〈Episode 324〉 Practical Training. (3)
Two months had passed since entering the Hall.
Before long, the cold winter would pass, and we would be on the cusp of greeting a splendid spring.
Around the time the frozen ground melted and the flowers prepared to bloom.
Damn it all.
I hadn’t done a thing, yet I’d grown another year older.
‘Fucking hell.’
I hadn’t been particularly obsessed with age in the past, but now, growing older meant one thing.
Proof that busy days were passing one by one.
It wasn’t a pleasant feeling.
Because I knew the time remaining for me was different from others.
Every day was precious.
Besides, it had already been a month since I’d gone to and from the Bigo embedded beneath Shinryong Hall.
Many things had happened in that span.
The first was that word regarding the Bigo had reached the Murim Alliance.
For the moment, training at Shinryong Hall was underway.
They couldn’t launch a direct investigation, but a powerful formation had been installed around the area where the Bigo had been.
And to make things worse, because the Hidden Dragon and I had wandered outside, the number and radius of instructors patrolling at night had increased.
It was like pointless night watch.
Wouldn’t the instructors resent us for turning the situation into this mess?
‘I do feel sorry about that.’
I had particularly hated night watch in my past life as well.
So I felt quite guilty.
But what could I do? My own neck was on the line.
I couldn’t live my life worrying about others.
‘Tsk.’
Anyway, at the same time the Murim Alliance scheduled an investigation.
Regarding the discovery of the Bigo.
Additional cooperation had been requested.
Let me say it again. ‘Cooperation.’
Not an interrogation or investigation, but a request asking me to cooperate in explaining how I discovered the Bigo.
This was probably because of my background as the Gu Family and because I held the moniker of True Dragon at the same time.
‘It seems Ilgeolpae was a help after all.’
The fact that the source of my information was the Beggars’ Sect, which belongs to the Orthodox Faction, must have helped as well.
Fortunately, it seemed to have worked.
Of course, breaking the rules to roam around at night and other matters would be demerit factors, but I decided not to worry about it for now and move on.
‘Next is the matter of the Sword Queen.’
The reason the Sword Queen had listened to my request and briefly drawn Cheonghae Ilgeom’s attention was none other than a precious item called the Plum Blossom Stone.
The Sword Queen had said it would be in the Bigo I was looking for.
Even assuming it had been there.
‘What do I do if it’s already gone?’
The Sword Queen had said it couldn’t be helped if we couldn’t find it, but her expression had said otherwise.
‘To be exact, it seemed like a bigger problem than that.’
As if shocked by something more than the Plum Blossom Stone, she had worn a dazed expression for some time.
‘What? Did she hear something from Cheonghae Ilgeom?’
There was no way for me to know what their conversation had been about, so I had no choice but to let it go.
If there was a problem here, it was this.
‘It’s what to do about this thing on my forearm.’
It was a matter regarding the object wrapped around my left arm.
A cloth of pinkish light wrapped around my arm as if it were a bandage.
The problem was that this was no ordinary cloth.
For starters, it was stuck fast to my arm and wouldn’t come off.
I had tried everything to tear it off somehow, but I couldn’t remove it no matter what I did, as if it had become real skin.
Moreover.
‘If it were ordinary cloth, that’d be one thing.’
From my bound arm, faintly…
No, was ‘faint’ even the right word?
It was hazy, yet clearly dense.
That massive, thick Dao energy I had felt when Elder Shin rescued me from the Bigo could be felt from my left arm.
This was definitely Mount Hua’s Dao energy.
Thanks to this, the Mount Hua Dao energy settled within my dantian would buzz all day as if resonating with the energy, so there was no way I couldn’t know.
‘The problem is… the identity of this cloth.’
The fact that Elder Shin had grabbed it while moving my body meant that Elder Shin also knew of this precious item, and there was a high probability it was something he had used.
The lingering will of Yeonil Cheon had said that the Bigo was a fortuitous encounter prepared for Elder Shin from the very beginning.
