Facing Soundless Thunder
With countless onlookers seated in tiered ranks around the edges of the sparring arena—much as they had been at the grand banquet—two men occupied the foremost seats of the raised platform.
“……That Yeon kid’s got a good look on his face.”
The thickly bearded middle-aged man had barely spoken when the man beside him glanced over, snorted a quiet laugh, and turned away.
“You can see that from here?”
“It’s not that far.”
“A good look, you say?”
“Yes. He even seems a bit bigger than the last time I saw him.”
“You’re talking about the Third Young Master, correct?”
“No.”
Chief Manager Yu Jung-hak and Biryongdang Leader Wi Jong-geuk. The moment their gazes locked, the other elders of the family wore expressions that said, Here we go again.
“I’m speaking of the Second, Yeon—”
“Ha!”
Chief Manager Yu cut off the argument before it could lengthen, his face a study in exaggerated disbelief.
“Young Master Gwak Yeon? The same Second Young Master who fled in terror from this very situation two weeks ago?”
He could hardly be blamed for the reaction. Today’s sparring was no mere contest.
With a match against the heir of the Jusan Baek Family—their great rival, one of the two great houses of Zhejiang—looming, and countless interests hanging in the balance, this was the day they would choose the sword that would represent the family.
“There’s no way his expression is good. Of the three brothers, that Second is the one least able to bear this kind of pressure.”
Being out of his mind would have been the normal response. It had been only two weeks since he had tried to run from this day and been dragged back. The fact that he was still on his feet without fainting was already considered remarkable for Gwak Yeon.
“Isn’t the outcome of today’s sparring already obvious? We’re busy enough as it is—does all this chaos even mean anything?”
“Rules are rules.”
“It’s a waste.”
“I disagree.”
“Do you have any idea how much of the family’s time and wealth has gone into this event? We’ve scraped together every retainer who should be working and stood them up as spectators. Is there any point? There are walls and halls that need repairing, labor that needs doing—and because of this, we even postponed that business-rights meeting last time.”
“……”
Faced with Chief Manager Yu’s abacus-clicking tirade, complete with flying spit, Leader Wi let out a quiet sigh and closed his mouth.
He did not agree with every word. Yet the sparring soon to begin left a bitter taste in his own mouth as well.
So it’s finally happening.
Officially, Wi Jong-geuk was the leader of Biryongdang, the family’s martial force. Privately, he had also been the master who taught the three brothers their foundational martial arts when they were young.
………
Wi Jong-geuk’s gaze rested on the distant figure of Gwak Yeon. He knew the boy’s strengths. But those strengths were the kind that lost their light in a world like this fortress unless one first became strong.
Yeon still has a long way to—hm?
Suddenly Wi Jong-geuk’s eyes widened. He had not been mistaken. Looking closer, the Gwak Yeon warming up beside his fussy bodyguard looked quite different from the one he remembered……
Flutter.
Just then, the sound of robes snapping in the wind reached them, and before anyone quite realized it, the Family Head stood upon the platform.
“……Family Head.”
“……Family Head.”
“……Family Head.”
“……Family Head.”
The elders rose as one and offered their respects. In an instant the clamor that had filled every corner of the sparring arena died away.
Gwak Seo-ryong. All eyes of the thronging crowd fixed upon the head of the house—a man counted among the foremost masters not only of Hangzhou but of Zhejiang itself.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
From somewhere, a majestic drumbeat began to roll.
“From this moment,”
A deep, resonant voice charged with inner force struck every ear like a signal,
“the sparring shall begin.”
And the two protagonists of the day revealed themselves.
Thud.
“Hahaha! Don’t you worry, Young Master! Every last one of those people will forget about today by tomorrow! They’re just shouting because a single day’s entertainment and holiday feel good—so don’t take it to heart and go enjoy yourself!”
“……”
Thud.
“Th-that doesn’t mean it’s all right to lose, of course! Have confidence!”
“……”
Thud.
“Young Master, you are more than capable! You slept well last night, and this morning you even asked for four extra servings of the meat dishes, didn’t you? Show them your true potential!”
“……”
Gwak Yeon, walking toward the center, let out a short, incredulous laugh.
Honestly. Sleeping well and eating well counted as praise now?
So the strengths he managed to dig up are only that.
Laughter erupted from the spectator seats as well. Even so, Cheon Gang cupped both hands around his mouth and bellowed until his face turned scarlet.
“You’ve worked hard all this time! Young Master, you have clearly improved! If you simply show the grit and passion you’ve displayed these past few days, the Family Head will be pleased! Show them the new you!”
What a ridiculous fellow.
Cheon Gang.
With his keen hearing, Gwak Yeon already knew the man had placed bets on his sparring with others. Most would have at least hinted, “Just last five exchanges,” yet Cheon Gang offered nothing of the sort—only pure encouragement.
How does he show that kind of loyalty?
He still had not figured it out…… but that was not what mattered now.
Thud.
Thud.
The farther he walked into the center of the arena, the more his limbs began to tremble.
That was probably why Cheon Gang was screaming his head off behind him, and why so many in the stands wore mocking smiles.
But this was neither tension nor fear.
Thump!
