Reincarnated Sword Ghost

Annihilating One-Slash

Even after Lee Si-geon finished speaking, a heavy silence lingered and hovered in the air.

Lee Si-geon kept his head bowed and said nothing more, while Yeom Baek only glared at him.

’His energy has receded.’

The powerful vital ki that Yeom Baek had been emitting had disappeared as if it were a ghost.

Jeong-un, quietly observing the flow of that true ki, felt somewhat disappointed.

”Even if what you say is true.”

At last, Yeom Baek opened his mouth again. He let out a brief sigh, then fixed Lee Si-geon with a fierce gaze once more.

”A newly-inducted corps member acting on his own is unthinkable. Especially on his first mission.”

”It was because of my inadequacy...”

”That you are inadequate is a given.”

”...”

His voice was stern.

Still, if just moments ago he looked as if he were about to kill someone who had lied to him, now he resembled a superior scolding a subordinate for a mistake.

”Additionally, your sin of falsifying your report is not minor. Considering that the General Affairs Department determines whether to terminate a mission or dispatch additional personnel after reviewing your report, your crime is all the heavier.”

”I have no excuse.”

”You shouldn’t have one.”

Then, as if suffering from a headache, Yeom Baek relaxed his expression and rubbed his temple.

”So what’s the reason for bringing this up now?”

”Pardon?”

Lee Si-geon asked back somewhat awkwardly, his face showing he hadn’t expected that question.

”Whatever the case, didn’t things work out well? I’m asking why you’ve come to tell me the truth now—especially the both of you together.”

It wasn’t even my idea to come. Jeong-un muttered to himself inwardly.

He, too, watching from the sidelines, was still wondering what all this was about.

’Still, I got to see how a supreme master wields true ki.’

On first glance, Yeom Baek was a master as strong as, or perhaps even greater than, Cheong Jin of Mount Hua.

To be within the domain of such a master’s true ki, even for a fleeting moment—and that at very close range.

’Isn’t that what a fateful encounter is?’

This was a fateful encounter.

He was eager to hurry to the training hall to try and implement what he had witnessed and felt in his own way.

”For this mission, I’d like the achievement recorded solely under Yu Jeong-un’s name.”

”...”

Lee Si-geon bowed again as he spoke. Yeom Baek narrowed his eyes and gazed at him intently.

Then he turned to Jeong-un and spoke.

”Is that your wish too?”

”No, it isn’t.”

Jeong-un replied without hesitation. He had already widened his eyes at Lee Si-geon’s words.

”I’m prepared for disciplinary measures.”

”Disciplinary measures? Are you just being modest because he’s praising you?”

”...”

Jeong-un looked at Yeom Baek with a strange expression.

One thing he realized after entering the martial world was that there were an awful lot of martial artists who twisted people’s words.

”Young hero Lee Si-geon instructed me to return the next morning. I defied that order and chased after the enemies alone.”

”And yet he insists on recording the achievement as yours alone?”

”If not for the other Blue Scale Corps members guarding the Dragon Heart Gate, I wouldn’t have been able to act on my own. Without them, I would have had to stay in place for fear of being attacked. Strictly speaking, it’s an achievement for all of us. Isn’t that more accurate?”

”...”

Yeom Baek stared at Jeong-un in silence, looking at him as if he were some strange curiosity.

Then, with a slight chuckle, he said,

”You’re not wrong.”

That was the end of their conversation.

Yeom Baek, as if there was nothing more to hear, gestured casually for them to leave, adding that the matter of achievements would be decided by the General Affairs Department.

Thud!

As they closed the door and stepped out, an awkward air lingered. Lee Si-geon looked somewhat embarrassed.

”I didn’t think it through.”

”...?”

”I was only fixated on correcting the record. But after hearing your words, it’s clear the achievement belongs to everyone.”

”...”

Is it really that important?

Jeong-un thought that was all there was to it.

He knew that one could earn golden threads through mission achievements.

And that the accumulation of those threads meant honor for both the martial artist and the Gate of Death.

But looking at the warriors of the Heavenly Martial Hall, he wondered if perhaps too many of them were obsessed with it.

’If you have enough martial strength, that sort of thing will follow you naturally.’

From Jeong-un’s perspective, the world of martial artists was in chaos.

Just as Jo Yoo-hyeon had said, while there was no single, massive Demonic Cult like fifty years ago, all sorts of Evil Faction and Dark Path groups were running rampant.

He had even witnessed those bastards tearing people apart and eating them.

’... From now on, too.’

He sensed that there would be many more missions to come.

And having many missions hardly seemed like a good thing.

”It’s a relief that no one was hurt upon our return. Yet so many civilians lost their lives.”

”...?”

”It’s something to gnash our teeth in bitter regret over.”

Thus, he made his position clear. Lee Si-geon stared blankly at him with his mouth slightly open.

Jeong-un clasped his hands respectfully and turned to leave.

* * *

At dawn the following day, he went straight to the training hall.

He had also spent the previous day alone in the training hall,

mainly cultivating Moonlight Swift Steps and retracing the flow of internal power that Yeom Baek had shown.

’There’s so much to do.’

Especially that emission of internal power.

The density of the true ki he unleashed was so immense that it was almost hard to breathe in the moment.

If such a thing were possible, his power in a chaotic melee would be phenomenal.

”Young hero Yu!”

Just then, he ran into Jo Gwang. And as if he had been waiting, Jo Gwang hurried over, his manner quite suspicious.

”My eyes did not deceive me after all! I felt from the very first glance that you possessed tremendous potential!”

”...?”

The way Jo Gwang stared, his eyes shining with excitement, was suspicious no matter how he looked at it.

Potential? That wasn’t something Jeong-un expected to hear from Jo Gwang.

