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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: A Misunderstanding
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"The first test will end early."
Ha! Barging in and ruining everything at the last minute.
'Instructor or not, I ought to just…'
I focused the aura I had been spreading onto the ponytail bastard.
"Barging in out of nowhere to interfere? Isn't that a bit much, even for an instructor?"
"Interfere?"
The man who hadn't flinched at my martial provocation when he checked my trainee tag now furrowed his brow.
I thought he was just a fool who only knew the sword, but it seems he has some pride as an instructor.
But whether it was pride or something else, to me, it was just an opening.
'How dare he ruin this? Let's see how far that precious pride of his will take him.'
"If it's not interference, then what is it… Ah, don't tell me you're also beholden to someone, Instructor?
If that's the case, I'll try to understand."
I threw the ponytail instructor's own words right back at him from when he'd checked my tag.
To make it as offensive as possible, I even curled one corner of my lip at the end.
Now, let's see how you react.
"Ha! A mere trainee, drunk on his own power, is courting death!"
He took the bait perfectly.
He flared up in anger, his aura surging.
'Just as I thought. The way he holds and cherishes his sword... he's a martial arts freak, all right. Why are these guys who only know martial arts always so simple-minded?'
The ponytail instructor was just as I expected.
A fool with unshakable faith in his skills, who doesn't care if you challenge them, but will attack with killing intent if you touch his pride and honor.
Still, he wasn't a complete idiot; he didn't let his emotions take over and charge at me.
"Follow me outside! I'll teach you some manners!"
A pity. If he had charged, I could have beaten him to a pulp in front of the other trainees and humiliated him.
As he turned his back and told me to follow, his ponytail fluttered upwards.
It wasn't because of the wind.
It was because his emotions had flared, causing his aura to surge.
'Hmm. He's that agitated, but he's calling me out separately instead of attacking right away? A bit suspicious.'
Sensing something was off, I remained on guard as I followed him.
*Creeak.*
He opened the door to the training hall and went out first.
Filled with caution, I gathered my internal energy as I passed through the doorway.
In my mind, I anticipated all sorts of surprise attacks.
My palms began to sweat. Of course, a peerless master like myself wouldn't get nervous against a peak-level expert.
I was merely a little thrilled, a little expectant.
If my opponent was an instructor who had reached the peak, I could finally use this Heaven and Earth Body to its full potential.
In my dantian, I could feel the demonic energy, now fully adapted, blending perfectly with the heart technique of the Divine Arts of the Green Forest Tiger.
'My body's in good condition. Now, show me what you've got!'
*Thud.*
My feet finally touched the ground beyond the threshold.
I had no doubt that his attack would come at any moment.
*Swoosh!*
Seeing me step out of the training hall, the man moved his hand as expected.
But…
"Shhhhhhhhhh!"
The man utterly shattered my expectations, my excitement, my anticipation.
He was a truly cruel man.
After making me this wary, all he did was… press his index finger to his lips.
This level of absurdity was second only to the time I was backstabbed by those bastards from the Orthodox Faction in my past life.
'…What the hell is this guy doing??'
Watching him look at me and gesture for silence with all his might, I had to suppress the urge to just send him flying.
***
My name is Ha Song.
Befitting my common name, I was born into a common martial artist family within the cult.
We were neither poor nor wealthy, neither famous nor obscure.
I hated everything that was ordinary.
My name, my family, and my parents who thought being ordinary was a given.
So I strove to be more exceptional than anyone else.
Since the best way for a commoner to rise in the cult was to grow as a martial artist, I never let go of my sword from the moment I woke until I slept.
As a result, I became stronger than not only the ordinary children my age, but even those from prominent families.
But that became a problem.
Someone like me, who was supposed to be ordinary, dared to stand out more than the children of the Five Heavenly Pillar Gates.
Because of that, I lost everything.
Everything but this pathetic life of mine.
Only then did I realize.
How precious the ordinary things I hated were. And why my parents had insisted on and taken for granted the need to be ordinary.
'They were trying to protect me, and I, without knowing…'
Thanks to a master I happened to meet, I was barely able to save my life and my dantian.
But even now, when I think of all I lost, the scar on the bridge of my nose from that day aches.
The only reason I am alive now is to repay my master's kindness. And for that, I became an instructor at the newly established Divine Hall of the Latent Demon.
'If not for my master, I might have given up on life…'
Of course, that didn't mean my will to live had returned.
The peak-level martial arts I had built up, quite high for someone from a common family, had lost their luster.
'What can I even cut with my sword now?'
I am powerless now.
And so, my first day as an instructor began.
There wasn't much I could do, still not having recovered from my despair.
My master, knowing this, gave me the simple task of checking the trainee tags.
'Why won't Master give up on me?'
Though only trivial thoughts filled my mind, I didn't do a half-hearted job, as it was to repay his kindness.
Using my good memory, I memorized the faces and names of over 1,300 trainees.
But then, a trainee with a familiar face—no, to be precise, a trainee who had been carried off to the infirmary during the entrance exam—returned to the Divine Hall.
Of course, re-entry wasn't forbidden by the test rules. In fact, to encourage it, the deadline was set for noon the next day.
