Chapter 10: Real Combat. Training. Training Like Real Combat. (Finalized)

The next morning, before the sun had fully risen, the training yard was already alive.

Cutting through the cold dawn air, the disciples gathered one by one.

Seorin had already taken her place.

Chohee, Hwaran, and Sowol followed soon after.

Each of them wore their training robes neatly, and their eyes carried a seriousness deeper than usual.

I looked at the disciples for a moment, then spoke.

“Today, we’ll be doing things a bit differently.”

Four pairs of eyes instantly turned toward me.

I paused briefly, then quietly declared:

“Two months from now, the Murimmaeng will be holding a gathering. Not only I, but all of you will be attending with me.”

A brief silence passed between the disciples.

Their gazes flickered.

They tightened their lips and exchanged subtle glances.

“This isn’t just a casual outing. It’s a gathering of the greatest martial artists in the entire Murim. To uphold the Wudang Sect’s honor there, we must sharpen your skills from the ground up.”

I stepped forward, planting the tip of my sword firmly into the ground.

“You have two months. In that time, you must become stronger than you are now.
Starting today, we begin a new kind of training.”

The disciples swallowed hard.

I slowly turned my head, meeting each of their eyes.

There was something I had always wanted to say—at least once.

Taking a small breath, I raised my sword.

“From this moment on—kill each other.”

Their expressions froze all at once.

Shock, confusion, and even a hint of fear, filled their eyes as they stared at me.

I watched their reactions in silence, then burst into laughter.

“Hah! I’m joking. No need to get so tense, is there?”

I could hear the sound of relieved breaths being let out all around me.

Still smiling, I lowered my sword and continued.

After a brief moment of silence, Seorin stepped forward.

Her brow furrowed slightly as she spoke firmly.

“Master, please don’t joke like that again.”

At that, Chohee let out a small laugh, and Sowol muttered, “I really thought you wanted us to kill each other…”

Hwaran remained silent as always, but the slight tension near her eyes didn’t go unnoticed.

I nodded, holding back another laugh.

“Alright, I understand. I’ll be more careful next time. But, remember this I was half-serious.”

I slowly stepped in front of the disciples.

All four of them quietly looked me in the eye.

“From now on, you will spar as if it were real combat.”

At those words, Sowol’s eyes widened, and Chohee tilted her head slightly.

Seorin and Hwaran said nothing, but adjusted their postures in silence.

I took a moment to steady my breath, then continued.

“Starting today, for the next two months— no matter when, where, or under what conditions—fight.”

Chohee opened her mouth to speak, then thought better of it.

Hwaran’s gaze wavered slightly.

“Whether it’s the training ground, the living quarters, or the courtyard, it doesn’t matter. There is no set time. If your eyes meet, that moment becomes the battlefield.”

This time, Seorin exhaled softly.

Her eyes had sharpened noticeably.

“Even during meals, even right after waking up—there are no exceptions.”

Sowol mumbled under her breath with a bit of a grumble, “…Can’t we at least spare meal times…”

But I didn’t so much as crack a smile.

“Test one another. Sharpen one another. It’s alright to make mistakes. It’s alright to get hurt. But do not stop.”

Their expressions changed.

What once felt like a joke was now taking root in their hearts as a solemn resolve.

Finally, I raised the tip of my sword and spoke slowly.

“And remember this—I will test you too.”

A brief silence followed.

Chohee swallowed quietly.

“There will be no warning. No matter when, where, or what form I appear in, be ready to respond.”

“In these next two months, you will learn what true combat really means—through your bodies.”

“A true warrior… is always awake.”

At last, I slowly looked around at all four of them.

“Two months from now…I look forward to seeing how far you’ve come.”

No sooner had the words left my lips, than the disciples all moved at once.

The first to move was Sowol.

Without a sound, she kicked off the ground and launched a punch straight at the nearest person—Seorin.

No warning.

No hesitation.

Seorin’s brow twitched for a split second, and she reflexively raised her arm to block the incoming fist.

“What are you suddenly—”

Before she could even finish, Chohee moved.

From her fingertips, a hidden weapon—prepared who knows when—
shot through the air.

Her target: Hwaran.

But Hwaran didn’t even flinch.

She twisted her body lightly to evade it, then immediately countered with a burst of inner energy launched straight toward Chohee.

All four of them moved—and reacted—simultaneously.

This was, quite literally, real combat.

With arms crossed, I watched the scene quietly and gave a slow nod.

“Yes… this is how it should be.”

The spar between the four escalated in an instant.

Sowol charged into Seorin’s space with bold, aggressive movement.

Seorin blocked her with precise sword forms.

Chohee zipped around, targeting Hwaran’s openings, and Hwaran responded with weighty strikes filled with inner strength.

Swords clashed, energy burst, and the air itself seemed to tear with sound.

In a flash, the entire training yard was engulfed in tension.

But even within that intensity, I found myself oddly relieved.

A content smile formed on my lips.

