Waking up groggily in the morning, I drank a glass of water Wi Seol-ah offered.
"...Ah... I'm dying."
To be so thirsty right after waking up, I guess it's because I sweated so much in my sleep.
[It's no wonder you feel like dying. How could you be fine when you've been working your body all night for days?]
"...If a martial artist trains hard, that's a good thing. Why are you complaining?"
I massaged my throbbing shoulders and said to Shin No-ya.
Perhaps because I've been training at night and sleeping for the past few days, fatigue was creeping in rather than feeling refreshed.
The annoying thing, separately from that, was that I could feel my body improving.
The lines of muscles defined here and there were gradually becoming more distinct.
My muscles grow fast thanks to my internal energy, but... it seems too fast.
Forcing my stiff body up, I went outside.
Looking up at the sky as soon as I came out, the weather seemed particularly good today.
'Not a single cloud.'
The clear late summer sky is always beautiful.
Perhaps because we're high up in the mountains, the fact that it isn't that hot must also play a part in my mood.
'Did Namgung Bi-ah go out?'
Since she's nowhere to be seen, it seems she left early in the morning again this time.
Maybe she went to look for Gu Ryeong-hwa, as she said yesterday.
I thought about visiting her for no reason, but quickly dismissed the thought.
It was because I felt that visiting her now would be poison.
"What should I do today."
Since Gu Ryeong-hwa expressed her intention not to return, we could just leave immediately without waiting for the Jahwajeon to end.
The problem is that the Sword Hon hasn't arrived yet.
Honestly, it's not that I'm worried about the safety of the Samjon... It just feels like we shouldn't leave without him.
Then should I go get the Demon Stone I couldn't get yesterday?
'There are many mountains besides here, so if I search around thoroughly, I think I'll be able to find at least one.'
Or should I train more?
Strangely, I felt like I was training harder at someone else's sect than at home.
[Since there is a visible change, wouldn't you train harder?]
"That seems right."
I hate to admit it, but the Hwasan Sect's training method was definitely helping my external arts.
How should I put it, it felt like my muscles were piling up one by one.
It's just that my mind and body seem to be dying in proportion.
[Then are you planning to finish training today as well?]
"For now, I am thinking of doing that... but before that, I need to go take care of what I have to do."
If I'm planning to return before the Jahwajeon.
Previously, when Gu Ryeong-hwa came, I heard that the Sword Empress wanted to see me once more before she leaves, and since I had nothing else to do, I was thinking of going there today for that.
It wasn't something that would take long anyway.
After changing my clothes and coming out, Wi Seol-ah happened to be passing by, so I called out to her and said.
"I'll be going out for a bit."
"Where are you going?"
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"I have some business."
"Can't I come with you...?"
Going together, Shin-ui or Gu Ryeong-hwa probably wouldn't be too happy about it.
Above all.
I also had the intention of making sure about Jegal Hyeok this time.
"I'll go alone today."
"Hmph... Please come back safely."
"I'll buy chicken skewers on my way back."
"Have a good trip!"
" "
Her voice seemed to have brightened up considerably.
Must be my imagination...?
What should I do?
Namgung Bi-ah thought as she hid her trembling hand.
Her mind was filled with the urge to plug her nose right away.
Putting the stench aside, what was this nauseating energy enveloping the surroundings?
'...Killing intent?'
It was too thick to be called internal energy, yet something was different from killing intent.
A giant holding a great sword that one could hardly dare to call a sword, with a massive body.
Seeing him directly, Namgung Bi-ah could immediately tell.
That man was at a level she absolutely could not handle.
She could tell just from the presence tingling and radiating around his body.
The sword energy she swung and blocked by instinct.
She could clearly tell from that momentary sensation.
Her arm still trembling while holding the sword was proof of that.
He was a martial artist who had reached at least the peak, or perhaps even beyond.
If her sword clashed with his, how long could she hold out...?
She couldn't know exactly, but she wouldn't last very long.