The strange thing, however, was that while I knew his face, his name was different.
Trainee 1390, Maeng Ak.
The number was different too, meaning he had re-entered after receiving a new trainee tag.
It wasn't impossible, but it left a bad taste in my mouth.
Normally, one wouldn't get a new tag issued. Unless, that is, they received an offer from one of the Five Heavenly Pillar Gates to join their family.
'Did this one sell out too?'
He was a face I'd seen for the first time as an instructor, but one I'd taken a liking to.
An orphan, yet his skills were decent, and the way he defied the rising stars of the Five Heavenly Pillar Gates with those skills reminded me of my past self.
But to re-enter with a new identity...
He must have received some elixir in exchange for pledging allegiance to the Five Heavenly Pillar Gates or the Cult Leader's rising stars.
He had been so severely injured, yet now he looked perfectly fine on the outside.
'Have you… succumbed as well?'
For some reason, I started to dislike him. So I picked a fight for no reason.
I spewed words unbecoming of an instructor, like asking who he'd sold out to.
But what was this?
It wasn't just his name that had changed; the man himself was different.
'What is this aura…!'
He deftly deflected my provocations and, in turn, tested me.
Had my realm been even slightly lower, I might have wavered.
Fortunately, holding my sword pommel since the start of my shift had helped steady my mind and body.
A simple war of words.
It should have ended there.
Because I realized he was the real deal, different from someone like me.
His aura was not that of a martial artist who would serve under another.
He was different from me, who had lost everything and succumbed. He had not yet yielded.
Yet, knowing that, I found myself spewing disgusting words in the guise of advice.
"…Interesting. Let me offer you a piece of advice as an instructor. No matter if you're a serpent destined to become a dragon, you are not yet a dragon. Try to go against the great current, and you may die a carp."
Anyone watching would think I was some great martial artist who had achieved something profound.
When in reality, I was a coward stuck in a pit, unable to even use the peak-level swordsmanship I'd cultivated my whole life.
Some time passed after I let him into the Divine Hall.
But something was strange.
The sound of weapons clashing came from the training hall, which had been quiet for a while.
Not only that, but a little later, I felt the same aura I had sensed from trainee 1390.
'Did something go wrong?'
*Fwoosh!*
My body moved before I knew it.
I knew nothing about him, yet I was worried.
'Why am I using my lightness technique to rush to the training hall?'
Despite the question in my mind, my body didn't stop.
The thought that I had to save him had paralyzed my reason.
And so I reached the training hall.
*Slam!*
I threw open the door and shouted.
"The first test will end early!"
That single shout would probably cost me my head.
I, a mere instructor, had arbitrarily ended a test decided by the Council of Elders and approved by the Cult Leader and the Five Heavenly Pillars.
But I have no regrets.
A body with nothing left to lose, anyway.
Of course, it's a shame and I feel sorry that I'll die without repaying my master's kindness. But if I can save a trainee so reckless he reminds me of my past self, it's fine.
At such a young age, he's already at a similar realm to mine. Perhaps, unlike me, he might not fail. I had to save him.
'But what is that? Are my eyes playing tricks on me because I'm about to die?'
He should have been in danger, struggling and wildly releasing his aura, but it was strange.
'Why is the one who should be in danger standing poised in the middle of the training hall?'
What's more, the hundreds of talented trainees of the Divine Hall were being crushed by his presence.
Even more absurd was the ferocious expression on Maeng Ak's face as he looked at me, oblivious to the fact that I'd come to help him at the cost of my own life.
'Could I have been mistaken?'
My mind went blank.
I began to wonder where the limits of my own foolishness lay.
When did I go from dismissing my peak-level skills as faded to just now acting so recklessly, trusting only my gut? I couldn't understand.
I felt like I was losing my mind.
'Wait, get a grip, Ha Song! If it ends like this, it will bring harm to Master.'
If things had gone as expected, I would have had the justification of saving a trainee, but not now.
Even if I had to die, I had to clean up this mess first.
But oblivious to my thoughts, that Maeng Ak fellow started getting angry, didn't he?
"Barging in out of nowhere to interfere? Isn't that a bit much, even for an instructor?"
I was speechless at his words.
Yes, I know better than anyone that my stupid meddling caused this mess.
But at least you shouldn't be like this, right?
Of course, it's strange for him to know, since I acted alone, but the human heart is a funny thing.
I felt a pang of disappointment and answered with a frown.
"Interfere?"
At that, he latched onto it as if he'd found something great.
The more his voice entered my ears, the blanker my mind became.
But then, the saying that there's always a way to survive came to mind, and I had a good idea.
'It's fine if I die. But you're too talented to die here. I don't know what happened, but at this rate, you'll be killed by the Five Heavenly Pillar Gates and the Cult Leader.'
Perhaps I was hoping he would achieve the dream I had failed to realize.
A success that overturns one's origins.
He could surely do it.
I wanted to save him, even if I wouldn't be there to see that moment.
And so, I began to act.
To pretend as if I couldn't control my emotions, all to get him out of the training hall.
And without much difficulty, I succeeded in getting him to come outside with me.
