Chapter 31: What I Could Only Dream Of
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 31: What I Could Only Dream Of
I was training alone on the rooftop when I looked at the two who had arrived together, a puzzled expression on my face.
"How did you two end up coming together?"
"Ugh, move it!"
Kim Bok-ja grumbled, shoving Shin Kang-heon, who was twice her size, aside.
"We ran into each other on the way here, right in front. But you said this place had great gamjatang! You're really going to get it from your noona today..."
As Bok-ja rolled up her sleeves and approached me, a large hand pushed her back again.
"You're the one who should stop chattering and move aside."
"Hey!"
Shin Kang-heon pushed Bok-ja away, stepped forward, and cracked his neck from side to side.
He was wearing a tight compression shirt, and heat was radiating from his entire body, as if he'd been running for a long time.
Shin Kang-heon drew the sword from his back, grinned fiercely, and glared at me.
"Ki Mu-hyeok. I've thoroughly analyzed you to avenge my last humiliation. Now you're mine..."
"Why's your tongue so long?"
I took a few steps back, creating some distance, then provocatively wiggled a finger at Shin Kang-heon.
"Stop flapping your gums and just come at me."
Shin Kang-heon snorted loudly and immediately charged like a wild boar with its tail on fire.
I didn't dodge either, swinging my practice sword to meet him.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
As soon as we met, clashing and fighting, Bok-ja stepped back, shaking her head with a disgusted expression.
"Idiots with nothing but martial arts in their heads."
I clashed swords to my heart's content with Shin Kang-heon, whom I hadn't seen in days.
After about fifty exchanges, I found an opening, exploited it, and struck him hard in the abdomen with the hilt of my sword.
Thwack!
With a direct hit to the solar plexus, Shin Kang-heon clutched his stomach and rolled around on the floor.
"Ugh! You bastard, you really got stronger..."
"Looks like you haven't been slacking off either, huh?"
"Aargh! Damn it, you're pissing me off!"
I casually curled one corner of my mouth, teasing Shin Kang-heon, but inwardly, I was quite surprised.
'This guy. He's not called a genius for nothing.'
His claim of analyzing me wasn't just empty bravado; in less than a week, his speed in following my sword had become much faster than before.
'If I hadn't received guidance from the Master...'
Wouldn't it have taken at least ten more exchanges to gain the upper hand like this? The thought made the corner of my mouth curl up involuntarily.
A smirk.
"...Are you a pervert? Why are you smiling at someone who's down?"
"Because I feel good."
"He really must be crazy. Someone who likes hitting people..."
Bok-ja saw my expression and started to subtly back away, so I quickly threw out a bait.
"Let's go to that gamjatang place for dinner later. Actually, I called you two today because I have a favor to ask."
"A favor?"
Bok-ja still looked at me with a suspicious expression, while Shin Kang-heon was sitting on the floor, rubbing his solar plexus.
"I'll explain the details."
Startled by the sudden voice, Shin Kang-heon and Kim Bok-ja turned around.
Because the Master, who had appeared without a trace, was already standing behind them.
'First the Bone Shrinking Art, and now this... sometimes, I'd believe he was a former Assassin.'
Even I occasionally missed the Master's presence.
And that's despite having encountered quite a few Assassins skilled in stealth techniques in my previous life.
The Master, who had come up to the rooftop holding a back scratcher in one hand, chuckled blandly and spoke.
"My name is Choi Geon. I'm an old man who knows his way around a sword, and I was once called the Sword Demon."
At the moniker 'Sword Demon,' both their eyes widened simultaneously.
Kim Bok-ja, who had been glancing back and forth between me and the Master, finally lowered her guard and spoke.
"So you finally found him... But isn't this near where we fought last time?"
"There's a lot to talk about, but I'll tell you later. Master. This is my friend, Kim Bok—"
"It's Red Rabbit. A freelance spellcaster blessed with both intelligence and beauty."
Bok-ja cut me off, introducing herself to the Master.
