Chapter 12: The Duel (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 12: The Duel (1)
Late at night.
Hae Ak-cheon’s cave dwelling.
Hae Ak-cheon questioned Song Jwa-baek, who had arrived late after disposing of Great Leader Oh’s body.
“Why are you coming up alone?”
“The kid’s Body Lightening Method is lacking, so I came ahead. He should be here within a few minutes.”
Hae Ak-cheon nodded at Song Jwa-baek’s words.
It was only natural. He had passed down his own specialized Body Lightening Method to the twins; there was no way So Woon-hwi, who hadn't learned a proper movement technique, could keep up with Song Jwa-baek’s speed.
“Your breathing is irregular. You’ve suffered internal injuries. Heh heh.”
Sharp-eyed old devil.
Song Jwa-baek had tried his best not to show it, but he marveled inwardly at how the old man had realized it instantly.
“Take off your shirt.”
Resistance would only lead to a beating. Song Jwa-baek silently removed his upper garment.
Over the past three months, his torso had grown noticeably more muscular. However, a dark bruise in the shape of a palm print marked his abdomen, and a large blue bruise marred his ribs.
Hae Ak-cheon stared at the marks with a strange glint in his eyes before asking, “Who killed him?”
His tone suggested that killing the man was the only acceptable outcome.
...Damn it. The kid was right.
Song Jwa-baek inwardly reproached himself for failing to guess the old man’s intentions. Still, he was the one who had delivered the decisive blow. Even if the dagger hadn't sunk in, the man’s skull would have been crushed.
“It was me.”
“Right. As it should be. You dealt the finishing blow.”
“!?”
From the way Hae Ak-cheon spoke, it seemed he already knew the two had performed a combined attack. As Song Jwa-baek stood there speechless, Hae Ak-cheon clicked his tongue.
“Even if he was injured, he was a first-rate master. Do you think you would have escaped with only those injuries if you’d faced him alone at your level? Foolish boy. Tsk tsk.”
Despite his harsh words, Hae Ak-cheon’s expression wasn't entirely displeased. Though he pushed them to their limits, he was secretly satisfied with the progress they had made in just three months.
The other brat must be a mess too. Heh heh.
Hae Ak-cheon was certain of it. However, when So Woon-hwi appeared a short while later looking perfectly fine, the old man’s face hardened terrifyingly.
Song Jwa-baek felt like he was sitting on a bed of needles.
“I—I took the brunt of the fight. The kid just threatened Great Leader Oh with a dagger while he was rolling around with broken legs, so he stayed unscathed.”
He offered an excuse even though he hadn't been asked. But Hae Ak-cheon’s mood had already soured.
“From now on, training hours will be extended.”
D-Damn it!
Song Jwa-baek glared at So Woon-hwi with eyes burning with rage. So Woon-hwi simply looked away, avoiding his gaze as if it had nothing to do with him.
That sight only fueled Song Jwa-baek’s fighting spirit.
I will win, no matter what.
He vowed, grinding his teeth.
*
Finally, Hae Ak-cheon announced the date of the duel.
It was exactly three months away. He likely judged that by then, the twins would be able to decisively defeat me.
Since they were being taught by that monstrous old man, I couldn't afford to be careless either. I had no choice but to train myself to death.
In the meantime, Raging Blood Unit Leader Gu Sang-ung had come by to ask about Great Leader Oh’s whereabouts. However, he was forced to retreat after hearing nothing but Hae Ak-cheon’s furious roars.
I wondered if they would keep searching for Great Leader Oh, but no further mention of him was made after that.
A member of the Four Venerables was truly a force to be reckoned with. Even though a man of Great Leader Oh’s rank might have died at his hands, no one dared to raise an objection.
It was good news for me. It meant I could focus entirely on my training without worrying about outside interference.
Swish! Swish!
The sound of a sword repeatedly cutting through the air echoed in the cave. I had been practicing the same basic stance for over two hours.
‘When are you going to teach me the martial forms?’
At my question, the Namcheon Iron Sword replied in a stiff voice.
—We do not begin the martial forms until the basic stances are mastered by your body.
Even now, I hadn't learned a single proper form. For a month, aside from practicing my Heart Method and Divine Art, I had done nothing but repeatedly drill the basic stances of the Life Bright Sword Technique.
—My former master said that if one cannot perform the basic stances naturally, a martial form is nothing more than a sword dance.
It was a valid point, but I was curious about the actual forms. Hae Ak-cheon had demonstrated a few forms from the manual, but those were the unrefined versions. I wondered what the true sword forms of the Namcheon Sword Guest were like.
—It won't be too late to check once all eighteen basic stances are mastered.
‘Ugh.’
While it had a perverted obsession with being touched by human hands, I could roughly guess what kind of person the Namcheon Sword Guest had been by looking at this sword. He must have been an inflexible and stubborn man. It was because he disciplined himself so harshly that he was able to leave his name as one of the greatest swordsmen of his time.
Then, a sudden curiosity struck me. Who was the person who defeated Namcheon Sword Guest Ho Jong-dae and caused him to die such a bitter death?
—I do not know.
‘You don't know? There must have been a name, at least.’
—My former master, who was at the peak of his fame at the time, received challenges almost every day.
‘Did he accept all of them?’
—No. He only accepted challenges from warriors he deemed worthy.
‘Was that person one of them?’
—No.
‘Huh?’
—Master became extremely tense after receiving that person’s challenge.
This was surprising. A challenge that made the great Namcheon Sword Guest nervous? That would mean a master of equal caliber must have challenged him.
