Chapter 22. A Third-Rate Warrior Welcomes an Uninvited Guest (3)
Gye Cheol-yeong tried to enter the detached residence while holding a wooden box containing a golden toad.
“It’s better not to go in right now.”
Hong Sa-ryeon, who had poked her head out toward the inside from beyond the detached residence’s outer gate, spoke.
“What do you mean?”
“Senior Brother Jin went in, but somehow the atmosphere feels unusual.”
“That bastard Jin So-un came?”
“Yes. He’s inside right now.”
“But what do you mean, the atmosphere is not good?”
“I don’t know. It feels like walking on thin ice, I guess.”
He knew that Namgung San had come here because he had business with Jin So-un.
But what reason could there be for the atmosphere between the two of them not to be good? Surely Jin So-un, lacking proper judgment, must be making a mistake.
The moment that thought occurred to him, Gye Cheol-yeong grew anxious.
“I said the atmosphere isn’t good.”
“That is all the more reason I should go in. What if that So-un bastard makes a mistake?”
“No……”
Before Sa-ryeon could stop him, Gye Cheol-yeong had already gone inside.
I hate the Murim Alliance.
I especially hate the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Clans that form the core of the Murim Alliance.
I hate seeing them commit rudeness so naturally, as though they themselves were justice.
They and we do not exist on the same line from the start.
That is why these rude acts are possible.
“What do you want?”
Namgung San, who had stared at me in silence for a long while, opened his mouth after a long thought, and I shook my head.
“Nothing.”
“There is no person who wants nothing. I merely do not know what it is that you want.”
“I sincerely hope the Entry Token does not end up in your hands, Great Hero.”
Namgung San had no occasion to use the Entry Token.
He had already graduated from the Murim Academy with outstanding marks and was an executive of the Murim Alliance.
And among the elites who belonged to the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly, he was an elite of elites.
The reason he was clinging to the Entry Token so much was probably because of his younger sister, Namgung Seon-hwa, who had to enter the Murim Academy this time.
Because of collateral-line members such as Namgung Sang-won, the direct line’s strength had weakened, and he must have felt desperate in this situation where he could not use the clan’s power to enter the Murim Academy as he had in his own time.
That was why I hated him even more.
Because the sight of them cherishing their own families so terribly made my skin crawl.
Because the sight of them shedding tears over wounds on their own palms while our hearts were being torn out was so utterly repulsive.
“Then…….”
Just as Namgung San was about to open his mouth.
“Great Hero Namgung! Are you inside!”
Gye Cheol-yeong shouted thunderously and entered.
“Great Hero Namgung! This Gye has come to pay his respects.”
“……The situation is not very good right now. Let us speak later.”
“Hahaha! What could be not good? Did you have a good conversation with our So-un? You! Surely you did not make some mistake toward Great Hero Namgung?”
If Gye Cheol-yeong had a tail, I thought it might have been moving so fast it would not be visible.
“Would you step out for a moment?”
“If it seems the conversation is not going well, please tell me. I will give him a thorough scold……”
“My friend. Did I not just ask you to leave?”
When that chilled gaze fixed on Gye Cheol-yeong, the fellow’s expression became like a mutt abandoned by its master.
“Ah, ah…… yes. This, th-this is something Father told me to deliver…… I will leave. Please speak.”
Even in the middle of that, seeing Gye Cheol-yeong open the wooden box and show the golden toad, I could not help but marvel.
If that fellow learned that he would end up abandoned by the Murim Alliance even after flattering them like that, what kind of expression would he make?
“Did you see that just now? I could have spoken to Gye Cheol-yeong. I am showing you consideration like this.”
“Do you call hiding your own weakness consideration?”
“……”
“The moment it is known that the Entry Token is in Namgung Seon-hwa’s hands, Lady Namgung Seon-hwa will also become a target of the murim. Does the Namgung Clan have the strength to protect the Entry Token right now?”
“!!!”
For the first time, a severe crack appeared on Namgung San’s face.
“How do you know……”
“Is there anything more we need to discuss?”
Only then did Namgung San’s face become serious.
