“I asked if there was something wrong with this old man being your master.”
“Pardon?”
What the hell was he talking about? Taken out of context, that line could put a romance-drama male lead to shame.
I covered my vital areas and slowly backed away.
“What?”
“N-Nothing. But what do you mean?”
“Forget it. Pretend you never heard me.”
Jeok Cheongang’s expression was an odd mix of inexplicable hope, irritation, and disappointment. He stared at me for a moment, then abruptly said, “You possess the Heavenly Martial Physique.”
“Heavenly Martial what?”
Jeok Cheongang frowned at my reaction.
“You don’t know about the Heavenly Martial Physique? Are you making fun of this old man?”
“I’ve never heard of it in my life.”
“…Heaven truly is heartless. How could it give such a thing to someone like you?”
He looked like he genuinely wanted to hit me.
Jeok Cheongang trembled as he clutched his liquor bottle, then let out a sigh.
“Then do you know anything about the Nine Yin Severed Meridians?”
“Oh, the Nine Yin Severed Meridians. I know about that.”
I had seen it plenty of times before. Did I have it right?
I rummaged through my old memories and pulled out a few keywords related to the Nine Yin Severed Meridians.
“An unusual constitution. Sickly. Smart. Dies young.”
“…”
“Am I wrong?”
“You have the gist of it. It is a type of severed-meridian condition in which powerful innate yin energy blocks the meridians and soon leads to death.”
“Then what about the Heavenly Martial Physique?”
Unease began creeping into my chest. The fact that he had brought up the Nine Yin Severed Meridians as an example only made it worse.
What if it lets me learn martial arts quickly, but there’s something wrong with my body that makes me die young? That would be a disaster.
Jeok Cheongang spoke with a solemn expression.
“The Heavenly Martial Physique is a martial constitution bestowed by Heaven, one that might appear only once every several hundred years.”
A constitution bestowed by Heaven? It sounded incredible just hearing about it.
Which only made me more nervous. The Nine Yin Severed Meridians were practically a double-edged sword that traded genius-level intelligence for a short lifespan.
I stared tensely at Jeok Cheongang’s mouth.
“And?”
“What do you mean, ‘and’?”
“When am I going to die?”
“Why would you die?”
“I think I’ve been having headaches and feeling nauseous lately. My bones and joints ache even now.”
Doctor Choi Tae—no, Jeok Cheongang—gave me a short and concise diagnosis.
“That’s because this old man beat you.”
“Oh.”
“You didn’t seriously think the Heavenly Martial Physique makes you die young like the Nine Yin Severed Meridians, did you?”
“Ahem.”
“What kind of lunatic are you?”
Jeok Cheongang shook his head in disbelief.
“The Heavenly Martial Physique is as different from a severed-meridian condition like the Nine Yin Severed Meridians as Heaven is from Earth. Do you think it’s called a gift from Heaven for no reason? You were blessed by heavenly fortune from the moment you were born with that body.”
“Me?”
“I heard from the Lesser Family Head that you have only been seriously learning martial arts for three months. Do you truly believe your achievements so far were possible through effort alone?”
“Not really.”
“You are where you are because you possess a constitution that allows you to make any martial art your own faster than anyone else.”
Jeok Cheongang was only half right.
I didn’t bother correcting him because what had supplemented my efforts wasn’t an innate constitution. It was the System.
If I really possessed the Heavenly Martial Physique, I wouldn’t have remained Third Rate until I turned twenty.
A promising tree showed its potential from the moment it sprouted.
If the real Jin Taekyung—the previous owner of this body—had been born with such heavenly fortune, he would surely have distinguished himself long ago.
This body doesn’t possess the Heavenly Martial Physique.
I looked down at my hands. The size and length of my arms and hands, the shape of my muscles, and the strength hidden within them.
Everything was perfectly balanced, without the slightest deviation.
The System.
The points I gained from leveling up and training were converted into stats, and the System distributed those stats evenly.
Every tiny, delicate gear inside my body meshed perfectly with the rest.
Since it isn’t innate, it isn’t exactly the Heavenly Martial Physique… But at this point, could I call it an acquired Heavenly Martial Physique?
Jeok Cheongang had seen my body with his own eyes, so it wasn’t strange that he had mistaken it for one.
And from my perspective, it was better to let him keep making that mistake.
It had taken only three months for a Third Rate wastrel who did nothing but drink to become a Peak master.
