When I followed my father to the restaurant, I saw that there were already people gathered there.
The number of people was not much different from those who had eaten dinner last night, but Iljang-ro and Cheolji-seon were nowhere to be seen.
The iron line seems to have popped. I don’t know where the Iljang-ro went.
As I enter the restaurant with my father, everyone’s attention is drawn to me.
Knock knock! Several of the people sitting on the chairs stand up.
It was Namgungbia and Wi Seol-ah.
The two people’s eyes were looking at my bruised eyes. The emotions burning in their eyes were no small feat.
“who…?”
The question was, who made my eyes like this?
Although Namgung Bi-a said it lightly, Gu Yeon-seo, who was sitting next to him, flinched at the emotion conveyed by his words.
Looking at that, I waved my hand roughly and said.
“It’s nothing.”
“lie.”
Wi Seol-ah, who was next to Namgung Bi-a, also nodded at her firm words.
“That’s a lie. If Confucius says it’s nothing serious, it’s usually a big deal.”
“…”
I had to feel a variety of emotions at the nods of the two people.
How do you usually see me that you can speak so firmly? Do you think I’m just a troublemaker?
‘…’
What was sad to think about was that I couldn’t say for sure that it wasn’t me.
“Who… did that?”
Namgungbia looked ready to draw his sword at any moment. What would he do if he drew it? He was a child who had only recently recovered.
“What are you going to do by coming in?”
“Sonnae… .”
“You’re going to scold me?”
“huh.”
I laughed inwardly at Namgungbia’s words.
I can’t even scold him, so how can I scold him?
I was grateful, but no matter how I looked at it, it was impossible.
As I didn’t answer and just smiled, Namgungbia came over and carefully stroked my eyes with her hand.
The concern in his hands feels warm, unlike his cold hands.
Even though Wi Seol-ah came closer, she started to rub all over the place that was not injured. It was so embarrassing to show it to others.
“I told you it’s okay. Stop it! People are watching.”
Only after I raised my voice slightly did the two people step back. Of course, the worry in their eyes remained the same.
It’s just a little bit of a black eye, so why are people reacting so much?
Advertisements
Wi Seol-ah took a step back and spoke as if she was shocked.
“If Confucius has become like this… he must have been a very strong opponent.”
I nodded to Wi Seol-ah’s words.
“It was strong. Insanely strong.”
“… How formidable an opponent must have been…”
“It was scary.”
“I was a bad… person…?”
“No, he’s not a bad person… is he?”
Since I couldn’t give a definitive answer, I felt a presence from my father behind me. I felt like if I teased him any longer, something big would happen.
He took stock of the situation and spoke as if nothing had happened.
“I got hit by my father.”
“…yes?”
“…”
I saw the two people’s movements stiffen at my words. Their gazes also shifted.
To my father, who didn’t even say hello to me in the morning when he saw my bruised eyes.
My father didn’t show any particular reaction. He just quietly looked at the two people who were worried about me.
Oh, that would be even scarier.
Then, not long after, the two people turned their gaze towards me again.
There was a look of resentment in his eyes, as if he was asking why he was saying that now.
‘… You said you’d scold me someday.’
You’re turning the arrows of resentment right here.
For me, it was quite unfair and regrettable.
******************
After eating a quick meal, I headed to a cave that was just like me.
It was because I had to train for only a few days, and I also had something to do with the Emperor.
“I’m here.”
The moment I step into the cave, the smell of alcohol fills my nose.
I looked around, frowning at the awful smell. There were bottles of alcohol everywhere.
How many are there? I think it’s more than I can count on my hands.
“Are you here?”
With all those bottles of alcohol pushed to the corner, Paejon stood in the center.
“What is that?”
When I point to the bottle of alcohol with my hand, Paejon chuckles.
“It’s been a while since I had a drink with friends.”
“That’s not tilted at all.”
Advertisements
“Isn’t that what happens when you drink and get drunk on the atmosphere and fun? You’re just too young to understand.”
“…”
I had to shake my head at Paejon’s words.
By the way, I didn’t enjoy drinking much in my past life either.
There was no one to enjoy it with. At best, he would hold a glass next to Ma Geum-hu while he took a sip of moonlight as an appetizer.
“If you are a close friend, did Elder Il come and go?”
“Well, that’s what it is.”
Those old people really drank like crazy.
Looking at the quantity, it doesn’t seem like two people drank together. Maybe there were more people? I’m not sure about that.
