Chapter 227: Faster Than I Expected

After leaving the Black Night Gang, Kim Muhyuk decided to stop by the Blood Tiger Gang while he was out.

They had provided crucial help when he captured the runaway Yang Seonu, so he wanted to thank them and see Oho while he was there.

However, Oho was nowhere to be found.

“Sorry, Wolf. Oho is away at the moment...”

Eighth Tiger, whom Kim had become acquainted with over several visits to the Blood Tiger Gang, spoke with visible discomfort.

He was handling Oho’s duties in his absence.

“Has something happened to the Blood Tiger Gang?”

Kim had noticed that Eighth Tiger looked troubled and that the general atmosphere inside the Cheonghwa Group building was strangely unsettled.

“Well...”

Eighth Tiger hesitated for a long moment before sighing and shaking his head.

“I appreciate your concern, Wolf, but it isn’t something we can discuss with outsiders.”

I wasn’t exactly worried...

Oho of the Blood Tiger Gang was at least somewhat more trustworthy than the Black Night Gang boss.

They had built a fair degree of mutual trust through several transactions, and Oho still owed him a debt.

Is there some kind of internal power struggle going on?

It was common in unorthodox organizations that had expanded too quickly.

Kim would be in a difficult position if Oho ended up being forced out of the Blood Tiger Gang in the process.

However, Eighth Tiger’s expression was too resolute for him to press for details.

In the end, Kim nodded.

He’s not the kind of man who gets taken down easily.

Oho operated publicly as Do Juwon, a director of the Cheonghwa Group.

Kim had wanted to show his transformed appearance to someone with such a carefully polished public image and ask for an evaluation, so he could not help feeling disappointed.

With Oho unavailable, he settled for the next best thing and casually asked Eighth Tiger instead.

“I’ve changed my style recently. How do I look?”

“I was already surprised when I saw you. You’re dressed a lot like Oho.”

“...I don’t look like a refined martial artist from a prestigious orthodox sect?”

Eighth Tiger snorted and shook his head as though the question made no sense.

“Not at all. You seem even more ferocious and sharp than before. Like a beast hiding its teeth and claws. Concealing your true nature doesn’t make it invisible.”

“If that was a compliment, thanks...”

From Eighth Tiger’s perspective, it had been the highest possible praise, but Kim’s smile twisted awkwardly.

He had secretly been hoping to hear that he looked like some prim-and-proper orthodox gentleman.

Is it because I wore a black suit today?

After pointlessly blaming his clothes, Kim rose from his seat.

“I should get going, then. Tell Oho I stopped by.”

“I will. Thank you, Wolf.”

The two shook hands, and Kim turned away after promising to visit again.

I’ll come back once I return from America.

Only after Kim’s figure had completely disappeared did Eighth Tiger mutter darkly as he watched him recede beyond the window.

“...Perhaps I should have asked him for help.”

*****

By the time Kim had grown somewhat accustomed to Orthodox Mode while following Bu Yeonha around, the Azure Sky Sword Elder invited the two of them to lunch.

“Ho ho. You two look remarkably good together.”

Na Ilcheon’s pleased smile never left his face as he watched the young man he hoped would become his grandson-in-law sit beside Bu Yeonha and handle his knife and fork with impeccable manners.

From his basic table etiquette to his newly softened gaze, neat smile, and upright posture, Kim now looked every inch the young rising star of a prestigious orthodox sect.

“Grandfather, how is the search for a way to control Phantom Dream’s demonic qi going?”

Yet despite spending every day together, nothing seemed to have happened between the two of them.

The Azure Sky Sword Elder sighed when his businesslike granddaughter went straight to the point, but he soon answered obediently.

“I invited you because I wanted to discuss that. I sought advice from a renowned exorcist and found a solution.”

“Really?”

When Kim’s eyes lit up, the Azure Sky Sword Elder nodded with a satisfied smile.

“They say corrupt energy naturally weakens and disperses in places filled with pure and healthy spirits. I looked into several locations, and as luck would have it, I knew of a suitable place.”

He then removed Phantom Dream from the sword case he had brought.

The scabbard Kim Bokja had made was wrapped from end to end in bandage-like talismans crafted from yellow exorcism paper.

