Chapter 10: Another Pushover in My Life (3)
Chapter 10: Another Pushover in My Life (3)
After instructing Persona to oversee Moon Yul’s training, Patrick set off alone toward a certain destination.
With a bottle of liquor in one hand, Patrick’s steps were more cautious and somewhat heavier than usual.
Last night.
He had discussed various matters regarding the future of the Twin Dragon Sect with the Sect Leader.
And during that conversation, he had confirmed one fact.
[So… is he there?]
[Yes. We have enshrined them there for generations.]
[…I see.]
And now.
Patrick had arrived before a certain grave.
「Jin Su-han, 9th Sect Leader of the Twin Dragon Sect」
The past leaders of the Twin Dragon Sect were all buried on the mountain behind Cheonsu County.
That tradition had continued unchanged to this day.
And the occupant of the tombstone before him was…
“I’m here, Master.”
The man who had discovered and guided Jincheon, the Radiant Dragon Hero.
It was the grave of Jin Su-han, the 9th Sect Leader of the Twin Dragon Sect.
His master slept within this humble, poorly maintained grave.
Without a word, Patrick took out two cups, placed one before his master, and poured the liquor.
He then filled his own cup, clinked it against his master’s, and spoke.
“Let’s have a drink together for the first time in a long while, Master.”
He downed his cup in one go.
“Kaaah… That’s the stuff. How is it? Amazing, right?”
Patrick said with a smile.
“It’s called Black Rose. This is your first time having such expensive booze, isn’t it?”
Patrick chuckled.
“I brought this from the Benator Emperor’s private stash, saved just for a day like this. How about it? Didn’t I do well?”
There was no answer.
Even the master’s grumbling, which used to prick Patrick’s conscience, was silent now.
He knew.
It was an illusion.
It was merely a delusion created by his master’s deeply ingrained teachings and his own longing.
But now, even that was gone.
Cruelly so.
Patrick poured another drink into his empty cup and spoke self-deprecatingly.
“The Bloody Asura Sword, huh…”
He emptied the cup again.
A burning yet ecstatic sensation washed through his internal organs. But despite drinking the finest of wines, Patrick’s expression was far from joyful.
He let out a sigh scented with alcohol and said, “Where did you throw away that cool title of ‘Gentleman Sword’ to end up hearing things like that?”
He had learned it during his conversation with Go Seok-hyeon yesterday.
He learned how the 9th Sect Leader of the Twin Dragon Sect was evaluated by later generations.
And in the process, he naturally found out what his master had done after his death.
* * *
Jincheon, the Radiant Dragon Hero, had committed mutual destruction along with 3,000 elite masters of the Unorthodox Faction at Nakbongpa.
For the Murim Alliance, it was a stroke of luck.
Though they had lost a powerful card in the Radiant Dragon Hero, the Unorthodox Faction alliance had suffered near-total annihilation in exchange.
Now, victory was within reach if they could just launch a full-scale assault to wipe out the remaining remnants.
And then.
An unexpected figure stepped forward most aggressively.
It was the Sect Leader of the Twin Dragon Sect.
A man who had never craved merit and was never bellicose by nature was now at the very forefront.
The reason why was soon revealed.
Standing ahead of everyone else, swinging his sword, he screamed:
[Give me back my disciple!]
His aura was so terrifying that by the time the war ended, his title had changed from the Gentleman Sword to the Bloody Asura Sword.
* * *
“Master. Why did you do that? Why…”
He missed his master.
He had so much he wanted to say.
So very much.
But he couldn’t even utter a single word of complaint to his master’s face.
Lamenting too late…
In the end, every child is destined to be unfilial before their parent’s grave.
Drip. Drip.
Two streaks of tears rolled down Patrick’s cheeks.
Patrick fell to his knees and prostrated himself.
Though he couldn’t bring himself to lift his head, his constantly heaving shoulders revealed that he was sobbing silently.
In this place, there was no Jincheon, the legendary gambler who had shaken the Martial World, nor was there Patrick Schneider, the legendary hero of the Double Dragon who had saved the world by decapitating the Heavenly Demon.
There was only a single, ordinary human being.
* * *
A long while later…
Having composed his emotions, Patrick gave a bitter smile.
“Master, I won’t make excuses.”
Patrick poured the remaining liquor over the grave.
A national treasure that even the Emperor of the Benator Empire wouldn’t dare drink recklessly flowed down the weathered tombstone.
The Emperor would have been horrified if he knew, but Patrick didn’t feel it was a waste at all.
Pouring out every last drop, he spoke.
“Instead, I’ll make a promise. That promise I couldn’t keep in my past life… I will fulfill it this time.”
Jincheon, the Radiant Dragon Hero of his past life.
Whenever he opened his mouth, he would say to his master:
[Just you wait and see, Master.]
