Chapter 035: Final Lecture (2)
The next day, Kim Sun-woo completed his move to his new home.
He'd been planning to buy a decent apartment since he figured he'd be staying for a while, but a great ready-to-move-in place popped up, so he made a quick decision.
"Nice."
It was a brand-new villa around 1,000 square feet.
Coming from a cramped studio where he'd been holed up, the spaciousness felt strangely unfamiliar.
Since he'd lived in that studio, he didn't have much stuff—just threw it all in a taxi.
A box of clothes, kitchenware, and some miscellaneous office supplies. That was it.
Even after unpacking, he probably wouldn't fill one room, and he still had two more places' worth of space left.
It came fully furnished with a fridge, sofa, and bed, but the rest felt empty and echoey.
"...I'll fill it up over time."
There was an interior shop nearby; grabbing some pictures or decorations might not be a bad idea.
After finishing the move, he lounged on the sofa, taking it easy.
His body had fully recovered.
But the doctor had advised resting a couple more days and monitoring his condition, so he took a rare break from training.
"Never thought I'd just sit around doing nothing like this."
Before learning martial arts, he'd hustled day labor gigs. After, he'd climbed the hills behind his place whenever he had a free moment, training relentlessly.
Yeah, no one can grind that hard every single day.
Sometimes you need to just... chill. It was necessary.
Bzzz.
His phone vibrated on the sofa. Thinking it might be the next raid schedule, he checked it. It was a guild-wide announcement.
All raids suspended for the time being due to internal guild system reorganization.
"...All raids suspended for the foreseeable future?"
Kim Sun-woo's eyes widened.
The reason given was reorganization of the guild's internal systems.
"That's not something you can just shut down on a whim."
If you don't clear a dungeon in time, it breaks out.
The internal environment spills into reality.
In the case of Blazing Peak, lava would flow out, or monsters would burst forth and wreck the city.
...He knew that all too well, since that's how his parents had died.
"Hm."
The hunter group chats and channels were all buzzing with confusion.
Team Leader Robert had posted that he'd announce once things were sorted, then gone silent.
Wearing a puzzled expression, Kim Sun-woo opened the community forums.
Raw, unfiltered info always flowed there in times like this.
Sure enough, the hunter community was flooded with related posts.
He pulled out his laptop for a deeper dive and saw the boards plastered with speculation and theories.
Kim Sun-woo clicked the post with the highest views.
That's why guilds are halting raids or scaling them back, right?
Dungeon difficulties suddenly spiked abnormally. Mostly worse, yeah.
They were gonna wait and see, but recent raids caused massive casualties among hunters, so they rushed the measures.
What good does it do now? Casualties are already through the roof. Gotta cut the Association some slack on slow processing. Fucking bastards.
Kim Sun-woo scanned the post and comments with a grave expression.
"Dungeon difficulties have changed."
Even with a Red Drake in Blazing Peak, two C-rank hunters could clear it smoothly.
Who could've predicted a sudden abnormal spike?
If he'd gone into an even tougher one...
Letting out a short breath, Kim Sun-woo leaned back on the sofa.
Lucky or unlucky? Hard to say.
He closed the community and pondered, then clicked the lecture site.
Baek Ryuk Geom's lectures were still buried in the free section corner.
The only change: views had hit double digits—all from Kim Sun-woo's clicks.
"Hoo."
Exhaling shortly, he steeled himself and played the final lecture.
"...?"
But he soon tilted his head in confusion.
The last lecture was barely over 10 minutes.
Doubtful it could cover everything remaining—and the first few minutes were just a pitch-black screen.
Some glitch?
Staring intently at the darkness, just in case.
"...My apologies. I lost consciousness for a moment."
The familiar voice returned, and the screen normalized.
Looked like the camera had flipped.
Leaning back on the sofa, staring at the monitor—Kim Sun-woo gasped at Baek Ryuk Geom's appearance.
"...Ahem."
Unlike usual, his face was deathly ashen, like a man on his last breath.
He coughed a few times, blood staining his lips, but gazed at the camera with serene eyes, unconcerned.
