274. Starvation (1)
The Sword Emperor had the shameless nerve to call herself his master.
If that old monster even possessed a conscience, it would surely be an ugly thing covered in mangy fur.
"......No matter how much you may be my master's master, you cannot simply declare someone your disciple without asking for their consent."
Fortunately, my disciple didn't fall for that wicked old fox's sweet words and drew a clear line.
'Haa... that's a relief.......'
Baek Seol-hee let out a deep sigh of relief and glared at the Sword Emperor through clenched teeth.
This woman had thrown her honor, her pride, and her convictions to the dogs, spewing nonsense just to tempt her disciple.
Baek Seol-hee had no intention of forgiving her.
'The moment I leave this place... will be your last, Sword Emperor.'
"Well, still, I said I'd take a look at your swordsmanship. Let's get to it. Why don't you show me this sword you learned from my 'disciple'—right here in front of me, your 'grand-master.' Show me everything you've got."
The Sword Emperor kept rambling about being his grand-master, completely unaware that Baek Seol-hee was sharpening a blade of pure resentment right beside her.
Still, the request to have her disciple demonstrate his swordsmanship was a welcome one.
'Get ready to fall flat on your back in shock, Sword Emperor.'
Her disciple was already at the stage where he had to forge his own path with the sword. He was far beyond the point of needing anyone's instruction.
No doubt, once she saw this, she'd completely give up on her ridiculous notion of taking him as a disciple.
With that, her disciple settled his gaze and drew his sword.
'Perfect.'
A stance of absolute tranquility.
Baek Seol-hee felt more satisfaction than ever before at Jin Yu-ha's flawless posture.
And then, his sword slowly lifted above his head.
Whooosh—!!
The azure blade carved a single, straight line through the empty air from top to bottom.
In that instant,
Thud!
Just as Baek Seol-hee had expected, the Sword Emperor fell backward in shock.
But Baek Seol-hee didn't see it.
"!"
Because her gaze was stolen by the countless Sword Qis etched into the void.
Baek Seol-hee's eyes flew wide open.
'Already......?'
The Embodiment of Possibilities.
The stage beyond the Stage of Choice.
The stage where one materializes possibilities through will alone.
Jin Yu-ha had already achieved it.
With such rapid growth from her disciple, Baek Seol-hee should have been overjoyed as his master.
Instead, her expression could only harden.
'This... is too fast.'
Yes, this was far too fast.
It shouldn't be happening.
Baek Seol-hee stared blankly into space before turning her head.
There, the Sword Emperor was gripping Jin Yu-ha's shoulders with a grave look on her face.
"—You must inherit my sword."
A moment ago, Baek Seol-hee had been so utterly captivated by the swordsmanship her disciple had displayed that she hadn't heard a word the Sword Emperor said to him.
But it seemed that even after witnessing that sword, the Sword Emperor was still intent on taking Jin Yu-ha as her disciple.
And so, the crisis of having her disciple stolen from her had arrived once again, but...
this time, Baek Seol-hee's lips did not part.
The sword Jin Yu-ha had just shown.
It was a direct path leading straight to the sword she herself had failed to achieve.
'Why.......'
Baek Seol-hee bit her lip and gazed silently at her disciple, who wore a dumbfounded expression.
* * *
And so, the day's commotion passed.
The first night in the Sword Emperor's Forest fell.
I'd been lying alone in the guest room under the covers, but my head got complicated for no good reason, so I stepped outside.
"Gukbap and Poppy don't seem like they're coming back anytime soon either......"
I figured I'd feel a bit better if my party members were around.
Alice, who went with them, hadn't returned either.
Not that I was worried or anything.
If there were any problems, the Sword Emperor would've stepped out to look for them.
But since there was no sign of that, it seemed the training they were receiving wasn't the kind that would wrap up in a day or two.
The reason my emotions felt this tangled was because of what the Sword Emperor had said to me during the day.
'She asked if Master had failed. And she called it a sword that could never be completed.......'
After watching me display the sword I learned from my master, the Sword Emperor spoke to me as if she had become a completely different person.
I wanted to immediately deny it, but...
I couldn't refute her.
Because my master had already proclaimed it herself: "I am a failure."
Fwoosh— Whirrr—!
I drew my sword and swung it again, but...
All I could see was the Realm of Possibilities.
Sword Qi didn't unconsciously burst forth again like it had during the day.
Clearly, it had been a natural progression.
Since the next stage of the sword path does indeed go that way, that phenomenon occurred.
Could there really be something wrong with this sword?
Fwoosh fwoosh fwoosh— SWISH!
Swinging my sword, I realized I'd never once doubted my master.
'......This isn't a failure.'
Surely, there must be a way to resolve it.
Because my master told me she believes in me.
"As expected, I wanna talk to Master......"
But my master isn't here.