Without the Heavenly Martial Physique as an explanation, it wouldn’t have been strange for people to suspect me of practicing demonic martial arts.
Either way, this worked out nicely.
The fact that even a Supreme Peak master like Jeok Cheongang could mistake my constitution for the Heavenly Martial Physique proved beyond doubt that my bones and muscles were exceptional.
And since I had none of the side effects associated with the Nine Yin Severed Meridians, this was an absolute win.
Is the road ahead finally lined with flowers?
When I thought about everything I had suffered until now, tears welled in my eyes.
I was lost in emotion when I sensed someone staring at me and turned my head.
Jeok Cheongang flinched when our eyes met, then abruptly looked up at the sky.
“T-The moon is bright.”
I followed his gaze and mumbled:
“There are thick clouds covering it.”
“…”
“Did you have something to say?”
“Ahem.”
After repeatedly clearing his throat, Jeok Cheongang cautiously spoke.
“As you know, this old man owes you a debt.”
“So?”
“I want to settle that debt properly before I leave this place. Is there anything you want from this old man?”
Honestly, nothing in particular came to mind.
If I had to name one thing, it would be for him to take back what he had said earlier.
But there was no chance Jeok Cheongang would do that. His pride wouldn’t allow it. I had to come up with a reasonable request that he could actually grant.
I scratched my head.
“Well, I haven’t really thought about it in detail, so I’m not sure.”
“Then think about it in detail.”
“Oh, I’ll tell you later if anything comes to mind. You’ll be staying for a few more days before you leave anyway.”
But Jeok Cheongang was firm.
“Right now.”
“Pardon?”
“I said tell me right now. There’s hardly anything to think about, is there?”
As he pressed me for an answer, Jeok Cheongang added in a mumble, “F-For example, perhaps you want to learn martial arts from this old man. Or you want to learn martial arts from this old man. Or you want to learn martial arts from this old man. Something like that.”
“…”
“It was only an example. Pay it no mind.”
“…”
“Ahem. Is there phlegm stuck in my throat? Ahem!”
I watched him for a moment before speaking.
“Great Hero Jeok. I’m only asking just in case.”
“Ahem! Ahem!”
“Do you want to take me as your Disciple?”
Jeok Cheongang froze in the middle of his violent coughing fit. His pupils shook as though caught in an earthquake.
“W-What are you talking about?”
“You heard me.”
“H-How absurd. You think this old man wants to take you as his Disciple?”
“…”
Yes. That’s exactly what it looks like.
At first, I had wondered if I was imagining things, but by this point, anyone who still didn’t get it would have to be a fucking idiot.
When I merely stared at him without saying anything, Jeok Cheongang was the one who grew flustered.
“You little bastard! What is that insolent look in your eyes?”
“I’m just looking at you. Don’t worry about it.”
“You seem to be laboring under a grave misconception, but you’re entirely wrong.”
“Right. Sure.”
“Do you think I would choose the heir to our sect, with its long and venerable history, so easily?”
“You chose one pretty easily earlier. And you said it in front of all those people, so you can’t take it back now.”
“Th-That… I can simply take another Disciple.”
“You said it was a single-successor, no-outside-transmission tradition, didn’t you? Either way, everyone in the world will think I’m the heir to the Fire Gate Clan.”
Struck right at the heart of the matter, Jeok Cheongang shrieked, “There isn’t a single reason for me to take you as my Disciple!”
“I possess the Heavenly Martial Physique.”
“Gasp.”
“It took me about three months to go from Third Rate to Peak. I wonder how long it’ll take me to reach Supreme Peak.”
“Y-You bastard. Do you think it’s that easy? Do you think Supreme Peak is some mutt’s name?”
“It was easy for me.”
“…”
How many times had I come within an inch of death?
It had been brutally difficult and painful, but from this point onward, it was going to be easy. No matter what.
While Jeok Cheongang struggled to find words, I muttered as though talking to myself.
“Actually, Supreme Peak might be difficult.”
“O-Of course it is.”
“Maybe by thirty?”
Jeok Cheongang’s mouth fell open.
“Th-Thirty? Supreme Peak?”
“Did I give myself too long? I deliberately padded it because it sounded difficult.”
I sighed and glanced sideways at him.
“Still, you must have been much faster than me, Great Hero Jeok. You’re powerful enough to rank among the Ten Kings, after all. And you had the Fire Gate Clan’s martial arts, too. Wow, I’m jealous. If I learned high-level martial arts like those, I’d become strong in no time.”
