Chapter 4: The Sword Speaks (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 4: The Sword Speaks (2)
‘What... exactly are you?’
I had managed to survive the crisis by doing exactly what the dagger told me to do.
At first, I wondered if I was hearing hallucinations or if the dagger was possessed by a ghost. This was a bizarre, unprecedented experience that left me utterly stunned.
-I am Sodamgeom.
The dagger announced its name with an air of triumph.
Its name was Sodamgeom—the Lesser Conversation Sword.
That was the name engraved on its scabbard.
-By the way, don't you want to change the 'Small' character on the scabbard to 'Big'? It’s sad enough being short; why does it have to be 'Small' too?
For some reason, this fellow seemed to have a serious inferiority complex about being a dagger.
But I couldn't understand how something without eyes could perceive the attacks of a second-rate martial artist and even provide a counter-strategy.
-Because I can see them. That’s why I told you. I go through the trouble of saving your life, and you start an argument?
‘That’s not what I’m doing.’
-Sure it isn't. You’re just full of suspicion.
‘Would you find this easy to accept if you were in my shoes?’
-Fair point. It’s also strange for me that a human like you can hear my voice.
The dagger seemed to accept my reasoning.
It didn't feel like I was talking to a weapon; it felt like I was talking to a person.
-Sigh. After forty-seven years of life as a sword, I finally get to talk to a human... and it has to be a half-wit like you.
‘A half-wit? Are you crazy?’
I felt a surge of irritation.
It was treating a perfectly fine person like an idiot.
And it was just a dagger.
-Don't make me laugh. I may look like this, but I’ve seen and heard a lot. I probably know more about martial arts than a brat like you who did nothing but guzzle booze.
‘Ha! You know martial arts?’
-They say even a school dog can recite poetry after three years. I watched my previous-previous master’s techniques for nearly twenty years. Do you really think I wouldn't know?
‘Previous-previous master?’
The previous owner would have been my late mother.
If so, the owner before her must have been the person who gave the dagger to her.
Could it be my maternal grandfather?
-Grandfather, my foot. Have you already forgotten that your mother bought me from a passing fence and gave me to you as a gift? Are you beautifying your memories?
...This guy was brutally honest.
I never expected to take a psychological hit from a sword.
Then again, it made sense. My mother, who had been a maidservant, wouldn't have received a dagger from my father.
‘I was young, so I don't remember it well.’
-Yes, yes. Of course. You don't remember because you were young. You don't remember because you were drunk. What a convenient life you lead.
This guy talked way too much.
If I kept bickering with it, there would be no end.
One member of the three-man formation was still left. I had to deal with him and escape quickly.
-I guess you're busy.
The dagger seemed to want to talk more.
But I didn't have the time.
‘I have to get out of here.’
-Hey. At least say thank you before you go. After I went through all that trouble to help...
Ugh, so noisy.
‘Fine, fine. Thank you.’
-You’re welcomeeeee.
I felt like I was being played.
Regardless, I needed a weapon, so I picked up the saber from the dead masked man.
I hesitated for a moment, wondering if it would speak too, but fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—this saber didn't say a word to me.
‘I guess this guy really is unique.’
-Can't you hear what that saber is saying?
‘What?’
I couldn't hear a thing.
Sodamgeom, the dagger, chuckled.
-That saber is cursing you out. It’s saying a weakling killed its master. Oh... now the bastard is insulting me too. Is it such a sin to help a half-wit! Huh?!
I had no idea what it was talking about.
‘Ah...’
More importantly, the saber was unexpectedly heavy.
Since this was a time when I hadn't done a lick of training, this saber didn't seem suitable for me to swing effectively.
‘Damn it.’
-See? I told you. You should have practiced a bit. You should have at least built some muscle.
‘I know.’
It really was heavy.
I could probably manage if I swung it with both hands, but if I were unlucky enough to encounter someone as skilled as the dead man, I might end up being the one killed instead.
If I lacked internal energy and skill, I at least needed to be agile.
I gave up on the saber and searched the dead masked man's body, finding five iron darts—hidden weapons.
I had learned how to use these during my time in the Blood Cult.
However, since I lacked internal energy, I would have to throw them from a very close range to be effective.
‘Let’s take them for now.’
-Do you even know how to use those?
‘I do.’
-When did you learn that?
Sodamgeom seemed puzzled.
It appeared this fellow only knew about the "current" me.
Well, even I, who had regressed to the past, found it hard to believe.
-Hey. Behind you.
‘What?’
Startled, I rolled forward.
Thud!
I heard a heavy blunt sound from behind.
I barely managed to steady myself and looked back. A masked man was slamming a spiked iron club into the ground where I had just been.
“Damn it.”
A rough voice escaped the man's lips.
It seemed he had been aiming for a surprise attack.
Perhaps because the iron club was heavy, his movements were sluggish.
‘Now!’
I lunged forward, intending to stab the man in the chest with my dagger.
However, the man let go of the club and used a footwork method to retreat, dodging my attack.
My bad feeling was right.
This guy also had the skills of a second-rate martial artist.
Furthermore,
Swish!
He must have mastered leg techniques, as he countered with a kick immediately after dodging.
His right foot aimed swiftly for my head.
-Duck.
Sodamgeom’s voice echoed in my mind.
I quickly lowered my head.
-Stab his foot!
As soon as the words left the dagger, I tried to drive it into the man's left foot, which was his supporting axis.
But he dodged it.
Sensing danger, he leaped backward.
Deciding I couldn't let him get away, I pressed forward to close the distance.
-No!
Sodamgeom’s shout rang through my head.
In that instant, the masked man’s kick slammed into my abdomen.
Thump!
