Get A Grip

Just as Namgung Hyeok expected, the attacks gradually dwindled.

Along with that, Namgung Hyeok gained a new byname as well.

Sword Young Master.

It meant a young master of the sword.

“…That’s incredibly half-assed.”

“Still, it’s better than Sword Kid, isn’t it?”

Sword Kid.

A child of the sword.

It was a byname that appeared briefly, then disappeared.

Because Namgung Hyeok’s skill wasn’t something you could call childish.

And when the year turned, he would be sixteen.

After that, it wasn’t a byname you could use.

“Who even comes up with these bynames?”

“Sometimes influential martial artists bestow them, but usually it’s storytellers.”

Storytellers.

They were people you could see now and then at inns.

Some did it professionally, but wandering merchants or wanderers would also spin tales in place of a meal.

“Most of the time, they coin them because it’s hard to know someone’s name.”

“Ah.”

Gyo-ha nodded. Thinking about it, it was only natural.

Whenever incidents happened in the world, you couldn’t know everyone’s name.

You needed something to call them.

It was a more trivial reason than he expected, so it took the wind out of him.

“This time, you got a byname too, Brother.”

“Yeah?”

Gyo-ha already had a byname.

Battle Wolf.

A fighting wolf.

It was a byname given when he was at the arena. But unlike Namgung Hyeok, it wasn’t well-known, so no one called him that.

Namgung Hyeok, who had been reading a letter, frowned.

It was an information sheet he’d gotten after stopping by a merchant guild to borrow money.

Because no one was as sensitive to information as merchants.

It didn’t only cover Murim. All sorts of rumors were written in it.

It was something sold to curiosity seekers or high officials. There was decent demand.

It couldn’t be compared to the Beggars’ Union or the Hao Gate, but it still had plenty of useful information.

“What is it?”

When Gyo-ha looked puzzled, Namgung Hyeok let out a sigh.

“Thunderbolt Guard (霹靂守士).”

“Oh.”

It sounded impressive. But the meaning was simple.

Thunderbolt was the Namgung Clan’s symbol.

It meant one who guards Namgung Hyeok.

“…I’m sorry.”

Namgung Hyeok lowered his head. Then he burst out in indignation.

“I’ll find out who wrote it. Insolent bastards. How dare they look at you like that. If they’d seen you fight even once, they wouldn’t be able to say garbage like that.”

At Namgung Hyeok’s words, Gyo-ha scratched his head.

The attackers had all died, so there were no witnesses.

It was only natural.

Just like Namgung Hyeok said, they might have coined it because they had no proper way to refer to him.

But Gyo-ha didn’t care.

“It’s fine, it’s fine.”

What did a byname matter?

Besides, didn’t it sound like something?

At Gyo-ha’s response, Namgung Hyeok forced down his anger.

Then, intrigued, Gyo-ha read the letter.

“Oh. So there’s stuff like this too.”

As he read, Gyo-ha’s gaze stopped at one spot.

Following his gaze, Namgung Hyeok realized what he was reading.

“Ah, that story.”

It was a story about seeing a carriage pulled by people while passing by.

“So there’s stuff like this too.”

“A lot of what’s written there is false.”

It was nothing more than collected rumors.

Whether it was true didn’t matter.

At Namgung Hyeok’s words, Gyo-ha nodded. He’d only looked out of curiosity anyway.

“If it’s Ezhou, it’s close from here, right?”

“Yes. We’ll probably arrive around tomorrow evening.”

It was a route they had to pass through. That might have been why it drew his attention more.

“More importantly, Brother.”

“Yeah, we’ve got guests.”

Gyo-ha nodded and handed the letter back to Namgung Hyeok.

Namgung Hyeok tucked the letter into his bundle and drew his sword.

The ones who appeared.

They had already shown up with weapons drawn. You could tell they had no good intentions.

The attacks had dwindled, but they hadn’t disappeared.

There were still those who stepped out, dreaming of a chance.

“Perfect for an aftermeal workout.”

Gyo-ha smiled and welcomed the intruders.

Just like that, the carriage slipped from their minds as they prepared to fight.

And it wasn’t until the next morning that they thought of the carriage again.

