Chapter 79
Chapter 79
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Supreme Master
-----------------------------------------------------------------
#079: Supreme Master
“Ahhh! This is the life.”
After eating breakfast, crawling back into bed and pulling the covers over my head was pure paradise.
‘If only I had a smartphone and some potato chips, it would be perfect.’
After all, there was no greater happiness than munching on potato chips in a warm bed while watching YouTube.
Of course, if my mom had caught me, I would’ve gotten a smack on the back for getting crumbs everywhere.
Just as I was pulling the covers over my head and drifting off into a morning nap…
*Knock, knock!*
“Squad Leader Jin! Could you come out for a moment?”
Cheong So-so was knocking on the door.
Have you ever been forcibly woken up just as you were about to fall asleep?
Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, you’ll be seething with irritation.
*Bang!*
“I said, come out for a moment!”
I threw the door open to give the impatient Cheong So-so a piece of my mind.
“...Waking someone who’s trying to get a moment’s rest from his grueling duties. Don’t you think you’re taking things a bit too far for someone who’s freeloading here?”
“Oh my, freeloading?! I give you half of the profits every single month. And how many times have I told you that sleeping right after eating is bad for your stomach?”
“Hah! A peak master such as myself has trained internal organs. You don’t need to worry about such things.”
“Do you think masters are some kind of immortals? That you can’t get sick? Anyway, is it true that you obtained a Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Herb?”
“A Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Herb?”
Ah, that thing.
“Yes, the White Dragon Hall Master gave me one a while ago. Why?”
“I heard you ripped him off for it… Anyway, let me see it.”
“Why all of a sudden…?”
“If I ask to see it, just show me.”
At Cheong So-so’s insistence, I opened the wooden box I had left in the corner of the room.
A small wooden case, radiating a glacial chill, was buried among some fruits.
Since I had no intention of consuming it right away, I was using it as a makeshift refrigerator.
Seeing this, Cheong So-so wore a look of utter disbelief.
“Good heavens! To treat such a precious item like that!”
She rushed over in a single step, snatched the wooden case, and opened the lid, her reaction completely unexpected.
After staring at the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Herb for a moment, Cheong So-so…
“*Sniffle, sob. Waaah!*”
Suddenly began to cry, fat tears rolling down her cheeks.
“...Um, Lady Cheong?”
The moment I tried to say something to her, flustered…
*Crash!*
Myo Hyang, who happened to be passing by with dishes to wash, saw the scene and stumbled weakly.
Then, horrified, she pointed a finger at me.
“S-Squad Leader Jin. What is the meaning of this?!”
I didn’t know why, but I felt like I needed to explain myself.
“N-No, it’s not that, wh-what happened was…”
My usually eloquent tongue failed me in my panic. Myo Hyang’s eyes blazed as she charged at me.
“What on earth did you do to So-so!”
“I didn’t do anyth…”
As I was desperately trying to explain, she scanned the room, her gaze fixing on the disheveled bed.
“N-No way!”
“It’s a misunderstanding, Sister. It’s definitely not what you’re thinking.”
Just as the conflict born from misunderstanding was about to explode…
“*Waaaaah!*”
Cheong So-so began to wail.
*Hey, what am I supposed to do if you act like this now?*
“Y-You! You beast of a man!”
Myo Hyang clutched the back of her neck and collapsed.
***
A short while later.
The misunderstanding was cleared up once Cheong So-so finally composed herself.
“I-I’m sorry.”
After hearing the story, Myo Hyang fidgeted and apologized, which I accepted with a magnanimous heart.
“It’s alright, Sister. It was an easy mistake to make. Don’t worry about a beast like me.”
“…”
“Come to think of it, I should probably start eating my meals separately from now on. You can’t share a table with a beast, can you?”
After mending my relationship with Myo Hyang, I spoke to Cheong So-so.
“So, this is the key ingredient for that Frost…”
“Frost Dew Elixir.”
“Ah, the most important ingredient for the Frost Dew Elixir, you say?”
“That’s right. One root of a Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Herb can make three vials of Frost Dew Elixir.”
The amount was larger than I expected, and an exclamation escaped my lips before I knew it.
