Chapter 55: What Can You Do?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 55: What Can You Do?
How to harmonize external martial arts with the sudden surge of Internal Energy within one's body.
Ki Mu-hyeok wholeheartedly agreed with his Master's words that the fastest way to achieve this was through real combat.
Judging by his own experience, it was hard to find a better method.
‘When concentration reaches its peak, even a disobedient body moves swiftly.’
It was the same during his Vagrant days.
Ki Mu-hyeok, who had grown stronger by wielding his sword in real combat rather than through theory, actually found the current situation enjoyable and exciting.
Of course, it would come with its share of danger.
“You rascal. Why are you suddenly grinning so slyly?”
“I was just thinking how great it is that Master and I see eye-to-eye on things like this.”
“Tsk, tsk. What's this young punk going to become acting like this...”
However, even as Choi Geon grumbled at his disciple, the corners of his eyes were gently curved.
He too was looking forward to working with a disciple who was so well-matched with him.
“Go change your clothes first.”
Choi Geon handed his disciple the equipment he had prepared in advance.
A Night Operation Suit made of special material that could fool infrared sensors.
And an Ultra-Low Frequency Whistle was provided.
‘Haven't seen one of these in a while.’
Ordinary people couldn't hear or feel ultra-low frequencies, but Martial Artists with extremely developed senses could detect changes in pressure within their ears.
Of course, not all Martial Artists could do this; it was only possible for those who had undergone intensive training or possessed naturally acute senses.
Ki Mu-hyeok fit both descriptions.
“Well, I'll be...”
Choi Geon clicked his tongue, watching Ki Mu-hyeok expertly handle the equipment.
The disciple he'd gained in his later years had impeccable manners and outstanding talent, but also many secrets.
It was almost impossible for an ordinary Rising Star to have encountered such items.
‘Everyone has at least one story they can't tell, after all.’
However, knowing his disciple's upright character, Choi Geon had no intention of asking.
“There might be situations where we need to split up, so we'll establish a few whistle signals beforehand to use in emergencies.”
After creating and confirming a few agreed-upon signals, the Sword Demon pulled out the internal blueprints of the Great Heaven Sect building he had acquired in advance.
“I'll briefly explain the operation.”
His manner of briefing the operation was remarkably familiar, as if he'd done it more than once or twice.
“Our top priority is to infiltrate the Great Heaven Sect and find evidence related to the incident that occurred during the License Exam.”
“If we find evidence linking the Eight Great Sects, that would be the Icing on the Cake.”
Ki Mu-hyeok, no less than his Master, had participated in all sorts of operations as a Vagrant in his previous life.
Seeing his disciple understand him instantly, Choi Geon nodded with a satisfied smile, then quickly grew serious and said,
“Under no circumstances should you overexert yourself. We're here to gain some practical experience, not to beat up every single person we encounter.”
Remember, disciple, this is the heart of the Orthodox Martial World.
When his Master stared at him with such an expression, Ki Mu-hyeok replied with a bewildered look.
“I know how to use that much common sense.”
“Hmm...”
Choi Geon glanced at his disciple suspiciously, then nodded with an unconvinced expression.
After all, as long as he was nearby, nothing overly dangerous would happen.
“We've already confirmed that the Great Heaven Sect Master and the main experts aren't present. At most, there'll be one elder on duty, so we only need to worry about that.”
“Still, we should prepare for the worst, shouldn't we?”
“Of course.”
Though they had come with light hearts, both knew that unexpected things could happen at any moment.
Choi Geon spoke, hypothesizing a contingency.
“If our infiltration is discovered, all exits will be sealed, and Mountain Air Poison will be sprayed into the corridors. Just in case, I'll give you the Antidote now.”
Ki Mu-hyeok received the Mountain Air Poison Antidote from his Master and asked,
“If we're discovered, what's the time limit?”
“The Great Heaven Sect's main forces will arrive in ten minutes. We need to escape within that time.”
In Choi Geon's estimation, it wasn't a particularly high-risk operation.
Considering the Great Heaven Sect's security level and his and his disciple's skills, they should be able to complete their objective and withdraw quietly.
