Chapter 164

“What the hell is wrong with that guy?”

I narrowed my eyes as I watched Black-Grand Saber tremble.

Black-Grand Saber, staring this way with a face gone pale, totally mismatched for that huge frame of his.

Seeing that, I thought—

‘He can tell, huh?’

That bastard was definitely looking this way.

And by “this way,” I didn’t mean me...

[Oh-ho?]

I meant he was looking at Yoo Cheongil behind me—at that old bastard.

His gaze was clearly fixed over there.

It looked like he was staring at me, but his eyes were unmistakably focused on what was behind me.

‘...He can see this?’

I frowned. Don’t tell me that bastard, too—

‘Does he have Ghost Eyes?’

Eyes that see what shouldn’t be seen.

As that possibility crossed my mind—

‘No.’

I could be sure.

He didn’t have Ghost Eyes. I could feel it.

Just like I’d been able to sense spirit-qi in that so-called Misa Fairy.

People like us could tell whether someone had Ghost Eyes or not.

Of course, depending on the level they had, you might fail to notice it, but—

‘Even so.’

If you asked me whether Black-Grand Saber looked like someone who could conceal his own spirit-qi, the answer was no.

Which meant—

‘It’s not that he can see it.’

Maybe “sense” was the right word?

‘...This is ridiculous.’

I held back a laugh. Not seeing it, but sensing it.

It happened sometimes. People who had spirit-qi, but didn’t see ghosts—

‘They just had insane instincts and could sense them.’

Some people’s senses were so absurdly sharp they could feel what they had no business feeling.

To me, Black-Grand Saber felt like that kind of case.

‘I heard he’s got a Heaven-Martial Body. Is that why?’

A martial body bestowed by heaven.

I’d heard it was a body optimized for learning and handling martial arts. Maybe the senses that came with that were letting him feel Yoo Cheongil.

That was the thought.

[Interesting little bastard. Not seeing this body, but sensing it, huh?]

Yoo Cheongil sounded intrigued.

‘Ah.’

A bad feeling hit me.

So I hurried to stop him, but—

[Then what about this?]

Before I could rein him in, Yoo Cheongil had already caused an incident.

FWOOOOOOOM—!!!

I screamed internally. Yoo Cheongil was suddenly cranking up his presence.

‘This crazy old bastard?’

I panicked. No matter how much Yoo Cheongil raised his presence, he couldn’t cause any real, physical effect.

As if proving it, Cheon Hyein and Do Hyeong in front of me didn’t move.

They couldn’t feel it.

So you might think there was no point in raising his presence—

‘Humans just can’t feel it.’

But any ghosts nearby might react.

And then it was one of two things.

‘They run.’

Or they swarm.

From the feel of it, it didn’t seem like they’d charge in... but you never knew.

‘Who the hell shows presence like this?’

The level of spirit pressure Yoo Cheongil was putting out was downright freakish.

‘...I thought he was at least general-class, but—’

This was more violent than I expected. He could put out this much?

‘At this level...’

A higher god.

He felt close to the ones I’d struggled against so hard in my previous life.

No—maybe—

‘He could be even higher.’

Even after leaving his living body behind and becoming a spirit, he was preserved in an intact form.

A figure no different from a human—just without a shadow—was something even I was seeing for the first time.

‘This isn’t easy.’

My eyes kept darting around. Most ghosts would get scared and bolt, but—

‘If it’s a malicious ghost, it’s different.’

Those bastards charged in without thinking. If they felt this, nobody knew what might happen.

‘Seriously, take it down a notch.’

He’d lived long enough, and he was already dead—so why was his temper still that filthy?

‘...Tsk.’

I came out to mediate because things were starting to look like a mess, and now he was making my situation worse.

‘Is that guy going to be okay?’

Peng Dojin, was it? The one they called the future of the Peng Clan—would he be okay?

If he could feel spirit pressure, he might take this and lose his ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) mind—

“HWAAAAAAH—!!!”

FWOOOOSH—!!

—That’s what I thought, but Black-Grand Saber suddenly roared and blew it off.

[OOO—!]

