A Den of Monsters
Mount Hua is a den of monsters.
Moyong Yeong-sun had said as much.
…A den of monsters, of all things.
What a chilling way to put it. The Mt. Hua Sect, a prominent Taoist sect, was famous for its lively, benevolent, and compassionate members.
Isn't calling them monsters a bit much?
To call a Taoist sect a den of monsters felt incredibly awkward.
But what was even funnier...
Why did everyone react that way?
Along with Moyong Yeong-sun's reaction, Dang Cheon-il's response had been exactly the same.
I could still clearly picture him shuddering in sheer terror at the mere mention of Mount Hua.
Dang Cheon-il, in particular, had lost his composure so completely that he ended up stubbing his pinky toe on a corner.
What is going on?
It was impossible not to realize that something unusual was afoot.
What on earth could it be?
I was curious. What could possibly exist there to make them recoil in such disgust?
It wasn't just disgust, either; there was a faint trace of genuine fear laced in their voices.
What were they so afraid of?
What is even on Mount Hua?
I tried to recall. I knew their sect leader was the Plum Blossom Sword, and I knew of several other renowned masters with distinct titles.
Is the Plum Blossom Sword the monster?
In terms of martial prowess, perhaps.
...But surely he isn't the type to be called that?
Given his warm, benevolent nature and outstanding reputation, no one in the Central Plains would dare call the Plum Blossom Sword a monster.
It's not like he's this old geezer.
If anyone deserved to be called a monster, it was Yoo Chun-gil. That old ghost fit the description a hundred times better.
"Hm? What are you staring at?"
Yoo Chun-gil reacted instantly to my gaze.
"Your eyes look suspicious, boy. Are you cursing me in your head again?"
He was always damn quick to notice.
...If it's not the Plum Blossom Sword, and it's not the masters below him... Hm.
Who else is there?
I racked my brain, searching my memory.
I don't really know much about the Mt. Hua Sect.
Since I never expected to cross paths with them, I had never bothered to study them. My knowledge was practically zero.
As I slowly went down the list of famous figures I could recall...
Ah.
Only when I reached the very bottom, down to the level of the rising generation, did one name finally come to mind.
A figure who had set the Central Plains abuzz for quite some time.
Their title was probably...
The Sword...
Swoosh—!
I cut my thoughts short and jerked my head aside.
A wooden sword grazed my cheek. Startled, I braced my lower body.
Applying pressure to my toes, power surged through my entire body.
Twisting my waist, I swung my sword in response.
Whoosh!
Clack!
My infused wooden sword clashed with my opponent's. With a heavy thud, I was pushed backward.
I had lost in a contest of pure strength.
"Tsk."
Clicking my tongue, I scrambled to regain my stance, but...
Swoosh!
As if refusing to give me a moment to breathe, the wooden sword thrust sharply toward me.
A light gleamed in my eyes. My Moon Eye activated, attempting to read every trajectory.
Rolling my eyes left and right, I mapped out the path of the wooden sword.
Two feints. The real strike is coming diagonally from below.
Gripping my sword tightly, I tilted it slightly.
Crack!
The opponent's sword struck exactly where I had positioned my defense, as if it had been waiting for it.
Trying to block this with raw strength would only throw my balance off again, just like before.
I deflected the blow, letting it slide along the flat of my blade.
Clack!
Riding the flat of my sword, the opponent's weapon was deflected upward into the air.
Now was the chance.
Hum! The Cheongwol Mind Method circulated rapidly through my body.
I immediately unleashed Moon Wave.
A crescent moon bloomed in the air, drawing a half-circle, but—
"Foolish boy."
Along with Yoo Chun-gil's sigh, a wooden sword was already descending toward my head.
Damn it!
Whoosh!
Just as the wooden sword was about to strike my forehead...
It stopped dead in its tracks.
The blade halted a hair's breadth from my skin.
My own sword, carrying the crescent moon, had also stopped before reaching my opponent's waist.
Judging by the distance of the wooden sword, I would have been the one to fall first had the blows connected.
"...I lost."
Smacking my lips in disappointment, I withdrew my sword.
My opponent nodded in response.
It was Do-hyeong.
"It was a good duel."
"Yes. Thank you."
I had lost again.
I sparred with Do-hyeong from time to time, but I had never managed to win a single match.
...This guy is seriously strong.
Granted, he was a few years older than me, but still.
I've reached the Peak realm myself.
Do-hyeong's movements were incredibly clean and precise.
Honest actions faithful to the basics, yet carrying an unstoppable force within them.
I knew Do-hyeong was also in the Peak realm, given that he was a member of the Sowol Squadron, but...
