Chapter 15: The Six Swords of Namjin (3)

Sunlight poured down between the peaks of Cheonji’s Peak, whose top had been blown away.

Sunlight glinted off the blade of the Fallen Flower Sword, which was pointed at Muncheol.

The light reflected off the blade stabbed into his eyes.

But he could not even blink once.

It felt like Taehoo might drive the sword into his neck at any moment.

Taehoo’s expression was as cold as ice.

It was truly a suffocating situation.

One second felt as heavy as a thousand pounds in Muncheol’s mind.

-Eyes are the mirror of the heart. Do not let them waver, even in a situation that feels like you might break.

He clung tightly to his wavering pupils, recalling Nachal’s teachings.

‘So, what will you do now?’

Taehoo thought as he looked at Muncheol.

He had already sensed Muncheol’s talent in the previous bout.

He admitted that Muncheol was someone worthy of being personally assigned by Namjin.

And,

‘Perhaps he’ll be the first person in the clan I can truly call my own.’

Nachal’s unknown disciple.

Taehoo had already come to that conclusion. That was why he was testing Muncheol right now.

[So, you became the old man’s disciple and now even act like him?]

Ba’al snickered, asking if that was the case.

Well, maybe.

Taehoo didn’t bother to deny it.

He simply kept his sword pointed, unwavering.

After a long silence, Muncheol finally opened his mouth.

“I’m sorry.”

Taehoo didn’t add any unnecessary words like, “You shouldn’t have done anything to be sorry for.”

‘His gaze hasn’t faltered.’

He was looking straight at Taehoo, as if determined not to bow his heart.

Taehoo knew from experience in his past life just how difficult that was. So he could also see just how well Muncheol was doing.

‘Because I couldn’t do it back then.’

For a moment, a bitter smile almost crept onto his lips.

Taehoo soon withdrew the sword he had been aiming.

“Hoo…”

A sigh slipped from Muncheol’s lips.

At that moment,

Snip.

With a sound of something being cut, the tightly bound hair at the back of Muncheol’s head was sliced off.

His cut hair fluttered in the wind.

“There won’t be a second time.”

Taehoo spoke, already gripping his sword once more.

It had all happened in the short moment Muncheol sighed. Goosebumps crawled up the back of Muncheol’s neck.

“Yes.”

Muncheol replied, his eyes trembling ever so slightly.

“Good.”

Yes, starting from exactly this position was ideal. It would be awkward to aim a sword at someone who was to become his lord.

‘Now that things are settled, I just need to truly win his loyalty.’

Taehoo made a quick judgment,

“So, what’s the next training?”

Taehoo asked Dongo. All initiative had shifted to him.

Dongo couldn’t help but admire the situation unfolding before his eyes.

He had thought it was just a heated bout of probing between the two.

However,

‘He already knows how to handle people. Reminds me of my lord in his youth…’

He knew how to seize control of the situation and draw the pace to himself. That was not something that could be taught. It was innate.

‘So there’s a reason he caught his attention.’

He had wondered if Namjin’s standards had dropped a bit after waiting so long.

But now, Dongo completely discarded that thought.

‘Guess I should approach this a bit more seriously too.’

With that in mind,

“Starting today, Young Master and Muncheol will learn the Family Footwork. It’s not difficult. Just get down the mountain to the target point, avoiding the traps I’ve set.”

Dongo continued in a natural, respectful tone.

He added that the target was about the distance to the hut where Taehoo had been living.

‘So they’ll naturally perform the Step Technique by avoiding traps?’

A brief thought passed.

[Quest has begun!]

Just like during the Heavenly Lake trial, a Quest announcing the ordeal appeared.

[Avoid the Traps]

Dodge the countless traps and descend to the target point! Their number is beyond counting, and they will push your movements to a new level! You cannot use weapons! Only evasion is allowed!

Clear Condition – Avoid all traps and reach the bottom within 1 hour!

Reward – Bonus Stat Point +3, acquire the Hunter Clan’s Step Technique ‘Ghost Moon Dance.’

‘So time is the key.’

It seemed simply dodging wouldn’t be enough.

“You’ve probably received the Quest, right? By the way, I’m a stickler for real combat, so dodging my traps won’t be easy.”

With Dongo’s warning, the explanation wrapped up.

There was a note of excitement in his voice.

It would be quite a struggle to get through his traps, and Dongo enjoyed watching people suffer through them.

‘Hehe, I’m already looking forward to it.’

Dongo, contrary to his earlier admiration, was now gleefully picturing Taehoo floundering through the traps.

[Hey, that’s the same expression I had when I tormented kids in hell…]

Ba’al muttered, finding Dongo unsettling.

Taehoo just lowered his head, suppressing the urge to shake his shoulders with laughter.

‘Traps, huh…!’

He cheered inwardly.

For Taehoo, who had once lived as a wild dog, traps were nothing new.

‘Maybe this trial will be easier than I thought.’

He could already picture the sword he would learn from Namjin shimmering before his eyes, after finishing this trial.

‘All that suffering in my past life is finally paying off!’

