Chapter 140: What Blooms at the Tip of a Twisted Sword.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 140: What Blooms at the Tip of a Twisted Sword.
The weekend arrived after Cheon Yu-hak’s birthday party—an event that had been long and extravagant in more ways than one.
Having regained my memories and recalled what I needed to do, I headed to the training facility with the others to conduct a few tests.
From my memories… no, I suppose I don’t even need to call them “memories” anymore, do I?
I took a stance after transforming Ruyi into a short sword, the weapon I had been most proficient with in the past.
The person who had been something of a swordsmanship mentor to me before my regression once said:
— So-hyun, you really have a god-awful lack of talent for the sword! But that’s okay! Unless you’re a genius like me, everyone’s pretty much the same anyway, right? If others swing a hundred times, you swing two hundred. If that still doesn’t work, go stand under a waterfall and swing a thousand times! I’ll do it with you!
…He was incredibly annoying, yet he was a man of deep affection.
Regardless, my mind was now home to a sword style I had created by modifying the “Plum Blossom Sword Technique” I learned from him.
It was the same style I had briefly used during my fight with the War Demon.
Ideally, the most suitable weapon for it was a short sword or a slightly longer standard sword. The reason I chose the short sword between the two was simply for more erratic and light movements.
— Anyone who says you must make plum blossoms bloom with the Plum Blossom Sword Technique is an idiot, so don’t mind them! What matters isn’t what you bloom. It’s simply the act of blooming something that counts!
However, in the end, I had failed to bloom anything until the very last moment.
Back when I lacked strength, I relied on the Authority and the overflowing mana from stolen Fortuitous Encounters to compensate for my lack of output. Because I lacked fluidity, I fought enemies by engaging in psychological warfare that bordered on gambling instead of using proper technique variations.
After I gained true power, I abandoned swords altogether and fought with my bare hands, so I had no reason to bloom anything anyway.
It was ridiculous to pick up a sword again now, especially since I had never been truly sincere about it, but for some reason, I wanted to test it.
I had heard these words often:
Do not be intoxicated by the splendor of the plum blossom.
Do not be intoxicated by the plum blossom’s heady scent.
The result of swinging the sword is a given; therefore, you must look at the process of the swing, not the result.
At the time, I hadn’t understood a single thing my master taught me.
That was why no brilliant flowers like plum blossoms bloomed from my sword.
That was why whatever bloomed at the tip of my sword held no fragrance.
Since the result of swinging the sword was twisted, the cause lay in the fact that the process of swinging was imperfect.
“…What even is this?”
Whether it was due to the sheer number of Fortuitous Encounters I’d consumed, or perhaps some final realization I’d reached at the end of my previous life, something did bloom when I performed my most familiar sword style.
It was a black flower.
Rather than being flamboyant, it was static; rather than being fragrant, it was subtle. A small, Jet-black Camellia swayed gently at the tip of my sword.
“…I won’t be able to brag about this even if we meet again.”
I had thought about teasing that man—the one who used to claim there was no bigger “talent-monster” than himself—if I ever managed to bloom a plum blossom.
But I couldn’t exactly brag anywhere with a black flower like this.
“…Plum Blossom Sword Technique?”
“Ah, shit. You scared me.”
My concentration snapped, and the small Jet-black Camellia vanished.
I had intended to do this in secret, but I’d been caught already.
“No, wait. It’s much more precarious and unstable than the Plum Blossom Sword Technique. Did you teach yourself some kind of sword style?”
Ha-ni showed interest, likely because it was a style she had never seen before.
…This was exactly why I wanted to test it in private.
I had originally planned to come alone, but the others caught me just as I was heading out to train. I couldn’t exactly tell them to get lost when they said they wanted to come along and warm up their bodies, too.
Actually, to be honest, I would have told them to get lost in the past, but my guilty conscience made that difficult now.
“Try it again. I’ll take a look for you.”
Well, I still had other things I wanted to test besides swordsmanship, but it would be a waste to turn down Ha-ni’s offer to critique my form, wouldn’t it?
“Then, shall I give it a go?”
“Sure.”
* * *
It was beautiful.
Though it was based on the Plum Blossom Sword Technique, where every movement was stable yet elegant, the actual principles of the sword and the Taoist nature that formed the foundation of the style had vanished. In their place was a sword refined to be far more practical and violent.
And yet, it was beautiful.
The sword he swung possessed a violent, rugged charm that couldn’t be found in orthodox, flawless techniques.
It was as if it contained a sense of desperation.
The person who created this sword style must have been backed into a corner, both psychologically and physically.
The roots of the sword, modified out of a sheer will to survive, were clearly present. It seemed to have been altered haphazardly, yet there was a visible effort not to forget the original teachings.
