Chapter 9
Sa Bigang slowly opened his eyes.
‘The mana conversion process in the Middle Dantian has become somewhat easier. If I continue just a bit more….’
It would probably become as natural as when he used it in the Demon Realm.
However, in terms of the amount of mana, it was still significantly lacking.
The magic he could use was barely at the early 4th Circle level.
Of course, the 4th Circle was also quite a high level.
But when Sa Bigang was in the Demon Realm, he was the strongest demonic swordsman in history who had mastered up to the 8th Circle.
Considering that the amount of mana required increased almost exponentially from the 4th Circle onward, he still had a long way to go.
There was no need to rush.
He could take it step by step.
And prepare thoroughly for the day when he would face the Demon King’s army.
Sa Bigang got up from where he was sitting and picked up Veritas, which was placed on the bed.
Uung. Uuuung.
Veritas trembled faintly.
Sa Bigang clicked his tongue.
“Tch, there was no need to break it so thoroughly.”
He was talking about the Jahanak-indo.
Actually, Sa Bigang hadn’t intended to go that far.
But who would have thought it would shatter in a single blow?
The moment it clashed with the Jahanak-indo, Veritas burst with magical power, making it possible.
Uuuung. Uung.
Veritas shook as if making excuses.
As if something like the Jahanak-indo wasn’t worthy of being brandished against it.
“Be quiet. That damned pride of yours. The Jahanak-indo was a decent item in its own right.”
Sa Bigang let out a light sigh and walked to the window.
The first class had passed.
Though the class was nothing more than a brief self-introduction session.
But from tomorrow, proper classes would begin.
He had also properly prepared the training rooms and practice grounds.
For the next ten years.
To face the Demon King’s army, he needed to produce as many masters of the martial world as possible.
This was also why he specifically wanted to become a Head Instructor.
The position where he could encounter the most promising talents of the martial world and guide them to become even stronger masters.
That was precisely the Head Instructor position at Yongcheon Hall.
Furthermore, if he could completely change the corrupt atmosphere of Yongcheon Hall, nothing could be better.
‘This is no time to be complacent and lazy, wallowing in peace.’
Sa Bigang picked up the roster and looked through the students one by one again.
He hadn’t initially planned to accept such problem students.
But….
‘Actually, this worked out well. Hehe.’
When he first checked the Special Purpose Class roster, he had the same thought.
Most of the students listed were problem students that even the academy found difficult to handle.
Students with such impressive backgrounds that they couldn’t be carelessly touched.
Or those who relied only on their abilities, ignored the instructors, and acted arrogantly.
But ironically, many of these students would be of great help in the future Demon Realm war.
‘Of course, if I guide them properly from now on, they could achieve even more….’
Was it called a hidden gem (囊中之錐)?
First, he had to properly manage these students who stuck out like sore thumbs.
If you carelessly handle an awl in a bag, you’ll end up pricking your finger.
He suddenly recalled the gazes of the students who had been looking at him.
All of them were displeased looks.
Sa Bigang smirked.
“Hehe. Cute little ones. Feel free to run wild all you want. I’ll happily play along with you.”
***
Flutter.
A night bird flew over and perched on the window of a third-floor private room at an inn.
Where its gaze reached, Deung Bu-hyeong sat with a frightening expression.
“You’re being too wild, even for wildness.”
Crash!
The wine cup in his hand instantly shattered into pieces.
The fragments of the wine cup that couldn’t withstand his grip strength scattered on the floor.
A server who had just opened the door to bring food was startled and looked at Deung Bu-hyeong.
“Uh… are you alright?”
“Go and bring more wine. No need for cups.”
“What? Oh, yes.”
The server quickly set down the dishes and turned around.
As soon as he left, a middle-aged man in neat clothes with a mustache shaped like the character ‘八’ entered.
“Oh my, I’m late. Have you been waiting long?”
The man quickly sat across from Deung Bu-hyeong and spoke.
He noticed the broken wine cup fragments but showed no outward reaction.
His personal philosophy was to mention good news first, but there was no need to bring up bad news beforehand.
Ga Neung-hu.
The person in charge of Cheonhwa Trading Company’s Yongcheon branch.
“Branch Manager arrived later than expected.”
Deung Bu-hyeong didn’t bother to hide his displeasure.
That’s how terrible his mood was today.
Ga Neung-hu gauged Deung Bu-hyeong’s mood and smiled slightly.