“It would also be possible to purify the demonic qi through powerful spellcraft or ritual artifacts, but that would inevitably weaken the sacred weapon or cause other side effects. Do you see these scorch marks?”

Sssssss...

The wrappings beneath the Azure Sky Sword Elder’s finger were slowly discoloring, unable to withstand the demonic qi leaking from the sword.

“I’ll give you the address. Take the sword there yourself.”

“Do I only need to carry it there?”

At that moment, the Azure Sky Sword Elder gave him a meaningful smile.

“They’ll tell you what to do once you arrive. Someone familiar will be waiting for you.”

He refused to say anything more and merely grinned mischievously, telling Kim to find out for himself.

After lunch, Kim headed straight to the address out of curiosity.

Fortunately, it was not far away, but when he read the sign on the building, he could only tilt his head.

<Azure Sky Children’s Swordsmanship Academy>

“...This is really the place?”

It was a beginner swordsmanship academy funded and operated by the Azure Sky Sword Gate, teaching children from age five through elementary school.

The moment Kim stepped inside, he understood what the Azure Sky Sword Elder had meant by a place filled with pure, healthy spirits.

A thunder of little feet filled the room.

Dozens of children raced around with soft plastic swords.

Tiny figures in sky-blue training uniforms marked with the words AZURE SKY swarmed together like unruly puppies let loose in a country yard.

“Hyaaah! Take this, evil villain!”

“I’m the greatest swordsman in the world!”

“Then I’m the greatest in the universe!”

Most were preschoolers who had not even begun elementary school.

There were a few older children with surprisingly serious eyes, but they were vastly outnumbered.

A booming voice suddenly rang out.

“Free sparring is over! Everyone gets a ten-minute break!”

“Ten-minute break!”

The children repeated the command, plopped down wherever they stood, and gathered into groups to open snacks or chatter noisily.

A familiar face pushed his way through them.

“You made it?”

It was Gu Hyeonwoo, with a plastic sword resting carelessly across his shoulder.

He had once been a pinnacle expert who represented Jeju Island and one of the underground arena’s premier swordsmen.

Now, however, he was the friendly-looking director of a children’s swordsmanship academy.

“That was free sparring? It looked more like they were playing and swinging their swords around at random.”

Gu Hyeonwoo chuckled and shrugged.

“For most of them, it is just play. They don’t have anywhere else to go with their friends before their parents pick them up, and learning some basic self-defense is good exercise.”

After listening for a while, Kim learned that the academy was one of the Azure Sky Sword Gate’s community outreach programs.

The fees were low, and children from low-income families could attend free of charge. Any child who displayed talent could then be connected with the Azure Sky Sword Gate.

Gu Hyeonwoo looked far happier as he spoke of how rewarding the work was than he ever had in the underground arena.

“Isn’t it exhausting?”

“Haa...”

Gu Hyeonwoo released a short sigh laden with countless unspoken emotions and gestured with his chin toward one side of the room.

“I have a capable assistant, at least. That makes it manageable.”

A particularly conspicuous girl stood there.

It was Gu Hyeonwoo’s daughter, Gu Jiu, the undisputed queen of the neighborhood children.

Despite it being break time, Gu Jiu was beating boys far larger than herself with her sword. They charged at her one after another, snorting with frustration, only to be knocked flat.

“Is that it? Anyone else want a turn?”

Kim could not help smiling at how much more of a little hellion Jiu had become over the past few months.

“Bokja said Jiu has a talent for spellcraft, but it looks like you could teach her the sword too.”

“Of course. She’s my daughter.”

Gu Hyeonwoo grinned and tossed Kim a soft rubber scabbard.

“I heard what’s going on. I’ll be counting on you for a while.”

“...No one told me anything before I came.”

Apparently, he was supposed to teach the children some basic swordsmanship and play with them.

Their pure spirits and energy would naturally disperse Phantom Dream’s demonic qi in the process.

It was a traditional method of exorcism that used the vibrant life energy of children to suppress yin energy.

“So I just have to play with them? That sounds easier than I expected.”

“Hahaha... We’ll see about that...”

