Chapter 34
Chapter 34
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: A Matter of Resolve
-----------------------------------------------------------------
At the western edge of Nang-ya-gak was Yeong-gyo-ho, an artificial lake.
*Papat.*
Bu Eun-seol was kicking off the surface of the vast Yeong-gyo-ho Lake.
It looked as if he were running across the water without hesitation, but in reality, he was ceaselessly stepping on pieces of wood floating on the surface.
*Thwack.*
After crossing the lake in a single breath using the branches, Bu Eun-seol was met by a rock wall soaring into the sky: Sa-ja-am.
*Whoosh. Thwack.*
Bu Eun-seol's body repeatedly shot up into the air and fell.
With each breath, he leaped, and upon landing, he precisely kicked off the minuscule protrusions of the cliff with the tips of his toes.
It wasn't as high as a soaring leap, but it was agile; it seemed like he was walking on air, yet he could move left and right.
Bu Eun-seol's body scaled the cliff as if it were a spring moving with complete freedom.
*Whoosh.*
As he finally reached the top of the cliff, four daggers cut through the air, aiming for his body.
*Papat.*
But Bu Eun-seol's body was no longer there; the daggers lodged themselves in a tree stump.
*Whirrrr.*
This time, eight daggers rained down from all directions, cutting off his escape route.
With absolutely no room to dodge, Bu Eun-seol leaped into the air.
*Papapat.*
His body seemed to blur, and once again, the eight daggers sliced through empty air.
Having changed direction dozens of times in mid-air, it only looked as if the daggers had grazed past him.
*Thud.*
As Bu Eun-seol landed with a light movement,
“Not bad.”
A small figure emerged from behind a rock, a dagger clutched in his fingers. It was Go-wol.
“At this level, it's safe to say you've entered the initial stage of Geuk-sok-mu-yeong.”
The area around Bu Eun-seol's pants was sharply torn.
These were wounds from executing Geuk-sok-mu-yeong just moments before.
“Geuk-sok-mu-yeong involves executing movement techniques and footwork simultaneously while changing direction at ultra-high speeds. A slight mistake can shatter your leg bones.”
Go-wol looked at Bu Eun-seol with an expression of pride.
“Excellent. To be able to change direction thirty-six times after only a month of learning the technique.”
“It is all thanks to you, elder.”
Bu Eun-seol bowed his head.
In truth, Geuk-sok-mu-yeong was a movement art more complex and esoteric than calculating the constellations.
Moreover, executing movement techniques and footwork at the same time was a feat bordering on the impossible.
But Bu Eun-seol had silently honed the technique, finally achieving a level of proficiency close to the third stage.
“Don't get complacent yet.”
Perhaps from pouring all his energy into the last month, Go-wol's hair had turned white. But his eyes shone with a fierce intensity.
“Learning something and mastering it are two different things. You must continue to practice Geuk-sok-mu-yeong by crossing this lake and cliff until you can execute it perfectly in any situation.”
“Understood.”
“Then that is all.”
A faint, almost imperceptible smile graced Go-wol's lips as he turned away.
“I wish you great fortune in your martial path ahead.”
Bu Eun-seol wore a puzzled expression.
Go-wol's words sounded like a farewell, implying they wouldn't see each other for a long time.
“Elder. I am only at a level where I can barely execute Geuk-sok-mu-yeong.”
“If you can execute it, that is enough. There is nothing more this old man can teach you.”
“I don't understand what you mean.”
Turning his head, Go-wol spoke in a calm voice.
“The difficulty in mastering Geuk-sok-mu-yeong lies in executing the principle of 'Chak-jok-mu-cheo'—performing movement techniques and footwork simultaneously. It is exceedingly difficult.”
Chak-jok-mu-cheo.
It means 'no place to plant one's feet,' but in the context of Geuk-sok-mu-yeong, it refers to the secret of executing movement techniques and footwork while airborne.
“To perfect the secret of Chak-jok-mu-cheo, four conditions are essential.”
Go-wol looked at Bu Eun-seol with admiring eyes.
“First, tenacity and patience more persistent than a camel's. Second, profound internal energy, enough to hold a single breath for half a sik-gyeong. Third, the wisdom to comprehend complex footwork.”
He paused for a moment before asking Bu Eun-seol.
“Do you know what the final condition is?”
After pondering for a moment, Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
“I do not know.”
