Chapter 547: Sword Demon (Sword Demon)

[Stop trying to feel things unnecessarily and try to see.]

It was about half a year after I seriously started training.

In a situation where I had collapsed after being thrashed for a long time, Pae-jon was looking at me, frowning.

[How many times have I told you that relying only on instinct and moving is why you end up in such a state?]

At Pae-jon’s words, I also had to frown.

[If I move after seeing, isn’t that too late?]

The purpose of this training was to block Pae-jon’s movements.

Only by succeeding at that could I start the training for the second form of Tua-pacheonmu.

But.

[Isn’t moving according to instinct faster in the first place?]

Acting involves predicting the opponent’s movements.

It’s only natural that moving after predicting is faster than moving after seeing.

Even at that time, I still couldn’t understand Pae-jon’s method.

[Tsk tsk.]

Hearing my words, Pae-jon clicked his tongue.

[Prediction is just prediction. How can you be sure and move based on something you haven’t seen directly?]

Pae-jon extended his hand.

Groaning, I grabbed his hand and stood up.

Ah, fuck… My ribs that I just got hit ache sharply.

Holding my ribs, I asked Pae-jon.

[Then, does that mean I must move after seeing, even if it’s late?]

[It’s different. As you said, if you move after seeing with your eyes, it’s late, so there’s no point.]

Hearing Pae-jon’s words, I had to frown. This was absurd.

[Then what am I supposed to do?]

To my question, Pae-jon pointed to my eyes with his finger.

[Don’t see with your eyes.]

After that, he pointed to my chest.

[See with your chest.]

[…Huh? What kind of crazy talk is that… No, that’s bullshit…]

Ppaak-!

[Kkeuak!]

I had to stagger after getting my head smacked.

[Lately, the thorns growing from your mouth are getting bigger. Should this old man break them for you?]

[…Groan….]

Although I was wrong to blurt it out, I also felt wronged this time.

[After telling me to see, what is this about telling me to see with my chest? Is that different from feeling with instinct?]

[It is different. ‘Seeing’ and ‘feeling’ are clearly different.]

[Isn’t it just wordplay?]

[Right.]

Pae-jon let out a smirk.

I always found that overly confident smile quite unpleasant.

I hate people who know how great they are the most.

[Every movement has preparation. Do you know that?]

[…I know.]

Hearing Pae-jon’s words, I nodded. It was a natural principle.

The shoulder moving to throw a punch.

Before that, the upper body moving.

Based on that, knowing where and how the punch is thrown.

When my eyes became skilled at seeing that, I used to predict and move based on it.

So, breaking the flow and blocking ultimately…

…is predicting the opponent’s movements and cutting them off beforehand.

At least, that’s how it was by my standards.

But, Pae-jon’s words now…

[Does that mean it’s not that?]

[That too, ultimately, is just prediction, isn’t it?]

[…Then… what am I supposed to do?]

Even after hearing it again and again, I couldn’t understand.

What on earth am I supposed to do?

Although I’ve been training while getting beaten up for half a year, I still couldn’t grasp it.

At my frustration, Pae-jon, whose chin hadn’t even grown a beard yet, stroked it and continued his explanation.

[Do you know what the most honest thing in this world is?]

[Hmm? Is it me?]

[Haha, you’re talking crazy.]

I tried to joke around, but it seems it didn’t land.

As I was feeling disappointed, Pae-jon let out a slight sigh and continued speaking.

[If you were to be precise, there would be many correct answers, but the correct answer right now is ‘betting’.]

[Betting?]

[Yes, there’s no friend as honest and straightforward as betting. Try using a feint on me.]

At Pae-jon’s words, I immediately moved my shoulder.

The preparatory move aimed for the face, but I made a gesture of extending my arm.

Pae-jon moved slightly in response. Aiming for that, I changed my angle and aimed diagonally for the neck…

Pang-!

[Euk!?]

The arm I extended with the feint was nonchalantly flicked away.

In the first place, it was blocked before power could even be applied.

Every moment was like this whenever I sparred with Pae-jon.

Rubbing my numb wrist, I looked at Pae-jon.

