The First Spar
I ended up gulping down the noodles straight from the bowl, so all I got was broth. "What a shame..." A-rang rubbed his hollow stomach, unfolded the Yeonobo, and pushed through the dense crowd. Whether it was a martial tournament or something else, its reach felt enormous, but that wasn't what interested him now. After walking for some time, he stopped before a building.
【Ihwa Inn】
"It hasn't changed." The stone wall he used to climb as a child, the wooden signboard listing the inn's dishes, the clatter of pots from the kitchen. He considered opening the door and offering a greeting, but his feet refused to move. Was it because he still couldn't forget what the auntie had said seven years ago? Even though he told himself he could now carry his own weight, his feet strangely wouldn't budge.
Just then, the sound of many footsteps approached from afar.
"Samae! Over here?"
At the slightly high-pitched voice, A-rang's body froze like stone.
"Right, this is the inn my mother runs."
"....."
The daughter of the Ihwa Inn's owner, 『Yi So-so』. Her voice and gait were completely different now. She must have grown prettier. Wearing fine clothes, eating good food—she must have changed a great deal, truly a great deal.
"So-so..."
The lingering attachment, pushed out by a hot breath, made her stop. Yi So-so turned and looked at A-rang.
"Who are you?"
The boys and girls of similar age who had followed So-so tried to stop her.
—Whisper, whisper.
"Samae, he looks like a beggar."
"Yeah, let's just go. He probably wants to beg for money."
"Do you know him?"
"....."
Was the wind too strong? No, it must have been a false hope. It wasn't only she who had changed. To So-so, he was clearly a stranger. Disheveled hair, tattered clothes, and a blind man who couldn't see. If someone mentioned a blind man, a boy from childhood might come to mind, but there were many blind people in the world, and more than anything, he was too different from the child in her memories. Though his face had grown hazy with time, it definitely wasn't that child.
Yet strangely, the unfamiliar voice lingered in her ears. 『So-so...』 As if it were someone who had called her that way since long ago.
Soon, the man spoke.
"...No, I'm not."
"Hmm...."
Yi So-so tilted her head, arms crossed as if something didn't add up, but stopped there. So-so turned her back and headed into the Ihwa Inn. I watched her retreating figure. As she grew farther away, I wanted to shout. That I was still alive. That I could now carry my own weight. That it was all thanks to you.
But.... So-so was already living in a world too different from mine. Unlike me, who was only now barely walking on the ground, she was soaring high. Since our perspectives differed, all that remained was for her to fly even higher. I thought I had grown enough to set foot in the gangho, but it was an illusion. Just as the auntie said, she and I lived in different worlds. I should have accepted it long ago. Why did my chest ache like this?
I clenched my fist. But it didn't last long.
—Haa. Exhaling deeply felt refreshing. Added to the noisy sounds from the inn was the auntie's laughter. It couldn't be better. Now I really had to accept it.
'It was me who was foolishly holding onto the string.'
So, let it go.
Only then did the corners of my mouth lift. Had the wind ever felt this cool?
As I turned to leave, someone called out to A-rang.
"Hmm...? You, perhaps?"
I was walking down the street alongside a man wearing a conical hat.
"Haha, who knew that child from back then would grow up like this."
"....."
Though his face was covered, his voice and gait were clear. Yi Yeon-baek, the sect leader of the Hyeongsan Sect to which Yi So-so belonged, known as 'Museugeom' (Countless Swords). He had earned that title for wielding countless swords without form, and after beheading one of the Twelve Demon Heads in the Great Orthodox-Demonic War, he had entered the ranks of the 【Top 100 Experts Under Heaven】.
Wondering why such a person was here was pointless. Since the Hyeongsan Sect was participating, it was obvious he had descended the mountain to watch the martial tournament. More than that, unlike So-so, he was someone I hadn't properly met before, yet he recognized the changed me right away. My recently cleared mind became unsettled again.
Yi Yeon-baek said to me, "Have you sated your hunger?"
"No..."
