novelraw Chapter 81 : Chapter 81
Chapter 81 : Chapter 81
Chapter 81 - It's a Ghost, a Ghost
“Haaap!”
The well-honed sword blade glinted in the hot sun.
Beneath the rolled-up sleeves, sturdy muscles twitched.
The sight of five able-bodied men brandishing their swords in perfect unison was, in itself, a magnificent and beautiful thing.
“Huaap!”
Had the people on their way to Diancang Mountain seen this sight, they might have shed tears of emotion.
The clumsy footwork and swordsmanship they had learned in Simao were nowhere to be seen.
The precisely corrected Flying Eagle Steps and the Eagle Talon Twelve Swords, rebuilt from the ground up, even evoked a sense of nostalgia for the golden age of the Diancang Sect.
“One more time!”
“Tahaaaaaat!”
It was not just their posture that had changed.
The next-generation disciples brandishing their swords had all absorbed a spirit medicine called the Six-Flower Pill.
It was a spirit pill that would greatly increase one’s internal energy even if simply swallowed.
On top of that, since Biyoung had painstakingly opened the paths for each and every one of them, the disciples’ internal energy was able to grow by leaps and bounds.
Swordsmanship with a solid foundation and immense internal energy.
Added to that was a grueling training regimen that could turn a perfectly healthy person into a jiangshi.
I could say with certainty that nowhere in the Nine Sects One Union would you find next-generation disciples who had improved this much in the same period.
“Urrachaaaaa!”
“Iyaaaaaaaaak!”
The faces of the disciples wielding their swords were so full of fighting spirit that they looked like demons.
Setting aside Uma, who already looked like a demon, even the timid-looking Solbo’s expression was laced with a terrifying ferocity.
Why?
‘That day is coming.’
‘He is coming.’
‘The day of judgment will soon be upon us.’
There was a special reason why they were brandishing their swords with the faces of Yakshas.
It was because of the handsome man who had smiled innocently and made a threat before he went down the mountain.
-Gentlemen. It would be best to train hard. If I judge that you're lacking, I'll make you suffer several times over.
Even though their martial arts uniforms were already drenched in sweat, the five swordsmen showed no intention of stopping.
Some of them looked utterly exhausted, but they could not easily put down their swords.
As much as Biyoung’s threat was frightening, there was another reason.
“……Hap!”
Among the talented swordsmen, there was one who shone particularly bright.
A man in his late teens, a head taller than the others, with strong features.
Absolute Protector.
His entry into the Diancang Sect became a great stimulus for the other disciples.
‘I knew it from the moment he was repairing the pavilions.’
‘Is that a machine or a human? Even a machine would break down if it worked like that.’
‘When on earth does he rest……!’
This was a man who had carried logs even as the wound on his side burst open and bled.
Now that his body had recovered and he had even absorbed the Six-Flower Pill, there was nothing in the world that could stop Absolute Protector.
“Hup!”
Absolute Protector devoted himself to training more earnestly than anyone else in the Diancang Sect.
To protect the Diancang Sect.
He was a single-minded man with no other purpose in life, so he had nothing to do but train.
And it was that very point that stimulated the other disciples.
They were ashamed.
How could those who called themselves the descendants of the Diancang Sect train less than someone who had just entered the sect?
“……Shit. I can't do this anymore.”
However, even that shame was humbled before the overwhelming amount of training.
One by one, the swordsmen put down the swords in their hands and flopped down.
“Aigooooooo!”
Starting with Uma who sat down spewing curses, next was Danseol.
And finally, Solbo fell with a groan.
In fact, it was only because the comparison was Absolute Protector; their training volume was by no means lacking.
Not only were their martial arts uniforms soaked with sweat, but the muscles in their arms, legs, and chests were swollen as if they would burst at any moment, and the blisters on their calloused palms had burst once again.
In Simao, this was an amount of training for which they would have given themselves a round of applause.
However, there was no satisfaction on the faces of the three men gasping for breath.
Because even at this moment, there were still comrades brandishing their swords.
“Huap!”
