What was the most important thing when welcoming a guest?
The answer would probably vary depending on the person.
Some might say it was the heart, while others might say it was courtesy. Or they might say it was a cozy bed.
However, the thoughts of those who had become accustomed to living on this barren mountaintop seemed to be a little different from those of ordinary people.
"Drinkkkkkk!"
"Meat! Meatttt!"
"Kuaa! Not the rabbit meat! Pork! Pork meat!"
"Hahahahaha! Have another drink!"
A sight that was too much to bear was unfolding here, with Taoists in robes half-naked, devouring alcohol and meat.
The only good thing was that since they were on high mountains, there were no eyes to watch this tragic situation.
The disciples of Mount Hua, who had no need to be concerned about others, drank alcohol and tore into meat as if they were going to let go of all the regrets of the past three years in a single moment.
As soon as the food they had ordered in advance was delivered, it kept coming down, so the disciples had to take turns running down the mountain to get new food.
In the middle of the noisy drinking party, Tang Gunak, who was facing Chung Myung, quietly raised his glass and held it out. Chung Myung smiled and lifted the bottle of alcohol.
Tang Gunak's expression was also comfortable.
He had confirmed the growth of Chung Myung to the point of overflowing. He had to use his secret technique in a not-real-life situation, so it wasn't an exaggeration to say that the reward for running all the way from the Yangtze River to here was fulfilled.
"How is it?"
"What do you mean?"
"Have you confirmed that I have not been idle for the past three years?"
"… Hmm."
Tang Gunak frowned as if he was struggling. It seemed as if he was having trouble deciding what to say.
"Definitely."
"Yes."
"I have experienced many swords, but this is the first time I have seen something like that."
"Hmm."
"I now completely understand how the sword of Mount Hua was able to rule the world in the past."
"Hmm."
"Even if we search the world now, there will not be many who can handle such a sword."
"Hmm!"
"You have worked hard. No matter how talented you are, it would have been impossible without hard work. You deserve praise."
Chung Myung's chin rose higher and higher at Tang Gunak's remark, which seemed to lift him even higher.
"…if you keep doing that, he will see the sky."
"He is already seeing it, sasuk."
"Moron."
Baek Cheon and Jo Gul clicked their tongues, and Yu Yiseol criticized him, but Chung Myung's chin, already raised in high spirits, showed no signs of coming down.
"And…"
Tang Gunak's sharp gaze moved to the Five Swords sitting around Chung Myung.
"…it isn't just you, Chung Myung, who has gotten strong."
A satisfied smile formed on Tang Gunak's lips.
"The public announcement is over."
Chung Myung, who had lowered his chin, said while looking at Tang Gunak.
"I don't know about others, but it doesn't seem like something the family Lord should be saying."
"Me? Why?"
"That attack."
When those words came out of Chung Myung's mouth, everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Tang Gunak. Everyone was curious about the last technique.
"Did the lord make it?"
"…How did you know?"
"Well, simple reason. Hmm, it is entirely different from what we have seen before…"
Chung Myung, seeing Tang Gunak's slightly suspicious gaze, snickered and continued.
"Something is a bit strange."
"Ahem!"
Tang Gunak coughed loudly and sipped the alcohol in one gulp as if he were upset. No, actually, he looked more embarrassed than upset.
"Strange?"
"That one?"
Baek Cheon opened his eyes wide and looked at Chung Myung. Even Yu Yiseol, who rarely showed emotions, glared at Chung Myung with a thought, 'Has that guy gone insane?'
It couldn't be helped.
What Tang Gunak showed at the end was incredible even to them. And yet, how could his moves be awkward?
However, Tang Gunak didn't show any sign of displeasure, but rather coughed repeatedly as if he was being stung.
"Did it show much?"
"A bit much…?"
"Ugh."
A groan escaped his lips. Tang Soso couldn't take her eyes off Tang Gunak, who she couldn't see very well.
Chung Myung casually asked.
"It is unfinished, right?"
"Yes."
"I knew it."
Tang Gunak let out a deep sigh. To put it bluntly, that move wasn't yet ready for a real fight.
"Why is it still not done? Its power is truly incredible."
