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Chapter 103: Nice to Meet You, Kiddo

Nachal touched his neck, still frozen by the sensation of being brutally sliced moments ago.

‘Was that all an illusion?’

He could tell from the assassins that were always attached to someone’s death. This was certainly not a misconception.

The sensation he felt was undeniably ‘death.’

In just a few steps, he had experienced countless deaths.

Was it killing intent? Or was he overwhelmed by the atmosphere to the point of confusion?

‘This Nachal … losing to such a bloody mess?’

Originally, Nachal belonged to the Seven Night Assassins managed by the King of Demons.

Now he had left the King of Demons’ side to pledge loyalty to the Gungju, but given his previous affiliation, his skills were already recognized.

Assassins don’t care too much about realms compared to other martial arts. Their focus is differentiated by their specialization in ambush and surprise attacks.

If anything, it was similar to Poison Techniques.

Thus, Nachal thought that if the time and place were right, he could easily kill even someone at a higher realm.

He had enough confidence to feel proud of his skills.

Yet, what the heck was happening now?

He looked at Gu Yangcheong, trying to steady his chaotic breathing.

No matter how monstrous his talent, it was only at the first-class level.

The gaze of a martial artist starts only after breaking through the peak.

The peak is where one shatters their vessel and fills it anew.

Even if he used the same amount of Qi, the intensity changes, and Qi Perception develops. It marks the moment of understanding how to use and guide the Qi.

Martial artists said that once they surpass the peak level, they finally stepped into transcendence. Given the characteristics of upper martial arts, Nachal was already a master at the peak level.

To think such a person would be overshadowed by that bloody mess.

“What did you do…?”

Even in response to Nachal’s question, Gu Yangcheong merely stood silently with his sword.

“What kind of nonsense is this…!”

Still, he received no answer; Gu Yangcheong merely looked at him.

Gu Yangcheong had just referred to him as Shin Cheol.

What did that mean? Nachal pondered for a moment, but nothing came to mind. Surely, it was just another attempt to confuse him.

According to reports, Gu Yangcheong was certainly in the martial arts category.

In fact, just a moment ago, he had used proficient martial techniques, so it had to be true.

So what was he doing now?

‘Is he pretending to be a Sword Master now?’

Gu Yangcheong had shown too much to provoke Nachal’s carelessness.

Of course, he knew that the Gu Clan was training both swordsmanship and martial arts simultaneously, but he never thought Gu Yangcheong would be proficient in swordsmanship as well.

No matter how gifted he was, he couldn’t master both martial arts.

Proof of that was the glaring gaps in Gu Yangcheong’s stance now.

At least when he was bare-handed, he appeared skillful enough not to show gaps, but now with a sword in hand, he seemed to have countless openings that could lead to his death.

Certainly, those transcending the essence of martial arts can sometimes merge their very existence with martial concepts.

The Gungju was one, and so was the King of Demons, the number one assassin.

‘Then maybe that brat can too?’

How absurd. Nachal shook his head, realizing the ludicrousness of such a thought.

He knew he couldn’t touch or even gaze upon that lofty realm.

So why couldn’t he move?

“Kiddo.”

Gu Yangcheong’s voice made Nachal flinch.

“Seems like you’ve gotten sloppy because you’re scared. You’d better fix that.”

“Y-you…!”

As he spoke like a teacher, veins popped on Nachal’s neck.

“How dare you… you little brat, think you can teach me?”

“Hehe… even a small leaf must find its meaning, but you, kiddo, have already lost the essence a martial artist should possess.”

“Shut up! It was so cute watching you struggle a bit, but it’s clear you don’t know your place!”

This was a ridiculous provocation.

For an assassin who needed to embody coldness to survive, this challenge was absurdly beneath him, yet strangely, Nachal felt shaken. Realizing this, he rooted his Qi.

‘Don’t be fooled by the clueless appearance; he’s just floundering.’

He skillfully gathered his Qi around the dagger he held.

Gu Yangcheong continued to look at Nachal with a relaxed expression.

His empty chest—it was the heart he aimed for.

With Nachal’s speed, he should have been able to stab it in an instant.

He had to finish this before the sun rose.

Just as Nachal lowered his stance to dive in.

“I used to tell the children this long ago.”

Nachal’s body froze at Gu Yangcheong’s voice.

‘…What?’

He wasn’t surprised. His movements were being unexpectedly sealed. It wasn’t the weight of his Qi, so what was it?

“Enveloped in rage, the heart becomes chaotic, and an anxious heart is mirrored in the blade.”

Gu Yangcheong continued, his gaze lingering on the decayed bodies of the fallen Plum Blossom Sword Masters around.

“If that happens, the blooming plum blossoms will once again vanish to the earth under heaven’s will, and it will take a long time before they bloom anew.”

His eyes were hollow. Yet within those words lay a multitude of emotions hidden.

