Sensing the Unseen
What is up with this guy?
I narrowed my eyes at the trembling Black Great Saber.
Despite his massive frame, his face was pale as a sheet as he stared in our direction.
Observing this, a thought crossed my mind.
Can he see him?
He was definitely looking this way.
And by "this way," I didn't mean at me...
[Oho?]
I meant he was looking at the old man behind me, Yoo Chun-gil.
His gaze was locked right onto him.
He seemed to be looking at me, but his eyes were clearly focused on the space right behind my back.
...He can see him?
I frowned. Don't tell me this guy also...
...possesses the Ghost Eye?
The eyes that see what should not be seen.
As I wondered if he shared my affliction, another thought occurred to me.
No, that's not it.
I was certain of it.
He didn't have the Ghost Eye. I could feel it.
Just as I had sensed spiritual energy in that shaman, Misa Seonnyeo, we who possessed the Ghost Eye could recognize one another.
We could tell if someone else had the sight.
Of course, depending on the level of their ability, it was possible to miss it.
Even so.
Looking at the Black Great Saber, I highly doubted he was capable of concealing his spiritual energy.
Which meant...
Rather than seeing...
...it's more accurate to say he senses him?
...This is ridiculous.
I stifled a laugh. Sensing a ghost without actually seeing it?
It wasn't entirely unheard of. There were people who couldn't see spirits but still felt them.
People with instincts so sharp they can sense things.
Some individuals possessed senses so extraordinarily acute that they picked up on things they shouldn't.
From what I could tell, the Black Great Saber fell into that category.
I heard he has the Heavenly Martial Body. Is that why?
A physical constitution blessed by the heavens.
I had heard it was the ultimate vessel for mastering and wielding martial arts. Perhaps the heightened senses that came with it allowed him to perceive Yoo Chun-gil's presence.
It seemed highly likely.
[What a peculiar fellow. He doesn't see me, but he senses me?]
Yoo Chun-gil murmured, his interest piqued.
Oh, no.
A bad feeling washed over me.
I tried to stop him quickly, but...
[Then, how about this?]
Before I could even open my mouth, Yoo Chun-gil had already caused trouble.
Fwoooooosh!
I screamed internally. Yoo Chun-gil was suddenly flaring his presence.
Is this crazy old man out of his mind?
I was horrified. No matter how much Yoo Chun-gil flared his presence, he couldn't exert any physical influence on the world.
Proving this, Cheon Hye-in and Do-hyeong stood perfectly still.
They clearly felt absolutely nothing.
One might think flaring his presence was pointless under these circumstances, but...
Just because humans can't feel it doesn't mean nothing else can.
Any wandering spirits in the vicinity might react to it.
If that happened, it would go one of two ways.
They would either flee in terror...
...or swarm us.
Given his sheer power, they would probably run away, but you could never be too sure.
And why the hell is he releasing his aura like this?
The sheer intensity of the spiritual pressure Yoo Chun-gil was emitting was monstrous.
...I figured he was at least at the level of a general spirit, but this...
It was far more intense than I had anticipated. To think he could unleash this much energy.
At this rate...
...he was on par with a high-ranking god.
He felt comparable to the entities I had struggled so desperately against in my past life.
No, actually.
He might be even stronger.
Even after leaving his mortal coil and becoming a spirit, his form remained perfectly intact.
Aside from his lack of a shadow, he looked indistinguishable from a living human—a phenomenon I had never witnessed before.
This is going to be troublesome.
My eyes darted around. Normal spirits would likely run away in fear, but...
...it's a different story for evil spirits.
Those mindless, aggressive monsters might be drawn to this massive concentration of energy like moths to a flame.
Seriously, can't he tone it down?
I couldn't understand why a man who had lived a full life and already died had to be so incredibly hot-tempered.
...Sigh.
I had stepped in to prevent things from spiraling out of control, but this was only making my situation worse.
Is that guy going to be okay?
Paeng Do-jin, was it? The one they called the future of the Paeng Clan. Would he survive this?
If he could actually sense spiritual pressure, a blast of this magnitude might drive him completely insane—
"Aaaaargh!"
Whoosh!
