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Episode 310 I saw a sword.
I looked out into the front yard and thought about my past life.
Were these so-called kings all defeated individually in their past lives? Since the White Islands are the strongest when they join forces, the current powerhouse revolves around the Murim Alliance. However, when the kings fight with each other or compete with Lin Xiaobai, Baekdo is not that strong.
If the emotional fight turned into a fight of pride, the kings would not help each other.
When I was called Gwangma, it was a time when Lim So-baek was leading the Murim Alliance and fighting hard even while Baekdo was being defeated individually.
then?
How this Battle of the Kings ends won’t be the crossroads of whether Baekdo preserves his power or whether it will lead to a split.
사실 그렇게 자존심을 쉽게 내려놓을 수 있는 인간들이었다면 애초에 제왕이라는 별호를 갖다 붙이지 않았을 것이다.
이래저래 백도의 장점은 자존심이고, 단점도 자존심인 것 같다.
그런데 하필이면 왜 내가 이런 것을 고민하고 있을까.
내가 뭐라고?
살짝 한숨이 나왔지만 삶을 다시 살아가는 운을 얻었기 때문에 짊어져야 할 책임이라고 생각했다.
결국에 내가 검마, 귀마, 색마를 조금 더 밝은 쪽으로 돌려세운 다음에 이렇게 무림맹에 모여 있게 되었으니 최대한 제왕 놈들도 어떻게 바꿔볼 생각이다.
물론 나는 제갈량이 아니라서 정답이 적힌 주머니도 없고, 뾰족한 수도 떠오르지 않는다.
앞마당을 바라보면서 상념에 빠져 있는 사이에…….
낮게 깔린 목소리가 들리더니 맹원의 안내를 받은 삼십 대 초반의 검객이 월하관의 입구에 도착했다.
“안내해줘서 고맙네.”
맹원이 사내에게 정중하게 말했다.
“……그럼 편히 쉬십시오.”
칙칙하고 어두운 색감의 무복 위에 삼사 년은 입고 다닌 것 같은 길쭉한 장삼을 하나 걸치고 있었는데, 허리춤에 시커먼 칼이 보였다. 손질하지 않은 머리카락은 봉두난발에 가깝고, 긴 머리를 뒤통수에서 묶은 모양인지 걸을 때마다 말총머리가 좌우로 흔들렸다.
쳐다보고 있으려니 기억이 났다.
몇 차례 봤던 허름한 복장도 그대로였기 때문에 잊을 수가 없다.
‘도왕(刀王)이네.’
도왕이 몇 걸음을 걸어오다가 시선을 내리더니 앞마당을 물끄러미 바라봤다.
“…….”
나도 도왕의 시선을 따라서 색마와 백리혁이 겨뤘던 장소를 주시했다. 색마의 보법에 빙공이 섞여 있었던 터라 발자국이 선명하게 찍혀 있었다.
도왕의 시선이 발자국의 이동 경로를 따라가더니 백리혁이 쓰러져서 침을 질질 흘려댔던 곳을 확인했다.
이어서 계단에 앉아 있는 내게 물었다.
“……누가 벌써 싸운 모양이야. 자네가 봤나?”
“봤소.”
“누군지 알려주겠나?”
“백리세가의 차남인 백리혁과 풍운몽가의 차남인 몽랑.”
도왕이 고개를 끄덕였다.
“몽랑이 이겼나?”
내가 이번에는 고개만 끄덕이자, 사내가 걸어와서 내 옆에 털썩 주저앉았다.
“검왕이 도착했구나. 다른 놈은?”
“권왕도 오셨소.”
“속속 모이는구나.”
도왕이 품에서 가죽 주머니를 꺼내더니 그곳에서 큼지막한 육포를 꺼냈다. 육포를 반으로 찢은 도왕이 내게 내밀었다.
나는 무엇이냐고 묻는 게 귀찮아서 건네받은 육포를 씹어먹었다.
맛이 괜찮았지만, 맛있다고 말하는 게 귀찮아서 그냥 먹었다.
