novelraw Chapter 156 : Chapter 156
Chapter 156 : Chapter 156
Chapter 156 - True Education (3)
In front of Seo Ji-hoon's office in the Haewon Sword Family.
Mun Jung-hak couldn't bring himself to go inside, hesitating outside the door for a long time.
‘Still, it would be right to report it, wouldn't it?’
That unbelievable event he had just experienced.
The goosebumps that had broken out all over his body still hadn't subsided.
The indifferent image of that man still lingered in his mind.
He wasn't ashamed at all to have been defeated by a swordsman he didn't even know the name of.
Because he truly had the skills of a Sword Master.
‘I'm sure of it.’
He had single-handedly and effortlessly crushed the entire Wolyeong Knights.
It wasn't even a close fight; it was a one-sided match.
In the final moments, all seven of them couldn't even resist and just took the beating blankly.
If you feel like you're going to die from being hit, raise your hand.
Because it was the Spring of Elixir, they couldn't bring themselves to raise their hands.
He felt like if he had, he would have just been hit more.
It was, in a word, a complete mockery.
This was something even the Unit Leader Seo Ji-hoon, whom he respected so much, couldn't do.
The sudden appearance of such an absurdly powerful master was something he felt he should report.
However, there was one thing that bothered him.
His disrespectful behavior before crossing swords with that man.
Thinking back on it now, regret washed over him for why he had done such a crazy thing.
He should have shown proper respect to such a supreme master.
If he were to make an enemy of a Sword Master, from that moment on, he wouldn't even be able to sleep soundly with his feet stretched out.
Still, there was one fortunate thing.
‘He seemed to have no idea who we were.’
It wasn't an act; it was real.
Surprisingly, he seemed completely ignorant of the affairs of this industry.
To not know the Wolyeong Knights, the face of the Haewon Sword Family.
The conclusion was that he was likely a reclusive master who had cast off the secular world to polish his swordsmanship.
In the end, after organizing all these circumstances, he became certain that it was right to report to the Unit Leader.
Mun Jung-hak gently knocked on the door.
"Unit Leader. It's Jung-hak. I've come because I have something to report."
"You're finally knocking."
"Pardon?"
"I can hear you breathing. I was wondering how long you were going to just stand there."
Mun Jung-hak's face flushed as if even his worries had been exposed.
"What are you doing, not coming in?"
"Huh? Yes! Unit Leader!"
In the end, Mun Jung-hak confessed to Seo Ji-hoon about what had happened at the Spring of Elixir.
Of course, he made sure to hide the parts that needed to be hidden.
Seo Ji-hoon listened to Mun Jung-hak's report with interest.
And the conclusion he came to was very simple.
"It's interesting, but the most important part is wrong."
"Could that wrong part be..."
"That those two are definitely not Sword Masters."
Mun Jung-hak felt a sense of injustice for some reason.
"Since you didn't see it yourself, Unit Leader, you could certainly think that, but our opinions were unanimous."
"That he is a Sword Master?"
"That's right."
But Seo Ji-hoon's opinion remained firm.
"It's a delusion. It must be because you were all tired from the long journey in the Abyss."
"It happened after we recovered at the Spring of Elixir."
"Sometimes there are days when the Elixir doesn't work well, you know. On days like that, you have to soak your body thoroughly."
For Mun Jung-hak, it was a frustrating situation.
He couldn't just take out his brain and show him.
"It's not simply on that level..."
As Seo Ji-hoon said, it was possible that his body's recovery was a bit slower that day.
Because the Abyss conquest had taken so long, it was true that his body felt heavy.
But even taking all of that into account, the man's movements were on an insane level.
At first, he thought his own attacks were about to land, but now he realized it had all been a performance.
And that was why he couldn't help but get more goosebumps.
"I've never even heard of such a master."
"That's why I think he must be a reclusive master."
"That doesn't make sense. I heard he was young too, so at what age would he have had to go into seclusion for that to be possible?"
"The old man who was with him is probably his master. If he had some fateful encounter and took a Sword Master as his master, couldn't the disciple also become a Sword Master even if he went into seclusion at a young age?"
"You write a novel with such detail. But it's not very interesting."
But he thought that his imagination wasn't entirely baseless.
Looking back, the aura the old man exuded was also unusual.
"The old man didn't show his skills, but he must have been a Sword Master too?"
"That's right! The two of them definitely said so. That they were both Sword Masters."
"Jung-hak."
"Yes, Unit Leader."
"I wonder if you even know what the level of a Sword Master is?"
Mun Jung-hak nodded.
"I read about it in a book."
"Right. That's something you can only know through books. Because currently, there are none on Earth. Such a Sword Master suddenly fell from the sky today? Two of them, at that?"
Seo Ji-hoon said it himself and then gave a disbelieving smile.
"Th-that's..."
"It's a delusion that occurred because you were too immersed in swordsmanship. It's clear that his level is extraordinary, but he is definitely not a Sword Master."
This was Seo Ji-hoon's final assessment.
He didn't believe it, so there was nothing to be done.
If the Unit Leader didn't accept it, reporting it was meaningless.
"Yes, understood, Unit Leader."
In the end, Mun Jung-hak decided to stop here.
"But since you're insisting so much, Jung-hak, I'll have to go and see for myself."