Baek Cheon couldn't hold back their curiosity and joined the talks.
And Tang Gunak answered.
"It isn't all about the power, right?"
"… Uh?"
"That technique consumes too much stamina. Once you use it, one will be too exhausted to even continue the fight anymore."
"Isn't there a saying that one blow is sure to kill? If one could definitely defeat the opponent with that one hit…"
"You cannot defeat everyone."
"… ah, no. That is…"
Baek Cheon stuttered, unable to continue.
Right. Yes, that attack couldn't knock the enemy down. But that was it…
'No, what on earth was he saying this about?'
The kid who stopped it was the strange one, not the technique?
If it had been a little more precise, it would have been possible to cut off that guy's neck?
Neither of the two were good answers.
"It isn't precise enough, so it isn't a one-hit attack; it isn't just a one-hit, but it consumes a lot of internal qi. So this kind of…"
"An empty vessel makes a lot of noise?"
"…."
At Chung Myung's words, Tang Gunak's eyebrows twitched.
"Uh? No? Then maybe a bright one?"
Clang!
The alcohol glass in Tang Gunak's hand shattered in an instant.
"Hmm… it seems that the alcohol glasses of Mount Hua are not of good quality. Let us tell the Tang family to send new ones."
'Even if it was made of iron, it would have broken…'
However, no one said anything out loud about it. It would be better to take poison if the Tang family gave it to you.
Tang Gunak, who had been trembling, let out a deep sigh.
"It is unfinished. I don't know when it will be completed."
"Ah. So you used that unfinished technique for the spar?"
Furrow.
Tang Gunak's eyebrows flinched again.
"… It is unfinished, so it is used for the spar. If it was complete, would I have been able to do that? I wouldn't want to kill a friend I worked so hard to get."
"Even if it is complete, I don't think I will die…"
"If you make a promise like that, you will lose your head."
"…"
"…"
Tang Gunak and Chung Myung glared at each other with eyes that seemed to want to kill one another. The others, who were exhausted with this, turned to Tang Soso. It was telling her to do something about this. She sighed as well.
"Stop it now! You are not even kids!"
"Ahem."
"Tsk."
Only then did Tang Gunak and Chung Myung turn their heads away and gulp down the alcohol.
At that moment, Im So-Byeong, who was watching them, clicked his tongue.
"Anyway, men with swords…."
The place where the Tang family lord and a Taoist of Mount Hua were being criticized by the bandits.
"Surely."
As if to refresh the atmosphere, Tang Gunak opened his mouth.
"It isn't yet a full technique that can be used in a real battle or spar. I was too greedy. I am thinking about whether I should be more sophisticated even if it means giving up destructive power."
"It isn't that needed, right?"
"Uh?"
Chung Myung shrugged.
"The reason the internal qi consumption is excessive is not because the force requires so much, but because the method of pushing the internal qi is too aggressive."
"Method?"
"Yes. It involves pulling it in by rotating it."
"Right."
"Instead of condensing it and exploding it out, you should rotate the qi inside the dagger. The consumption is greatest when the stagnant qi returns all at once."
"Uh?"
Tang Gunak's eyes shone, his expression revealing that he had found a clue.
"… the direction of the weapon and the direction of the qi are in sync… it is basic. The most basic of the basics. But…"
"Yes."
Chung Myung nodded, anticipating what Tang Gunak was about to say.
"It is the most basic of basics, so when aiming for an increase, you forget the natural progression."
"… I see. I made an obvious mistake."
Of course, it wasn't as simple as Chung Myung suggested. Making the qi circulate within a fixed structure was much more difficult than it seemed. But if one could manage it, they would drastically reduce the consumption of internal qi.
'Perhaps its strength will increase even more.'
If that happened, the Twelve Daggers technique would no longer be limited to twelve.
'Thirteen Daggers… no, let us just keep it as Twelve.'
What a peculiar name…
"Right. Yes, that could be possible."
As Tang Gunak mumbled to himself and nodded in understanding, Chung Myung quietly began to speak again.
"That is not the only thing that is unfinished, right?"
"Hmm?"
Tang Gunak pretended not to know, and Chung Myung chuckled.
"Originally, the daggers that fell on the ground would fly up at the same time, right?"
