Chapter 33
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: The Worst, Not the Strongest (1)
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Seo Ryang had locked himself in his quarters, reviewing documents outside of his training time. It took him three full days to memorize everything.
“Young Master. Would you like to eat?”
“I would.”
A short while later, Aeng-hwa set out the day's meal.
Seo Ryang, who had been eating with his eyes fixed on the documents as a final check, suddenly looked up at the dishes.
“There are more simple dishes now.”
“Yes, I focused on ingredients with milder scents.”
Seo Ryang smiled.
“You’re someone who remembers the little things.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing. Let’s eat.”
“Ah… yes.”
Aeng-hwa hesitated, still seeming awkward about sharing a meal with him.
「Yip!」
“……”
「Yip!」
“……”
When Seo Ryang didn't respond after several yips, the fox cub sat on the floor, huffing. It twitched its nose and waved its front paws, looking quite angry.
Aeng-hwa, who had been sneaking glances, picked up a few pieces of boiled meat and quietly crouched down.
“Mr. Fox, Mr. Fox. Would you like some of this?”
The fox cub glanced at Aeng-hwa and let out a sound like a snort. Aeng-hwa's face fell.
After checking the documents one last time, Seo Ryang picked up his chopsticks again.
*‘That’s it. I've definitely memorized it.’*
As the turbid energy in his upper dantian evaporated, his mind cleared. It wasn't enough to turn a blockhead into a genius overnight, but his judgment and memory had improved significantly.
It was simply astonishing that the volume of documents was so vast it had taken him three days, even with such a sharp mind.
*‘Hm?’*
After a few more bites, he lowered his head to the side.
A huffing fox cub with its head turned away, and a girl on the verge of tears, offering meat with a trembling hand.
“What are you two doing?”
“Ah, Young Master.”
Seo Ryang lifted the fox cub with one hand. It didn't resist, allowing itself to be picked up meekly.
“Aren't you hungry? Here, eat this.”
He offered it some unseasoned boiled meat, and the fox cub instinctively snatched it.
*Flinch!*
The fox cub cautiously looked up at Seo Ryang.
Seo Ryang grinned.
The cub looked at him with what seemed like indignant eyes, but it didn't stop eating. Judging by the way it panted and chewed eagerly, it must have been very hungry.
After the meal, Seo Ryang stroked the fox's nose. The fox, drowsy and full, flopped onto its back and made a pleasant sound.
“Anyway, I can't keep calling you 'this guy' or 'that guy'. I should probably give you a name.”
Seo Ryang asked Aeng-hwa.
“What should I name him?”
“What?!”
“…Why are you so surprised?”
“I-Is it really… alright for me to offer an opinion?”
“Why wouldn't it be?”
Flustered, Aeng-hwa stammered.
“B-But he's so adora… no, cute…”
“Never mind. I'll just name him myself.”
Aeng-hwa hung her head low.
Seo Ryang touched the fox cub's ear. Fiddling with its large ears, which were almost the size of its face, made him feel strangely drowsy.
“How about Geoiho?”
*Snort!*
The fox cub snorted. It was hard to tell if it was a timely sneeze or an expression of displeasure.
“You don't like it? Then what about Daemiho? Your tail is huge.”
Aeng-hwa looked as if her world was collapsing.
Yet, it was clear she couldn't bring herself to say anything because he was the Young Master.
Seo Ryang scratched his head, looking sheepish.
“Is it that bad? Then… hmm…”
He suddenly looked at the fox cub's eyes and nose.
It was incredibly cute, but also very standard-looking. Except for its overly large ears and tail, that is.
“Since you're a golden fox, I'll just call you Geumho.”
Aeng-hwa was on the verge of fainting.
*Why would you put the word 'fox' in a fox's name? Isn't that a bit too on the nose, even for a fox?!*
Naming a golden fox Geumho… Aeng-hwa felt a chill run down her spine at the Young Master's naming sense.
But what was more surprising was the fox cub's reaction.
「Yip!」
It let out a mighty roar, then jumped up and rubbed its body all over Seo Ryang's hand. Anyone could see it was a gesture of joy.
