The Heavenly Talent They Abandoned (2)
I wandered through thirty-three small sects scattered across Seogyeong-seong.
Among them, Unryubo and Hwiyoungbo had lost their duels.
But Gaegjubang and Yugyeolbo had triumphed.
With this modest fame secured, I ventured next into the small sects classified as the righteous factions.
The Hwaengpa was one of them.
“I heard that an outstanding young master has been challenging sects across Seogyeong-seong lately. So it was you.”
The Hwaengpa, a righteous faction in Seogyeong-seong, welcomed me with hearty laughter the moment I arrived.
Its sect leader was an old man with a beard and gray robes.
He had an air that made him seem like an immortal.
The elders of the Hwaengpa all bore the same serene, Taoist aura.
“Unfortunately, my right arm was injured just a few days ago, so I fear I won’t be able to duel. My sect elders will face you in my stead….”
At those words, a middle-aged man with a handsome, robust build rose with an affable smile.
“Young Master, I, Tae Jeg-yeop, one of the elders of this humble sect, will stand in your place.”
“Please accept my challenge.”
A while later, we stood upon the martial arena, the referee’s hand raised.
“Duel—begin!”
—!
Before the referee could even shout the start, Tae Jeg-yeop charged with a Flying Horse Saber.
‘As expected of a righteous faction.’
I paid it no mind and infused Sword Qi into my blade, meeting him head-on.
Danak Sword Art, Second Form, Entering the Mountain!
Shukak!
I lowered my waist to dodge the charging saber, then slashed upward at his lower half with a low stance.
Ta-at!
Yet Tae Jeg-yeop, despite his robust build, leaped into the air with surprising agility, evading my blade, then brought the saber crashing down from above.
‘If I take it head-on, it’s dangerous.’
But if I retreated, he would continue pressing me relentlessly.
Danak Sword Art, Eighth Form, Misty Valley.
Bu-wung!
Chjeok!
I deflected the incoming force of the saber precisely as it descended, twisting its path.
The saber that struck beside me split the arena floor with a thunderous boom.
I seized the opening after his saber strike and launched a counter.
Danak Sword Art, Fifth Form, Rocky Cliff.
Beong, beong, beong!
I spun like a sword dance, encircling him with Sword Threads and creating an impenetrable defensive formation.
Tae Jeg-yeop retreated a step to avoid the spinning Threads, and I pressed the advantage, thrusting forward.
Danak Sword Art, Fourth Form, Flowing Ridge!
Pa-at!
The Sword Thread, curved like the ridge of a winding mountain, shot toward him.
Tae Jeg-yeop swung his saber to intercept, but the Thread twisted in a serpentine path and pierced straight into his chest.
‘I’ll end it like this….’
Pee-it!
At that moment, something tiny shot straight toward my eyes.
“!”
I recoiled in shock, drawing my blade and dodging aside.
“A needle?”
It was a minuscule needle.
Tae Jeg-yeop’s mouth held a device that fired the needle.
“This, too, is one of my own techniques. I hope you won’t hold it against me.”
With a benevolent smile, Tae Jeg-yeop swung his saber once more.
Yet I felt invigorated.
‘As expected, the righteous factions love using such underhanded tricks.’
Purely by martial skill, Tae Jeg-yeop was several forms below me compared to Palgyeokju.
If I pushed my Sword Threads a bit further, I could drop him completely.
But if he resorted to tricks like that needle, his actual combat prowess might surpass that of a righteous martial artist.
‘Indeed… such experiences can’t be gained beside Hyung-nim Young-hoon.’
He had been the number one under heaven and a chivalrous hero.
Although in past lives he had been called the Demon of the Void, that was merely a title given by those who opposed him, not an indication of his wicked nature.
That was why, when sparring with him, I could always obtain pure martial insight, but I was lacking in handling unexpected situations.
However, from now on, through countless duels against the righteous factions, my experience would continue to accumulate.
‘In past lives I had faced battles, but mostly large-scale wars, or clashes against experts, or I had followed Hyung-nim Young-hoon to destroy official posts….’
I had surprisingly little real combat experience with the righteous factions.