육포를 씹던 도왕이 내게 말했다.
“그거 먹으면 설사할 수도 있네.”
“빨리 말해줘서 고맙소.”
“남이 주는 것을 의심도 없이 받아먹으면 그렇게 돼.”
“독만 아니면야 괜찮지.”
“그렇긴 하지.”
나는 도왕에게 궁금한 것부터 물어봤다.
“어떻게 오셨소?”
“우연히 맹원을 만났다가 소식을 듣고 왔네. 할 일도 없고, 귀찮아서 오기 싫었는데 한 번은 와봐야지.”
아, 이제 보니까 이 사내에게 귀찮음이 전염된 모양이었다. 월하관의 입구에서 눈을 마주쳤을 때 전염병이 들러붙은 것 같다.
도왕이 한쪽 무릎을 세우더니 그곳에 왼팔을 올려놓았다. 가만히 두면 슬슬 옆으로 쓰러져서 잠을 잘 것 같은 자세였다.
하기야 이 사내도 무림맹이라서 잠이 잘 올 터였다. 금세 사내의 고개가 꺾이더니 단잠에 빠졌다.
내가 한숨을 내쉬자, 도왕이 깜짝 놀라면서 잠을 깨더니 숨을 길게 토해냈다.
“들어가서 주무시오.”
“그럴 수는 없지. 제왕들을 구경하러 왔는데…… 기다려야지.”
나는 도왕을 쳐다보다가 마음을 좀 정리했다.
어쨌든 이 사내에게 한 번 패배했던 것은 전생의 사건이지, 지금 벌어진 일은 아니다.
지금은 굳이 자존심을 상해할 필요가 없었다.
당시에 나도 악명이 제법 있었다곤 하나, 도왕의 악명도 만만한 수준은 아니었다.
그러고 보니까 내가 생각했던 백도의 쓸데없는 자존심은 나조차도 피할 수 없는 단점으로 지니고 있었다.
그래서 임소백이 그렇게 패배에 연연하지 말하고 했던 것인데, 도왕을 보자마자 패배를 곱씹고 있으려니 실로 병신 같았다.
나는 도왕에게 물었다.
“누구랑 싸우려고 오셨소.”
“자네가 나를 아나? 아는 것처럼 말하는군.”
“모르겠소.”
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도왕이 육포를 씹으면서 말했다.
“근데 왜 그렇게 확정적으로 묻나?”
“안내를 받아서 월하관에 도착했으니 제왕이겠지.”
“그럼 자네도 제왕인가?”
“그렇진 않소.”
“그렇진 않지만, 제왕들과 겨룰 생각이 있다는 뜻인가?”
“봐서.”
도왕이 앞마당을 바라보면서 물었다.
“개인의 명예와 무공의 발전을 위해서? 아니면 다른 이유로.”
나는 도왕을 바라보면서 속삭이듯이 말했다.
“그냥 좀 괴롭힐 생각으로. 전부 맹주에게 도전하면 맹주가 피곤하지 않겠소. 경험도 좀 쌓고.”
“시건방진 인간이로군.”
“당신만 하겠소.”
사내가 고개를 끄덕였다.
“이렇게 막 나가는 놈은 근래 하오문주밖에 없는데, 그것이 자네였구나.”
“나요. 그쪽은 비무하러 오셨소?”
“구경하러 왔다. 제왕들의 비무를 어디 가서 구경하겠나? 얼마나 잘 싸우는지 봐둬야지.”
이 사람은 강호의 일에 깊숙이 참견한 적이 드물어서 어쩐지 선배라 부르는 게 꺼려졌다.
도왕은 그냥 칼 한 자루 들고 돌아다니는 방랑자다.
하지만 돌이켜보면 결국에 마교도를 가장 많이 죽인 사내도 이 사람이다. 어느 날 뒤늦게 참전해서 많이 죽이고 다녔다. 그러니까 현생으로 따지면 현재의 내가 마교도를 가장 많이 쳐죽인 사람이고, 전생에는 이 사내가 내 역할을 어느 정도 했었다.
