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< Manbaknogoe (5) >
“Have you ever thought about learning martial arts from me?”
The moment those words came out of Manbaknogoe’s mouth, Jinnoin and Namgunghyun were more surprised than Daein.
‘What a great coincidence!’
They saw Manbaknogoe performing martial arts at the Dark Blood Unit’s grounds.
A swordsman who was practicing swordsmanship with not one, but three swords.
I had only heard of such a thing in stories.
In particular, the shock received by Jin No-in, who was the former head of the Geomhwangmun martial arts school, was enormous.
‘Among the ten great swordsmen, Changcheon Sword and Maehwa Ilgeom were the best swordsmen, but they were only able to handle one sword at a time. Even the late Master Moon said that handling two swords was not as good as handling one sword···.’
What this means is that Manbaknogoe, who was known as a mere (?) hundred masters, was actually a master of a higher level than the ten masters.
It was such a master who first offered to teach martial arts to the great man.
In this case, there was only one thing to say.
“Congratulations. You have been blessed with a timeless opportunity.”
“Congratulations!”
Jin No-in and Namgung Hyeon spoke sincerely to the elder.
However, the reaction from the other person was completely different from what the two expected.
The man spoke with a trembling expression.
“Well, I don’t really want to learn.”
“what?”
“why?!”
Jinnoin and Namgunghyun looked shocked.
“···What?”
The surprise was the same for Manbaknogoedo.
At first, he was confused, didn’t understand, and was secretly angry that his difficult words had been rejected.
‘That annoying guy. The old man said he would teach me first, despite his pride…’
Manbaknogoe narrowed his eyes and spoke, his face clearly showing his displeasure.
“Why do you say no? How strong is Nobu… Ahem. Didn’t you see it with your own eyes?”
As he said that, Manbaknogoe coughed in vain, feeling embarrassed.
The man nodded obediently. He had no intention of making Manbaknogoe angry.
“Of course I saw it. Even the top ten masters would be no match for the old man. Only the best of the best in the world would be able to compare in martial arts to the old man.”
Sword Saint Mo Yong-hon
King of Swords, enemy army
Shinchang (Divine Spear) Majunggi
The three of them. They were the best martial artists in the world, and in the martial arts world they were called the ‘Three Supremes of the World’.
The Three Great Swordsmen of Cheonha are legendary masters who have been active since the last Jeongma War 100 years ago, and their average age is now over 130 years old.
Moreover, since they each used the most commonly used swords, swords, and spears in the martial arts world, there were quite a few martial artists in the martial arts world who regarded the Three Kingdoms of Heaven as a religion.
The Great Man said that the martial arts of Manbaknogoe were similar to theirs. It was praise that was too much for any martial artist.
“Click click.”
Thanks to that, Manbaknogoe’s stiff expression softened a little. He nodded and said.
“Of course. If you want to be a good old man and a good old woman, you have to be at their level.”
‘This old man. Who on earth is he?’
It’s like talking as if you know the Sword Emperor well, and it’s also like seeing the way you simply refer to the Three Great Swordsmen of Cheonha, who are revered as gods by the martial arts people, as ‘those guys’.
It was certain that Manbaknogoe was also well over 100 years old.
Perhaps in the past, he would have used a different nickname and name than he does now.
‘Why was a master like this hiding his skills? Could it be… one of the three?’
The man was curious, but he didn’t ask rashly. If he had hidden it, there must have been a good reason.
Manbaknogoe tilted his head and said.
“It’s even stranger that you know that. Knowing how strong Nobu is, you don’t want to learn martial arts from me?”
The man nodded cautiously.
“I appreciate your words, but… I think I need to know why you suddenly decided to teach me martial arts.”
The martial artists who were crazy about martial arts would bow down on the spot if an absolute master said, “I’ll teach you a martial art,” but Dae-in had a different way of thinking than them.
‘If you just look at the proposal, it’s obviously good. But why all of a sudden?’
The reason why Daein came to this world of martial arts was to find the Heavenly Sword and obtain the last secret hidden within it.
That is, it is clear that Daein also had a desire to become stronger than he is now.
Noh Goe’s offer was very attractive.
But why?
Something like intuition sent a warning signal to the person.
‘It’s suspicious. Don’t bite it.’
“Is it because I inherited the martial arts of the Sword Emperor? Or is there another reason?”
Manbaknogoe chuckled as he saw the suspicious look on the man’s face.
“That guy is very suspicious. Do you think I would harm you? Or would you take away my martial arts skills after teaching them to you? If that was the case, I would have done so long ago.”
The man shrugged, as it wasn’t a wrong statement.
