Namgoong the Sword Ghost - Chapter 6

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 6. The Sword Demon’s Apology
“Three hundred years ago, there was one called the Sword Demon. He was the strongest in the world of his era and bore the mark of the Great Slaughter Star—a villain of such notoriety that his legend persists even now.”
At Namgung Baek’s words, Ho Yeon pushed out his lips in protest.
‘…This is too much. What did I even do?’
All I did was kill those who came at me with killing intent.
Besides, I couldn’t die anyway, could I?
While Ho Yeon wallowed in his sense of injustice, Namgung Baek continued.
“At that time, our main clan belonged to the Murim Alliance. And the alliance master then was none other than……”
“Wait, wait a moment. Does that mean the main clan no longer belongs to the Murim Alliance?”
“Hmm? Our main clan belongs to the Baekga Alliance, doesn’t it?”
“…Ah yes, of course. I’d forgotten.”
Ho Yeon absorbed this new information and his expression hardened.
So something had happened over these three centuries.
“That fellow aside—in any case, three hundred years ago, the master of the Murim Alliance was our clan’s patriarch and one of the Three Sovereigns of the World: the Sword Sovereign, Namgung Cheon Gang.”
Namgung Baek continued, his expression turning proud.
Ho Yeon nodded along in response.
This much, at least, he already knew.
“The Sword Sovereign, who served as alliance master, summoned the Orthodox Faction leaders and organized the Samdo United Forces to capture the Greatest Evil of the World—the Sword Demon.”
‘That cunning old bastard. Was a deathbed apology supposed to settle everything? Really?’
As Ho Yeon recalled the Sword Sovereign, his expression grew complicated.
Namgung Baek’s words pressed on.
“The problem emerged when the alliance forces were being assembled. The various clans and sects belonging to the Murim Alliance were reluctant to commit their elite troops.”
At that, Ho Yeon let out a quiet laugh.
‘I see.’
The Murim Alliance was not a single unified body, but rather a coalition of various factions.
Internal strife and factional conflicts festered within it.
In such an alliance, the surest way to have one’s voice heard was raw power.
“They feared that if they sent their elite warriors to face the Sword Demon, they would lose their most capable fighters and their own influence would wane.”
Namgung Baek shook his head as if displeased and continued.
“With such hesitation spreading, capturing the Sword Demon would be nearly impossible. The Sword Sovereign needed to set an example.”
“In other words……”
“He deployed all of our clan’s elite units—the Changgung Corps, the Cheonpung Corps, the Biryeon Corps, the Cheolgeom Corps, and more.”
“…”
Ho Yeon fell silent at Namgung Baek’s words.
Now that he thought about it.
There had indeed been an unusual number of those blue-robed warriors on that plain……
“With the main clan taking the lead, the other clans and sects had no choice but to send their elite forces as well. But they held back their reserves.”
“…”
“The result was, as you know, mutual destruction. That bloody battle caused our clan’s fortunes to decline sharply. We lost countless martial arts, including the Cheonrae Jewang Divine Art.”
Ho Yeon could not meet Namgung Baek’s eyes.
‘Tch, I’m sorry about that. But that was self-defense. Who came at me first?’
As Ho Yeon grumbled with a heart half-sorry and half-aggrieved,
Namgung Baek’s voice continued.
“The Sword Demon’s misdeeds did not end there.”
“What? He did not die?”
“Truly, the Greatest Evil of the World proved his nature. Even in death, the Sword Demon dealt a tremendous blow to our clan.”
“…?”
Ho Yeon cocked his head in confusion, and Namgung Baek released a heavy sigh.
“Roughly a hundred years ago, a strange rumor spread through Jungwon.”
“A rumor?”
“That our clan possessed the Secret Manual of the Sword Demon.”
“What?”
A secret manual?
There was no such thing.
Sword Heart Resonance wasn’t some technique you could learn from a manual anyway.
“It was baseless gossip. The Sword Sovereign had been the one to kill the Sword Demon, so the notion that our clan had acquired his secret manual was pure absurdity.”
“…”
“Yet the very existence of such a rumor—a Sword Demon’s Secret Manual—was enough to rob countless martial artists of their reason.”
“…”
“Our clan and its members were assaulted day after day, and even those within our own faction began to regard us with suspicion.”
