Chapter 163

Suddenly, I recalled something my senior, Hwa Young-bin, had once told me about Mukrang.

He said that the Blood Wolf Sword of Ban Jung-yang—the strongest warrior in the current martial world—and my Mukrang sword looked exactly the same, differing only in color.

Maybe Seo-il knew something about this.

“Well, if Hwa hyung knows, then others might as well. Especially someone like Seo-il, one of the absolute powers of the martial world…”

I studied his displeased expression as he looked at me, trying to figure out what I should do next.

He had healed me for his own purposes, yet he kept showing irritation. And with his reputation as a petty-minded man, I realized what I needed to show him was…

After swallowing my saliva, I spoke to him in a still-hoarse voice.

“So this is what they call the realm of Heo Gong-seop’s water technique. I’m truly impressed, senior. It’s incredible.”

His eyes, previously filled with annoyance, flickered with a hint of surprise.

He scoffed and replied, “Hmph, that’s nothing special. It might seem amazing to small fry like you.”

I watched his reaction carefully with sharp eyes.

Then, sincerely, I praised him again.

“You say it’s nothing special? Ha, you really are a great master. I’m genuinely moved.”

He scoffed once more.

“Hmph!”

But I could clearly see the irritation on his face had eased considerably.

As I thought…

One thing I’d noticed about petty-minded people was that they loved being praised. They almost always refused to acknowledge others but were vulnerable to flattery.

And apparently, Seo-il, one of the absolute powers of the martial world, was no different.

I decided to take my next step.

I tried to force myself to sit up.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t properly thanked the savior of my life yet… Ugh!”

But there was no way my body could move in this state.

The moment I tried, a wave of sharp pain forced a groan from me.

He pressed me back down with his intangible energy and said irritably,

“Don’t do anything useless. I went through the trouble of saving you—are you trying to die again?”

But unlike before, his eyes looked surprisingly gentle.

He was probably thinking, “At least he has some manners.”

Lying down, with a voice fading from weakness, I said,

“Thank you for saving my life. I don’t know how to repay this kindness… Truly, thank you, Great Hero Seo.”

He looked at me with a slightly surprised expression and asked,

“Do you know who I am?”

I answered with eyes full of respect.

“Of course. Who else but the master who wields Heo Gong-seop’s water technique with such ease, and the king of assassins who can drive away the Amhyeolhyang with a single word? I recognized you at first glance, Great Hero Seo-il.”

He let out a small laugh and said,

“Hmph, king of assassins? I’m nothing more than a lowly assassin.”

He seemed to be in a much better mood now.

That was a relief.

I was fighting a different kind of life-or-death battle than the one against Amhyeolhyang.

This was a fight to survive Seo-il’s hands.

From the circumstances, it was clear Seo-il had saved me because of Mukrang.

That raised a question.

“Once he achieves his goal, will he return Mukrang to me? Or even spare my life?”

My conclusion was that there was no way.

He wouldn’t return Mukrang, and a petty-minded man like him wouldn’t spare me after taking my sword.

He’d probably try to kill me to hide his own shame.

Of course, if I voluntarily handed over Mukrang, my chances of survival might improve.

But knowing the secret of Mukrang, I couldn’t make that choice.

So I had to find a way to persuade him—ideally without losing Mukrang or getting killed.

“Whether that’s possible, I don’t know…”

At least I’d managed to put him in a good mood.

So it seemed unlikely he’d kill me immediately.

But I couldn’t let my guard down.

With his temperament, he was probably quite fickle.

He might suddenly get angry, accusing me of flattery.

So I decided to take the initiative.

“Oh, by the way, didn’t you ask me something earlier? About my sword…”

I looked at Mukrang and asked.

He suddenly stiffened, as if coming to his senses, and asked,

“Yes, I did. Where did you get that sword?”

I answered obediently, pretending ignorance.

“Mukrang? I got it while fighting the Black Elephant Gang in Guizhou, from their leader’s warehouse.”

He looked at me sharply, as if searching for something, and continued,

“The Black Elephant Gang, huh… Since you got this, have you had any unusual experiences?”

I feigned innocence and asked back,

“Unusual experiences? What do you mean? I fought the Blood Sect’s minor demon army and was targeted by Amhyeolhyang earlier…”

I was used to playing the naive fool from my time in the Sunwoo family, so it was no problem.

In fact, I was probably more confident in this act than in my new techniques.

But hearing my answer, he suddenly snapped,

“Not that!”

I winced and asked again,

“S-sorry, Great Hero. Then what exactly do you mean?”

He frowned, probably struggling to explain.

Well, to explain properly, he’d have to talk about Mukrang and the Sword Master, so it made sense.

After hesitating, he asked something else.

“What sword technique did you use earlier?”

I answered with a bright, innocent expression.

“It was the Sunwoo Thirteen Swords and the Fourteen Sword Technique of the Spear.”

His eyes darkened with disappointment.

“I recognized the Fourteen Sword Technique right away, but the phantom sword was the Sunwoo Thirteen Swords? No wonder.”

Seeing his disappointed look, I realized I had to keep the conversation going.

His disappointment was dangerous.

If he thought there was nothing more to gain from me, who knew what he might do?

