Crack!
With just two swift steps, Kim Joo-hyuk closed the distance to zero.
His sword brushed past Kim Seo-jun’s neck in that instant.
취인
Like the flick of a snake’s tongue, Kim Seo-jun’s neck moved ever so slightly.
파캉!
Kim Joo-hyuk’s arm was forcefully lifted upward by a heavy impact.
He saw nothing, not even a hint of an incoming attack.
Yet his sword was knocked skyward by the strength of the blow.
Suppressing the sharp sting of the strike, Kim Joo-hyuk spun his body.
As expected of a seasoned veteran, his judgment was quick, and his reaction was flawless.
When Kim Joo-hyuk gave up his sword and countered with a backward kick, Kim Seo-jun didn’t dodge. Instead, he stepped into the path of the flying foot with his forearm.
퍼억
Only a loud sound was made—there was no impact.
Because the block was made before the kick even fully rotated, Kim Joo-hyuk lost his balance and stumbled backward.
Then, Kim Seo-jun’s hand moved again.
취인
A wooden sword flew in, tracing a graceful arc toward Kim Joo-hyuk’s head.
This time, Kim Joo-hyuk saw the sword’s trajectory and swung his wooden sword to block it.
But Kim Joo-hyuk’s sword struck nothing but empty air.
티
Kim Seo-jun’s wooden sword lightly tapped Kim Joo-hyuk’s forearm again.
“It’s over, isn’t it?”
Kim Seo-jun’s face twisted into a smirk that seemed to say, ‘How about giving up already?’ Today, it looked particularly annoying.
Kim Joo-hyuk gently pushed his son’s wooden sword aside and stepped back.
“Again.”
“Ah, what? It’s already decided, isn’t it?”
“Exactly, 1 to 0.”
“… What?”
“It’s best of five, two wins.”
Kim Seo-jun sighed deeply at his father’s words.
“Really, just best of five? No saying ‘best of seven’ or something after losing?”
“That depends on the situation.”
Kim Joo-hyuk spoke to his son as if he were a close friend.
He was so happy right now.
Had his son grown so much already?
He had thought of him as just a timid, unremarkable fourteen-year-old boy, but now he saw his son wielding the foot and hand techniques with near-mystical skill, techniques he had never even taught him.
Because Kim Joo-hyuk was able to hold his own against B-rank Hunters even without using his own mystical power, seeing his son’s growth was like witnessing his younger self, filling him with pride.
“Are you planning to bully your son too?”
“It’s not bullying—it’s a father’s authority.”
“Wow…”
Kim Seo-jun feigned exasperation but was truly delighted to spar with his father.
The two faced each other once more and, without hesitation, charged at each other.
Kim Seo-jun no longer used foot and hand techniques.
Instead, he freely unleashed a variety of sword techniques from Surageukseom.
A combination of slashes and stabs, horizontal cuts, and spinning upward strikes.
Though normally his swordplay would explode like lightning, he deliberately tempered the flow so his father could keep up.
Wooden swords collided, echoing loudly in all directions.
The father and son’s sword spar on the apartment rooftop showed no sign of ending.
The limitations of best of five or best of seven no longer mattered.
Like exchanging words with swords, they alternated offense and defense, neatly responding to each other.
Ten minutes passed, then thirty.
Kim Seo-jun’s stamina seemed inexhaustible, like a spring that never dried up, but Kim Joo-hyuk quickly grew tired.
No matter how effective the Chungungsi was, years of the Hwanmachung’s poison within his body had corroded him from the inside.
He needed more time and effort to fully restore his stamina.
Seeing his father’s condition, Kim Seo-jun decided to wrap up the sparring session.
He charged straight at Kim Joo-hyuk, blocking the sword thrust with his own wooden sword and drawing a wide circle.
Kim Joo-hyuk’s sword was deflected and, as Kim Seo-jun’s sword tip struck the back of his hand, it was sent flying into the air.
