The Protagonist’s Daddy Long Legs – Chapter 27

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Thud.

With a low, resonating sound, Hongryeon tumbled to the ground. Anyone who witnessed this sight would be speechless.

Her beautiful red hair was stained with dirt, and her uniform was torn in several places.

The only saving grace was that she didn’t have any external injuries.

“Pant… pant…”

Hongryeon sprang to her feet and gripped her greatsword. She pointed it at a beautiful woman with an enigmatic aura and deep, ocean-blue hair.

Every time she met those unfathomable eyes, she felt herself shrink. Yet, Hongryeon gritted her teeth and charged.

-Clang!!

Island Tiger Strike. Even against this powerful attack, resembling a tiger’s blow, the woman simply sidestepped. With just that, she evaded the lightning-fast strike. The woman extended her hand, lightly forming a fist.

-Thwack!!

Slow, but precise, she aimed for an opening. Unable to dodge, all Hongryeon could do was raise her internal energy and activate her protective Qi.

But even the protective Qi, capable of withstanding a monster’s fangs, couldn’t withstand that light fist.

“Ugh…”

Pain reverberated through her internal organs, but there were no internal injuries. She must be holding back. Hongryeon gritted her teeth so hard that they felt like they would shatter.

Anger at her own weakness.

“Haaaaaaa!!”

A fierce shout escaped her lips.

But despair followed as she struck only empty air once again.

Frustration surged with each failed attack.

Yet, she didn’t lower her head.

Hongryeon’s gaze was fixed on something beyond her reach.

Meeting her eyes, the woman smiled.

“Martial arts are built upon Qi, physique, and mind. The Hongseong cultivates the body and trains Qi. However, the mind must be trained on its own.”

-Clang!!

Following the smile, an irresistible force was unleashed.

Even as she was sent tumbling across the ground from the impact, Hongryeon’s spirit remained unbroken.

The woman was pleased by that. She found it amusing.

She gripped her sword.

“To see with new eyes. Your recent transformation… It truly brings joy to this master.”

Unlike her soft tone, her actions held no mercy. With a single swing of her greatsword, Hongryeon felt pain as if her body was being struck by a massive hammer.

She curled up, raising her internal energy.

But what shielded her from the piercing pain was her unyielding spirit.

Therefore,

The woman,

Na Yerin, Sword Saint and Sect Leader of the Hongseong Sect, Hongryeon’s master, leaped into the air.

“Haaaah!!”

An overwhelming force, like a falling star. Hongryeon knew that only another star could stop it.

-Clang!!

When the two red stars collided, only one remained standing.

The Sword Saint, unyielding even against that immense force, smiled at Hongryeon, who was looking up at her, despite having fallen to one knee.

“Your weak heart is growing stronger. As your master, I’m proud of you. But you’re still lacking.”

The Sword Saint’s voice was calm, but it was filled with joy at her disciple’s growth.

“As you know, the Hongseong Divine Art is the martial art of the Ominous Star. Those who fail to train their minds, who fail to engrave righteousness in their hearts, become demonic beings. Like your senior sister.”

The demonic being who, consumed by the Ominous Star, massacred her fellow disciples and her master, seeking to destroy everything in the world.

Unlike herself, who was clumsy in all matters except for martial arts, she had been perfect in everything, loved and respected by all in the Hongseong Sect, destined to become the next Sect Leader.

She mentioned her senior sister, the one Na Yerin herself had trusted and followed like an elder sister, the one she had to kill with her own hands, yet the Sword Saint didn’t forget to smile.

“So please, never forget the teachings of the Hongseong Sect, to uphold righteousness. Do you understand?”

“…Ha… haha… I’ve heard it countless times… since the day I entered the sect, Master…”

Hongryeon, at her praise, slowly closed her eyes.

She carried Hongryeon and infused her with internal energy. She had controlled her strength, but it would still take her disciple at least a few days to recover.

But Na Yerin couldn’t hide her smile.

It was only natural. Until now, Hongryeon’s spirit always crumbled after their spars.

Exhausted from the burden, she always lowered her head.

Na Yerin felt incredibly guilty that her disciple had to work so hard to compensate for her shortcomings.