“Well, there was a problem at the trading company. By the way, isn’t this spread too modest? Hey there!”
When Ga Neung-hu suddenly shouted, the server quickly ran over.
The Hwanghak-ru located near Yongcheon Hall belonged to the Cheonhwa Trading Company.
“Did you call for me?”
“What is this for entertaining a distinguished guest? Didn’t I tell you beforehand to pay attention? Clear this away immediately and bring new dishes!”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
The server kept bowing and approached the table.
Deung Bu-hyeong, feeling somewhat better due to Ga Neung-hu’s actions, waved his hand to dismiss the server.
“That’s enough, just bring more wine.”
“Yes, I’ll bring it right away.”
The server hurriedly left the private room.
Of course, just before he left, Ga Neung-hu didn’t forget to hint that the finest wine should be prepared.
Once the situation was somewhat settled, Deung Bu-hyeong finally revealed what was on his mind.
“A single loach is muddying the entire water.”
“A loach… are you perhaps referring to the person who recently became Head Sword Instructor?”
“You knew about it?”
“Hahaha. I may look like it, but I’m different from ordinary merchants.”
“Indeed. Branch Manager Ga’s information network is quite fast.”
“You flatter me. That person’s rumors have already spread considerably. By the way, what did he do…?”
“The Jahanak-indo was broken.”
This time, Ga Neung-hu’s expression changed slightly.
The Jahanak-indo was something he had personally gifted last year.
“How did it happen…?”
“It was a single blow.”
“What do you mean… surely he didn’t destroy the Jahanak-indo in a single blow…?”
“That’s right.”
“That’s impossible.”
“The impossible happened.”
“How could such a thing… why…?”
Ga Neung-hu was left with his mouth agape, unable to finish his words.
“I want to ask Branch Manager Ga something.”
“Please speak.”
“In your opinion, what is my martial arts level?”
“How could I dare to evaluate Master Deung’s martial arts? At least Master Deung is unmatched in blade techniques…”
“Stop the formal flattery and tell me your honest thoughts.”
“Please don’t test this humble Ga anymore. How could someone who has reached the ranks of supreme masters ask such a question to someone as lowly as me? It’s an absurd question.”
“Are you being sincere with those words?”
“If it’s a lie, then this Ga nobody would gladly die struck by lightning right now.”
Of course, it was a lie.
Strictly speaking, Deung Bu-hyeong belonged to the ranks of first-class masters.
Among the first-year instructors, only Dark Shadow Divine Sword Sang Pil-ji and Cheon Se-myeong had reached the ranks of supreme masters.
Sang Pil-ji especially, was a master approaching the transcendent level.
But Ga Neung-hu knew better than anyone that he shouldn’t answer straightforwardly in such a situation.
“Good. Then I’ll ask again. The Jahanak-indo I wielded was smashed in a single blow. What do you think?”
Ga Neung-hu closed his eyes tightly.
‘So this was it….’
The reason Deung Bu-hyeong brought up his own skills was probably to lay the groundwork for directing the conversation this way.
If he claimed here that the Jahanak-indo was junk, it would be like saying Deung Bu-hyeong’s skills were pathetic.
Conversely, if he said the Jahanak-indo was broken because it was a worthless blade, then he would be the one who gave such trash as a gift.
It was truly a case of being stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Ga Neung-hu slowly opened his eyes and said:
“What did the opponent use?”
“It was a sword.”
“What kind of sword was it?”
Deung Bu-hyeong slightly furrowed his brows.
“Hmm. Well. It was a sword I’d never seen before. It looked like a sword from the Western Regions.”
“A sword from the Western Regions…. Perhaps he came to possess an incredible treasured sword.”
“A treasured sword?”
“The Jahanak-indo I gave you is definitely a treasured blade. And Master Deung’s martial arts skills are also beyond doubt. Then there’s only one possibility – that his sword might be one of the world’s famous swords.”
At this, Deung Bu-hyeong’s eyes became sharp.
“Indeed. That makes sense.”
Ga Neung-hu inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
As he had felt before, Deung Bu-hyeong was extremely simple-minded and valued appearances.
Sometimes he wondered how such a person could have connections with the Jeongdo Alliance.
‘But that makes him more convenient to deal with.’
Having finished his thoughts, Ga Neung-hu casually asked:
“Do you happen to know through what means he acquired that sword?”