The wooden sword bounced far away.
Kim Joo-hyuk watched it with surprised eyes, and at that moment, Kim Seo-jun wedged his wooden sword between his index and middle fingers and launched it using Chongungsi.
The arrow-like wooden sword flew toward another wooden sword drifting across the rooftop.
This technique was the Chongungsi interception.
As Kim Seo-jun flexed his fingers, the wooden sword changed direction and struck Kim Joo-hyuk’s sword.
The impact bounced the wooden sword back like a boomerang, flying right into Kim Joo-hyuk’s hand.
The wooden sword Kim Seo-jun had thrown also traced a half-circle and was swiftly retrieved.
Kim Joo-hyuk wore a stunned expression at his son’s incredible ability.
“That just now… what was that?”
“That’s Chongungsi.”
“So what is this ‘Chongungsi’? Some new mystical power? No, that can’t be… You’ve already awakened your mystical power, there can’t be another.”
Kim Joo-hyuk muttered in confusion.
“It’s a martial art. A few years ago, I met a recluse by chance and learned it from him.”
“A recluse? What is this, some martial arts movie? What nonsense are you spouting?”
Kim Joo-hyuk clearly didn’t believe it.
But Kim Seo-jun decided to just stick to that lie.
He couldn’t reveal that he was actually 29-year-old Kim Seo-jun from another Earth who had crossed over.
When Kim Seo-jun insisted he learned it from the recluse, Kim Joo-hyuk decided to just accept the fabricated story.
Regardless of the recluse tale, the skills Kim Seo-jun displayed right in front of him were undeniable fact.
The sight of the wooden sword bouncing in midair only to be redirected by another sword was like something out of a fantasy novel—a miraculous sword technique.
Unless the wooden swords had remote control devices attached, no one should have been able to pull off such a fantastic skill.
“Dad, I’ll teach you the martial art too. If you want.”
Since Kim Seo-jun was confident his father would want to learn after witnessing the power of the martial art firsthand, he said it matter-of-factly.
“At your age? What martial art? I’m not the youngest son of a sword clan. Even if I start now, how long will it take to become a master?”
“If it’s you, Dad, I bet you could be called a master within seven years.”
“Hmm. Is that lie true?”
“Yes. A lie that’s actually true.”
“Then, what is it exactly? Something that lets you build internal energy in the dantian?”
Kim Joo-hyuk pulled from all his knowledge of martial arts.
Martial arts didn’t really exist in this world, but novels and movies about them were plentiful.
“There’s even a style perfect for you.”
Kim Seo-jun thought of one internal energy cultivation method that would suit his father best.
Honwon Jingigong (혼원진기공).
It was a unique internal energy technique designed for those who couldn’t spend long hours training and was easy to learn for older practitioners.
This technique allowed internal energy cultivation at any posture or moment, as long as one could focus their mind properly.
This made it perfect for a multitasking mystic like Kim Joo-hyuk.
The downside was a high risk of possession by evil spirits if concentration wavered, but that was no problem for Kim Joo-hyuk.
Kim Joo-hyuk stared deeply into his son’s sincere eyes, then chuckled lightly.
“Surely you’re not saying this old man has to be your disciple?”
Kim Seo-jun chuckled softly.
“Heh. No, no need for that. Think of it as a gift from son to father.”
“Oh, that’s a relief. Well then, I look forward to it, son.”
Kim Joo-hyuk smiled broadly and placed his wooden sword back in the weapon tube.
Kim Seo-jun also put his wooden sword away, and then noticed another weapon inside the tube.
“Huh? What’s this…?”
“You’re quick to notice.”
Kim Joo-hyuk pulled out another weapon from the tube.
A 1.2-meter-long curved sword with a slightly sharp edge and a solid, bluish blade.
The blade’s width was about three finger-widths.
The tip was cut diagonally, and the handle had four holes for fingers to fit through.
