A Ghost from the Past
The first match of the main tournament was over.
It hadn't taken very long. The Sword Phoenix had finished her opponent in barely two exchanges, and the other side's match had ended just as anticlimactically, likely because one fighter was overwhelmingly superior.
Yet, strangely, the crowd's fervor showed no signs of cooling down.
Just catching a fleeting glimpse of the Sword Phoenix's sword dance was enough. As if nothing else mattered, the spectators remained entirely focused on her even after the duel had concluded.
"They call her the genius of Mount Hua, and it seems they weren't exaggerating."
"I'm telling you, I couldn't even see her sword!"
"No wonder the Plum Blossom Sword Saint praised her so highly... The future of Mount Hua is bright indeed."
The future World's Greatest.
A master who might one day transcend the current era.
At this moment, that was how most people viewed the Sword Phoenix.
Of course, the person in question seemed utterly indifferent to the praise, her face remaining completely expressionless.
*Tap. Tap.*
With light footsteps, the Sword Phoenix descended from the stage.
I glanced at her. Sensing my gaze, she turned her eyes toward me.
Our eyes met. Instead of heading toward her own group, she began walking straight in my direction.
"..."
I watched her silently as she closed the distance, stopping right in front of me.
Up close, the Sword Phoenix stared at me intently.
Her eyes gave away nothing of her thoughts.
I stared back for a moment before scratching my cheek.
What was I even supposed to say?
After agonizing over it for a while, the words that finally slipped out of my mouth were simple.
"It's been a while."
"..."
Her eyes widened slightly at my greeting.
He was right. I hadn't remembered. When the Sword Phoenix first acted like she knew me, I had racked my brain trying to figure out who she was, but nothing had come to mind.
I usually prided myself on my memory.
How could I have forgotten someone like the Sword Phoenix? The reason was simple.
She changed too much...
The person in my memories was far too different from the girl standing before me.
She used to be a slightly frail but bright child.
What is this transformation?
The sheer scale of the difference left me utterly bewildered.
Normally, I might never have realized it.
But the gesture she had shown me last time—holding her empty noodle bowl upside down over her head—had given it away.
That was when it clicked.
...And besides.
"Wait... you were a girl?"
"..."
In my memories, the Sword Phoenix wasn't even female.
That was the real issue.
It happened when I was about twelve years old.
I was completely overwhelmed, constantly cleaning up the messes my father left in his wake.
Between my father and my brother, they were turning the world into an absolute circus, leaving me with zero peace of mind.
Then, early one morning, a guest arrived.
Since no one else was awake yet, I rubbed my tired eyes and went out to greet them.
An early morning visitor.
In our household, that usually meant one of two things.
Normally...
Either an angry Moyong Yeong-sun.
Or...
Someone my father scammed.
The latter was the most likely, but to my surprise, it was neither.
The visitors were a woman and a young child.
A young boy whose face was completely hidden beneath a mop of shaggy hair.
And a woman who looked incredibly haggard.
The two of them had suddenly shown up at the Bang family estate.
What was going on?
I couldn't make heads or tails of the situation.
Still half-asleep, I rubbed my eyes again.
But the scene didn't change.
The woman and the boy were still standing right there.
After a moment, once I realized this wasn't a dream, the woman spoke.
"Um..."
Her tone was hesitant, as if she had something difficult to say.
I didn't even need to hear it.
Oh, for crying out loud.
"Huh...?"
The woman flinched, startled by my sudden curse.
What am I going to do with that damn old man? We barely have enough rice to feed ourselves as it is.
I gnashed my teeth.
Then I looked at the boy. He seemed to be around my age.
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
The boy replied to my call.
I eyed him closely and asked,
"How old are you?"
"Me?"
"Yeah, you."
"Twelve."
Is that old bastard insane?!
Anger flared deep inside me the moment I heard his age. Twelve? He was the same age as me.
This is driving me crazy. Life is hard enough, and now I have a half-sibling my own age?
"Excuse me... what do you mean by that?"
The woman looked bewildered by my muttering, but I waved my hand as if to say it was fine.
"You don't have to explain. I knew this day would come. Seeing how that wretched man kept throwing himself at anything with a skirt, I knew he'd leave a bastard behind eventually."
"What...? No, that's not..."
"Steward!!"
I bellowed at the top of my lungs. I could hear rustling inside the house.
Sensing the movement, I yelled even louder.
"Wake my father up! Tell him his third son and a new stepmother have arrived!"
I was absolutely convinced he was a love child.
There was no other logical explanation.
Why else would a boy my age and a stunningly beautiful woman suddenly show up at our doorstep?
The probability was exactly one.
I had another brother.
Or so I thought.
Wait... you're not?
Just as I was about to grab my father by the collar and beat him, I realized it was all a massive misunderstanding.
The woman was simply someone who had a past connection with the Bang family.
She had only come to ask if they could stay at our estate for a short while.
It was an incredibly awkward situation, but fortunately, I hadn't actually hit my father yet.
From that day on, we took the woman and the child in as guests.
They spent about a year living with us before they eventually moved on.
"It really has been a while..."
I recalled the memories of that time as I looked at the Sword Phoenix.
The woman standing before me. The Sword Phoenix.
It was her.
The boy from back then.
"So..."
What was I even supposed to say? How did she change this much?
Honestly, I felt a bit cheated.
How was I supposed to recognize her when she turned out like this?
She had literally changed genders in my mind. It was absurd to expect me to remember.
