Chapter 7. The First-Generation Disciple, Lee Byeok (2)

Hung! Hung!

“Hey. I’m telling you in advance, don’t blame me if you break a bone or two, you brought this on yourself, right?”

Jang Seok-du growled, swinging a wooden sword in the air. Lee Byeok brought his wooden sword to his waist.

“It’s alright. I don’t mind, so try to attack with all your might.”

Glance, Lee Byeok looked back at Wang Suyeon. Her eyes trembled with anxiety and impatience.

Seeing is believing. A good opportunity had arisen to show her the sword path directly before teaching.

Hooong!

“You bastard! Where are you looking?!”

Then, Jang Seok-du’s sword moved suddenly. It came straight down towards Lee Byeok’s shoulder without any warning.

Tak!

“Your spirit is not bad.”

Lee Byeok’s sword, raised at an angle. Jang Seok-du’s sword, which had clashed with it, lost its momentum and slid off.

“Huh?”

“But no opponent will stand still and be hit by a straightforwardly swung sword.”

Jang Seok-du’s face went blank.

He looked back and forth between his own sword that had hit the bare ground and Lee Byeok a couple of times, and soon his expression turned hostile again.

“Th-this bastard?!”

Hooong, tak, tak!

Jang Seok-du’s attacks continued.

Lee Byeok clashed swords one by one.

His physical strength was certainly not bad. His posture was also not bad, and he seemed to have practiced the Three Talents Sword quite diligently.

If he had learned martial arts properly with an inner arts mental cultivation from a younger age, he could have achieved a decent level of accomplishment.

However.

Puk!

“Keok!”

Lee Byeok’s sword struck Jang Seok-du’s side. Jang Seok-du, clutching his side, staggered back.

“Your defense is wide open.”

Jang Seok-du’s face crumpled.

“In a real battle where real swords are exchanged, it is not a good choice to focus only on attacking, trusting in your own toughness.”

“Keuk! Shut your mouth, you bastard!”

Jang Seok-du, his face flushed, charged again.

As if he had noticed something strange, he began to execute each and every sword strike carefully.

Taak! Tak!

Lee Byeok deflected it a couple of times.

But as his movements became rigid, the openings also widened. Lee Byeok struck the back of Jang Seok-du’s knee.

Puk!

Kudangtang!

At that moment, Jang Seok-du’s body, unable to overcome its own force, tilted and rolled unsightly on the ground.

“Relying only on strength is an even more foolish act. Uncontrolled strength will eat itself.”

“……”

And a silence hung.

“Brother S-Seok-du lost? In an instant?”

“Huh? What happened? Why?”

Jolt

“Keuaaak!!! Who said I lost!!!”

With a scream, Jang Seok-du got back up. He pretends to be fine and points the tip of his sword at Lee Byeok.

“You, you bastard.”

“……”

“Right… so you know some weird swordsmanship, is that it? Is that such a big deal? Huh?! You think I’ll lose to some outsider?!”

Eyes full of defiance.

But he couldn’t hide the trembling.

Trying to make up for his faltering spirit with defiance. He could understand the mindset itself.

What he couldn’t understand was why that boy was so hostile towards him.

Tat!

“Keuaaaaah!”

He charges, letting out a war cry.

He began to swing wildly.

Three Talents Sword or whatever, there were no more forms there. It would be as easy as flipping one's palm to subdue him, but.

Tang! Taang!

Between Jang Seok-du’s randomly pouring sword strikes, Lee Byeok’s sword began to seep in precisely.

The essence of the Seonwoo Clan’s Azure River Sword Style lies in selecting the appropriate force from the Straight, Fast, Strong of the sword-drawing form, and the Curved, Changing, Soft of the sword-withdrawal form at every moment to continue the linkage.

But before discussing the forces, it is impossible to even begin without properly polishing the sword paths of the sword drawing and sword withdrawal themselves.

The Azure River Training Sword Style corresponds to that very process.

Top, middle, bottom, left, middle, right.

Nine starting points from oneself to the opponent.

In any situation, in any direction, he freely extends and retracts the sword.

The correct path changes moment by moment according to the entanglement of the swords.

But if one can read that flow, all that remains is to place the sword on the river.

