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chapter 24
When everyone heard that the magic technique known as Magong, which had disappeared thirty years ago, had reappeared, they were all shocked.
“Is that true?”
Ui Jem-in asked again, astonished.
“Yes. We don’t know whether Hyun Jin-myeong learned Magong or was attacked by it, but the phenomenon that occurred in his body was caused by Magong.”
Upon hearing Chwi Geom Yudong’s words, people whispered to each other with expressions of disbelief.
“And there’s something else I need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“I’ll explain after we move somewhere more private.”
“Very well.”
In the courtyard of the annex, Sword Spirit was lightly stretching when Jeok Hwa-myeong approached.
He was coming after hearing something unbelievable from Chwi Geom Yudong.
“Magong…?”
Muttering to himself, Jeok Hwa-myeong approached, prompting Sword Spirit to stop and ask:
“Why Magong?”
Sword Spirit spoke casually, since he was traveling with Jeok Hwa-myeong.
“I heard that Hyun Jin-myeong fell victim to Magong.”
“Of course. Being devoured by Magong… it’s only natural.”
Sword Spirit said matter-of-factly.
“Also, I heard that the remaining Nokrim members of Bulsan Byeokchae were found dead. Because of that, there’s information that Nokrim 24 Chaes have mobilized.”
Sword Spirit had expected Nokrim to act if he annihilated Bulsan Byeokchae, but that was the extent of it. He wasn’t worried because he was confident they couldn’t find him.
“Aren’t Nokrim bad people?”
“Yes. But if they also fell victim to Magong, that’s the problem.”
Sword Spirit narrowed his eyes.
“They fell victim to Magong?”
He had never learned Magong himself. That they fell victim to it seemed strange.
“Yes. Depending on the nature of Magong, there are types that seek blood.”
Jeok Hwa-myeong relayed exactly what he had heard from Chwi Geom Yudong.
Hearing this, Sword Spirit was dumbfounded.
His own actions were being misunderstood as the work of a demon.
“Even a wandering hero can kill bad Nokrim, right?”
“No matter how skilled, you wouldn’t annihilate them all—only a few as an example…”
Sword Spirit tilted his head at Jeok Hwa-myeong’s words. It was slightly different from what Ghost Demon Gu Young-chul or Jeon-mo Yak-bing had said.
“But didn’t you say not to forgive an enemy if you judged them as such? Am I mistaken?”
“There are circumstances, aren’t there? When the enemy is overwhelmingly strong…”
Jeok Hwa-myeong explained further.
‘Still… that doesn’t feel right,’ Sword Spirit thought.
He believed that forgiving an enemy wouldn’t make them grateful. Rather, the enemy would wait for an opportunity, and the moment a weakness appeared, they’d strike his heart with a hidden dagger.
Of course, this thinking was influenced heavily by Cheon Nam-yeon, Gu Young-chul, and Yak-bing, but he believed they were not wrong.
“But I have never learned Magong.”
Since there was a misunderstanding, he thought it should be cleared up.
“Who said you learned Magong?”
“You said the person who annihilated Bulsan Byeokchae learned Magong, didn’t you?”
“That’s right.”
“So I’m telling you—I didn’t learn Magong.”
Jeok Hwa-myeong looked at Sword Spirit. His tone made it seem as if Sword Spirit were claiming to have destroyed Bulsan Byeokchae himself.
“Did you do it?”
Jeok Hwa-myeong asked, narrowing his eyes.
“Yes!”
“Why?”
“Because they were bad people and tried to kill me.”
“Them… why?”
“That was back when I was working in Gangnam Pyo-guk.”
Jeok Hwa-myeong furrowed his brows as Sword Spirit explained everything that had happened regarding Wang San-ak Chae. His face clearly showed displeasure.
“I didn’t expect you to be like this—very disappointing.”
Sword Spirit didn’t understand why Jeok Hwa-myeong said that.
“Don’t you think you exaggerate too much? When boasting, you must consider the time and place. Now, you speak of others’ deeds as if they were your own…”
Jeok Hwa-myeong scolded Sword Spirit.
Though Sword Spirit considered himself a master, in Jeok Hwa-myeong’s eyes, he seemed no more than the spoiled son of a high-ranking official.