She had offered to take over countless times after their spars, but her disciple always refused, leaving her feeling dejected.

But many things had changed in the past few days.

Her disciple greeted her with a relaxed expression when she came to request training, and even though she was defeated as always, her spirit didn’t break.

She didn’t give up.

That brought immense joy to the Sword Saint.

“To see with new eyes. To see with new eyes. Haha, you’ve grown so much.”

Na Yerin gently stroked Hongryeon’s hair. Until now, her disciple’s spirit had easily crumbled because she had to take care of the other disciples in place of her incompetent master, who could only do martial arts.

Like a sandcastle collapsing in the wind, her heart had been weathered and worn.

But she had built a new tower.

Not a sandcastle, but a sturdy stone tower.

Although it was still small, if she continued to build upon it, it would surely surpass her own level and reach enlightenment.

A student surpassing their master.

How could she not be happy about such a reward?

Moreover, training the mind was something even a master couldn’t help much with. So, she was incredibly proud and fond of her disciple, who had always made her feel guilty, for growing on her own.

Na Yerin lovingly stroked her disciple, who was like a daughter, lying with her head resting on her thigh, and…

“Ouch.”

“Oh, dear, I’m sorry.”

While stroking her disheveled hair, she accidentally pulled out a few strands, and couldn’t hide her embarrassed expression.

After helping Hongryeon regulate her breathing and watching her contemplate the spar, Na Yerin found herself with nothing to do.

And after all that fighting…

Growl.

She was… hungry.

But she couldn’t go to the kitchen. The last time she went there, hungry, to find something to eat, she ended up making a mess because she didn’t know where anything was, and was scolded by Hongryeon and Ryuhyeon.

She was their master, the Sword Saint,

But because they were her cherished disciples, she could only swallow her complaints.

Then should I go to the food storage?

But the storage was destroyed during the fight against those ridiculous Demonic Sect intruders.

Moreover, most of the food stored there had rotted due to the demonic Qi that was released during the fight.

They said they bought new food and stored it in the warehouse near the entrance…

I should sneak in and grab a handful of barley to munch on.

Thinking that, the Sword Saint walked towards the new warehouse, savoring the feel of the dirt beneath her bare feet.

And she found them.

Her disciples, gathered in one place.

What was going on?

Intrigued, she approached them and was surprised.

There was a man.

Mount Hongseong was a sacred mountain, and strange beings were drawn to its spiritual energy.

Ghosts, spirits, specters.

The Hongseong Sect settled here, in the territory of Mount Hongseong, to ward off those beings filled with Yin energy. Because in the worst case, they could be harmed by that Yin energy.

But there was a man here?

Her expression hardened for a moment, and she headed towards them to make him leave. As her footsteps stopped near her disciples, she remembered what Ryuhyeon had told her.

That the innkeeper from the village would be coming today at the request of the government, and that they would protect him with the Guardian Star Formation.

She recalled her beloved disciple practically begging her not to cause any trouble,

And calmed her heart.

A refreshing energy surrounded the sturdy-looking man with a kind smile, indicating that her disciples had already activated the protective formation.

Then there was no need to worry.

Relieved, the Sword Saint was about to head towards the food storage again when,

What in the world was that?

Her eyes widened in surprise.

Sparkling, beautiful, colorful.

Candies she had never seen before.

And he was handing them out to her disciples.

Seeing them all accepting it without hesitation, Na Yerin was torn.

Should I join the line?

Surely they wouldn’t refuse to give one to the Sect Leader, right?

Unable to resist, she scurried over and joined the line, waiting for her turn. And when her turn came, as she received the candy and their eyes met,

The Sword Saint, momentarily forgetting everything else, felt pure admiration for the man before her.

This…

This was an intriguing individual.

The three elements that make up a person are mind, Qi, and physique.

The physique is the vessel, holding the soul to act in the world. Those without a physique enter the realm of death.

Qi is the power that fills the vessel and allows a person to move.

The vessel exists to be filled, so it can be filled with anything.

Therefore, the Qi contained within the vessel increases its weight and enhances its value.

Just like the difference in value between a bowl of water and a bowl of fine oil.

