Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Discovery of Talent

Several hours had passed since Ryu Jin entered Plum Blossom Venerable.

THUD!

Ryu Jin, who had been slammed into the dirt, squirmed and rolled himself over.

Then he gazed up at the sky with melancholy eyes.

‘I can’t anymore.’

No rag in the world could be worse than this.

That was how completely his body had been turned into a tattered mess.

‘Is this the price of taking the Plum Blossom Jade as I pleased?’

I quietly shifted my gaze.

Jin Hwayeon stood there, looking down at me.

I did not know the reason.

The moment she changed was after she showed me the first form. More precisely, after I copied it.

For some reason, Jin Hwayeon had frozen in place as if someone had pressed the pause button.

Then, before long, she had raised the corners of her mouth and said,

A good method to teach you has come to mind.

That was when it began.

-Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack!!

The merciless beating using different movements and methods every single time, that was.

I barely raised my hand and rubbed my forehead where I had just been struck.

Fortunately, it had not split open.

‘The muscle pain tomorrow is going to be absurd.’

I had already been exhausted from the brutal rock climb.

Since I had been beaten up on top of that, terrible muscle pain was basically guaranteed.

‘A good method, huh.’

Thinking that I had to do this every day made me feel a little daunted.

But I had no intention of quitting.

Because the result of Jin Hwayeon’s “good method,” or more precisely, this teaching method where she beat me with a new movement every time, was absurdly excellent.

I shifted my gaze to the message that had just appeared.

[You have received instruction from the Plum Blossom Sword Venerable, Jin Hwayeon! The realm of the Unique Trait ‘Plum Blossom True Origin Sword’ has risen!]

[The Unique Trait’s current realm is Peak of Third-Rate. Through leveling up, the realm rises to the Beginning of Second-Rate!]

Was it because Jin Hwayeon herself was such a martial-arts-novel-like person?

The Unique Trait I acquired, as well as the names of its grades or levels, were all matched to martial arts terminology.

I checked my Status Window.

[Ryu Jin]

Class: Gambler

Level: 33

[Unique Traits]

Plum Blossom True Origin Sword - Beginning of Second-Rate

Falling Plum Blossom Form

You bring the sword down softly, like a falling plum blossom.

It is a technique that forms the foundation of swordsmanship.

First Blossom Step

A basic footwork technique where you step lightly, as though the first flower is blooming.

The first blossom, Chohwa, blooms and fades without a sound.

In the place it has passed, only a faint yet deep lingering fragrance of plum blossoms will remain.

.

.

.

There were more than ten items listed below.

All of them were Unique Traits and Unique Skills belonging to the Plum Blossom True Origin Sword, and they formed the foundation of swordsmanship.

Slide.

I lowered my eyes and looked at Evil Eye’s Unique Ability, Motion Analysis.

As I raised the realm of the Plum Blossom True Origin Sword one by one, I came to understand it clearly.

This trait was overpowered.

Evil Eye went beyond analyzing every section of a movement in detail. It even told me which parts were most important and must not be missed.

If it were not for this, I would not have reached the Beginning of Second-Rate, let alone Third-Rate.

‘Let’s keep feeding her well.’

After firmly resolving that, I looked up at Jin Hwayeon, who was still silent.

Jin Hwayeon looked down at me with a mysterious expression, a smoking pipe in her mouth.

Since it felt as if she would keep doing that endlessly, I carefully opened my mouth.

“Master?”

The title still did not roll off my tongue easily.

“What is it?”

“At this rate, do you think I can reach the realm you want within the period you mentioned?”

“...Hah.”

Jin Hwayeon, who had been briefly stunned, let out a hollow laugh.

What was this brat saying right now?

Was this mockery? Or did he truly not know?

She examined Ryu Jin a little more, then clicked her tongue lightly.

His face showed not the slightest hint of falsehood.

‘It is natural that he does not know.’

She had confirmed it herself several hours ago.