Pajeon, who saw my reaction, laughed out loud and waved his hand.
Then, a strong wind bursts out from the body of the fallen being.
Phew!
The wind swept through the entire cave and then out.
Then, surprisingly, the smell of alcohol that had remained in the cave seemed to disappear.
‘It’s amazing every time I see it.’
I looked at the bettor with astonishment. It was an amazing betting application no matter when I saw it.
If it’s just about creating wind, I can do it.
The wind caused by the apocalypse swept away only the air inside the cave, not any other objects.
He only touches the air, leaving the piled up bottles of liquor or the rocks on the floor untouched.
How on earth do I do that?
Pajeon asks, noticing my gaze.
“Shall I teach you?”
“Can you say that you learned it?”
“I don’t know about other guys. But you can do it.”
“… Okay.”
“Really? It’s a useful method. It’s a shame.”
Paejon clicked his tongue as if he was disappointed. He knew it was a useful method, but the reason he refused was different.
‘That guy overestimates me.’
When Paejon teaches me, he often spits out things like, ‘You can do it.’
What is the meaning behind those words?
It meant, ‘You are like me, so anything is possible.’
That is, he seems to think that the talent I possess is on par with that of Pajeon himself.
‘That’s not the problem, that’s why.’
It was just a lot of anticipation for me.
If you watch the defeat from the side, you will soon realize it.
Advertisements
That guy is the real deal.
Among the talented warriors spread throughout the Central Plains, the one who stood out the most was Paejon.
There were often times when we chatted during training, and at those times, Paejon would occasionally grumble.
-Why can’t you do that? These days, people don’t have the guts. If you want to do it, you can do it.
Like how to apply betting, or how to figure out your opponent’s movements. As the old man said, you can see it as much as you want if you want.
The old man didn’t seem to know that if it were easy, even a dog or a cow would become a master.
‘It’s not that easy.’
As a listener, I was speechless.
A human who created a new martial art on his own, and even though he emptied all the skills he had learned at a late age and started over, he is now called one of the Three Lords.
That’s defeat.
As with all those called the Three Great Masters, Paejon was said to be one of the greatest geniuses in history.
For me, such human expectations were just burdensome.
No matter how you look at it, I was just an ordinary person, not a genius.
“But you have to.”
“yes.”
“Why are your eyes like that? It looks like you got hit somewhere.”
“…”
“You’re not at the level where you’d get beaten up… How could you end up in such a pitiful state? Ah, you look funny so it’s fun to look at, so I’m okay.”
It’s okay because it’s fun. What kind of bullshit is that?
“… This is a scar that I got while sparring with my father.”
Pajeon takes on a look of interest in my words.
“Are you talking about the old family?”
“yes.”
“Ugh. Well then, that’s understandable. How was it? The duel with your father.”
“…”
It was a showdown with my father. To be honest, I had nothing to think about.
“I can’t even brush your collar once.”
A strange expression appears on Paejon’s face at my words.
“Your father looks the same as ever.”
“Do you know anything about my father?”
“I literally know very little.”
“How?”
“If you ask me how, I just know. It’s not easy to find a person who has reached that level. On the other hand, Ah-ha-ya, how much do you know about your father?”
“Ah… well?”
If you ask me how much I know about my father, honestly, I don’t know. All I know is that he is much stronger than his reputation suggests.
Advertisements
‘Come to think of it.’
I have a question. I’m talking about Pajeon, not anyone else.
“Elder.”
“okay.”
“Why didn’t you offer me the position of disciple to your father? Or maybe he didn’t catch your eye?”
I don’t know how talented my father is or what level he has reached.
In my opinion, I think my father is closer to the type of person Paejon wants than I am.
He used to stick right next to me and tell me to do whatever I want, but why didn’t he do that to my father?
He says, brushing away his beard that doesn’t even have a hint of shame.
“You’re curious about something strange. Why are you curious about that?”
“I’m just curious, literally.”
“hmm….”
Paejon, who seemed to be thinking for a moment, remained silent, but soon continued speaking.
“When I confirmed your father, I hadn’t even done my half-life test yet.”
So, are you saying that there is no need to look for a disciple?
“Of course, when I thought about finding a disciple after what had happened, I thought of your father.”
“yes.”
“It was ruled out right away.”
“Can I ask why?”
“Because it is meaningless.”
What does that mean?
