The Sword Emperor's Way of Establishing the Namgung Clan

Chapter 2 - Master and Disciple (1)

The demonic beings, mercilessly slaughtering the wandering warriors.

On the chest of their pure white martial arts uniforms was an embroidery of a black sun and a red moon overlapping.

It was an embroidery Mumyeong knew all too well.

‘That's definitely the uniform of the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult!’

The energy coiled around their bodies churned like viscous, foul mud.

A truly ominous and black energy.

It was unmistakably demonic energy.

Thick veins bulged on the back of Mumyeong's hand gripping the sword.

“To think I’d see those demons again.”

In his past life, the Sword Emperor and Namcheon Palace had to cast everything aside to annihilate the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult.

He was certain they had perished together, yet the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult still remained in the Gangho.

How on earth had this happened?

“Aaaargh!”

“S-Save me!”

The wandering warriors and Geomdongs being ruthlessly torn apart by the demonic beings were reflected clearly in his eyes.

Step.

Mumyeong strode forward.

He could not know why the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult remained unscathed in the Gangho, but one thing was certain.

Those things must not be allowed to exist.

“Mumyeong! What are you doing?”

“We have to leave them! We need to run, now!”

“You’ll die if you go any further!”

The other horrified Geomdongs tried to hold Mumyeong back.

Mumyeong gently pulled down the hands of the Geomdongs clutching his shoulders.

Even as he did, his gaze remained fixed on those who were dying in vain, unable to either flee or resist.

“If you take up the sword, you must know when to draw it.”

And now was precisely the moment it must be drawn.

“Mumyeong?”

The lips of the Geomdongs, which had all been moving in a flurry, stopped moving one by one.

They could not understand why Mumyeong was suddenly saying such a thing. But they felt the powerful will laden in his words course through their bodies, and they understood.

That no one could stop Mumyeong’s steps.

Mumyeong's eyes slowly grew cold and composed.

‘My body may be different, but my path of martial arts has not changed.’

Mumyeong, who had been holding the sword in a casual manner, adjusted his grip to a proper one.

“Ah.”

A quiet exclamation escaped Mumyeong's lips.

As if the hilt were oiled, his hand wrapped around it in a smooth, perfect fit.

As he tilted the sword slightly, a wave of liberation and pleasure washed over him, as if his arm had extended by the length of the blade.

‘Yes. This was the feeling.’

To hold a sword.

Mumyeong was momentarily filled with ecstasy, but he calmly settled his mind. He instinctively fell into the opening stance of the Three Talents Sword Style.

He had no internal energy, and his body was pathetic.

To face the demonic beings of the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult in this condition?

It was no different from walking to his own death.

However.

‘I am different.’

For in a past life, he was the Sword Emperor.

His footsteps toward the demonic beings were steadfast.

The blade he aimed at the demonic beings was true.

Mumyeong began to walk his path of martial arts once more.

Whizz!

The refreshing feeling of the wind parting on either side of the blade. He felt a conviction that his strikes would land without obstruction.

Mumyeong trusted his past life and his instincts, and took a step.

Thud!

The moment he decided to move, his entire body reacted as one. As he took a steadfast step, the surrounding scenery was completely erased, and his vision was dyed a pure white.

Mumyeong knew this phenomenon well.

It was surely his senses being honed to their absolute limit as his Baekhoe-hyeol heated up.

‘Three to the left, four to the right.’

Black shadows shimmered on either side of the old sword, held upright in a middle stance. The movements of the demonic beings, rushing at him while exuding killing intent, were reflected clearly in his pupils.

Stomp!

As Mumyeong stomped his foot powerfully, his hands rose.

Sunlight shattered along the blade of the longsword, which had, without warning, shot up high into an upper stance.

“Cheon (Heaven).”

The Cheon of the Three Talents Sword Style. A vertical slash.

The motion of bringing the sword straight down was perfectly natural. As if this was how a sword was meant to be swung.

Swish!

Even though he had not put much strength into it, a sharp sound of tearing air followed.

“Ji (Earth).”

The Ji of the Three Talents Sword Style. A horizontal slash.

A technique that connected naturally as the sword was laid horizontal. Following the horizontal slash, the atmosphere split wide open.

‘Not the slightest obstruction. How satisfying.’

Every time the sensation of slicing through the atmosphere overflowed from the blade, he felt it keenly.

That he was alive and breathing.

His slightly parted lips drew in the surrounding air.

“In (Humanity).”

The In of the Three Talents Sword Style. A thrust.

A colorless sword strike, unleashed from his waist, pierced a single point.

“Keo-heuk?”

Someone’s groan suddenly tickled his ear.

At the same time, his vision flickered brightly before returning to normal.

In that instant, he had cut down all six demonic beings and had just plunged his sword into the chest of the seventh and final one.

“A monster...”

The eyes of the demonic being looking at Mumyeong were stricken with terror, as if looking at some supernatural horror.

