Chapter 10
"Didn't that one just come in?"
As Cheon Un-gwang frowned, Byeok Han-seong raised the corner of his lips.
"Did you not say, Instructor, to point out anyone at all?"
'This reckless fool.'
When Byeok Han-seong seized on his words, killing intent rose in Cheon Un-gwang's eyes.
The reason the Ten Demonic Heirs candidates had been brought to this Hell Island was not to leisurely teach them martial arts.
But the trainees here had passed through the First Gate and boarded the ship just as they were.
Because of this, unlike Bu Eun-seol, they maintained an attitude as though they had simply come to a martial academy.
'I must endure it. For now, at least.'
Suppressing the anger that surged up, Cheon Un-gwang spoke flatly.
"Do you intend to demonstrate how to wield a sword against a fellow from the Beginner Hall? Choose someone else."
"Understood."
Byeok Han-seong winked one eye at Bu Eun-seol, then stroked his own neck. As if to say he was lucky to have kept his life.
From Bu Eun-seol's standpoint, it was an act bordering on mockery, beyond contempt.
"In that case, I shall—"
"I will do it."
At that moment, Bu Eun-seol stepped forward.
"I will duel with him."
"What did you say?"
Killing intent flowed from Cheon Un-gwang's eyes.
Sa-u or Jin Gak were, for people called demonic practitioners, relaxed in nature and devoid of killing intent.
But Cheon Un-gwang was different. He was a genuine demonic practitioner—short-tempered and violent.
'These fellows, every one of them, think they've come to Hell Island for a picnic.'
After scanning Bu Eun-seol with sharp eyes, he spoke again.
"Have you trained in the sword from the beginning?"
"No. I first learned how to use a sword from Instructor Jin Gak in the Beginner Hall."
"A fellow from the Beginner Hall wishes to duel with those about to advance to the Upper-Level Hall?"
"If we cross swords, I believe I will be able to learn and master the sword a little faster."
At Bu Eun-seol's words, a sharp light flashed in Cheon Un-gwang's eyes.
'He's struggling to protect his meager pride.'
Cheon Un-gwang let out a scoff.
He thought Bu Eun-seol, unable to gauge his own skill, was acting recklessly to protect his pride.
Of course, half of that was correct.
Because Bu Eun-seol's pride truly had been wounded.
'There is no longer any reason to endure.'
When he had lived happily with his grandfather, Bu Jan-yang, he could naturally endure mockery and contempt.
But now, without his grandfather, he did not wish to live being pointed at like a bug without reason.
"Coolly assessing one's own skill before acting is also a virtue of a martial artist."
Cheon Un-gwang, wearing a blatant sneer, nodded.
"It will serve as a fine example. I permit it."
Cheon Un-gwang pointed to a wooden sword placed at one side of the martial hall.
"I sincerely hope your skill is worthy of advancing to the Upper-Level Hall."
Bu Eun-seol said nothing and gripped the wooden sword.
As Bu Eun-seol picked up the wooden sword, Byeok Han-seong smiled with satisfaction.
'A windfall.'
There were many prodigies here who were exceptionally capable.
He, who wished to go beyond the Upper-Level Hall and certainly become an inheritor of the Fire Rain Sword Sect, wanted to properly make an impression this time.
"You've got some nerve."
Byeok Han-seong, approaching with his wooden sword raised, whispered low.
"But it's difficult to survive in the murim on hot-bloodedness or recklessness alone."
"Then begin."
No sooner had Cheon Un-gwang's words ended than,
Paaat!
A swiftly extended wooden sword drove toward Bu Eun-seol's forehead.
He had used the Fire Rain Thunder-Splitting Sword forms he had learned so far like a fast sword.
Hwik.
But Bu Eun-seol lightly twisted his body.
At the same time, Byeok Han-seong's form uselessly grazed past empty air.
"Not bad."
Byeok Han-seong, not particularly surprised, swung his wooden sword again.
Bu Eun-seol unfolded the Fire Rain Thirteen Forms he had learned so far and thrust at Byeok Han-seong's side.
Clang!
But unlike what he had intended, Bu Eun-seol's wooden sword collided with Byeok Han-seong's.
Byeok Han-seong had skillfully swung his sword to guide Bu Eun-seol's sword into a clash.
Rumble.
In that moment, the tips of Bu Eun-seol's fingers gripping the wooden sword trembled.
Having trained in the sword for only a short period and possessing no internal energy at all, Bu Eun-seol could not withstand Byeok Han-seong's physical strength and internal energy.
'He really was a beginner.'
Feeling the force transmitted to his fingertips, Byeok Han-seong wore a sneer.
'He kept up such a calm, unbothered attitude that I thought he had something to him.'
With a derisive snort, Byeok Han-seong swung his wooden sword.
"Take a form of the Fire Rain Thunder-Splitting Sword."
Whoosh.
Byeok Han-seong's Fire Rain Thunder-Splitting Sword, cleaving through the air, was as sharp and fluid as the sword techniques of the foremost masters of the Martial World.