—The nameless challenge contained only the time and place of the duel, along with a flower stem that had been sliced in half.
‘A flower stem?’
—Upon seeing the cross-section of the sliced stem, my former master went to the promised location, even though the challenger’s identity was unknown.
‘Ha...’
I had heard stories like that. The higher the level of a swordsman, the more their class is revealed in the marks left by their thrusts and slashes.
—The duel was decided in a mere forty forms.
‘What?’
Forty forms meant the fight didn't last long at all. It was hard to believe that a peerless master, who was rumored to be a candidate for the Eight Great Masters Under Heaven if he hadn't gone missing, had lost in just forty forms.
‘Could it be... did one of the Eight Great Masters or the Four Great Villains step forward?’
That was the most realistic explanation. Could it have been a scheme to nip a rising master in the bud before he could threaten their reputation?
Or was I overthinking it? Regardless, if not the Eight Great Masters, then someone of the Four Great Villains' caliber was a possibility.
—He was too young for that.
‘Young?’
—I am not well-versed in human standards, but to my eyes, he looked to be in his early twenties at most.
‘Early... twenties?’
The Namcheon Sword Guest had only achieved his fame in his late thirties. How could someone in their early twenties possess such martial prowess? That would mean even the monstrous Bizarre Hae Ak-cheon would be no match for him.
—The Central Plains is vast. And there are many warriors. No one can guarantee that there are no unknown peerless masters among them.
The Namcheon Iron Sword was calm, even though it was speaking of the being who had driven its master to his death. Was it because he had lost in a fair fight?
‘Did you never find out who it was? No distinguishing features?’
Perhaps it was a master who was well-known now. Or, since I knew the future ten years from now due to my regression, I might recognize him.
The Namcheon Iron Sword was silent for a moment, as if reminiscing, before speaking.
—There were no particularly striking features. He had an ordinary appearance, the kind you might see anywhere. However, there was one peculiarity.
‘What was it?’
—The color of his eyes was different. I saw it when he clashed sword forms with my former master. One of that man’s eyes was golden.
Hmm... I really had no idea. I had never heard of anyone with one golden eye. Two of the Eight Great Masters would change over the next ten years, but none of them had such unique eyes. Who could it be?
—Woon-hwi.
‘Yeah?’
—There is an important lesson here.
‘A lesson?’
—Even my former master, who never neglected his training, was killed by a nameless swordsman. Do you have time to be chatting like this?
‘......’
Fine, I’m the sinner here.
Somehow, after talking with the Lesser Conversation Sword every day, this guy’s silver tongue had improved too. Except, unlike the dagger, he only spoke the cold, hard truth without a hint of a joke.
*
The trees on the mountain peaks now bared only withered branches. As snow fell, the mountains that had been red and yellow just a few months ago were transformed into a white winter landscape.
It was the height of winter. Three months had already passed.
Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch!
The brisk sound of a sword echoed through the cave. The gallant trajectory drawn by the iron sword sliced through the air.
The form I was currently performing was the first form of the Life Bright Sword Technique: the Tiger Fang Momentum Sword. It was a technique designed to overwhelm the opponent with fierce momentum.
The reason I was able to perform the sword forms without hindrance was exactly as the Namcheon Iron Sword had said—because I had tirelessly honed the basics.
As I performed the final movement of the Tiger Fang Momentum Sword, the Namcheon Iron Sword spoke.
—Connect directly into the second form.
The second form was the Hidden Convergence Void Sword, a technique that generated an explosive burst of momentum to meet and counter an opponent’s attack. It allowed one to turn the opponent’s strength against them.
—Third form!
Following its command, I immediately transitioned into the third form.
The Illuminating Shadow Sword.
Unlike the previous forms, the changes in this technique were as fluid as a willow branch. It was a form designed to bewilder the opponent through unpredictable and graceful transitions.
“Whew.”
I exhaled after completing the three forms.
—Whoa. Now that actually looks like something.
I shrugged at the Lesser Conversation Sword’s comment. However, the Namcheon Iron Sword evaluated the forms coldly.
—Still a long way to go. The momentum of your movements wavers here and there. Your current level is only half of what my former master could achieve.
My puffed-up shoulders slumped. Perhaps because the Namcheon Iron Sword acted as a mentor, its cold evaluations always dampened my spirits.
—Still, it is remarkable growth for a mere three months. Well done.
And at the praise, the corners of my mouth twitched upward. Because it was so cold and clinical regarding martial arts training, I had come to trust it deeply.
—What about me?
‘...Uh, yeah. You too.’
—Don't give me a half-hearted answer, Trash So Woon-hwi.
‘!!!’
This brat was now attaching insults to my name. From now on, you’re the Foul-Mouthed Dagger.
—What did you say, punk!
The enraged Lesser Conversation Sword barked back.
‘Forget it. Namcheon, can I really win with just these three forms?’
The Life Bright Sword Technique consisted of seven forms in total. As with most sword styles, the majority of a duel was comprised of basic movements. A "form" was a secret technique created through a combination of those movements. I worried that I might be at a disadvantage since I hadn't learned all the secret techniques.
—Do not worry. I only said you haven't reached my former master’s level. In terms of the forms themselves, you are close to mastery. It is better to focus surely on three forms than to clumsily learn all of them.
I was anxious, but I decided to trust its judgment. At the very least, I had mastered those three forms.
—Have confidence, Woon-hwi.
—Go crush them!
‘Right.’
Preparation was complete. My fighting spirit was at its peak.
It was noon, with the sun high in the sky.
The time for the duel had come.