I waited for him at leisure.
After coming out of the detached residence, Gye Cheol-yeong huffed in anger, unable to hide his resentment.
Hong Sa-ryeon, who knew what kind of situation it had been without even seeing it, snorted as though finding it satisfying.
“I told you not to go in.”
“……That, someone like Jin So-un dares to treat me……”
“Phew.”
Unable to endure his anger, Gye Cheol-yeong kicked the stones on the ground, then suddenly lifted his head like a man struck by lightning.
“I must go see the Sect Leader right now.”
“……What kind of absurd nonsense is that?”
“What is happening inside is unusual. Perhaps Jin So-un may make a mistake toward the Namgung Clan and put Taeul Sect in danger.”
“Is Senior Brother Jin someone who can’t even judge things that much?”
“I said this is not the time!”
As if something had suddenly made him urgent, Gye Cheol-yeong began running hurriedly toward the Great Mysterious Hall.
“……Did you know everything, even the reason I came and the situation I am in?”
“Is that important to you, Great Hero?”
“……No. What is important to me is the Entry Token.”
“I will say it again, but there will be no such thing as handing over the Entry Token.”
Namgung San shook his head and let out a sigh.
“Then how about this? Let us have a martial duel.”
What in the world was Namgung San talking about?
No matter what was put at stake, did he think I would accept that wager?
“You will wager only one Entry Token. I will wager the Seven-Colored Jewel, this Heavenly Silkworm Thread, and……”
The hand coming out of his robes hesitated for a moment.
Then, in the end, he took out one wooden box.
“I will wager this Great Swallow Divine Pill.”
The Great Swallow Divine Pill was a spiritual medicine bestowed only upon the direct line of the Namgung Clan, just like the Steel Guardian Pill.
Its effect was similar to the Snow Plum Pill.
It was a treasure that precious, but it could not persuade me.
“Even if you wagered the entire Namgung Clan, Senior, do you think I would accept this unreasonable wager?”
“That would depend on the conditions.”
“……”
“You have already refused my proposals several times. Yet you have continued sitting here. If you truly meant to refuse, should you not have left?”
“Keep talking.”
“I will use only the Boundless Firmament Sword Art. As for inner arts…… what if I use only Third Star inner arts? If you win, I will give you not only the Seven-Colored Jewel, but also the Heavenly Silkworm Thread and the Great Swallow Divine Pill.”
If I estimated Namgung San’s inner arts at the maximum, they would probably amount to around One cycles.
The level of successors from prominent sects would be around that much, so his would likely be similar.
The Third Star of One cycles would be around twenty years.
And the martial art he used would be limited to the Boundless Firmament Sword Art.
In his own mind, he must think he had thrown out an extremely tempting bait.
“You will keep this wager secret, will you not?”
Perhaps my answer was entirely unexpected, for Namgung San opened his eyes like a startled rabbit.
“Even if it is secret, you and I know of it, so there must be no violation. Because I will take the price in blood.”
My current inner arts amounted to forty-five years, and recently, through the Azure Sky Merchant Guild’s Secret Bow Unit, I had proven that the Sword-Breaking Form of the Boundless Firmament Sword Art was effective.
If I let such a good opportunity slip, I would be the bigger fool.
“Your answer?”
“What are you talking about?”
Jin Tae-san and Hong Mun-gi could not understand Gye Cheol-yeong, who had suddenly barged into the Great Mysterious Hall and poured out words in a rapid stream.
Something about Jin So-un offending Namgung San’s feelings, and that if things went wrong, a life-and-death confrontation might break out, and if that happened it would harm Taeul Sect, so they had to hurry and stop them.
A strange claim like that.
What reason would Jin So-un have to offend Namgung San’s feelings in the first place, and why would the two of them have a life-and-death confrontation?
It would make sense if Jin So-un were one-sidedly beaten by Namgung San.
The other party was Heaven-Opening Divine Dragon Namgung San.
One of the rising experts of the murim belonging to the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly.
Even if a hundred Jin So-uns came, they could not be his match.
However, Gye Cheol-yeong’s denunciation looked truly desperate.