There were no prying eyes. Now was the time to tell him of the brilliant plan that had just flashed through my mind.
First, just in case, I had to quiet him down. And at the same time, let him know it was an act.
I raised my index finger to my lips and made a sound.
"Shhhhhhhhhh!"
***
That son of a bitch.
The ponytail instructor. No, the ponytail idiot was an even bigger moron than I thought.
I don't know what kind of misunderstanding he was under, but he suddenly started telling me his life story and offered to help me escape the Divine Hall.
Ha! To think something so absurd would happen after I came back from the dead.
Listening to his story, he was an idiot floundering in his past.
The past I'm talking about was one where he acted out to overcome his origins, only to be crushed.
Because of that, he saw his past self in me and threw himself in the way to stop me from becoming like him.
He was truly a top-class idiot.
Well, the fact that he was willing to throw away his life for me was commendable, I guess.
But he had completely misjudged his opponent.
"Sigh, it's my fault for expecting a master from an idiot like this. Tsk."
"Trainee 1390! No, Maeng Ak!
What kind of rude talk is that? I understand you're young and full of competitive spirit, but you've acted too conspicuously. You'll die at this rate!"
The ponytail guy, still not having come to his senses, kept rambling.
"I'll get you out safely.
So go hide somewhere and live an ordinary life. No, it's fine to become strong, but go somewhere other than the main cult…"
*Thwack!*
Sometimes, a single heavy punch is better than a thousand words.
Especially for an idiot like this.
"Guh. Why…"
"You don't even realize idiots like you are the same everywhere. Hey, did I ask you for anything?
No, before that, do you even know who I am?"
Calling him an instructor was a waste of breath now.
So I clenched and unclenched my fist and asked.
He answered easily.
"What's your name?"
"Ha Song."
As expected, a single heavy punch was better than a thousand words.
"Hey, Ha Song. Don't get the wrong idea. I am nothing like you."
Ha Song gritted his teeth.
He knew it, too.
But the atonement for something in his heart must have temporarily paralyzed his reason.
Even if it hadn't been me today, he would have broken down in front of someone eventually.
The regret, resentment, and reflection in his reddened eyes said it all.
I paid no mind to whether he was about to burst into tears and continued.
"I have already lost everything once."
At the unexpected words, Ha Song's eyes widened as he thought to himself.
'What could a boy barely of age…'
He didn't say it out loud because, contrary to his thoughts, he could feel a veteran's dignity in everything about Maeng Ak.
Maeng Ak continued.
"That is why I am not afraid of loss. But I am afraid of my spirit being broken. To unknowingly accept injustice and take it for granted. That is what I fear most. That is the difference between you and me."
Ha Song shuddered.
Though he looked much younger, every single word Maeng Ak spoke was filled with conviction born from experience.
His very existence was different from his own.
Seeing Ha Song's reaction, Maeng Ak continued without pause.
"Ha Song. Don't be chained to the past. You acted for another without fear of death. Whatever was behind that, the fact that you overcame death is commendable. So, this time, overcome death for yourself. Fight against submission once more."
In truth, as Maeng Ak said this, he was blatantly encouraging him to join his side.
Though he had called him an idiot, Ha Song was a peak-level master.
And not just any master, but one whose growth had stagnated due to mental and physical exhaustion and the limits of his martial arts, not a lack of enlightenment.
In other words, he was a fine talent that he could nurture.
Maeng Ak raised his aura and extended a hand to Ha Song.
"Submission is completed by the inability to rise again. Take this hand and stand. And fight for yourself by my side.
If you do, I will shatter your limits."
Ha Song, kneeling after taking a punch to the gut, naturally looked up at Maeng Ak.
His enlarged frame from circulating the Divine Arts of the Green Forest Tiger, and the clear conviction shining through his eyes.
And an aura that felt like it could swallow him whole.
In Ha Song's eyes, he looked like a god.
'Long ago, when the cultists who founded our cult looked upon the Heavenly Demon Founder, did they feel like this?'
*Thump!*
Having made up his mind, Ha Song slammed his head hard against the ground and raised it.
The pain that shot through his forehead became an ember for the extinguished firewood in his heart.
He no longer exuded a murky energy. Only a firm will could be seen.
As if touching a sacred relic, Ha Song respectfully raised both hands and took Maeng Ak's hand.
*Clasp.*
Then, loud enough only for Maeng Ak to hear, but filled with firm resolve, he declared.
"Your subject, Ha Song! I pledge my allegiance to you as my lord!"
***
In the training hall, just after Maeng Ak followed Ha Song out.
In the place where the oppressive presence had vanished, there was a man who once again began to exude a venomous aura.
His name was Dok Cheon-roe.
'It seems the Heavenly Pillars sent an instructor to punish that arrogant bastard! Keukuk. Yes, as long as he's gone. As long as he's gone…!'
Half out of his mind, he muttered while staring intently at the training hall door.
Then, feeling a hint of Maeng Ak's aura from beyond the door, his body trembled.
'Please. Oh, Heavenly Demon Founder! Bring heavenly punishment upon that monster!!!'
He did not know.
That in that moment, Maeng Ak had gained a very loyal and useful subordinate.