Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: penny
Chapter Title: Uninvited Guest (3)
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“Poison-Eyed Divine Sword Dokgo Ryul, you mean?”
Jegal Tan answered immediately.
“He’s an incredibly famous figure. He’s known as a righteous wanderer with immense chivalry. He’s traveled the land striking down numerous leaders of the unorthodox sects, but what really made waves in the martial world for a time was how he single-handedly dismantled the Blood Demon Sect, a branch of the Divine Strong Demonic Path.”
Even Nangong Yun-ho, who was clueless about worldly affairs, seemed to know of him.
“I’ve heard he wasn’t born into a prestigious family, yet his talent was extraordinary. It’s a well-known tale that at just twenty years old, he reached the peak realm and took up his sword for the sake of justice.”
“That’s right. One reason I want to become a heroine of the land is so that someday I can be a master like Great Hero Dokgo Ryul and roam as a wanderer.”
Moyong So-hye.
Stop daydreaming and get back to carving that scarecrow.
In conclusion, he was a man overflowing with talent, skilled to boot, and even upright in character.
Despair swirled in my heart.
“Ah. Why does that perfect bastard have to come here...”
As I wallowed in gloom, Baek Ri-seol casually rested her chin on my shoulder.
“I like Instructor more than that Dokgo whatever. Hehe.”
Don’t smile like that. It’s endearing.
“If you get fired, come live with me at my place. It’ll be way better than this dump with its crap pay, awful treatment, and botched evaluations. Ten times the salary, room and board included. Sign the contract, and you’ll get a guaranteed twelve hundred months of service plus retirement.”
“Oh, that sounds decent...”
No, wait.
Isn’t that basically a lifetime contract?
“Get lost.”
“Ow!”
I flicked Baek Ri-seol’s nose and turned to Jegal Tan.
“Jegal Tan. Let me ask you something.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“What happens to me if a guy like that—measured out to be the perfect wanderer—becomes my boss?”
Jegal Tan was suddenly at a loss for words.
This time, I turned to Nangong Yun-ho.
“Rumor has it he despises lazy slackers, and especially loathes those with ability who don’t act on it. He’s your natural enemy, Instructor. If he learns your true worth...”
“Young Hero Nangong. Young Hero Nangong.”
Moyong So-hye poked Nangong Yun-ho’s side repeatedly.
“What is it?”
“Instructor’s aura is filled with [rejection] and [rage].”
“What do you... Ha!”
Nangong Yun-ho met my eyes and paled.
“I, uh.”
“Yun-ho. You’ve had it easy lately, haven’t you?”
“I’m sorry.”
He walked over with heavy steps, stuck the punishment needles into his body at the designated spot, and lay prone.
“You think that’s enough?”
“I’ll do better.”
Nangong Yun-ho withdrew his hands, assumed the at-ease position, and slammed his forehead to the ground.
I stared at him intently, and soon he was even lifting one leg, grunting in effort.
“Let’s do better. Okay?”
“Yes, Instructor!”
My mood lightened a bit.
More news arrived.
At morning assembly, Chung-hyun appeared again and shared the latest on the Poison-Eyed Divine Sword.
“He was supposed to arrive in three days, but there’s a slight delay. Seems he has some business.”
“What kind of business?”
“Apparently, he discovered a hidden branch of the Night Owl Sect near the Chaoyang River. It’s caused quite a stir at the Alliance too.”
“Night Owl Sect!”
Jo-hyeon let out an exclamation at the continued tales of the Poison-Eyed Divine Sword.
“The Night Owl Sect operates in utmost secrecy—most people don’t even know they exist. He truly is remarkable.”
“Hah. He doesn’t stop his righteous deeds even on the road here.”
“With men like the Poison-Eyed Divine Sword around, the martial world grows safer.”
These accounts of his wanderings had become part of the morning routine.
‘That one-eyed knife-freak has some chops, huh.’
He was excessively diligent.
His skills matched his character.
Every report was so magnanimously heroic that it was hard to just sit and listen.
I wanted to roundhouse kick him just for being in front of me.
But more than that, something else gnawed at me.
‘Why hasn’t a guy like this been heard of?’
This wasn’t about the current martial world.
It was about the one that had already fallen once—the destroyed, or possibly destroyed, world I remembered.
‘A suffocatingly righteous wanderer with considerable skill.’
His actions were flashy, his prowess outstanding. Impossible to overlook.
‘Flinging his sword from standstill to slaughter foes? That’s at least Void Grasping.’
The realms a man could reach in a lifetime: first-class at best, peak if exceptional.
Advancing beyond peak is so arduous that some divide peak experts into lower, middle, and upper tiers.
That’s how tough it is to surpass.
Yet to perform feats matching the rumors, he’d need to stand in the realm beyond peak—Transcendent Peak.
What some call Ultra Realm or Peak Transcendence.
At minimum.
‘Mid-thirties, Ultra Realm, and no memory of him?’
It didn’t add up.
Someone this prominent, shaking the world with his deeds—should be etched in memory.
Sure, he might’ve been marked as a threat and eliminated early by the Heaven-Defying Society. But my instincts rang a different alarm.
‘Something’s off...’
It just felt suspicious.
“The Poison-Eyed Divine Sword has arrived at the academy!”
Jo-hyeon, now a fervent fan, shouted without hiding her flushed cheeks.
Excitement swelled among the instructors.
“Finally. We get to meet him?”
“I’m so nervous. Hope I don’t mess up.”
“How do I look? Decent?”
They tugged at their clothes to straighten them, hastily combed their hair—chaos ensued for a while.