---

After sleeping out and waking up, the two started walking again.

Gyo-ha was the first to sense something wrong.

He suddenly furrowed his brow.

“Brother?”

Namgung Hyeok, who had been puzzled, realized why Gyo-ha stopped when the wind blew.

The smell of blood.

It wasn’t that of beasts.

You didn’t get a stench like this from just one or two.

By the time they realized it, they were already running.

And they could see a wrecked carriage.

And dead bodies around it.

People and horses, all dead.

Beasts drawn by the smell of blood approached, then retreated when they spotted the two.

“…A merchant caravan.”

They’d suffered a massacre while on a trade run.

But the attackers’ bodies weren’t anywhere to be seen.

Did they retrieve them?

No.

Gyo-ha and Namgung Hyeok could tell what had happened just from the traces.

A one-sided slaughter.

They hadn’t even been opponents.

“They weren’t after valuables.”

The goods loaded on the carriage were left as they were.

“…There were two carriages.”

Namgung Hyeok, searching the carriage to identify the merchant guild, came out at Gyo-ha’s words and examined the ground.

Just as Gyo-ha said, there were two sets of carriage tracks.

But.

“But there are traces of only one set of horses.”

Ahead on the road, there were horse traces, but in the opposite direction, only wheel tracks remained.

They recalled the letter they’d read two days ago.

“…A human carriage (人車).”

A carriage pulled by people.

They had crossed paths with it on the road, and then suffered this massacre.

Namgung Hyeok furrowed his brow.

“Either way, it means they went this way.”

The direction the hoofprints pointed.

The wheel tracks were also two sets.

Gyo-ha looked back at Namgung Hyeok.

What should we do? That was the question.

If it were just Gyo-ha, he wouldn’t have hesitated.

The enemy was many. From the traces, everyone had died in a single strike.

It wasn’t an ordinary group.

Judging by the bodies, they hadn’t been dead long. They couldn’t have gone far.

But Namgung Hyeok didn’t hesitate.

“Brother, let’s go.”

At Namgung Hyeok’s words, Gyo-ha nodded and sprang forward.

And Namgung Hyeok followed after him as well.

---

Before long, they found the carriage.

A lavish carriage.

About five men followed behind it, and six men in front were pulling it.

A young boy at the very front.

He was covered in wounds beneath his torn clothes, as if he’d been beaten countless times.

‘Companions? Or a kidnapping?’

Countless thoughts rose in Namgung Hyeok’s mind.

He couldn’t tell. But the boy carried the same aura as the men.

Strong Yin Qi.

It was the kind of presence you’d only feel from women who had mastered Yin-based arts.

Unlike Namgung Hyeok, Gyo-ha’s judgment was simple.

Either way, it was clear the mastermind was inside the carriage.

Gyo-ha charged toward the carriage.

Then the ones following behind launched themselves.

They were trying to stop Gyo-ha.

‘If they block me, they’re the enemy.’

Gyo-ha’s eyes gleamed.

Their aura was fairly vicious. But it wasn’t enough to stop Gyo-ha.

The moment he curled his fist toward them.

A whip shot out through the carriage’s curtain.

Hwirik.

In an instant, the whip passed the men and aimed for Gyo-ha.

Realizing the force riding that whip was intense, Gyo-ha twisted his body.

Jjak!

The whip struck the air, then sseureuk, curled back around.

It looked like a snake.

Gyo-ha brushed his own shoulder.

Even though it hit empty air, he felt an impact on his shoulder.

Internal energy had been infused into the whip.

At the same time, martial artists surrounded Gyo-ha.

Even the ones pulling the carriage put down their yokes and joined in. Seeing that, Namgung Hyeok confirmed his judgment.

They were enemies.

He drew his sword and stood beside Gyo-ha.

A middle-aged man who saw him furrowed his brow.

“…Firmament Sword.”

At the words from the man’s mouth, Namgung Hyeok was startled too.

Because it was the name of the sword he carried. The sword didn’t have letters carved into it.

A yellow guard and a cloud pommel.

And on the hilt, only a blue tassel hung.

If anything was distinctive, it was a lapis lazuli bead hanging alongside the tassel.

But it was a common-looking sword you could see anywhere.

