Chapter 22: Sword Demon Slays the Bandits

“…Has this brat lost his mind?”

Mak Cheon-ak frowned as he looked at the man in blue martial robes walking calmly toward him. The man wore two swords at his waist—clearly just some pampered young master, dressed up for show.

“Keh keh… Still, he’s a pretty one. He’d fetch a fine price.”

“And you look like a mackerel. I bet you reek. Ugh.”

“W-what?!”

“Pfft!”

“Hehehe!”

When Hoyeon mockingly held his nose and pretended to gag, laughter erupted from various parts of the field.

“Y-you little rat!”

Humiliated by a boy young enough to be his grandson, Mak Cheon-ak’s face flushed with anger.

“Capture that brat alive! I’ll give ten gold nyang to whoever brings him back!”

“Uooooh!”

“Chaaah!”

“That gold is mine!”

Tadadak! Tadadak!

At Mak Cheon-ak’s command, the Green Forest bandits charged at Hoyeon in unison. Ten gold nyang was enough to live lavishly in the city for months.

Hoyeon muttered with a sigh, as if the whole situation was pitiful.

“Like moths to a flame…”

—Hey brat. Don’t use me. I don’t want to get blood on me.

“A sword that doesn’t want to get blood on it? Some sword you are.”

—Ahem! I’m no ordinary sword. I’m the great Thunder Sword! You ought to treat your elders with some respect!

“Well, I was going to use Yooae Sword anyway. You’re too sharp—takes the fun out of it.”

—Whaaat?!

After finishing his brief exchange with the Thunder Sword, Hoyeon smiled and unsheathed the Yooae Sword.

Shhhrrring!

‘Been a while.’

Though he was once called the Slaughtering Star, Hoyeon didn’t particularly enjoy killing. But after over a year of peace, he found himself craving this kind of battlefield again.

‘Revealing myself in the martial world again was necessary. It’s been over two months since I last used Spiritual Absorption.’

The Spiritual Absorption Technique left visible traces on its surroundings and couldn’t be used recklessly. After draining the land in the north, he had stopped.

‘Still, a full cycle of inner energy in this young age—it’s madness. When I developed Spiritual Absorption in my past life as the Sword Demon, I was around thirty.’

Achieving this level of inner energy at barely half that age was nothing short of unbelievable.

It also meant the northern lands were rich in qi.

‘And besides, spiritual power grows rapidly under pressure. Though these fools probably can’t even provide that.’

Looking at the bandits sprinting clumsily toward him, Hoyeon clicked his tongue.

“Hmm, alright. The first lesson shall be footwork.”

Crack!

Pushing off the ground, Hoyeon began lecturing, just like he had back at his household.

“Of all the clan’s footwork styles, mastering Infinite Step (無限步) alone can make you unstoppable.”

“Hahaha! That ten gold is mine!”

“Infinity represents all creation. Taeyuk, Taecho, Taesi, Taeso, Hwanggeuk, Muguk, Taeguk, Yin-Yang, Four Forms, Eight Trigrams, 64 Hexagrams, 384 Lines… Infinite Step derives from the changes of the Eight Trigrams.”

Whoooosh!

As a massive axe came crashing down on him, Hoyeon moved fluidly—without an ounce of tension.

Swish!

“Kan Step (坎步) represents the softness of water. One must move like a flowing stream, continuously.”

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Hoyeon’s movement flowed like water, his posture rising and falling like waves.

“Eh? Eh…?!”

Stab!

Unable to react, the bandit swinging the axe was effortlessly pierced in the neck by Hoyeon’s Yooae Sword.

Instant death.

“You bastard!”

Another bandit, enraged, raised a massive blade.

“Seon Step (巽步) is a type of light step that allows you to move like the wind.”

Pop! Slice!

But Hoyeon instantly slipped into his space and severed the man’s carotid artery.

“Jin Step (震步) is a burst movement that changes direction like a lightning strike.”

Crunch! Crack!

Slash! Slash! Slash!

Hoyeon’s thigh muscles swelled, his knees and ankles twisting unnaturally. Then he zigzagged like lightning and sliced three bandits apart in an instant.

“U-uwaaah!”

“Wh-what the hell!”

“He’s not a kid—he’s a master!”

Five bandits fell in the blink of an eye. The rest, blinded by gold, turned pale and began fleeing.

“Li Step (離步) lets you leap upward, like a blazing fire.”

Boom!

With one leap, Hoyeon landed in the center of the escaping bandits.

“Kill him!”

“Daaamn it!”

“Hraaaah!”

The bandits, now inadvertently surrounding him, slashed with swords, spears, axes—anything they had.

“Gon Step (坤步) is grounded and stable, dispersing impact through the Yongcheon acupoint into the earth.”

Clang! Cling clang clang!

But Hoyeon, taking all attacks head-on, didn’t even flinch—like he had merged with the ground.

“Geon Step (艮步) draws reactive force from the earth into your sword, stepping with the weight of mountains.”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Hoyeon stomped with Earth-Shaking Footwork, pouring all the weight and rebound force into his sword.

