The Sword Saint (1)

Everything at Na Manor was resolved without issue.

Ma Maeng-un, who arrived with Bi Sayoung, displayed medical skill worthy of the Living-Dead Eccentric’s son.

He treated the wounded and Lady Na’s father, and he even gave the hopeful prognosis that her father would soon recover his health.

Lady Min and her son Na Seohwang, who had fled on their own to escape the Iron Fiends, did not return.

Of course, since I had made certain of that, it was only natural that they could not return. However, the people of Na Manor, unaware of the truth, assumed the two at least possessed enough shame not to come back.

I decided to remain silent.

“Then I’ll see you in a few days. Everyone, take care on your way back.”

After Ma Maeng-un declared that the Lord of Na Manor would recover completely as long as he rested properly, everyone except Lady Na finally decided to return to the front lines.

It had been five days since we arrived.

Lady Na, however, decided to remain behind and nurse the Manor Lord a little longer. She still had more than three weeks of leave remaining.

The fact that she could spend her time this way was entirely thanks to the Sword Saint.

“Lady Na, spend plenty of time with the Manor Lord and return at your leisure.”

“That’s right, Lady Na. Take this opportunity to fulfill your filial duties.”

Lady Na smiled faintly at the words Bi Sayoung and I offered.

“I will. Thank you.”

Then her gaze turned toward Captain Seol Pung.

It was a deep gaze, different from the way she looked at the rest of us.

“Captain, please take care on your way back as well. Thank you for coming.”

Captain Seol Pung answered with his characteristic awkward expression.

“I will. You should also take care when you return, my lady.”

In the past, I would have thought nothing of it, but now that I knew how the two felt, merely watching them was enough to make me frustrated.

Unfortunately, this was because my previous operation had failed.

My original intention had been for the captain to become anxious after hearing about Lady Na’s marriage proposal, visit her father, and ask for her hand.

‘Hmm. Even if he couldn’t go that far, I thought I might at least get him to confess and ask Lady Na not to marry anyone else….’

However, my entire plan fell apart when the captain happened to encounter Lady Na first as she was leaving the Manor Lord’s room.

The captain immediately asked whether she truly had to marry, and Lady Na smiled brightly and answered that she no longer did.

The captain then merely mumbled that it was good news and returned.

When I heard what had happened, I could only let out a hollow laugh.

“They say people devise plans, but Heaven decides their success. This really isn’t easy.”

Getting the captain to make a magnificent confession seemed to be a task of the highest possible difficulty.

It felt comparable to bringing down the Blood Cult.

Thinking that I would need to devise a more thorough operation next time, I resolved to wait for another opportunity.

At the same time, I desperately suppressed the feeling of relief rising in one corner of my heart.

It was an emotion I now had to put behind me completely.

I was not doing very well yet, but did they not say that nothing in the world was impossible?

“We’re nearly there. If we run for another half-si-jin, we’ll be back at the Thirteenth Unit.”

“You’re right. I was too anxious to notice on the way there, but it was surprisingly quick.”

“Yeah, it’s really close.”

Captain Seol Pung, I, and Bi Sayoung spoke in turn, and Ma Maeng-un, who was riding on the captain’s back, shuddered.

“Ugh, that’s only because the three of you are far too fast! It isn’t close at all!”

The return journey did not take very long.

For me, Bi Sayoung, and Captain Seol Pung—the three people with the finest movement arts in the Thirteenth Unit—the distance to Heungui was merely a pleasant excursion requiring only a few si-jin.

That remained true even though the captain and I took turns carrying Ma Maeng-un, whose martial arts were still weak.

At that moment, I suddenly remembered that before leaving for Na Manor, I had promised to speak with Lady Cheong-yeon.

‘Ah, now that I think about it, I rushed off without even asking for her understanding. Damn….’

Of course, the situation had been extremely urgent, so the Lady Cheong-yeon I knew would certainly understand. Even so, I thought I should apologize politely.

‘And this time, I’ll have a proper conversation with her.’

Thinking back, Lady Cheong-yeon had always remained beside me and done so much for my sake, yet I did not seem to have done anything for her.

She had been visibly troubled, and I still had not offered any help. As a friend, I could hardly have failed more thoroughly.

