A Glimpse of Hidden Strength
It happened in the blink of an eye.
At the center of the martial arena.
Only after clouds of dust rose did the spectators realize that the young master they had just witnessed had actually “pierced” with his sword.
“……!”
“……!”
“……!”
Beside the rising dust, the lingering afterimage that had scattered rolled about, realizing that the one who had dodged the attack was none other than Gwak Yeon.
Tuk. Tuk.
Gwak Yeon rose, shaking off the dirt.
Cheon Gang’s mouth fell open in shock.
He had collapsed to the ground.
Just as a lazy donkey kicking wildly would be ridiculed in the rivers and lakes for such an undignified sight.
‘…… Dodging by rolling on the floor!’
Cheon Gang had no patience for such things.
What mattered was victory.
And not just for him, but for the entire sect, which had always held this value as its virtue. That was why no jeers rose from the audience seats.
“……”
“……”
“……”
Only silence filled the space.
It was Cheon Gang’s thunderous shout that shattered the quiet.
“See? Just as I said!”
His throat bulging, he shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Well done, Young Master! You dodged it perfectly!”
Only then did the murmuring crowd stir.
“…… What?”
“Dodged it, just now?”
“No way. It wasn’t even the Soundless Thunder….”
“My point exactly.”
“What the hell happened? I couldn’t even see it clearly.”
“Was he just scared and fell over on his own?”
“Or was he showing mercy?”
“Well…”
Someone in the crowd pointed a finger toward the arena.
And then it became clear.
The always-expressionless third young master.
A vulgar smile on that face that was as cold as ice.
Kihihihi━━
A chill ran down everyone’s spine.
The day when the third Gwak Ho-shin revealed his emotions was a finger’s width away, they had been told.
What could that vulgar smile possibly mean? The spectators who had heard the eerie chuckle were stunned.
“…… Huh? How is this possible? Young Master!”
Cheon Gang kept cheering without pause.
“The effort you put in over such a short period has paid off! So I told you, didn’t I? Young Master is the type who goes all in when he decides! Don’t let your spirits drop!”
Despite the scorching stares from the surrounding crowd, he remained unflinching.
The dodge had clearly been sheer luck.
But.
The reason he did it was because he wanted Gwak Yeon to gain confidence in his life from then on.
Coincidence.
Indeed, even Cheon Gang, who was cheering for Gwak Yeon, thought the same.
So.
The warriors of Samho-gak who followed Gwak Ho-shin had nothing to say.
“Oh~ It seems your practice paid off.”
“Puhah.”
“Isn’t luck just rottenly good?”
“Falling and dodging from fear is an ability, too, you know.”
“Don’t laugh so much.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty sad.”
“It’s sad that you’re the one who’s being laughed at? This time’s match looks like it’s really on!”
“So why make a bet in the first place……”
“It’s all because of pride.”
“What does it matter? We’re all going to make money anyway.”
The laughter carried a greedy edge.
These men were already thinking about the money they had wagered.
One tael of silver.
It was the kind of cash used to show off in Hangzhou’s brothels. Of course, this was the scale seen through the eyes of Samho-gak warriors alone.
Gulp.
Unlike them, Cheon Gang was sweating cold sweat.
He and the others had bet one tael each, so he had gambled his entire life’s savings on the outcome.
That was why.
After the laugh died down, the next attack that Gwak Ho-shin prepared to launch was nothing short of despair itself.
He spun his sword lightly.
Before launching his full assault, Gwak Ho-shin stood ready.
Now the mood had formed.
‘…… It’s over.’
All of it was over.
There would be no more luck.
They were all certain of that.
‘Still, I dodged once.’
‘Finished!’
‘Look at your pathetic form already.’
Pop!
In an instant, the next attack Gwak Ho-shin had aimed at the disappearing Gwak Yeon.
‘Thank you, Young Master, for one more……’
Before Gwak Yeon could dodge ‘once more’.
‘……?!’
‘……?!’
