Chapter 642: Thunder Heaven Single Sword (Thunder Heaven Single Sword)

‘Seriously, that idiot.’

Woo-hyeok, no.

More accurately, I thought as I looked at the guy inhabiting Woo-hyeok’s body.

Seriously, how many times has he lost his body? Fuck, I’m tired of saving him.

‘If he’s going to be like that, he should have just let them take it. Damn it.’

It’s ridiculous.

After all the effort I put in, shedding blood and sweat to save him. And he lets some unknown bastard take his body again.

‘I don’t think that bastard is a genius?’

A legendary genius.

The foremost talent of the martial world, spanning the generation of shooting stars.

If he hadn’t pointlessly thrown away his life in his past life, Woo-hyeok would surely have been a monster competing for the title of Sword King in later generations.

Seeing the way that bastard acts, I’ve even started doubting his talent now.

At this point, isn’t he basically at the level of just saying, ‘Oh dear! Please use my body!’ and offering it up?

‘Besides.’

I frowned, looking at him.

‘Just what kind of bastard possessed him this time?’

For a moment, I even suspected it might be Mang.

Although I thought he was dead, he was actually alive, and…

Perhaps he appeared again, possessing Woo-hyeok’s body.

Such a thought flashed through my mind, but…

‘No.’

I shook my head firmly.

That’s not Mang.

‘He’s not that kind of guy.’

That was a being so significant that comparing him to ‘mere’ Mang felt insulting.

Zzzzing-!

My fingertips are trembling.

It was an unknowable sensation.

My body automatically signaled caution.

My instincts were telling me.

That it was something dangerous.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

Upon feeling this, even the corners of my mouth trembled.

It’s a sensation I hadn’t felt even when looking at Mang, let alone the Baekgeup monster that seemed to be his main body.

It’s so sharp. That’s why I was afraid. And also scared.

Could a renowned sword, polished and repolished for ages by a master craftsman beyond the heavens, be like this?

The person before my eyes was like a keenly honed blade.

Is this an impression one can have when looking at a human?

Despite feeling it was absurd, that was the only impression I could conjure.

‘I can’t feel any internal energy.’

I don’t feel any particular energy.

That’s why it was even more chilling.

‘This means it comes solely from his presence.’

A martial artist’s presence stems from the vessel built through long years of training.

The amount of internal energy, the level of external techniques, the depth of internal cultivation – presence was the manifestation of all that accumulating.

So, what about this person now?

“…Sssshhh…”

After barely controlling my breath for a few seconds, while forcing my pounding heart to calm down, I twitched my fingertips.

Can I win?

My beast-like head urges me to charge right now, but…

My instincts were colder than I expected.

I can’t see it.

I can’t see anything at all.

Because I could only sense it by a hair’s breadth and see nothing, I could barely keep my feet from moving.

After maintaining this tense confrontation for a few more seconds.

“Hmm.”

Something wearing Woo-hyeok’s guise uttered a sound.

A low sound. I frowned at that voice.

Although it was clearly expressionless, for some reason, it felt like it was smiling.

“Your intuition is good. I praise you. That hesitation saved you, and it will continue to save you.”

“…”

I felt a chill.

Even if it seemed like arrogant words, those words sent shivers down my spine.

I see the truth in matters of life and death.

He truly thought so, and…

Ironically, I too saw those words as the truth.

Without averting my gaze, I asked him.

“Who are you.”

He cast a thin glance at my question.

Woo-hyeok himself might be naive and laid-back, but in terms of looking utterly unpleasant, he’s no different from the degenerate scion of the Namgung family.

Perhaps because of that, that kind of expression felt even more obnoxious.

“Will you understand if I tell you? I am merely a remnant of the past.”

“Then get out of that body. The host wouldn’t have given permission, so why did you crawl in there?”

At my snarling words, the man smiled slightly for some reason.

“Laughing?”

“How rare. And amusing too. It’s been a long time since someone used such crude speech with me.”

Just then.

The man moves his right arm slightly.

Seeing that, I unconsciously took a step back.

My body reacted automatically to the chilling aura.

Is he trying something? As I kept watching him, taking a defensive stance, he stopped his hand movement and spoke to me.