Does that mean my father is not satisfied with the castle? My doubts were frightening, and Paejon added an explanation.
“Your father has already reached a level where he is one with his martial arts.”
“… Becoming one with martial arts?”
I had to ask again because I didn’t quite understand what he was saying.
Becoming one…?
Perhaps because of the continued questioning, Paejon began to explain to me with a slightly annoyed expression on his face.
“Have you heard of the union of the new swords?”
“Yes, I know.”
The union of the new swords.
It was said that the inspector became one with the sword.
I am the sword, and the sword is me.
A point where one becomes one without drawing a line. As an inspector, he said that it is a place to dream more than to reach the level of an unmanned person.
Swordsmen who reached there were awarded the title of Master and it is said that they were able to draw an invisible sword called the Heart Sword.
This was also the realm that the Demon Sword Master had reached in his previous life.
Advertisements
“Becoming one with martial arts means going a little further than that.”
“It went even further than that….”
“I have fully understood all the martial arts I have learned. My body is not a vessel for displaying martial arts, but is itself.”
The story of the fallen angel was full of words I couldn’t understand, but for some reason, I felt the weight of the words penetrate my body.
“This is called transcendence. But it is something you do not need to understand yet.”
“transcendence….”
Why? I had to wonder after hearing the words of the Emperor.
It was a story I had never heard in my past life.
This seems like an important story, but why is this the first time I’m hearing about it?
“… So does that mean my father has reached transcendence?”
“At least that’s what I thought. So it’s a story I can’t recommend to someone who has reached that level.”
Does that mean that you have to be at a level where you like something and give up on it?
Also, does that mean that my father has reached that level?
‘I’ll ask about that later.’
It seemed like something I could just ask my father about.
After organizing things up to that point, I decided to ask Pajon something else.
“Then, has your Excellency also reached the state of transcendence?”
“…”
I had to ask and then slightly regret it.
Because Pajeon’s expression became slightly distorted when he heard my question. Was he in a bad mood?
Paejon soon begins to speak to me in a sighing voice.
“…Do you know what the minimum condition for achieving transcendence is?”
“I don’t know.”
“He is the greatest of martial arts.”
“ah.”
After hearing that, I thought I understood why Paejon was making that face.
“I couldn’t reach it. That’s why I’m more curious. What’s there that I can reach with my martial arts?”
“So you’re using me because you want to see that?”
“… The more you talk, the prettier it gets. You idiot, you idiot.”
No matter how I looked at it, what I said seemed to be the right answer.
So, I guess he is criticizing the way the devil speaks, but he is not denying it.
‘transcendence.’
They say that you can only attempt it if you have great martial arts skills.
There was one more thing I wanted to ask after hearing that, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask it.
So, is my father stronger than you? That’s the question.
Advertisements
It’s a bit difficult to ask this outright.
‘The minimum requirement is a great achievement in martial arts.’
It seemed like an incredibly high requirement. Whether it was the Guyeonhwaryun Gong or the Tuapacheonmu.
In terms of difficulty, it’s an absurdly high level martial art.
What kind of bullshit is this that says I can only attempt this if I succeed at it?
‘It means that it is not at a level where we can look forward to it yet.’
For now, rather than focusing on transcendence or anything like that, I should move forward with the goal of raising the level of Gu Yan Hualun Gong to 9 stars.
“Enough small talk. Let’s start warming up a bit.”
Pajon speaks to me while twisting his wrists this way and that.
To loosen up means to practice.
The rule is that no bets are used, and only first-person sparring is used.
I’ve been doing it every time I’ve met Pajeon over the past few months.
I have never defeated a champion.
Maybe it will be the same this time too.
When I was clicking my tongue inwardly because I thought I was going to get hit with dust again.
“Oh, really, sir.”
“huh?”
I thought about what I hadn’t told Paejon yet.
“Why? Do you have anything else to say?”
“Oh, it’s nothing serious.”
“Tell me.”
“My father said he wanted to see me.”
“…huh?”
It’s rare for Paejon to be flustered by my words.
“Suddenly? Why your father?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
I had to scratch the back of my head in embarrassment at Paejon’s reaction.
“I was caught becoming the elder’s disciple.”
“what…?”
“I was trying to use my father’s martial arts while sparring with him. But he immediately noticed it.”
haha!
I tried to beat around the bush and say that I had an accident.
“So, my father wants to meet you once. Is that okay?”
At my words, Paejon’s face instantly rotted away.
