A Gift for My Fiancée
Seol Ayeon was still standing there with her arms crossed, staring at me. Her gaze felt a bit burdensome, so I cleared my throat once before slowly opening my mouth.
“How have you been all this time? From the looks of it, the intensive training and everything happening within the Mount Hua Sect must have kept you busy.”
“······.”
At my question, Seol Ayeon let out a small sigh before finally answering.
“Well… I did train during the intensive sessions, but I didn’t really have any standout realizations during that time.”
“Is that all?”
“Some of the others went all the way to Shanxi to carry out requests or escort missions, but… I only did some training around here.”
“Still, it doesn’t seem like the journey was completely in vain.”
“It wasn’t entirely pointless… though there were a few things that irritated me while I was training.”
For a brief moment, I witnessed her eyebrows furrow slightly before smoothing out again. Sensing that, I let out a small, wry chuckle.
‘I can guess what it is without even looking.’
From the moment I had entered the Great Hero Hall with my senior brother, I had felt a murderous aura coming from the corner. At first, I thought it was just simple envy or jealousy from someone, but at some point it had grown so intense that I almost mistook it for genuine killing intent.
Even now, there was a guy in the opposite corner glaring at us with wide, bloodshot eyes as we sat together.
‘His name was… Lee Taeryang, wasn’t it?’
I was so dumbfounded that I had to stop the chopsticks that had been busily moving in my hand. When someone stared at you that intensely, it was bound to ruin your appetite.
“Tsk.”
I clicked my tongue once. At this point, there was no reason to continue our conversation inside the Great Hero Hall. I set my chopsticks down with a clack.
The fact that I, who had been eating so diligently, put down my utensils without hesitation made Seol Ayeon, sitting across from me, tilt her head in confusion.
“···?”
“My appetite’s gone.”
“Why?”
“Because of the uninvited guest over in that corner.”
“···Ah.”
Only then did Seol Ayeon seem to realize who I was referring to. She nodded. It was possible because she already knew about the bad blood between me and Lee Taeryang.
At her reaction, I shook my head and made a suggestion.
“How about we talk outside?”
“···I don’t mind.”
“It looks like the conversation might drag on. Do you have enough time?”
“I wonder who’s worrying about whom…”
Seol Ayeon looked at me with an expression that seemed slightly fed up. I could only shrug my shoulders as if I had no choice. Then she clicked her tongue, dusted herself off, and stood up.
Swish—
“Since we’re at it, let’s head out right away.”
“···Alright.”
After saying that, Seol Ayeon immediately walked toward the wide-open main gate and left. Following her lead, I also rose from my seat and turned my head with a swish.
“Kugh…!”
‘That bastard still holds a grudge against me… In a way, it’s almost impressive.’
In the corner, Lee Taeryang was grinding his teeth audibly. Considering the bad blood from a few years ago with him and his gang, it was obvious what he thought of me. Given that he was nothing more than a petty man, it was clear he still harbored the goal of getting revenge on me.
‘And since he’s always been obsessed with Seol Ayeon, once he noticed she only acted friendly toward me… it’s easy to predict how he’d react.’
It all just seemed pathetic to me. Honestly, considering Lee Taeryang’s talent and bloodline, this level of obsession and jealousy was truly displeasing. Though he was petty, he possessed enough talent to grow into a major figure among Mount Hua’s younger generation. The fact that such a person now harbored killing intent toward me would probably be a regrettable matter for the sect’s elders.
‘Anyway, I’ll talk with Seol Ayeon first… and hand over the Uicheon Sword at the right moment.’
Clink.
I could feel the two swords hanging at my waist. Step by step, I walked outside still carrying both the Uicheon and the Nakseong.
By now, it was already deep into the night outside. Honestly, the idea of a man and woman meeting alone in the dead of night felt strangely suggestive and a little uncomfortable for me.
“So, I kept training by striking tree trunks with a wooden sword all this time.”
“······.”
But the moment I saw Seol Ayeon standing in front of me, effortlessly slicing through a massive tree with her wooden sword, that discomfort vanished without a trace.
