## Chapter 101 – 101. Jinheung Village (3)
#101. Jinheung Village (3)
After the intense sex, I went out to the nearby forest to clear my head. A huge full moon hung in the sky. The cloudless night sky was bright enough to illuminate even the dark forest.
“It’s quiet.”
Not even the sound of insects chirping.
I had been so busy lately that I welcomed the silence. My brain, exhausted from excessive use of magic, seemed to rejoice at the respite. There was a reason why wizards took long breaks of several months after finishing their research.
In any case, just awakening mana extended one’s lifespan, and depending on one’s level, one could live even longer. Rather than focusing on small, immediate achievements, wizards tended to live leisurely lives for the sake of significant accomplishments years down the line.
‘Once this matching is over and I return to Earth, should I take it easy for a while?’
Of course, with enrollment in the Magic Tower just around the corner, I wouldn’t have much time to spare, but the important thing was making the decision.
Lost in trivial thoughts, I continued walking through the forest. After walking for a while, I couldn’t help but miss Chun Yeo-hwa by my side. But I couldn’t force someone who was resting due to back pain to come with me.
“Anyway, what should I do now?”
My mind was filled with the thought of stealing the ‘Boundless Vajra Body.’ It was pointless to assume there wouldn’t be a martial arts manual now.
According to the investigation team leader, the ancient temple was currently guarded by the 7th Elder of the Mount Hua Sect, the 6th Elder of the Jongnam Sect, and one of the Four Vajras of the Shaolin Temple. There was no way three Elder-level figures would be guarding an empty place.
I wanted to rush to the ancient temple right now, steal the manual, and run away.
However, if the three guards were as strong as the White-Bearded Old Man, it would be impossible to steal the manual and escape without being noticed.
‘…My magic is focused on combat, so it’ll be even harder.’
It was rare to find a wizard as specialized in combat as I was. To advance in their mastery, wizards needed to conduct research in various fields.
Actually, there was a way. I could kill the three guards with Chun Yeo-hwa and steal the manual.
‘…I’m aiming to be a master thief, but I’m not interested in becoming a wanted criminal in the Murim world as a crazy murderer.’
Besides, it was a problematic plan. The path was treacherous and complicated, but it wouldn’t take long to get from Jinheung Village to the ancient temple. If the Murim people in the camp noticed something and sent reinforcements, everything would be for naught.
‘I guess I’ll have to look for an opportunity to steal it tomorrow.’
Of course, people in this world were ignorant about magic. With a little opening, stealing the manual without being noticed wouldn’t be difficult. There was no option of not stealing it. I had no intention of returning empty-handed after coming all this way.
I sorted out my thoughts and continued my walk. Since I was already here, I thought I’d venture a little further in.
Of course, I didn’t plan to stay long. Every minute and second was precious when I thought of Chun Yeo-hwa eagerly waiting for me in bed.
[Time remaining in matching: 69:41:23]
‘It would be great if I could get the Boundless Vajra Body within the remaining time…’
But there was no need to rush. There would be other opportunities.
I swiped the screen aside and followed the roughly formed forest path. Judging by the large footprints here and there, it seemed bears lived in the area.
“Will a panda appear?”
Since this was another world, there was a high possibility of finding animals that couldn’t be seen on Earth. It was the same in the Great Forest.
Thud!
As I was walking with trivial thoughts, I sensed a faint presence nearby.
Swish!
It sounded like someone wielding a weapon.
‘Judging by the single presence, it doesn’t seem like a fight?’
Intrigued by the unexpected event, I muffled my footsteps and walked towards the presence.
Pushing through the undergrowth and passing through dense trees, I soon came to a clearing.
“…Oh.”
There, a woman was wielding a sword, using the full moon as her spotlight.
The sword dance, cutting through the air with a whoosh, exuded a deadly aura. It was a killing sword filled with the will to avoid any waste in formalities.
She looked like a fairy descended from the heavens. Why? Because the woman wielding the sword was a beauty.
With hair flowing like silken threads, clear and pure black eyes, and a voluptuous figure revealed even under her martial arts uniform, she was a stunning beauty that was hard to look away from.
‘That uniform is… from the Mount Hua Sect.’
That meant she was a fellow disciple of Sword Dragon and the White-Bearded Old Man I met during the day.
‘Didn’t Sword Dragon say he was the greatest genius of the Mount Hua Sect?’
Surprisingly, that weakling seemed to be known as one of the best young talents in the Central Plains. It was absurd. While he had reached the peak of mastery in his late 20s, Chun Yeo-hwa had reached the pinnacle at just 20 years old.
Of course, it was a level achieved through the unorthodox method of demonic arts, but even if Sword Dragon had practiced demonic arts from a young age until the age of 20, I didn’t think he would be stronger than Chun Yeo-hwa. I believed Chun Yeo-hwa’s talent surpassed Sword Dragon’s.
