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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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Inner energy!
“How did you discern that!”
“It’s easy to recognize unrefined inner energy.”
“Don’t tell me you have some kind of all-seeing eye that can penetrate anything? Please tell me honestly.”
“Something like that.”
“As expected!”
So, a martial arts master can gauge the inner energy of others?
No, it must be possible since she actually guessed it. But she said it was quite decent inner energy? Was the chieftain’s inner core that effective? Enough for the Jade Flower Sword to evaluate it like this?
This is very satisfying.
“May I ask which family’s young master you are?”
“Huh? Young master?”
“Don’t feign ignorance.”
What is she talking about?
“Your physique is so well-developed, yet your skin is exceptionally fair and your features are distinct. Looking at your hands, it seems you haven’t been wielding a sword for long.”
“Ah.”
“Could it be that you consumed elixirs provided by your family?”
…She’s quite sharp.
Is this what it means to be a martial arts master?
It’s true that I’ve lived without much hardship thanks to my aunt. I ate well while growing up, so I grew tall. It’s also true that my skin is fairer compared to the people here in Ming. My hands are also relatively clean.
It seems the Jade Flower Sword made a reasonable judgment based on my appearance. This is the impression I give off to someone who sees that I have this level of inner energy.
“Hehehe, that’s not the case. I’m just a commoner, a wandering swordsman. As for my inner energy, well, I had a fortuitous encounter while working, and it developed like this. I’m very pleased that a celestial being like you evaluated it so highly.”
“Hmm. Well, alright.”
She nodded at my appropriate response. I guess she thought it wasn’t necessary to pry further.
“I look forward to your performance.”
“Yes! Celestial Being! It was an honor, a great honor, to have spoken with you!”
“May you treasure today’s experience as a family heirloom.”
With that, she turned and returned to her group.
She definitely seems to have a pretty severe princess complex. But considering her beauty, even that seems insufficient… It seems that the Jade Flower Sword enjoys being acknowledged and praised for her beauty as much as she enjoys her own beauty itself.
I secretly thought that she might be a quiet or humble type because of her calm demeanor and generally expressionless face.
She has a similar style of beauty to my aunt, but their personalities were quite different.
“You… to converse with the Jade Flower Sword like that… I’m jealous.”
Jaemison said that.
“It’s understandable to be jealous. I acknowledge that.”
“How did you attract the Jade Flower Sword’s attention…”
“I was the first to recognize your unique weapon.”
“Kekeke, is that so.”
That’s right.
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The next day.
After finishing preparations, I joined Jaemison and went to the assembly point. It was already crowded with wandering swordsmen. I couldn’t even guess how much money the Namgung family is spending.
It just shows how important the labyrinth conquest is.
“Ah, they’re coming!”
“Oooh…!”
“We get to see the Jade Flower Sword in the morning!”
While I was chatting with Jaemison and waiting, the wandering swordsmen shouted. I saw that the martial artists of the Namgung family were coming, escorting a carriage.
This was a bit disappointing.
It seems the Jade Flower Sword is traveling by carriage. Honestly, the celestial beauty of the Jade Flower Sword is a fact without any exaggeration. A beauty that strongly imprints itself on the mind… It can be considered a strong stimulus that I’ve experienced since coming to this painful martial world.
So I wanted to see the Jade Flower Sword’s face today, but this is a letdown. It will take some time just to get to the labyrinth, and it looks like I’ll have to stick with Jaemison all day.
“Are we short on numbers? I will call out the names of the wandering swordsmen! After answering, come over here and stand in line!”
They must be checking before departure.
A martial artist from the noble family began to call out names, and the wandering swordsmen lined up. Jaemison and I went and stood as soon as our names were called.
“Time’s up… Those who didn’t come are automatically considered to have broken the contract. We’re leaving!”
Soon the procession departed.
“Oooh.”
Seeing so many people gathered and moving at once reminds me of my time in the army.
When it was time for marching training, we would all gather at the parade ground and then go out in order. I feel like I’m seeing something like that right now.
“Jaemison. Do you have enough stored dry rations?”
“Kekeke, of course. I even brought a small pot.”
“What…! Are you planning to boil the dry rations in it and eat them?”
“Naturally.”
“This guy!”
I took out some jerky from my pocket.
“I’ll add jerky, want to share?”
“Kek… Good. Jerky is always welcome.”
I also brought things like dried fruit.
I’ll snack on them with Jaemison on the way.
