Chapter 34

Chapter 34

What talent is most necessary for a martial artist to step forward as an expert?

There are countless answers that can be given to this question that anyone might have.

Some say comprehension, which allows one to understand martial arts, is most important. Others also say physique, which allows one to easily deploy martial arts, is most important.

Yet others cite vast internal energy, and still others cite willpower that can overcome any ordeal.

But I…….

“……nim. Munjunim!”

“Mm?”

At the voice calling me, I suddenly came to my senses and raised my head to see Seohwa looking at me with an extremely pouty expression. It seemed I hadn’t heard Seohwa’s call because I was lost in thought.

“What was it?”

“You were telling me about the newly arrived wando! What are you thinking about so deeply?”

“……Ah, that’s right.”

I awkwardly stroked the back of my neck and let out a grin, and Seohwa, as if she couldn’t help it, smoothed the wrinkles in my sleeve and swept back her hair while asking.

“So, how are they?”

“How are they…….”

How are they.

“They’re the worst.”

“The worst?”

“Yes.”

I fully covered Seohwa’s head with my hand as she tilted it and stroked it. Then Seohwa stiffened her neck.

Based on what I experienced last night, the Muryeongwando’s martial arts level wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t really strange either.

Though they weren’t people who’d received systematic education from a young age like Mujeong Hall, Muryeon Hall was an institution that gathered and educated outstanding talents from across the entire orthodox sect.

That despite their martial arts not being systematic, they could compete with disciples of famous major sects meant the Muryeongwando’s talents were that excellent, didn’t it?

In fact, the wando of this batch whom I met also didn’t have particularly poor martial arts levels. Especially two I took note of.

“Was it Seomun Cheok? That child’s situational judgment is incredibly fast. At the very least, it feels like he’s experienced quite a lot of actual combat. His forms also aren’t systematic but are strong.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Conversely, the child called Dan Riyeon has little experience in actual combat but instead has outstanding talent. Though she still doesn’t properly recognize how to use her body, if she learns to use it properly, she’ll become a very excellent expert.”

“Mmm…… Hm?”

Seohwa, who’d been nodding as if understanding at my words, suddenly couldn’t hide the question that arose and asked me.

“Earlier you said they were the worst.”

“That’s right.”

“But just hearing the story, it sounds like they’re not bad.”

“Right. Their martial arts level is like that. But there’s something more important.”

“Something more important?”

“Fighting spirit. The will to fight.”

“Mmm…….”

Looking at Seohwa frowning as if she didn’t understand, I let out a chuckle and continued the explanation.

“Let me explain using animals to make it easier to understand. Do you know the sanjeo?”

“Sanjeo…… Wild boar?”

“Right. That creature that digs up crops and eats one bite before leaving.”

At my question, Seohwa nodded slightly.

“I do know.”

“Wild boars are basically animals with quite large builds. There are ones that weigh only a hundred geun, while there are also ones that reach nearly five hundred geun. Unless it’s a tiger or bear, catching and eating a wild boar isn’t easy. But there’s one natural predator of this wild boar. That’s the marten.”

“……Marten?”

“Right.”

A marten’s weight is at most between four and seven geun. Thinking with common sense, a marten can’t be a wild boar’s opponent. There should be an appropriate difference, but how could you hunt creatures whose weight differs by nearly a hundred times?

Right. That’s common sense. However.

“Martens eat wild boars. Do you know how that’s possible?”

“…….”

“Because they try to eat them.”

That’s what the martial world is like in the first place. If the martial world were a place where life and death were determined only by the level of martial arts, I wouldn’t have survived to be here either.

However, among predators, there are those who sustain their lives by catching and eating prey larger than themselves. It’s not just animals but people too.

“The position you can reach only by catching and eating those stronger than yourself like that is precisely that of an expert. But the wando don’t have that will.”

“Mmm…….”

“Is it difficult?”

“Uh…… Yes.”

