Chapter 6: Fate

“Why… are you here?”

Yang Hyo-myung, who saw Jang Woo-hyun reappear, was surprised and opened his eyes wide.

It had only been a couple of months since Jang left White Tiger Martial Hall.

Considering the distance to the Cloud Sword Sect, it was far too soon for him to have learned martial arts and returned.

“Why are you already… hmm.”

A small groan escaped from Yang Hyo-myung’s mouth.

He couldn’t fully gauge Jang Woo-hyun’s current level.

Before he left, although Jang Woo-hyun was slightly ahead, their skills had been close enough that he could still assess him.

But now, he could only vaguely guess.

This meant that they were no longer on the same level.

In less than two months, Jang Woo-hyun had become a high-level martial artist.

“Heh… I knew you were exceptional, but I didn’t expect you to grow this fast.”

The leap from second-rate martial artist to first-rate, and from first-rate to master level, wasn’t like walking up a gentle slope.

Each stage had its own wall, and crossing that wall was much harder than it seemed.

Many failed to surpass that wall and ended up frustrated.

But Jang Woo-hyun had overcome that wall and become a master.

“I have something to ask.”

With his hand on the sword’s hilt, Jang Woo-hyun spoke.

From his hardened face and emotionless tone, Yang Hyo-myung realized that something was wrong.

The tense atmosphere made Yang Hyo-myung swallow nervously before he opened his mouth with difficulty.

“What… is it?”

“Did you know that Gal Yoon was such a person?”

Jang Woo-hyun raised his aura to pressure Yang Hyo-myung, seeking the truth from him.

“…”

Startled by the icy energy, Yang Hyo-myung took several steps back.

The two of them stood facing each other for a long time.

From the trembling in his eyes, Jang Woo-hyun deduced that Yang Hyo-myung truly didn’t know anything.

He let go of his sword and retracted his aura.

Yang Hyo-myung took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

“What happened?”

Jang Woo-hyun then explained what had transpired at the Cloud Sword Sect.

He told him about Gal Yoon’s true intentions and how the sect leader wasn’t much different.

He also explained how he killed them and arrived here.

“Heh…”

Yang Hyo-myung couldn’t say anything in response to the unexpected story.

With a pale face, he sat down on the ground.

“I almost got you killed. No, no… it’s the same as if I had already killed you. I pushed you into a dead end, but you managed to survive on your own.”

Yang Hyo-myung muttered self-deprecatingly, sitting on the ground.

Watching him, Jang Woo-hyun let out a sigh of relief internally.

Fortunately, Yang Hyo-myung wasn’t a piece of trash.

The first person he met after entering the martial world wasn’t entirely in vain.

Yang Hyo-myung had introduced him to Gal Yoon with good intentions.

It was just that the Cloud Sword Sect members were insane.

“Are you alright?”

“You’re worried about me? I should be worrying about you, my friend. Because of me, you went through all that and even had to kill people. Are you really okay?”

Feeling Yang Hyo-myung’s sincerity, Jang Woo-hyun nodded with a smile.

“Yes, I’m fine. So please, stand up.”

Jang Woo-hyun extended a hand to help Yang Hyo-myung get up.

Yang Hyo-myung stood up and apologized several times, bowing his head.

Only after some time passed could the two finally move to another spot.

“Let me apologize once more. I didn’t know that Elder Gal Yoon… no, that damned Gal Yoon was such a person.”

“It seemed like he approached you from the beginning with such intentions. He was probably looking for someone who could be useful to him.”

“Ah…”

That realization shocked Yang Hyo-myung, and he sat silently with a blank expression for a while.

“Yes, the martial world without justice or righteousness is like that. The strong care only for themselves, and the weak simply suffer.”

Yang Hyo-myung shook his head with a bitter smile.

“What will you do now?”

“I’m not sure yet. I was planning to go to the Cloud Sword Sect to learn more martial arts, but things turned out like this.”

“Hmmm.”