‘That bastard, Baek Jung-cheon.’
He was a better guy than I thought.
“Phew…”
Calming my racing heart, I asked again.
“I’m just asking out of curiosity… but how much would it sell for? Ah! I’m just curious, so a rough estimate is fine.”
This was the most important question.
“No one would buy it right now. It’s a precious spirit herb, but without being refined by the Cheong family’s alchemical techniques, it’s nothing more than a poisonous plant filled with a potent toxin. Whoever gave this to you without that explanation certainly didn’t do it with good intentions.”
I stand corrected. That bastard Baek Jung-cheon deserved to die.
“Then, what needs to be done to give it value?”
“Naturally, its true value emerges only when the toxins of the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Herb are refined to create the Frost Dew Elixir. And if I succeed in doing that…”
Cheong So-so looked at Myo Hyang and me with determined eyes and continued.
“I will finally have a reason to return to the Cheong family. So, Squad Leader Jin, please entrust the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Herb to me. I’ll give you two of the vials of Frost Dew Elixir that are made.”
“Ah…”
“Oh dear…”
At the unexpected news of her departure, Myo Hyang let out a sorrowful sigh.
And I felt the same.
‘The income from the clinic has been quite lucrative.’
I couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret.
Still.
‘I have to let her go.’
Two vials of Frost Dew Elixir would be worth a fortune.
I steeled my heart, more determined than when I had dealt with Baek Ja-cheon, and spoke.
“I understand. I will give you the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Herb, Lady Cheong.”
Cheong So-so bowed her head, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
“Thank you.”
“In return, you must succeed. I will look forward to the day you return to the Cheong family.”
“...Yes, I will definitely succeed.”
I cheered for her success.
Sincerely.
***
Cheong So-so immediately closed the doors to the clinic.
It couldn’t be helped.
Alchemy wasn’t as simple as brewing medicinal tea.
In modern terms, it would be akin to pharmaceutical manufacturing.
The problem was that this manufacturing had to be done with a furnace and an iron cauldron, not scientific equipment.
In other words, it was a task that only a chosen genius could succeed at, and only by pouring every ounce of their concentration into it.
“I’ll see you in two months.”
After stocking the clinic with plenty of Grain-Abstinence Pills, Cheong So-so said with a resolute look in her eyes. Myo Hyang, sniffling, pulled her into an embrace.
“So-so… don’t push yourself too hard. Okay?”
“Sister…”
Leaving the two of them to their melodrama, I went outside.
“Hehehe.”
I couldn’t hold back my laughter at the thought of soon becoming rich.
Of course, you never know how things will turn out in this world.
‘I shouldn’t get complacent.’
Overconfidence is a killer.
With that in mind, I headed to the clinic where Bukgung Baek was hospitalized.
A subordinate who visits when you’re sick is always the most endearing, isn’t he?
A short while later, I arrived at the clinic and witnessed an unexpected sight.
*Chatter, chatter.*
A large crowd was lined up in front of Bukgung Baek’s room.
“...Wow.”
Looking closer, I saw that most of them were merchants who frequented the Nine Dragons Fortress.
It seemed they were trying to make a good impression on the new supreme master, Bukgung Baek.
It was a scene that perfectly illustrated a facet of the martial world, where might makes right.
‘Sigh, how uncultured can you be…’
To think they’d flock to build connections the moment they hear someone is skilled in martial arts.
I felt I needed to leave the Nine Dragons Fortress as soon as possible to avoid seeing such sights.
“Please make way. ‘Fighting Dragon’ Jin Mujeon is here to see the great ‘Ten-Hand Heavenly Conqueror,’ Bukgung.”
As I quietly passed through them, I overheard the merchants’ chatter.
“That young man is the Fighting Dragon? He looks so young.”
“I hear he’s only a few years past twenty.”
“To have reached the level of a supreme master at such a young age?”
“Indeed. If you get a chance later, try to strike up a conversation. Who knows? He might become a supreme master who commands the world one day.”
“Ahem, hmm.”
Well. I wasn’t a supreme master, but I was something of a supreme master (in training), so they weren’t entirely wrong.
