A day had passed.
The night when I had nearly died at the hands of the Dark King had passed, and fortunately, I was still alive.
I rose from the bare ground, which could hardly be called a sleeping bag.
It was hardly a decent environment in which to sleep, but it didn’t matter. I hadn’t slept at all, merely sitting cross-legged and circulating my internal cultivation method.
“Haa.”
Since I had spent the entire night containing and circulating the heat, hot air mixed with my breath as I exhaled.
“Damn it….”
My physical condition was relatively refreshed.
My body had become one that could go several days without eating or sleeping without any issue.
But correcting the thoughts filling my head was another matter.
It was because of the Dark King whom I had faced that night.
There was nothing I could do about the gap between him and me.
He had reached the pinnacle of his field, and if one were selecting the greatest masters—even including the Three Venerables—he would unquestionably be chosen.
It was only natural that there was nothing I could do against him.
No matter how many defeats I suffered, I wasn’t mentally weak enough to be shaken by them.
If anything, I would simply be grateful that I had survived.
The problem was the conversation I had shared with the Dark King that night.
‘The Dark King is a descendant of the Yeon Clan?’
He had never answered in the end, but judging from the circumstances, it was no different from an affirmation.
However, there was also a clear possibility that even that entire situation had been a lie.
‘It’s too out of the blue.’
The clan had already been destroyed several hundred years ago.
By the reckoning of time, it had perished far earlier than the Zhuge Clan.
And now, to say that a descendant had survived…
‘…It isn’t impossible, but it’s hard to believe without reservation.’
A descendant could certainly exist.
There were quite a few members of the Zhuge Clan living in hiding, concealing their family name.
Even among those around me, I could think of three such people.
In that sense, there could be any number of descendants of the Yeon Clan.
‘But what are the odds that such a descendant would be active as the king of assassins…?’
Moreover, the Dark King seemed to have some purpose he desired to achieve.
I had felt it when he had driven me into a corner as though threatening me.
‘If the Dark King truly is a descendant of the Yeon Clan.’
Srrk.
I slightly rolled up my sleeve and saw that the mark was still there.
‘What connection does this have to it?’
The reason the Dark King had threatened me was because he had sensed the energy I had obtained from the secret vault, including this mark on my forearm.
What mattered here was that he had ‘sensed’ it.
Not only had he sensed an energy that even I had thought had disappeared,
he had also discerned the secret of my arm—something I had never shown to anyone.
Even if the Dark King truly wasn’t a descendant of the Yeon Clan—
‘It’s certain that he senses something from me.’
The problem was that I had no idea what it was. There were clearly four types of energy circulating within my body.
If I went by the energy the Dark King had mentioned, did that mean there were five?
‘What the hell? I’m not a trash can. Why is everything mixed together in me?’
As if I didn’t already have enough to deal with, I had no idea what this body was up to.
To make matters worse, the Dark King had looked at this and called it a ‘curse.’
A curse.
It was a sinister word even to hear.
‘What is this for him to go so far as to call it a curse?’
It looked ominous enough that it couldn’t simply be dismissed as a change in my skin.
Only a few days had passed since I discovered it, so I hadn’t felt anything that could be called a change.
I could only assume that it wasn’t something good from the Dark King’s reaction.
‘That bastard vanished right after saying everything he wanted to say when I was about to ask him something.’
The Dark King must have confirmed everything he wanted to know about me, because the moment our conversation ended, he disappeared in an instant.
And I still had a mountain of questions to ask him.
How petty.
Should I be grateful that I hadn’t died instead?
It was difficult to look at it so positively when I was this annoyed.
‘Damn it…. Why are all these so-called masters such individualists?’
No, from my perspective, one had to be selfish and petty to advance one’s realm.
That didn’t mean I had the nerve to go looking for the Dark King again.
If he made up his mind to hide, there was no way I would be able to find him.
In this empty state of mind, I examined my forearm once more.
“Should I go meet the Divine Doctor?”
I wondered if he might know something.
We were acquainted, after all, so I hoped he might show me some consideration if I went to see him.
