Chapter 46
Chapter 46:Maybe More Than Grand Master
Red plum blossoms, scattered beautifully across the night sky.
It was a sight closer to the color of blood, yet Yu Ye-rin stood frozen, speechless, staring blankly ahead.
It's beautiful.......
A sight she had only ever imagined in her head.
She had caught glimpses of it during spars with her Senior Martial Brother, but never to the degree where it could swallow her entire field of vision like this.
Perhaps... three-tenths of this? Four-tenths?
Of course, her Senior Martial Brother hadn't been going all out either—but she could feel it.
The overwhelming gap between the two.
This person is the real thing. Beyond the Sect Leader, or perhaps even beyond the Grand Master Patriarch.......
Words that would send anyone who heard them flying into a rage.
Thoughts scandalous enough to be called blasphemy—pure madness—yet Yu Ye-rin had no intention of taking them back.
Could those who had spent their entire lives training in the swordsmanship of Daehwasan Sect really be placed on the same level as Mu-yeong, who had merely watched it a handful of times and imitated it?
No.
Thinking that made Mu-yeong seem all the more like a monster.
Not a genius born once in a hundred years, but once in a thousand—if even that.
To think there was a talent standing right before her that no words could possibly describe.
Yu Ye-rin opened her mouth, reverence filling her gaze.
"H-how on earth did you........."
"The internal energy cultivation method you've learned is different, so the outer form may vary. But if you grasp the grain within the technique, anything becomes possible."
"If that were as easy as it sounds, none of us would have to suffer so much........."
"Within a series of forms, there must be a reason for each movement, mustn't there? I simply thought about what could draw out the optimal power from that. Contemplating what form it would take."
"........."
The more she heard, the more her jaw dropped.
But it was impossible to argue when the very person saying it had actually done it.
While Yu Ye-rin stood there like a mute who had swallowed honey, Mu-yeong began to move his body again.
"And I'm sorry to say this given that you were peeking, but you seemed to be faltering starting from the tenth form—am I right?"
"......You saw it exactly right. I thought I was following the Formula correctly, but for some reason the transitions just weren't going smoothly."
"Could you try performing it? I've been watching and I noticed something."
"Yes sir!"
Overjoyed to hear he would personally help her work through her weak points, Yu Ye-rin immediately took her stance.
Driven by the thought that she absolutely could not let slip a chance that was practically a stroke of fortune, she executed her forms to the best of her ability.
"Haaat! Haaaap!"
In time with her spirited battle cries, her blade danced.
She faltered midway through, but she paid it no mind and did not stop her movements.
Mu-yeong watched attentively, occasionally nodding his head.
When Yu Ye-rin had gone as far as she could manage, Mu-yeong stepped closer.
"In the middle of the tenth form. Your arm was raised too high."
"Oh, is that so?"
"Not by much—just a little. It would be better if you did it like this."
Mu-yeong took hold of Yu Ye-rin's wrist and guided it downward.
Once the angle was perfected, he began circling around her.
Every so often he pressed firmly into her shoulder, neck, and waist to correct her posture.
Knowing full well that there was no ill intent behind it, Yu Ye-rin allowed herself to be adjusted as Mu-yeong directed.
Flinching here and there, of course.
"Next, the lower body."
"Hhk!"
Mu-yeong suddenly crouched down and poked Yu Ye-rin's thigh.
Not just once, but several times.
She jolted and asked,
"Wh-why there?"
"You're putting in way too much tension. It's alright to release some."
"But if I do that, I won't be able to maintain my center of gravity........."
"This is a stage that fundamentally pursues fluidity and lightness. Tensing up could actually work against you."
"Then I'll ease off just a little."
Yu Ye-rin did as she was told.
Her rock-solid thighs relaxed ever so slightly.
Still unsatisfied, Mu-yeong let out a low murmur and pressed harder.
"A little more."
"L-like this?"
"More."
"How about now?"
"One more time and it should be fine."
"Is this enough?"
"That's exactly right."
A smile crept softly across her face at the words that she had passed.
Her lips twitched at the corners, and she stepped a few paces away.
"Then let me try again with what I've learned. Haap!"
Yu Ye-rin executed the forms.
