Chapter : 134 The Beginning (3)
Shhhhhhh!
In the past, he would have had to swim using his limbs, but now it was different.
Just as when he had moved this far, Seok Jin-ho navigated the sea riding on his sword.
He wandered freely underwater, hands clasped behind his back.
‘Usually, creatures like that have their own territory,’ he thought.
It wasn’t a spirit beast, but it was close enough.
Recalling the giant sea serpent that would have become a spirit beast if it had shed its last skin, Seok Jin-ho quickly crossed the ocean.
He had gradually expanded his search area, centering around where he first encountered the giant sea serpent.
Since the original creature had suddenly disappeared, there might have been another that had taken its place. So Seok Jin-ho spread his perception wide as he moved.
‘Might as well check my current limits too.’
At not even twenty years old, he had recovered almost all the martial strength from his previous life.
But recovering it didn’t necessarily mean he could use all of it as he had before.
Even if his level was similar, his body was different, so he needed some time to adapt.
The new body needed time to adjust to his martial arts and level.
Normally, this balance adjusted naturally, but in Seok Jin-ho’s case, it was a bit special.
It was because the level of martial arts imprinted on his soul and his current body were drastically different from the start.
Kwaaaah!
Moreover, Seok Jin-ho had never used his full power until now.
Nor had he ever given his all.
The closest he had come was during training with Mingwang Dang’s army.
So, he decided to summon all the martial energy he had carefully preserved until now.
Swoosh!
The overwhelming energy that burst out caused schools of fish to scatter in all directions as if panicking.
The terrifying energy had frightened them.
And it wasn’t different for the larger fish.
‘Let’s see.’
Feeling the energy spreading instantly in all directions, Seok Jin-ho focused his senses.
The energy consumption was considerable, but the feedback was just as significant.
As proof, he felt several centennial red and white fish flinch and flee.
But his target today wasn’t a spirit beast, so Seok Jin-ho continued deeper, focusing on his perception.
Kwaaaah!
Then, he sensed a massive body in the distance.
Perhaps it had sensed Seok Jin-ho’s energy, because a wave of roar-like vibration reached him.
The distance was considerable but not impossible to reach, so Seok Jin-ho pushed more energy into his sword and changed direction.
Swoooosh!
But Seok Jin-ho wasn’t the only one moving.
A giant snake with gleaming eyes lunged at him.
Even at a glance, it looked over seventy feet long.
‘Not a spirit beast.’
Compared to the last giant sea serpent he had captured, its body was thicker and longer, but it wasn’t quite at the spirit beast level.
A true spirit beast would have fled the moment it sensed Seok Jin-ho’s energy.
They would have sensed a spiritual level far beyond theirs.
That’s why the centuries-old ones had fled as soon as they sensed him.
Krrr!
In contrast, this unfinished giant sea serpent shook its protruding forehead and lunged at Seok Jin-ho.
It opened its mouth wide, rushing forward at terrifying speed as if to swallow him whole.
Sssslip.
Then, the other sword at his waist—the Sa-cheondang forged iron sword gifted by Dang Ah-rin—slid out on its own and shot toward the giant serpent like a streak of light.
He had combined riding one sword with using the other to unleash the Dual Sword Technique.
Whirrrrr!
Perhaps sensing the unusual energy from the blindingly fast attack, the giant sea serpent twisted its body.
Even at tremendous speed, it wiggled momentarily, adjusting its direction.
Shaaak!
Seok Jin-ho’s sword grazed past the giant serpent due to its quick reaction.
He missed by a paper-thin margin.
But it wasn’t ineffective.
Szzzaaaak!
Even grazing it, the sword’s energy caused the serpent’s scales to split, and a spray of crimson blood erupted.
At the same time, the giant serpent howled.
It wasn’t pain so much as frustration from an unexpected injury.
Yet, despite the roar, Seok Jin-ho’s mind was elsewhere.
‘Not easy, as expected.’
Handling one sword was too easy for him—even if it was the Dual Sword Technique.
But handling two was still difficult.
Even though he could manipulate both hands freely, the Dual Sword Technique was different.
‘But rather than being annoyed, it’s fun.’
The challenge strangely excited him, and he smiled.
So far, he had focused on regaining his former martial power; now it felt like stepping into a new realm.
Training for conquest rather than recovery made his heart race.
Though living in seclusion, he was still a warrior at heart.
Kyaaaaak!
Perhaps sensing Seok Jin-ho’s distraction, the giant sea serpent roared violently and lunged again.
This time, it seemed determined to swallow him whole.
But the returning sword pierced its body faster than its jaw could close on Seok Jin-ho.
Krooooh!
The body pierced like lightning, and the giant sea serpent thrashed wildly.
The pain far exceeded that of the split scales, causing massive whirlpools—but Seok Jin-ho rode the current naturally instead of being swept away.
He used the irregular whirlpools to put distance between himself and the giant sea serpent.
Shaaak!
Meanwhile, Seok Jin-ho unleashed the Dual Sword Technique again.
