Chapter 371: A Sword (2)

The first disciple of Path of the Wind admitted his defeat.

“…”

“–”

But the cheers didn’t come immediately.

Even though the match had ended faster than any other held in the third combat arena…

Even though the ground was still trembling from the wind and roar left behind by that terrifying martial art…

No one could react easily.

“The victory goes to Kim Hae-il!”

But the moment the referee announced the winner’s name...

Waaa!

Woo!

People started expressing their excitement with loud cheers.

“Whoa, did you see that?”

“No, did you?”

“No! I didn’t see it!”

“Exactly, you didn’t!”

Those who weren’t trained warriors hadn’t seen a thing.

However, they couldn’t contain their excitement.

“How strong is he?!”

“Damn! As expected of the one who passed the qualification test in the shortest time! He’s something else! Absolutely incredible!”

The first disciple of the Path of the Wind—they had clearly witnessed the martial art he unleashed: a dragon born from the wind itself.

They had felt his strength. The noble, overwhelming force he carried.

But still, Kim Hae-il had emerged victorious.

“Yes…”

An Elder murmured softly, his voice trembling.

“Truly, the strongest can’t always be seen with the naked eye.”

He was reminded of something that had happened decades ago.

“The current queen, Her Majesty, was like that too.”

When Queen Tamahi had once fought the previous king…

She had defeated him effortlessly—without even breaking a sweat—during the combat competition that determined the next ruler.

Ordinary citizens hadn’t fully understood what happened that day.

But one thing was certain.

Strength doesn’t always need to be seen to be real.

Queen Tamahi.

She had spoken those words in the very place where it was confirmed she would ascend to the highest seat in the Kingdom of Lan.

And those words remained etched in the hearts of its people.

“…A worthy heir has appeared.”

Just as the Elder had said, the crowd couldn’t help but erupt in cheers for Kim Hae-il—who had effortlessly defeated the first disciple of the Path of the Wind in a manner most spectators couldn’t even comprehend.

Because this wasn’t just any tournament.

This competition would determine the future of the Kingdom of Lan.

Sure, showing mercy—like Hyun Seong of the Snow Death Flower—might have its charm.

[P/R: “Snow Mortal Flower” was previously used. It has been corrected to “Snow Death Flower” to better reflect the original meaning.]

But in the end, the Kingdom of Lan upheld one unwavering ideal:

The strongest shall become king.

And so, the people cheered for power.

“For real? Kim Hae-il?”

“Yeah! Where did that guy even come from?”

To top it off, Kim Hae-il was a complete unknown.

But—

“They say he passed the qualification test in record time?”

“They say he sliced the sacred stone in one strike. Is that for real?”

He wasn’t an unknown anymore.

He had already proven himself once.

Out of the corner of their eye…

People noticed something.

“…”

The Phantom Swordsman—who had remained silent all this time—suddenly stood up.

“…”

“…”

Every other participant in the preliminary round turned to glare at him with eyes full of killing intent.

That reaction alone made those around him feel Kim Hae-il’s presence more than ever.

Waaah—

The cheers began to die down.

As everyone turned their attention toward Kim Hae-il...

“…”

The first disciple of the Path of the Wind, who had already admitted defeat, lowered his head once again.

A shadow fell over him.

He slowly lifted his gaze.

“Impressive technique.”

Kim Hae-il’s outstretched hand came into view.

“!”

The first disciple of the Path of the Wind, staring up with wide eyes, didn’t show much of a reaction.

But Kim Hae-il spoke again.

“More importantly… it’s a dragon that could become freer.”

Wind Dragon.

The martial art technique the first disciple had used.

“But why are you restraining it?”

Kim Hae-il’s tone was indifferent—calm, yet cutting.

“The path is important.”

Path of the Wind—a school that valued structure, training, and discipline.

“But is wind really something you’re supposed to tie down?”

“!”

The first disciple felt as if lightning had struck through his chest.

Those quiet words from Kim Hae-il hit harder than any blade.

“It already holds plenty of wind. Maybe… it’s time to let some of it go.”

Ah…

The first disciple let out an involuntary breath of awe.

Without realizing it, he extended his hand.

Both hands reached out and grasped Kim Hae-il’s outstretched one.