Taak! Tak! Tak!

“Damn it!! Dammit!!!”

If the sword is in the right place at the right moment, there is no way it will be hit by the opponent’s blind sword.

“Do you have any intention of backing down at this point?”

“Hah! Hah, shut up! Hah, please!! Hah, hah, just one hit! Hah, just!! Get hit, you bastard!!!”

Finally, Jang Seok-du’s breathing began to visibly break down. But he still didn’t seem to have any intention of backing down.

If so.

Puk!

The tip of Lee Byeok’s sword pierced Jang Seok-du’s solar plexus. Keok, with a stifled sound, Jang Seok-du’s movements stopped.

“Keuk, keup, keok…….”

He clutched his stomach and stepped back. Thud, his knees gave way and he collapsed on the ground.

“Oop, keoheok, oowek!”

He began to vomit the contents of his stomach.

After watching him for a moment, Lee Byeok withdrew his sword. This should be enough.

Looking around, the children hastily avoided Lee Byeok’s gaze as if by agreement.

Hyuk Dae-woong, who shrugged his shoulders. Jaegal Somi, whose whereabouts were unknown.

Lee Byeok was about to turn away.

However.

Jolt

“Keuaaaaah!!! I’ll kill you!!”

Jang Seok-du finally got up again.

As if he had lost his reason, he charged towards Lee Byeok like an angry boar.

‘This is troublesome.’

He didn’t want to hurt him. But without doing so, there was no way to make him back down.

He had no choice.

Lee Byeok gripped his sword again.

Tat!

But then, someone blocked Lee Byeok’s path. She spread her arms and blocked Jang Seok-du.

“Hey, Jang Seok-du! Stop it now!!”

“Su-Suyeon-ah…….”

“What?! Why are you doing this! Anyone can see that you lost! Stop being so stubborn! What if you get really hurt!”

“…N-no, I.”

“Foolish and pathetic! I really hate it!!”

Thud, the wooden sword fell from Jang Seok-du’s hand. His dazed face looked around once before turning tearful.

“D-damn it!! Damn it all!!!”

Tadadat!

Jang Seok-du finally ran out of the main gate.

* * *

“Well~ done.”

Jaegal Somi said.

After the duel-that-wasn’t-a-duel with Jang Seok-du, Lee Byeok spent the whole half-day teaching Wang Suyeon the basics of the sword.

In the afternoon, after Wang Suyeon and the children had gone home, he fetched water and chopped wood with Hyuk Dae-woong.

And he went out to the vegetable garden and received some general instruction on farm work.

And in the evening.

At the dinner table, where a particular silence hung, Jaegal Somi, who had emptied her rice bowl, finally spoke for the first time.

“…What does that mean?”

“Oh my!, it’s a compliment. Well done, our youngest. Beating up the village chief’s son like a dog on the first day of class, aren’t you just the Lu Bu of Flower Pavilion Village? Huh?”

“……”

“Ahaha! Well, but we can’t just blame Byeok-i, can we? Seok-du brought it on himself. Honestly, I had a vague feeling something like this would happen.”

“Haa, I can’t live, really. How am I supposed to face the village chief starting tomorrow!”

“Hey, what kind of person is the village chief to care about kids fighting among themselves?”

Hyuk Dae-woong feigning a joke.

And he turned his gaze to Lee Byeok.

“Byeok-ah, Seok-du is not a fundamentally bad kid. So I hope you don’t take it too hard. However.”

Suddenly, Hyuk Dae-woong gave a bitter smile.

“I’m a bit worried. It’s sad enough that he lost, but to be so miserable in front of Suyeon……”

“Right, that’s right. Suyeon-i.”

Whip, Jaegal Somi’s sullen gaze similarly turned towards Lee Byeok.

“The real problem is Suyeon-i.”

“Ahaha, that’s true too.”

“She couldn’t take her eyes off that damn youngest one all day? Trying her best to get his attention even once more……”

“Suyeon-i is already fourteen.”

“Well, after seeing only mountain village bumpkins her whole life, seeing a smooth young master like this must be quite refreshing. And on top of that, oh my, his swordsmanship is strong, so how much more so?”

