As dawn broke following another night, I stepped out of my quarters into the crisp morning air.The fresh atmosphere surrounded me as I looked around. Things I hadn’t noticed before now came into view—the chirping of birds, faint shouts carried on the wind, and the unmistakable sounds of morning activity.“Hyah!”“Hyah!”The voices and movements were clearly from those beginning their early training. I focused my senses, taking a closer look.It wasn’t much different from what I’d seen yesterday. Groups of people, who barely resembled humans, were gathered to practice their swordsmanship together.“Higher! Don’t slack on your stance!”At the forefront stood what appeared to be an instructor, yelling at the trainees as they moved through their drills.Even in the midst of such sweaty exertion, plum blossoms drifted gently from the trees, an oddly picturesque scene. If it weren’t for a few peculiarities, one could easily mistake this for the Mount Hua Sect of Zhongyuan.“Hyah! Hyah!”“Focus on your form! No slacking!”“Apologies, Instructor!”“If you can’t concentrate, you don’t need that arm. I’ll take it off for you!”“S-sorry, Instructor!”"..."Take what off? Surely I misheard.“What are you staring at?”A voice from behind caught my attention, and I turned to see Shin Noya emerging from the quarters, his face weary.“I was just watching what’s happening over there.”“Is watching them struggle that entertaining to you?”“Yes. Nothing beats watching someone else have a hard time.”“…Judging by your face, you’re not joking.”“Don’t you enjoy it too, Noya?”“Of course.”Shin Noya nodded in agreement, his face calm as if it were the most natural thing in the world.I chuckled lightly and returned my gaze to the training grounds.“How exactly did you set up this training system?”I was curious about the structure of their training, so I asked.“There’s no real system. It’s just done roughly.”“…What kind of ‘roughly’?”“You know, the simple stuff. Train one or two properly, then have them teach the ones below them. Pass it down the line.”“Oh.”That was as basic as it got.And yet…‘It’s a risky approach.’While it was the easiest way to manage a sect, it was also fraught with danger.Even if the initial teaching was sound, how many would actually absorb it correctly down the line?‘Though, judging by the training intensity and how the disciples are responding, it doesn’t seem too problematic.’I observed the trainees carefully, noting that the methods didn’t seem inherently flawed.“…Hmm.”I wondered about the skill levels of the instructors leading the training.I was about to ask Noya about it when I stopped.“Noy—”I froze mid-sentence, noticing the odd expression on Shin Noya’s face.It was… petulant? Or perhaps twisted with annoyance. Either way, it was bizarre."..."I sighed internally. I knew exactly why he was acting this way.“Are you still sulking about that?”“I’m not sulking!”As soon as I pointed it out, Noya snapped, his voice rising. Not sulking? That expression screamed otherwise.“You didn’t even lose directly, so why are you so worked up about it?”“I said I’m not worked up!”“If you’re not, then what is this? Don’t tell me it’s your pride that’s hurt—”I turned my head just in time to see—Whoosh!Boom!“Shit—!”I barely dodged a punch that tore through the air, the pressure alone wreaking havoc behind me.It was slower than usual, but the energy packed into it was immense.I glanced at Shin Noya, utterly incredulous.“Really?”He had the audacity to puff his chest and respond.“You dodged it?”“If I hadn’t, I’d be dead. Are you out of your mind?”“You underestimate yourself too much. That wouldn’t have killed you.”“Don’t make me laugh.”“You brat…”As Noya raised his fist again, I hastily shouted.“If you’ve got grievances, take it up with the version of you that lost! Why are you taking it out on me?”“I didn’t lose!”“You did!”Bam!“Urgh!”In the end, I took a solid punch. It was far stronger than usual, and I collapsed on the spot.“Damn it…”Clutching my throbbing head, I glared at Noya.“Just wait. When I get stronger, we’ll see what happens next.”“Hah! As if someone like you could ever reach my level.”“Well, I did beat you before, didn’t I? Oh, sorry. My bad.”Sensing the atmosphere growing tense, I quickly apologized.This old man really had no sense of humor.‘This is so unfair.’Why did I have to suffer like this?It was utterly ridiculous. And the reason for Noya’s tantrum was simple.