This time, it was my turn to help Lady Cheong-yeon.

At least this once, I desperately wanted to do something for her.

It was while thinking this that we returned to the Flying Dragon Thirteenth Unit.

The first person to welcome us was someone we had never expected.

“Welcome back! I heard you defeated three Iron Fiends without even having Hwagolsan?! As expected of the finest talents I had my eye on! Hahahaha!”

The man greeting us with a bright face and hearty laughter was none other than Lady Cheong-yeon’s father, Hae Unbaek, the Sword Saint of Heaven.

He had come to the Thirteenth Unit while we were away.

Startled, we hurriedly gave him a fist-and-palm salute.

“We greet the Sword Saint!”

Ma Maeng-un stared at him in shock.

“Eek?! He’s the Sword Saint?!”

Laughing heartily once again, he approached and patted our shoulders.

“Hahahaha! Why are you being so formal when we are so close? Receiving such stiff greetings makes me feel rather disappointed.”

I was not certain precisely how close we were, but he certainly knew how to make others feel at ease.

Thanks to his playful words, we were able to look at him with considerably more relaxed expressions.

The Sword Saint then looked at Ma Maeng-un and spoke.

“So this young man must be the Living-Dead Eccentric’s son. You are indeed as handsome as I heard. I am quite envious. Had I been even half as handsome as you when I was young, perhaps my first love would not have rejected me. Hahahaha!”

Ma Maeng-un did not particularly enjoy others commenting on his appearance.

That was because he felt insecure about his delicate, almost feminine beauty.

However, he did not appear offended in the slightest by the Sword Saint’s words.

I had noticed it before, but the way he casually tossed out remarks filled with such cheerfulness that others could not take offense often filled me with wonder.

How should I put it?

Perhaps he possessed the air of a respectable adult whom I wanted to resemble not merely in martial arts, but in personality as well.

There was something like that about him.

He was also the first truly good adult I had ever met in my life, having grown up unable to hold a proper conversation with my own father.

The Sword Saint glanced around, then added with a mischievous expression.

“Ah, keep what I just said about my first love a secret from Cheong-yeon. I am counting on all of you.”

I grinned at his joking manner and asked.

“Did you come to see Lady Cheong-yeon, Elder?”

“Yes. I came immediately after hearing that all of you had returned from your assignment. However….”

The Sword Saint glanced at me and asked.

“Were all of you aware that Cheong-yeon had gone to serve as vice-captain of Platoon Four?”

We asked back in surprise.

“What? Lady Cheong-yeon has already gone to Platoon Four as vice-captain? This soon?”

“Hmm. Judging from your reactions, it seems none of you knew. She was already using Platoon Four’s quarters when I arrived yesterday.”

That was extremely surprising.

Of course, both Lady Cheong-yeon and I had expected that we would eventually be assigned to different platoons, but I had never imagined she would move while neither we nor Lady Na had yet returned.

I wondered whether that had been the matter troubling her so deeply.

Once again, I deeply regretted failing to speak with her.

I asked the Sword Saint again.

“Have you heard what Lady Cheong-yeon thinks about it?”

However, he merely shrugged.

“I asked, but she only said it was something that had to happen eventually. I heard nothing else.”

It seemed she had not revealed all her worries even to her father, the Sword Saint.

I would apparently have to ask her personally at the earliest opportunity.

We first went to the Thirteenth Unit headquarters and reported our return to the unit commander, then headed back to Platoon Seven’s quarters.

Three people were waiting for us there.

Before we left, Bae Jonggwan, Lady Cheong-yeon, and Lady Cheon Jueun had been the three remaining in Platoon Seven’s quarters. Even after Lady Cheong-yeon departed, three people were still present.

That was because someone new had joined Platoon Seven.

The newcomer was a beautiful woman with a languid expression who gave off a strangely dreamlike air.

She looked toward the captain and spoke.

“You’ve finally returned, Seol Pung.”

We had been about to greet Bae Jonggwan and Lady Cheon Jueun warmly, but at her words, we were overcome by an unfamiliar emotion difficult to describe.

Following her voice, the air around her seemed to take on a sticky, languid quality.