“In my experience, unprovoked kindness usually hides some purpose.”
Manbaknogoe burst into laughter at the word ‘purpose’.
Actually, that wasn’t wrong.
“You suspicious tempered man looks exactly like Namgung Ga. Aren’t you really of the Black Emperor’s blood? Didn’t you secretly get pregnant by having a womanizer?”
“My real descendant is listening next to me.”
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“Old man···.”
Namgung Hyun looked at Manbaknogoe with a puzzled expression.
He is cursing the Inquisitor, the Emperor, in front of his own face, and he calls himself the Emperor’s close friend.
It’s a really ambiguous situation where you can either get angry or stay still.
Fortunately, Manbaknogoe was the first to apologize.
“Okay. I said something I shouldn’t have said in front of a young girl. It was a joke, so don’t keep it to yourself.”
“···All right.”
“Is there any way to get to Cheon-eum-jeol-maek?”
Namgung Hyun bowed his head in gratitude.
“Yes. I took the medicine you gave me and I feel much more comfortable.”
It had already been a week since Manbaknogoe followed the Daein group.
During that time, Manbaknogoe would come to them at every mealtime to get food and ask them questions about this and that.
Because of this, Manbaknogoe came to know most of Namgung Hyeon’s situation.
Also about her innate talent for the celestial veins.
And two days ago, Manbaknogoe gave Namgung Hyeon some unidentified medicinal herbs and told him to drink them after meals.
Since she started taking the medicine, her body has become much lighter.
“Thank you very much, sir.”
“Click click.”
A few fine wrinkles appeared on Manbak Nogoe’s rough skin as he stared blankly at Namgung Hyeon.
“Looking closely, it definitely seems like this is blood. That’s right. That guy really did look like a parasite brother.”
“Huh? Could it be His Majesty the Sword Emperor?”
“Then it must be someone else!”
The old man who had been shouting suddenly began to laugh alone. He was an old man with an unpredictable personality.
“Yes. I’ll teach you martial arts while I’m at it. Your skills don’t seem too bad.”
“···yes?!”
Namgung Hyun screamed in surprise. Manbak Nogoe looked at Daein and Namgung Hyun alternately and said.
“I’m not going to teach you my martial arts. You don’t need it anyway. Instead, I’ll show you your martial arts. You don’t have to bow down to me. Do you still not like this?”
“······.”
The old man scratched his chin, and Namgung Hyeon looked at Jin No-in’s expression.
Of course, Jin No-in was not a man who would miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for his granddaughter.
As a former martial arts instructor, he knew how helpful the guidance of a master could be.
“Hyun-ah, what are you doing? Why don’t you thank me quickly?”
“···Thank you. I will definitely repay you someday.”
Manbaknogoe smiled brightly and nodded. Then he turned his head to look at the great man.
“Did you say earlier that you were curious about my purpose?”
Manbaknogoe took out the flask from his waist and drank the strong liquor.
Gulp, gulp.
After drinking for a long time, Manbaknogoe lifted his lips from the bottle. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand and said.
“···It felt good to be able to recall old memories after a long time. So I swung my sword in excitement, and I followed him out of curiosity. Old people have time to spare, and all they have to do is drink alcohol with memories as a side dish, right?”
Then Manbaknogoe sighed and frowned.
“But just think about that memory being so ugly and pitiful. Wouldn’t you feel sorry for it and want to do something good?”
“······.”
Namgung Hyeon and Jin No-in lowered their heads. The words, ‘Ugly and pathetic,’ stabbed their hearts.
Manbaknogoe glanced at the two people who were bowing their heads, then looked at the man and clicked his tongue.
“You too. No, you’re the bigger problem.”
problem?
The elder asked back with a puzzled expression at the sudden remark.
“Why me?”
“You idiot. Don’t you know that if you keep using your martial arts skills like that, one day you’ll either fall into a state of possession by a demon or die and become disabled?”
Those words sounded eerie, like the curse of a prophet.
“···What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”
The man’s eyes widened. It was something he could not just ignore.
When the great man asked with a stern expression, Manbaknogoe clicked his tongue and said.
“You bastard. You’ve been learning martial arts on your own without a teacher until now? You’ve been training on your own by only looking at the secret manual left by the Sword Emperor?”
“How about that···.”
“Click, click. It’s all obvious.”
Manbaknogoe said as he recalled his fight with the great man.
“He’s a vegetarian and doesn’t have any proper internal energy. He also has a strange energy in his body. With that being said, he’s using up all his strength. His body can’t handle it. His bones and muscles are so strong that he’s holding on for now, but even that has its limits.”
It was a thunderous sound. Manbaknogoe continued his words. His expression was very serious.