[What do you think the problem was?]

To the question asking for my thoughts on the failure, I pondered for a moment and gave an answer.

[…Hmm? Did the feint give itself away?]

[Unfortunately. Fitting your strange nature, you’re quite good when it comes to feints.]

[You’re just pretending to praise me because you want to insult me, right?]

[If I did it openly, wouldn’t you get hurt?]

I wish that guy knew this was more hurtful.

[Then what is it?]

[I merely saw where and how you would move.]

[That is, so…]

What’s the difference from prediction?

I held back the words that were about to burst from my throat.

It was a Q&A repeated countless times for half a year.

[As I keep saying, moving by predicting based on preparatory movements isn’t a bad thing, but ultimately, if you start using feints mixed in, you’re bound to get tripped up.]

Those who become skilled in fighting use feints mixed in amidst countless movements.

Only then is it possible to twist predictions,

[If there’s little certainty, useless thoughts increase. If that happens, your body becomes sluggish.]

You have to think many things in an instant, so if you hesitate even a little, everything can collapse.

[Therefore, you must see. To reduce useless thoughts and gain more certainty.]

[…If it’s not seeing the preparatory movements, then what am I supposed to see?]

I still couldn’t understand.

No matter how much I tried to understand, I always ended up back at the same place.

It was a repetition of such Q&A.

[What you need to see is not the opponent’s body, you lacking disciple.]

Pae-jon continuously emphasized one thing.

[As I said earlier, in my opinion, the most honest thing is ‘betting’. Betting doesn’t tell lies. Rather, it’s transparent.]

Swik.

Pae-jon said, extending his fist forward.

[When a warrior makes a move, what do you think reacts first?]

While I was thinking for a moment, Pae-jon, without waiting for my answer, gave his own.

[It’s betting. Betting has already reached the result the body’s owner intends to achieve.]

I didn’t quite understand.

[What does that mean…!]

A fist approached right before my nose. Hurriedly turning my head, I dodged it.

Pang-! As I barely dodged it, the sound of splitting air echoed.

As I was flustered by the sudden surprise attack, Pae-jon, with his characteristic smirk, said to me.

[If I intend to throw a punch at you, it means the betting within my body has already taken that action.]

[Huh?]

[Betting is the path. Martial arts are about creating a path with betting, and a warrior climbs upon it with their body.]

As I listened to Pae-jon’s explanation, I felt like I was starting to understand something.

If, before a warrior makes a move, betting already creates that result first.

[That… means…]

[Yes.]

Pae-jon smiled with satisfaction, seeing my reaction.

[If the opponent is showing you the path first, wouldn’t it be quite easy to divert it before you step onto that path?]

[…]

Just hearing it, it was an incredible thing.

Whether the opponent uses a feint or tries to take any action.

If the opponent intends to do something, it means betting is already showing that path first.

”Since I know the opponent is trying to do something.”

It means blocking it by cutting it off in advance is enough.

Thinking that far, I finally felt like I understood.

The meaning behind Pae-jon’s words telling me not to feel, but to see.

[…Are you saying I should see the opponent’s betting?]

[That’s right.]

Don’t predict what they’ll do by looking at preparatory movements.

The opponent is already showing what they’ll do through betting, so look at that.

That must have been what Pae-jon wanted to tell me all along.

Realizing that, a question naturally arose.

[Hey, old man.]

[Yes.]

[…Why didn’t you just tell me this sooner? Why did you make me go through all this until now?]

I wondered why he’d been vaguely explaining things without properly telling me until now, only to reveal it now.

It was a question born from slight dumbfoundedness.

And Pae-jon, hearing this, said to me.

[At first, even if I told you, it would have been meaningless. Now, it’s simply a situation where I can tell you.]

[Are you saying I’ve gotten smarter?]

[Haha, your arrogance pierces the heavens. It would be great if you could break the heavens, but your current state isn’t confidence, it’s arrogance. You lacking disciple.]

[… Tsk.]

Feeling awkward, I wiped my nose.

[Even if your mind understood, your body lacked the time to understand. Now that it’s a situation where you can understand to some extent, I’m explaining it with words.]