Looking at Seohwa lowering her head as if apologetic, I chuckled and covered her head with my palm.

“It’s fine. It’s still a distant story for you.”

It wasn’t just the Muryeongwando. Among those in Uicheonmun, the only one who had a proper martial artist’s mindset was at most Wangpal.

But even so, it was fine. They’d passed the test.

“If they’re not proper martial artists, you just refine them into martial artists.”

They lacked fighting spirit but had sufficient will. There was even one who would reveal his own critical secret just to help his peers.

The materials were prepared. Then it would succeed.

“When they return, they’ll return as martial artists.”

Because that was what I, the former Changcheon Corps Commander and current Uicheonmunju, had to do.

***

—You showed pointless compassion again.

He dreamed. A dream close to a lucid dream.

—How long do you plan to disappoint me? Worthless fool.

Though his martial talent was worth considering, his personality was gentle, and he would just lightly laugh off even losses he suffered. His master.

Daesageom Hyeong Seo had detested that gentle personality.

Tungtungtung!

“……Ugh.”

At the sound that came, Seonwoo Gang, who reflexively opened his eyes, blinked blankly and let out a groan. Along with the severe pain of touching the places he’d been hit last night, memories came alive.

‘……We passed.’

The test is over.

Uicheonmunju Baek Riyun had said so before turning back last night. Though dawn hadn’t broken even slightly, he’d declared the test’s end.

Then what was the reason? Because Baek Riyun was deeply compassionate?

‘……He found out.’

That couldn’t be.

Seonwoo Gang had clearly heard the voice that flowed from Baek Riyun’s mouth that day. Those words that accurately mentioned his master’s name after seeing his sword energy.

It was a mistake. Only he remained, and if even he fell, they would have had to spend this training without doing anything at all.

His gentle personality had become poison. Knowing how much his peers had been grinding their teeth about this training, Seonwoo Gang ultimately couldn’t give up. And the result was this.

He was discovered. That much was certain. Thinking that far, Seonwoo Gang wiped his dry face as if dry-washing it.

“What is the Uicheonmunju…… thinking?”

The situation was clear. He was Daesageom’s disciple, and Muryeon Hall was one of the orthodox sect’s core institutions. Then the conventional action to take would be to detain him and report to the Murim Alliance first.

However, Baek Riyun not only didn’t detain Seonwoo Gang but made him follow on his own feet. As if it didn’t matter whether he ran away or not.

It was incomprehensible behavior. If he’d blatantly tried to bind him, he would have at least grasped how to act.

Seonwoo Gang, who’d been thinking briefly, shook his head vigorously and grabbed his sword lying neatly beside him. And the moment he stood up.

Teongteongteoeng!

—Seonwoo Gang donor. Are you still not up?

“……I’m coming out!”

At the knocking sound, Seonwoo Gang shouted loudly and hurriedly opened the door. And there stood a monk with a familiar face.

“Unjin.”

Unjin, who’d been slammed into the ground after getting his head pounded with a scabbard by Baek Riyun, was standing there.

“Assembly time is almost here but you weren’t coming, so I came to get you.”

“Assembly time? What are you talking about? That’s tomorrow at sasi.”

When Seonwoo Gang questioned, recalling Baek Riyun’s words he’d heard upon arriving at Uicheonmun, Unjin looked at Seonwoo Gang with an incredulous expression.

“You slept all day and lost your sense of time too? A full day has already passed, so what are you saying?”

“What?”

“More than that, hurry and wash up before coming out. Really less than one gak remains now. Now, hurry. This humble monk will go ahead.”

“Huh? Huhhuh?”

Seonwoo Gang, pushed out in a flash, hurriedly got ready and ran to the well, scooping up water and pouring it over his head. Cool water awakening his head coldly like a stimulant.

Since he’d already poured it, he wanted to wash his stiff body too. But there wasn’t time to dawdle and leisurely wash.

