Chapter 31- Debut Match (1)
After returning from the Abyss, I devoted myself even more to my training.
I had confird that my Bimu opponent's capabilities were greater than I had anticipated.
Perhaps she had grown even stronger than the last mont I saw her.
Although she didn't wield her sword against the Lycanthrope, it was a life-threatening mont, so she might have had so sort of epiphany.
That's how swordsn usually grow.
By overcoming their own walls at unexpected points.
Moreover, considering her talent, the possibility was more than enough.
Before I knew it, the Bimu with Min Ha-rin was just a day away.
However, it seed the people around were more anxious than I, the one directly involved.
A little while ago, Seo Ji-won had co by to check on my condition, and this ti, it was Choi Ho-joong.
“Young master, are you not nervous?”
“Nervous? Why should I be?”
“You’re human too, young master. It’s an important matter with the family’s honor on the line. Wouldn't it be stranger if you weren't anxious?”
“Breathing, eating, and shitting are also important things. Ho-joong, do you get anxious every ti you do them?”
“You’re playing with words again. This isn’t that kind of problem!”
But to , it was the sa kind of problem.
Winning a Bimu was as easy as breathing, eating, and shitting. It had always been that way since my days as Johan Raven.
“Get ready to go out. There’s a place we need to go today.”
“Where are you suddenly trying to go?”
“I have so business at the Mana Stone exchange. Have the car ready.”
Choi Ho-joong made a puzzled face.
“Are you perhaps planning to trade the Mana Stones you got from the dungeon last ti?”
“Right, there was that too.”
“Just leave it to and I’ll go alone. It’s not worth much anyway, so there’s no need for you to go in person.”
“Forget it. I’ll go and make the trade, so just get ready.”
I reached into my Inventory and fiddled with the Mana Stone I had received as a quest reward two weeks ago.
This thing had a completely different texture from a normal Mana Stone.
It felt like a well-cut gem, not a raw stone.
But the real difference was in its size.
While the Mana Stone from the E-rank Dungeon was the size of a jackstone, this one was about the size of five fists stacked together.
According to my internet research, it was a special grade item that could fetch at least 5 billion won.
“I’ll have the car prepared. I suppose you should also get so fresh air and walk around the downtown area, young master.”
Actually, there was a reason I wanted to sell this Mana Stone.
To secure seed money for operating a sword unit.
If I won the Bimu against Min Ha-rin tomorrow, I would be able to form a sword unit as promised with my father.
The family would provide the basic operating funds, but the more money, the better.
Even selling it for around 5 billion would be a considerable help in running the sword unit.
Though ultimately, I would need much more money.
“Young master, by the way, have you roughly checked the market price?”
“Yeah. To so extent, on the internet.”
“That’s a relief, then. I was worried you might be disappointed. Mana Stones have beco so common these days that selling one of those tiny pebbles from an E-rank Dungeon would barely get you the price of a few chickens.”
“Then I guess we can just have chicken for dinner tonight.”
“Chicken? Sounds great!”
I wasn't sure if this guy would still be satisfied with chicken after seeing the results.
***
It turned out the Mana Stone I brought had a special na.
Ignarog.
It was sotis used as a raw material for advanced scientific experints, but it was usually the main ingredient for top-tier equipnt.
It was a reward that rarely dropped in Dungeons or the Abyss, so it was treated as a very precious item.
Typically, Ignarogs ca from the highest-grade Dungeons. Naturally, it was the first ti Choi Ho-joong had seen one in person.
The price wasn't far off from what I had looked up.
“Se-seven billion?”
Choi Ho-joong’s eyes went wide.
“What? Are you jealous?”
“Of course I’m jealous. The world is so unfair. Shouldn’t it be dirt spoons like who get things like this?”
“The world has always been unfair. And why are you so surprised over a re seven billion? Do you know how much the top Hunters are worth these days?”
“How many top Hunters are there in the world? And no matter how much the world has changed, seven billion is….”
“Just think about raising your own value. Once you make a na for yourself, is seven billion a big deal? This is an industry where you can pull in more than ten tis that in one go.”
“?”
“Why? You think you can’t do it?”
That was my intention.
If Choi Ho-joong was to remain as my right-hand man, he would naturally have to be at that level.
Of course, the guy himself didn't know how lucky he was.
“Let’s go get so chicken.”
“You earned seven billion and you’re just going to settle for chicken?”
“You said you liked chicken, didn't you? A person has to have integrity.”
“Wow! I really give up with you, young master.”
“Stop talking nonsense and guide to the best chicken place around here.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll take you to the most expensive place. The most expensive place is the best place, sir.”
And so, the place Choi Ho-joong took to was a chicken restaurant inside the Muwon Hotel.
He said he would pick the most expensive place, but it seed this guy had forgotten the essence of chicken.
“Ho-joong, I didn't know you had this kind of taste.”
“When else would I get to co to a place like this if not on a day like today? Besides, tomorrow is the day you go to take over the Muwon Sword Family, young master! I thought it would be a good idea to take over the Muwon Hotel first before that.”
“You’re connecting everything. But is this hotel really owned by the Muwon Sword Family?”
“Yes. I believe it’s operated by a branch family.”
Perhaps because of that, I saw a familiar face.
The only daughter of the Muwon Sword Family.
“Huh? Ji-han oppa?”
It was Han Ye-ji.
There are people like that in life.
The kind you get strangely entangled with often.
***
Han Ye-ji joined our table.