“What are you talking about?”

Lee Byeok asked.

He couldn’t follow the conversation.

As for Wang Suyeon, he couldn’t say she had a talent for the sword even with empty words, but her enthusiasm was worthy of praise.

Forget the Azure River Training Sword Style, she had only polished her basic stance all day, but anyone with a will has their own sword path.

“Aaaah, what to do about our Suyeon-i……”

Slam, Jaegal Somi covered her face with both hands. Then she jumped up from her seat.

“This won’t do.”

“…Senior Sister?”

“Lee Byeok, you’re too annoying. So I’m going to give you the pain that Suyeon-i will experience in the future in advance.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s have a duel. Follow me out right now. I won’t be defeated so easily this time.”

“…Alright.”

Lee Byeok quickly got up from his seat.

He didn’t understand the context, but a duel was what he had been hoping for. He wanted to properly experience her flying dagger art.

But then.

“Senior Sister, can’t I do it?”

Hyuk Dae-woong interrupted.

“Ahaha, honestly. Ever since I saw Byeok-i’s sword dance… no, ever since I saw him fight with Senior Sister on the first day, I’ve been itching to fight too.”

With an awkward face, Hyuk Dae-woong slowly got up from his seat. It was a new realization, but the huge figure, which seemed to have two heads on top, looked down at Lee Byeok.

As always, his expression was gentle. But in the center of his eyes, an undeniable fighting spirit could be felt.

“…Tsk. Alright.”

Jaegal Somi, who had been looking back and forth between Hyuk Dae-woong and Lee Byeok, lightly clicked her tongue.

“That would be fair. Then this big sister will just watch this time, so you two junior brothers go ahead and have a good fight.”

Slide, Jaegal Somi, who had opened the door and gone out, sat down on the wooden floor. She gestured with her chin towards the training ground outside.

“Byeok-ah, is it okay?”

“Of course. No problem.”

He had never witnessed Hyuk Dae-woong’s martial arts. But if his skill was on a similar level to Jaegal Somi’s…….

The two came out to the training ground. Lee Byeok picked up a wooden sword from the rack.

But Hyuk Dae-woong did not.

Hung hung hung!

Hyuk Dae-woong picked up a wooden staff that had been lying on one side. The large, 6-foot staff rotated lightly in his huge hands.

“I won’t do the stupid thing of using a sword in front of you. I mainly use a spear.”

Hyuk Dae-woong, who smiles broadly.

Chak, the end of the staff pointed at Lee Byeok.

“……”

Interesting.

It wasn't that Lee Byeok hadn't learned spearmanship, but it was only at a basic level.

Also, unlike with a master of spearmanship, he had no memory of having a duel. Therefore, he had no room to hide his martial arts.

Lee Byeok took a sword-drawing stance.

He observes Hyuk Dae-woong’s stance carefully.

With his hands spread wide, he held the staff with a wide grip, and its end was pointed diagonally towards the ground. There were no careless openings.

“Then let’s begin.”

Lee Byeok nodded.

Tat, he immediately kicked off the ground.

A staff and a sword have different attack ranges. If you’re facing a staff with a sword, it’s common sense to dig in.

Swaek!

As expected, the staff extended.

Tak! Lee Byeok’s sword clashed with the staff. For a moment, the wooden sword was easily flicked away like a reed.

“……”

It was heavy. Just one clash made his arm throb. But there was no time to think leisurely.

The deeply dug-in staff shaft was swung.

Taang!

The sword and the staff clashed again.

And this time, neither side was pushed back. But Lee Byeok couldn’t help but be surprised internally.

It was just a randomly swung spear, yet he had only managed to be on equal footing after properly using the essence of the sword-drawing form’s strength.

“Then, I’m getting serious.”

Hyuk Dae-woong’s calm voice. And the tip of his staff slid to one side.

Hung hung hung!

It began to rotate as it was.

It drew a circle, marking the top and bottom.

Tat, Lee Byeok took a step back.

In the rotation, a pressure like a waterfall from a cliff could be felt. He must not be drawn in.

But he couldn’t retreat any further against a staff. The moment he made his decision, Lee Byeok firmly put strength into his lower body.

He had to find a gap.

