Chapter 26: Mastering All
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 26: Mastering All
“Hahahahahaha—!”
The Sword Demon threw his head back and laughed heartily, as if something was incredibly amusing. He laughed for so long that tears welled in his eyes, then he shrugged his shoulders and looked at me.
“Only I and Richard Han can teach you? You speak with such arrogance, yet so boldly. But I can’t entirely dislike it…”
The Sword Demon swallowed the rest of his words, but I could tell he was pleased with me.
“Because I mean it.”
There were countless sword experts in Korea, but the only swordsmanship I felt aligned with my own direction and style was that of Sword Demon Choi Geon. To not miss this opportunity, I pleaded with him once more, pouring my sincerity into my words.
“Please teach me the sword. Judge for yourself whether my words are truly arrogant, or if I possess the qualifications to back them up.”
“Impossible.” The Sword Demon shook his head, a bitter smile playing on his lips, and continued.
“It has been a long time since I laid down my sword. So, do not try to persuade me any further.”
“That’s… impossible.” Only then did I realize there wasn’t a single sword visible anywhere in the house. I’d vaguely assumed he’d hidden them somewhere, but he didn’t possess any swords at all? For me, knowing how the Sword Demon regarded swords, it was an utterly unbelievable statement. Yet, his clear eyes, fixed on me, reflected sincerity.
“Impossible, you say? Are you implying I’m lying to deceive you?”
“...That’s not what I meant.”
I couldn’t even imagine what kind of feelings would lead a man who had lived his entire life obsessed with the sword to lay it down. Could it be related to the reason he went into seclusion? Had he suffered such a profound shock that he had to abandon his sword?
“I didn’t expect you to be so flustered. But it’s true. That’s also why I used needles, not a sword, when I pursued that scoundrel, Yaksha Sword.”
Perhaps my confusion was evident on my face, as the Sword Demon added an explanation in a calm voice.
“...I’ve grown sick of swords. I don’t want to touch them or even look at them anymore, so teaching someone would be absurd. Therefore, go home.”
That’s a lie.
‘Years from now, you’ll reveal the swordsmanship you’ve honed your entire life to the world, without any conditions. You regretted the thought of your swordsmanship disappearing that much.’
Knowing that, I believed I could change the Sword Demon’s mind. Even if not right now.
I slowly rose from my seat and offered the Sword Demon a Fist Salute.
“Understood. I’ll take my leave for today.”
“...For today?”
I never expected to persuade him easily from the start. Securing the best swordsmanship master. No matter how long it took, I intended to keep knocking on his door and persuading him until he agreed.
“I’ll come back tomorrow. And the day after tomorrow, and the day after that. I’ll come every day until you grant your permission.”
“...Even if it’s pointless. My answer won’t change even if you come a hundred times.”
“But you’re not telling me not to come, are you?”
“Honestly…”
The Sword Demon, who had been sighing and looking at me as if I were absurd, suddenly asked me, as if curious.
“What are you willing to sacrifice for the sword?”
“Pardon?”
I tilted my head at the sudden question. The Sword Demon, with a lonely gaze, stared intently at me. His eyes held deep remorse and regret.
“I sacrificed everything. I dedicated my youth and prime, abandoned wealth and honor, turned my back on friends, and even forsake my family. I lived my life looking only at a single sword.”
“…”
“When I came to my senses, I was alone. Yet, I never reached the realm I sought. Are you prepared to do the same?”
Though it was a question about my resolve, his words reminded me of my past life. In my previous life, I had lived a similar existence to the Sword Demon. I began cultivating martial arts with the dream of becoming the world’s greatest, but at some point, I lost that purpose and became a Vagrant, busy just surviving each day.
“I...”
I spent most of my time alone, with nothing to rely on but a single sword. The difference between him and me was that I was fortunate enough to get a second chance. That’s why I could state my resolve for this life with certainty.
“I won’t sacrifice anything.”
“What did you say?”
