9 – 01# A Hair’s Breadth from Death (9)

It seemed things had gone very, very wrong.

Clutching Sua tightly at my side, I sprinted through the trees and undergrowth with all my might. I felt a pang of guilt for turning Sua into mere baggage, but there was no other choice, not at this moment.

‘At least I managed to knock out the most dangerous one.’

Of course, judging by their aura, the other warriors were no pushovers either. But thankfully, the most dangerous among them was the one I’d stunned first, Moyong Sa.

It wasn’t merely because he was a squinty-eyed character, a common trope in these tales. It was a gut feeling, a sense that pulsed through my skin – he was the most dangerous person there.

That’s why I chose to ambush him and escape. Killing him had crossed my mind, but lethal moves came with too many caveats.

In these stories, it was common for opponents to sense and anticipate a killing intent. After all, any living being, especially humans, would naturally react to the threat of death.

What if I unleashed a killing blow, and he somehow sensed it and blocked the attack? The consequences were too grim to contemplate. That’s why I settled for simply knocking him out.

‘If only I had reached the Transcendent Realm, this would be much easier.’

“No… my brother…”

“Calm yourself.”

“But…!!”

“Sua, listen to me carefully.”

Perhaps because of the unexpected tragedy befalling her precious family, Sua’s eyes were trembling like reeds in the wind. I had to stop for a moment to calm her down.

I set Sua down, knelt on one knee, and made sure to meet her gaze. The tremors I felt through my hand on her small shoulders were proof of her profound distress.

“Your brother is still alive.”

“Né? But, they said he was captured…”

“Captured, yes, but not killed. Most likely, they’re holding your brother as a hostage, trying to lure you in.”

“If that’s the case…”

“Then, yes, we simply go and rescue him ourselves.”

In truth, absolute certainty was beyond my grasp. The possibility that they’d already killed him and were employing a deception couldn’t be ruled out. But there was no need to mention such a dire scenario, was there?

Thankfully, my words seemed to have been of considerable help. Like a lamp flickering in the wind, she had trembled, but that was now a lie; Soo-ah’s eyes had calmed, and she gazed at me quietly.

“Forgive me for showing such an unsightly display, Daehyeop.”

“Is there anything at all you can surmise? Even if it’s something minor, if you know anything, tell me everything.”

“First, Senior Martial Brother Mo Yong-sa is the Commander of the Righteous Dragon Vanguard.”

“Is the Righteous Dragon Vanguard a unit under the Righteous Dragon Clan?”

“Indeed. It’s often shortened to Righteous Dragon Guard.”

Usually, in the martial world, a Commander is depicted as being of a lower rank than a Clan Leader. Unless, of course, their abilities are recognized, and they command an independent unit… But she explicitly mentioned ‘under the clan’.

‘Which means, the martial artists currently pursuing us are likely of a lower caliber than the average member of the Righteous Dragon Clan, no?’

Good heavens, I felt a surge of confidence rising within me, heedless of any limits. But I mustn’t become arrogant. I haven’t reached the stage where I can afford such conceit.

Since earlier, a sharp killing intent had been incessantly piercing my back. I lifted my gaze to the direction of the killing intent. The number… approximately five. No, six perhaps?

When they initially surrounded the thatched house, the number of martial artists was easily over ten. But seeing as roughly half of them had given chase, it seemed the remaining half were dealing with the Commander and…

That those who could currently move had chosen to pursue. We couldn’t continue to drag this tail behind us. A tail that grows too long will inevitably be stepped on someday.

Furthermore, I was alone, with a child to protect. Therefore, the fact that their forces were divided presented the optimal opportunity. With a hardened expression, I drew my sword from my waist.

“It seems there’s no choice.”

“Dae, Daehyeop? What are you planning to do?”

“To protect you, I have no choice. I will refrain from lethal strikes as much as possible, but if they cross the line, I will not hesitate to take their lives.”

“That Daehyeop would, go so far for me…”

“Now, turn around and close your eyes.”

It wasn’t as though I enjoyed killing. On the contrary, I wished to avoid bloodshed as much as possible. But judging from the killing intent I felt earlier, it seemed they had no intention of simply letting us pass.

In that case, an eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth.

I, too, would have to give it my all to kill them.

Soon, a keen, piercing aura began to flow along the blade.

◇

In the martial world, encountering a supreme master was more difficult than plucking a star from the night sky.

It was the kind of jest that passed between martial artists, striking cups in taverns. But with a sliver of truth, perhaps exaggerated, for encountering a master of surpassing skill within the martial world was far more arduous than one might think.

The sheer scarcity of those masters was one reason. Those few titans were usually holed up in their clans or sects, dedicating themselves to training or the cultivation of their disciples.

Thus, it was perhaps only natural that frogs in wells, ignorant of their own limits, would declare themselves supreme. A naive rustic might be deceived.

