Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: A Latent Dragon
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“Impressive.”
He spoke calmly, but inwardly, Sa-u was astonished.
Dodging a sword form I unleashed without a sound in just three days? That was a feat impossible even for a peerless, heaven-sent martial genius.
“Dodge this one.”
All of Bu Eun-seol's senses, save for his sight, were heightened.
Moreover, from his time wiping corpses with Bu Jan-yang, he had become as well-versed in human anatomy as any physician.
He could thus anticipate Sa-u's posture and the flurry of sword strikes just by the flow of the air.
*Whoosh.*
As the scabbard once again sliced through the air, a peculiar smile touched Sa-u's lips.
“That's not enough.”
Then, unlike before, he began to unleash a continuous series of attacks.
“What master of the martial arts uses only a single strike?”
*Thwack. Thwack.*
Bu Eun-seol began to take hits from the relentless barrage.
‘I can feel it, but I can't dodge.’
The sword techniques Sa-u unleashed were incomparably more refined than those of Neung Un-gang, and they were dense with killing intent.
For the next hour, Bu Eun-seol could do nothing but endure the beating.
“Ugh…”
When Bu Eun-seol, now covered in blood, collapsed to the ground, Sa-u sheathed his sword.
He then took a leather pouch from his robes and tossed it in front of Bu Eun-seol.
“Drink.”
Bu Eun-seol immediately picked up the pouch at his feet, opened it, and drank.
It wasn't water, but a thick, viscous liquid.
“You are not to eat until you have mastered the Beast's Path. The heightened senses you have cultivated will only dull.”
Bu Eun-seol had no choice but to swallow the viscous liquid.
It was odorless, a substance neither liquid nor solid, and it slid down his throat in a thick, sticky stream.
Once past his throat, a heat like that of strong liquor spread through his stomach.
“What is this?”
Bu Eun-seol asked a question for the first time.
‘He never asked a thing while training in the Beast's Path.’
Sa-u let out a silent, dry laugh and shook his head.
“You don't need to know.”
“…Understood.”
“We'll begin again in fifteen minutes.”
*Shing.*
Drawing his sword from its sheath, Sa-u spoke in a cold voice.
“From now on, you will truly have to put your life on the line.”
*Swish! Swish-swish-swish!*
The sharp sound of a blade slicing through the air echoed all around.
*Slash.*
Each time the sharp blade grazed him, blood sprayed from Bu Eun-seol's body.
“Don't think with your head!”
Sa-u shouted in a solemn voice.
“It's too late if you try to identify the move and then dodge. The moment the attack begins, you must react instantly!”
*Shk, shk.*
As a deadly strike aimed for his throat, Bu Eun-seol was forced to roll across the ground.
*Fwoosh.*
In that instant, Sa-u's sword strikes fanned out, stabbing at Bu Eun-seol's fallen form.
*Stab, stab, stab.*
Dozens of strikes raked across Bu Eun-seol's body.
“Kugh.”
“In the Murim, facing multiple opponents is common. You didn't think every fight would be an honorable duel, did you?”
*Whirl.*
Sa-u's blade bent like a whip, striking for a vital point.
But Bu Eun-seol, as if anticipating the attack, leaped up like a carp and twisted away.
“You were lucky to survive.”
“Hah… hah…”
The blows had missed his heart and lungs, but Bu Eun-seol's injuries were far from minor.
Yet, even as he gasped for breath, he kept a tight grip on his sword.
‘Even without being taught, he never lets his guard down.’
Once again, Sa-u tossed him the leather pouch.
“Drink. We'll start again soon.”
“…Understood.”
Though he couldn't see, Bu Eun-seol precisely picked up the pouch from the ground.
*Gulp, gulp.*
As the viscous liquid filled his mouth, his mind cleared, and he felt the blood and energy he had lost returning to his body.
But even then, he didn't tilt his head back far, keeping his legs and shoulders low, ready to evade an attack at a moment's notice.
