Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Rotten
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Namgung Urin looked at his uncle, Namgung Yul.
Why did you let it get to this point?
Why did you only show these children dream-like hopes and a bright future?
Why didn't you show them the cesspool of the world outside?
Why?
You knew why Namgung Urin went into secluded training at the tender age of thirteen.
Yes, you must have known.
And I fully understand how you feel.
Still, I thought this was wrong.
Look at them.
Look at the spirit of those young members of the Azure Sky Sword Brigade.
It's a spirit filled with the futile hope that their dead fathers, mothers, or families might return.
Does it make any sense to wait for fathers, mothers, and families who can never come back?
They need to face the harsh reality of this cesspool, not a greenhouse filled with hopes and dreams.
Wouldn't they stand a better chance if they clawed their way out of the gutter themselves and confronted the dirty, wretched martial world?
What will become of them if they chase ideals that are only possible in dreams, not reality?
If the Namgung Family falls now, it will likely reach a point where it can never rise again.
That's why.
A spirit filled only with unattainable hope cannot stand against the fierce winds of the martial world.
So I intend to shatter their futile hopes.
Here and now.
Namgung Urin turned to face Namgung Hyeon-u and the three hundred young members of the Azure Sky Sword Brigade.
He had only followed along thinking he would just show his mother a little of his skill.
He had no intention of escalating things this far.
Who am I to lecture them?
But things couldn't go on like this.
His uncle surely knew the reality of their situation.
‘But he’s waiting.’
Waiting for the day they ripen and learn the true taste of the martial world.
But I see it differently.
Is there any need to waste time? It's not that I'm trying to rush things.
It's because I'm worried that the Namgung Family might head in the wrong direction.
No matter how strong I am, this path of revenge is impossible for me to walk alone. Besides, this isn't just my revenge.
If the rising generation of the Namgung Family five years ago had looked like this, I would have said it was right.
But not now.
Absolutely not.
And I hated it. The way the members of the Azure Sky Sword Brigade were looking at me.
Namgung Urin spoke to Namgung Hyeon-u.
“Why aren’t your eyes open properly?”
“...Excuse me?”
He was ignoring me just a moment ago, and now he’s suddenly telling me to open my eyes properly?
There were rumors that the Young Lord was a madman, and it seems they weren't false.
Picking a fight over eyes that are wide open.
‘This is disappointing.’
“My eyes are wide open, Young Lord.”
“Right. Don’t look at me like that.”
That's not the posture of someone seeking to learn a thing or two through a spar, but one that says, 'You're in for it now.'
To me, the Young Lord.
Namgung Urin then swept his gaze over the members of the Azure Sky Sword Brigade.
They all had similar eyes.
Is it right for these people, who will one day pledge their loyalty to me and obey my commands, to be like this?
A glint of madness flashed in Namgung Urin's eyes as he spoke.
“I am your Young Lord. And so, I now command you. Defeat me. Show me that you are all strong! All of you!”
“...!”
The training ground fell silent.
What kind of nonsense is this?
Watching from the upper platform, Family Head Namgung Yul shot to his feet. I knew it.
That brat is causing trouble again.
“Family Head. Please sit.”
“Sister-in-law. We must stop this.”
“It’s interesting. What’s the matter?”
“Interesting? Sister-in-law, Urin could get hurt. No, something could go terribly wrong.”
There wasn't a speck of worry on Yeonhwa's face. Instead, she was smiling.
“He must be confident, don't you think? Let's just watch.”
“...”
Namgung Yul was at a loss for words.
There's a limit to confidence. He was talking about sparring with three hundred people.
Was this even plausible?
It would be one thing if Namgung Yul himself or the Azure Sky Sword Brigade's Commander, Namgung Geon, were to attempt such a thing.
But this was not something Namgung Urin, who hadn't even reached adulthood, should be doing.
“Sister-in-law, this is not that kind of problem. Urin... No, the Young Lord's authority could be completely undermined.”