Of course… the old man wasn’t someone I could simply meet because I wanted to, so it was nothing more than wishful thinking.
For now, I began walking.
‘…Let’s eat first.’
The sun had risen, and I had realized that I hadn’t eaten a single proper meal in several days.
I wasn’t hungry.
I simply thought that if I stuffed something into my mouth, it might drive away my useless thoughts.
I headed toward the place where food was being distributed.
Given the circumstances, however, it was difficult to find a proper meal.
It seemed that the instructors and academy students who were still in good condition were distributing the remaining provisions.
There was something slightly different, though.
‘There are martial artists I haven’t seen before.’
Several people were looking around with their eyes wide open.
Judging from their clothing…
‘They’re from the Murim Alliance.’
From the designs on their sword scabbards to the martial uniforms they wore,
they were martial artists from the Alliance.
They were speaking with the instructors while trying to assess the situation.
I slightly heightened my senses.
-They’ve sent support from the main force….
-Probably from the Flying Dragon Unit….
-Even the Alliance Lord….
-The person who orchestrated this incident….
It seemed that, with the black barrier blocking the surroundings gone, they had finally managed to contact the Alliance properly.
Then support would arrive sometime today.
Furthermore—
‘This is going to cause a commotion.’
It was obvious that this information would spread throughout the Central Plains in an instant.
The unorthodox martial artists who had attacked Shenlong Academy,
and the descendants of prestigious families who had died as a result.
Even if the Beggars’ Union was currently, in name at least, the information network of the orthodox faction, they wouldn’t be able to silence every mouth.
This involved not only the Four Great Families, but also the Nine Sects and One Union.
Although they were part of the orthodox faction, sects and clans that were not friendly toward the Murim Alliance would occasionally be mixed in as well.
From the Alliance’s perspective, this must be a nightmare.
That was probably why the expressions of those dispatched from the Alliance looked so sour.
It was obvious at a glance that the situation was anything but good.
They would have to contact the families of the academy students who had suffered casualties one by one.
That would be a problem as well.
‘Perhaps the information has already reached them.’
I couldn’t say for other places, but if they were at least on the level of the Nine Sects and One Union or the Four Great Families,
they might have already received word before the Alliance could contact them about the situation.
While glancing at the Alliance martial artists, I grabbed a few things to make a rough meal of.
I didn’t know whether the food had been made by compacting rice or if it was some kind of grain pill.
For now, all I needed was to fill my stomach, so I accepted it without giving it much thought.
“Thank you….”
The academy student who had been handing me the food suddenly spoke to me.
I answered with a puzzled expression.
“Are you talking to me?”
“Yes. I’m speaking to Young Master Jinryong.”
‘Who is this?’
I didn’t recognize his face.
I could tell from his aura that he was an academy student like me, and I could also tell that he practiced a fist-based martial art.
Though I didn’t make much effort to remember people’s faces,
I had never seen this person before in my life.
“Sorry, but have we met before?”
The young man smiled bitterly at my words.
“You may not remember. You were in a rather busy state, after all.”
“Hmm?”
“When I was just about to be killed by the unorthodox martial artists, you saved me, Jinryong.”
“Ah.”
It had happened immediately after my meeting with the Heavenly Demon had ended.
I had been furious over several things and was laying waste to the surroundings.
I had at least retained enough awareness to capture only the attackers and burn them to death,
but there had been a few cases like that in the midst of it all.
“I wanted to thank you.”
“It was just a coincidence. There’s no need to thank me.”
It had merely been a coincidence.
He had been standing along the path I happened to take.
That was all.
“Even so, it remains a fact that you were the one who saved me.”
“…”
“I was truly powerless. I had trained so hard, yet I could do nothing and nearly died. I was fortunate enough to escape with my body intact, so I’m helping with this much… but I found myself thinking that it was all meaningless.”
At those words, I looked into the young man’s eyes.
The heat had gone out of them.
It meant that the passion he possessed as a martial artist had died.
