“The Single Instant Sect Master has arrived.”
“The Single Instant Sect Master?”
“I saw him clearly.”
“The Single Instant Sect Master has come…? Huhu!”
Heo Dogi sheathed his sword and turned around.
The image of his disciple bowing and reporting was reflected.
From five to seven in the evening, for one two hour period, Heo Dogi would train his martial arts no matter what.
It was not a time for teaching his disciples. Nor was it a time for learning new martial arts. He would retrain the martial arts he had practiced so far to discipline his body and mind.
It goes without saying that during his training time, outsiders were strictly forbidden.
No one could watch Heo Dogi train.
No matter how important the matter, one could only meet Heo Dogi after his training was over.
From five to seven in the evening.
The matter of strictly blocking outsiders during his training time had already been approved by the Sacred Sword Sect Master.
The disciples were in charge of blocking outsiders. The ten disciples, called the Ten Lesser Swords, controlled the ten directions.
Conversely, this meant that only the Ten Lesser Swords could watch Heo Dogi’s martial arts. Also, since it was a time completely cut off from outsiders, the conversations that took place in the training ground were bound to be secret.
The world did not know the conversation he and the Ten Lesser Swords were having now.
“My brother called for the Single Instant Sect Master…? Huhu! Who does my brother want to kill now…”
Heo Dogi muttered as if to himself.
“Wouldn’t it be you, Master? Death is at his doorstep, and the Still Sword is immature. He’s anxious about this and that, so he must be thinking of eliminating the seeds of trouble beforehand, wouldn’t you say?”
A disciple said.
Still Sword was Heo Munseung’s title.
Although Heo Munseung had the martial name of Supreme Three Move Sword, the people of the Sacred Sword Sect called him by his title, Still Sword.
“No. No. My brother is not that kind of person. If he were going to target me, he would have dealt with me long ago. My brother is someone who will never move without a just cause.”
“That is true, but…”
“Tsk! Do you still not know the Sect Master? How can you make a living in the martial world with such poor observation skills?”
“My apologies.”
The disciple bowed his head.
“He called the Single Instant Sect Master to kill someone… Who would he kill at the end of his life? It doesn’t seem to be me. I’m quite curious who it is.”
Heo Dogi raised his sword.
He often held secret meetings during this training time, but in fact, the main purpose was martial arts training.
He had never missed a single day of martial arts training.
He did not go out into the martial world, and even refrained from going outside the gate, moving only within his own residence. Still, he did not neglect his training. He always carried his sword with him, wherever he went.
“I don’t know if this will be of any help, but… the Single Instant Sect Master brought a disciple with him this time.”
“A disciple?”
Heo Dogi was about to execute a form, but he lowered his sword and turned around. Then he asked again.
“The Single Instant Sect Master brought a disciple to the Hidden House?”
“Only the Sect Master entered the Hidden House. The disciple was left at the dismounting stone.”
“Hmm!”
Heo Dogi frowned.
After his illness worsened, the Sect Master had moved into the Hidden House, a place completely unknown to outsiders.
The Hidden House was a secret residence that only the Sect Master could use.
No one could set foot in it except for the Sect Master and the three servants who attended to him.
Wife, children, siblings… not even his own flesh and blood could enter. However, there was only one exception, just one person in this world. Only the Single Instant Sect Master could enter the Hidden House.
If the Single Instant Sect Master had brought a disciple into the Hidden House, it would be a grave crime punishable by immediate death. It was not in the laws of the world, but it was a violation of the first law of the Sacred Sword Sect.
There was a dismounting stone five li away from the Hidden House. And there was a hut where people with business stayed. Those who had urgent matters to report to the Sect Master would shoot a signal flare from the hut. Then the servants would come running to receive the message.
Under no circumstances could anyone set foot in the Hidden House.
The Sect Master could stay in the Hidden House and conduct secret training. He could also make important decisions for the martial world. He could make decisions that would change the history of the martial world, away from the world.
The Hidden House was a place created to provide the Sect Master with a space to be alone.
“The Single Instant Sect Master has never brought a disciple before… What is this all about?”
Heo Dogi tilted his head.
“Shall we provoke them?”
“...No, just watch. Don’t provoke them. We can’t even guess what he’s thinking, can we? In times like these, it’s best to just watch. Let’s wait and see. What on earth is he trying to do. Hahaha!”
Heo Dogi flicked his sword.
Shwaek! Shwek! Shwaaaek!
The sword was drawn three times.
It was swung up in a diagonal line from his waist to above his head. Then it struck down in front. He took a step to the side, lowered his body, and swung the sword up again to slit a throat.
Was it a form? No. It was a sword drawing technique.
The Sacred Sword Sect’s swordsmanship, the Illuminating Thousand Swords, began its attack from the moment the sword was drawn.
As the sword is drawn, it pushes away the opponent’s sword. An attack is delivered into the space created to decide the match. If the opponent manages to evade the first sword, he immediately steps to the side and attacks a second time.
All of these movements are performed in the single moment of drawing the sword.
In that instant, a strange light flashed in the eyes of the Ten Lesser Swords.
It was a sword drawing technique that everyone in the Sacred Sword Sect knew. Everyone, without exception, trained in the same sword drawing technique. There were about thirty such sword drawing techniques, but…
The sword drawing technique that Heo Dogi performed was on a different level. It was too fast.
“Ah!”
A gasp escaped from them without them realizing it.
‘That sword, I can’t block it!’
They subconsciously compared their master’s sword with their own. And they asked themselves if they could handle their master’s speed. As a result, they felt that they could never block it.
Everyone’s sword drawing is fast. The speed of drawing the sword in any sect is dazzlingly fast.
Heo Dogi overwhelmed that speed.