He always seems just out of reach.
My battles with him were a constant repetition of falling just short.
He's strong.
It was fascinating.
If he's this strong, why is he completely unknown?
Do-hyeong was still young enough to be considered part of the rising generation.
At his age, just being in the Sowol Squadron was clear proof of his genius.
At that level, isn't he stronger than Dang Cheon-il?
He seemed stronger than Dang Cheon-il, who was around his age.
How did he not make it into the Seven Great Talents?
It was baffling that someone of his caliber wasn't counted among them.
Is it because he's weaker than Cheon Hye-in?
The Moon Dance Beauty, Cheon Hye-in. Perhaps he didn't make the cut because he was weaker than her. If I had to guess, that was the only plausible reason.
Since Cheongwol Gate already has one of the Seven Great Talents...
If Cheongwol Gate produced another one, people would start talking.
There are already rumors about Cheongwol Gate receiving special treatment.
It was Yoo Chun-gil's sect, after all.
As the very root of the Martial Alliance, they undoubtedly received various benefits compared to other clans and sects.
Even if it's not unusual, public perception still matters.
They had to be careful, which might explain why Do-hyeong was kept out of the spotlight.
I considered that possibility for a moment, but...
I don't know.
If you asked me if that was the real reason, it didn't quite sit right.
Click.
I put away the wooden sword and unstrapped the sandbags from my wrists and ankles.
Thud! Thud!
They were incredibly heavy. Only after untying them did my body finally feel light again.
Do-hyeong, who had been watching silently, spoke up.
"Bang Seong-yeon."
"Yes, senior?"
"Why did you fight without taking those off?"
"Pardon?"
Do-hyeong pointed at my sandbags.
"...Ah. I thought it would be better training this way."
"..."
He looked somewhat dissatisfied.
Did he want me to spar without them? That was possible, but...
"Then again, you didn't take yours off either, senior."
Amusingly, Do-hyeong was also wearing iron weights on his limbs.
If anything, those looked much heavier than mine.
"..."
Finding himself speechless at my remark, Do-hyeong let out a dry cough. It seemed he had forgotten he was wearing them too.
Having observed him for a few months now, I realized this guy was surprisingly clumsy in some ways.
"...Then."
"Yes?"
"Setting that aside, why didn't you use that?"
"That?"
"..."
"Ah... Do you mean the sword-force?"
Do-hyeong nodded. He seemed to be asking why I hadn't used Gwangwolseomgyeong.
"...I just didn't think it was necessary to use it in a friendly spar."
"..."
At my words, a clear look of disappointment crossed Do-hyeong's face. Did he really want to see it?
Or perhaps...
"Are you curious about it?"
"..."
Are you curious about Gwangwolseomgyeong?
Do-hyeong flinched slightly at my question.
It seemed I had hit the mark.
Hmm...
There was one thing I had realized. Although all members of the Sowol Squadron practiced the Blue Moon Sword Dance and most had awakened the Moon Eye...
What they use is different from what I use.
As evident from the swordsmanship of Do-hyeong and the other members of Cheongwol Gate.
The sword forms I used were different from the ones they had learned.
They were similar, yet distinct.
There was a subtle difference, and that subtle difference was much more distinct than it appeared.
I can tell just by looking at Moon Wave.
The Blue Moon Sword Dance was originally a delicate and beautiful art.
Most of its forms mimicked the rising moon, characterized by light and graceful movements.
But mine isn't like that.
The style I used was rough and sharp.
It wasn't a delicate sword that felt like it would crumble at a touch.
It's intense, as if it could crush anything in its path.
As if nothing dared to block the rising moon.
A momentum that felt capable of shattering everything to rise.
That was the sword Yoo Chun-gil had taught me.
And I am the only one who uses it.
In the entire Cheongwol Gate, I seemed to be the only one practicing this kind of sword dance.
Which was why...
The others must be paying attention to it.
Since they knew the origin of my sword lay with Yoo Chun-gil, it made sense that the members of Cheongwol Gate often looked at me with curiosity.
"Can you not use it, senior?"
It was a genuine question.
Since Gwangwolseomgyeong was technically a part of the sword forms—just the first, second, or third form—I thought Do-hyeong could use it too if he wanted.
"...?"
Do-hyeong stared at me with a look that asked what kind of nonsense I was talking.
"...Why are you looking at me like that?"
Why that look? As I stared back in confusion...
"...Boy,"
Yoo Chun-gil spoke to me in a troubled voice.
"The third form you use doesn't actually exist in the first place."
...Huh?
My brow furrowed at his words.
What did that mean?