‘……?!’
* * *
The wind brushed his cheek.
A split-second.
Gwak Yeon, who had already calculated the opponent’s strike point in advance, had lightly dodged Gwak Ho-shin’s attack.
Thud.
A single backward step.
He threw his hips back and boldly twisted his head.
That was enough.
The tip of the blade that had come within a sheet of paper’s distance swayed slightly.
‘……!’
The emotion revealed at the blade’s edge was bewilderment.
Gwak Ho-shin appeared expressionless, yet he was startled.
‘Right now?’
He could end it here.
The exposed jaw of Gwak Ho-shin was clearly visible.
If he flicked his hips back and slammed the jaw down, he would fall.
But.
‘…… No.’
Gwak Yeon was not ready to finish yet.
Instead of flicking his hips, he chose to fall to the ground as if he had lost his balance.
Thud!
“Wow, that was really dangerous.”
“……”
“You barely dodged it. Why is it so fast?”
“……”
Even as Gwak Yeon rose in a panic after falling, Gwak Ho-shin sheathed his sword without following up.
He simply watched him in silence.
And so.
The gazes of Gwak Yeon and Gwak Ho-shin, who had finally shaken off the dust and stood, began to entwine seriously.
‘…… Strange.’
Something was off.
The scent of the sword technique he was using was familiar from his own.
The vague unease that had appeared during practice with Cheon Gang had now grown far denser.
**Manhyeong Swordplay**
The curiosity about the martial arts of this family.
That was the biggest reason he had not ended the duel here.
Of course.
The curiosity was not the only one.
“……”
“……”
The third young master of this family currently facing him.
Gwak Ho-shin.
‘Watch closely.’
Even to Gwak Yeon, who had been maintaining his usual expressionless face, there was one thing he found odd.
‘But…… it feels strange.’
As a vampire, Gwak Yeon possessed senses sharper than anyone else.
He absorbed vast amounts of information through hearing, sight, touch, smell, and more. He read the opponent’s momentum, breathing, muscle movements, and even the interaction with the surrounding environment.
Through this.
He could even guess at the opponent’s emotions.
After all, it was impossible to separate body responses from feelings.
In that regard.
A flash━
Gwak Yeon felt a slight confusion.
The pressure of the third Gwak Ho-shin’s gaze was unbearable.
The emotion that could be guessed from his physical reaction was completely different from what he had heard in rumors.
‘Wasn’t he the kind who wouldn’t even bleed a single drop even if you pricked him with a needle?’
Yet right now, Gwak Yeon could hear.
The rough heartbeat of the opponent, captured by his ultra-sensitive senses pushed to the extreme.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
It was far from the feeling of mere excitement.
It was a sensation that did not suit the word “cold genius with a heart of stone.”
That was how, while Gwak Yeon held the sword and was lost in various curiosities.
Kihihihih━
At the same time as the smile that rose on the face was completely different from before.
‘…… It’s coming.’
Gwak Ho-shin began to unfold his true sword intent.
* * *
In the guest seats of the martial arena.
He shot up.
A sect elder stood.
Chief Manager Yu Jung-hak.
His face showed disbelief as he pointed forcefully toward the center.
“Hoo, what is that?”
Two figures were moving violently.
It was a strange situation.
One side was pouring down a fierce attack, while the other kept dodging it with an eye-tearing closeness.
“Kept running away the whole time. Is this even a match? Besides, that doesn’t even look like his own strength.”
Endless luck.
The Chief Manager, who had clicked his tongue at the pitiful sight of Gwak Yeon’s dodge, muttered.
“The second young master sure has good luck today.”
“Luck, huh……”
“No, or maybe the third young master is showing mercy. Still, Young Master, it looks quite respectful to let others see him like that in front of others.”
“That might not be the case.”
Flying Dragon Hall Chief Wi Jong-geuk shook his head.
None of it was the answer.
‘Ho-shin wouldn’t show mercy on his own brother.’
