Urban Vagabond: Reload

After returning to the lodgings with his juniors, Kang Hyuntae went straight to the Transcendent Extremity Gate sect leader and knelt.

Then he confessed everything he had done with complete honesty.

“......I’m sorry. I’ll accept any punishment.”

Sunwoo Jeha silently drew her saber as she looked down at the crown of Kang Hyuntae’s head, where gray hairs that had not been there a few hours ago were now scattered here and there.

“Sect leader!”

The three young rising stars shouted in surprise at the same time, but before they could react, the Strongest in Korea’s saber flashed.

SHHK-SHHK-SHHHK—!

Fine cuts like blood vessels were carved across Kang Hyuntae’s entire body, and he collapsed unconscious.

Sunwoo Jeha sheathed her saber again and spoke to the young rising stars staring at her with devastated faces.

“I didn’t kill him. I only drew out the toxins the anomaly left inside his body.”

Only after seeing that Kang Hyuntae’s breathing had stabilized, and after seeing the black energy seeping out of his wounds, did the young rising stars finally sigh in relief.

“Haa......”

“You scared us!”

But Kim Muhyuk, who was more sensitive to anomaly energy than anyone among the three of them, was shocked by something else.

That’s possible?

With Phantom Dream, he had severed the connection between Kang Hyuntae and the anomaly, but he had not been able to remove every trace of the anomaly’s energy left inside Kang Hyuntae’s body.

It looked like she just cut him without a care, but......

He had the sense that this was a technique one martial artist had spent a long time refining specifically to deal with anomalies.

“Can you teach that to us too?”

The words slipped out because he thought that if he could learn that technique, it would be incredibly useful when fighting anomalies in the future.

Of course, he expected Sunwoo Jeha to refuse. There was no way she would teach such a secret technique to outsiders who were not even successors of the Transcendent Extremity Gate.

But Sunwoo Jeha readily nodded.

“Fine. Thanks to you, the damage didn’t get any bigger. I was planning to give you a reward anyway.”

The Strongest in Korea always had a way of moving slightly outside everyone’s expectations.

“Uh? Really?”

“It seemed like a secret technique of the Transcendent Extremity Gate......”

Shin Kangheon and Bu Yeonha must have felt something similar to Kim Muhyuk, because their faces filled with surprise as well.

“Not now, though. I’ll teach you later.”

Answering as if it were not a particularly big deal, Sunwoo Jeha summoned the Transcendent Extremity Gate martial artists and handled the urgent matters first.

“Take him to the hospital quickly and treat him.”

Kang Hyuntae was transported to the hospital.

His energy had been greatly weakened by the anomaly, but fortunately, the response had been quick, so he should be able to recover with time.

“Contact the Great Saber Gate too. Tell them I’ll formally meet with them later to apologize and compensate them. I was the one who took him into the forbidden ground.”

With the three young rising stars watching, Sunwoo Jeha calmly sorted through the situation before her, one step at a time.

An anomaly that had escaped from the Transcendent Extremity Gate’s forbidden ground had attached itself to the body of a young rising star from one of the Eight Great Sects.

Though Kang Hyuntae had accepted the anomaly of his own will, Sunwoo Jeha did not use that as an excuse to evade her own responsibility.

I thought she might cut Kang Hyuntae down without mercy......

A sect leader of the Eight Great Sects killing one young rising star would not start a war. If there was enough justification, it would be even less of a problem.

The usual way of thinking would be that the other young rising stars who witnessed it could simply be threatened or coaxed into silence.

There are plenty of people in the orthodox martial world who would do anything to protect their face and honor.

But Sunwoo Jeha fulfilled her responsibility as a sect leader before protecting her face.

To Kim Muhyuk, who remembered the behavior of some among the Eight Great Sects—people who only preached justice on the surface while fitting justification around their own interests—it felt impressive enough.

I thought she was only strong in martial arts, but she’s a decent person as a human being too.