'...This is big trouble.'
Namgung Bi-ah had simply discovered Gu Ryeong-hwa and followed her.
She tried to talk to her to say hello, but unknowingly followed her due to the somewhat dark atmosphere.
She hadn't expected such a sudden attack.
Or should she think it was a relief that she was here?
She wasn't sure...
Unlike Namgung Bi-ah's trembling gaze, the man said nothing and merely scanned Namgung Bi-ah and Gu Ryeong-hwa.
Slowly, from head to toe.
As if evaluating her.
At his gaze staring blatantly at her hair, eyes, nose, mouth, neck, chest, and down to her toes, Namgung Bi-ah had to suppress the nauseating feeling rising up to her throat.
Soon, the man's eyes returned to Namgung Bi-ah's eyes, and he gave a creepy smile and said.
"Nice... Very nice. Where did such a pretty thing drop from?"
At those words, Namgung Bi-ah felt goosebumps all over her body.
It was because she seemed to instinctively know what he meant.
"If I only had time... I would have a taste of you right here... What a shame, huh? I'm a bit busy, you see."
The man lifted his great sword, which had been stuck in the ground, and rested it on his shoulder.
Feeling the intimidation from that trivial movement, Namgung Bi-ah bit her lip slightly.
Seeing that, the man blew out a rough breath through his nose.
"Even your scared expression is damn pretty. Where did a chick like this pop out from? It's getting me all fired up."
"...Who... are you...?"
"Oh... Your voice is nice too... If I tell you who I am, will you know, pretty thing? This older brother is called Ya Hyeol-jeok."
At Namgung Bi-ah slowly adjusting her stance against his giggling appearance, Ya Hyeol-jeok's expression slightly frowned.
"I'd rather not, since it'll be ugly if you get hurt. I want a pretty thing to stay a pretty thing."
That way, I can have some fun with you.
At Ya Hyeol-jeok's following words, Namgung Bi-ah simply raised her sword.
"Sis... Sister."
Gu Ryeong-hwa called out to Namgung Bi-ah anxiously, and Namgung Bi-ah whispered quietly to Gu Ryeong-hwa.
"...Run away."
"No... Let's run away together...!"
Gu Ryeong-hwa seemed to have some intuition about the opponent, as she spoke to Namgung Bi-ah with a trembling voice.
But Namgung Bi-ah's expression was resolute.
She couldn't run away.
Even if the man's original target wasn't her, she was now included in it.
'...What should I do.'
Namgung Bi-ah steadied her breath and wrapped internal energy around her entire body.
She told Gu Ryeong-hwa to run, but would that guy allow it?
After using her internal energy to slightly warm up her body, she said to Gu Ryeong-hwa again.
"Quickly... Go to the Hwasan Sect and tell the others."
"But..."
Gu Ryeong-hwa looked behind her with trembling eyes.
The hut where her master was, not far away.
Her master was in a state where walking was difficult, let alone running.
If... If that man's hands reached the hut while she wasn't there...
"Snap out of it."
".••!"
At Namgung Bi-ah's accurate and resolute reprimand, Gu Ryeong-hwa was startled.
"...Look at the situation carefully, you are of no help right now. If there's something you must protect, think about what you need to do right now first."
It wasn't Namgung Bi-ah's usual way of speaking, which was few words and slightly slow.
She didn't know what Gu Ryeong-hwa was worried about. She just thought there was something, so she couldn't easily make a decision.
While speaking to Gu Ryeong-hwa, her eyes were still fixed on the man.
Sseuuuu...
It was the sound coming from Namgung Bi-ah's mouth.
A low and heavy breath.
Drawing a real sword instead of a wooden sword, she pointed the tip of the sword at the man.
"Are you really going to do this? This older brother is busy, so I can't be gentle. Think carefully, pretty thing."
At Ya Hyeol-jeok's playful voice, Gu Ryeong-hwa clenched her teeth to hide her trembling lips.
