After That Day
After that day, Choun-seong holed himself up in his room like a hermit. Of course, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows.
“Aigoo, young master, how pitiful you are.”
Baek No kept showing up at random times, dabbing at the tears welling in his eyes with his sleeve. Still, there was something far more important, so Choun-seong endured it.
I need to start training the Cheondan Divine Art right away.
His body had mostly recovered, and there was no reason to waste time with an absolute divine art sitting right beside him. Especially not in a situation where he had no idea when or how the Blood Sect might strike.
“The moment something happened, they swooped in and kidnapped me. That means they’ve been watching this place.”
He had to grow stronger as quickly as possible. And it wasn’t just because of the Blood Sect. The world of the Cheonryong Chronicle was an absolute mess.
“Getting stabbed while eating at an inn is the baseline. Even walking down the street can drag you into a random fight. It’s a completely insane world.”
It was basically a lawless jungwon. The protagonist was a black hole that sucked in every possible incident, and this world treated near-death experiences like passive skills that popped up whenever it got bored. All because the author had zero planning and just wanted to feed the protagonist experience points.
Seriously, the guy wasn’t Kim Jeon-il or Conan. Why did he have to drag murder cases everywhere he went?
I must never, ever get involved with the protagonist.
In a world where martial arts were the best way to protect yourself, strength was essential if you wanted to stay alive. The conditions he’d been given were perfect. Although he was under house arrest, they had handed him an entire massive pavilion that was far too large for one person, complete with a private training ground.
And that wasn’t all. If he wanted anything, Baek No provided it without question. It was truly a blessing. To think a half-blooded child from a concubine—not even the legitimate eldest son—would receive this kind of treatment.
Compared to his previous life of endless overtime, worrying about rent, and living in a tiny room, this was like dancing on a flower path.
“As expected of a diamond spoon. A life commoners could never even dream of. And the original Choun-seong threw it all away by causing trouble? What an idiot. Ah… that idiot is me now……”
After cursing himself and falling into a pit of self-loathing, Choun-seong took a seat in the middle of the training ground.
Alright. Time to begin.
He wasn’t aiming for a glittering, brilliant life.
Please, just let me survive until the end of the story.
He had no interest in becoming a gacha character that died with a single “ack.” He would survive no matter what and enjoy a life full of sweet rewards in this world.
Choun-seong’s daily routine was simple. He woke up in the morning, trained the Cheondan Divine Art, loosened his body with the family’s martial art Choryu Sword Art, then went right back to internal energy training. It was an extremely rigid schedule, but to him, it was nothing short of a dream.
“As expected, the setting is so loose and sloppy that my internal energy is growing like crazy.”
Maybe because it was the protagonist’s exclusive technique, it really was incredible. The energy in his dantian, which had once been barely a drop, now grew noticeably even if he focused only halfway.
I actually want to learn martial arts properly now.
But a salaryman who had only gone back and forth between home and the office his whole life had never trained his body. Thanks to his cram-study ability, memorizing the formulas was easy, but actually moving his body was pure poison. Even after learning the forms, executing them properly felt shaky. Still, there was nothing he could do about it.
I can’t tell anyone about this secret, so it’s frustrating.
He couldn’t let anyone know he possessed the Cheondan Divine Art. The moment it got out, the rumor would spread like wildfire, and the murim warriors who went crazy over secret manuals would do who-knows-what.
Besides, it wasn’t like the Cheondan Divine Art was the only thing he had. He already possessed half-versions of nearly every top-tier divine art in the current era. If that leaked, he would become an even bigger troublemaker than the protagonist.
He’d be seeing murim warriors with blades in their mouths instead of ghosts, whether he was sleeping or using the outhouse.
“It’s so good, but I can’t tell anyone… Ha……”
For now, he could only take it one step at a time.
Let’s focus on mastering the Cheondan Divine Art first. When else will I get to enjoy this kind of luxury?
There was another reason Choun-seong absolutely had to learn the Cheondan Divine Art. It was written in the appendix at the very end of the novel.