Seonwoo Gang, who’d roughly shaken off the moisture beading on his head, gripped his sword and headed to the training ground.

“Seonwoo Gang! What were you doing to come only now!”

“Oh Ryeong. Sorry, I’m a bit late.”

The moment he entered the training ground, gazes from his peers flew and stuck to him, and Seonwoo Gang smiled awkwardly and smoothly slipped his body to the back like a snake crossing a wall. But the wando caught Seonwoo Gang and sent him to the front.

“You’re the squad leader. Stand in front.”

“……Seomun Cheok.”

“You were also the last one remaining, and you’re also this training’s leader. It’s not strange to stand at the very front, is it?”

At the sight of Seomun Cheok, who’d been standing in front and stepped back one pace to make way, the wando gradually opened up distance to make space. At that sight, Seonwoo Gang smiled bitterly and stood in front.

‘……It seems he didn’t say anything. At least not yet.’

He’d been anxious wondering if his identity had been revealed to his peers, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.

Seonwoo Gang, who briefly let out a sigh of relief, straightened his posture and directed his gaze forward. And after some time passed like that.

“Everyone’s gathered.”

With the sound of plodding footsteps, Baek Riyun appeared.

“The day before…… no, since it was dawn, was it yesterday? Since you all struggled against each other that much, there’s no need for self-introductions, but still, let me introduce myself a bit. I am Uicheonmunju Baek Riyun.”

Flowing silence.

At the sight of the Muryeongwando quietly looking at him as if not knowing how to respond, Baek Riyun smiled faintly.

“The test is a test, and training is training. From now on, you may treat me comfortably as you would a Muryeon Hall instructor. Just don’t be unruly. Understand?”

“……Is that really acceptable?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

When Seonwoo Gang carefully asked, remembering that demonic appearance from yesterday dawn, Baek Riyun nodded lightly. And at that sight, the Muryeongwando let out slight sighs of relief.

Jjak!

“Before training, it seems we need time to get to know each other. As for things about you, it all came flying here written down, so that’s settled…….”

Baek Riyun, who’d clapped lightly to focus attention and waved a letter while speaking, let out a chuckle.

“If you have questions you want to ask me, go ahead. But one person at a time.”

As Baek Riyun casually threw out the words, the Muryeongwando, who’d been looking at each other’s faces, began raising their hands one by one.

“Seomun Cheok. Ask your question.”

“How did you decipher the code we left? The Muryeon Hall code changes continuously.”

“I requested it from the Muryeon Hall Master and received the code. And even if not that, there are ways to decipher the code. The code used in Muryeon Hall is more vulnerable than you think. Keep that in mind. Next, Oh Ryeong.”

“……I’ve never heard the name Uicheonmun, but could I possibly hear Munjunim’s epithet?”

“Epithet.”

Baek Riyun, who’d been thinking briefly, shook his head vigorously.

“You probably wouldn’t know even if I told you my current epithet. If it’s an old epithet, I have one.”

“An old epithet?”

“About fifteen years ago, I was called by the epithet Baekgeomryong. An embarrassing old epithet.”

“Ah…… Hm?”

Oh Ryeong, who’d been nodding as if convinced, suddenly narrowed his eyes at a rising memory and tilted his head.

“Wait. Baekgeomryong?”

“Right.”

“……The former-former Dragon-Phoenix Assembly Head, who graduated from Muryeon Hall eleven years ago……?”

“That did happen. Thinking about it, you would be my juniors.”

At Baek Riyun’s calm acknowledgment, Oh Ryeong’s complexion turned deathly pale. And.

“By, by any chance…… Changcheon Corps Commander-nim…….”

“Not anymore. Hyeyeon became the corps commander.”

The moment Baek Riyun answered Oh Ryeong’s words.

Oh Ryeong, raising his voice as if it would tear, prostrated flat on the ground.

“……I-it’s an honor to meet the Corps Commander-nim I’ve admired!”

“…….”