Although her breathing didn't become even like Namgung Bi-ah's, Gu Ryeong-hwa tried her best to stay calm.
Despite her efforts, Gu Ryeong-hwa couldn't completely shake off the deep fear that the giant sword Ya Hyeol-jeok was holding might be directed at her.
At that moment, as soon as Ya Hyeol-jeok moved a step, Namgung Bi-ah shot out like an arrow as if she had been waiting for it.
Hwook!
A fierce sound of the sword cutting through the wind was heard.
Namgung Bi-ah's sword was fast and accurate.
It was so fast that Gu Ryeong-hwa could barely see it.
However, Ya Hyeol-jeok dodged it as if it was nothing.
To think he could make such a fast movement with that huge body.
As if she had expected it, Namgung Bi-ah continued her rapid attacks.
Because of the energy contained in the sword, a trail was left along the sword's path.
The sight was unbelievably beautiful, but Gu Ryeong-hwa had no time to think about it.
—Quickly... Go to the Hwasan Sect and tell the others.
She recalled the words Namgung Bi-ah had said.
As soon as Ya Hyeol-jeok twisted his body to dodge the swung sword tip, Gu Ryeong-hwa put strength in her feet and ran.
"•••Tsk."
Seeing that, Ya Hyeol-jeok clicked his tongue once.
Holding the great sword he hadn't even used properly while dodging, he aimed for the back of the fleeing girl.
It was something he had already expected, since there weren't many options for the girls in this situation anyway.
He was a bit surprised because the sword wielded by the white-haired cutie was of a higher level and more elaborate than he thought.
But that was it.
At best, she was just a kid who had barely reached adulthood.
'Since her face is decent, I want to avoid hurting her as much as possible.'
He briefly glanced at the face of the woman tenaciously displaying sword techniques in front of him.
Ya Hyeol-jeok had never seen such a pretty girl in his life.
What would it feel like to throw this bitch down?
Just imagining it made his lower body heat up on its own, making him want to laugh.
To do that...
'There shouldn't be any useless things.'
Since he couldn't do anything right away, he was planning to roughly knock her out, solve his original purpose, and take her to the cave.
With Shin-ui, he would share Shin-ui with this girl.
So there shouldn't be any annoying barking dogs just in case.
Ya Hyeol-jeok immediately tried to swing his sword fully charged with sword energy.
Gu Ryeong-hwa wouldn't be able to dodge the flying sword energy and her head would fall off.
Just as Ya Hyeol-jeok was about to swing his great sword.
Hwoouk!
".••!"
Burrowing into that momentary opening, Namgung Bi-ah thrust her sword in.
At the heavy energy enveloping the surroundings in that instant, Ya Hyeol-jeok felt his body become dull.
He unfolded his footwork belatedly, but couldn't dodge in time, and Namgung Bi-ah's sword slashed across Ya Hyeol-jeok's abdomen.
"•••Oh."
A short admiration.
Letting out a small exclamation, Ya Hyeol-jeok stroked his stomach.
A little blood flowed out.
It didn't slash deep enough to be a big problem, but it was due to the energy the girl had burst out for a moment.
So she was deliberately waiting for this time and hiding it.
His mouth corners went up as if he had seen an interesting trick.
Because of that, he eventually missed Gu Ryeong-hwa, but Ya Hyeol-jeok seemed to be in a better mood, perhaps because he found something amusing.
Should he chase after her and kill her even now?
But the pretty one in front of him was in the way.
"Pretty thing.... What's your relationship with Namgung?"
The heavy energy he had just felt was definitely of the Je Wang Geom style.
It was an energy he had felt firsthand on the battlefield several times, so it couldn't be a mistake.
The things he didn't see properly because he was distracted by her face finally entered his eyes.
White-blue hair, blue eyes, and her unique sharp energy.
The peculiar individuality of the Namgung bloodline finally caught his eye.