‘His physical frame isn't exceptional, but his talent for learning martial arts is heaven-sent.’
Watching him, Sa-u stroked his chin.
He had intended to teach him merely to pass the time.
And yet here he was, freely giving away the Extreme Spring Spirit Water, an elixir he himself had been reluctant to consume.
‘Damn it. How could I possibly not give my all to teaching a boy like him?’
Bu Eun-seol possessed a desperate tenacity and a fiery resolve that stirred the heart.
It was the mark of a peerless martial artist, the kind one could search the entire Murim for and never find.
Fifteen days later.
*Clang, clang, clang, clang.*
The metallic clash of weapons rang out ceaselessly in front of Sa-u's thatched hut.
“Try this one!”
With a thunderous cry, Sa-u's sword flashed with a brilliant light.
*Flash!*
A strike as fast as lightning shot toward Bu Eun-seol's neck.
*Fwoop.*
But Bu Eun-seol twisted away, and the sharp blade grazed his shoulder instead of his neck.
“It's too early to let your guard down.”
*Whirl.*
The sword that grazed his shoulder spun fiercely in mid-air and redirected toward the vital point on his lower back.
*Clang!*
But again, as if anticipating the move, Bu Eun-seol blocked it with the iron sword behind his back.
“…”
Bu Eun-seol lowered his stance, bracing for the next onslaught.
But no matter how much time passed, there were no more attacks.
“Hehehe…”
Looking at Bu Eun-seol, Sa-u suddenly burst into a wild laugh.
“Uwahahahaha! Wahahahaha!”
His laughter, imbued with internal energy, was as powerful as the Shaolin Lion's Roar.
‘To think the prodigy I searched for until my iron shoes wore thin was right before my eyes!’
The Beast's Path.
To master this bizarre and brutish basic art, even a world-class martial genius would have to risk their life training for three months and ten days.
And yet, he had perfectly mastered the Beast's Path in a mere fortnight?
‘With this boy's talent, he could restore the glory of our school's martial arts, which have fallen so low, and make them shine throughout the world!’
Abruptly, Sa-u stopped laughing and flicked his fingers.
*Flick.*
A flick of his finger sent a gust of wind grazing a vital point just below Bu Eun-seol's eyes. The world began to flood with white light.
He had reopened the sealed optic nerves.
“Umm.”
As his surroundings suddenly came into sharp focus, Bu Eun-seol felt a wave of dizziness.
The act of seeing.
It was an overwhelming flood of information, enough to make him reel. At the same time, it stirred up countless distracting thoughts.
“You'll get used to it soon.”
Sa-u said calmly.
“The more accustomed you become to the Beast's Path, the more you will perceive with your senses, far beyond what your eyes can see.”
“Thank you.”
As Bu Eun-seol bowed his head, Sa-u slowly approached.
“Number One.”
He said, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light.
“Give up your position as a Sip-ma-jeon-in and become a formal disciple of this school. Now.”
“What?”
“Become my formal disciple, and I will make you one of the most renowned masters in the Demonic Path within ten years!”
Though they had barely spoken over the past fortnight, Bu Eun-seol could tell that Sa-u was not a man to make idle boasts; he was a man who kept his word.
If he promised to make him a master, then he truly could become one.
‘The enemy who killed my grandfather. To kill him, wouldn't the martial arts of Nang-ya-gak be enough?’
But if even the martial arts of Nang-ya-gak couldn't kill him…
*Grit.*
Bu Eun-seol clenched his teeth tightly.
To even make such a calculation… isn't that the same as having already failed?
“I will be a Sip-ma-jeon-in.”
“To learn all the martial arts of the Ten Demonic Sects?”
Sa-u snorted.
“I'll be honest with you. Even if you were a peerless grandmaster like the Great Heavenly Demon Emperor, you couldn't learn all the martial arts of the Ten Demonic Sects.”