“Hap!”
Two men exchanged kiai shouts as they performed the forms of the Eagle Talon Twelve Swords.
Absolute Protector was one thing, but the other man looked so precarious it seemed he would collapse at any moment.
“Senior Brother Uma. Isn't he going to collapse for real?”
“Leave him be, Danseol. The day will come when that Senior Brother will admit that being stubbornly competitive will lead to his demise.”
Solbo, watching their conversation from the side, had sparkling eyes.
“Still, isn't it amazing? To doggedly follow the training volume of that inhuman Absolute Protector. Honestly, I even feel a sense of respect.”
The one brandishing his sword like a madman next to Absolute Protector was none other than Eung Gajin.
Even as the three men spewed words like ‘useless pride,’ ‘stubbornness,’ and ‘strange persistence,’ Eung Gajin’s sword did not stop.
“Uooooooooh!”
The other guys could do as they pleased, but he could not rest.
Not only was he the eldest of the next-generation disciples, but he was also the one who carried all the expectations of those who had been with him in Simao.
They had just returned to Diancang Mountain where his grandfather had been, so finishing training earlier than the others was out of the question.
Bwoooong!
By the time the onlookers were so sick of it they felt dizzy, Absolute Protector’s sword finally stopped.
And exactly one more time.
Only after swinging his sword just one more time did Eung Gajin collapse onto the ground.
“Heok…… heok…….”
Some might call it childish pride, but that was Eung Gajin’s way.
“From now on…… rest a little earlier.”
“Yes.”
Of course, Eung Gajin did not want to continue this reckless behavior.
“Hoo…….”
Only after finishing the blood-vomiting training did the blue sky come into view.
In Simao, Eung Gajin had always rationalized to himself that he was doing his best.
But after training on Diancang Mountain, he was able to realize just how heavy the words ‘I did my best’ were.
This lanky fellow sitting next to him was a man who truly did his best.
Watching Absolute Protector pour out everything he had, Eung Gajin even felt as if his eyes were being opened.
‘It must all be thanks to that fellow.’
Using the blue sky as a canvas, Eung Gajin began to draw someone’s face.
At first glance, he looked like a well-bred young master, but he was a supreme master who had shattered his entire worldview.
Thanks to him, they were able to retake Diancang Mountain in one fell swoop, recruit a talented swordsman, and replenish their internal energy, which had been their biggest problem.
‘The fellow is a benefactor of the Diancang Sect.’
It was when Eung Gajin was smiling with relief while looking at the handsome man drawn on the bright blue canvas.
“Well, well.”
At that moment.
Everyone’s shoulders flinched.
It was because they heard the very voice they had hoped to hear a little later, a little later.
“Hoooooo. You're living the good life, aren't you?”
That bastard’s voice.
The number one contributor to the restoration of Diancang Mountain, and the very bastard who had dramatically improved the skills of the next-generation disciples.
On the other hand, he was a demonic bastard who had thrown a hellish amount of training at them.
That bastard, who had come up Diancang Mountain without a sound, glared with eyes steeped in madness at those sprawled on the ground.
“I told you to train, but you're just lazing around? Hoooooo?”
“No. That's…….”
Eung Gajin’s voice trembled without him realizing it.
He looked just like a child being scolded for not doing his homework.
However, even knowing how ridiculous he looked, Eung Gajin had no choice but to make an excuse.
“Can't you tell by looking at these sweat-drenched uniforms? We finished the designated training volume and were taking a short break.”
“Is that so?”
Biyoung looked around with a skeptical face, then fixed his gaze on one man.
The man who met his eyes gave a short nod.
“That is correct.”
“Hmm. So that's what it was.”
Biyoung accepted the man’s words at once.
The person he had questioned was none other than Absolute Protector.
‘That brat…….’
You treat one person’s words like dog shit and believe another’s like it’s gospel?
Eung Gajin felt as if his blood was boiling.
But on the other hand, he also felt relieved.
Because Absolute Protector had nodded, Biyoung’s crazed eyes had returned to normal.
