Chapter 22. A New Weapon
The man who had been fighting alone held out for a while, but in the end his stamina and inner power finally gave out.
He surrendered on his own.
In the end, the one-on-one match that was supposed to be the final showdown ended not with a proper duel, but with a low-grade brawl.
"Ugh... teaming up on me like that? Cheap bastards."
"And after all that, a last-minute one-on-one match was just..."
Paeng Hosik and Paeng Hoyeon were fuming, whether because the man who had bet money on the match had fallen out or because the final fight had been so shabby.
"So, my friend, did you enjoy the arena?"
"More than I expected. The different competition formats were pretty fresh, too."
"Then how about entering one yourself?"
Paeng Hoyeon asked me with an eager look.
When I hesitated for a while, she threw out a provocation.
"You won the Martial Arts Tournament, so don't tell me you're scared of losing?"
Her taunt was rather childish, but it landed well enough on me.
"Ahem, no. It's just that I don't have a weapon right now, so I was thinking I'd consider it once the weapon's finished."
In the end, I got swept up in the mood and ended up promising to take part in the arena.
After that, we finished sightseeing at the arena and spent several days touring Hebei here and there.
There weren't any especially famous sights or tourist attractions, but thanks to Paeng Hosik and Paeng Hoyeon's bright, lively energy, I found myself feeling lively too.
Until now, I had mostly traveled with Sohui whenever I left the Ice Palace, so the trips had been relatively quiet and comfortable. But sightseeing with the Peng siblings was far more impulsive and spirited, which made it feel completely different.
While we were wandering around Hebei, we sat down for dinner, and all of a sudden Paeng Hosik spoke up.
"By the way. Are you engaged to Lady Sohui?"
The question came so suddenly that I nearly choked.
"Cough... cough... why do you want to know all of a sudden?"
"Well, if you're already engaged, I'll just cleanly give up~"
Paeng Hosik said with a mischievous laugh.
"That reaction means you're not engaged yet, huh?"
"Not yet, but..."
"Then I still have a chance!"
Paeng Hosik looked delighted.
Paeng Hoyeon, seeing him like that, gave him a look of utter disgust.
"Tsk... you hopeless idiot. Like you even had a chance."
"Worry about yourself! You've got no proposal letters coming in even after all these years, and you're acting all high and mighty!"
"Says you, when you don't have any either! And why are we suddenly talking about this? I'm still young!"
Paeng Hoyeon's face turned as red as her hair.
"Come to think of it, the Peng Clan seems to prefer arranged marriages?"
"It's less that and more that they try to find matches for both sides early."
Paeng Hoyeon grinned as she pointed at Paeng Hosik, who was tearing into a chicken leg.
"If they leave it alone, who'd ever take on a deadbeat like that?"
"Ah..."
I somehow understood immediately.
"And since there are young men from the Namgung and Tang Clans around his age, I suppose they don't want him getting left behind."
Come to think of it, with someone like Namgung Hyeongeom or Tang Jin in the same generation, both of them known for their good looks and outstanding character, Paeng Hosik would naturally end up less popular by comparison.
"Of course, I just haven't been out in public much, that's all!"
"Of course. Lady Paeng is beautiful, so I’m sure she's very popular in the Central Plains."
At my words, Paeng Hoyeon's face seemed to redden even more.
"Well, obviously..."
After that noisy dinner came to an end, we returned to the Peng Clan estate.
Once we got back, Clan Lord Paeng was waiting for me.
"They say it's finished. We got word that you should come pick it up tomorrow."
"Thank you for letting me know."
"Hahaha. At last, tomorrow I'll get to see the sword art of the North Sea Divine Dragon!"
Paeng Daeung laughed heartily and left.
As soon as the next morning broke, Paeng Hosik and Paeng Hoyeon dragged me along to Uncle Gang Cheol's smithy.
When I entered the forge, Uncle Gang Cheol greeted me with a proud expression.
"Haha! Look and don't be surprised. It's the finest masterpiece of my life!"
Uncle Gang Cheol slowly drew the blade from the scabbard.
As the sword slid free, its true form was revealed.
Perhaps because of the Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron, the blade gave off a pure white glow.
It was clearly a superb sword, so sharp that even the air seemed to turn cold just by looking at it.
"Your craftsmanship is insane, Uncle. Make my weapon soon, too!"
"You have to bring me material like this if you want me to make one!"
Paeng Hoyeon and Uncle Gang Cheol bickered back and forth.
But I couldn't tear my eyes away from the finished Japanese sword.
Slowly, I reached out and took hold of it.