Ryu Jin was a human who had never learned proper swordsmanship, let alone undergone proper training.

That was why she had thought that if he reached even the Beginning of Third-Rate in the Plum Blossom True Origin Sword within a month, it would be a success.

Yet in a single day... No, in just a few hours, he had left the realm of Third-Rate and entered Second-Rate.

‘What on earth are those eyes?’

She looked at Ryu Jin’s eyes, which were dyed lake-blue.

This was not merely a matter of having good eyes or not.

If she showed him something, he pierced through all of its principles.

As if he had watched the entire life cycle of that movement from the moment it was born.

‘And... what on earth is this brat?’

If accepting it through his eyes had been all there was to it, reaching the realm of Second-Rate in such a short time would have been impossible.

But the brat had done it.

He had instantly understood what he accepted and assimilated it into his body as much as possible.

His movements had not been perfect from the beginning.

But three or four repetitions were enough.

Enough for him to grasp the intent of the creator of the Plum Blossom True Origin Sword and perfectly reproduce the parts she considered important.

And one more thing.

Poke, poke, poke.

She poked Ryu Jin’s body with the end of her smoking pipe.

How was this possible?

His arms and legs, which had been like soft rice cakes, had begun to show the shape of muscle.

His stiff, dull nerves had become a level more supple, showing both sharpness and flexibility.

In other words, in just a few hours, his body had physically grown.

Jin Hwayeon quietly exhaled.

A human who trampled over common sense as if it were nothing.

Without realizing it, one corner of her mouth twitched.

Perhaps she had discovered it.

The sprout of a genius about to bloom in full profusion... No, the sprout of a monster.

Jin Hwayeon straightened herself.

“Today ends here. If we do any more, that frail body of yours will no longer be able to endure it.”

“You are absolutely correct.”

“Come again once your body has recovered.”

Jin Hwayeon turned smoothly and took a step.

Before she got any farther.

“Ah.”

She stopped walking, as if she had forgotten something.

Then she slowly turned back.

“This Exalted One’s name is Plum Blossom Sword Venerable, Jin Hwayeon. What is your name?”

They already knew each other’s names.

However, that had not been through a proper exchange of names.

The exchange of names was, by nature, an act of acknowledging each other as martial artists.

She wanted to hear that name once more, formally.

Slide.

Ryu Jin rose and faced Jin Hwayeon.

“The Ryu of flowing, and the Jin of thunder. I am Ryu Jin.”

“To flow quietly and make the world tremble... No, to flow unstoppably and shake the world suits you better. It is a good name.”

A smile spread across Jin Hwayeon’s lips.

She was already beginning to look forward to it.

The journey with her disciple, Ryu Jin.

“By the way, Master.”

“Yes. Speak.”

“I ask out of concern as your disciple, but is your memory perhaps not very good? I have already told you my name three or four times, yet you asked again. If you let me know in advance, I will repeat things several times whenever I say something from now on.”

Grind.

Jin Hwayeon’s face twisted.

She had forgotten for a moment.

That innate way with words that turned people’s insides upside down.

It made her even angrier because his face was not teasing, but asking seriously.

“Leave. If you stay any longer, I think I will truly kill you this time.”

“Yes, yes. Then I will take my leave.”

At the sudden murder warning, I hurriedly bowed my head.

And right before releasing the Unique Domain ‘Plum Blossom Venerable.’

“Just one last thing... Do you remember your disciple before the Regression?”

“What nonsense is that now? Regression? By the way, it seems this Exalted One looks easy to you. Seeing as you still have not left. I will give you three seconds. One. Two.”

“I’ll be going.”

I quickly released the skill and stared at Jin Hwayeon as she blurred.

To think she did not recognize the Regression. This was new information too.

By the way, it was a little disappointing.

If she had remembered, I could have known who the owner of the Plum Blossom Jade had been before the Regression.

‘Well, does it matter?’

