A brilliantly bright moon was illuminating the night sky over Gangdo.
The silver radiance pouring from the full moon was naturally falling upon the Training Grounds near the entrance of Hero Gate as well.
A single slender silhouette sitting cross-legged with a sword resting atop her knees.
It was Jeon Ra-hwa, who today as always had dedicated herself to training for the entire day without exception.
However, her head was drooping forward little by little. Her eyelids hung heavily, and her mouth had fallen half open. Every time her head suddenly lurched all the way down, she would startle awake and straighten her back, only to droop again shortly after.
A struggle against the Sleep Demon.
The outcome was tilting toward a decisive victory for the Sleep Demon.
Tap.
A soundless landing resounded right before her.
Even half-asleep, Jeon Ra-hwa's senses did not miss it.
Her head slowly lifted.
With half-closed eyes she groped in the direction of the presence.
Dong Bong-soo was standing there.
His back to the moonlight.
Something slung over his shoulder.
Thump.
Jeon Ra-hwa peers up at it, face dangling with drowsiness.
"Eu-a-ham. You're finally back...? Huh? What's that?"
"A gift."
Jeon Ra-hwa narrows her already sleepy eyes further, as if suspicious.
"A gift? That thing?"
Jeon Ra-hwa pokes the 'gift' this way and that with a wooden stick, then looks back at Dong Bong-soo again.
"It's a person...isn't it? Anyone can see that."
This time she pokes its nose and pokes its rear.
Still a person, no matter how she looks at it.
"Yeah. A person."
"..."
"A person like a little star candy."
"What do you mean, little star candy?"
"Him."
"No, I mean...Ah, forget it, forget it. Anyway, you're saying this person is a gift?"
"Yeah."
"A gift for whom?"
"Our household."
Jeon Ra-hwa quietly examined Dong Mu-toe as he lay collapsed there.
A bit thin, and there was something resembling a footprint stamped on his face, but from any angle he had quite a handsome face and skin as pale and white as a pallid ghost. Anyone could see he appeared to be a person belonging to a distinguished family or an equally excellent organization.
A gift and a person.
It seemed like an exchange that could never be considered equal, but in this Great Viet Empire, it was a more common occurrence than one might think. Jeon Ra-hwa herself had once been given as someone's birthday gift.
"You haven't brought him as a slave, have you?"
"A slave."
Dong Mu-toe is a 'Subordinate.'
It may seem similar at a glance, but in the strict sense, it is a completely different nature from slavery. Above all else, something like slaves is an absolute disgrace that should never exist within the organization called Hero Gate.
"No."
"Then what do you mean by gift?"
"For now."
Dong Bong-soo crouched down, stared intently at Dong Mu-toe's face, and said.
"Let's just say he's a member of the family."
"Haaa. That means he's still a freeloader member of the family for now."
"Well, for now."
Jeon Ra-hwa stared down at Dong Mu-toe once more and asked.
"But. What did this person used to do?"
"He draws well, it seems."
"Aah, so he was a Painter. The children will like him."
"Probably."
With that, toward Dong Bong-soo's back as he headed inside, Jeon Ra-hwa called out.
"Wait, where are you going?"
"Where would someone who came home after hard work be going at this hour of night?"
"There are two problems with that statement, for a start."
"What?"
"Hard work. Person."
"What about it?"
"If you went for a stroll you were just out having fun, and whether you're even a person is still something I'm fifty-fifty on."
"Have a little faith. You're lacking in faith in people."
"Anyway, setting that aside, where are you going?"
"To sleep."
"What about this person?"
"He should sleep too. Though it looks like he's already sleeping soundly."
"No, I mean, where do we put him to sleep?"
Dong Bong-soo looked around and saw a new building some twenty jang east of the entrance.
"Put him in there."
"That's the workshop you told us to build."
The three structures Dong Bong-soo had commissioned as he went out some time ago.
It must have been one of the Medical Room, Workshop, and Dormitory.
Not knowing exactly what [Alchemy) as described by What is Hero entailed, it was the place that would be used as the (Alchemy Workshop) going forward.
"Perfect."
"What? There's also a Dormitory behind it? Though of course it's equally unfinished."
"No, it's fine. Put him in the workshop."
"...He's definitely not a slave, right?"
"Yeah. He's not, isn't he."
"...If he is, then he is, if he isn't, then he isn't-what do you mean, he's not, isn't he?"
"I'd prefer the not-slave side myself-"
Dong Bong-soo's white teeth showed. His canines reflected dazzlingly white in the moonlight.
"He'll choose for himself. Soon."
"..."
And so, yet another member was added to Hero Gate.
***
His eyes opened.
'Where is this...?'
Where is this?
Dong Mu-toe stared up at the ceiling for a moment with a blank expression.
A wooden ceiling.
None of the places he had ever stayed in had wooden construction.
It was an unfamiliar place.
Rattle.
A clump of dust falling from the ceiling.
Unfinished timber was scattered here and there.
On one wall there was only a window frame with no window, and on the opposite side the wall itself had only been raised halfway.
There was a roof, but there were gaps in places so that the predawn light seeped in like threads of gold.
Wood shavings and sawdust were scattered across the floor, and in a corner there was a straw mat that appeared to have been laid down as a temporary measure.
A half-built structure.
Anyone could see it was a space still very much under construction.
"What the-, this place.... Ow ow ow."
A murmur that had come out on its own went right back in on its own.
It was due to the throbbing of his right cheek and the bloody taste and pain in his mouth.
He immediately searched his memory.
Eight Direction Uninterrupted Hell.
Target.
Breakthrough.
And...
'What was it?'
His memories after that were hazy.
There had definitely been something.
The sensation of his knees buckling.
A cold touch on his face.
He had thought it might be a dream, but it was certainly not a dream.
It didn't matter.
What was more important was something else.
'I'm alive.'
Unexpected.
Someone who had broken through the Eight Direction Uninterrupted Hell could have killed him without a
second thought.
'Why did he keep me alive?'
The target...no, it's the other way around now.
Either way, a curiosity about that person sprouted within him.
Who they were, what sort of individual they had been, how they could be so powerful.
Of course, one far greater curiosity that was incomparably beyond all those trivial things stood at the fore of every question.
'How on earth did they break through it?'
The seventh formation, Space-Time Turbulence Formation.
A formation that folds space.
A structure from which escape is logically impossible.
And yet that person had broken through it.
Perhaps it would be more accurate to say it was more than merely breaking through it.
'They said they were never trapped to begin with, so perhaps?'
Faith.
Belief.
Does not fold.
He hadn't the faintest clue what any of it meant.
'I want to know.
Dong Mu-toe rotated his shoulders alternately.
There were no binding restraints, no iron chains, no cangue of the kind ordinarily placed around a prisoner's neck.
His physical condition was fine, and his internal energy was intact.
Meaning, it was all simply left unbound so that he could escape if he wished.
He need only stand, step out that door, and deploy his Lightness Arts, and escape would be achieved.
Twitch.
The bridge of Dong Mu-toe's nose crinkled slightly.
'Why would I go?"
If he ran, he would never know.
What that fellow was.
How he had broken through.
What that 'faith' was.
He wanted to know so badly it would kill him.
No, no. He wanted to know so badly he would gladly die a hundred deaths.
Tuk-tuk, he shook himself lightly and rose from his spot.
Creeak.
At that very moment, the door opened.
A young boy poking his head in. He appeared to be around ten years old.
"Oh? You're up! Gate Leader! The painter uncle woke up!"
'Painter...uncle?'
Dong Mu-toe's eyes narrowed.
A Trigram Leader of Formation Tower.
One of the Eight Trigram Leaders.
A painter? And uncle at that?
— Come outside.
A peculiar transmission that he couldn't tell was Sound Transmission or Mind Speech rang directly in his mind.
This kind of Sound Transmission, no matter how exquisitely one mastered it, ordinarily carries a sense of directionality...yet this voice had no discernible location whatsoever.
