Chapter 154 – True Education (1)

The other world, Pangaea.

The entire journey there ended the moment we cleared the first quest of the Abyss.

There was no way to continue exploring that place, which was very different from the one on Earth.

Perhaps there might have been traces of the red dragon there, but since I had already achieved more than I had expected, I had no major regrets.

Above all, a noteworthy change had occurred on the map that Jenolf had created.

[■■■■■■■■]

Although the characters were unidentifiable, the title section of the map had finally been filled in.

Knowing that the completed text would be ‘Devrias’s Nest’, the corners of my mouth naturally went up.

With this, the hypothesis I had built based on Jenolf’s story was proven at once.

That the force that twists space-time, which acts when clearing a quest, would gradually complete the map.

I didn’t know how many more quests I would have to complete, but the direction I needed to go was now clear.

And now we were at the Spring of Elixir.

We were tired from the long journey, and it had been quite a while since we had rested for treatment through the spring, so we came here right after finishing with Pangaea.

Circulating the Mana Breathing Technique, I slowly inhaled and exhaled.

“Hoo.”

This spring was always like a hometown.

Because it was the place that brought me the greatest sense of stability and comfort.

Here, Yoon Joo-hee and I sat side by side, relieving our travel fatigue.

She had also gone through quite a lot on this journey.

Especially in the Abyss of Pangaea, Yoon Joo-hee had practically carried it all by herself.

‘Did she hunt about a thousand monsters?’

At the last moment, her appearance had been quite a sight.

Her face and clothes were stained with monster blood.

If I had taken a picture, it would have become a huge issue.

Because the president’s daughter looked as if she had just returned from hell.

Of course, this spring was purifying all of that.

“It seems you’ve recovered from your travel fatigue.”

“I will wait until you are finished, Unit Leader.”

“You’ll regret it. Once I settle down here, I’m here for a minimum of six hours.”

At my words, Yoon Joo-hee flinched.

“I will still wait.”

It was a meaningless and useless stubbornness.

“Never mind that. Let me ask you one last time.”

The map she had, Nekarion’s Castle. I had to confirm if she was truly willing to conquer that place with me.

Nekarion’s Castle was a place connected to my hometown, Kalia.

For Yoon Joo-hee, it was the tragic place where her family was annihilated, but it was an important point for me as well.

If I went there, I might be able to find out how my home had changed. And what had happened to the red dragon after my death.

“You haven’t changed your mind, have you?”

“No, sir. Rather, through this journey in Pangaea, I have become more certain.”

“Of what?”

“Of what a great fortune it is to be able to conquer that place with you, Unit Leader.”

“Enough with the cheesy talk. Anyway, you haven’t changed your mind.”

“Yes. I will go with you, Unit Leader.”

“We’ll proceed right away without returning to the sword family. Like I said, when I come to this spring, I’m here for a minimum of six hours, so let’s say we’ll leave in a generous eight hours. Until then, you can spend your free time and then come back.”

“Understood, Unit Leader.”

And so I was alone again.

A time for healing, rest, and treatment.

I closed my eyes and submerged my body up to my neck in the spring.

The rustling wind and the chirping of birds from here and there pleased my ears.

A luxury I had never experienced in Kalia.

When I spent time in the spring like this, I would sometimes think that it wouldn’t be so bad to live as Seo Ji-han for the rest of my life.

Of course, not everything would go according to my will and wishes.

Just as I had suddenly started living the life of Seo Ji-han without knowing why, I couldn’t guarantee what kind of unforeseen events might occur.

For now, I was just living with two goals in mind.

Reaching the ultimate of swordsmanship. And revenge on the red dragon.

“Hoo.”

I circulated mana in my microcosm and exhaled.

“It’s been a while.”

A greeting directed at me.

The one who appeared through the mist was Heo Gyeong-woo.

“What brings you here? I thought you wouldn’t come here while I was away.”

“Actually, it’s been a while for me too. Come to think of it, it seems we have something in common. I had a feeling you would be here today.”

“I know you’re lying.”

“It’s true! Why do you think that?”

Seeing the old man get so worked up like this, it seemed to be true.

“Actually, I was just testing you. There’s no reason for the two of us to have something in common.”

“Why not. We are the only ones for each other with whom we can discuss the sword.”

“It seems you have something you want to discuss.”

Heo Gyeong-woo smiled at me.

Rather than having something in common, the old man needed me right now.

“First, please help with the treatment.”

“Of course.”

Heo Gyeong-woo, as always, placed his hand on my back and began the treatment.

When I first circulated mana, Heo Gyeong-woo would follow along with the changes happening in my body.

In the early days, the old man used to struggle with my esoteric Mana Breathing Technique, but now he was matching my pace quite naturally.

And so, I was able to circulate the Mana Breathing Technique at my own pace, and the speed of healing increased even further.

“You feel different again after not seeing you for a while. How is such an insane growth rate possible?”

“It’s easy to walk a path you’ve already walked once.”

“Sometimes, you have a tendency to say things I can’t understand.”

Actually, it wasn’t a difficult thing to say at all.