As someone who had taught basic martial arts to the three brothers of the Gwak family, Wi Jong-geuk knew.
In this situation, Gwak Ho-shin would not show such mercy.
And more than that.
‘Luck, you say…… What a useless eye.’
From the beginning, there had been no luck in the actions Gwak Yeon had shown until now.
The dodging had simply been disguised as a mistake.
It was not just Wi Jong-geuk.
“……”
“……”
“……”
The words of the other sect elders vanished.
One by one.
The experts in martial arts began to notice how extraordinary the actions of Gwak Yeon were.
‘His eyes are truly sharp.’
The fact that Gwak Yeon had talent was something even Wi Jong-geuk knew.
But how could he calculate distance so precisely without actual combat experience?
He had sparred with escort warriors and runners a few times lately, but that alone……
“Ha! If it’s not showing mercy, then what? So, do you think that is his own strength, Flying Dragon Hall Chief?”
“Hoo.”
As Yu Jung-hak let out a sigh in response to the words.
From the other side, cheers and roars erupted.
“F-five exchanges!”
“Damn it!”
“That was the fifth exchange just now!”
“N-no way!”
“Uwaaa!”
“My money!”
It was from the side where the warriors of Samho-gak were gathered.
Wi Jong-geuk had heard about this bet as well.
‘It was a bet on whether Yeon could hold for five exchanges, probably.’
The five exchanges had already ended.
So those fellows had lost their money.
And.
“Khahahaha! As expected, Young Master! You are truly showing off! Show everyone the strength of Young Master!”
The one who had shouted this unhidden burst of enthusiasm was probably the only one smiling in this bet.
A smile.
Wi Jong-geuk turned his head.
Matches between brothers in this family were not forbidden.
On the contrary, they were even encouraged to foster rivalry.
‘Nice atmosphere.’
How much effort the sect had made to create a festival-like mood for the match.
Preparing today’s feast of sixty pigs and twenty oxen was not just to raise the loyalty of the vassals.
“Oh oh oh!”
“What? The second young master is doing well too?”
“Dodged again!”
“I thought it would be over right away……”
“You really have good luck today?”
“Compared to that, it seems like the third young master is showing mercy.”
“Still, you’re being pushed, though.”
“Tsk, isn’t that a bit vague?”
“But even if it’s like that…… Wasn’t there no need to run away?”
“It was fun, though?!”
Soon others were getting noisy as well.
The atmosphere was growing hotter and hotter.
Most of it was thanks to the unbelievable performance of that guy.
‘That Yeon kid.’
Honestly, he had not expected this level.
Having seen that, it was not as if Gwak Yeon had no advantages. Although he was gentle, his patience and the inner energy he had steadily trained through meditation were not small.
‘His eyes were sharp even back then.’
More than anything, his eyes were sharp.
He hesitated to fight, but once he moved, dodging was something he did excellently.
‘Just the sharp eyes…… are similar to him……’
Suddenly Wi Jong-geuk lowered his head.
What thought had crossed his mind?
A smile.
The previous-generation family head.
That is, the father of the current family head Gwak Seo-ryong.
Even in his later years, the man had possessed the roughest spirit among the martial artists Wi Jong-geuk had seen.
A man who had raised this family after enduring hardships that would have ruined most strong warriors in his childhood.
At most.
By just having sharp eyes, how could one compare the greenhouse flower Gwak Yeon to that man?
But.
Perhaps someone else had seen a point that he had missed. For example, the current family head Gwak Seo-ryong, who had not cancelled this match even though most elders disliked it.
Suddenly, Wi Jong-geuk, curious about how the family head was viewing this match, turned his head.
‘Could it be that the family head has seen the potential of that Yeon kid……’
That was when.
A few strange voices suddenly came from somewhere.
“…… Huh? Eh?”
“Mm?”
“That, that’s!”
The moment Wi Jong-geuk turned his head again.
The atmosphere that had been heating up earlier cooled with a sound.
Thud!
The match had ended.
“…… What?”