Especially with such one-on-one duels against late-stage experts!
Ching, ching, ching!
Tae Jeg-yeop’s saber came crashing down three times, pressing me hard.
At the same time.
Pew, pew, pew!
He kept firing thin needles I could barely see, which was deeply irritating.
‘Good. Then….’
I decided to unleash my decisive move.
Such troublesome opponents must be crushed in a single stroke.
Danak Sword Art, Seventh Form, Landscape Painting.
Danak Sword Art, Sixth Form, Odd Stone.
With six diagonal slashes, I accelerated the Sword Threads by adding variation.
Paa-at!
I intercepted all six slashes and the needles, using the variation to exploit Tae Jeg-yeop’s opening.
Danak Sword Art, Ninth Form, Deep Mountain!
I dove into the gap, twisting my body from lower right to upper left and beheading him.
Chwa-ak!
Since it was a duel, I had only cut his clothes.
Thus, the victor of the duel was me.
“Duel, challenger Seo Eun-hyun wins!”
“A splendid duel. Hahaha.”
“I, too, gained much insight.”
I returned a fist salute to Tae Jeg-yeop and stepped down from the arena.
At that moment.
The Hwaengpa’s sect leader, who had a face like the Wind God Valley, stroked his beard and shouted loudly.
“Then, let us proceed to a three-duel match!”
What?
I asked, dumbfounded.
“What do you mean by ‘three-duel’? I had no prior knowledge of that.”
“Um? Really? I distinctly said so. Perhaps you simply didn’t hear? Everyone, did I not clearly propose a three-duel, and did Young Master not accept?”
“Yes, that is what the sect leader said.”
“I heard it clearly as well.”
The elders of the Hwaengpa all nodded in unison, and I could not suppress my startled expression.
‘These people….’
This was the righteous faction?
‘I had expected their cowardice and came seeking fame by challenging a few righteous sects….’
“If I make known today’s defeat to other sects, the Hwaengpa’s reputation will plummet.”
“Hahaha, do not worry, Young Master.”
The Hwaengpa’s sect leader smiled benevolently.
“Young Master’s wounds from dueling here will be slight, and the poison will turn them into scabies, leading to death. Our humble sect will care for you most devotedly, yet even with that devotion, you will inevitably die.”
‘Crazy bastards.’
Their way of thinking was completely different.
“Did you not expect me to win and leave?”
“Were we ever a proper sect to begin with? Our righteous factions are merely illegal organizations that could not obtain proper recognition from the official posts. Young Master’s insane wandering to challenge a duel in an illegal organization hastened his own death.”
“…What.”
I chuckled.
“I knew that.”
Though they spoke as if the martial world was divided into righteous and evil factions, in reality the righteous factions held overwhelming dominance.
Essentially, righteous factions referred to martial sects that practiced orthodox martial arts, but in the Yeon Kingdom, it meant official post-recognized martial schools.
All other organizations were the evil factions, gathering killers to commit illegal acts.
Thus, the evil factions could never operate openly, while the righteous factions always stood in the light, so the majority of evil faction organizations lacked official recognition.
From any normal perspective, my act of challenging a duel in an illegal organization was insane.
It was equivalent to storming a bandit den and demanding a duel.
Although the sects in the capital differed somewhat from bandit dens, their essence was the same, so my actions could only be called wandering.
However.
“…But not all evil factions are insane illegal organizations. According to what I know, some possessed the pride of martial men. Wasn’t that the case with the Hwaengpa?”
I had not blindly challenged the evil factions.
Using information gained from past lives, I had selected the evil faction organizations that held pride as martial sects and chosen the Hwaengpa among them.
—!
At those words, the Hwaengpa’s sect leader’s eyebrows twitched.
“…Pride does not feed you. Not doing cowardly acts does not make a sect prosperous….”
“Well, I will not force my opinions upon you… but those lacking even the slightest pride will remain in the same spot their entire lives.”
“…”
Of course, I could say such things because I knew the Hwaengpa would transform into a proper sect in a few years.
“…Yet nothing will change. We, as the lords who control this area, have the duty to teach that fool a lesson for rashly challenging us to a duel.”