Then suddenly,
I took out my phone and stared at it blankly.
Tap, tap. I tapped the screen, found my master's number, and typed out a text.
[ Master, I miss you. ]
Then.
Buzz—
A reply came back right after I sent it, as if she'd been waiting.
"Huh?"
[ Baek Seol-hee: I'm sorry. ]
I was slightly flustered since I didn't expect the reply to come back so fast.
But my mood quickly lifted.
I figured my master was waiting for my message too.
[ What are you sorry for? Oh, is it because you suddenly disappeared without a word? That's okay. It couldn't be helped. You're busy, and I don't want you wasting your time because of me— ]
'Hm, is that too wordy?'
Let's just send a clean, simple "It's fine."
I was about to delete and edit the message when— Buzz— the phone vibrated again.
[ Baek Seol-hee: No time spent on you is ever wasted. Disciple. Do not think such things. ]
After receiving my master's reply, I tilted my head to the side.
'Huh? Did I just send the text?'
No.
I hadn't pressed the send button yet.
And yet, the reply came back as if she was already answering the text I was about to send.
'What the......? It's like she's right next to me, watching me type.......'
I whipped my head around, but the surroundings were filled only with the sounds of insects.
There wasn't a single sign of anyone.
After puzzling over it for a moment, I grinned.
Because I thought I understood.
I could just as easily tell, with my eyes closed, what my master would reply to me next.
In other words, she was writing her replies in advance!
'Hm, shall I test it out?'
Feeling like I was playing a game of telepathy with my master, I sent another text.
[ Master, what did you have for lunch today? ]
After sending that text, I predicted her answer.
'I ate a calorie bar. There's no better food for supplying nutrients.'
Buzz—
[ Baek Seol-hee: I ate a calorie bar. There's no better food for supplying nutrients. ]
Just as I thought.
The reply came back exactly as I'd predicted, without a single word out of place.
Feeling like we were on the same wavelength, I raised the corners of my lips into a smile, but then my face quickly stiffened.
'I keep telling her to stop eating those damn calorie bars.'
My master had a habit of skipping proper meals every time. No matter how much I nagged her to stop, she never did.
[ Master, I told you, didn't I? Even if you can't taste anything, you still need to eat properly. ]
'I'll try.......'
[ Baek Seol-hee: I'll try....... ]
There was a high probability that she would just say this again and not actually change.
Tch.
[ Master, when you get your sense of taste back in a month, is there anything you want to eat? Something you've been wanting to try all this time. Or something you've been curious about the taste of. ]
'Hmm, let's see...... She'll probably say, "I'm fine with anything. Since I've already experienced taste once, it was enough."'
[ Baek Seol-hee: Hmm, I'm fine with anything. Since I've already experienced taste once, it was enough. ]
Seriously, how did she never miss a single prediction?
This was pretty fun.
It must mean that's how close I've gotten to my master.
Then suddenly,
I got curious about what kind of reaction she'd have if I told her what happened today.
[ Oh, right. Master, do you know what happened today? I met your master, I mean the Sword Emperor. She said she'd take me as her disciple. ]
I stopped right there and pressed send.
I'd wager her reply to this would take quite a while.
Since she is my master's master,
and I didn't write down how I responded.
'She'll probably ask, "...Disciple, what did you say to her?"'
Trying to forcibly hide her simmering jealousy.
Then I planned to reply that I'd refused outright.
I didn't want to unnecessarily trouble my master's mind while she was busy in the field.
However,
Contrary to my expectations, my master's reply came right away.
And the content of the text was far removed from what I'd imagined.
[ Baek Seol-hee: ......Perhaps that thought isn't so wrong after all. ]
[ Huh......? What in the world does that— ]
Just as I was about to send my reply with a bewildered face.
"Hm...... Couldn't wait any longer and came out, did you?"
The Sword Emperor was suddenly standing before me with a languid expression.
"Huh?"
"Well, fine. A day's already passed, hasn't it? Let's start your training right away, then."
"......What?"
Poke.
The Sword Emperor pushed my forehead with the long pipe she was holding.
Helpless to resist, I fell backward.
"Whoa......"
And I didn't know when it had appeared, but some kind of pit had been dug behind me.
I felt like I floated in the air for a moment, and then...
Thud.
I landed square on my ass on the floor.
I looked up with a dumbfounded expression.
"This is the first trial you'll undergo from now on. The name of the trial is Starvation."
The Sword Emperor stared down at me through the open hole.
"Let's see you endure the extremes of hunger, shall we?"
The moment the Sword Emperor spat out those words— Groooan—!
The ground rumbled, and the pit sealed itself shut.
"What in the world......"
And just like that, I was trapped alone in a pit with nothing in it.
.
.
.
And then, beside Jin Yu-ha.
A little distance away.
Having entered the pit together with him, Baek Seol-hee was staring intently at him.