NOVEL NEXT Chapter 17
Life is not a novel. There is no proper introduction, foreshadowing, or hints in life.
Thus, the story of life always begins abruptly and ends just as unexpectedly.
“Uncle, I made some late-night snacks. Should I put them here?”
“Sure, thanks, Ye-ryeong.”
It was a late night, approaching midnight. Seong-cheol was swinging his sword in the yard.
He had never missed a single night of training. Despite winning the tournament, his diligence showed no sign of fading. He truly was the embodiment of a faithful warrior.
“There’s no need to wait until the end. You must be tired; why not go to bed first?”
“No~! Watching you train is the highlight of my day, Uncle. I’m going to watch until the very end today too.”
“It’s probably not that interesting.”
“That’s not why I’m watching.”
After Jang-woon became Seong-cheol’s master, Ye-ryeong hardly interfered with his training. Yet, it seemed like a promise, as she would watch Seong-cheol’s nighttime training until the very end before going to bed.
It was almost as if she felt it was her duty as his first master.
“Shall we wrap it up for today?”
-Click.
After sheathing his sword, Seong-cheol approached the wooden floor where Ye-ryeong was sitting. She smiled widely and patted the space beside her.
As Seong-cheol sat with a slight distance, Ye-ryeong scooted closer. When he looked at her in surprise, Ye-ryeong picked up a piece of candy she had prepared as a snack and offered it to him.
“Here, say ah~”
“I can feed myself.”
“Tsk, that’s just mean.”
As Seong-cheol nonchalantly took it with his hand, Ye-ryeong pouted. Seong-cheol sighed deeply and spoke.
“Ye-ryeong, you’re grown up now. How long are you going to act like a child? The girls in the lower village are all finding their partners and living happily. You should start looking too.”
Seong-cheol’s nagging was like that of a relative during holidays, and Ye-ryeong shouted in frustration.
“Ugh, really! Uncle, you keep saying the same thing every time I see you. What can I do if there aren’t any good men? Even though I look like this, I’m the only descendant of the Dokgo family. I have to be careful in choosing a partner!”
“Well, that’s true…”
“Maybe I’ll just marry you, Uncle~”
Leaning her head heavily on Seong-cheol’s shoulder, Ye-ryeong was being playful.
Seong-cheol chuckled and pushed her head away. He couldn’t remember how many times this playful banter had happened; it felt like ages ago.
“Why would the greatest beauty of the Dokgo family settle for an old uncle like me? Plus, I’m already taken.”
“I know. I’m not thinking of marrying someone old enough to be my dad. I’ve already decided my future husband will be three years younger than me, handsome, skilled, and a hidden master far removed from politics~”
“…Does such a person even exist?”
“Well, once I get married, you and Grandpa will be lonely, so I plan to stick around here for a while.”
Seeing Ye-ryeong smile, Seong-cheol couldn’t help but grin back.
Over the past thirteen years, they had become so close that they seemed like a father and daughter. Coincidentally, Ye-ryeong was similar in name and age to Seong-cheol’s daughter, Ye-seo.
“…”
Ye-seo. The moment her name came to mind, the cheerful atmosphere dissipated instantly. Noticing something was off, Ye-ryeong patted Seong-cheol’s back.
“Thinking about your daughter you left behind?”
“…Yeah, kind of.”
“Don’t worry. There has to be a way. They say if you train hard and gain insight, you can ascend to another world, right? Perhaps you could return to your original world using a similar method?”
“Ha ha, you’re saying I should become an immortal now?”
Seong-cheol had already opened up about his circumstances to Ye-ryeong and Jang-woon. It meant he regarded them as family or something very close to it.
And Ye-ryeong felt the same way. To her, Seong-cheol had already become a precious family member.
That’s why.
Ye-ryeong thought it would be good if Seong-cheol could return to his original world.
Yet at the same time, she wished he wouldn’t go back. In fact, she found herself feeling that way more often lately.