He kept attacking the serpent, which was too stunned by pain to defend itself.
Pfoooah!
Of course, the giant sea serpent didn’t just endure quietly.
Determined not to be struck thrice, it swung one of its strongest body parts—its tail—full force.
It seemed to aim to smash the iron sword navigating the water.
But this backfired.
Kyaahk!
The tail, which had split the deep waters with force, was cut in half by the sword.
Though it looked like an ordinary iron sword, it actually contained internal energy.
That’s why the serpent’s tail tore instantly.
Pfuush!
Seok Jin-ho didn’t let up.
He pierced the serpent’s head again, which thrashed in pain.
‘Not bad.’
Watching the light fade from the child-sized eyes, he retrieved his sword.
He looked pleased with the meaningful progress he had made.
‘The important thing is that I’ve taken the first step. One step at a time, I’ll eventually reach the end.’
He didn’t need to reach the ultimate level of martial arts.
What Seok Jin-ho wanted was simply to stop the cycle of endless reincarnation.
All he needed was the power to achieve that.
Thud.
Thinking this, he plunged his sword into the collapsed serpent’s body.
Given its size, he intended to drag it along.
The distance was long but manageable.
‘Let’s go.’
Having achieved both goals, Seok Jin-ho moved his sword with a lighter expression.
Soon, his new form sliced through the water toward the surface.
“Wow! There’s this kind of thing in the ocean?”
“Are you saying this isn’t a spirit beast?”
“Finally!”
News that Seok Jin-ho had captured the giant sea serpent had everyone at Seongcheon Military Academy rushing out.
Bukgung-hyuk and Moyong-cheon, who had been lingering as guests, and Dang Ah-rin, who had been waiting with Miho in her arms, all ran out immediately.
Even the instructors paused their training to help on the beach.
“Is this really in the ocean?”
“Suddenly, I’m afraid of the sea.”
“Maybe there aren’t any nearby? The beach is shallow anyway.”
Moyong-cheon and Bukgung-hyuk circled the giant serpent’s body with curiosity, while the young students looked pale.
They were intimidated by its massive size.
Even though it was dead now, imagining encountering it alive made their faces turn white.
“Why be scared? It’s dead.”
“This is the second one, right? Then there might be a whole bunch in the deep ocean.”
“Have you ever seen a monster like this?”
“First time.”
“Then why worry? If the chief hadn’t caught it, you’d never meet one. Don’t stress unnecessarily.”
Jeong Mar-ryung patted Yu Ha-il’s head.
At first, he had been overwhelmed by the serpent’s body, but now he wasn’t.
He knew that giant sea serpents, like spirit beasts, were not ordinary creatures humans could encounter.
“Right…?”
“If you meet one, there’s no choice. You run for your life, or you get eaten.”
Hic!
Yu Ha-il and his close friend Lee Chun-wook hiccupped at the thought of meeting one in the sea.
Jeong Mar-ryung chuckled and patted their backs.
“Focus on the dissection. It tastes good. A delicacy.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Bigger than the last one, but the taste should be similar.”
The viewing didn’t last long.
Most, having seen it before, remained calm, except for the newcomers.
But the wolves were different.
Unlike Heuk-hwi, who ignored it, the wolf triplets, the females, and the pups ran frantically around the serpent’s body.
“Wait, we’ll save some for you too.”
“The heart’s ours—Miho’s!”
While Jeong Mar-ryung restrained the wolves, Dang Ah-rin quickly opened her chest.
Heuk-hwi had shown her the heart’s location previously, and with lightning-fast hands, she cut the body open.
Soon, a massive heart matching the serpent’s size appeared, deep crimson in color.
Snap!
At the same time, Miho, in Dang Ah-rin’s arms, leapt toward the heart.
Instinctively, she knew it was the part she needed.
Auuuu!
The wolf triplets howled in protest, demanding to eat too.
“Come on! You too! Eat with Miho!”
Pant, pant, pant!
As soon as Dang Ah-rin gave permission, the wolf triplets and the females charged.
Seven pups followed, and Dang Ah-rin looked at Seok Jin-ho.
“Can we feed the pups?”
“They’ve been weaned, so it should be fine. If it were dangerous, the wolf brothers would have stopped them.”
“They seem too focused on drinking the blood to pay attention.”
Dang Ah-rin blinked.
Unlike last time, when they only drank blood, now they chewed on the heart and intestines.
“Since Heuk-hwi isn’t interfering, it should be fine.”
“Good, then.”
Dang Ah-rin frowned as she watched Heuk-hwi calmly groom himself on Seok Jin-ho’s shoulder.
Although Heuk-hwi took care of the wolf triplets well, she still worried.
The adult wolves were fine, but the pups were another story.
Knowing that Seok Jin-ho had only let Heuk-hwi handle spirit-level creatures so far, Dang Ah-rin anxiously watched the pups.
“Leave the kids to Heuk-hwi, and we handle our work, right?”