“Hahaha. It is the courage to overcome the fear and terror of your legs being torn apart, and to execute the techniques and footwork at high speed.”
Go-wol gazed at Bu Eun-seol, his eyes a whirlwind of emotions.
“This is precisely why countless disciples of Nang-ya-gak have failed to learn Geuk-sok-mu-yeong. No one is willing to risk becoming a cripple just to learn a movement technique and footwork.”
Go-wol said with a look of admiration.
“Frankly, this old man has never seen someone your age with such nerve.”
“Me... you say?”
“Indeed. Old men who have seen the bitter and the sweet of life may not cling to it so dearly, but for someone your age to treat their life as if it were nothing is a difficult thing.”
Bu Eun-seol's expression was strange.
He wasn't someone who didn't know fear, nor was he naturally courageous.
He simply wanted to obtain martial arts powerful enough to deal with the fiend who killed his grandfather.
“I'd like to ask what the secret is to gaining such superhuman nerve and confidence at your age.”
At Go-wol's question, Bu Eun-seol lowered his head.
“I have no such thing as superhuman nerve.”
After a long moment, he lifted his head again, a flame seeming to flicker in his eyes.
“I simply had no other choice.”
—*I simply had no other choice.*
A fierce torrent of energy seemed to pour from behind Bu Eun-seol.
At the same time, he felt the illusion that the entire open space of Cheong-myeong-dae was being filled with a vast and terrifying killing intent.
‘This boy is...’
Only then did Go-wol realize.
Within Bu Eun-seol's heart lay a killing intent like a thunderbolt of immense force—enough to tear the heavens and overturn the earth.
“So that's how it was.”
Guessing Bu Eun-seol's circumstances, Go-wol let out a heavy breath.
“Geuk-sok-mu-yeong is not a simple movement technique. It will evolve infinitely according to the enlightenment you gain through countless real battles.”
Gazing at Bu Eun-seol's eyes, now filled with light, Go-wol spoke in a low voice.
“This old man opened a tea house here long ago, waiting for a prodigy who could learn Geuk-sok-mu-yeong. And now that my wish has finally been granted...”
A relieved smile on his face, he spoke again.
“I will now close the tea house.”
“Thank you, elder.”
As Bu Eun-seol bowed his head, Go-wol gave a light nod and entered the tea house.
*Kuuung.*
And the door to Cheong-myeong Da-ru truly closed.
He had opened the tea house for the very reason of waiting for a prodigy to teach Geuk-sok-mu-yeong.
Having finally fulfilled his long-cherished desire, his Cheong-myeong Da-ru met a pleasant end.
***
*Fwoosh. Thwack.*
Ten shadows were approaching Nang-ya-gak.
The shadows, running up the steep mountain path as if it were flat ground, cut through the air in a triangular formation.
The ten shadows, which had been running at the speed of light, suddenly shot into the air as the main gate of Nang-ya-gak came into view.
*Paat.*
The ten shadows that soared into the air scattered in all directions like exploding fireworks.
“It's the Pung-un-dae bastards.”
The people of Nang-ya-gak clicked their tongues as they looked up at the stealthy shadows spreading across the night sky.
“They could just come through the entrance. Always have to act like the spies they are...”
Pung-un-dae.
The intelligence unit of Nang-ya-gak that roams the Murim gathering information.
They periodically leave Nang-ya-gak to wander the martial world and return, and it was rumored that whenever they came back, a seismic shift occurred in the Murim.
*Swoooosh.*
One of the shadows, which had been darting forward with a stealthy movement technique, came to a stop on the roof of a pavilion overlooking Nang-ya-gak.
*Shhhk.*
The shadow, illuminated by the moonlight, removed the mask covering its face.
The features of a middle-aged man with thick, dark eyebrows and a high-bridged nose were slowly revealed.
“If you're back, you should have come straight to Geon-gon-dang. Why are you moping around a place like this, Baek-yeon?”
Just then, with a clear voice, a figure in white robes descended onto the pavilion roof like a cloud.
He was a man with a stately build and handsome features, but his eyes held a somewhat languid look.
It was none other than Dan-cheong, the vice-master of Nang-ya-gak.
“Or are you planning to have a drink on the roof with the night scenery as your side dish, just like that time?”
Approaching the man, Dan-cheong said with a broad smile.
