—————————————
< Is that necessary? >
“Brother. Where did the teacher suddenly go?”
Daein shrugged his shoulders in response to Namgung Hyeon’s question.
“well.”
He knew where Manbaknogoe had gone, but he didn’t tell the truth.
If you start talking about one thing, you’ll have to say everything, and then Namgung Hyun might end up hating Manbaknogoe.
-Keep on going. It’s all my karma. Even if that kid hates me… You figure it out.
Manbaknogoe said that and left. It was this morning.
‘Damn old man…’
The man sighed lightly. Even if he had told Namgung Hyun the whole truth, now was not the time.
because,
“The main event of the Yongbongbimu contest will now begin!”
Thousands of people cheered at the declaration of the leader of the martial arts world, Yal-gi.
Wow!
Thousands of spectators filled the huge special stage set up for the Yongbongbimu main event.
A martial arts competition that lasted for several days.
The highlight of the biggest festival in the martial arts world was the finals of the Yongbongbimu, where the best martial artists in the world competed to determine the winner.
32 contestants advanced to the finals after passing the preliminaries that were more intense than ever.
Only one of them will receive the glory of victory and the divine sword of the Sword Emperor, the Spear of the Heavenly Sword, and become the vanguard of the suppression of the Demonic Cult.
“The winner will be the King of Openness!”
“What are you talking about! Shaolin is still alive and well!”
“Haven’t you heard who the master of the Shaman Sleeping Dragon is?”
“This year, the winner of the Odaesega is···.”
There were already people everywhere spitting out words about who would be the winner.
Shaolin. Shaman. Gaebong. And the Five Great Sages.
The names of later index figures, each with a strong background, were mentioned.
Since the winner of the Yongbongbimu contest was also a candidate for the future best in the world, the public interest was enormous. Gambling took place everywhere.
And often, there are those who point out unexpected figures as potential winners.
“If it were me, I would bet my money on the sword of chivalry that defeated the volcanic spirit.”
“Chivalry Sword? His skills were quite impressive, but···.”
“Wasn’t it because Volcano Sacred slipped and won? Of course, he had the skills, so he had some luck on his side… But compared to the other candidates for victory, he seemed lacking.”
“You’re from a small sect, but it’s amazing that you made it to the finals.”
In response to the reactions of those around him, the old man who had first spoken up laughed and refuted.
“100 years ago, when the Sword Emperor entered the martial arts world, everyone must have reacted the same way. A swordsman born to an illegitimate child who was expelled from the Namgung family. Who would have imagined that he would become the best in the world?”
Some of the men around nodded, as if the old man’s words were plausible.
“Well, there’s no reason why the Sword of Eight can’t win. Wasn’t the Volcano Sacred Spirit also a candidate for the championship before he became a eunuch?”
“Shh! Hey, watch what you say! What if the Volcano Clan hears about it….”
“Did I say something wrong? Honestly, wouldn’t it be better for the Yihyeop Sword to win than for the arrogant old-fashioned reviewers to stick their noses into the sky?”
“···That’s true.”
“I don’t know. I’m also going to bet on the sword of righteousness. If you want to make money, you have to gamble!”
The man bet a small sum of money on the swordsman. Then he looked at the old man who had spoken first.
“Aren’t you going to the old man’s house?”
“I have nothing to bet on. I’ve already gambled my whole life away. And I’ve succeeded.”
The men around him looked at the old man laughing heartily with strange eyes.
“Wow. What a strange gentleman···.”
Regardless, Old Man Jin smiled as he looked at the stage.
“Everyone, watch carefully. What happens from now on?”
But even Old Man Jin did not know everything that would happen next.
*
*
*
“The winner is Shaman Dragon Cheongun!”
Wow!
A huge cheer erupted as the referee announced the decision. The cheer was directed at a man standing in the center of the stage.
Shaman’s dragon, Cheongun.
He responded to the cheers of the crowd by throwing punches all over the place, looking incredibly composed considering he had just won a match.
But there were some who could not cheer comfortably.
“That’s amazing···.”
“I don’t see any weaknesses at all···.”
The later contestants who had advanced to the main event were watching their competitors’ performances closely from the waiting area.
However, most of them felt despair at the skills that Cheongun had shown.
Only a few of the later indices had confident expressions.
And on one side, the later indices who would soon go up on stage waited for their turn and each relaxed in their own way.
“Phew···. Phew···.”
“Namu Amitabha Buddha···.”