‘But if this incident truly involves the Eight Great Sects...’
There might be more danger hidden than they anticipated.
Choi Geon, belatedly, spoke to his disciple with a worried expression.
“Would you rather just wait outside? Thinking about it again, if the Eight Great Sects are involved, there's no telling what variables might arise. I'm starting to think your current skill level might be a bit too much of a stretch.”
Though certainly not intended, these words pricked Ki Mu-hyeok's pride.
“Haha...”
But Ki Mu-hyeok merely laughed.
Because variables were precisely the kind of experience and thrill that could only be gained in real combat.
“How about I go alone and Master waits here instead?”
“Hmm?”
“You've injured your hand, Master, so it's only right for your young and energetic disciple to go.”
Of course, Ki Mu-hyeok hadn't intended this either, but Choi Geon, his pride stung, let out a hollow laugh.
“Hahaha...”
Shaking his head, he lightly patted his disciple's shoulder and smiled confidently.
“Alright, fine. Just stick close behind me. Today, I'll properly teach you about infiltration and penetration.”
“If you think you'll have trouble, I can lead the way.”
Master and disciple stared at each other for a moment, then both laughed awkwardly.
“Hahaha! Shall we make a bet on who finds important information first?”
“How about the loser grants the winner a wish?”
“...”
“...”
The Master and disciple, alike even in their strong pride, simultaneously turned their heads to look at the Great Heaven Sect building.
“Follow closely. If you can't keep up, I'll leave you behind.”
“I've been eating and resting well lately, so I'm overflowing with energy. I think I could even carry Master on my back.”
A moment later, the two figures, their faces covered by masks, melted into the darkness as if in competition.
Yawn—
A Great Heaven Sect Martial Artist yawned wide enough to split his jaw and stretched.
In front of him were several monitors displaying CCTV footage, surveilling the building's main corridors.
Late at night.
The Martial Artist, watching the dull monitors that were no different from still images, turned his body to look behind him.
“How much longer are you going to do that? It's been an hour, let's switch.”
At his words, his colleague, who had been sitting cross-legged cultivating Internal Energy, subtly opened his eyes.
“Has an hour passed already?”
“Don't pretend you don't know! Get out of the way so I can cultivate my Internal Energy too.”
The two switched places; one sat in the chair, and the other sat on the floor, cross-legged.
The Martial Artist sitting on the cold floor grumbled unnecessarily.
“Honestly, what's a Martial Artist doing on guard duty in this day and age...”
“The higher-ups told us to do it, so we do it.”
The two were low-ranking Martial Artists of the Great Heaven Sect, and they had many complaints about high-caliber personnel like themselves being relegated to mere guard duty.
This building, frequented daily by sword-wielding Martial Arts Experts, was even equipped with state-of-the-art security systems.
The security was so tight that even a First-Rate Assassin wouldn't dare attempt infiltration, so what thief would be audacious enough to sneak into the Great Heaven Sect?
For that reason, the two didn't focus on their guard duty.
Though even if they had focused, they probably wouldn't have discovered anything.
“Should we go down to the underground Training Hall and have a light spar?”
“What if Elder Gu catches us?”
“He's probably sleeping in the duty room. Have you ever seen the elders properly patrol?”
“True...”
As the two happily badmouthed their superiors, they suddenly noticed the surroundings growing slightly colder.
Shhhwaaaah—
“What is it? It's strangely chilly...”
“Did someone turn on the air conditioner?”
“In winter?”
The Martial Artists, feeling uneasy, tried to reach for their swords, but their bodies were already quite sluggish.
And at that moment, a shadow appeared behind the two.
Thud.
Thud.
With a Pressure Point Strike, the two unconscious Martial Artists collapsed to the floor.
Behind them, Ki Mu-hyeok, wearing a mask, looked down at the fallen men.
Shaking his head with an expression that suggested something wasn't quite to his liking.
“I was almost discovered if I'd been a moment slower.”
A white aura flowed around Ki Mu-hyeok's entire body, as he exhaled white mist.
What had just made the two Martial Artists' bodies sluggish was his attempt to mimic Ice Art using his Water Energy.
