episode_0109

“Now that I’ve properly taken you as my disciple, I’ll adjust my attitude toward you.”

Volkan spoke with a solemn expression as he sat on the ground.

“Where should I begin… First, to explain the Jahashin Gong, which is the foundation of my martial arts, I suppose I should start with the Hwasan Sect.”

This was the first time I was hearing the old man Volkan’s past.

He sat with a grave expression and began recounting his history to me.

“Our Hwasan Sect was once… By the way, it’s not ‘Volcano’ (火山) but ‘Hwasan’ (華山). If you dare call it ‘Volcano,’ I’ll put a hole in your stomach next time.” “I never said that.” “One of the other bastards did. Anyway, our Hwasan Sect… was part of the Taoist family’s… virtuous deeds… and so on…” “……”

I listened to Volkan’s words for a while.

“Thus, my real name is Woonhyeon.” “Woonhyeon… That’s uncomfortable. I’ll just call you Volkan.” “Mannersless brat.”

Though Volkan said that, the corners of his lips curled up.

“Perhaps that’s more comfortable for you. Anyway, I became the 14th leader of the Hwasan Sect, but not long after, the sect was annihilated. Monsters slaughtered our disciples, and the Demon Cult took advantage of the chaos to wipe us out.” “I see.” “And so, the Hwasan Sect was destroyed. With only the Jahashin Gong left, I refined it in my own way and used it to crush the Demon Cult.” “For something like that, your epithet is rather elegant, isn’t it? ‘Flaming Plum Blossom.’” “That was my old one. The Crown Prince gave it to me out of sentimentality.” “Then what was your original epithet…?” “‘Infernal Demon Sword.’”

Wow, what a bloody epithet.

Definitely not something a righteous sect should have.

I let out a low whistle and looked at Volkan.

“Earlier, you mentioned something about the Taoist family…?” “I was young back then…” “‘Young’ is a bit of a stretch with an epithet like that…” “Let’s skip the trivial details.”

It definitely didn’t seem trivial, but since Volkan insisted, I didn’t press further.

“Anyway, I was reckless in those days. I cut down every Demon Cultist I came across, and that’s how I earned such a brutal epithet. I was also on edge because of the assassins. Speaking of which, those assassins…”

—This guy talks too much, doesn’t he?

I stared at Volkan with dead eyes.

“I’m the best at dealing with assassins, so let’s skip that.” “Hmm… I suppose you would be. Then, I’ll teach you two divine techniques.” “Two?” “One is the Jahashin Gong. The other is the Yeomhwa Shin Gong. However, the Jahashin Gong is A+-rank, while the Yeomhwa Shin Gong is S–rank.” “Why the difference?” “Because the Jahashin Gong is incomplete, while the Yeomhwa Shin Gong has been refined for my body.” “An S–rank means there must be some drawback.” “If your body can’t handle it, it will burn you alive.”

—A vengeance so fierce it would even consume the user. Was this created for that purpose?

The Holy Sword spoke in a tone that sounded almost mournful.

“Now, I’ll teach you the口诀 (mnemonic chant). Just follow my instructions.”

I sat in front of Volkan.

He grinned at me.

“Even you won’t be able to learn this in one go.”

With those words, he began.

“The Jahashin Gong is the essence of the martial arts created by our Hwasan Sect. The Yeomhwa Shin Gong is the essence of my fifty years of refinement. Mastering both will be difficult even for you.”

As he spoke, Volkan placed his hand on my back and began guiding my mana.

—Breath.

I used the Hero’s orthodox breathing technique.

At the same time, I felt as if the Jahashin Gong and Yeomhwa Shin Gong were being woven into it.

—Simultaneously.

It moved.

The mana responded to my will and flowed. My gift, Touma, which governed mana and fighting spirit, made it effortless.

And so, it settled within me.

[Skill: Jahashin Gong (A+) has been acquired.] [Skill: Yeomhwa Shin Gong (S-) has been acquired.] [Extreme Thunder God: Violet (S) has assimilated the properties of Jahashin Gong.] [Skill: Hero’s Orthodox Breathing has leveled up.]

“W-what? Did you just master it in one go?” “Yeah, well.”

I couldn’t be bothered to explain anymore.

At this point, I decided to just own it shamelessly.

“Was it supposed to be hard? I just breathed and followed the steps…”

At my words, Volkan stared at me blankly before muttering:

“You… You’re really something. Can I just hit you once?” “You might kill me, so please restrain yourself.”

I stepped outside.

Maybe because it had been a while since I’d been out, but chewing on a piece of bread felt incredibly satisfying.

—I just want to live like this.

Peaceful enough, lively enough.

Living off the potions Chloe makes, settling down with a pretty girl in a cozy house.

That used to be my dream.

Back then, I was consumed by ambition, willing to burn everything to climb higher.

But what I thought was the summit was just a frog at the bottom of a well.

By the time I realized there were far greater monsters above, my fire had already burned out.

—Not exactly good memories.

As I walked while eating my bread, I sensed movement from an alley.