“Um…”
“I heard rumors about you within the academy and formed prejudices against you. I didn’t know that you were a hero destined to shine in this time of war. I must apologize for that as well.”
The more I listened, the tighter my throat became.
My stomach churned, and my brows furrowed of their own accord.
I wasn’t someone who deserved to hear such words from the young man before me.
“It seems some strange rumors have spread…. I haven’t really done much.”
If anything, I thought that I myself was responsible for creating this situation.
If circumstances that should never have happened in my previous life had unfolded,
then it was my sin.
The young man seemed to take my words as false modesty and merely smiled.
Only then did I understand why the gazes I had received whenever I walked around the academy after the attack had been so strange.
The people who had stared at me in fear—
was this why their eyes had changed for some reason?
I didn’t like it.
‘…Don’t put me on such a pedestal.’
I wasn’t a person who belonged in such a position.
My head began throbbing again.
“…Thank you.”
“…”
At his repeated apology,
I said nothing.
I simply accepted the food and turned away.
That young man would no longer live as a martial artist.
His passion had died, and it would not flare up again.
The way he looked at me while expressing his gratitude irritated me.
I couldn’t stand to look at him any longer.
I didn’t want to hear it.
I accepted the food and began walking again.
I hadn’t even eaten anything, yet my stomach already felt bloated.
The gazes of those who kept sneaking glances at me felt particularly conspicuous.
I ignored them. I passed through the people and searched for someone.
Fortunately, I found her soon enough.
She had a conspicuous appearance, after all.
Amid the people coming and going, I saw a woman sitting on a rock with her eyes closed.
Wi Seol-Ah.
“What are you doing?”
I approached her slowly. Perhaps sensing my presence, Wi Seol-Ah moved slightly to the side.
She was indicating that I should sit beside her.
I naturally sat down next to her.
“How’s your body?”
“…I’m fine.”
Her voice was somewhat weary.
As she answered, Wi Seol-Ah opened her closed eyes and looked at me.
“What about you, Young Master…?”
“I’m fine.”
I answered while taking a bite of the food.
As expected, it had no taste whatsoever.
Then I handed Wi Seol-Ah another piece of food I had brought.
“Ah….”
“Eat. You haven’t eaten, have you?”
“…”
Wi Seol-Ah seemed to hesitate over whether to refuse, but in the end, she accepted the thing resembling a grain pill that I offered her.
She cautiously took a bite,
but Wi Seol-Ah’s brows quickly drew together.
It seemed it was quite exceptionally tasteless.
“You still like sweet things, I see. Is it really that bad?”
“N-no…. I was just a little surprised.”
I swallowed my laughter at how flustered she looked.
“I’m sorry.”
Then, suddenly, I apologized.
“What?”
“For leaving you alone back then. I’m sorry.”
“…”
Even though the Dark King had appeared as well, making it impossible for me to do anything,
‘That’s just an excuse, too.’
If I had wanted to, I could have gone to Wi Seol-Ah.
It didn’t have to take an entire day.
“…It’s all right.”
Wi Seol-Ah accepted my apology and took another bite.
Her brows furrowed again.
If she found it so disgusting, why did she keep eating… Wait a second.
“When did you finish all of that?”
“What? What do you mean…. Huh? Where did it go?”
The food Wi Seol-Ah had been holding had disappeared, even though she seemed to have eaten only two bites.
It wasn’t small, either. I would have needed several bites to finish it.
Fortunately, it seemed her appetite was unchanged even in this situation.
I wasn’t normal myself for feeling relieved at the sight.
I barely managed to suppress the laughter threatening to burst out.
If I laughed now, Wi Seol-Ah seemed likely to become genuinely angry.
Trying to hide her ears, which had reddened from embarrassment,
Wi Seol-Ah swallowed all the food in her mouth and suddenly spoke to me.
“Did Sister… pass away peacefully?”
“…”
I gave a bitter smile at her question. I wondered how long she had hesitated before asking it.
Without saying it aloud, I asked her inwardly:
How much do you know?
What has she told you until now?
