Chapter 2: Master and Disciple (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 2: Master and Disciple (1)
Demonic practitioners were mercilessly slaughtering the wandering warriors.
Embroidered on the chests of their pure white martial uniforms was a black sun overlapping a red moon.
It was an emblem Nameless knew all too well.
‘That’s the uniform of the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult!’
The energy swirling around their bodies churned like thick, filthy mud—a truly ominous and dark power.
It was unmistakably Demonic Qi.
Thick veins bulged on the back of the hand Nameless used to grip his sword.
"To think I would see those devils again."
In his past life, the Sword Emperor and the Namcheon Palace had sacrificed everything to destroy the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult. He had thought they’d perished together, yet here they were, still active in the Jianghu.
Just what in the world had happened?
"Aaaargh!"
"S-spare me!"
He watched as the demonic practitioners brutally tore apart the wandering warriors and their sword attendants. The horrific scene was reflected clearly in his eyes.
Step.
Nameless took a bold step forward.
He didn't know why the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult still existed, but one thing was certain.
They should not.
"Nameless! What are you doing?"
"We have to abandon them! We need to run, now!"
"If you go any closer, you'll die!"
Horrified, the other sword attendants tried to hold Nameless back. He gently brushed their hands off his shoulders.
His gaze remained fixed on those dying in vain, unable to either flee or resist.
"If you carry a sword, you must know when to draw it."
And now was precisely that time.
"Nameless?"
The sword attendants, who had been babbling frantically, fell silent one by one. They couldn't understand why he was suddenly saying such things, but the unyielding will in his words resonated within them. They realized a simple truth:
No one could stop him now.
Nameless’s eyes slowly grew calm and deep.
‘My body may have changed, but my martial path remains the same.’
He adjusted his loose grip on the sword, holding it with proper form.
"Ah."
An exclamation of admiration escaped his lips.
The hilt settled into his palm as if it were made for him. As he tilted the blade slightly, a rush of liberation and pleasure washed over him, as if his arm had extended by the length of the sword.
‘Yes. This is what it felt like.’
To hold a sword.
Nameless was momentarily filled with ecstasy, but he quickly calmed his mind. He instinctively assumed the opening stance of the Three Powers Sword Technique.
He had no internal energy, and his physical body was pathetic. Facing a practitioner from the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult in this state was no different from walking to his own death.
However…
‘I am different.’
He was, after all, the Sword Emperor in his past life.
His steps toward the demonic practitioner were steadfast.
The blade pointing at them was straight.
Nameless began to walk his martial path once more.
Whoosh!
A refreshing breeze slipped past both sides of the blade. He felt certain that his strike would land true, without the slightest hindrance.
Trusting his past life and his instincts, Nameless took a step.
Step.
The moment he committed to the attack, his entire body moved as one. He took a single, steadfast step, and the world around him vanished, his vision flooded with pure white.
Nameless knew this phenomenon well. It occurred when his Baihui Acupoint flared, sharpening his senses to their absolute limit.
‘Three on the left, four on the right.’
Black shadows flickered on either side of the worn sword held straight in a middle stance. The movements of the demonic practitioners rushing at him, radiating killing intent, were clearly reflected in his pupils.
Thud!
Stamping his foot powerfully, Nameless raised his sword.
Sunlight shattered along the blade of the longsword, which had risen into a high guard before he even knew it.
"Heaven."
The ‘Heaven’ form of the Three Powers Sword Technique. A vertical slash.
The downward slash was impossibly natural, as if this was the one true way a sword was meant to be swung.
Swoosh!
Even without much strength, a sharp, air-splitting sound followed the blade.
"Earth."
The ‘Earth’ form of the Three Powers Sword Technique. A horizontal slash.
The form connected seamlessly as he brought the sword horizontal. Along its path, the air split cleanly in two.
‘No resistance at all. This feels incredibly refreshing.’
Every time the sensation of cutting through the air surged up the blade, he felt it vividly—the feeling of being alive and breathing.
His lips parted slightly, drawing in the surrounding air.
"Man."
The ‘Man’ form of the Three Powers Sword Technique. A thrust.
A colorless sword strike, unleashed from his waist, pierced a single point.
"Urgh?"
A sudden groan tickled his ear.
At the same time, his vision flickered brightly before returning to normal.
In an instant, he had cut down six demonic practitioners and was now plunging his sword into the chest of the seventh and final one.
"A monster…"
The demonic practitioner’s eyes were filled with a terror reserved for supernatural beasts.
