Chapter 45
Chapter 45: Until the Plum Blossoms Bloom
How is something like that even possible?
I knew the gap was considerable, but I never imagined it would be this extreme.
"Haat!"
Yu Ye-rin thrust her sword forward with force.
She planted her weight on her right foot as the pivot and rotated her body.
Shwaak!
The blade split the air with a chilling sound.
Without pausing, she swung her arm in rapid succession.
Anyone watching would have called it excellent swordsmanship, yet her expression remained dark.
"Haa...... haa....... This isn't it......."
Yu Ye-rin exhaled through gritted teeth.
Resetting her stance, she began the forms again from the start.
Even more fierce and fast than a moment ago.
Yet the scene from earlier refused to leave her mind.
—Kwagwagwagwang!!!
The martial art Mu-yeong had used to bring down the boss.
Literally as though heaven and earth were crying out and the world itself was being torn apart.
What he showed me during our Sparring Match was nothing more than child's play.
Yu Ye-rin trembled and stared at the spot where the battle had taken place.
A massive crater, its marks left behind as if a meteorite had struck the earth.
He had never directly struck the ground, which meant that shockwave alone had carved out that pit.......
No matter how many times she looked at it, the sight simply defied all reason.
"The martial art itself aside, just how much Internal Energy does he have for something like that to be possible?"
If she wanted to produce that same level of destruction, what would it take?
Would the final form of the Twenty-Four-Form Plum Blossom Sword Art be enough?
Or would she need to push even further and awaken its profound essence?
She couldn't gauge it precisely, but one thing was certain.
The Plum Blossom Blood Rain at eight stars, which she had considered her trump card—
Even if she had launched it in continuous strikes, the boss's health would not have dropped more than 5%.
The gap was so unfathomably vast that Yu Ye-rin let out a hollow breath.
"I haven't even mastered all the forms yet, and here I am thinking about Plum Blossom Eternal Fragrance and profound essences......."
Right now, before anything else, the priority was breaking through to the very next form.
Until that was resolved, everything else was no better than empty daydreams built on foam.
"Huuu......."
Yu Ye-rin tapped the ground lightly and channeled Internal Energy into her sword.
Drawing a deep breath, she began the Twenty-Four-Form Plum Blossom Sword Art from the beginning.
She continued until the moon, caught in the treetops, had climbed to the mountaintop.
.
.
.
.
"She seems to keep hitting a wall there."
Mu-yeong, who had been watching Yu Ye-rin's training, murmured quietly.
Up to a certain point, she moved with unmistakable fluency, as though sword and self were one.
But from the middle sections onward, the slightest tremor crept in—and in the end, she lost the line and collapsed.
Having seen the same thing dozens of times, he felt a growing pang of sympathy.
First of all, her stance is wrong.
She needed to press more force into her lower body and lower the angle at which she extended her arm.
Only then would the full strength available from that position be drawn out.
Of course, he would need to read the Formula to know for certain.
But that was what Mu-yeong could see from what he had observed.
Still, this was something she had to discover herself through trial and error.
Unless she directly asked him to look at her swordsmanship, he had no right to offer unsolicited advice.
Above all else, watching another person's training uninvited was a serious transgression.
Well then, time for me to go do mine....... I should find a spot far enough away that the sound won't carry.
Just as he was sneaking away from where he sat—
"Who's there!"
A sharp voice rang out, followed by a red Sword Energy flying straight toward him.
Aimed precisely at where Mu-yeong was seated.
Shwaaeek!
Evading the Sword Energy was trivial.
The problem was that all the surrounding shrubbery had been cut away, revealing his presence entirely.
Yu Ye-rin confirmed who it was and opened her eyes wide.
"......Mu-yeong?"
"My apologies. I was watching you train without your knowledge. I will make amends."
"Ah, no! I just fired it off thinking you were a monster."
She stopped what she was doing and came running over.
She approached right up to him, but the moment she registered her own state, she stepped back.
"Do I smell strongly of sweat?"
"No warrior worth their name dislikes the mark of effort. Think nothing of it."
"Even so......."
"More to the point——what brings you here? Did you not shut off the game the moment the stream ended?"
"Probably the same thought as Mu-yeong?"
Well, fair enough.
There weren't many places where you could train while using Internal Energy freely.
He gave a nod, and Yu Ye-rin pointed behind her.
"I was about to take a break——would you like to use the space?"
"It's fine. I'll find somewhere else."
"No, please! I truly mean it. I was actually planning to rest!"
She waved her hand briskly and moved aside.
The way she attended to him as though serving a superior made Mu-yeong feel a touch guilty.
I did watch without permission, so letting her observe a little ought to be fair. Or sparring would be fine too.
At this point in time, the only ones capable of using the Heavenly Demon Divine Art were the Heavenly Demon Wi Ji-cheon and Mu-yeong.
Even if someone witnessed this martial art, recognizing its true nature would be exceedingly difficult.
Unless they were a senior master of a bygone era.
Having made up his mind, Mu-yeong opened with a gentle remark.
"Still, to be training this late into the night. Doesn't it wear you down, going straight from a stream into this?"
"I'm fine. I've always liked moving my body. And if you want to reach a higher level, you have to put in the effort."
"Was that the Twenty-Four-Form Plum Blossom Sword Art? The swordsmanship you used against the boss earlier—it was truly magnificent."
"Oh come on, I didn't even execute it perfectly. Compared to Mu-yeong, it's the dirt under a fingernail."
"I don't think it was quite that bad....... If it's alright, could you show me once?"
"Of course!"
Yu Ye-rin immediately stepped back as though she had been waiting for exactly this.
Her expression turned serious, and she performed the same movements he had watched from the shrubbery.