"...?"
But as time passed, Byeok Han-seong became aware of a strange fact.
Because Bu Eun-seol evaded his attacks with such ease, his own sword strokes were made to look utterly pathetic.
'This bastard!'
He had most certainly executed his sword strokes with perfect control of his sword, yet Bu Eun-seol was moving his body beforehand, as if he had already predicted the sword trajectories.
It was thanks to the ability of the Way of the Beast, which granted senses so acute that he could even perceive the flow of the air itself.
"Hm."
Just then, a low hum from Cheon Un-gwang flowed into Byeok Han-seong's ears.
That voice clearly carried disappointment.
'And on top of that, that bastard...'
Cheon Un-gwang, who had been watching Bu Eun-seol's movements, furrowed his brows.
It looked as though Bu Eun-seol was moving quickly to avoid the sword strokes, but in reality, he was evading them as if foreseeing each stroke by watching Byeok Han-seong's movements.
'Surely he hasn't learned the Way of the Beast?'
Cheon Un-gwang soon shook his head.
Langya Pavilion called the Way of the Beast a basic martial art, but in truth, it was an ultimate martial art that only battle-hardened veterans among Langya Pavilion's masters—those who had survived countless brushes with death—could learn.
Even if one were a peerless prodigy under heaven, it was not a martial art that could be learned in a mere fifteen days.
"If all you do is dodge, you won't be evaluated."
Cheon Un-gwang, who had been watching the duel the entire time, spoke to Bu Eun-seol.
"This instructor told you to hold a sword and duel. I never told you to show off keen perception and reflexes."
At that sharp remark, Bu Eun-seol stopped moving and raised his wooden sword to the center.
"..."
He was finally about to unfold his sword techniques.
Whoosh!
As the sword strokes unfolded, not only Cheon Un-gwang but also the eyes of the trainees watching nearby grew wide.
"The Fire Rain Thirteen Forms?"
The sword strokes Bu Eun-seol unfolded were none other than the Fire Rain Thirteen Forms he had learned in the Beginner Hall.
The problem was that the Fire Rain Thirteen Forms consisted of sword strokes designed to teach the fundamentals of Sword Studies.
In other words, they were composed of light, gentle movements that were utterly useless in real combat.
"Crazy bastard."
Seeing the slow, flowing form of Wind Lightning Myriad Miles, Byeok Han-seong was dumbfounded.
"A form I could dodge with my eyes closed."
He lightly turned his body and evaded the sword stroke.
But then a strange thing happened.
It was certainly an ordinary form of Wind Lightning Myriad Miles.
Yet the Wind Lightning Myriad Miles that Bu Eun-seol unfolded trembled once more in midair, and then slashed at Byeok Han-seong's head.
Whoosh.
As the tip of the wooden sword grazed the ends of his hair, a chill ran down one side of Byeok Han-seong's chest.
'What is this?'
Swish.
Once again, as Bu Eun-seol's wrist flicked, at the very moment the form should have ended, the form of Wind Cloud Shattering Sky came pouring down from above his head.
'This is supposed to be the Fire Rain Thirteen Forms?'
With no room to dodge, Byeok Han-seong had no choice but to raise his wooden sword and block.
Clack!
As the sound of wooden swords rang out, the sighs of the trainees reached his ears.
—To think he couldn't block a mere movement of Wind Cloud Shattering Sky and had to clash swords.
'Don't make me laugh!'
Byeok Han-seong gritted his teeth.
'That is not the Fire Rain Thirteen Forms.'
On the surface, the movements were unmistakably those of the Fire Rain Thirteen Forms, clear for anyone to see.
But the sword trajectories were subtly different, and above all, hidden within every single movement was a sharpness and killing intent.
This was like reaching out to pet what one thought was a puppy, only to have one's throat bitten by a wolf that had hidden its fangs.
Thwack!
This time, Bu Eun-seol's sword stroke thrust toward his chest.
It was the simple form of Single Wheel Dark Moon.
'This worthless—!'
As Byeok Han-seong raised his wooden sword to block, the form shifted subtly once more and stabbed into his lower abdomen.
'This bastard is toying with me right now!'
Byeok Han-seong trembled with rage.
He believed that Bu Eun-seol had deliberately hidden his true skill and was cunningly altering the Fire Rain Thirteen Forms to humiliate him.
'He staged this whole farce on purpose to stand out before entering the Upper-Level Hall.'
Byeok Han-seong had thought of Bu Eun-seol as prey caught in a trap he had laid, but the reality was the opposite.
It was clear that Bu Eun-seol had intentionally visited the Fire Rain Sword Sect late, intending to enter the Upper-Level Hall in one stroke and make an impression.
'Damn it.'
Feeling the stinging gazes of Cheon Un-gwang and the other trainees, Byeok Han-seong bit his lip.
'Since it's come to this, I'll beat you to a pulp, then climb to the Upper-Level Hall!'
Whirr.