"I created Gwangwolseomgyeong myself. The original form is completely different."
...
I clenched and unclenched my fists.
It was to dry the cold sweat forming on my palms.
...So, in other words.
The sword-force technique known as Gwangwolseomgyeong was a martial art created solely by Yoo Chun-gil?
It wasn't just a modification like Moon Wave or Night Moon.
He had created it from scratch?
Oh.
Then did I just basically mock him by asking why he couldn't use it? No wonder Do-hyeong was looking at me with that expression.
"No... that's not what I meant."
I tried to quickly explain myself, but no good excuse came to mind.
"..."
"..."
A heavy silence hung between us. Scratching the back of my neck awkwardly, I spoke up.
"Next time... if there's an opportunity, I'll teach you."
"...!"
Do-hyeong's eyes widened. A rare change in his expression clearly betrayed a faint trace of joy.
After finishing the spar with Do-hyeong and washing my face, I set out.
It was just past noon.
The sun hung high in the sky, making the day exceptionally bright.
As I walked, I spoke to Yoo Chun-gil.
"I already blurted it out, but is it really okay to teach him...?"
I was asking for permission regarding the promise I had just made to teach Do-hyeong Gwangwolseomgyeong.
It was a belated request for approval for what I had already promised.
"...You ask for permission only after you've already made the promise?"
"...Well, if you say no, I can always find some way to gloss over it."
"Hmm."
Yoo Chun-gil floated in the air, casually picking his nose.
"I don't particularly care."
His reaction was calmer than expected. How could he be so indifferent about sharing a martial art he had created himself?
Was it because Do-hyeong was also a martial artist of Cheongwol Gate?
I stared at him in wonder, but Yoo Chun-gil's reasoning was entirely different.
"He won't be able to learn it anyway."
"Pardon?"
What did that mean? He wouldn't be able to learn it?
With a colder expression and tone than usual, Yoo Chun-gil said,
"He cannot learn it. He has neither the qualification nor the talent for it."
"...What do you mean by that?"
I thought Do-hyeong had more than enough talent and qualification, but Yoo Chun-gil was firm.
"Boy. You need to realize just how immense the power you are learning actually is."
"...I have a rough idea."
"Tsk, tsk... With your narrow talent, you wouldn't have even been able to touch it. You only barely managed to obtain it because the great Yoo Chun-gil assisted you."
"..."
He was right, but it was incredibly annoying.
What was I supposed to do with this guy's massive ego?
"I won't stop you if you want to teach others, but keep in mind that it will be futile. Ah."
Yoo Chun-gil paused and slightly corrected himself.
"The Sect Leader's daughter, that girl might be able to do it."
He was referring to Cheon Hye-in.
Just like before, Yoo Chun-gil seemed to hold Cheon Hye-in in very high regard.
"And the son might also be able to, though it would be difficult for him right now."
"Hmm?"
By the son, did he mean Cheon Ui-jin?
That's unexpected.
Do-hyeong couldn't, but Cheon Hye-in could.
And Cheon Ui-jin could too.
Did this mean Yoo Chun-gil evaluated Cheon Ui-jin's talent highly?
Considering that...
It was true that Cheon Ui-jin possessed outstanding talent.
Being a First-rate master at his age was indeed a great feat. But...
Compared to Do-hyeong...
Compared to Do-hyeong, who had clearly reached the Peak realm, it was somewhat ambiguous.
After all, Cheon Ui-jin hadn't even made it into the Sowol Squadron.
Yet for Yoo Chun-gil to evaluate him like that...
It suggested there was something else at play.
"Anyway, do as you please with that. Shouldn't you start preparing?"
"Ah, yes."
I snapped out of my thoughts at Yoo Chun-gil's reminder.
As we talked and walked, I had arrived at my destination before I knew it.
Time to do this.
I nodded, steeling my resolve.
I had to remind myself why I had come here right after lunch.
It's about time.
What I had set out to do when I came to Cheongwol Gate.
Securing a solid backing.
To prepare for the position of Young Sect Leader, I needed to build my own faction.
And the person who would support me in becoming the Young Sect Leader.
This was the first place I visited to win him over.
"...What did you say?"
A man with blue eyes asked.
At his question, I repeated what I had just said.
"I think I need to become the Young Sect Leader. Could you help me out a bit?"
As I spoke calmly with a smile, the man's face contorted.
His reaction was one of utter disbelief.
It was only natural.
"...You came here to tell me that now?"
The person I was speaking to right now was none other than the second-in-command of Cheongwol Gate.
It was the Sowol Daeju, Baek Yu-cheon, who had openly declared his dislike for me.