Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Blade King
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Before the woman and her brother could even step out of the manor, Se Yeong blocked their path.
"You're awake?"
At Se Yeong's question, she threw a punch without a word.
Thwack...!
The siblings, who had been rushing out of the manor, tumbled across the ground.
Everything before their eyes blurred, and an indescribable agony exploded across their faces.
Ugh...
Kuh...
Se Yeong grabbed them by the collars and dragged them along.
Splash!
He hauled them to the well and doused them with cold water, finally bringing them around.
Se Yeong squatted down in front of the siblings.
"Run away, and you die."
He issued the warning, but he didn't expect them to give up so easily.
Even when he was managing those bandits before, none of them listened the first time around.
Only after he unleashed his murderous aura did they finally abandon any thoughts of escape.
'They'll probably try to run again tonight.'
As Se Yeong walked away from the well, Sa Sa Un approached them.
"Give it up. No matter how hard you struggle, you can't take on that guy."
Se Yeong's prediction hit the mark perfectly.
As night deepened, the siblings cautiously slipped out of their room.
The only sound breaking the silence in the manor was the chirping of crickets.
'No matter how hard we struggle, we can't beat him?'
"Let's go."
Scoffing, the siblings bolted straight out of the manor.
But before they could even reach the front gate, a dark figure blocked their way.
The woman tried to throw a punch again.
Whoosh...
But an unfamiliar energy swept over her and her brother.
Guh...!
Ugh...!
Their bodies trembled, their vision darkened, and their knees buckled involuntarily.
Thud...
Unable to withstand the pressure, the siblings dropped to their knees on the ground.
'What... is this?'
She had felt a martial artist's killing intent once before.
Back then, she had turned tail and fled without looking back, but this energy was on a whole different level from that martial artist's killing intent.
This was pure terror itself.
"Back to your room."
The siblings couldn't even respond to Se Yeong's command.
Only after the pressure lifted could they struggle to their feet, and by then, everyone in the manor had come out to watch them.
'What... are these people...'
Only then did they realize that the people in this manor were anything but ordinary.
After finishing breakfast, the squad members headed out of the manor.
"Have the dishes washed and the meat prepped by the time I get back."
Sa Sa Un issued the order to the siblings as he left the kitchen.
"Where... are you going...?"
The older sister hesitantly spoke up.
"You don't need to know that."
Sa Sa Un brushed them off curtly and left the manor with the squad.
He couldn't yet tell them that they were heading to a distant mountain visible on the horizon using lightness skills.
Clack... clack... thud! Thud!
Once the squad had left, the only sounds in the manor were the hammers of the laborers.
"Sis, what do we do now?"
The younger brother asked, but the older sister had no answer.
Just then, Se Yeong and Instructor Kang sat down at the table.
The siblings couldn't even look straight at Se Yeong's face.
No, their bodies were trembling with fear.
"The older one's name is Hwa (Fire), and the younger one's is Gu (Dog), right?"
"Yes."
The older sister quickly answered Se Yeong's question.
"So why are your names fire and dog?"
"They used to be Hwa (Flower) and Gu (Ball)... but we got into so much trouble that they changed them to fire and dog."
"Impressive. Real troublemakers."
Se Yeong's sarcasm made the siblings hang their heads low.
Changing from flower and ball to fire and dog meant they were a handful even at home.
"Why waste your time brawling in back alleys?"
"We didn't start fighting because we wanted to. We were working as errand boys, learning to cook properly, but the guys kept harassing us, so it turned into fights. We ended up getting kicked out of the inn, and then we kept clashing with the thugs who came around..."
Her voice choked with emotion, and she trailed off.
'They're not bad eggs at heart.'
Se Yeong decided to take them in.
He had planned to work them hard and boot them if they were rotten, but their story made them seem decent enough.
"Do you know how to read?"
"...No."
Not that many commoners could anyway.
"Instructor, mind teaching them?"
Se Yeong dumped the task of literacy lessons on Instructor Kang.
"I'll handle it."
Instructor Kang readily agreed and addressed the siblings.
"I'll teach you for one hour each night before bed. Come to my room."
The siblings didn't understand why they needed to learn to read.
But with Se Yeong right there, they couldn't refuse.
"...Yes."
"What's going on? We're putting in way more miners, so why is the gold yield dropping?"
Assemblyman Yi had deployed around seventy miners.
Yet for some reason, the amount of gold they were extracting kept decreasing.
"They're digging from the opposite side of the barren hill, so just wait a bit longer, Family Head."
The family retainers tried to calm the head's anger.
"Wait for what? Gather more miners!"
Enraged, Assemblyman Yi wasn't hearing a word they said.
"We should confirm if there's gold there before sending in more miners."
"Gold was pouring out every day—no need to check. Send in more miners!"
Sigh...
The retainers sighed inwardly.
The back side of the barren hill was full of rocks, making it tough to dig.
It wouldn't be too late to send in more miners after clearing out the big boulders.
"Family Head, the back side is full of rocks and stones. We need to clear them all out first before deploying more miners."
