[You did not miss the Cheonjoongsu Piranha! Agility +1 increased!]
[You dealt a physical attack to the Cheonjoongsu Piranha! Strength +1 increased!]
[You caught the Cheonjoongsu Piranha! Stamina +1 increased!]
As Taehoo emerged from the water, messages exploded in his ears.
He didn’t let his guard down, and as soon as he came out, he changed his breathing technique and asked Namjin and Chiu, who were watching him.
“How about this guy for dinner? Looks like it’d be tasty.”
Of course, it wasn’t because the fish, still twitching its jaws in his grasp, actually looked appetizing.
[The creatures living in the Heavenly Lake are one thing to catch, but just consuming them will have medicinal effects.]
That was what Ba’al had said inside Taehoo’s head as he was being led out by the piranha.
No matter how chaotic or tense the situation was, the voice that pierced into his mind was as vivid as any message.
“That, yeah.”
Thanks to Taehoo, Namjin didn’t have to go down from the summit to hunt—dinner was already decided.
A fish about the size of a person sizzled deliciously over the campfire.
Once again, Namjin handled both the cleaning and cooking.
“This, uh, you might not know, but it’s really good for men, you know?”
Chiu said this as he claimed his seat.
From the looks of it, Ba’al wasn’t wrong at all.
[You think I’d lie about something like that?]
Ba’al, as always, chimed in on Taehoo’s thoughts, and the well-roasted fish steak was placed before each of them.
All of them.
Because of its sheer size, it looked more like a steak than a fish fillet.
Without hesitation, Taehoo picked up the fish steak in front of him and took a bite.
He definitely hadn’t suggested eating it because it looked tasty. Or so he thought…
‘It’s delicious?’
He couldn’t help but admit it, even if only to himself.
As they grew full, Chiu spoke up.
“So, now that you’ve gone in yourself, you get what the Heavenly Lake is, right?”
Unlike when he was joking about it being good for men, his voice was suddenly full of authority.
He could’ve at least wiped the fish meat off his lips before talking, Taehoo thought, finding it quite amusing.
It wasn’t hard to see that this was the real Chiu, more so than the version he first met.
‘No matter how famous the Six Swords of Namjin are, they’re still just people.’
His thoughts naturally drifted to Namjin’s other subordinates.
Of course, there wasn’t much information about them.
He only knew they were the Nam Clan’s original members, each deeply indebted to Namjin.
‘But the training of the First Sword was so famous that even I heard about it as a kid.’
First Sword, Mumyeong.
Rumor had it that, rather than Namgoong, it was Mumyeong who could rival Namjin’s martial prowess.
‘I heard that even my father couldn’t pass the First Sword’s training. After he failed, he’d shudder every time he saw Mumyeong for a while…’
[What? That stiff old man, your dad?]
Ba’al snickered, sounding genuinely surprised.
Taehoo, too, couldn’t really picture Namgoong like that. But where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Something like that must’ve happened.
‘I’m curious.’
His curiosity was piqued. At the same time, so was his competitive spirit.
Training his father couldn’t pass, swordsmanship he never learned.
Namjin’s sword, passed down to no one.
To Taehoo, all of that was treasure—something he had to obtain, something that stoked his fighting spirit.
‘I don’t know how a place like this exists in Korea, but…’
To Taehoo, this place was nothing less than a treasure vault.
Moreover,
‘Even if I could only take a third of what’s here, rank wouldn’t matter.’
Everything scattered here was already overflowing with potential.
‘I’ll master as much as I can, as quickly as I can.’
Taehoo was already absorbed.
“Heavenly Lake… I think I get it now.”
He answered Chiu’s question.
“Right, you must’ve figured out the basics if you managed to come back out.”
“Yes…”
With Taehoo’s short answer, Chiu continued his explanation.
“In that Heavenly Lake, you’ll acquire at least the minimum foundation. We call that ‘making the vessel.’”
Chiu kept his words vague and roundabout.
It felt like he was acting out the image of a master in Taehoo’s mind.
Taehoo listened for a while before cutting to the core.
“So, what exactly am I supposed to do in there?”
“Ahem. Right… You have to dive to the very deepest part of the lake and split the current in half with a single stroke.”
Chiu cleared his throat awkwardly before answering.
‘Split it in half? The current?’
Just by looking, the Heavenly Lake was obviously deep.
Deep enough to be called an abyss.
To go into its deepest part and split the current in half—it sounded both difficult and enigmatic.
‘Still, I can guess what they’re aiming for.’
For a Hunter of Taehoo’s level, just breathing inside the lake would raise his mana.
The deeper he went, the greater the effect would be.
‘Making the vessel’—in other words, increasing his Stat.
And then,
[A Quest has been given!]
The rest of the explanation was apparently left to the System.
[The deepest part of the Heavenly Lake.]
Description – The deepest part of the Heavenly Lake. There, you must split the waterway in half! A miracle like Moses! How will you split the water? No need to worry! Once you get there, you’ll know naturally!
Reward – Sword God’s Skill ‘One-Stroke Severance’ acquisition.
