Sorry, You'll Have to Work Hard
Quite a lot of time had passed since we set out for the Royal Capital. The journey could have grown tedious if we’d let it, but how could my disciples possibly allow their master even a moment of boredom?
Boom!Boom!Boom!Boom!
It was late afternoon. The day’s schedule had ended and everyone was busy setting up camp when the clamor drew me over. There I found two of my disciples locked in a full-blown spar.
Iris—the one who functioned as both damage dealer and tank—was charging straight at Gerard, our pure-blooded tanker who served as the team’s shield. True to her title as the Fighter Hero and the moniker of Infinite, she hammered his shield with ferocious punches and kicks, each strike carrying terrifying momentum.
To an outsider it might have looked ridiculous, even foolish. After all, she was attacking that rock-solid shield with nothing but bare fists and feet. But Iris’s hands and feet were every bit as hard as Gerard’s shield. It was no exaggeration to say that monsters and demonic beasts alike were pulverized into paste by her blows.
One solid punch from her would shatter bone and pulp flesh. A single kick would rupture organs and send internal shockwaves rippling through the body. And it wasn’t merely a matter of raw power. Iris practiced a modified mental technique derived from the Cheonma Shingong I had taught her. The result let her focus her inner energy to amplify her physical strikes while simultaneously twisting and corrupting her opponent’s own energy flow.
I was certain that anyone who took a direct hit without knowing how to counter the energy manipulation would suffer greatly—even me, and yes, even my master.
“They’re really going at it with killing intent today,” I muttered.
I glanced sideways. Master clicked her tongue and spoke.
At first glance one might think she was displeased, but the faint smile tugging at the corner of her mouth made it clear that wasn’t the case. Though she had grown somewhat softer over the long years we’d spent together, she had never abandoned the fundamental nature that came with being the leader of the Demonic Cult, the calamity of the martial world, the Heavenly Demon. She still found her greatest pleasure in watching others clash like this.
“Didn’t you say this was just a simple spar, my disciple?”
“It is. That is just a simple spar.”
“For something ‘simple,’ there’s an awful lot of lethal intent flying around.”
The terrifying speed and power Iris displayed, the inner energy packed into every fist and kick—Gerard wasn’t simply defending, either. Though he was a tanker, he knew plenty of offensive techniques. While blocking Iris’s strikes, he launched sharp, threatening counters of his own. The exchange had grown far too sharp to dismiss as mere practice. It was only natural that Master would question whether it was truly “just a spar.”
“It may look that way, but it is indeed a spar, Master.”
Whether spar or real combat, they always fought as if their lives were on the line. Iris and Gerard seemed to have nothing in common, yet the one thing they agreed on without fail was this very principle. That was why their spars always looked so deadly.
Thanks to that, both Master and I could watch with genuine interest.
“They’ve improved considerably since I last saw them.”
“Between Gerard and Iris, who do you think has progressed more?”
“Hmm. At a glance, it has to be that girl. Iris stands out far more.”
Perhaps because Iris was the one pressing the attack, Master chose her and gave a small, satisfied smile. She even looked pleased, as if thinking, Yes, a punch should always carry that kind of ferocity!
I had been worried she might say the children were still lacking, but it seemed my “selection and focus” training strategy was working well.
“Of course, that Gerard fellow is excellent too. He isn’t simply enduring. He minimizes wasted movement, takes the hits he can afford to take, and avoids the ones he must not. If he’s a shield meant to protect those behind him, that is the perfect stance. I guarantee that anyone standing behind him would feel secure even if dozens of reclusive experts came at once.”
“I’m relieved to hear you say so. Gerard will be happy too.”
The moment my conversation with Master ended, the spar between Iris and Gerard reached its natural conclusion. The instant Gerard shifted his shield and knocked Iris back, the two of them retreated a good distance as if by prior agreement, assessed the situation, and called it there.
After raising my disciples, I had thrown them into the world and let them fend for themselves. I didn’t worry about betrayal, and they weren’t the sort to fall easily. So while I focused on training the others with almost no concern, that didn’t mean I worried about them not at all.
What if they hadn’t grown as much as I’d hoped? I had believed they would become strong enough to defeat even the Fragments of the Demon God, but what if they fell far short of that level when we finally met again? The thought had felt suffocating.
Yet seeing them now, those worries had clearly been unfounded. Garam, Lily, Gerard, Iris—every one of them was giving their absolute best. Some to win my heart, others out of fervent trust. Some out of respect, others because they wanted to be acknowledged and fight at my side. Whatever their reasons, the important thing was that they had reached this level.
Just as the four disciples I had already met had done, I was sure the ones I had yet to see were doing the same. They were probably pouring their heart’s blood into training so they could meet my expectations and never betray my faith. That was what I believed.