“…”
Thinking back, Seong-cheol had been living in this place for thirteen years. Longer than he had spent with his wife and daughter back in his original world. Thus, it wasn’t too far-fetched to think that he, along with Grandpa, could be more like family to him than them.
Of course, she couldn’t voice such thoughts aloud. If she did, it would push Seong-cheol away for good.
To Seong-cheol, she remained a family ‘like’ member, someone ‘almost’ like family.
She was definitely not his real daughter by blood.
“…Hey, Uncle. Can I ask you something?”
“Hold on.”
Just as Ye-ryeong was about to ask her sentimental question, Seong-cheol stood up with a serious expression.
“Uncle?”
Ye-ryeong hadn’t noticed anything unusual yet. But Seong-cheol clearly felt it.
The numerous eyes looking at them. And the unmistakable hostility contained within those gazes.
-Swoosh!!
-Caw!!
Moments later, as a shuriken flew towards Seong-cheol, he deflected it with his sword. Seeing the throwing star embedded in the wall, Ye-ryeong gasped and jumped to her feet.
“Show yourselves!”
Right after Seong-cheol shouted, dark shadows began creeping over the wall.
There were exactly ten of them.
Seong-cheol felt tension from the unusual auras they emanated. They looked strong at first glance.
At least equal to those he had faced in the tournament, if not stronger.
“What are you bastards?!”
Seong-cheol shouted, but they didn’t respond. Instead, the leader of the group signaled something, and three shadows drew their swords and charged at once.
“Ye-ryeong, step back!”
Almost simultaneously with Seong-cheol’s shout, the assassins closed in. These were indeed formidable opponents. Seong-cheol pulled out his sword and prepared himself.
-Whoosh!!
Seong-cheol’s mind quickly registered information about the enemies.
Who was attacking, what their intentions were, which attacks were the most lethal, and which would reach him first.
In an instant, he grasped everything and formulated optimal responses.
According to the principles of Dokgo Ye-gum, a one vs. many battle should involve penetrating deep into enemy ranks to induce chaos. However, Ye-ryeong was behind him. He couldn’t afford to retreat from this position.
“I’ll handle this right here!”
-Whoosh!!
Seong-cheol sprang into action. He dodged the first incoming attack, deflected the second with his sword, and then snatched the wrist of the assassin aiming the third attack with his unarmed left hand.
-Swish!
“Gah?!”
Immediately, Seong-cheol’s sword shot up like lightning, severing the third assassin’s wrist.
-Whoosh!
The first assassin took advantage of the moment and charged again. Seong-cheol threw his sword to block the charge and grasped the weapon from the fallen hand to strike. The swing accurately decapitated the second assassin who had been aiming for Seong-cheol’s back.
“Gah!”
“Damn it!”
As the assassin’s head fell to the ground, the two remaining figures withdrew.
Three had attacked, but one was dead. Another had lost his primary hand. Meanwhile, Seong-cheol had not shed a drop of blood.
“…Indeed, not an easy foe. The Swordmaster of the Dokgo Family, Seong-cheol.”
-Clap. Clap. Clap.
At that moment, the previously silent leader of the assassins clapped his hands. He descended lightly from the wall, drawing his own sword.
“Everyone, take formation and step back. I’ll deal with him.”
At his command, the eight assassins formed a circle around Seong-cheol. However, he had no spare attention to devote to them.
“That man, he’s strong…!”
Stronger than any warrior he had seen at the tournament. No, he might be the strongest warrior Seong-cheol had ever encountered. At least, that was the impression he was getting.
-Whoosh!!
-Boom!!
And that conjecture proved correct. The moment the enemy’s blade clashed with Seong-cheol’s, he felt an overwhelming weight force him to instinctively bend a knee.
“Gah?!”
It was a quick and powerful strike, heavy in its force. Seong-cheol blocked the strike with one sword and attempted to retaliate with another, but the unexpected heaviness of the attack forced him to focus all his arms on defense.
