#102 Master, Full Course?
Early in the morning, as Kang-ho opened his eyes, Seol-a stirred awake, curled up against his side. She blinked slowly, then sniffed at him with a little sniff sniff.
"Daddy."
"......"
Kang-ho still wasn't used to that title.
"Goin' again?"
Seol-a's face lit up with excitement. Kang-ho gazed at her quietly, then poked her plump cheeks.
"Yeah?"
"Does Seol-a like training?"
At his question, Seol-a nodded vigorously.
"Yeah!"
She mustered her limited vocabulary to explain. "Fun!"
A blue aura rippled faintly from her entire body. Kang-ho gave a wry smile.
"I see."
Training this little one for war had become part of their recent routine. Her body brimmed with energy, so releasing it was important.
But still.
No one in the world would want to send a kid who called them "Daddy" into battle.
"......"
Kang-ho felt a complicated swirl of emotions. As he rose from bed with a troubled expression, King emerged from the kitchen, staring intently at his smartphone screen while cooking, and nodded.
"You're up?"
"Yeah."
"Today's breakfast is kimchi stew. Crabs are in season right now, so I got some big, plump Big Horn Crabs. With those, I..."
"......"
Kang-ho glanced toward the kitchen.
"Made kimchi stew."
"Quite the inventive recipe."
King's cooking repertoire mostly revolved around variations of kimchi stew—the only changes were the ingredients. Big Horn Crabs were similar in size to king crabs, horned beasts at their peak yield this time of year. They were tasty enough that plenty of restaurants specialized in them.
'Though probably not many serve them in kimchi stew.'
King brought out steaming bowls of kimchi stew, glancing at Kang-ho repeatedly.
"What?"
"Nah, I just... can't get used to it, no matter how many times I look."
And it was true—Kang-ho looked even younger. Taller, too, with skin now a flawless pale tone. His shoulders seemed broader, his proportions perfectly balanced.
'My bro really looks like a celebrity now.'
"I was shocked when I saw myself in the mirror."
Kang-ho nodded nonchalantly and turned to his smartphone.
Group chat. Been a while—might as well catch up.
'Hm?'
Kang-ho tilted his head and asked King, "You got a ranking match?"
King jumped in surprise and looked at him. "Ah, yeah."
"Who?"
"Jet."
Jet. Among the newly promoted SS-ranks, he was 11th, hot on King's heels. Affiliated with the Colosseum of the Four Great Sects, a young talent who wielded his long spear with effortless grace.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
King scratched his head sheepishly. "Well... you've been busy lately."
And it was true—the intense training for the impending decisive battle was in full swing.
Crunch crunch!
Kang-ho watched Seol-a devour her kimchi stew ferociously. She clutched a massive claw in her tiny hand, gnawing away at the shell. It was her first time eating crab.
After chewing the shell for a good while, Seol-a looked at Kang-ho. "Daddy. Strong."
"......"
Kang-ho placed some neatly extracted crab meat on her plate, took her claw, and began picking more.
"It's an event match filling the slot for Tao En and Xiao Shin's main bout. A ranking battle to claim that spot. So right now, it's like..."
King blinked and added, "A prelude to that."
"Makes sense."
King scratched his head, looking bashful. "I'll probably be competing against this generation's top rankers for the rest of my life."
That was right. Like it or not, King would face off against his generation's rivals forever.
"So, I wanted to try handling it with my own strength."
"Yeah?"
Kang-ho smiled faintly. It was a commendable mindset.
"I want to climb higher—much higher. And to do that, I need to hit my current limit again."
"Good thinking."
Kang-ho scooped more freshly picked crab meat onto Seol-a's plate and gently stroked her cheek as she wrestled with another claw.
"Go clash with even higher rankers without holding back. You've got those battle-hardened old-timers in Seoul, right? For martial techniques, Jun-woo and Ho-young know their stuff deep."
"......!"
"Drop my name and go wild."
King clamped his mouth shut. A sharp zing pierced his heart.
'Bro's the best!'
King nodded. "Thank you."
"Sure."
Kang-ho mixed Seol-a's rice with the innards and broth as she battled the crab's shell and eyes.