"•••That Gu bastard, and now even a Namgung is at Hwasan. What is going on?"
Ya Hyeol-jeok smiled viciously and inwardly recalled Bae Chong.
He didn't think Bae Chong's words mentioned anything about Namgung.
'Useless bastard, I should really kill him when I go back.'
He was already planning to kill him because he didn't like him crawling up after this job was done anyway.
Ya Hyeol-jeok felt the need to bring it forward a bit.
With a shallow breath, the energy from Namgung Bi-ah's body gradually thickened.
Since her hidden trump card had missed, she had to focus more.
Since it was already caught, she had to be more certain.
'How long can I hold out.'
Hiding her anxious thoughts, Namgung Bi-ah, who was preparing for the next technique, immediately raised her sword and took a defensive stance at a sudden chilling intuition.
It was because she judged it was too late to dodge.
Kwung!
With a heavy shock, Namgung Bi-ah's body floated slightly into the air.
"...Ugh!"
Namgung Bi-ah, who flew away like that, crashed into a tree trunk with a rough sound and collapsed.
"Ah, I couldn't control my strength."
At Ya Hyeol-jeok's voice, Namgung Bi-ah retched and barely held onto her consciousness.
'What was that...?'
She didn't even see properly how he attacked.
Seeing Ya Hyeol-jeok dusting off his hands, it seemed he had struck her with his fist.
'This is...?'
Judging from the fact that he carried a great sword around, she thought he wasn't a hand-to-hand combatant, but this much impact was just from swinging a fist?
Throb
"Ugh...!"
At the pain felt in her left arm, a groan escaped Namgung Bi-ah's mouth.
From the feeling, it seemed her arm was broken.
At the approach of Ya Hyeol-jeok's presence gradually getting closer, Namgung Bi-ah hurriedly raised her body.
Ya Hyeol-jeok looked at such Namgung Bi-ah and asked.
"Your face isn't hurt, right?"
At Ya Hyeol-jeok's question coming from not far away, Namgung Bi-ah clenched her lips tightly.
I was wandering around the county with light steps.
I went to ask once more about the Demon Stone, and I also asked until when the chicken skewer shop I ate deliciously last time would be open.
I asked for the time in advance in case they were closed when I came to buy it.
Fortunately, they said they stay open until late at night.
While I was at it, I bought a skewer to slightly fill my stomach and moved my steps again toward Shin-ui's hut where the Sword Empress was.
After leaving the county, I soon entered the forest.
Finding the way was a bit difficult, but thanks to having been here once or twice, I fortunately seemed to be finding my way well.
'If I go, Shin-ui will probably glare at me again.'
The sight of an old man with a very bad impression glaring at me because he didn't like me was truly awkward to face.
[•••I never imagined I'd hear a story about impressions from your mouth.]
'You always make a snide remark only at times like this.'
[What can I do when it's such a ridiculous thing to say.]
I was walking while having a silly chat with Shin No-ya, and I saw someone running urgently from afar.
"Gu Ryeong-hwa...?"
Surprisingly, it was Gu Ryeong-hwa, who I thought would be at the Hwasan Sect.
I thought she would be with Namgung Bi-ah....
Did she already return to the hut?
'Then where is Namgung Bi-ah...?'
Gu Ryeong-hwa was running straight ahead, looking like she couldn't even breathe properly.
My eyes met with Gu Ryeong-hwa, who was running as if she would collapse at any moment.
With a face that looked like she would cry right away, Gu Ryeong-hwa shouted.
"O... Oppa!"
"Huh?"
Oppa... The moment I heard the sound, I felt like my brain had broken down.
It was clearly a word I was hearing from Gu Ryeong-hwa for the first time in decades.
Why is she suddenly acting like this, is she sick somewhere...?
"Oppa... Oppa...!"
"Hey, why are you acting like tha—"
"U, Unnie...!"
The moment I heard Gu Ryeong-hwa's urgent cry, my mind instantly went cold.