Chik, chik, chik, chik, chik!
Ten elders of the Hwaengpa surrounded me, excluding the one elder.
“Duel, let the second duel begin!”
“…Your words are eloquent.”
Ten against one for a duel?
The way of thinking of these evil faction bastards was beyond comprehension.
‘I had anticipated this, though.’
I chuckled and extended my blade toward the ten elders surrounding me.
“Come. I will receive you.”
Thus began the duel.
***
In Seogyeong-seong, the name of a young late-stage expert began to spread.
He had challenged the Hwaengpa, an evil faction, and earned the ridicule of the common folk.
Challenging a duel to an evil faction, an illegal organization!
It was no different from demanding a duel in a bandit den.
The following day, the man would return as a corpse.
Everyone had predicted that.
The young expert challenged the Hwaengpa and one day later, the common folk spread rumors that he had died.
After two days, they claimed the Hwaengpa had killed him and buried the corpse beneath the sect.
After three days, the common folk expressed condolences to the dead young expert.
However, on the evening of the third day, the young expert emerged from the Hwaengpa’s headquarters, covered in blood.
Afterward, he went to an inn, ordered noodles and dumplings, and immediately set out to challenge another sect.
Later it was revealed that the Hwaengpa had endured endless duels with the young expert who challenged them.
Tens of combat members of the Hwaengpa had taken turns dueling him endlessly, while the young expert fought without rest for three days and nights, defeating them all.
The Hwaengpa, true to their evil faction nature, continued dueling after the defeated men recovered, but the young expert cut their meridians when they challenged again, rendering them disabled.
Finally, on the last day of the third day, the evil faction experts of the Hwaengpa ganged up on him, yet he defeated them all and escaped.
And immediately after, eating noodles, he went out to challenge another duel.
That insane young expert made Seogyeong-seong lively, his name rising and falling among the common folk.
The common folk gave him the perfect epithet.
The Infinite Battle Ghost—Seo Eun-hyun!
That was me.
***
“Gulp…”
I finished wandering through thirty-three small sects in Seogyeong-seong and entered an inn to eat noodles.
‘The orthodox sects don’t consume as much stamina as the evil factions.’
Last time with the Hwaengpa, I had truly been on the verge of death.
‘Those brazen bastards….’
Even Tae Jeg-yeop, who had first lost to me, had recovered his stamina after I lost in the duel and returned to the arena.
When their shamelessness reached that point, I began employing shameless tactics as well.
Pretending to polish my blade, I smeared poison from poisonous herbs onto my blade and fought.
In past lives, before becoming the chairman of the Martial Alliance, I had studied medicine and raised my skill to that of a late-stage physician.
I had even worked at the Yudongbo medical hall.
However, being a late-stage physician also meant being a late-stage poison master.
There was a thin line between saving people and killing them, after all.
Smearing poison and fighting made the battles far easier.
Anyone who merely grazed me with the blade end soon foamed at the mouth and collapsed.
Of course, after some time, the Hwaengpa began using poison on me as well.
But I was a late-stage physician.
‘Mass-produced cheap poisons won’t affect me.’
The poisons used by the Hwaengpa could be fully neutralized with the antidotes and detoxifying herbs I had prepared in advance.
The Hwaengpa’s sect leader had used poison and mobilized all combat members, holding me captive for three days and nights.
‘That crazy old man….’
I thought they had summoned some kind of clone technique as combat soldiers kept pouring out endlessly.
The Hwaengpa’s combat members had even drawn spears and arrows openly, forming defensive lines and charging at me after I achieved consecutive victories.
‘If they hadn’t taken hostages, I would have truly died.’
In the end, I charged the Hwaengpa’s sect leader, subdued him, took him hostage, and preserved my life.
But even that was interrupted when the elders shouted to kill the sect leader, forcing me to fight the entire sect on the final day.
‘Without poison, hostages, awakening pills, or magic drugs, I would have died.’
On the final day, fatigue had accumulated, so I had swallowed awakening pills like mad.