What was certain, however, was that it was undeniably that person's voice. A voice with no rise or fall at all-or should he call it a thought? Either way, just from the transmission of meaning that carried no intonation whatsoever, it was possible to surmise that this was that person he had seen then.
Dong Mu-toe leapt to his feet.
His heart beat.
It was not fear.
It was anticipation.
'I have to ask again.'
He flung the door open and stepped out as if flying.
***
The wide Training Grounds.
The first thing that entered his eyes was the children.
Ten of them.
Their ages varied, but generally they were young enough to be around ten years old. They were huddled together on one side of the Training Grounds.
The second thing that entered his eyes was the two people in the center of the Training Grounds.
One of them was that 'target.
Standing with arms folded.
Somehow different from how they had appeared inside the Eight Direction Uninterrupted Hell.
At that time they had clearly seemed like a being beyond human-someone from whom emotion itself had been deleted...but now they looked like a single blade standing upright. A sword honed and honed until anything that came near would be cut.
Judging from the child's earlier manner of address, they were likely the Gate Leader of some great sect.
The aura was not at all out of place for the Sect Leader of one of the Seven Evil Grand Cults or the Ten Great Sects.
Standing opposite was an extraordinarily beautiful woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties. Her black hair fell to her waist, and in her hand she held a single thin sword.
Upright posture.
Earnest eyes.
What was peculiar was that in the eyes gazing at the man called Gate Leader, there was not even a hair's breadth of reverence. Only the will to fight.
And...
Killing Intent!
As though facing a sworn enemy against whom one holds a blood grudge.
'Not a subordinate or disciple, then.'
And yet, the only thing permeating the surrounding area was peace and composure.
A sparring match where Killing Intent and peace coexist.
Something he had never heard of, never experienced.
'This in itself is interesting, in its own way.'
He walked naturally toward the Training Grounds. As he did, he casually glanced around-it had the feel of an ordinary sect.
If there was anything unusual.
'There isn't a single defensive formation.'
For a sect where someone of that level of skill resided, at minimum a perimeter formation ought to be in place as a matter of course.
There was none of that here.
No, not absent.
'Is it not needed?"
Certainly, from top to bottom, it was full of interesting things.
That person was such, and this sect of unknown standing was such as well.
He wanted to approach that person right now and resolve his burning questions, but for some reason a tension was flowing between the two of them that made it feel as though he would be torn to shreds on the spot if he stepped forward now.
He didn't mind being cut a thousand times and slaughtered ten thousand times or torn apart into pieces, but he had to die only after resolving his curiosity.
Let him wait for now.
Having arrived at a corner of the Training Grounds before he knew it, Dong Mu-toe crouched down, propped one elbow on his knee, and rested his chin on his hand. And then he observed the woman.
... What is that?'
An energy faintly rising from her body.
Cool and cold.
Like the chill of a deep winter dawn.
Yin Cold Energy.
That kind of energy was clearly blending with the Killing Intent she emanated, lowering the temperature of the surrounding air.
Somehow familiar. Yet on the other hand, also very unfamiliar.
It felt like something he had seen somewhere before.
Yet also like something he had never seen before.
'What is it? Where have I seen it?'
He searched his memory but it was not clear.
Just then.
"Kill."
The Gate Leader's flat voice fell.
"If you can't kill me, there's no dinner."
In that instant.
Swoosh!
Cold energy erupted explosively from the woman's body.
Everything in all directions turned white in an instant.
The moisture in the air froze, became snowflakes, and scattered through the air.
Simultaneously.
Whooosh!
The woman's figure vanished.
-x-X-x-
'Wooaaah! Go, Auntie!"
"Go, go!"
'Dinner! Dinner!"
As though it was a familiar sight, the children cheered.
In contrast, Dong Mu-toe's eyes narrowed.
'She's circulating Yin Cold Energy like that?'
It was not simply the level of emanating cold energy.
Ordinarily, martial arts of the Yin Cold Energy variety discharge cold energy and chill energy outward.
Hardened solid like ice and fired, or scattered like a blizzard.
Either way, it is a method that erupts outward.
But that was different.
The cold energy was circling the outermost layer of her body.
As if winding thread onto an invisible spindle, the cold energy was layering itself in fine lines centered on her, and simultaneously seeping faintly outward as well.
'Convergence and diffusion at the same time?'
An impossible structure.
At least, not a method that existed among any of the Yin Cold Energy Mental Cultivation Methods Dong
Mu-toe knew.
That was like.
'A Formation.'
Of course it was not an actual formation.
For a formation, a medium is required.
Whether a talisman, terrain, or Formation Core.
That woman was simply using her own body as the medium to circulate the cold energy.
Truly a fresh and original way of circulating energy unlike anything he had seen before.
Whooosh!
Jeon Ra-hwa once more slides like a brush through the snowflakes and launches herself explosively toward Dong Bong-soo.
Her sword flashed like an icicle drinking in sunlight.
Upper strike.
A vertical slash aimed at the crown of the head. Whether she truly intended to kill him or not, Killing Intent was packed densely within the cold energy.
Swoosh.
Dong Bong-soo turned his head to the side.
Just enough for the sword to pass.
Without a single inch of error.
The sword cleaved through the air.
As though an ice line had been drawn, the air froze rapidly along the trajectory.
Jeon Ra-hwa's next attack followed in the same stance.
Horizontal slash.
A vertical stroke immediately followed by a horizontal stroke a consecutive strike.
Even more cold energy was loaded into the second slash.
Swoosh. Swoosh.
Dong Bong-soo tilted his torso back slightly and immediately bent forward.
The sword grazed the top of his head.
A single strand of hair was cut and fell.
"Oh? She cut him, she cut him."
"Cut what. That was just grazing a strand of hair."
"Isn't that still getting hit once?"
'No it isn't. Just one measly strand."
The children's back-and-forth debate continued.
Dong Mu-toe, sitting on the opposite side, let the children's words wash past him while keeping his gaze fixed solely on the sparring unfolding in the Training Grounds.
Whooosh!
Jeon Ra-hwa swung her sword once more.
This time it was not a simple slash.
Cold energy condensed at the tip of the blade, and a crescent-moon-shaped energy wave materialized into tangible form.
Crescent Moon Cold Sword Energy.
Whooom!
The energy wave flew toward Dong Bong-soo.
Fast, cold, and sharp.
Dong Bong-soo did not evade.
Instead.
He flicked his index finger.
Pop.
The energy wave shattered to pieces.
As though glass had broken.
The cold energy turned to fragments and scattered like cherry blossom petals falling in abundance on a spring day.
"...! "
A slight tremor rippled through Jeon Ra-hwa's pupils.
But before long the light in her eyes settled back into cold stillness.
"Again."
Dong Bong-soo's flat voice fell.
Neither praise, nor reproach, nor encouragement.
Dong Bong-soo was instilling mechanical 'repetition. That was generally the fastest method. It had already been proven as much. Even granted that he had modified the Dragon Phoenix Crown Opening Great Method he had originally received from Tang O into the Acupoint Chasing Method and performed it for her almost every day, growth of this degree was beyond common sense.
The system of What is Hero and Jeon Ra-hwa's innate gifts.
And.
Without this infinite repetition it would have been impossible.
"Aaaah!"
With a cold shout, Jeon Ra-hwa rushed forward again.
Sshhhh-
The sword drew pure white afterimages in the air.
One, two, three, four, five, six...
A countless number of slashes poured toward Dong Bong-soo almost simultaneously.
Cold energy blossoms along each trajectory.
As though ice bars were trying to cage Dong Bong-soo in, they encircled him. It was like a Sword Dance woven by a supreme-level Swordmaster amid that chaos of snow and flower petals falling without mercy together.
But.
Dong Bong-soo moved.
No-even saying 'moved' was something of an approximation.
He simply, from the same spot, twisted his body this way and that ever so slightly.
As though wind blows serenely even through a blizzard, every slash slipped and slid away.
'Wow.... As expected of Gate Leader."
'Auntie's not done yet! Go, go!"
The children's gasps and cheers.
In contrast, Dong Mu-toe had already lowered his propped arm and was continually swallowing.
