The Swordmaster Wants To Live Peacefully [EN]: Chapter 44

Swordmaster Wants to Live in Peace – 44

Swordmaster Wants to Live in Peace Episode 44

My Disciples (2)

Among his disciples, some were particularly devoted.

The six swordsmen who earned the title of ‘Swordmaster’ following Yu Seong-woo.

They were individuals with strong personalities who did as they pleased, possessing outstanding skills even among the Sword Spirit Expedition.

Yu Seong-woo united them with his very being.

The strongest swordsman, unreachable even if all seven of their skills were combined.

An unattainable sword.

The owner of a flash that could cleave the world.

Yet, he was like a friend, and also like a father.

To the six Swordmasters, Yu Seong-woo was such an existence.

“Master, Master. Why are you so strong, Master? What are you fighting for? You said it yourself, a sword without purpose cannot cut anything.”

“…Because I want to see my family again.”

“Family? You have a family, Master?”

“Hey, you brat, what kind of manners are those to our teacher? Of course, Master has a family!”

“Oh, what! Wanna fight?”

“You little punk, you think you’re so tough now that you’ve grown up a bit? Wanna go?!”

“Both of you, be quiet.”

There were times when they shared such trivial conversations.

Now, they couldn’t even share a conversation, but Yu Seong-woo thought that if he were to meet them again someday.

He would treat them a little kinder then.

“Now, the power is starting to flow.”

Snapping out of his reminiscence and opening his eyes, he saw the two who had moved on from the horse stance and were now holding swords.

Having succeeded in feeling the newly emerging mana from the depths by emptying themselves, they had moved on to the next stage.

The next stage was to hold the sword and envelop mana throughout the body and even around the sword.

However, it wasn’t just about covering the sword with mana, but compressing it to create a solid core inside.

“The Bon-guk Sword Style [a traditional Korean swordsmanship style] isn’t bad. But since you are using a dao [a single-edged Chinese blade, similar to a saber], you are not utilizing the advantage of the sword, which is its double edge.”

Swords and daos are similar, yet their differences are distinct.

Yu Seong-woo continued, speaking to Baek Woo-hyun, who was maintaining the basic stance of the Bon-guk Sword Style while holding a sword.

“You must choose. Whether to abandon the dao and choose the sword, or to continue using the dao.”

“…What are the advantages of using the sword?”

“You’ll be able to draw out everything from the Bon-guk Sword Style.”

“…But my dao is the Thunder Rain Dao, an artifact that can maximize my lightning energy.”

“That’s foolish. What kind of swordsman relies on a weapon? Well, I can’t deny that weapons have no effect at all…”

Yu Seong-woo held his sword in his hand, infused it with mana, and rapidly circulated the energy and mana within his body.

A temporary overclock.

Full throttle.

The energies coursing through his body collided and rubbed against each other, creating sparks.

Soon, red lightning began to flow around his body, enveloping his entire being.

It wasn’t a special ability.

It was merely a phenomenon manifested using his own energy.

But it was too similar to Baek Woo-hyun’s lightning.

Baek Woo-hyun and Hong Seo-hwa widened their eyes at the sight.

“Ultimately, what determines strength is not the weapon but one’s inherent power. A lightning sword can be obtained at any time. But it’s too late to change your sword now.”

If there was time, it wouldn’t be a problem to worry about.

But now, with the Ascenders possibly attacking again at any moment, it was time to focus on one thing.

As Yu Seong-woo withdrew the red lightning, Baek Woo-hyun lowered his head and said.

“…I will think about it a little more.”

“Alright. And Hong Seo-hwa, you… just do well on your own. You should be able to figure it out.”

“Why is my feedback so bad!”

“…It’s hard for me to say this, but I’ve realized that you don’t have much talent for swordsmanship.”

Unlike Baek Woo-hyun, who had to choose a different path from the one he was walking, Hong Seo-hwa didn’t have much talent for swordsmanship.

