Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Training (2)
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#046: Training (2)
The respected master of my old gym used to say:
“Not everyone who works hard will succeed, but every single person who has succeeded, without exception, has worked hard.”
At the time, I just nodded along, but now that I was putting in some *serious* effort, I finally understood what he meant.
‘Seriously, he’s making me do this much?’
If my martial arts training until now had been instant coffee, then training with Bukgung Baek was a top-shelf espresso.
Anyone who went through this kind of training, unless they were completely devoid of talent, would surely exclaim, “Hey, you too can become a master!”
The training itself was simple.
It was just sparring.
The problem was, it felt so much like a real battle that a moment of carelessness could leave you with a broken bone.
Thanks to that, my desire to train had completely evaporated, and I was lying in bed after breakfast when…
*Clack.*
“Lord of the Outer Hall, what brings you here…?”
“Cheong So-so of the Cheong Family greets the great warrior Bukgung.”
That devil Bukgung Baek had actually tracked me down to my own home.
And what’s more…
“So you are So-so. I’ve heard about you from your esteemed father, the Divine Doctor Cheong Baek-shin. He said that with ten years of training, you have the potential to reach the ranks of a divine doctor yourself.”
“Oh my. You flatter me.”
“It’s been a while, Lady Myo.”
“Yes, I hope you have been well, Lord of the Outer Hall.”
“Aside from losing sleep because I can’t forget the taste of the Dongpo pork you made, I’ve been very well indeed.”
“I-It couldn’t have been that good… I will invite you again soon to treat you to another meal.”
“I would be delighted anytime.”
With just a few words, he had managed to win over the tigresses of my house.
Watching this unfold, I was so dumbfounded it felt like my breath caught, my nose clogged, and my very veins were seizing up.
‘Isn’t he treating the men and women a little too differently?’
What a sexist bastard.
As I peeked out from between the doors, Bukgung Baek stated the purpose of his visit.
“I’m here to find Squad Leader Jin. We were supposed to train together, but for some reason, he was nowhere to be seen.”
At that, Cheong So-so pointed a finger at the building where I was staying.
“Squad Leader Jin is probably lying down in his room… Should I go wake him?”
Thinking back, I realize the reason I had a bad first impression of her was that she had the face of a traitor.
I wanted to punish the betrayer immediately, but the more pressing matter was escaping Bukgung Baek’s grasp as quickly as possible.
*Crash.*
Having made up my mind, I threw myself toward the wide window.
‘Shit, shit, shit.’
I poured my desperate heart into the War King Step.
Using the powerful repulsion I felt from the tips of my toes, I shot forward in an instant.
“Ugh!”
“Gah!”
The ruffians loitering in the alley cried out in alarm and ducked.
If this had been a marketplace, it could have led to a major accident.
But right now, I couldn’t afford to pay attention to such things.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Because of Bukgung Baek, who was chasing right behind me.
“Hah!”
*Thud.*
Gripped by a fear akin to being chased by a towering specter, I stomped down even harder and launched myself forward.
After a short while, I stopped as soon as I reached the wild mountain outside the outer fortress walls.
“Hah, hah.”
*Drip, drip.*
Sweat poured down like a waterfall.
My legs were trembling so much I felt like I could collapse at any moment, but there was no time to rest.
I didn’t know when Bukgung Baek would catch up.
*Scratch, scratch.*
I immediately started digging into the ground to hide.
It was the same method I’d used when fleeing from Dan Un.
‘Even Bukgung Baek won’t be able to search for me underground!’
I was confident.
Confident that I could escape his clutches.
I channeled my internal energy into my fingers and dug. In less than ten seconds, I had carved out a space large enough to lie in.
I was about to cover myself with dirt and perform the Art of Suppressed Breathing when…
“Aren’t you a bit too young to be covering yourself with a blanket of dirt?”
Bukgung Baek’s shadow fell over me.
“……!”
