Chapter 50
The Finals (1)
Crackle!
The spot where Namgung Hyuk had just stood was filled with nothing but crackling lightning.
Joo Shin-woon sensed a presence behind him.
Shlaaak!
He slashed his blade toward it—but struck only air.
‘He’s even faster than before?’
It didn’t seem like he had drawn on more inner power to boost his speed.
What was even more astonishing was how Namgung Hyuk effortlessly evaded Joo Shin-woon’s rapid, unpredictable attacks head-on.
‘What kind of martial art allows such movement? Is it connected to that lightning qi that flares every time he moves?’
Even while being pushed onto the defensive, Joo Shin-woon analyzed his opponent’s martial art with a calm, calculating gaze.
Clang!
Namgung Hyuk’s sword struck his, and Joo Shin-woon slid back, barely blocking the force.
The situation had completely reversed.
Since the day he began learning martial arts from his master, Joo Shin-woon had never experienced this against anyone his age.
Thump.
His heart pounded with excitement.
How long had it been since he’d met a rival this strong?
But he suppressed the burning urge to go all out—
because if he lost control now, he might accidentally reveal that power.
‘To finally meet someone like this, and yet I can’t even fight him properly… what a shame.’
With a faint sigh, Joo Shin-woon suddenly leapt backward—off the stage.
Namgung Hyuk, who had just been about to strike, froze in surprise.
“I forfeit.”
The words rang out like thunder in the silent arena.
Not only Namgung Hyuk, but the entire audience stirred in disbelief.
‘Forfeit? Just like that?’
The Hero’s Tournament rules did permit forfeiting mid-match.
But for a martial artist, surrender was unthinkable.
“Wait! You’re forfeiting?”
“My apologies,” Joo Shin-woon said calmly. “There’s been a disturbance in the flow of my qi—I can’t safely continue. I must withdraw.”
Everyone could tell it was an excuse.
But since the man himself insisted, there was nothing they could do.
‘So it ends like this?’
Namgung Hyuk felt hollow, robbed of a proper conclusion.
The most anticlimactic match in the tournament’s history had ended.
Because of that, the mood in the arena stayed awkwardly subdued until the finals.
‘I never got the chance to ask why he really quit.’
The unfinished battle left Namgung Hyuk unsatisfied.
But an hour later, as the arena filled again with renewed cheers for the final match, his spirit reignited.
Venerable Hye-yeon was already waiting on the stage when he arrived.
The monk placed his palms together and greeted him politely.
“Amitabha. This humble monk is Hye-yeon.”
“Namgung Hyuk.”
Namgung Hyuk returned the gesture with a warrior’s bow.
Yet Hye-yeon’s gaze lingered on him with quiet wonder.
“Pardon me for saying so, but… are you, perhaps, a reincarnated master?”
“Not at all. I haven’t even passed twenty yet.”
“Truly? Haha, yet I cannot help but feel the presence of an old master in you.”
“……”
Namgung Hyuk flinched slightly at those words.
He’d been so absorbed in martial arts that he had neglected spiritual practice—
and yet this monk’s insight was sharp, much like Monk Gongjin’s had been when he’d seen through Namgung Hyuk’s secret.
“You yourself look rather young, Master Hye-yeon.”
“Kh—Khm.”
Hye-yeon’s expression stiffened a little.
Though blessed with immense martial talent, his body had stopped growing since the age of fifteen.
Now nearly thirty, he was still often mistaken for a young novice monk—so Namgung Hyuk’s comment, however innocent, hit a sore spot.
“Let’s begin.”
“Very well.”
The two assumed their ready stances.
Unarmed, Hye-yeon shifted into a diagonal posture, right fist raised.
Woom.
Golden energy gathered in his left fist at his waist.
Then he stepped forward, pulling his right arm back and thrusting the left forward with full force.
A heavy, white force burst from his punch—
—the White-Brow Divine Fist of Shaolin.
BOOOOM!
A thunderous roar shook the arena as Namgung Hyuk’s figure staggered back.
“……”
He lowered the arms he had crossed to shield his head and chest.
Even with his awakened body strengthened to over level 30, and his arms infused with qi for defense, the shock reverberated through his bones.
Throb.
‘To think my bones ache from just that. Impressive.’
And that hadn’t even been a full-power strike.
“You are formidable, Benefactor Namgung,” said Hye-yeon sincerely. “Even with just a fifth of my strength, few can withstand that technique.”
Hye-yeon’s inner power exceeded two full cycles of the zodiac—over 120 years of cultivation—and it had been refined through Shaolin’s highest mental art.
His martial attainment even surpassed that of Monk Gongjin, who had once demonstrated before Namgung Hyuk.
‘Only five parts of his strength, and yet that much power at fifty paces… But I’m not inferior to that!’
Namgung Hyuk swung his sword forward.
‘Flash Dragon Form!’
The blade streaked forward like lightning—
—but Hye-yeon didn’t dodge.
Instead, he brought his palms together before him, catching the incoming blade qi between them.
“Hup!”
His feet sank halfway into the ground, veins bulging on his forehead—
but he didn’t move an inch.
