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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“…Congratulations on your enlightenment.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you… I was feeling frustrated because I was stuck, but you gave me a koan…”
A koan?
This was a koan?
He had just said something casually, and this was enough to trigger enlightenment?
Was the protagonist’s intelligence off the charts just because he was the protagonist?
William couldn’t help but be astonished by his extraordinary talent. At this rate, wouldn’t he reach a higher realm just by randomly throwing out idioms?
“…Benefactor?”
“You should focus on consolidating your newly attained realm for now. So… let’s spar again next time.”
“Thank you, Benefactor!”
Just go already. William saw Mokgyeong off, who was bowing repeatedly in gratitude. Once he was gone, William sighed.
“I feel like I just witnessed a glimpse of monstrous talent.”
“Mister, what did you say to make him achieve enlightenment?”
“The scenery changes depending on where you stand.”
Hye-ryeong tilted her head, a strange expression on her face.
“It’s a nice saying, but I don’t know if it’s enough to trigger enlightenment…”
“I don’t know either.”
If people could achieve enlightenment with such words, everyone would be a transcendent expert and the world would be ruled by martial artists.
At this rate, weren’t spirit herbs pointless from the start?
He knew that one’s internal energy usually increased significantly after achieving enlightenment.
Perhaps Mokgyeong already had more internal energy than him. The West generally had a lower amount of aura compared to the Central Plains.
Perhaps due to the difference between Western and Eastern enlightenment, his aura didn’t increase as much.
It wasn’t a big issue since Western arts were based on a small amount of aura anyway… but it would be nice to have an abundance of aura like the Central Plains martial artists.
He would have to rely on spirit herbs for that.
“I want to reach a higher realm quickly too… Mister! Let’s spar!”
“Didn’t you just finish training? It hasn’t been long since you washed up.”
“I can wash up again!”
“You must be tired. Let’s do it tomorrow.”
“But I can do it—”
Pouting and flapping her arms wouldn’t change his mind.
“Training is only meaningful if done in moderation. There’s a saying, ‘Too much is as bad as too little.’”
“How do you know idioms, Mister? That’s from the Analects, isn’t it?”
“…I just happened to learn it while studying.”
“You’re amazing, Mister! I can’t use difficult words like that—”
“It’s nothing special. I just studied hard.”
More accurately, he had studied hard in the 21st century.
“Hehe… Mister, then I’ll go back to my room!”
“Alright, go ahead. I’m going to wash up.”
William watched Hye-ryeong scurry back to her room, then headed to his own room to grab a change of clothes.
“Ahem. Now that everyone’s here, we will begin the draw for the main tournament brackets.”
At the referee’s words, all the participants, including William and Hye-ryeong, looked at the wooden box placed next to him.
“Whether we advance or not depends on what we draw from that box…”
“Don’t worry too much. You’ll do fine.”
If his memory served him right, the participants in the main tournament were at least first-rate martial artists.
Most of the notable promising disciples were from the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans, so unless they were matched against someone from those factions, it wouldn’t be as difficult a fight as she was worried about.
“Aren’t you nervous, Mister?”
“Not really.”
This was heaven compared to the battlefield where it was common to see a comrade who had been chewing on jerky one day return the next day with only their head.
At least there was no risk of death here.
Well, there would be a risk of death soon… but he would have to deal with that somehow. He had to crush the skull of that Heavenly Demon crawling down from Mount Heaven.
“The person at the front of the line, please draw a slip of paper!”
Ah, it was starting.
They stopped chatting and watched the young man approach the box.
Judging by the spear he carried, he was a rare spear user. He had heard that spears weren’t commonly used in the Murim, but it seemed that wasn’t always the case.
He would like to spar with him, but he didn’t know how the brackets would turn out.
“Yang Seoyu of the Yang Clan! Group 5!”
“Ugh…”
“What’s wrong, Mister?”
“Just a cough.”
What kind of name was that?
After the initial surprise, the main tournament brackets were decided without any issues.
And finally, his name was called.
“Wi Lieom! Please step forward!”
William walked up to the box and reached inside.