“I tried somehow to stop things between the two of them. I even delivered the gift Father told me to deliver, but Great Hero Namgung San did not even look at it and was glaring at Jin So-un as though he would kill him. At this rate, a major disaster may happen.”
Hong Mun-gi and Jin Tae-san looked at each other and agonized deeply over whether to believe these words or not.
If they simply let it pass and even one thing Gye Cheol-yeong had said was true, a bolt from the blue would fall upon Taeul Sect.
Yet to believe him blindly, everything from one to ten was utter nonsense.
“The meeting has also grown long, so let us go take a look while having a walk.”
“Let’s do that. In any case, he came as a guest, so we should show him some attention.”
And so, while Hong Mun-gi and Jin Tae-san took the lead and Gye Cheol-yeong trailed after them.
From the direction of the detached residence, two men were walking over while stirring up a cold wind.
Just as Gye Cheol-yeong had said, the atmosphere between the two looked extremely poor.
In the middle of that, Namgung San met their eyes and gave a small nod, while Jin So-un performed a proper clasped hands greeting.
Jin Tae-san quickly went to his son and asked.
“Where are you going?”
“To the training ground.”
“The training ground? Why there?”
“Senior Namgung suggested we cross hands once.”
Not only Jin Tae-san and Hong Mun-gi, but even Gye Cheol-yeong opened their mouths wide.
The children who had been doing personal practice at the training ground learned it first and vacated the training ground.
The children who had come down from the training ground scattered in all directions throughout Taeul Sect and told their friends the news of the martial duel, and the hall masters and deputy hall masters who heard it from beside them once again passed the word to others, and those words eventually reached the Elder Hall, so it did not take even half an hour for all the people of Taeul Sect to gather at the training ground.
“Wow—”
“He is the eldest young master of the Namgung Clan, right?”
“That person is the Heaven-Opening Divine Dragon.”
“But why is he having a martial duel with our Senior Brother Jin?”
The chattering voices of the young disciples could be heard from every direction.
To them, he was like a hero flying through the sky.
Since they had seen a figure they might or might not meet even once in their lifetimes, it was only natural for them to find him wondrous and be curious.
“Tae-san, what happened?”
“They say they decided to have a martial duel. Under the condition that Namgung San uses only the Boundless Firmament Sword Art and part of his inner arts.”
“Why?”
“I do not know.”
“Will this not make the children greatly disappointed?”
There was no way Taeul Sect’s martial arts could withstand the martial arts of the Namgung Clan.
The wall of reality was that high, but if children learned that, would they not feel even greater disappointment than adults?
SHING.
The moment Namgung San’s sword was drawn, the noisy training ground fell silent in an instant.
I also drew my sword after him and unfolded the Opening Stance.
“Since I have placed restrictions on myself, there is no need for you to yield.”
“Let us begin.”
Before my words could even finish, a cool breeze tickled the tip of my nose.
I quickly lowered my head and avoided Namgung San’s sword.
At the same time, I unfolded the Minor Heaven Sword Art.
CLANG—!
“““Wow—!”””
Having seen only Taeul Sect’s dry sword until now, the children’s exclamations burst out by themselves when they saw the Boundless Firmament Sword Art, which was full of splendor, and the adults restrained those children.
CLANG, CLANG, CLANG.
In an instant, we exchanged three forms.
The Minor Heaven Sword Art was clearly faster, but the Boundless Firmament Sword Art that Namgung San unfolded had no place to dig into.
“Your inner arts…… it seems you have gathered quite a lot. But is that all there is to your sword art? It is a sword art insufficient for pouring out inner arts.”
“Are you relaxed enough to give advice?”
Namgung San’s sword rushed in again.
The sword split into three branches and came in sharply, aiming only for vital points.
I quickly unfolded the Sword-Breaking Form.
CLANG—!
For an instant, Namgung San’s eyes shook fiercely, and his form snapped off in the middle.
“!!!”
After glancing briefly at his sword, Namgung San began unfolding his sword art once more.
Perhaps he had already comprehended sword qi, for faint bluish-green sword qi gathered on his sword.