The True Demon Blood Divine Art.
In the story, at five stars it made the entire body as hard as steel armor. At seven stars, it could even deflect sword energy. It was a martial art of the Blood Sect. It granted immunity to all kinds of poisons and prevented death unless your head was severed.
It was called one of the two great demonic arts alongside the technique practiced by the leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult. Within the Blood Sect, only the candidates for the next cult leader were allowed to learn it.
If he could increase his internal energy and learn this art, a life of wealth and comfort wouldn’t be a dream.
But there was a problem. It was only a half-version.
Even the complete version carried the risk of being consumed by the demonic energy and going insane. Learning an incomplete version would send him straight to the mental hospital.
In the original story, he went crazy not long after learning it, right?
In the original, he only learned it after being kidnapped by the Blood Sect, but because of that damned True Demon Blood Divine Art, Choun-seong had turned into a bloodthirsty monster.
To avoid the same ending as the original, he had to avoid the kidnapping route at all costs. However, if he wanted to live a sweet, eternal life, he would eventually have to learn it. He also needed a contingency plan in case he was dragged off by the Blood Sect and forced to practice it.
The protagonist escaped the threat of demonic arts multiple times thanks to the Cheondan Divine Art, didn’t he?
As expected of a legendary technique, it was the ultimate counter to all kinds of vicious and evil arts. To avoid living the life of a gacha character who dies instantly, he had to learn it no matter what.
He would train desperately. He would survive until the very end of the story.
After all, only by surviving could he enjoy the sweet rewards.
After recovering from his injuries, Choun-seong threw himself fully into martial arts training.
Fortunately, unlike his terrible personality, his physical talent wasn’t bad. No, it was far beyond “not bad.” At this level, it was as if he had been born with a golden spoon in his mouth for martial arts as well as wealth.
His bones and muscles were top-tier.
“The author must have thrown in all sorts of settings just to keep this reckless idiot alive until the latter half of the story!”
To make it believable that a notorious madman could slaughter dozens of elite righteous path warriors, the author had given him every possible advantage. The only problem in the original was that he lost his mind and went insane… but if Choun-seong made sure that never happened, who knew how strong he could become?
The rapid progress in his training only made Choun-seong train even harder. The technique he focused on the most was the Choryu Sword Art.
As the name suggested, it was characterized by flexible, willow-like sword movements. While it couldn’t compare to the various divine arts in the original story, it had its own sharp edge, as expected of a technique practiced by the direct descendants of the Cho family.
The fortunate part was that even though he was a beginner, he could execute the forms more smoothly than expected.
Is this a beginner’s perk?
Maybe his body still remembered the martial arts it had learned before.
Whatever the reason, with survival as his life goal, Choun-seong devoted himself to training until he was covered in sweat every day. It was exhausting, but rather than feeling painful, it felt refreshing.
When had he ever sweated like this while living in a tiny goshiwon? The only sweat he’d shed at his corporate job was cold sweat.
The sweat he shed while moving his body intensely was on a completely different level.
He had gained other things as well.
“Whoa! It’s a six-pack. A six-pack!”
The squishy belly fat that had looked like pounded rice cake had been replaced by defined abs.
“Hoo… Is this what internal energy feels like?”
Not only that, but he now possessed the strength of a bear!
When he focused on the heavy sensation below his navel, a hot energy surged up and raced through his entire body.
This was internal energy!
This must be the greatest legal drug the country allows…
He finally understood why murim warriors were willing to kill each other just to increase their internal energy. He lightly channeled that heavy energy into his fist and struck.
Thud!
The thick wooden pillar embedded in the training ground bent as if it would snap.
“If I hit a person with this, it’d be bad.”
It wasn’t a one-punch three-kidney-beans situation. It was more like one-punch three-skulls.
All of this had happened in just a few days.
Am I actually pretty strong now?
But he quickly calmed his excited heart. He couldn’t get cocky. Eventually, this level of strength would be something even dogs and cows could achieve. That damn power inflation… That incompetent author who ruined the power balance.