If there was none, he had to make one himself.

Tang! Tang tang!

Sword drawing, and sword withdrawal.

From a standstill, the six forces of the Azure River Sword Style began to rain down like a flowing river.

Hung hung hung, taang!

“Uwaaah, what is this! Wahaha! It’s so confusing! How on earth did Senior Sister deal with this?!”

An excited voice burst out from Hyuk Dae-woong’s mouth. Between the rotating staff, Lee Byeok’s sword struck Hyuk Dae-woong’s body.

But it was shallow.

The body of Hyuk Dae-woong, felt through the sword to his fingertips, was like steel.

Without inner arts, it seemed he couldn’t deal a proper blow no matter what technique he used.

Rather, if he was careless for even a moment.

Taang!

“……”

Fatigue accumulates in his shoulder.

Suddenly, Lee Byeok realized. It wasn't just heavy. As time passed, Hyuk Dae-woong’s staff was getting heavier and heavier.

“…The essence of rotation.”

A body like steel.

Extreme strength. And even stamina.

The more time he dragged on, the more disadvantageous it was for Lee Byeok. Lee Byeok calmly pushed forward while steeling his resolve.

He couldn't avoid the risk.

He would aim for the next opportunity.

About ten more exchanges came and went like that. The moment a noticeable opening appeared on Hyuk Dae-woong’s chest, Lee Byeok’s eyes glinted.

Swaek, the sword-drawing form dug in.

“Wide Slash!”

But just as Lee Byeok was charging in, as if waiting, a war cry burst out from Hyuk Dae-woong.

Hooong, tang!

The staff, loaded with rotational force, tilted.

It spread out like a fan and swept across the entire front in a wide arc. Lee Byeok’s attack was flicked away like a feather.

…Did he predict the sword drawing?

“Extreme Thrust!”

And the next moment, the opposite end of the spear, which had rotated half a turn, sharply thrust towards Lee Byeok.

Tak! Tak! Tak!

In a moment of crisis, Lee Byeok hastily withdrew his sword.

He imbued it with the essence of the sword-withdrawal form’s softness. He wrapped around the path of the staff and pressed down on strength with softness.

But the hastily executed sword-withdrawal form could not easily break the momentum of the staff.

Only after three strikes did the direction shift ever so slightly. It grazed past Lee Byeok’s shoulder by a hair’s breadth.

Hooong!

“Uh, huh?”

The heavy wind brushing past his ear. And Hyuk Dae-woong’s body, swept away by its own force, became rigid.

Lee Byeok’s liver went cold.

But it was an opportunity. Perhaps the last one.

Lee Byeok hastily ducked. He dug in under the staff. The sword-drawing form’s speed was quickly shot out.

Tuk!

The tip of the sword touched Hyuk Dae-woong’s Adam’s apple.

A brief silence hung in the training ground.

“Ahaha! Oh no, I lost.”

“……”

“Actually, I had thought quite a bit about your martial arts on my own. But it doesn’t go as I thought.”

“…No, I was just lucky.”

Hyuk Dae-woong scratching his head.

Lee Byeok was genuinely impressed.

The Azure River Sword Style was a martial art that had allowed the relatively young Seonwoo Clan to achieve its current power.

However, due to the nature of its techniques, which consisted of the sword-drawing form and the sword-withdrawal form, it also contained one weakness.

That was the ‘forced sequence’.

Sword-drawing form and sword-withdrawal form.

In other words, a sword that has not been extended cannot be withdrawn, and a sword that has not been withdrawn cannot be extended.

Of course, there had been many efforts to compensate for this, and it was a weakness that had been overcome to some extent through distance control using footwork.

However, there were limits against an opponent like Hyuk Dae-woong who firmly held his position and overwhelmed with distance.

Lee Byeok looked at Hyuk Dae-woong.

He hadn't even clashed with him directly. Had he come to guess his weakness just by watching from the side once or twice?

…Not a bear.

A talent so sharp it was chilling.

“Hey, Byeok-ah. Are you tired by any chance? If it’s okay, do you want to go just one more time? Huh?”

“W-wait!”

Then Jaegal Somi interrupted.

“I can’t stand it! I want to do it too! Switch!”

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