Splurt!
Nameless casually drew his sword and flicked the blood from the blade. The series of movements was so fluid it brought to mind a seasoned master.
"Unbelievable!"
"Nameless killed them all."
"First he killed Deoksam with a single blow, and now this… Was he really hiding his skills?"
The wandering warriors and sword attendants who had barely survived chattered amongst themselves before their mouths snapped shut.
More demonic practitioners had emerged from the forest.
"What is this?"
"The first squad was wiped out?"
"By those wandering warrior bastards?"
While the other warriors trembled in fear, only Nameless radiated a sharp, fierce aura. Naturally, the gazes of the demonic practitioners fell upon him.
Just as Nameless was about to take another step forward—
‘Hmm?’
A chill ran up his spine.
A massive wave of coldness, originating from his lower back, spread throughout his body and froze him in place.
His body trembled violently as a freezing, sharp pain surged within him, as if icicles were piercing his flesh. As the agony intensified, his consciousness began to fade.
"Ugh."
Swallowing a groan, Nameless immediately deduced his condition from the symptoms.
‘They said this body suffers from a severed meridian. Of all the times for a seizure to happen…’
But something was strange. The symptoms were similar to the Nine Yin Severed Meridian. Doubt immediately arose.
‘Isn't the Nine Yin Severed Meridian something only women are born with? Why would a male body have it?’
Meanwhile, the eyes of the demonic practitioners, who had noticed his abnormality, changed.
"Could that be him? The boy born with the Nine Yin Severed Meridian."
"Yes. He matches the wanted poster."
"Capture him. Unharmed."
As Nameless gritted his teeth and raised his sword, watching the demonic practitioners rush him from three directions—
A bolt of blue lightning shot in from the side, piercing cleanly through his field of vision.
Nameless’s head slowly turned.
Slash!
A black-clad swordsman who had appeared out of nowhere slaughtered the demonic practitioners, unleashing a succession of lightning-fast strikes.
Even while swinging their sword fiercely, the bamboo-hatted swordsman’s eyes remained fixed on Nameless.
At that moment, Nameless's eyes narrowed.
The swordsman's footwork was familiar.
‘Infinite Steps?’
Infinite Steps was one of the signature footwork techniques of the Namcheon Palace.
‘How is this possible…?’
As Nameless watched the swordsman perform the Infinite Steps, his eyelids slowly drifted shut.
* * *
Crossing the mountain with her lightness skill, the black-clad swordswoman, Lee Se-ha, followed the presence she had sensed and finally found the group of wandering warriors.
Scanning their faces with the unique vision of a supreme expert, her gaze stopped on one person.
‘Is that the boy with the Nine Yin Severed Meridian? Nameless, was it?’
The Azure Heaven Association had obtained intelligence that the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult planned to kidnap the boy. The supreme expert dispatched to prevent this was none other than Lee Se-ha.
Although she had found him, Lee Se-ha didn't immediately intervene. An unexpected situation was unfolding.
Nameless was slashing the neck of a wandering warrior.
—One who does not take responsibility for their own martial arts has no right to hold a sword.
His clear voice carried all the way to her position on the hill.
For a moment, Lee Se-ha's eyes widened. The boy's words were one of the core tenets of the Azure Heaven Association.
She blankly retraced the sword strike Nameless had just displayed.
It was incredibly beautiful.
Even an expert who had trained for decades could not execute such a fluid sword path.
‘I heard he hadn't learned any martial arts.’
Boom!
Lee Se-ha’s thoughts were cut short.
The demonic practitioners had arrived sooner than expected.
Just as she was about to reveal herself, she could only let out a hollow laugh.
Before she knew it, Nameless had charged out alone and cut down seven demonic practitioners in an instant.
A single sword strike.
He had killed every single one of them with a single strike each.
And he had done it with the most basic of basics, the Three Powers Sword Technique.
‘A sword prodigy. A natural-born talent.’
A boy with the Nine Yin Severed Meridian, born with a terrifying talent for the sword. If he learned properly, he would undoubtedly become a renowned swordsman in the future.
‘His talent is one thing, but…’
She liked his mindset. It was different from the usual sellswords of the Jianghu.
He held chivalry in his heart.
‘If it's a boy like him…’
Just as Lee Se-ha smiled down at Nameless, the second wave of demonic practitioners appeared, and at the same time, Nameless suffered a seizure.
"Time to make my move."
It was finally time to step in.