'Insane... I can't analyze it.'
Even with the ability to size up the world through the logic of the Eight Trigrams and Nine Palaces, even with the analytical capacity cultivated as a Formation Taoist, that person's movements were beyond interpretation.
Like water flowing, like wind blowing.
Too simple.
Too natural.
'There's no system.
Martial arts have a system.
There are forms, variations of forms, and combinations.
Even the greatest master moves within that framework.
That person.
'Is just dodging...
That was all.
There was no system, yet it was perfect.
There was no logic, yet there were no openings.
Whooosh!
Jeon Ra-hwa prepared her final attack.
The atmosphere changed.
Jeon Ra-hwa's gaze turned earnest.
The cold energy reached its peak.
The entire Training Grounds grew chilled.
The children shrank from the cold.
"Ugh, it's cold."
'Auntie looks like she's finally going for real this time."
'This time she might actually kill Gate Leader for real?"
"Hey, Gate Leader can't die..."
4G
'But he always says to kill him? Fight a sparring match like it's a death duel, and fight a death duel like
it's a sparring match."
"He only says that as a figure of speech, you idiot."
"Just watch. You bunch of blockheads."
Amid the children's squabbling, Jeon Ra-hwa was regulating her breath, breathing in deeply and letting it out.
Hoo...
White vapor rose from her mouth.
A fog of energy with condensed cold energy.
Even those wisps of fog soon began orbiting around her body as well.
Shk-
She leveled her blade straight, pointing it directly at Dong Bong-soo.
A sword stance that gathered all the cold energy in her body to a single point at the tip.
The blade froze pure white.
Crack, crack-
The sound of the air inside the Training Grounds freezing swallowed up the surroundings.
At some moment, strangely, a warm breeze blew across the entire Training Grounds.
No-more like a scorching hot wind, as though midsummer blazing sun was beating down directly.
Only a single point.
Only the tip of Jeon Ra-hwa's blade shone translucently like a Freezing Point.
An instant.
Jeon Ra-hwa's figure was launched.
The Ice Sword drove in straight.
A pure white streak of light aimed at the heart.
Fast.
Sharp.
And equally concise and beautiful.
A small dot.
A single point of Ice Energy gathered at the tip of the blade.
As it drew closer to Dong Bong-soo, it expanded.
As though it were alive.
One span.
One meter.
Three meters.
At some point it was no longer a sword.
A great Ice Beast had opened its maw and was crashing down upon Dong Bong-soo.
As though to swallow him.
As though to consume him whole.
As though to freeze his very existence.
Once again the season of the Training Grounds reversed.
From winter it had become summer, then plummeted straight back down to winter.
The children shrank from the flowing cold energy.
Even Dong Mu-toe found himself pulling his torso back without realizing it.
In an instant, the world turned white.
All those watching the sparring held their breath.
At that moment.
Dong Bong-soo moved.
For the first time.
He moved properly.
Shk-
He caught the sword between two fingers.
*...!"
The sword stopped.
Completely.
It could not advance even one more inch.
The season was neither winter nor summer but had become spring.
Like a spring day with a sweetly blowing warm breeze,
"Ah-."
Astonishment rose across Jeon Ra-hwa's face.
A strike with her full power, blocked by two fingers.
Still...still, this is all she can manage.
The cold energy gently faded away.
The thin ice film wrapped around the blade quietly melted.
Drip-drip.
Water droplets flowing to the floor.
One drop, two drops.
Dong Bong-soo released the sword he had caught and opened his mouth.
'You believe so strongly that everything shows through clearly."
"Pardon?"
"That was good."
"..."
"You're doing well."
Enough to go out hunting on her own now.
Tap-tap.
Dong Bong-soo lightly tapped the top of Jeon Ra-hwa's head.
Praise is easy. Yet its effect is endless. There is no reason not to do it.
"Hmph. Next time I'm really going to kill you."
"Yeah. I sincerely hope you will."
'Ah, does that mean I have to skip dinner again today."
"No."
Dong Bong-soo lightly scattered Super True Energy Field across the ground.
Then a single short strand of hair, dampened among the melted water, was drawn into his hand.
"Cleanly cut."
"It's just one strand of hair?"
"Either way, it's head hair."
"...?"
'For a man, that's everything."
"I don't know what you mean by that but it means we get to eat dinner, right?"
"Right."
And with that, Dong Bong-soo left the Training Grounds.
Behind him, Jeon Ra-hwa was grinning away about who knows what as she ran toward the children.
As though that single word 'right' was some magnificent reward.
While Jeon Ra-hwa and the children were making a great commotion.
Dong Bong-soo walked up and stood before Dong Mu-toe.
"You're up."
Dong Mu-toe smiled faintly.
'Thanks to you I got to see something interesting."
Standing against the backlight with the sun behind him, no reaction whatsoever could be seen from Dong Bong-soo. Only eyes that held no particular meaning at all were visible.
Dong Mu-toe slowly rose from where he sat, brought his eyes level with the other's, and opened his mouth.
"Why didn't you kill me and bring me here instead?"
'Why would I kill a useful slave?"
'Slave is a bit much, isn't it? Humble as I may look, I am a Trigram Leader of Formation Tower, I am."
'Formation Tower? Trigram Leader? What's that?"
"..."
"..."
"One of the Three Forces Beyond Heaven."
"..."
'Ah, right. You don't need to know. It's nothing at all. Formation Tower is just a group of money-crazed idiots, and Trigram Leader is an extra-grade idiot among those idiots.
"Is that so?"
He had a feeling he was getting tangled up in something, but Dong Mu-toe didn't particularly mind.
'Fine, fine, anyway."
Because questions had been piling up like a mountain.
"If I become your slave, will you answer?"
'Answer what?"
"What I ask."
"Whether I answer or not, you're already my Subordinate."
'Alright, alright. I'll be subordinate. What's the big deal? I'm already yours. Whether you touch my rear or stick your-Ah, that's a bit much. Anyway."
Dong Mu-toe clasped his hands together and his eyes gleamed.
"Last time you said something about faith. What is that? What kind of martial art is it? Is it Formation Path? Or something else..."
"Shut up."
"Mmph-mmph!
It worked.
He had silenced that fellow's mouth with a single word.
He would have to experiment step by step going forward to know for certain, but the 'Power of Subordination' was undoubtedly broader in scope than he had imagined.
Shing-
Dong Bong-soo drew his razor-sharp sword and lightly pressed it to Dong Mu-toe's neck.
"Well, it's already the case, but going forward you'll need to stay by my side for quite a long time."
At that, Dong Mu-toe grinned.
"Mmph-mmph!
"..."
He's pleased?
What a peculiar specimen.
He was certainly going to be useful in equal measure.
He might even be thankful that his life was being aimed at.
Dong Bong-soo sheathed his sword and said.
"Speak."
''Ah-ah, Ah-ah. Wow, what is this? How on earth did you do it? Is this Spirit Word type? Or intention-based? How does a technique take form without even a Formation Core? Could it be using the soul itself directly as a medium? Then where is the endpoint? Meridians? Divine Consciousness? Spirit Terrace? No, wait. I never agreed to anything in the first place-how did the vow take effect? What is the starting condition of the binding? Time? Location? Utterance? Or is it inverse-calculating causality itself..."
Dong Bong-soo could now perfectly understand what kind of individual Dong Mu-toe was.
For such a person, nothing in the world matters.
Only truth. Life is like a blade of grass, but truth and knowledge are absolute that type.
"Shut up."
"Mmph-mmph."
'One per day."
Dong Bong-soo's face drew close until it was right before Dong Mu-toe's nose.
"Questions, that is."
"Mmph-mmph!
'But there's a condition."
Dong Mu-toe's head moved rapidly up and down.
Dong Bong-soo's indifferent voice followed immediately.
"From this moment on, you will become a Disciple of our Hero Gate."
Dong Mu-toe's head nodded immediately.
Ding.
[You have enlisted a qualified, trustworthy individual into your guild.]
[Though small, your guild has become more just.]
"Hero Gate is a righteous and upright organization. All you have to do going forward is act accordingly."