King sneakily pulled out his smartphone and opened his notes app, jotting furiously.
[1. Why meddle in kids' fights? (So cool. 5.0/5.0)]
[2. Your life's worth ain't that high yet. (Super cool. 4.8/5.0)]
[3. Prepare for the future. (5.0/5.0)]
[4. No need to thank me. (5.0/5.0)]
[5. Go drop my name and go wild. (So reassuring. 5.0/5.0)]
Suddenly, Kang-ho's smartphone buzzed loudly again.
"Yummy!"
As Seol-a aggressively demolished her crab bibimbap, Kang-ho answered the call.
"Yeah. Some kids only listen after a good beating."
Bassago flinched on screen, glanced at Kang-ho, then bowed deeply.
Kang-ho nodded. Breaking a few limbs had worked wonders.
"Oh, if it isn't King."
Park Jun-woo eyed King. His wrinkled eyes curved into crescents at the sight of the young man arriving with a backpack that morning.
"H-Hello, Sword God Master."
"Enough with the 'master' stuff. Haha!"
He clapped King on the shoulder, beaming. "Thanks to Kang-ho, my old age has been a blast. A real blast."
King observed Park Jun-woo. If Kang-ho looked like his peer, Park Jun-woo fit the elder image perfectly. Like Im Cheol-bae as an unyielding mountain, Park Jun-woo evoked a flowing river—slender, almost frail. Yet he embodied fluid adaptability, like water itself. Dressed in simple training robes, three swords at his waist.
His prized disciple, Han Yu-wol—who'd inherited that very essence—bowed politely.
"Welcome, King."
King bowed back. "Thank you for the warm welcome."
"Kang-ho specially asked. He doesn't do that often."
"Yes......"
Zing— King's heart clenched with emotion again.
'Bro's the absolute best.'
"Specially... for the full course."
Park Jun-woo said with a pleased smile.
King flinched. Han Yu-wol stepped back warily.
"......?"
Han Yu-wol asked cautiously, "Master, full course?"
"Yes. Full course."
"Will he be okay...?"
"What choice do we have? Hahaha!"
King sensed fear in Han Yu-wol's eyes.
"Uh......"
"Right? Kang-ho—that Kang-ho—specially asked me after ages. Hahaha!"
Han Yu-wol closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. Then he gripped King's hands tightly.
"May you rest in peace."
"Y-Yes...? Wait, what?"
"It's been ages since Master's been this thrilled. Ten years, at least."
"Ten years...?"
"......It was rough."
Han Yu-wol shook his head again.
"Come on, let's go."
Park Jun-woo, in high spirits, led King to the edge of the Sword God Sword Demon's estate. Pushing open the iron gate revealed an armory brimming with weapons.
"Whoa..."
King's eyes widened at the meticulously arranged arsenal.
As he examined them one by one, his gaze landed on the far side.
"Huh?"
Treasured like sacred relics were gear sets treated far superior to the rest. They looked crude, forged from quality iron in diverse forms: swords, blades, spears, staffs, blunt weapons, and variants—all impeccably maintained, defying their age.
"Th-Those...?"
"Hm? Oh."
Park Jun-woo smiled at them. "Know what that glove-like weapon is?"
"This one?"
It resembled gauntlets with razor claws protruding like beast talons.
"Called Tiger Claws. In English, Claw Gauntlets. Kang-ho used it in his youth. Back when the war first broke out, magic stones and artifacts weren't common."
"Ah......!"
Kang-ho's weapon before Oerblade. Crude yet brimming with primal ferocity, testifying to its storied past.
King shifted to the others.
"The rest were used by our old friend."
"You had many comrades."
"Hm?"
Park Jun-woo blinked, as if puzzled.
"One guy."
"Pardon?"
One person wielded all these? Over ten types?
"His name was Kang Jun-seok. Codename: Weapon Master. Our longtime friend... and wall."
Park Jun-woo's face bore a bittersweet smile.
"......!"
A name unheard before. Kang Jun-seok, Weapon Master.
"We all tasted our first defeat against him—and saw our first true wall. A total monster, that one."
He closed his eyes, reminiscing.
"And..."
King waited quietly.
"He learned the full course training method."
"......?"