Chapter 138

Chapter 138

Kagagagak!

As Youngho’s Sword Qi collided with Kang Chowon’s blade, a loud grinding shriek rang out and sparks scattered in all directions.

Barely twisting her wrist to deflect the Sword Qi, Kang Chowon closed the distance to Youngho in an instant and stomped down hard.

Boom-!

It was a stomp powerful enough to make the entire Training Ground tremble, yet Youngho still maintained his stance without the slightest wavering.

‘I knew it wouldn’t work!’

Because this wasn’t my attack!

The stomp Kang Chowon delivered created a fleeting opening amidst the noise.

A brief gap—just enough to approach Youngho without revealing the sound of footsteps.

Like a ghost, Black Shadow seized Youngho’s rear and, eyes wide, slashed his sword fiercely from left to right.

Clang-!

But even that did not work on Youngho. Lightly deflecting Black Shadow’s strike with his sword, Youngho then slightly tilted his neck to evade Kang Chowon’s lightning-like thrust.

Youngho let out a faint chuckle.

“Clever.”

Before he knew it, he was looking at Kang Hosan, who had approached so closely that it was impossible for Youngho to swing his sword.

The energy condensed around Kang Hosan’s fist was clearly not something to be dismissed lightly.

Even so, this was still the best possible move they had to land a proper blow on Youngho.

Boom-!

“…….”

“Still not enough.”

Youngho seized Kang Hosan’s wrist as it flew toward his face and hurled him straight at Black Shadow.

The throw was so forceful that Black Shadow could neither dodge nor block the incoming Kang Hosan, and the two tumbled together across the floor of the Training Ground.

Kagagakang-!

At that moment, Kang Chowon unleashed the sword form she was most confident in. Her relentless chain of strikes poured forth like a raging storm, but Youngho blocked every single one.

Clang-!

After observing her sword form for a short while, Youngho suddenly exerted force through his arm and knocked Kang Chowon’s blade away.

Unable to adapt to the abrupt change in force, Kang Chowon’s balance faltered.

Flick-!

The instant he saw the opening, Youngho swiftly flicked her forehead with his finger.

It was a flick strong enough to bring tears to her eyes, but Kang Chowon refused to give up and tried to continue her assault.

“Enough.”

At Youngho’s single word, Kang Hosan and Black Shadow—who had just risen to charge again—as well as Kang Chowon herself, collapsed back onto their spots.

They were in no state to speak. At this point, they could only be grateful that they were still breathing.

Seeing that the spar had ended, Sopyung approached and handed cups of water to the three of them—including Youngho—as a gesture of acknowledgment for their effort.

After drinking the water Sopyung offered, Youngho spoke.

“Chowon, I told you before. Avoid using that technique whenever possible.”

Panting for breath, Kang Chowon replied,

“Still… it has more than enough killing power.”

“I told you, didn’t I? Once you use that technique, you can’t stop until your opponent falls.”

“I know. You clearly said it would turn into a battle of stamina, Young Master.”

“That’s part of it. But if someone ambushes you suddenly—or if there’s someone who can break your sword form—you might end up being the one who suffers.”

“That’s not how it usually goes!”

At that moment, Kang Hosan sprang to his feet and spoke up.

“No, Young Master, usually? When people see the sword form Chowon created, they don’t even dare think about countering it—they just assume they’re going to die!”

“So you’re saying we should measure it by the standard of someone weaker than me?”

“Of course! Do you even realize how strong you are right now?”

“Even Master would probably be able to break it…?”

“Ah, seriously!”

Not long after consuming Clear Sky Stone Milk, Kang Chowon had properly entered the ranks of a Grandmaster.

And the sword form she had just displayed was the result of developing her own martial art. Yet…

Youngho let out a deep sigh.

“Kids, I’ve told you countless times. That form can only be used if your body has been strengthened through Bone-Marrow Reforging at the very least. Even if you haven’t grasped the profound mysteries of the sword, you should at least be able to follow the sword’s path. But as it is now, even a Transcendent Peak Master would ruin their body trying to execute that form.”

“I know it’s nothing more than a crude trick, but….”