Again Dong Mu-toe's head bobs.
Along with it, Dong Bong-soo's canines showed white.
"Welcome."
To joining the apex of the food chain.
=====[Guild Member Details]=====
[Dong Mu-toe]
» Position: Guild Member
» Combat Level: Immeasurable
» Status: Normal
» Trust Level: [Subordinate].
» Main Specialty: Formation Path
» Sub Specialty: Magic-type
» Current Mission: None
» Main Equipment: (Inventory held)
» Growth Speed: Very Slow
» Potential: Supreme [Special Notes]
Alliance Under Heaven Formation Trigram Leader.
-x-X-x-
The other side of the Training Grounds.
The moment the sparring ended, Jeon Ra-hwa gathered the children and began teaching them letters.
Following her lead, the children huddled together and sat down.
Some children had crooked posture and some were yawning, but in the end they all picked up their books and listened attentively to her words.
'Now, let's review what we did last time. Heaven-Earth-Dark-Yellow."
'Ah, Auntie. We're starting from the beginning again?"
"Here, it's not Auntie, it's Teacher."
"Yes, Aunt-cher."
"...Ji-ho, you're going to get it if you keep that up?"
'Yes, Aunt-eacher."
"Come here! I'm going to freeze you solid and smack you around properly today!"
"W-wait? Teacher! Teacher!"
Dong Bong-soo silently watched that scene.
Amusingly, even while teaching letters, a faint cold energy was rising from Jeon Ra-hwa's body. Even more so when she was running around like this, practicing the grace of a teacher in action.
She was directly applying the energy circulation method he had taught her.
The fact that she was utilizing it so precisely after only being shown once was already astonishing, but that tenacity of hers in absorbing martial arts without resting for even a moment. That was nothing short of genius-level.
What exactly was pushing her to such extremes was honestly something Dong Bong-soo could not quite feel for himself. He could only know it.
The influence of What is Hero's Faith system. And from that, her belief in herself.
There could be more to it, but he did not need to know every variable.
There was a multivariable equation called Jeon Ra-hwa, and he could control the most important variable among them and see it through well.
The bond with the Gate Leader 'Kim Rae-won. As long as this core element was managed and cultivated well, that was sufficient.
"Mmph-mmph!
Beside him, Dong Mu-toe continued to generate noise.
Since he could not open his mouth, he was forcefully exhaling through his nostrils to assert his presence.
However, he had no intention of unsealing the fellow's mouth just yet.
Dong Bong-soo simply kept his gaze fixed on Jeon Ra-hwa.
Whooosh.
A cold, chilly energy was circling around her body as she recited the text. As though an invisible thread were wrapping itself around her.
And yet there was no change whatsoever in the temperature of the Training Grounds. Only where her footsteps and hands touched and then lifted away-the blue stone floor of the Training Grounds, the rolling pebbles, the blades of grass, the edges of book pages-dew was forming.
It was a simple physical phenomenon arising from the temperature differential caused by heat absorption and heat release.
"Mmph-mmph!
This time Dong Mu-toe stamped his feet.
More urgently than before, like a child desperately holding in the urge to relieve himself.
Then finally he reached his hand into the leather pouch hanging at his waist and pulled it out. Strangely, paper in a bundle far larger than the pouch itself came tumbling out.
Ding.
[A new item has been detected.]
Small Void Heaven Pouch
» Grade: Legendary
» Category: Miscellaneous-Inventory
» Description: A portable storage device made by the Yeomsin Small Clan Special Effect: A small amount of items can be stored within.]
'So that's the equipment recognized in the Guild Window earlier.'
[Main Equipment: (Inventory held)]
It was not particularly surprising.
Within Kim Rae-won's memories, Dharma Treasures of that sort had definitely existed. Whether they were exactly the same was unclear since those memories were hazy.
Dong Mu-toe flicked his fingers this way and that rapidly across the paper. He then held it up and spread it open before Dong Bong-soo's eyes.
- That woman.
Unable to speak, he was requesting written communication.
He was quite starved for words, this one.
Whiff-whiff
Dong Mu-toe made mmph-mmph sounds as he rapidly pointed one index finger toward Jeon Ra-hwa's direction.
Then he scrawled something down instantly on a new sheet and held it up opened.
- That martial art, I mean.
Dong Mu-toe now moved to stand alongside Dong Bong-soo, looking at Jeon Ra-hwa side by side.
- The way she's using Yin Cold Energy.
Dong Mu-toe drew a circle in the air with his hand that was not holding paper.
A slow but precise movement.
- Normally it's discharged outward, right. Either hardened solid like ice, or scattered like a blizzard.
The circle was completed.
His finger pointed to the center of the circle.
- But that's different. Convergence and diffusion are occurring simultaneously.
Dong Bong-soo simply watched in silence.
- A structure where cold energy circulates centered on the body while simultaneously seeping outward.
Dong Mu-toe tilted his head and scratched his temple with the finger that had drawn the circle.
- At first I thought it was a method I'd never seen before.
Dong Bong-soo remained silent.
- Heavenly Yin...
A breeze blew and stirred his hair.
- That's right, isn't it? The martial arts there were of this kind of lineage, I think?
Setting aside the talkativeness, he was a remarkably sharp individual.
It might be more accurate to say that it was only natural for a Trigram Leader of the Alliance Under Heaven Formation. Formation Path in some respects could be considered the engineering of this world.
'Snow Snow Yin Cold Art.'
When they had encountered Palmiko before, it was simply a martial art acquired from the corpse of some master near there, and it happened to have a very high compatibility with Jeon Ra-hwa's constitution, so he had her learn it. Nothing more.
But after fighting Cheol So-a, he had sensed it.
That the texture of the Snow Snow Yin Cold Art was remarkably similar to that of the Heavenly Yin Sect.
At the time, whether they shared the same root or whether it was coincidence was unclear, so he had withheld judgment...
Now he was certain.
That is the exclusive martial art of a place called the Heavenly Yin Sect.
And moreover, a far more advanced martial art than what Cheol So-a had used.
- That jade token at her neck also looks like it's from Heavenly Yin... them, I think.
As Dong Mu-toe's words suggested,
The Heavenly Yin Sect Dharma Maiden's Jade Token. was even now glimmering at Jeon Ra-hwa's neck.
*A kind of tracking function is embedded, possible between people sharing the same Mana.
Tracking function.
Up until now, there had been no movement whatsoever from the Heavenly Yin Sect. At least not on the surface.
But surely...
'It will be soon.
Before long, something will happen.
Whether they come searching for it, or come to find Jeon Ra-hwa.
He sincerely hoped that when they did, it would not be peacefully.
Whiff-whiff.
Dong Mu-toe urgently channeled Fire Energy onto the next sheet of paper, leaving marks that formed into characters.
- I actually know quite a bit about Heavenly Yin..., you know.
Dong Bong-soo's calm pupils fixed themselves on Dong Mu-toe's face.
- Well, ask me if you're interested.
Dong Mu-toe grinned.
The recently floor-rolled and dirtied teeth showed.
- In exchange, answer everything I ask.
Dong Bong-soo simply moved his gaze back to Jeon Ra-hwa.
The letter teaching is still ongoing.
Cold energy enveloped Jeon Ra-hwa's body, then faintly seeped out and brushed over the children's bodies.
Jeon Ra-hwa quickly reeled the cold energy back in.
'Ah, sorry. Everyone."
"It's fine, Teacher."
'That actually felt refreshing."
"Still, be careful. We can't have you all catching colds."
Her smile set off an instant uproar among the children.
'Why? Will Gate Leader scold you?"
'Blockhead. Why would Gate Leader scold Auntie over something like that?"
'Would Gate Leader say anything about that? He only ever says Aunt... Teacher is doing well."
Jeon Ra-hwa's cheeks flushed ever so slightly.
'That's... never mind! Anyway! Next passage. Sun Wax, Moon Wax and Wane. Repeat after me."
Sun Wax, Moon Wax and Wane"
A noisy chorus.
Laughter spread across the Training Grounds.