Daein and Namgung Hyeon were also there. Namgung Hyeon spoke while looking at Daein’s face.
“Brother?”
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“why?”
“I thought you didn’t look so good earlier. What’s wrong?”
“···I have something to think about.”
The man had an unusually stern expression.
Neither the cheers of the crowd nor the comments around him attracted his attention at all.
‘It’s still strange.’
Anyone else would have thought that he was nervous before a fight, but Namgung Hyun couldn’t even imagine a person being nervous.
‘Is it because of the teacher who suddenly left at dawn?’
At that time, the king called Namgung Hyeon.
“Hyun-ah.”
“yes?”
“Let’s say there’s someone you’re very grateful to. They give you food when you’re hungry, clothes, teach you martial arts so you don’t get beaten up… But let’s say that person later asks you to take revenge on them. But since you’ve never met that person before, you’ve forgotten about them.”
“···yes?”
“Let’s just say it is like that.”
The man muttered, “It’s something like that,” and continued.
“Then later, you met another person. This person also fed you, gave you medicine, and taught you martial arts. He has a bad temper sometimes, but he’s not a bad person. But… I found out that the person who asked for favors before was this person.”
“yes···?”
“These two people weren’t even on good terms. What should I say? Should I say they were obsessed with each other···.”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
The man sighed and shook his head.
“Yeah. I don’t really know what I’m talking about either.”
At that moment, a man with a large build walked up to the man. The man took the lottery ticket and spoke to the man.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Mo Yong-jun.”
“Mo Yong-se?”
The man’s brow furrowed. Mo Yongjun thought that the other person was wary of him and a soft smile appeared on his lips.
“Yes. Unfortunately for both of us, we are each other’s first opponents.”
“······.”
“I saw you defeat the Volcano Divinity. Your skills were truly amazing.”
Mo Yong-jun had a leisurely smile.
He saw the Volcano Sage and the Landlord fight in the preliminaries and rated them both as being one level below him.
‘Country bumpkin. The strangeness ends here.’
In fact, he wanted to say that, but Mo Yong-jun, like the successor to a prestigious family, knew how to turn the tables and belittle his opponent.
“I hope you will show all your skills so that you will not have any regrets on your way back.”
It meant that no matter how hard you tried, you wouldn’t be able to do anything for me.
“Hey!”
Namgung Hyeon was furious next to her, but Daein sighed and stopped her.
He wasn’t in the mood to talk to such a brat right now. He gestured with his chin to tell Mo Yongjun to go away.
“Okay, if you’re done talking, then go.”
“···Did you just speak informally to me?”
The man nodded as if he was annoyed.
“I’m a bit confused right now. So go away.”
“How dare you···!”
Mo Yong-jun’s face turned bright red after being insulted.
However, he did not draw his sword. Fighting outside the stage was strictly forbidden, so swinging a sword even once would result in disqualification.
“Huh. It looks like you’re going to use the Gyeokjangji system because your skills aren’t up to par···.”
“Are you deaf? I told you to get out.”
Urgh! This is what Akmun Mo Yongjun said while glaring at the great man.
“···Please be careful with your tongue on the stage. My sword might cut it off.”
Then he suddenly turned around and strode back to his seat.
“It’s finally quieter now.”
The man folded his arms and looked up at the sky. He was still thinking.
About the Emperor.
And about Cheonma.
*
*
*
“Next up is the Mo Yong Se family’s So Ga Ju and Ui Hyeop Geum.”
The leader of the martial arts world, Yulgi, looked at the two young men coming up onto the stage with a face full of anticipation.
One of them is a young man who is famous as a child prodigy and is the head of the Moyong family.
Another one is a new nova that has defeated Volcano Sacred, one of the candidates for the championship.
It was a battle that could not be expected as an unmanned combat vehicle.
“Those two are already facing off. What a shame.”
Two young men came up onto the stage, exchanged brief greetings, and put some distance between themselves. Both drew their swords.
That was when.
“Your Majesty.”
Namgung Se-ga-ju Namgung Jeong-cheon approached Yul-gi and spoke quietly.
“I have something important to tell you.”
Yul-gi asked, glancing sideways so as not to miss the two indexes’ secret meeting.
“What’s going on?”
Namgung Jeongcheon’s gaze was also directed at the great man.
“I’m embarrassed to say this, but the young man we wrote a letter of recommendation for… I think he’s hidden his true identity.”
“···!”