‘What the fuck?’

My eyes widened as I watched. What kind of lunatic is he?

‘You think screaming fixes that?’

I’d never seen anything like it. Did spirit pressure really disperse like that?

‘It can’t be that simple...’

Today, I was seeing a lot of things for the first time.

“Huff... haaa... huff....”

Black-Grand Saber, drenched in cold sweat, steadied his breathing. Then he casually wiped his sweat with the back of his hand and stared right at me.

Meeting his gaze, I flinched.

‘What’s wrong with his eyes?’

Those glistening eyeballs were way too much.

He already had strong features that were kind of intense, but opening his eyes like that made it worse.

And on top of that—

‘Why is he smiling?’

He’s sweating buckets, but his eyes and mouth are smiling.

What the hell?

‘...Is he a pervert?’

That was genuinely the thought that came to mind.

No—there’s no way. He’s direct blood of a Five Great Clans line, for fuck’s s—

“I like you. I like you. I really like you—!!”

‘He’s a pervert.’

Understood. That bastard really was a pervert.

“I like you... I didn’t think it’d be like this. Little Sword Saint! So you’re the Little Sword Saint!”

“...No.”

“To think you’d have power like this—!! The rumors weren’t bullshit!”

“Hold on... calm down first—”

I wanted to calm down that crazed reaction first, but—

WOOOOOONG—!!!

KRRRAAASH—!

Something shot past my side with a rush of wind.

I didn’t bother turning around at the explosion that followed.

I didn’t need to see it. Something had broken.

“Draw your blade, Little Sword Saint. I need to taste how great you are!”

“...”

WOOOOOONG—!

The blade in Black-Grand Saber’s hand vibrated. The force packed inside it was so intense my back went cold just looking at it.

“This bastard—!! How dare he!”

Do Hyeong roared.

RUMBLE—!!

I could see hardened qi surging around his sword.

Seeing that, I said—

“Senior. Wait.”

HALT.

At my words, Do Hyeong stopped. Thank god. He listened.

“Haa.”

I let out a sigh.

‘Ah, seriously.’

Why does something blow up every time I step out?

Every time this happens, it annoys me to death.

CLINK.

I set my hand at my waist. Lightly gripping the hilt of the Divine Sword, I walked forward.

“Heh heh heh heh—!!”

[Oh-ho?]

Beyond Black-Grand Saber’s laughter, Yoo Cheongil reacted.

[You’re going to fight?]

I swallowed a laugh at that. Fight?

‘Like hell.’

There was no way I was fighting that bastard. Whether I could win or not, he was obviously the kind of guy who’d be nothing but trouble.

But—

‘I can’t just let this slide.’

There were eyes watching.

And more than that—

‘He crossed the line.’

That bastard kept crossing the line.

It pissed me off.

“Little Sword Saint...! Let’s see how much of the rumors are true—!”

“Shut your mouth. Your voice is so loud it’s making my ears hurt.”

I cut him off.

At the same time, I took a step forward and changed my movement.

[Huh?]

Yoo Cheongil seemed to notice what had changed. His eyes widened.

[Well, look at you.]

Step.

The instant I stepped, Black-Grand Saber’s eyes changed.

Seeing that, I focused.

‘Pay attention to the movement.’

I was still practicing, so it wasn’t perfect, but I could imitate it a little.

How the joints moved.

How much breath you took as you walked.

I copied it and shaped the atmosphere it gave off.

The method I’d used back when I first faced the Small Moon Unit Leader as a member of the Small Moon Unit.

Imitating Yoo Cheongil’s way of walking.

I wasn’t sure it would help, but I’d thought it might be useful and practiced it now and then.

And I used it on Black-Grand Saber.

“...Ha ha....”

Black-Grand Saber’s reaction was different.

Does it work?

‘Focus.’

As I checked, I focused harder.

“Who are you?”

I lowered my voice. It was a bit high for someone past puberty, but it came out fairly naturally.

“You don’t know me?”

Black-Grand Saber answered my question.

“Should I know you?”

I said it flatly. I actually knew very well, but I pretended I didn’t.