Sure enough, she stopped at that same point.
"And, that's as far as I go."
"I'd like to see the final form once more."
"The Twelfth Form, Plum Blossom Gradual Bloom? That part is a little embarrassing......."
"What is there to be embarrassed about?"
"Well...... the form is named for the plum blossom gradually blooming, but I've never actually managed to bloom it before. Every time, I end up stalled at the bud."
Thinking she had laid bare her shortcoming, her voice slowly trailed off.
"Being the second-generation disciple of Daehwasan Sect and unable to bloom the plum blossom——it is a bit strange, isn't it? Though I suppose I haven't trained quite enough either."
"Whenever it may be, all that matters in the end is that you eventually bloom it, doesn't it? If you stop out of embarrassment, this is where it ends forever."
"I know that much....... Let me try again."
Yu Ye-rin swallowed hard and reset her stance.
She completed the sequence of movements, but the result was the same as before.
"As expected. I've been stuck here for nearly six months now—what in the world is the problem......."
"Bend your knees."
"Pardon?"
"Lower your head a little more, and let the sword travel from below to above."
Mu-yeong placed his hand on Yu Ye-rin's shoulder.
Ulmjjik!
Yu Ye-rin flinched sharply, but Mu-yeong paid it no mind and moved his hand down along her arm.
This time he placed it at her waist.
"From what I saw earlier, the force isn't being transmitted properly, correct? It's because your balance is breaking down. Lean your waist like this and......."
"Eh...... Eh!?"
"Think of the plum blossom gradually blooming. Condensing the force and then letting it burst out."
"W, wait. That's my hip......!"
Startled, she snapped her head around.
But seeing Mu-yeong's expression—utterly and entirely serious—she turned back and composed herself obediently.
"Is this alright?"
"Very good. Now bend your knees just like that."
"......Done."
"Now for the legs. When you leap, apply the force at a vertical angle—as though you are striking upward."
With every movement of Mu-yeong's hands, Yu Ye-rin's face grew redder and redder.
Pyusuuu.......
By the time the corrections were finished, she was ripe scarlet all the way through.
Much like a plum blossom.
Mu-yeong moved to stand directly in front of her, looked her up and down, and wore a satisfied expression.
"Perfect. Commit this stance to memory and try it once more."
"Ah...... yes."
She looked down at herself, then slowly began to move.
Visibly, deliberately slowly.
The result was beyond anything she had imagined.
"Oh?"
Yu Ye-rin's eyes went wide.
And rightly so—the flow of the motions that followed had become incomparably smoother.
An unmistakable difference from everything up to now.
Mu-yeong clapped lightly.
"Far better than before. Keep practicing just like this."
"Yes! I'll keep at it!"
Yu Ye-rin answered with energy and began repeating the same form endlessly.
As he watched her stance, Mu-yeong recalled something and asked.
"By the way, Yu Ye-rin. Is blooming the plum blossom your goal?"
"For now, that's my first. A personal goal I set when I entered Daehwasan Sect."
"And the final one?"
"Hmm....... That one's truly embarrassing to say."
"It's fine."
"Oh, come on."
She gave a bashful smile and turned her head away.
An angle that made her expression impossible to read.
From there, Yu Ye-rin spoke in a small voice.
"The Plum Blossom Swordmaster."
"......The most elite warrior in Daehwasan Sect, the strongest among them?"
"Yes—in plain terms, it's a dream. My Senior Martial Brother stands above me, after all."
Was she talking about No Song-baek?
Something in her tone had turned faintly melancholy. Mu-yeong offered a word of encouragement.
"You are not without talent either, so if you keep at it, you will surely reach it."
"Not entirely without talent....... Coming from anyone else it would be one thing, but hearing Mu-yeong say it puts me at ease."
"My standards are very high, so you needn't take it at face value."
"Still, it's impossible. My Senior Martial Brother had already mastered the Twenty-Four-Form Plum Blossom Sword Art in its entirety by my age. There's already an enormous gap that can't be closed."
"......."
"Actually, the reason I came out here tonight—it's because our Sparring Match earlier got me fired up. I kept thinking: just how does someone become this strong......"
Barely finishing her words, Yu Ye-rin launched into motion.
As though sweeping away the lament she had just voiced.
And then, she bloomed it.
Just barely, but she did.
"Oh? Did you see that?"
"I did."
"Waaah....... It's not full bloom yet, but the bud actually opened! I've never done that before!"
Yu Ye-rin beamed.
Mu-yeong watched her face for a moment, then extended his hand.
"Could you lend me your sword?"
"Ah, here. What are you going to do?"
"A form represents the optimal Sword Path refined by predecessors of generations past."
Tak!
Mu-yeong stamped the ground firmly.
"Which is why, the moment the stance wavers even slightly, it becomes something else entirely."
At the gravity in his voice, Yu Ye-rin swallowed.
And what Mu-yeong did then was begin the First Form of the Twenty-Four-Form Plum Blossom Sword Art.
"......This, this is—"
"I don't know the precise Formula or the Subtle Techniques it holds, but—"
Whick! Whick! Whick!
Mu-yeong's sword danced.
With every movement, Yu Ye-rin's eyes stretched wider as if they might tear at the edges.
"How...... how do you know this—"
Whick! Whick!
First Form, Second Form, Third Form.
Mu-yeong reproduced, one by one, the exact same martial art Yu Ye-rin had performed—
And when the Twelfth Form, Plum Blossom Gradual Bloom, concluded—
Hwaaaak!
"This is perhaps what it was meant to convey."
Countless plum blossoms bloomed at Mu-yeong's back.
Far larger and more beautiful than Yu Ye-rin's.