Chapter 12
Among Three, There Must Be My Teacher” (2)
“You bastard?!”
On top of his crude language, the man’s breathing was ragged, and his sharp gaze looked like it could slice someone in half.
‘Hmm? Those bruises under his eyes and along his jaw… what are those?’
It was obvious even without thinking.
He’d been beaten—by someone.
“I’m Kang Yongwoon, yes… but…”
He was suspicious in every way.
Why had he been beaten by someone else and was now radiating hostility toward Yongwoon?
‘I’ve never seen this guy in my life.’
So it didn’t make sense.
“Why are you hostile toward me—?”
“Why, you bastard?!”
Clang!
Without warning, the man drew his sword and shouted,
“You’re the one, aren’t you? Said guys like me are nothing but trash? Said anyone could beat me up? My eyes are still burning from the shame!”
“Excuse me?!”
Kang Yongwoon was baffled.
It was pointless to explain.
“What are you talking about?!”
“Don’t play dumb, you bastard—haa!”
The man cut him off mid-sentence and lunged straight at him. His attack was swift and full of bloodlust.
“Urgh!”
Yongwoon hastily drew his steel sword.
He immediately began defending himself using the Samjae Sword Technique, infused with the power of Jigeukgong.
Clang! Clang clang! Tting!
Sparks flew wildly.
Yongwoon began to retreat, step by step. He had focused solely on defense.
Tssk! Swish!
With a hair-raising whoosh, the man’s sword narrowly grazed vital points on Yongwoon’s body.
His hair stood on end.
‘Damn it—!’
This was seriously troublesome.
‘What the hell is going on…?’
Just then, his expression stiffened slightly.
—You’ve already experienced it, but nothing beats real combat. You know that, right?
—Puhuhu. It’s an investment for your future. I’ll help you out.
The mischievous voice of Hong Rugae echoed in his memory.
‘No way…’
But it was definitely that “no way.”
“You little punk. How’s that trash taste, huh?!”
The man was unknowingly offering a clue about who had set him off.
“Speak! Who the hell attacked me with a bamboo staff while dressed like a Beggars’ Union member in blue robes, huh?!”
Blue robes, pretending to be the Beggars’ Union?
He wasn’t sure about that part—but bamboo staff? That was far too obvious.
‘Damn it. Elder—!’
No, it wasn’t Hong Rugae.
If it was about picking fights, then his disciple Damo was the likely culprit.
‘Master, what were you even thinking…’
The more he thought about it, the more absurd it became.
But what could he do now?
“That fake beggar in blue robes swinging that bamboo staff—where is he?! Huh?!”
The man, now boiling over with rage, howled and unleashed his sword like a madman.
It was savage beyond words.
‘I don’t know. I’ll just have to win first.’
Defense alone wasn’t enough.
Surviving this absurd battle was the top priority.
Yongwoon focused.
He memorized his opponent’s sword patterns.
‘Is it because he’s angry? His attacks are straightforward. I can read his moves easily.’
It didn’t take long to analyze.
At best, he was about as skilled as Kwon Jung-hyun.
Trash-tier.
Damo’s provocation, while meant to insult, was actually spot-on.
He saw through the man’s entire move set.
‘Taesan Apjeong, followed by Seonin Jiro.’
Once he executed those two moves, the furious man’s attacks would crash like waves against a wall.
“Ha-aht!”
Clang! Swish!
“Wha—?”
As expected.
The man’s combo was disrupted, and he began to flail in disarray.
“You’re pretty good, but it’s not enough—ha!”
Flustered but unwilling to admit defeat, the man unleashed five attacks in succession.
The slicing wind and pressure surged toward Yongwoon—
‘Now! Quay, Byeon, Hwan, Yoo, Tan…!’
Before the opponent could even complete his techniques, Yongwoon applied the Samjae Sword’s core principles to dismantle each move. Flawlessly.
“Huff!”
The man gasped and stepped back.
‘Got him. I won.’
Yongwoon was confident now.
He had fully analyzed his opponent’s patterns, could break through them anytime, inflict serious injury—or even kill him in a single strike.
But he chose not to.
‘There’s no need to go that far…’
In truth, the guy was a victim too.
A victim of Hong Rugae and Damo’s scheme.
Yongwoon chose instead to push him back just enough to make him retreat.
Clang! Clang clang! Tting!
In the middle of the street, the clash of swords rang out, sending sparks into the air.
“You bastard—!”
Unable to keep up, the man finally turned and ran.
“Just wait! I, Won Aun of Cheonggeom Sect in Sodon County, will have my revenge!”
He dashed off with a declaration of vengeance.
Thud!
Yongwoon stood speechless, staring in disbelief at the direction the man had fled.
Then, snapping out of it—
“Elder! Masteeer!”
He began shouting for the culprits behind this mess—Hong Rugae and Damo.
“Where are you?! Show yourselves!”
He yelled until his voice cracked…
But of course? They didn’t appear.
And the worst part?
That so-called ‘trash-tier’ guy was only the beginning.
One hour later.
“Ugh. I just want to eat something.”
As Yongwoon entered Sodon County—
“You! Are you Kang Yongwoon?!”
“You’re the one who spread rumors about me being a perverted eunuch, right?!”
No less than three or four times a day.
Sometimes even six or seven.
Men filled with rage came seeking Yongwoon.
“Come at me, you bastard—!”
“I, Jin Yoon of Inseong County, will take you on!”