That’s not to say she was completely inept, but it was true that she was inferior to Baek Woo-hyun.

A typical average talent.

It meant that she had to put in twice as much effort as others to catch up to a genius.

Despite having a good body like a dragon, as her name ‘Jeokcheon Aryong’ (Red Sky Dragon) suggested, her talent for swordsmanship was lacking.

Hong Seo-hwa made a sulky face at Yu Seong-woo’s explanation.

“Don’t be too disappointed. There’s a swordsmanship for someone like you. The stance you’re taking now is the first step.”

Unlike Baek Woo-hyun, Hong Seo-hwa’s stance was an aggressive one, as if she were about to stab with her sword at any moment.

The swordsmanship Yu Seong-woo was trying to teach her was called ‘Red Dragon Flame Dance Sword’.

A sword style that suited Hong Seo-hwa, who was called the Red Sky Dragon.

If it suited her constitution well, even an average talent could reach the realm of Swordmaster.

It sounded like a swordsmanship that anyone could learn, but…

If learned incorrectly, the heat would cook the brain, turning one into an idiot.

So, only those who could control the heat and were female could learn it.

Basically, it was a swordsmanship that dealt with extreme yang energy [positive, active energy in Taoist philosophy], so it was more suitable for women with yin energy [negative, passive energy in Taoist philosophy] to learn.

Therefore, Yu Seong-woo only knew how to refine the energy and the sword forms, but he had not learned it himself.

“…If I learn this, can I really become stronger?”

“Of course. Rather than becoming stronger, it would be more like drawing out your power in the right way.”

“The right way?”

“Yes. Haven’t you ever thought that you’ve been fighting mindlessly until now?”

“Uh… I don’t think so.”

“Then I’ll say you’re mindless in both your head and your combat style.”

Baek Woo-hyun couldn’t help but smile and turned his head away, snickering.

Hong Seo-hwa glared at him as if she would devour him, but he quickly regained his composure and focused on circulating mana throughout his body while maintaining his stance.

“Anyway… the Red Dragon Flame Dance Sword has the advantage of explosive power hidden within flexibility, as the name implies.”

“So, if I learn this, I’ll definitely become stronger than I am now, right?”

“That’s right. If you change your mindless combat methods, it will be better in terms of efficiency.”

“I’m not mindless.”

“Yes, you are.”

Hong Seo-hwa became sulky again.

* * *

“Yes, Sis. What? Baek Woo-hyun and Hong Seo-hwa? Why are they there?”

-They said they came to receive instruction from Yu Seong-woo.

“And Oppa accepted them?”

-Yes. He seemed a bit annoyed, but it wasn’t a bad sign.

“I see, so that’s how it is…”

After pondering for a moment upon hearing Seo Yeon-jung’s words, Yu Ji-woo jumped up from her seat and said.

“I’m going there too. I need to see what’s going on.”

And.

She couldn’t forgive anyone who tried to steal her brother, who should be teaching her more.

* * *

“So, you don’t know who it is?”

“As of now, that’s correct. There’s no information coming out at all. It’s as if someone is blocking it.”

“Just who the hell…”

There are five major guilds in South Korea that everyone would recognize by name.

The Bon-guk Sword Association, to which Baek Woo-hyun belongs.

The Red Dragon, led by Hong Seo-hwa.

The Five-Color Shaman Association, which is responsible for the mages of South Korea.

The Black Bear, rumored to have originally been a gang.

And lastly, Celestial Support, which is based in Seoul, unlike the other guilds centered around Sehyun.

Meteor Industries still lacked the power to compete with them.

The most important force of the Celestial Support Guild and its Guild Master was Min Cheong-un, who was considered the strongest in South Korea.

Some said that he was overrated because he was the son of Min Jong-ho, who was the Minister of the Diver Management Department.

But those who had fought alongside him knew that he had not risen to his position solely on his father’s connections.

