novelraw Chapter 128 : Chapter 128
Chapter 128 : Chapter 128
Chapter 128 - Bimu and Bimu (1)
I returned to the Sword Family after a long time.
Choi Ho-joong reported on the events that had transpired.
While I was away, Choi Ho-joong had always served as the temporary commander of the Chamryongdan, and he seemed to be quite immersed in the role, as if he didn't dislike the position.
“Were there any other unusual matters?”
“Im Seong-jun left for an Abyss quest area for the first time yesterday.”
“Well, it’s about time. He did get the Abyss Rune not too long ago.”
The regrettable thing was that Im Seong-jun had missed me by a day, so he left without hearing my advice.
Of course, he was a guy who would do well even without it.
“What about Yoon Joo-hee? Is she adjusting well?”
Regardless of her experience, she was the most recent member to join, so I was concerned about her.
And there was also the matter of the map she had.
“I was just about to report one thing regarding Yoon Joo-hee.”
“Why, did something happen?”
“It’s not like that. Yoon Joo-hee is actually adjusting well. I was worried that her habits from another sword family might be a hindrance, but she’s following along well, perhaps because she’s so diligent.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“Someone from the presidential secretariat visited.”
I could roughly guess the reason.
I had thought there would be a problem like this once.
“Since you weren’t here, there wasn't any special conversation. They just watched Yoon Joo-hee train for a while and then left. They left a business card here.”
Kim Jong-gwan of the presidential secretariat.
“Contact him and set up an appointment. At a suitable time.”
“What about the location?”
“What do you mean? They should come here. It's not the president himself, just a mere secretary.”
Moreover, since they were the ones with business, there was no reason for me to go to them.
“If you’re done with your report, you can leave now.”
“Understood, Commander.”
“And from this hour until tonight, do not come to my room. No matter what happens.”
“Is something wrong?”
“Yes. I have something very important to do alone.”
The Ignarog’s Rune I received as a reward from the Abyss this time.
I was planning to consume it.
But Choi Ho-joong looked at me with strange eyes.
“Yes. I will absolutely not disturb you.”
“Then you can go.”
After Choi Ho-joong left, I took out Ignarog’s Rune from my inventory.
The tremendous amount of mana I felt in my hand.
It was on a different level from ordinary Mana Runes.
‘Even if I search for information, nothing comes up.’
I wasn't sure if I could absorb 100 percent of this immense mana energy just by consuming it.
Moreover, since my body was constitutionally weak and had been suffering from a chronic illness for a long time, it was a problem that I had to be suspicious of at least once.
For now, I decided to operate the Mana Breathing Technique to bring my body and mind to their best condition.
I don't know how much time passed like that.
At the moment when my awakening reached its peak, I let out a deep breath and then poured Ignarog’s Rune into my mouth.
Ssssss.
Then, the mana energy contained in the rune burst out violently and began to wreak havoc inside my body.
It was something I had expected.
Because much more mana than I had originally possessed had newly entered.
This huge energy began to rage through my whole body like a wave, as if to swallow me whole.
An indescribable pressure washed over me.
With an ordinary level of mental strength, one would not be able to handle this power and would lose consciousness.
But if I could succeed in not losing consciousness here and controlling the rune’s mana on my own, I would be able to achieve a much higher absorption rate.
‘When was it that I possessed this much mana?’
Around thirteen? Fourteen?
It was a distant past that I could barely remember.
But what was important now was that the situation of having this amount of mana in my body was not unfamiliar at all.
I began to revive my past senses.
I could feel it little by little.
I set out to find the optimal sense of how much awakening I needed to maintain in order to control this much mana.
It didn't take very long.
‘Success.’
In the end, I was able to capture the raging mana energy throughout my body.
All the mana under my control began to gather at one point again, as if drawn by a magnet.
The energy thus gathered circulated through the microcosm according to my will.
One round, two rounds. Three rounds…….
Even after circulating for a long time like that, the rune's energy was still not fully absorbed.
It was only after circulating for a whopping fourteen rounds that the rune's energy began to lose its strength.
A little while later, I opened my eyes to the replenished mana.
“Phew.”
A more satisfied laugh than ever before naturally escaped my lips.
Through this one reward, I had become significantly stronger.
Now, there wouldn’t be many rivals for me in this entire country.
Although it couldn't compare to the sea of mana I had in my Johan Raven days, I still had the insights from that time, so the range of things I could do now had expanded considerably.
Min Ha-rin must have obtained Ignarog’s Rune too, how much stronger would she have become?
It was a sudden nosiness.
***
Spring of Elixir.
Because the quest in Nesos had dragged on, it had been a while since I met the old man Heo Gyeong-woo here.
But today, there was another unexpected face.
“Heo Jeong-ah. Why are you here……”
“Oh! You’re here?”
The two of them looked much more natural than before.
“Jeong-ah contacted me saying she had something urgent to see me about, so I told her to come here.”
After declaring that he would cut ties with the world except for me, the old man was subtly breaking that promise.
Like going around to various famous restaurants.
When I pointed that out, the old man got a little worked up.
“How much I must have craved the food of the world while I was trapped in there! You should at least understand that much.”
In fact, there was nothing to understand or not understand.
Cutting ties with the world was just his own promise.
