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Chapter 264

First, I decided to postpone my meeting with the dragon. I needed to gather my thoughts if I was going to have a conversation or do anything productive.

Anyway, I heard there might be some mumbling responses when I spoke, so I trusted they would wake up soon and decided to handle other matters first.

“So, how’s the work going? How about you, Raymond?”

Even so, constantly moving with a large group was noticeable, so Yeon-woo left the kids with Nea for a while and sat in front of Dang Sa-ryeon with a drink. I couldn’t see where Raymond had gone.

“I hear sitting in a place like this doesn’t suit his temperament, so he left. And if we’re talking about work, well, yes. It’s not bad. Something seems like it’s about to happen soon.”

Dang Sa-ryeon said that and calmly took a sip of her green tea-flavored drink.

What a clean movement. It didn’t look like someone who would casually mention the chaos within their family.

But Yeon-woo wasn’t the one who was surprised by that. Despite having witnessed Dang Sa-ryeon’s extreme poison techniques, she still said things were “not bad”?

“Ugh… Did those fools still not come to their senses after seeing the chaotic fusion energy?”

“Exactly… Wait, how do you know my martial arts name?”

“Huh? Good point?”

Thinking about it, I hadn’t officially named it yet, and it was likely only called that within our family.

Yeon-woo decided to brazenly push past her slip of the tongue. There was no point in trying to excuse it after she had already said it.

Fortunately, Dang Sa-ryeon didn’t seem interested in digging into such mistakes. After all, she was someone who knew the internal affairs of the family that even Dang Sa-ryeon herself wasn’t aware of.

Maybe she had her own informants, and Yeon-woo accepted that explanation without question.

“…What would I even ask you?”

Dang Sa-ryeon sighed and stirred her drink with a straw. The sound of ice clinked softly.

“So, don’t you have anything to tell me? I feel like you might.”

Supporting her chin on her hand, Dang Sa-ryeon asked with a hint of flirting. Oh, she’s slyly trying to use her charm. It’s precisely why it’s hard to get close to the daughters of the Dang family.

But was there really nothing to say? There was actually something.

“Soon, a poison will go up for auction.”

“…Poison? What kind of poison?”

“Well, I don’t know, but it must be something incredible. Just make sure you buy it yourself without entrusting anyone else. There will definitely be a traitor among them.”

“…Hmm.”

Dang Sa-ryeon fiddled with her glass, as if gauging the information within Yeon-woo’s words. It was clear what she was thinking.

“Are you considering using it as an opportunity to wipe out the traitor group? That might be an option, but if you fail, it’ll be disastrous.”

“If we don’t fail, that’s all that matters… But, if we fail, the consequences are too severe, right? Got it. I’ll think it over.”

It was just like her not to simply say she wouldn’t do it. She would likely compare the returns and risks to the very end before making a decision.

Anyway, that family is hard to settle down with. It’s not bad to pursue benefits meticulously, though.

Yeon-woo sighed and said.

“Do as you please….”

“Yes, of course, I’ll do as I wish.”

Dang Sa-ryeon replied with a bright smile. Truly a flower-like beautiful smile.

If only there weren’t devious schemes hidden behind it, it would have been truly so.

*

After agreeing to discuss more with Dang Sa-ryeon later, I left the café.

If I had it my way, I would have wanted to have a sparring session with Raymond during this time, but with him absent, there was no way that could happen.

“Ah, found you! Nea, Shar!”

“Oh, did your conversation end already?”

“Wow, dad!”

“What have you been up to!?”

Yeon-woo dashed over to Nea and the kids, who stood out from afar and hugged them warmly.

Of course, not Dawn. Last time, I worried he might feel left out if I hugged everyone else, and he freaked out.

“I just chatted a bit. Were you having fun watching?”

“It was quite a novel city. But…sniff, sniff.”

Suddenly, Nea started sniffing like a puppy. Not knowing what was going on, she approached Yeon-woo with sharp eyes.

“You only met with that girl, Dang Sa-ryeon, didn’t you? What happened?”

“How did you know…!? There was nothing to misunderstand, but…!!”

How on earth did she figure out Raymond was absent just from the scent? Is this part of the dragon’s power?

If it were Shar, I could understand, but Nea, who was a fairly ordinary reptilian dragon, it was a bit strange…!!

“Is that so? There was nothing to misunderstand?”

“Huh?”

As Nea joyfully stepped back from Yeon-woo’s bewildered response, Yeon-woo felt grateful but also a slight pang of disappointment. Human relationships were indeed so intricate.

“I trust you, Yeon-woo!”

“Y-yeah….”

Happy yet a bit sad… Was human relationships this mysterious?

“Shall we explore together then? I keep trying to converse with the dragon, but it hasn’t woken yet. Please let me know if there are any reactions.”

“Hmm… Shall we enjoy a date, then?”

