The Sword Saint's Leash
I heard the news.
Three days had already passed since I fell asleep.
Just as I had seen back then, the members of the search party, including Dong Baek-woo, were dead.
The squad leader who had been attacked was also dead.
Yoo Hyeong-in would have died if help had been even a moment later.
The youth... Cheon Ui-jin wasn't in very good shape either.
The same went for me. I had suffered severe blood loss from the wounds on my back and thighs.
Although I had recovered enough energy to wake up, I had been asleep for three whole days. It was a miracle I survived; it had been a truly close call.
However, a problem had arisen.
"...I killed the Mountain River Ghost and Pung Yeon? Me?"
Apparently, I was the one who had saved everyone from that crisis.
Well, to be precise, it was me, but not really me.
"How on earth did you do it?"
I asked, looking straight at the old man. He was undoubtedly the cause of this outcome. There was no other logical conclusion.
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
"I mean, how did things end up like this?"
Out of nowhere, I was suddenly the Sword Saint's successor, my eyes were blue, and I had somehow killed the Mountain River Ghost without even remembering it.
When I asked him about it, the old man replied with a nonchalant look.
"Did you not ask for my help?"
"What?"
"You asked for help, so I simply lent a hand."
"..."
His words brought back the memory of my final moments before blacking out.
Do you want me to help? the old man had asked in that desperate split second.
And my reply had been:
Yes... Please help me.
I had no choice. Yoo Hyeong-in was dying right beside me, and the Mountain River Ghost was closing in to slaughter us. I had grasped at straws and blurted it out. But still.
"And this is the result?"
"It all worked out in the end, did it not?"
"...Worked out?"
Could this really be considered resolved?
"What did you do? How could things turn out like this?"
When I demanded to know what he had done, the old man replied,
"I briefly entered your body."
"Entered my body?"
Possession.
The old man claimed he had possessed me and moved my body himself. It was an absurd explanation.
Possession?
I had never experienced such a thing. At least, not in my past life.
Though I had heard of it.
My grandmother used to say only those with weak spiritual energy get possessed.
In my previous life, my grandmother had told me that if one's spiritual energy was too low, ghosts could easily hijack their body.
Of course, I had never experienced it. My spiritual energy had never been low enough to allow such a thing. But now...
...Damn it.
Had it finally happened to me? And by this old man, of all ghosts?
If his story is true, then I guess I owe him an apology.
I had heard the old man's explanation. If he really did use my body to resolve the situation, then everything else he said must be true as well.
Like how he performed first aid on Yoo Hyeong-in.
The one who saved the dying Yoo Hyeong-in was none other than my own body. He said he used internal energy to stop the bleeding and save his life. And yet, the moment I woke up, I had demanded to know why he hadn't mentioned Yoo Hyeong-in. The old man must have been rather dumbfounded.
Anyway...
Frowning slightly, I looked at the old man.
"But how did you do it...?"
"Hmm?"
The old man grunted. But I was genuinely curious.
I'm a Third-rate martial artist at best.
Even with possession, was it really possible to kill Peak-level masters with a body like this?
Did possession temporarily boost my internal energy or something?
With a hint of anticipation, I asked the old man in a low voice.
"What a wild imagination you have," the old man said, his face twisting in annoyance. "I had to squeeze every last drop of that rat-droppings-sized internal energy of yours just to survive. And you think your energy increased?"
Apparently not. What a shame.
Which means...
He had killed Peak-level martial artists using this weak, pathetic body. How... was that even possible?
"How? Because I am simply that magnificent and peerless, of course."
"..."
His self-praise was shameless. I barely managed to keep my face from grimacing.
It was incredibly annoying to hear him brag, but he wasn't wrong. It was thanks to him that I was breathing right now.
"Hmm."
Perhaps disappointed by my lack of reaction, the old man clicked his tongue.
"You do not seem very surprised."
"I'm plenty surprised. I'm just not showing it."
"No, that is not it."
Despite my claim, the old man spoke with absolute certainty.
"You are smarter than I expected. You behave this way because you already know."
"Hearing 'smarter than expected' makes me feel a bit complicated."
"Child. It seems you already know who I am."
"..."
Hit right where it hurt, I shut my mouth.
"Is that not so?" he pressed.
Tsk.
He was right.