I had every right to be defensive.
However...
She really does look like her.
I finally understood why the Sword Phoenix had felt so familiar.
She looks just like her mother.
The woman who had been the boy's mother back then.
She and the Sword Phoenix were spitting images of each other.
"Have you been well? Uh..."
I paused mid-sentence. A name came to mind, but I wasn't sure if it was appropriate to use it now.
After a moment of hesitation, I just said it.
"Dae-cheon."
"..."
Hong Dae-cheon.
That was the name the woman had introduced her "son" by.
The Sword Phoenix reacted slightly at the name.
"...So... you were a girl all along?"
It was awkward. Then again, we had never bathed together.
Her mother had said she was her son, so I had just taken her word for it...
"Well... you grew up well."
It was a pretty lame comment, but it was the best I could do under the circumstances.
"..."
The Sword Phoenix just stared at me silently. She still didn't say a word.
The rumors said she was mute, but...
That's strange.
If the Sword Phoenix was indeed Hong Dae-cheon, she should be able to speak.
We had definitely talked back then.
Her gender changed, and now they say she's mute. How on earth was I supposed to recognize her?
Besides, her face had been completely covered by her messy hair back then.
No matter how you looked at it, it was only natural that I hadn't recognized her.
Anyway.
"Right, well..."
Feeling the awkwardness of the silence, I decided to change the subject.
"How is Madam Jin doing?"
"..."
The beautiful woman who was Hong Dae-cheon's mother.
The moment I mentioned the woman I used to call Madam Jin, a deep sorrow filled the Sword Phoenix's eyes.
Ah, damn it.
Her reaction told me everything. I had clearly stepped on a landmine.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up something painful. I just..."
Just as I was scrambling to fix my mistake—
"Next! Will the next contestants please step up to the stage!"
The referee's shout drew my attention.
"Ah."
Contestants were heading up to the stage. Among them was a face I really didn't want to see. Seo Pyeong. He was making his way up.
Which meant...
It's my turn.
As his opponent, I had to go up as well.
Tsk. Clicking my tongue softly, I looked back at the Sword Phoenix.
"I have to go up. Let's talk later."
"..."
She nodded in response. Seeing her acknowledgment, I quickly made my way up to the stage.
As I stepped onto the wide stage, the murmurs of the crowd washed over me.
"First the Sword Phoenix, and now the Cloud Dragon... What a feast for the eyes."
"I heard the Cloud Dragon is already on the verge of mastering the Taiji Sword."
"Heavens, already? The Sect Leader of Wudang must have high hopes for him, and it seems they're well-founded."
"By the way, who is the Cloud Dragon's opponent?"
"Who knows? But damn, he's a handsome fellow."
The crowd's attention naturally shifted toward me.
Just then—
"Seo Pyeong of the Wudang Sect versus Bang Seong-yeon of Cheongwol Gate!"
The moment my name was announced, a massive uproar erupted.
"Bang Seong-yeon? Cheongwol Gate?! Then..."
"Don't tell me that young man is..."
"The Young Sword Saint?"
"What? The Young Sword Saint?!"
It seemed my name had gained some notoriety, as most of the crowd recognized it immediately.
"The Young Sword Saint? You mean that kid is the successor of the Sword Saint?"
"He looks a bit too frail for that, doesn't he...?"
"A guy with that build killed an absolute master of the Unorthodox Faction...?"
"Whoa. So it's the Cloud Dragon versus the Young Sword Saint."
"Unbelievable...!"
The sheer excitement and anticipation radiating from the crowd was almost suffocating.
This is going to kill me.
I couldn't help but sigh at all the unwanted attention.
As I stood there feeling annoyed,
"Are you nervous?"
Seo Pyeong spoke, his voice dripping with condescension.
"What?"
"I asked if you're worried that the bubble you've built up is about to burst."
"What are you even talking about?"
"You might fool the eyes of others, but you can't fool me."
"Prepare yourselves."
*Shring!*
At the referee's signal, both Seo Pyeong and I drew our swords.
Even then, his mouth didn't stop moving.
"I don't feel any presence from you. Your realm might not be low, but you are nowhere near the level of the Seven Great Talents."
Oh.
I was secretly impressed by his firm, cold assessment.
So he's not completely blind.
As that thought crossed my mind,
"I won't accept it. I cannot accept you being called the Young Sword Saint."
I let out a dry chuckle. What did it matter if he accepted it or not?
"And?"
I asked. Seo Pyeong's face contorted in anger.
"Then I will have to prove it."
"Prove what?"
"I will shatter that mask of yours in front of all these people."
"...Hmm..."
His hostility was intense. At this point, I was genuinely curious.
"Let me ask you something first. Why do you hate me so much?"
"What?"
"I just don't get it. I don't recall ever doing anything to offend you."
"..."
It was true. I had never done anything to cross the Wudang Sect, so why was this guy so hostile toward me?
It made no sense. If someone was going to resent me, there should at least be a reason. Otherwise, it was just unfair.
I asked him with that genuine curiosity, but—
"Hmph."
He merely snorted. Ah, so he had no intention of telling me.
But he did have a reason.
"Fine. Don't tell me if you don't want to. I don't really care that much anyway."
I already had too much on my mind to waste time bickering with this guy.
"Match..."
The referee called out.
"...Begin!"
The moment the word left his mouth—
*Shring!*
"...!"
My sword was already resting against Seo Pyeong's throat. It had happened in the blink of an eye.