Chapter 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: One Immortal Sect
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Another dawn just like yesterday had arrived.
I wished I could sleep a little longer, but my eyes opened without fail, and my body moved on its own.
I opened the door and stepped into the courtyard, stretching once before heading to the kitchen.
I quickly washed the rice, set it in the pot, and started boiling a soup with smoked meat when a rumbling voice echoed from behind.
"Bro. Put more meat in the soup. No matter how much rice I eat, my stomach still feels empty."
Hearing this punk nag me at the crack of dawn made my irritation boil over.
"We're out of meat. I'll go hunting during the day."
Heh heh...
"Bro, just take care of Master. I'll handle the hunting."
His mocking laughter made my blood boil.
But I wasn't the type to lose my temper over something like this.
"I know my junior brother is good at hunting, but it's been a while since this senior brother has run wild through the mountains and fields, so I'd appreciate it if you let me go this time."
I tried to soothe him with the gentlest voice I could muster.
But this insolent punk didn't seem inclined to listen.
"Then let's settle it with a spar. If senior brother beats me, I'll yield."
'This bastard I could strangle...'
I clenched my fist and glared at him, but he just grinned cheekily.
This guy, nearly nine feet tall with a massive build, was my junior brother and little brother.
He had entered the One Immortal Sect two years after me and was two years younger, turning eighteen this year.
His family name was Seok, given name Gwang-u, and Master had rejoiced that he possessed the rare Innate Martial Bone.
As Master predicted, Gwang-u began to show his true worth as the years passed.
He absorbed martial arts like a sponge soaks up water, and by thirteen, he had grown so large that he looked down on most adults.
His appetite matched his size—he could eat anything.
He especially loved tiger meat, chewing even the bones.
'He's two years younger, so I should endure it.'
Looking at his muscles bulging like they might burst made my anger subside before I knew it.
And it wasn't just pointless bulk.
His exceptional reflexes, dynamic vision, monstrous strength, and toughness let him take down tigers barehanded.
I was bigger than average with superior physical strength and reflexes, but I couldn't compare.
"Go ahead."
Still, I couldn't hate the guy—his nature was surprisingly pure-hearted.
As the tension left my eyes, Gwang-u shook his head.
"Aw, come on. It's no fun if you back down so easily, bro. Let's spar for old times' sake."
"No thanks. Next time. I have breakfast to make."
No matter how much I yielded, Gwang-u wasn't backing down.
"I'll go easy on you, just once, bro."
Gwang-u grabbed my arm roughly and dragged me.
"I said no. Geez."
Pulled by his strength, I had no choice but to follow him into the courtyard.
Gwang-u planted himself in the center like an immovable mountain or iron wall.
"What're you waiting for, bro? Come on in."
Urged by him, I reluctantly raised my fists, shifting my feet lightly into stance.
If we were sparring anyway, I wanted to knock him down.
The moment I settled into position, Gwang-u lunged first.
Whoosh...
His bowl-sized right fist sliced through the air toward my face.
I ducked slightly, and an iron-hard knee shot up.
I twisted away from the knee, but his left fist dove for my face.
Twisting again to evade, I countered with an uppercut to Gwang-u's jaw with my right fist.
Thwack!
Gwang-u's head snapped back slightly from the impact, and he smirked.
"Not bad, bro. Feels like I'm warmed up now. Let's get serious."
With those words, his fists and feet rained down fiercely.
Whoosh...
Thud! Thud!...
My forearms blocking his punches and kicks went numb, my body steadily pushed back.
I ducked under a punch, thinking I'd dodged, when suddenly his heel dropped from above.
I barely evaded the heel, but Gwang-u spun low, sweeping for my calf.
I leaped over his incoming leg.
Using the spin's momentum, he kicked up repeatedly.
Thud! Thump!
My arms screamed in pain blocking kicks aimed at my thigh and waist.
'Ugh...'
Swallowing a groan, I retreated, only for a bowl-sized fist to fly in.
Smack!
The fist slammed my temple, whipping my head around.
My skull rang, vision blurring.
Flop...
Rolling on the ground, a pained groan escaped me.
Ughhhh...
Hahaha...
Ignoring me, Gwang-u laughed heartily, dusting off his hands as he walked away.
"That was fun, Un-san bro."
Haa...
I lay flat on the ground with a long sigh, staring at the brightening sky.
I'd lost the spar again.
I hadn't won a single one lately, so I had no expectations, but it still stung.
'When will I ever beat that punk...'
As I lay there nursing my bitterness, a cough came from Master's thatched hut.
Cough cough...
