novelraw Chapter 72 : Chapter 72
Chapter 72 : Chapter 72
Chapter 72 - With Great Matters Come Great Responsibilities
Teobeok teobeok.
Even a baby rat soaked in rain all night wouldn't look more pathetic than this.
“Huuu……”
Shoulders slumped.
There was a man walking with heavy sighs that could make the ground sink.
Eung Gajin.
A man who vied for the top spot among the disciples of the younger generation in swordsmanship.
But surprisingly, the reason Eung Gajin came out to the training ground again tonight was for ‘supplementary education.’
After he tripped and fell while doing the Rotating Retreat in reverse, Biyoung had ordered the rest of the class for him.
‘How did I end up in this state…….’
Supplementary education.
It was something he could never have imagined when he was in Simao.
Not only within the Diancang Sect, but even when he worked as an escort warrior at the escort agency, his skills were acknowledged to the point where he commanded the highest fee.
But now?
He was just a subject under management receiving supplementary classes because he couldn't keep up with the pace.
Geudeuk.
A discordant sound echoed in the dark night air.
It's shameful.
It's so embarrassing I can't put it into words.
To trip and fall while practicing footwork.
Is this how the eldest Senior Brother leading the Diancang Sect should act?
The faces of his junior brothers and sisters looking at him as he fell came to mind one by one.
They each tried to hide their own expressions in various ways.
But isn't there a saying that those who have eaten meat eat it well?
Except for Danseol, who was naturally expressionless, and the Absolute Protector, who lacked emotions, everyone else failed to control their expressions.
“Puhup!”
Among them, Solbo was the masterpiece.
He must not have even dreamed that Eung Gajin would fall while practicing footwork.
His thick eyebrows twitched nonstop as he tried to hold back his laughter, and that sight made Eung Gajin even more miserable.
‘I have no face to see my grandfather…….’
His sturdy, handsome face turned towards the sky.
Numerous emotions were mixed in Eung Gajin's eyes as he looked at the stars.
Anger towards himself.
Embarrassment.
Feeling pathetic.
And, helplessness.
How could a man who couldn't even perform footwork properly lead the revival of the Diancang Sect?
He had the great symbolism of being the grandson of the previous Sect Leader.
Whether they liked it or not, the people of the Diancang Sect had special expectations for him since Simao.
But now that he was receiving supplementary lessons, his confidence in himself was gradually diminishing.
“If my swordsmanship is terrible, my internal energy should at least be good……”
Responsibility without pleasure.
It was no exaggeration to say that was a phrase that described Eung Gajin.
He carried many burdens, but there was nothing particularly provided for Eung Gajin, the grandson of the Sect Leader.
The situation was so dire that he had less internal energy than the Jeong-i, who had privately received a spirit pill as a gift.
But he didn't want to blame such things now.
Though he looked ridiculous, nothing would get better by just complaining about his situation.
It was when Eung Gajin stopped sighing and steeled his resolve once again.
“You're here?”
He had arrived a little earlier than the scheduled time, but it seemed Biyoung had been waiting even before him.
“Why the long face, Senior Brother Eung Ga? Loosen up your expression.”
“I'd smile if I had a reason to.”
Eung Gajin said so and then crushed the dirt floor to fix his footing.
The road ahead was too long to feel ashamed.
Eung Gajin resolved to make up for his shortcomings, even if it meant staying up all night tonight.
But, unexpected words came out of Biyoung's mouth.
“That, it's not your fault, Senior Brother Eung Ga.”
“What?”
“I said it's not your fault. If there's any fault, it lies with the previous generations who didn't tell you about the opposite direction from the beginning.”
“Hmph. Are you trying to pity me now? There's no need for that.”
Eung Gajin directed a self-deprecating smile at himself, but Biyoung shook his head.
“It's not pity, it's a fact. Do you know why you're having a harder time than others, Senior Brother?”
“……?”
“It's because you've repeated the same movement more than anyone else. The repeated movements have fixed your body, and that has made the opposite movement more difficult. To put it more simply……”
The demonic smile he had seen in the morning disappeared, and a warm curve took its place.
