ch 258
Became a Swordsmanship Instructor at the Academy
Chapter 258
"Shouldn't you be heading back soon?"
"You've eaten all the food and drank all the alcohol? It's too much to tell me to leave after sucking out all the sweetness."
"What are you saying like that? I'm just saying that because you said you've been busy lately."
"I told you I've roughly finished all my work. I'm going to sleep here tonight."
"Sleep here? At your level, you don't even need to sleep anymore..."
Master is right.
I've already been free from the shackles of sleep for a long time.
"If you put it that way, Master doesn't need to eat either, right?"
Actually, I'm the same way.
I don't know about starving for decades or hundreds of years like Master, but a few years would probably be fine.
Of course, I don't want to give up the pleasure of eating.
"Hmph... Just talking back like that."
Am I being bothersome?
"Am I bothering you?"
"Not particularly, but you really didn't fight with the women, right? Usually you would..."
"No."
"It's strange because a guy who usually shows no interest is suddenly acting like this. They say when a person does something they don't usually do, it's time for them to die."
No, how can he say such things?
Have I been too indifferent to Master usually?
I thought I took good care of him in my own way.
"Your disciple is very healthy."
"Your body is, but not here it seems."
He points to his head with his finger, so I must be quite bothersome to him.
Still, I want to be with Master tonight.
Because it might be the last time.
Since he said he was going into the camper to watch variety shows, I followed Master into the camper as well.
"Are you going to watch too?"
"Yes. Let's watch together."
When Master operated the laptop, a drama soon started on the TV installed on the wall.
Master watched with great concentration, but I didn't find it very interesting since I didn't know the previous content.
Instead of the drama, I watched Master.
There has been some change since we first met.
Looking at him quietly like this, he's changed a bit.
Even though he's been eating much better than before since meeting me, he somehow looks thinner than before.
He seems to have gotten many more wrinkles too.
"Isn't it interesting? That Youngsik is actually Bokhi's father, which will be revealed in the next episode... What are you staring at like that?"
"Master has aged too."
At my level, aging can be delayed as much as one wants.
No, if I set my mind to it and really tried, rejuvenation wouldn't be impossible either.
"Suddenly attacking my age... Huh, Shin-hyeok, do you think you won't age? Just like you can't stop the flowing water of a river, time is the same."
Well, no matter how much one delays aging, unless one achieves ascension or something, an end will come eventually.
"I'm too young to worry about such things."
"Hmph, aren't you thirty now?"
"Master, aren't you more than ten times my age?"
"Isn't your wife ten times my age?"
"If you call Luciel grandmother, she'll bite you with all her teeth."
"No, when did I call her grandmother..."
Master has improved his speaking skills a lot compared to before, but it doesn't work on me.
"I hope you live long and well."
"Even if you don't say such things, I'll live to see your grandson get married, so don't worry."
Not even a child, but a grandson, so I don't need to worry.
"Yes. When you see your grandson, you should teach him martial arts and watch the children's antics."
"Can't you teach martial arts yourself? Are you trying to dump child-watching on me too?"
"What do you mean, Master's favorite thing? They say you age less if you do such things."
I smiled and said to Master, who was grumbling about elder abuse, then got up from my seat.
"Is there something you're worried about?"
"What worry? More importantly, aren't you hungry? I was thinking of making some ramen."
"Ramen sounds good. I'll have sesame ramen."
I made and ate the last ramen with Master, cleaned up, and said I should be going now.
"Earlier you said you were going to sleep here?"
"Thinking about it, my schedule tomorrow is quite tight."
"I see. Then when are you coming again?"
He seems a bit disappointed, probably because I changed my mind after saying I'd sleep over.
It can't be helped.
If I keep staying with Master, my heart keeps getting weak and I develop attachments.
"It'll take me some time, but Se-jin will drop by, and Luciel will come too in two days... no, starting tomorrow."
My heart welled up, but I suppressed my emotions as much as possible and spoke calmly.
"I understand, so hurry up and go. And if possible, you apologize first."
"I really didn't fight."
"Fine. Let's go with that."
You're completely on the wrong track.
That's fortunate.
"Master."
"What?"
"Nothing. Well, I'll be going now."
"How bland."
Since he waved his hand meaning for me to go, I bowed my head in greeting.
I wanted to say 'Take care,' but if I did, Master would think it strange.
I conveyed it with my heart and came out of the portal.
I took out my phone to check the time - it was already 3 AM.
Snow was falling heavily on Mount Seorak, still dominated by black darkness.
There were still about 4 hours until the promised time, so I thought about seeing everyone once more, but that didn't seem right.
If I met them now, they'd probably figure out I had lied.
Especially Luciel - she already seemed suspicious.
I bowed once toward the portal and spread my Absolute Domain.
The heavily falling snow stopped.
The world lost its color.
In the world now tinted gray, Primordial Heavenly Honored One appeared with white light.
"I'll be departing now."
"There's still some time left. You really want to leave already?"
"I've said enough final goodbyes. And you said the sooner the better, didn't you?"
"I did. I understand."
When Primordial Heavenly Honored One flicked his finger once, the surrounding view slowly began to change.
It felt like the ground was getting smaller, as if we were rising into the sky.
Weren't we going to another dimension?
When the ground was no longer visible, everything around turned into darkness, and then a beautiful blue planet appeared before my eyes.
Is that Earth?
Then am I in space?
"I'll speed up a bit from now on."
As soon as Primordial Heavenly Honored One finished speaking, the surrounding view began to change rapidly.