As I arrived in front of the room, not exactly enjoying but feeling the gazes of the people, I met an unexpected person.
“Brother Dan? What are you doing here?”
“I am waiting to receive a lesson from the great Bukgung.”
“From a man who’s sick and groaning in pain?”
“The great Bukgung is one of the few true martial artists in the world. He would not be bothered by a minor injury.”
No, everyone but you would be bothered.
“...What exactly is the standard for a ‘true martial artist’?”
As I stood there with a dumbfounded expression, Dan Un looked at me with his characteristic fiery gaze.
“A martial artist who pioneers the realm of martial arts based on an indomitable will. Just like you.”
“...That’s not me at all?”
I quickly denied it, but Dan Un showed no sign of listening.
“There is no need to be shy. You are the one and only martial artist among my peers whom I acknowledge.”
“…”
“By the way, it seems you’ve had a recent achievement. I heard you defeated the One Star Sword?”
One Star Sword was Baek Ja-cheon’s title.
“Hmm, in terms of the result, yes?”
I did have the help of the ‘weapons’ known as the Energy-Scattering Poison and Pepper Bombs, but since the One Star Sword also used a weapon called a sword, one could say it was a fair fight.
Hearing my answer, the corner of Dan Un’s mouth lifted by about a millimeter.
It was the expression he made when he was extremely pleased.
“It seems you have made great progress.”
*What’s with this guy again? Making me anxious.*
“Could you… just mind your own business and live your life?”
“A lifelong rival is also a lifelong friend.”
“No, how can you and I be friends, Brother Dan? Enemies, maybe.”
“I repeat, there is no need to be shy.”
It felt like I was talking to a brick wall.
“...Alright, let’s just drop it. I came to visit the sick, and now I feel like I’m about to get into a fight.”
I tried to ignore him and enter the room, but his voice reached me again.
“I, too, have made progress.”
At the same time, a flash of sword light flew toward my neck.
“...!”
I quickly raised my hand to block it, but the sword light passed through my hand and neck without leaving a single scratch.
“…”
It was an illusion. One made of killing intent.
A simple illusion with no real power.
However.
‘The visualization of intent?’
This was not something to be taken lightly.
What lay at the end of the technique Dan Un had just shown was the ability to injure with will alone. In other words, the Mind Sword.
Which meant…
“A... a Supreme Master?”
This madman had taken a giant leap and transcended his level.
“I had a small epiphany while meditating.”
‘What are you, an office worker? Getting stronger just by sitting around.’
Meanwhile, I was out there fighting bloody battles and getting stronger by a pittance.
A surge of unfairness welled up inside me.
“It’s the same for you, is it not?”
“Pardon?”
“I am asking if you, too, have reached the level of a supreme master.”
In the past, I would have said no, just to avoid the hassle of getting involved with Dan Un, but now, a desire not to lose welled up first.
“W-Well, of course. You’ll be surprised when you see it later.”
“I look forward to it.”
“O-Of course.”
I quickly moved on, worried he might find out I was bluffing.
Soon, I arrived in front of the room where Bukgung Baek was.
“Hall Master, it is the First Squad Leader. May I enter?”
“Come in.”
When I opened the door, I saw Bukgung Baek, wrapped heavily in bandages, giving me a deep smile.
It seemed he had overheard my conversation with Dan Un.
“...I came to see how you are doing.”
“It seems your pride is wounded.”
“Not really.”
“There is no need to lie.”
“I’m really not.”
Despite my denial, Bukgung Baek gave an answer that had nothing to do with my question.
“It is fine. The growth of a rival incites jealousy, and that jealousy is what drives one’s own growth.”
“...I’m telling you, that’s really not it.”
“I, too, had such a person.”
It was too late now.
I had no choice but to play along.
“Who was it?”
“The late Lord of the Southern Heaven Palace.”
“...I see.”
“It was thanks to fighting him with my life on the line that I was able to reach this state. Of course, I won that day. Hmm? Your eyes look suspicious.”
“N-No, sir. My pupils must have constricted as I was reminiscing about the past.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, sir.”
An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment before Bukgung Baek spoke again.
“Do you want to reach the level of a Supreme Master?”