“Normally, I would have taught you a lesson. But rather, I miss that tone, so I don’t particularly want to.”

“What kind of dog-shit nonsense is that? Spit it out properly.”

If I knew who the opponent was, I could be a bit more careful with my mouth. But this damn mouth of mine just can’t help itself.

Even though I know my place, I can’t control myself.

It seems this damned disposition of mine just won’t change.

Even though I keep barking, risking my life, the opponent still seems unfazed.

“You resemble him. Don’t you? No, you do. I miss him. That pathetic fellow, especially.”

“Wh-what…”

What is he talking about? I tried to speak again, filled with confusion, but…

I couldn’t easily open my mouth.

It was because I belatedly checked my surroundings.

“…Damn it.”

Perhaps it was because I was conversing while extremely tense.

I could finally see the strange phenomenon occurring around me.

Stopped.

Suddenly, Paejon, who was about to block my path, froze solid.

Seong-yul was also frozen the moment he drew his sword at his waist.

Heuksa-ja, clutching his halberd to protect the Palace Lord, was also there.

The flowing embers in mid-air became floating lanterns.

The Nun-dokkebi, faintly flickering, had become hardened afterimages instead of just flowing.

Seeing this, I had to open my eyes sharply.

Time has stopped.

It was a wondrous sight, as wondrous as the martial prowess I’d seen from my father, but it was something I, myself, had experienced a few times.

Right now, rather than this situation, I had to focus on what this implied.

“…Who are you?”

I immediately changed my tone.

Hearing that, the man smirked.

“You’re quick to react. Moreover, you seem to already know the answer.”

“…”

It hits like a dagger.

Yes, as soon as I saw the situation, I had figured out who the opponent was.

If I hadn’t experienced this before, maybe… But counting the times, this has happened more than I can count on one hand, and through this, I could also tell who the opponent was.

I just hoped it wasn’t him.

If my guess is correct, it’s not only strange that he’s in Woo-hyeok’s body, but I also never expected to see him so out of the blue like this.

‘I had momentarily forgotten that this place is the North Sea.’

To be precise, I had forgotten the words that said he was in the North Sea.

No, even if I had known, I probably wouldn’t have expected to see him.

‘The time isn’t now.’

There are too many variables to just deal with him now that I’m here.

So I had intended to deal with him later, but…

‘I didn’t expect him to appear personally like this.’

And of all people, possessing the body of my foolish friend.

Should I offer a fist-salute? As a moment of hesitation passed, the other party spoke first.

“Even if you know the answer, there are still things that need to be said.”

In the frozen world, the man takes a step.

Crunch.

As I watched the snow being crushed underfoot, my body felt strangely tingly.

“There’s no need to remember me for long. I’ve discarded my attachment to my name.”

His posture, walking with hands clasped behind his back, exuded dominance.

It was the most overwhelming presence I had seen among everyone so far.

“I was called many things, but my origin follows my family name, so I shall state it accordingly.”

The man standing before me said, with eyes like blades,

“I am Namgung Myung.”

“…”

“It’s nice to meet you.”

Thunderclap Sword of Heaven (雷天一劍) Namgung Myung.

The hero of the Namgung family, who reigned over the heavens by spewing lightning from the tip of his sword.

“You, descendant of that damned fellow.”

He appeared before me.

---

Just a short while ago.

Around the time Gu Yangcheon was fighting fiercely with the Baekgeup monster.

The corridor leading to the Palace Lord’s room in the Ice Palace.

Whoosh.

Wind came whistling through the gaping hole in the wall.

A young man walked down this corridor.

He had a somewhat awkward expression.

‘It’s quiet.’

It’s unusually quiet.

The sound of the wind could be heard, and although the outside was filled with noisy voices,

The young man’s meaning was different.

‘Why is it quiet?’

All the usual noise couldn’t be heard.

Something was wrong.

Although it was something he had longed for so much, only questions lingered for him.

‘Is it because my friend is here?’

My friend who came to the North Sea used to block out the noise when he was around, but it would return once the distance widened.

Considering this, it should have been faintly audible by now, but…

For some reason, no noise could be heard at all.

I can’t understand.

While recalling this, the young man kept walking,

Soon reaching his destination, he stopped walking.

The overwhelming cold brushed against his cheek.