‘So what.’ What is this precious item?
As if I didn’t already have one or two precious items clinging to my body, adding more was already a ridiculous situation, but what kind of precious item stands out so blatantly like this?
‘It doesn’t seem to have any special abilities, though.’
Would it be easier to just think of it as a cloth that radiates Dao energy?
Or could there be another use that I don’t know about?
‘The person who could tell me has fallen asleep again, so that’s the problem.’
Saving me when I needed him most, then Elder Shin fell asleep again.
On top of that.
‘Even that beast bastard has gone quiet.’
The guy who used to whine for food every single day had hidden his presence since that point in time.
Had he disappeared? No.
I could tell he was inside my body.
Surely only time was passing, yet unknown things swam through that gap.
Chaotically circling around me.
Do they think they’re real fish?
Tap, tap.
I kept hitting the table with my fingertips.
An old habit of mine when things get complicated.
‘…The Bigo is done.’
I also have the habit of putting aside matters I can’t understand even if I think about them.
This was a habit I had picked up recently.
There was much to do.
I couldn’t afford to waste time consumed by matters that had no answer, so setting them aside first and thinking about what needed to be done now was a kind of obsession.
Tap, tap.
As I rapped the table endlessly with my fingertips, faces and names of people floated up in my mind.
‘…That bastard is from the Beggars’ Sect, so he’s hard to find right now. Where is that one from?’
The reason I was recalling people one by one and writing them down was none other than this.
‘There are more than I thought. Can I take care of them all?’
Because I was thinking of those I had to kill.
I knew well that righteousness and chivalry had died in this world long ago.
What makes you realize that for certain is right after a bloody calamity occurs.
The inside is rotten.
There is a multitude who put on a shiny veneer and call themselves the Orthodox Faction.
Rather, when I think about how those unorthodox bastards who act on their whims actually pick fights with the Demonic Cult more often… I was almost of the mind that the unorthodox faction might be cleaner.
This was the reason I said the starting point was right after leaving Shinryong Hall.
Those who need to die, all die.
The reason I was desperately trying to raise my martial realm was also because I needed to reach a level where this process could be carried out smoothly.
Buzz.
Again.
I furrowed my brow at the sensation.
Lately, my head would spin like this occasionally.
If I endured it, it would subside, but the queasy sensation was far from pleasant.
My mood would worsen.
To the point I’d think I might feel better if I threw up.
“…Student.”
‘Is it lack of training? I should increase the time a bit more…’
“Student Gu Yangcheon.”
“…!”
I had been spacing out, so I hadn’t properly heard someone calling me.
Coming to my senses and looking ahead, Cheol Hwan-o was glaring at me with a deeply furrowed expression.
Right. We were in the middle of class.
“Yes.”
“The instructor called you three times, yet there was no answer. Is it safe to assume you weren’t concentrating?”
“I answered. Perhaps it was too quiet for you to hear.”
“…Oho.”
It was obviously a lie.
Cheol Hwan-o probably knew too. That was why his expression was twisting like that.
So human faces could crumple like that.
Interesting information.
“Since you say you were concentrating, I suppose the instructor may ask a question?”
“Yes. I will listen attentively.”
“Regarding the reason the Cheongui Cheonjo is uniquely less active at night…”
“They do it to raise their young. They’re perverted bastards who only do it at night.”
“ ”
“Ah, for their weakness, you only need to watch out for their beaks… Since they’re flightless bastards who can’t escape, you just catch them and burn them…”
“Enough.”
“Yes…”
It was a really good answer, but he didn’t listen.
The Cheongui Cheonjo is a type of blue magical beast.
A bird that cannot fly despite having wings.
It has a longer neck than a chicken.
Anyway.
It is one of the few species among magical beasts that mates.
Strangely, they only do it at night. Thanks to that, it is rare to be attacked by them past the afternoon.
Hunting them at that time is convenient too.
