1.
The gate raid had now passed the halfway point and was entering its final stages.
With the remaining ti, they would barely be able to clear one more dungeon.
“Since we’ve co this far, how about we tackle the biggest dungeon?”
With Shin Seong-gwak’s guidance,
the Haenampa raid team entered the core dungeon.
[This dungeon is quite large.]
“Core dungeons are usually this big. Is this your first ti in a dungeon?”
Hae Eung-eung honestly nodded her head.
Shin Seong-gwak glanced around and then quietly warned her.
“Don’t ever admit that again. Those who envy and are jealous of you won’t let it slide.”
[Isn't it shaful for a warrior to have little experience in dungeons?]
The spirit of righteous heroism, pursuing what is right and helping others,
was highly valued in the martial world.
However, the root of it all stemd from martial arts.
Strength is not just about growing stronger,
but also about how well it’s used to earn the recognition and admiration of others.
Using strength well not only follows the righteous path,
but can also be proven through experience in battle.
Those with a lot of real combat experience were recognized as skilled martial artists, while those with little experience were often dismissed, with the assumption that combat would be different in practice.
Yet, hearing that those with little experience were envied and jealous, Hae Eung-eung couldn’t help but feel confused.
“As you know, ascendants suffer from Mana Disease. They all harbor the anxiety of a ticking ti bomb that will one day be incurable.”
The ti for ascendants is not infinite.
Especially for those aiming for higher positions.
“Lack of experience simply ans more ti remaining. Those who’ve entered the sa dungeon, spending more ti and effort, will only grow angrier.”
Even if her end point ca,
she would not be the sa as them.
“Keep everything about yourself hidden. Unless you want to beco a beloved popular star standing in front of a cara.”
A popular star. A made hero.
Living to gain the public's attention and to elevate their personal and sect’s honor.
‘In the martial world, those who are ranked highest in their sect’s late years are often given the titles of dragon and phoenix.’
Those who are listed in the Dragon-Phoenix League are seen as the next generation’s leaders in the martial world.
Those who gain popularity receive support from their sects to prove both their strength and the sect’s strength to the martial world.
‘For , it was a story both near and distant.’
Haenampa had endured the humiliation of its master losing their sect after failing to withstand the pressure of the Haon sect.
Unlike her sect, the ones producing the best martial artists in the Dragon-Phoenix League were from the prestigious and powerful sects.
Shaolin, Wudang, Hwasan, Kunlun, Jongnam, Cheongseong, Ami, Jeomchang, Hyeongsan, and Gaebang.
The famous families: Namgung, Moyong, Szechuan, and the Northern Pang Family.
The power of these many sects, all pushing their top martial artists to prove their strength,
seed like distant, unreachable peaks in Hae Eung-eung’s world.
“Have you ever heard the sound of a flute, Young Master? The subtle lody of the flute carries the intricate technique of fine control and the mysterious magic of focused energy.”
“What the hell, stop talking so difficultly. The Pang Cheol-san from the Northern Pang Family shows true strength with his sword, not with his tongue.”
The leader of Hwasan and
one of the dragons of the Dragon-Phoenix League,
Im Geum-hwa from Hwasan.
The leader of the Northern Pang Family and
one of the three dragons of the Dragon-Phoenix League,
Pang Cheol-san.
Two n who had shown kindness and taught her martial arts.
Hae Eung-eung had received much help from them, feeling both gratitude and despair.
No matter how hard she worked,
the gap never closed.
No matter how long she ran,
she could never catch up.
She knew that rushing ahead wouldn’t help her climb the mountain, but the anxiety, anger, and despair still haunted her heart, a past that still stung her today.
“Do you ever wish to return to the past? I admit, I have a past I wish I could go back to.”
“Just a little, I couldn’t save the juniors who looked up to , even though I could protect myself. I wonder if I could save them now with the strength I’ve gained.”
“I’m sure now that I could save them, but the regret remains.”
The confession of Im Geum-hwa.
Her simple, honest admission made her reflect.
[There’s no mont I wish to return to, nor anything I want to fix. Even if I go back, if I don’t have the power to protect, it’s just a repeating hell.]
[Since then, I’ve lived fiercely, so I never wish to return to the past.]
[As I have lived until now, I will continue, and please never call to such places again.]
Im Geum-hwa.
He didn’t hide his feelings for her.
Carefully trying to close the distance.
Even knowing he would be rejected and ignored, he didn’t give up.
He was pitiable, despicable.
Grateful, yet resentful.
The best swordmaster among the later generation.
He was the one who taught her the second swordsmanship, dividing Hwasan’s 24 Plum Blossom Swords into 12 and passing them on to her.
[What I don’t want is to beco a popular star.]
“So why can’t you hide your anguish when you see those kids?”
[Because it’s a path I must take to achieve my goal.]
Im Geum-hwa is no longer here.
Hwasan’s plum blossoms have withered.