In order not to be pushed back by the sword qi, I poured qi heavily into my Blue Steel Sword.
CLANG—! CLANG, CLANG, CLANG—!
Fragments of the Blue Steel Sword flew in every direction.
Namgung San’s sword did not budge.
We exchanged more than ten moves again, and the sword that had been cutting toward my waist was blocked by the Sword-Breaking Form and turned away as it was.
“……”
The moment Namgung San stopped his steps in doubt once more.
I took two steps forward and began driving Namgung San back.
CLANG, CLANG, CLANG.
Namgung San struck away the swords at a speed difficult for the eye to follow.
Though he blocked all of the Minor Heaven Sword Art, a swift sword art, Namgung San had been pushed back seven steps from where he had first stood.
“Wow——!!!”
“Waaaaah!!”
The adults were so absorbed in the martial duel that they could not even think of restraining the children.
“What in the world is this……”
Namgung San had the same expression of disbelief as the adults of Taeul Sect.
From the beginning, it was a form meant to attack that martial art’s weakness, so unless Namgung San had reinterpreted the Boundless Firmament Sword Art into his own sword art, there was no method of blocking it.
Namgung San had achieved far more than his peers, but he was not yet at that level.
SLASH.
The first one to allow a sword strike was Namgung San.
His sleeve was cut away and fell onto the training ground.
“Waaaaaaaaah——!!”
“Waaaaaa——!!”
When the Boundless Firmament Sword Art did not work, Namgung San attacked with formless strikes.
Even if the Minor Heaven Sword Art was a basic sword art, it was not so weak that it would be pushed back by the formless strikes of someone who had not even surpassed the peak realm.
Then, whenever he used the Boundless Firmament Sword Art, I unfolded the Sword-Breaking Form.
Perhaps unable to do otherwise, he tried to press me with inner arts, but how could forty-five years of inner arts be pushed back by twenty years of inner arts?
“……Just what trickery are you using!”
“Are you saying the same thing as Seong Mo-hyeon, Senior?”
“……”
“Is it absolutely impossible that your own skill is insufficient?”
I began unfolding the Breaking Strike Form of the Minor Heaven Sword Art.
My momentum grew stronger, and killing intent surged.
SWISH, SLASH.
At last, Namgung San’s sword began failing to keep up with the Minor Heaven Sword Art.
Here and there, Namgung San’s clothes were torn, and his once-neat appearance began to fall apart.
CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG——
After we exchanged more than twenty moves in an instant, Namgung San had been driven to the edge of the training ground.
I swung my sword desperately, as though I were standing in the middle of a battlefield and facing a demonic martial artist.
The difference from back then was that inner arts were endlessly pouring out from my Dantian, and because of that, my sword was swung more powerfully than ever before.
THANG—! THANG—!
Each time Namgung San’s sword and mine struck each other, a heavy sound rang out like a hammer striking an anvil.
THANG—!
And in one instant, Namgung San’s sword was pushed back, and his body opened completely.
Without delay, I cut in as though beheading a demonic martial artist.
CRASH—!
The moment I cut the sword.
Along with a tremendous impact sound, my body floated into the air and fell into the middle of the training ground.
——-!
———-!!
The arena, which had been filled with cheers, sank coldly as though doused with cold water.
Perhaps even Namgung San was flustered by his own action, for his eyes were shaking violently.
“Did you not clearly say you would use only the Boundless Firmament Sword Art?”
The final blow was the Emperor Sword Art.
The strongest sword art of the Namgung Clan, passed down only to the direct line.
And it was not a blow with Third Star power, but probably power of the Fifth Star or higher.
“H-He won!!”
“He won!”
Someone began shouting that, and the bewildered children also began cheering with them.
“Haha…….”
Namgung San let out an empty laugh.
“I lost.”
Namgung San shook his head and said,
“The Entry Token is yours.”
“And the Heavenly Silkworm Thread, the Great Swallow Divine Pill, and the Seven-Colored Jewel too.”
Namgung San let out another hollow laugh.
“Yes.”