Lee Se-ha immediately dashed down the hill, whipping her sword forward.
Splurt!
The faces of the demonic practitioners, who had been on the verge of completing their mission, crumpled in rage.
"The Black Cloud Wandering Maiden? Why are you here?"
"The Azure Heaven Association must have gotten wind of this!"
"Buy some time!"
Despite the sudden turn of events, the demonic practitioners moved efficiently. The squad leader immediately used his lightness skill to secure the unconscious Nameless, while the others rushed Lee Se-ha.
Even with over a dozen of them charging her at once, Lee Se-ha's eyes were filled with ease. Blue lightning crackled along her sword.
"Get your filthy hands off him."
Splurt!
After sending all the demonic practitioners' heads flying, Lee Se-ha smiled brightly.
"I've taken a liking to that kid."
* * *
"Mmh."
When he opened his eyes, an unfamiliar ceiling came into view.
"Are you awake?"
The voice that reached him was as clear and refreshing as jade beads plunking into a pond.
When Nameless turned his head, he saw the swordsman in the bamboo hat standing beside his bed. Because they wore a hat with a face-veiling cloth, the outline of their face and body was obscured.
Nameless recalled the one thing he knew about this person.
‘They’ve definitely mastered the Infinite Steps.’
And yet, the sword technique they had displayed was not a martial art of the Namcheon Palace. Just what was going on?
"Your body should feel a bit better now. I suppressed the Yin Cold Qi of your Nine Yin Severed Meridian. Didn't I do a good job?"
Nameless looked at the swordsman with a new light in his eyes. Suppressing the Yin Cold Qi of the Nine Yin Severed Meridian was not something that could be done with ordinary internal energy.
‘Judging by their voice, they sound young, yet their martial attainment is outstanding.’
Perhaps noticing his suspicious gaze, the swordsman took off the bamboo hat.
At that moment, pitch-black hair fell as quietly as the night. The corners of her eyes, slanted upward, were as sharp as blades, but her pupils were filled with a pleasant warmth.
She was a beauty with a cold first impression, but her expression was incredibly lively and overflowing with vitality.
Coldness and warmth coexisted in her features.
It was a truly mysterious kind of beauty.
Taking off her hat with a triumphant look, the swordswoman suddenly made a proposal.
"My name is Lee Se-ha! Do you want to come with me? I'll help you cure your severed meridian!"
Staring blankly at Lee Se-ha, who was confidently clenching both fists, Nameless asked, "Why would you show me such kindness? This is rather sudden."
It was a natural question. He was a mere sword attendant; there was no reason for a stranger to be so kind. Though his question was laced with wariness, Lee Se-ha’s lips curved into a soft smile, as if she welcomed it.
"I saw the sword marks you left behind. They were truly straight and clean. And I caught a glimpse of you right before your seizure; the way you didn't back down from those demonic practitioners was quite impressive."
Lee Se-ha chattered on, seemingly excited all by herself. However, the real reason she was so deeply impressed lay elsewhere.
‘His talent is one thing, but I love the conviction this boy holds.’
She recalled the words Nameless had spoken.
—One who does not take responsibility for their own martial arts has no right to hold a sword.
Lee Se-ha was certain that the boy before her was the greatest talent she had been searching for.
"By the way, do you have another name besides Nameless?"
Nameless hesitated.
‘To name me Nameless… He really couldn't be bothered.’
A sigh escaped him at Deoksam's sheer laziness. After a moment of thought, Nameless decided to choose a new name for himself.
‘In this life, too, I must carry on the chivalry of the Namcheon Palace.’
To honor the Namcheon Palace and his disciples, his surname would be Namgung.
‘And in this life, I will absolutely annihilate the Sun-Moon Demonic Cult.’
To signify that he would finish what he could not in his past life, his given name would be Jun, meaning "to complete" or "to finish."
"Namgung Jun."
Having set his life's goal by choosing his new name, the boy, now Namgung Jun, revealed his resolve with eyes that had grown much clearer.
After muttering the name "Namgung Jun" a few times, Lee Se-ha clenched both fists and proposed, "If you become my disciple and join the Azure Heaven Association, you'll not only be able to learn martial arts, but you'll also have a chance to cure your Nine Yin Severed Meridian."
After a brief moment of thought, Namgung Jun spoke.
"I am curious about the method to cure the Nine Yin Severed Meridian."
As if she had been waiting for this, Lee Se-ha raised her hand.
"It's exactly this."
Namgung Jun's eyes followed her hand.