No matter how far the Namgung Family had fallen, the Young Lord was still its face.
What would happen if the Young Lord, in such a position, made a grand proclamation only to be humiliated?
The mere thought was horrifying.
“Family Head.”
“Yes, Sister-in-law.”
“You don’t trust Urin.”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
‘This is maddening.’
I can't get through to her at all.
Her stubbornness had been a source of strength that allowed the Namgung Family to endure, but this situation couldn't be solved by stubbornness alone.
“Family Head. I raised Urin. I know him. Our Urin is not a madman. Family Head, Urin is a boy who does what he says he will do. I don't doubt him. So, trust me and watch.”
‘Wait, when did I say he was a madman?’
She has a strange talent for bringing up irrelevant things to corner a person.
“Ah, I understand.”
I can just stop it if things get dangerous.
Right.
Namgung Yul tried to think positively, though he couldn't deny there was a hint of coercion.
Meanwhile, the Brigade Commander, its members, and even Namgung Hyeon-u were staring at the Family Head, wondering if it was right to just stand by and watch this madness unfold. But, to their utter bewilderment, Family Head Namgung Yul failed to stop Namgung Urin.
Everyone was dumbfounded.
“...”
Being at a loss for words was an added bonus.
Is it really okay for 300 members of the Azure Sky Sword Brigade to just gang up on the Young Lord, Namgung Urin?
Will he even be able to leave the training ground in one piece?
For all 300 members of the Azure Sky Sword Brigade gathered here to simultaneously…….
No matter how they thought about it, this was madness.
Namgung Urin's words continued.
“Anyone who leaves this training ground without my permission is no longer a Namgung.”
“...”
‘You mean you won't be the one leaving?’
He wanted to ask if Urin was truly confident he wouldn't just talk a big game and then beat a hasty retreat.
He desperately hoped that Urin would admit he had a moment of insanity and back down.
“Use all of your strength.”
‘You'll die if we do. You'll die!’
So the rumors were true.
The Young Lord really was a madman.
“Think of me as the Young Lord of the Baekri Family, or the Young Lord of the Murong Family.”
Unable to listen any longer, Namgung Hyeon-u decided he had to step in.
“Young Lord.”
“Speak.”
“This is madness. You could get hurt, Young Lord. No, you will get seriously hurt.”
“It’s you who might die.”
“...”
It was truly absurd, but seeing his ridiculous stubbornness, Namgung Hyeon-u decided he had no choice. He resolved to take this opportunity to fix the attitude of the Young Lord he was to serve.
“Very well. Then show me. You should be able to defeat me easily.”
Namgung Hyeon-u was confident.
Confident that he wouldn't lose, at the very least.
He always had been.
Wasn't that how he had claimed the top spot?
Namgung Hyeon-u wanted to show him.
To show this so-called Young Lord his skills, the skills of the Azure Sky Sword Brigade, and what kind of time they had endured.
He wanted to show this mad Young Lord, who was acting all high and mighty just because he'd done some secluded training.
The corners of Namgung Urin's lips curled up.
“Fine.”
What can I do if you don't believe me? I just have to show you. It's not that difficult.
“Commander, if you please.”
He was asking for the signal to begin.
“Understood.”
A wooden sword was tossed to Namgung Urin. He caught it lightly in his hand and nodded, indicating he was ready.
Namgung Hyeon-u, gripping his own wooden sword so tightly it seemed it might break, also nodded.
“Begin!”
The signal was given.
But just as it was.
“...!”
“Is that it?”
It was already over.
Namgung Urin's wooden sword was touching Namgung Hyeon-u's throat.
It was the incredible speed of the Flash Thunder Step, a movement technique from the Primordial Chaos Art. Even though he had yet to master it, this was its power.
He was confident that Family Head Namgung Yul and Brigade Commander Namgung Geon wouldn't recognize it, which was why he could use it in front of everyone.
The Namgung Family's ultimate movement technique, the Heavenly Wind Art, and the Flash Thunder Step shared many similarities.