As Kang Chowon pouted her lips, Youngho looked up at the clouds drifting lazily across the sky.

“I know you wanted to replicate the movements of that Demonic Practitioner, Gundo. But please, stop using that form. That bastard can move like that because he has twice as many bones as a normal person.”

“Still, isn’t this close enough?”

“If you hadn’t undergone Bone-Marrow Reforging, your wrist ligaments would have torn the moment you tried to execute it.”

“Hmm…….”

As Kang Chowon genuinely pondered his words, Youngho shook his head.

“Make a different form instead….”

“But there isn’t any form as good as this one….”

Indeed, the new form Kang Chowon created was incredibly threatening, and its killing power was unbelievably high.

An ordinary master in the State of Transformation would likely have their entire body torn apart before Kang Chowon even completed the form properly.

Youngho began pointing out the shortcomings of their sparring just now to the three of them.

In the midst of it, Jongpal approached and called out to Youngho. In both of Jongpal’s hands were three skewers of chicken each, held as though they were precious treasures.

“Young Master~”

“Oh, Jongpal. Did you gather any information?”

“You’d have to look for Sister Muyeon for that.”

“Strangely enough, you’re faster with news inside the Unorthodox Alliance.”

“Really? Anyway, the Lord of the Unorthodox Alliance is summoning you.”

“Why?”

“How would I know? It seems like a top-secret mission.”

“Is that so? Then give me one of those chicken skewers.”

“No way. I bought these.”

“Oh~ So you were slacking off?”

“Excuse me? How did you come to that conclusion?”

“Then what were you doing instead of training just now?”

“…….”

“I see. You probably just wanted a little rest. And grabbed some chicken skewers while you were at it.”

“Are you… understanding?”

There wasn’t even a trace of hope in Jongpal’s voice. Having endured Youngho’s existence for years, he had already resigned himself. Youngho gave him a benevolent smile.

“This brat isn’t reflecting on his actions—he’s thinking about what punishment he’ll get this time. Chowon, go easy on him.”

“Huh?”

At Youngho’s words, Jongpal’s complexion instantly turned pale.

“N-no! I’d rather take punishment from the Captain!”

“Kid, he has to train the other squad members.”

“I’m a squad member too, y’know?”

“Good work~”

“Pardon? W-Wait! Young Master!”

Youngho lightly ignored Jongpal’s desperate cry and vanished in an instant.

“Oppa~”

At that moment, a pretty voice like an oriole pierced Jongpal’s ears. It was certainly a sweet voice, yet chills crawled up from the tips of his toes, making his body tremble.

“Uh……”

Jongpal forced his stiff neck to turn, and there stood Kang Chowon, smiling brightly.

Kang Chowon, whose beauty had only deepened recently, spoke with a wicked smile.

“Jongpal oppa. I’ve been developing a new move lately……”

“No, I refuse.”

“Then I’ll get started~”

“Kyaaaaaaak—!”

Jongpal’s scream seemed to echo throughout the entire Unorthodox Alliance. Even though Youngho had come quite a distance away, he snickered at the sound of Jongpal’s scream still reaching his ears.

At first, people had been frightened by the bizarre screams coming from Youngho’s residence, but now they had reached the point of simply accepting it as normal.

Seeing everyone silently continuing their tasks without the slightest sign of agitation, Youngho smiled in satisfaction.

When Youngho arrived at Cheonung’s private training ground, the guards bowed their heads.

“Good work.”

He spoke in his usual indifferent tone. The guards, already accustomed to it, raised their heads again the moment he stepped inside the training ground.

Wooooong—!

Sensing that the atmosphere within the training ground was different from usual, Youngho tilted his head.

‘What is he doing?’

He had clearly released his presence, yet Cheonung showed no reaction whatsoever.

‘What in the world is he attempting?’

The cold sweat trickling down Cheonung’s forehead told him just how deeply focused he was.

“……!”

For a brief moment, Youngho sensed a powerful force gathering in Cheonung’s hand.

‘That’s—!’

Before Youngho could even finish the thought, the force gathered in Cheonung’s hand exploded.

KWAANG—!

“Keugh!”