“!”
Jeok Cheongang stared at me with trembling eyes. I could easily imagine what was playing out in his head.
What would happen if the Heavenly Martial Physique met the Fire Gate Clan’s supreme martial arts?
I had already displayed unbelievable achievements in only three months. It was possible that an unprecedented monster, unlike anything seen in history, would be born.
I’m almost there.
His pride kept him from saying the words aloud, so I drove in the final nail.
“Actually, this won’t do. I’m thinking of visiting Huashan once this gathering ends.”
“H-Huashan? Why would you go there?”
“Because of Great Hero Mae Jonghak, the Sword Saint. I hear the two of you are quite close. If I explain my circumstances properly, I might be able to become his Disciple without letting word get out…”
“No!”
The shout burst from him before he could stop it. Jeok Cheongang flinched and swallowed dryly.
“If you are perhaps considering it…”
“Pardon? I can’t hear you. You’re speaking too quietly.”
“Whew.”
Jeok Cheongang steadied his breathing and tried again.
“If you’re interested, this old man could personally oversee your martial arts training.”
I widened my eyes in feigned surprise.
“Are you serious?”
“Of course. A debt must be repaid, mustn’t it?”
Perhaps he had belatedly decided that he needed to maintain his dignity. His voice was more stern than it had been until now.
It’s already too late for that, old man.
Barely holding back a laugh, I replied, “What you’ve already done is more than enough.”
“It is this old man’s principle to repay a debt tenfold, even twentyfold.”
“I see.”
“Exactly.”
“But aren’t you leaving in a few days anyway? You seem very busy.”
“It can be postponed. I plan to leave once you have achieved a certain level of progress.”
“Ah, so you’re the type who sees things through once you start.”
“It is simply my nature.”
“What if I fail to reach the level you want, Great Hero Jeok?”
Jeok Cheongang deliberately hardened his expression.
“Now listen here, you little bastard! Why are you already assuming you’ll fail?”
“I’m sorry. I just don’t know how many years it might take.”
“Did you already forget what sort of person I said I was?”
“The kind who sees things through once you start?”
“Once a martial artist draws his sword, he should see it through—even if he has to cut down a mountain.”
“Wow, that’s impressive. As expected of you, Great Hero Jeok!”
I gave him a thumbs-up, then asked in a suggestive tone, “But at this point, doesn’t that make us master and Disciple?”
“!”
After a brief silence, Jeok Cheongang shook his head vigorously.
“Master and Disciple? What nonsense! I am merely repaying a debt.”
“Ah, I see. I misunderstood your intentions, Great Hero Jeok. Please accept my sincere apologies.”
“…Ahem.”
Jeok Cheongang coughed uncomfortably before continuing.
“But I think we need to change the way you address me.”
“The way I address you?”
“Although we are not, well, truly master and Disciple, people are watching. Shouldn’t we at least keep up appearances?”
“That’s true.”
The way I address him? What should I call him?
After a moment’s thought, one word slipped from my mouth.
“Then should I call you Master from now on?”
“…”
“Master?”
“H-Huh?”
Jeok Cheongang came to his senses as though he had just woken up and stared at me with a complicated, subtle gaze.
“Yes. That would be good.”
“Yes. Then when it’s just the two of us…”
“Old Master. Call me that.”
“Understood, Old Master.”
I bowed deeply to him.
The Supreme Peak master whose fame resounded throughout the world, Fire King Jeok Cheongang.
It was the moment my subtle relationship with him began.
After sending Jin Taekyung away, Jeok Cheongang leaned back against an old wall.
The voice he had just heard echoed endlessly through his mind.
Master.
It had been ten years.
Ten years since anyone had called him Master.
Jin Taekyung’s build, face, and personality were all different, yet the sight of him reminded Jeok Cheongang of his dead Disciple.
As Jeok Cheongang quietly sank into thought, a faint smile suddenly appeared at the corner of his wrinkled mouth.
Not bad.
He had never imagined things would turn out this way, but he did not dislike it.
No, he even found himself looking forward to what lay ahead, filled with an inexplicable sense of cheer.
“Not bad. Not bad at all.”
Jeok Cheongang let out a quiet laugh and looked up at the sky.
At some point, the dark clouds had parted, revealing a bright moon.
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