He just couldn’t take it literally, so he couldn’t find the answer.

“Then, please tell me what you want to discuss. Have you hit a wall, sir?”

“That’s about right. But to put it differently, rather than hitting a wall, shall I say I discovered a wall I didn’t know existed? I really wanted to discuss this with you.”

Heo Gyeong-woo began to talk to me about the Taeseong Sword Style.

The forms of the Taeseong Sword Style and the subtleties of this swordsmanship. And the enlightenment he had gained and the part where he was blocked by a wall.

I wondered if it was okay for him to tell me, an outsider, such detailed stories, but it wasn’t really my problem to worry about.

Since I knew a fair amount about the Taeseong Sword Style, the things the old man was saying were faintly drawn in my mind.

I thought I understood a little.

Why he had discovered a wall he hadn’t seen before in a certain passage.

And why he was feeling a sense of powerlessness at that point.

“The conclusion is one of two things, then.”

“Tell me.”

“Either your understanding of the Taeseong Sword Style is insufficient, sir.”

“And the other one?”

“Or the part where you’re blocked by the wall was flawed from the beginning.”

“That’s a simple way of putting it.”

In fact, it was.

But the weight of the same words changes depending on who says them.

Since Heo Gyeong-woo treated me without prejudice, he would not take the weight of my words lightly.

“Please show me yourself. Then I think I can tell more clearly which one it is.”

“Then you already have a tentative conclusion in your mind?”

“That’s about right.”

Heo Gyeong-woo let out a hollow laugh.

This reaction was perfectly natural.

“Open your eyes wide and watch carefully.”

A moment later, the essence of the Taeseong Sword Style began to unfold before my eyes.

A level that no one who had trained in the Taeseong Sword Style had ever reached.

Even in the waist-deep spring water, the old man’s swordsmanship looked as light as a butterfly flitting through the sky.

Until the last moment, all his forms were natural and flowed as smoothly as water.

This was also the reason why even the old man had not discovered the wall before.

But the reality was far from the apparent ease.

When he put down his sword, he let out a ragged breath.

It was understandable, as he had struggled fiercely in one part.

“Did you see it well?”

I nodded.

“Surely, you didn’t just watch it well, did you?”

“Of course not.”

“Then tell me.”

To get straight to the point, the problem was not the sword style, but the old man who used the sword style.

This was something the old man was also vaguely aware of.

“Perhaps, as you said, sir, we might have something in common.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I happen to have the solution.”

It was a very exquisite thing.

The dragon’s swordsmanship manual obtained from Count Berwood’s treasury. The subtlety that could break through the place where Heo Gyeong-woo was blocked was right here.

That swordsmanship manual was not a summary of specific forms, but a book containing the principles applicable to all swordsmanship.

There would surely be a passage applicable to the part where the old man was stuck.

I needed time to organize my thoughts.

The silence continued for about two hours.

In the end, I was able to clearly state my thoughts.

The old man’s expression changed strangely.

“I can’t believe it.”

“Did you truly understand what I told you?”

“Honestly, I can’t give you a definite answer. I, too, need time to organize my thoughts.”

“You’ll need quite a bit of rumination.”

“I’m dying to ask you about your identity.”

“Don’t ask.”

“No. I must ask this one thing.”

The old man’s expression was grim.

“You, are you by any chance a Sword Master?”

If this was truly the only thing he would ask.

“Yes.”

It wasn’t difficult to answer.

“Amazing. To think there’s another Sword Master besides me.”

The old man seemed to be lost in deep thought.

Then, he repeated the same words several times.

“This is a bit out of the blue, but there’s a group approaching us.”

“Of course, I know.”

“I thought they would go somewhere else, but they’re deliberately coming this way.”

In this vast Spring of Elixir, why of all things.

The old man made an annoyed expression.

Because he hated getting involved with people from this circle as much as possible.

But the one who became more annoyed was me.

Because the aura of the group currently walking towards us was quite familiar.

Seo Ji-hoon’s Wolyeong Knights.

It seemed they were stopping by the spring for a while after conquering a quest area in the Abyss, before returning to the Haewon Sword Family.

I immediately took out the Human Skin Mask from my Inventory and put it on.

‘It seems Seo Ji-hoon isn’t here.’

It was highly likely that he had returned to the sword family first.

A moment later, what appeared through the mist was, as expected, the Wolyeong Knights.

They looked back and forth between us, then tilted their heads.

Then they let out a slight dry laugh.

“It is an honor to meet two Sword Masters!”

The one who greeted us vigorously was Mun Jung-hak.

At that, the other members covered their mouths and tried to hold back their laughter.

It seemed they had overheard my conversation with the old man.

But it was a bit surprising.

The distance must have been quite far.

“I was using an item without thinking, and I unintentionally overheard your conversation! Hahahaha! The content was something I couldn’t possibly not come to see, so I have come to greet you despite the rudeness.”

Of course.

There was no way he could have heard our conversation with his bare ears.

“You seem to be carrying around a strange item?”

“In front of a Sword Master, it’s just a trash item.”

Mun Jung-hak smiled playfully and plopped down next to me.

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