Chapter 131 – Bimu and Bimu (4)

At the request of old man Han Byeong-cheol, I visited the Muwon Sword Family for the first time in a while.

It just so happened that I had wanted to visit at least once.

Min Ha-rin, who obtained Ignarog’s Rune with me. I was curious how much her mana had increased.

“The reason I called for you is…”

But the reason was a bit unexpected.

He wanted me to help with Min Ha-rin’s Bimu preparations for just one day.

“But why me, of all people?”

In truth, there were many masters in the Muwon Sword Family.

From warriors who could match Min Ha-rin to Han Byeong-cheol, one of the three great martial gods of South Korea.

They could more than handle the Bimu preparations without calling an outsider, so I couldn’t quite understand why he specifically requested me.

“May I speak frankly?”

“Yes.”

“It might sound a bit self-serving.”

“It’s fine, please go ahead.”

“Our Ha-rin has gotten quite strong. She recently had a tremendous stroke of luck in the Abyss.”

I knew that better than anyone.

I had a pretty big stake in that stroke of luck, after all.

“I can guess. You wouldn’t have proposed a Bimu to Heo Jeong-ah’s side without any basis. So?”

“Let’s just say I wanted to compare you and our Ha-rin.”

So that was it, the old man’s true intention.

Min Ha-rin had already been defeated by me in a Bimu.

And the Muwon Sword Family must have found it hard to fully accept the result of their family’s top prospect losing to me.

It seemed the old man was still bothered by that Bimu.

“Isn’t that intention a bit too blatant?”

“Didn’t I say so? That it might sound a bit self-serving.”

“Now that you’ve said it so openly, I can’t even get angry.”

“Don’t be like that. I cherish you as much as I cherish our Ha-rin.”

“I’m not so sure about that part, but I’ll help you out. Since you’ve helped me before, elder.”

At my words, the corners of Han Byeong-cheol’s mouth lifted.

“Thank you for readily agreeing. Frankly, I have a feeling that today will be more entertaining than the Bimu with the Taeseong Sword Family’s eldest daughter.”

“Well, I’ll just end it after lightly exchanging a few blows.”

“Do as you please. Then, let’s end this topic here. Can you tell me how you’ve been?”

His expression was as if he was determined to have a chat with me.

It didn’t look like it would end easily, so I had to brace myself.

***

Min Ha-rin took a deep breath.

Facing Seo Ji-han again like this made her tense up without realizing it.

“It’s been a while, Ms. Min Ha-rin.”

On the other hand, Seo Ji-han looked relaxed.

Come to think of it, agreeing to cross swords with him was part of training, not a Bimu.

She thought that perhaps she alone was placing too much importance on it.

“Then let’s start lightly, without any pressure.”

“Yes. Understood.”

But this pressure didn’t disappear in the slightest.

No matter how much it was training and not a Bimu, when they crossed swords, a superior and inferior would naturally be decided.

Furthermore, the Supreme Family Head Han Byeong-cheol was watching right now.

She couldn’t disappoint him once more.

And one more thing.

The fear that perhaps Seo Ji-han had grown even more than her washed over her.

Because Seo Ji-han was one of the two true geniuses she acknowledged.

Thinking that, Min Ha-rin quickly shook her head.

‘No. There’s no need to be needlessly afraid.’

Thinking rationally, there was no way Seo Ji-han could have grown more.

No matter how much of a genius he was, she had become exponentially stronger after recently taking Ignarog’s Rune.

The rune’s effect was that astonishing.

“Ms. Min Ha-rin. What are you thinking so hard about? Is it okay to start now?”

“What? Oh, yes!”

To show such a dazed look.

She felt like something was going wrong even before they started.

“Then I’m coming in.”

“Yes!”

Min Ha-rin readjusted her grip on the sword.

In the beginning, she planned to defend against Seo Ji-han’s sword and find an opening to counterattack.

Swaaak!

Seo Ji-han’s first strike flew in lightly.

However, it was an ordinary attack, neither particularly fast nor particularly strong.

Chaaeng!

Min Ha-rin extended her sword and defended against his strike.

As expected, she didn’t feel much weight from Seo Ji-han’s attack.

It must also be the effect of her mana having increased significantly due to the rune.

Chaaeng!

And then the second clash immediately followed.

It was light, as expected.

At the same time, her heart also lightened.

She was able to calm her overly tense heart.

Chaaeng!

The third clash followed without delay.

The exchange was not much different from the previous two.

Chaaeng!

Chaaeng!

But as the number of clashes increased, Min Ha-rin got a chilling feeling.

‘No matter how much this is an initial probing, an opening…’

Was nowhere to be seen.

There was no weight in Seo Ji-han’s attacks, but she also couldn’t find any gap to launch an immediate counterattack.

The very model of swordsmanship that was as ordinary as could be.

Vertical slashes, horizontal slashes, diagonal slashes, and downward strikes were just following one after another.

And yet, the space felt completely filled.

Min Ha-rin bit her lip gently.

No matter how much this was training, she had to establish a clear advantage.

With that thought, she imbued her sword with as much mana as she could.

If the opponent’s attacks were flawless, she thought she could create an opening by crushing him with overwhelming mana.

It might be a little rude, but she had to go strong.

Her opponent was a genius among geniuses, after all.

Swaaaaaak!!

Min Ha-rin swung her sword to match the timing of Seo Ji-han’s attack.

Her mana exploded.

A considerable power that even she was not yet accustomed to.