‘This is bad!’
If he was locked into a contest of strength with both arms occupied, the advantages of Dokgo Ye-gum would fade away. And the assassins attacking him were well aware of this.
“Now’s the time!”
With the leader’s cry, two assassins on either side charged at once. A sense of crisis washed over Seong-cheol.
But in that moment.
“Get the hell out of my way!!!”
A thunderous roar echoed through the air.
-Boom!!
The sound of something hitting the ground came moments before one of the assassins lunging at Seong-cheol had its head fly off. Turning his head, Seong-cheol saw Jang-woon, his sword raised in rage, already attacking the leader of the assailants.
-Kaang!!!
The two swords clashed, a sharp metal ring filling the air. Jang-woon began to press the assassin leader with a furious flurry of strikes.
-Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash!
The essence of Dokgo Ye-gum unfolded. Seong-cheol couldn’t believe that this was the prowess of a man in his eighties. Even the attacking assassins couldn’t help but hold their breaths, awed by the scene.
-Kaang! Crash! Kaang!!
But in the next instant, astonishment filled Jang-woon’s own eyes. Despite Jang-woon’s desperate attacks, the assassin leader had managed to deflect every single one while looking for an opening.
‘This guy is no ordinary foe! But wait… this sword style, could it be…?’
-Kaang!
-Swish!
In the instant Jang-woon’s concentration faltered, the leader’s sword struck deep into Jang-woon’s shoulder. Seong-cheol and Ye-ryeong rushed to their feet in unison.
“Don’t come near!!”
But Jang-woon stretched out his arm to stop them, stepping between them and the leader while facing off against the traitorous foe.
“…Though I’ve lived far from the martial world for long, how could I forget that sword? The sword style of the Namgung clan that values both honor and strength. Only one could wield it this well. Hwan, it’s you!”
Jang-woon’s words puzzled Seong-cheol.
Namgung clan? Hwan? From those keywords, Seong-cheol connected the dots.
“Even after saying all that, you still hide behind a mask! You coward, Namgung brat! Are you not ashamed as a warrior?!”
“…”
At those words, the leader of the assassins removed his mask, revealing a man slightly older than Seong-cheol.
“Namgung Hwan…”
Seong-cheol recognized that face.
Namgung Hwan. Head of the Namgung clan. He was also one of the hosts of the martial arts tournament Seong-cheol had just participated in, one of the prominent figures of the righteous martial world.
Why was he donning a mask and launching a surprise attack on the Dokgo family? Seong-cheol could not fathom.
“…It’s hard to understand. Why do you seek to kill our children?”
This question mirrored Jang-woon’s bewilderment. Namgung Hwan paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and replied.
“If the old man had behaved obediently in the corner as an old-timer, I wouldn’t have disturbed his peaceful days. Yet, it seems you were secretly sharpening a very sharp sword?”
“Haha.”
Though it was a metaphorical statement, Jang-woon understood his intent immediately.
“Were you afraid I would usurp the power you possess as the leader of the Five Great Families? Foolish man. For a warrior to be enticed by mere worldly power—”
“That so-called ‘worldly power’.”
Cutting off Jang-woon’s words, Namgung Hwan raised his sword.
“That worldly power controls the world and shapes history. Now that the old factions that used to trouble the martial world are all dead, it is the perfect opportunity for our clan’s warriors to seize power in the world. Yet, seeing a crumbling countryside clan lifting its head without fear, how could that sit well with my eyes?”
“Is that truly the reason you cowardly ambushed us… Gah!”
At that moment, blood suddenly spewed from Jang-woon’s mouth. Confused by the sight of his blood splattered on the ground, he was puzzled.
He had indeed been struck on the shoulder. However, the injury seemed too minor to cause such significant bleeding.
