It's been 10 years since the day I first talked to a passing caravan guard about Light Body Skill and Sword Energy, only to be laughed at.
During those long 10 years, I, Gunjaseong, the youngest son of Lord Guen's Family, obtained a miraculous opportunity and became a peerless master who could split the heavens and shake the earth... yeah right.
"Ha! Ha! Yah!"
I was reduced to practicing downward strikes with a wooden sword at the Heavenly Wind Martial Hall, the only martial arts school in our village.
"Ho ho ho, working hard again today I see. Well, that's only natural for the proud top disciple of our Heavenly Wind Martial Hall."
I turned my head at the familiar voice coming from afar.
There I saw Master Bae Wang-sam, the head of this Heavenly Wind Martial Hall and my martial arts teacher.
He claims he was quite a renowned expert in the martial arts world back in the day, but honestly, I find that hard to believe.
I mean, come on, even his name sounds ridiculous. Wang-sam? Really?
That's the kind of name you'd expect for some extra like an innkeeper or waiter. No matter how much he insists he's an expert, who would believe that?
With no faith in my master, it was only natural that my attitude became flippant.
"Oh, you're here?"
"Hmm, still speaking with that disrespectful tone I see. Good grief. No matter how much I beat you, it never improves."
"As a grown adult, don't you think it's messed up to talk about beating a kid?"
"No, I don't. Ill-mannered brats need to be taught manners, even if it takes a beating."
"What about our little one looking at her senior like he's her mortal enemy? Doesn't that make you think anything?"
I looked at the smaller of the two little ones following behind Master.
It was Chu Ha-ryeong, the youngest disciple of this Heavenly Wind Martial Hall and my junior sister.
This little one not even 10 years old had been glaring at me since she first started talking to Master, and now she was outright scowling at me.
Though it just made her look cute.
When I grinned and waved at her, she turned her head away with a huff.
Hmm, what an adorable kid.
"What are you suggesting I do with that young one? Beat her like I do you?"
"..."
I stared at Master with a look of disgust.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Like what?"
"Not like you're looking at your master, but like you're looking at a filthy maggot."
"Surely not. How could a disciple look at his master that way?"
My, aren't you perceptive.
When it comes to reading the room, you're quite the peerless master indeed.
After my individual training of swinging the wooden sword came a beating disguised as sparring.
"Gack!"
"I hear the sound of a pig squealing!"
Unable to dodge the thrust aimed straight for my neck, I took the hit.
As I crouched down coughing and gasping for air, a follow-up attack came without hesitation.
"Waaah?!"
Side roll.
I barely managed to avoid the attack using what's commonly called the "Lazy Donkey Roll", a technique martial artists supposedly avoid using due to pride.
"Hahaha! Quick as a little rat!"
"How can you call your disciple a rat?!"
I got up while protesting vehemently and went on the counterattack.
The dantian I had barely managed to form after 2 years at the martial arts school, using the third-rate cultivation method of a third-rate school.
I sent some of the inner energy accumulated there to the soles of my feet and released it in a short, powerful burst.
"Oho!"
Master's eyes lit up as he saw me leap like a spring and swing my wooden sword at close range.
I thrust my wooden sword straight at his neck as if to get revenge for earlier, but my finishing move missed pathetically.
-Thwack!
"Ow!"
An intense pain shot through my head.
I crouched down clutching the top of my head.
"Urgh...!"
As I trembled from the pain that made tears well up involuntarily, a merciless beating began targeting my entire body.
"Ow! Oww! W-wait! Stop! You son of a...!"
"Oh my! How dare you curse at your master who is like the heavens to you!"
Master usually laughed off my disrespectful way of speaking, but it seems he couldn't tolerate actual cursing.
The wooden sword felt stronger and faster than usual, and I had no choice but to curl up and take the beating for a while.
In the end, today's sparring session also ended in my defeat.
"Oof...!"
After the beating disguised as sparring finally ended, I lay sprawled out on the training ground groaning in pain.
"Damn, how can he beat up a kid so ruthlessly? Is he even human?"
My whole body ached from being hit all over.
If I turned this way, that side hurt. If I turned that way, this side hurt.
But strangely enough, once the pain subsided, I felt oddly refreshed.
Could this be that high-level technique I've only heard about, Acupoint Stimulation?
"...Nah, no way."
There's no way a third-rate country martial arts school master could use such an advanced technique.
I chuckled at the absurd thought, then groaned again from the lingering pain.
"Ugh..."
Since it hurt no matter how I moved, I just lay still staring up at the sky.
The sky had already turned red with the setting sun.
Though I'd been watching this same sunset for 15 years now, it felt new every time.
In my past life, I never had the leisure or took the time to properly appreciate a sunset, thinking it was a waste of time.
So I never knew how beautiful these colors could be.
"You didn't quit today either, I see."
As I was lost in thought admiring the sunset, a cold voice struck my ears.
Groaning, I lifted my head to see an expressionless girl standing at my head.
It was Jang Seol-ran, the second disciple of the Heavenly Wind Martial Hall and my junior sister.
Though I've been seeing this face for years now, I'm still startled every time I look at this little one's pure white, adorable face.
You could say her future a few years from now is truly something to look forward to.