She thought this blow would surely shake Seo Ji-han. But.

Chaaaaeng!

Even after their swords clashed, Seo Ji-han’s expression was calm.

His eyes were as if saying this was no different from the previous clashes.

In that moment, goosebumps crawled all over her skin.

‘The gap has widened even more!’

That vague fear, which wasn’t rational at all, turned out to be reality.

Min Ha-rin felt as if she was facing a wall.

Suddenly, a conversation she had with the Supreme Family Head Han Byeong-cheol came to mind.

Family Head, I have seen a true genius. A heavenly talent that I cannot even compare to.

Ha-rin, you seem to have been quite deeply impressed by that person. So, who is he and what is his affiliation?

His affiliation is unknown, and his name is Johan. Of course, this is likely an alias as well.

You should be able to guess who he is by his swordsmanship, do you really not know?

It was a swordsmanship I had never seen before. In fact, I have never even seen a similar style.

Hoho. To think such a person exists in the world. What a curious thing.

Min Ha-rin had vaguely thought.

If she compared the two geniuses she had seen, Johan and Seo Ji-han, Johan was still the slightly better one.

But that was a misjudgment.

The real genius was right in front of her eyes.

Swaaaaak!

His sword flew in again.

A flawless attack with no weight but also no opening.

It turned out Seo Ji-han had been matching her level.

For the sake of her Bimu preparations.

***

The Spring of Elixir.

This was a place where warriors who had completed quests in the Abyss returned to heal their injuries and recover their bodies. It was by no means a suitable place for training.

The vast spring was entirely covered in a thick fog, and practicing swordsmanship in a fluid that came up to the waist was extremely bothersome.

Yet, there was someone who insisted on doing it here.

“I’m here.”

“Oh! Wait a moment. I’m almost done.”

Even though I had arrived, Heo Gyeong-woo was preoccupied with watching his niece’s swordsmanship forms.

Heo Jeong-ah.

She was scheduled to receive private tutoring from Heo Gyeong-woo here until the day of her Bimu with Min Ha-rin.

Coincidentally, I ended up in the middle, seeing the preparation processes of both.

I didn’t care who won, but if Min Ha-rin won, the public would take this incident as a major upset.

After all, Heo Jeong-ah was the most promising female swordswoman in South Korea at the present time.

As Heo Jeong-ah finished her form, Heo Gyeong-woo clapped with a pleased expression.

“As expected of my bloodline! I taught her one thing, but how can she know ten?”

“Aw. Be honest, grand-uncle. It’s not that much, is it?”

“No. My niece is truly a genius. You corrected the part I pointed out right away, didn’t you?”

“That’s because you taught me so well, grand-uncle.”

Listening to their conversation made my hands and feet curl slightly.

I could acknowledge that Heo Jeong-ah’s aptitude was outstanding, and that Heo Gyeong-woo was the best private tutor, but this was still a bit hard to listen to.

“Ji-han, what do you think? About my niece’s swordsmanship.”

“The elder must have seen it well. What would I know about the Taeseong Sword Style?”

Honestly, if she fought Min Ha-rin right now, I didn’t know what would happen.

I could usually gauge who would win, but the two of them were currently neck-and-neck rivals. A level where the outcome could change at any time depending on variables.

Considering the time remaining until the Bimu, the probability of me getting it right was literally only 50 percent.

Of course, if someone asked me to bet money right now, the story might be different.

Nike’s Ring, which brings good fortune, might help me make an exquisite choice.

“Come to think of it, Ji-han, you’re not a complete layman when it comes to the Taeseong Sword Style, are you?”

“It’s just a superficial understanding. I only learned it for a moment in the tower where you were trapped, elder.”

“It didn’t look like a superficial understanding to my eyes.”

As far as the early parts I learned were concerned, it might seem that way.

Because I could still perfectly execute that part.

“Anyway, if you’re done with the tutoring session, please send her off and take a look at my treatment right away. I’m planning to finish a bit early today.”

“Treatment is something we do every day, what’s the rush? Instead, why don’t you do me a favor?”

“A favor?”

“Could you cross swords with our Jeong-ah a few times? There’s nothing better than a real fight when reviewing what you’ve learned.”

At Heo Gyeong-woo’s words, Heo Jeong-ah’s eyes widened.

“I’ll do it!”

“My dear niece wants it too.”

A chuckle escaped me for a moment.

For some reason, did all old men want to set up a fight with their family’s daughters the moment they saw my face?

I had already done it once with Min Ha-rin, so I thought it would be fair to give Heo Jeong-ah a chance too.

“Alright. Then let’s lightly cross swords a few times.”

“Hey! Seo Ji-han! Really?”

“What. If you don’t want to, then never mind.”

“How could I not want to! I really wanted to face you at least once anyway!”

Heo Jeong-ah had a flushed face, and the old man wore a satisfied smile.

“I’m looking forward to this too. Perhaps today is the real deal, more so than fighting the Muwon Sword Family’s girl!”

For a moment, I thought it was déjà vu.

Because I had just heard the exact same words at the Muwon Sword Family.

Well then, I had no choice but to treat her just as fairly.

“Hey, Seo Ji-han. Is it okay to do it right here, right now?”

“Well, if you’re okay with it.”

The foggy Spring of Elixir.

But even this peculiarity wouldn’t be a major variable.

Whether we fought on a mountain, in a field, in a river, or in the sea. The result would be the same anyway.

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