WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ Surviving as a Genius on Borrowed Time ◈

Episode 80: Unity

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Today was the day. Jeong Yeon-shin waited for the full moon.

‘I should get my body moving too.’

He had rested enough. He had finished the energy-circulating meditation that refined his body from within.

It was the promised day. Now it was time to harmonize the flow of qi throughout his body with the movements of his muscles.

At dawn, he asked Cheong Myeong for an instructional spar.

He had already lost track of how many hours had passed.

Sunlight flooded the area behind the Demon Wings hall, enveloping the elven swordsman's tall frame.

The presence filling the quiet clearing was truly formidable.

Cheong Myeong, the Blue-Eyed Demon Sword. A master who wielded the most refined swordsmanship in Demon Wings.

Since the Leader of Demon Wings used saber techniques, Cheong Myeong was said to contend for the position of strongest swordsman in Demon Wings.

There were even rumors that Cheong Myeong could be called the finest Blue Uniform in all of Desolate Fortress.

That held true even among seasoned masters. It meant Cheong Myeong was considered superior to even the White Qilin.

Clang!

Yeon-shin blocked Cheong Myeong's clean, cleaving strike after Cheong Myeong had matched his inner energy to Yeon-shin's level.

A fierce wind lashed at his ears, as though clawing at them.

Cheong Myeong's mastery of Force Projection through swordsmanship was so profound that Yeon-shin wondered whether they were truly using the same amount of inner energy. The fierce sword force traveled all the way up through the sword hilt.

The vibration alone delivered a second strike.

It was not an unfamiliar force. He knew it well.

In truth, Jeong Yeon-shin was not a young rising talent who had never known defeat.

Whenever he returned to the main fortress between missions, he received the attention of powerful seniors.

Ma Jin, Cheong Myeong, Baek Mir-yeo, and even the older Blue Uniform seniors.

The culmination of martial training was sparring.

Practicing strikes alone had little meaning, so he only set out on missions after receiving the training his seniors offered.

That was how he grew accustomed to applying his martial arts in real combat. It was only natural.

It also meant that losing sparring matches had become routine.

That was how things were in the main fortress's Demon Wings.

Perhaps that was why he had grown especially lax today.

‘A small fragment.’

The sun had only begun to set, yet his mind was already hazy. His middle dantian had opened.

He should have been able to spar all day without tiring.

Yet he found it difficult to focus on ordinary matters. It felt as though his soul had risen hazily above his body.

Even as he sparred, the qi in the hand gripping his sword loosened. His intent had fallen apart completely.

The price came at once.

Swish!

A fierce blade wind swept over him in an instant. At the same time, a shock ran through the blade.

With another clang, the Desolate Sword was knocked aside. Had he not released it properly in that instant, his palm might have torn open.

“Our Seom-ye isn't in his right mind.”

Cheong Myeong spoke with a grin.

“Weren't you trying to squeeze through the eye of a needle? Quickly, too.”

Cheong Myeong rested the sword across a shoulder. The words stung all the more because they came with a smile.

It was more frightening than a glare.

“It'll take you about three years just to become Divine Sword Squad Leader. You'll have to spend about half your remaining years earning merit.”

“Ah...”

A dazed sound escaped Yeon-shin, something rare for him. It could not be helped today.

Still, he had been the one to request the spar. He had no right to protest.

Cheong Myeong tapped the blade resting on a shoulder. A cold blue gleam spread through the one remaining eye.

“More than that, you'll be taking someone's position. The current Divine Sword Squad Leader is still in full strength. I can't imagine the current Divine Sword Squad Leader losing to anyone, whether it's a Lord of the Thirteen Heavens or a sect leader of the Nine Sects. Our Seom-ye has to defeat someone like that.”

“I'm sorry. You're taking the time to teach me.”

“Black Uniform is already a problem. The level of your inner-energy control itself must change. This is a realm of realization rather than talent, though martial talent certainly helps.”

“...”

“Three Flowers Gather at the Crown, Five Qi Return to Origin. The world of intent is entirely different. I said it was realization, didn't I? That's no exaggeration. Some old codgers even grandly call it shedding one's shell. You can't reach it unless you keep a firm hold on your mind.”

Cheong Myeong's tone was as light as ever.

The meaning behind those words was different. There was concern in them. At this moment, Cheong Myeong envisioned Yeon-shin's future more clearly than Yeon-shin himself did.