“Peacefully… I’m not sure.”
I couldn’t bring myself to ask.
Wi Seol-Ah lowered her head at my answer.
“You… do you know who she is?”
“…I know vaguely.”
Did ‘vaguely’ mean that she didn’t know everything?
“Then do you know about me as well…?”
“I don’t… know in detail.”
Had she not told her? That was possible.
There would be no benefit in deliberately finding out, after all.
“Should I tell you?”
Those words held a great deal of meaning.
About my secret.
About my story with her.
If the current Wi Seol-ah were curious, I could have told her.
But Wi Seol-ah, after hearing me, shook her head.
It was unexpected. I thought she would be curious.
“Young Master doesn’t want that, do you?”
“...”
“If it were my sister, she would have said the same thing.”
“You’re not her. You can do as you please….”
“That’s right. I’m not my sister. But since Young Master doesn’t want it, I won’t ask. That’s what I want, too.”
I was more surprised by her firm words, which cut me off.
“I’ll be different from my sister.”
“...”
Her words left me with complicated thoughts in many ways.
I had wanted it to be that way, yet I couldn’t help wondering if it was even possible for her to be different.
“My sister wanted it that way, and I want it to be that way, too.”
The words—that the Divine Sword had wanted it so—somehow felt heavy.
“But if there’s one thing we have in common… it’s that the way my sister and I feel when looking at Young Master will be the same.”
There was sadness in Wi Seol-ah’s expression.
But her face was proud, as though she had overcome it.
“Thank you, Young Master. For coming to find me.”
She even smiled.
Facing that smile, I couldn’t bring myself to smile in return.
I simply tipped what I was holding into my mouth.
“Will I be able to see my sister again?”
“Yes. You’ll be able to see her again.”
I answered without hesitation when Wi Seol-ah spoke as though it were nothing more than a delusion.
This time, it was Wi Seol-ah who looked surprised.
“Because I’ll make it happen.”
I rose from the rock and took Wi Seol-ah’s hand.
Wi Seol-ah flinched when I grasped it.
Seeing that, I said,
“Let’s go.”
“W-Where?”
There was a hint of anticipation in her eyes, and I had a vague idea of what Wi Seol-ah was hoping for.
Unfortunately, though, that wasn’t what I had planned next.
“We have to go see the others now.”
I saw Wi Seol-ah’s expression crumple in a way that was rare for her.
******************
The place I dragged Wi Seol-ah to was the infirmary we had visited last time.
As far as I knew, Namgung Bi-ah needed to undergo treatment for several more days.
She had excellent regenerative abilities, but I had been told that her condition was quite serious.
The one fortunate thing was that she wouldn’t be left with scars.
The same went for Dang Sohyeol.
From my perspective, I thought it was right to visit them at least once a day.
Though I hadn’t been able to go yesterday.
Wi Seol-ah wore an expression that said she wasn’t pleased, but she didn’t say anything in particular.
It seemed she understood the situation herself.
“Hmm?”
When we arrived, I sensed something strange.
The inside of the infirmary seemed to be buzzing with subdued commotion.
What was going on?
I wasn’t sure what it was, but I ignored it for the moment and continued forward.
And by the time I reached my destination—
“Why is everyone gathered here?”
For some reason, not only Dang Sohyeol, Namgung Bi-ah, and Paeng Ah-hee were there.
Moyong Hee-ah was there as well, and they all wore grave expressions.
When I approached them and called out, all of their shoulders flinched at once.
What was wrong with them?
As I stared at them with a face full of questions,
Paeng Ah-hee, who at least appeared to be fine, looked at me and spoke.
The other three wore inexplicable expressions, but Paeng Ah-hee, unlike them, looked thoroughly excited.
“Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re in big trouble.”
“What?”
At my questioning response, Paeng Ah-hee grinned and said,
“It looks like all of our fathers are going to come here.”
“…What did you say?”
“Do you want to run away while you still can?”
I furrowed my brow at Paeng Ah-hee’s words.
In other words—
all four clan heads of the Four Great Families were going to come here.