The topic of conversation naturally flowed to the Bimu scheduled for tomorrow.
It seed the Muwon Sword Family had considerable expectations for Min Ha-rin.
Having been humiliated once, they would want to return the favor.
But they were only seeing one side of the coin.
If they were to suffer a second consecutive defeat even after sending out their most promising prospect, the blow would be much greater.
“Honestly, on our side, we’re not thinking about losing at all.”
“It’s the sa for .”
“Ha-rin is the sa age as , so we talk a lot and sotis even cross swords. But she’s a real genius.”
“I can’t agree with that.”
“Pardon?”
The Min Ha-rin I saw was a swordsman with very well-established fundantals.
A typical hexagonal talent whose every ability was flawlessly decent, though her level of swordsmanship was not particularly high.
But it was problematic to so carelessly attach the label of ‘genius’ to her.
“Oppa, you don't know anything about Ha-rin.”
“You said she’s twenty. If she were a real genius, she should have already been ruling the world.”
Just as I had.
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Twenty is by no ans a young age.”
“What about you, oppa?”
“? As you know, I was languishing with a terminally ill body.”
“What’s that supposed to an?”
“Unavoidable circumstances? Well, not anymore.”
“Anyway, Ha-rin is a child with truly amazing talent. When she first ca to our sword family a year ago, she was insignificant, but her skills improved day by day, and before I knew it, she had surpassed . And she hasn't even learned the Muwon Sword Style.”
“To co that far in a year is worthy of acknowledgnt.”
If she had been a mber of the Haewon Sword Family, I would have imdiately recruited her into my sword unit and nurtured her.
“You’ll see for yourself when you face her tomorrow, oppa. Just how high the wall of talent is.”
“Anyone hearing you would think you’re a Min Ha-rin fan.”
“Actually, I am a fan. I was jealous at first, but now, shall I say I’ve accepted it?”
“I heard a rumor she went through a tough ti in the Abyss. Is her condition okay?”
“Wow! That rumor spread that far?”
“You know. The Haewon Sword Family’s intelligence network is no joke.”
“Then use that intelligence network to find soone for .”
“Out of the blue, find soone?”
“It seems Ha-rin went to the Abyss and t so old geezer and fell head over heels for him.”
“Old geezer?”
“Yes. Apparently, so old geezer appeared in the first village of the Abyss and helped her, but she doesn't know his na or affiliation. She even said she has bad night vision, so she couldn't even see his face properly. It seems like Ha-rin is caught in so pink-hued wave, but I think he might be a pervert.”
“Why is that?”
“The fact that such a strong person only just appeared in the first village of the Abyss is suspicious from the start. Besides, from what I hear, he was a total old geezer.”
“No. He’s not a pervert, and he’s not an old geezer either.”
“How would you know that, oppa?”
“He’s soone who helped without asking for anything in return. So I can guarantee it. And one more thing. You need to fix that bad habit of slandering people you don’t know like that.”
“Wow! Oppa, you sounded just like an old geezer right now!”
Han Ye-ji shivered, looking back and forth between the chicken leg she was eating and the goosebumps on her arm.
Honestly, I was the one who was more shocked.
, an old geezer.
***
It had been a really long ti since I'd had an official Bimu like today's.
In my days as Johan Raven, I had beco a Sword Master at too young an age, and by the ti I was twenty, I had reached a position where a Bimu was difficult to even arrange.
There were no opponents for in the entire world.
I would occasionally select and accept challenges from those who ca to , and they considered it an honor just to cross swords with .
So even shed tears of emotion when I gave them a short piece of advice after our duels.
And now, that sa I stood before many people, facing a rookie swordsman.
It felt truly strange.
It was also sowhat thrilling, like starting over again.
Today, our family didn't bring a large contingent.
My father had accepted my wish not to be encumbered.
Thanks to that, only three people accompanied : Seo Ji-won, Choi Ho-joong, and Shin Ah-yeon.
We entered the Muwon Sword Family’s grounds with a small party.
“Welco.”
The one who greeted us was the forr head of the Muwon Sword Family, Han Byeong-cheol.
He was also the person who had arranged today’s Bimu.
“It’s been a while, sir.”
“You look much better than last ti. The mana I feel from your dantian is also… huh?”
“Has it changed?”
To be able to sense this, Han Byeong-cheol was definitely no ordinary master.
Strictly speaking, the mana that had been the size of a sesa seed had only beco a slightly larger sesa seed.
“I feel a change. This will be an interesting match today.”
“I hope it will be interesting for you.”
“It certainly will be.”
Han Byeong-cheol gave a sly smile.
He was certain.
That his family's top prospect would succeed in her revenge match.
“Ah! And about the 500-won coin you gave that day. I’ve kept it well.”
“Why would you keep sothing like that?”
“I have to keep it. You showed sothing interesting with it. I brought it to return it to you.”
“I’m not the type to be petty over 500 won, you know.”
“I’ve practiced enough, so I think it’s ti to return it.”
“Practiced?”
“The technique you used when you threw the coin at .”
At my words, Han Byeong-cheol laughed heartily.
As if he found , for saying such things, ridiculous.
“So, did the practice go well?”
“After the Bimu is over, may I show you? As a way of returning this coin.”
“You’re a very interesting fellow. Fine! I don't know if you’ll have the mind for it after the Bimu, but go ahead and do so.”
He chuckled again, looking at as if he found amusing.
I was looking forward to it.
To see if this old man could still look at with that sly smile after the Bimu was over.
User Comments
0 comments from readers