A situation where the body understands.

It’s somewhat difficult phrasing.

[Are you saying now is that time?]

[Yes.]

To Pae-jon’s answer, I nodded.

Anyway, it seemed like the conditions were met, which was fortunate, but…

doubts still remained.

[…But, old man.]

[Speak.]

[I understand everything, but…]

The saying that before a warrior makes a move, betting makes the path first.

To the statement that seeing that and countering it is enough, I should have been overwhelmingly shocked, but…

Unlike this tremendous fact, the most important problem had not yet been solved.

It’s a very fundamental issue.

[Ultimately, what am I supposed to do about what I can’t see?]

That damn betting still couldn’t be seen. This was the problem.

Pae-jon said he sees it and moves.

That’s why he’s destroying all my movements, speed or whatever.

It meant he knew exactly how they would move in advance.

Pae-jon says he can see it, but…

[I can’t see it.]

I couldn’t.

Unless the betting is materialized, how am I supposed to see intangible energy?

Haha-!

Was my statement funny?

Pae-jon laughed out loud.

[No, disciple. You can see it.]

[No, I’m telling you I can’t see it!]

[You can see it. You’re just not looking.]

[…Old man, perhaps you’re senile…?]

[Since it’s become like this, shall I make it so you can’t see?]

[It was a joke.]

As Pae-jon raised his fist, I quickly changed my words.

[Because you’re trying to see with your eyes, you just can’t see. Didn’t I say that earlier?]

His finger points towards my chest.

[I mean, see with this place.]

[…This is driving me nuts.]

It’s still abstract. Damn it.

Clearly, seeing the situation just now, you could explain it intuitively, but…

Now that I think about it, it seems you’re doing it on purpose.

[In your chest, I have planted eyes. See with the eyes there, not the ones on your face.]

[Where are the eyes on my chest?]

[Why aren’t they there? I clearly planted seeds in you.]

[Seeds?]

[Yes, the foundation that can lead to transcendence, and the seeds that continuously repair the body.]

[…]

Hearing Pae-jon’s words, I thought deeply and recalled.

[…Tua-pacheonmu?]

At the words I uttered fluidly, Pae-jon showed a satisfied expression.

[That’s right. The eyes you need to see with are that.]

Pae-jon’s words ultimately meant that Tua-pacheonmu would solve all of it.

Was the body’s understanding I mentioned earlier also related to this?

[This is insane.]

I blurted out without realizing it.

And then I blurted out again.

[Can that be done?]

Artificial metamorphosis.

Forced trance.

That alone is surprising, but now you’re saying it lets me see the path of betting too?

[Just what…]

If that’s really true.

I wondered if this much power could even be contained within the word ‘martial arts’.

Moreover, this guy created it all by himself?

[There’s nothing impossible in the world.]

Pae-jon’s smile was broad.

I was getting caught up in that smile.

[If you want to achieve something, you just keep doing it until it happens. At least, that’s how I was.]

What I want to become will become, and if there’s something I want to make, I make it.

It sounded incredibly easy.

[And I will make you that way too.]

[That…]

[The eyes that haven’t opened yet are simply things that can be made to open.]

Madness seeped into his voice.

The more I trained, the clearer it became that Pae-jon was getting excited.

Around the time I started training, I remembered what Pae-jon had said.

-There’s nothing that can’t be done. I will make you achieve it.

If it doesn’t work, I make it work.

That damn Pae-jon’s conviction was like that.

[Fuck….]

Feeling that, I spat out a curse.

Meanwhile, my body was slowly moving.

If I don’t understand, until it works.

That was Pae-jon’s teaching method.

What’s annoying is that he actually made even things that seemed impossible work.

That damn fact keeps making me move.

[There’s half a year left.]

-It’ll be done in a year.

His past words overlapped with what I heard.

His firm promise that he would make it happen within a year.

Remembering that, I moved my body.

Whether Pae-jon also gave me enough time to rest, he started moving again.

After getting beaten up for another half year like that, around the time exactly one year passed.

Just like Pae-jon said, I achieved awakening.