“If it were revealed that the leader of the Pung-un-dae, who commands all the information in the world, is this handsome, it would probably cause quite an uproar in the Murim.”
The masked, middle-aged man was indeed Baek-yeon, the leader of the Pung-un-dae, who oversaw Nang-ya-gak's intelligence.
“Vice-Master.”
The Pung-un-dae's leader, Baek-yeon, clasped his hands and fixed his star-like eyes on the ground.
Dan-cheong then spoke with a hint of disappointment.
“Didn't I say you could speak comfortably when it's just the two of us?”
“The rules of this pavilion are already lax to the point of being unraveled. If we start making exceptions one by one, the discipline of the pavilion will fall into disarray.”
Dan-cheong clicked his tongue at Baek-yeon's rigid reply.
The two had been close friends since childhood.
But the pedantic Baek-yeon always maintained a polite and solemn attitude, whether in private or in public.
“I was about to come find you anyway, so this is good.”
“Me? Why?”
As Dan-cheong blinked, a cold glint surged in Baek-yeon's eyes.
“The Sip-ma-jeon-in...”
“Hm?”
“I heard that you, Vice-Master, brought the Sip-ma-jeon-in with the greatest potential from the Isle of Hell.”
Dan-cheong, who had been standing blankly, burst out laughing.
“For you to already know something that only the leaders of the Ten Demonic Sects and the Ma-jeon are aware of... Truly astonishing.”
“Didn't you oppose the Sip-ma-jeon-in project from the very beginning, Vice-Master?”
Baek-yeon stared at Dan-cheong with deep eyes.
“Then why did you bring a prodigy meant for the Hwa-u-geom-mun to our pavilion?”
“So that's what this is about.”
Dan-cheong picked his ear and smacked his lips.
“I wasn't the one who brought that boy here.”
“If you didn't bring him...”
“He chose this pavilion himself. Flatly refused when the Hwa-u-geom-mun offered to take him.”
“That so-called prodigy... chose our pavilion, you say?”
“That's right.”
Dan-cheong rubbed his neck as if recalling that time.
“Thanks to that, I almost got into a fight with that damn Sword Demon.”
Baek-yeon spoke, unable to hide his frustrated expression.
“Why did you accept such an exceptional situation? It wouldn't have mattered who you brought back.”
“Well, it's admirable, isn't it? He wanted to walk into our pavilion on his own two feet.”
As Dan-cheong shrugged, Baek-yeon furrowed his brows.
“Because of that, the Hwa-u-geom-mun ended up not choosing a Sip-ma-jeon-in. Their leader also expressed his regret.”
“So that's what happened.”
Dan-cheong answered nonchalantly, causing Baek-yeon to let out a deep sigh.
“The people of the Murim call our pavilion a 'fallen sect.' Have you forgotten that the real reason is that we've been kept in check by the Ma-jeon for a long time?”
“Baek-yeon.”
Dan-cheong let out a sigh and shook his head.
“You... have you been leading the Pung-un-dae for too long?”
“What do you mean?”
“I'm saying, haven't you drunk too much of the waters of the martial world?”
Dan-cheong's eyes grew profound as he looked down at Nang-ya-gak from the roof.
“This pavilion is just this pavilion. What we at Nang-ya-gak aim for is to reach the pinnacle of martial arts, not hegemony over the martial world.”
“Vice-Master. That is merely an ideal. Do you think you can lead Nang-ya-gak with hopeful aspirations alone?”
“Just a moment ago, you were talking about discipline... For a Vice-Master, your words are a bit harsh.”
As Dan-cheong made a joke, Baek-yeon clenched his fist as if suppressing his emotions.
“The current Murim is like a ticking time bomb. If you hold onto such complacent thoughts... our pavilion could also be in danger.”
“I get it. I get it.”
Dan-cheong waved his hand as if he couldn't do anything about it.
He knew well that Baek-yeon was saying this out of a loyalty for Nang-ya-gak deeper than anyone else's.
“Since you've finally returned, let's catch up on old times.”
Dan-cheong waved his hand as if to sweep away the heavy atmosphere.
“I've prepared a banquet at Cheong-un-ru. Let's drink until we can't see straight for a change.”
“We can drink another time.”
“Why?”
“There is something that must be done urgently.”
“What is it?”
Baek-yeon looked at Dan-cheong with an incredibly serious face.
“Where is the one who has become the successor of our pavilion?”