”What are you talking about?”

”They posted the list yesterday! Haven’t you seen it yet?”

As Jeong-un continued to look baffled, Jo Gwang, sounding exasperated, led him out of the building and down some path.

There, a group of martial artists were already gathered, standing before a wall.

Noticing Jeong-un approaching, they exchanged glances among themselves.

”There he is.”

”He say he killed a savage, heretical Evil Faction member with a single slash.”

”I heard he wouldn’t even allow a blade to be drawn in front of him during the entrance test.”

”To think there was such a domineering martial art in Shaanxi...”

They were obviously talking about him.

Pushing his way through, Jeong-un looked at the wall—and indeed, a notice was posted there.

Heavenly Martial Hall – Special Test Rankings

1. Blue Scale Corps Yu Jeong-un

2. White Tiger Corps Yong Somaeng

”...?”

At a glance, it was a ranking list for the special test.

And at the very top was his own name. Below it was the name of that Wudang martial artist.

He didn’t even notice the names further down.

’What is this?’

First place?

Jeong-un stared at the notice in bewilderment, when beside him, Jo Gwang started chattering away.

”The moment I got here yesterday, that’s the first thing I checked. And as I thought, young hero Yu’s name was at the very top. No one knew who you were, so I took it upon myself to explain—how I saw you cut down those vile Evil Faction scoundrels, who exploit the people and treat lives as less than beasts, all in one blow. And you took down more than twenty of them, all alone at that.”

”Twenty?”

He’d faced quite a few, but it was never more than twenty.

Not that the number mattered, but exaggerating like this was another story.

”It was barely more than ten—”

”When others asked me if that was true, I told them, yes.”

”...?”

”They all perished, I said, to young hero Yu’s thunderous slash. Even if I didn’t witness it with my own eyes, I said one could tell from the cut of the severed heads.”

”What are you talking about?”

While Jeong-un stared, dumbfounded, at Jo Gwang, the surrounding murmurs abruptly fell silent.

Jeong-un, too, stopped talking, widened his eyes, and turned his head.

’Who is it?’

This was the Heavenly Martial Hall, where all the martial world’s prodigies gathered.

Even with a little ki-sense, one could feel the presence of masters everywhere.

Yet he felt a single, clear presence approaching—coming straight toward him.

”I thought you’d take longer to return, since you were said to be on a mission. But I heard you’ve already come back and achieved a great feat.”

”...?”

A martial artist in the black uniform of the Heavenly Martial Hall.

His face expressionless as he looked at Jeong-un, but there was no hostility.

He simply radiated open competitiveness.

”To be honest, I was waiting for a duel with the Wudang Prodigious Sword. He’s always considered the foremost among our generation. Still, it made me realize how wide the martial world truly is—to think there’d be an even greater rising star, right here in Shaanxi.”

”Wudang Prodigious Sword?”

Jeong-un tilted his head in confusion, and the man looked at him with a strange gaze, as if to say, are you mocking me?

”You mean you don’t know the Wudang Prodigious Sword? That can’t be.”

Then, ”Ah!”, he exclaimed and nodded in understanding.

”So you’ve never considered him above you. They say you have a lofty spirit, and indeed, it suits your nickname well.”

”... Nickname?”

Jeong-un furrowed his brow again. Of course, he knew what that was.

In the martial world, people are often called by titles rather than names.

Parents give names, but the martial world gives nicknames.

These nicknames reflected a fighter’s martial skills, achievements, or even villainy—a kind of martial identity.

Most martial artists were known more by their nickname than their own name.

’What on earth?’

But Jeong-un couldn’t recall doing anything to warrant a nickname of his own.

Seeing his expression, the martial artist’s eyes grew wide.

”Annihilating One-Slash—you mean you didn’t even know what people are calling you?”

”Extermination what?”

”In any case, let’s meet soon for a duel. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

With a string of incomprehensible comments, the man turned away.

Jeong-un hadn’t even caught his name. Yet, the other seemed to know all about him.

”Who was that?”

”That’s Cheon Hui. He took first place in the regular test this time.”

Jo Gwang, who had been quietly rolling his eyes, answered.

Now that he’d heard the name, it seemed vaguely familiar. He was said to have a phenomenal lightning-fast sword, able to emit a blade of light at his opponent.

”But why did he come up to me and say all that?”

”It’s tradition. The winner of the regular test and the winner of the special test have a duel.”

”...”

He hadn’t known there was such a tradition.

Since his admission, Jeong-un had spent almost all his time in the training hall, paying little attention to news around the hall.

He’d occasionally had other martial artists challenge him to duels in the training hall, but he hadn’t engaged in any idle chatter.

Still, his curiosity didn’t end there.

”But why do people call me ’Annihilating One-Slash’?”

”Well, a nickname like that is an honor bestowed by your martial peers, isn’t it?”

”That’s not what I meant.”

”...”

Staring intently at Jo Gwang, Jeong-un waited for an answer. Jo Gwang scratched his cheek and averted his eyes.

”I—I only said what I saw. I mean, you mercilessly exterminated that gang of Evil Faction with a single blow...”

”So you’re saying—”

”...”

”And all those rumors started from you, Jo Gwang?”

At that moment, another group of martial artists walked by, glancing at him.

”There goes the Annihilating Sword.”

”Be careful. I heard he can’t stand seeing anyone draw a sword in front of him.”

Jeong-un quietly listened, then turned to Jo Gwang and said,

”Let’s have a duel.”

”What?”

”Didn’t you challenge me to a duel before? Let’s do it, right now.”

”I—I don’t really want to anymore.”

”Let’s go. Right now.”

-------------= Clacky’s Corner -------------=

A light-hearted chapter after the previous heavy chapters...

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