Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Dragon-Phoenix Tournament (15)
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Dang Hwa-seo regained consciousness the next day after collapsing during the match.
She clutched her throbbing head and opened her eyes.
"Are you awake?"
The voice she heard was Mok Ri-won's.
Dang Hwa-seo's gaze turned toward him.
"Young Hero Mok...?"
"You've been lying down for a whole day—I was so worried! Is there anywhere you're uncomfortable?"
At those words, Dang Hwa-seo felt a sharp pain throbbing in her left arm.
That wasn't all.
Her meridians were a tangled mess for some reason, and even as she breathed, traces of poison leaked out in little bursts.
Startled, she tried to hold her breath, but Mok Ri-won waved his hand dismissively.
"I'm fine, so breathe comfortably! I can push out poison like this with my internal energy!"
"Ah...."
Dang Hwa-seo exhaled blankly.
Then, belatedly, something occurred to her—the match.
Her memories before collapsing were hazy.
She had seen some blurred scenery and reached out toward it, unleashing her internal energy.
At the same time, she felt a sense of her chest opening wide, along with new information about a poison she had never known before.
"The match...."
Her cracked voice drew a wry smile across Mok Ri-won's face.
Dang Hwa-seo let out a hollow laugh.
"...Yes, I lost."
"It was a splendid bout. Little Sister, you're the most impressive fighter I've seen since I joined this Dragon-Phoenix Tournament."
Dang Hwa-seo's fingertips twitched.
*I lost....*
She had reached the Peak Realm.
The wall that had blocked her path had crumbled, allowing her to step into a new realm.
From now on, she would be properly classified as a true 'superhuman.'
But what did it matter?
*...A loss is still a loss.*
She had failed to keep her promise to herself.
Clench—.
Her fist clenched with some inexplicable surge of strength.
A sticky anger began to settle over her face.
Dang Hwa-seo was furious that she hadn't even reached Namgung Jincheon in the end.
"...I must have expected too much. Of course, while I've been stagnating, he's been growing without cease."
"It was a brilliant match."
"But a loss is a loss."
Pity rose on Mok Ri-won's face.
*She's deeply disheartened.*
In truth, it had been a match with no chance of victory.
No matter how she struggled, she couldn't have won.
Dang Hwa-seo must have known that too.
Yet she had stood her ground until the end and produced a result.
Mok Ri-won didn't want someone who had proven herself like that to sink into sorrow.
"Little Sister."
"Yes."
"So, what was the favor you wanted to ask?"
Dang Hwa-seo looked at Mok Ri-won.
*Ah, he's trying to comfort me.*
She could tell at once.
Seeing her so dejected, this innocently pure man was trying to offer more words of solace.
*No need for that.*
Whatever it was, a loss was a loss.
Dang Hwa-seo wanted to humbly accept the outcome.
"I'm fine. Since I didn't achieve my goal in the first place, I don't want to lean on pity to make a request."
"Why do you think you didn't achieve your goal?"
A flicker of doubt crossed Dang Hwa-seo's face.
"...Didn't I lose?"
"That's true. But that and your goal are separate matters, as far as I know."
"What do you...?"
"The condition I set from the start was something else entirely."
Mok Ri-won smiled brightly.
"Little Sister, you promised a 'good result in the match.' And breaking through that wall during the match? Anyone can see that's a remarkable achievement. You more than qualify."
Dang Hwa-seo's face went blank.
*What nonsense is this...?*
It was wordplay.
In the context of their conversation back then, the "good result" she had mentioned clearly referred to "victory," and Mok Ri-won would know that.
"So, Little Sister. What was the favor?"
Yet he said it anyway.
With that disarmingly radiant smile and a warm voice.
At that, Dang Hwa-seo suddenly felt her chest tighten.
"...You're really sly."
"Uh, um?"
"Always saying things that bewitch people like that—Young Hero Mok, I wonder if you're some kind of妖怪."
Mok Ri-won flinched in surprise.
"Wh-what do you mean by that? I have no idea."
"Sure you don't."
A stifled chuckle escaped Dang Hwa-seo's lips.
Mok Ri-won's confusion deepened, and amid it all, strands of his hair brushed against her fingertips.
Unthinkingly, she grasped them.
*So soft....*
His hair felt like silk.
Smooth and silky to the touch, it inexplicably lifted her mood.
As Dang Hwa-seo absentmindedly twirled a lock around her finger, Mok Ri-won tilted his head down to make it easier for her, his face smeared with bewilderment.