마교도를 계속 죽여대다가…….
교주와도 맞붙었다는 소문이 있었는데.
맞붙어서 유명해진 것이 아니라, 부리나케 줄행랑을 쳐서 더 유명해진 사내.
무명도왕(無名刀王)이 내 옆에서 육포를 씹고 있었다.
본래는 무명도객(無名刀客)이 별호였다는데, 무림맹의 안내를 받는 것을 보니까 벌써 무명도객은 벗어난 모양이다.
전생의 신비인(神祕人)이자, 기인(奇人)이어서…….
아는 사람이라고 하기도 모호하고, 그렇다고 아예 모르는 인간도 아니다.
교주를 상대하다가 왜 도망쳤느냐? 같은 질문도 현생에서는 아직 벌어지지 않은 일이라서 물어볼 수가 없었다.
뭐 그냥 이길 수 없어서 도망쳤을 것이다. 재수 없는 인간들을 너무 꼬아서 이해하거나 해석할 필요는 없다. 그냥 재수가 없는 것이다.
도왕이 내게 물었다.
“자네 혹시 삼재 본 적 있나?”
“있소.”
“정말이야? 누구를 봤는데.”
“셋 다 봤소.”
“어떻게 살아남았나?”
“운이 좋아서.”
“He’s a strange guy. “How does it compare to Mengju Lim?”
“All three of you are in the top row of Maengju seniors.”
The King of Dao let out a long sigh.
“That’s so troublesome.”
The King of Dao shook his head and then asked me.
“Did you see any weaknesses?”
“It’s a weakness… … . Senior Shingae’s weakness is that he is too kind. The other two have no weaknesses.”
“What about the gaps?”
“Cheonak tends to listen to what people say, so there are some gaps, but the sect leader has no gaps.”
“Then, from the beginning, the three seniors were Gyoju, Cheonak, and Shingae.”
“It’s a meaningless ranking since we can’t kill each other.”
Taowang said.
“As time goes by, gaps will become weaknesses, and weaknesses will become a hindrance, so there is a gap.”
That’s right. However, I have already solved Senior Shingae’s case that arose due to that gap.
The King of Dao muttered.
“If I’m unlucky enough to run into a demon, I guess I’ll have to talk to him first.”
“What if I bump into the cult leader?”
“I have to run away.”
In this way, I was able to immediately answer my questions about my past life. I felt a little cold inside.
I asked the Tao King.
“Do emperors also have a hierarchy?”
“That’s roughly it.”
“Please let me know.”
“Is this what I thought?”
“It doesn’t matter. I told you about the three disasters, so it’s fair.”
“There is nothing more meaningless than that ranking. That’s because it keeps changing. Anyway, if we roughly estimate the current period, Sujwa is of course the Sword Saint of Kunlun. The second one seems to be a Shingeuk senior, and it is fair to say that they are both Sentai experts. When you pass away, you must return the Byeolho to Kangho. They just treat them like old people. You wouldn’t know it if you actually fought. Shingeuk is so old that I don’t know if he can even hold a spear. The Sword Saint is confined to Kunlun, so I don’t know why he is a Sword Saint. “I think we fought a bit when we were younger.”
It felt new to meet the master of abusive language after a long time.
“What next?”
“What happens next is a bit controversial. At this point, I think it would be better to definitely establish a ranking. “Everyone will run away if they meet Samjae, so I wonder what that ranking means.”
“Please do just one thing.”
The Tao King looked at me.
“You have to stick together to find out. “How would I know?”
In the dormitory, the Gungeom King responded in an unpleasant tone.
“… … “Are you going to decide the order now?”
The King snorted and then spoke.
“Sword King, don’t eavesdrop. “Like a rat.”
I subtly reprimanded the Tao King.
“Well, what are you talking about to your seniors? “Without cheesiness.”
Taowang said.
“What does it mean to be a senior among the same emperors? Anyway, if you want to decide the ranking, come down. “You have to take responsibility for the words you say.”
This person has no retreat. However, it is unclear why such a brave man chose to retreat as soon as he saw the leader.