The reason I could react so calmly was because of his identity. Defeating two Peak-level martial artists with a Third-rate body. The fact that he was a ghost yet appeared so vivid, the state of my eyes, and the rumors I had heard upon waking up. Piecing together just a few clues made it obvious who he was.
However...
I was just hoping I was wrong.
I had desperately wished my guess was incorrect. Because if I was right, he was someone I absolutely never wanted to get involved with. And yet.
"So, who do you think I am?"
The old man asked, completely oblivious—or perhaps entirely aware.
"..."
What should I do? Should I answer honestly, or try to lie? I hesitated for a fraction of a second.
"The Sword Saint, Yoo Chun-gil. The former Alliance Leader and the World's Greatest."
Despite my hesitation, the truth slipped out. There was no point in lying to him anyway.
"Is that not who you are, Elder?"
"Cackle, cackle."
The old man burst into laughter at my answer.
"Indeed, you are correct."
His blue eyes flashed as he looked at me.
"I am Yoo Chun-gil."
"..."
Fuck.
I knew it.
I barely managed to swallow the sigh that threatened to escape my lips.
"Look at that face. You do not seem pleased at all."
"Y-No, it's not."
"'Y-No'?"
"Ah, my mistake... My tongue slipped."
I was so annoyed that I couldn't even control my speech properly.
So it really is him.
I groaned inwardly, staring at the old man. The wild white hair, the massive build, and those glowing blue eyes. The World's Greatest from Cheongwol Gate. The Sword Saint, Yoo Chun-gil, was standing right before me.
A legendary figure, a hero, and the martial artist most respected by everyone in the Central Plains. I was facing such a grand figure, yet...
Of all the ghosts to get tangled up with... Goddammit.
I wasn't happy at all. In fact, irritated was a much better word for it. That was what the World's Greatest meant to me.
On top of that...
He even put a leash on me so I can't refuse.
Nothing about my current situation was going to be easy.
Wroooom!
Below my navel, in my dantian.
I felt a strange, foreign energy. As soon as I sensed it, my face contorted.
"...Why did you do this?"
My body was no longer filled with the Banghomeonggong I had learned from my family. Instead, a completely different cultivation method occupied my dantian. The signature martial art of Cheongwol Gate—the Cheongwol Mind Method.
"Looking at your condition, it seems to have settled in nicely. Not bad."
"What do you mean, 'not bad'?!"
A new cultivation method had taken root. He had no idea how terrifying those words were.
Once you learn a cultivation method, you can never change it or escape it unless you destroy your own dantian. Yet, a completely different power now resided in my body as if it belonged there. Normally, the conflicting energies would have clashed, causing Qi Deviation. Surprisingly, the new energy was perfectly calm. Well, of course it was.
There has to be another energy to clash with in the first place!
The Banghomeonggong that originally rooted itself in my dantian was completely gone, and the Cheongwol Mind Method had taken its place. How was this even possible? To my unspoken question, the old man replied bluntly.
"What else was I to do? I erased the old one and filled it with a new one."
"Erased it? You erased a cultivation method...?"
What kind of crazy nonsense was this?
"I could not keep both, so I wiped it clean and put in a new one."
"No... how do you even erase it? Erasing it is the hardest part!"
Trying to recklessly erase a cultivation method would normally cause a backlash of energy, turning the practitioner into a cripple. Erasing it just like that made absolutely no sense.
"Why does it make no sense?"
"I'm saying it because it's an incredibly difficult task!"
"Exactly. If it is difficult, you simply have to do it well."
"..."
I clutched my throbbing forehead.
Well, isn't that just fucking logical. If it's hard, just do it well. Dammit.
Fine, whatever. Let's say he erased it because he was just that amazing.
"But... why did you force a new cultivation method into my body without my permission?"
That was the real issue. Why erase my original method and replace it with Cheongwol Gate's?
"Did you not say you would do anything?"
"Ha... So forcing a new cultivation method on me was what you wanted?"
"Rather than what I wanted, it was a necessity."
The way he spoke while casually scratching his ear was incredibly irritating. Was there really no way to punch a ghost? And do you know what was even more cruel?
"If you were going to erase it, you should have erased all of it, you cheapskate!"
Although he had replaced it with a new method, faint traces of Banghomeonggong still remained. It was just barely enough to avoid a clash, but if I pushed past a certain limit, it would immediately explode. Just a hair's breadth away from exploding. That vague boundary was the most dangerous thing of all.