Yang Hyo-myung sighed softly and fell into deep thought.

There was nothing he could do to help.

Even before Jang Woo-hyun left White Tiger Martial Hall, his martial skills had surpassed Yang Hyo-myung’s.

There was nothing more for him to teach or assist with.

After thinking for a while, something came to Yang Hyo-myung’s mind, and he cautiously opened his mouth.

“Have you heard of the Demon Extermination Sect?”

Jang Woo-hyun nodded slightly.

It was a unique sect he’d heard about from wandering warriors on his way to the Cloud Sword Sect.

Jang Woo-hyun was aware of it.

“If you already know, then this will be easier to explain. I originally intended to tell you about the Demon Extermination Sect, but I hesitated because it’s too dangerous. That’s why I introduced you to the Cloud Sword Sect instead. But now that you’ve reached first-rate level, I think the Demon Extermination Sect might be a good fit for you. How about going there?”

“The Demon Extermination Sect…”

“If you make a name for yourself there, you’ll have opportunities to learn rare martial arts and even receive valuable elixirs. After all, they have the emperor and the nation backing them. It might be the perfect place for you.”

Since he had no fixed goals, Jang Woo-hyun decided to think positively about going to the Demon Extermination Sect.

They discussed a few more things about his future path, had dinner, and returned to the accommodations Jang had been assigned to.

Jang Woo-hyun didn’t sleep in the room.

It didn’t matter much if he didn’t sleep for a day, and he wanted to be prepared for any unexpected situations.

He didn’t completely trust Yang Hyo-myung yet.

Lying quietly on the bed, Jang Woo-hyun eventually got up.

He walked to the desk, picked up a brush, and began organizing the martial arts techniques he had modified.

From the Tiger Step to the Tiger Form Sword.

They had changed so much that they were no longer the same martial arts.

He wrote down the details of the altered techniques.

If Yang Hyo-myung turned out to be like the people from the Cloud Sword Sect, he would discard it.

If not, he would give it as a gift.

While writing down the techniques, he once again organized the Tiger Form Sword.

Time passed quickly as he worked, and before he knew it, the sun had risen.

Fortunately, no one had attacked in the middle of the night.

Even while eating breakfast with Yang Hyo-myung, Jang Woo-hyun couldn’t help but wonder if the food was poisoned.

‘I’m going to develop a paranoia at this rate.’

Fortunately, Yang Hyo-myung was different from the people of the Cloud Sword Sect, and they finished the meal without any problems.

After finishing breakfast, Jang Woo-hyun handed over what he had organized.

“What’s this?”

Yang Hyo-myung asked, receiving the thick stack of papers.

“It’s my own improvement of the Tiger Form Sword.”

“The Tiger Form Sword?”

“Yes. I tried to fill in the weak points of the Tiger Form Sword in my own way. It may be presumptuous of me, but the more I used the Tiger Form Sword, the more I felt something was off.”

“…”

Yang Hyo-myung’s eyes moved rapidly as he read through the papers.

“If you think I’ve overstepped, feel free to throw it away.”

“No, no.”

Yang Hyo-myung shook his head.

Although he lacked the talent and skill to immediately grasp the brilliance of what he was holding, there was one thing he could be sure of.

This was a stroke of fortune.

It was the first fortune he had received since learning martial arts.

And it was a fortune that might never come again.

Yang Hyo-myung had watched Jang Woo-hyun closely during the short time they spent together.

With his skills, Jang Woo-hyun would certainly be able to identify the flaws in the Tiger Form Sword.

He might be at the first-rate level now, but that was only for the time being.

In a few years, or perhaps just a few months, Jang Woo-hyun could reach an even higher level.

Since it was something Jang Woo-hyun had given him, it was undeniably a stroke of fortune.

This could become a martial arts manual unrivaled in the world.

“Thank you. Really, thank you.”

Yang Hyo-myung stood up and bowed several times.