By any measure, a scene of peace.
Dong Bong-soo watched that scene for a moment and then turned away.
- Where are you going? I'm saying I'll resolve what you're curious about.
Thud.
Dong Bong-soo's footprint was once more stamped onto the fellow's face.
He plucked a single sheet of paper from the hand of the collapsing Dong Mu-toe, engraved characters
upon it, and left it stuck over Dong Mu-toe's mouth.
-You, shut up for a bit.
With that pinned to Dong Mu-toe's snout, Dong Bong-soo walked out.
Now that he had left, the affairs of this place would be handled automatically by Jeon Ra-hwa of her own accord - Auto-Administration.
***
Ten Thousand Things Known.
Sunlight streaming in through the window created several rectangular shafts of light on the chairs. Dust motes were dancing within them, but Dong Bong-soo paid no mind and settled himself into a chair.
A now-familiar creak.
'The Red-Red Alliance matter has been confirmed."
Bae Dal-pae took a seat at the table before him and poured two cups of tea.
'It has been completely disbanded. Whether any remnants remain I cannot say for certain, but there is now not a single force in the vicinity of Gangdo that could be called a bandit group."
Dong Bong-soo naturally took a sip of tea.
"Most of the forces hostile to Hero Gate have been swept away or have fled to other cities, and some appear to have given up on the Martial World entirely and chosen to live quietly. I am certain the likelihood of them regrouping to resist is extremely low."
It was as expected, but it was not a good outcome.
Peace can never be the destination a hero must pursue.
"Continue."
Bae Dal-pae went on.
'Next is the situation outside Gangdo."
Dong Bong-soo set his teacup on the table.
It was a small sound, but Bae Dal-pae felt for some reason as though he was drawn to focus even more intently on Dong Bong-soo.
'It seems the existence of Hero Gate has become firmly imprinted on the surrounding region."
Dong Bong-soo's eyes showed no change whatsoever.
'There are no forces making aggressive moves yet, but the rumors have already spread and their reach is rapidly expanding."
"What kind of rumors?"
'A new sect has appeared in Gangdo. They swept away the Red-Red Alliance in a single night. The Gate Leader is a young man. Well, about that level."
Bae Dal-pae counted on his fingers.
"Some parts are exaggerated and some parts understated. Most are still in a wait-and-see mode."
Dong Bong-soo tapped the table with his fingers.
Tap, tap, tap.
A steady rhythm.
'However, certain factions are showing great interest. Whether for good or ill."
Dong Bong-soo nodded and folded his arms. Because he had judged that such a nuanced gesture was appropriate for the character of Kim Rae-won he had constructed.
"Continue."
Bae Dal-pae composed himself and spoke.
His expression became somewhat more serious.
"Next, this is the most important matter."
Dong Bong-soo unfolded his arms and rested his chin on his hand instead.
"The Central Plains is in an uproar."
The corner of Dong Bong-soo's eye moved almost imperceptibly.
Bae Dal-pae did not miss it.
"An uproar?"
'The Vast Heaven Limitless Sword Sect and the Dark Net Rakshasa Path."
Silence flowed.
But Dong Bong-soo quickly drew forth information from within Kim Rae-won's memories.
Vast Heaven Limitless Sword Sect.
One of the Ten Great Sects.
A great pillar of the Orthodox Martial World.
Twelve hundred years ago, since Limitless Sword Immortal Vast Heaven Jinin founded it on Vast Heaven Mountain at the southernmost tip of the Cloud Ridge mountain range, a prestigious house of swords whose reputation has never once been broken.
The main sect's disciples alone numbered three thousand, and combined with branch sects and secular disciples, a major force reaching fifteen thousand.
The current Sect Leader, Vast Heaven Sword Venerable, is a Sword Emperor-level master, beneath whom the Limitless Sword Elder and the Vast Heaven Three Swords support the sect.
Above all, among the Orthodox Path they are most famous for their strictly principled character.
Compromise with the Evil Path? Such a word does not exist in their vocabulary.
Dark Net Rakshasa Path.
One of the Seven Evil Grand Cults.
The madness of the Evil Path Martial World.
Eight hundred years ago, since Rakshasa Demon Lord, who had fallen from Buddhism, founded the cult, they have spilled countless blood under the twisted doctrine of 'Killing Is Liberation'. Both those who kill and those who are killed are all saved. Kill and be killed, and in the end you will surely break free from all the suffering of this world and become an immortal or a Buddha.
That fanatical belief turned the followers into the most fearless slaughterers in the world.
Core followers numbered two thousand, and combined with outlying and affiliated organizations, a force reaching ten thousand.
But more frightening than their numbers is their fanaticism.
The current Cult Leader, Dark Net Great Venerable, has held the position of Cult Leader for fifty years and is said to have virtually no equal in the mortal world that is the Central Plains.
Left Guardian Scarlet Rakshasa, Right Guardian White Bone Rakshasa, and the cult's finest elite, the Twelve Rakshasas, move beneath him.
Mandalas painted in blood, ritual implements fashioned from human bones.
Even other Evil Path sects keep their distance from their madness.
Two forces like oil and water.
No, existences even more unmixable than oil and water.
"Intelligence has come in that war between the two is imminent."
Bae Dal-pae's voice dropped lower.
'At the earliest, one month. No later than three months."
Dong Bong-soo's fingers tapped the table again.
This time the rhythm was a little faster.
"It appears it will be the greatest clash since the Blood Heaven Great Chaos that occurred some hundred years ago."
Blood Heaven Great Chaos
Kim Rae-won's memory quickly supplied the output for that input.
A hundred years ago, the great Orthodox-Evil collision when the sky was dyed in blood.
The era in which the most blood was spilled in all of Martial World history.
The number of those who died then has still not been tallied with precision.
But one thing is certain after that, both the Orthodox Path and the Evil Path have avoided large-scale warfare.
'What's the cause?"
Dong Bong-soo asked.
Bae Dal-pae bowed his head slightly.
'The Dark Net Rakshasa Path attacked one of the Vast Heaven Limitless Sword Sect's branch sects.
Over fifty disciples were massacred and the corpses were used to perform a ritual, it is said."
"A ritual?"
'In their terms, securing sacred offerings."
Sacred offerings.
Dong Bong-soo did not reply.
He looked out the window.
The blue sky was visible.
A peaceful sky.
Somewhere beyond it, a reeking storm was rolling in.
'Why are you smiling?"
At Bae Dal-pae's question, Dong Bong-soo turned his head.
"Ah, was I smiling?"
'Yes. It appeared so."
Dong Bong-soo raised his right hand and felt around his mouth, the area around his nose, and the corners of his eyes.
It was necessary to commit the feeling of this smile to memory through the subtle sensations of his hand. He would need to employ and vary this expression again in the future.
Either way, from his perspective, he could not help but smile.
War.
Just the thought of it brought an ear-to-ear grin.
'It seems like the starting point for putting a great cause into practice."
With the stench of blood filling the air, how could one not smile?
With prey gathering of their own accord, what could be more welcome than that?
A perfect debut stage for making one's entrance into the Martial World as a hero had been arranged -how could one possibly hold back?
At times like this, the mask of 'Hero' is so very convenient.
Because one can smile to one's heart's content.
Interpret it however you like.
-x-X-x-
"I'm glad you think that way."
Bae Dal-pae let out a deep sigh and continued.
"Earlier I mentioned that certain factions were showing great interest in Hero Gate, didn't I?"
"You did. Whether for good or ill."
"Yes. And it seems...the interest being directed our way is very significant-on the bad side."
'The bad side?"
'The Vast Heaven Limitless Sword Sect and the Dark Net Rakshasa Path are apparently dragging every last small and mid-sized sect within their sphere of influence into this conflict."
"I see."
'This is not an 'I see' situation. This is growing far larger than anticipated-"
'No. It's the natural order. The nature of human society when it forms groups."
"Pardon?"
'Throughout all of history, great powers have always acted like bandits, and lesser powers have always acted like courtesans."
"..."
"That's the nature of this breed called humans when they band together. The stronger they are, the more they act like bandits."