After all, the wind in the sky and the thunder that flashes from it both originate from the heavens.
Ultimately, if the wind becomes faster, it turns into a gale, and if it becomes faster still, it becomes thunder.
Meanwhile, the members of the Azure Sky Sword Brigade were once again dumbfounded.
They hadn't even seen when or how he moved. The moment the match began, the Young Lord Namgung Urin's sword was at the throat of Namgung Hyeon-u, the man who had just taken first place in the ranking competition.
Everyone blinked, trying to confirm what they were seeing.
But nothing changed.
This was reality.
The reality of the martial world, where life and death could be decided in the blink of an eye.
Brigade Commander Namgung Geon froze in place. Family Head Namgung Yul gripped the armrests of his chair so hard they nearly shattered. Had he not kept his composure, his shock would have been enough to splinter them.
Even Namgung Yul himself had momentarily lost track of his nephew's movements.
‘I…?’
Namgung Urin lowered his wooden sword.
“Still think I’m not enough?”
“...I was careless for a moment.”
“Rotten. You think carelessness is an excuse?”
Namgung Hyeon-u admitted he had misspoken. He knew that for a warrior, carelessness was directly linked to death.
“I apologize. That was a slip of the tongue. Please give me another chance.”
“A chance? Fine.”
Namgung Urin gestured to the Brigade Commander again, asking for the signal. The commander nodded in understanding.
Then he gave the signal again.
“Begin!”
It was different from before.
Namgung Urin still used the Flash Thunder Step, moving with a speed that the eye couldn't follow, but this time, his wooden sword didn't stop at Namgung Hyeon-u's throat.
*Thwack!*
Namgung Urin’s wooden sword struck Namgung Hyeon-u’s side.
“Kuhk.”
This time, it was his thigh.
*Whack!*
“Ugh.”
“What are you doing! I told you to think of me as the Young Lord of the Baekri Family.”
“You... you were too fast. I lost you.”
This time, it was Namgung Hyeon-u's shoulder.
*Crack!*
An excruciating pain shot through him, as if his shoulder bone had been shattered.
“Aargh!”
“Then you should have created distance beforehand! Do you think this is a game?”
“N-No, sir.”
“Then did you look down on me?”
“No, sir.”
Liar.
It’s written all over your face.
As Namgung Urin's mastery of the Primordial Chaos Art grew, his eyes, ears, and all five senses had sharpened.
He could now read his opponents just by the expression on their faces.
*Thud.*
*Thwack.*
Namgung Urin's one-sided beating continued.
Namgung Hyeon-u couldn't understand it. His body wasn't listening to him. How had he managed to climb to first place in the ranking competition?
Hadn't he endured with sheer grit and tireless effort? But now, even his greatest talent, his grit, was useless.
His body wasn't moving as he willed it.
No, it felt like it was moving, but it was too heavy. Too slow. Namgung Hyeon-u couldn't comprehend the current situation.
He had never experienced anything like this before.
“Th-that is...”
The Brigade Commander was so shocked he started to stutter.
He was seeing it with his own eyes, but he couldn't believe it. The situation made no sense.
Family Head Namgung Yul shot up from his seat without even realizing it.
“That brat!”
How!
How is he using the Emperor Sword Form, the ultimate technique of the Azure Sky Infinite Sword Art!
Just learning the Azure Sky Infinite Sword Art didn't mean one could use the Emperor Sword Form. The Emperor Sword Form was only possible after mastering the sword art, deeply understanding its meaning and ultimate principles, and breaking through the third stage of the art.
And Namgung Urin's Emperor Sword Form was no clumsy imitation. He was executing it with perfect understanding and precision.
Namgung Urin gave his uncle, Namgung Yul, who was watching from the upper platform, a smirk.
As if to say, ‘I trained properly in seclusion, didn’t I?’
‘...You madman...’
Namgung Urin truly was a madman.
At least when it came to his talent.