Whether my answer had been correct or not, Cheol Hwan-o let out a sigh as if disappointed.
Then resumed the lesson.
‘I should focus.’
Of course, by focus, I meant I should try harder to pretend to focus.
‘Is it coming soon now?’
Until the awaited time arrived.
Not much longer.
Just as the lesson was ending, Cheol Hwan-o left some words before leaving.
“It will be the practical training period soon. Don’t forget to prepare.”
Hearing those words, I nodded inwardly.
This was the information I had been waiting for days.
After finishing the daily routine and eating, I usually chatted a bit with the group.
It was about the only time I could rest mentally.
But these days, I had cut even that and greatly increased my training time.
Entering the second month, the other companions had gotten busy as well.
And the reason was that I myself was driving my body hard, pressed for time.
‘Arm a bit further forward.’
Huk! Pang!
Adjusting the angle, I released an energy burst.
A small trace of energy lingered in the air.
Too bad. The release was a bit late.
‘…Faster is impossible. Then should I mix in more Heocho?’
Even while focusing on mental training, moving my body like this was a review of the spar I had fought some time ago.
‘If I’m only fast, I’ll get caught and stopped.’
The fight against the Twin Dragons, or the day I had faced the Paejon.
Much regret from that day remained, so I would review it occasionally like this.
‘What is the problem?’
I am faster.
My energy goes without saying.
But I couldn’t break through, and even when I somehow entered his domain, I couldn’t land a single strike.
He was slower than me, yet faster than me.
Was it a difference in perspective?
Because I had clearly felt the lacking parts, I tried hard to fill them, but it wasn’t easy.
Even though the one who made me suffer defeat was the Paejon at the pinnacle of the martial world.
There were no excuses. A loss is a loss.
If you ask whether I regret and resent the defeat—as if.
I had already experienced countless defeats.
I know it’s impossible for me to catch up to geniuses.
So I need to find more.
‘It would have been better if my head worked a bit better.’
Then I could handle the matters ahead more efficiently.
I could make better use of my body too.
What if I could use my head even half as well as Cheon Yurang-a?
Maybe because I was frustrated, I had such useless thoughts.
Hwak.
I retrieved the flames wrapped around my body.
Sent the heat to my dantian, then caught my breath.
The surroundings of the field were already filled with the heat I had emitted.
“How was it?”
After retrieving all my energy, I asked the one watching.
“…Huh?”
A foolish answer.
I had known an answer like that would come out.
Because the spectator was none other than Namgung Bia.
“How does it look?”
“…It was cool…?”
“No, not like that…”
I almost felt good for a moment.
The reason I was suddenly like this with Namgung Bia was that while everyone was busy, Namgung Bia was the only one without a schedule, so I was training with her for the first time in a while.
Usually, Namgung Bia would do about half of my usual training before disappearing, but today, I had asked her to just stay with me.
Dang Soyeol hadn’t been seen lately.
Wi Seol-a had been coming by as if it was natural, but today, she had disappeared with sullen eyes as if she had a schedule.
Moyong Hui-a was always busy.
It just so happened that Gu Yeon-seo was doing something different from her peers.
I dragged Namgung Bia, who looked free.
“Does anything look lacking?”
I didn’t think I’d get a good answer from asking Namgung Bia, but she was a martial artist who had surpassed the peak and a genius certain to become a master later, so I was hoping to hear at least something.
Hearing that, Namgung Bia tilted her head briefly, then looked into my eyes and answered.
“Too fast…”
“Then I’ll do it slower…”
“Your body looks impatient.”
I was about to do it slowly, thinking she had misread the movement, but Namgung Bia brought up something else.
“Impatient?”
“Yeah… You look impatient.”
Clenching and unclenching my fist, I repeated the word.
Impatient.
I knew I was being impatient myself, but was it showing in my movements?
‘I need to fix that.’
I nodded.