"I suffer from a chronic illness. Not sure if it flared up returning to Earth, but my body had been wasting away for some time. Modern medicine couldn't cure it, so I aimed for shedding bones and exchanging marrow, but even that failed. I wished to wait for a successor... but alas, it seems I cannot..."
A massive cough erupted.
Cold sweat beaded on Baek Ryuk Geom's face.
His darkened skin paled, eyes trembling faintly—signaling death was near.
"......"
Kim Sun-woo clenched his fists.
He'd known health was poor, but not this critical.
Yet he pressed on steadfastly.
"Here at the end, I have no attachment to upholding the Azure Sword Gate or the convictions of the White Flow Sword. I simply wish someone remembers my existence. A lifetime cultivating martial arts was profoundly lonely. I yearned for an ordinary life. But alas, the chains called martial arts bound my soul. Successor, do not live thus. Build a family, bear children, live happily. Righteous or demonic arts—all consume the body. What matters most is your life."
Nosebleed trickled down.
Baek Ryuk Geom wiped it roughly, gripping the camera.
Even dying, his eyes burned fiercely at Kim Sun-woo, voice resonant.
"Even with this warning from a dying man, if you truly wish the martial path, come here. Time is short; I cannot teach all. But I've prepared arrangements after my death. They will aid you, I assure. Yet, as emphasized: do not pour your all into martial arts. What matters most is..."
Pfsh!
Mid-sentence without breath, Baek Ryuk Geom spewed black dead blood.
Stunned by the sight, the video ended abruptly.
"......"
Kim Sun-woo sat speechless for a long while.
Sad, melancholic, stifled—emotions beyond words churned in his chest.
He rubbed his dry face, closed the laptop, and stood.
"...The address."
It was listed at the lecture info's end.
Baek Ryuk Geom's residence, no doubt.
A quick search: some remote mountain valley in Gangwon Province.
Pondering briefly, Kim Sun-woo nodded shortly.
"Alright."
No raids for now anyway—might as well take an extended vacation.
No big prep needed.
Grab some clothes, pick up gear from the guild, hop a bus or train.
Just in case, he messaged Team Leader Robert and Su-ah, then headed out.
It was midday peak outside.
Full spring, but the uneasy vibe made the breeze feel chilly on his cheek.
Kim Sun-woo went to Mugung Guild, retrieved his sword from storage.
Everything else optional—but he'd take the Black Flow Sword.
What if another successor popped up?
"The Azure Sword Gate is a one-man transmission art! None but one may inherit!"
Someone charging in yelling that—who knew.
Pure fantasy, sure. But learning supreme arts from internet lectures was fantasy too.
"45,000 won."
He boarded the train to Gangwon, heading for Baek Ryuk Geom's place.
Long trip after ages, but no excitement or thrill.
The lecture weighed him down the whole way.
'Do not become mired in martial arts.'
Rain from Gangwon clouds overhead pelted the window.
Gazing at his reflection, Kim Sun-woo sank into silent thought.
Even dying, Baek Ryuk Geom had said martial arts weren't worth it.
But what choice did he have?
Parents, family, home—all lost. Martial arts was all he had left.
The train soon announced arrival at Gangwon Station.
Hailing a taxi and inputting the address, the driver looked troubled.
"Can get you close, but after that, no GPS in the mountains. Can't drive up."
"Just to nearby, then."
He'd climbed hills on whims before.
Gangwon backwoods shouldn't differ.
Taxi dropped him near; sky cleared, rain stopped.
Dust washed away—blinding sunlight poured down brighter than before.
Paying up, Kim Sun-woo kicked off, ascending the mountain path with Flash Flow Step.
The driver, turning sharply, flinched at the sight and muttered in awe.
"Guess I gave a ride to a Taoist master."
Elsewise, no way someone vanished up the valley that fast.
Shooo!
Near full power, Kim Sun-woo surged up the path with Flash Flow Step.
Steeper, rougher than his usual hill—but no hindrance.
'Around here... but hard to spot.'
Frowning, he scanned around.
Easy in the city; out here, address alone was tough.
So he kicked off a tall tree, leaping high into the air.
Pop!
Tens of meters up in a flash—the mountain range unfolded below.
Body light, floating midair.
"...Found it."
Eyes flashing, Kim Sun-woo plummeted to the ground like a beam of light.