[…See what?]
[I’m definitely going to make our Twin Dragon Sect the Number One Sect Under Heaven. And I’ll become the strongest man in the world so your shoulders never have to drop from pride.]
[Is that so?]
[Yes. Your disciple is confident.]
[Right. But Cheon-ah.]
[Yes, Master?]
[What does that have to do with you beating a Wudang Sect Elder half to death?]
[There’s no direct correlation. I’m just saying I’ll do well later, so please let it slide for now—Whoa!]
Jincheon narrowly dodged his master’s scabbard as it swung past his head.
[You brat! Forget being the strongest in the world, try being a decent human being first! A human being!]
[Ugh, I’m not so confident about that…]
[You little… Get over here! Get over here right now!]
[Why would I come when I know you’re going to hit me?]
It was a memory from the distant past.
A very, very distant past…
* * *
Ten days after the Twin Dragon Sect reclaimed their manor.
The people of Cheonsu County gradually realized that the Twin Dragon Sect had pushed out the Twin Dragon Room and reclaimed its place.
This caused quite a stir in the county.
“To think they defeated those Twin Dragon Room bastards…”
“That Great Bear Twin Axes fellow wouldn’t have been an easy opponent.”
“Did the Twin Dragon Room really retreat?”
“It wasn’t just a retreat; they were completely crushed and thrown into prison.”
“But the Twin Dragon Sect? Was there such a sect in our Cheonsu County?”
“Well, it’s the first I’ve heard of them…”
“Did they come from outside?”
It was then.
“You young fools! Before those Twin Dragon Room bastards ever set foot here, the sect that protected our Cheonsu County was the Twin Dragon Sect!”
An old man who had been eating nearby swung his cane around, shouting at the young men.
“Wait, elder.”
“What’s this about?”
As the confused youths looked on, the old man huffed and said, “Originally, our Cheonsu County was always protected by the Twin Dragon Sect. It’s a prestigious sect that existed before I was even born, and the pride of our Cheonsu County is the Twin Dragon Sect.”
Indeed, tradition possesses a power that cannot be ignored at times like this.
Even though decades had passed since the Twin Dragon Sect was pushed out and disappeared, the elderly still remembered them.
And even for those who didn’t know the sect, anyone who had suffered under the tyranny of the Twin Dragon Room welcomed the Twin Dragon Sect’s presence.
Once it became known that the Twin Dragon Sect was a prestigious, righteous sect, several young men came knocking on their doors.
“I wish to join the Twin Dragon Sect.”
“Please accept me as well.”
“I want to join too.”
Seeing them, Sect Leader Go Seok-hyeon was overjoyed.
“Ho ho ho. I see. Everyone, come inside.”
After all, for a sect to properly establish itself, weren’t people the most important factor?
At this rate, it seemed the reconstruction of the Twin Dragon Sect would proceed smoothly.
However, things did not go quite so easily.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m quitting.”
“It seems a bit different from what I expected.”
The spirited young men who had joined often couldn’t last even three days before quitting.
Some even quit after just one day.
‘This is problematic.’
Sect Leader Go Seok-hyeon agonized over the situation.
To discuss this issue, he went to find Patrick.
He found Patrick at the small training ground behind the Twin Dragon Sect’s garden. And there…
“Oh? Look at those legs shaking. Are you a newborn fawn? Huh?”
“I… I feel like I’m going to die!”
“It’s fine. The Great Disciple of the Twin Dragon Sect won’t die from something like this.”
“What’s your basis for that?!”
“I am the basis, you brat! If you’ve got a problem with it, you be the Bong Gong!”
“Aaaaaargh!”
Patrick was training Moon Yul.
Or rather, instead of training…
‘Isn’t this dangerous?’
Moon Yul was repeating squats while holding a boulder much larger than his own body over his head.
Seeing his disciple like this, Go Seok-hyeon couldn’t help but feel a chill.
If he lost his strength and collapsed like that…
“Wait, whoa?!”
Just then, exactly what he feared happened.
Moon Yul lost his balance, stumbled, and let go of the boulder over his head.
The moment the massive rock was about to fall onto his disciple’s head…
“No!”
Go Seok-hyeon tried to rush forward. But…
Flash! Boom!
A streak of light flashed, and the boulder was instantly shattered into pieces.
“Ooh… As expected.”
Sect Leader Go Seok-hyeon marveled. And then…
“Veeeeeeery well done. Just great.”
Patrick leaned in close to Moon Yul’s face, wearing an expression that was visually the most irritating thing a human could witness.
“Tired already after just that much? Huh?”
“It’s… It’s been over two hours!”
“It’s only been two hours. To destroy the lower body, you have to grind for at least half a day for your thighs and calves to even feel a hint of it. Isn’t that right?”