...Or so I thought, until the Black Great Saber suddenly let out a roaring shout and dispersed the spiritual pressure.
[Oh!]
Is he insane?
My eyes widened at the sight. What a lunatic.
He dispelled it with a shout?
I had never heard of such a thing. Was spiritual pressure something you could just blow away like that?
It shouldn't be that simple... right?
I was witnessing a lot of firsts today.
"Huff... Huff... Huff..."
Drenched in cold sweat, the Black Great Saber caught his breath. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand and stared straight at me.
Meeting his gaze, I flinched.
What is wrong with his eyes?
His glistening, bloodshot eyes were incredibly unsettling.
He already had sharp, intimidating features, but staring like that made him look downright terrifying.
On top of that...
...why is he smiling?
Despite dripping with cold sweat, his eyes and mouth were curved into a grin.
Seriously, what was his deal?
...Is he a pervert?
The thought naturally crossed my mind.
No, there was no way. He was a direct descendant of one of the Five Great Clans—
"I like it! I like it! I absolutely love it!"
Yep, he's a pervert.
I accepted the reality. The bastard was definitely a weirdo.
"I like you... I didn't expect you to be this strong. Young Sword Saint! So you are the Young Sword Saint!"
"No, I'm not..."
"To think you possessed such power! The rumors weren't exaggerating at all!"
"Wait... Just calm down for a second..."
I wanted to calm his frantic reaction first, but...
Fwoooosh!
Crash!
Something whipped past me with the rushing wind.
I didn't bother looking back at the ensuing explosion.
I didn't need to. Something had obviously been destroyed.
"Draw your sword, Young Sword Saint! I need to see for myself just how formidable you are!"
"..."
Vroooom!
The saber in the Black Great Saber's hand vibrated. The energy coiled within it was so intense that it sent a shiver down my spine just looking at it.
"You bastard! How dare you!"
Seeing this, Do-hyeong roared in anger.
Rumble! Sword qi began to swirl around his blade.
I spoke up as I watched them.
"Senior. Hold on."
Stop.
Do-hyeong froze in his tracks at my words. Fortunately, he listened.
"Sigh."
I let out a deep sigh.
Seriously.
Why does trouble follow me everywhere I go?
Dealing with this stuff was getting incredibly exhausting.
Click.
I placed my hand on my waist, lightly gripping the hilt of the Sacred Sword as I stepped forward.
"Hehehehe!"
[Oho?]
Yoo Chun-gil reacted over the sound of the Black Great Saber's laughter.
[Do you intend to fight?]
I scoffed internally. Fight?
As if.
I wasn't crazy enough to fight him. Regardless of whether I could win, he was clearly going to be a massive pain to deal with.
However...
...I can't just let this slide.
There were too many eyes watching for me to just walk away.
And above all...
...he crossed the line.
The bastard kept pushing his luck.
And that pissed me off.
"Young Sword Saint! Let's see how much of the rumors are true—"
"Shut up. Your voice is so loud my ears are ringing."
I cut him off.
At the same time, I took a step forward and shifted my posture.
[Huh?]
Recognizing the change in me, Yoo Chun-gil's eyes widened.
[Look at this kid.]
Step.
The moment my foot touched the ground, the look in the Black Great Saber's eyes shifted.
I focused, keeping my eyes on him.
Focus on the movements.
I was still practicing, so it wasn't perfect, but I could mimic it to some extent.
The movement of the joints.
The rhythm of my breathing as I walked.
I channeled those elements to project a specific aura.
It was the same method I had used when I first met the Sowol Squad Leader.
Imitating Yoo Chun-gil's stride.
I wasn't sure if it would be useful, but I had practiced it occasionally because it felt practical.
And now, I was using it on the Black Great Saber.
"...Haha..."
The Black Great Saber's reaction was quite different this time.
Was it working?
Focus.
I concentrated harder, observing his response.
"Who are you?"
I lowered my voice. It was a bit high-pitched for someone past puberty, but it flowed out naturally enough.
"Do you not know me?"
The Black Great Saber replied to my question.
"Should I know you?"
I spoke flatly. I knew exactly who he was, but I pretended otherwise.
"I suppose that makes sense."
Despite my dismissive response, the Black Great Saber nodded nonchalantly.
