Chapter 235: Episode 44 – Swindler (3)
From the next day onwards, Yoo Jonghyuk was absorbed in training with the Breaking the Sky Sword
Saint.
The Breaking the Sky Sword Saint kept maintaining a serious expression from the moment she heard her clan could be found. Yoo Jonghyuk knew her heart but devoted himself to meditation instead of comforting his teacher.
‘Originally, I was going to meet the ancient giant G.o.ds in person but…’
In any case, it wouldn’t be bad to leave it to Kim Dokja. Yoo Jonghyuk would’ve had to pa.s.s through 40 scenarios in order to meet an ancient giant G.o.d if he followed his original plan.
‘That guy, I didn’t think he would have such a relations.h.i.+p with the Underworld.’
Kim Dokja really had unknown corners. How the h.e.l.l did he succeed in charming all those constellations…
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ is laughing.]
Just look at this archangel. The Demon-like Judge of Fire wasn’t such a constellation during the second round. She was a strict and lofty archangel full of justice. Yoo Jonghyuk couldn’t understand why such an existence was so ruined this time.
“Are you really thinking about partic.i.p.ating in the compet.i.tion?”
Yoo Jonghyuk nodded silently at the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint’s question.
“You might die. The compet.i.tion scenarios are never easy.”
“I am much stronger than I was at this point of time in the last round.”
“It isn’t at a level to deal with the teenage masters.”
Yoo Jonghyuk was well aware of the teenage masters of Murim. One of them was the Ice Flower G.o.ddess whose techniques were sold by the previous merchant who welcomed visitors. There was also a teenage master from the South Palace, a distant relative of the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint. They would appear when the martial arts compet.i.tion opened.
In addition, the martial arts compet.i.tion was a commodity so he had to consider the incarnations of famous constellations partic.i.p.ating.
[Some constellations are looking forward to the martial arts compet.i.tion.]
[Some constellations are tired of the martial arts compet.i.tion.]
Fortunately, the stronger constellations were tired of these scenarios. As a scenario that repeated every year in Murim, there weren’t many constellations paying much attention to the martial arts compet.i.tion.
The Breaking the Sky Sword Saint read Yoo Jonghyuk’s heart and opened her mouth. “You have to open transcendence stage two.”
“I’ve opened it before so it won’t be difficult.”
“It is different from breaking through stage one.”
“I will do it somehow. I’ve already reached stage three in the last round.”
“…Stage three?”
The Breaking the Sky Sword Saint’s eyes shook. The third stage of transcendence wasn’t a step that could be reached with talent alone. It took an enormous amount of ‘time’ to pa.s.s through the third stage. On the other hand, Yoo Jonghyuk couldn’t have experienced such a large amount of time in the last round…
Yoo Jonghyuk understood his teacher’s question and replied, “I used a time fault in the Dark Dimension.”
A time fault in the Dark Dimension. It was often called the ‘cemetery of Murim.’ There were two types of Murim people who went to that place. In that prison of enormous time, there were those who hit the wall of talent and became crazy or those who went beyond the wall. Yoo Jonghyuk was the latter.
“…I can’t imagine how hard your training was. How many years were you inside there?”
“Around 100 years.”
“Stage three in 100 years… no wonder why you are so arrogant.”
100 years. It was a long time for ordinary humans but it wasn’t the same for transcendents.
There were many people who lived for 200 or 300 years in this world who couldn’t reach transcendence no matter how much they built up their martial arts. It was a wall that couldn’t be overcome by improving the physical body with all types of spiritual medicine. There was a thick wall in transcendence yet Yoo Jonghyuk crossed that wall three times in 100 years.
“I will shorten it if I enter the time fault again.”
“It’s a crazy idea! Using a time fault will numb the soul. Haven’t you seen the martial artists who went mad in the time fault? Don’t you know that there is a fine line between insanity and transcendence?”
“…In the last round, I couldn’t surpa.s.s you even after entering the time fault.”
“Of course! 100 years is too early to catch up with me!” The Breaking the Sky Sword Saint struggled for a moment before saying, “In any case… you have reached the third stage, it is better to teach you than an ignorant person.”
Yoo Jonghyuk’s expression wasn’t very bright despite his teacher’s praise. The Breaking the Sky Sword Saint felt something fishy and questioned him. Yoo Jonghyuk eventually told her the story.
The Breaking the Sky Sword Saint heard the story and asked as if it was absurd, “Your spiritual awakening was while you were exhausted?”
“Well, I don’t remember exactly.”
In the end, he didn’t know who he broke through into stage three. The Breaking the Sky Sword Saint’s expression wasn’t good. “Are you confident you can trust your unconscious mind and break through to stage three again? That sounds like the pseudo-cult followers of the Ice Flower G.o.ddess.
“That’s why I need you. Please teach me your techniques again.”
“What?”
“Using the same method as before is difficult. It takes too long.”