But she has survived.
Now, in the garden filled with the scent of flowers that had once stung her nose,
she recalls the conversations of that night.
‘In the end, I’m not so different from you.’
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to return to the past because of weakness.
Now, having gained strength, she thought about it carelessly.
She wondered if she could go back to that mont.
But she knew she couldn’t.
‘Regression, it was so expensive.’
It was sothing only the most extre challengers of the martial world would dare to purchase.
And because of this, she thought carelessly,
though she could never return to the martial world,
perhaps, if she ca back to the present,
she could make sothing similar to regression.
Physical reset.
Her right hand returned.
Her body and mind returned to their original form.
In a modern world where all relationships were blank slates,
she starts a new ga—
the ga called life.
Would the difficulty of this ga be higher than the martial world’s challenges? Or lower?
‘This ti, there’s no need to hesitate.’
Nina, proudly waving her hand at her,
stabbing a large lizard’s head with ice.
The bloodstained innocence of Nanase,
the regret of not handling it first.
Royal Club’s banner stars,
destined to be the elite later-generation figures of their ti,
she felt no jealousy or resentnt.
Im Geum-hwa’s teachings were now her own,
becoming the beacon that would guide the young stars' futures.
No longer a aningless fixed panel,
but as a senior in life and a ntor,
she passed down teachings that would beco her blood and flesh.
“You’ve worked hard.”
[This is the path I wanted.]
Now, understanding the regrets of Im Geum-hwa,
the teachings he had imparted,
and the life he had led,
she could clearly see that later-generation figures were no longer so distant peak beyond the clouds.
To her, they were simply the weary, suffering wanderers walking the path of false honor.
Perhaps Nina and Nanase would also one day feel this burden.
‘Will they ever think like this?’
Still, those two were lucky.
They were personally chosen ascendants of Han Chae-rin.
They didn’t face the sa pressure to elevate the guild’s fa, and Han Chae-rin wouldn’t force them into harsh schedules.
They gained fa with less burden, reaping the fruits of success without as much duty.
However, the future wasn’t all bright and happy.
Behind fa lay jealousy, envy, and the pressure from competitors.
They would have to walk this path to raise the banner of a demonic world,
and though they did not yet know the trials ahead,
she wished for them to walk a path where they wouldn’t have to wish for regression.
‘I hope they don’t have to walk the path of regression.’
The most profound thing a senior and a ntor can offer is not sharing the pain,
but the deepest love and wisdom.
2.
Hae Eung-eung once again walked toward the two entertainers,
holding her notebook to make notes on their training.
Watching her mature back,
Shin Seong-gwak couldn’t hide his sympathetic expression.
‘If only she didn’t have so much strength, she could live a life more suited to her age. Her great strength makes her so unhappy.’
She had turned her back on the freedom and happiness of youth,
only gaining strength.
Now, she walked the path of a popular star.
Yet, it wasn’t truly her desire, but the road she had to walk to achieve her goal.
Shin Seong-gwak felt a sudden lancholy.
Having lived as a second-generation ascendant,
he understood her life of survival,
and with that, he felt a deep sympathy for her.
‘Ha... Have I grown old?’
The sacrifices of the second-generation ascendants opened opportunities,
and the newly paved road of popular stars.
The third generation was full of individualism,
unconcerned about the sacrifices of their predecessors.
At first, he despised their selfishness,
but now, with a bit of sympathy, he couldn’t help but feel for her.
Perhaps because of the magic disease,
which had been partially healed by Hae Eung-eung.
Recalling a feeling he had long forgotten was not entirely unpleasant.
Perhaps that’s why he wished for her happiness in the future.
He wanted her life to be better than his.
‘You too, you’re not that young anymore.’
Even if she had lived through the darker sides of life,
she wasn’t yet old enough to act like a seasoned veteran.
Why, then, did Hae Eung-eung seem so different from others her age?
‘So this is it.’
Shin Seong-gwak realized the reason.
She was simply too strong.
There was no one around her, not even himself, who could be her life ntor.
Thus, she had to live a solitary life, seeking perfection and cutting out flaws.
The path of intense suffering, striving for invulnerability,
was the life she had to endure.
‘Finally, I understand.’
How could he repay the favor she had given him?
How could he pay back the hope she brought to his life?
Even if he closed the Myeongho Guild,
gathered the remaining wealth and forces to support her,
would it be enough to repay her kindness?
Shin Seong-gwak had been struggling with these thoughts,
but today, he finally found the answer.
He now knew with certainty what Hae Eung-eung needed most,
and how he could offer her the greatest help.
He now knew the answer with full confidence.
‘What you need is an adult who can be a senior and a ntor to you.’
In that case, I will be your senior and ntor.
I will be the first adult you can rely on.
To do that, I must beco stronger than ever before.
This was the mont when Shin Seong-gwak vowed to challenge the wall of level 250,
the limit that had long tornted him.
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