Even after escaping the Hwaengpa, the awakening effect had not worn off, so I could challenge another orthodox sect to another duel without issue.
“Hoo…”
Thinking of that day made me sigh involuntarily.
The evil factions beyond the Hwaengpa were mostly similar.
They would pretend to duel at first, then, upon losing, demand a three-duel.
After winning the three-duel, combat members would pull out weapons from their sleeves one by one and gang up all at once.
Some even charged from the start without a formal duel.
Countless evil faction combat soldiers rushed me like that, draining my stamina.
Then I would swallow awakening pills, spray poison, subdue the evil faction bastards, and fight.
Once my stamina dropped, I would run with all my strength.
When there was still plenty left, I would fight the entire evil faction, beat them all, and return.
After that, after the so-called “duel” ended, I would swallow awakening pills once more, challenge another nearby orthodox sect, and apply for a duel.
The orthodox sects had no need to worry about their lives, so I could win or lose as I pleased.
Then, depending on the result, I would request overnight lodging from the orthodox sect.
Within the orthodox sect, I had no need to worry about the evil faction’s raids, so I could rest comfortably.
In that way, I wandered through countless orthodox and evil factions in Seogyeong-seong, conducting insane duels.
The common folk called me a madman, the Infinite Battle Ghost.
Yet I paid it no mind.
‘I have no talent.’
However, the path to the peak realm I sought was infinitely distant, even with my talent.
Therefore, I continued.
Continuously battling, crossing the boundary of life and death.
That was how I would reach the realm.
What would a talentless person do to overcome the wall?
‘They must go mad.’
Without talent, madness was necessary.
That was the only way for a mediocre person to look upon the world as a genius.
In that way, I roamed not only Seogyeong-seong but everywhere in the Yeon Kingdom, challenging duels against countless orthodox sects.
Two years passed.
***
“Long time no see.”
I arrived at the first inn in the mountain where Kim Young-hoon lived.
Over the past two years, my fame had spread across the Yeon Kingdom.
Naturally, after roaming the sects of Seogyeong-seong.
Thanks to that, attempts to recruit me had come from the three major sects of Seogyeong-seong upon hearing my name.
Of course, I had refused the recruitment offers neatly.
Once I took on work related to the organization, my personal time would be stolen.
‘Even without talent, if I lost personal time, I might not cross the peak realm in this life.’
I had caused such a ruckus for two years.
Challenged duels in orthodox sects.
Accumulated real combat experience disguised as duels in evil factions.
There had even been a couple of times when I had been attacked while sleeping in an inn by some bastards who had been offered a bounty by the evil factions, nearly dying.
My real combat experience had accumulated to an incredible degree, and now, even against late-stage experts of the same level, my win rate was always over ten percent regardless of skill disparity.
However.
‘I still couldn’t even see the wall of the peak realm!’
How much of the peak realm was needed to obtain it!
I sighed and entered the house to keep my promise with Kim Young-hoon.
“Hahaha, who is this? Is it not the famous Infinite Battle Ghost, Young Master Seo?”
“…This humble one is also known as the renowned Young Hero Young-hoon.”
I greeted Kim Young-hoon, who welcomed me in martial arts speech, with a fist salute.
“That damned Young Hero Young-hoon never gets used to it. How is it that there is no Kim in this world?”
“Well, what can one do? If you dislike Young Hero Young-hoon, you should call me Young Hero Geum.”
“Tsk, not to my liking.”
“The Heavenly Three Great Saber Masters, Young Hero Young-hoon of the Cutoff Mountain Saber—how does that not please you?”
That was it.
Kim Young-hoon, who had mastered the Nine Revolutions Saber Record, had reached the position of one of the Heavenly Three Great Saber Masters in this life after two years.
‘He grows even faster than in past lives.’
Then.
Could this life’s Kim Young-hoon defeat a Void Shattering expert?
His martial arts had inherited the enlightenment squeezed out by past life’s Kim Young-hoon through a lifetime of effort, and he had grown far stronger far quicker than in past lives.
‘Perhaps….’
Yes, perhaps he could become even stronger.
“…Well, enough small talk. Let us spar after so long.”
