A Namgung's Resolve
As Namgung Woo's voice rang out across the training ground, the sword slicing through the air lost its edge and drooped limply toward the floor. The eyes that turned to look back at him were razor sharp. Beyond the interruption of her training, secretly watching a martial artist's practice was a well-known taboo in the Murim. Faced with this sudden uninvited guest, Namgung Sol spoke coldly as one warrior to another.
"I never hid my presence. It's good to focus, but in an open place like this, it's better not to drop your guard against your surroundings. Or were you simply trusting the people outside?"
The words hinted that he knew the true nature of this place, and Namgung Sol's expression softened slightly.
"No. I came here on personal business."
The resistance that had been weakening in Namgung Sol's eyes grew noticeably stronger. "If you have business with me, isn't it basic courtesy for us to at least look each other in the face?"
It was rather amusing how she reacted so sharply the moment she was poked, but Namgung Woo took a step back, not wanting to push her too far and ruin everything. He had thought she might at least recognize his voice even if she couldn't identify him through aura or energy, but perhaps that had been too much to expect. With a touch of disappointment, he removed his bamboo hat.
When Namgung Sol saw his revealed face, bewilderment flashed across her own. "Ah, you… No, um, the one from Jungcheon-gak last time… right? Thank you for what you did then. I was too flustered to greet you properly afterward. Is this about that…? No, of course not… Yeah, that must be it…."
She seemed torn between anger and gratitude, her mind in complete disarray. Her flustered, incoherent rambling made her look like a robot suffering from a system error. Then, as if a thought had struck her, Namgung Sol's eyes widened in realization.
She answered her own question before he could even speak, already convinced in her heart. "If that's the case, please go back. To the Alliance Leader…."
"I refused."
"I did receive the escort request, but I turned it down. It didn't sit right with me. Unlike other rogue warriors, I tend to be selective about the requests I accept. So I only told them I'd observe for now."
That he had refused the request was unexpected, but his following words made it somewhat understandable to Namgung Sol.
"That's right."
Namgung Sol pushed others away with an oddly resolute determination. However, Namgung Woo could see that her attitude wasn't born from simply disliking others. She was still young enough that she couldn't completely hide her emotions. No matter how harsh her past had been, the inexperience of her years inevitably showed through. Even without relying on his Changnyeongmanan, Namgung Woo could tell with his own eyes that Namgung Sol was lonely. And that she struggled with her inability to comfortably trust those who approached her or to open up her side to them.
Namgung Sol tried to appear composed as she raised her sword once more. "I think I've said everything I can. As you mentioned, this isn't a private training room, so if you really want to stay, I won't stop you. But please, at least don't interfere with my practice."
Just before swinging her blade, Namgung Sol muttered quietly, her voice laced with resignation and self-mockery.
Namgung Sol had ears. She had learned from Woo Myeon, the Head of Sang-pyeon-dang, on the day they first met that this man was the rising supreme expert known as the Blue Sword Emperor, who had appeared in the Kangho like a comet. No matter the age difference, he was already treading upon a distant sky far beyond her reach. What could someone like him possibly gain from watching her crude swordplay?
In his eyes, her desperate swings must look no different from a three-year-old child flailing around with a tree branch. The thought made all her past efforts feel hollow and depressing, but Namgung Sol steeled her heart and gripped her sword tighter. She had already chosen her path. Hadn't she sworn that even if she regretted it, she would never stop? She couldn't let a fleeting emotion like this make her drop her blade.
Namgung Sol's sword began slicing through the air once again. But the thoughts of Namgung Woo as he watched were completely different from what she imagined. He observed her sword dance with genuine seriousness.
Martial arts were, after all, rooted in the mind. It was the power to communicate the inner universe held within one's heart with the outer universe through the medium of the body. No matter how clumsy the sword strokes, if a clear image was formed within and a definite will was infused, that sword path would inevitably contain a great deal of information about the person.
Namgung Woo read those details from Namgung Sol's sword path.