“Th-Thank you, Master.”

He lowered his head once more. His body was trembling.

But it wasn’t from defeat or frustration.

It wasn’t fear, either.

His body trembled from excitement—and revelation.

“You’re welcome. I only said what you already knew.”

Kim Hae-il’s voice was calm.

The first disciple, now on his feet, continued to hold Kim Hae-il’s hand with both of his own. He shook his head firmly.

“No. Timing matters too. Speaking the right words at the right time... that’s not easy.”

Huu...

A soft smile tugged at the corner of Kim Hae-il’s lips.

“Your training runs deep, doesn’t it?”

At those quietly spoken words, the first disciple bowed his head once again.

“Thank you for your guidance.”

“You’re welcome.”

The first disciple gently released the hand he had been holding with respect, and Kim Hae-il let go just as naturally.

“It was a good match.”

The first disciple of the Path of the Wind—despite losing—spoke with a relieved expression.

Kim Hae-il gave a small nod in return.

Then, without a word, he turned and stepped down from the combat stage, heading straight for the waiting room.

– Heavenly Demon, powerful Heavenly Demon! The Human says you’re very good at pretending to be kind. Hehe!

Pfft.

A crooked smile curled briefly at the corner of the Heavenly Demon’s lips—but it vanished just as fast.

He slowly raised his head and turned toward Cale’s direction.

Their eyes met.

Cale flinched.

Wait… is he looking at me with hostility?

Sure, he had told Raon to pass along that message… that it was technically a compliment.

But that guy—the Heavenly Demon—he was a little twisted, so it was hard to predict how he'd take it.

And then, at that very moment, the Heavenly Demon’s voice echoed in his mind.

– Well, I’ve always been good at pretending to be kind. Even pretending to be benevolent.

Ha…

Cale let out a soft, disbelieving laugh.

– It’s quite fun.

With that, the Heavenly Demon stepped into the waiting room and vanished from the combat arena.

Dooong—!

A deep drumbeat echoed across the arena, signaling the end of the event.

“Today’s preliminary round is over! Please maintain order while exiting!”

The guide’s voice rang out over the crowd, following the final drum.

Spectators, still buzzing with excitement, began to heading out—some quietly, others still chatting enthusiastically about the match they had just witnessed.

“…”

“Hmm. Leader?”

But over in the reserved area…

The Ten Tigers of Heaven—

Five of the Ten Tigers of Heaven—those who only moved under their leader’s command—remained still. Neither speaking, nor shifting.

Cheon Po, their leader, silently stared at the entrance where Kim Hae-il had disappeared.

After a moment, he looked away.

“…”

“…”

His four subordinates were watching him closely.

He finally opened his mouth.

“Did any of you see it?”

None of them responded right away.

Then, Cheon Po sent a mental transmission.

– It was a sword.

“!”

Two of the subordinates’ eyes widened in surprise.

– A sword technique? Wasn’t that martial arts?

– I thought it was martial arts too…

Cheon Po slowly shook his head.

“It was a sword. No doubt about it—it was sword art.”

A sword art of such a refined level that even Cheon Po couldn’t easily imitate it.

Kim Hae-il.

He had executed only a single strike, a downward motion from above. Though his hand held no blade, his stance, his movement, his very presence—was unmistakably that of a sword.

“…We’re leaving.”

Cheon Po felt uneasy.

My lord… the only one I serve.

Cheon Po’s chest tightened.

I must see him. I must tell him.

Because Kim Hae-il—that man is different.

That single presence stirred something deep within him.

A sensation he had not felt in years.

The same emptiness—a vast, formless void—that he had once experienced when he first stood before his master.

And now, it was the second time he had felt that emotion.

And in the place where the Ten Tigers of Heaven had disappeared—

“…….”

Hyun Seong of Snow Death Flower, who had vanished from the combat arena, appeared where Cheon Po had stood.

Hyun Seong, who had slowly walked to that spot, looked down at the ground.

“…Is justice truly nothing more than a mask used to hide ugliness?”

“Boss.”

A woman stepped out from the shadows, her voice low and calm.

“…They say the Dark Abyss has gotten their hands on the participants.”

Hyun Seong asked quietly, without turning.

“Do you believe it?”