In the worst case, he might kill me on the spot.

So before he could think otherwise, I cautiously asked,

“Is this because of the sword spirit’s residue?”

He widened his eyes in surprise, then asked sharply,

“How do you know that? Could it be?!”

His blazing gaze suddenly shifted to my Mukrang.

He must have sensed something in the sword.

But I gave him a troubled look and said,

“I heard it from my sworn brother.”

His fiery eyes returned to me.

“Sworn brother? Who is he, and what did he say?”

I hurriedly answered,

“Hwa Young-bin of the Cheongseong Sect is my sworn brother. He once told me that my sword looked exactly like the Blood Wolf Sword of the Sword Master. He also said that the Sword Master gained the sword spirit’s residue from the Blood Wolf Sword.”

Understanding dawned on him, but his eyes dimmed with disappointment.

“Hmph! Sword Master, my foot! So you’re just repeating what you heard from him?”

His cold voice made me look apologetic.

“Yes, that’s why I thought there might be a secret hidden in the Mukrang sword. I thought you might be asking about it… I’m sorry if I disappointed you.”

He sighed deeply, his eyes full of disappointment.

“Then this must be just a shell as well.”

“This too…”

The word ‘shell’ was one thing, but ‘this too’ sounded ominous.

Curious, I asked,

“You said ‘this too’?”

He frowned slightly and looked at me, as if debating whether to tell me.

I just stared back with an innocent, puzzled expression.

After a moment, he clicked his tongue and spoke.

“Well, since you already know about the Blood Wolf Sword, it doesn’t matter if I tell you.”

Then he drew a sword from behind his back.

Swish!

He unwrapped the cloth covering the hilt and showed me the blade inside.

I was genuinely shocked.

“Th-that is?!”

He nodded.

“Yes. Your sword, and a sword that looks exactly like it. It’s probably the Byeokrang Sword left behind by the sword spirit.”

The sword he held looked exactly like my Mukrang, except it was blue.

I muttered in a daze,

“So there’s more than just the Blood Wolf Sword and Mukrang Sword.”

He scoffed.

“Of course. I’ve found two others—the Byeokrang Sword and the Hwangrang Sword. Including Mukrang, that makes four. There might even be swords of other colors.”

A strange feeling washed over me.

So besides the Blood Wolf and Mukrang swords, there were others.

I felt as if the sword spirit’s essence that had once saved my life had also inhabited those swords.

I hadn’t known, but the world was already full of such fateful treasures.

I muttered absentmindedly,

“They say the sword spirit’s legacy is intangible, but it seems he’s already left us many legacies.”

Seo-il scoffed.

“Hmph! What good is leaving many behind? The only real one is the Blood Wolf Sword he holds!”

His words made me glance at his face once more.

He said he had found two swords—the Byeokrang Sword and the Hwangrang Sword—but it seemed he hadn’t uncovered any of their secrets.

Given what I’d guessed about Mukrang’s trial, that made perfect sense.

With an innocent smile, I replied again.

“Still, the Mukrang Sword is a fine blade. I’m currently serving on the front lines, and I haven’t seen any sword besides the Mukrang that can cut through minds without sword energy or sword strength. But you, sir, have not one but two Mukrang-like swords. I’m jealous.”

He let out a bitter chuckle, looking at me with a mix of disbelief and pity.

“What good is a sharp sword? You can find a cartload of those wandering the martial world. And…”

He cleared his throat before continuing.

“Hm, I don’t have the Hwangrang Sword anymore. I destroyed it.”

“…What?!”

I was genuinely shocked again.

I thought I must have misheard.

He’d destroyed the Hwangrang Sword—the very blade infused with the Sword Spirit’s essence and Yu-jin?

I couldn’t hide my horror as I asked again.

“You destroyed the Sword Spirit’s legacy?!”

He snapped irritably.

“What’s the big deal about breaking a sharp sword like that?!”

His outburst made it clear he did care, but he didn’t want to show it. Instead, he frowned and asked gloomily.

“Couldn’t there be some secret technique hidden inside it?”

“Don’t be ridiculous! I carried that sword for nearly decades and never found a single secret! Even after I destroyed it! It was just a uselessly sharp sword, nothing more!”

So that was why he’d broken it.

Maybe he’d hoped to find something hidden inside if he smashed it.

The thought that such a precious mystery of the martial world had vanished just because of that was infuriating.

Then, suddenly, a wave of pain washed over me again.

Maybe it was because I’d just heard such an absurd story, or perhaps because we’d talked so much.

But the reason didn’t matter.

What mattered was that I wanted nothing more than to collapse and sleep right then.

But I couldn’t fall asleep here.

If I did, I had no idea what he might do to me.

So, summoning my last strength, I spoke one final time before drifting off.

“Maybe the Sword Spirit’s essence isn’t meant to be found that way. Maybe it’s…”

I closed my eyes mid-sentence.

Then I heard his urgent voice in my ear.

“What did you say? What did you just say? If not that way, then how?!”

But I ignored him.

It wasn’t an act.

I was simply too weak, and sleep claimed me instantly.

His voice entered one ear and slipped out the other.

“You bastard! Can’t you hear me?!”