Chapter 70

“You really were alive…”

“It’s only been a few months, but it does feel stranger than I expected.”

“I’ve really been through a lot…”

Four months into Theater life. Taewoon and Yerin, finally achieving an emotional reunion, spent a long time sharing stories and exchanging the information they had gathered.

“A Divine Physician? Is that true?”

“Yes. I don’t know how much of it is the truth, but it seems definitely worth verifying.”

Because so much time had passed, there were many interesting topics, but Taewoon could not hide his excitement regarding the beam of light falling from the sky that Yerin described.

After all, among all the information he had acquired so far, it was the most plausible lead.

“By the way, the genre is wrong?”

“Yes. I was so anxious because I wanted to tell you… but for something like that, no particular problems seemed to arise?”

The Theater directly contradicted the conviction of Taewoon and Yerin, who had presumed the genre of the ‘Heavenly Secret Manual’ to be a Martial Arts Novel.

Yet, ironically, the core genre of this Theater that Taewoon had experienced physically thus far was precisely a Martial Arts Novel itself.

Since the information conflicted there, it was only natural for his mind to be in a state of confusion.

‘Then, could it be that the core story of the Theater hasn’t even begun yet?’

However, there was a part Taewoon had been pondering regarding this.

In a way, it was a single question that could be seen as the greatest source of anxiety for this 1st Cycle.

“Even so…”

“Four months is too long…”

As if Yerin were thinking the same thing at that moment, the two, their opinions aligned, let out a sigh and began to reflect on their experiences.

“Even in ‘Who Opened It?’, which was the longest, the deadline never exceeded two months. And in my experience, the Theater doesn’t grant us meaningless time.”

“So you’re saying that these past four months were given to us because they were necessary?”

“Yes.”

They had trained and gathered information from every direction, but if asked what they had actually achieved over the last four months, neither Taewoon nor Yerin had much to say.

In other words, it was natural to feel the anxiety that the golden time of this Theater had already passed in vain.

“In the end, it might be better to proceed with this 1st Cycle with a more relaxed mindset…”

“Still, we should do as much as we can. For now, we’ve obtained some plausible information.”

Nevertheless, a problem remained. It was a problem arising from the fact that they had spent too much time in the Theater.

“Um, excuse me.”

“What is it?”

“I’m currently in a position where I’m quite promising within the sect… so the old folks are a bit obsessed. I feel like if I just leave, they might actually chase after me to catch me.”

“…Is it that bad?”

If it was a pillar of the Nine Sects and One School like the Wudang Sect, it was correct to assume there were at least two digits of experts—those whose victory Taewoon could not guarantee.

Particularly, the experts lauded as the best, reaching the Flower Realm or Mystic Realm, were in a domain that even Taewoon could not handle.

It just hadn’t been apparent because there hadn’t been many opportunities to fight, but in truth, there were an incomparably larger number of strong individuals in this Theater compared to previous ones.

“Come to think of it, what did you do with the Spiritual Medicine from the Special Prize?”

“I ate it. They say my Inner Power is at the Transcendent Peak.”

“No wonder… the Magical Power I feel from you is unusual.”

If that was the case, it was understandable why the experts of Wudang wouldn’t let Yerin go easily.

In fact, considering the period Yerin had spent learning Martial Arts, achieving this level of accomplishment at her age was practically nonsensical.

“Still, if chaos is truly about to descend upon the Central Plains to the point of a bloodbath… wouldn’t it be fine to just push through and pretend we don’t know?”

“That’s true…”

If a pursuer came, they could simply send Yerin back to Wudang then.

Yerin, who didn’t have a strong sense of belonging to Wudang anyway, quickly reached a conclusion with Taewoon and decided to prepare to leave the land of Gyunhyeon soon.

And one day later, as expected, the feared problem erupted.

“Are you the one called Seo Taewoon?”

“How audacious! To dare covet the next sword master of our Wudang Sect!”

“Hmm, he looks quite scrawny; no matter how I look at him, he doesn’t seem impressive…”

“I-I’m sorry…”

Seeing the outsiders appear one after another at the meeting place with Yerin, Taewoon let out a troubled cough.

“Excuse me, but may I ask your names…”

“I am Pung Jin of the Ten Thousand Li True Sword!”

“I am Supreme Elder Lee Muk.”

“I am Hwi Gyeom, the one who brought this child to Wudang.”

Since she was said to be a promising Rising Star of the Wudang Sect, it was no surprise that they were all martial artists with names famous enough for even Taewoon to have heard of.

Naturally, using force was out of the question, so Taewoon watched the situation and decided to play along with Yerin’s words for now.

“…I am grateful for the kindness of stepping in for my personal affairs, but an engagement between a man and a woman is like a vow that cannot be taken lightly, so I believe it is only right that I settle it myself. Was that not the way of Wudang that I learned?”

“Ahem.”

“That is true, but…”

“Yerin, you are now a woman registered at the main mountain, so we cannot simply stand by and watch you cause unnecessary confusion. We certainly have enough room to intervene.”