He stared intently into Bu Eun-seol's newly focused eyes and continued.
“For example, to master the White Demon Whip of the White Demon Temple, one must train in the Demonic Steel Finger Strength, which hardens the joints of the fingers like steel. But hands conditioned in such a way become unsuitable for wielding a sword or a saber.”
Seeing not a flicker of doubt in Bu Eun-seol's eyes, Sa-u pressed on.
“Even the most gifted martial prodigy can master two or three of the Ten Demonic Sects' arts at most. The surest path to becoming the greatest master in the Demonic Path is to devote yourself entirely to mastering one.”
He wasn't wrong.
Learning many arts does not guarantee strength; mastering too many different techniques only serves to scatter one's focus.
“I apologize.”
Bowing his head deeply, Bu Eun-seol looked straight into Sa-u's eyes.
“I wish to challenge myself with the other martial arts of the Ten Demonic Sects.”
His gaze was as hard and unyielding as steel tempered a hundred times over.
“…There's no helping it.”
Seeing Bu Eun-seol's resolute expression, Sa-u clicked his tongue in disappointment.
One can beg and plead to gain a master, but one cannot force a student to become a disciple.
“Very well. Then from now on, you will learn another martial art.”
As Sa-u turned away, Bu Eun-seol looked puzzled.
“But I have only learned the basics. The martial arts of Nang-ya-gak…”
“The arts of this school are not passed down through oral incantations or written manuals. Had another master come in my place, they would have taught the Beast's Path in a similar, yet slightly different way.”
Sa-u said with a serious expression.
“Besides, have you not already learned this old master's art?”
“What do you mean…”
Instead of answering, Sa-u drew the sword from his hip and thrust it at Bu Eun-seol's neck.
*Clang.*
Having already anticipated the strike, Bu Eun-seol blocked Sa-u's sword with his own.
“You have mastered this school's Beast's Path. You couldn't possibly fail to remember the sword forms this old master has been assailing you with for the last fortnight.”
Only then did Bu Eun-seol's eyes widen.
All the attacks Sa-u had unleashed until now… it was no different from a grandmaster of combat demonstrating each and every move for his pupil.
“Nang-ya-gak is home to countless masters of practical combat, not just this old one. If you were to join, you could learn by crossing swords with them directly.”
Sa-u said with a calm smile.
“You survived this old master's onslaught without a fatal wound, all while blind… At the very least, you won't die by the blade.”
“Thank you, Elder.”
“I told you there's no need to thank me. I only taught you under the orders of the Demonic Palace.”
“But I have consumed your precious elixir, Elder.”
Bu Eun-seol knew.
He knew that the liquid Sa-u had given him was a priceless elixir, something beyond monetary value.
Each time he drank from the leather pouch, his grievous wounds healed in an instant, and his senses grew sharper.
“I will never forget the kindness you have shown me, Elder.”
As Bu Eun-seol bowed his head to show respect, Sa-u gave a bitter smile.
“Forget it.”
“What?”
“That is the way of the Murim. Be it kindness or a grudge… it is best to forget them if you can.”
His words seemed to carry the weight of a deep, untold story.
Bu Eun-seol mulled over his words before bowing his head once more.
“Then, I will be on my way.”
Then, without a backward glance, he turned and walked away.
*Trudge, trudge.*
Unlike his arrival at the hut, his steps were now steady, carrying the air of a seasoned martial artist.
The scrawny boy from a fortnight ago was gone without a trace.
“Where did such a monster come from…”
Watching Bu Eun-seol walk off into the sunset, Sa-u gave a hollow laugh.
“I thought he was a mere serpent, but he turned out to be a latent dragon.”
Sa-u recalled the children disembarking on Hell Island, and his eyes glinted sharply.
Among them were prodigies whose physical gifts surpassed Bu Eun-seol's many times over.
“A storm of blood is about to sweep through Hell Island.”