In an instant, Yul-gi’s expression hardened. He looked back at Namgung Jeong-cheon and sent a message.
[Does that mean you’re a spy of the Demonic Cult? Are you sure?]
[It is not certain yet, but there are some suspicious aspects and we are investigating. Evidence will likely come out soon.]
“······.”
Yul-gi thought for a moment and then sent the message again.
[If you don’t have solid evidence, keep quiet. Misunderstandings might cause unnecessary trouble… For now, let’s just watch the battle.]
[But if the spy of the Demonic Cult defeats the later indexes and continues to rise···.]
[What if not?]
Yul-gi’s gaze towards Namgung Jeong-cheon was sharp. Namgung Jeong-cheon decided to step down at this point.
[Okay, I’ll investigate thoroughly and get back to you.]
[I wrote a letter of recommendation from Namgung Se-ga, so please take responsibility for the investigation.]
Namgung Jeongcheon lowered his head and stepped back. He returned to his seat and glared at the man with cold eyes.
‘Your fate ends here.’
I had already prepared the evidence to accuse him of being a spy of the Demonic Cult. However, I didn’t show the evidence to Yulgi from the beginning because I wanted to take my time.
‘Yulgi is not stupid.’
If you act rashly instead of carefully, you may end up arousing suspicion.
Namgung Jeongcheon glared at the great man on the stage.
‘This time I will nip it in the bud.’
At that moment, Mo Yong-jun drew his sword and, using a strange technique, stabbed the man.
And after a while,
“omg···!”
Namgung Jeongcheon wasn’t the only one who jumped up from his seat in surprise.
*
*
*
Woohoo!
The cheers poured out. Daein thought as he climbed up onto the stage.
No, it wasn’t a thought, it was an act of recalling a memory in my head.
“It was only a half-step difference. Half-step!”
The story of the Emperor of Swords, written in the Record of the Emperor of Swords, which I read until I was worn out,
-Keep on going. The guy and I were almost equal in skill. But I won. Do you know how I won?
An old story told by an old man who was drunk last night.
The two old men talked to each other through the interlocutor.
『If only I had been born as the eldest son of the Namgung family! If only I had been exposed to the art of ascending martial arts a little earlier…!』
-Keep on going. That guy was truly a genius. At the last moment, I used the reverse blood magic to defeat the Sword Emperor.
Thud thud.
The man walked up onto the stage.
『···If you go out into the world with one limb missing, you will be labeled a loser and will only be laughed at. It would be better to end your life.』
-I too fell into a state of possession due to the aftereffects of the reverse blood magic. Unable to return to the new religion, I had to stay in a deep mountain valley to overcome the possession.
The man stood in the center of the stage and greeted his opponent. Was he Mo Yong-jun? I could sense the murderous intent in his eyes.
Either way,
『I was secluded in a deep mountain valley. I hid my name and asked for food from passing hunters and people living in the slash-and-burn village. After I recovered a little, I found a cave. From then on, I only practiced martial arts. To kill the Heavenly Demon… How much time had passed?』
-Dozens of years have passed. Hehe. I was locked up in the mountains, barely able to control the demonic energy that had spread to my brain, and when I came out… I had become a hunched old man.
『Is that Cheonma guy still alive? I asked the hunters passing by, but they didn’t know. It’s six o’clock.』
-Keep on going. Those Jeongpa guys believe he’s a total idiot. With that damn personality?
Daein stood facing Mo Yongjun at a distance. He saw his opponent draw his sword.
Slurp.
The great man drew his sword. In his head, the two old men were still talking.
“I will die soon. Disciple. Take my revenge.”
-···I shouldn’t have used the reverse blood magic back then. That wouldn’t have been right···.
The man sighed.
“What do you want me to do?”
One wanted revenge, and the other still regretted what happened that day.
-Kekeke. If only I had fought with all my might, I wouldn’t have had to experience such a dirty feeling for the rest of my life…
He who thought he was the winner was actually the loser.
Because of this, even after he escaped from the possession of the devil, he was unable to confidently reveal his name, and he wandered the martial arts world like a ghost with his ruined body and changed name.
-I was really happy when I met you. Kkk. That bastard, Sword Emperor. I thought to myself, he really didn’t just die.
Mo Yong-jun approached, carefully following the Dharma.
The great man frowned as he looked at the dazzling technique.
“Ha. You’re making people upset.”
This morning, Manboknogoe headed to Xingang, where the Cheonmasin Church is located.