Suddenly, the sword strokes Byeok Han-seong was wielding changed.
Thud-thud-thud!
The wooden sword, tracing a semicircle in the air, split into multiple shadows and dug into Bu Eun-seol's vital points.
Not only did each thrust come at a different speed, but the movements themselves were highly unusual.
Whoosh, crack.
Having mastered the Way of the Beast, Bu Eun-seol was barely able to evade Byeok Han-seong's sword strokes.
But because his sword technique was so fast, the tip of the wooden sword grazed his skin and muscle.
Had it been a true sword, Bu Eun-seol would have suffered wounds both large and small.
'To make me use my hidden cards already.'
"You brat!"
Byeok Han-seong swung his wooden sword rapidly, pressing Bu Eun-seol.
'So he was a disciple of the Asura Sword Sect.'
Cheon Un-gwang, who had been watching the duel between the two, narrowed his eyes.
The sword technique Byeok Han-seong had just displayed was the Asura Sword Sect's killing move, Blood Wind Guarding the Moon.
'Well, it doesn't matter.'
Cheon Un-gwang clicked his tongue.
In any case, this duel was merely to confirm how skillfully one could wield a sword. Even if he used another school's sword studies, there was nothing to say about it.
Crack!
At that moment, wooden sword clashed against wooden sword once more.
This time, unable to completely evade the Asura Sword Sect's special technique, Asura Moon Horn, Bu Eun-seol had raised his wooden sword to defend.
Crack!
As the wooden swords collided, the difference in power was starkly revealed.
Pushed back by Byeok Han-seong in both internal energy and brute strength, Bu Eun-seol was ultimately driven into the corner of the martial hall.
'Got you!'
Byeok Han-seong, who had quickly closed the distance, rejoiced inwardly.
For the specialty of the Asura Sword Sect was the Chaotic Sword, unleashed at point-blank range.
'You little—!'
Gripping his wooden sword short, Byeok Han-seong let out a thunderous battle cry toward Bu Eun-seol, who was cornered.
"Haap!"
The Asura Sword Sect's special technique, Violent Lightning Whirlwind, poured forth.
Whirr!
The sword strokes, endlessly pouring out in circles, preemptively occupied every one of Bu Eun-seol's escape routes.
THUD-THUD-THUD!
With dull sounds, Bu Eun-seol was struck, as if entangled by the forms of the Violent Lightning Whirlwind.
—Incredible!
Exclamations of admiration burst from the trainees inside the martial hall.
The forms of the Violent Lightning Whirlwind that Byeok Han-seong had displayed were so swift and fluid that even an ordinary murim master would have found them difficult to defend against.
'That bastard!'
But Cheon Un-gwang's eyes, who had been watching the scene, gradually widened.
He had discovered that the 'balance' of Bu Eun-seol's two legs, even as he was being struck by Byeok Han-seong's sword strokes, was not disturbed in the slightest.
'The Way of the Beast...'
Cheon Un-gwang's expression hardened stiffly.
Only now did he realize that Bu Eun-seol had mastered the Way of the Beast, the foundational martial art of Langya Pavilion and a True Body Special Skill.
'It was intentional.'
Narrowly evading the sword strokes to induce Byeok Han-seong's unease.
Making Byeok Han-seong, unable to overcome his impatience, pour out his special techniques and exhaust his stamina.
He grasped that all of it had been Bu Eun-seol's intention.
Sssk.
Cornered and being struck by the wooden sword, Bu Eun-seol's two legs and hands moved subtly.
"Uwaaak!"
The moment the barrage stopped, a wretched scream rang out.
The trainees watching the duel were aghast at the sight.
For the one who had let out the scream was none other than Byeok Han-seong, the one who had been pressing the attack.
"Keuugh."
Bu Eun-seol's thrust wooden sword was lodged in the very center of Byeok Han-seong's chest, at the central chest acupoint, as he stood with his wooden sword raised above his head.
Byeok Han-seong, sensing he had seized victory, had raised his sword to smash Bu Eun-seol's skull.
But at that moment, Bu Eun-seol had extended a lightning-fast thrust and pierced his central chest acupoint.
Glaring down at Bu Eun-seol with wide eyes, Byeok Han-seong asked.
"The name of this form is..."
"The Fire Rain Thirteen Forms, the thirteenth form, Boundless and Limitless."
"...You're saying this is the Fire Rain Thirteen Forms."
With an absurd expression, Byeok Han-seong glared with bulging eyes, and then—
Thud!
He collapsed to the floor of the martial hall as if crumbling.
"Hm."
Letting out a low hum, Cheon Un-gwang checked the pulse of the fallen Byeok Han-seong.
His pulse had completely vanished, and the pupils of his wide-open eyes were greatly dilated. He had been struck in the central chest acupoint by Bu Eun-seol's single sword and had died on the spot.
"..."
A silence like death itself flowed through the martial hall.
It was as if an invisible demon's hand had seized the throats of everyone except Bu Eun-seol.