It was the first time they had seen the sword drawing technique performed with the full power of his ten levels of internal energy.
In the short moment it took for someone else to draw their sword, he had already drawn his sword, attacked, and prepared for the next attack. And if necessary, he would even follow up with a second attack.
The eyes of the Ten Lesser Swords were filled with the gloom of people who had met an insurmountable wall, and with awe.
* * *
I knew this would happen.
How could a bad premonition be so accurate… I wish this kind of feeling wasn’t so spot on.
I brought my disciple just in case, but to think I would really have to do what I had thought of. I had earnestly hoped that this would not happen.
“...I’m afraid you’ll have to die.”
“This life was already offered to the Sect Master. However, will the tide of events change just because we die?”
“It won’t change the tide of events. But it will be possible to achieve what the Sect Master desires.”
“Then that’s enough. I will die.”
“You don’t ask what it is?”
“I told you. This life was already offered to the Sect Master.”
Cha Munryang, the leader of the Hell Warrior Squad, said to be composed of only the most vicious of the Sacred Sword Sect Master’s guards, said with a smileless face.
“The Sect Master does not know about this matter.”
“It doesn’t matter. The Sect Master can no longer do anything. I will take this as the Sect Master’s final order.”
“That rascal… he may not have obtained the Single Instant Blade, but he is a swordsman capable of doing the work of a hundred men. Go well. I’m sorry.”
The old man said with a frustrated expression.
“Kiki! Kiki! Kiki!”
Dongbak’s shoulders shook as he chuckled.
“Kiki! Kiki! Kikik!”
He tried not to laugh, but laughter kept leaking out.
The fine hairs on his body stood on end. His nerves twitched, and his hair stood up stiffly. Even his flesh trembled.
“Kikikik!”
Dongbak raised his hands and tore at his own hair.
It felt like his head was cramping. A shiver ran down his spine. And the shiver came as an intense pleasure. A pleasure that he couldn’t resist, no matter how hard he tried, washed over him.
“Kikik! Kikikik!”
Dongbak laughed continuously.
His master had told him to stay in the hut without moving. But this was a situation where he couldn’t help but move.
Don’t ever meet people?
If people approach, hide instead?
Of course, that was his intention. Whose order was it to disobey? There was no one who would come to a deserted hut in the middle of the night, and even if someone did, he had planned to notice them in advance and hide.
But this… was not a situation to avoid.
“There are quite a few bugs here. Why are there so many bugs. Bugs need to be cleaned up. Stomp them to death, break their wings, break their legs. Kikik!”
The boy’s eyes glinted with killing intent.
People gathered around the hut.
They did not reveal themselves. They lay prone in the dark forest. But their killing intent was revealed. They were shooting a very strong killing intent towards Dongbak.
Killing intent stimulates killing intent.
If they hadn’t initiated the killing intent first, Dongbak would not have generated his own.
To one who knows how to fight, killing intent becomes pleasure.
The thought of hitting, of killing, makes one think of the victory to come. And it becomes an immense pleasure, a delight, that stimulates the nerves. It arouses fighting spirit.
“Kiki! Kiki! Kiki!”
Dongbak twisted his neck.
A cracking sound came from his neck bones.
To a fighter, killing intent is no different from a drug. His whole body tingled with the pleasure of crushing his opponent. Even if the fight went wrong and the situation was reversed, he would not regret it.
Dongbak was young, but he knew how to fight.
Of course, Dongbak had only fought with animals. He had fought with wolves, and with bears. He could play around with wild boars. If a pack of wild dogs appeared, it was a very exciting day.
But he had never harmed a person.
A disciple of the Single Instant Sect was only allowed to kill after obtaining the Single Instant Blade. Strictly speaking, they were even forbidden from engaging in activities in the martial world before obtaining the Single Instant Blade. If they failed to obtain the Single Instant Blade in their lifetime, they had to live in the mountains for their entire lives. They were not even allowed to meet anyone.
He had never killed a person until now. This was the first time.
“Kikikikiki…!”
Dongbak giggled like someone addicted to drugs.
He had no idea that the killing intent he felt from a person could be so intense. It was like taking a very strong aphrodisiac and losing your mind in an instant… his hands and feet trembled so much he couldn’t stand it.
“...I can’t take it anymore.”
Dongbak left the hut.
Shhht!
One person fell with a single slash.
The dead man’s throat was slit. He collapsed, clutching his throat with both hands. Without even a scream.
He had stabbed the lungs, making a hole in them. Then, he had cut the throat.
The opponent couldn’t scream even if he wanted to. No air came from his lungs. No air flowed to his vocal cords. He couldn’t let out a cry even if he wanted to.
Dongbak gained confidence.
“Why isn’t this the Single Instant Blade? It’s a blade that breaks everyone I’m supposed to break. This should be enough to be recognized as the Single Instant Blade. Master is too stingy.”
Swoosh!
Dongbak’s eyes saw a person in hiding.
He seemed very flustered, sticking his head out and constantly looking around.
Dongbak, who had been in the hut, had disappeared. The target he was supposed to be watching had disappeared without a sound.
He must be very flustered.
‘You’re next!’
Swoosh!
Dongbak approached him. And without a word, he stabbed his blade into the opponent’s back.
“Kuk!”
The opponent screamed and collapsed.
He could have killed him silently this time too. But there was no fun in killing like that. When taking a life, you had to stab your blade right into something that was wriggling.
The pleasure of a wriggling thing stiffening in an instant!
So he deliberately made him scream. From now on, many would know of the ambush. They would naturally respond, and he could have a slightly more lively killing spree than now.
‘You guys shot your killing intent first. That means you want to kill me. So I’ll kill you too.’
Shwaaaek!
Dongbak shot his body forward very quickly.
(End of Chapter)