‘Wait, didn’t he just…’
Hadn’t Namgung Hwan just said that it was the perfect opportunity for their clan’s warriors to seize power in the world?
‘Our’ clan’s warriors.
Could it be?
‘Poison. A potent one at that. If the efficacy is this quick, it must belong to the Si-cheon faction—’
As Jang-woon looked at Namgung Hwan with a shuddering breath, Namgung Hwan smirked and nodded.
“Your little pride as a warrior has been thrown away, has it…!”
“Excuse my words. Poison technique is indeed a formidable martial art.”
“Master! Step back and manage the poison! I’ll take care of these guys!”
Seong-cheol was about to step forward, but Jang-woon shook his head.
“I won’t say much. Your talents shine bright, but you still lack the experience needed to master the Ye-gum. I’ll handle Namgung Hwan. Just take Ye-ryeong and escape.”
“But—”
“I won’t say it again. Keep Ye-ryeong safe. Whether the bloodline of the Dokgo family ends or the legacy of the swordsmanship dies, I won’t allow it to happen until my eyes close for good.”
-Goooor!!
With those words, an unusual energy began to pour out from Jang-woon.
It was the innate energy he possessed. Not typical internal power, but rather a fundamentally vital force, literally burning his life force. Just using it meant risking his life; it indicated Jang-woon had no intention of returning alive from this place.
“Grandpa! No!!”
As Ye-ryeong cried out with tears, Jang-woon turned to give her a brief look. The fierce warrior face that had been so filled with fury moments ago was now replaced with a gentle smile, one of a loving grandfather.
“My dear granddaughter Ye-ryeong. I’m sorry for this. I haven’t taken enough care of you, being the only family left. I’m truly sorry.”
“No! Grandpa, that’s not true! I don’t want you to—”
“Seong-cheol, I’m counting on you.”
“…Yes.”
“Wait, Uncle! Grandpa!!”
-Swoosh!
Seong-cheol scooped Ye-ryeong into his arms and began to flee. Namgung Hwan immediately shouted to his subordinates.
“Chase them!!”
But just then.
-Crack!!!
At the moment the underlings dashed forward, a massive crack opened in the ground where they stood. It was from Jang-woon’s sword strike.
“The sword of Dokgo Ye-gum is the first among the assassins. Striking the throats of fools who recklessly rush in is its specialty. Allow me to inform you kindly: The moment you cross that line, I will sever your heads. If you retreat, I’ll kill you. If you value your lives, keep your positions and behave.”
“You old man that’s about to die anyway…!”
Namgung Hwan shouted in anger, but even he could not dare to cross the line Jang-woon had drawn.
After all, who was Dokgo Jang-woon?
Though his skills had deteriorated due to age, he had been known among the Five Legendary Swordsmen during his prime, a man who had held the title of Sword Saint decades ago.
Crossing that line implied a challenge to the legend of the Sword Saint.
Even though Namgung Hwan had come with intentions of murdering him, he could not disregard the weight of that title.
“…Cough.”
However, that reputation had become but a distant memory. Besides, his body was currently poisoned and he could collapse at any moment. Namgung Hwan smirked seeing Jang-woon, who was now bleeding.
“Are you just going to wait until you die?”
“…The guy who’s already dying has quite a tongue. If you hold a martial arts tournament based on mere words, you’d surely be the greatest in the world. Congratulations! The Namgung clan has finally grasped the world!”
“You filthy old man…!!”
Namgung Hwan prepared his stance, energy surging through him. His subordinates drew their weapons, ready to charge at any moment.
“Bring it on. That’s better.”
For Jang-woon, this was a relief. Given his condition, there was no way he could catch up if they tried to flee anyway.
However.
“…You think it’s all smooth sailing? Surely you didn’t think we were the only assassins here? Old man.”
Namgung Hwan sneered, reading Jang-woon’s inner thoughts. A sense of foreboding surged in Jang-woon’s mind.
“…Damn it.”