As we moved, we arrived at a checkpoint. I thought the government soldiers would inspect us, but they just talked briefly with the martial artist from the noble family and quickly let us through.
Ah, that’s right.
Last time, Jaemison told me that the provinces are practically ruled by sects or noble families. The administrative power of the government is there, but they usually look after the face of the local magnates.
If your status as a powerful person is proven, you can ignore any troublesome procedures.
After that, we moved outside the city.
Unlike the army’s march, it’s a very free movement. It feels like a bunch of gangsters just strolling along.
The only ones who are disciplined are the martial artists of the Namgung family who are walking around the carriage, guarding it. I was impressed when I saw them.
“Hoo… Jaemison. Do you see? Those combat unit members of the noble family. Their footwork is different.”
“Kekeke, you noticed it too.”
“Could it be footwork passed down from the noble family?”
“Probably… It’s only natural. The combat unit of the Namgung family would obviously be bestowed with such martial arts.”
It seems like becoming a martial artist of a noble family is also a good choice.
I want to learn that kind of footwork too. Not the low-level martial arts taught at the White Sword Martial Arts School, but real martial arts.
“If I become a martial arts master while hunting monsters, could I get a job at a place like a noble family?”
“It would be difficult… Those martial artists have lived in a group since they were young. If you join late, you’ll just be a rolling stone that came in from somewhere else.”
“Oh, this guy. You definitely have insight. When I hear you say that, it really seems like it.”
The only one I truly worship is Song, but Jaemison is also a friend with a lot to learn from.
“So if you have the skills, it wouldn’t be bad to get a job as a guard at a place like… the Jeong family estate.”
“Maybe.”
A bodyguard for a rich family.
At least I won’t have to worry about starving.
“…”
But can I stop hunting monsters?
I gained inner energy just by eating one inner core. If I defeat more monsters, and stronger ones, there will be more opportunities like that.
I can’t spend my time guarding someone when I’m busy hunting monsters.
“Rest! We’ll rest for a bit and then depart again!”
After walking for a while, a rest order was given.
The wandering swordsmen immediately gathered among themselves, unpacked their belongings, and began to eat.
“Jaemison. Let’s eat. Are you going to take out the pot?”
“No… It’s too much trouble right now.”
“Hehehe, aren’t you worried you won’t use it at all?”
“I’m starting to worry about that too…”
I took out a bowl from my bag and put in dried grains, jerky, dried vegetables, nuts, and finally some multigrain powder, added water to soak it, and then seasoned it with salt.
It’s fucking disgusting, but this is the field ration of the martial world.
It’s a monstrosity that makes me miss the combat rations I ate in the army.
“Done.”
Just let it soak a little longer and stir it gently with a spoon.
Jaemison made a meal similar to mine. We silently ate the incredibly tasteless food.
Well, the first day was mostly like that.
At night, we slept outside, wrapped in windproof cloaks. The night watch was really shitty, but the shittiest part was that we all slept outside together.
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So we marched diligently the next day as well, but.
“Gasp!”
What’s this!
The Jade Flower Sword got off the carriage!
“Ah, there you were.”
Not only that, but she came to me!
“Celestial Being! What brings you here!”
“Nothing in particular.”
“The celestial realm… Just being near you turns everything into the celestial realm, Celestial Being! As soon as you came, everything around turned into the celestial realm!”
This is no exaggeration.
Her beauty had that kind of power. Even the shitty-looking scenery of mountains and fields seemed like a painting when the Jade Flower Sword was added. Is this the celestial realm? It’s such a beautiful sight.
“Oh, now we’re talking about the celestial realm.”
“Isn’t this a Reality Marble?”
“Reality Marble?”
“A Reality Marble that turns the surroundings into the celestial realm with just that beauty…! I think you have that kind of power, Celestial Being!”
“Ah, that’s a very fitting expression. Indeed. Wherever I walk can be called the celestial realm.”
The Jade Flower Sword put her hand on the back of her head and flicked her hair, looking satisfied.
She’s really good at taking what I throw at her.
“I’m pleased.”
“I will try to please you more.”
“Young Miss.”
As I was talking with the Jade Flower Sword, a martial artist from the noble family approached.
“Hmm?”
“It would be best if you returned to the carriage…”
“It was boring just staying inside. We’re leaving. I want to walk a bit.”
“…Understood.”
