Swish.

Flash!

Swish.

Flash!

“Ah, be sane, at least!”

Jo Gul, who had been holding back the entire time, finally spoke up.

“Why do you keep looking back? It’s not like you left a honey jar behind you… ack, it dazzles!”

As Hye Yeon’s head turned forward, Jo Gul covered his eyes with both hands to shield them from the reflecting light.

“Why are you even doing this to me, monk?”

“… Taoist, that’s….”

Hye Yeon couldn’t even finish his sentence, his face showing a saddened look, and then said,

“What can I do if the back of my head continues to bother you?”

Jo Gul, looking at him in shock, sighed and turned to Yoon Jong.

“Ugh, sahyung.”

“What?”

“I think we still have a long way to go before we catch up to Chung Myung.”

“What is this now?”

“If Chung Myung were here at times like this, he would say, ‘I guess the shiny head of yours is getting on my nerves,’ or ‘Because you have no hair to block the wind, you’re doing this to me!’ But I can’t say that…”

“What nonsensical attitude are you showing to the monk, you idiot?”

Pak!

Jo Gul’s chin was neatly turned to the side.

As Jo Gul fell down with a squeak, Yoon Jong shook his hands and his head then glanced back at Baek Cheon.

“… he isn’t following us, right?”

“Well.”

Baek Cheon was equally anxious.

But Yoon Jong was worried that Chung Myung might follow them. Or maybe he was anxious that he wasn’t following them; they weren’t sure what this anxiety was.

“Is he really not coming?”

“… seems like it.”

“For real?”

“…”

Baek Cheon said, trembling.

“Yoon Jong. One might say I am worried for no reason….”

“No, sasuk. I understand.”

“Even now, I am anxious that Chung Myung will appear with some mask and scream.”

Yoon Jong glanced around without an answer. This was because he, too, had the same anxiety.

At that moment, Yu Yiseol bluntly spoke.

“He isn’t following.”

“Uh?”

When Baek Cheon turned, she said,

“Even so, he listens well.”

“…”

Samae. It seemed like his samae was under some misunderstanding.

He wasn’t that kind of kid…

“And if our sajils disappear, Mount Hua will become more chaotic.”

“Ah…”

Baek Cheon, who was convinced, nodded without realizing it.

Right.

They weren’t the only ones worried that Chung Myung would follow them. Actually, those left behind in Mount Hua were more worried.

So, if Chung Myung hadn’t been seen on Mount Hua, there would have been chaos on the mountain.

Everyone unconsciously raised their heads and looked at the summit of Mount Hua, visible above the clouds.

“Doesn’t it seem like something odd is happening?”

“It seems so quiet.”

“There is no way we can hear anything from down here.”

Shockingly, the common sense words came from Jo Gul. Yoon Jong and Baek Cheon, who felt like it was strange, looked back at Jo Gul with their mouths silent.

Jo Gul sighed and clapped his hands.

“Calm down, you two! Now I have to go to the Yangtze River to investigate, but what if we are this anxious?”

“… Ugh”

“Phew.”

A sigh escaped both of their mouths at the same time.

Until the moment they left the sect gate, they had departed full of will, but as they came down the mountain, they felt uneasy because they couldn’t hear the usual scolding.

They said they didn’t mind him being absent, and they knew where this person was, and it seemed like the vacant spot of Chung Myung was a lot more empty than they thought.

Baek Cheon looked back at Mount Hua one last time and walked away.

“Well… because he really doesn’t seem to be coming. Let’s leave.”

“Yes, sasuk.”

Baek Cheon touched his stomach and walked away.

‘Then I am in charge now.’

Actually, although Baek Cheon had been leading the group, he had never thought of taking responsibility for everything.

Not only that, but other people probably didn’t think that way either. In the end, the decision was made by Chung Myung. From now on, they must fully consider and take responsibility for every action.

‘It feels heavy.’

It felt like a strange burden was placed on his shoulders.

But in the end, this burden was also his responsibility to bear. That was if he truly was qualified to become a sect leader of Mount Hua.

“Let’s go!”

“…You did this 5 times now, sasuk.”

“Yoon Jong sahyung, calm down now. Stop moving those legs.”

“Pathetic.”

Baek Cheon looked back at his sajaes with slightly sad eyes and trudged along helplessly.

‘First of all, the problem is how to lead these damned bastards.’

There was a long way to go, and each step was a mountain to climb.

Mount Hua was engulfed in strange tension.

The attention of all the disciples was focused on Chung Myung. This was because it was unknown what mischief he would do by staying back in Mount Hua under the sect leader’s orders.

The disciples, facing this unprecedented situation in their time, were nervous and cautious of Chung Myung.

“Isn’t he going to crush all the pavilions at this rate?”

“That would be good. The problem is if he comes for us.”

“I am so scared…”

In the meantime, Mount Hua’s disciples were able to recognize the importance of the Five Swords once again.

It was true that those people were close with Chung Myung and, at some point, harassed the others, too, but they also played a role in stopping that bastard from making a mess when he ran to hit them.

It was said that benefits and risks were so closely related.

Now that the Five Swords were gone, they had to throw themselves in to stop any evil actions of Chung Myung.

‘I hope he only acts with common sense.’

‘We will have to do so many….’

‘Sahyung, please come back fast.’

But surprisingly, the problem they feared didn’t happen.

Instead, a completely different situation unfolded.

