Chapter 30: Icing on the Cake
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 30: Icing on the Cake
It wasn't my idea to visit the Master with my parents.
After rejecting Changcheon Sword Sect's offer, I rushed straight home. I'd planned to just grab my mask and hat from home and head straight to the Master for training, even if it was late.
But the moment I stepped into the living room, my eyes met my parents', who were waiting for me.
"Oh? You two are home from work already?"
"……."
"……."
The atmosphere was different from usual; something felt off. Both of them were staring at me with serious expressions, and I soon realized why.
Because on the laptop on the dining table, a YouTube video of me fighting Yaksha Sword was playing.
"Uh, well..."
The moment I instinctively started to make excuses and took a step back, Mom beckoned me with a flick of her finger.
"Ki Mu-hyeok. Come here and sit down."
"...Yes, ma'am."
I might have been able to flat-out reject the Eight Great Sects' contract offer, but at Mom's single word, I was nothing but a docile lamb. Beside her, Dad, who had his arms crossed, also spoke with a heavy expression.
"Son. Didn't you say you'd rush home right after school?"
"The truth is..."
After finding out about the video at school earlier, I'd texted my parents not to worry. I'd told them I'd explain everything in detail when they got home from work that evening.
However, getting caught up in conversation with Bu Yeon-ha meant I got home later than I'd expected, and in the meantime, my parents, worried about me, had even taken a half-day off work to wait for me.
"Do you have any idea how shocked your dad was seeing this?! A sword swinging right in front of your nose, how scared I was..."
Dad's eyes were bloodshot as he raised his voice. He said his heart had dropped when he saw the video of me fighting that old Unorthodox Faction monster, and he couldn't focus on work all day.
"At the very least, you should have told us."
Mom also looked at me, clearly trying to hold back her anger.
"Mom had braced herself somewhat ever since you said you wanted to become a Martial Arts Practitioner. Of course, it's a dangerous path. I know you could get hurt fighting, and that injuries are common. Still... you should have told us. Do your mom and dad have to find out their son got hurt by watching a video like everyone else?"
Seeing them tear up with worry for me hurt far more deeply than any wound I'd received from Yaksha Sword.
"...I'm truly sorry."
I realized I'd only thought of myself and hadn't considered my parents. They always put me first, and I'd vowed to live a long, happy life with them this time around, in this life. Yet, how many times had I hidden my injuries, trying to quietly move past them under the excuse of not wanting to cause them unnecessary worry?
"From now on, I'll definitely tell you everything."
I sincerely apologized to them both and firmly promised that such a thing would never happen again.
"...Are your injuries okay?"
"Did you get proper treatment at the hospital?"
My parents hugged me tightly. Their warm embrace enveloped me, and I felt the tension that had built up in my body from all the recent events finally release.
However, that warm hug was a trap designed to make me drop my guard.
"So, let's just check how badly you're hurt."
"You hold him tight. I'll take it off!"
Both of them simultaneously tried to lift my shirt to check my wounds. Flustered, I struggled to protect my clothes.
"Ah, wait, wait! I'm almost twenty!"
"What does age have to do with it when your parents just want to see if their son is hurt?"
"Do you know how many unsightly things your mom and dad have seen while raising you?"
Of course, I could have easily shaken them off if I'd wanted to, but I pretended to be helpless and played along with their teasing. What's the big deal about showing my bare body to my parents? If it would put their minds at ease, I'd show them anything.
"But seriously, your body's gotten even better in the meantime?"
"Should I take off my pants too?"
"That's enough, stop with the gross talk!"
After a good scolding, reconciliation, and some playful banter, I cautiously spoke to my parents, who had returned to their usual selves.
"...I've had a lot going on lately."
I honestly told them the story of how I'd spent over a week searching for the Master, and how I'd encountered and fought Yaksha Sword in the process.
"Good heavens... So you were searching for a reclusive master because you wanted to be taught swordsmanship?"
"No wonder you suddenly asked me to pack so many lunchboxes."
I had to hide the parts related to my regression, but other than that, I told them almost everything without holding back. Even the conversation I had with the Changcheon Sword Sect's scout team leader.
"So, I'm just coming back from rejecting Changcheon Sword Sect's offer."
"……."
"……."
After relaying the story of rejecting Changcheon Sword Sect's offer, I quietly waited for my parents' reaction.