A short while later, Kim fitted Phantom Dream into the rubber scabbard and confidently stepped in front of the children.

“I’m going to teach you the Three Talents Sword Art so you can punish evil villains. Who wants to learn?”

At the sight of the tall, sharply dressed new instructor, the children’s eyes immediately sparkled.

“Me! Me! Me!”

Hands shot up all across the room.

Kim looked over them and smiled warmly in Orthodox Mode.

“Good. I’ll demonstrate it for you first.”

At the time, Kim did not yet realize that children their age might possess even more inexhaustible stamina than a supreme master.

*****

Several hours later, Kim was on his way home after being tormented by the children at the swordsmanship academy.

“Mister, are you good at fighting? Are you better than our teacher? How much better?”

“Can you name my sword? The handle is black, so Choco! Its name is Choco now!”

“Can I stick my dinosaur sticker here? No? Why not? Why? Why?”

“You expect me to keep doing this until I leave the country...?”

By the end, the children had stopped caring about swordsmanship and simply demanded that he play with them.

After wrestling with them for hours, Kim’s suit was wrinkled beyond recognition, and his soul felt as though it had been sucked dry.

Perched on his shoulder, Phantom Dream wiped away tears with its hands and whimpered.

“Sniff... Master, you’re awful. You threw me to those little demons...”

Kim had locked the blade in place so it could not be drawn and handed it over for the children to play with. After being subjected to their relentless attention, Phantom Dream looked as though half its face had wasted away.

Still, there was one positive result.

In only a single day, the amount of demonic qi leaking from it had noticeably decreased.

“Then maybe you shouldn’t go around spewing demonic qi everywhere.”

“It’s not my fault! That idiot Namcheon never taught me properly!”

“...Tsk. Getting insolent again, are we?”

After bickering with Phantom Dream for a while, Kim suddenly let out a soft laugh.

It’s been a long time since I had such peaceful days.

Meeting people, talking with them, laughing together, and passing calm days without any major problems.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Kim lived to create a future where such days could continue.

Feeling that he had made the most of another day, Kim headed for < cafe Naru >. The café would soon close, and he planned to leave work with his parents and go home together.

He had just begun to see < cafe Naru > in the distance when someone approaching from ahead called to him cautiously.

“Excuse me. Are you Kim Muhyuk?”

Kim gave the person an awkward smile.

It happened occasionally.

After appearing in the media several times, he had begun encountering people who recognized him, asked for autographs, or tried to strike up conversations.

He was tired, but he maintained Orthodox Mode for the sake of his public image and smiled.

“I am. Do you know me?”

“Wow. I almost didn’t recognize you. You look completely different from what I heard.”

The man’s Korean sounded slightly awkward. He did not appear foreign, yet his phrasing was oddly stilted.

“I was told you looked much rougher. I only approached because your martial arts seemed impressive, but it really is you.”

“...?”

At that moment, Kim was seized by a strange sense of dissonance.

He was concealing his presence as thoroughly as possible.

Even more unsettling, although the other person stood directly before him, Kim could not truly perceive his face.

It was as if he were deeply intoxicated. The man’s features refused to resolve, and Kim’s senses ran wild without direction.

“M-Master...”

Phantom Dream’s frightened voice jolted Kim back to his senses.

He stared directly at the stranger, his guard fully raised.

His hand had naturally come to rest on the hilt of his sword.

“...Who are you?”

“Would you like to guess?”

The man smiled as though he had posed an amusing riddle.

A man? Am I even certain of that?

Kim’s eyes widened as he focused every nerve on the figure before him.

He drew upon the Five Elements Divine Art, sharpened his qi perception, and expanded it to its absolute limit.

The face distorted by perceptual dissonance slowly began to take shape.

I can see him.

His vision came into focus.

One feature after another became clear.

Then, the moment they finally assembled into a complete face—

“...!”

Goosebumps erupted across Kim’s entire body. Every last hair seemed to stand on end.

“You recognized me already? Faster than I expected.”

Even as Kim stared directly at the delighted face before him, he could not believe what he was seeing.

“Richard Han...”

Kim murmured the name like a groan as he looked at the Strongest in the World, who had appeared without warning before him.