“How dare you slander me as a thief?! I’ll beat you senseless and drag you to those two villains—young and old—who ran off! Haaa!”
They launched attacks with absurd accusations.
‘This is insane.’
Yongwoon could only grit his teeth.
Still, what choice did he have?
“Haa!”
“Hiyah!”
Men with swollen faces and bruised bodies—clearly beaten with bamboo sticks—now attacked him with fierce sword and blade techniques.
‘Son of a—!’
Yongwoon couldn’t help but be pissed off too.
He wasn’t about to just stand there and die.
He had to fight.
Three times, six times, ten times…
And so, Yongwoon was honed.
His fundamental techniques naturally merged into his Samjae Sword Technique.
It was still Samjae, but it no longer felt like just Samjae.
The swordplay that flowed from him was like wind and water.
A result of risking his life several times a day.
It was an achievement impossible to gain by just sitting and swinging a sword in the air.
Even the Jigeukgong seed inside him was growing rapidly.
Though he hadn’t sat down to meditate, his energy blossomed even faster than if he had.
It poured forth with greater force, and he could control it with more precision.
There was another change too.
The day he finally left Sodon after just one night of rest—
“I told you it wasn’t me, you son of a biiitch!”
Even Kang Yongwoon—normally polite, upright, and disciplined—finally snapped and cursed out loud.
He had become… a little worldly.
No, let’s say flexible.
Maybe even seasoned.
And—
Among three people, there is always one who can be my teacher.
True to that saying, every couple of days he encountered someone worthy.
From the North Plains Sword to the Mysterious Blade Monk and the Black Peak Swordsman, all had nicknames known throughout the martial world.
Every time he faced them, he was reminded of death.
‘One wrong move, and I die.’
Only through incredible focus and his growing combat sense did he survive.
Help from Hong Rugae and Damo?
There were many life-threatening moments, but Hong Rugae never interfered.
Rather, there was never a chance to.
—This is too dangerous.
—Master, we have to step in.
But every time they were about to intervene, Yongwoon somehow pulled through.
—He’s a monster.
—Wow! He took a hit to give a bigger one, and now his opponent is the one retreating!
—I really thought we’d have to help him at least once.
—I can’t believe it, Master. Even if he’s mastered the basic principles, how is he winning with just Samjae?!
—Damn it. I wanted to save his life and make him owe me more, but that’s all ruined now.
Even Hong Rugae and Damo were astonished at how fast Yongwoon was improving.
It was thanks to the power of his Insight.
With every real battle, his Insight grew sharper.
‘That sword and palm combo was terrifying. I nearly got a hole in my throat.’
His Insight saved him from every dangerous moment.
Of course, he took plenty of hits.
Within days, his body was covered in bruises—just like those seeking him.
‘Palm artists are terrifying too. Just using iron gloves and greaves, they blocked all my attacks!’
Yongwoon treated each hardship as a teacher.
He analyzed them, reviewed them repeatedly, and trained until they were etched into his muscles.
And the advice from the existences within the Vault?
Invaluable.
[That’s it, child. The Quay, Byeon, Yoo, Hwan combo isn’t just for Samjae—it’s essential for any sword art.]
Every time he was in danger, they whispered paths into his mind.
[Yes! That’s the Tan following the Chak. Look—your opponent’s balance is completely broken now.]
[This is the power of true understanding, child. Even with the simple Samjae form, when paired with foundational techniques, the result is vastly different.]
[Hehehe. That dumb kid is actually getting decent. Good! Soon, we can say he’s at least scratched the surface of Samjae.]
They meant he still didn’t fully grasp Samjae.
The old Yongwoon would’ve protested immediately.
But now? He had changed.
‘Thank you, Elders. I’ll do my best to truly understand Samjae as soon as possible.’
He accepted how far he still had to go.
Though he had won every time, not once did he grow arrogant.
Daily improvement.
As Yongwoon continued to grow stronger…
After nearly a hundred battles, he had a mysterious realization.
‘Now my sword really feels like an extension of my hand.’
As if sword and body were one.
It moved with his will, even in its subtlest angles.
And then—
Vmm—!
His cheap blue-steel sword, chipped and worn, let out a low but resonant hum.
Finally—
Flash!
It emitted a distinct blue glow.
Manifestation of Sword Qi.
It was undeniable proof that Yongwoon had reached the level of a fully-fledged first-rate master.
And perhaps because of that…
No one else came to pick a fight with him.
Even Hong Rugae and Damo gave up on their antics, realizing further “training” was pointless.
‘Why does this peace feel so… unsettling?’
He had longed for a quiet journey, but now it just felt eerie.
Maybe he had grown too used to chaos.
‘Hoo—now that I’m walking peacefully, my body’s itching. Have I been tainted by all this?’
Shaking his head, Kang Yongwoon entered Wuhan, Hubei Province—home of the Martial Alliance.
The Martial Alliance was located on the outskirts.
And on the way there, Yongwoon’s jaw dropped.
“Wow—!”
Everywhere he looked, dazzling lights flickered.
“Everyone’s inner power is insane.”
With his Insight, he could see the cores of the martial artists—and none of them were average.
“This world really is vast. There are so many with greater power than me… Huh?!”
His eyes widened as he stared toward the Martial Alliance.
A figure in white disappeared into its depths.
That old man’s back looked eerily familiar.
Someone… dearly missed.
“Grandfather?”