As Kim Muhyuk inwardly made an assessment that would have made the person in question extremely annoyed if she knew, Bu Yeonha, who had been quietly watching, carefully called to Sunwoo Jeha.

“Um, sect leader.”

“Why?”

When Sunwoo Jeha turned around with a somewhat tired expression, Bu Yeonha respectfully made a cupped-fist salute.

“I think I should return to AZURE SKY SWORD GATE now. Thank you sincerely for taking time out of your busy schedule to teach us young rising stars for the past few days. Thanks to you...... I was able to realize and improve so much.”

Bu Yeonha had shown the most model-student-like attitude throughout the training camp. She remained courteous and proper toward Sunwoo Jeha to the very end.

That was not only because, for the next several decades, she would have to face Sunwoo Jeha as sect leader to sect leader.

“Personally, you’re my role model, sect leader. I’ll work harder with the next Strongest in Korea as my goal! Ah, I only said that as a fan, so please just forget it......”

At the confession of the young junior, who belatedly looked away in embarrassment, Sunwoo Jeha stared at her for a moment and then smiled faintly.

“Give my regards to your grandfather. Add that it wouldn’t be bad for him to retire right now, either.”

“......Yes!”

At the indirectly phrased praise, Bu Yeonha brightened like a young girl.

Seeing that, Kim Muhyuk and Shin Kangheon also chuckled.

“Well, considering the situation......”

“It’s a shame, but it can’t be helped.”

The Transcendent Extremity Gate was in chaos under an emergency.

There would be no more time for Sunwoo Jeha to come teach the young rising stars.

Naturally judging that the training camp was over, the two also gave their final farewells to the Transcendent Extremity Gate sect leader.

“Then we’ll be leaving as well.”

“Please teach us again later!”

But Sunwoo Jeha shook her head.

“You two stay.”

......You two?

Kim Muhyuk and Shin Kangheon looked at each other with puzzled expressions.

Rather, Bu Yeonha smiled as if she had expected that, and tapped each of them once on the shoulder.

“I’ll see you next time. Don’t get too full of yourselves just because you’re talented. If you let your guard down, I’ll catch up in no time, all right?”

“......Senior?”

“What do you mean?”

After Bu Yeonha smiled brightly and left the room first,

Sunwoo Jeha watched her back for a moment, then turned her head again and looked at the two young rising stars.

“There’s no more training camp. But I still have to keep my promise.”

A few days ago.

As the Transcendent Extremity Gate sect leader, Sunwoo Jeha had set the condition that if there were young rising stars who remained until the very end of the training camp, she would take them as external disciples.

Four had been filtered and filtered again from among the raw stones.

Among them, Kang Hyuntae had felt the wall of talent and made the wrong choice.

Likewise, Bu Yeonha had felt her limits, resolved to work even harder, and left on her own.

Now only two remained.

“Kim Muhyuk. Shin Kangheon.”

One was an arrogant swordsman who resembled Han Shinhu in his youth.

And the other was a cheeky saber user who resembled her past self, back when she had followed desperately behind him.

“The tests of talent are over. I checked your frame and constitution long ago. For you two......”

“Thank you for the offer, but.”

Kim Muhyuk raised his hand high. His stubbornly furrowed, quite serious expression already irritated Sunwoo Jeha.

“I must refuse. I cannot serve two masters beneath the sky.”

“......I don’t want that either. I never said I’d teach you martial arts, so don’t get ahead of yourself.”

At her tone of genuine disgust, Kim Muhyuk became a little embarrassed.

But at Sunwoo Jeha’s next words, his expression quickly brightened again.

“Your sword is already complete enough. Rather than learning something more from someone else, it would be better for you to study, realize, and develop it on your own.”

“......Thank you.”

The fact that the Strongest in Korea had recognized his martial arts made Kim Muhyuk’s heart swell.

The Solitary Life-and-Death Sword was a sword art Kim Muhyuk had created by adding together everything from his previous life, Sword Demon Choi Geon’s teachings, and the realizations of this life.

My martial arts will work even out in the world, even against peerless masters.