How about this one?
He pulled out a slip of paper and showed it to the referee.
“Wi Lieom! Group 5!”
He was really going to fight him.
He wasn’t sure if he should be happy or not.
As William returned to his spot, Hye-ryeong approached him with a smile.
“You’re going to fight that spearman!”
“A spear, huh.”
Come to think of it, his main weapon during his time as a knight was a lance. The sword was his secondary weapon.
So he knew how to deal with spear users… but the spears here looked very different. It was strange to even compare them since lances were weapons used by cavalry for breaking through enemy lines.
But he wasn’t completely inexperienced, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to deal with.
Among the Mamluks, the elite soldiers of Islam, there were many skilled spear users.
This spearman wouldn’t be as skilled as them.
They were monsters trained by the state.
Monsters against whom a frontal assault was impossible unless one was a knight. Compared to them, this spearman was… just a child.
A battle between experienced butchers and ordinary humans was on a different level.
“…This will be an interesting match.”
“Ugh, my first opponent is from the Huashan Sect…”
“The Green Plum Blossom, was it?”
“Yes. Lady Baek Mae-hwa, the Green Plum Blossom.”
…Who was that?
Since he didn’t remember her, she probably wasn’t a heroine from the original story.
William turned his head to observe the Green Plum Blossom, who was chatting with the Huashan Sect martial artists.
Her aura didn’t seem that different from Hye-ryeong’s.
She seemed to be slightly stronger than Hye-ryeong, but not to the point where it would be an impossible fight. It would be a tough fight… but Hye-ryeong would manage.
All he could do was cheer her on.
“Don’t be intimidated. The difference isn’t that big, so fight with confidence. Don’t lose your spirit. Remember what I always say? A fight is all about…”
“Initiative!”
“That’s right.”
“You’re right, Benefactor.”
“Did the draw go well?”
“Yes. My first opponent is Young Master Song Muhan of the Paeryeok Clan.”
The Paeryeok Clan… that wouldn’t be an easy fight… except that this boy would probably reach the peak expert realm even if he was put up against a peak expert.
He couldn’t help but feel unconcerned. He knew better than anyone how absurdly talented the protagonist was.
“He’s not a difficult opponent. Do your best.”
“Thank you for your support, Benefactor.”
“…”
“Ahem…”
Ah, it wasn’t over yet.
William cleared his throat and turned his attention to the referee, who was trying to gather everyone’s attention. The referee glanced at the participants, then announced in a voice amplified by his internal energy,
“The main tournament will begin in two days at the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), so don’t be late! If you’re not here after one hour, you’ll be automatically disqualified!”
So it was after lunch.
“Then, promising disciples who will shoulder the future of the Murim! I’ll see you all in two days!”
As the referee left the platform, the participants began to disperse. William watched them for a moment, then looked down at Hye-ryeong, who was tugging at his sleeve.
“Mister, what are we doing now?”
“We’re going to eat. It’s almost lunchtime.”
“Already?”
“Probably.”
“Then I’ll be returning to the Patrol Unit. Benefactor…”
“Come with us.”
“Huh?”
“You should have a delicious meal while you’re here.”
He also needed to build a stronger bond with Mokgyeong.
He was a comrade who would be of great help in the future fight against the Demonic Cult.
He also felt sorry for him, remembering the countless mentions of the Patrol Unit’s terrible food in the original story. Even if life was hard, people should at least have decent food.
“I’m fine.”
“Don’t feel pressured.”
“But…”
Mokgyeong’s gaze shifted between William and Hye-ryeong.
Ah, that was it.
William chuckled and said,
“Don’t worry too much. Think of this as an opportunity to build relationships. You can’t be alone forever.”
“…Alright.”
‘Hye-ryeong, stop looking at him with that sullen expression.’
He needed competent subordinates to even think about fighting the Demonic Cult.
William poked Hye-ryeong’s puffed-out cheek and said,
“Hye-ryeong, I’ll let you order whatever you want, so cheer up. After all…”
“…Okay.”
Hye-ryeong finally nodded.
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bastard