That was likely why the flower blooming from such a violent and precarious sword was so noble.
A pitch-black camellia.
…I want to spar with him.
The thought suddenly crossed her mind.
While the technique couldn’t be called complete, this never-before-seen style piqued her interest. She desperately wanted to clash against a sword that was not just erratic, but downright ferocious.
“…Hey, Han-hee.”
“Yeah!?”
“Do you want to spar right now?”
“What? How did you know?”
Does he really look right through my heart?
“Who wouldn’t know when your eyes are sparkling like that? I wanted to test some things out anyway, so let’s go a round.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah, really.”
“Hehe, hehehe. Then shall we just do one light round? The others are watching, too.”
Ah, I had originally intended to ask him where he learned such a dangerous sword style, but I figured it might be okay if I helped him refine it a bit.
Yes, a spar was necessary just to see how dangerous it actually was, right?
He took his stance.
There were openings, but she had no intention of being fooled. He had laid out bait that looked delicious to anyone, while digging a fairly sharp trap beneath it.
The sword style was so sharp it went beyond being “practical”; the atmosphere was so piercing it felt less like a spar and more like a life-or-death duel.
How should she approach?
Just as she was about to make her first move with a racing heart—
“Hey, sorry. Let’s stop.”
So-hyun spoke up with a voice that completely took the wind out of her sails.
What was she supposed to do with her body, which was already heated up and ready to go…?
* * *
“…Why?”
I felt bad for Ha-ni, who looked incredibly dissatisfied, but I had no choice.
When I thought about it, the sword style I had overhauled consisted entirely of killing techniques.
There weren’t even any movements designed to suppress an opponent. Even the “milder” techniques mostly involved auxiliary equipment like throwing daggers or wires.
It would be more accurate to call it a “killing art” rather than swordsmanship.
No matter how much Ha-ni loved swords, she wouldn’t want to spar with someone using killing techniques, right?
“…Because it’s a dangerous style. Now that I think about it, there are almost no techniques that aren’t killing blows.”
“Aha. Where did you pick up something so dangerous?”
If this had been the “Sword Ghost” era, she would have lunged at me saying it didn’t matter, but I guess she wasn’t quite there yet. Ha-ni nodded and sheathed her sword with a look of regret.
…Ah, for the record, my sparring record against Ha-ni during her Sword Ghost days was a total defeat. There was no way for me to win when we fought with swords.
“I thought so. It definitely needs more refinement.”
“Refinement?”
“Yeah. It’s too dangerous to use as it is.”
“Hey, it’s not even a style you made, so how are you going to do that? If you fix it recklessly, the connection between movements will break and it’ll get dangerous~”
…Well, it is a sword style I halfway created.
Whether she knew what I was thinking or not, Ha-ni smiled and grabbed my shoulder.
“Just wait a bit. When I invite you to our main house later, I’ll help you fix it properly.”
…Invite me to the main house.
Ha-ni probably said it lightly, thinking I didn’t know, but this was essentially the same as her marking me as a candidate for the family’s son-in-law… in other words, her husband.
I mean, I knew. But I guess I was surprised all over again.
My feelings were complicated.
Knowing that telling her I didn’t feel worthy would only hurt her more, the option to run away didn’t exist.
‘What’s so bad about a harem?’
No, goddammit, crazy Jae-hee, get out of my head…! I’ve reconsidered, but that’s still not it!
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, just had a random thought.”
“Anyway, look forward to it~ Our house isn’t a place just anyone can visit, you know~?”
Yeah, I know.
It’s not just “anyone”; you have to go in prepared to become the son-in-law.
Considering how much the disciples and your father dote on you, there’s no way I’d be able to just say hello and leave.
“Are you excited?”
…But seeing your bright, smiling face makes me wonder if any of that even matters.
Seriously. What am I going to do with this sly little minx?
* * *
“That’s right. It would be better to pick up the pace a little more.”
“Phew…”
After finishing my morning practice with Ha-ni, I was once again immersed in training.
I had been in need of training to adapt to the performance of the body Sun Wukong had perfected for me, and thankfully, someone had reached out to help first.
“You shouldn’t be too out of breath, but if you’re too slow, your balance might break and make it harder.”
It was Professor Cathy and my Noona.
We met at lunch today because I had various things to test this morning, but they had agreed to oversee my training every morning from now on.
“How is it? Running feels better than you expected, doesn’t it? I’m so glad to hear your body is healthy now.”
If this had been just two months ago, I would have answered, “No? I feel like I’m going to die,” but now that my body was actually functional, running felt quite good.
“Once we’ve done enough cardio, we’ll move on to serious training. Since we’ll be doing this every morning, I’m planning to do it in a light sparring format. One day with me for physical combat, and the next day with Na-hyun for mana-based combat, alternating between us.”