Taehoo thought with satisfaction.

By the time the two stood at the starting point, the sun was already high in the sky.

It had taken extra time to finish setting up the traps.

Below the cliff, thick clouds gathered. Beneath those clouds, Dongo’s traps awaited.

It felt like jumping into Pandora’s Box.

‘Avoiding them shouldn’t be hard.’

For Taehoo, every bit of terrain would become a clue.

‘The real challenge is how quickly I can cut down the time.’

If identifying and dodging the traps wasn’t the problem, then that was what he needed to focus on.

Just then.

Fwip!

A blue flare shot up into the sky.

It was Dongo’s signal that everything was ready.

‘Let’s go.’

Without anyone saying who should go first, Taehoo and Muncheol leapt off the cliff.

Taehoo glanced briefly at Muncheol’s shortened hair fluttering, then kicked off the cliff once more.

Taehoo’s body shot into the clouds like a bullet.

Muncheol followed right behind, unwilling to be outdone.

‘There’s a high chance there’ll be a trap as soon as we get out of the clouds. Most likely, arrows?’

Below the clouds, there was a stretch of cliff for a while.

With such an open space, arrows or other thrown weapons would be the ideal trap.

That was why Taehoo increased his falling speed.

‘Break through at an unexpected speed.’

As soon as he burst out of the clouds,

Rumble!

A huge noise came closer. Far too loud to be arrows…

‘…!’

By the time Taehoo realized what was coming, his eyes went wide.

Muncheol, who emerged from the clouds a moment later, reacted the same way.

‘A boulder? Are you kidding me…’

What was flying at them wasn’t arrows, but a massive cluster of boulders.

Despite their size, they were moving even faster than arrows.

The boulders smashed straight into the cliff.

‘If I get hit even once, I’ll be crushed to a pulp.’

Watching the boulders shatter against the cliff, Taehoo clicked his tongue.

‘Still, rushing in at high speed paid off.’

Thanks to his speed, he managed to get out of the boulders’ range.

Muncheol, however, had to forcibly dodge the boulders coming at him.

But the way he moved was as smooth as flowing water.

‘Of course… He’s learned some tricks and must have picked up the Step Technique.’

That was probably why Namjin had confidently included Muncheol in this training.

‘I’m not going to dance on your palm, old man.’

With that thought, Taehoo gathered Mana like a cushion in front of him.

Just as he had learned at the Heavenly Lake, he drew in the surrounding Mana.

Boom!

A heavy sound echoed through the mountains.

As the boulders struck the cliff and people landed, birds startled from the trees and flew off.

Taehoo moved his body the moment he landed.

Instead of heading straight, he moved sideways first.

Sure enough, a volley of arrows flew at him from straight ahead.

The arrowheads were coated in Mana, embedding easily into the hard cliff.

‘Even with a sword, blocking that would have been dangerous.’

As Taehoo thought that, Muncheol landed as well.

Arrows flew at him too!

But as if he had expected it, Muncheol dodged them all.

The difference was that he avoided them head-on, moving like a shadow.

Muncheol dodged all the incoming arrows with movements that didn’t seem human.

[Hmm…]

Ba’al made a sound that might have been admiration in Taehoo’s head.

‘Is that the clan’s Step Technique… No, to be precise, Nachal’s Step Technique.’

Taehoo saw right through it.

That wasn’t a movement fit for swordsmen.

‘Still, it’s a good hint.’

He couldn’t imitate it, but just seeing something similar with his own eyes was a big help.

This time, Muncheol led the way and Taehoo followed.

Traps continued to rain down without end.

Pillars made from entire logs came crashing in, the ground would collapse, seemingly normal ground would turn out to be a swamp—there were an overwhelming number of traps.

‘How did he set all this up alone in just one night?’

Taehoo wondered as he glanced at a partially exposed pit.

It was so intricately planned that after dodging a pit, he barely managed to avoid a boulder flying at his head.

“Haa…”

Even though he had built up plenty of stamina in the Heavenly Lake, he was already running on empty.

He had been using Mana constantly while moving his body so violently.

If the Heavenly Lake had been about enduring pressure in a lake of Mana, this training seemed to be about how well he could use what he had gained.

A race where they kept trading the lead.

In the end, Muncheol crossed the finish line ahead of Taehoo.

From the start, there was a gap, since Muncheol could overcome obstacles with the Step Technique itself, unlike Taehoo.

However, neither of them managed to finish within the time limit.

“So it’s over for now…”

Taehoo collapsed on the spot, feeling his strength drain away.

The path behind them looked like a disaster had struck.

If anyone had said their earlier fight was excessive, this was even more over the top.

Just as Taehoo was thinking that,

“You two…”

Dongo stood before them, his expression stiff as a board.

There was a strong sense of injustice in his tone.

‘What’s this?’

What did Dongo have to feel wronged about in this situation?

‘Shouldn’t we be the ones angry?’

As Taehoo thought that, Dongo finally spoke.

“How did you not trigger a single trap?! Do you know how much work I put into setting all those up?!”

He shouted at them.

Wait, that’s what he’s upset about?