Of course, right now she's just an impudent little brat.
"Little one, stop nagging and go away. Your senior is tired."
"Who are you calling senior? I can't acknowledge you as my senior."
"What if you don't acknowledge me? Master has recognized me as the top disciple, you know?"
"What kind of disciple treats their master that way?"
"I do."
"If you're going to act like that, leave the martial arts school right now."
All this complaining about how I treat Master is just an excuse.
She's been desperate to kick me out ever since I first joined the school.
I guess she really doesn't like me for some reason.
Well, what are you going to do if you don't like me? Kick me out?
My tuition fees are the only source of income for this school.
Without those fees, wouldn't they starve starting tomorrow?
In other words,
"Nope, you can't do anything."
"That way of speaking again..."
Cracks appeared in her expressionless face.
I didn't miss that moment and continued to provoke Seol-ran.
"You mad now? Super pissed off? Wanna kill me?"
"..."
"Aww, can't kill me? Even more mad now?"
"...Grr."
"Can't do anything, can you? Can't do anything, right?"
-Wham!
I leapt back to avoid the little one's foot as she tried to stomp on my head.
"Kyahaha! You're just mad, aren't you? Nyah nyah nyah!"
"...Stop right there!"
Having completely lost her composure and exploded in anger, the little one chased after me as I climbed up onto the wall of the martial arts school.
It was at least twice my current height, but with just a bit of inner energy, this much was easy.
"You...!"
But unlike me, our little one was tiny and hadn't even formed her dantian yet.
In other words, she had no way to catch me.
"Aww, can't do anything, can you? Kyahaha!"
With an irritating laugh even to my own ears, I jumped over the wall.
Then came the little one's scream from inside the school:
-Aaargh!
"Pffft...!"
Ah, today was fun too.
That's what you get for making such a cold expression when you're just a 14-year-old brat.
It just makes me want to keep ruining that expression.
"Aaargh!"
Inside the Heavenly Wind Martial Hall.
Master Bae Wang-sam was shaking his head as he watched his second disciple, Jang Seol-ran, who was so angry she didn't know what to do, along with his third disciple Chu Ha-ryeong.
"To think I'd see Seol-ran like this. Well, you live and you learn."
"Even I would get mad at what just happened."
Unlike the master who was taking it lightly, his disciple Ha-ryeong had a complicated expression.
For her part, she really didn't like how Jaseong treated the master rudely and teased Seol-ran.
But on the other hand, she also felt a bit sorry.
"...How long are you going to let that person attend the school? This is a peaceful countryside village unrelated to the martial arts world, so why keep someone with no connection..."
Ha-ryeong spoke words with unclear meaning to Wang-sam, her expression far too gloomy for a child not even 10 years old.
Looking down at her, Wang-sam's expression turned bitter.
"You know well too, don't you? They are large and powerful. We can't let our guard down for even a moment. That's why we're disguised as a countryside martial arts school's master and disciples, which is less suspicious. Plus, thanks to that boy from the county's landowner family joining the school, our cover has become even more convincing."
Wang-sam and his two disciples had personal circumstances.
Those personal circumstances were quite dangerous and violent, so they had gone into hiding disguised as a third-rate countryside martial arts school.
So when Jaseong first knocked on the school's door, they thought it was fortunate.
Though it felt uncomfortable to be in a position of using someone who knew nothing, it made their disguise even more solid.
"...But you're not even teaching him proper martial arts. Just basic Three Talents Skill."
"So what should I do? Teach him my exclusive martial arts? That would risk exposing us to them."
"..."
"Besides, he came knowing he'd only learn third-rate martial arts."
Ha-ryeong fell silent at Wang-sam's words.
As mentioned earlier, Wang-sam had taken Jaseong as a disciple solely to make their disguise more convincing.
In this situation, if Wang-sam were to pass down his exclusive martial arts to Jaseong, and someone who recognized those arts appeared?
That would be a huge problem.
Not just this Heavenly Wind Martial Hall, but the entire village could be caught up in a bloodbath.
That's why Wang-sam taught Jaseong third-rate martial arts commonly found on the streets instead of his own arts.
Though he justified it to himself saying Jaseong had agreed to it, Wang-sam's face showed regret as he thought of Jaseong.
'What a waste. That talent to form a dantian in just 2 years with a third-rate cultivation method. If nurtured properly, he could become an outstanding martial artist...'
Normally, it takes at least 4 years to form a dantian with a third-rate cultivation method.
But Jaseong had done it in half that time, just 2 years.
No matter how much he had helped improve Jaseong's meridian circulation through beatings disguised as training, it would be impossible without innate talent.
Plus the movements Jaseong showed in their sparring earlier.
The footwork to suddenly accelerate and close the distance in an instant was truly amazing.
And what about how he just leaped over that wall twice his height?
Since he hadn't taught that, Jaseong must have researched it himself.
A young boy barely in his teens creating a new footwork technique?
At least Wang-sam had never heard of such a thing.
"What a waste, such a waste..."
That's why he felt even more regretful.
The reality that he couldn't teach Jaseong proper martial arts,
And that a boy with such amazing talent was caught up in vain delusions about Light Body Skills and Sword Energy.