The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything - Chapter 292

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈

Chapter 292: The Right to Have a Chance (8)

──────

Drip-

The sight of golden, heat-laden dew falling one drop at a time was endlessly wondrous.

But...

“...”

“It’s taking forever.”

It was far too slow.

The sight was certainly beautiful and incredible, but watching the drops fall so slowly quickly became boring.

There was an even bigger problem.

‘Ugh, this...’

My arms hurt like hell.

Not a single drop of Five-Spirit Flower Dew could be wasted, so I had to hold the flask high to catch it. No matter how well-trained someone was, keeping their arms raised was no easy task.

“Geumpyo.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll give you a chance to receive the spiritual medicine yourself. Come hold this.”

“...”

Geumpyo looked back and forth between me and the flask held overhead, then shook his head.

“No, Eldest Senior Brother. I couldn’t possibly handle something this important. I’m fine.”

Why were these kids getting so good at reading the room?

“Come hold it while I’m asking nicely.”

“...Yes! It’s an honor!”

Despite his squinting eyes, Geumpyo forced a smile as he approached.

As I happily stretched my aching arms and neck, Saryeon stared at me blankly.

“Did we... did we really obtain the Five-Spirit Flower Dew?”

Even after witnessing something one could rarely see in a lifetime, Saryeon still seemed unable to believe it.

‘Well... she wanted Taeul Sect to rise more than anyone.’

She had lived with the crushing responsibility of believing she had to protect Taeul Sect.

No one had asked her to do so, but she had shouldered that burden herself.

That was why her life had been miserable and painful from beginning to end.

Since I knew Saryeon from my previous life, seeing her so overwhelmed was comforting in its own way.

“Yeah. Taeul Sect really obtained the Five-Spirit Flower Dew.”

For some reason, her eyes began to glisten.

“And we’ll obtain much more in the future.”

“...”

“I’ll make sure of it.”

Soon, dew like the Five-Spirit Flower Dew rolled down her cheeks.

Saryeon hurriedly wiped away her tears, startled at herself.

I casually turned my head and pretended not to notice.

In any case, what mattered now was not Taeul Sect’s future.

The biggest problem was getting out safely with the Five-Spirit Flower Dew.

‘The problem is that it’s coming out so slowly.’

Unlike those idiots from Mount Zhongnan Sect, who had wasted the Five-Spirit Flower Dew by keeping their torches lit...

We had extinguished ours beforehand, so none of it had been lost.

That meant we could fill at least half the flask.

Still, with no way of knowing when Mount Zhongnan Sect would come rushing in, I had no idea how much we could collect.

‘Please keep making fools of yourselves a little longer.’

The harder Mount Zhongnan Sect worked to stop additional intruders outside and drive out those already inside, the more Five-Spirit Flower Dew we could collect.

How much time had passed?

“...Eunho.”

Geumpyo called softly, but there was no response.

Finally...

“E-Eunho!”

Geumpyo called for Eunho desperately, sounding half-dead, but Eunho continued pretending not to hear him.

“That bastard... Ngh, his mute acupoint was struck. Why is he pretending he can’t hear me...?”

“...”

Caught between his two senior brothers’ battle of nerves, Dongryong hesitantly approached Geumpyo.

“Um, Geumpyo, should I hold it?”

Geumpyo looked down at Dongryong, who was a full head shorter than him.

Did his eyes really have to shake that violently?

“No, you’re too small...”

Of course. Surely he wasn’t going to make his youngest junior brother do it...

Swish-

“...Hey. Where are you looking?”

At my sharp rebuke, Geumpyo quickly pulled back his gaze, which had been drifting toward Saryeon.

But everyone had already seen where he had been looking.

“Geumpyo, that’s cruel.”

“Mmph!”

As Eunho and Dongryong looked at him with matching expressions of disappointment, Geumpyo snapped.

“W-What? Why?! What did I say?!”

Then Saryeon approached Geumpyo, whose face had gone red.

“Give it to me. I’ll hold it.”

“N-No, Senior Sister. Please rest.”

“If we miss even one drop, do you know how much we’ll lose? Let’s take turns.”