As he settled his posture to calm his rising spirits, a familiar voice called out.
“Young master! Young master!”
Choun-seong tilted his head as he watched the giant man running toward him.
“Who was this again?”
“Young master! It’s Yeom Choong! Yeom Choong!”
“Ah, right. I hadn’t seen you in a while so I forgot. How have you been, traitor?”
At those words, Yeom Choong replied with a tearful expression.
“That’s too much!”
“I know. So what’s going on?”
“Well… there’s been some trouble because of what happened before.”
“What happened before?”
“The time you bowed your head and apologized to Lady Sima.”
Ah, that? Rumors really spread fast. It had already been ten days.
In this vast land with no phones, how could rumors travel so quickly?
“The retainers are talking a lot. Some are furious that you showed such a pathetic sight in broad daylight.”
At first he didn’t understand what they meant, but thanks to Baek No’s recent lessons, Choun-seong had learned a bit more about this world. There was only one thing he had realized.
“Whether here or there, there are still plenty of people obsessed with saving face.”
If you did something wrong, you should just reflect and move on. But in this world, hurt feelings often led to blades being drawn.
Seeing his troubled expression, Yeom Choong continued with a pitying look.
“When the family head heard the news, he flew into a rage. Baek No is barely holding him back, but it’s not easy.”
“Is it that bad?”
It was more serious than he thought. He had planned to live as quietly as possible and just enjoy the sweet life, but things had blown up too much.
“In the end… it seems you’ll have to step forward, young master.”
“What difference will it make if I go?”
“We have to do something.”
That was true.
“What exactly do I need to do?”
“That is…”
“That is?”
“Well…”
After hesitating for a long time, Yeom Choong finally spoke in a tense voice.
“You must go and see the family head in person.”
“Huh? That’s it?”
When Choun-seong asked again, Yeom Choong hesitated before continuing.
“It’s because you’ve been avoiding the family head, young master.”
Even so, that was a bit much. Choun-seong was momentarily stunned but soon asked again.
“How long has it been since I last saw the family head?”
“Um… you don’t remember?”
“My memory’s been a bit foggy lately as I’ve gotten older.”
“Young master, you’re only sixteen.”
“Sixteen becomes thirty in the blink of an eye, and thirty becomes ninety before you know it.”
Yeom Choong made a sour face, let out a deep sigh, and answered.
“It’s probably been about three years.”
“Three years…? Not three months?”
“As far as I remember, after you were placed under house arrest, you completely stopped visiting him.”
So the villain had a petty side too. He really was all over the place.
“It seems you really don’t remember.”
“My memory’s been hazy ever since I got thoroughly beaten in that sparring match the other day. Could it be amnesia?”
Never underestimate a web novel otaku reader. Mentioning amnesia was the best and most direct move in times like this.
Sure enough, Yeom Choong immediately accepted it. After all, ever since that sparring match, he really had become like a completely different person.
“Then please guide me quickly.”
“Understood, young master.”
The loyal giant, whose massive frame made him look like a mountain, led Choun-seong forward with a face still full of worry.
The place where the inner court and outer court met. It was the family head’s residence.
The moment he stepped out of his quarters, Choun-seong felt a change. His skin was tingling.
He could easily guess why.
Is this what it feels like to sense qi?
Realizing this brought a fresh wave of emotion.
I couldn’t feel this when I passed by this area before. As expected of the Cheondan Divine Art.
One of the effects of the protagonist’s hidden treasure, the Cheondan Divine Art, was to maximize the five senses. He had only been training it for a short time, yet he could already detect countless presences around him. It truly was an amazing technique.
There are so many hidden experts. Is this what it means to be the Cho family?
While they might not compare to the major murim sects, this was a place where enormous amounts of gold flowed. They needed at least this much military power to protect it.
Thinking that the author wasn’t completely brainless after all, Choun-seong looked around as Yeom Choong guided him toward the largest pavilion.