Meanwhile, Seong-cheol was running through the woods with Ye-ryeong on his back.
Ye-ryeong had been insisting she couldn’t leave without her grandfather, but Seong-cheol paid her little mind. Returning now would only mean their deaths were in vain.
“…Damn it.”
But soon, Seong-cheol also recognized the enemy’s trap and bit down on his lips.
-Swoosh!!
-Caw!!
Seong-cheol deflected the shuriken darting from the darkness with the sword in one hand.
“Ah?!”
“Chasers! Ye-ryeong, hold on tight!”
-Whirl!!
Ducking and dodging shurikens from all directions, Seong-cheol ran with all his might.
‘There’s no way the Namgung clan’s warriors possess this level of stealth technique. Considering Master’s words a moment ago… Could it be the Tan clan is involved in this ambush too?’
The shurikens flying from all directions had neatly cut off Seong-cheol’s escape route. Despite dodging and deflecting desperately, a few inevitably hit him.
‘If I keep going like this, I’ll get caught.’
With no other choice, Seong-cheol changed his course. After much frantic running, he arrived at an open cliff halfway up the mountain.
“Huff, huff, huff…!”
“Did you walk right into a dead end, fool?”
The assassins who had followed him emerged from the woods. There were five of them. Thankfully, there were fewer than he had expected.
“You’re the fools. I meant to come here on purpose.”
Immediately, the battle between Seong-cheol and the assassins began.
Seong-cheol butchered the enemies with a storm-like fury. Underestimating him, the assassins weakened by poison and shurikens soon regretted their overconfidence. The reputation of the Swordmaster of Dokgo didn’t come for free. While he may have been inexperienced compared to his master Jang-woon, he had far surpassed him in mastery of internal power.
“Gah!”
“Argh!!”
In the end, Seong-cheol subdued all the assassins after a bloody brawl. Covered in shurikens, he grabbed the remaining alive assassin by the collar and demanded.
“Antidote. You must have it, right? Hand it over.”
“Y-Yes! Please spare my life…!”
As the assassin handed over the antidote, Seong-cheol killed him without hesitation. Gulping down the antidote, he turned to Ye-ryeong, breathless.
“Ye-ryeong! We need to leave quickly, before more enemies come—”
Yet Ye-ryeong’s face looked strange. Just as Seong-cheol was about to question her, Ye-ryeong, who had been wobbling, suddenly knelt down.
“Ye-ryeong!!”
He rushed over, only to find a shuriken lodged in her back. Seong-cheol questioned her about when she was hit, but Ye-ryeong managed a weak smile as she replied.
“…Earlier, in the f-f-forest. I didn’t say anything because… I thought if I told you… you’d worry and not fight properly…”
“Stay calm! Control the bleeding. I’ll give you the antidote right now…!”
Seong-cheol began to search the bodies of the assassins in haste. Luckily, there was an antidote remaining. He hurriedly retrieved it and brought it to Ye-ryeong.
“Huff, cough! Gah?!”
However, the antidote didn’t show any sign of working. Soon, a puddle of bright red blood had spread beneath Ye-ryeong’s body.
“I tried to, control the blood flow to… stop the bleeding… but… it didn’t work out. I guess, I really don’t have the talent, like Grandpa said…”
“Stop it! Don’t talk! I’ll figure something out. Just hold on and stay conscious!”
Seong-cheol examined Ye-ryeong’s wound. The shuriken had penetrated deeply into the middle of her right side.
In a brief moment, knowledge from his past life flashed through his mind. The position of the shuriken was precisely against Ye-ryeong’s liver. He recalled having heard somewhere how the liver has little muscle around it and many blood vessels, making it hard to stop the bleeding.
“No! This isn’t modernity; this is the martial world! There has to be a way…!”
Seong-cheol pressed on her pressure points, frantic to stop the bleeding, but nothing seemed to improve. Eventually, despair washed over his face.
At that moment.