"… were you in the Tang family in a past life?"
He wasn't in the Tang family, but he did know someone similar. When he went to the Tang family, the lord ran out of the household barefoot to throw me out. Right. He wouldn't cause trouble.
"Right. That is how it is completed. But… with my current skills, it is impossible to execute."
"If you reduce the consumption of the internal qi, it will surely be possible."
"… is that so?"
"Of course."
A picture was drawn in Chung Myung's mind.
A single flying dagger with incredible force. And the assassin weapons would also be flying around.
That would definitely be a visionary technique.
And on the day that the technique revealed itself to the world, another Dark Saint would appear.
"But…"
"Uh?"
"Why did you suddenly create a new technique?"
"Hmm."
Tang Gunak smiled broadly at Chung Myung's question.
"Of course, I haven't mastered what I have yet, so it is a bit much to create a new technique."
"…"
Chung Myung said nothing.
There were two reasons for this.
One was that Tang Gunak was right.
Even Tang Bo, who was a more outstanding warrior than Tang Gunak now, didn't come up with new techniques for the existing ones. So, it certainly was unreasonable for Tang Gunak to make a new one.
But the second reason he didn't say anything was the opposite.
The new technique that Tang Gunak created clearly surpassed the existing techniques he knew as part of the Twelve Techniques.
"However, if you ask why I created this, there is just one answer."
"What is that?"
"Because it is needed."
Tang Gunak shrugged and continued.
"The Tang family's secret technique and arts are certainly excellent. But… it is lacking when handling the warriors that can be called 'absolute'. Especially since the number of types of daggers you can use is limited; the more you throw them out, the more difficult it turns."
"Right."
"It would be nice if you could just retrieve the dagger, but if you are handling an absolute warrior, you won't even have the chance to do that."
Chung Myung slowly nodded.
This was clearly something Tang Bo had been contemplating. Why else would he have considered attaching a tough silver thread to the end of the dagger? Of course, he abandoned the idea because it would have disrupted the trajectory.
"While I was training and constantly worrying, I looked at the daggers around and thought, why should I just use those daggers in my hands? The daggers scattered across the sky aren't mine, and the daggers in my hand aren't mine either."
"Ah…"
Tang Gunak coughed in embarrassment.
"Well, that is what I started with… but it isn't going well. I feel embarrassed to show my shortcomings."
"No."
Chung Myung shook his head seriously.
"It was the best."
"…."
"Really."
A smile appeared on Tang Gunak's lips as he stared at him.
"… Thank you."
"You are kind."
Chung Myung filled Tang Gunak's cup. Tang Gunak then took the bottle and filled Chung Myung's cup.
"Drink."
"Yes."
Chung Myung emptied his glass happily.
'We are progressing…'
In the past three years, Mount Hua certainly gained a lot. However, Mount Hua was not the only one who worked hard.
His descendants had created something that even Tang Bo couldn't create in the past. It was still lacking, but one day, this technique would become perfect like the other twelve techniques.
If Tang Gunak could not do it, someone who inherited his intention would, and someone else who followed after him would gradually complete it.
That was how learning developed.
'Right?'
Chung Myung asked a person who came to mind lightly and smiled as he looked at Tang Gunak. Then, as if he suddenly remembered something, his eyes widened.
"Ah, but I have a question to ask."
"Uh? What?"
Chung Myung asked playfully, giggling.
"It's because you are running low on the daggers, but why do you only use the twelve daggers? Is there a reason for it?"
"… Uh?"
"Just because it's called the Twelve Dagger Technique doesn't mean you have to use only twelve, right? Since you're carrying a lot of assassin weapons anyway, when you have around 24 daggers, you don't have to worry about running out, right?"
"…"
"Even if your ultimate goal is to use twelve daggers at the same time, you don't have to carry just twelve, right? It's not bad to have a spare…?"
"…"
Unlike Chung Myung's playful face, Tang Gunak's face turned pale.
"…"
And Chung Myung, who saw that, couldn't laugh anymore.
… Um?
Excuse me? Did he not…
Think about it? For real!?
-Woah, I didn't think about it either.
After all… it seemed that what was inherited wasn't just the will.