"Judging by your appearance, you probably haven't had a proper meal. I'll treat you."
".....You must have something you want to ask me?"
"Haha, your intuition is remarkable."
There was no such thing as favor without compensation, but this was too obvious.
"I can answer within the scope of what doesn't require payment."
What valuable information did I have? How I had lived so far wouldn't even be worth a single iron coin.
"You cheeky brat. If an elder offers to buy you a meal, you should just follow along happily."
Yi Yeon-baek clicked his tongue.
"Since I also have something I'm curious about, how about we settle it with that?"
"My, your way of speaking..."
Despite his exasperation, Yi Yeon-baek agreed, and the two slowly walked to a place with few people. Only after arriving at the deserted field did Yi Yeon-baek ask, "So, what are you curious about?"
"How did you recognize me?"
Seven years. My height and voice had changed. The Yeonobo was incomparable to before. Thinking about it now, it was normal that So-so hadn't recognized me. It was abnormal that Yi Yeon-baek had.
And Yi Yeon-baek answered immediately.
"Your gaze. How could I forget that intense gaze that couldn't be hidden even with your eyes closed?"
"I don't understand."
"Of course. It's a gaze that ordinary people could never comprehend. After hundreds, thousands of spars. Dozens, hundreds of life-and-death battles, what does eyesight matter? With a single gesture, a single step, one can read the opponent's intentions. In that sense, you haven't changed at all, from beginning to now, as a 『Murimin』."
"....."
"What's the point of saying more."
Yi Yeon-baek drew the sword at his waist with a —shrrrk.
"If you're a Murimin, this is enough."
As Yi Yeon-baek drew his sword, A-rang quickly drew the Geo-ya Sword. At the unconscious reaction, Yi Yeon-baek smiled.
"A fine sword."
An abrupt 『First Spar』. And not just any expert, but one of the 【Top 100 Experts Under Heaven】 who had experienced countless battles. It was absurd. This wasn't an opponent where petty tricks would work. But if I used my full power, could I even inflict a small wound?
'It won't be easy...'
Simply '—It's difficult.' If others heard A-rang's inner thoughts, they would laugh.
"I won't use internal energy, so come."
He would match me without using qi. Meaning he wouldn't exert power beyond Jeoljeong. At Yi Yeon-baek's words, I gripped the Geo-ya Sword tightly. I didn't know what he wanted to see, but Yi Yeon-baek, like So-so, was someone who saw a different world. I didn't want it, but the world didn't flow as one wished. Therefore.
"Here I come."
Martial arts couldn't be mastered in a single morning. If followed clumsily, flaws would inevitably show, which was why martial arts were truly honest. By exchanging a few moves like this, it revealed the life lived so far. Stepping, thrusting, breathing, trembling. All of this was the answer to the life lived. It was what Yi Yeon-baek desired.
—Chaeng! Chaeng!
Yi Yeon-baek didn't know how many times he had exclaimed in admiration in that short moment.
'Am I dreaming?' It felt as if he were in a dream.
—Shuuuk!
'Clearly no internal energy was imbued. However, this...'
Blocking, blocking, and blocking again.
'Samjae? No, it's a sword technique imitating Samjae.'
Samjae had only three forms, so it could never become a proper technique, yet the youth before him, biting down and swinging his sword, was showing something beyond that. The problem was that even Yi Yeon-baek, a top 100 expert, couldn't grasp what it was.
'He only took a defensive stance so far, but this won't do.'
If a Jeoljeong expert watching this spar existed, they would scold Yi Yeon-baek for doing something terrible to a junior far below him, but unfortunately, there was no one around.
'What will you do if I switch to offense!'
—Chaeng!!!
A-rang's body stiffened as sweat poured like rain. He barely blocked it, and even though it was a single form without proper shape, his arms trembled. As if trying to cope with the suddenly changed momentum, he withdrew his previously dominant sword and stepped back.
"Haaaa....."