*Smirk.*
The corners of his mouth twisted as he looked down at me.
*Fwoosh.*
A small, black sphere fell toward my head.
It packed enough power to shatter my skull on impact.
I slammed my left elbow into the ground, using the rebound to roll away.
*Boom!*
The small, black sphere exploded on the spot where my head had just been.
Seeing that, I felt a surge of indignation.
Just because he was my superior, coming all the way to my house—what kind of abuse of power was this?
I shouted, unable to contain my anger.
“...Heh heh, isn’t it a bit much to come all the way to my house…? I have a private life too, you know…”
“And it’s acceptable for you to be lying in bed during work hours?”
He had a point.
I hadn’t been showing up to work properly lately, so I must have lost my sense of duty.
“Ahem, how about we take a day off today? We worked hard yesterday and…”
“In the martial path, one can strive for a lifetime and still not reach the heavens. How can you speak of rest?”
Hey, are you seriously the one saying that when you spend all day drinking?
“I heard that you, Lord Hall Master, also neglect your training…”
At my pointed remark, Bukgung Baek tapped his head with a finger.
“When one reaches my level, meditation is more beneficial than physical movement.”
“Then why now…?”
“Sometimes, moving the body can be helpful too.”
With those words, Bukgung Baek charged.
And I gathered every last ounce of my strength to face him.
*BAM!*
***
I got beaten like a dog.
And because I had tried to run away, I got hit even more than usual.
“Ugh! You damn bastard. I will never forget this humiliation.”
Clutching my limping leg, I finally managed to walk home.
I wanted to go straight inside and rest, but I couldn’t.
“Hey, hey, move it.”
If I didn’t get treated, tomorrow would be even tougher.
I pushed aside the riffraff gathered in front of the clinic Cheong So-so had set up in my compound. When I opened the door, she greeted me with a sigh.
“You came back a complete mess again today.”
And whose fault is that?
“It’s because you betrayed me, Miss Cheong.”
“Betrayal? The Ten-Hand Heavenly Conqueror himself offers to teach you martial arts, and you’re just sleeping in. Does that make any sense?”
“...Just treat me, please. I’m dying of pain.”
“Are you even a peak master? All you seem to do is get beaten up.”
“I’m starting to wonder myself these days.”
Sparring with Bukgung Baek was making me feel like all the hellish suffering I endured in the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion was being negated, and it was agonizing.
“First, lie down.”
Following her instructions, I lay down, and Cheong So-so spoke again.
“You need to take off your shirt so I can apply acupuncture or moxibustion.”
“Men and women should not sit together after the age of seven…”
“Didn’t you tell me I wasn’t a woman? Besides, who’s the one who walks around shirtless every morning to wash up? Don’t give me that ‘men and women’ nonsense. It might be a different story if it was your pants.”
“You have a dirty mind.”
*Smack!*
“Ow! Can you do this to a patient?”
“That’s because you suddenly said something weird! I don’t have time, so hurry up and take it off.”
Geez, can’t she take a joke?
The treatment, which began in a tense atmosphere, finally ended after two hours.
During that time, Cheong So-so drained the bruised blood, applied acupuncture, and slathered my wounds with effective medicine.
Feeling much refreshed, I sat up, and she handed me a bowl.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a new medicinal soup for external injuries I just developed. I added a secret Cheong Family recipe, so I’m sure it’ll be effective.”
“...Has anyone else drunk this?”
“I just developed it yesterday, so you’re the first, Squad Leader Jin.”
“Then I’ll have it next time.”
Trying to use me as a free clinical trial.
“Don’t be like that…”
“Hah! I know my body best. There’s no need for me to drink medicine.”
At my repeated refusals, Cheong So-so started to get heated.
“I’m telling you, it’s good for you! It’ll heal you right up! Instantly!”
“Well then, I’ll be going.”
Ignoring her desperate cries, I went into my room and lay down on the bed.