Spurt!

Mumyeong nonchalantly pulled out the sword and flicked the blood off.

The series of movements was so natural it was reminiscent of a veteran swordswoman.

“How can this be!”

“Mumyeong killed them all.”

“Killing Deok-sam in one blow was one thing, but was he really hiding his martial skills?”

The wandering warriors and Geomdongs who had barely survived chattered amongst themselves before cautiously falling silent.

It was because more demonic beings had appeared from beyond the forest.

“What is this?”

“The first squad was completely wiped out?”

“Don’t tell me they were killed by those wandering warrior bastards.”

While all the wandering warriors trembled in fear, only Mumyeong radiated a fierce, sharp aura. Naturally, the gazes of the demonic beings focused on him.

Just as Mumyeong was about to step forward again.

‘Hm?’

Mumyeong felt a chill run up his spine.

An immense coldness, spreading from the small of his back throughout his body, made him stiffen.

His body trembled, and a frigid, sharp pain rose up, as if an icicle were digging into his flesh. As the pain rampaging through his body grew steadily worse, his consciousness also began to drift.

“Kuk.”

Swallowing a groan, Mumyeong immediately deduced his body's condition from the symptoms.

‘They said this body suffers from severed meridians. For an attack to happen now, of all times…’

There was something strange. It was because the symptoms of the attack were similar to Nine Yin Severed Meridians. Doubt immediately surfaced.

‘Isn't Nine Yin Severed Meridians something women are born with? Why would a man's body have it?’

In the meantime, the eyes of the demonic beings, who had sensed something was wrong with Mumyeong, changed.

“Could that be him? The boy said to have been born with Nine Yin Severed Meridians.”

“Yes. He matches the description.”

“Capture him. Unharmed.”

As Mumyeong watched the demonic beings rush at him from three directions, gritting his teeth as he tried to lift his sword.

A blue bolt of lightning, suddenly surging from the side, cleanly pierced Mumyeong's field of vision.

Mumyeong's head slowly turned.

CRACKLE!

A swordswoman in black, appearing out of nowhere, was slaughtering the demonic beings while unleashing a continuous torrent of lightning-fast sword strikes.

Even as she fiercely swung her sword to cut down the demonic beings, the eyes of the bamboo-hatted swordswoman were fixed on Mumyeong.

In that moment, Mumyeong's eyes narrowed.

It was because the swordswoman's footwork was familiar.

‘Infinite Steps?’

Infinite Steps Footwork.

It was one of the footwork styles of Namcheon Palace.

‘How in the world...’

As he watched the swordswoman executing Infinite Steps Footwork, Mumyeong's eyelids slowly slid shut.

***

The black-clothed swordswoman, Lee Se-ha, who had crossed the mountain using Lightness Skill, had followed the signs of presence caught by her energy sense and was finally able to find the group of wandering warriors.

With the unique visual prowess of a supreme master, Lee Se-ha's gaze, which had been scanning the faces of the wandering warriors and Geomdongs, came to a halt in one place.

‘That child is the boy with Nine Yin Severed Meridians. Was his name Mumyeong?’

The Azure Sky Society had obtained intelligence that the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult planned to abduct the boy with Nine Yin Severed Meridians.

The supreme master dispatched from the Azure Sky Society to thwart this was none other than Lee Se-ha.

She had found the boy with Nine Yin Severed Meridians, but Lee Se-ha did not step in immediately. This was because an unexpected situation was unfolding.

Mumyeong was cutting off the neck of a wandering warrior.

— Those who do not take responsibility for their martial arts are not worthy of holding a sword.

A voice that carried clearly, despite the distance to the hill.

For an instant, Lee Se-ha's eyes widened.

Because what the boy had said was one of the core tenets emphasized by the Azure Sky Society.

Lee Se-ha blankly replayed the sword strikes Mumyeong had just displayed in her mind.

They were so breathtakingly beautiful.

Even a master who had trained for decades could not possibly draw such a fluid sword path.

‘I was told he had definitely never learned martial arts?’

KWAANG!

Lee Se-ha’s train of thought could not continue for long.

It was because the demonic beings had stormed in faster than expected.

At this, Lee Se-ha, who had been about to reveal herself, could not help but let out a dry laugh.

At some point, Mumyeong had rushed out alone and, in a flash, cut down the seven demonic beings.

A single sword strike.

He had struck down every demonic being with a single blow each.

And with the most basic of basics, the Three Talents Sword Style, no less.

‘A sword genius. A natural-born sword genius.’

A boy with the Nine Yin Severed Meridians, born with terrifying sword talent.

If he learned the sword properly, it was clear he would one day become a swordsman of great renown.

‘His talent is one thing, but...’

She liked Mumyeong’s mindset.

A mindset different from the other swordslingers of the Martial World.

He held righteousness in his heart.

‘If it’s a boy like that...’

The moment Lee Se-ha was smiling while looking at Mumyeong.