“Gah!”
With a pain that felt like my insides were being turned upside down, I collapsed backward.
If I had trained or mastered internal energy, I could have endured it by tensing my stomach, but I hadn't.
A normal person finds it hard to even breathe after being hit in the solar plexus.
“Cough, hack.”
I gasped for air, struggling in agony.
Seeing this, the masked man furrowed his brows.
“What? You couldn't even dodge that?”
It seemed he had expected me to be able to avoid his kick.
-Idiot. How could you fall for such a low-level feint?
Sodamgeom criticized me, but I was in too much pain to even hear it properly.
As tears welled in my eyes, I saw the masked man lunging toward me.
-Dodge! I said dodge!
Sodamgeom screamed, but it was no use.
Having taken a kick infused with internal energy, there was no way my body would move when I could barely breathe.
Thwack!
“Urgh!”
With the impact, my consciousness faded away.
I had struggled so hard to avoid being caught by these people again.
Yet, just like in my past life, I hadn't even managed to leave the inn.
*
I don't know how much time had passed.
My consciousness slowly returned to the sound of voices nearby.
“Two men killed by a mere brat? As a squad leader, can't you manage your members properly?”
The sound of people murmuring around me.
It seemed I had indeed been captured by them after losing consciousness.
I was awake, but I kept my eyes closed and focused on the sounds to assess the situation.
“I am deeply sorry. Please punish me.”
“Hmph!”
Thud!
Along with a snort, I heard a dull impact.
It sounded like the man who asked for punishment had been struck and fallen to the ground.
“Stop exaggerating and get up.”
“Y-Yes, sir.”
“Who is this kid?”
“These are the belongings he had on him. An identity token, a worn-out dagger, and six silver coins. That’s all.”
“Where is he from?”
I’m screwed.
I lamented inwardly while keeping my eyes shut.
In the end, my background was about to be revealed to them again.
“He’s from the So Family of Yulrang County, and his name is So Woon-hwi.”
“The So Family of Yulrang County... Wait, isn't Yulrang County in Yikyang?”
“Yikyang? The Yikyang So Family!”
The Yikyang So Family.
In the martial world, there are several families renowned for their martial prowess.
Among them, my family, the Yikyang So Family, was one of the Three Great Prestigious Martial Families in Hunan Province.
“What? So this kid was the trash discarded by the Yikyang So Family?”
I was pretending to be unconscious, but hearing them call me trash to my face made my blood boil.
However, it was an undeniable fact.
Right now, I was indeed a piece of trash who couldn't even be considered a child of a martial family.
“Looking at his age, it seems to match.”
“They said he was trash who couldn't even learn internal energy, but I guess a child of a martial family is still a child of a martial family. He managed to take out two low-rank warriors.”
The man who seemed to be the superior praised me.
I didn't find the compliment particularly pleasant.
I had killed two of their men. I was in a truly precarious situation.
“To think he did that with just this rusty dagger. If he had learned internal energy, he might have been quite useful.”
A voice full of regret.
The situation was quite different from before.
Back then, I had been treated as nothing but trash, just as I was at home.
Still, if they were evaluating me this highly, there was a high probability they wouldn't kill me immediately, just like last time.
However,
“It’s a shame, but kill him.”
‘!!!’
I flinched involuntarily at the command to kill me.
This was heading toward a completely different outcome than before.
“Sir? A boy of this caliber would at least be a mid-grade specimen.”
“I lost two of the men working under me. You expect me to take him in and use him? I have no need for him. Dispose of him quickly.”
Of all people, this guy seemed to be the superior of those two masked men.
I was utterly bewildered.
I had barely survived and returned to the past, only to face death on the very first day.
It was then.
Flick!
Something flew through the air and struck my head.
“Ow!”
The pain ringing through my skull forced me to groan and open my eyes.
About ten masked men were staring at me.
Among them, a middle-aged man wearing a blue belt with a long scar near his lips was shaking his head.
‘A Great Leader!’
A blue belt signified the rank of a Great Leader in the Blood Cult.
It was a position one could only reach by being a high-rank warrior—possessing first-rate martial arts skills.
Judging by the Great Leader’s finger, it seemed he had flicked something at me.
“If you’re awake, you should open your eyes. Instead of eavesdropping like a rat.”
I had been caught.
The Great Leader made a gesture of slitting his throat with his hand.
Shring!
At that, two masked men near me drew their saber and sword.
They looked ready to take my head at any moment.
Tug!
‘Damn it.’
My body was bound with rope.
I couldn't escape; I was doomed.
I was in a situation where I had to watch my own execution, like a prisoner about to vanish like the morning dew on the execution grounds.
That was when something caught my eye.
A masked man standing behind the Great Leader.
To be precise, the bundle of white leather attached to the end of the sword hilt at that masked man's waist came clearly into view.
“The pain will only last a moment.”
The moment the masked man raised his saber to behead me,
Thump!
I slammed my forehead hard against the ground and shouted at the top of my lungs, as if possessed.
“Blood Tax! Blood Tax! Blood, Blood Tax! This humble one greets the Great Fourth Blood Star of the glorious Blood Cult!”
Murmur!
As soon as those words left my mouth, the masked men all looked toward the direction I was bowing.
The scarred Great Leader did the same.
At this, the masked man standing quietly behind him looked troubled for a moment before removing his mask.
He was a handsome man with a sharp aura, like a well-honed blade.
“Huh?”
The moment they saw his face, the startled Great Leader and the masked men hastily dropped to one knee in respect.
“We greet the Fourth Blood Star!!!”
The man called the Fourth Blood Star spoke.
“Intriguing.”
The subject of his intrigue was none other than me.