“Ahem. Everyone, line up!”
Even Yeom Gwang was different from usual.
Gone was the baggy training robe; he wore crisp new clothes, hair slicked back.
Determination to make a good first impression was clear.
‘Heard he quit drinking until now?’
Come to think of it, Yeom Gwang and the other boozehound instructors looked unusually healthy.
“Oh my. Oh my. I’m so tense.”
Yeo Mae-hong fidgeted like a schoolgirl awaiting her idol.
“Aren’t you nervous, Instructor Chu?”
“Nah. Not really.”
“Still, tidy your bangs a bit. I’ll tie it for you.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“It’ll just take a sec.”
As they bickered, an overwhelming presence washed over us.
“...”
Everyone in the instructor room stiffened with tension.
Even we, who shied from real combat, reacted to the naturally emanating aura.
Creak.
The door opened, and Chung-hyun entered with a rigid gait, face taut.
“A-hem. Everyone doing well?”
He spoke awkwardly, then turned and bowed to the one following.
“This is the instructor room of Bronze Hall. Please, come in.”
Step. Step.
The man entered without concealing his presence.
Thick brows, heavy jawline, piercing eyes that bored into you.
His rugged training robe and wild, unbound hair evoked a beast.
A perfect match for the ferocious aura of a supreme warrior.
‘This is Poison-Eyed Divine Sword Dokgo Ryul?’
Gulp.
In the deathly quiet room, someone swallowed hard from nerves.
Step. Step. Step.
Ignoring it all, the man strode to the center, his cheek scar twisting.
“Thanks for the warm welcome.”
A deep, gravelly voice emanated.
“I am Dokgo Ryul.”
Scanning the room with sharp eyes, he added,
“The world calls me the Poison-Eyed Divine Sword.”
Chu Un-hwi’s eyelids twitched.
Gazing at drifting clouds in serene silence, White-Clothed Judge Seon In-hyeok remarked offhandedly,
“Things must be in an uproar by now.”
His vague words drew a response from the man nearby.
“I wouldn’t know for sure, but it’d be weirder if they weren’t.”
It was Flame Light Blade Demon Ma Gil-sang.
Radiating his usual immense presence, Ma Gil-sang spoke.
“The Divine Martial Academy has stagnated until now. It’s true they’ve stayed back, observing from afar like spectators in real battles.”
“Can’t be helped, can it? Those meant to guard the nest can’t charge the front lines.”
“I’d understand in a peaceful martial world, but circumstances have changed.”
“True enough.”
Seon In-hyeok agreed.
He’d felt it keenly as of late.
“What the Alliance needs now aren’t kids swinging swords safely. Nor are the instructors who teach them.”
Ma Gil-sang nailed his thoughts exactly. Seon In-hyeok nodded readily.
“Right. This incident shocked me too.”
It wasn’t just anywhere.
Trouble had struck near Infinite Fortress, right under the Murim Alliance’s nose.
Acting on Night Owl Sect intel with half-doubt had been the trigger.
Unlike their lax approach, the enemy was fully prepared, leading to heavy losses.
“Even the elites of the Outer Hall took casualties.”
The Murim Alliance had Inner and Outer Halls.
Inner Hall: Alliance Leader and Nine Great Sects core.
Outer Hall: Five Great Families and direct warriors.
They usually operated in their domains, but this crisis warranted an exception—Inner and Outer moved together.
Yet over a dozen died.
“Didn’t expect casualties from the Alliance’s elite halls.”
“Carelessness brought disaster.”
“Worse still: Beggar Elder says the infiltrators in Infinite Fortress are just a handful.”
“Night Owl Sect said the same.”
The world’s top two intel forces agreed.
The gravity was indescribable.
Ma Gil-sang declared eloquently,
“They’ve expanded in the shadows, plotting against righteous and unorthodox alike. Their ambitions must be vast—no need to guess. Perhaps the current era demands clashing not just with demonic paths, but something greater. The Divine Martial Academy must change too.”
Seon In-hyeok smiled warmly at Ma Gil-sang’s blazing zeal.
“You’re that taken with Poison-Eyed Divine Sword Dokgo Ryul?”
Ma Gil-sang flushed.
“Forgive me. Even past my prime, my blood still boils with competitive fire like this.”
“Hahaha. You’re a born warrior. So? What was he like up close?”
Recalling yesterday’s spar, Ma Gil-sang shuddered.
Fierce swirling sword strikes.
Plus exquisite precision that severed his blade work relentlessly.
“It wasn’t full power, but enough time to gauge each other.”
In sparring, a warrior’s sword—or blade—is a mirror to the soul.
Recalling those strikes, Ma Gil-sang replied,
“More solid than rumors, with an unshakeable heart.”
“A man of pure intent with high attainment—splendid. A blessing to the righteous martial world.”
“Most impressive: forging his realm through endless real combat, not safe sect training. He’ll shine brightest when chaos descends.”
“Shine in chaos...”
Seon In-hyeok stroked his white beard with a sigh.
“Best if no chaos comes. But unlikely.”
“The unorthodox stir too. Divine Strong’s silence is suspicious.”
“Indeed.”
After a brief ponder, Seon In-hyeok said,
“With storms brewing, the nest can’t stay quiet forever. Go ahead—reform as you see fit.”
“You’ve decided?”
“But heed this: utmost caution in using people.”
After moving carelessly and suffering betrayal, how could he not see the blood tears in Seon In-hyeok’s heart?
Ma Gil-sang replied firmly.
“Of course.”