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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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Jegal Liang’s skill as a pure Go player was far superior to my own. If we played ten games, I would undoubtedly lose nine.
That meant I would win once.
I hadn’t challenged him without some chance of success. I had a strategy, and I had diligently prepared two tactics to defeat Jegal Liang.
First, I had concealed the recent improvement in my Go skills against him. It wasn’t a dramatic concealment, just a difference of one stone.
I had been hiding this one stone for a potential bet. In other words, instead of receiving a three-stone handicap, I should have only been receiving two.
In battles between masters, a few centimeters of a blade could determine victory or defeat. Similarly, in Go, a single stone could often decide the outcome.
Go was a game won by even half a point. While it might seem insignificant, a single stone could be the deciding factor.
And the other tactic was…
…
Jegal Liang couldn’t believe his eyes. He was cornered. Every move was a bad move. There was nowhere to go.
“How did you predict my tactics?”
“I didn’t predict them. I led you to them.”
I pulled out the records of my previous games with Jegal Liang from within my robe.
“You see, Elder, you play Go very well. So well, in fact, that you grasp your opponent’s weaknesses too quickly in the opening.”
Jegal Liang usually played Go by quickly assessing his opponent’s moves and employing counter-tactics. If his opponent played rock, he would play paper. If his opponent played scissors, he would play rock.
However, by exploiting this, I could anticipate which tactic Jegal Liang would use. I would play paper in the beginning to induce him to play scissors, then strike with my hidden rock.
Jegal Liang frowned, realizing that he had fallen for such a blatant gamble.
“If I hadn’t tried to finish the game quickly and had dragged it out, you wouldn’t have stood a chance.”
“True. But you didn’t, did you? There are no ‘what ifs’ once the result is decided.”
“That’s not the point. I’m asking how you knew I would try to finish the game quickly.”
“Make the enemy impatient with immediate gains. A very simple strategy.”
I ran my hand through my hair, teasing Jegal Liang with a brazen smile.
“I’m just too irresistible, you know. It’s understandable that you’d be distracted.”
Jegal Liang stared into the distance and let out a hollow laugh.
Annoying as it was, he had to admit I was right. Frankly, he had been so confident of winning that he believed no matter what I prepared, it wouldn’t be enough. He just wanted to win quickly.
The true weakness of Jegal Liang, stabbed by Mancheon’s unseen blade, was not impatience, but the arrogance stemming from his overwhelming skill.
I have to admit it. This is truly a rare defeat.
“I lost. Tell me what you want.”
Suspicious as I was of his unexpectedly straightforward concession, the Elder’s love for Go was genuine. Perhaps that was why he was so honorable when it came to Go bets.
“Really? Anything at all?”
“Yes, anything. I’ll even give you my head if you wish.”
I checked Jegal Liang’s expression, wondering if he was joking. But no matter how I looked at it, he seemed serious. He really wasn’t kidding.
“I always keep my promises, especially those made with a fellow Go player. Now, tell me your wish.”
Anything at all… That’s a bold offer. Almost like a blank check.
I didn’t need money, as my family was wealthy. Should I ask him to teach me the Jegal Clan’s secret techniques? No, that wasn’t necessary either.
Martial arts weren’t unique to the Jegal Clan, and I didn’t need to go to such lengths to learn them. Besides, the Jegal Clan’s most powerful techniques were footwork techniques.
Honestly, how could a cripple use footwork?
Light footwork and advanced footwork were different. No matter how skilled I became with my staff, I couldn’t use it to perform complex steps while dragging one leg.
Therefore, now that I had this opportunity, I decided to ask for something I had wanted to request from Jegal Liang for a while.
“Um… please take good care of Gwahae.”
No matter how well I cared for her, I was still an outsider. Eventually, I would have to leave. Even if Gwahae learned martial arts and things wouldn’t return completely to the way they were before, there was a chance her situation could worsen if she was manipulated by someone.
Gwahae needed someone to protect her within the Jegal Clan. And Jegal Liang was more than capable of being that protector.