However, a vessel cannot hold something that doesn’t suit it.

Just as a fragile earthenware pot would instantly break if filled with heavy water, Qi is closely related to physique.

But the mind is different.

While Qi and physique determine the vessel itself and its value, the mind represents the owner of the vessel and its contents.

No matter how cheap the vessel or how rotten the contents, it doesn’t significantly affect the owner.

But the mind is different. Even if the vessel and its contents have low value, if the owner’s presence is powerful, it commands respect.

Therefore, those who had reached a certain level of martial arts mastery emphasized training the mind, and the Sword Saint was no exception.

But what was this?

His Qi and physique were utterly ordinary.

But his mind, the owner of those elements, wasn’t it as strong as her own, who had reached the peak of martial arts?

It wasn’t the will of one or two people.

Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands.

It felt as if the will of hundreds of thousands, or perhaps even more, had been condensed and molded into the shape of a human.

This level of imbalance was unheard of.

There were plenty of people with Qi and physique far exceeding their mind.

Take Hongryeon, for instance.

She had mastered most of the Hongseong Divine Art and had a naturally strong physique, so her Qi and physique were top-notch.

But her mind?

Her mental fortitude was lacking, and she still hadn’t fully mastered Meteor Fall.

Aside from her, there were others like Ryuhyeon, and even masters from other sects, who couldn’t control their own minds.

But where did this man with an overwhelmingly strong mind yet unbelievably ordinary physique and Qi come from?

Even the Sword Saint had never seen such a person before, and she almost blurted out,

Just what kind of life did you live to have such a powerful mind?

But she didn’t voice those words for one reason: Ryuhyeon, standing nearby, looking at her with a pleading gaze, hoping she wouldn’t say anything inappropriate.

The Sword Saint stared at him intently.

It was a shame.

If he were a woman, she would have taken him as her disciple.

If she had met him when he was younger, she would have introduced him to a suitable master.

Words she wanted to say lingered in her mouth. Yet, what prevented her from speaking now was a trace she sensed within this intriguing man’s body.

‘The Chae Family Taijiquan… It seems the Chae Family has already discovered him and taken him under their wing.’

A technique modified by the family of her rival, but someone she could trust when it came to martial arts.

Traces of the Chae Family Taijiquan, which the ancestors of the Chae Family received from the Wudang Sect and modified, were within the man’s body.

It might have been her rival’s decision to teach him the Chae Family Taijiquan, but even in her eyes, it was a wise choice.

The Chae Family Taijiquan was one of the few martial arts in the world that emphasized the mind, or willpower, rather than Qi and physique.

It might be the perfect martial art for him, with his abnormally strong mind.

Of course, since it was still a martial art, he wouldn’t be able to progress beyond a certain level without training his Qi and physique.

But even so, if he trained diligently with his powerful mind as a foundation, he would surely achieve the “Understanding of Softness” in the near future.

‘Tsk.’

He was a gem that had already been polished by someone else, her rival no less. Interfering with it would be a taboo for a martial artist.

It would be akin to stealing another’s disciple.

Na Yerin stared at him for a long time, feeling a sense of regret, and then shook her head.

Greed. It was just greed.

To try to add something to him, to leave her own mark on him, was nothing but greed.

The Sword Saint looked at her hand. There, resting on her palm, was a beautiful candy.

She couldn’t just take it and leave, so she had to do something in return…

What could she possibly say to this man who would have to suffer under that eccentric Sect Master?

For the Sword Saint, who was notoriously bad with words, bringing up topics unrelated to martial arts, her area of expertise, was quite a challenge.

But as they say, where there’s a will, there’s a way.

As always, she found the answer.

And following that answer, she naturally patted his shoulder.

“Do your best.”

Perfect.

It was a safe enough statement that wouldn’t get her scolded by Hongryeon or Ryuhyeon, right?

“May I take another one? I’d like to give one to Hongryeon…”

Nod. The Sword Saint decided to be a bit more generous towards him, who silently granted her request.

Giving him another word of encouragement with a clenched fist, Na Yerin walked away with light steps towards where she belonged.

In her hand,

Was a beautiful, delicious-looking candy for Hongryeon.

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