Her movements were clearly lighter and more natural than before.
Whether she could feel it herself, she widened her eyes the moment she finished.
"Oh? It really does work so much better when I do it your way, Mu-yeong-nim! The transitions have become natural."
"Of course—I adjusted it so it connects well into the next form. If you properly engrave what you just did into your body, there'll be no problem going forward."
"......I'm truly grateful."
"You've taken one step closer to the dream of becoming a Plum Blossom Swordmaster. Congratulations."
At the half-jesting remark, Yu Ye-rin blinked for a moment.
She stared at him for a beat with an expression that seemed like she had so much to say, then directed a Clasped Hand Bow toward Mu-yeong.
"I thank you sincerely."
"No need for such formality. I've done very little."
"What are you talking about? You taught me far more thoroughly than even my Senior Martial Brother."
"Fortune favors those who put in the effort. Well then—would it be alright if I go do my own training now?"
"Yes! I'll be practicing far away from you!"
Mu-yeong watched with a quiet gaze as Yu Ye-rin hopped off cheerfully.
Looking at how quickly she absorbs whatever she's taught, she certainly seems to have talent.......
But her level was slightly lower than expected, given what he had anticipated.
As if a wall were blocking her path.
After rubbing his chin briefly, Mu-yeong turned his back.
"She'll break through eventually with enough effort. More importantly, for now."
Mu-yeong drew his sword with a serious expression.
The real reason he had logged back into Monster World today.
To execute his martial arts techniques while channeling internal energy.
First, Annihilation. I did test this at Extreme Stage, but I used it on that snake's head, so I couldn't gauge the exact destructive power.
Ninety percent damage reduction, base defense, level difference, and all that.
It was a problem born from having too many variables in play.
Mu-yeong simply wanted to know, in pure terms, what level he was at.
That way, he would be able to calibrate his use of it in reality as well.
Since it's come to this, let me measure it properly.
Starting with Annihilation at Extreme Stage again.
Kwaaaa!
A devastating aura began to surge and ripple from the wooden sword.
Even without having done anything yet, dust and stone fragments scattered and flew off in all directions.
As though fleeing from Mu-yeong.
Paying them no mind, he took aim at the cliff face.
The target: the midpoint where the waterfall came crashing down.
"........."
Mu-yeong slowly began to prepare to execute the Heavenly Demon Three Swords.
By the time every ounce of his focus had converged on the tip of the blade, Mu-yeong muttered quietly,
"Extreme Annihilation."
―――――――!!
In an instant, a flash of light erupted.
Simultaneously.
Kwaaaang!
Sword Energy of tremendous force pierced through the air in a straight line.
For a brief moment the surroundings fell silent—then a savage aftershock came roaring in its wake.
Kuguguung!!
The ground split open deeply, carving out something resembling a path.
It was a sight not unlike a log being dragged across the earth—except the width and depth were incomparable.
And so that Sword Energy, having unleashed its rampage, reached the waterfall—
Peoong!
Water burst outward as if struck by a thunderbolt cannon.
Even so, the force of Annihilation did not diminish in the slightest.
It began to bore into the cliff face that stood firm.
A sound ten times louder than when it had struck the waterfall rang out.
Kwaaang!!!
By the time Mu-yeong felt that something had gone wrong, what he saw was something passing clean through the sky.
A shape unmistakably familiar—
It looked like a meteor traveling in reverse.
"......Was it this powerful?"
This was far beyond what he had imagined.
Watching Annihilation gradually vanish from his field of vision, Mu-yeong turned around.
There was Yu Ye-rin, jaw wide open, staring at the sky.
She had been so startled that she stood without the slightest movement.
It seems I drew too much attention.
Another player might have seen this, so I'll need to move elsewhere.
Being found out was not something he fancied.
As Mu-yeong moved away, he made a resolution.
The next time he found a training spot, he would do it at a drastically reduced Energy Output.
.
.
.
.
The Monster World Gallery at the dead of night.
It was such a popular game that even in the early morning hours, new posts were being generated at a lively pace.
But then, all of a sudden, similar posts began flooding in one after another.
[Hey, didn't something just fly past near the Beginner Village?]
—There's some kind of mark in the sky?