"Quiet! From now on, I'll personally direct the miners! You lot, unsheathe your swords and clear the rocks too!"
The gold in that barren hill would multiply the family's wealth several times over.
With ample funds, they could recruit even stronger experts as guests.
Then, buying those guests' martial arts with money and having the retainers practice them would elevate the family's status immensely.
Hoo... ha...
Paeng Se Gi took deep breaths to steady himself.
Standing opposite him was Se Yeong—his idol and the goal he one day had to surpass.
"Let's begin."
At Se Yeong's words, Paeng Se Gi drew his blade.
Shing...
Just as he drew and shifted his stance, he tilted his head in confusion.
Suddenly, he felt uneasy.
Sparring with Se Yeong, he knew he'd lose for sure—no anxiety there.
But strangely, his body felt chilled and shrank back.
Se Yeong felt the odd vibe too.
Thump.
His heart sank, as if something ominous was about to happen.
"Looks like an important guest is coming. Check outside."
At Se Yeong's order, the squad members scattered urgently in all directions.
But when they returned, they all shook their heads.
"No one's there, Brother Han."
Se Yeong nodded and headed toward the manor entrance.
Paeng Se Gi, following behind, suddenly realized why his body had felt so chilled.
"No way... Father?"
It was like a primal survival instinct.
Ever since he'd grown older, encounters with his father never ended well.
The best outcome was a scolding; usually, it was a beating with a stick.
'Nah, it can't be. No way.'
Paeng Se Gi tried to stay calm.
As the squad headed to the entrance, Sa Sa Un and the siblings peeked out from the kitchen.
Creeak...
The manor gate opened, and a massive middle-aged man strode in imposingly.
His frame was so huge that the grand gate looked small in comparison.
The tiger-eyed man flashed a fierce glare, and Paeng Se Gi, standing behind Se Yeong, rushed forward and prostrated himself.
"Your son... greets you, Father."
The man looked down at his groveling son with blazing eyes.
"Been well, boy?"
Even his voice boomed like thunder.
"Yes. I've been very healthy, Father."
A glint passed through the man's fierce eyes.
'He's changed a lot since I last saw him.'
He knew his son better than anyone.
The old rough, crude aura had been refined into something sharp.
The man shifted his gaze to inspect the squad members.
Then his eyes met Se Yeong's.
"I've come for your head."
Se Yeong bowed politely.
"Welcome."
He wasn't bowing because the man looked strong.
He bowed because the man was Paeng Se Gi's father.
Paeng Se Gi, still prostrated, jerked his head up and shouted.
"Father! Brother has done nothing wrong!"
"Did you just say... brother?"
The man's eyes blazed once more.
Paeng Se Gi didn't back down and yelled back.
"Yes! He's my big brother!"
"You fool... you're begging to die."
"Kill this worthless son instead, Father!"
The man silently watched his son.
Had his son ever defied him like this?
No matter how he thought, he couldn't recall it.
Part of him was proud; another part was furious.
His eyes gleamed with blue ferocity.
"You must be possessed by something."
The man hadn't liked Se Yeong from the first glance.
Those piercing eyes that seemed to see through him, and above all, the unflinching confidence even in his presence.
"Hand over your head."
He demanded it casually, as if pulling something from his pouch.
Se Yeong responded calmly.
"Too many eyes here. Let's go to the woods behind the manor."
Chuckle...
An incredulous laugh escaped the man's lips.
Did that punk really intend to fight him, one of the Five Absolutes of the Martial World?
'No wonder my idiot son fell for him.'
He nodded.
"Fine. Lead the way."
Se Yeong turned without hesitation and headed to the back of the manor.
But to the squad, it looked like he was meekly offering his neck.
Truth be told, Se Yeong was tense too.
If the man behind him struck, his head would be gone in an instant.
The man was that dangerous.
But the man's pride wouldn't allow such a cheap move.
As Se Yeong and the squad vanished behind the manor with the middle-aged man, Sa Sa Un, who had been peeking from the kitchen, rushed outside.
"Where... are you going...?"
At the sister's awkward question, Sa Sa Un snapped.
"To watch, obviously. If things go well, you might be heading home today."
"Home? How?"
"Why do you think? Because Brother Han's head is coming off."
The sister couldn't make sense of his words.
"Who is that big middle-aged guy?"
Sa Sa Un looked at the siblings pitifully.
"You don't even recognize the Heaven Dominating Blade King?"
The siblings could only tilt their heads.
"Heaven Dominating Blade King? You mean... that Heaven Dominating Blade King?"
They were so shocked their eyes widened hugely.
Tsk tsk...
Tutting at them, Sa Sa Un dashed to the back of the manor.
The stunned siblings chased after him.
"No way... it's not really the great hero Paeng Do-il, the Heaven Dominating Blade King, right?"
Good grief.
"Pathetic."
The siblings' shock was beyond words.
No, why had one of the Five Absolutes of the Martial World shown up here?
The Five Absolutes were like immortals, figures you could barely meet even in dreams.