"Well..."
Bae Dal-pae stood with his mouth slightly open, saying nothing.
Then, blinking his eyes two or three times, he resumed the conversation.
"Yes. The phrasing is a bit strong, but that's exactly how things are unfolding."
"So?"
"Pardon?"
'So what's your conclusion?"
"..."
'What is it we need to do?"
Bae Dal-pae scratched his temple for a long while before finally opening his mouth.
'The Vast Heaven Limitless Sword Sect's envoy delegation...is apparently already on its way here."
A war-ready envoy delegation from the Vast Heaven Limitless Sword Sect, already making its way here?
The corners of Dong Bong-soo's lips spread open.
"Good."
"Pardon? Them coming means-"
'I know, I know. I know what it means. Don't rehash what you said earlier."
"..."
"What did I say just now?"
"Pardon?"
'The strong always act like bandits, and the weak always act like prostitutes."
"... "
'Their momentum is strong, and our forces have not yet fully ripened. What should we do?"
"Ah."
The expression on Dong Bong-soo's face, which had grown slightly lukewarm, was now flushed with warm heat.
'Sell a bit of the body, that's what. What's so difficult about that?"
It was exactly what he'd been hoping for.
Wasn't the [Guild Window] idling away in an open-but-closed state anyway?
"In exchange, the flower fee ought to be collected generously."
Put on some airs, get a bit of shaping done, put on some makeup...
And if need be, get drenched in a bit of blood as well.
***
The Vast Heaven Limitless Sword Sect.
The oldest and greatest sacred ground of the sword in the current Martial World.
That sect had six corps.
The Sword Training Corps, responsible for training.
The Sword Guard Corps, responsible for protecting the main mountain.
The Sword Branch Corps, responsible for managing branch sects.
The Sword Scouting Corps, responsible for gathering intelligence.
The Sword Law Corps, responsible for enforcing discipline.
And finally.
Last of all, the Sword Patrol Corps, responsible for external negotiations and inspection tours.
"Corps Leader, it's approximately two days until Gangdo."
Even at the subordinate's report, the man in his thirties seated on horseback, his long hair streaming in the wind, did not turn his head.
Sang Gwan-hwi.
Epithet: Heavenly Bloom Sword.
The youngest of the Vast Heaven Three Swords, and Corps Leader of the Sword Patrol Corps.
Features sharp as a blade, skin clear as jade.
His appearance was closer to that of a noble son than a swordsman-yet his eyes were different.
The light dwelling within those narrowly slitted eyes was like a sword edge freshly honed.
Rising to the position of Corps Leader at the age of thirty-two was a record without precedent in the twelve-hundred-year history of the Vast Heaven Limitless Sword Sect.
Of course, one couldn't say it was entirely unrelated to the fact that he was the youngest disciple of the Sect Leader, Vast Heaven Sword Venerable.
Yet it was equally true that that alone couldn't explain everything.
The Vast Heaven Limitless Sword Sect was a place that would never permit someone without ability to rise to a high position.
He simply gazed at the horizon stretching far ahead from atop his horse.
The emblem of the Vast Heaven Limitless Sword Sect embroidered on his white robe-a sword rising through the clouds-fluttered in the wind.
"Two days."
Sang Gwan-hwi's voice was composed, yet within it lingered an undisguisable weariness.
"I can't fathom why I should be burdened with such trivial errands."
"... "
"Shouldn't this be a task for Elder Sister or Second Elder Brother? Why me?"
"The Sword Guard Corps Leader is handling the defense of the main mountain, while the Sword Law Corps Leader is already managing the eastern front where conflict with the Dark Net Rakshasa Path is underway..."
"I know. I know that."
Sang Gwan-hwi waved his hand listlessly, cutting off his adjutant's words.
He knew.
How pressing the current situation was.
Not long ago, the Dark Net Rakshasa Path had attacked a branch sect of the Vast Heaven Limitless Sword Sect, the Azure Cloud Sword Sect.
Fifty-three disciples had been massacred.
And it wasn't simply a matter of killing.
The bodies were gathered and used-employed-in what they called their mad "ritual."
They painted mandalas in blood and forged ritual implements from bones.
A blatant provocation against the Vast Heaven Limitless Sword Sect.
Strictly speaking, it was more than provocation-it was a surprise declaration of war.
The Vast Heaven Sword Venerable had been enraged.
And declared.
This time, they would see it through to the end.
The problem was that the Dark Net Rakshasa Path would not have started a war without reason.
Killing Is Liberation.
Even for fanatics who believed that killing and being killed was salvation, and even if a large-scale war was the finest "sacred feast" of all-they would not have set things in motion without a chance of victory.
Urgent support missives had been dispatched to Orthodox sects across the Central Plains, yet local conflicts had already broken out to the east and south.
Skirmishes occurred without fail each passing day, and casualties were already mounting on both sides.
It was still too early to call it an all-out war, but the sparks had already been fanned into a great flame.
That it would blaze fully and reduce one side or the other to ash was only a matter of time.
"What became of the Formation Tower matter?"
Sang Gwan-hwi asked.
'That is..."
"Speak."
'It seems the Dark Net Rakshasa Path made contact first. Apparently they've already offered a considerable sum."
A crease formed between Sang Gwan-hwi's brows.
Formation Tower.
The Alliance Under Heaven Formation.
Those who would stand on any side so long as money was given.
That their formations could alter the course of a war was something everyone knew.
"Our offer?"
"We are doing our utmost, but...it seems insufficient to match the sum the Dark Net Rakshasa Path has proposed."
"As expected."
The difference between the Orthodox Path and the Evil Path.
The Orthodox Martial World moves by principles and conviction.
The Evil Martial World moves by desire and madness.
And in terms of money, the latter had always been more brazen.
Because they cared nothing for the means.
"We'll be fortunate to reduce the scale of their participation."
"It appears so."
"... "
That was precisely why this visit to Gangdo mattered.
The Sect Leader, Vast Heaven Sword Venerable, had placed great value on Gangdo.
Though it was typically dismissed as a backwater, in truth it was an undervalued place, he had said.
Martial artists tempered through hundreds of years of standoff against Northern Yan.
A martial ecology that developed independently under a system where government and the Martial World coexisted in an aberrant symbiosis.
Cut off from the outside world and sparsely connected, yet fundamentally a very powerful place, he had said.
-No matter how much frogs-in-a-well they may be, if those frogs kill and are killed amongst themselves for hundreds of years, they grow large enough to match a serpent or a fox from outside the well.
Those had been the Vast Heaven Sword Venerable's words.
Sang Gwan-hwi had not agreed.
The borderlands were simply the borderlands.
No matter how much they fought and scrapped amongst themselves, they were nothing more than country bumpkins who had never experienced the true storms of the Martial World.
That was Sang Gwan-hwi's view.
It was simply an order, so he would follow it.
'Wasn't it the Iron God Society and the Seven Star Immortal Assembly?"
Sang Gwan-hwi asked suddenly.
The subordinate bowed his head.
'Yes, they were said to have been the two great powers of Gangdo."
"Were?"
'The Iron God Society apparently no longer exists."
"No longer exists?"
'Yes, Corps Leader. It has been completely disbanded..."
'And the Seven Star Immortal Assembly?"
"Yes, the Seven Star Immortal Assembly too has apparently vanished without a trace."
Sang Gwan-hwi's brow rose slightly.
Unexpected.
Even for rural sects, they would have had some degree of foundation.
'Then who rules the Martial World of Gangdo now?"
'They say it is the Hero Gate."
"Hero Gate? Ha, an absurdly arrogant name."
It was a name he had never heard before.
Properly speaking, a sect needed at minimum several decades of history before it earned the right to attach the character "Gate."
And on top of that, to dare affix the noble word "hero" to a rural sect's name.
'When was it founded?"
"That is...apparently only a few months ago."
'A few months?"
"Yes. Yet within those few months, they are said to have toppled both the Iron God Society and the Seven Star Immortal Assembly and seized control of all of Gangdo."
"...Hmph."