‘…It’s because I beat him in that spar.’Specifically, the version of Shin Noya that resided in Yeongpung’s body.During the Divine Dragon Martial Arts Festival, I had faced him and emerged victorious.Last night, as we talked, this had come up.When I told Noya about it, he had let out a long sigh.The funny thing was—“…I lost to you?”He wasn’t even interested in the existence of another version of himself or the fact that I had wielded Eternal Bind. The only thing that mattered to him was that he had lost to me.“Yes. You were utterly defeated and left crying.”The result of that sparring match was my victory.I had exploited an opening and managed to scrape out a win.‘Though, to be fair, he was going easy on me.’I had known even then.That ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) spar was more of Noya toying with me than an actual fight.Even if I had caught him off guard and used Eternal Bind, the outcome was only possible because he had allowed it.‘If Noya had really wanted, he could’ve taken my head in a single strike.’I’d realized it back then, and now I was even more certain.If Shin Noya had truly desired it, he could have killed me at any moment.Of course, there was a clear difference between the Noya I met then and the one standing before me now.But that didn’t change the facts.Still, that was that.“Why do you keep getting mad at me for this?”At my words, Noya began berating me again without pause.“I’m pissed off because I lost to a brat like you.”“So, you’re just venting?”“Yes.”“Why are you so shameless about it, old man?”“And didn’t you vent your frustration yesterday by nearly killing someone? At least I’m only using words.”“…Bringing up the past is cheating.”That left me with no retort.“Besides, I had a reason for what I did. You don’t even have that.”“And why not?”“Excuse me?”So, he had a reason? I waited to hear what nonsense he’d come up with.“My reason is that I’m in a bad mood. That’s it.”"..."What an absolute load of crap.This was giving me a headache.“…This is driving me insane.”I held back a sigh and spoke."Why do you focus on the least important things and ignore everything else?"I’d told him plenty of significant things yesterday, but it seemed none of it mattered to him.Especially this."The only thing that matters to you is that you lost to me. Aren’t you even curious that I’m supposedly your reincarnation?"The words I’d heard from Thunder Blade himself—that I was supposedly Shin Noya’s reincarnation.Or rather, a body that was meant to be his reincarnation?It was shocking, to say the least. Yet Shin Noya didn’t seem to care at all."What does something so trivial matter?""Trivial…? Trivial, you say?"How is that trivial? I was dumbfounded.Then—"Actually, no."Noya paused, realizing something might be off about what he just said.Right, even he probably thought that was a ridiculous response—"Still, if that’s true, it makes the resemblance more believable, which is honestly a bit irritating.""Just die already, old man."It was stupid of me to expect anything meaningful from this guy.I dragged my hand down my face in exasperation.“Ha ha ha!”The old man, meanwhile, was busy laughing like he’d just told the funniest joke.Then, abruptly, he stopped and addressed me."Kid.""Yes.""You shouldn’t be blaming me. From the looks of it, you weren’t particularly shocked by the revelation either. Am I wrong?""…"I averted my gaze and gave a sheepish expression."Judging by that face, I’m right. You either expected it to some extent or…"Noya clasped his hands behind his back, his eyes gleaming."You already knew, didn’t you?""…"Hearing his words, I bit my tongue and avoided his gaze.That knowing look of his was unbelievably annoying.It was a bit irritating when he was just a spirit, but facing it directly like this was even worse."I didn’t know."How could I have? It wasn’t something I could’ve even predicted.Still, my reaction betrayed me.Because in the end…‘I didn’t mind.’Yeah, that was probably the simplest explanation.It wasn’t about expecting or being certain—it just didn’t matter to me.If anything, being the reincarnation of someone like Shin Noya might even elevate my worth.Maybe it’d bring me closer to the people I wanted to protect.That was probably the biggest part of it.Though…"Is that so?"No way was I going to admit those thoughts to Noya.