“...Then, just for a moment... Hehe.”

While they bickered and enjoyed a moment of ease they had never had before...

Tap tap tap tap.

Someone entered my energy sense.

I sprang to my feet and looked at Dongryong.

“Dongryong!”

“...Yes?”

His expression did not change.

But the aura of the person caught by my energy sense was no ordinary one.

It seemed to be the person who had been chasing us earlier.

I studied Dongryong’s face.

‘Why doesn’t he know this time?’

Lost in thought for a moment, I came back to myself when someone called out to me.

“Mmph?”

“Senior Brother?”

Saryeon and Eunho, who had taken over from Geumpyo, came over to me.

Right. This was no time to think about something else.

Saryeon whispered anxiously.

“Did something happen?”

“Someone... is coming this way.”

“Mmph?”

“Couldn’t they just pass by, like before?”

I shook my head at Saryeon’s question.

“They’ve already found us.”

Otherwise, how could they choose our path so precisely out of all these branching tunnels?

“Then should we stop collecting it here?”

An uneasy look crossed Saryeon’s face.

The situation had certainly changed suddenly. But...

“No. Keep collecting until the end.”

Give up spiritual medicine right in front of us?

That was impossible.

I looked around at them and added, “I’ll hold them off.”

My junior disciples immediately tried to stop me, their faces stricken.

“Senior Brother! What are you saying?”

“Eldest Senior Brother! I’ll go with you.”

“Me too!”

I tilted my head as my junior disciples rushed forward.

What was with them?

“This is the duty of the eldest senior brother.”

When I slowly shook my head again, complicated emotions filled their eyes.

‘Hm, this feels...’

They looked like they pitied the eldest senior brother’s sacrifice while also being unable to hide their admiration.

Making such a fuss over one person... Ah.

At that moment, I realized what my junior disciples had misunderstood.

Right. That was it.

After clearing my throat twice, I added, “Ahem. No matter how many Mount Zhongnan Sect disciples there are, I won’t let them reach this place. So... you must collect the Five-Spirit Flower Dew until the very end.”

It was largely my fault for not telling them there was only one opponent, but there was no need to correct their misunderstanding.

I mean, one person could be worth a hundred. Ahem.

Then Eunho, whose mute acupoint seemed to have been released, spoke.

The guy was probably touched by my words...

“...Eldest Senior Brother, then why haven’t you been doing that until now?”

I looked at Eunho.

“Eunho.”

“Yes.”

Then I said slowly, “It’s your turn to collect the Five-Spirit Flower Dew.”

“...”

Quick-witted junior disciples really were the worst.

After putting some distance between myself and the cave where the Five-Spirit Flower Dew was emerging, I fired sword qi at the ceiling.

Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!

Rumble! Thud! Thud!

Severed rocks and clumps of dirt poured down, blocking the narrow entrance where a gap had remained.

The intermittent light of the Five-Spirit Flower Dew was completely shut off, and darkness swallowed the surroundings.

I did it in the hope that, if no light leaked out, there would be less chance of the others being discovered.

Click. Click.

Using flint, I lit my torch again and ran toward the approaching stranger.

His presence became clearer and clearer, and soon the killing intent he emitted began to prickle against my skin.

I stopped and waited for him.

The person rushing toward me also began to slow down.

Before long, he was walking toward me at an unhurried pace.

As if he expected to fight me as well.

I had nothing to hide anymore, so I openly spread my energy sense and began examining him.

He was too far away for an energy clash, so I could not judge his martial skill exactly. Still, based on the information about masters I had accumulated in my previous life, I could make an educated guess.

‘Hall Master... or above!’

Since it was only an estimate based on energy sense, he was probably even stronger in reality.

‘If I’m lucky, he’s at Hall Master level. If I’m unlucky, he’s an elder...’

For some reason, I thought of the Northern Dipper Swordsman Cheol Sunjik had mentioned.

Hoping I wasn’t that unlucky...

Step.

Footsteps echoed a short while later.

The person who emerged from the flickering red torchlight was a man who could not have been older than his mid-thirties.

He carried a gleaming sword marked with the Northern Dipper.