Looking at the person before him, the young man could only swallow his saliva.

A corpse in a wretched condition was visible.

Whether all vitality had been sucked out, the body, devoid of moisture, had long lost its original appearance.

Unable even to close its eyes properly, the corpse that died just like that was utterly pathetic.

Seeing this, the young man soon bent over and gently closed the woman’s eyes.

“….”

There were no words to say.

Just… it has become this way. That’s all that remained.

Does this bring relief? Young Woo-hyeok asked himself.

He couldn’t provide an answer.

-Listen to me. If you do, I’ll save the child you’re carrying.

The curse that afflicted the bloodline.

The prior ability that allowed it to be maximized.

That was both a threat and a desire.

If I were to say where things went wrong, wasn’t it coming here deliberately?

Or perhaps, was being born on this land in the first place the mistake?

Ah, yes. Perhaps that was the problem.

It’s a fact I’ve never denied from birth until now.

Even when bitterly abandoned by the side of my family.

Even when my father, unable to handle his child, tried to execute me under the guise of justification.

These are the moments I never forgot, even when I broke through that and barely managed to sneak into the Central Plains.

That was the kind of life I lived.

How ironic it was when I returned to this land, barely clinging to life after living like that and living again.

My father, afraid of my achievements, sought me out while hiding his ambition and true nature.

The way he conducted himself, calling out the name he abandoned when I was young, was so grotesque.

I realized then.

That I had already severed ties.

Therefore, even when my father met his death with his neck torn off, I must have worn a blank expression.

My hometown, they call it.

They say it’s a place cherished deep in the heart, longed for and missed.

For Woo-hyeok, this place was hell.

A hell, frozen cold and never to melt.

In one corner of that hell, Woo-hyeok left the dead woman behind.

How she obsessed over him.

With what emotions she acted so pathetically, I still don’t understand, but for some reason, I didn’t want to look at her current state for long.

My emotions grew cold, like the weather.

Woo-hyeok, feeling this unfamiliar sensation, rekindled his fervor.

I couldn’t let my emotions die.

Even if I don’t understand why, I must keep them alive.

There’s nothing more pathetic than being this dry.

Woo-hyeok got up again and looked back.

The biting cold was still there, but behind him, something translucent was present.

It’s a familiar face.

Of course, he had the exact same face as his master.

Only, the person themselves was different.

[Are the greetings finished?]

To the middle-aged man’s words, Woo-hyeok bowed his head.

“…Thank you for your consideration.”

The man’s hair shook slightly at Woo-hyeok’s greeting.

[What’s your relationship with the girl? Are you perhaps in love?]

Did it seem that way?

Woo-hyeok smiled faintly at the man’s question.

“That’s not the case. If you insist on defining it, she’s closer to an enemy.”

[Hmm.]

No further words were heard.

There wasn’t even the inevitable question of how one could treat an enemy like that.

He had no interest.

The man’s expression was exactly like that, and Woo-hyeok actually felt somewhat at ease because of it.

I tentatively asked him.

“Please tell me how I should address you, Senior.”

It was a voice mixed with tension.

It’s natural. Anyone from the Central Plains would react like this if they learned about that man.

Ah, perhaps only one person wouldn’t.

That mad dog, although he’s my friend, was never normal.

[The title isn’t important. As long as you show basic respect, you can call me whatever.]

“Then, I shall address you as ‘Thunder God Senior’.”

At the words spoken without hesitation, the man’s brow twitched.

[That’s unnecessary flattery.]

There were indeed times I was called that.

It’s just that I was called other things more often.

Knowing that, seeing you deliberately call me ‘God’, you’re clearly flattering me.

[Leave the petty pleasantries aside. Now, I intend to get to the main point.]

“I will listen attentively.”

While answering, I observed the man as if amazed.

‘He looks alike.’

He resembled my master, Goe-seon, far too much.

After all, since he’s a descendant, resemblance is possible, but…

‘He looks too much alike.’

It was almost indistinguishable, like twins.

A sudden sense of longing.

Was it because I thought of Goe-seon?

Woo-hyeok smiled bitterly.

‘To meet… that person here… I never expected it.’

When I heard the introduction about that person underground.

Woo-hyeok was startled.

