The Swordmaster Wants To Live Peacefully [EN]: Chapter 120

Swordmaster Wants to Live in Peace – Episode 120

Swordmaster Wants to Live in Peace 120

Sword Spirit (3)

For some reason, Yoo Seong-woo felt that Seo Yeon-jung didn’t seem quite human.

It wasn’t just her usual rigid demeanor; the way she stood silhouetted against the rising moon, posing those questions, gave her an unsettling air of mystery.

She pressed on with her questions.

“With all those titles and that fame, what are you really aiming for?”

“…You’re asking strange things. Why are you suddenly curious about that? You’ve never cared about such things before.”

Yoo Seong-woo frowned. Seo Yeon-jung lowered her eyes for a moment, then looked back at him.

A newfound intensity burned in her eyes.

Not the weary gaze of an office worker, but a piercing look that seemed to see into another dimension.

Something was definitely off. This wasn’t the Seo Yeon-jung he knew.

“I’m worried. Those caught in the currents of great destiny tend to pull those around them along.”

“…….”

“Can you guarantee you won’t drag others into the vortex? You know what you’ve done so far.”

Yoo Seong-woo understood what Seo Yeon-jung was talking about.

Both in the other world and on Earth.

Many people had been swept up in his wake.

The cruel storm of fate followed Yoo Seong-woo, who defied it. Anyone who chose to follow him had to be prepared to weather that storm.

Seo Yeon-jung was questioning him about that very thing.

Whether he possessed the power and the will to control that storm.

Whether he was confident he wouldn’t tear others apart in the process.

“…You’re not Seo Yeon-jung.”

Yoo Seong-woo summoned Ilsaeng [his sword spirit].

In his hand, instead of a bottle of liquor, a blood-red sword materialized, its edge gleaming sharply.

Seo Yeon-jung smiled faintly, took off her glasses, and said, “That’s not important right now. I’m just genuinely curious. What do you truly want? Just as you cherish your sister, I cherish Ji-woo, whom I’ve always treated like a younger sister…”

“…Who are you?”

“The number of lives lost because of your destiny is countless, whether human or otherwise… That’s why I’ve always wondered: can you forge a different outcome on Earth than you did in that other world?”

At the words of this imposter in Seo Yeon-jung’s form, Yoo Seong-woo felt anger surge within him.

In the pre-dawn darkness, when everyone else was asleep, only his anger burned bright.

However, Yoo Seong-woo fought to suppress his rage.

To lash out at those words and swing his sword would be to insult his comrades.

Because they had chosen to follow him of their own free will.

To deny that would be to admit that he was responsible for their deaths.

“…They followed me willingly. They pledged to walk the path I walk, together.”

“Was that truly their choice? Even death?”

“Only the strong survive on the battlefield. They died because they were too weak.”

“I don’t think so. You clearly had more time. The Demon God’s advent was still distant, and you could have raised the level of your comrades in the meantime.”

That much was true.

There was time before the Demon God’s complete resurrection, time they could have used to improve the expedition team’s skills.

“What do you know? The resources available in the Demon Realm were limited, and if the Demon God had fully resurrected, we wouldn’t have stood a chance. We made the best choice we could at that moment.”

But at that moment, it truly was the best option. Even if he could go back, he would make the same choice.

Yoo Seong-woo spoke with conviction, and Seo Yeon-jung drew a circle with her finger.

Following her fingertip, a faint light formed a perfect ring.

Seo Yeon-jung, who wasn’t a Diver [a person with supernatural abilities], should never have been able to do that.

Nevertheless, Yoo Seong-woo hesitated to attack.

He didn’t know the identity or the power of the entity inhabiting her, and he couldn’t simply blow Seo Yeon-jung’s head off.

If he did, Yoo Ji-woo would be devastated.

“I don’t want you to repeat the same outcome as before. Everyone dies, and being left alone is too sad and lonely.”

The circle of light she created began to rotate slowly.

“So, I wanted to ascertain your will. To know whether you’ll avoid the same result this time, whether you’ll refuse to accept the ending you’re destined to reach.”

Yoo Seong-woo returned Ilsaeng to its sheath and closed his eyes, focusing on the rotating circle.

There was only one answer, wasn’t there?

“If the same ending comes to pass, I will cut it off. And I’ll start again. Until I reach the ending I desire.”

“…Is that so.”

“Yes. And now I think it’s time for you to answer my question. Who are you? Why are you in that body?”

“…Well, who am I? You already know the answer. I’ll tell you one thing: I’m definitely not your enemy. I simply wanted to know the answer, so I awakened this consciousness for a moment.”

“What?”

“…Humans are beings who understand each other and move forward. I was also human in the past, and I still consider myself human.”

“Wait, say that again. You were originally… a consciousness inside Seo Yeon-jung? Since when?”

“From a long time ago. It’s a consciousness that wouldn’t have awakened if this hadn’t happened.”

She said this, then drew another circle with her finger.

The two circles merged, forming a figure eight lying on its side [the infinity symbol].

“Please don’t hate me. I’m someone who works for your sister. I’m just… an existence that helps from the sidelines…….”