‘Fuck, seriously...’

The Northern Dipper Swordsmen.

Mount Zhongnan Sect’s final strike force.

A group that never stepped outside Mount Zhongnan Sect unless the sect faced the threat of destruction.

Some said this about Mount Zhongnan Sect’s Northern Dipper Swordsmen.

They were the final weapon meant for mutually assured destruction.

Mount Zhongnan Sect said that anyone who wanted to destroy them had to be prepared to be destroyed in return.

‘To think I’d see the Northern Dipper Swordsmen here, when I never even saw them after Mount Zhongnan Sect fell in my previous life.’

It was a strange feeling.

No, it was a bad feeling.

Their reason for existing was to protect their sect, so it made sense that I had not seen them during the Orthodox-Demonic War...

Sure, it made sense.

Still, I did not welcome seeing someone like this in Heavenly Cave.

‘Those Mount Zhongnan bastards are really something else.’

Step.

The man standing at the cave entrance noticed me and walked farther inside.

With each step he took, I could see him more clearly.

He must have just fought a fierce battle. Bloodstains covered his martial robes, and still-wet blood ran along the blade marked with the Northern Dipper.

After noticing me, he looked around the cave and furrowed his brow in confusion.

“Are you alone?”

I nodded.

“Yes. I’m still too young to be married.”

“...”

Crackle. Crackle.

Only the heavy sound of the torch burning lingered between us.

“I...”

The man opened his mouth, then stopped. His eyes shook wildly as if he did not know what to say.

“That wasn’t what I meant.”

“Was it not? I thought it was proper etiquette among Mount Zhongnan Sect people to ask about marriage when first meeting someone, so I answered.”

After a brief pause, he replied, “I’m sorry for making you misunderstand.”

...He apologized?

“I understand.”

I nodded, hiding my confusion.

“Then I’ll ask again. Where are your companions?”

I tilted my head.

“Companions? I came in alone.”

The man looked confused again.

“Then... did you kill the people who were with you?”

What was with this guy? Was he an idiot?

“Ah, if you mean the people I had been traveling with, we already parted ways long ago and decided to go our separate ways.”

“...”

The man stared at me for a long time.

“That’s a lie.”

...So he wasn’t a complete idiot. Tch.

Even so, I firmly denied it once more.

“What are you talking about? I’ve never told a lie in my life. Is it acceptable for a Mount Zhongnan Sect Taoist to judge someone so carelessly?!”

When I raised my voice, he looked strangely uncertain.

“...I-Is that true?”

What did he mean, was it true?

Seriously, what was wrong with this guy?

“Yes. I have never told a lie in my entire life.”

“Then why are you wearing a mask?”

“...I’m shy by nature.”

“I see...”

...He accepted that so easily.

Fuck. This wasn’t some advanced psychological tactic, was it?

Then something suddenly occurred to me.

For some reason, I felt like this person would answer me.

“Are you really one of the Northern Dipper Swordsmen?”

“Gasp!”

The man’s eyes went wide.

Fuck. What was that reaction?

“H-How did you know?!”

“...”

Was the Northern Dipper pattern on his blade not the symbol of the Northern Dipper Swordsmen?

Did this man think no one would figure out that he was one of them?

“As far as I know, the Northern Dipper Swordsmen do not act unless Mount Zhongnan Sect is facing a threat to its survival. Why have you come out over a mere spiritual medicine?”

At my mockery, he flared up and shouted, “Because Mount Zhongnan Sect is in a dangerous situation right now!”

His face changed in alarm as soon as the words left his mouth.

“Ah! That was classified information!”

“...”

At this point, I seriously had to question the selection standards for the Northern Dipper Swordsmen.

The Northern Dipper Swordsman continued muttering to himself, his eyes still shaking violently.

Soon, he clenched his lips as though he had made up his mind.

“We had agreed not to kill in Heavenly Cave... but you learned classified information, so it can’t be helped.”

“...It doesn’t seem like such important classified information.”

“Even so, it can’t be helped. I’m sorry.”

Fuck! It wasn’t like I had wanted to hear it!

The man stepped into the Northern Dipper Celestial Steps and vanished in an instant.