—Didn't see it
—Aren't you confusing it with something else?
—Maybe a shooting star fell somewhere lol
—I'm looking at it too but isn't this kind of thing normal?
—Split the clouds clean open—feels like some kind of meteor fell?
[I'm in the Beginner Village right now and this place just went on high alert lolol]
—All the villagers woke up and they're staring at the mountain out back? Even the Village Chief had a really tense look.
—Fr?
—Is an actual incident happening here?
—What is this? Another Hidden Quest?
—If even the village residents are reacting like this, something must've really gone down.
An event that had suddenly occurred near the Beginner Village.
It was a first—so no one had a clear answer.
The best anyone could do was speculate, since something unusual had happened in that area today.
The most plausible thread of speculation still circled back to Mu-yeong.
[Mu-yeong killed a new boss today, right? Looks like whatever followed from that caused something new to appear.]
—Heard the ground trembled ever so slightly as well
—There was even an earthquake?
—This is seriously an emergency situation
—Fr is this the scene where a new boss shows up?
—The resident boss holding down the back mountain is gone, so a new one probably spawned
[If a new boss really did appear, that'd be insane?]
—I'm seriously dying of curiosity to see who shows up.
—When it appears this time, I'm the first one to kill it lol
—There's probably a few thousand people thinking the same thing?
—You'd have to clear a quest related to the boss first though, how are you gonna do that lol
—Once daylight hits it's gonna be quite a sight lol—it'll be absolutely swarming
—With that kind of crowd, there'd be no need for the Village Chief to ask anyone lol
[Scout party heading out to the mountain summit lolol]
—If you spot anything weird, report back immediately
Ten minutes after that post went up,
A few screenshots taken by the original poster appeared in the gallery.
[That person from earlier who said they were heading to the mountain—what the heck is this???]
The ground, gouged deeply.
Leaves scattered and tossed as if struck by a storm.
Along with various other marks whose origin no one could identify.
Everyone who saw the photos had question marks floating above their heads.
—This really does look like a new boss showed up
—Did something fire a laser or something?? lol
—Could the thing flying through the sky earlier be connected to these marks?
—No way lolol
Looking at the direction of it, it did match up.
But what kind of attack would one have to use to create a scene like this?
Unable to come up with an answer no matter how hard they tried to imagine it, people eventually settled on wrapping it up as a random happening.
[First thing tomorrow when the sun comes up I'm heading straight to the Village Chief Quest lolol]
—First clear is definitely mine lol
[I'm already in the Beginner Village???]
—You're already too late lol
[You idiots, shouldn't the Village Chief be able to sleep?]
—You think he'd be happy if people came rushing at him in the middle of the night demanding quests lol
[I've already laid down a mat outside the Village Chief's house]
—Good luck
And so they kept spinning their wheels,
.
.
.
.
The following morning.
Having swung his sword all through the night, Mu-yeong stepped out of the Capsule with a bright expression.
"I knew it—training just isn't as satisfying without channeling internal energy."
Having put the Heavenly Demon Divine Art he had cultivated to full use this whole time, he felt a clarity like no other.
Only now did he feel truly alive.
After a brief stretch, Mu-yeong dropped himself down onto his bed.
Though I'm a bit disappointed I couldn't do everything at Extreme Stage. Just Annihilation alone produced that, so if I were to use the rest.......
After experimenting with various things, Mu-yeong concluded that using about five-tenths felt just right.
For anything less urgent, he would need to reduce his output even further.
Not necessarily a bad thing.
Even in the martial world, wasn't there a saying that went:
If you wish to live long in the martial world, conceal at least three-tenths of your true ability.
"Not by choice, but keeping to it can't hurt."
Mu-yeong gave a nod and began making his way forward again.
The bright sunlight streaming through the window had made him hungry.
Kkeeeik.
Mu-yeong stepped outside.
As usual, he rode the elevator down—when it gradually began to slow.
[12th floor.]
A familiar floor.
With only two households per floor, the odds were fifty-fifty.
The doors slid open, and a familiar face appeared.
Han Su-a, with shadows so dark under her eyes they looked severe.
......What on earth does this girl do to look like she's about to die every single day?