...Sometimes I wonder if introducing herself as Red Rabbit in front of others isn't more embarrassing than just being Kim Bok-ja.
At least Bok-ja didn't seem to think so, as she even pulled out a business card and handed it to the Master.
"You can call me Rerae for short, that's fine."
"Haha. Understood. I'll call you Rerae."
Meanwhile, Shin Kang-heon, who had been grumbling while rubbing his solar plexus where I'd hit him, suddenly sprang up and gave the Master a Fist Salute.
"Greetings! Senior! My name is Shin Kang-heon, and I dream of becoming the World's Greatest Swordsman!"
"...Senior?"
"Of course, he's a grand senior! He was once one of the top five swordsmen in our country!"
That bastard, he didn't even know who the Sword Demon was at first, but now he's flattering him with things he heard from me.
I stared at his shameless face in disbelief, but Shin Kang-heon pretended not to notice, obsequiously rubbing his palms together in front of the Master.
"I've always wanted to meet you! I humbly ask for your guidance and instruction in the future!"
He really is quite brazen and subtly quick-witted, that guy.
The Master, who had been looking at Shin Kang-heon with a similarly bewildered expression, eventually let out a chuckle.
"Well, I'm glad to meet you too. From your appearance, I thought you'd be as fierce as a tiger, but you have a foxy side too, don't you?"
"Senior, don't be fooled. Ki Mu-hyeok here is far foxier than I am."
"Haha! Yes, I know that. But..."
'He reminds me of someone I know...'
The Master mumbled the last part to himself, tilting his head, but Bok-ja's immediate question interrupted his thoughts.
"So, what was that favor you mentioned earlier?"
It was the main point, which I had momentarily forgotten.
The Master nodded and began to explain to the two of them.
"The Martial License Exam next year isn't far off. So, I want to give Mu-hyeok customized training, and it would be good if you two could help."
The Master asked Shin Kang-heon to be my sparring partner for the next few months, and Bok-ja if she could create an environment similar to the License Exam using her spells.
"I'm in!"
Shin Kang-heon nodded as if there was nothing to consider.
Even though he wasn't a swordsman like the Master, he would gain a lot by receiving guidance from a Peak Master like him.
Shin Kang-heon glared fiercely at me and continued.
"A First-Rate License on the first try. If you get it, I'll get it no matter what."
I scoffed at Shin Kang-heon, who was burning with competitive spirit, and as expected, he got all worked up and huffed.
I knew Shin Kang-heon would agree; the important thing was Bok-ja's help.
"Hmm..."
Bok-ja wouldn't gain anything specific by helping with my training.
It was a situation where she'd have to dedicate her time to something with no financial benefit.
The Kim Bok-ja I knew would naturally refuse outright.
'But she seems to be considering it much more than I expected.'
However, it seemed too difficult, and Bok-ja eventually shook her head.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think I can. Occasionally, maybe, but consistently for several months? That would be too hard."
Bok-ja earns quite a lot of money performing spell procedures in the Underworld.
Asking her to take time away from that to help with my training was, even to me, an unreasonable request.
So, at first, I had intended to ask her even if it meant paying her, but the Master told me to leave it to him.
"What if I were to give you compensation in something other than money?"
"...That sounds familiar. What 'other thing'?"
Bok-ja shot me a glance and maintained her indifferent expression until the Master pulled out a thin, old-looking booklet from his sleeve.
"This is a spellbook left behind by a deceased friend of mine. He had no family or disciples to leave it to, so he entrusted it to me. He said I could sell it or give it to whomever I wished... but it was useless to me, so I've kept it until now."
Bok-ja looked at the booklet the Master held out with a completely unenthusiastic expression.
"These kinds of things are almost always cheap... Oh, sorry."
"It's fine. Just in case, take a look at the contents."
Bok-ja reluctantly took the spellbook from the Master and began flipping through the pages, reading.
However, as Bok-ja casually turned the pages, at one point her eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open involuntarily.
"Th-this... who gave this to you?"
"It belonged to my deceased friend. He was a spellcaster I once knew from the Martial Alliance."