Once the misunderstanding(?) was cleared, the next-generation disciples, including Jeong-i, exchanged greetings.
“Junior Brother. By the way, what are those things on your sides?”
At Danseol’s question, Biyoung smiled a smile as refreshing as an autumn morning breeze.
“These? Gifts for my Senior Brothers.”
After saying that, Biyoung placed the two chests he was carrying at his sides on the ground.
Kung! Kung!
“?!”
It was not the splendid appearance of the chests that surprised them.
Judging by the sound they made when they hit the ground, the chests were unusually heavy.
Had they met at a tavern in the marketplace, they might not have thought much of it.
But wasn't this the summit of Diancang Mountain?
Eung Gajin couldn't hold back and asked.
“You carried those all the way up here? And earlier than scheduled?”
“It was manageable. A decent workout, too. Right! Next time, Senior Brother Eung Ga should try going down and back up like this.”
“?!”
Eung Gajin’s face crumpled like a wrinkled piece of paper.
Hadn't he just asked a question only to get himself into trouble?
The other disciples inwardly sighed with relief.
‘Thank goodness it wasn't me.’
‘I want to praise myself for keeping my mouth shut.’
‘I can’t say anything because I don’t know where he’ll bounce off to.’
On the other hand, they were filled with admiration.
It was enough to make one curse just climbing Diancang Mountain empty-handed, but to climb to the summit with those heavy chests tucked under both arms?
Even for them, who climbed up and down the mountain every day with the Flying Eagle Steps, it was an unthinkable feat.
‘Come to think of it…….’
Danseol’s narrowed eyes moved from Biyoung to Jeong-i.
Biyoung was not one to go easy on a female swordsman, so he must have pushed her to the brink of passing out.
In fact, not only Biyoung but she too had arrived earlier than the scheduled time.
And yet.
There was no sign of fatigue on her face.
Far from being tired, her breathing was not even labored.
As someone who had climbed up and down Diancang Mountain day and night, Danseol knew all too well how incredible that was.
“Somehow, I feel like you've both changed. Especially Senior Sister, you seem to have returned as a completely different person.”
Perhaps sensing the truth in his words.
A proud curve formed on Jeong-i’s lips.
“Of course. Senior Sister has now reached a level where most disciples from other sects wouldn't even dare to present their name cards.”
This was an acknowledgment from none other than Biyoung.
A fiery sense of competition welled up in the hearts of the next-generation disciples.
“But don't worry. If you've properly carried out the training assignments I gave you, your skills should have improved quite a bit. Speaking of which, should we put those chests down and have a test?”
“R-right now?”
Solbo asked, his face so scared it was almost on the verge of tears.
They had just finished training and were in a state of exhaustion, and he was saying they had to start again from here?
“Isn't that obvious? Any Senior Brother who I think hasn't improved as much as Senior Sister should be prepared. It's me, Biyoung. You know?”
I know.
I know all too well.
The demonic bastard who suddenly appeared in the Diancang Sect.
Eung Gajin briefly looked up at the sky and smiled beautifully.
‘A benefactor? What a joke. It's a ghost, a ghost.’
Could it be that the Heavenly Demon who was said to return in 20 years was this bastard?
Eung Gajin smiled a rotten smile and tightened his grip on his sword.
‘Still. It's not impossible.’
His body felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, but his mind was at ease.
The times when he worried about the future of the sect and despaired over their low-level martial arts were far more painful.
Eung Gajin spoke to the other junior brothers as if making a promise to himself.
“The elders from Simao will be here soon. Let's show them how much we've changed.”
“Yes.”
At the mention of the elders from Simao, the other swordsmen’s eyes changed.
Like Eung Gajin, they wanted to show them.
Just how dazzlingly the descendants of the Diancang Sect had grown.
“Right. That's the spirit.”
Biyoung grinned, put the chests back on his sides, and walked towards the warehouse.
And a short while later.
A bizarre sound that could have been either a kiai or a scream echoed through Diancang Mountain.
This was the day before the rest of the people from Simao arrived.