'Would they be disappointed that I rejected an offer from one of the Eight Great Sects?'
It was like kicking away a path that anyone could see guaranteed success. Since they wanted me to succeed as a Martial Arts Practitioner more than anyone, I could understand if they felt regret or anger about my decision.
But they listened to my story calmly until the end, then looked at each other and nodded.
"...You're not angry?"
When I asked, looking bewildered, Dad just shrugged and smiled.
"What's there to be angry about? You'll manage your own life just fine."
"That doesn't mean it's okay to treat your body carelessly and get hurt, though. You know that's a completely different matter, right?"
Mom also didn't seem to have any regrets about me rejecting the Eight Great Sects' offer. It was as if they had expected me to do so. Instead of the contract with Changcheon Sword Sect, they seemed more interested in something else.
"So, Mu-hyeok, you went and found a swordsmanship master yourself, is that it?"
"You always said you didn't need private lessons, just academies..."
In truth, my parents had tried to get me a private swordsmanship instructor before, but I'd always refused. Because the cost of private lessons was excessively high compared to their effectiveness.
'And I was confident I could become strong enough on my own, without learning from anyone else.'
So, it was natural for them to be curious when I, of all people, had taken the initiative to find a swordsmanship master.
"This won't do. Since we're talking about it, let's go see him."
"Huh? Now?"
Dad checked the time and said, grabbing his coat. I was flustered and tried to stop him, but he'd already grabbed the car keys.
"Honey. Should we take something as a gift for the Master?"
"I'll pack some fruit. We can buy anything else if we see it on the way."
Mom was the same. She sprang up and headed to the kitchen, leaving me the only one flustered and at a loss in this sudden situation.
"Are we really going? Just like this, suddenly?"
"He's guiding our lacking son, so we should at least properly greet him."
"It's already late..."
"So you're not going? You still don't even have his contact info, do you? If we don't show up without a word, he might keep waiting."
"I can just go by myself."
"Hurry up and change your clothes. We're leaving right away."
My parents usually concede to me on most things, but when they dug their heels in, there was nothing I could do.
The Master, with an embarrassed expression, placed three cups of barley tea in front of us and spoke.
"I apologize for not having much to offer my guests."
"Not at all. We're the ones who should apologize for visiting so suddenly."
"We brought some fruit; should I peel it?"
Mom nudged my side. It meant for me to go peel the fruit.
While I was peeling apples and pears in the kitchen, a few more formal greetings were exchanged between the adults sitting opposite each other.
Then, an awkward silence fell.
"……."
The Master glanced at me with a bewildered look, and I, avoiding his gaze, peeled the apples and pears as if they were my sworn enemies.
Fortunately, Dad broke the awkward atmosphere by speaking.
"Mu-hyeok told us what kind of person you are, Master. He said that although you were known by the terrifying moniker Sword Demon, you are a Martial Arts Practitioner who embodies the word 'hero' better than anyone he knows."
"Ahem..."
Perhaps he was weak to such direct praise, as the Master's ears turned slightly red, and he shook his head.
"I am merely an old man who once wielded a sword a long time ago. I am not such a great person."
I knew how humble those words were. But the man himself seemed to genuinely believe it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have said such things with such a determined expression.
"...With your son's talent, any of the Eight Great Sects would welcome him with open arms. No, if they truly knew Mu-hyeok's worth as I've seen it, they'd cling to his coattails and beg him to join."
My parents' eyes widened at the unimaginable praise. If it were a joke, they might have played along and laughed, but the Master's expression was so utterly serious that anyone could tell he meant every word.
"I am not one to give praise lightly. Mu-hyeok clearly possesses that much talent and passion. So... please, his parents, persuade him even now."
"Persuade him?"
"Mu-hyeok can find a far better master than me."
"……."
The Master's expression was softer than before, yet resolute at the same time. As if he had made up his mind, he nodded, then turned his head and looked at me with a faint smile.
"Though I've only guided you for a single day, it was enough to recognize your talent. Please, go to a place that can make you fully blossom and bloom there."
I brought the diligently peeled fruit, arranged on a plate, and placed it on the small table, then spoke.
"Which is why I'm here right now, isn't it?"
"This rascal..."
The moment the Master's eyebrows furrowed in displeasure, my parents both laughed.
"Hahaha!"
A pleased smile hung on both their faces. To me, that smile seemed to be praising me, as if saying, 'You've found a good teacher.'