It was pure excitement.
A martial artist’s heart raced at the prospect of facing the strong. How far did the so-called geniuses of this era go? Would he use his vampire abilities or not? Those questions alone made him itch for the fight.
No. Using blood is…… only as a last, absolute resort.
From what he had checked in his room, his blood-based powers would look exactly like demonic arts to anyone with sharp eyes. Until he surpassed the strength he had gained in his previous life, he would use them only when there was no other choice.
Anyway……
He could feel it now—the enormous presence rising from the opposite side of the arena.
Thump!
Perhaps because of a vampire’s senses, his blood began to boil just as the figure came into view.
……So that’s him.
The family’s youngest, called a genius.
Gwak Ho-shin had appeared.
Gwak Ho-shin. Though not yet twenty, the family’s youngest already carried a title known throughout Hangzhou.
An expression cold as ice. Few words. Yet the moment he drew his blade, disaster struck his opponent in the blink of an eye—hence the moniker:
Soundless Thunder.
Like the silent lightning of his title, his path as a martial artist had been remarkably swift.
At fifteen he had defeated the rising stars of Hangzhou’s famous martial halls in sparring. At sixteen he had hunted down a notorious wanted criminal. At seventeen he had single-handedly crushed the pirates who plagued Zhejiang’s coasts.
Not only Hangzhou but the renowned sects and families of Zhejiang lined up to send their daughters in hopes of forming a connection with Soundless Thunder Ho-shin.
When a hall under his leadership was established within the family, those seeking to commission work naturally flooded in.
Samho-gak.
That was the place where warriors flocked to learn the sword under Gwak Ho-shin and build both reputation and skill. Though it existed within the family, Samho-gak now independently took on Hangzhou’s major commissions.
Waaaaaah———!
Today, every face among the Samho-gak warriors cheering for the Third Young Master bore fresh blue bruises.
“……What’s wrong with those guys?”
A family guest seated in the stands asked with open curiosity. The people beside him promptly bloomed into conversation.
“The Samho-gak lot? They got beaten again yesterday under the excuse of sparring.”
“By the Third Young Master? Does that happen often?”
“It’s not exactly rare.”
“Heh.”
“Serves them right.”
“No—then they go around taking it out on everyone else.”
“They say they don’t even know why he hits them.”
“Honestly…… I never thought the Third Young Master was like that.”
“Still, nobody’s forcing them to stay. They stick around because they can handle it.”
“True.”
“These days, even having been in Samho-gak counts as a career, they say.”
It was true. Gwak Ho-shin’s hall was as cold and merciless as ice. Hard as it was, anyone who endured a single year could enter Hangzhou’s martial halls or merchant companies at a high price as a “Samho-gak graduate.”
“Speaking of which, the First Young Master’s place is…… ahem.”
The man who had been about to continue suddenly shut his mouth. Something felt ready to explode—every gaze in the stands was swinging toward the center of the arena.
“………”
“………”
“………”
Indeed. Second Young Master Gwak Yeon already waited at the center. Toward him walked Third Young Master Gwak Ho-shin, expressionless.
Thud.
Thud.
He was merely walking, yet that alone radiated a pressure that seized every eye present.
“Young Master, give it your all—hup!”
A tactless Samho-gak warrior’s cheer was instantly muffled by another’s hand clamped over his mouth.
Silence had fallen over the surroundings. Most of the countless eyes filling this vast arena now fixed solely on Gwak Ho-shin.
“………”
“………”
“………”
“………”
“………”
Everyone concentrated on the family’s genius—who had arrived later than his elder brother yet showed not the slightest emotion.
That ice-cold expression, those bored eyes that seemed never to have imagined defeat, that perfect, measured movement as if drawn with a ruler even when he paid it no mind.
Arrogant. Yet it suited him perfectly.
Everyone here knew how many black-path gangs those sharp eyes that seemed to look down on the world had forced to their knees, and how many apologies that taciturn mouth had received.
Tension thickened the air.
Halt.
At last the two faced each other in the center of the arena.
Gulp.
Someone who remembered the bets circulating thickly through the family opened his mouth without thinking.
“Five exchanges…… maybe?”
“Nonsense.”
Someone else snorted and shook his head. Of course. Gwak Ho-shin had always been famous for his swift sword. How could Gwak Yeon possibly withstand the blade of Soundless Thunder, who settled most commissions with a single stroke?
One exchange. In the end, a sparring that would end the moment it began.
Most of those gathered expected only two things: the miraculous “single move” of genius Gwak Ho-shin, and the entertaining spectacle Gwak Yeon would make after losing in front of everyone.
Whichever it was, what followed would be enough to spice up daily life.
And so, amid everyone’s expectations—
Boom——
The drum sounded once more. Then the Family Head’s voice, laden with profound inner force, reached every ear.
“Draw swords.”
Gwak Yeon and Gwak Ho-shin faced each other and drew the blades at their waists.
“Sparring—begin.”
The match began with almost stark simplicity.
And in that very instant—
“…………!”
“…………!”
“…………!”
“…………!”
“…………!”
Every person who had focused every nerve on Third Young Master Gwak Ho-shin’s movements rose to their feet.