Aeng-hwa's pupils went slack, like the eyes of a dead fish.
*Surely it doesn't actually understand, right? It's definitely not doing that because it's happy, right?*
Seo Ryang gave a warm smile.
“You like it that much, you little rascal?”
「Yip!」
Aeng-hwa collapsed right where she stood.
Seo Ryang placed Geumho on his shoulder and walked to the window. The scenery outside was still like a painting.
*Rustle, rustle.*
Fallen leaves danced on the blowing wind.
A serious expression crept onto Seo Ryang's relaxed face.
*‘Even if only half of what's in these documents is true, things are about to get interesting.’*
The organizational structure wasn't a headache. He just had to memorize which group was where and what they did.
But the web of personal relationships was another story.
*‘You think someone is A's subordinate, but they're actually taking orders from E. You think C and D are friends, but they're secretly plotting against B… They sure live complicated lives.’*
Most organizations were probably similar. However, the Divine Cult of the Heavenly Demon was so massive that there were many aspects that were difficult to memorize and understand.
*‘So I have to crawl into this tangled net.’*
To venture into the vast ocean without a fishing boat, he had to enter the net instead.
He had agonized over this absurd reality several times, but there was no other solution. If he tore the net, he'd be beaten to death by the fisherman. The only way was to cause a reasonable amount of chaos until they let him go.
Seo Ryang took a small, deep breath.
*‘In the end, there's only one thing I want. I'm just diving in to achieve that one result. Let's not overthink it.’*
*Woooong.*
A translucent demonic energy rose from the hand gripping the windowsill. The thought that he was finally getting to the main event made him tense up.
*Slide.*
The fox cub, Geumho, slid down his arm onto the windowsill and looked up at Seo Ryang.
*Tsssss.*
In the clear eyes of the beast, a faint five-colored light flickered beyond its pure pupils.
*Whooosh.*
The wind blowing into the room through the window grew stronger.
*Flap, flap.*
Seo Ryang's clothes fluttered, and Geumho's fur billowed beautifully.
Slowly but surely, Seo Ryang's demonic energy intensified. At the same time, the light in Geumho's eyes also grew deeper.
*Rumble, rumble, rumble.*
“Huh?”
Aeng-hwa, who had collapsed onto the floor, looked up at the table.
The table was vibrating faintly. The plates on it trembled slightly, making a strange noise.
*‘What is this?’*
Could it be an earthquake?
Just then, the demonic energy rising from Seo Ryang's body vanished. As it disappeared, the trembling table stopped, and the wind died down.
Seo Ryang patted Geumho's head.
“Well, what can you do? I've worried enough, it's time to move. Right?”
「Yip!」
Geumho quickly hopped onto his shoulder.
Having made up his mind in an instant, Seo Ryang strapped the saber he had propped aside to his waist and left the room.
“Let's see, getting things ready will take about… Aeng-hwa. I might not be back tonight, so eat dinner without me.”
“Ah! Understood.”
“And…”
Seo Ryang glanced at Aeng-hwa.
Aeng-hwa stood respectfully. She had been diligently cultivating her internal energy, but she hadn't properly learned any martial arts.
“Never mind, let's talk about this later.”
“Y-yes.”
“I'm off. Don't skip your meal, be sure to eat.”
“Take care, Young Master!”
* * *
Ma Dongpil was by nature a simple and diligent man.
He wasn't the type to lounge in bed all day just because he had leave, or to use the opportunity to go on a food tour, or to bother his colleagues by loitering around their quarters out of boredom.
Nor did he ignore his leave and dive back into his duties. Unless someone needed his help, he didn't want to meddle and hinder the efficiency of others.
In the end, what he chose was the path of martial arts.
*Swiiiiiish!*
A powerful force was channeled into the longsword as it cut through the air.
Despite having swung the sword for half a day, the edge of the blade hadn't dulled. No, it was now emitting an even more refined and potent sword energy.
*‘Good.’*
He had trained for half a day, using his internal energy without restraint. Even a peak master should have been exhausted.