Whoosh—
When Seol Ayeon swung her wooden sword,
“···Oh.”
Swoosh—
The trunk of the massive tree was cleanly severed, and
“Huu.”
Thud—
The enormous log crashed to the ground, leaving only the stump behind. Watching the entire scene from a distance, I muttered in admiration.
“So you can already release sword energy now.”
“I’m not sure if I’d call it sword energy yet… but I’ve grasped some clues on how to infuse internal energy into the tip and body of the blade.”
Seol Ayeon answered my murmur. I nodded at her words and said,
“Even so, that puts you at the entry level of first-class. Not long ago you were barely at the second-class level, but seeing this steep growth, it’s obvious you’ll advance rapidly from now on.”
“···Really?”
When I spoke as if praising her, Seol Ayeon asked back as if she could hardly believe it. At her reaction, I declared confidently,
“You’ll probably be able to manifest sword energy soon, so there’s no need to worry too much.”
“That would be wonderful if true…”
“Just reaching this point is already something most people couldn’t even dream of, so you can be proud of yourself.”
“······.”
As I continued speaking, Seol Ayeon fell silent for a moment. Then she suddenly let out a small exclamation.
“···Come to think of it, didn’t you say you’d give me a reward if I managed to accomplish this training?”
“I did say that.”
When I admitted it, the corners of Seol Ayeon’s mouth curved into a faint, intrigued smile as she asked,
“So, what did you prepare?”
“Prepare?”
“I figured you wouldn’t have thought I’d fail this training.”
“···Hmm.”
As expected, Seol Ayeon had already predicted how I would act. At her playful question, I nodded once and slowly reached for the Uicheon Sword hanging at my waist.
“···That is?”
“Just as you said, I had a sword commissioned in advance.”
Swish—
I lightly tossed the Uicheon Sword to her without drawing it from its sheath. Seol Ayeon caught it with an interested look, examined it briefly, then looked at me with puzzled eyes.
“···This is?”
“It’s a famous blade I specially commissioned from a master craftsman. I only received it this morning. Honestly, I think it’s good enough to pass down through generations.”
“······!”
When I spoke boastfully, Seol Ayeon’s eyes widened into perfect circles. I smiled at her reaction, and soon she broke into a bright smile and said,
“···Thank you. I was actually thinking I needed to find a decent sword, and now I’ve received such a famous blade as a reward.”
“Try swinging it once.”
“Shall I?”
At my suggestion, Seol Ayeon nodded as if intrigued. She slowly drew the sword from its sheath.
Srrrng—
A clear ringing sound echoed as the Uicheon Sword revealed its form.
“Oh… You really put a lot of thought into this, didn’t you?”
“Of course. You have high standards, after all, so I paid extra attention.”
“Hmm… It doesn’t seem to be made from ordinary iron.”
At her questioning tone, I answered casually,
“It’s forged from a single piece of refined iron.”
“Refined iron…?! Where did you get something like that…?”
“By chance. I obtained it while resolving some family matters.”
“······.”
At my words, she stared at me with an incredulous look. Ignoring her gaze, I slowly uncrossed my arms.
Then I began walking toward a massive tree growing nearby. Step. Step…
“···What are you doing?”
“Since it’s been a while since we met, and you’ve now become a first-class expert capable of releasing sword energy… I think it’s time to give you the next goal.”
“What…?”
She asked again, sounding puzzled. Without answering, I slowly drew the Nakseong Sword from my waist.
Srrrng…!
As always, the sound of the Nakseong Sword leaving its sheath was incredibly clear and refreshing.
‘Let’s start light, shall we?’
Perhaps because I was meeting a friend I hadn’t seen in a long time, I felt quite exhilarated. The corners of my mouth curved into a smile as I quietly declared,
“Watch this one carefully too.”
“······?”
Clack—
I slowly raised the tip of my sword toward the massive tree. The blade extended straight until it was perfectly perpendicular to the tree’s surface. In that position, I thrust the tip directly into the trunk.
‘About here.’
The tip of the sword pointed at the trunk.
Thud—
In truth, the word “thrust” felt less accurate than “stab.”