When the great man learned the whole story, he told him not to go, but he went to Xinjiang anyway.
-Knock knock. You punk. I also want to see my grandson’s face. While I’m at it, I’ll save that kid too.
It was easy to say, but it was easy to guess that it would not be easy for him, who had lived for decades hiding his identity, to return to the Cheonmasingyo in an ugly state.
“Haaaaaap!”
Mo Yong-jun came in with a sword thrust, raising his spirits. Even the martial arts masters could not help but be amazed by his swift attack.
“······.”
On the other hand, the great man just stood still. Until the moment when Mo Yongjun’s sword reached his immediate vicinity, the great man was lost in thought.
-The Jeongma War will continue to rage in the future. The Shingyo wants to escape the barren land and take the fertile land, and as long as the Murim Alliance does not tolerate it, it will continue to repeat itself. There is no other way. Kekukkeuk.
“I can’t help it. What the heck.”
At that moment, the Great Man’s sword moved. He made a decision.
Kyaang!
The blade flicked to the side. Mo Yongjun’s eyes widened. He quickly stepped back and regained his stance.
At that moment, a great man suddenly appeared before my eyes.
“Lee Hyeong-hwan!”
When someone shouted that, Mo Yong-jun, who had been hit by the great man’s seat, was flying away.
“Huh!”
Mo Yongjun raised his sword to block the great man’s left wing. Then, he twisted his body in midair to release his sword, and landed beautifully on the ground.
But Mo Yong-jun’s tricks only ended there.
“Don’t move. If you don’t want to die from bothering me for no reason.”
“Cheeky···gasp···!”
Mo Yong-jun’s body froze.
The man made an absurd demand to his opponent. However, Mo Yong-jun was unable to move, as he had said.
Cold sweat ran down his forehead.
‘If you move, you die.’
Mo Yong Jun felt an incredible force from the great man’s sword, and his legs were shaking so much that he couldn’t even use his martial arts.
Ss …
A ray of light emerged from the cheap iron sword. The man swung it lightly.
It was the first form of the Pacheonshin Sword, which was completed under the guidance of Cheonma and learning from Geomhwang.
-Kwakwakwakwakwakwang!
The iron sword, unable to withstand the force, shattered into pieces, and the stage was also destroyed.
The entire stage was reduced to ashes, except for the place where the great man was standing.
dump.
“eww···.”
Mo Yong-jun, who was sitting on the floor, made a stupid sound. He didn’t move as he was warned – he couldn’t – so there was not a single wound on his body, but his mind was as good as dead.
“That swordsmanship is···!”
On the contrary, the famous figures of the sect, including the leader of the martial arts world, stood up from their seats. The more skilled they were, the greater the surprise.
“Hey, wasn’t that just a sword?”
“Destroying the stage with one blow···.”
“What the heck is that sword technique?”
The audience was equally surprised. They didn’t even have time to cheer. They just roared in surprise.
It was then that the man opened his mouth.
“I lied.”
He spoke with so much energy in his voice that everyone could hear.
“I am not from the Baekgajeommun. There is no such sect in the first place. I created it as a fake.”
Gulp.
It was so quiet that you could hear someone swallowing. It meant that everyone was concentrating their full attention on the man’s words.
The man looked around at them and thought.
‘I hate being bothered.’
Whether it’s my past life or this life, I guess I have a cruel fate.
I came to the world of martial arts to get a sword, but I got involved in all sorts of things.
‘It’s a bit of a hassle, but it’s much faster this way. And···.’
Daein glanced at Namgung Hyeon, whose eyes were wide open in surprise, then opened his mouth again.
“I have continued the Emperor’s progress.”
And I learned martial arts from Cheonma. Of course, I didn’t say anything about that.
“!!”
The mere mention of the Emperor’s name was enough to shock people.
“I believe that my martial arts skills will be recognized by my seniors in the martial arts world.”
The leader of the martial arts world was silent. If he was silent, who would dare speak?
The stage was still a space for Daein alone. Daein looked straight at the martial arts leader and spoke.
From now on, this was the main topic.
“As the rightful successor to the Sword Emperor, I demand the return of the Heavenly Sword.”
“that···.”
Looking at the troubled Yalulgi, the man had a soft smile on his lips.
“Of course, if I have to prove my skills, I will do so···.”
The man looked around at the dumbfounded followers and said.
“Is that necessary?”
The later indices avoided the gaze of the interlocutor.
< Is that necessary? > End
ⓒ Ganjjajang