Sang Gwan-hwi snorted.
Toppling two major powers within a few months?
Two great ones.
Preposterous drivel.
A handful of rural sects squabbling amongst themselves, and they dare call themselves "great" powers.
A sneer comes naturally.
Right, this is the kind of sordid land that the borderland Martial World tends to be.
A place where hollow shells put on airs until they crumble of their own accord, and atop their ruins another hollow shell rises.
"Who did you say the Sect Leader is?"
'They say his name is Kim Rae-won."
"Kim Rae-won?"
It felt as though he had encountered the name somewhere...
Tilting his head slightly, Sang Gwan-hwi soon stroked his upper lip with his index finger and said,
"I've never heard of him."
He would surely be nothing more than a rural nobody.
"No. His origins and background are said to be unclear."
Sang Gwan-hwi asked no further.
He had no interest.
A borderland sect of that sort, in any case.
When the Vast Heaven Limitless Sword Sect extended its hand, they would receive it with gratitude and deference.
No-they had to.
That was the duty of the weak.
'Corps Leader."
The subordinate opened his mouth with caution.
"What is it?"
'If they...though such a thing would not happen if the Hero Gate does not take the Vast Heaven Limitless Sword Sect's hand, what are you planning to do?"
'What should I do?"
Sang Gwan-hwi lightly tugged the reins.
The horse stopped.
He slowly turned his head.
'I would need to spend a pleasant half-day with them first during the day."
A smile bloomed at the corner of his mouth.
A benevolent and gentle smile.
Warm as a patch of sunlight on a spring day.
Yet.
The eyes revealed beneath that smile were cold as frost.
"If there's time left at night..."
A frozen abyss, devoid of a single trace of warmth.
"I suppose we'd have to engage in some interaction."
And yet the hand stroking his sleek jawline remained, as ever, elegant.
'The method won't require much talk. Ah, though of course the manner of interaction will have to differ just a little between men and women."
The subordinate could not answer.
He simply bowed his head.
Sang Gwan-hwi looked ahead once more.
Far beyond the horizon there would be Gangdo.
'Better finish this quickly and head back.'
A tiresome errand.
What need was there for one of the Vast Heaven Three Swords to personally come and persuade a single borderland sect?
Had it not been the Sect Leader's order, it would have been a place he never would have come to.
It was an order, so he would follow it.
An order, so he would handle it swiftly.
And if they refused?
The corners of Sang Gwan-hwi's lips rose again.
That would be entertaining in its own right.
How delicious might a frog that has been fermenting for several hundred years be?
His mouth was already watering.
"Move out."
At his command, the thirty-strong elite envoy delegation of the Sword Patrol Corps began to move as one.
Dust rose.
Through that dust, white robes streamed in the wind and disappeared.
Toward Gangdo.
-x-X-x-
Late at night, after a long and busy day.
Crunch, crunch.
The light sound of footsteps, as if it had always been so, informed Dong Bong-soo of his own return home.
And one more thing.
Jeon Ra-hwa, still seated cross-legged in the Training Grounds right in front of Hero Gate's main gate, nodding off into sleep. It seemed she had decided to simply sleep here outright-a blanket was folded in the corner of the Training Grounds.
Following Dong Bong-soo's will, Super True Energy Field spread naturally in all directions, and following that same will, the blanket rode the energy as if drawn in, swirling lightly around Jeon Ra-hwa's body to cover her.
A precious resource mustn't be allowed to wither.
Crunch, crunch.
Dong Bong-soo walked toward the [Alchemy Workshop]-soon to be-where Dong Mu-toe's energy could be felt, briefly sorting through the day's events in his mind.
Fundamentally, it had all been groundwork to raise Hero Gate's 'asking price.
Three things, broadly.
Makeup Cosmetic surgery Stimulating demand
To get the right price, whether through surgery or makeup, appearances must be used to one's advantage.
The way to enhance appearances from the standpoint of a sect as an organization.
Surprisingly simple.
[Great Hero. An opening ceremony in two days makes no sense. If that were possible, any dog, cow, or mackerel could found a sect.]
[No. It's not an opening ceremony.]
[Then what do you mean by holding an opening ceremony?]
[We only need to act like it.]
[Act like...it!?]
With that, Bae Dal-pae mobilized all of Ten Thousand Things Known's personnel and sent 'invitation letters' to the remaining factions spread throughout Gangdo-set precisely for the day after tomorrow.
Dong Bong-soo himself also personally made the rounds to various sects in the vicinity of Gangdo. He even stopped by the government offices to request assistance from Yo Han-myeong.
As for stimulating demand-that too was simple.
[What!? Did you just say we won't be selective about our guests?]
[Should one who sells their body be selective about guests as a matter of course?]
[...]
[War is not fought alone, and where there is the Orthodox Path there is also the Evil Path and the Demonic Path. Is that not the fundamental structure of the Martial World?]
[Are you saying you intend to...side with the Dark Net Rakshasa Path?]
[That cannot be. We must stand on the side of justice.]
[Pardon? Then what did you mean by that?]
[Not yet. Neither Orthodox, nor Evil, nor Demonic.]
[Ah!]
Of course, this particular matter could absolutely not be resolved in two days-it would take so long that even making contact would be impossible.
Because Gangdo was clearly outside the Dark Net Rakshasa Path's sphere of influence.
Even so, it could function as a card to play.
In this world they would not know what an imaginary number is, but in the history of mathematics, the emergence of imaginary numbers was nothing short of a revolution.
Simply by mentioning the 'imaginary number' that was the Dark Net Rakshasa Path, we would be able to raise the price.
Creeeeak-
He opened the door to the [Alchemy Workshop), not yet completed.
Dong Mu-toe was crouched inside. Even in a state like this, seeing him continuously scribbling something on paper-had he been born in that other world rather than this one, he might have become someone who left a great mark in physics or mathematics.
'You can speak now."
At Dong Bong-soo's sudden words, he flinched only for an instant.
"You're back?"
Dong Mu-toe promptly looked up at Dong Bong-soo and grinned.
'The day hasn't turned yet, so I can use my question right, yeah?"
Question right.
He must have expressed it that way, referring to the allowance of one question per day.
"Use it."
'What is 'faith'?"
As expected, the sharp one. Having noticed that a long question would only waste his question right, he had apparently decided to accumulate simple questions instead.
He had judged that if simple things stacked up they could eventually be twisted into complexity, and that was how he would guide things toward the answer he wanted.
Dong Bong-soo thought it over himself.
Faith.
What was faith in What is Hero?
"The connection between the world that believes in me and myself."
'The world and me...'s connection? What does that mean?"
"I'm not accepting a second question."
"Wow. Isn't this going too far?"
"You should have asked better."
'Nooooo! How could I have done any better than this? Huh?"
'Anyway, that's all for today."
Dong Bong-soo squatted down facing Dong Mu-toe, who was making a sulking face.
'Then it's my turn."
'My, my turn for what?"
Not knowing what he was thinking, the fellow shuffled backward.
Thwack-Dong Bong-soo grabbed Dong Mu-toe's shoulders firmly.
"You as a member of Hero Gate need only answer me, the Sect Leader, sincerely and faithfully."
'Ah. That. Wow, really. I get one per day, and you get...'.
'Want to shut up?"
'I get one per day, and the Sect Leader...gets to do whatever he wants."
'Originally, it goes as the Sect Leader pleases."
'Just one more question..."
'Want to shut up?"
'Yes, Sect Leader. Please ask your question."
Dong Bong-soo asked at once.
'You said you're one of the Eight Trigram Leaders of Formation Tower, right?"
"Yeah."
Grin.
As expected, this shell was good for moments like this.
Because he could make any expression he wanted when needed.
'Go to Formation Tower for a bit."
"Huh?"
'As quickly as possible."
***
Creeeeak, thud-
Dong Bong-soo stepped out of the [Alchemy Workshop].
Dong Mu-toe was already a member of Hero Gate anyway.
Every card available to play must be used.
He lifted his head.
The moon was still high.