“Hahaha, you honor me by accepting this opportunity to receive the first strike of the Cutoff Mountain Saber!”
We entered the sparring hall inside the house and began the duel.
‘The miscellaneous sword techniques do not work on Kim Young-hoon.’
I went in with full sincerity from the start.
Danak Sword Art, First Form, Crossing the Peak.
Danak Sword Art, Twelfth Form, Seven Lights One Peak.
I charged him with horizontal slashes and then shot seven Sword Threads beyond the horizontal slash.
“Your qi has improved since two years ago.”
Twung!
However, Kim Young-hoon did not even draw his blade from the scabbard, swinging it roughly while still in the scabbard.
With that alone, all my Sword Threads vanished in the air.
“But you are still sloppy.”
“I must show you something new.”
Danak Sword Art.
Thirteenth Form.
Joyous Mountain, Joyous Peak.
I spun rapidly in place three times, striking, then raised my blade high and struck three more times.
The cross slashes covered Kim Young-hoon.
From the thirteenth form of Danak Sword Art, each technique was called a unique move.
‘I cannot evade!’
But Kim Young-hoon made no attempt to evade, extending his scabbard instead.
And slowly, gently, he swung his blade diagonally twice, meeting my Sword Threads.
With that soft strike, all my Sword Threads were swept away.
‘Then, the strike I cannot sweep….’
Danak Sword Art.
Fourteenth Form.
Energy Mountain, Heart Sky!
Huu-up!
The entire body’s qi greatly amplified.
The surging internal energy flowed through all meridians, entering the blade.
The qi was like a mountain (Energy Mountain), and the heart was like the sky (Heart Sky)!
Originally formless Sword Threads condensed, beginning to take on a faint shape.
It was forcibly manifesting the shape of Sword Threads usable only at the peak realm.
I developed the form in that state, slashing diagonally from upper right to lower left.
Kuk-gwang!
A formidable Sword Thread shot toward Kim Young-hoon.
And Kim Young-hoon raised his scabbard, piercing one spot of my Sword Thread.
At that instant.
Jee-ak!
The momentarily strengthened Sword Threads scattered in all directions and turned to nothingness.
“…”
I stared at him dumbly for a moment, astonished.
The Energy Mountain, Heart Sky had been my unique secret move until now, capable of splitting any opponent and their technique in half upon use.
I had even believed it would work against peak experts to some degree, yet seeing it neutralized in his first form left me feeling somewhat empty.
“The power is too dispersed. Concentrate it into a single thought.”
“…Thank you for the advice.”
“This time, I will strike.”
After speaking, before I could react, he called the start and loudly shouted the form name.
“Cut Pulse Saber, Fourth Form, Mountain Wind.”
Pee-ing!
It’s coming!
I quickly developed a form to block the Mountain Wind.
Danak Sword Art.
Fifteenth Form.
Overlapping Mountains.
I swung my blade.
The Sword Threads erupting from a single strike split into three.
Swinging again, the three split into nine.
Swinging again, the nine split into twenty-seven.
I continued splitting my Sword Threads with the sword dance.
After a while, the Sword Threads were densely packed like a thorny forest toward the front.
Pa-ang!
Mountain Wind of the Cut Pulse Saber, Fourth Form.
The slash so sharp it was inconceivable failed to pierce the wall of overlapping mountain Sword Threads and turned to nothingness.
“Ugh…! Hiccup…!”
However, after developing the Overlapping Mountains form, I barely survived by dropping to one knee, sweat pouring down, refusing to fall.
The load on my spirit was immense.
Splitting Sword Threads was not something ordinary concentration could achieve.
Yet the Overlapping Mountains form, which not only split but divided them into hundreds of pieces and set them up like a thorny forest wall, gave a brain-melting fatigue just from developing it.
Unique moves were not called unique moves for nothing.
A master of martial arts extracted his ultimate concentration and will to unleash a unique move in a lifetime.
Ordinary martial arts had one or two terrifying unique moves, but the Danak Sword Art, improved by past life’s Young-hoon Hyung-nim, had spawned more than twelve.
‘Insane talent, as expected.’