"I am Paeng Do-jin of the Paeng Clan. Remember it from now on. I'm too great of a man to be forgotten."
"..."
He certainly didn't lack self-esteem.
However...
"That's going to be a problem."
I brushed my hair back and spoke.
"I don't bother remembering the names of the weak."
[Wow.]
Yoo Chun-gil marveled. I swallowed the urge to gag.
Ah, damn it. Was that too cringe? It was a highly problematic statement, but I had to endure it.
"Huh?"
Paeng Do-jin's brow furrowed at my words.
"I don't care about your name. I don't know why you were looking for me, but..."
I walked forward. As I did, I glanced sideways at Yoo Chun-gil.
[Hmm.]
Understanding the meaning behind my gaze, Yoo Chun-gil seemed to ponder for a moment.
[Tsk.]
He clicked his tongue and unleashed his spiritual pressure once more.
Fwooooosh!
"Urgh!"
Feeling the spiritual pressure again, Paeng Do-jin trembled.
Even so, he desperately tried to move.
His willpower was truly remarkable.
But...
Fwooooooooosh!
The pressure intensified. Holy crap, he wasn't even trying earlier?
[Fascinating. I wonder how long that boy can hold out.]
Amused, Yoo Chun-gil began to pour on even more pressure.
...This is getting a bit much.
Sweat began to bead on my back and forehead. At this point, even I was finding it slightly difficult to endure.
"Aaaargh...!"
Paeng Do-jin, bearing the brunt of the pressure, shook violently.
The onlookers watched with confusion in their eyes.
To them, it must have looked bizarre—they felt absolutely nothing, yet Paeng Do-jin was collapsing on his own.
"Great? You?"
I stepped closer to the shivering Paeng Do-jin and spoke.
"I highly doubt it."
Then, I lightly tapped his chest with a single finger.
Thud!
The giant, nearly eight feet tall, was pushed back and fell squarely on his backside.
"You don't look very great to me."
"Cough...!"
The moment he fell, the spiritual pressure vanished.
Paeng Do-jin gasped heavily for air.
"Huff... Huff..."
He looked up at me through his ragged breathing.
I stared back, meeting his dark eyes head-on.
"I don't care about your reasons. It doesn't matter who you are."
I channeled energy into my Moon Eye. My eyes were likely glowing blue right now.
"If you call yourself a member of the Orthodox faction, show some proper etiquette. You aren't a back-alley thug, and that saber at your waist wasn't meant to be drawn in a filthy place like this."
Tsk.
I clicked my tongue in disgust and turned my back on him.
I walked away, praying silently.
Just stay put.
Please, just stay there.
Let's just leave quietly.
As I kept praying...
"Hahaha! Etiquette?"
I felt Paeng Do-jin pushing himself back up.
Did I mess up? Do I have to fight? Just as I was about to tense up and reach for my sword...
"Well said. If some idiot had said that, I would have called him a coward. But you are different."
Clack. He sheathed his weapon and continued.
"I like you. I really like you... How long has it been since I felt like this? Are you the same type as that guy?"
That guy?
His words caught my attention for a second.
"Well, it doesn't matter. Show etiquette? Fine. You'll be attending the Yongbong Association anyway. You plan to draw your sword there, don't you?"
"..."
I turned my head slightly to look at him.
"If I must."
I said it meaning I would rather die than draw it if I didn't have to, but...
"Good. I'll look forward to it."
Paeng Do-jin seemed to interpret it differently, grinning wildly.
"I can't wait to see the skills of the man rumored to look down on even the Seven Great Talents."
Thud.
Paeng Do-jin walked back to his carriage. He squeezed his massive frame through the entrance he had broken earlier.
"I apologize for blocking your path. I thought this would be the quickest way to get your attention."
A large hand waved from the carriage window.
"Oh, and I forgot to mention the most important thing."
His face popped out of the window as he looked at me.
"Lady Moyong is mine. I won't yield her to anyone."
"What?"
"Let's go!"
Neigh!
At his shout, the Paeng Clan's carriage began to move.
I stood there, completely dumbfounded, watching the carriage depart.
"...Who... what?"
What did that bastard just say?