It fit my hand better than any sword I had used before.
There also seemed to be a faint blue light hidden within it.
"Oh... it gives off a beautiful glow, almost like moonlight."
"Moonlight, huh..."
"Then let's name the sword White Moon Blade!"
It was Uncle Gang Cheol's suggestion after making the sword, but there didn't seem to be a better name for it than that.
The way it shone so white, like moonlight, made White Moon Blade feel like the perfect name.
"That's good."
At my acceptance, Uncle Gang Cheol hurriedly carved the words White Moon Blade into the lower part of the blade, as if afraid I might change my mind.
I was already full of the desire to swing this new sword at once.
"Now that you've got a weapon, would you like to enter the arena like we talked about before?"
Paeng Hoyeon brought up the arena again, casually.
Honestly, I thought it sounded fun, so after some consideration I decided to take part.
Of course, I had no experience with complicated rules like brawls or team matches, so I waited a few days until the arena held a one-on-one tournament format.
A few days later, the day finally came when the arena's rules were set to one-on-one tournament matches.
In the meantime, I spent some time getting used to the sword by swinging it a few times in the Peng Clan training ground.
The more I swung it, the lighter and sharper it felt, and I couldn't help thinking it really was a fine sword.
When word spread that I was entering the arena, not only Paeng Hosik and Paeng Hoyeon but even Paeng Daeung went with me.
Since it was obvious that if the Peng Clan Lord entered himself, the number of participants would drop, Paeng Daeung went to the spectator seats, while Paeng Hosik and Paeng Hoyeon entered together with me.
"At last, I'll get to see the legendary sword art of the North Sea Divine Dragon!"
Paeng Hoyeon said to me, practically buzzing with excitement.
"I'm not sure whether it even counts as sword art..."
"If you use a sword, then it's sword art!"
She wasn't wrong, so I nodded in agreement.
Paeng Hosik was keeping a fairly intense focus, driven by the single-minded goal of winning the tournament.
"I've been training hard this whole time. I won't lose this time."
"I'm different from back then, too."
With that, we headed to the waiting room.
Word had apparently spread that the Peng siblings were entering, because the waiting room was packed with famous arena fighters.
They were all faces I'd never seen before, but Paeng Hosik and Paeng Hoyeon seemed to recognize everyone and exchanged greetings with the crowd.
"Young Master Paeng, you're definitely going to win today."
"I can't afford to lose either."
"Lady Paeng is beautiful as always today."
"Haha. You're too kind."
I quietly took a seat in a corner and looked over White Moon Blade.
Seeing the blade glow like a faint moonlight only made me want to start sparring as soon as possible.
Before long, the arena tournament began.
When the bracket was revealed, I realized more people had entered than I'd expected.
A total of thirty-two participants. To win, I would need five victories.
If Paeng Hosik and Paeng Hoyeon won without trouble, then I would probably end up facing Paeng Hoyeon in the semifinals and Paeng Hosik in the final.
Even while sitting in the waiting room, the roar from outside was tremendous.
I could tell from the cheers when a match had started and when it had ended.
Paeng Hosik and Paeng Hoyeon seemed to finish their matches quickly, not long after they began.
As expected of Peng Clan blood, they were showing overwhelming martial prowess in the arena.
And at last, my long-awaited turn came.
I fastened White Moon Blade at my waist and walked out toward the center of the arena.
"The next competitor is the arena's newest face! The North Sea Divine Dragon of the Ice Palace, who claimed victory in the Martial Arts Tournament for rising talents, Han Yugang! His opponent has competed in various tournaments, including team battles and brawls, but has never tasted victory and is hungry for a win, Mu Seung!"
When I stepped into the center of the arena, my opponent, a man named Mu Seung, was already there.
He looked like a fairly ordinary swordsman.
"Now then, get ready! Begin!"
At the announcer's signal, I lowered my body.
As I drew up my inner power, I felt White Moon Blade faintly tremble in response.
The moment I gripped the sword, the urge to draw it immediately grew stronger.
I dashed forward and closed the distance to Mu Seung in an instant.
"I'll shatter a thin blade like that in one blow!"
Mu Seung raised his sword high and brought it down toward me with confidence.
I didn't hesitate.
I was certain I could easily beat that strike.
Draw Slash
White Moon Blade swept out in a crescent arc from my waist.
It collided with Mu Seung's sword, but there was no problem at all.
I cleanly cut through Mu Seung's blade.
The cross-section fell neatly to the floor, and White Moon Blade stopped right before Mu Seung's throat.
"Hik!"
"The winner is the North Sea Divine Dragon!"
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