It made him ashamed. All the more because Cheong Myeong had become one of the people closest to him, along with Hyeon Won-chang.

The boy raised a fist-and-palm salute again.

“Thank you for your advice. I'm always the one receiving help.”

“Enough with the excessive courtesy.”

Cheong Myeong sheathed the sword. Sword light traced a half-moon, and the blade slipped smoothly back into its scabbard.

“You should settle on a course of study now. Your goal is clear. Learn swordsmanship from me and energy arts from Mir-yeo. Our squad leader is always busy, so leave them out of it. Hm? Why are you clasping your hands again? Stop with the formal salutes.”

“...I don't think I've seen Senior Baek today.”

“Mir-yeo? She's been busy lately. After hearing about you, she's been organizing her Static Training. She trained an inner-energy art as special as her background. She needs to teach you the finer points of qi control separately. It should be ready by the time you return from the Namgung Family.”

“I'd like to hear both of your stories as well.”

The mention of Baek Mir-yeo's background reminded him.

Jeong Yeon-shin knew nothing about the Blue-Eyed Demon Sword or the One Lotus Sword Plum.

His perspective had been too narrow. Since entering Desolate Fortress, he had run forward with his eyes fixed ahead and considered only his own circumstances. He felt deeply sorry for that.

He did not even know Cheong Myeong's age. What sort of life had Cheong Myeong led among the elven race before joining Demon Wings?

‘Everyone in Ma Gwang-il's squad is extraordinary.’

He did not know what Hyeon Won-chang had experienced before entering Desolate Fortress alone.

Despite the deadly swordsmanship Hyeon Won-chang had trained, there was an air of someone who had been raised with care. The hostility toward the great sects was strange as well.

Baek Mir-yeo was the same.

She was a master who occasionally displayed incredible divine arts.

What story lay behind that ink-black qi made visible?

He had only heard that young Baek Mir-yeo had been rescued during the mission that left Ma Jin a eunuch. He knew nothing beyond that.

“Another time. There are old debts and grudges tangled up in it, so I don't want to ramble about it now. You alone are enough to give me a headache.”

Cheong Myeong grinned.

“You'll learn naturally. Once you pass through Blue Uniform, Black Uniform, and Purple Uniform, the quality of information you encounter will change. Starting from Black Uniform, you'll be in a position with far greater initiative.”

“...Yes.”

He did not fully understand, but he nodded. It was time for him to leave.

The time had come. He knew when he glanced toward one end of the hall's roof ridge.

A white moon was rising over the dark gray tiles.

Perhaps it was the energy of the full moon.

For some reason, it felt strangely distant today.

Cheong Myeong followed Yeon-shin's gaze and looked back.

“You should head to the Lord of Desolate Fortress soon. I'm dying to know what this is about too. Hurry up.”

“Since the Lord summoned you, I can't ask what it is about. How frustrating.”

Cheong Myeong muttered without a smile.

“I'll be going!”

Yeon-shin answered loudly without thinking. He was not embarrassed now.

He passed Cheong Myeong at once and poured qi into his feet. He began to run slowly, then gradually picked up speed.

He had sparred all day. He needed to bathe and change first.

“Madam Jang! Please prepare my bath!”

He shouted as he opened the hall door and stepped inside. It was a request to a maid.

The senses of the elven race were exceptionally sharp. The Lord of Desolate Fortress's senses would be even sharper.

The Lord was said to be a being from an entirely different realm, even among the elven race. He could not show up smelling of sweat.

What if she changed her mind and made the small fragment even smaller?

“Seom-ye? What is it?”

“That was Jeong Yeon-shin shouting?”

Several Demon Wings seniors opened their doors and poked their heads out.

He could ignore them for now. Yeon-shin immediately entered his room, gathered a spare martial uniform, and headed for the bath.

* * *

Night seeped into the air and softly wrapped around the boy's body. It was dark and warm.

At last.

Moonlight filled the sky. The pale halo around the full moon was faintly white. The full moon seemed to smile dimly.

Jeong Yeon-shin entered the fortress within the fortress.

It was the Lord of Desolate Fortress's inner citadel, built from pure white marble.

The gate guards only greeted him with their eyes. No one stopped him.

He silently walked across the cold marble. The high stairs felt especially long.

Still, still, there was an end.