'It's the Daeyeon Sword Art that follows the Iron Sword Ten Forms. But it's awkward. She didn't learn it properly from a teacher. She must have studied a manual and trained alone.'
The inner energy of the Daeyeon Heart Method settled in her danjeon was pure, without any mixed impurities. That wasn't something easily achieved by self-studying a manual alone. Unless one possessed heavenly talent or a special constitution, everyone inevitably went through trial and error with nothing but a book.
'She had a teacher. But they only taught her the internal energy method. The sword art was self-taught.'
If she had had a proper teacher, they would have pointed out the parts that didn't suit Namgung Sol's body and corrected them, just as he had advised her earlier.
'The Daeyeon Sword Art is fundamentally designed for men. That's why the movements are large and emphasize power. It's a sword style that doesn't suit her body.'
No matter how much Murim practitioners reinforced their bodies with internal energy to display monstrous strength that transcended age and gender, the physical limitations of one's innate body structure still existed. There were bizarre martial arts that overcame even that by lengthening joints or making bones and muscles malleable to achieve ranges of motion impossible for the human body, but that was far removed from Namgung Sol.
She swung her sword honestly. If one judged purely by the basic forms of the Daeyeon Sword Art, Namgung Sol displayed textbook movements worthy of praise. But did that make it an excellent sword art? No. Martial arts had to be adapted to the user. Difficult techniques were modified and supplemented, while compatible ones were maximized. Even the same martial art would change slightly in form depending on who performed it.
Namgung Sol's sword path had none of that. It was focused solely on replicating the movements exactly as written in the manual.
"Put more strength into your upper body there. A man's center of gravity is in the upper body, but a woman's is in the pelvis. Simply copying the movements won't let you fully exert the power within the technique. It's better to always be conscious of why that form was created."
"…Ugh!"
Though Namgung Sol pretended not to hear and gave no reply, she seemed bothered enough to put strength into her waist and straighten her upper body. Without any video footage, she had managed to replicate nearly ninety percent of the movements from a manual consisting only of text and illustrations. She certainly had talent. She immediately corrected what Namgung Woo pointed out and put it into actual motion.
But his guidance didn't end there.
"Just twisting your waist isn't enough. The power rising from your stamping step is far too weak."
"Hup!"
"Flexibility is a good advantage. But you're not utilizing it at all. You don't have to match the angle perfectly. Why not supplement the lacking power with centrifugal force using that flexible body of yours?"
"Hiya!"
Namgung Sol did her best to follow Namgung Woo's advice. And with each correction, she clearly felt the sword path that had always felt questionable finally gaining stability. How long had it been since she felt joy in swinging a sword? For a brief moment, Namgung Sol escaped her sense of duty and lost herself in the blade without any worries.
However, even if the mind raced far ahead, the body sometimes couldn't keep up. Reaching her physical limit, Namgung Sol bent over, panting heavily. Consciously eliminating the bad habits engraved in her body was far more grueling work than she had imagined.
While catching her breath and organizing the growth she had just achieved, Namgung Sol saw a new shadow overlapping her own and slowly lifted her head.
"Your sword is one thing, but even setting that aside, impatience has completely consumed your mind. What are you so anxious about? What exactly is chasing you that you act as if you're being pursued?"
Suddenly, Namgung Sol thought that perhaps now she could just tell him. Maybe she could brush it off as something said carelessly while caught up in the moment. But no. This was a burden Namgung Sol had to carry herself.
Namgung Sol hardened her face with firm resolve and declared, "…I know that you, Great Hero, are strong. Probably stronger than someone like me could ever imagine. Perhaps to you, my worries are all trivial. But… this is something I cannot entrust to anyone else. It is something I must do myself."
Namgung Woo felt the sincerity in those words. They weren't careless remarks made in a fit of emotion. The immaturity that prevented her from skillfully hiding her feelings instead highlighted the determination in her resolve. Therefore, he no longer tried to deflect the conversation.