“……”
“The Changgyeong Pavilion, where all of our family’s martial arts are housed, burned to ash because of the Sword Demon. The suffering our clan has endured defies description.”
‘No, that’s insane. Is even that my fault? They wreaked absolute havoc among themselves, so why blame me?’
Ho Yeon felt a deep sense of injustice.
Annihilating the Namgung Clan’s elite forces three hundred years ago—fine, he’d apologize for that.
It wasn’t as though he hadn’t gone out of his way to sweep them away in a fit of spite.
But he couldn’t accept being held responsible for a mere rumor from a hundred years past.
“Sigh…… Once hailed as the greatest family under heaven, reduced to this by a single person. How far we have fallen.”
But when Ho Yeon saw Namgung Baek exhale heavily, his features etched with bitterness, he found himself apologizing without quite knowing why.
“I—I’m sorry.”
“Hmm? Why are you apologizing?”
“I’m not sure, really……”
“Heh heh, you’re trying to cheer this old man up, are you? What a precious thing you are.”
Soft. Soft.
As Namgung Baek stroked his head, Ho Yeon bowed it lower still.
“If you say Cheong Gang’s Changgung Muwae Sword Art has become corrupted, then it must be true. The proper lineage has been broken since the death of the Sword Demon.”
“……”
“But now things are different! Our youngest has awakened Sword Heart Resonance! Ahahaha!”
Namgung Baek gazed at Ho Yeon with affectionate eyes and burst into hearty laughter.
‘Hmm, listening to him, it seems my wrongs aren’t entirely absent.’
He couldn’t bear to owe anyone a debt.
Kindness and grievance alike demanded repayment—that was the only way his heart found peace.
He’d accepted the Cheonrae Sword, so it only made sense to repay the clan’s favor by helping with their affairs to some degree.
With that thought, Ho Yeon nodded and opened his mouth.
“Father, please gather as many of the family’s swords as possible—especially the ancient blades from three hundred years ago.”
At Ho Yeon’s request, Namgung Baek nodded in turn and replied.
“Of course, but don’t strain yourself. Your health comes first to me, you understand?”
“……Yes.”
“And keep your awakening of Sword Heart Resonance as secret as you can. Others may grow envious and shun you for such power.”
“Understood……”
Others.
……So he said.
Ho Yeon gazed at Namgung Baek’s worried expression and his own face grew strange.
You’re not ‘others,’ are you?
Then what are you to me?
……I don’t know.
* * *
“Sigh, well. I’ve obtained it.”
Back in his room, Ho Yeon examined the weathered sword sheath and the unadorned scabbard within.
The Cheonrae Sword.
The blade of the old Sword Sage himself—the very sword that had severed the lifeline of the Sword Demon’s singular existence.
And perhaps the sword that had become the occasion for his own resurrection as Namgung Ho Yeon.
Shing.
As Ho Yeon drew the Cheonrae Sword, a mysterious white blade revealed itself.
“……Truly a famous blade.”
By the standard of the Sword Demon’s eye—an eye for swords that yielded to none—
the Cheonrae Sword could be called not merely a famous blade, but even, with some exaggeration, a divine sword.
“Perhaps it’s from receiving the power of thunder and lightning for so many centuries? There’s not a trace of impurity to be found.”
Ho Yeon examined the Cheonrae Sword by lamplight, turning it this way and that in admiration, then settled into a cross-legged position.
He placed the sword across both knees and focused all his mind upon it.
Heat began to gather at the center of his brow, and Sword Heart Resonance activated.
“Tell me—how do I circulate the Cheonrae Qi?”
Ho Yeon asked, but the Cheonrae Sword remained silent.
“What? You’re ignoring me? How rude. Won’t you answer?”
He tried again, but still the blade offered no response.
“Listen here. Why did you pass on the secrets of the Cheonrae Jewang Divine Art to a child? Have you lost your mind?”
Hum.
Only when Ho Yeon leveled an accusatory challenge did the Cheonrae Sword respond faintly.
Ho Yeon’s eyes lit up, and he pressed on swiftly.
“Don’t even think of claiming you didn’t know how to circulate it—I know that’s an excuse, you murderous blade.”
Zing!
“Heh, the Killing Sword repels you? Then how about the Unarmed Sword? You irresponsible blade. If you taught me the secrets of the Cheonrae Jewang Divine Art, then teach me how to wield Cheonrae Qi.”