‘He caught my sword energy with his bare hands?’
It was possible only because he had mastered both the Diamond Indestructible Body and the body-reinforcing Guardian Art.
[Understanding of “Diamond True Body (Geumgang Jinshin)” has increased by 6%.]
A martial art that drastically enhances physical defense—
Namgung Hyuk felt a strong pull of interest toward it.
‘I want that technique!’
With that thought burning in him, he dashed in, unleashing the “Dragon-Breaking Form” of the Ten Divine Sword Arts.
Pabababat!
A storm of strikes left no room to retreat.
Hye-yeon gathered more qi to maintain his Diamond Body.
Ordinary sword energy couldn’t pierce his skin; only faint red marks appeared where the strikes landed.
His monk’s robe, however, was not so durable.
“Oh my goodness!”
Princess Ansuk, watching from the stands, gasped and covered her eyes at the sight of Hye-yeon’s bare upper body.
[Understanding of “Diamond True Body” has reached 100%. You have acquired this martial art.]
Only when this message appeared before his eyes did Namgung Hyuk finally stop his assault—
and, noticing Hye-yeon’s exposed torso, awkwardly lowered his sword.
“Ahem… my apologies.”
“Haha, Amitabha.”
Apparently, Hye-yeon himself hadn’t realized his upper garment had been shredded while blocking the attack.
The match could have continued, but with so many eyes watching, decorum demanded otherwise.
“May I have a moment to tidy my robes?”
Namgung Hyuk turned to the referee stationed near the edge of the stage.
The referee looked toward the VIP box.
Mo Yong-hwi gave a small nod.
“The match will resume after one quarter-hour break.”
With that announcement, the final was temporarily paused.
“Remarkable—both of them.”
“It wouldn’t be strange no matter who wins.”
The judges and elders praised the pair’s extraordinary display.
Whoever took the title today, both fighters were destined to become legends of the martial world.
“Wasn’t Sir Namgung incredible?”
“Yes.”
Princess Ansuk’s voice was bright with excitement—so unlike her earlier fluster at Hye-yeon’s bare chest.
Beside her, Jegal Rin watched quietly, her feelings a tangled mix.
It frustrated her that she couldn’t openly cheer for him as the princess did.
But what frustrated her more was not knowing why she felt that way at all.
‘What’s happening to me?’
She placed a hand on her chest and looked toward Namgung Hyuk on the stage.
Just watching him made her heart race and her breath catch.
She knew perfectly well what that meant.
‘When one develops affection for the opposite sex, such physiological reactions occur,’ she recalled from her studies.
Affection.
The realization startled her.
All her life, she’d been the girl who rarely showed emotion, worrying even her parents.
She had thought herself almost incapable of feeling.
And yet now—
those long-dormant emotions were awakening, and it left her completely bewildered.
“…Rin? Are you listening?”
Princess Ansuk’s voice brought her back. Jegal Rin turned her head.
The princess studied her flushed face and said, “Are you feeling unwell? Your face is red.”
“No, Your Highness. I was merely lost in thought for a moment.”
“Is that so?”
“What did you say just now?”
“Oh—just wondering whether that Shaolin monk isn’t at a disadvantage fighting barehanded against someone with a sword.”
It was a natural question for a non-martial artist.
Jegal Rin answered in a calm, instructive tone.
“The difference between armed and unarmed combatants is indeed large. But the higher their mastery, the smaller that gap becomes.”
“Then what about these two?”
“…With my limited insight, I dare not measure their level.”
Jegal Rin knew well how abnormal Namgung Hyuk’s growth had been—beyond any common sense of the martial world.
Even within this single tournament, his progress had far surpassed what she’d witnessed before.
‘He’s broken through the wall—reaching the half-step transcendent realm.’
No doubt the Alliance Chief and other top masters had noticed too.
For someone of humble origin, with no proper master, to reach such a realm before twenty—
it was an unprecedented feat that would shock the entire martial world.
But Hye-yeon, too, had crossed into that same realm while still in his twenties.
Even the Namgung Clan’s sword arts could not easily surpass the thousand-year legacy of Shaolin.
‘The outcome will likely depend on…’
Jegal Rin’s eyes returned to Namgung Hyuk, silently willing him to understand her unspoken thought.
“Hmm?”
Namgung Hyuk suddenly felt as though someone had called out to him.
A strange illusion—but he shook it off.
‘No time for distractions.’
He turned back toward his opponent.
Hye-yeon had changed into fresh, neat robes.
“My apologies for keeping you waiting,” the monk said as he stepped back onto the stage.
“No problem.”
The break had done nothing to cool their fighting spirit.
“The time has come,” Hye-yeon said with a serene smile. “I shall now show you the true depth of Shaolin’s teachings.”
It was both a declaration and a challenge.
Namgung Hyuk’s eyes sharpened.
“I too have yet to reveal all of my strength. Prepare yourself.”
To a man aiming for the summit of the martial world, Hye-yeon was a formidable rival—
and precisely because of that, Namgung Hyuk wanted to win this battle more than any other.
Even if it meant unveiling every hidden power he possessed.