“Yeah. That makes sense.”

Even at my answer, Black-Grand Saber just nodded like it was nothing.

“I’m Peng Dojin of the Peng Clan. Remember it from now on. I’m far too great a man for you to forget.”

“...”

That sounded like some serious self-confidence.

But—

“That’s going to be a problem.”

I said as I swept my hair back.

“I don’t remember the names of weaklings.”

[Wow.]

Yoo Cheongil admired it, and I fought down the urge to gag.

Ah, fuck. Was that too much? That was a pretty messed-up line, but I had to endure it.

“Huh?”

Peng Dojin furrowed his brow at my words.

“You say you don’t care about names. I don’t know why you’re looking for me, but.”

I walked. While walking, I flicked a glance at Yoo Cheongil.

[Hmm.]

As if he understood what my look meant, Yoo Cheongil hesitated a moment—

[Tsk.]

He clicked his tongue and raised spirit pressure again like before.

WOOOOOONG—!!!

“...Ghk!”

Feeling it again, Peng Dojin’s body shook.

Even then, he looked like he was trying to move.

Just like earlier, his willpower was impressive.

But—

WOOOOOONG—!!!

The spirit pressure intensified. What the hell—so he wasn’t serious before?

[Interesting. How far can that child endure?]

Like he was amused, he started pushing harder.

‘...This is a bit much.’

Sweat beaded on my back and on the part of my forehead hidden by my hair. At this point, even I was starting to feel strained.

“Kghhhhh...!!!”

Peng Dojin took it with his whole body, trembling violently.

And the people watching wore puzzled looks.

They couldn’t feel anything, but only Peng Dojin was getting wrecked, so it must have looked bizarre.

“You’re great? You?”

I walked closer to the trembling Peng Dojin and spoke.

“Are you?”

Then I tapped his upper body with a finger.

THUD—!!

A giant nearly eight cheok tall slid backward and collapsed to the ground.

“Doesn’t look like it.”

“...Kuhhk...!”

The moment he fell, the spirit pressure vanished.

Peng Dojin started sucking in air over and over.

“Hah... hhk....”

Through that rough breathing, he looked up at me.

I didn’t avoid his black eyes.

“I don’t care what your reason is. Whoever you are, it’s the same.”

I put force into Moon Eyes. My eyes were probably shining right now.

“If you’re Orthodox, act like it. You’re not some alley punk. This isn’t some filthy place where you get to tell someone to draw steel.”

Tsk.

I clicked my tongue with contempt and turned my back.

I walked—and prayed inside.

‘Stay still.’

Please stay still.

Just go quietly.

I kept praying and praying—

“Ha ha ha...!! Proper manners?”

I felt Peng Dojin rise.

Am I fucked? Do I have to fight? As I tensed and reached for my blade—

“That’s a good line. If an idiot said it, I’d call him a coward, but you’re different.”

CLINK. He slid his treasured weapon back into its sheath and continued.

“I like you. I really like you... How long has it been since I felt this way? Are you the same type as that guy?”

‘That guy?’

That caught for a moment.

“It doesn’t matter. Proper manners, huh? Fine. You’re going to the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering anyway. You’ll draw your blade there, won’t you?”

“...”

At that, I turned my head slightly to look at him.

“If I have to.”

I spat it out with the feeling that if I didn’t have to draw it, I’d rather die than draw it—

“Good. I’ll look forward to it.”

Peng Dojin took it in a different way and laughed roughly.

“I await the skill that puts even the Seven Prodigies under your heel.”

THUD.

Peng Dojin turned and walked to his carriage. Then he shoved that huge body through the entrance he’d smashed while coming out.

“I apologize for blocking the road. I thought this way was best.”

A big hand came out the window and waved.

“Ah. And I didn’t say the most important thing.”

Then his face popped out, and he looked at me.

“Miss Murong is mine. That one thing, I won’t yield.”

“What?”

“DEPARTURE!”

HIIIIIIGH—!!!

At the shout, the Peng Clan carriage started moving.

Watching it leave, I could only stare with a blank expression.

“...Who... what?”

What the hell did that bastard just say?