I Emitted Sword Qi?

“……Sado Hwan?”

The sword answered confidently.

[That's right.]

“Sado Hwan, rank 23 in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, legitimate heir of the Sado Family among the Mad Demon Six Families, and leader of the Black Shadow Corps?”

The sword bobbed proudly as if to affirm it.

[That too is correct.]

“The one who's actually suffering from blocked meridians and can't emit internal energy, so he's only second-rate?”

[Insolent fool!]

Sado Hwan confirmed.

It seemed kicking that bead had somehow awakened him.

'The soul that escaped the Soul Swap Great Law entered the sword.'

The Soul Swap Great Law had extracted the souls of Sado Hwan and the protagonist Mu Jin. Normally, they should have swapped places, but I'd suddenly taken that spot.

'Actually, that's a relief.'

This meant Mu Jin's soul had likely entered my body.

Mu Jin was better than Sado Hwan, right?

But had I provoked him too much?

The trembling sword reared back as if to slice me in half, then lunged forward.

Even with blocked meridians preventing internal energy use, this body was still second-rate. I could dodge that speed with reflexes alone.

The problem was it wasn't a one-off—it kept flying around, targeting me relentlessly.

And the sword was even executing martial arts on its own, darting at bizarre angles like it was unfolding a sword technique.

Martial arts.

Under Sado Hwan's will, the sword was performing martial arts by ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠itself!

“Wait! Hold on!”

[Silence!]

“Just listen to me for a second!”

‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

[I have no intention of listening to a lowly con artist's words!]

He had zero interest in hearing me out.

In the end, I backpedaled to dodge the sword, tripped over the altar, and fell flat on my ass. Seizing the moment, Pa Cheon shot toward my throat at blinding speed.

I clutched my neck with both hands and squeezed my eyes shut. This is how I die.

But the next instant—

Thud.

The sword halted in midair, as if seized by an invisible hand. No matter how hard it strained to move, it just trembled violently, gripped tight by that unseen force.

[What is this……!]

Thank you, invisible hand. Thank you, Adam Smith.

[Could it be! You, have you been cut by this sword?!]

Sado Hwan's voice rang out in shock. Come to think of it, yeah, I had. My arm had been sliced by Mo Yong Su's swing, which was why I had it bandaged.

[Heavenly Demon…….]

Sado Hwan muttered in despair.

I pieced together what was happening.

Murim Return was a world stuffed with wuxia clichés.

One common trope was dripping blood on a weapon to make it recognize you as its master.

I'd wondered where that blood on the blade had gone—it must've been the imprinting process.

[This is absurd!]

Sado Hwan exploded in rage. The sword hovered threateningly before my eyes but couldn't strike.

Good. I survived.

Now that I was alive, indignation welled up.

“When someone's talking to you.”

I grabbed Pa Cheon's hilt. It trembled fiercely, like reeling in a massive fish.

“You listen! You PD-looking bastard!”

I flung it forward like hurling trash. Pa Cheon rocketed ahead, slammed into the wall, and clattered to the floor.

“Hah, hah……”

I panted heavily. Tension and fury had surged and crashed all at once.

Pa Cheon lay sprawled on the ground.

[You bastard, you……!]

The blade quivered finely. It looked like an enraged chaebol chairman clutching his neck in fury.

Well, I get it. I'd be pissed too.

Living comfortably with a top-tier background, only to suddenly get trapped in a sword.

In that sense, I was equally or more wronged. I'd been thrown into a novel.

We were both the bad guys to each other.

Wait a minute.

Let's reframe this.

If it wasn't just the Pa Cheon Sword, but Sado Hwan himself, wouldn't things be easier?

Since I was the sword's master anyway, he couldn't harm me.

Why not use him—or rather, cooperate?

“Get it together and listen up, Sado Hwan. I'm not the Mu Jin you knew.”

[What?]

“I came from another world.”

I told Sado Hwan my story, editing it suitably—something about getting unjustly dragged into this mess from another world.

[If you came from another world, does that make you a yokai? A clownish yokai mimicking others?]

“Hah…… Think whatever's convenient for you.”

Yokai? In a world without yokai?

“Anyway. Listen well. I don't want to stay in your body forever. And you don't want to be stuck in a sword either, right?”

[Obviously.]

“So let's make a deal.”

[A deal?]

I nodded.

“I go back to my original world, you get your body back, and as a bonus, you claim this legendary Pa Cheon Sword. Not just killing two birds with one stone—three!”

[Is there a way?]

“Cheon Gi-ja.”

[Cheon Gi-ja…… Indeed, if it's him, it might be possible.]

The Murim Return world had no status windows. If it did, the Heavenly Demon would have 999 in martial prowess, and Cheon Gi-ja 99 in intelligence.

He probably ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠knew about the Soul Swap Great Law too, and had a high chance of knowing how to reverse it.

A slim chance, but we ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had to cling to it.