A faint hint of anger flickered across the Sword Demon’s face as he furrowed his brow. But my answer was neither a joke nor bravado.
“I cannot abandon my family or my friends. I don’t have much interest in wealth and honor, but I won’t deliberately discard those either. They will become the strength to protect my family and friends.”
“Nonsense! Do you truly believe you can reach a high realm with such a mindset?”
“Then I will strive even more desperately. I will fight with all my might so that I don’t have to abandon anything.”
Because I don’t want to be alone anymore. Because I don’t want to live feeling lonely, solitary, and empty.
“I will definitely be happy. Together with everyone around me.”
“…”
The Sword Demon glared at me in silence for a moment, then let out a long sigh. His eyes were a little bloodshot.
“You insolent brat. Do you think I asked to hear such an answer? Do you truly believe you can achieve great mastery as a swordsman with such a weak attitude?!”
His last words were practically a shout, yet strangely, I wasn’t afraid or offended. Instead, it felt as if the Sword Demon was angry at himself, so I smiled gently and said,
“So please, help me. Teach me so that I can become the world’s greatest without sacrificing anything, and so that I won’t have any regrets when I look back on my life later.”
“...Get lost.”
I bowed my head and turned away. Although I had been rejected, I felt much lighter, having said everything I had wanted to say to him.
“No matter how much you beg, I have no intention of teaching you swordsmanship. However…”
As I was descending the stairs, a voice, like a muttered soliloquy, came from behind me. I slowly turned around. The Sword Demon, his face full of contemplation, was gazing intently at me.
“I wouldn’t want to see you make a fool of yourself by clumsily imitating my swordsmanship… so if you come by occasionally, I suppose I can check your posture.”
At that moment, I smiled brightly and performed a deep bow towards the Sword Demon.
“Thank you! I’ll see you tomorrow, Master!”
“...Master, my foot. It’s late, so get lost.”
With that brusque remark, the Sword Demon spun around and went back into his house. But when I lifted my head, I saw a faint smile lingering on his lips as he turned away.
*
The next day. As soon as school ended, I rushed to the Sword Demon’s house. With a nervous heart, wondering if he might have changed his mind overnight and vanished without a trace, I knocked on the front door.
“Master. I’m here!”
“...It’s open, just come in.”
Stepping inside, I saw the Sword Demon dressed in the same bomber jacket and training pants as the day before. A folded newspaper lay beside him, as if he’d been reading it, and next to that, a back scratcher.
‘Surely not…’ Why did that back scratcher, made of thin bamboo, look like a sharp sword? Swallowing hard, I shifted my gaze from the back scratcher to the Sword Demon and spoke.
“I rushed here as soon as school ended, in case you were waiting.”
“You’re drinking kimchi soup before the rice cakes are even made. And who said I’m your master? I distinctly told you I wouldn’t teach you swordsmanship, didn’t I?”
“But you agreed to check my posture. That alone will be a great help to me in the future, so it’s only right that I call you Master.”
“Hmph? Your confidence is truly sky-high.”
I showed him the spare practice sword I’d brought, replacing the one that had cracked, and said,
“Shall I warm up first?”
“...Do as you please. The rooftop is empty, so go up there and swing it around.”
“Understood.”
I immediately went up to the rooftop and began a light warm-up. The Sword Demon, who followed me up a little later, sat on a spacious wooden platform and watched me.
“…” Judging by his indifferent expression, he seemed to have no interest in the swordsmanship I was performing. He’d stop watching my swordsmanship to look up at the sky, or read the newspaper he’d brought, or swat at flying insects with his back scratcher.
‘He must not have anything specific to point out.’ I paid him no mind and continued my sword training as usual. I focused on the techniques I had honed and established in my previous life, and the areas I wanted to develop further.
Then, the Sword Demon, who had been silent for a while, spoke as if in passing.
“You have a rough habit of gripping the sword. If you keep using it like that, your wrist will get injured quickly.”