“…It’s okay, Uncle. Maybe it’s for the best…”
Ye-ryeong said. Seong-cheol stared at her, puzzled by her words.
“Uncle… you have a home to return to, a real family waiting for you. If I die, you can return without regrets… isn’t that right?”
“What are you saying! You and Master are my family! I can’t divide people into ‘real’ or ‘fake’!”
“Is that so…? I’m relieved… I’m not the only one feeling this way…”
With great effort, Ye-ryeong raised her hand to caress Seong-cheol’s cheek. Seong-cheol’s tears mixed with the blood on his face, streaming down.
“Uncle, can I ask you something…?”
When Seong-cheol silently nodded, Ye-ryeong spoke with great difficulty.
“Do you… love me…?”
“…Of course I love you. You are my precious family.”
“I loved you too…”
Was that as a father? Or as a man?
Even as she stood on the brink of death, Ye-ryeong could not pinpoint the exact nature of her feelings for Seong-cheol. Yet it no longer mattered.
What was important was that she was someone precious to Seong-cheol. Just knowing that was enough.
“I… really loved you…”
With those final words, the thread that had barely held onto Ye-ryeong’s breath snapped. As Seong-cheol watched her eyes slowly lose their light, he cried out in despair.
“No! Ye-ryeong! Ye-ryeong! Please, ugh, aaah!!!!!”
His cries of inconsolable grief echoed in the empty night, resonating until just before dawn.
That day, Seong-cheol lost his beloved daughter.
And the next day.
A herbalist climbing the mountain discovered bloodstains at the entrance of the Dokgo family mansion.
When the villagers opened the doors, they were met with Jang-woon’s corpse, waiting for them. Though there was only one body, the scattered bloodstains clearly belonged to more than one person.
People quickly realized there had been a battle the previous night, but they could not find the culprits. Normally, the martial alliance would eagerly seek out the assailants, but strangely, they showed little interest in this incident.
Months passed, and the mysterious death of Dokgo Jang-woon faded from memory. While there were some searching for the missing Ye-ryeong and Seong-cheol, their pursuit did not last long.
Some even linked the peculiar deaths in the Dokgo family with the simultaneous disappearances of several warriors from the Namgung and Tan families. However, those who raised such possibilities soon vanished without a trace. It was dreadfully bizarre.
So, people forgot the incident.
The second time people recalled the event was a year later.
It happened when a single warrior committed an act of slaughter against all members of the Namgung family.
The culprit was quickly identified. The one who had murdered the members of the clan publicly proclaimed before witnesses.
“I am Seong-cheol of the Dokgo family.
I have returned to punish those who killed my father and daughter.”
The martial alliance immediately issued a suppression order for Seong-cheol, but the already depleted martial alliance couldn’t even handle a single Seong-cheol. Just a year ago, Seong-cheol had been on the brink of being a wannabe warrior, but now he had emerged to become an influential figure no one dared to touch.
During the time the martial alliance was timid, Seong-cheol visited the Tan family and unleashed a similar bloodbath. The people referred to him as the Ghost Blade, the man who indiscriminately hacked down people with his sword. The reputation of Seong-cheol, once known as the greatest warrior of the waning days, quickly turned into infamy.
Thus, the Namgung and Tan families were annihilated by a single hand. People trembled in fear, as they had no idea where the blade of the Ghost Blade would strike next.
But.
After the incident with the Tan family, the Ghost Blade went silent. People speculated various reasons.
Some said it was because his revenge had concluded.
Some suggested he had been poisoned and had succumbed to death.
Some theorized that a hidden master, who had lain in waiting, might have come forth to administer justice.
Others whispered that he was merely hiding, waiting for the right moment to emerge and unleash more bloodshed.
Yet no one uncovered the truth.
The Ghost Blade, Seong-cheol, who had swept through the central plains like a storm of blood following the great conflict.
No one realized he might have suddenly been returned to his original world.