"Haha. Oh dear."
The old man merely offered a sheepish grin.
"I must have accidentally left a tiny bit behind."
Accidentally? My foot.
Anyone could see it was entirely intentional. This was a leash.
He planted a bomb that could go off at any moment.
Even a minor slip-up could cause the two energies to clash. If they backlashed, I didn't have the skill to control them, which meant instant Qi Deviation. In other words, death.
"But do not worry, child," the old man said, sensing my anxiety. "Those traces can easily be erased later. And if you do not like the method I gave you, you can always erase it."
"...Are you mocking me?"
If it were that easy, I would have done it already. I wouldn't have been shocked by his actions in the first place.
"You worry too much. If you cannot do it yourself, I can do it for you at any time."
"..."
Ha.
I let out a hollow laugh. Just as he had implanted the cultivation method, he could completely erase those traces if he wished. Frowning deeply, I asked,
"When?"
"Well... Perhaps around the time you finish the favor I asked of you...?"
It always came back to the same conclusion.
"Besides, the energies will not clash as easily as you fear. That is, as long as you continue to practice the mind method."
What a comforting thought. The leash was wrapped tightly around my neck.
Of all things, a cultivation method.
The technique my family practiced was gone. Not that I cared much about that. It wasn't some legendary art worth crying over. Besides, the Cheongwol Mind Method was considered a divine art. Since the World's Greatest himself had laid the foundation for it in my body, its value was astronomical. Technically, I was in a much better position than before, but...
There are too many witnesses.
Too many people knew about this. Everyone now believed I was a hidden master of Cheongwol Gate. But there was one thing I was curious about.
"But why am I suddenly your successor?"
"Ah, that."
The old man answered my question.
"I told the boy myself."
"What?"
He told Cheon Ui-jin himself? Ah. Was that when he possessed me?
"...Why?"
"Just because? I felt like it."
What a load of crap.
"What a load of crap."
"Child, you just said your inner thoughts out loud..."
"Felt like it," my foot.
That sly old fox.
This wasn't just a whim; it was a calculated move to tighten the leash around my neck. I had only spoken to him a few times, but I could already tell.
He's a schemer. He's not just a meathead.
He wasn't like those martial artists who only knew how to smash things. He was incredibly cunning.
Maybe this old man is manipulating this entire situation.
Since ghosts couldn't interfere with the living world, I didn't know how it was possible. But I had a nagging feeling. From the moment he realized I could see him up until now, it felt like he had been pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Which brought me to the most fundamental question.
"What do you want from me?"
What did this old man want from me to go to such lengths?
"What I want..."
"You died of natural causes a long time ago. Why appear before me now and—"
"Who said that?"
"Pardon?"
"Who said I died of natural causes?"
"Well, the Martial Alliance officially announced... Ah."
I froze mid-sentence. The chilling light flashing in his eyes and the sudden weight in the air made me stop. Shit. This was bad.
"I did not meet a peaceful end."
Not a peaceful death. Which meant...
Murder...?
He was killed by someone. The World's Greatest, the Sword Saint Yoo Chun-gil... was murdered. I swallowed hard.
Then why did the Martial Alliance announce it like that?
A cold shiver ran down my spine. Normally, I would have backed away the moment I sensed danger. But now, it seemed I was thoroughly screwed.
"...So, what? Do you want me to... avenge you?"
I couldn't back out now. Just hearing about this conspiracy made my shoulders feel heavy. If the old man was indeed murdered, the web of people involved must be massive. Getting dragged into this... I'd rather just die.
"Haha, how could I ask for something so terrifying? Did you not say it yourself, child? That you would not accept a request for revenge."
"Yes. That's right. I definitely said that."
Phew... Thank goodness. At least it wasn't revenge.
"Forget about revenge. For now, you simply need to become the World's Greatest."
"Right. I'd rather do that than... Wait, what?"
"And before that, you can become the Young Sect Leader of Cheongwol Gate while you are at it."
I nodded in relief, only to freeze mid-nod.
"Elder. What... did you just say...?"
What did this old man just say? The World's what...?
I stared at him with trembling eyes. Did he just casually drop a bombshell like that?
My blue eyes matched the shade of his. As our gazes locked, a strange thumping began to echo in my chest. Thump. My heart began to beat faster.
"Child," the old man called out.
"Have you ever seen a blue moon in your life?"