“…I believe in the evidence. But I can’t say whether the evidence holds the truth.”

Hyun Seong closed her eyes.

She recalled the appearance of the Ten Tigers of Heaven—warriors who moved only on their leader’s command—appearing in the capital of the Kingdom of Lan, spreading themselves across the three combat arenas.

“I must prepare for the final round.”

And in that moment, she sent a transmission.

–I must infiltrate the Justice Alliance.

Her gaze shifted toward the heart of the kingdom.

Her Majesty.

The capital of the Kingdom of Lan… a place where the king’s eyes and ears were everywhere.

What is she thinking?

She surely knew everything.

So why wasn’t she acting?

Maybe—

The position of heir to the Kingdom of Lan.

The next king.

A title that carried such a sweet name—

It could be a trap.

The eyes of Hyun Seong—who knew she must seek power, but never allow herself to fall into that swamp—still had not found their center.

* * *

“Leader.”

The commander–in–chief of the Justice Alliance.

He was in a small mansion, located outside the capital of the Kingdom of Lan, after leaving the shelter.

Inside the mansion—

The main house shaped like ㄷ.

And in the center of the garden stood a small pavilion.

He was standing in front of the pavilion door, bowing his head respectfully, and opened his mouth.

“Cheon Po seeks an audience to make his report.”

A transmission was heard by the man who remained in his bowed posture.

–Tell him to come in.

“Yes.”

He turned around and relayed the message to Cheon Po.

“Come in.”

“…”

Cheon Po nodded without a word, gestured lightly to the commander-in-chief, opened the pavilion door, and disappeared inside.

Tap.

The commander-in-chief’s gaze sank deeply as he looked at the now-closed door.

What an unpleasant guy.

Cheon Po and the Ten Tigers of Heaven—warriors who moved only at the command of their leader.

They did not obey the orders of the commander-in-chief.

It was more accurate to consider them as a separate organization that existed within the Justice Alliance.

And Cheon Po, though he had maintained the bare minimum of courtesy, gave off the unmistakable feeling that he was subtly disregarding the authority of the commander-in-chief.

He had no loyalty toward him—only to his own leader.

It’s fortunate that my lord has Cheon Po under control.

If not for that, Cheon Po would’ve been nothing short of a persistent, dangerous headache.

“Tsk.”

He clicked his tongue softly, then turned away from the pavilion and began walking toward the main house.

There were still too many meetings left to conduct.

“Commander-in-chief.”

He turned at the voice of his subordinate, who had just entered the meeting room.

“They say Snow Death Flower has found evidence.”

Snick.

The corners of the subordinate’s lips curved upward.

“They’ll start suspecting Dark Abyss.”

All the evidence had been pointing in that direction.

“Tsk.”

But the commander-in-chief clicked his tongue again, and his expression turned cold.

“Do you think Hyun Seong is stupid?”

“…Yes?”

“Hyun Seong is the one who placed the leader in that position. That woman is highly suspicious. We can’t allow them to trace anything back to us!”

At the sharpness in his voice, the subordinate quickly bowed his head.

“Yes! That will never happen!”

“Good. Report to me immediately if anything new comes in.”

“Yes, understood.”

The commander-in-chief turned his gaze aside.

On the table before him were detailed reports from various factions, along with a sprawling map of the capital of the Kingdom of Lan.

“…For the greater good, small sacrifices are unavoidable.”

He refocused on the reports in front of him.

Meanwhile, Cheon Po walked down the silent corridor within the pavilion, eventually stopping at a door at the far end of the hallway.

He knelt.

“My lord.”

Shhhk—

The door slid open to the side, without a single hand touching it.

It was done entirely through Inner Energy.

Cheon Po wasn’t surprised by the sheer amount of Inner Energy present—or by the precise control with which it had been used.

“What is it?”

Inside the now-open door, his leader sat cross-legged with her eyes closed.

She was a woman in her fifties. Her name was Hwa In.

A high-level master, her name was listed among the core leaders of the Justice Alliance.

“It seems I have found a rat.”

The moment those words left Cheon Po’s mouth—

“…”

She opened her eyes.

The old master’s gaze was calm, yet impossibly deep.

“A rat?”

“Yes, my lord.”