How could I not be?

A hero of the Namgung family who saved the world long ago.

Who would have known he was sleeping in the North Sea?

Even while seeing it, I couldn’t believe it.

‘A Lingering Thought.’

Such things exist?

From the perspective of someone aiming to be a martial artist, it was truly fascinating.

What’s somewhat regrettable is that I, of all people, had to encounter such a Lingering Thought.

‘I’m not qualified.’

There are two clansmen of the Namgung family in the North Sea.

One of them abandoned his family name and settled in the martial world, but could have become the family head anytime if he wished,

The other one was a person who might perhaps become the first female head of the Namgung family.

‘Becoming the Sword Empress would probably be faster, though.’

She is surely capable of reaching that position.

Although I haven’t properly faced the current Sword Empress, I’m sure of it.

Woo-hyeok was convinced of that.

It probably wouldn’t take much time either.

She was a sword master by nature, and the talent she possessed must be higher and wider than the snow piled up in the North Sea.

Anyway, being face-to-face with the greatest being of the Namgung family in this situation gives me an uneasy feeling.

It was regrettable.

That I am in this position, and furthermore, that my master or junior sister are not here.

That was truly regrettable.

[What are you looking for from me?]

“…!”

Woo-hyeok flinched at the Lingering Thought’s words.

It seemed I had stared at him for too long.

“I’m sorry. You resemble someone I know, so it was involuntary.”

[Hmm.]

The Lingering Thought nodded his head at Woo-hyeok’s words and continued speaking.

[The Namgung family?]

“Yes… that’s right.”

Since you said he resembles me, he seemed to naturally assume so.

[I see.]

However, his subsequent reaction was indifferent.

Even after hearing that the Namgung family still existed after time had passed, his expression showed he didn’t seem to care much.

To the extent that not even a little interest was felt – that seemed somewhat strange.

It was too cold a reaction for an ancestor.

Trying to ignore this, Woo-hyeok asked.

“…So, about the main point you were going to mention, Senior…?”

Namgung Myung’s Lingering Thought replied to Woo-hyeok’s question with the same expression as before.

[Disaster will come to the world soon.]

He threw the previous explanation to the dogs and went straight to the point, literally.

It was an incredibly chilling statement to utter in such a blunt tone.

Hearing that, Woo-hyeok’s eyes widened immensely.

“Disaster…? What do you mean?”

Disaster, suddenly? What could this mean?

Because it was such a random topic, I couldn’t understand it any further.

However, Namgung Myung didn’t pay attention to Woo-hyeok’s reaction like that.

[Not much time is left. The fact that the seal has been broken must be the proof.]

“Senior, what is that….”

Flustered, Woo-hyeok uncharacteristically tried to interrupt the elder, but…

This time too, Namgung Myung did not allow it.

[Much has gone wrong, but it’s not too late to correct it, so I have a request for you, using a boon as collateral.]

“A request?”

[Yes.]

His characteristic sharp gaze.

His blue eyes, as if containing the sea or the sky, turned towards Woo-hyeok.

[Become my successor.]

“…!”

Woo-hyeok’s breath hitched.

[And so, wield your sword for the sake of the world. Then, I will give you everything I have left in this land in my name.]

Hearing his words, my body trembled suddenly.

Seeing that reaction, Namgung Myung lowered his gaze and continued speaking, but…

[It’s regrettable that you’re not a child of the main family, but such is fate. Consider it your destiny.]

“I’m sorry.”

[Yes, so first, the internal energy contained within your body… Hmm?]

Namgung Myung, who was continuing to speak as if naturally, suddenly faltered.

His expression changed slightly.

His face looked as if he had misheard.

[What did you just say?]

“Th-that…”

To the question asked again, Woo-hyeok repeated his answer with a somewhat brazen expression.

“I’m sorry… That seems a bit difficult.”

[…?]

Silence flowed for a moment.

A stifling discomfort permeated the quiet air.

Woo-hyeok was watching Namgung Myung, glancing nervously for some reason, and he seemed lost in thought, pondering whether he had heard correctly.

About thirty seconds passed like that.

Having finally finished thinking, perhaps, Namgung Myung asked Woo-hyeok.

[…Why?]

He still seemed not to understand.