“Haha, you are correct. How could a loafer who hasn’t realized a single letter of Martial Arts be suited for a sword master of Wudang?”

Listening to the conversation, he could roughly understand how the situation was flowing.

In short, Yerin was saying she needed to step away for a moment to settle ties in her hometown, and it was clear that they wanted to handle the matter themselves for fear that an unexpected problem might arise.

“…Elders, would it be alright if I dared to say a word, despite my shortcomings?”

“Speak.”

“I also respect Yerin’s wishes, so if she wishes to spread her wings at Wudang, I have absolutely no intention of standing in her way. However, is it not the duty of a child to fulfill filial piety and loyalty to their parents? I merely wish to uphold that role.”

Simply put, it meant: let us meet face-to-face and settle things ourselves, so please don’t even block that.

Perhaps they couldn’t be that stubborn, as they were about to nod reluctantly to Taewoon’s words, when Pung Jin, who had been silently watching the situation, put forward a proposal with an aura like a thunderous command.

“He says that, but who knows if he has other intentions in his heart? The character of a martial artist is known only when swords clash. Should we not be able to discern his true intentions through a Martial Duel with our disciples?”

“That is… not wrong.”

“What are your thoughts? Of course, I will strictly warn the disciples, so you won’t suffer any major injuries.”

Pung Jin seemed to predict that Taewoon would be intimidated and flee the scene vaguely, but unfortunately for him, Taewoon had more than enough willingness to endure that much effort.

“…Very well. I shall follow the elders’ wishes.”

“Eh, eh? G-good! Then tomorrow at noon, I shall send someone to guide you, so make sure you are fully prepared!”

Thus, a sudden Martial Duel was arranged, but honestly, Taewoon didn’t feel particularly displeased.

The chance to legally compete in martial arts with famous martial artists of an Orthodox sect—he thought it wouldn’t be bad to experience it once.

“…Elder Tae sent me. Are you fully prepared?”

“Yes. I am ready.”

The next day, following the guide sent by Wudang, Taewoon stepped inside the main mountain and faced the sect’s high-ranking officials he had seen yesterday, along with the martial artists with sharp auras lined up beside them.

To be honest, had he not gone through all sorts of hardships while challenging the Theater several times, it was a chilling sight that could have overwhelmed his spirit.

“I am Cheong Mun. Do you need time to steel your resolve?”

“I am fine.”

“Then come up. I shall concede the first three moves.”

Cheong Mun, perhaps feeling that Taewoon was a trivial third-rate martial artist, said he would concede the first attack and lightly took a defensive stance.

‘Still, as a sword master of the Wudang Sect, his basics are solid.’

But honestly, Cheong Mun wasn’t even a plausible opponent for Taewoon.

As Taewoon took his stance, gripping the Barata he had summoned in advance, a few people on one side of the Training Ground widened their eyes and began to shout something.

“W-wait…”

“Then, I shall go.”

Leaping forward and knocking the opponent’s sword away in a single clash, Taewoon pointed his spear at the fallen Cheong Mun and quickly declared victory in the duel.

“Gasp! Huff…”

“Are you able to stand?”

“T-thank you. I have been rude.”

Cheong Mun, barely managing to stand, gave a Fist Salute to show respect, and Pung Jin, who had proposed the duel, clicked his tongue slightly with a dissatisfied expression.

“Ho… impressive. He didn’t look like a martial artist of that caliber…”

“What do you think, Supreme Elder?”

“Hmm, he might be a burdensome opponent for the children.”

The duels, planned for a total of five matches, ended in Taewoon’s victory one by one, and even when a first-generation disciple of Wudang stepped forward, it was impossible for them to land a decent blow on Taewoon.

At this, Pung Jin simply stared at Taewoon’s back with eyes of disbelief, as if purely shocked.

“He doesn’t seem to have aged much… isn’t he on the level of a Rising Star of most sects? How can someone of uncertain origin…”

“The world is wide and there are many eccentric geniuses. I thought he was unusual from the first moment I saw him, but his skill is remarkable.”

For the first time, a light of recognition flickered in the eyes of Pung Jin, who had been dissatisfied with Taewoon throughout.

Then, with a hearty laugh, Pung Jin rose from his seat, approached Taewoon, and offered a handshake while speaking.

“I apologize for looking down on you. I never imagined someone of your age could possess this level of skill.”

“It’s alright. But…”

“Surely you aren’t saying you’re already exhausted? Despite not allowing a single proper blow until now.”

Seeing that the others didn’t immediately stop Pung Jin’s sudden request for a duel, it seemed they were also quite curious about the clash between Taewoon and Pung Jin.

At this, Taewoon let out a small sigh and nodded.

“I have no choice. But this is the last one.”

“Good! I shall concede the first move!”

Soon, in front of Pung Jin, who was emitting a tingling Fighting Spirit, Taewoon quietly infused power into the spear held in his hand.