The Raging Wave Sword
Morning.
For martial artists, meals are a serious matter.
No one knew when trouble might strike, leaving them to starve for days on end or make do with a few bigu dan stuffed in their bundle.
That was why most people ate as much as they could whenever they had the chance.
But Gukseon was not one of them.
She was a woman confident in her own strength. The sort of person who never even considered the possibility that anything she did might go wrong.
So the breakfast Gukseon ate was a meager one. Mine, seated across from hers, was no different.
"Will that really be enough for you?"
She said that to me while eating only the barest birdlike scrap herself.
But that wasn’t really a scolding. Even if it sounded that way, I could tell she was saying it because she was worried about me.
"I can have something better for lunch with Senior Sister."
When I answered that way, Gukseon said nothing more.
Still, I caught the faintest lift at the corner of her mouth. Honestly, she really was terrible at being honest.
As I finished eating, I found myself wondering what Gukseon would have been like if she weren’t so prickly.
She would’ve been enormous. Absolutely monstrous, no question.
Countless men would have gone to ridiculous lengths just to get on her good side.
And when I thought about it that way, maybe the reason she had become this kind of person was only natural.
Maybe, for her, this was survival.
Because only by driving everyone away with all her might could she carve out a space of her own.
Everyone needs a space like that.
A place where you can relax without worrying about anyone else, even if it’s only a handspan wide.
We had barely walked half an hour after leaving the city, yet the same day as yesterday had unfolded all over again.
Countless groups had come chasing after the Rippling Wave Sword.
Just how much attention had been stirred up for things to get this noisy?
Lucky or unlucky, the people we met ahead seemed to recognize Gukseon.
The moment they saw her, they turned tail and ran. They didn’t even look back, fleeing with everything they had.
Gukseon didn’t chase after people like that. At least for now, they hadn’t done anything wrong.
Gukseon was not some murderer who killed anyone in sight.
"Senior Sister."
"Yes?"
"Is that Rippling Wave Sword really so incredible? I can’t quite understand why so many people are after it."
"Didn’t you hear what Simhwageom said? If you look at the Rippling Wave Sword alone, there is no finer blade. But the one wielding it is mediocre, so isn’t it only natural that everyone would covet it?"
That was something I had heard already.
Then maybe the reason so many people were after it was simply because this world was crawling with humans.
"Still, there is another reason as well."
"Another reason?"
"What does it mean that the Rippling Wave Sword Fiend is still alive? At the very least, it means that up until now, he has either evaded or defeated everyone who came looking for him. Which means he must possess quite a lot of things worth taking."
Ah. I get it now. So he’s a treasure goblin. They weren’t just after the Rippling Wave Sword.
By the time we’d walked another half hour, the delicate brows of Gukseon had begun to knit together slightly.
Usually, she only looked like that when she saw or heard something.
So she was going to change course now, huh?
Sure enough, Gukseon quietly veered off the road.
Not long after, faint sounds of weapons clashing reached my ears too.
The gap between us was really that big. I was already focusing as much inner energy as I could into my eyes and ears, too.
And yet, the closer we got, the more Gukseon’s expression darkened.
Was it serious? Was there really anything she’d consider serious?
Then the scene came into view, and I immediately understood why Gukseon had frowned.
A dozen or so men lay sprawled on the ground.
And one man was fighting five others at once.
The five were clearly pressing him hard, yet the one man seemed even more relaxed than they were.
With a practiced swing of his sword, he knocked a saber aside, sending it skidding toward the man next to him, and the man who nearly got hit with that saber yelped and hurriedly dodged.
Then, in the tiny opening left when their teamwork faltered, the lone man casually thrust his sword toward another opponent.
With a gasp, one man collapsed. The situation had now become four against one.
"Is that the Rippling Wave Sword Fiend?"
I asked calmly, even after seeing that.
He was certainly formidable, but with Gukseon beside me, he didn’t feel dangerous enough to worry about.
"No. That is the Raging Wave Sword."
If Gukseon knew even his alias, then he was no nameless nobody.
That alone meant he had made a name for himself in this harsh world of martial artists.
While we were chatting, the man called the Raging Wave Sword took down another opponent.
Now I could see why he had earned that title.
His attacks came one after another without pause, fierce as crashing waves.
It felt like I finally understood what people meant when they said things “flowed like water.”
I had always thought strong swordsmanship and supple swordsmanship were opposite concepts.
But looking at this, it didn’t seem like that was necessarily true.
"Watch carefully. His sword will be useful to you."
I guessed the reason Gukseon hadn’t just walked away was this.
Watching another person’s martial arts was always helpful.
And opportunities to witness techniques like this weren’t exactly common.
In the end, the Raging Wave Sword defeated every last one of the men and swept the blood from his hair with a single motion.