For reference, the Heavenly Demon's stats were three digits and Cheon Gi-ja's two because if you messed with the Heavenly Demon, you'd get split in half, Cheon or not. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

Even weakened now from hiding his injuries, the Heavenly Demon was undisputedly the strongest in the world.

If the current Heavenly Demon wanted, conquering the murim would be a breeze.

At least their relationship was decent.

Sado Hwan pondered briefly before replying.

[You mimic well?]

No need for lengthy explanations.

I switched to Sado Hwan mode and acted the part.

“I am Sado Hwan.”

That one line sufficed.

Sado Hwan responded.

[Fine.]

“Smart choice.”

[We must never, ever get found out.]

“Obviously. It's my lifeline. And yours too.”

Sado Hwan nodded. In the strength-supreme Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, if word got out his soul was sealed in a sword, he wouldn't reclaim his body—he'd be treated like a rare toy for the ranks above 20, all Super Peak experts or higher.

“One more thing.”

[What?]

“From now on, I'll call you Pa Cheon, not Sado Hwan.”

I might not know now, but once we returned to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, eyes and ears would be everywhere.

Calling “Sado Hwan” repeatedly would raise suspicions. Calling it Pa Cheon? They'd just think I was attached to my sword.

[Fine. I accept.]

I'd worried about his insane pride and obsession with honor, but reclaiming his body took priority.

Everything neatly sorted.

Now, to escape this place.

The cave above the stone chamber had collapsed, but it wasn't a big worry.

Rabbit-warren ruins like this had multiple entrances. There had to be another exit.

“Ugh.”

I averted my eyes from Mo Yong Su's corpse and searched for an outlet.

Ten passages spiderwebbed out from the central plaza.

One was the passage I'd come from, and the one next to it was Mo Yong Su's.

That he'd come straight to the center instead of exiting meant his passage was likely blocked too.

I checked the passages one by one starting from the next. If mine was 1 and Mo Yong Su's 2, then 3 through 6 were all blocked.

I entered passage 7.

“Hm—.”

This one was blocked too. A pile of rubble sealed it, but faint sunlight filtered through the gaps. It must've been midnight, but time had passed while I was out.

[If we can't get out like this, that'd be a joke.]

Pa Cheon muttered self-mockingly.

“Nah, no way.”

I shouldn't have said “no way.”

Was it because I said it, or Pa Cheon's prophecy?

Every passage up to 10 was collapsed. I even double-checked 1 and 2—they were worse.

I slumped back in passage 7 where sunlight trickled in. It tickled my face.

“Hey, Pa Cheon. Or Sado Hwan. You really can't use martial arts?”

[……]

“Really can't?! No secret hidden power only you know about or some plot twist like that?”

No reply.

The world hated me. Was it wrong to just struggle to survive?

“Hoo……”

I took a deep breath.

Yeah, calm down.

The reason I'd survived alone in the world so far was because I never gave up. All I had was this body and my will.

This body couldn't use internal energy, but it was still usable.

I brushed myself off and stood, Pa Cheon in hand, before the rubble.

[What are you doing?]

Pa Cheon, who'd been silent, spoke up.

“No teeth? Chew with gums. Can't use internal energy? I'll bulldoze through with raw strength.”

[……]

I tensed my eyes—no, my grip. I felt the internal energy swirling in my body flow to my hands. At first-rate, it'd project from fingertips; at Peak, you'd coat weapons with it.

Sado Hwan's body couldn't. This just slightly strengthened the body and boosted stamina.

But beggars can't be choosers.

I swung the sword.

Clang—!

Sparks flew from the stone wall blocking the passage. A chunk the size of a knuckle chipped off.

Normally, the blade would've nicked, but legendary Pa Cheon was unscathed.

Confirming that, I swung again.

The unfamiliar sword slipped or hit wrong spots often, but no matter. Chisel through this rubble, and we're out.

To stay focused, I counted swings.

One, two, three, four.

One hundred. One-oh-one. One-oh-two.

Nine hundred ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one thousand.

Time to catch my breath. Didn't know how many more swings, so ration stamina.

Sweat soaked me, dripping into my eyes. Trained warrior body or not, my hands blistered painfully.

No technique or finesse—par for the course.

“Hoo.”

Rest over, I stood before the rubble again, sword raised. Progress: hair-thin gaps now finger-wide. I could see outside clearly.

As I readied another swing—

[Your stance is wrong.]

Pa Cheon, silent through my swings, finally spoke.

[Horse stance at shoulder width, left foot half-step forward.]

“Helping now?”

[I simply can't bear seeing my body move so poorly.]

Pa Cheon corrected my form. I adjusted as instructed.

[Hold your breath on the swing. Imagine exhaling qi from the sword, strike down hard from above.]

Mindful of his words, I swung.

And that instant—

Vmmm—

Scraaaape!

Pa Cheon, which had merely chipped stone before, suddenly cleaved deep into it.