Still kneeling, Cheon Po bowed even lower, his forehead nearly to the ground.

Maintaining a posture that looked more like devotion than submission, he spoke again.

“It seems I have found the rat my lord has been searching for.”

Swoosh.

Without a word, Hwa In rose from her seat and began to walk slowly toward Cheon Po.

“Cheon Po.”

He lifted his head slowly, meeting the gaze of Hwa In, who now stood before him.

But she wasn’t the appearance of a woman in her fifties.

She looked no older than a ten-year-old girl.

“Yes, my lord.”

And her appearance—undeniably—resembled someone Passote once knew.

Sohyi, the Wanderer.

Hwa In, who had undergone rejuvenation, now appeared exactly like Sohyi.

She had emerged suddenly, years ago, as the secret heir of the previous leader.

Since the age of thirty, she had dedicated her life entirely to the Justice Alliance.

No one truly knew what she had been like in her youth.

But Cheon Po—he had seen her true form.

She had always been like this.

The same voice that had once shattered Passote’s will now echoed toward Cheon Po.

“I thought the rat was hiding in the Eastern Empire. But now… is it here, in the Kingdom of Lan?”

“It’s only a suspicion, but I believe so.”

A strange light passed through Sohyi’s eyes, sharp and unreadable.

“Who do you believe the rat is?”

“Kim Hae-il.”

Oh.

Cheon Po spoke calmly, almost indifferently, in response to the faint surprise that flickered across her face.

“I felt the same emotion I felt when I first met you, my lord.”

“!”

Sohyi’s eyes blinked once, slowly.

Then, she smiled.

“These words give me a lot of confidence.”

Cheon Po.

This boy had a sharp eye.

And yet—he was blind when it came to her.

Therefore, Sohyi had shown him her true form and kept him by her side.

“Go.”

“Yes, my lady.”

After dismissing him, Sohyi stood alone in the pavilion… and murmured to herself.

“Ahn Roh Man’s assistant… that AI is in the Kingdom of Lan. And now, it’s connected to Kim Hae-il—”

Ahn Roh Man, the one fated to become the crown prince of the Eastern Empire.

And the AI that aids him.

Two figures destined to become poison to this new world.

Sohyi wasn’t just searching for the AI.

She was hunting the rat.

No—the nuisance that dared to trouble her.

“I hope it’s truly the rat this time.”

That way, she wouldn’t have to deal with the constant whining of those Transparent Blood Family bastards.

Her gaze shifted toward the garden outside the pavilion.

It was still broad daylight.

“When is the final round?”

She hadn’t participated in the preliminary round yet.

But for the final—

“I must go see him.”

Kim Hae-il.

It feels like it’ll be the perfect moment… to kill him.

* * *

“It seems the ones who left behind false trails pretending to be us—the ones who killed the participants—are from the Justice Alliance.”

Passote, the leader of Dark Abyss, spoke with a grim expression.

Cale let out a quiet sigh at those words.

This place is more twisted than I thought.

I need to see the queen’s husband face-to-face.

And of course, I’ll have to teach him a lesson.

Why are there always so many things to clean up?

Should I just invade the royal palace?

But that wasn’t going to be easy.

Not with the palace protected by its magic barrier.

Hmm...

Just then, as Cale sank into thought, a calm and casual voice drifted over.

“Shouldn’t we just eliminate him?”

Cale turned in the direction of the voice.

The Heavenly Demon was watching him with a smile.

Cale met his gaze with narrowed eyes and spoke with disdain.

“Are you amused?”

“Yes, I’m amused.”

The Heavenly Demon responded without hesitation, clearly enjoying every moment in this strange, chaotic world.

“…”

Cale’s expression grew darker by the second.

Just then, Alberu stepped beside him.

“Let’s go out for a while.”

“Outside?”

That meant leaving the game.

Alberu handed him a small letter.

< I have found a way to connect the Black Castle portal. >

< And I’ve also uncovered clues that could expose the corruption within ㈜Transparent. >

The handwriting belonged to Rosalyn—and it carried good news.

Which meant one thing.

It was time to head out.

Back to Earth 3.

Back to work.

 ------

Proofreader's Comment:

Sometimes the sharpest swords are the ones you never see—just like the enemies already waiting in the shadows.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Mayank]