But that was not the case for the Medical Vanguard of the Murong Clan. The Murong Clan, at the very least, had Murong Jin, a veritable master of surpassing skill, and even received direct instruction from him.

“A nameless old man, alone on a mountain, is a master of surpassing skill?”

“Nonsense. Young Master must be mistaken.”

“Indeed, Young Master hasn’t even fully reached the level of First-Rate.”

“Haha! My friend, aren’t we in the same boat?”

When Murong Hyun first announced that he had received aid from a master of surpassing skill, the martial artists of the Medical Vanguard didn’t believe it. A master of that caliber secluded in a backwater they’d never even heard of?

It defied all logic.

He must have mistaken a First-Rate expert who had washed his hands of the martial world. Such cases happened from time to time. Mistaking the mystique and experience flowing from a venerable old master.

And Murong Hyun’s testimony, that he hadn’t actually *seen* the sword ki, the very emblem of mastery, only solidified their conviction. But even a First-Rate expert was still a force to be reckoned with, so they couldn’t dismiss it.

By order of the Clan Head, the Medical Vanguard set out to retrieve the young lady from the mountain. Commander Murong Sa, leading them, harbored much discontent with the order, but didn’t dare to disobey.

It was an easy task.

Recovering the young lady from an unidentified old man.

Yes, surely it would be.

They realized something was amiss when Commander Murong Sa was knocked unconscious with a single blow. Murong Sa was a true First-Rate expert, commander of the Medical Vanguard, and its most skilled member.

And yet, Murong Sa was defeated with a single blow? They sensed that something was going awry, but there was too much to lose to turn back now.

The Clan Head had made them a promise when issuing this command. If they completed this mission successfully, the clan would provide full support to ensure they reached the First-Rate level.

“He must have been caught off guard.”

“Exactly. If the opponent were truly a master of surpassing skill, we’d all be dead already.”

“And yet, he chose to flee. What could the reason be?”

They suppressed their creeping unease and continued the pursuit. The other martial artists tried to dissuade them, suggesting they assess the situation after the commander was struck down with a single blow, but they were unyielding.

There were more martial artists teetering ambiguously between Second-Rate and First-Rate than one might think. Thus, they knew better than anyone the bitter truth: nothing was more painful than mediocre talent.

No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t even confidently say they could fully reach First-Rate, let alone surpassing skill. How many times had that fact torn at their hearts? They didn’t even dare dream of surpassing skill.

‘If only I could fully reach the First-Rate level… I would gladly give my life.’

With the resolve to give their lives, they had come this far. There was no turning back for them now. Therefore, by the time they realized something was amiss, it was already too late.

For the first time in their lives, they felt as if their skin was freezing in the face of a violent, savage aura. Only then were they able to truly confront it: the keen, sharp energy flowing from the unremarkable old man’s sword.

Sword Ki.

劍氣

A supreme technique only masters who had reached surpassing skill could wield, the very emblem of mastery. And yet, surprisingly, not a single one of them immediately recognized it as Sword Ki.

劍氣

“That… could that possibly be Sword Qi?”

“N-no way! There’s no way it could be!”

“That’s not just Sword Qi flowing along the blade. It’s completely engulfing the sword, I’ve never even heard of such a thing…!!”

Cognitive dissonance. The Sword Qi that he had witnessed countless times during his lessons with the elders of the clan was incomparable. If the elder’s Sword Qi was like a tranquil stream in the mountains…

The Sword Qi of the unimpressive old man before him was, quite simply, the ocean. A vast and boundless ocean, as far as the eye could see. And the only feeling that those adrift in that vast, trackless ocean could experience was…

Despair.

Then, Mu-myeong raised the sword above his head and swung it down with all his might. It was just that, and nothing more. A simple vertical slash, devoid of any arcane secrets or form. However, its power was extraordinary.

Vertical Sever.

The violent storm of Sword Qi not only tore through the martial artists’ fragile flesh, but even carved away a section of the mountain. A tremendous explosion followed, shaking the mountain and the heavens.

As the dust settled, Sua, who had been watching everything from behind, was horrified. As if an earthquake had struck, the ground was deeply hollowed out, exposing the roots of the trees.

‘So this is the full power of a master at the apex of their skill, that I’ve only heard legends of. I’m so afraid that my legs are giving out beneath me.’

Only then did Sua truly grasp how lofty and terrifying the realm of mastery was. So high that there was nowhere left to climb, or, in other words, an unmoving state.

Does the flapping of a butterfly’s wings shake Mount Tai?

Does the quaking of the earth truly cause the heavens to collapse?

Uncompromising to any external pressure, unwavering with the conviction in their heart that the path they walk is absolutely correct. That is precisely why they are called masters at the apex.

Which, put another way…

‘These nobodies can’t even use Sword Qi properly.’

The moment Mu-myeong’s misconception would be shattered remained, for the time being, far off.