‘In the end, this was probably all predetermined.’The fact that I ended up with the plum stone containing him.That Gui Jeong ended up in my hands.That I became entangled in all of this.Was it all destined to happen?Sometimes, those thoughts crossed my mind. And…‘If it wasn’t predetermined.’Was it all orchestrated by someone?Lately, I’d been entertaining those unnerving thoughts.That’s what unsettled me.The possibility that everything I was doing was meaningless, just part of someone else’s plan.It weighed on me constantly.‘Stop it.’I furrowed my brows, forcing the thoughts away.They were pointless, distracting."Haah."I exhaled deeply and shifted my gaze elsewhere.Looking around, I spotted the massive tree I’d seen before—the one they called the Sacred Tree."By the way, Noya.""What is it?"Pointing at the Sacred Tree, I asked, "I heard you planted that yourself. Are there plum trees here too?"The trees here weren’t like anything I’d seen in Zhongyuan. That such a massive plum tree existed was fascinating.And the fact that Noya had planted it himself made it even more puzzling.Hearing my question, Noya chuckled and answered."Ah, that? Of course not.""Then what is it…?""It’s the manifestation of the one who planted the seed. I planted it, so it bloomed as a plum tree. If someone else had planted it, something different would’ve grown.""That’s… possible?"A tree’s form depending on the planter?It seemed absurd."That’s why it’s called the Sacred Tree. Isn’t it strange enough that a tree of that size even exists?""…Fair enough.""It’s more extraordinary than it looks."Noya gazed at the tree with a satisfied expression."I cherished it quite a bit. It wasn’t easy stealing it.""Well, that must’ve been a—wait, what?"I quickly turned my head to look at him.Stealing?What?"Ah."Noya’s expression faltered as he realized what he’d just said."Did I not mention that before?"He pointed at the Sacred Tree and continued."That originally belonged to your mother, the ruler of this realm.""…What?""But I stole it and planted it here. Ha ha ha! Of course, that meant I spent the next fifty years fighting and running for my life.""…"Noya said all this with a straight face, completely unfazed.‘What the hell…’Hearing his words, I thought to myself, Should I run away now?It was becoming increasingly clear that I’d made the wrong choice from the very beginning.     ******************      Ku-huhuhuhu…The ominous sound echoed through the massive cave.In the dark, damp center of the cavern, something sat hunched over, its heavy breaths reverberating.The unsettling noise was none other than breathing.Ku-huhuhu.A hulking figure with the head of a bull and the body of a human exhaled harshly.It was the leader.Was it due to injury?No. The ragged breathing carried pure, unbridled rage.At that moment—"Still brooding, I see."A voice echoed through the cave as someone stepped into view....The leader’s fiery gaze flared to life as he recognized the figure.[...Tusang.]At the name, the man stepped forward, dark feathers falling from somewhere as he moved."The Master is concerned about you."[...Ku-huhuh...]The leader lowered his head at the words.[...I apologize.]Tusang tilted his head slightly in acknowledgment of the apology."If you wish to make amends, it would be proper to speak directly to the Master, not to me."..."Moreover, the Master has commanded you to wait. Cast aside your reckless ambitions for now."[But…]"Leader."The leader tried to speak, but Tusang cut him off."Are you planning to defy the Master’s orders in a fit of rage?"At Tusang’s stern words, the leader fell silent.Every fiber of his being wanted to charge out and tear those bastards apart, but in the end, the Master’s orders were absolute."Answer me."[...Understood.]Hearing the leader’s response, Tusang nodded."I understand your feelings, but don’t let them trouble you too much."Tusang’s voice softened as he recalled someone in his mind."Yarang has moved."[...!]At the mention of that name, the leader’s breathing quickened for a moment, his fury flaring anew."Before long, the time you’ve been waiting for will come."With those words, Tusang turned and walked away.Before long, his presence completely vanished from the leader’s domain.Ku-huhuh!The leader exhaled sharply, flames flickering in the darkness as his emotions surged.Yarang has moved. That single statement made the leader’s heart pound violently again.Feeling the rhythm of his own heartbeat, he growled lowly.[Next time…]He would capture and crush them.[All for the realm of Mangye.]The leader slowly closed his eyes, settling into the silence.He was waiting for his night to come.

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