The shockwave was stronger than expected, causing Cheonung’s body to sway precariously. Fortunately, he seemed unharmed, so Youngho called out to him.

“Master—!”

“Failed again!”

Before Youngho could finish speaking, Cheonung snapped irritably.

“That brat did it just fine!”

“Are you referring to me?”

“What? When did you arrive?”

“When you were about to attempt that reckless technique, Master.”

“If a disciple like you can do it, what is there that I cannot?”

At Cheonung’s indifferent remark, Youngho let out a deep sigh.

“I told you, didn’t I? Hardened Force Manifestation is still something you cannot even imitate at your current level.”

“Must be nice being so talented.”

“If you keep that up, you’ll truly ruin your body.”

“I shall refrain from overdoing it next time.”

“I know that’s a lie, so limit yourself to twice a day. That’s the best you can do.”

“Khmm!”

Caught red-handed, Cheonung cleared his throat awkwardly.

“So, how have things been lately?”

“As for the Asura Squad, they’ve definitely grown much stronger. Among the members alone, there are already three at the level of Hall Master.”

“And the most outstanding among them was Jongpal, was it?”

“Yes. He’s very sociable, so he’s excellent as a Hall Master.”

“That’s a relief.”

“And as for Chowon, she can overwhelm most experts of the Transformation Realm in an instant. It’s been a long time since she surpassed her master.”

“That wolf fellow would be quite disappointed if he heard that.”

“He actually seems pleased. Unlike someone, he doesn’t grow jealous of his disciple. Horyeung is truly a genuine master.”

“……Ahem. The virtues of a good master are not limited to that alone. Even if you look at me—”

“So why did you call for me?”

“…….”

Cheonung looked at Youngho with mild displeasure after being cut off mid-sentence. Of course, that alone could not leave so much as a scratch on Youngho’s shameless face.

“…Right. You’ve always been this kind of fellow.”

“For the record, spar with someone else. Haven’t you gained quite a few good opponents now?”

“Kang Chowon?”

“Hosan is strong as well.”

“That fellow is too timid. As long as I am serving as Alliance Lord, he won’t fight me properly.”

“Since you’re not pestering me, I suppose you didn’t call me for a spar?”

“……You know me too well.”

“You were both here.”

At that moment, Cheongsol strode into the training ground.

“I had something to report anyway… Why do you both look like that?”

Youngho and Cheonung were, quite literally, frozen in shock. Their faces had turned pale as if they had seen a ghost.

Youngho took a stance ready to draw his sword at any moment and spoke.

“Chief Aide Cheongsol, what brings you here?”

“Pardon? I came because I have something to report to you both.”

Cheonung also roughly brushed back his hair, which had become disheveled from the earlier explosion.

“That cannot be! Chief Aide Cheongsol has never left his office in broad daylight!”

Seeing their reactions, Cheongsol smiled faintly and muttered under his breath.

“……Unbelievable.”

“What was that?”

“It was nothing. The new recruit who joined recently works well with Yeongmong. Thanks to that, I’ve had enough time to take a short walk.”

“Oh, is that so? For a moment, I thought Chief Aide Cheongsol had been crushed by work, died, and turned into a vengeful spirit.”

“Alliance Lord, do you possess even a shred of conscience?”

“If I did, I would have long ago been sitting in my office doing paperwork.”

“……I see.”

Youngho noticed Cheongsol clenching his fist tightly, but deliberately changed the subject.

“Seems the new recruit is quite capable?”

“No, he is not at the level to follow Yeongmong and me. He simply has remarkable passion. That impressed me, so I’ve been teaching him the work.”

“What was his name?”

“I believe it was Namdo Cheon.”

Youngho broke into a broad smile, unable to hide it.

“That’s truly fortunate!”

No matter how many times he experienced it, meeting a connection from before his Regression never became something one could grow accustomed to.

“I’ll go see him sometime later.”

“I will pass along the message. More importantly, Alliance Lord. Have you informed the Fifth Young Master?”

“Not yet.”

“Then since we have obtained new information, I shall report it together.”

Cheongsol met Youngho’s eyes with a grave expression.

“It seems the Demonic Cult has begun to move.”