“It's simply because you worked the hardest.”
“……!”
“You can tell by looking at the Absolute Protector, can't you? Since it's his first time practicing the footwork, he has no hesitation in either direction. The problem is that he's not good in either direction…… anyway, what I'm saying is that falling while doing footwork doesn't speak to your skill, Senior Brother.”
To be honest, it was unexpected.
When Biyoung looked at him as he fell with his eyes flashing, he thought his life was over.
He thought he would be rolled around until his body became a rag tonight, but to think he would be comforted like this.
And by none other than Biyoung, that guy.
“A fixed habit can't be corrected in a single day. You'll have to practice a similar number of times in the opposite direction to be able to use both left and right freely.”
“Thank you for the advice, but……”
A question suddenly occurred to Eung Gajin.
If it couldn't be fixed overnight, why had Biyoung come to this place?
The Biyoung he had seen so far was a guy who loathed troublesome things.
He could have just given him homework to practice Rotating Retreat in the opposite direction every night; there was no need to come out here in person and talk.
‘Could it be, he came out to comfort me?’
No.
That can't be right.
He must have come out because he had some purpose; there's no way this guy is that kind.
“What are you looking at so suspiciously?”
“Ah, it's nothing.”
In the end, Eung Gajin's deduction was quite accurate.
However, he could not have imagined what that purpose was, even in his dreams.
“Hwaaam. I'm tired, so let's finish up quickly and go inside.”
Eung Gajin tilted his head to one side.
“Finish, what do you mean?”
Biyoung's expression turned meaningful.
Then he held out one hand and opened his fist.
It was dark so it wasn't clearly visible, but a very small object was placed on his palm.
“Senior Brother. Do you know what this is?”
***
Kwaaaaaa……!
When Eung Gajin opened his closed eyes, his pupils were trembling faintly with agitation.
His well-defined features and heroically shining face had become even more handsome, and his previously slumped expression was overflowing with confidence, as if it had never been that way.
‘He has grown.’
It wasn't just his appearance that had changed.
No, the external change was just a secondary thing.
Right now, the inside of Eung Gajin's body had changed to the level of a world-shaking event.
Buuuung…….
The newly granted internal energy in his Dantian was racing all over the place like a blue dragon that had obtained a wish-granting jewel.
Not only the quantity, but the quality of the flowing internal energy was also quite different from before.
The affliction that had tormented Eung Gajin during his time in Simao.
The lack of internal energy was resolved in an instant.
Through a single spirit pill Biyoung had given him.
Through the Six-Flower Pill.
“How do you feel?”
“Good. So good that I can't put it into words.”
“Hehe. That's how it should be.”
Eung Gajin pointed out his condition with a trembling voice.
“I heard the effects of the Six-Flower Pill were good, but I never imagined it would be this much. Now I understand why the people of Murim fight like dogs to obtain the Six-Flower Pill.”
“It's a good spirit pill. But usually, people don't see such a dramatic effect as you did, Senior Brother.”
“……Is that so?”
Eung Gajin didn't bother to ask why.
It was because he felt he knew without asking.
The Six-Flower Pill he had just consumed, Eung Gajin would not have been able to absorb even a quarter of it on his own.
But the clear and refreshing energy transmitted from behind his back.
That energy had paved a special path for the Six-Flower Pill.
So Eung Gajin really wanted to say this to Biyoung.
“Thank you, Biyoung.”
Eung Gajin's deep eyes turned towards Biyoung.
His pupils contained a fervent emotion that could not be fully expressed.
Something no one in the Diancang Sect could do for him, this young man, who was barely an adult, had resolved.
“As much as you're thankful, devote yourself even more to circulating your energy. Then you won't have to struggle with a lack of internal energy in the future.”
This guy.
Eung Gajin knew well that he wasn't just saying that to make him feel good.
He felt so full of energy that the desire to swing his sword right away surged to the top of his head.
“By any chance……”
“That's a no.”