“I don’t know that either.”
“Then, was it a sword he originally possessed?”
“That’s impossible. He was originally just an Assistant Spear Instructor. That was the first time I saw him use a sword.”
“Hmm, there’s a suspicious smell here.”
“What kind of smell?”
“Hahaha! What other smell would a merchant like me detect besides the smell of money?”
“Oho, I see.”
Deung Bu-hyeong nodded almost imperceptibly.
Come to think of it, he hadn’t thought deeply about that bastard’s sword.
Even so….
“Even if it smells like money, unless it becomes mine…”
“Everything in this world isn’t mine until it becomes mine.”
“Do you have a plan?”
Ga Neung-hu narrowed his eyes and smiled.
“Hehe. I’ll specially gift Master Deung another treasured blade.”
“A treasured blade?”
Deung Bu-hyeong’s expression brightened rapidly.
“Of course. As my way of apologizing, I’ll present you with something better than the Jahanak-indo.”
“Hehehe, there’s no need to go that far…”
“But please promise me just one thing.”
“Tell me.”
“Whatever happens to his sword in the future, Master Deung knows nothing about it.”
Ga Neung-hu wore a faint smile.
Deung Bu-hyeong frowned briefly and asked:
“You’re not planning to use people, are you?”
A question mixed with concern.
No matter how much Yongcheon Hall’s reputation had fallen, it was impossible for outsiders to enter and commit theft.
Occasionally theft incidents occurred, but most were childish acts by students.
Ga Neung-hu laughed heartily and shook his head.
“How could that be? How do you think I could know information about him so quickly?”
“Well, your information network is everywhere… ah?”
Deung Bu-hyeong suddenly seemed to think of something and slapped his knee.
Ga Neung-hu nodded faintly.
“That’s right. Young Master Yi of Cheonhwa Trading Company. Our master’s second son is right there in that Special Purpose Class.”
“I see.”
Come to think of it, he had heard about it before.
About the second son whom the master of Cheonhwa Trading Company regarded as a burden.
There were even rumors that he was a child sent away because he had been a troublemaker since childhood.
“Perhaps by now, Young Master Yi has already detected the same smell as me. After all, isn’t he of the master’s bloodline? Hehehe.”
Deung Bu-hyeong’s expression became increasingly animated.
“Indeed. Hahaha! Hahahahaha!”
For once, refreshing laughter burst forth.
Ga Neung-hu lifted the wine bottle and filled Deung Bu-hyeong’s cup to the brim.
“Please take good care of our second young master.”
“Hahaha! What would I need to do? Young Master Yeom is the type who does well on his own!”
“Hehe. I’d be grateful if you just treat him as generously as you do now. I’ll send the treasured blade through someone soon.”
“Hehehe! Brother Ga, really. Don’t worry too much about it. Come to think of it, this reminds me of old times.”
Though he spoke as if it was no big deal, his way of addressing Ga Neung-hu had already changed from Branch Manager to ‘Brother Ga.’
“What incident was it?”
“It was when I was a student. I wanted to swing the blade that my blade technique instructor used, even just once.”
“Oho, and then?”
“One day, I secretly planned with my friends to sneak into that instructor’s quarters and take the blade. We made such a reckless plan because we wanted to touch it, even briefly. In my young heart, that blade looked incredibly cool.”
“Haha. So what happened?”
“How could we have succeeded? We were caught red-handed right there. But the instructor handed me that blade and told me to swing it to my heart’s content.”
“He was a good person. If you hadn’t been caught then, would that blade have become Master Deung’s?”
“Hehe, Brother Ga, really. Well, it’s just my opinion, but if it was lost so easily, it would be too embarrassing to tell anyone about it.”
“Hahaha. So as a student, secretly taking an instructor’s weapon is like – if it works out, it’s a tonic, and if it doesn’t, it’s a memory?”
“Hm? Does it work out that way? Hahahaha!”
“Hahaha! Exactly!”
Hwanghak-ru, third floor.
As the laughter of the two men echoed through the night air, the bird that had been sitting by the window fluttered up again.
The creature flying through the night sky suddenly rolled its eyes back white and staggered, but soon regained its balance and flew off somewhere.
***
Sa Bigang opened his eyes, which had been rolled back white.
He had released the Observer magic that allowed indirect observation through animals.
Soon, a smile appeared on his lips.
“Those two are having an interesting conversation. Hehe.”