We passed dozens, hundreds of stars shining as brightly as the sun, went through areas filled with massive meteors, and traveled for quite a while.
Just as I was about to ask how much further we had to go, the Primordial Heavenly Honored One, who had been beside me, disappeared from view.
―This is as far as I go. I wish you good fortune.
What?
All around are only planets sparkling and shining with light and space filled with pitch-black darkness; no life forms are visible.
He clearly said he'd take me to where the Demon God was, but he just threw me into space.
Just as I was puzzled, the twinkling lights began disappearing one by one from the distance.
Like being erased with an eraser.
The moment even the planet closest to me, which had been shining as brightly as the sun, disappeared... I finally faced it.
The massive malice that filled the space.
***
Ares Guild conference room.
Normally, entry is impossible unless you're a guild member, but at my honey’s request, I called Lee Ji-sung, the guild master of Hwasin Guild, and Kim Do-hyun, the vice guild master.
To share information about the Demon King subjugation.
"That's the end of the briefing. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."
"First, the authenticity of the information is important - is New York really where the Demon King will descend?"
"Kang Shin-hyeok Hunter directly said..."
I almost made a mistake.
"If the teacher said so, it must be certain."
It means he acknowledges my honey, but suddenly cutting off words is a bit annoying.
If my honey were here, he would have punched him.
Anyway, I don't like that Lee Ji-sung guy, and just as I was thinking that, Vice Guild Master Kim Do-hyun raised his hand.
"Um... senior, if it's New York, it's already a recovered city with many people. Shouldn't we establish an evacuation plan first...?"
"You don't need to worry about that. We've already shared information with the US government and the New York governor, and they're evacuating New York residents to shelters in nearby cities. I heard the evacuation will be completed by tomorrow morning."
"I see. As expected of you, senior. But looking at the operation plan you printed for us, Kang Shin-hyeok Hunter's name isn't there?"
"Our teacher thinks he's the best in the world, so will he not he move together with us? He'll act independently."
"Then we're not directly fighting? The plan says fighting the Demon King."
"Kang Shin-hyeok Hunter won't be coming to New York. We'll proceed with the Demon King strategy among ourselves as written in the operation plan."
"What?"
"Why?"
Both looked shocked.
Yesterday, Eunseo and I probably had the same expression.
"He's absent now because he has other important business."
"No, there's something more important than the Demon King descending?"
"There aren't just one, but two Demon Kings."
"What?"
"Two... two Demon Kings?"
"Right. We'll handle the Demon King in New York, and Hunter Kang Shin-hyeok will handle the other Demon King alone."
I said this was also something my honey told me directly.
Do-hyun seems to understand immediately, but that annoying Lee Ji-sung keeps tilting his head as if he doesn't understand.
He's not thinking my honey is lying, is he?
If that's the case, I'll really punch him...
"Um, senior?"
"Huh? Yes, Do-hyun. Do you have more to say?"
"If Hunter Kang Shin-hyeok went alone, don't we have a lot of hunter resources left? I think we could increase the operation personnel a bit more."
"Personnel of lower levels won't be helpful anyway, he said."
Yesterday, while talking about the Demon King, he told us never to deploy many personnel for Demon King subjugation.
It would only increase unnecessary casualties.
The best option would be just the four of us - me, Eunseo, Lee Ji-sung, and Kim Do-hyun - so we decided on that for now...
"That's right. But with our teacher not there either, just the four of us going doesn't seem quite right."
Even Lee Ji-sung, who had been confident throughout, is making weak sounds.
"Senior, among the demons I dealt with, there was one that summoned monsters and demonic beasts. The Demon King might summon other demons too."
"Huh? Come to think of it, I also dealt with a demon that summoned undead monsters once."
I haven't encountered one, but even Eunseo is talking about it, so I can't ignore it completely.
"Then I'll have S-rank hunters standby on the outskirts of New York and have them enter based on the situation."
"If it's the outskirts, if the Demon King descends in central New York, it'll take some time."
"If it gets really dangerous, everyone can escape with teleportation magic anyway."
We slightly modified the operation and ended the meeting.
Everyone looks anxious.
It's probably because my honey isn't here.
Last night, I came back after meeting Sister Luciel with Eunseo, but my honey wasn't there.
Thinking he went to meet his master, I stopped by the portal, but my honey wasn't there either.
Great Master said he came late yesterday evening, said he'd sleep over, then left at dawn.
He didn't already leave, did he?
We couldn't even say goodbye properly...
"Sister?"
"Huh? What?"
"Do you think brother already left?"
"It seems like it. Did you hear anything by chance?"
"No. What we saw together yesterday was the last time."
"Same for me."
"Then he left without saying anything. When he comes back, I'll have to nag him a lot."
Isn't Eunseo worried?
He said he'd be fine, but I...
No. Maybe Eunseo trusts my honey more than I do.
"I'm going to Pyeongtaek then. I need to finish the recovery today."
"Why don't you rest a bit today? You have to go to New York early tomorrow. Pyeongtaek isn't urgent."
"It's okay. I'll come back early."
After Eunseo left, I was checking the progress of the evacuation operation in New York when I opened the drawer and took out a leaf.
I wondered if he might have said something more to Sister Luciel. Since she directly faced the Demon King, I wanted to ask for some advice too.
I tore the leaf and came to Luciel's world... but what?
She clearly said she'd only be here for two days.
"Sister?"
I kept calling and looking for her, but I couldn't find Sister Luciel anywhere.