Miss Seong, what brings you here?
“Just… I had nothing to do. So I came out.”
For the disciples of Taeeulmun, it is something to be proud of that I, their senior brother, am going to Cheongeombyeok, but for the other students at the academy, it is not exactly welcome news, yet to think I just came out.
“Is our graduating class a bit unique, Hyung-nim?”
Moyong Jaehwa and Eun Seolran approached from behind Seongmoran, holding bows.
Moyong Jaehwa had beads of sweat on his forehead, as if he had been shooting arrows for quite some time.
“You guys too?”
Was it perhaps not supposed to come?
“No, that’s not it, but…….”
Jang Woo-jae, who was approaching our side from behind, stopped abruptly and hesitated, unable to decide what to do.
That wasn’t all.
The number of people continued to increase as we headed toward the Heavenly Sword Wall.
Namgung Seon-hwa and Ilgak, Cheol Sun-jik and Nam Hwa-seong, etc.
With every few steps, new people kept increasing.
“Why on earth did you guys come?”
As I frowned, the students in the academy all gave me a thumbs down.
“Hmph, since it is a day of terrible humiliation. I will not forget today’s disgrace.”
It is said that a gentleman’s revenge is never too late, even if it takes ten years. Witnessing today’s events with one’s own eyes, and enduring hardships…
I will surely repay you with that heart. I will certainly do so.
“I just came because I had some free time.”
Seriously, everyone must be terribly bored.
But since it wasn’t exactly a secret matter, I didn’t really feel like stopping them, so I just let them follow.
Before I knew it, I reached the Heavenly Sword Wall, located in the deepest part of the Murim Academy.
“Representative Jin…?”
The scholars and stonemasons who were waiting tilt their heads.
Come to think of it, quite a few should have gathered.
“This is the first time I’ve seen something like this. I heard that people of the Jianghu are very jealous.”
I also nodded at the stonemason’s words.
If I were these guys, I would have been so furious I wouldn’t have been able to eat for three days.
Representative Jin So-un.
Then, the bachelor guided me.
It’s this way.
The place the scholar guided us to was one side of the Heavenly Sword Wall.
There were clearly engraved characters there that appeared to have been made recently.
The Seventy-First Generation of the Martial World. ■■ led it.
The bachelor pointed to the empty space.
It’s a bit small. You can write it here.
When I checked the area above where the scholar had pointed, the exact same sentence was written with only one word different.
Seventy generations of the Murim.
Wudang
This led.
And the same sentences, with only the sect names changed, densely filled the wall.
I raised my hand and gently stroked the sentences.
Records that have accompanied the history of Murim Academy.
Something that someone at the invitation started half-jokingly.
That for two generations
The representative of the academic center follows along.
Three generations, four generations
As the representatives seemed to like it, they continued to carve characters, and a tradition unique to the students was established on this small cliff located deep within the Murim Academy.
And that tradition became a symbol of the academy’s graduates over the long years of their teens and twenties.
forties
Upon reaching it, the leader of the Martial Arts Alliance of that era personally [at] the Wall of a Thousand Swords on this small cliff
It became an official event of the academy as the name was bestowed.
Cheongeombyeok, meaning to engrave a thousand records.
Although, unlike its name in the previous life, it eventually ended up as seventy-one.
Until the Murim Academy disappeared, the Heavenly Sword Wall was a proud record for the academy’s students and a source of pride for the sect that left it.
I raised my head and looked at the very first engraved record.
A letter engraved in a noticeably larger size than the other letters stands out.
A generation of the martial arts world.
Shaolin led.
Graduating from the Murim Academy did not mean one led the Murim world, but it was a symbol.
A symbol of how the members of that generation will move forward.
Because it was an undeniable fact that a sect that had made a name for itself in history revived in that generation.
After that, many names such as ‘Mudang’, ‘Jeomchang’, and ‘Hwasan’ were recorded.
Most of them were the names of the Nine Great Sects, followed by the Five Great Families. Occasionally, the names of the Four Sects of Baekpalbong were also listed.
The interesting thing is that there are still some names of martial arts schools that no longer exist.
Although it was a sect that had vanished from the martial arts world and been forgotten even in people’s memories, the records remaining on the Heavenly Sword Wall clearly showed that the sect had existed.
and.
People who look at such records are overcome with a strange sentiment.
This must be the very reason why everyone who has entered the academy wants to leave their mark here.
I was no different.
Because the record of the Heavenly Sword Wall, which began and ended in Shaolin in the memories of his past life, was the driving force that made him covet the representative position ever since he entered the Murim Academy.
Just then, lost in thought in front of the wall.
“What on earth are you doing? I’m freezing to death.”
It’s because it’s so small that I’m nervous. It would be a total disgrace if I failed.
“They say a sword path contains a person’s enlightenment, so aren’t you worried that an incredibly vulgar sword path might emerge?”
“I’m more than capable of doing that, hahaha.”
I involuntarily gritted my teeth at the idle chatter that woke me up from my reverie.
I turned around sharply to chase them away while cursing.
There were academy students looking up at the Heavenly Sword Wall with strange eyes.
“I tried to drag Jin So-un out somehow.”
“Exactly. I felt like I wouldn’t be able to stand it seeing this.”
at that time.
“But you see,…….”
A student gazing at the cliff with a dazed look whispered softly.
“Has that record claiming they ‘led’ us more than our graduating class ever been a clear fact?”
No one denied it.
Those words were engraved in my heart before I knew it.
The academy students still endlessly scanning the cliff again and again.
Everyone seemed to be lost in their own thoughts, so I did not break the silence.
I was also grateful that you went out of your way to come see me on such a cold day.
I turned around and faced the cliff again.
visor.
The Red Light Sword is drawn out.
The bachelor took a step back.
Eventually, he slowly drew up the Taeeul Jingyeong.
Since it was not to kill anyone, my mind settled more calmly than ever.
It moved like that.
Neither slow nor fast.
Not too deep, not too shallow.
With the will of the ancestors who established Taeeulmun five hundred years ago, and my resolve to change the future.
Just as a name different from my past life remains, I hope this record will not be the last.
Small specks of stone dust scattered with a whooshing sound, and the record was slowly completed.
Along with a sword path that is not flashy but is not lacking.
Srrk.
Let’s sheathe the sword.
Oh!
Small exclamations of admiration burst forth from here and there.
I slowly raised my head and deeply engraved the sentence I had carved into my memory.
The Seventy-First Generation of the Martial World.
Taeeul
It was the first name recorded among the seventy-one records.