“I heard the story.”
“Pardon?”
“That girl. Your noisy youngest disciple.”
“Ah… you mean Iris (Regression)?”
“Yes. The one who dared deceive her master and this seat by hiding her achievement.”
“That’s what happened. But… Master.”
“What is it?”
“How did you find out? I don’t remember telling you yet.”
I had originally planned to report it to Master immediately. But one thing after another kept delaying me until today. Since it wasn’t particularly urgent, I had intended to tell her once we reached the Royal Capital. I certainly hadn’t expected her to already know.
“Isn’t it obvious? I heard it directly from the person herself.”
“Huh?”
“Two days ago that Iris girl came to see this seat. She told me everything in great detail.”
“…Iris told you herself?”
“Indeed. From what I hear, she’s pulling her inner energy outside her body to manipulate it.”
“That is correct, Master.”
“The moment I heard it from her, I was so dumbfounded I could only laugh. For a girl lacking both internal energy and stamina to come up with such a foolish idea—truly, it left me speechless.”
Master’s words were utterly sincere. From the current Iris’s standpoint, it was something she would have been better off not attempting. The technique was certainly powerful and could produce tremendous effects. The problem was that it required both sufficient internal energy and physical stamina to support it. Doing it while lacking in both could only be called foolish.
The only saving grace was that the Iris from before her regression had used that very ability as her main weapon. That familiarity was what made it workable. If she had tried it with absolutely no foundation, Master would have flown into a rage, and I would have been furious as well.
If I had to compare it to something easy to understand, it was like a student who had just opened the first page of a textbook, skimmed the table of contents, and then showed up the very next day to take the final exam.
“However,” Master continued, “when I actually saw it, it was quite impressive.”
“I saw it too. She definitely has talent for drawing out inner energy.”
More precisely, it was experience and memory rather than talent.
“But, my disciple.”
“Yes, Master.”
“This seat never taught you any techniques for wielding two swords at once.”
“…”
“I won’t deny that you are an outstanding teacher. Yet the foundation of it all still stems from this master, does it not? It is only natural that I can find my own traces in everything your disciples have learned. However, I could not sense any of that in Iris’s swordsmanship. The basics of sword handling still carried a faint trace of my influence, but everything after that was distinctly different.”
It was a truly sharp observation.
In truth, I had never learned dual-wielding sword arts. I had never felt the need to, and every dual-wielder I knew of had met rather miserable ends. The moment Master spoke, my mind went blank. But I quickly regained my composure and gave a light cough, as if embarrassed to admit it.
“The truth is… I created it myself.”
“Oh? And there is not a single lie in those words?”
It stung a little. No, it stung quite a lot. But there was no other way to explain how Iris could suddenly display such swordsmanship. Besides, Iris herself had probably known I would say this. Or perhaps the future version of me really had taught her dual sword arts, and that was why she had shown it in front of Master.
“Hahaha.”
After a brief pause, Master burst into hearty laughter. She stepped closer and patted my shoulder heavily.
“Well done. I thought you were merely an excellent disciple, but you’ve become an even better master. I never imagined you would take everything you learned and create something entirely your own.”
“You flatter me. In the end, the root of it all was still your teachings, Master.”
“Regardless, it is truly astonishing. The style was highly practical, neither too light nor too heavy. Hyeon, this master is immensely pleased.”
Seeing Master’s proud smile, I made a decision. I would memorize every detail of Iris’s dual sword technique and then train myself to at least a certain level so that I could truly claim I had taught it to her.
“There is no need to worry, my disciple.”
“Pardon?”
I asked reflexively, suddenly anxious about what strange thing she might say next.
Master continued with the same smile. “Though she is still far from satisfying, she is nonetheless your disciple, is she not?”
“…She is?”
“Therefore there is nothing to worry about. This seat knows dual sword techniques as well, and even if they are not at that level, I know several martial arts for handling two weapons. I intend to teach that girl everything I know personally. Would that be all right with you?”
“Why are you asking for my permission? I can only be grateful.”
“She is your disciple, after all. It is only proper to seek the master’s permission.”
Master kept laughing heartily, looking thoroughly pleased. I wondered why the mere act of teaching Iris what she knew made her so happy—until her next words made me let out a quiet groan of understanding.
“Well then, since I have received permission, I suppose I can be a little rough with her. It will certainly not be easy. Martial arts have always involved cutting away flesh and scraping bone. I will teach that Iris girl everything this seat knows to the fullest extent, so look forward to it, Hyeon. Hahahaha!!”
“…”
Watching Master laugh with such strange delight, I could only murmur quietly to myself.
Iris. My foolish disciple. This master apologizes in advance. I’m sorry. You’ll have to suffer through it.