"So, the favor...?"
"Later."
Dang Hwa-seo murmured with a smile.
She was grateful for his kindness, and part of her wanted to lean into it, but she couldn't just follow her heart recklessly.
"Later, after the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament is fully over—may I tell you then?"
If she made such a request now, it would fluster him too.
With the crucial finals ahead, she couldn't disturb Mok Ri-won's mind.
That was the reason for her answer, and oblivious as ever, Mok Ri-won nodded.
"Mm! Then I'll add a condition of my own!"
"A condition?"
"If I win the tournament, you grant my request!"
"What kind of condition is that? Young Hero Mok gets nothing out of it."
"Why not? This way, you'll cheer for me even harder."
"Pardon?"
Mok Ri-won had propped his chin on the bed in the meantime.
One cheek squished against his hand, making his lips pucker crookedly.
When his eyes curved softly, Dang Hwa-seo felt her heart pounding.
"You have a favor to ask me, so you'll want me to win. If you cheer me on enthusiastically, I'll fight even harder in the matches. So for the sake of my victory, I think it's a pretty fair condition."
He was a妖物.
Dang Hwa-seo pursed her lips, momentarily breathless at his innocent smile.
How could such a bewitching creature exist?
Despite that utterly pure face, his words were so sweet they made her breath quicken.
For Dang Hwa-seo, it stirred another wave of self-loathing.
*It really is his face, isn't it?*
Was the reason she fell for this man truly just his face?
She wanted to deny it, but she couldn't.
Of course, it wasn't solely that reason, but whatever it was, it filled her with shame.
She tried to look away from Mok Ri-won and say something else, but her words inevitably strayed back to her thoughts.
"Young Hero Mok."
"Speak!"
"Don't smile like that anywhere else. Some seductive妖女 will rape you."
Her true feelings laced with a playful tease.
Mok Ri-won's face went pale.
Even as her body throbbed, Dang Hwa-seo shook with laughter.
Her selfish affection hoped for it.
She didn't want to share that bewitching smile with anyone else.
*
The Dragon-Phoenix Tournament was drawing to a close.
Yet the debates over wins and losses, which usually died down around this time, were burning more fiercely than in any of the past few years.
It was only natural.
Hadn't this tournament been full of unprecedented upsets?
Talk of Mok Ri-won was already inescapable, no matter where one went.
And stories about Dang Hwa-seo had become hot topics too.
A martial artist reaching the Peak Realm.
It was a rare sight worth billions, so tales of the internal energy and poison that had erupted from her in that moment showed no signs of dying down.
But amid it all, one figure shone even brighter.
Namgung Jincheon, who had endured that deafening poison bare-handed and claimed victory with ease.
He was the one.
"The Sword Dragon is beyond words."
"That's a real monster. No wonder they're calling him the Next Greatest Under Heaven."
"Hah... I'm jealous. So jealous."
Reactions varied.
Admiration from some, awe from others, envy from yet more.
Everyone clicked their tongues at his prowess, which had crushed even the whispers of potential upsets.
Namgung Jincheon had once again displayed his full power without restraint.
And Mok Ri-won was the one to face him next.
The heat predicting their matchup only grew hotter by the day, and surprisingly, the gambling odds were even at 1:1.
"We'll know next week."
"I'm dying to see the finals. I planned to leave after the semifinals, but it's too thrilling to budge."
And amid that fervor, Mok Ri-won was spending his days as usual.
"Sorry!"
The prestigious clans' greed grew bolder with each passing day.
Dodging it, Mok Ri-won was on the run again today.
His destination was, as always, Dang Hwa-seo's recovery quarters.
Mok Ri-won was the dutiful hero who never forgot her request.
Sprinting through the streets, he veered into an alley.
Then he leaped into the air, bounding from rooftop to rooftop.
He arrived at the gates of the manor.
"Muk Geom."
A deep, resonant voice stopped him.
Mok Ri-won halted abruptly.
Because the one calling him now was someone he couldn't just brush off.
"Spear Star Sword?"
Spear Star Sword Namgung Un.
Nephew of the Sword King and uncle to the Sword Dragon.
The Namgung Clan's pride, a Peak Realm master.
He approached Mok Ri-won with a smile.
"You're busy as ever today. Heading to the Poison Phoenix?"
"Ah, yes...."
Mok Ri-won grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
Namgung Un chuckled at his dopey expression and continued.