Her presence made even the surrounding atmosphere feel dreamlike, a peculiar sensation I had previously experienced only from Senior Son Eunsang, the Soul-Ensnaring Libertine.

Captain Seol Pung answered with a slightly troubled expression.

“Ah, Lady Ya Un-hyang. You’ve already entered the quarters?”

She smiled hazily and answered.

“That is why I came here. You kept me waiting far too long.”

A strange atmosphere flowed between the two.

Caught in that awkward situation, Bi Sayoung and I exchanged glances, then immediately used sound transmission to ask Bae Jonggwan and Lady Cheon what was happening.

Lady Cheon’s voice reached us through sound transmission.

Apparently, Sister Un-hyang applied to the Flying Dragon Unit because of Captain Seol Pung. The entire Thirteenth Unit is already buzzing with the rumor.

Startled, I asked again.

What? What do you mean she applied because of the captain?

Lady Cheon Jueun’s answer left me utterly speechless.

Perhaps she “fell in love with the captain at first sight,” or something like that? It doesn’t seem as though she came because of a grudge.
…What?!

A hollow laugh escaped me.

A woman had become infatuated with the captain, who could barely speak to women, and had even applied to the Flying Dragon Unit because of him.

Moreover, that woman was extraordinarily beautiful.

No, her appearance was not the only astonishing thing.

Judging by the feeling she gave off, did her martial prowess not seem to be at least at the pinnacle level?

My chest felt strangely stifled.

It seemed a peaceful future in which Lady Na and the captain came together would not arrive easily.

Through the introductions that followed, we learned that she was the famous female master of the unorthodox path known as the Infernal Magpie and Blood-Whip Xi Shi, Ya Un-hyang.

Her identity was enough to leave our mouths hanging open.

Lady Cheon Jueun sighed helplessly and said that although Ya Un-hyang did not seem like a bad person, she appeared every bit as unusual as Lady Cheong-yeon.

It seemed Platoon Seven possessed something that attracted unusual people.

“Haaap!”

Rustle!

My body, using Heavenly Wind Flower Leaves, scattered in every direction like drifting flower petals.

It was a supreme movement art designed to confuse the opponent’s vision, and my opponent looked around with an impressed expression.

At that moment, I moved directly behind him and unleashed my sword.

Thirteenth Form of the Seonu Thirteen Swords.

Realm of Phantom Swords.

Swoooooosh!

My sword multiplied into dozens and then hundreds, surrounding him as though laying siege.

At the same time, I closed my eyes and recalled it.

That fantastical sword Black Wolf had displayed.

The sword form I had yearned for even in my dreams every day.

I snapped my eyes open and shouted.

“Haaap!”

At that moment, the hundreds of phantom swords became real and poured toward my opponent.

Swoooooosh!

Fifteenth Form of the Seonu Thirteen Swords.

Emptiness Becomes Form.

It was the sword form I had never forgotten for even a single moment, one I had clung to even in my dreams.

Using the enlightenment I had gained while fighting the two Iron Fiends as nourishment, it had finally blossomed into reality.

‘It worked!’

Burning exhilaration filled my entire body and mind.

The Sword Saint, being bombarded by hundreds of streams of sword energy, grinned and muttered.

“Excellent.”

Then he finally drew his sword.

Shing!

The Sword Saint swung only once.

It was not a strike carrying overwhelming force, nor was it an extraordinarily fast swift sword. It was merely an extremely simple slash.

However, as he swung that ordinary horizontal slash, I forgot even the exhilaration I had felt moments earlier and could only stare blankly.

The sword was not fast.

No, I could not even distinguish whether it was fast or slow.

The sword simply moved.

The world split apart.

And the sword energy surrounding him vanished.

I could not even tell whether those three events had occurred through cause and effect, or whether they were merely independent events that happened simultaneously.

It was simply a wonder that seemed to reveal something beyond this world.

The instant I took it into my eyes, the exhilaration filling my body transformed into a shudder.

While I blankly replayed the sword that had embedded itself in my mind, the Sword Saint spoke.

“This is truly astonishing. When I saw you last time, you had not even reached the stage of transforming energy into Sword Aura, yet in such a brief period you crossed two walls? Moreover, you do not appear to have merely taken your first steps beyond them. Did you obtain some extraordinary opportunity?”