Thrummm.
“What? You refuse? A mad sword indeed. Fine. From now on, you’re the Sloth Sword. This indolent blade.”
Thrummm!
“Still refusing? You useless, purposeless sword! Faithless blade! Lawless sword! Abandoned sword! Discarded refuse!”
As Ho Yeon’s invective poured forth,
the Cheonrae Sword vibrated violently.
Ziiing!
And at that moment, something occurred that he had never experienced since awakening the Sword Heart Resonance.
―There, young friend. Mind your manners. Ahem.
A tingling sensation spread through the point between his brows as spiritual force drained away.
And then an old man’s voice echoed in his mind.
‘…What?’
Ho Yeon started in shock.
Until now, he had merely sensed the sword’s will vaguely.
But this—this was not mere will. The blade was using Heart Language.
‘What is this? A haunted sword?’
As Ho Yeon stared blankly at the Cheonrae Sword, the old man’s voice came again.
―Ahem! Cough! Do you know how old I am? If you count the millennia I spent trapped in that meteorite, thousands of years seems trivial.
“What?”
―How old are you? Showing such impudence to an elder of incomprehensible age. Did no one teach you filial piety and proper conduct? Ting! These young people these days….”
“…….”
Not even a tutor scolding him,
and yet the Cheonrae Sword lectured Ho Yeon on his lack of manners in its pedantic way.
Listening to the sword’s reproach, Ho Yeon hit upon a perfectly fitting name for this blade.
“…I’ve never seen such an obstinate turtle of a sword.”
―What? Obstinate turtle? Stubborn you say? Fine! I’m stubborn! I won’t exchange another word with an ill-mannered wretch like you!
At those words, the Cheonrae Sword flared up in anger, moving to sever the connection.
Ho Yeon quickly changed his approach.
“No, venerable one. They call something vast and immense as great and expansive—why take offense?”
―Eh?
“Even the greatest mountains are called vast, the mightiest fishes grand, and things as towering and peaceful as Mount Tai are called sublime. None of them are called stubborn.”
―Hmm, was that what you meant?
“Of course! Tell me, venerable Great One, do you perhaps know of Namgung Cheon Gang?”
―Ah, that child? A most respectful little one, he was.
“In my estimation, the greatest embodiment of grandeur was that old Namgung Cheon Gang.”
―Hmm, that child’s vessel was vast too. Much like mine.
‘An easy temperament to manage.’
Ho Yeon gazed at the Cheonrae Sword, which had swallowed his flattery whole, and let out a quiet laugh.
‘So this is the secret hidden within Sword Heart Resonance.’
At the same time, he marveled at the unexpected power of the technique.
“Tell me, venerable Great One—was Sword Heart Resonance always like this? You seem almost like a living human.”
To Ho Yeon’s question, the Cheonrae Sword answered with evident pride.
―Ahem! That is because this old sword is extraordinary. Through countless ages, spiritual essence has accumulated within me. Don’t compare me to those other petty little blades.
“Then why did such a special sword teach me the Cheonrae Jewang Divine Art so readily?”
―Well, that is to say….
Caught off guard by Ho Yeon’s question, the Cheonrae Sword mumbled an excuse in a diminished voice.
―I was pleased to see you…. That’s all.
“Pleased to see me?”
―Put yourself in my position! For three hundred years, not a single human has appeared who could speak with me! Wouldn’t you be delighted?
As the Cheonrae Sword erupted, Ho Yeon’s brow twitched.
“So out of joy, you spilled the secrets willy-nilly, and then—boom, crash—this one dies?”
―Ahem, hmm. I am…… reflecting on it.
“You kill a man and think reflection is enough?”
―Then what do you want me to do about it! The deed is already done!
As the Cheonrae Sword protested loudly, Ho Yeon smiled softly.
“Make amends.”
―What?
“Teach me how to wield Cheonrae Qi, and I will return the Cheonrae Jewang Divine Art to the Namgung Clan, just as this child wished.”
―…….
The Cheonrae Sword fell silent at Ho Yeon’s words for a moment, then exhaled a heavy sigh and murmured.
―Ah, what a vicious demon has taken root here. The future of the Namgung Clan grows dark…….
“I appreciate the compliment.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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