‘If Master had seen that, he would have said my Qi control is still clumsy.’
If his opponents had been sensitive to Qi, they would have realized something was amiss the moment they felt the cold.
Fortunately, they were low-ranking Martial Artists, so it passed easily, but he needed more experience to wield Qi as if it were his own.
He intended to gradually discover how to control the Five Elements Divine Art's Qi through real combat, just like this.
“I'll just have to keep using it and get a feel for it.”
Ki Mu-hyeok picked up one of the unconscious Martial Artists' swords, then checked the CCTV.
“Master... still nowhere to be seen, as expected.”
Choi Geon's figure was nowhere to be found on any of the CCTV monitors.
Ki Mu-hyeok clicked his tongue softly, then froze the monitor screen and moved to the next location.
-I'll sweep down from the top floor, so you secure the security room and then head to the basement.
After infiltrating the building, the two split up, going in opposite directions.
Choi Geon headed to the Sect Leader's Office on the top floor, where security was tightest.
Ki Mu-hyeok went to the basement warehouse, a good place to hide shady items.
‘I won't be easily beaten either.’
It was half a joke, a bet, but Ki Mu-hyeok had no intention of losing, even to his Master.
“Who...?”
Thwack!
“In-intruder...!”
Wham!
It was an unstoppable momentum.
Ki Mu-hyeok swiftly subdued the Great Heaven Sect Martial Artists he occasionally encountered as he headed to the basement.
‘To adapt, I need to use my Qi in various situations.’
With Water Energy, he mimicked Ice Art to stiffen opponents' bodies, and with Metal Energy, he hardened his fists to smash locks or shatter opponents' weapons instantly.
‘Is that all? I don't think I've even taken down ten.’
It was with a slight sense of disappointment that Ki Mu-hyeok infiltrated the basement warehouse.
Zing, zing—zing!
Ki Mu-hyeok stopped, an irregular sound wave vibrating in his ears.
It was the phenomenon that occurred when the Ultra-Low Frequency Whistle was blown.
According to the pre-arranged signal, this meant...
‘Something's gone wrong, get out first.’
Almost simultaneously, a massive explosion echoed from above.
BWOOOOM—!
It was a tremor powerful enough to shake the entire building.
The sound of shattering glass filled the air, and alarm bells blared throughout the entire building.
WEEEEEEEEEE—!
“...Looks like he messed with something he shouldn't have.”
Something seemed to have gone awry, but Ki Mu-hyeok wasn't worried about Choi Geon.
Even if the Great Heaven Sect Master and all the elders swarmed him, he was perfectly capable of escaping on his own.
‘I just need to get out safely.’
He felt a slight pang of regret.
He was just starting to get used to controlling the Five Elements Divine Art's Qi and moving his body with it.
“...Can't be helped.”
It was the moment Ki Mu-hyeok turned to exit the building.
“Who are you?!”
A presence rapidly approaching, accompanied by a shout imbued with Internal Energy.
It was a presence on a completely different level from the Great Heaven Sect Martial Artists he had encountered so far.
‘Of all times...’
In an instant, the distance closed enough for him to see the opponent's face.
Surprisingly, it was a face Ki Mu-hyeok recognized.
Gu Ja-seung, the Great Heaven Sect's youngest elder.
He was also the person who had judged Ki Mu-hyeok at the Creative Sword Dance Competition.
Gu Ja-seung, his face stiff with anger, pointed his sword and said,
“Drop your weapon and kneel. Do so, and I will spare your life.”
Ki Mu-hyeok turned to flee, but then stopped in his tracks.
‘He's an opponent I can't easily shake off anyway. The moment I turn my back, I might be cut down. And...’
Isn't he an excellent opponent for gaining real combat experience?
Ki Mu-hyeok recalled what his Master had told him before they infiltrated.
-The Great Heaven Sect's main experts will arrive in ten minutes. We need to escape within that time.
“Ten minutes.”
“...What did you just say?”
“Time attack, start.”
Ki Mu-hyeok, with a timer activated in his mind, charged at Gu Ja-seung.