I shrugged and closed my eyes.

Let us leave.

To my sweet home.

---

Basement Floor 100 of the Labyrinth.

A rough roar rang out.

The Titan troops were being swept away one by one by overwhelming force.

THUUUD...!

Another one collapsed at the top of the cliff, raising a cloud of dust.

Yoo Si-yeon, a Ranker affiliated with Kronos, stepped onto the shattered Titan and climbed up.

Behind her appeared Ron Cayley and Lando Mitchell of the U.S. Branch.

Ron Cayley dusted off his clothes and shrugged.

“Regression really is nice, no doubt about it. These bastards were ridiculously troublesome when we first met them.”

“Because until the floors reached before the Regression, the strategy has been completed through big data. Even now, the research institute must be working hard on it.”

“It is truly a place to be grateful for. The Labyrinth Research Institute, I mean.”

Ron shook his head as he recalled that place’s murderous workload.

“Koreans really are fascinating. No matter how much money you pay them, if you work them that hard, most people would run away immediately. But they endure to the end and somehow get it done.”

Kronos, a global conglomerate.

It was the dream workplace that everyone in the world wanted to join.

Except for one place, that was. The Labyrinth Research Institute Ron had just mentioned.

The Labyrinth Research Institute, where one would enter while married and come out divorced, or enter obese and return underweight.

The rumors about the intensity of its workload were so brutal they went beyond frightening and approached the worst possible level.

Lando, who chuckled, tilted his head.

“There was a word for enduring to the end like that. What was it again? Si-yeon, do you know?”

Yoo Si-yeon, who had pulled her sword out of a Titan, opened her mouth.

“Tenacity.”

“That’s right. Tenacity. They say Korean people have that unique tenacity.”

“I am not sure whether I should call it admirable or pitiful.”

Leaving their conversation behind, Yoo Si-yeon descended from the Titan.

All the Titans had been removed, so now it was time to go retrieve it.

The Plum Blossom Jade that had led her to become the World’s Greatest Sword before the Regression.

“...?”

Yoo Si-yeon, who had been walking quietly, looked around.

Come to think of it, Kim Guk-hyeon had not been visible for a while.

This had not happened even once on the way to Floor 100.

“Where is Hunter Kim Guk-hyeon?”

At the question directed at them, Lando and Ron stopped talking and looked at Yoo Si-yeon.

Neither of them had said anything yet.

Even so, her instincts realized it first.

That something was different from usual.

“Surely...”

Lando laughed awkwardly and clasped both hands together.

“Sorry, Si-yeon. As you know, there are no personal feelings involved. We actually like you.”

That was not a lie.

They were party members who had been together from Floor 1 to Floor 100.

How could they not have grown attached?

But this was ultimately a matter of separating public and private matters.

Since the order had come down from Kronos Headquarters, they had no choice but to follow it.

“From your position, it may feel rather outrageous, but I hope you do not think too badly of it. If you continue staying with Kronos and remain with us, you will be able to obtain what you were trying to find as well. In the first place, you were the one who hid your true objective first.”

After finishing, Ron looked at Yoo Si-yeon.

‘Hm?’

This was a little unexpected.

He had thought she would make a scene as soon as she heard it, so why was she so calm?

Yoo Si-yeon quietly exhaled and opened her mouth.

“I thought Kronos was perfect in many ways, but this judgment is very disappointing. If you had not acted this way, even if I did not necessarily remain affiliated, we could have maintained a good enough relationship.”

At her ominous tone, Lando and Ron drew up their abilities.

Yoo Si-yeon slowly shook her head.

“There is no need for that. No matter how much time is given to him, Hunter Kim Guk-hyeon will never obtain the Plum Blossom Jade.”

Yoo Si-yeon wore a relaxed expression.

She was the only one in this party who wielded a sword.

In other words, aside from her, no one could obtain it.

The treasure of the Plum Blossom Sword Venerable sleeping beneath them, that was.