Kim Muhyuk gained an even stronger conviction.

That alone felt like enough of a reward for this training camp.

Of course, Sunwoo Jeha intended to give him a proper reward.

“Instead, I’ll occasionally give you instructional sparring. Under the conditions and environment you want. That should be enough, right?”

For Kim Muhyuk, it was a far better condition than learning a new martial art.

There was no better training than directly crossing swords with the strongest martial artist in Korea.

“That’s more than enough.”

After finishing her conversation with Kim Muhyuk, Sunwoo Jeha turned her head and looked at Shin Kangheon.

“You’ve never learned an advanced saber art, have you? Am I right?”

“......Yes.”

Shin Kangheon, who had been waiting for his turn, swallowed and nodded.

Unlike Kim Muhyuk, he did not have a proper exclusive martial art.

It was no exaggeration to say that he had grown this far with only the family saber art left by his father.

I don’t even need much. If I can at least get a taste of an advanced saber art......

Reading the desperate thirst for an advanced martial art on Shin Kangheon’s face, Sunwoo Jeha said,

“I’ll teach you my saber art.”

“......Yes?”

At the words she tossed out as casually as telling him today’s lunch menu, Shin Kangheon failed to understand and only blinked.

“I can’t pass down the Transcendent Extremity Gate’s advanced saber art to an external disciple. So I’ll teach you a saber art I made myself. Do you not want it?”

Shin Kangheon’s eyes grew wider and wider.

It took him a little time to accept the fact that he would be receiving a saber art created by Sunwoo Jeha, the Strongest in Korea.

“Uwaaaaah, I love it! Shin Kangheon, direct disciple of the Strongest in Korea! I’ll start by giving you one hell of a bow of respect— Gyaak!”

Shin Kangheon, who tried to throw himself into a full bow right away, was kicked backward by Sunwoo Jeha’s foot and fell over.

Sunwoo Jeha frowned down at him and shook her head.

“I refuse any relationship like master and disciple. Teaching and learning. That’s as far as it goes.”

“......Isn’t that what a master and disciple are?”

When Sunwoo Jeha’s brow furrowed again, Shin Kangheon hurriedly corrected himself.

“Then I’ll call you teacher!”

“Do whatever you want.”

Watching the two of them, the corner of Kim Muhyuk’s mouth crept upward.

A lunatic and a madwoman...... A good match.

It was a good thing for Kim Muhyuk too that Shin Kangheon would learn an advanced saber art.

Thanks to that, Shin Kangheon would not be satisfied with where he was now and would not settle.

“Then that’s all I have to say to the young rising stars.”

The two looked at her with expressions that said, What else is left?

Sunwoo Jeha took something from her pocket and said,

“I’d like to make a commission to you.”

It was the Blue Wolves Office business card she had received from Yeo Pilgeuk.

“I need help hunting a Great Anomaly. I heard you’re experts in this kind of work?”

Even as she spoke, Sunwoo Jeha wore an uncertain expression.

If not for Yeo Pilgeuk’s guarantee, she would never have brought it up at all.

But the moment the word commission came out, Kim Muhyuk’s expression changed instantly.

“You came to exactly the right place.”

“......?”

“Let’s sit down and talk first. Could I hear more details about the commission?”

In an instant, his face changed from that of a young rising star of the orthodox martial world to that of a seasoned wandering martial artist. After estimating the work, he clicked his tongue as if troubled.

“The commission fee will likely be set quite high. Will that be all right?”

“......Money. Spiritual medicine. Weapons. Tell me what you need.”

As the Transcendent Extremity Gate sect leader, she might be the greatest client the Blue Wolves Office had seen since its establishment, and perhaps even the greatest client it would ever see.

He could have demanded an astronomical reward, or even spiritual medicine nearly impossible to obtain.

But at that moment, the first thing that came to Kim Muhyuk’s mind was one thing.

Something only she in the world could do.

“Later, when I want it, can you arrange for me to meet Richard Han?”