Was it because his thoughts were so transparent?
Biyoung rejected Eung Gajin's request in one fell swoop.
“On the contrary, you have to be more careful with the sword than before. Swordsmanship imbued with internal energy is harder to correct.”
“Is that so.”
Eung Gajin smiled bitterly and nodded his head.
He had to ask even though he knew it wouldn't be allowed.
It was because it was extremely regrettable that he couldn't manifest this internal energy flowing in his body through swordsmanship.
He felt several times more anxious than when he had heard the story this morning.
“This spirit pill was obtained from the Syndicate of Ten Thousand Eyes.”
Biyoung briefly explained what had happened below Kongtong Mountain.
While listening to the story, Eung Gajin's face changed from moment to moment.
But.
Eung Gajin's expression, which had been looking at him with impressed eyes, began to twist.
“What?!”
No.
He entered that dangerous information group alone and defenseless?
Moreover.
This crazy bastard is now kidnapping and confining people?
It was a series of stories that were scary for fear that someone might hear.
“Han Hoe may be a villain, but isn't this too much?”
Eung Gajin's face contorted greatly, but Biyoung puffed out his chest instead.
“Why, what. Is there a problem? Should I take back the Six-Flower Pill?”
“You brat!”
Eung Gajin shouted once and then held out one hand forward.
“You did really well.”
“……Right?”
Biyoung grinned and shared a warm handshake with Eung Gajin.
“Anyway, the Six-Flower Pills obtained like that will be distributed to the Senior Brothers. Senior Brother Uma was with me at the foot of the mountain, so he's an exception, and I called Senior Brother Eung Ga, who is even a year older, first. Because you need to build up your internal energy faster than anyone else.”
It might only be a day or two's difference, but Eung Gajin felt extremely grateful for Biyoung's thoughtfulness.
He could be like a wild child, but at times like this, he was considerate and thoughtful beyond his years.
“Ugh. I'm tired. How many more times do I have to do this.”
Stretching languidly, Biyoung yawned and turned to leave.
“Right. With great matters come great responsibilities. I'll go in first.”
“First……? What about me?”
“Another Senior Brother will be here soon. You can hear the details then.”
Then, yawning repeatedly, he disappeared into the darkness.
It was when Eung Gajin, left alone, widened his eyes, wondering what was going on.
“As expected, it's you, Senior Brother.”
From beyond the darkness, a low and gloomy voice was heard.
Eung Gajin was a man with a fairly thick heart.
And now he had polished a vessel of internal energy that he wouldn't be ashamed of.
However.
At this very moment, his liver couldn't help but shrink.
“Heek!”
“I told you not to be so surprised.”
Uma, who appeared from the darkness, frowned.
“S-Sorry.”
Eung Gajin apologized while stroking his chest.
It was a face he saw every time, but it was truly hideous.
So much so that he never wanted to face him alone in the middle of the night like this again if possible.
“He said someone was coming, so it was you.”
“Yes. It seems you've had ‘that,’ right?”
“Yes. And then he told me to wait here for a moment.”
“Hehe.”
Eung Gajin's heart sank.
Didn't I tell you not to laugh like that?
I'm not kidding, it's really scary.
But Uma kept letting out a low laugh, as if he was so pleased.
It wasn't because his own situation had improved.
It was because he had gained a comrade to brave the thorny path with him.
“Welcome to hell, Senior Brother.”
“Hell?”
“For now, let's run.”
After saying that, Uma immediately started running down the mountain.
Eung Gajin instinctively realized that this was the reason Biyoung had left him behind.
Uma and Eung Gajin.
Because they were the only two who had received the Six-Flower Pill from Biyoung.
“Then……”
With great matters comes great responsibility.
The cryptic words Biyoung had said earlier were not about himself, but about the swordsmen who had eaten the Six-Flower Pill.
He had ordered a special training for those who had eaten the spirit pill, one that far surpassed normal training.
“L-Let's go together!”
Only then did Eung Gajin understand Biyoung's intention and hurriedly followed after Uma.