Feeling uncomfortable with Yang’s excessive gratitude, Jang Woo-hyun also stood and waved his hands to stop him.

“It’s nothing, Hall Master. I just made some arbitrary changes to a family martial art, so it’s not something you need to thank me for. Please, don’t make it uncomfortable.”

Although Jang tried to stop him, Yang Hyo-myung continued to bow and express his gratitude several times.

After that small exchange, Yang Hyo-myung placed a small pouch on the table.

“Take this with you.”

“What is this?”

“If you’re going to the Demon Extermination Sect, you’ll need some funds for the journey.”

“It’s alright. I have enough for the journey.”

“No, take it. I’m offering it because I feel bad. You went through unnecessary hardship because of me, and you’ve even improved the martial arts for me. Please, accept it. If not, I won’t be able to live with myself.”

Yang Hyo-myung was indeed different.

Other than the villagers who took him in after he arrived in this world, Yang Hyo-myung was the first person to show him genuine affection.

“Then, thank you.”

After repeated persuasion, Jang Woo-hyun finally took the pouch and placed it in his chest pocket.

“Well, I suppose I’ll be on my way now. There’s no need to delay any longer.”

“Indeed. At your rate of growth, even this time spent here feels like a waste. It was good to see you again.”

“I enjoyed it as well.”

“I’ll repay this favor one day.”

Yang Hyo-myung said as he held up the stack of papers Jang Woo-hyun had given him.

“Favor? I should be the one repaying it. You were the one who taught me my first martial art.”

“Then let’s say we’re both indebted to each other.”

Just like when they first met, they both laughed.

After that, Jang Woo-hyun left White Tiger Martial Hall behind.

* * *

“I heard that monsters have appeared in Mount Qingcheng, so make sure you don’t go there. Oh, come on, I told you not to go. What can people like us do if we go? We’ll only die. I don’t care if they’re warriors from the Demon Extermination Sect, they can’t possibly catch all of them. They must have missed a few, and the ones they missed must have settled there. The Taoists from the Blue Star Sect or the Demon Extermination Sect warriors will come and take care of it eventually.”

Overhearing a conversation at an inn, Jang Woo-hyun changed his direction.

Monsters, or strange creatures.

They were real in this world.

And they had a considerable influence.

The Demon Extermination Sect often dealt with the monsters that the remnants of the Thousand Demon Sect summoned rather than with the remnants themselves.

Jang Woo-hyun didn’t know if the monsters in Mount Qingcheng were related to the Thousand Demon Sect or had always lived there, but he decided to hunt them.

Since he would likely encounter such creatures frequently in the Demon Extermination Sect, he wanted to gain some experience beforehand, and he was curious as well.

More importantly, he wanted to gain combat experience.

He wanted to practice martial arts, but he couldn’t go around killing people without reason.

Hearing that monsters were causing trouble seemed like a perfect opportunity.

‘Where could they be?’

After wandering the mountain for nearly two hours, he finally encountered the creature he was looking for in front of a cave halfway up the mountain.

A large monkey with yellowish fur and a huge head.

Its eyes and mouth were red, and it was about as tall as an adult man’s waist.

If it stood up straight, it would be even taller.

Each of the monkeys was holding what looked like wooden clubs, as if they knew how to use tools.

“Keeaak!”

“Krrrk! Krrrk!”

The creatures cried out upon seeing Jang Woo-hyun, seemingly communicating with each other.

One of them quickly rushed toward him.

As it got closer, the monkey leaped into the air, narrowing the distance between them.

Then it swung its wooden club.

The force behind the swing was as powerful as that of a strong adult man.

Whoosh—

Jang Woo-hyun leaned back slightly, narrowly avoiding the club, and immediately swung his sword.

Though it didn’t cut as smoothly as expected, with that single motion, the monkey’s head fell to the ground.

Thud.

The monkey’s body collapsed, and its severed head rolled down the slope.

The noisy creatures instantly fell silent.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep