Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 49

049. The Sword of the Moryong Clan

Clang.

With a dull sound, Moryong Jin lost his balance.

Moryong Jin brushed past Unhyun.

And this time, that wasn’t all.

Thwack.

Unhyun’s wooden sword had already returned and lightly struck Moryong Jin’s back.

Although there was no force behind it, the sensation was clearly transmitted to Moryong Jin’s back.

Tap, tap.

Moryong Jin, who had taken a few steps, regained his balance. Then, he turned around.

Unhyun was standing at a similar distance as before.

Still standing in place, without any movement.

‘Th-this is…….’

The alcohol wore off in an instant.

It wasn’t like he had drunk to the point of being completely drunk anyway.

Besides, the cold night air had long since dissipated the alcohol.

But now, it felt like the alcohol was finally wearing off.

As Moryong Jin stared with a surprised face, Unhyun threw out a word.

“Have you given up already?”

Gritting.

Moryong Jin gritted his teeth.

‘Good, so he had a hidden card.’

Come to think of it, there was no way a scholar who only read books would lightly accept a wooden sword sparring match like this.

He must have some level of skill.

However, it was only skill based on the standards of a scholar. It was not comparable to himself, who had formally learned the sword.

Moryong Jin straightened his body and took a proper stance.

Now that he had steeled his resolve, Moryong Jin thought that he would not suffer the same humiliation as before.

“Haa!”

Thud.

Moryong Jin leaped towards Unhyun.

His wooden sword was aimed straight at Unhyun’s forehead, not his arm.

And Moryong Jin clearly confirmed that Unhyun’s sword was finally starting to move.

‘Slow.’

It was slow. Unhyun’s wooden sword was moving leisurely and smoothly, as if he were performing a sword dance.

Moryong Jin was certain that this time, his strike would properly hit Unhyun.

And it was the moment when Moryong Jin was about to change his target from Unhyun’s forehead to his shoulder.

Clang.

Unhyun’s slowly moving wooden sword had already knocked away Moryong Jin’s wooden sword.

Moryong Jin’s wooden sword, having lost its direction, veered greatly to the side, and then Unhyun’s wooden sword struck Moryong Jin’s shoulder.

Thwack.

“Keuk.”

A groan escaped from Moryong Jin’s mouth.

This strike felt painful, unlike the previous one.

“Still not planning to do it properly?”

Unhyun’s voice grew a little louder.

Moryong Jin gritted his teeth instead of answering.

Gritting.

The lighthearted thoughts were long gone. Moryong Jin was already as serious as he could be.

Swish.

Carefully taking a stance, Moryong Jin aimed for Unhyun’s weakness.

But there were too many weaknesses.

‘No matter how I look at him, he just looks like a scholar…….’

Unhyun looked like he could be hit just by swinging at him.

His response was also extremely slow.

But how could he knock away his wooden sword?

And so easily.

‘This time…….’

His attacks so far had been too simple.

It was because he had taken his opponent too lightly.

Moryong Jin changed his mind.

As he slowly regulated his breathing, several sword forms flashed through his mind.

Sword forms that he could unfold even with his eyes closed, like his own body.

“Taaat!”

His movement technique, imbued with inner force, unfolded with a speed that was incomparable to before.

At the same time, Moryong Jin’s wooden sword struck towards Unhyun’s waist.

Whoong.

This time, he clearly saw it.

Unhyun’s dull wooden sword was blocking his sword with a gentle curve.

His wooden sword, slow yet reaching him before his own.

It was a movement that he couldn’t understand even after witnessing it with his own eyes.

But this was something that Moryong Jin had already anticipated.

Flick.

Moryong Jin’s sword changed direction.

Before he knew it, his sword had landed low, aiming for Unhyun’s legs.

With a force that seemed to break even bones, Moryong Jin’s wooden sword sharply struck towards Unhyun’s shin.

‘Got it.’

He was certain that he wouldn’t be able to block it this time.

But it didn’t take long for him to realize that it was his delusion.

Claaang.

A sound that seemed to tear the ears echoed in the open space.

“Keuk.”

A groan escaped, unable to be suppressed.

Thud.

Moryong Jin, who had retreated, gritted his teeth and looked at his grip.

Fortunately, he avoided the unsightly sight of dropping his wooden sword.

However, his hand, unable to withstand the sudden impact, was showing blood.

It was only slightly torn, but the shock Moryong Jin received was great.

“Who……, are you?”

Moryong Jin asked with a serious face.

Unhyun replied in a calm voice.

“I am a scholar teaching you the sword.”

Moryong Jin’s face distorted at Unhyun’s answer.

It was because he thought that the other person was still making fun of him.

“Are you trying to insult me?”

“It’s nothing compared to you insulting all the martial artists who wield a sword.”

“Keuk.”

Moryong Jin groaned.

“From now on, I won’t hold back. Don’t resent me.”

Unhyun chuckled.

“So, you were in that state because you were holding back until now? I may not know much about the sword, but I have enough skill to teach a third-rate thug like you, so don’t worry and try it.”

Unhyun had never compared his skills to others.

But he had always been confident that his discernment was no worse than others.

In Unhyun’s eyes, the young man’s movements were similar to the Gold-Clad Guards [elite imperial soldiers] just about to finish their training, at best.