Seeing the Master smile contentedly, it seemed he had anticipated Bok-ja's reaction.
Kim Bok-ja clutched the spellbook tightly in her hand, a half-dazed expression on her face.
"A spellbook of this caliber can't be bought with money... Are you really giving this to me?"
A spellbook was like a martial arts manual to a martial artist.
These days, one could learn basic spells even on YouTube, but proper spells were still mostly passed down from a single person, only to their children or disciples.
However, Kim Bok-ja was a genius who had self-taught spells using YouTube and books from the library, without the help of a master.
'One of the reasons she worked so hard to earn money was to acquire spellbooks suited to her level...'
That spellbook would be an offer Bok-ja couldn't refuse.
The way she gulped, even I, who knew little about spells, could tell it was an incredible item.
The Master, now completely in control, shrugged lightly and said.
"This is an advance payment. Depending on how you do later, I might even give you another one."
"When do I need to come? I'll make time, even if I don't have any, and show up for work!"
And so, the training and cultivation in preparation for the License Exam, with the three of them together, began.
Time flew by quickly.
As I dedicated myself to training day after day, the last winter break of my third year of high school passed, and soon the New Year arrived.
"Happy New Year—!"
"Happy New Year, everyone!"
This year, I welcomed the New Year with my parents and the Master.
My parents, who had grown friendly with the Master through his occasional visits with lunchboxes or small gifts, invited him to our home for year-end and New Year's dinners.
"Ahem. I hope an old man isn't intruding too often..."
"Teacher! Don't say things you don't mean, have a drink."
"It's not much, but please eat plenty. Rerae, you should eat a lot too, okay?"
Bok-ja, who had become acquainted with my parents through several encounters on the rooftop, was also invited, and we all had dinner together at our house.
Bok-ja looked confused at the table packed with food.
"Not much, you say? There's so much I don't know where to start..."
"Mu-hyeok eats so much because of his martial arts training, you see. So I prepared a little more than usual. And I heard Rerae has a good appetite too, right?"
"Not as much as him... I'll eat well."
Bok-ja was a little awkward with my affectionate parents, but she didn't seem burdened by it.
I tapped Bok-ja's shoulder, who was uncharacteristically fiddling with her chopsticks, and asked.
"Why aren't you eating? Doesn't the food suit your taste?"
"...What are you talking about? I just added your house to my list of great restaurants."
"Oh my. Does that mean it's delicious?"
"Come visit often, often! It's the first time our son has brought a girl home..."
"Honey, stop saying unnecessary things. Our Mu-hyeok was very popular, you know?"
It was a bustling and joyful start to the New Year.
Though there were embarrassing moments, like my slightly tipsy parents vividly reenacting my childhood 'dark history,' making everyone burst into laughter except me.
It was undoubtedly a happy everyday life that I could once only dream of.
"What about Shin Kang-heon?"
"He can't make it."
Shin Kang-heon, who had trained with us for months, clashing and rolling on the rooftop, was also invited to dinner, but he only sent a message saying he was spending New Year's with his uncle.
[God Kang-heon: Happy New Year. Get ready to get beaten to a pulp by me this year.]
That bastard never seems to get tired of saying the same thing.
Buzz—
[Bu-YH: Mu-hyeok. Happy New Year. Our sect is holding a New Year's event, if you're interested, feel free to participate.]
Bu Yeon-ha of the Changcheon Sword Sect still occasionally contacted me first, even months later.
[Kimoo: Happy New Year to you too, Senior.]
Each time, I sent a brief reply out of courtesy.
I also received invitations to meet from several other Eight Great Sects, but I declined them all, stating I wanted to focus on preparing for the License Exam.
"By the way, son. The License Exam is coming up soon, aren't you nervous?"
To my father's question, who seemed more nervous than I was as the License Exam approached, I grinned and replied.
"Not at all. In fact, I wish it would start sooner."
My second twentieth year.
The Martial License Exam, which I couldn't even challenge in my previous life, was something I eagerly awaited.