“Why don’t you believe me?”
“I want to, but don’t you think it’s too far-fetched?”
“What do you mean?”
“You claim to be skilled, but I can’t even tell if you truly learned martial arts. And you claim to be the disciple of not one, but three renowned masters—how could I believe that? Would you believe someone if you were in my position?”
Cheon Nam-yeon, Gu Young-chul, and Yak-bing—these three represented the righteous, the unorthodox, and the orthodox factions, all competing to be the greatest in martial arts.
It was naturally unbelievable to claim to be the disciple of all three.
“Many have claimed to be their disciples, but none were true. If you said you were the disciple of just one, I might believe it. But claiming all three? And now someone has died due to Magong. Don’t ever joke about that again.”
Sword Spirit felt slightly hurt by Jeok Hwa-myeong’s words, but he accepted that he couldn’t force belief.
“If you don’t believe, there’s nothing I can do.”
He turned away.
He had once wanted to travel the world with Jeok Hwa-myeong, but that desire had vanished. Sword Spirit knew that mistrust makes companionship difficult.
Jeok Hwa-myeong, watching Sword Spirit leave, wondered if he had been too harsh, but decided that it was necessary to correct his habit of lying before it led to bigger problems.
There was one thing Jeok Hwa-myeong hadn’t realized: Sword Spirit hadn’t yet heard that Hyun Jin-myeong had died due to Magong, so he wouldn’t know that he was devoured.
Sword Spirit returned to the annex room to gather his belongings.
There was no reason for him to stay at the Sinchang household any longer.
After seeing Jeok Hwa-myeong’s reaction, he realized one thing:
No matter what he said, people wouldn’t believe him.
“I was going to travel alone anyway.”
After packing, he went outside.
Jeok Hwa-myeong wasn’t visible—perhaps in his room. Sword Spirit paused for a moment, intending to say goodbye.
“Let’s just go.”
He left the annex and departed the Sinchang household.
Although he had met many people there, not a single person asked him where he was going.
Of course, everyone was busy with Hyun Jin-myeong’s matter, but still, after spending several days there, not a single inquiry felt disappointing.
“So this is what human attachment feels like.”
Sword Spirit began to understand, at least a little, the bond people share.
“But it doesn’t matter. I’ll meet more people anyway.”
“That bastard must have learned Magong. He killed Hyun Jin-myeong and probably ran away, fearing that his use of Magong would be discovered.”
Ui Do-gun insisted that the vanished Sword Spirit must have learned Magong.
“Do-gun! Your father is here.”
His eldest brother, Ui Do-cheon, restrained him.
“If not, why would he sneak out of the main household?”
Though restraining him, he tried to pin Sword Spirit’s actions on demons to take revenge.
“Enough!”
“Father!”
Ui Je-min narrowed his eyes. The youngest son he knew could show some family prestige, but he was not such a narrow-minded individual.
“Do you think your father cannot distinguish between someone who learned martial arts and someone who hasn’t?”
He shouted in displeasure.
“But he… to me…”
“How many times must I say it? It’s not martial arts—it’s temperament.”
Ui Do-gun bit his lip at Ui Je-min’s outburst.
“Do-gun!”
“…!”
“In my view, Sword Spirit has not truly mastered martial arts, but has merely trained to a certain level.”
Martial arts and techniques are similar, yet slightly different. To simplify, one could compare them as internal skill versus external skill.
“You feel wronged and claim he learned forbidden arts or Magong, but who here would believe that?”
“Why would you doubt my words?”
“If I believed you, everyone here would be a fool. Who among those gathered here has weaker martial arts than you?”
Among the elders, heads of the Hyeonryong and Biryong sects, and his two brothers, no one had weaker skills.
“Alternatively, could you not approach him with a broader mind and learn what you can?”
Ui Do-gun had no answer.
“Why do you insist on labeling Sword Spirit as a villain and pushing him further?”
“Father…”
“People are talking about you in the marketplace. From their perspective, you are also a villain.”
He didn’t understand why he was being treated so harshly.
“Do-gun! Look at the world and people with a broader perspective. That is the path for you and for our family. Understand?”
Ui Do-gun answered in a low voice, though his expression betrayed some displeasure.
‘When will you finally mature…’