“…….”
This man called Bong Gong had suddenly appeared, healed his master, and even reclaimed the Twin Dragon Sect’s manor.
Moon Yul felt bad thinking this about such a benefactor, but…
‘I really wish this guy would just disappear.’
He couldn’t help but think it.
Don’t worry.
It’s a perfectly normal reaction.
And then…
“Ahem.”
“Ah! Master.”
Go Seok-hyeon cleared his throat to make his presence known, and Moon Yul looked at his master with teary eyes, overjoyed to see him.
Master.
My great Master.
If it’s Master, he will surely save me from the suffering of this wicked demon.
Surely he will.
Carrying his disciple’s hopes, Go Seok-hyeon stepped forward.
“Bong Gong, I have something to discuss with you.”
“Speak.”
“Before that, um… isn’t the disciple’s training a bit too dangerous?”
“Hmm? Of course it’s dangerous.”
Wait, he’s just admitting it?
“Then…”
“Training is supposed to be hard, painful, dangerous, and miserable.”
“Excuse me?”
“If it’s easy and comfortable, is that training? That’s playing.”
“…….”
“As a rule, training is only normal when the person receiving it looks at the person giving it with murderous intent, thinking, ‘I wish that guy would just die.’”
Ah, I see.
He knows it’s dangerous but makes him do it anyway.
That’s why he admitted it.
‘Did Bong Gong come from hell instead of the West?’
Just as Sect Leader Go Seok-hyeon was about to say something.
Patrick spoke with a serious face.
“Sect Leader, Yul is very late.”
“Pardon?”
“He started late, and the timing of his serious training is also late. Compared to the rising stars of the Nine Great Sects or the Five Great Families, he is severely lacking.”
“Well, that’s…”
“For someone who starts late to catch up and overtake those ahead, they have no choice but to put in that much more effort.”
“It’s not like he absolutely has to compete with them, is it?”
“Ahem, a disciple of the Great Twin Dragon Sect—and the Great Disciple of the Sect Leader’s direct line, no less—losing to some brats of the same generation? He’s not some elderly elder.”
Patrick grabbed the back of his neck as if the mere thought made him furious.
“I will never tolerate such humiliation and disgrace as long as I live. No, absolutely not.”
“…….”
Aren’t you a bit too proud of the Twin Dragon Sect? He couldn’t bring himself to say it.
Wasn’t he the Sect Leader?
Even if his mouth were torn, he couldn’t admit that their sect was inferior to others.
He absolutely couldn’t.
In the end, Sect Leader Go Seok-hyeon forced himself to ignore his disciple’s tearful gaze and thought to himself:
‘I’m sorry. You’ll just have to suffer a bit.’
‘Master…’
Poor Moon Yul, abandoned by his master, was deeply shocked.
“Anyway, what did you want to say?”
“Ah, right. I came to talk to you about the new trainees.”
“Ah, them? What about them?”
Lately, Patrick had been focusing all his attention on Moon Yul’s training.
So while he knew there were new disciples, he hadn’t been paying them any mind. In the meantime…
“What, they deserted?”
“It’s not exactly desertion… After a few days, they said the sect’s training didn’t suit them and they left.”
“Isn’t that desertion?”
“…….”
“Ugh, I look away for one second and this is what happens. How dare they look down on the Great Twin Dragon Sect? Should I hunt them all down, dead or alive, hang them upside down, and twist their legs?”
“Is there really a need for that?”
The Sect Leader desperately stopped him.
He felt that if he didn’t, Bong Gong would actually do it.
“Grrr, well, strictly speaking, it’s the loss of those who quit.”
“Haha. Indeed.”
“Idiots, missing the chance to become members of the Twin Dragon Sect, which will soon be the Number One Sect Under Heaven.”
“Hahahaha…”
Seriously, his pride in the Twin Dragon Sect is immense.
Where does that confidence spring from?
“Besides, if they quit that early, they just wasted their entrance fees. In a way, we’re the ones profiting. Don’t you think?”
“Pardon?”
“…Hmm?”
“……?”
The two stared blankly at each other for a moment. Then, Patrick spoke first.
“Sect Leader, by any chance… did you refund the entrance fees to the deserters? Is that it?”
“It’s not that.”
“Hahaha. Right? Of course it’s not…”
“It’s because I didn’t take any entrance fees to begin with.”
“…Huh?”
“How could I take money from those who came to the sect with such grand ambitions? Don’t you agree?”
Upon hearing Go Seok-hyeon’s words, Patrick’s face began to turn pale.
“No… way… no way?”
“What’s wrong, Bong Gong?”
“The Sect Leader is also a pu… pu… pu… Gaaah!”
“Bong Gong! Bong Gong!”
Patrick clutched the back of his neck and collapsed.