His personality might be terrible, but his skills were real.

That was the assessment of those who knew him.

“The Towol Tribe came to Korea, demanded the strongest, and then disappeared. Do you know what this means?”

“Not really…”

“They found him, the strongest!”

Min Cheong-un said, slamming his fist on the desk.

Bang! A fist-shaped dent appeared on the desk with the sound.

“There’s someone stronger than me in Korea? Strong enough to solve the Towol Tribe’s problem? That’s ridiculous.”

“…I will investigate again.”

“Find him no matter what. We need to find out who was chosen by the Towol Tribe. If there’s someone like that, it’s bound to be a threat!”

As the man left the room at Min Cheong-un’s outburst, he clenched his fist tightly and stood up from his seat.

“It seems I need to visit that place one more time. Daring to call someone else the strongest while leaving me out? That’s unacceptable.”

There can’t be two suns in the sky.

There can only be one strongest.

* * *

Yu Ji-woo arrived at the Abyss just as the first lesson was ending and they were about to close the Abyss.

“Oppa!”

Turning his head at the voice from behind, he saw Yu Ji-woo there.

She was dressed similarly to Baek Woo-hyun and Hong Seo-hwa, creating a love triangle.

“Why are you dressed like that again?”

“Inconspicuous, plain clothes… With these three, it’s going to be conspicuous.”

Looking at the two’s outfits, Yu Ji-woo understood Yu Seong-woo’s reaction.

If there was only one, it wouldn’t be very noticeable, but with three people in the same outfit, it would be very noticeable.

“What brings Representative Yu Ji-woo here?”

“Do I need a reason to come see my brother? It’s more strange that the Guild Master of the Red Dragon came to find my brother.”

Yu Ji-woo said to Hong Seo-hwa, then turned her gaze to Baek Woo-hyun.

It meant that he was the same.

He was more conscientious than Hong Seo-hwa, so he subtly avoided her gaze.

It was an undeniable fact that he had come aiming for Yu Seong-woo.

“That’s enough. There’s no reason not to teach them if they want to learn.”

“Still, you should receive tuition. You just taught them for free?”

“Tuition… That’s true.”

At Yu Ji-woo’s words, Yu Seong-woo glanced at the two.

They looked very nervous, not knowing what Yu Seong-woo would ask for.

“…If you encounter an enemy you can’t handle, don’t fight to the death foolishly, run away.”

“Is that enough for tuition?”

“There are too many guys who fight foolishly and die. And I’ve never taught anyone in exchange for something. Just keep that one promise.”

What Yu Seong-woo asked of the two was just one thing.

If they were about to die, run away and live.

Because all of his comrades had died without running away, even though they could have lived.

“I will engrave those words deeply in my mind.”

“I’m really good at running away.”

“Don’t run away from those you can beat.”

“Of course. I’m really good at killing.”

“And this is also what I’m saying to you, Ji-woo. You’re smart, so you know what I’m talking about.”

“…Yeah.”

Having heard a little about what Yu Seong-woo had gone through, she couldn’t really add anything more.

Yu Seong-woo, having received answers from the three, rotated his shoulders to loosen them up and continued.

“Then, we’re going to catch a boss now… Do you three want to try it? Just with what you’ve learned.”

“Leave it to us.”

“We’ll try!”

“With these two? But do I have to do it too?”

“You have to practice in real combat at times like this. Otherwise, you won’t improve.”

“Then I have no choice…”

The three drew their swords and dao.

But in the midst of not knowing what to do because there was no enemy to face.

Yu Seong-woo picked up a stone from the ground and threw it towards the large stone mountain in the distance.

Then, the stone mountain echoed loudly and slowly began to move.

“Wait, this.”

Yu Ji-woo felt a brief sense of déjà vu.

And Baek Woo-hyun and Hong Seo-hwa gasped at the sight they were seeing for the first time.

“Then, do well.”