"Pardon? To the spring of the Abyss?"
"Yes. Tell me where it was."
Mun Jung-hak suddenly felt like he had accomplished something.
The thought that perhaps coming to report hadn't been in vain.
He could only hope that the two of them would still be there.
***
The Spring of Elixir.
Since the old man had left for home, I spent more time alone, circulating the Mana Breathing Technique.
There was one thing I had become more certain of today while dealing with the Wolyeong Knights.
That my swordsmanship had advanced a little more since discovering the dragon's swordsmanship manual.
This meant that if I were to recover all of my past mana, I might be able to surpass the level I had built up during my time as Johan Raven.
‘I really am lucky.’
With my spirits high, I spurred on my Mana Breathing Technique training.
Swordsmanship could make a dramatic leap with a single moment of enlightenment, but mana was not something that could be built up overnight.
That's why every single day was meaningful and important.
"Hoo."
The circulation of mana that occurred between inhales and exhales.
It was a simple and repetitive process, but it wasn't boring at all.
Because it was a process of becoming stronger, slowly but surely.
‘Looks like she's finally here.’
The presence of Yoon Joo-hee, felt from a distance.
A moment later, she pushed aside the mist and revealed herself.
"I have returned, Unit Leader."
"You're right on time. You didn't happen to rush back, did you?"
"No, sir. In fact, I just came from the grave of the Jeongjin Sword Family."
For some reason, Yoon Joo-hee's atmosphere felt solemn.
Back when the Jeongjin Sword Family met their tragic end. I had heard that since the bodies couldn't be recovered, only a gravestone was erected at the grave, but no matter how much time had passed, she probably wouldn't feel good about it.
"Are you all prepared now?"
"Yes. After greeting each and every one of them, my heart feels much lighter."
I nodded.
"You may not find what you're looking for there."
This was my honest thought.
Since a long time had passed, it was highly likely that there were no remains to be recovered.
Also, the trace of the Jeongjin Sword Style that she so desperately wished for. The chances of that remaining were not high either.
Because leaving behind a secret manual before death was too much like a story from a novel.
"It's alright. Even if I gain nothing from there, going there is a lifelong wish I must fulfill."
"A lifelong wish..."
"Because it was like fate that this map came into my hands."
As she said that, Yoon Joo-hee took out the map.
Nekarion's Castle.
Of course, the map was already activated.
"Then, let's go. The portal happens to be not far from here."
"Yes, Unit Leader. I will take the lead."
It was the moment we were about to leave the Spring of Elixir.
A single silhouette appeared in the mist.
And it walked towards us.
The one who appeared before us was Seo Ji-hoon.
It was a truly unexpected meeting.
Because I hadn't felt any presence until he had approached this close.
‘The effect of an item.’
Well, considering that among all existing sword units, Seo Ji-hoon was at the forefront of Abyss conquests and had many unique items, it wasn't surprising when I thought about it.
"It's been a while, brother."
"Seo Ji-han! Why are you here right now?"
"What do you mean, why? You know very well I come to the spring every day."
"Well, that's true, but."
Judging by the atmosphere, he had received a report from the Wolyeong Knights about what happened earlier.
I didn't know how they had explained it, but it seemed Seo Ji-hoon's curiosity was quite piqued.
"Have you by any chance seen a duo that was around here?"
"I don't know. I'm not sure what you're talking about."
"A young man and an old man. They might have been exuding a tremendous aura!"
Seo Ji-hoon looked anxious.
Well, Mun Jung-hak might have even mentioned a Sword Master.
"People like that. I haven't seen them. As you know, it's always foggy here."
At my answer, Seo Ji-hoon gave a hollow smile.
"Of course. I came all this way for nothing."
"Just who are you looking for?"
"It's nothing. Nothing at all."
"How dull. Then I'm off. I have somewhere to be."
But Seo Ji-hoon still seemed to have lingering attachments.
"Did you say you come here every day?"
"If nothing special comes up, I do."
"An old man and a young man. If you happen to find that combination, who might be a master and a disciple, be sure to let me know."
"Alright."
A master and a disciple.
Just how did those guys report it that he came to that conclusion?
‘Well.’
If the master was me, it wasn't entirely wrong.
I had, after all, enlightened the old man to one of the subtleties of swordsmanship today.
Anyway, it seemed it was about time to move from the spring.
This place was a prime spot.
Those Wolyeong Knights guys. I'll have to find a day to educate them one more time.
Before that, I'll tell Seo Ji-hoon what I need to.
"Oh, right, brother!"
"Why. Did you suddenly have something to say?"
"I think I saw the Wolyeong Knights around here earlier."
"What?"
For a moment, Seo Ji-hoon's eyes widened.
"I couldn't see them properly because of the fog, but their voices were clear. They were talking to someone around here. About a Sword Master or something."
"What a shame! Those are the very people I was looking for! You really didn't see where they went?"
I shook my head.
"But you need to educate the Wolyeong Knights properly. Just from looking, their way of speaking was too rude. It felt like they were playing with someone weak?"
At my words, Seo Ji-hoon's face immediately hardened.
It seemed to have landed properly.
Then it was time to go to Nekarion's Castle.
I was looking forward to it.
To see what kind of reaction that Mad Lord bastard would show when he met me again.