The exhausting day made my eyes close on their own.
‘I should eat before I sleep…’
***
“Hup! Hup!”
The sound of shouts echoed from a distance.
When I opened my eyes, I saw a wide, open space dotted with single-story pavilions.
In the middle of the clearing, a dozen or so children were striking scarecrows.
‘The Black Dragon Hall…?’
It was the sight of the Black Dragon Hall from my past life.
I soon realized where I was.
‘A dream.’
There was no other way I could have returned to the past.
The nostalgic scene prompted me to sit in a corner and watch the children train.
‘Even the seniors of the Black Dragon Hall had a cute phase. Now they all look so grim…’
It was a prime example of growing up ugly.
I must have watched for about fifteen minutes when an old man suddenly appeared before me with a thud. I focused my gaze on his face.
I had to.
“G-Grandpa?”
He was the person who had become my family when I was left all alone after an epidemic killed my own.
“Heh heh, have you been well?”
He was Hyeon Geom-ja, the Great Unity Adept of the Black Dragon Hall.
Seeing the person I had missed so dearly, I was at a loss for words.
Hyeon Geom-ja opened his arms and said,
“What are you doing? It’s been so long.”
“Grandpa!”
*Hug.*
Was it because it had been ten years?
Or was it because I was in a dream, and my mental age had regressed?
Tears streamed down like a waterfall.
Hyeon Geom-ja placed a hand on my head.
It was something he used to do often.
The only difference was that I had grown so tall he had to raise his hand high just to reach my head.
“To think that little brat would grow into such a dashing young man. How fleeting time is.”
Seeing the proud look in his eyes, I stopped crying and smiled.
“You’ve grown up well.”
“See? I told you I could live well even if I didn’t become a Daoist master.”
“Hmph, why bring that up now? One of my biggest regrets is dying before I could make you a master.”
“Hehehe.”
I sat side by side with Hyeon Geom-ja and began to talk.
I told him everything, from my time in the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion to my recent fight with Mak Ju-gwang.
Even though it was a long story, Hyeon Geom-ja listened with a smile on his face the entire time.
“...and that’s why I can’t live with that son of a bitch Bukgung Baek around.”
“That scoundrel? What do you say, should this old man go and knock some sense into him?”
“Heh heh, it’s okay. The day will come soon enough when I’ll give him a good thrashing with my own hands. Oh? Is it that late already?”
When I came to my senses and looked around, the moon was already in the sky.
It was then.
*Shwaaa.*
The scene of the Black Dragon Hall that filled my vision began to crumble away like a sandcastle.
“……!”
Hyeon Geom-ja stood up and met my gaze.
Sensing the end, I too stared intently at his face.
“Will I see you again?”
“Of course. What kind of grandfather wouldn’t visit when his grandson wishes for it?”
*Swoosh.*
Hyeon Geom-ja’s body began to dissipate from his feet up.
“Mujeon.”
“Yeah.”
My voice, thick with unshed tears, escaped me.
Hyeon Geom-ja smiled benevolently, as if in understanding, and said,
“Everything is within you.”
*THUD!*
With those final words, I woke with a jolt, as if the world had collapsed.
“Hah!”
*Clack.*
“I called you for dinner so many times, and you’re still…?”
Myo Hyang, who had opened the door, rushed over in surprise.
“Why are you sweating so much? Are you not feeling well?”
“N-No, I’m fine.”
At that moment, through the door Myo Hyang had opened, I saw the red glow of the sunset.
“Sister, how long was I asleep?”
“Not long. About two hours?”
“That’s it?”
I felt like at least half a day had passed…
“Dinner is ready, so come out and eat. You seem to be having a hard time lately, so I prepared a special restorative meal.”
“Thank you, sister.”
“It’s nothing.”
After Myo Hyang left, I replayed the conversation from my dream.
‘Everything is within you.’
Hyeon Geom-ja’s final words echoed in my ears.