One-Stroke Severance.
Just from the name, it seemed directly related to the clear condition of splitting the current.
“Right, you must’ve received the Quest now.”
Chiu nodded as if that was only natural.
“Yeah. You have five years to accomplish it.”
Namjin, who had been silent, paused mid-bite to speak.
‘Five years?’
[Quest updated!]
[A special condition has been added!]
[Special – You must complete the Quest within five years!]
Such messages followed.
Taehoo and Chiu both looked surprised.
Taehoo was startled by the unexpected condition, but Chiu’s surprise was for a different reason.
All of Namjin’s swords except Mumyeong had succeeded at the Heavenly Lake training after eight years each, and Namgoong took seven years. Mumyeong did it in six.
Five years.
That was exactly how long Namjin himself had taken for the Heavenly Lake training.
‘He must really think highly of the young master.’
Chiu couldn’t help but be astonished.
But Taehoo, whether he knew what Chiu was thinking or not, fell into deep thought.
Would it really take that long? It was the first thing that came to his mind.
It was definitely a difficult training.
He couldn’t even fathom the depth of the Heavenly Lake, nor could he guarantee the piranha was the only creature living inside.
Nine times out of ten, the deeper he went, the stronger the things lurking there would be.
[Your guess is correct.]
Ba’al confirmed, reading Taehoo’s thoughts.
But,
‘I have Ba’al with me.’
On top of that, he had the System, near-irregular Skills, and the advantage of having regressed.
He had more experience than anyone who’d ever attempted the Heavenly Lake training. He had lived more lives.
Taehoo trusted his own judgment.
“I won’t need five years.”
“?”
“?”
Namjin and Chiu both looked at him as if he’d lost his mind.
Chiu especially thought Namjin’s evaluation a moment ago had been far too generous.
But the surprises weren’t over.
“Three years will be enough.”
“What!?”
“What!?”
Their exclamations exploded in succession.
Every other Sword God’s disciple had managed to shave off a year at most from the time required.
Yet Taehoo was saying he’d beat Namjin’s five-year record by not one, but two whole years.
Chiu, as if he couldn’t take it anymore, spoke up.
“Young master—no, kid. You’re only saying that because you don’t know any better. That’s just impossible, got it?”
“I’m certain it’s possible.”
Taehoo cut Chiu off firmly.
Namjin finally spoke.
“Our clan doesn’t tolerate arrogance. You know that, don’t you?”
“Yes. I know.”
Namjin’s eyes grew deeper.
He’d watched Taehoo more closely than anyone.
He knew, after a long time, that Taehoo wasn’t a child to spout nonsense.
Even so,
‘This time, it really does sound like childish arrogance.’
Namjin concluded as much.
But,
Taehoo pushed it even further right in front of Namjin.
“If you think it’s impossible, how about a bet with me?”
He boldly threw down a challenge.
“A bet?”
“Give it to me.”
“Yeah.”
“A bet. If I really finish the Heavenly Lake training within three years, grant me one wish of my choosing.”
As if he’d expected this all along, his terms were simple.
Namjin’s curiosity was piqued by his confident grandson.
“Alright, what is it?”
Got him! Taehoo cheered inwardly as he answered.
“It’s simple. If I do it in three years, teach me not just the Six Swords techniques, but also your own swordsmanship.”
At that, Chiu’s jaw nearly dropped.
He must’ve been wondering just how far this kid was planning to go.
Taehoo didn’t care.
Even though there were only three of them, a stormy silence fell over the camp.
Namjin’s swordsmanship, passed down to no one in the clan.
The audacious young master was demanding it for himself.
“Do you think you’ll have time to learn mine while mastering the swordsmanship of my swords?”
Namjin asked in a stiff voice.
“You can give me the chance, can’t you? And with the two years I save, I’ll give it a try.”
Taehoo replied with a slyness beyond his years.
It was the seasoning of a previous life.
Namjin fell into thought, then soon opened his mouth.
“Fine.”
“Master!”
At Namjin’s agreement, Chiu, who was beside him, became even more agitated.
But Namjin raised a hand to stop him.
“Alright, but I have conditions too.”
“What are they?”
“You made such a bold proposal, so there should be a penalty for you as well.”
Taehoo shrugged as if he agreed.
“If you don’t finish the training in three years, let’s forget about you becoming my disciple.”
“Deal.”
Taehoo agreed without hesitation.
[Quest updated!]
[A special condition has been added!]
As if waiting for this, the messages followed.
[Special]
- You must complete the Quest within three years!
- If you fail, you will be forcibly expelled from the sanctuary!
That was the condition Namjin had set.
Next came the conditions Taehoo had set.
[Rewards updated!]
[Reward]
- Acquire Sword God’s Skill ‘One-Stroke Severance.’
- Gain the chance to learn Hunter Namjin’s swordsmanship!
It was as if the System was officially notarizing their agreement.
But Namjin didn’t know.
Taehoo was already aiming for a period even shorter than three years.
[The Quest begins!]
The sound announcing the start of the Quest rang loudly in Taehoo’s ears.