Using the Entry Token as bait, I had obtained the Great Swallow Divine Pill, and even the Heavenly Silkworm Thread and the Seven-Colored Jewel.
In terms of rarity, the Heavenly Silkworm Thread was also a treasure no less than the Great Swallow Divine Pill.
My Blue Steel Sword was nearing the end of its lifespan as well, and it was about time to visit Artisan Old Man Wang, so I had obtained a good item.
While I was making pleasant plans for the future, Namgung San spoke.
“But we will continue the martial duel.”
“Yes?”
“I should have realized it when the Grand Strategist spoke. That you were no ordinary person, I mean. The fact that I had it taken from me like this was not a coincidence either, was it?”
I could not understand what Namgung San wanted at all.
“Even if I lost the wager, I must not lose the martial duel. That is the very reason I am of the Namgung Clan.”
Lofty pride did not maintain itself on its own.
It was maintained only by clinging to it and striving endlessly in order to preserve it.
Namgung San began swinging his sword again as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
Now, as if restrictions on his inner arts no longer mattered, Namgung San poured in even more inner arts.
“Now that I see it, you were hiding quite a lot of inner arts.”
Once his inner arts became far greater, Namgung San’s movements grew even faster.
I unfolded the Sword-Breaking Form of the Boundless Firmament Sword Art with all my strength.
SWOOSH—!
BOOM—!
Namgung San’s inner arts were far superior, but the Sword-Breaking Form definitely worked.
This time as well, Namgung San made quite a startled expression, but he soon began swinging the Emperor Sword Art.
CRASH—! CRASH—! CRASH—!
Each time the Emperor Sword Art was swung, my body bounced up from the ground.
It was heavier and sharper than the heavy sword I had withstood at the Iron Sword Sect.
‘Damn it.’
Jegal’s Three Forms, which Jegal Cheon-gi transformed, were the murim’s final choice for responding to the Demonic Cult, but not all of the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Clans agreed with that idea.
They thought that whenever the Demonic Cult disappeared and the era came when the Murim Alliance ruled the Murim World, Jegal’s Three Forms would soon catch them by the ankle, and aside from the main martial arts, they did not transform sure-kill martial arts like the Emperor Sword Art into Jegal’s Three Forms.
“This is becoming more and more interesting. Can you not withstand the Emperor Sword Art?”
“Please say something that makes sense. How am I supposed to block the Namgung Clan’s secret art, which is not even well known to the world, without any restriction on inner arts?”
“For that, you block the Boundless Firmament Sword Art far too well. Do you perhaps know its weakness?”
“If I knew that, would I be getting beaten like this?”
Namgung San did not seem to accept my excuse easily.
The way he alternately tested the Emperor Sword Art and the Boundless Firmament Sword Art as though trying something out approached me as a sense of crisis that, at this rate, my hand might be exposed.
‘I have to end this in a short time.’
Just then, the Emperor Sword Art was slowly beginning to become familiar to my eyes.
I kicked off the ground and charged at him.
“——!”
At my sudden momentum, he hurriedly withdrew the Boundless Firmament Sword Art and tried to unfold the Emperor Sword Art.
At that moment.
I poured all the inner arts I had scraped up from the very bottom into my left hand.
My left hand trembled from the qi flooding into it.
‘After thrusting toward a vital acupoint, return again to the lower left.’
After desperately letting my sword flow along the form of the Emperor Sword Art that I had memorized in my head, I grabbed with my hand the blade of his sword as it tried to return to its original position.
SQUELCH—! SPURT—!
Namgung San’s sword was dyed with blood in an instant.
Blood bursting from my palm soaked Namgung San’s clothes and mine.
“……Insane!”
While Namgung San was so flustered he could not even pull out his sword, I brought my sword to his neck.
Drip.
Drip.
The blood flowing from my hand ran down Namgung San’s sword and fell to the ground.
“Will you continue?”
“……”
Namgung San did not answer.
His face had turned deathly pale for the first time, as though he could not believe it.
Instead, the young disciples screamed cheers as though they might faint.
This time, the hall masters were with them too.
Waaaaa—–!
Waaa—!!