Jegal Liang raised an eyebrow and studied my face intently.
“So that’s why you refused my granddaughters. You already had another girl in your heart.”
“That’s not exactly what I meant, but… yes, I care for her. I wouldn’t have made this request otherwise.”
Rustle… Rustle… Swish-!
Hmm? What was that? I heard something moving through the grass. I looked around, expecting to see a deer. But instead of a wild deer, I saw a blushing Gwahae.
“!!!!!”
Gwahae’s face flushed crimson as our eyes met, and she darted away at a speed three times faster than usual. I hesitated, unsure whether to follow her, and glanced at Jegal Liang.
Jegal Liang gestured dismissively with his chin, signaling me to go.
“I’m not interested in other people’s treasures. Get lost.”
“Alright, Elder. I’ll see you later. Let’s have a normal game of Go next time.”
Once Mancheon and Gwahae were completely out of sight, Jegal Liang spoke to a hidden figure, using a formation to amplify his voice.
“I know you’re hiding. Come out, Muya.”
Space distorted, and a man who hadn’t been there a moment before suddenly appeared. He resembled Jegal Liang, but with a gentler expression.
It was Jegal Mu, Jegal Liang’s eldest son.
“You were too hasty. That’s why he ran away.”
“Shut up.”
Jegal Liang snapped at his son, who was smiling good-naturedly and provoking him, while Jegal Mu looked towards where Mancheon had been sitting and stroked his chin.
“He seems quite interested in martial arts. Wouldn’t it have been better to offer him a position as your formal disciple instead of challenging him to a game of Go?”
At Jegal Mu’s words, Jegal Liang scoffed.
“Hah! He’s already glaring at me with daggers in his eyes. Do you think those softies like you could handle him if he became even more unruly?”
Although he was long past the age to be called a softie by his father, Jegal Mu simply listened to his father without reacting.
“He’s not a Jegal, even if he is a brat. I can’t raise someone who might become a threat to the clan.”
“I see. You’re worried about future trouble, but you still desire his talent. So, a Go disciple and a son-in-law. You’re willing to bet on Go, but what about your granddaughters? Show them some mercy.”
“I offered my granddaughters to him to secure them good husbands. A clever cripple is a hundred times better than those brats with nothing but their ancestors to boast about.”
Although he said so, Jegal Liang fell silent and sipped his tea, realizing that he might have been a bit harsh on his granddaughters in his eagerness to secure Mancheon’s talent.
He vaguely remembered his granddaughters chattering about wanting some Western trinkets. He’d have to send them something.
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Run and run. Run like a deer until the burning in her face subsides.
“I care for her.”
Gwahae’s heart raced at the words she’d overheard. She had woken up from her nap to find Mancheon gone and, searching for him, had stumbled upon an incredible conversation.
Memories of the time she had spent with Mancheon flooded her mind.
He helped her. He wasn’t afraid of her. He didn’t hate her. He smiled at her. He gave her clean clothes. He gave her snacks. He taught her letters. He taught her martial arts. He gave her warm meals. He shared his warmth. He gave her a safe place to rest. When she had nightmares, he held her and comforted her. He patted her back. He nursed her when she was sick. He healed Chippy. He taught her so many things she didn’t know. He took her to the festival. He called her cute. He held her hand. He showed her happiness.
…He gave her a name.
Gwahae replayed these precious memories over and over, reaching a single conclusion.
‘Yes… Mancheon likes me.’
There was no other explanation for his kindness. She was certain of it.
Stopping her run, she placed a hand over her heart, feeling the rapid beat against her palm.
‘I like Mancheon too.’
The vague feelings that had been swirling within her finally crystallized into a clear realization. At some point, Mancheon had entered her heart. His face was the first thing that came to mind when she closed her eyes.
Now, she couldn’t imagine a life without him.
[Then, it’s decided. Let’s break his staff and his other leg so he can’t leave you. You’ll be together forever.]
A dark ink spread from within, a black serpent whispering in her ear. The pure, budding feelings were swallowed by the darkness.
