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Chapter 75

“Wha, why are you all staring? Get back to what you were doing. What’s your name? The current head is Mu(武), right? Jin(進)? Seung(昇)?”

With heavy footsteps, Dooko-hyun casually approached Namgung Seong and struck up a conversation. It was a pity, but Choi Yeon-woo, and honestly, everyone here except Namgung Seong, was relieved that they weren’t the center of attention.

“I’m Namgung Seong, Samiryun-ju. Do you happen to know my grandfather?”

“Oh, yes, yes. Before I crossed over, we fought like crazy! You see that long scar on my right eye? I gave him that!”

Though Namgung Yang had also dealt me some major damage, the old man chuckled while excitedly recounting his tale, slapping Namgung Seong on the shoulder with a grin. Even the stoic Namgung Seong cracked a shy smile. Yeon-woo couldn’t help but admire Namgung Seong’s composure.

‘I couldn’t do that.’

[Wha, seriously, what is that? Is that a monster wearing a demon mask?]

“But I’ve heard that since coming over, you haven’t fought with Samiryun-ju…”

“Ah, since crossing over, we’ve become drinking buddies sometimes. He’s a flexible guy. We agreed not to mess with the civilians.”

At those words, the faces of the three, including Namgung Seong, lit up. It was almost like they got a guarantee that Samiryun-ju wasn’t hostile.

Needless to say, Louis looked like he was about to die.

“Hmm, I roughly understand the situation. So, those punks have been messing with civilians? Doesn’t seem like they’re part of Samiryun’s faction…”

Dooko-hyun said, jutting his chin forward to glare at Louis. Louis started sweating profusely. Yeon-woo saw this as an opportunity and cautiously raised his hand, adopting an extremely careful demeanor as if asking a professor. Of course, Yeon-woo had never asked the professor a question in the last two months.

“Uh, yes. Please speak. Namgung Yang’s grandson is like a grandson to me, so don’t hold back.”

“Th-that guy is in cahoots with the Demon Cult!!”

“Ugh, aaaaaa!!”

As Yeon-woo’s accusation flew out, Louis screamed and charged forward. It was like he packed all his aura into his legs; he was incredibly fast.

Thud.

“Whoa! He just killed him!”

However, Louis barely made it ten steps before he tumbled across the field. His head had suddenly vanished from his shoulders.

“Geez, these kids are too weak… If you know your head is a weak point, you should train it!”

Dooko-hyun grumbled, brushing his blood-stained left hand through the air as if he had just crushed someone’s head.

The three could only stand there, flabbergasted. They had no idea how he had pulled out his left hand from his pocket and how he had popped Louis’s head so easily from this distance.

‘Is that the Yama Black Hand…?’

It was the most famous yet mysterious technique of Dooko-hyun’s martial arts, known for being as impossible to escape from as Yama judging souls.

Those who witnessed the act were said to have no chance of survival, making it a truly godly technique.

“Hey kids, did you see anything?”

The old man asked, his wrinkled face grinning ominously. Naturally, the three shook their heads vigorously. Even though they had never taken their eyes off Dooko-hyun, they had not even caught a hint of what had just happened.

“Kakakak!! They say anyone who sees it dies. But don’t worry, I don’t know why those rumors started with Namgung Yang still alive!”

The look of terror on the three’s faces struck Dooko-hyun as hilarious, making him roll on the ground laughing. That sight oddly reassured the three; at the very least, they wouldn’t end up like Louis.

“So, is everything done?”

“Y-yes, thank you, Samiryun-ju.”

“Why be so stiff? If you’re Namgung Yang’s grandson, you’re just like my grandson. If you’re a friend of my grandson, you’re my grandson too! Call me grandfather, okay?”

At those words, all three turned their gazes to one point. Their actions were quick. Namgung Seong hesitated, but Jung Yu-jin and Choi Yeon-woo, with no fear, saw this as an opportunity. I mean, what was more intimidating than being able to call Samiryun-ju grandfather? They exchanged looks and spoke in unison.

““Grandfather~~!!””

“Oh, yes, yes.”

“…I, I call my real grandfather ‘Grandfather’ too…?”

“That’s good for distinguishing, isn’t it?!”

It felt impossible to believe they had just met this person ten minutes ago. He seemed like one of the strongest individuals in this wide world, yet he appeared friendly. That was both comforting and terrifying.

When Namgung Seong cautiously said, “Grandfather…,” Yuri, who had arrived leisurely, commented on the scene.

“Hey, what are you doing so far away, Samiryun-ju?”

“Huh? Isn’t this Man-gun? Why are you squatting down so much? Man-gun also wants to call me grandfather, right!?”

“Please, let’s not make it awkward among peers.”

Yuri’s face twisted into a grotesque grimace.

*

In the original dimension, the endless tug-of-war between justice and evil factions came to a ceasefire at a certain point.

That point was the appearance of Heavenly Demon Wi Ji-ak and the revival of the Demon Cult.

What had once been considered a tale from the distant past, the emergence of the Demon Cult left deep wounds across the Central Plains. Countless lives were lost, with demonic energy and various evil arts spreading like contagion.