I immediately stopped and turned to the Sword Demon, asking,
“I’m trying to be careful in my own way… Should I change my grip?”
“There’s no need to change it entirely. Just relax the strength in your shoulder a little when performing that last movement.”
Whoosh—. “Like this?”
“…”
“Did I do the movement incorrectly?”
‘He understands annoyingly well,’ the Sword Demon muttered under his breath, then unfolded his newspaper and began reading again.
Smiling pleasantly at the implied praise, I resumed swinging my sword diligently. Soon, a new critique came.
“Your strides are too wide and hurried. Are you picturing an opponent in your mind as you move?”
“Yes, that’s right. How did you know…?”
“It’s not always good to treat every training session like a real battle. First, focus on the movement itself, then pause briefly after completing it before doing it again.”
I etched the advice into my mind and swung the sword again. As I felt myself improving slightly, another piece of advice reached my ears.
“Anyone can move quickly. But to truly master a movement, you must also be able to perform the same action ten times slower.”
“Yes!”
Every single remark he casually tossed out was precisely the advice I needed at that moment. Just by slightly altering my method according to the Sword Demon’s advice, it became several times harder than usual, and my breath grew ragged quickly.
“Hoo, hooooh…”
I was swinging my sword in a frenzy when I stopped abruptly as soon as an alarm rang on my phone. The Sword Demon, who had been watching me intently with his arms crossed, asked with a puzzled expression,
“Why did you suddenly stop?”
“I need to eat dinner first, don’t I?”
Grinning, I pulled out a lunchbox from my bag, which I’d asked my parents to prepare for three people.
“I brought dinner. Let’s eat together.”
“I’m fine, you eat alone.”
I grabbed the hem of the Sword Demon’s clothes as he rose from the platform, about to go back into the house, and said,
“My parents made this since morning, specifically for you to eat with me… Could you please eat some, out of consideration for their effort? They’ll be disappointed if I bring leftovers back.”
“…”
In the end, the Sword Demon, pretending to be reluctantly persuaded, sat back down on the platform. We sat facing each other on the platform and ate our lunchboxes. The food was a little lukewarm, but the seaweed soup, brought in a thermos, was still warm.
The Sword Demon, who had been moving his chopsticks without much talk, suddenly asked me,
“Did you tell your parents who I am?”
“I didn’t tell them in detail. I figured you wouldn’t want more people knowing about you, Master.”
At my serious answer, the Sword Demon chuckled and shook his head.
“It doesn’t matter if you tell them.”
“Pardon? But there are people looking for you, Master…”
“The last time those bastards looked for me was ten years ago. I reacted sensitively and suspected you, but in truth, it doesn’t matter at all.”
In the Martial, Sword Demon Choi Geon was a name long forgotten. He knew this well himself, which was why he said he didn’t care.
“Then… can I tell my friends who helped me look for you yesterday? They went through a lot to help me, so I feel like I should let them know.”
“Do as you please.”
We ate together and talked about various things we hadn’t discussed the day before. I mostly did the talking, and the Sword Demon would give simple answers or occasionally ask a question.
“I generally understand your Musculature and Constitution, but what about your Five Elements Affinity?”
Once one passes the Martial License Exam, they must seriously begin cultivating Internal Energy Cultivation Methods, and the methods one can learn vary greatly depending on their affinity. While not as critical as Musculature or Constitution, a martial artist’s affinity for one of the Five Elements was also an important factor.
I pondered for a moment, then decided to tell him honestly.
“I have an affinity for all Five Elements.”
“...Say that again.”
I tilted my head, then clarified my meaning to avoid any misunderstanding.
“I have a Constitution that allows me to master all Five Elements martial arts.”
At that moment, the Sword Demon dropped his chopsticks with a clatter and stared at me with astonished eyes.
“You… you’re a Five Elements Affinity Holder?”
Anyone could see it was a reaction far beyond mere surprise.