Moreover, if he was drunk like now, he was not a fearful opponent at all.

Gritting.

Moryong Jin gritted his teeth.

The only way to respond to the opponent’s insult was only one.

“Haa!”

A shout burst from Moryong Jin’s mouth.

The honed sword of the Moryong Clan began to unfold from the sword of the chief disciple, Moryong Jin.

Clang.

A great sound burst out with the clash of wooden swords imbued with inner force [qi or internal energy used in martial arts].

And this time, it didn’t end with just one clash.

Whiririk. Clang, clang.

Moryong Jin’s wooden sword danced in the air.

His wooden sword poured out a dazzling attack towards Unhyun.

Each and every one of them was an extremely sharp attack.

However, Unhyun’s wooden sword was warding off those numerous attacks too easily.

It was only natural since the next move was so obvious.

Whiririk, thwack.

Warding off Moryong Jin’s attack, Unhyun slightly revised his evaluation of the opponent.

He was definitely not at the level of a third-rate thug.

Judging from the movement of the sword, it was clear that the opponent had seriously learned the sword.

To compare, it was about the level of a regular Gold-Clad Guard in the imperial palace.

But there was a fatal flaw.

‘How unfortunate.’

Moryong Jin’s sword had no flow.

The pouring attacks were merely mechanical repetitions of movements learned by the body, and none of them deviated from the development that Unhyun had predicted.

The dignified flow of the Moryong Clan, which permeated the entire sword path, did not exist in the young man’s sword.

“Tsk.”

Unhyun was inwardly disappointed.

Before he knew it, his interest had shifted from lecturing the rude young man to the young man’s swordsmanship.

Clang.

Moryong Jin’s sword was greatly deflected.

“Keuk.”

Feeling pain in his grip, Moryong Jin stepped back.

However, Unhyun was just standing there without moving much.

Moryong Jin swallowed a groan.

‘He didn’t even need to move…….’

That wasn’t the case.

In fact, Unhyun had never learned proper footwork.

The footwork in the White Tiger Training Sword was only a natural movement for accurate posture.

Even now, Unhyun had not moved much except for those natural few steps.

“The movements are not bad, but.”

Unhyun quietly opened his mouth.

“There is no flow in the sword path at all. You seem to have some talent, but with that level of skill, it would be difficult to stand out even if you become a formal disciple.”

That was Unhyun’s sincerity.

However, Moryong Jin’s face was rather distorted.

“Kueeeuk.”

It was humiliation and insult.

Even if he became a formal disciple, it would be difficult to stand out?

To him, the chief disciple, that word was an unbearable insult.

“Is there something that only you have, or something that only you can do?”

Unhyun asked in his own way seriously.

But those words were no different from asking Moryong Jin, ‘What can you do?’

“……I admit that my skills do not reach you.”

Moryong Jin placed his sword in front of him and gritted his teeth.

“But I will not accept any more insults.”

“Huh.”

Unhyun chuckled.

“Is that so? A person who hates being insulted so much indulged in alcohol and recklessly looked down on others? You are a funny person.”

Moryong Jin’s face turned red.

His words were a hundred times right.

The time he had spent indulging in alcohol, blaming himself, and running away was now so regretful and embarrassing at this moment.

But what could he do?

Today’s humiliating situation, this miserable appearance, was caused by himself.

Swish.

Without a word, Moryong Jin took a stance.

It was the best sword form he could do, and the last sword form he bet on his pride.

Moryong Jin was now trying the sword form that even his grandfather and head of the family, Moryong Dancheon, had praised.

‘Will it work?’

It was a sword form that was not easy even in the past. He couldn’t guarantee whether he would succeed in this situation.

But it had to be this.

Because this was all that was left for Moryong Jin himself.

‘Hoo.’

Moryong Jin slowly calmed his breathing and concentrated his mind.

With a thrill that ran through his entire body, the nerves of his entire body were tightly stretched.

For the one person in front of him, and for the one moment.

And Unhyun’s eyes also flashed with a different light.

‘Hmm?’

The aura of the young man in front of him was quite unusual.

Feeling the aura pouring towards him, Unhyun also slowly took a stance.

And he calmed his breathing and set up the sword of his mind.

Whoong.

The very next moment after Unhyun’s sword came to his mind.

“Taha!”

With a short shout, Moryong Jin flew towards Unhyun.

He didn’t look to the side or behind.

Because everything would be decided in this one move.

Paah.

Moryong Jin’s sword, imbued with inner force, rushed towards Unhyun like lightning.

Unfolded under the brilliant moonlight, it was the best sword form of the Moryong Clan, One Sword Pierces the Sky (一劍貫天) [a powerful and revered technique].

“Haaaaaa!”

Moryong Jin had already become one with his wooden sword.

As his sword, piercing the sky, rushed towards Unhyun, Unhyun’s wooden sword finally began to move.

Saaa.

That dull sword path was so unfamiliar and at the same time very familiar.

‘Ah!’

Moryong Jin immediately realized what that sword meant.

No, he couldn’t not know.

It was the sword of the Moryong Clan.

The sword of the Moryong Clan that he had seen all his life, but had never seen before.

That beautiful sword path was proudly revealing its appearance under the moonlight.