Mom patted my shoulder, sitting beside me, and spoke.
"You don't know how happy Mu-hyeok was, saying he'd met the swordsmanship master he'd wanted most, do you? It's been a long time since I've seen him so delighted, like a child."
"Ahem..."
I cleared my throat in embarrassment, and Mom looked between me and the Master with confident eyes.
"I don't know much about the Martial, but I pride myself on being a good judge of character. I feel that you, Master, will guide him on the right path. It seems you and our Mu-hyeok are cut from the same cloth."
Dad also shook his head, smiling.
"Persuade this rascal? I haven't succeeded once since he was nine. And from my perspective, rather than the crowded and complicated Eight Great Sects, I think you, Master, will teach Mu-hyeok in a way that suits him best."
Who else could I have taken after? It was all something I'd learned from my parents since I was young.
"...So this rascal's stubbornness comes from both of you, his parents. Are you truly sure you won't regret this? I can't offer anything other than swordsmanship instruction."
"That's enough, we told you."
"To ask for more would be greedy, wouldn't it?"
"Please take good care of our lacking son."
Those were my, Dad's, and Mom's replies, in order.
"Hah! Well, I'll be..."
The Master let out a hollow laugh. It was probably because he was dumbfounded seeing the three of us sitting there with equally stubborn expressions.
And at that moment, I felt the last bolt on his heart finally unlatch. Because a playful smile, one I'd never seen before, formed on the Master's lips.
"Alright. Don't come regretting it later, though."
I cheered, and my parents expressed their gratitude.
And for a while, a struggle ensued. My parents naturally offered to pay for the swordsmanship instruction, but the Master adamantly refused to accept any money. The second battle of stubbornness was won by the Master.
"I have never once personally accepted money while teaching the sword. My honor is at stake, so I absolutely cannot yield on this."
"But..."
"Instead."
To my apologetic parents, the Master smiled and requested a condition to replace the money.
"Could you perhaps pack my lunchbox sometimes too? That warm meal I had last night was on my mind all day."
"Just that?"
"We can certainly do that, but..."
In the end, they agreed that packed lunches for dinner would serve as payment for the swordsmanship instruction.
After chatting about various things for a while longer, the night grew quite deep. My parents, with regretful expressions, stood up first.
"Master, then we'll be taking our leave."
"Mu-hyeok. You must listen carefully to the Master."
"You two go ahead. I'll talk with the Master a bit longer before I leave."
"Please drive safely."
After my parents left, the Master and I were alone.
"Phew..."
The Master, completely drained, gulped down the remaining barley tea and looked at me with a weak smile.
"You have wonderful parents."
"Yes. I'm always proud of them."
As I proudly puffed out my chest, the Master chuckled and nodded. But that was only for a moment; his gentle expression instantly sharpened like a keen sword.
"Since I've made a promise to your parents, I won't be teaching you half-heartedly from now on."
"I'm prepared for it."
I nodded, putting strength into my gaze. The Master, nodding as if pleased with my expression, spoke.
"First, I'll draw up a training schedule tailored to the Martial License Exam. The exam changes slightly each year, but the overall framework remains similar."
The old man, who had seemed enlightened to worldly affairs, suddenly had eyes like a top-tier cram school instructor from Daechi-dong. I quietly listened to his words.
"What you need most right now is a sparring partner. I can match your level, but the tension and practical effectiveness would be lower, so to maintain your senses, it would be good to have an opponent who can at least spar with you for thirty exchanges."
"Furthermore, if you could get help from a skilled Spellcaster, it would be the icing on the cake, as they could create various environments similar to the License Exam. The problem, however, is that they're not easy to recruit..."
At that moment, I raised my hand and spoke.
"Master. I think I can get both of them right away."
"An opponent similar to you, and a decent Spellcaster, you say? Such conditions aren't easy to find even among the Eight Great Sects..."
At that moment, the Master seemed to recall the same faces I was thinking of. We both nodded simultaneously.
The Master said, with a hint of expectation in his expression.
"Go on, give them a call."
And a few days later.
While I was training on the rooftop of the Master's house.
"You said we were going to a good restaurant! You lied about food again, you son of a bitch, Ki Mu-hyeok!"
"What? You said the gap between us had widened even further, and I wouldn't even be able to touch you? Today, I'll crush you!"
Kim Bok-ja and Shin Kang-heon burst through the rooftop door.