"Un-san, put more meat in the soup."
'Damn old geezer.'
Both junior brother and Master—why were they so infuriating?
"We're out of meat, Master."
"Then go hunt some quick. I want offal soup for dinner."
"Got it."
I couldn't fathom how this frail old man, always moaning in discomfort, had such a voracious appetite.
I rose and slowly walked to a sunny spot to perform Breath Adjustment and Meditation.
Since coming to Heavenly Mountain at eleven, I'd handled all the kitchen work.
Even after junior brother arrived two years later, it remained my domain.
Partly because he was young, but mostly because his cooking was inedible.
Not just kitchen duties—I took care of all of Master's needs too.
"Damn it. I need to get out of this place..."
Gwang-u had brought back a massive tiger after a long time.
The well-preserved pelt would fetch good money in the village, and the meat, bones, and organs were all food.
I sliced the meat into large chunks, drying some in the breezy spot and smoking others over the hearth.
I cleaned the organs, boiled soup, and carried rice and bowls to the room, where Master and junior brother greeted us with beaming faces.
Master was truly small-framed.
Short enough to call five feet nothing, skinny as a rail.
With age, his face and hands were wrinkled, his hair pure white.
He could barely move, staying in his room mostly, yet his appetite rivaled any youth's.
Chomp chomp... Slurp slurp...
Watching Master and junior brother devour their rice and soup ravenously, I finally picked up my spoon.
The moment I did, Gwang-u shoved his empty bowl at me.
"Bro, one more bowl."
"Get it yourself."
He chuckled at my curt reply.
"Bro, you sulking 'cause you lost the morning spar? That's petty for a man... A real man has to have a big heart. Like me."
"Yeah, sure, punk."
Heh heh heh...
As Gwang-u laughed and headed out, Master thrust his empty bowl forward.
"One more bowl."
"Argh... annoying."
A grumbled complaint slipped out unbidden.
"You brat!"
Master bellowed, and I snatched the bowl.
"I'll get it, geez."
Tsking followed me out.
"Tch. No manners."
Meals finally wrapped up, dishes done, and Master called us back inside.
"Bro, looks like Master's about to start lecturing again..."
Gwang-u whispered nervously as he followed me in.
Master sat us down and launched into old tales.
"A hundred years ago, a great demon appeared in the martial world with lesser demons. Our Ancestral Master, despite his frail body, was the first to stand against the great demon..."
The moment the story began, Gwang-u and I bowed our heads low.
We'd heard it hundreds of times—our ears were callused.
Best to nod off and wait for the endless drone to end.
"Do you know why our One Immortal Sect settled on this Heavenly Mountain? Ancestral Master left these dying words: the great demon will surely revive, so never lower your guard. You must uphold his legacy, stay here, and prevent the revival."
The interminable lecture seemed over.
We snapped awake, heads still bowed.
"We'll keep it in mind, Master."
I had zero intention of rotting away on Heavenly Mountain till death.
But contradicting him meant more nagging, so the answer was firm.
"You've worked hard today. Go rest."
"You too, Master."
Another grueling day drew to a close.
Tomorrow would repeat today.
How long did I have to rot in these mountains with no one around?
'I'm an idiot. Fell for Master's line about not starving and followed him here.'
Heavy rain poured before full summer even hit.
Gwang-u and I sat under the eaves, staring at the pitch-black sky dumping water.
"Bro, water's dripping inside."
"I know."
The torrent leaked through the ceiling, soaking the room.
It had been raining like this for ten days now.
Red mud from the peaks rushed across the yard toward the base.
Still skyward, I headed to the kitchen.
Rain or snow, bellies needed filling.
"Rain'll stop soon—fix the roof."
"How do you know, bro?"
Gwang-u tilted his big head.
This guy was definitely a martial arts idiot who knew nothing else.
How could he miss the fast-moving clouds after staring at the same sky?
"Just do."
My half-hearted reply only made him tail me, prying.
"You the Jade Emperor or something? How do you know the rain'll stop?"
"Look at the clouds, dummy. They were still, now they're racing."
Gwang-u bolted out and finally nodded.
"Oh... right."
Less than fifteen minutes later, the downpour ceased.
But an unexpected disaster followed on its heels.
Cooking in the kitchen, I felt faint tremors shaking the ground.
'What's this?'
As puzzlement hit, Gwang-u yelled from the roof.
"Bro! Did you shake the pillar from below?"
Before I could reply, the hut door flew open, Master bursting out.
"Earthquake! It's an earthquake!"
Master's shout confirmed it—this was the earthquake I'd only heard of.
I'd never experienced one before.