“Seo Ji-han! You’re really being petty with my granduncle about food!”
My granduncle.
It seemed a lot had changed while I was in Nesos.
“Anyway, have you finished your business with Heo Jeong-ah?”
“For today, yes.”
Heo Jeong-ah added to that.
“I received a Bimu request.”
“A Bimu?”
“Yeah. But the opponent is a bit absurd. It’s my first time having a Bimu with a junior.”
A junior, that was certainly strange.
To face someone of Heo Jeong-ah’s level, the opponent would have to be much older to be a match.
“But do you know what’s even more absurd? It’s an opponent you’ve lost to before.”
“Min Ha-rin?”
“Yeah. It’s completely ridiculous. To be honest, I don’t understand why my dad even agreed to this Bimu. I heard it’s because he owes a debt to their grand family head. No matter how much she’s called a genius, her level is just too different from mine.”
It was difficult to answer that.
Before Nesos, Heo Jeong-ah was certainly superior.
But now, it was unknown.
It would depend on how much of the rune’s mana Min Ha-rin had absorbed.
“But what does the Bimu request have to do with you meeting the old man?”
“What do you mean, what does it have to do with it? It’s been a while since I’ve shown my swordsmanship in front of a lot of people, so I can get some private tutoring, can’t I?”
There was no disagreement that Heo Gyeong-woo could provide the best private tutoring, but I felt some ulterior motive.
The feeling that she just wanted to meet her granduncle more often, using this Bimu as an excuse.
But the old man had clearly said that he would not exert any influence on the Taeseong Sword Family.
“Please understand! As you know, I have no wife or children, and Jeong-ah is the only blood relative I know!”
“I haven’t said anything.”
“W-was that so?”
He got worked up because he felt guilty for no reason.
A truly affectionate granduncle and niece.
“Hey, Seo Ji-han. For your information, after I beat Min Ha-rin this time, I’m thinking of requesting a Bimu with you.”
“Why bother.”
“I’ve wanted to have a proper fight with you once.”
If it had been yesterday, it might have been different, but it was already too late to fight me.
“First, beat Min Ha-rin.”
“Hey, what’s with that reaction? Are you saying I might lose to Min Ha-rin?”
I nodded my head.
“Because she’s the genius the Muwon Sword Family is so proud of.”
“Genius or not, I have a lot of experience in this field, do you really think I’d lose to a twenty-year-old?”
“Well.”
“Well? What’s with that reaction!”
Honestly, I was curious too.
In that sense, I was planning to go and see for myself on the day of the Bimu.
“Anyway, prepare well.”
“Hmph!”
Heo Jeong-ah seemed a little offended by my reaction, and she pouted her lips until she left this place.
And when it was finally just the two of us left, the old man sent me a very blatant gaze.
He was looking at every nook and cranny of my body in great detail.
“It’s strange. Something has changed.”
“You can feel that?”
Even though I was concealing my mana energy, Heo Gyeong-woo had immediately detected the sense of incongruity.
As expected of a Sword Master’s level.
“But no matter how I look, I can’t pinpoint what has changed.”
“Even so, please don’t look at me with those eyes.”
Since he would soon find out when he treated my body, I had no intention of hiding it.
It wasn't like this old man would go around blabbing about me anyway.
“Alright. Then let’s start right away.”
I soaked my body up to my neck in the spring water and began the Mana Breathing Technique.
Heo Gyeong-woo, as always, placed his hand on my back.
And then, right away.
“Huh?”
He flinched.
But he soon regained his composure and proceeded with the treatment.
An expert is an expert.
If his mana management had become even slightly unstable, my dantian would have been turned upside down as well.
Today was also very good.
If the speed of healing on my own was like a car driving in a school zone, now it felt like driving a sports car on a highway.
In that mood, I ran and ran.
For a whopping four hours.
Heo Gyeong-woo only opened his mouth for the first time after the treatment was all over.
“It seems you’ve obtained some kind of fortuitous encounter.”
“The reward I got from the Abyss was quite large.”
“You must have cleared a rather large quest. The Abyss is a fair place.”
I nodded my head.
But even Heo Gyeong-woo seemed to have no idea about Ignarog’s Rune.
As expected, I was the first.
“Now I can ask you for a favor.”
“A favor?”
“Let’s have a spar. No matter how much of a genius you are, I never thought a day like this would come so soon!”
I could even feel excitement in the old man’s voice.
“I refuse.”
“Why!”
I would lose right now anyway.
Because to overcome a hardware disadvantage with software, Heo Gyeong-woo was also a person who had reached a high level.
“If I reveal myself to the world, there will be a long line of people wanting to spar with me. You wouldn’t be ignorant of the value of this spar.”
“I don’t fight losing battles. I think it’s still a bit difficult for now.”
“For now?”
“Yes. For now.”
At my answer, Heo Gyeong-woo let out a dry laugh.
“It’s a bit much for me to say this myself, but I’m quite strong. To the point where I have no rivals on Earth.”
“It won’t take long. Please wait a little longer.”
As Heo Gyeong-woo said, the Abyss was a fair place.
As I continued to clear quests, I came to believe that the day would come when I would recover all my past strength.
Along with the premonition that it wouldn't take very long.