And it was hard to say that the woman before me had less talent than Sword Dragon. Of course, there was a difference in absolute skill, but if she maintained her current talent and honed her skills, it was certain that she would become a more skilled martial artist than Sword Dragon someday.
‘…Sharp, and fast.’
At the same time, she was versatile. The sword energy scattering from various angles transformed into a single strike. The sword energy gathered in a single line transformed into a beautiful flower and bloomed.
Changing Sword and Quick Sword.
She was an opponent I didn’t want to fight in close combat. Her swordsmanship made me want to just cast magic from afar.
‘…Let’s go back.’
Peeking at someone else’s training was a serious offense. If I caused trouble and attracted the attention of the Mount Hua Sect or others, it could create annoying problems when I tried to steal the Boundless Vajra Body tomorrow.
Of course, I had already attracted attention once with the duel against Sword Dragon, but I wasn’t foolish enough to dwell on what was done.
Just as I was about to turn around,
Ping! A small dagger flew and pierced the tree next to me.
“Who’s there?”
I’m screwed.
All sorts of thoughts flashed through my mind. But I couldn’t think of a way to get out of this situation.
I slowly raised my hands and stood up.
“…You are?”
“Haha… Hello…?”
The woman’s eyes widened when she saw me. She seemed to recognize me. Considering what happened during the day, it would be stranger if there was someone in the Mount Hua Sect who didn’t know me.
But even taking that into account, the woman’s reaction was odd.
It was as if she wasn’t angry that an outsider had secretly watched her training, but rather seemed strangely pleased. Was it just my imagination?
“I’m Kang Hyun-woo, currently under the care of the Hundred Flowers Gate.”
Not knowing what else to do, I offered a handshake.
“I, I’m Yoo So-wol from the Mount Hua Sect!”
The woman, who introduced herself as Yoo So-wol, grabbed my hand with both of hers. Her hands were damp with sweat. It wasn’t strange, considering she had been training just now.
“Ah, then may I call you Miss Yoo?”
“Y-Yes! Please do!”
“…”
Yoo So-wol’s reactions were so intense that they were burdensome. She was like a girl meeting her idol at a fan signing event.
No matter how much I racked my brain, I couldn’t understand it.
Even putting aside the fact that we were meeting for the first time, there was no way she would have good feelings towards me, since she was from the Mount Hua Sect. After all, I had a record of beating the most promising genius of the Mount Hua Sect in front of many people.
‘Those old guys’ eyes were so fierce.’
It was absurd that they blamed others for raising their disciple weakly.
“Th-Then, may I call you Senior Kang…?”
“…Junior is enough.”
“Ah…! Yes, Junior Kang!”
The smile that bloomed on Yoo So-wol’s face was brighter than the full moon in the night sky. She was truly worthy of being called a fairy.
“…Plum Blossom Fairy.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing.”
I made an excuse for the words that had come out without my knowing.
“So… what brings Junior Kang here?”
“Ah.”
I bowed my head slightly.
“I apologize. Although it was a mistake, I improperly peeked at Miss Yoo’s training.”
Actually, it was inappropriate to call it a mistake. I could have at least run away before being caught.
It was just that I had been captivated by Yoo So-wol’s beauty and her beautiful sword dance, and had watched for a long time.
“I-It’s okay, since it was a mistake…”
Yoo So-wol twirled a strand of hair next to her ear with one finger.
Her forgiving me so easily confused the Murim setting in my mind. In the martial arts novels I had read, they would have requested a life-or-death duel for the reason of peeking at training.
Despite my worries, I was soon able to guess the reason, at least a little.
Yoo So-wol kept avoiding eye contact with me, as if she was trying to avoid it at all costs. If our eyes happened to meet, she would be startled and turn her head away.
Her face was covered in a bright red blush.
‘…Is she in love with me?’
Thinking about it carefully, I thought it might be possible.
Recently, as I repeated meditation, I was burning away impurities in my body with fire energy and brain energy, and my features were becoming clearer. And thanks to physical training, my body had also improved.
I was confident that I was already well above average in terms of appearance.
It wasn’t because of the ‘Alpha Male’ skill like with Jo Yeon-hee. I hadn’t even broken a sweat.
“Um… how old is Junior Kang?”
“I’m 21 years old. How about Miss Yoo?”
“O-Officially, I turned twenty this year…”
“I’m a year older then.”
She was the same age as Chun Yeo-hwa, but the atmosphere was quite different. If Chun Yeo-hwa felt like an older woman, Yoo So-wol felt more like a younger sister.
“Y-You can speak comfortably…”
“Okay, then can I call you So-wol?”
“…Yes.”
Yoo So-wol lowered her head, as if trying to hide her face, which was flushed as if it would burst at any moment. If she had been born in Korea and debuted as an actress, the title of “Nation’s Little Sister” would have been hers.
“Um… is it okay if I ask Junior Kang something?”
“Me?”
Gulp, I heard the sound of dry saliva being swallowed. For the record, it wasn’t me.
“…Are you and the young lady you were with… perhaps in a relationship with a promise for the future?”