I felt the need to point that out again.
“You have a lot of courage and spirit to say that you will run away from the cult leader.”
The king grabbed my shoulder.
“Munjoo, you can’t die easily.”
“That’s true.”
“Is it skill or the pride of a strong person to throw away one’s life in a battle with no chance of winning? If I have the power to deal with the cult leader, I will find him on my own. The winner has to be decided then. Not now. He has been practicing for more than twenty years longer than me. You have to give me time too for it to be a fair fight. Could it be that the religious leader cultivated alone again? He must have trained with the support of his followers, concentrating money, materials, and elixirs on one person. The environment was different in the first place. “You naughty bastard.”
The king suddenly took out a sword from his belt and asked me.
“Would you like to take a look?”
“let’s see.”
When I grabbed the sword of the King of Tao, the King of Tao spoke like a barterer.
“Let me see your wooden sword. It seems to be a real sword, but strangely it is acting like a wooden sword. If so, it means that sprinkler was used. Let me see. Take it out and try it. “Don’t just look at my sword like a brat.”
I had no choice but to hand over the wooden sword. Something felt off, but I couldn’t figure out why.
King Tao’s weapon was the straight sword.
The handle was so old that it was impossible to determine when the knife was made.
“What is your sword name?”
“doesn’t exist. “Having no name is a name, so it is a nameless sword.”
“Why don’t you have a name?”
“What a useless name for a knife that kills people. “Anyway, what’s the name of this?”
Why is the conversation developing so mindlessly?
“Wooden sword.”
“Is the name of the sword Wooden Sword? “That’s a really crappy name.”
“A cotton sword or a wooden sword.”
The Taoist King touched the blade of the wooden sword, then injected energy into his fingers and struck the sword body. There was a snapping sound, and the wooden sword bent as if it was about to break, then shuddered.
“oh!”
This crazy guy?
Now I see that they were testing the strength of the wooden sword. When he got involved with me, it seemed like he was testing whether he could cut it with his nameless sword, or whether he could break it with a martial art like Tanjigong.
This was the reason I felt uneasy.
Because I couldn’t lose, I deliberately hit Mumyeongdo with a bullet filled with energy.
Wow! There was a sound and the sword shook as if it would break.
The King of Dao said with a surprised expression.
“… … Hey, it’s going to break. “Give it to me.”
We regained each other’s weapons.
The King of Tao said to me while stroking his beloved soldier.
“You have a pretty bad temper.”
“It’s not that easy either.”
“I guess I should teach you some lessons. Do you want to play a game? “Let’s relax a bit.”
“Let’s not pick it.”
“That’s right. “I can’t kill you.”
I got up at the same time as the king and walked around the front yard. I slowly opened my mouth.
“Oh, but… … .”
Without speaking, I grabbed the wooden sword and struck the Dao King’s body on the right. Taowang jumped up, retreated, and grabbed hold of his sword.
Even though he showed a considerable level of meanness, the king’s expression was calm.
“… … “You earn the beating.”
Actually, I had no intention of competing with the king so quickly. I was thinking of watching the fight for a while and then picking a fight with one or two people, but that thought has now changed. In any case, the men who learned martial arts before me, and whose reputation is near the peak of power, are the kings.
then… … .
It is to my advantage to try everything when I get the chance. Anyway, I am a person who has long been accustomed to quickly learning other people’s methods.
What if I could make at least one of the kings’ tricks my own?
This is the meaning of bimu that Lim So-baek spoke of.
I decided that if I could become stronger, I would endure the countless defeats that I was forced to experience by being trapped in the form of fighting.
This is actually a mindset that I did not have in my previous life.
At that time, I was just trying to win no matter what, but the results I got from doing so were not the best in the world.
I pulled out the wooden sword, held it upright, and then cleared my mind.
Even concerns and thoughts about winning or losing were forgotten like a blank page.
I sealed all the twenty-three thousand four hundred and sixty tricks I could unleash and then confronted the Tao King.
Only then did I see a sword standing straight in front of me.
fantasy, martial arts,