I didn't answer. I knew his question wasn't about a literal blue moon in the night sky.
"If you do not know, you will soon. For that is the name you must bear from now on."
I wanted to remain ignorant. I wanted to stay ignorant forever. But this conversation would linger in my mind for years to come.
Getting tangled up with the dead World's Greatest dragged me into a mountain of trouble. And that trouble... was the very reason I would eventually be called the World's Greatest.
The next day arrived.
I hadn't slept a wink all night. My mind had been racing after everything I heard, and before I knew it, morning had come.
"Ah... I'm so tired."
I wanted to get at least a little sleep, but Yoo Chun-gil's words kept me wide awake. Was it because his stories were interesting? Don't make me laugh. It was because I was anxious. I was so incredibly anxious that sleep was out of the question.
I heard... way too much.
Any single sentence of what he told me would have made me run away screaming, yet I had to listen to it all night long. I felt sick to my stomach. My head throbbed from overthinking, and I felt like throwing up, but it was just psychological. Physically, my body was perfectly fine.
Actually, if this were seven days ago, I really would have thrown up.
...But now, my body won't even let me.
Wrooom.
I lightly circulated the internal energy in my body to check. It confirmed my suspicion.
My realm has risen.
From Third-rate to Second-rate. My rank had actually gone up.
Or rather... it was forced up.
It wasn't something I achieved through my own hard work. It was the doing of that damn old man, Yoo Chun-gil. What did he say again?
Your original realm was such a mess that I boosted it a bit.
I was dumbfounded when I heard that. Since when was martial realm something you could just boost? I never thought I'd reach the Second-rate realm in this lifetime; I expected to remain Third-rate forever. Thanks a lot, you bastard.
"Haa..."
I let out a deep sigh. Was it a good thing? Sure, it was great. A realm that had refused to budge was finally raised. However...
"Pant... pant..."
If you asked me if I was purely happy about it, the answer was absolutely not.
"Yes! Good job!"
The blue-eyed old man cheered excitedly as I forced myself to train. My limbs were trembling. My breathing was ragged, and my stamina was completely depleted. Yet, I had to keep moving.
"Indeed. The body only shows its true value when pushed to its absolute limits."
It was all because that damn old man was watching me with his glowing eyes.
Fuck...!
First thing in the morning, he had ordered me to the training ground and strapped sandbags onto me.
...Damn it.
What kind of barbaric training method was this? As I moved my trembling body with shaking arms, I heard whispers from behind.
"Is that the training method left behind by the Sword Saint...?"
"Indeed...! It looks completely different."
"Those aren't ordinary sandbags. Someone saw him earlier, and they said he put iron filings in with the sand."
"What? Iron...? Unbelievable...! To undergo such harsh training with that small body..."
I grimaced at the voices drifting over.
Bullshit... Iron, my ass. I specifically sifted through the sand to get the finest grains.
Ever since the rumor spread that I was the Sword Saint's successor, the way people looked at me had completely changed. Not only their gazes, but the rumors circulating about me were getting weirder by the day.
Damn it. They wouldn't even spare me a glance before.
It was absurd how they changed overnight.
And it's just as absurd that I'm actually doing this.
I was training just because he told me to. Yes, it was entirely because of the old man's threats. I was only doing this because he said I'd die if I didn't.
It's definitely not because of his promise.
I wasn't doing this because I was tempted by his offer to make me the World's Greatest. Absolutely not.
Just then.
"Young Master Bang."
A voice called out while I was groaning in pain. I stopped my movements with an exhausted expression and turned my head. It was Cheon Ui-jin.
"I apologize for interrupting your training... but could we speak for a moment?"
"...If I say no, will you leave?"
"Pardon?"
"I'm joking."
Seeing his crestfallen face, I quickly relented. A talk. If he wanted to talk, it must be about what happened yesterday. Looking at him, I said,
"Then... let's go to my quarters and discuss what we were going to talk about yesterday..."
I suggested, wanting to get straight to the point.
"Ah, Young Master Bang..."
Cheon Ui-jin quickly stopped me. I looked at him, puzzled by his reaction.
"Before that..."
"Yes?"
"The branch leader said there is a guest who has come to see you."
"A guest?"
I tilted my head in confusion. When I asked, Cheon Ui-jin replied,
"They are from the Namgung Clan."
My brow furrowed at the unexpected news.