But he felt perfectly fine. The stamina he had built in the Solitary Bamboo Forest seemed bottomless, and his internal energy now recovered much faster than before.
Crucially, the quality of his demonic energy had improved. Even with a small amount of demonic energy, the sharpness and destructive power imbued in his sword were twice as strong.
*‘Now I understand.’*
How masters of a higher realm, with no significant difference in internal energy, could fight without tiring.
It was because the quality of their internal energy was different, and their control was more refined. Beyond their overall understanding of martial arts, their way of handling energy was exceptional.
*‘But that's not all.’*
As he swung his sword with vigor, Ma Dongpil thought of one person.
The one person who had surprised him the most since he joined the Cult.
*‘The Young Master's martial arts were… different.’*
It wasn't about the type or the level.
What he felt was different was Seo Ryang's very perspective on martial arts.
*‘He seemed to have a wealth of experience. But he's also unconventional.’*
When experience accumulates, creativity is often lost. One becomes so adept that there's no need to be unconventional.
Seo Ryang was not like that. He seemed to possess enough experience to be called a seasoned veteran, yet at times he would demonstrate martial principles so unconventional they were breathtaking.
*‘Perhaps that is the decisive reason why the Young Master was able to grow strong so quickly.’*
His thinking was flexible and not bound by convention. This naturally increased the number of ways he could combine martial principles. Becoming accustomed to this would deepen his thoughts and enhance his judgment and reflexes.
*‘If I could just become like that…’*
*Booooom!*
He swung his sword deliberately, and a round hole appeared in a distant boulder.
Ma Dongpil's eyes sparkled.
*‘It's deeper!’*
Just then, the sound of clapping came from the distance.
“Incredible!”
Startled, Ma Dongpil turned his head.
When had he gotten there? Second Squad Leader Gi Yang was standing there with a look of amazement.
“That was excellent sword energy. I knew you'd gotten stronger, but I didn't realize it was to this extent.”
“Ah, Second Squad Leader.”
Ma Dongpil quickly sheathed his sword.
Gi Yang, who had been looking at the boulder with admiration, cleared his throat.
“My apologies. You were swinging with such spirit that I made a mistake.”
“Not at all. I was just about to finish anyway.”
“Haha.”
Gi Yang walked over to the boulder, looked at the sword mark, and clicked his tongue in amazement.
“The 'Single Red Dot' of the Demon-Guarding Sword. To pierce a three-foot-deep boulder with a basic technique from our school… And from this distance.”
“It is still lacking.”
“It's certainly not perfectly refined. The inner surface of the hole is a bit rough. But are you aware that there are countless martial artists who will never reach even this level in their entire lives?”
“……”
“To be honest, I'm not confident I could make a mark this deep from this distance.”
Ma Dongpil bowed his head deeply.
“I am ashamed.”
“It was dangerous, but it seems you've grown a lot while escorting the Third Young Master.”
“He is the one who granted me great enlightenment.”
Gi Yang nodded, then said as if remembering something.
“By the way, I had a message for you, but I forgot while watching you train.”
“Yes?”
“The Third Young Master stopped by the Hall of Protectors.”
Ma Dongpil's eyes widened.
“Why would the Young Master…?”
“He had a message for you. I hope I'm not too late.”
“A message?”
“Er, well…”
Gi Yang said haltingly.
“He asked me to tell you to remember the first time you encountered Nokchok.”
Ma Dongpil tilted his head.
Of course, he remembered that time. But was that really the entire message?
“And he said he was going to the Berserk Demon Unit's get-together today.”
“……!”
“He said you should come too if you're interested, but I have no idea what that means…”
“My apologies, Squad Leader!”
Ma Dongpil cut Gi Yang off and moved swiftly.
Urgency was written all over his face as he left the Hall of Protectors without even washing up.
*‘Young Master!’*
*‘Surely not, right? You're not planning to cause trouble as recklessly as you did back then, are you?’*
In a corner of his mind, an image of Seo Ryang's lips floated and moved slowly.
*Why wouldn't I be?*
*Fwoooosh!*
Ma Dongpil's run had already turned into a swift movement technique.