Seo Yeon-jung muttered, closed her eyes, and fell backward onto the floor.

At the same time, the two circles floating in the air vanished.

Yoo Seong-woo sat alone on the sofa where everyone had collapsed, and picked up the bottle of liquor again.

‘How the hell is this going?’

The Ascendant [a being close to godhood], who he thought was far away… no, a God was right next to him.

‘There was no hostility.’

It was someone who claimed to only want to protect Yoo Ji-woo.

He didn’t know if that was true… but at least if they only helped from the sidelines as they claimed, there would be no harm.

“Damn it…….”

His good mood evaporated.

Maybe it was because the old stories had resurfaced, but it was always like this when he remembered the dead.

He emptied the bottle, exhaled a breath heavy with alcohol, and closed his eyes.

“Guaaaah…….”

“Keueueue…….”

It was dawn, and only the eerie cries of drunken people echoed faintly.

* * *

Seo Yeon-jung didn’t seem to remember anything that had happened at dawn.

She only recalled drinking and then blacking out, so he concluded that it was impossible to intentionally summon that consciousness.

In the days following the party, they began the process of formally establishing Sword Spirit.

It was decided that Sword Spirit would initially be a guild under the umbrella of Meteor Industries.

This was to clearly demonstrate Sword Spirit’s affiliation, signaling that any attack on Meteor Industries would be met with a response from Sword Spirit.

Thus, Yoo Seong-woo became the Guild Master of Sword Spirit, and Baek Woo-hyun became the Vice Guild Master.

Hong Seo-hwa also wanted to join Sword Spirit, but she already had her own guild to lead, making it impossible.

“Finally, our Meteor Industries has a real force… Now we don’t have to bow down to other guilds to borrow Divers.”

“Don’t think I’ll do everything you ask.”

“Once a month is enough! Really! I don’t want anything more than that!”

After much deliberation, they agreed to operate under Meteor Industries, and Yoo Ji-woo spoke as if it were her own guild.

Yoo Seong-woo decided to let her enjoy the moment.

According to Seo Yeon-jung, Meteor Industries had struggled to recruit qualified Divers since its inception, leaving them significantly lacking in combat strength.

Of course, Meteor Industries was primarily a company, not a guild, which contributed to the problem.

That’s why hiring freelance Divers was a constant task, and when that failed, they had to resort to begging other guilds to lend them Divers.

Now, Meteor Industries had suddenly become a powerhouse with three S-class Divers.

Moreover, Divers from the Korea Sword Association, whose skills were already proven, had joined their ranks.

Not to mention Yoo Seong-woo himself.

So, Yoo Ji-woo was understandably excited.

She had secretly hoped that her brother would officially join Meteor Industries instead of remaining on a temporary contract, but he had brought in another S-class Diver instead.

In addition, they had forged alliances with other guilds.

The Five Colors Shaman Association, upon hearing the news of Sword Spirit’s establishment, reached out immediately, and the European Witch Society even issued a formal statement congratulating the new guild.

This caused a stir both in Korea and overseas.

People were baffled as to why a newly formed guild in Korea would warrant a congratulatory statement from the prestigious Witch Society.

“It feels like a huge weight has been lifted. Really… Oppa, thank you so much for coming back. You know I love you a lot, right? Really?”

“You’re only like this at times like these…….”

Yoo Seong-woo clicked his tongue a few times and looked up at the Sword Spirit building.

The Sword Spirit guild building was located right next to the Meteor Industries building.

They had purchased the adjacent building with their accumulated earnings.

…There were only two Divers officially registered, but he wondered what they were doing in a building with more than 10 floors.

“The Divers belonging to Meteor Industries will also use it, and the number of members will gradually increase in the future, so it has to be this big. There will be plenty of Divers who want to join just by looking at Woo-hyun and Oppa, right?”

“Then we’ll have to make good use of it…….”

Yoo Seong-woo also preferred a spacious environment to a cramped one.

Especially when he recalled the difficulties of housing the entire expedition team in a small house.

In any case, the establishment of Sword Spirit was successfully completed.

There was some initial opposition from the Korea Sword Association, which had lost Baek Woo-hyun, but Baek Woo-hyun personally addressed their concerns, preventing the matter from escalating.

Yoo Seong-woo gazed at the numerous wreaths placed in front of the building.

The hundreds of wreaths sent from various organizations and individuals created a magnificent display.

It felt surreal to see the name ‘Sword Spirit’, which had carried so much weight in the other world, resurrected here on Earth.

‘The Sword Spirit Expedition was disbanded.’

In that final battle.

The Sword Spirit Expedition had ceased to exist.

Because everyone had perished, leaving him as the sole survivor…

He never imagined he would rebuild that legacy.

Yoo Seong-woo smiled faintly and took a deep breath.

As he entered the building and began to look around, Yoo Ji-woo received a phone call and began speaking with a serious expression.

“What? Imprisonment? What are you talking about? You have to make sense. Why would they do that?”

“The Chinese government took action? Isn’t that what those Murim Alliance [a martial arts association] bastards did? They’re always making a fuss.”