‘Shift Form, Change Position?’

A heavy greatsword that tore through the air appeared before me.

How could a greatsword move as fast as a swift sword?

Bang!

The moment I hurriedly blocked it with the Black Dragon Sword, a crushing weight pressed down on my shoulders as if the entire cave were collapsing.

‘What strength!’

I knew he was stronger than Gun Cheonji, but I had not expected the gap between him and an ordinary swordsman to be this great.

There was a reason the Northern Dipper Swordsmen were called the final strike force.

The hairs on my body stood on end at the thought that someone who seemed like such a halfwit possessed this level of skill.

Had that foolish behavior earlier been an act to make me lower my guard?

Bang! Bang bang bang! Boom!

Each time I blocked a move, my feet sank deep into the ground.

I drew up a great deal of internal energy and used the Twin Heavens Sword Art and Lesser Heaven Sword Art.

Shrrr!

Sword strikes flashed like lightning through dozens of sword images, targeting his vital acupoints. Yet his sword art changed in an instant, once again guarding all thirty-six positions and blocking every strike.

I could not use Ten Thousand Swords, since it might reveal my identity. Instead, I drew out sword force.

Hummm-

Sword force surged a foot from the tip of the Black Dragon Sword as I unleashed the Twin Heavens Sword Art.

The radiance of sword force poured through the darkness in every direction, illuminating the cave.

Even with sword force before him, the Northern Dipper Swordsman’s sword still contained only sword qi.

‘Can’t he use sword force?’

The thought that I might be able to subdue him easily shattered almost immediately.

Nine Palaces Divine Movement Sword Art.

An ultimate sword art that, unlike Thirty-Six Swords Under Heaven, which guarded all thirty-six positions, perfectly controlled only nine positions, the Nine Palaces, to attack and defend at the same time.

I never expected him to have mastered even this.

Only then did I realize that the Northern Dipper Swordsman did not lack the ability to use sword force.

He had no need to use it.

Clang clang clang! Clang clang clang!

Though he was using a sword art made only of sword qi, he did not move in the slightest even when it struck my sword force.

Then, toward the area through which the Twin Heavens Sword Art had swept, his sword descended like lightning.

Boom! Boom boom! Boom boom boom!

The shockwaves from each block shook my internal organs violently.

I had digested yesterday’s food long ago, yet I felt like I was about to throw up.

‘Subdue him? What the fuck is that, something you eat?’

Now I could truly feel why Mount Zhongnan Sect had devoted so much effort to creating its final strike force.

Should I consider myself fortunate that I would not have to face all seven Northern Dipper Swordsmen?

Most of them were likely older and stronger than this man.

I could not subdue him without using all my strength.

But if I did, traces would remain in the end.

If he had seen even a little of my martial skill during the Orthodox-Demonic War, I would have avoided a direct confrontation.

‘Wait...’

Then a good idea came to me.

I could not judge exactly, but he seemed stronger than Ilgak and weaker than Je Geumhak.

If so...

‘This might actually be better.’

With martial skill at this level, he would not die at once even if I went a little overboard.

‘Should I trust Mount Zhongnan Sect’s strength?’

After all, I had a martial art I could use with enough force without letting anyone identify me.

While I quickly worked through my thoughts, the energy of the Cosmic Light-Splitting Sword Art pouring from his blade locked down my entire body.

Where Thirty-Six Swords Under Heaven guarded thirty-six positions, the Cosmic Light-Splitting Sword Art seized eighteen of the opponent’s positions and left them unable to move.

I used the Taeul Eighty Thousand Divine Steps and narrowly slipped free of his assault.

At the same time, I used the Myriad Blossoms Invincible Fist to open the distance between us and shouted at him.

“Wait! Let me leave behind one last word!”

“Y-Your last words?”

He flinched.

“Come on, it’s my last moment. Can’t you grant me that much?”

After considering it for a moment, he nodded.

He truly seemed to believe I would die by his hand.

“Go ahead.”

While he hesitated for a moment...

“Please... do not die or suffer grave injuries. I hope you are only hurt enough to faint.”

I drew up my internal energy with all my strength.