I abruptly regained my senses and answered.

“Ah, yes. I received the fortunate opportunity of being briefly instructed by a senior expert who did not reveal his identity.”

He laughed in disbelief.

“Hah. What sort of senior could guide someone to this extent? I cannot help but envy his ability to teach. I would almost like to receive instruction from him myself.”

I could only smile awkwardly.

He sighed once and spoke to me.

“You crossed the pinnacle boundary and then immediately surpassed the next wall as well. Now you are approaching yet another barrier. It is truly astonishing progress, but if someone asked me whether all of it was desirable, I do not think I could answer easily. Do you know why?”

After thinking briefly, I answered.

“Because it happened too quickly.”

“Yes, precisely. More accurately, the process was insufficient. For a person, the moments spent consolidating one’s growth are just as important as the moments of advancement themselves. If one pursues nothing but constant advancement without that foundation, everything may suddenly collapse at once. Thus, it is my judgment that from now on, you must focus not on sword techniques or sword forms, but on the sword strike itself.”

I repeated his words to myself.

“Not sword techniques or forms, but the sword strike itself.”

The shuddering slash the Sword Saint had shown moments earlier suddenly came to mind.

For some reason, I felt as though I clearly understood what he meant.

Was that why he had broken my sword art with that particular method instead of another?

Seeing my expression, the Sword Saint smiled with satisfaction and spoke.

“Yes, it seems you understand what I mean. I am truly pleased to be able to teach a talent like you. I might even call it an honor.”

I hurriedly shook my head.

“No. The honor is entirely mine. Thank you very much, Elder.”

Aside from the time he spent with Lady Cheong-yeon, the Sword Saint devoted every moment to instructing us.

He had apparently taught the other platoon captains even before we arrived, and until just moments ago, he had sparred with Captain Seol Pung for quite some time and offered him advice without reservation.

I had watched every moment of that process from beside them.

Although the advice had been directed toward Captain Seol Pung, every word was also invaluable to me.

According to the Sword Saint, Captain Seol Pung now stood immediately before the Supreme Realm.

The Sword Saint rejoiced as though it were his own achievement, saying that reaching such heights at so young an age was truly extraordinary.

He then advised the captain to fight as many opponents as possible against whom he could use his full strength.

‘The wall of the Supreme Realm is somewhat different from those before it. Until now, one had to pursue completeness in order to earn the qualification to reach that wall. However, to cross it, one must establish a world of one’s own. Thus, each person possesses a different entrance. Advice or instruction from others therefore holds limited meaning, but….’

To reach the wall of the Supreme Realm, one had to pursue completeness.

I felt I could understand that statement to some extent.

Captain Seol Pung had said that he crossed his previous wall by focusing on the principle of stillness within motion.

Of course, that had also come from the Sword Saint’s advice.

Thus, pursuing completeness likely meant compensating for one’s weaknesses rather than further sharpening one’s strengths.

However, the idea of establishing one’s own world did not yet resonate with me.

It was likely advice one could only understand after reaching that level.

The Sword Saint continued.

‘Still, it does not seem that I have nothing at all to tell you. You possess the soul of a warrior. At first glance, you may appear gentle, but I can see a fighting spirit boiling within you like a raging tide. Therefore, continue to struggle without end. That will likely allow you to cross your wall.’

Afterward, the Sword Saint sparred with the captain several more times.

When the duels ended, the captain went somewhere quiet and entered meditation.

My turn came immediately afterward.

During the duel that followed, despite succeeding with Emptiness Becomes Form for the first time, I was left completely entranced by a single sword strike.

The Sword Saint spoke.

“From now on, watch the sword strikes I show you carefully. Striving to catch up to them will aid you. If your sword can follow the trajectory of mine, then you too will reach the wall of the Supreme Realm, just as Captain Seol Pung has. And when you finally create a sword of your own that differs from mine, you will be able to cross even that wall.”

Then he demonstrated his sword to me once more.

He showed me the slash that had annihilated my Emptiness Becomes Form in an instant, as well as a thrust every bit as astonishing.

After witnessing them, I had no choice but to immediately enter meditation without a word.

I wanted to engrave those magnificent sword strikes not into my mind, but into my soul.