Crash!

Shatter!

The bandits’ cheap weapons shattered like pottery upon clashing with his blade.

“Ugh! K-kkhk!”

“P-please—urk!”

“S-spa—!”

Splatter!

With weapons lost, the terrified bandits died with tiny blood marks between their brows—like the grim reaper himself had reached out.

“YOU BASTARD!”

Then came a man charging at Hoyeon barehanded.

Wooooom!

A yellow qi aura wrapped his massive fists.

“Sub-chief Gam!”

“It’s Iron Arm of a Thousand Peaks!”

“Crush that brat!”

This man was Gam Ram-pyeong, a top-tier martial artist and one of the strongest sub-chiefs of Tiger’s Den Stronghold.

“HRAAAAH!”

Gam Ram-pyeong charged at full strength, unleashing his signature strike from the start.

Iron Arm Shatters Mountains!

A punch like a thousand arms collapsing a mountain.

‘He’s just a kid—he won’t withstand it! This will kill him!’

But—

“Tae Step (兌步) breaks the enemy’s balance and traps them like a swamp. When combined with Flower-Moving techniques, the effect is doubled.”

Whoosh! Tap!

Moving in a snake-like S-curve, Hoyeon twisted Gam’s punch with the flat of his sword.

“Wha—?!”

Whoosh!

Gam’s balance broke, his punch slicing through empty air.

“Take this!”

Ten-Thousand-Rock Rain!

Gam launched a flurry of fists.

Pow pow pow pow!

But every time he entered Hoyeon’s range, his form collapsed again and again.

Hoyeon, now warmed up and enjoying himself, smiled breezily.

“And finally, Gun Step (乾步) is the emperor’s stride—ruling over all creation like the expanding heavens.”

Rumble—!

Hoyeon’s will activated the Azure Sky Divine Art, spreading a blue glow around him.

‘I—I can’t move…!’

Gam Ram-pyeong froze in place—like a rabbit before a tiger. Panic clouded his mind.

‘I must escape… must…’

And that became his last thought.

Slice!

SPLAAASH!

Hoyeon casually stepped forward and lopped off his head, like picking up something he had left behind.

A fountain of blood burst from the severed neck, painting a vivid background as Hoyeon smiled brightly.

“And so, when the Eight Trigrams gather, they become infinite. Infinite Step is the very path Namgung walks.”

Footwork class: Dismissed.

Iron Sword Unit: Applause.

The surroundings were noticeably darker than an hour ago. The two dozen corpses strewn about looked even redder in the torchlight.

Although less than 10% of their forces were dead, the Tiger’s Den bandits were shaken.

Because they had been utterly overwhelmed.

“W-what kind of kid…?”

“That’s insane! Gam Sub-chief was a top-tier expert!”

“He toyed with someone like Gam… Is he peak-level?!”

While the bandits whispered in horror, the Iron Sword Unit clapped with admiration.

Clap clap clap clap!

Clap clap clap clap!

“As expected of our young master! Incredible!”

“It must have been his first real battle, yet not a hint of hesitation!”

“He’s a born martial artist. That is Namgung! That is Infinite Step!”

“Did you see that last Gun Step? It looked like Imperial Sword Form!”

“No way—that’s reserved for the clan head!”

They never doubted his victory, but they didn’t expect him to finish so cleanly—like he’d done it hundreds of times.

“Haha, and he didn’t even use a proper sword technique—just simple stabs and slashes. It was all to teach us footwork.”

At those words from Captain Geuk Jiryang, Seo Seonlim looked dumbfounded.

“Teach… us?”

She glanced at him. Geuk Jiryang was a peak expert, strong enough that even she wasn’t confident in beating him.

And yet this Namgung Hoyeon had ‘taught’ him?

‘Wasn’t that “greatest genius in history” label just clan propaganda…?’

Gulp.

While Seo Seonlim swallowed dryly…

From the carriage, Jegal Ahyeon was clutching her head.

“Ugh…”

Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

Ever since Hoyeon began fighting, her blocked spiritual senses had returned, flooding her with multicolored emotions.

“Heh… hehe…”

Her head throbbed, but Jegal Ahyeon smiled.

‘Namgung Hoyeon… Namgung Hoyeon…’

She looked at him.

“Agh, quit whining. Where am I supposed to find oil out here? Want me to use earwax instead?”

He muttered nonsense while wiping blood from his sword with a pout. But Jegal Ahyeon knew—it was an act.

Because from him, she felt a mix of excitement, joy, embarrassment… and a fluttering heart.

“Hehe… Like a kid. So shy…”

His emotions were pure. And the reason was clear—

It was because of the Iron Sword Unit, who were applauding him with glowing, radiant admiration.

Flaaash!

They were emitting bright white emotions: respect, awe, love—for Namgung Hoyeon.

‘If you really are the Divine Dragon… if you can really save me… then… then maybe…!’

She had given up on everything—yet this light was tempting her.

The moment hope sparkled in Jegal Ahyeon’s eyes—

BOOOOM!

An explosion echoed from the battlefield.