Then he turned and walked straight toward us.
Gukseon merely looked at him without so much as a flicker.
"I am Cheon Mo. It is an honor to meet you, Gukseon. But why do you look at me so intently?"
The Raging Wave Sword seemed surprisingly composed. And Gukseon didn’t appear to have any intention of attacking him on the spot either.
So this was different from what happened with Gangtageom.
Maybe this one had a decent reputation. Which meant Gukseon had no reason to cut him down.
Then again, not everyone in the Jianghu draws steel the moment they see one another.
If they did, the places Gukseon passed through would become fields of piled corpses and blood-soaked seas. With her personality and skill, that was completely plausible.
"I was simply watching to see whether you had happened to cut down someone you ought not to have."
"Ha! So even Senior Sister Gukseon can joke now? Surely not. I’m not so foolish that I’d go around making enemies I can’t bear. That’s the only reason I’ve survived this long living like a wandering man of the road. Hahaha."
The man was remarkably bold even in front of Gukseon.
To survive in this cruel world, I guess you really did need that level of shamelessness.
It just went to show that martial skill wasn’t everything.
"Raging Wave Sword."
"Speak, Senior."
"I will spare your life, so why don’t you spar with this child and her sword for a bit?"
"What? No! How could you ask something like that?"
"Then would you rather die?"
Ah. I really wanted to know what a world where Gukseon was gentle would look like.
Why was her personality like this? How could her request sound so much like a threat?
"What? Seriously. I’m speechless. Listen here, Senior Gukseon!"
Raging Wave Sword raised his voice boldly.
And Gukseon, resting a hand on her sword as she narrowed her eyes, let a trace of killing intent bleed out.
"How long am I supposed to spar with her!?"
At that, the Raging Wave Sword immediately changed his tone.
Smart man. Yes. This is how one survives, like the Raging Wave Sword does.
"You may continue until I tell you to stop."
"No! Come now, isn’t that a bit much in a world where wolves and jackals are running wild everywhere? If I’m to do that, shouldn’t I get something out of this as well? Answer me this, Senior. What will you give me?"
Wow. He was brave. He could say that so boldly?
Maybe this man really did have a daring personality after all.
"Even if you act shamelessly, I’ll still spare your life once."
"No! Isn’t that my life too? Do you really think that’s an equal bargain?"
"Then. Would you rather die?"
"Ah, honestly... I mean, who else would it be but Gukseon? Fine! Then do this! Next time we meet, if this fellow is in danger, spare her once. That should be fair enough, shouldn’t it?"
Gukseon stared at him silently, and the Raging Wave Sword swallowed hard.
So he wasn’t actually as fearless as he looked. He was pretty tense too. Or maybe he was just acting that way on purpose.
"Very well."
Only after Gukseon answered did the man’s expression finally brighten.
He probably figured he hadn’t made a bad deal.
Come to think of it, that meant he might get to use one of Gukseon’s interventions.
Maybe he had just earned himself a life.
So the Raging Wave Sword grinned broadly and turned to me.
"Hahaha. Good. Then let us do as Senior Gukseon says. My name is Cheon Ji-o. You might call me a wandering swordsman, and as you just heard, I’m known by the alias Raging Wave Sword."
"I’m Baek Harin."
"What on earth is your story, that you’re traveling with a senior like this? Did she perhaps have something on you...?"
As he said that, he stole a glance at Gukseon and let the end of the sentence trail off before continuing.
"I understand. I won’t say anything unnecessary, so stop glaring at me like that. Good grief, you can kill a man with your eyes."
Even as he grumbled, he never stopped watching me.
There was a little bit of lecherousness mixed into that gaze, of course, but at its core it was curiosity about me.
Just what is this girl that Gukseon would tell me to cross swords with her?
That sort of question, too.
"By the way, is that greatsword yours?"
"Yes."
"Why don’t you get to the point a little faster, you talk too much!?"
Once I started talking more, Gukseon let out a sharp cry, and the Raging Wave Sword, who had been trying to look bold, flinched when he heard it.
So it had all been bravado. He really was walking a tightrope with his life.
No, perhaps this was all part of the act too.
Gukseon, after all, didn’t bully people who flattened themselves in front of her.
"Fine, fine. Honestly. If I’m so frustrated, I’ll just have to become stronger myself."
Then the Raging Wave Sword and I put some distance between us.
"I won’t waste time saying I’ll give you three moves or some such nonsense. So come at me right away!"
That said, he settled into his stance.
A stance worthy of a wandering swordsman. But oddly enough, I found myself thinking that maybe someone like him was the real chivalrous hero.
With that thought in mind, I offered a brief salute, then raised my greatsword and charged at the Raging Wave Sword.