There was only one reason it was named Firmament Sword.

Because it was the sword bestowed upon direct descendants of the Namgung Clan when they learned the Boundless Firmament Sword Art.

Recognizing that wasn’t easy.

A flicker of dismay rose on the man’s face, then vanished.

It was too brief, and the others were focused on guarding against them, so only Gyo-ha and Namgung Hyeok noticed.

“Firmament, huh.”

A metallic voice came from inside the carriage. At that, Gyo-ha’s and Namgung Hyeok’s expressions hardened.

It wasn’t just because the tone was unpleasant to hear.

It was because the aura coming from inside was beyond ordinary.

Soon the whip flew again and tore the curtain covering the entrance.

Then the inside of the carriage was clearly visible.

Inside sat a masked figure, upright and rigid.

But the wrinkles visible between his neck and collar hinted at his age.

A strange old man wearing a mask and an official robe.

The old man’s gaze turned to Namgung Hyeok.

“I was worried our paths might cross wrong, but you came to me on your own.”

A low chuckle sounded.

This too sounded like metal scraping.

Soon, the old man’s gaze moved to the young boy at the front.

“Yeong-hyeon guided the carriage well. I praise you.”

“Thank you, Master.”

At the old man’s words, Yeong-hyeon lowered his head.

Then the middle-aged man who had been surrounding them turned back.

“Master, what will you do?”

Because they had found what they wanted.

It was the old man’s prey. If they touched it carelessly, a reprimand would fly.

“Before picking the fruit, I should check how ripe it is.”

An arrogant tone. Namgung Hyeok’s eyebrows twitched.

But the old man had the right to be that way.

Just his gaze made a chill crawl over them.

A powerhouse.

And the moment the old man gave permission, the expressions of those surrounding them changed.

They raised their aura.

At the same time, coldness climbed onto their swords.

Yin-based arts.

“…Brother.”

When Namgung Hyeok called, Gyo-ha nodded.

A young boy and a young man. Aside from those two, there wasn’t a single one who wasn’t first-rate.

This wasn’t the level of some small or mid-sized sect.

Gyo-ha licked his lips.

“Nice.”

It felt like he could finally have a proper fight for the first time in a while.

Gyo-ha set his stance and opened his palm.

Kkattak-kkattak.

With Gyo-ha’s signal, the men all rushed in at once.

---

The men’s swords were smooth yet sharp.

Their movements were like women’s dance steps as well. Watching them, Namgung Hyeok’s eyes sank.

For men to master Yin-based arts like this, special methods were required.

Either they were born with an unusual constitution, or they had to master opposing Yang arts and achieve balance.

Neither was easy.

If not…

‘Cutting off their manhood.’

Either literally cutting it off, or blocking Yang Qi through drugs or martial arts.

There were people who used martial arts like that.

The Eastern Depot.

Eunuchs.

Namgung Hyeok’s gaze went to the old man in the carriage.

An official robe.

It wasn’t a proper formal style. It resembled what high-ranking officials wore when they weren’t conducting official duties.

Hwik!

A sword flying in shattered Namgung Hyeok’s thoughts.

They rushed in.

Their aura was no ordinary thing. They weren’t opponents you could fight while distracted. But there was a reason Namgung Hyeok paid attention.

Their eyes were full of fear as they charged.

Not fear directed at the two of them.

Were they being forced to fight?

“Get a grip.”

When he turned to the side, Gyo-ha was swinging his fist.

Kwaang!

The one struck by Gyo-ha’s fist was sent flying.

Even seeing it again, it was terrifying power.

“Whatever the reason, these bastards killed people too. And right now, they’re attacking us.”

They’re the enemy.

Even if it was fear, they didn’t hesitate to cut down foes.

That meant they’d already cut down plenty.

And they were actually throwing killing moves at Namgung Hyeok.

Namgung Hyeok’s gaze changed.

“Thank you, Brother.”

Right. Their circumstances weren’t important.

Who didn’t have circumstances?

Even assassins had their own circumstances.

‘…I forgot Grandfather’s teachings again.’

Namgung Hyeok reflected briefly.

Mercy was the privilege of the strong.

A yellow shimmer rose from Namgung Hyeok’s sword.