The moment he reached the top, the massive stone doors opened on their own.

As always, the entire opposite wall was completely open.

It admitted the pale moonlight, which seemed brighter than usual.

Yeon-shin raised his eyes. A thick tree trunk stretched through the study.

There.

The Lord of Desolate Fortress was there.

She stood atop a branch with her back to him, bathed in moonlight.

Glossy, leaf-green hair swayed down her back.

Not a trace of aura could be felt, yet she alone stood out with impossible clarity.

Her presence was overwhelmingly distinct. It was especially so at this moment.

“You must have been curious, even though you knew what the fragment was.”

She did not turn around immediately. She seemed to be gazing at a distant view.

Under the soft moonlight, only the Lord of Desolate Fortress's voice could be heard. Her green robes resembled palace garments.

It seemed as though all the moonlight in the world flowed toward her.

Jeong Yeon-shin suddenly realized.

That was energy circulation. It was the manipulation of qi. It was hard to believe, but it was true.

The full moon had become resplendent, seemingly breathing out a mist of light. Pale rays exhaled by the moon bent from every direction and gathered around her.

‘Even the fundamentals have reached the realm of miracles.’

It was an insight born of instinct. Yeon-shin trembled before a realm beyond anything he could imagine.

“The World Tree fruit. Your guess was correct.”

She slowly turned around.

Though the moon was behind her, he saw her light-filled eyes first. Her dark green gaze seemed distant.

It felt as if even his soul were effortlessly suppressed.

Every time he faced her, he experienced a sensation that even the Blood Flame Sect Master had never given him.

“Come here.”

“I greet the Lord of Desolate Fortress.”

He belatedly offered his respects and stepped forward. He stepped onto the rough bark, where the Lord of Desolate Fortress stood opposite him.

Yeon-shin straightened his back and faced her.

“Closer.”

“Yes.”

He silently obeyed.

Less than a single step separated them now.

The face of the absolute being was so pale that it seemed translucent, filling his vision.

Just as Yeon-shin bent down to prostrate himself, she spoke.

“This is our first meeting since the Blood Flame Sect's main altar. There is something I must tell you first.”

The Lord of Desolate Fortress parted her lips.

The boy, half-risen from his bow, looked at her.

“I'm listening.”

“The Blood Flame Sect Master may return.”

“...!”

“It defied all reason. He regained his form from a single drop of blood, though I killed him time and again.”

Yeon-shin thought of the Blood Flame Sect Master. He had possessed an otherworldly air as well.

Though nowhere near the Lord of Desolate Fortress's caliber, the Blood Flame Sect Master had wielded transcendent regenerative power at the pinnacle of Blood Arts.

Then, as though she intended to stroke his hair, the Lord of Desolate Fortress reached out a hand.

“I could not completely annihilate him. I had to turn back to check on you.”

“I'm sorry.”

He hurriedly lowered his head. He remembered the moment he had tried to face the Blood Flame Sect's Sixth Apostle with his body in ruins.

He had thought the Lord of Desolate Fortress, who had vanished together with the Blood Flame Sect Master, had returned after killing the enemy.

That was not the case.

‘Because of me?’

To keep one young rising talent named Seom-ye alive and whole, she had let one Lord of the Thirteen Heavens escape.

The bargain made no sense. No one would find it easy to believe.

“Sorry?”

Her clear voice rang out.

“It was my choice. You need only remain wary of your opponent and focus on your advancement.”

“...”

“More importantly.”

She paused briefly. Because of her presence, he could distinctly feel her gaze resting on him.

Yeon-shin, who had kept his head bowed, immediately raised it.

Several strands of hair that had grown long while he rested lay across the back of the Lord's hand.

“When I was young, I made a World Tree leaf that fell in the spring breeze my friend. It has crumbled away and is gone now.”

The corners of the Lord of Desolate Fortress's lips lifted slightly.

“Your hair is similar to it.”

“Yes?”

“When you become a master, it would be good to grow it out.”

“Ah...”

When he agreed without thinking, her lips formed a small, lovely curve.

‘Even Blue Uniform isn't considered a master in the Lord's eyes.’

Still, it was so natural that there was no reason to make an issue of it.

It was the first time Yeon-shin had heard the Lord joke. It reminded him that she was a person after all.

Perhaps he could hope for a slightly larger fragment.

Footnotes:

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