At the Professor’s words, I looked at Noona, who nodded in agreement.
She seems to be having trouble meeting my eyes for some reason.
“Well then, I think we’ve had enough of a run. Shall we spar today, Cadet?”
“Yes, I look forward to your guidance.”
Since I hadn’t been able to test my martial arts this morning because of Ha-ni, this was a good opportunity to try them out.
“Hey, So-hyun.”
“Yes?”
Suddenly switching from Professor mode to “Secret Friend” mode, the Professor asked a casual question with a smile.
“It’s nothing big, I’m just a little curious, so I thought I’d ask before we spar.”
“Yes? Go ahead.”
“…Can you tell me what kind of dream you had when you were trapped on Yu-hak’s birthday?”
“…It was a nightmare.”
“Right, so what kind of nightmare?”
…What’s this? She’s smiling, but something feels a bit chilling?
“Actually, I don’t remember it very well. I just have a lingering sensation of it being vaguely terrifying.”
I didn’t want to lie if possible, but I couldn’t exactly be honest and say, “It was a dream about before I transmigrated,” no matter what.
“…Hmm, I see. Right, there’s no way So-hyun would lie to me about something like this, right?”
Fortunately, she seemed to let it go.
The moment I thought that, Professor Cathy took off her top.
…Eh?
They’re big.
No, she’s pretty. No, that’s not it either? Anyway, it’s impressive.
“Pro…fessor?”
“Noona.”
“…Cathy Noona?”
“Yes, So-hyun.”
“Um, why did you just take that off?”
“Huh? We’re about to spar. It’s common sense to wear clothes that are easy to move in. You’re going to sweat, too. Honestly, So-hyun.”
Yes, if you were wearing a T-shirt or the high-defense-looking workout gear you usually wear underneath, I wouldn’t have been that surprised.
But you’re wearing something that looks almost like underwear—a sports bra—so wouldn’t I naturally be surprised?
…This is common sense?
“You like them big? Liar. But it’s worth testing out. Yes.”
She muttered something to herself, but honestly, I was too intimidated to understand what she was saying.
“No one else is coming near here, so don’t worry. It’s not like anyone is watching.”
…I’m watching, though?
“Right, no one’s watching, so what does it matter?”
What is this?
Why does our always-kind Professor Cathy’s expression suddenly look like a lion stalking its prey…?
Whoosh!
She seemed to swing her fist lightly, but the air shook with a sonic boom. Anyway, things were shaking.
I tried to look away, but I was scolded and told to look straight ahead.
“Now, shall we begin?”
Ah, fortunately, it seemed she intended to help me with the training properly, even if her outfit was a bit distracting.
Right, there was no way our Professor would harbor such impure intentions.
“Oh, it’s no fun to just do it. Shall we make a simple bet?”
“…A bet?”
“Yes. If So-hyun can’t beat me even once in a week of sparring, you have to grant me a wish. Conversely, if So-hyun wins even once within the week, I’ll grant you a wish.”
It was a sudden proposal, and as someone who didn’t really have anything to ask of her, I didn’t necessarily need to accept. But seeing how much she wanted to do it, I wondered if it would be better to just go along with it.
So, just as I was about to give a light nod, for some reason, a vision of my mother flashed through my mind.
— So-hyun~ You must never trust a woman who talks about ‘wishes’ or ‘penalties’ with a harmless face~!
…Oh, come on. This is our Professor, not just anyone. There’s no way. Am I tired? I’m having the strangest thoughts.
And since I’ve regained my past memories, even if I’m lacking in strength, I’m confident in my techniques!
“Sure. Let’s do it.”
The moment I gave my simple answer, the corners of Professor Cathy’s mouth curled into an arc.
“Great, this will be fun. Oh, don’t worry. I won’t ask for anything unreasonable. Na-hyun, give us the signal.”
“Yes, Unnie. Then, get ready.”
We took our stances facing each other.
“Start!”
Bam!
“…Eh?”
And then, an incredibly clean kick stopped right in front of my eyes.
A perfect kick, with a terrifying wind pressure that made my skin sting.
…Was the Professor always this strong?
— Ah, that’s right.
‘Mr. Sun Wukong…?’
— It seems she’s firmly grasped what she learned from her sparring with me. She’ll be crossing the wall soon.
‘…What do you mean by “crossing the wall”?’
— In your terms, it means she’s about to reach S-rank.
Ah, I see. So that’s how it is…
…I think I’m screwed. I wonder if she’ll let me back out now?
“Hmm, looks like our So-hyun will have to grant my wish in a week?”
It really didn’t look like she was going to let me back out.
Haha, I’m toast.