But because of that, I was on the verge of death while wielding Danak Sword Art, and each time I used the forms after the thirteenth, I had to endure immense fatigue.
Of course, the effect was good.
I gathered that momentum and charged at Kim Young-hoon while using the next form.
Danak Sword Art.
Sixteenth Form.
Mountain Hero.
From upper left to lower right.
From upper right to lower left.
Four times each, eight slashes in total.
The form of the Landscape Painting looked similar, but while the Landscape Painting was a wild storm of slashes in all directions, the Mountain Hero concentrated the force of the descending slashes onto a single point of the opponent.
Since all eight slashes had to hit the exact single point, this too required great concentration.
“Your lower body is empty.”
However, Kim Young-hoon took a low stance and targeted my legs, completely breaking the Mountain Hero form.
Bu-wung!
“Kueuk!”
I took a leg to his scabbard and collapsed on the spot.
“It seems I won.”
“Yes, congratulations.”
I sheathed my blade, stood up, and thanked him.
Thanks to that, the flaws in the forms became visible one by one.
He had told me a little about my weaknesses and points to improve, and I memorized his words.
After ten days of guided sparring together, he left, promising to meet again later.
I, too, left for the next duel.
And time flowed like a river, three years passed.
***
As a regressor, I was in the fifth year of my return.
It was not the day we were to meet, but upon returning from a duel with a small evil faction in Cheonju-seong, Kim Young-hoon appeared.
“Long time no see, Infinite Battle Madman, Seo Eun-hyun.”
“…Is that you, Kim Young-hoon?”
“Hahaha, you must feel awkward. This is what I mean….”
Over the three years, my epithet had changed from Battle Ghost to Battle Madman.
My real combat experience had increased even more, and my fame had gradually grown.
In addition, my shamelessness in handling poisons and hidden weapons while facing evil factions had grown, and scars from those years had appeared all over my body.
Yet my realm remained the same.
Still late-stage first-class.
The wall of the peak realm still unseen.
However, the appearance of Kim Young-hoon I met again was completely different.
His figure in his twenties.
‘Reverse Rejuvenation! That means….’
He had already reached the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin.
I felt a slight emptiness.
While some, through constant real combat and refining martial arts over five years, only grew a little.
While others, simply by activating their own talent, jumped to the next stage.
“Hahaha, reaching the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin realm has brought body reconstruction and youthful looks. And it has entered a completely different area from the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown realm. Well, that is how it turned out.”
“By the way, what brings you here? We have not met in a year.”
We had promised to meet every two years.
Two years after parting, and again two years.
We had met each time, and this year was only one year since our last meeting.
“Um, I reached the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin realm and roamed the great sects of the Yeon Kingdom challenging duels… and I have one realization to share.”
“What is it?”
“It is that in this Yeon Kingdom, I have already reached the number one under heaven. No one can defeat my first form. So….”
With a subtle expression, he made a proposal.
“Now, I plan to operate a sect or organization under the name of number one under heaven. I will give you a position, so….”
“It is not necessary. I am comfortable in my current state.”
It seemed the disease of the Martial Alliance chairman had struck him again.
If I accepted, I would probably become a secretary or department head again and work like a dog this time.
My fame and skill were beyond past lives, so becoming a secretary or department head would make organization operations far easier.
But.
‘I always lack time, and I cannot have it stolen by organization work.’
While a genius reached the Five Qi Consorting with the Origin in five years, a mediocre person had remained stagnant in skill for five years.
To reach the peak realm with my talent, every moment was precious.
Therefore, my time could never be taken.
My sharp refusal left Kim Young-hoon with a somewhat dejected expression.
He sighed and withdrew, along with words that organizing a sect would make meetings every few years difficult, and that he could always spar guided if he went with him.
‘No matter how good the conditions, I will not go this life.’
I had already received countless guided sparrings from him over past lives.
What I needed now was rather countless real combat experiences!
As past life’s Young-hoon Hyung-nim had told me to experience countless real combats once I reached late-stage first-class.
Going to him now would actually be a loss.
I decided to watch his actions from afar in this life and continued endless duels.