According to information he'd heard from Bae Dal-pae, the Vast Heaven Limitless Sword Sect's envoy delegation was currently about two days away.
Half a day had been spent, so it may have narrowed to about one day's distance.
'Sang Gwan-hwi.'
That was the name he had heard from Bae Dal-pae. A person absent even from Kim Rae-won's memories.
Fwshh-
Dong Bong-soo's figure shot upward as if to pierce the moon.
The makeup and cosmetic surgery on this side were being prepared to some degree-now it was the other party's turn to get ready.
Because in the ways of the world, an ugly guest must pay a higher flower fee.
***
The Vast Heaven Limitless Sword Sect's southern envoy delegation arrived late in the evening at a slash-and-burn village settled on a gentle hill.
A slanted patch of land one would be embarrassed to call a field.
A nameless hamlet clinging to the foot of a mountain where a few dozen people scraped by, planting millet and sorghum to survive.
It was a village so poor that even in this lawless world, no one would covet it.
"Halt."
Sang Gwan-hwi raised his hand.
At that, the clamorous sound of hoofbeats ceased in perfect unison.
"We rest there."
He gestured with his chin toward the slash-and-burn village. No matter how shabby it was, it was better than sleeping in the open.
The adjutant bowed his head.
"Understood."
The party entered the village at once.
The sight of white robes fluttering in the wind was so orderly it gave the illusion of thirty-one white egrets descending upon a marsh.
At the unusual signs of human presence, the villagers began to appear one by one.
Through cracks in hut doors.
From the corners of courtyards.
Eyes looking upon strangers.
Wariness, fear, and a faint curiosity mingled together.
'Wh, who might you be?"
An old man who appeared to be the village head stepped forward.
The physique of a farmer with a back bent like a bow, deep wrinkles carved into his face.
In every way, an appearance far removed from martial arts.
One could already tell everything from the look of the village, but the village head's appearance confirmed it further.
This was a place where one could rest deeply without need for vigilance of any kind.
'This is the Sword Patrol Corps of the Vast Heaven Limitless Sword Sect."
It was the adjutant's voice.
He looked down with cold eyes.
'The, the Vast Heaven Limitless Sword Sect!?"
The village head's eyes went wide.
The Vast Heaven Limitless Sword Sect.
The greatest of the great sects of the Central Plains.
To a country man like this, it was simply a presence beyond the heavens-a place whose name he had only heard throughout his entire life.
The village head bent his already-stooped back even deeper. It looked as though it might snap if he bent further, yet he bent deeper still. Because he had to.
'Such exalted guests...in such a humble place..."
"We need somewhere to rest for a short while."
The adjutant said.
It was not a question.
It was a notification.
'Is that possible?"
Even so, he asked as a formality.
Formality.
That was the dignity of the Orthodox Martial World.
"Bu, but of course!"
The village head nodded repeatedly, like a chicken pecking at feed.
"Naturally. Though it is modest, we will do our very best to serve you."
The village head hurriedly looked around and gave this order and that.
At that, the villagers began to move busily. They too understood. That the crisis of a lifetime had arrived.
Soon the villagers bustled about like ants, diligently preparing to receive the guests.
Heheheheheh-
Sang Gwan-hwi dismounted from his horse gracefully.
He stood still with his arms folded, looking around.
Shabby huts, thatched roofs that looked ready to collapse at any moment, cracked earthen walls, reed mats hanging in place of doors, ragged odds and ends.
Just as it had appeared from outside-no, even more so-it was an endlessly unremarkable place.
Yet.
Sang Gwan-hwi's gaze stopped at one spot.
Behind the village head.
In the shadow of a single hut, someone-no, someones-were watching this way intently.
Three women.
A middle-aged woman in her mid-forties who appeared to be the village head's wife.
Fine wrinkles and age spots, skin deeply tanned by the sun, yet her features were distinct.
The jawline, the curved beauty of her nose-quite bewitching.
Behind her, the other two were young.
Daughters, most likely.
Having inherited their mother's blood, their faces were fair.
The elder daughter was around twenty.
The younger one was around seventeen or eighteen.
To an extent almost unbelievable for a girl from a remote village, her eyes, still innocent of the ways of the world, sparkled brightly with curiosity.
Of course, they would never have seen such refined people in their entire lives.
Three pairs of eyes were looking this way.
Watching while hiding-yet unable to conceal their curiosity.
Naturally, his eyes met theirs.
For an instant..
The daughters startled and bowed their heads.
The corner of Sang Gwan-hwi's mouth reflexively curled.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
Grin-
A smile.
Yet the eyes were not smiling.
"Village head."
Sang Gwan-hwi opened his mouth.
A voice as smooth as silk.
"Ye, yes! Your lordship!"
The village head hurried over flustered.
'It seems I will be imposing throughout the night."
Sang Gwan-hwi placed his hand on the village head's shoulder.
As one would to a long-time friend.
"I ask for your kind care."
"Oh, oh my! It is an honor!"
The village head bent his back even deeper.
Now it seemed as though he might nearly touch the ground.
Sang Gwan-hwi was still smiling.
To any onlooker, it was the smile of a righteous and upright great hero of the Orthodox Martial World.
Yet.
His eyes, utterly devoid of any warmth, were directed toward the women standing behind the village head.
The middle-aged woman's full chest.
The elder daughter's slender waist.
The younger daughter's delicate ankles visible beneath her skirt.
Sang Gwan-hwi's tongue unconsciously licked his lips.
Tonight won't be unsatisfying.'
The sun had set completely.
Darkness covered the village.
***
Deep in the night.
Inside a hut.
An orange lamp burned dimly.
Shadows danced and swayed on the wall in rhythm with it.
Before long, Sang Gwan-hwi, drenched in sweat, languidly raised himself up.
Beads of sweat rolled down along his firm shoulders and chest muscles.
He exhaled a deep, satisfied breath.
'From time to time."
Sang Gwan-hwi glanced with indifferent eyes at the bedding behind him and rose to his feet.
"Even something like this is a rare delicacy."
He swept back his disheveled hair to tidy it and lightly dressed.
Before one knew it, he had returned to the appearance of an immaculate young noble.
The prodigy of the Orthodox Martial World.
One of the Vast Heaven Three Swords, Sang Gwan-hwi.
He opened the door of the hut.
Stepped outside.
And.
"... "
Stopped.
The scene that unfolded before him.
The entire village had been reduced to rubble.
All but a few of the huts had collapsed.
Fires blending shades of orange and red blazed as well, and between them corpses could be seen.
Among them were two with bent backs.
No-it was one. A single person split in two.
'Really now, village head. Why must you make this one the villain? If only you had listened when spoken to kindly, how much better that would have been?"
Sang Gwan-hwi's gaze moved slowly, sweeping across the village.
Corpses and wreckage.
His pupils were utterly impassive, as if looking upon the affairs of daily life.
'Corps Leader."
The adjutant approached.
His once-white clothing was heavily stained with blood.
Naturally, none of it was his own.
"It has been tidied up."
"Good work."
Sang Gwan-hwi nodded.
'To have fun amongst yourselves without me. You ought to be punished...!?"
Shlink-
Sang Gwan-hwi cut off his words in haste and rolled across the ground.
Hot blood sprayed violently to his side, and simultaneously the bisected corpse of the adjutant who had been delivering the report just moments ago tumbled and rolled.
***
Dong Bong-soo shook his sword, flicking the foul blood away.
[[Sub] Innocent Village
[Sudden]: The world is always overflowing with those who have been wronged. In reality, one cannot help all of them. But if you come to know of an injustice, is it not the duty of a hero to relieve it even a little?
Defeat the ruthless Sang Gwan-hwi of the Vast Heaven Limitless Sword Sect and his accomplices.
Progress: 1/31
Reward: Hero History +3, A bond with the Vast Heaven Limitless Sword Sect established]
Beneath the moonlight.
His eyes held nothing.
No anger. No compassion. No justice.
Only the scales quietly weighing prey swayed in stillness.
He had originally only intended to do some cosmetic surgery.
If they themselves wished to be cut deeper, there was nothing to do but oblige.