It felt like someone was running away frantically.

—Not like they’re being chased, though.

What could make someone run like that?

Drawn by some inexplicable pull, I turned my gaze—and saw a girl darting out of the alley.

A plain girl with black hair and black eyes.

Maybe because I’d been surrounded by beauties lately, she looked a bit plain in comparison.

“……”

—Huh? Why are you staring at her so intensely?

The Holy Sword’s muttering barely registered.

I stared blankly at the black-haired girl.

I knew her.

Even though we’d never met.

I knew her.

The one I was most certain about in this world.

—One of the game’s main heroines.

She had stood beside the male protagonist on the game’s title screen.

……And she was an absolute bitch.

Whenever I said that, my friend would protest:

—No way! Our Chloe isn’t like that!!

He always denied it vehemently.

Maybe that’s why.

Even when the black-haired girl collided with my stomach, I couldn’t move.

As if something had frozen me in place.

“A-ah! S-sorry!”

The black-haired girl dropped the bread she’d been chewing and bowed hastily before freezing.

She stared at me with trembling eyes.

—What, is a plain girl like her your type? Well, not exactly plain… She’s cute, but still… Really? ‘No, my type is closer to Lucia or the Guild Master.’

Half-listening to the Holy Sword’s nonsense, I gave her a business smile and reached out to help her up.

“It’s fine—”

Ding.

[Encounter Quest]

You have met Chloe, the one who holds the world’s ──.

Find a way to capture her interest—or make her lose it entirely.

Reward: ??? Failure: No penalty.

—The main heroine, huh? It’s been a while since I got an encounter quest.

I knew what to do.

Test the waters, play hard to get, and make her desperate.

Thinking that, I helped the girl up.

“Ah…”

Her cheeks flushed red.

She looked at me with eyes full of longing.

[Quest completed.]

…Huh?

[Thief’s Secret Art (A+) has been acquired.] [Synthesis between Thief’s Secret Art (A+) and Thief’s Pinnacle has been proposed…] [User’s confirmation received.] [Thief’s Divine Realm (S+) has been created.]

[Gift] Thief’s Divine Realm (S+) ◇Can perform any feat within the realm of thievery. ◇Transcends human limits, approaching divine mastery.

The plain black-haired girl’s name was Chloe.

She wore a black sweater and shorts.

Of course, outwardly, I didn’t know her name.

I had no intention of revealing that I did.

Why?

Simple. A stranger shouldn’t know my name, and if I acted like I knew hers, it’d only make her uneasy.

“U-um! Are you Han Yuseong, the most famous person in [Cradle] right now?!” “Yes, but…” “I-I’m a huge fan! C-could I get an autograph…?”

Why would there be autographs in a place like this?

Handing me paper with hopeful eyes, she looked so expectant that I couldn’t help but feel awkward.

Since I needed to observe her, I nodded casually.

—Might as well do it properly.

I was curious about the capabilities of my newly evolved Thief’s Divine Realm.

With the extreme dexterity granted by the skill, my handwriting came out unnaturally refined.

“Wow… You don’t just write well—you’re practically divine! Are you a god?”

Chloe stared in awe before nodding to herself and murmuring, “You really are a god…”

I was surprised too.

I thought it was just neat handwriting.

—There’s something… almost holy about it.

If transcending human limits could produce such a noticeable change in something as simple as handwriting, how would it feel in combat?

I hadn’t hunted properly in a while.

Ambushes wouldn’t be bad either.

—Yeongmu has multiple effects on stealth attacks, after all.

Or I could lure monsters and wipe them out in one go.

Of course, I shouldn’t use this recklessly.

Innocent people might get caught in the crossfire.

My mind raced.

—What the hell? You never wrote this well before! ‘People grow, Holy Sword.’ —…You’ve become insufferable, you know that?

Calling me insufferable? What nonsense.

While bickering with the Holy Sword, Chloe leaned in and stared at me.

“You’re different than I expected.” “How so?” “Well… The rumors about you weren’t exactly flattering.”

Of course they weren’t.

I was an outsider who bulldozed my way into becoming Volkan’s disciple.

Now, I’d learned most of his techniques.

At this point, calling me his sole successor wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

And that wasn’t all.

Erme, who came with me, was making a name for herself as the “Golden Witch” or whatever.

Though she was endlessly kind to me, others called her a witch.

—Lately, she’s practically a celebrity.

I recalled people screaming, “Monster! Demon! Erme!” in terror.

No wonder the rumors about me weren’t great.

“N-no, not that… It’s just… You’re always with Lucia.” “Lucia?”

Lucia was called the “Executioner Princess” or something, but I found that hard to believe.

She never acted like someone who’d make others tremble in fear around me.

—That’s just her acting… ‘You talk like you know women well.’ —Of course I do. Because I’m…

As the Holy Sword rambled, Chloe’s expression darkened slightly.

“The name ‘Lucia’ is wasted on that villainess.”

Hearing someone I considered a comrade being slandered—

“……”

—was far more unpleasant than I expected.