Exhaling hot breath, A-rang gripped the Geo-ya Sword tightly. Soon, he charged at Yi Yeon-baek again. When A-rang brought his sword down, Yi Yeon-baek raised his. When Yi Yeon-baek twisted to attempt a spinning slash, A-rang spun in reverse. Even after dozens of exchanges, the situation didn't change. With sparks flying and sword cries ringing, Yi Yeon-baek finally understood.
—Take it easy.
Or,
—Haven't you noticed yet?
"Haha..."
What made one a top 100 expert? What was the Hwageong realm? To only notice this now. Wasn't he just a washed-up old man? The youth before him had been telling him from the beginning.
About the 【Sword】.
It contained the principles of Samjae but wasn't Samjae. When I used dominance, it became flow; when flow, dominance—constantly changing, it immediately dismantled my Museugeom. The method of breaking the form before the opponent's form took shape.
'Truly the Breaking Form Sword Technique!'
A thrill ran through him. If this youth's internal energy matched his opponent's, there would be no equal for him. Though at the Ilryu level unable to even handle qi properly, if he continued to grow, he had the makings to become the 『Number One Under Heaven』.
'But... he's still immature.'
In the ongoing spar, A-rang's immaturity was clearly revealed.
—Shuuuk! Chaeng!
"..Ugh!!"
'He can't distinguish real moves from feints.'
This wasn't A-rang's fault. It was due to never having real combat or sparring matches—lack of experience. He knew what a sword was, but not what a person was.
'He needs to know that it's a "person" swinging the sword.'
In fact, knowing the sword at his age was already unbelievable. That's why it was regrettable. If he had received systematic training in a proper environment, he would have been a talent to command the world.
—Chaeng!
Yi Yeon-baek pushed away A-rang's sword and spoke for the first time.
"You... do you have any intention of joining the Hyeongsan Sect? I can skip the procedures and take you as a direct disciple."
"That is... I'm sorry."
No matter how much his inner demon was resolved, being in the same sect as So-so felt awkward. At A-rang's refusal, Yi Yeon-baek smacked his lips and nodded.
"Then, how about enduring my final form?"
"Can't we stop here...? It's really damn hard."
"Haha, if you endure, I'll grant you one wish."
"....."
A-rang's face was covered in sweat as if it had rained, it was so difficult. Yet Yi Yeon-baek's offer was tempting.
—Saaa...
He thought. A truly chilling feeling.
"No... isn't that cheating?"
"It's only sword qi, not Sword Gang or Sword Aura."
"This is the first time I've seen that qi."
If a master of similar standing to Yi Yeon-baek had been nearby, they would have cursed him out for what he was doing to a junior, regardless of face!
"Feel it properly this time!"
"This son of a...!"
His body trembled to the point where profanity he rarely used came out. Experts at the Jeoljeong level who could properly handle qi all said the same. Samryu could defeat one or two ordinary people. Iryu could defeat one or two Samryu. Ilryu could defeat one or two Iryu. However, Jeoljeong...
"I'll count dodging as enduring!"
Even ten Ilryu couldn't win.
In the blink of an eye, Yi Yeon-baek closed the distance to A-rang. A movement technique that could be called divine. Then, he brought his blade down toward A-rang's head.
—I'm dead.
In a dizzying situation where his life flashed before his eyes, A-rang raised the Geo-ya Sword with a transcendent reaction. Yi Yeon-baek tried to stop just before reaching A-rang's head but was startled by the suddenly raised sword. Then, with a sword cry, A-rang was pushed back by the rebound. Crashing into a large tree behind him, A-rang's body slumped.
"A-are you alright?!"
Yi Yeon-baek was flustered. He had only intended to show what qi was, and the direction a martial artist should advance. That's why he offered the absurd condition of a 'wish' without cost—to make him go all out—but he never expected him to actually receive it.
—Cough!
Yi Yeon-baek approached A-rang who was coughing up blood, and A-rang —grinned.
"The wish... cough!... Money... give me money. Lots..."
Yi Yeon-baek was dumbfounded.