“If your martial arts level gets higher than it is now, you will reach your limit sooner.”
“That can’t be….”
The man looked like he found it hard to believe.
But once the feeling of anxiety set in, it did not go away easily.
“Click, click. Look at my face.”
Manbaknogoe put the bottle down next to him and came closer so that the man could see his ugly face clearly.
“Why do you think I, who is fearless in martial arts and no one in the world, would look like this?”
“Well···.”
Manbaknogoe’s back was bent, his freckled face was covered in wrinkles. His eyes were cloudy and the whites of his eyes were yellow, like a sick person’s.
When I think about it, it was a strange thing.
‘I guess he would have gone through a complete transformation or a complete transformation, right?’
The more powerful a martial artist is, the less likely he is to age.
Although I have never actually seen him, Cheonhasamjeol said that he looks so young that you would mistake him for someone in his 30s or 40s just by looking at his appearance.
But Manbaknogoe’s face looked believable even if he were said to be 150 or 200 years old.
I didn’t wear a face mask or a goggles.
“···Have you experienced coin possession?”
In an instant, Manbaknogoe’s wrinkled face twisted grotesquely.
“Keep on going. Okay, you punk. This is all advice based on experience. Your case and mine are a little different, but the results will be similar. It could even be worse.”
The expression on the face of the person listening to the story became serious.
‘I’m going to get possessed by a magician? Learning the new art on my own without a teacher?’
It was something I never imagined.
Because in his previous life, the landlord had never been strong enough to worry about such things.
“If you don’t believe me, try practicing the exercise once and focus on the points I call out. Perhaps some of them will make you feel a faint pain.”
The man did so, and as Manbaknogoe had said, he felt slight pain in some of the acupuncture points.
“···!!”
“Will you believe me now?”
I had no choice but to believe it. Even the king now realized the seriousness of the situation and his expression hardened.
“You punk, lighten up. It’s a good thing you figured it out now. It’s not too late for you.”
“if···.”
The man looked at Manbaknogoe. The look in his eyes was completely different from a moment ago.
“···Are you saying you will teach me martial arts to help me avoid being possessed by the devil?”
Manbaknogoe said with an embarrassed laugh.
“Isn’t it true that Nobu is an omniscient expert for nothing? Especially when it comes to the study of magic and magic possession, Nobu is the best in the world.”
Manbaknogoe drank all the remaining alcohol in the bottle in one gulp. Then he spoke cheerfully.
“Now, have you thought about learning martial arts? Strictly speaking, you will learn from me how to properly control your qi and body.”
For a brief moment, a brilliant light sparkled in Manbaknogoe’s clouded eyes. He looked like a child in high spirits.
“Not only that. The circulation of internal energy will become smoother than before, the use of the herbivore will become more natural, the burden on the body will be reduced, and the level of martial arts will naturally increase. Click click.”
Jin No-in, who had been listening quietly, poked the man in the ribs.
“You. Are you going to stay still like that?”
“ah···.”
Although he was usually a serious and awkward person, he couldn’t help but become serious at this moment.
The great man rose from his seat, hesitating, and bowed three times to Manbaknogoe.
“Click, click. That’s enough, you punk. What are you talking about?”
However, Manbaknogoe did not refuse the three bows of the great man.
He looked at the man with eyes that were both pleased and envious.
‘This child will reach a much higher level than he is now. He will surpass the throne and the Sword Emperor, and perhaps even surpass a level that even his ancestors could not reach.’
Manbaknogoe knew that he did not have much time left.
At best, the next five years.
It was not enough time to see the play of Muui that I had dreamed of my whole life.
‘This is my limit. However.’
If I couldn’t see the extreme of nothingness myself, I wanted to feel vicariously satisfied by nurturing someone who could reach the extreme.
It was after I clashed swords with a great man at the Dark Blood Clan’s stronghold that I began to think that way.
That’s why I followed him for a week and observed what kind of guy he was.
‘Keep on going. I thought I would never have a disciple in my life.’
A young man of great potential.
However, he was a herbivore, and his way of handling internal energy was all a mess. He had learned martial arts on his own without a teacher, so he had many bad habits.
And yet, I became this strong on my own.
‘If I teach this guy!’
Just thinking about Manbaknogoe made my heart race. It felt like I had found something that could burn the last spark of my life.
‘I will raise the best people of all time with my own hands.’
The moment Manbaknogoe made that firm resolution, the Great Man strangely felt a chill run through his body.
‘Could this be an early symptom of coin possession···.’
No way. Unless it’s a cold spell that foretells hardships to come.
< Manbaknogoe (5) > End
ⓒ Ganjjajang