At the end of the handle was a beautifully carved roaring tiger’s face.
“This is a gift I prepared for you if you win in our spar.”
“That’s a weapon you’ve treasured, isn’t it?”
This curved sword was named ‘Arondight’.
Though it bore no relation to the legendary holy and demon sword Arondight, Kim Joo-hyuk named it so to symbolize the coexistence of good and evil.
This sword was crafted with the help of hunters possessing the ‘casting’ and ‘enchant’ mystical powers during Kim Joo-hyuk’s prime.
So despite its ordinary appearance, it was imbued with magical power, giving it immense strength far surpassing steel.
It also had a superconducting effect, allowing any mystical power attribute to be channeled swiftly and powerfully through it.
Arondight was classified as a B-rank weapon.
If sold on the market, it would easily fetch 500 million won.
“Gifts are meant to be treasures. And you deserve to have this.”
“Thank you, Father.”
Kim Joo-hyuk handed Arondight to Kim Seo-jun.
After a brief hesitation, Kim Seo-jun accepted the sword upon hearing his father’s words.
“You’re the owner of Arondight now.”
*****
That morning was spent entirely with his father.
Kim Seo-jun also taught Kim Joo-hyuk the basics of Honwon Jingigong.
Training internal energy in an open space like this was much more effective than in a closed room, so it was the perfect opportunity.
After explaining the internal energy cultivation method of Honwon Jingigong, Kim Seo-jun placed his palm on his father’s back and helped regulate his breathing and energy flow.
As they moved like this, Kim Joo-hyuk felt a strange sensation.
A subtle tingling began near his dantian.
Yet it wasn’t itchy or uncomfortable.
Instead, it felt warm and soft.
To maintain that feeling, he followed Kim Seo-jun’s instructions and controlled his energy.
The energy flowed from his chest to his arms and head, then back down through his torso to his legs, finally returning to his dantian.
Repeating the motion several times, he sensed something solid beginning to form in the dantian.
A tiny grain, no bigger than a speck of dust floating in the air.
Kim Joo-hyuk grew curious about what this particle was.
To probe deeper, he involuntarily used his mystical power.
Flash.
Kim Joo-hyuk’s eyes glowed amber briefly before closing, the light quickly fading.
His body was instantly enveloped in a haze-like aura.
He began to detect even the slightest movements of dust particles in the air.
Kim Seo-jun, still with his hand on his father’s back, experienced something astonishing.
Though physically present here, his mind felt as if it was being drawn somewhere else.
He saw his father’s back and the surroundings unfolding in a panoramic view.
Kim Seo-jun’s consciousness spread out like a shadow, moving in all directions.
He found himself admiring the cityscape from the rooftop railing, squatting on a ventilation duct to gaze at the clear sky.
He saw his father concentrating on his energy, and even himself wielding Arondight and performing a sword dance.
‘Is this… Father’s mystical power?’
Kim Seo-jun realized his father was using his mystical power.
And astonishingly, the power extended to him as well.
Kim Seo-jun knew his father’s mystical power could only be applied to himself or to an opponent.
But now, Kim Joo-hyuk was using it both on himself and on Kim Seo-jun at the same time—a truly miraculous phenomenon.
Kim Seo-jun was experiencing his father’s mystical power firsthand.
It was all thanks to his son that this happened.
It didn’t really matter how Kim Seo-jun had learned this internal energy cultivation method, nor where he had picked up such incredible swordsmanship.
Because of his son, everything had changed.
Walking down life’s path tired and beaten, it now felt as if a new journey had just begun.
“Thank you, son. Now this old man will even let you make me tofu if you want.”
“What? So until now, you wouldn’t let me?”
“Of course not! I’m just saying that. Ha ha. Ha ha ha!”
Kim Joo-hyuk laughed heartily, and Kim Seo-jun joined him in laughter for a long time.
“Haah…”