“If it’s these children…no wind will ever break them.”

Seorin was asleep, her body concealed atop a tree branch, a cloth mask over her face.

She had long since passed the point of exhaustion.

If she didn’t rest, even for a moment, she felt she might collapse.

But it was never a deep sleep.

She was always ready, to wake at any moment and grasp her sword.

And then.

The sound of a branch bending.

A swift, sharp presence flew toward her.

In that split second, Seorin twisted her body and fell from the tree to evade it.

Her instincts responded.

The pressure was enough to knock the wind out of her, but she managed to roll her body and land on the ground.

Somehow, her sword was already in hand.

Panting through the mask covering her face, Seorin glared at the figure who had ambushed her.

“…Master.”

The one who emerged from the shadows was none other than Jin Un.

He wasn’t holding a sword, but a wooden training blade.

His face revealed no expression.

He stood in silence.

Seorin grit her teeth, her jaw tight with tension.

“Seriously…!”

Before she could finish, she rushed in, slashing her sword toward Jin Un.

Her eyes burned with fury, exhaustion, and an eerie, sharpened focus.

But.

Jin Un calmly shifted his body, avoiding the arc of her blade with minimal movement.

Then, without missing the opening, he lightly tapped her on the head with his wooden sword.

“Thwack.”

At the sound, Seorin staggered slightly, losing her balance.

“Too slow.”

With only those words, Jin Un vanished, like a falling leaf, leaving no trace, no presence.

Left alone, Seorin clutched her head and sank to the ground.

A swirl of exhaustion and humiliation weighed on her chest, but her eyes, still burned fiercely.

Chohee had stopped by the stream for a brief drink.

Sunlight scattered between the leaves, and the water sparkled, clear and cold.

It was the perfect place to cool her fatigue-soaked body.

She knelt down, cupped her hands, and drank from the stream.

The chill of the water touched her fingertips, and a short sigh escaped her lips.

“I thought I could rest, just for a moment…”

But at that very moment.

A sudden splash erupted from the center of the stream.

Through the flying droplets, a familiar silhouette emerged.

Jin Un.

“Master?!”

Startled, Chohee lost her balance and fell backward.

But Jin Un seized that brief moment— with just a flick of his fingertips, he skimmed the water’s surface in a sweeping motion.

Splash.

A wave of water fanned out, crashing directly over Chohee.

Her training robes were soaked in an instant.

Her footing slipped.

Her body tumbled to the edge of the stream.

“Aaaagh!”

She sat up on the wet rocks, shouting furiously.

Her eyebrows were furrowed, and her lips quivered with frustration.

“Aren’t you going way too far?! Can you stop just—popping out of nowhere already?!”

But Jin Un said nothing.

He simply gave a light smile, and vanished into the water as if he’d never been there.

Left behind, drenched and fuming, Chohee gritted her teeth and clutched at the soaked hem of her robe.

“Seriously… One of these days, I’m gonna—!”

Hwaran walked silently through a forest path.

Her steps were cautious, not a single movement wasted.

She didn’t snap a single twig.

She moved like a shadow gliding through the underbrush.

At her fingertips, she slowly gathered her inner energy.

She had sharpened all her senses, refusing to miss even the faintest trace of her teacher’s presence, knowing he could attack at any time, from anywhere.

And then.

A presence from above.

Hwaran turned on instinct.

At the same moment, she thrust her palm forward, launching her gathered energy in a sharp, cutting strike.

But before she could follow through.

Jin Un, descending from the air, twisted his elbow and struck her wrist with swift precision.

“Agh!”

In that instant, a sharp jolt spread through her entire arm.

Her fingertips went numb.

Her body trembled.

Hwaran instinctively retreated.

Jin Un said nothing, he simply observed her reaction, then let out a short laugh.

“Your senses were excellent… but you still have a long way to go.”

Leaving just that single remark, he vanished again, slipping behind the leaves as if becoming one with them.

Hwaran stood still, clutching her arm, her expression stiff.

The fingers that had been channeling her inner strength were still trembling.

A clear glint of fury flickered in her eyes.

Sowol hadn’t had a single peaceful day lately.

If she was walking.

“Ack!”

She’d suddenly trip over something, and go tumbling face-first into the dirt.

By the time she gathered her senses, she’d catch the tail end of a black robe disappearing behind a tree.

It was him again—her teacher.

Morning, evening, even in front of the bathroom.

He would appear out of nowhere, trip her up, smile, and disappear.

Sowol ground her teeth.

At first, she thought it made sense.

Sure, once or twice, it was probably part of training.

A way of teaching her not to let her guard down.

But now.

“This is just harassmentttttt!!”

Sowol slammed her fist into the ground and yelled.

Her clothes were covered in dirt, and as she stood back up, her face was filled with a mixture of anger, frustration, and a fierce resolve to overcome.

“Just wait. Next time, I won’t fall for it. Seriously…”

But deep down, she already knew.

That was the third time she’d said that.