The Breaking the Sky Sword Saint was stunned by her disciple’s shameless words. “I don’t know if I should help. You’ve crossed the wall of transcendence so you know that transcendence is never done in one way. All transcendents have to find their own way to transcend.”
“You can still help. Isn’t there the 10,000 Streams will Gather Together School.” (TL: the idiom that all things will eventually return to the same point)
“It means we will have to find one of the many branches. There is no such enlightenment in the world. Just as there is no such story.”
“Still, if there are 10,000 branches, can’t we catch one of them? I’ve already found one in the past.”
Yoo Jonghyuk said this and thought he was somehow talking like Kim Dokja. He didn’t originally talk this way. Maybe he was influenced while they were together. The Breaking the Sky Sword Saint sighed at her silent disciple. “Were you originally so talkative? It won’t be easy. You should’ve seen from the previous round that the Breaking the Sky Swordsmans.h.i.+p wasn’t originally for men.”
Yoo Jonghyuk also knew it. That’s why it was very difficult to learn the skills of the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint in the past. However, this time was different.
“The problem of gender can be resolved to some extent.”
“What does that mean?”
[The constellation who likes to change s.e.x is snorting.]
Yoo Jonghyuk frowned at the indirect message. Complex emotions and enormous anger rose every time he thought about it but he had to take advantage of everything he could.
“It is time to wrap this up.”
After a while, the astonished Breaking the Sky Sword Saint’s mouth dropped open. Yoo Jonghyuk took out his sword with a blank expression.
“You can never tell that guy out there.”
***
[In the Kim Dokja Industrial Complex, there are people who doubt your achievements.]
[The story about the ‘Swindler Kim Dokja’ is spreading in the Kim Dokja Industrial Complex.]
I woke up from my nap due to a message in the air. Based on the message, it seemed that a bad rumour was circulating in the industrial complex while I was away. It was natural since the industrial complex had changed rulers but the new ruler never showed his face.
By the way, Swindler Kim Dokja… Why did it feel like people who didn’t know my face knew me better?
“Kim Dokja. What are you doing?”
Someone kicked me and I got up with a groan. I saw Yoo Jonghyuk whose upper body was bare and covered in sweat. It was probably from the hard training under the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint.
“…I was just thinking for a moment.”
“You’re being lazy.”
“I have to be lazy now. I’m a patient.”
It was an excuse but it was true. I had yet to fully recover from the exile penalty. The recovery was also delayed due to what happened with the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint. I was increasing the proficiency of Lamarck Kirin and steadily ingesting story fragments, so recovery wouldn’t be too late.
I looked at the people training hard in the front yard of the place. “How about those guys?”
The sweating Jang Hayoung was sparring against Han Myungoh. The Breaking the Sky Master was supervising and pointing out any mistakes.
“That girl has a fair amount of talent. Her strange attribute means she is learning it very quickly.”
“That isn’t a girl. He’s a man.”
“Sometimes I don’t know where your eyes are.”
What an idiot. He was a man, right? It was like this in the original novel. I was about to speak when Yoo Jonghyuk wondered, “Rather, what is happening with the constellations?”
“…I’m thinking.”
It had already been a week since I received Persephone’s message.
[The constellation ‘Queen of the Darkest Spring’ is inviting you to the Gourmet a.s.sociation.]
[In one week, the Gourmet a.s.sociation Festival will be held at Oro Castle.]
[Please decide if you will depart by tonight.]
An invitation to the Gourmet a.s.sociation. I expected it to happen someday but it was earlier than expected.
The Gourmet a.s.sociation. It was a gathering of constellations who loved gourmet food. At first glance, it was like the ‘constellation banquet’ but reality was completely different.
If the constellation banquet was official, the Gourmet a.s.sociation Festival was unofficial and the intensity of the events that happened was also different.
[The constellation ‘Demon-like Judge of Fire’ is worried about you.]
Above all, there was no Uriel in the Gourmet a.s.sociation.
[The constellation ‘Prisoner of the Golden Headband’ is wondering about your choice.]
There was no the Great Sage the Equal of Heaven, no Secretive Plotter. Was there… the Abyssal Black Flame Dragon? I couldn’t remember it well.
In any case, the atmosphere of the place wasn’t as favourable to me as the ‘constellations banquet.’ There was nothing more dangerous in the Star Stream then going to a gathering of unstable constellations.
Yoo Jonghyuk read my expression and asked, “Are you frightened?”
“No way.”
I wouldn’t have come all the way here if I didn’t partic.i.p.ate in the Gourmet a.s.sociation for that reason. I silently watched Jang Hayoung and Han Myungoh sparring. Han Myungoh was. .h.i.t continuously hit and let out a scream. Yoo Jonghyuk watched along with me and stated. “It’s because of this place.”
“…That’s right.”
According to Persephone’s message, the Gourmet a.s.sociation Festival was exactly one week later. As it happened, the date was exactly the same as the martial arts compet.i.tion.
It meant I wouldn’t be in the First Murim on the day the martial arts compet.i.tion scenario occurred. If something happened…
“Go and come back, Kim Dokja.”