“That old man who spoke those words was the first to express his anger in the raging Blood Calamity. Isn’t it laughable? A fool who betrayed his own meaning had so many regrets in life.”

“…What nonsense are you spouting?”

Has he gone mad? Nachal didn’t understand a single word of the nonsense Gu Yangcheong was spewing.

“It’s okay if you don’t understand.”

Rustle.

“This is just the ranting of an old fool.”

“…What…?”

Something fell before Nachal.

The ceiling was a blocked stone roof; there shouldn’t be anything dropping.

He shifted his gaze down to the ground.

Sitting there was a Plum Blossom Leaf.

It crumbled into pieces at the mere sight of it.

“What in the world…?”

He looked back at Gu Yangcheong, and it seemed like he had misjudged; Gu Yangcheong’s surroundings were still empty.

Creak-!

Was it an illusion? Was it the chaos too unfit for his subject? Nachal gritted his teeth.

His stiffened body relaxed, filled with urgency. He could no longer drag this out, and had to complete his mission from the Main Palace.

Surrounded by his Qi, Nachal lunged toward Gu Yangcheong like a fired arrow.

His target was, as always, the heart. Watching Nachal charge, Gu Yangcheong finally reacted, but it was slow.

‘As I thought, it was a floundering attempt.’

He could see Gu Yangcheong raising his sword. Truly, his movements were clumsy to the point of being pathetic.

At that speed, Nachal’s dagger would pierce the heart before he could swing.

As Nachal’s strike approached—

Thwack!

A chilling sound echoed, and blood splattered as something flew back and hit the ground.

“Guhhh…!!”

Nachal screamed as he kneeled to the floor.

Grasping at his shoulder, he looked back in shock, seeing his own arm holding the dagger rolling away.

“What is this…!”

Without a doubt, Gu Yangcheong’s movement had been slow, and his own had been far quicker.

Yet it was his arm that had been severed.

Rustle… rustle…

“.…!”

Another soft sound tickled his ears.

Once again, Plum Blossom Leaves started to appear. Where—where were they coming from?

Rustle…

As he watched the leaves fall one by one to the ground, Nachal realized something was terribly wrong.

[What is happening?]

After regaining his senses, he noticed the unusual situation unfolding.

He was now holding a sword, and the assassin claiming to be Nachal was sitting on the ground, now an amputee.

[Could it be…?]

Was he losing consciousness again like in the fight with Ya Hyeoljeok?

‘Are you awake?’

[…Huh?]

In that moment, who was speaking?

With thoughts flitting through his mind, he unknowingly asked.

[Shin Noya…?]

‘Yeah, it’s been a while.’

[What are you doing right now…?]

As he attempted to move his body, he found he couldn’t even move a finger.

He’d already lost control of his body.

‘Don’t make a fuss; I’ll return control to you soon enough.’

[What on earth is going on?]

‘What could I possibly be doing? I’m saving your life, aren’t I?’

[That means… Oh wait, didn’t you say last time that you couldn’t seize my body?]

He had clearly said not to worry about any possession. But if this wasn’t possession, then what should he call it?

As he questioned it, Shin Noya replied.

‘…Indeed. I had no idea this would be possible. And yet, here we are.’

…This crazy old man?

[This is insane…]

‘Tch, you won’t be here long, and you can’t do it often, so just sit still!’

“Guhhh…

For a moment Nachal gripped the lost arm and staggered back, creating some distance.

“Huff… huff…!”

“You’re a lot quicker than I imagined.”

“…You were hiding your skills…!”

“…You really are spouting cliché lines; that’s quite disappointing…”

Even a basic move of shaking the sword free seemed so alien to him, as he felt the flow of movements within his body.

‘This must be thanks to the Taoist Qi I ingested from that treasure; it’s a relief I can use the sword without difficulty.’

He watched the exhausted Nachal from afar. While using my body, Shin Noya had been pressing Nachal with comparatively weak Taoist Qi.

Martial arts have strong destructive powers, but they hardly shine until one reaches a certain realm.

I too was covering my deficiencies using the abundance of my Qi.

However, I never thought the Sword Mastery would surpass mine—

‘Tch, you’ve always been prone to overdoing it.’

Shin Noya spoke as if annoyed.

‘You could keep it efficient and use only what you need, but this is too excessive, even considering the characteristics of the Fire Techniques.’

To spew out flames, one must draw enough Qi.

That was unavoidable.

‘There’s no helping it; don’t try to sugarcoat it. There’s no thought of “Oh, what a pity, I got cornered” for the future, is there?’

[…Why are you suddenly trying to teach me?]

‘It’s just frustrating! Just frustrating! I thought you were a kid with a lot of talent who would figure things out, but here you are rotting away!’

[…!]

What did Shin Noya just say…? Did I hear wrong?

[What did you just say…?]

‘I know you’ve come back in time.’

Hearing Shin Noya’s words made his heart sink.

 

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