Simultaneously with the appearance of the second wave of demonic beings, Mumyeong suffered an attack.

“Shall I make my move?”

The time had finally come to step in.

Lee Se-ha immediately descended the hill and whipped out her sword.

Spurt!

The faces of the demonic beings, who had been on the verge of completing their mission, crumpled.

“The Wandering Princess of the Black Cloud? What are you doing here?”

“It seems the Azure Sky Society obtained the information!”

“Buy time.”

Despite the sudden situation, the demonic beings moved with practiced skill.

The squad leader immediately used her Lightness Skill to secure the unconscious Mumyeong, while the remaining demonic beings charged at Lee Se-ha.

Even with a dozen or so of them rushing her at once, Lee Se-ha’s eyes were full of composure. Blue lightning crackled across Lee Se-ha’s sword.

“Get your filthy hands away.”

Gush!

Having sent all the demonic beings’ heads flying, Lee Se-ha grinned.

“Because that kid... I've taken a liking to him.”

***

“Mmm.”

When he opened his eyes, he saw an unfamiliar ceiling.

“Are you awake?”

The voice that reached him was as clear and refreshing as a jade marble plopping into a pond.

When Mumyeong turned his head, the swordswoman wearing the bamboo hat was standing beside the bed.

Because he wore a bamboo hat with a veil attached, the outlines of her face and body were not clearly visible.

Mumyeong recalled the one single fact he knew about the swordswoman.

‘She has definitely mastered Infinite Steps Footwork.’

But the sword style she had actually used was not one of Namcheon Palace's martial arts. How could this possibly be?

“Your body should be a bit better now. I suppressed the Cold Yin Energy of your Nine Yin Severed Meridians. I did well, didn't I?”

Mumyeong looked at the swordswoman with new eyes.

Because suppressing the Cold Yin Energy of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians was not something that could be accomplished with ordinary internal energy.

‘Judging by her voice, she seems to be of the younger generation, yet her accomplishments in martial arts are magnificent.’

Perhaps she noticed Mumyeong’s wary gaze.

The swordswoman took off the bamboo hat she was wearing.

In that moment.

Jet-black hair settled silently like the hem of the night. Her eyes, which swept upward at the corners, were as sharp as blades, yet her pupils were full of fresh warmth.

She was a beautiful person with a cold first impression, but her expression was so animated that it overflowed with life.

Coldness and warmth coexisted in her appearance.

It was truly a mysterious beauty.

The swordswoman, who took off her bamboo hat with a triumphant expression, suddenly made a proposal.

“My name is Lee Se-ha! Want to come with me? I'll help you so your severed meridians can be cured!”

Mumyeong, who was staring intently at Lee Se-ha as he confidently clenched both fists, asked.

“Why do you bestow such a favor? This is quite sudden.”

It was a natural question. He was just a lowly Geomdong. There was no reason for a stranger to bestow any kind of favor. Although the question was laden with wariness, Lee Se-ha instead curved her lips into a gentle smile, as if pleased.

“I saw the sword traces you left behind. They were truly upright and clean. And I briefly saw you just before your attack; your refusal to back down even after seeing the demonic beings was impressive, you know?”

Lee Se-ha chattered on endlessly, as if she were the only one excited. However, another reason was what had left a deep impression on Lee Se-ha.

‘The talent is one thing, but I like the conviction this child possesses.’

Lee Se-ha recalled what Mumyeong had said.

— Those who do not take responsibility for their Martial Arts are not worthy of holding a sword.

Lee Se-ha was certain that the boy before her was the greatest talent she had been searching for.

“By the way, do you happen to have another name besides Mumyeong?”

Mumyeong hesitated.

‘A name like Mumyeong*. It was truly given without any thought.’

[N: Mumyeong means Unknown]

A sigh escaped him at the carelessness of Deok-sam, who had given him such a name. After pondering for a moment, Mumyeong decided to create a new name.

‘In this life as well, I must of course continue the righteousness of Namcheon Palace.’

In honor of Namcheon Palace and his disciples, his surname would be Namgung.

‘In this life, of all lives, I will annihilate the Sun and Moon Demonic Cult.’

To signify his vow to finish the work he could not complete in his past life, his given name would be Jun, meaning 'to complete'.

“Namgung Jun.”

The boy, Namgung Jun, who set the goal for his life by creating his name for this life, revealed his will with eyes that had grown distinctly clearer.

Lee Se-ha, who had muttered the name “Namgung Jun” a few times, clenched both fists and made her proposal.

“If you become my disciple and join the Azure Sky Society, not only will you be able to learn martial arts, but the possibility of curing your Nine Yin Severed Meridians will also open up.”

After a moment of thought, Namgung Jun opened his mouth.

“I am curious about the method to cure the Nine Yin Severed Meridians.”

Lee Se-ha, as if she had been waiting for this, raised her hand.

“It's this.”

Namgung Jun's eyes turned toward Lee Se-ha's hand.