All of the Mount Hua disciples were seated in the dining hall, their faces frozen as if they had seen a ghost. Their eyes were fixed on one spot.

Hold.

Chopsticks held gently.

Nom. Nom.

Put the food in the mouth and chew it slowly.

Actually, it wasn’t a strange thing at all. It might seem a bit slow and too clean, but wasn’t it common for people to eat slowly?

But the faces of those who saw the scene were pale.

‘C-Chung Myung… is eating with chopsticks?’

‘Oh my, he is chewing instead of gulping.’

There was no loud munching sound.

As if eating was a battle, Chung Myung, who was used to shoving food in front of him into his mouth and chewing as little as possible, was now picking up food with chopsticks and chewing before swallowing?

The disciples all realized one painful fact.

It is scary when a normal person acts crazy. Still, when a crazy person suddenly turns normal, it is several times more odd and terrifying.

‘Why is he doing this?’

‘Mom, I am scared….’

‘They say that if we do something we shouldn’t, we will die.’

‘Oh, this bastard!’

These weren’t just simple words or acts.

Wasn’t Chung Myung’s usual demeanor such that even a demon from hell would run in fear?

The slumped shoulders, lowered eyes, and sunken expression were not what they knew about Chung Myung. No, this wasn’t Chung Myung at all.

Tak.

At that moment, Chung Myung put down the chopsticks in his hand.

Drrr.

He got up, trudged over, opened the door, and went out.

Tak.

And closed the door quietly.

That moment brought hell into the hall.

“Did you see that? He opened the door with his hands!”

“W-without kicking…”

“Did you hear that? Tak, tak! Not bang!”

“Oh, Buddha, come to us….”

The Mount Hua disciples, who had been staring blankly at the door that Chung Myung closed, exchanged glances with pale faces.

“W-what is happening….”

An unknown fear began to creep into their faces.

“Wuk, euk.”

Kwak Ho desperately swung his wooden sword. Sweat dripped down his face. Every time he swung the sword, sweat splashed all around.

His legs were shaking and his arms trembling, but the sword in his hand showed no signs of stopping.

‘I wasn’t selected this time either.’

He knew.

He wasn’t yet at a level where he could compare himself to Yoon Jong or Jo Gul. Although they were doing their best, the difference between them and the Five Swords was huge.

Even if he were the sect leader, he wouldn’t consider sending someone like him. If he looked at it coldly, wasn’t he being pushed out not just by the Five Swords but also by Baek Sang, who is now in the Finance Hall?

‘I need to work harder.’

He knew it better than anyone else.

And he also knew that the only way to overcome the gap was through hard work.

Nevertheless, there was just one reason why he couldn’t let this go.

‘Am I really following the sahyungs?’

No, probably not.

Rather than narrowing the gap, it was growing wider.

Until recently, if he sparred with Jo Gul, he could keep up for a couple of hits, but recently, even dealing with a couple was troublesome for him. Even though he was trying really hard not to embarrass himself, the difference was growing so much that he couldn’t see their shadows anymore.

‘I am sure that I am not the only one who thinks like this.’

So he did something unreasonable.

Even though he knew he wasn’t skilled yet and didn’t deserve it, he begged the sect leader to give him another chance to learn.

Was it greed?

No, it wasn’t that.

He thought that if the sahyungs learned it, the chance to catch up with them would vanish forever.

It wasn’t that he was jealous of those stronger than him. They were just a measure that Kwak Ho set, and he was frustrated that he couldn’t get stronger any faster. Probably, everyone who visited the sect leader together felt the same.

‘How can I get stronger?’

How could they catch up with their sahyungs…

“Eik!”

Kwak Ho was furious as he swung the sword.

His sword was filled with emotions, of course. Because of that, his balance wavered, and his shaky legs collapsed.

“Uh?”

Fortunately, he was practicing in a wide area, so the risk of anyone getting hit by the thrown sword was very…

Thud!

At that moment, a sound rang out, making Kwak Ho’s eyes tremble.

His wooden sword, which was swung incorrectly, ended up hitting someone in the head.

And that alone was a horrible accident.

But the more terrible reason that made him tremble was because the person who got hit had their neck bent to the side… and they looked so familiar.

“C-ch-ch-chung… Chung Myung….”

The people training around were all clenching their fists and looked shocked at this. Some were already chanting prayers for the departure of Gwak Hoe to paradise.

“C-Chung Myung. This wasn’t intentional… this was absolutely not…”

No. Why was Chung Myung here…

No, why didn’t this guy go away before?

In any case, the fate was decided now.

‘I’d rather get a clean kill.’

Kwak Ho sensed his fate and closed his eyes tightly.

But at that moment.

“… shh.”

“Un?”

Chung Myung gently pushed away the wooden sword that touched his head.

“Train your lower body more. Even if your thoughts are distracted, if your lower body is strong, your sword path will not go like this.”

“Uh?”

“If you want to get stronger, start with the basics.”

“… Uh, uh. Okay.”

When Kwak Ho answered without question, Chung Myung nodded and went his way without saying a word.

Kwak Ho and the sahyungs all looked at Chung Myung, who was moving away in the distance, with blank looks.

“… what is with him?”

“Did he eat something wrong…?”

“Ah. No. If you think of it, this is common sense…”

“So this isn’t a problem then?”

“…”

Phew.

Kwak Ho weakly dropped the sword and mumbled softly.

“… Is this the sign that Mount Hua is doomed?”

The feeling of the world collapsing had spread throughout the silent training hall.