Cheerfully linking arms with Nea after handing Tae-oh to her, Yeon-woo approached. Dawn shot a look of disdain, but Yeon-woo didn’t mind at all.

Nea turned away, blushing, but she didn’t pull her arm away.

Are you mad? That’s unfortunate!! No one can judge me for being a minor!! That’s the limit of the judicial system in this country!!

No one would really say anything for just messing around in relationships anyway.

The buildings of Changhai have a stern yet practical beauty to them. What should I say, it feels like standing in a city built on a battleship.

I felt a strange sensation after hearing that what lay beneath our feet wasn’t an island but a dragon. Still, I thought it was a city that any guy would love.

“That’s good, but what about Nea and the kids?”

“Well, it’s not beautiful, but it’s got its own fun. I can particularly read intent from the structure of the city and the shapes of the buildings.”

“Ah, there’s that too.”

Changhai is a typical planned city. Although harmony generally tends toward that direction, Changhai is even more imposing in its structure.

Perhaps it’s because, unlike the harmony that can detect attacks from hordes of monsters, the ones that come from beneath the sea can’t be noticed without some skill.

“For example, that building jutting out in a ‘ㄱ’ shape or the diagonally built structure by the coastline. It’s quite fun to imagine.”

“Oh really…? By the way, that diagonally built structure is a facility for retrieving the corpses of monsters we’ve hunted.”

“Really!? We thought it was a fishing spot!”

“…That doesn’t seem too wrong, either?”

Isn’t it somewhat similar? The five of them strolled along while having such a conversation.

*

“Yalu.”

“What’s that? Is that some Changhai-style greeting?”

“Nope.”

Then what the heck is it? While Yeon-woo was perplexed at Raymond, who was holding a saber and giving weird greetings that turned out to be not even a greeting, Raymond stood up, leaning on his saber like a cane.

“Alright, you asked for a sparring session, didn’t you?”

“Yes, seeing you come this far, it seems right to accept that suggestion, right?”

“Well, as a disciple of an old man, I can’t just turn you down brutally. I’ll first see your skills and decide whether I can truly go along with it, is that fine?”

Raymond said while gripping his saber. He held it with his fingers spread and like he was gripping it just with his thumb.

He said he wasn’t serious, but it seemed he intended to show at least some skill.

“It’s only been two days since the finals ended, and I’m already being tested again…. I will do my best.”

Yeon-woo took out the Doppleganger instead of White.

While White would be advantageous in a breaking situation, it was questionable whether defense would mean anything against that guy. Hence, I chose the Doppleganger, which size wouldn’t matter.

“Then I’ll toss a coin, and when it hits the ground, we’ll start. You don’t mind?”

“Of course not… Huh.”

As Yeon-woo steadied his breath, Raymond lightly flicked the coin with his finger. Until it dropped to the ground, 3, 2, 1…

Clink! Clang. With the unique sound of a coin hitting the floor, Raymond unleashed his strike.

It was a distance of about 3 meters. Even if Raymond possessed a saber that exceeded 2 meters—the longest a saber could ever be without losing its weapon shape—there was no way it could reach.

Yet, disregarding that 1 meter— a distance that was short but brutally long— the impact jolted through my forearm.

I couldn’t say I recognized that strike.

“Wow, what is this? Seriously amazing.”

“Amazing, right? What about my draw technique?”

Having said that, Raymond smirked and slowly returned his saber back to its sheath at his waist.

I debated whether to slip through during that slow re-sheathing action, but curiously, I felt there was no opening, even in that slow recovery.

The draw technique. Unleashing an attack while drawing the sword… It should be called a kind of ambush attack rather than swordsmanship; however, Raymond was employing it effortlessly.

Of course, since he was swinging a sheathed blade rather than a real sword, its lethality and speed were diminished.

The Sword Saint, the Wave Raymond, was relatively young. He wasn’t someone who gained the title of Sword Saint by cultivating his skills like the Four or Five Sword Saints.

But he had a desire to grow stronger. He had no hesitation in using the sword as a ‘weapon’ rather than just a tool for cultivation.

It may seem surprising that a man would primarily use ambush techniques, which sound like something out of a cartoon, but it was also a strategic choice.

“The old man and I have very different personalities. The old man says there’s no need for gimmicks with the sword and when you reach mastery, everything is resolved, but I think there’s no reason not to utilize gimmicks.”

“I see, that part is indeed true, Master.”

“What do you think? It’s not really an exam. I’m just curious.”

The man purely pursued speed. At some point, he realized that he could no longer elevate his speed with sheer human strength, so he decided to embrace the power of ‘technique.’

He would modify his blade, modify his weapon, and if necessary, even modify his body.

The reason the man was in Changhai was likely due to his belief in utilizing all available resources.

The fastest among the Sword Saints, Raymond, smiled widely.

(To be continued in the next chapter)

 

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