At that dismissal, the martial artist returned, and the march began again. Despite that, she didn’t go back and walked beside me.
“…”
It’s driving me crazy.
Should I call it a woman’s fragrance? The soft scent of a woman’s cosmetics is tickling my mind. This kind of stimulus is too much for me, who was practically in a state of dopamine fasting. On top of that, the Jade Flower Sword’s beauty and her massive-chest-barrier, no, Reality Marble, made this march before a battle feel like a kind of excursion.
“I’m bored right now. Fortunately, your… No. What’s your name?”
“Ah, I’m Kim Geun-hyeop.”
“I’m Namgung Serin, the Jade Flower Sword.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too… Anyway, as I said, I’m quite bored right now.”
The Jade Flower Sword continued with an expressionless face.
“Fortunately, Geun-hyeop’s wit is quite amusing, so I will give you a mission.”
“A mission! What is it!”
“Entertain me more.”
“What…!”
Entertain her!
What should I do to entertain this woman?
“Should I tell you some interesting stories?”
“Oh, do you have something? I’m looking forward to it.”
Geun-hyeop’s brain searched on.
The search term was “interesting stories.”
But what kind of story should I tell? A story that a woman would find interesting… Ah, right! I’m from Earth after all!
I have plenty of stories!
I used to read a lot of books in the past!
As I quickly searched for a story, I stroked my chin and glanced at the Jade Flower Sword’s chest, specifically her large, swollen chest, and quickly averted my eyes.
Chest… Above the chest is the neck.
Neck.
Necklace?
“Ah, right! This is a foreign story, and the title of the story is ‘The Necklace’!”
“The Necklace?”
It’s a short story called “The Necklace” by Maupassant.
The plot is truly bizarre.
[A woman full of vanity, but her reality doesn’t live up to her ideals. She had a wealthy noblewoman friend who stimulated her inferiority complex, and the incident began when a party was held.]
[The woman, being full of vanity, was reluctant to go to the party without any special jewelry… So she borrowed a precious piece of jewelry from her noblewoman friend, and with the power of that jewelry, she enjoyed the party.]
“After the party, the woman returned to reality. The dream-like time turned to dust.”
“…Hmm.”
“So she got home, and lo and behold! The jeweled ornament she borrowed from her wealthy friend was gone!”
“Huh? No, how could she manage something so precious so poorly.”
“Then let’s just say she didn’t lose it and wrap up the story…”
“She could have lost it.”
[Anyway, she lost it and couldn’t find it.]
[She had to pay for it.]
“Even if she sold all her possessions, it wouldn’t even be a fraction of the cost. Well, what can you do? So she borrowed money and bought an identical jeweled ornament and returned it.”
[After that, the woman worked herself to the bone for a very long time to pay off the debt. Then one day, she ran into her noblewoman friend.]
“Oh my, why have you changed so much! What on earth happened…! The astonished friend asked, and the woman replied.”
“I had lost the ornament I borrowed from you back then, and I had to buy an identical one to return it, so I got into a lot of debt.”
“Oh dear. Her friend must have felt bad.”
“Yes. And the friend said this.”
[Oh!]
[What can I say!]
[That necklace was actually fake!]
“It wasn’t real! It was just a cheap imitation…!”
[The story ends like this.]
It might be a huge spoiler for the Jade Flower Sword, who is a person from the Ming Dynasty, but this story is from the 18th century. It’s okay to spoil it by now.
“…”
The Jade Flower Sword was looking at me with her mouth wide open.
“That’s the end of the story.”
“Huh? Wait. What about after that?”
“There’s nothing after. The story ends like this. What do you think? Was it entertaining?”
“No! It can’t end like that…!”
Please complain to Maupassant.
“There’s nothing I can do. The story ends here. So how was it?”
She bit her lip as if dissatisfied, but soon nodded.
“Very. It was a very shocking story… Unbelievable.”
It must have been quite shocking, as the Jade Flower Sword stroked her lips and mulled over the story. I’m glad she found it entertaining. I was also shocked when I first read it.
“Phew, I can’t believe it. If only she had honestly told her friend she lost it from the beginning… It’s so ironic. Haa.”
“Indeed, Celestial Being.”
I’m glad she enjoyed it.
“Still, it’s pretty bad that the story ended as soon as the twist came out. Anyway, do you have any other stories?”
“Gasp.”
Looks like I need to open my bag of stories a bit more?
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Any modern person would have unlimited stories to tell 😭