As the amount of land uninhabitable for humans increased, people across the Central Plains began to unite under a single community consciousness, regardless of their loyalty to justice or evil, or their social standing.

The Demon Cult was powerful, but the Central Plains were strong too.

Still, it was inevitable that the people of the Central Plains began to feel cornered. The root of the problem lay in the demonic energy that swelled when demons perished. Even if they won battles, the land where humans could live continued to dwindle.

Then one day, a saving hand appeared.

Sword Saint Ye Dong-bin.

The figure commonly referred to as the Eight Immortals of Taoism on Earth appeared before them, and people saw this as the dawn of counteroffensive. However…

The Sword Saint, with a sorrowful expression, swung his sword once in the air and simply vanished.

That was the first appearance of a two-way dimensional gate in martial arts, the ‘Gate’ as Earth calls it.

“So after that, things between Samiryun and Namgung didn’t involve immediate hostility whenever they met.”

“Oh really, is that so…?”

Outside the city gates, an old man was sharing a story from the past. Jung Yu-jin and Namgung Seong seemed to have a rough idea, but Yeon-woo was listening with keen interest as it was the first time he heard it. Shar felt similarly; martial artists rarely talked about their own history.

“Indeed, the decreased fighting had more to do with settling down after crossing over. The evil faction found plenty of other ways to make money without having to fight with the righteous faction, and the righteous faction just didn’t mess with civilians.”

“Aha, so the world has broadened, you’re saying?”

“Exactly! Such a sharp mind you have! Yes, as you said, this Earth’s culture and civilization has positively influenced things.”

Yeon-woo beamed at the compliment, while Dooko-hyun laughed so hard, it felt like he was about to pass out.

And why were they still sitting around in the field instead of entering the Academy? The absence of Yuri answered it all.

Yuri was one of only three top authorities in the city built around this Academy, aside from the director.

It might feel as if the Academy were a small nation of its own, but truthfully, all Academies held relatively such positions. They possessed the independent authority to act at a moment’s notice should the situation turn to war.

In short, they couldn’t let someone as influential as Samiryun-ju enter the city without a word. Unless she was hiding her power like Claire, Samiryun had no intention of pretending to be anything less than an important character, evidenced by how she boldly displays her position on her hat.

She would probably also take care of the body of Louis she just dealt with and the people who headed toward the front gate.

‘Thank goodness.’

Yeon-woo sighed with relief internally. From a corner of his heart, a tiny black mass could be felt.

Alongside it was a cold mass of mana, absorbed he didn’t know when.

After Yuri had arrived, it had been worthwhile to poke Louis’s corpse multiple times with the Doppleganger Weapon.

‘Can I really absorb someone’s elemental mana?’

[Well, it’s ambiguous. Baek In-hwa was undead, and the octopus dude was already dead. Plus, wouldn’t you have had to break Darius’s thread first if that were true?]

That was actually true. Though Yeon-woo might never have landed a direct hit or touch on Darius’s body, he had indeed cut his thread.

‘But I did make physical contact with Baek In-hwa, and this is the first time I’ve obtained Ice properties…’

What a perplexing ability it was.

[First, I’ll have to hit a person directly with the Doppleganger Weapon to reach a conclusion.]

‘Still, it’s a relief that I don’t seem to have anything busy coming up for a while.’

As he sighed in relief and looked up, he met Dooko-hyun’s gaze, who was leisurely answering questions from Jung Yu-jin, as if he were an interviewer holding a notepad.

<Hey, kid, you sure have an interesting body, huh? >

A voice that felt like it was directly embedding into his brain. Telepathy? Yeon-woo didn’t feel alarmed. It was practically no different from how Shar usually spoke to him.

However, it wasn’t the right time for Yeon-woo to attempt telepathy. He lacked the aura and mana for such. Telepathy was usually something one could only do when they had enough room to spare. For someone like Yeon-woo, whose amount was still barely hanging on the Academy’s average, that would be an insurmountable task.

To be honest, he only used empty space to help in battle, so attempting to use it often was out of the question for him.

<You don’t need to answer. Once your neighborhood tour is done, let’s face each other. I’ll treat you to a delicious meal. That’s good, isn’t it? >

Honestly, that speech scared him to death. The idea of not having to fight the righteous faction, calling him grandfather, all of it.

But above all, that person was an absolute powerhouse, unparalleled by any other in humanity, a wild spirit known as Samiryun-ju.

Such uniqueness and freedom that countless people yearned for birthed a faction in the martial world; he was one of the Five Great Weirdos.

Of course, his own mentor, Yuri, belonged to the same group, but he was considered the most mild-mannered. The sword freak and musical freak were nothing compared to someone as erratic as Samiryun-ju.

Having dinner with such a character would feel like dining with a ticked-off giant.

<I swear on the name of Samiryun-ju, I won’t harm you. So don’t look at me with such a scary face, okay? >

Dooko-hyun continued watching, seemingly on the verge of bursting into laughter, and then cut off the telepathy.

Upon reflection, it was odd that he even attempted telepathy in the first place.

[Scary, Dad!!]

‘…….’

Sorry, Shar!! This time I’m scared too!!

(To be continued)

 

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