If it was visible even in Namgung Bia’s eyes, it was a bit dangerous.
Seeing me like that, Namgung Bia watched quietly for a moment.
Then she spoke different words.
“…Want to?”
I flinched at Namgung Bia’s words.
“I told you to speak in full sentences.”
After cautioning her with a deep sigh, only then did Namgung Bia clap her hands and show that she had forgotten.
That startled me.
“Spar… want to?”
As expected, a spar.
But at Namgung Bia’s question, I made a strange expression.
Come to think of it, I had never sparred with Namgung Bia.
In this life, Namgung Bia had clung to me saying she wanted to spar, but I had never once accepted.
And from some point on, Namgung Bia had stopped suggesting we spar.
“Right. When did you stop asking me to spar?”
I had thought she stopped because she was tired of me refusing, but if she was asking now, maybe it was different.
I spoke with that intention.
Namgung Bia brushed her hair behind her ear and opened her mouth.
“…Because it’s… scary…”
“Scary?”
“Sparring with me?”
“No…”
Namgung Bia’s blue eyes turned to me.
“Sparring with me… Because you were afraid.”
“ ”
Was it because I heard her words?
It felt like my breath stopped for a moment.
“Afraid? Me?”
“Yeah.”
I wondered what she meant, but I already knew the meaning.
I didn’t want to fight Namgung Bia.
Even if it was a spar.
“So… I don’t ask. It’s fine.”
“You just did.”
“Then… Because I wondered if you’d be comfortable.”
“No, it’d be very uncomfortable.”
“Then it’s fine.”
Namgung Bia returned to her original expression as if not a shred of lingering attachment remained.
She was still a person with quick transitions.
“Will you… do it someday?”
“…You talk about sparring as if it’s something grand.”
“Isn’t it?”
“No, it is.”
After all the bloody calamities end, when the situation finds stability, when there is no threat at all, when peace can finally be found.
I wonder if I should place such grand meaning on merely sparring.
“What about Seol-a?”
“…!”
My eyes widened at Namgung Bia’s words.
Talk about Wi Seol-a coming out of nowhere.
What meaning did she say it with?
‘What?’
Did Namgung Bia know about what Wi Seol-a had said to me?
“Wha—”
“…A joke…”
As I spat out in a trembling voice, Namgung Bia spoke with a slight smile.
Then she waved her fingertips toward me.
It meant come here.
Calling me like some dog.
I grumbled but approached.
“What are you—”
As I drew close, Namgung Bia stroked my hair with her uniquely languid hand.
“…It’s okay.”
“…What are you doing?”
Dumbfounded by the sudden action, I asked.
Namgung Bia spoke to me with a slight smile.
“When you… do this to me… I feel good.”
“So?”
“So… I’m doing it for you too…”
She was saying she was doing it to make me feel better.
I didn’t particularly feel bad.
Yet feeling a bit good amid it all was truly an indescribable feeling.
As I watched Namgung Bia earnestly petting me, I let out a hollow laugh without realizing it.
Thanks to that, I figured training was good enough for now.
When night fell, the full moon was in the sky.
Above the wall surrounding Shinryong Hall, a figure of indeterminable gender stood.
Inside Shinryong Hall, where Cheonghae Ilgeom’s energy was spread out, the figure stood in a subtle position that barely avoided touching it.
The figure stood there and quietly looked down below.
Without the slightest movement.
Simply looking, yet the figure’s eyes were on only one person.
Flutter.
While maintaining a still gaze, a bird flew in toward the figure.
The figure skillfully took out and unfolded a letter tied to the leg of the bird perched on their shoulder.
—In four days. Proceed.
Word that the target day was approaching.
The figure who confirmed this crumpled the letter, and at that moment, the bird on their shoulder scattered like fog.
Immediately after the bird disappeared, the figure too immediately vanished into thin air.
As if the figure had never been there from the start, without a trace.
The figure’s moniker was Amwang (暗王).
The owner of the night.