The black serpent had first appeared to Gwahae in a dream.
In the dream, Gwahae was submerged in water, as if in a giant bathtub. As she floated, a large, four-legged serpent appeared and whispered sweet, yet terrifying words.
[Don’t you want revenge on the Jegal Clan? What? You don’t care? Then, what about Mancheon? Don’t you want to keep him?]
[You’re a dragon, not a human. You don’t have to follow the morals Mancheon teaches you. If you want something, take it.]
[Accept me. Then, you’ll be with Mancheon forever. No one will ever be able to separate you.]
As Mancheon’s presence grew within Gwahae, so did the serpent. And recently, it had begun to speak to her not only in her dreams, but also in the waking world.
“Chirp! Chirp-chirp! Chee~chirp-chirp!”
The chirping of Chippy from within her robe brought Gwahae back to her senses. She pulled out the sparrow and gently stroked it with both hands.
“What’s wrong, Chippy? Are you hungry?”
“Chirp! Chirp-chirp!”
Chippy looked up at the trees, chirping towards the other sparrows. Towards its friends.
[Oh dear, it seems it wants to leave. Tell you what, let’s just break its wings a little. Then, it won’t be able to fly. It won’t be able to leave.]
Gwahae shook her head, rejecting the serpent’s unsettling voice.
Chippy was her precious friend. She couldn’t hurt it for her own selfish desires. Although it saddened her, Gwahae released her grip on Chippy and waited for its decision.
Chippy looked up at the kind girl who had cared for it, chirped brightly, and then took flight. It soared towards its friends.
And then it plummeted to the ground, struck by a slingshot pellet.
“Yes! I got it!!”
“Damn it! I saw it first.”
The children from the branch families weren’t specifically targeting Chippy. They were simply playing in the Jegal Clan’s forest, hunting sparrows with their slingshots.
It was just bad luck that a sparrow, newly healed and still slow in flight, had caught their eye. Nothing more than that.
But a dragon is a celestial being. It does not concern itself with the affairs of insignificant mortals.
Han Feizi, a renowned legalist philosopher of the Warring States period, once said:
The dragon is a docile creature. It doesn’t harm humans without reason. But beneath its neck, there are reversed scales a foot in diameter, called the inverse scale.
If someone touches it, the dragon will become enraged and kill them.
An unfamiliar feeling surged within Gwahae. Her heart blackened. The serpent smiled. Gwahae lost consciousness.
The dragon awakened.
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The Orthodox and Upright Internal Energy Cultivation Method was a Taoist method. Therefore, it was sensitive to the energies of yin and yang and the five elements.
As I followed Gwahae, running like a deer, into the forest, I felt a chilling, dark yin energy emanating from deep within the woods. It felt like the cold, dark depths of the winter ocean.
My instincts screamed, warning me to turn back and flee. My rational mind blared like a firetruck siren, urging me to escape.
I ignored them and continued forward.
When I reached the source of the energy, I found Gwahae. She stood there, horns sprouting from her head, black scales covering her body like obsidian.
Deer horns on her head. Sharp, diamond-like claws on her scaled hands. A massive tail protruding from her clothes, following the line of her spine.
A grotesque mixture of human and dragon. A half-dragon.
I bit my tongue. It hurt. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a dream.
“■■■■■■-!!!” (■: Dragon language which is inaudible, unreadable, incomprehensible, and unspellable)
The dragon roared. Despite the fear that gripped my body, my mind remained calm, assessing the situation.
Children collapsed on the ground, whimpering and soiled with tears and urine, their arms and ribs broken. A discarded slingshot. …And Chippy, lifeless.
I understood.
I took a deep breath, tightened my grip on my staff, and limped towards Gwahae.
‘Learn and teach.’
I won’t run. I won’t look away. I won’t give up.
‘Take responsibility.’
Because you are my disciple. And I am your master.
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This is how master responsibilities toward their student. Keet it in mind guys what you sow is what you reap. Yeah, you know sometimes translator also gotta be wise 😏