"Don't be nervous. I'm not here for the same reason as those other famous clans. The Namgung family doesn't have a daughter to pair you with anyway."
"Th-that's not the reason...."
"Muk Geom. Got a moment?"
Mok Ri-won blinked.
"A moment? Sure, I suppose...."
"The Retired Clan Leader wants to meet you."
Thud—.
Mok Ri-won's movements froze.
The Namgung Clan's Retired Clan Leader.
That title pointed to only one person.
"...The Sword King?"
Sword King Namgung Hyeok.
He wished to meet Mok Ri-won.
*
The manor where the Namgung clansmen resided stood imposingly in the center of Seo Hyeon.
As Mok Ri-won entered, he couldn't help but let out an admiring exclamation.
"What a charming place."
"Thanks for the kind words. The Clan Leader would be thrilled to hear that."
"The Clan Leader?"
"Yes, my brother. He's the one who designed this manor. He loves the pines of Mount Huang so much that he uprooted a few from there to make that pond."
Mok Ri-won's gaze shifted to the massive pond in one corner of the manor.
As he said, a few elegantly shaped pines encircled it.
"I see...."
"Enough chatter—let's go. See that building ahead? That's where the Retired Clan Leader is. Have a good time."
Namgung Un flashed a hearty smile, patted Mok Ri-won's shoulder, and departed.
Not a trace of lingering.
Only then, left alone, did Mok Ri-won feel tension rising.
*The Sword King is in there....*
Mok Ri-won swallowed dryly.
Sword King Namgung Hyeok.
Setting aside his status as a representative sword master of the righteous faction, he held special meaning for Mok Ri-won.
*One of the previous generation's masters who still remembers Master.*
In his childhood in the remote mountains of Gang Seo, Mok Ri-won had heard endless stories from Ma Il-seok until his ears rang.
—That insolent bastard. Do you know how arrogant he is? I was a hothead in my youth too, but compared to him, I looked like a saint. Heaven must be blind—born into a great clan on top of it all, pulling off such tyranny it makes my blood boil.
According to Ma Il-seok, the most savage-tempered master in the righteous faction.
Mok Ri-won pondered why such a man had summoned him.
Recruitment overtures, or perhaps scouting his grandson's opponent in advance.
Many reasons came to mind, but the most plausible was one.
*...He saw through my martial arts.*
He had heard there were countless untold incidents between his master Mok Seon-o and Sword King Namgung Hyeok.
Thus, he might have recognized the Star-Link Divine Art and Meteor Seven Swords in his matches.
In other words.
*He might know the star I was born under.*
Mok Ri-won's expression hardened.
His heart began pounding with anxiety.
If the Sword King had sensed the Heavenly Slaughter Star and summoned him for that reason, his intentions could be harmful.
Mok Ri-won steadied his breathing and set his face resolutely.
*...I'll find out when I see.*
Fleeing now would be pointless.
Mok Ri-won chose to face it head-on.
He stepped toward the building Namgung Un had indicated, and upon reaching the door, a waiting guard opened it.
"Come in."
A towering old man seated cross-legged in the room's center spoke.
Mok Ri-won sensed not a shred of internal energy from him, confirming his suspicion.
*Return to Pure Simplicity.*
The realm where immeasurable power made one seem devoid of energy.
Clear proof of the Transcendent Realm.
As Mok Ri-won stepped in, the door shut with a thud.
Whoosh—.
A barrier enveloped the space.
Now, only silence filled the vast chamber.
After gazing at Mok Ri-won for a moment, Namgung Hyeok spoke.
"Where is the Sword Saint?"
Their eyes met.
At his words, Mok Ri-won realized his guess was correct and clenched his fist.
*He knows after all.*
What should he say in response?
What was the true intent behind that question?
As he pondered briefly, Mok Ri-won recalled something more urgent.
—Hide your sect. Among those who remember the blood history, some might uncover your identity through it. Surely some view the star you were born under as dangerous.
Ma Il-seok had told him to hide his sect.
To conceal the Heavenly Slaughter Star, hide that proud lineage.
But look now—was there reason to hide it?
No.
At this moment, there was no need.
No, it was right to reveal it.
The giant before him already knew his identity.
He was asking after his master's well-being first.
In that case, the proper response was to show due respect.
"I pay my respects to the Sword King."
Mok Ri-won formed a fist salute.
"I am the eleventh disciple of the Star-Link Sect, Deputy Sect Leader Mok Ri-won."
For the first time since entering the jianghu, Mok Ri-won proudly declared his sect.