Emotionless Swordsmanship Genius

Chapter 23: The Demon-Infused Sword (3)

Instead of trying to suppress the chaotic energy surging within him, Karon chose to fully open his senses, allowing the energy to flow throughout his entire body.

As the energy expended, it began to seep into his mind.

‘Interesting,’ Karon thought.

Closing his eyes, he began to systematically close off his senses, pushing the energy toward the center of his body.

Karon, who had transcended normal human limits, could control even the most minute details of his sensations.

For a brief moment, as the dark energy grazed his mind, Karon realized that what the energy desired was the sword.

At that moment, Karon instinctively reached out toward the base of the hill. The energy surged through his arm and gathered at his fingertips.

Then, as if by magic, a calm washed over him.

Karon slowly opened his eyes.

To his surprise, the sword was now in his hand.

‘Could it have flown to me?’

Karon was slightly shocked.

This was a rare occurrence. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been genuinely surprised.

From the scabbard, a dark red haze slowly rose, as if frustrated at not being in control and forcing its way into the sword.

‘How amusing,’ Karon thought, looking down at the sword with fascination. It felt as if he were handling a living creature.

When Karon switched the sword to his other hand, the dark energy shot back into his body.

The entity was simpler than expected.

Karon practiced controlling the flow, drawing the energy into the sword and then pulling it back out until the process felt natural.

At that moment, two people came panting up the hill. Karon had sensed them leaving the cabin long before they arrived.

“What the hell…?” Shong frowned as he reached the top of the hill, then fell silent when he saw the sword in Karon’s hand.

While they had been chatting away in the cabin, the sword had suddenly flown off the table, crashing through the wall and heading toward the hill.

Now, that very sword was in Karon’s hand.

“Huh! The sword! How…?” Shunbe, who had arrived just after Shong, saw the dark red haze swirling around the sword in Karon’s hand. Terrified, he fainted on the spot.

The two glanced at the unconscious Shunbe, then lost interest as they began descending the hill.

“I always think you can’t surprise me anymore, and then something like this happens. I can’t even believe what I just saw. How did you do that?” Shong asked, still stunned, while Karon continued switching the sword between hands, seemingly amused.

When Karon ignored him again, Shong finally had enough and stepped in front of him.

“Don’t even think about brushing this off like usual. I’m getting an answer this time.”

“It’s probably because of the dark energy flowing through me,” Karon said, staring directly at Shong.

It was a reference to the nonsense Shong had spewed earlier in the cabin.

“…”

Shong was left speechless, stepping aside to let Karon pass. His expression turned into a wry grin as he fell in step with Karon.

“Haha! Did you hear that? How is your hearing so sharp? Anyway, when do we leave tomorrow?” Shong quickly changed the subject.

“Early,” Karon replied.

“No goodbyes to the villagers? Yeah, you’re right. What’s the point? We probably won’t see them again.”

Since Karon wasn’t the type to answer, Shong had gotten into the habit of asking questions and then answering them himself. He had just placed a hand on Karon’s shoulder when—

Fwoosh!

“Whoa! What’s going on?” Shong yelped as the dark red energy from Karon’s sword shot toward him, making him stumble back in fright.

Clicking his tongue, Shong vowed never to touch Karon again and stomped back into the cabin.

Karon followed, absorbing the sword’s energy before setting it back on the table.

He didn’t want anyone else to touch it and suffer the consequences.

The Next Morning

“Ugh…”

As the morning sunlight hit his eyes, Shunbe groggily woke up, piecing together his disoriented thoughts.

The cold ground beneath him and the damp clothes, wet with morning dew, greeted him.

His entire body was sore, and his muscles ached.

“Why am I…?”

Looking around, Shunbe realized he had fallen asleep halfway up the hill. Why had he slept out here when there was a perfectly fine cabin?

Half-conscious, Shunbe stumbled down the hill and entered the cabin.

“Huh?”

On the table, three silver coins lay neatly in a row. That was about 300 shillings, the amount he’d earn from a week of hunting.

It was only then that Shunbe realized the two had left.

He pocketed the silver coins and ran back to the village to share the good news.

Later that Morning

As Karon and Shong quietly prepared to leave the village, leading their horses through the early morning mist, they spotted the elder waiting for them at the village entrance.

‘Do all old people just never sleep?’ Karon thought, briefly recalling the chief from the Taber Desert tribe, whose wrinkled face had borne a similar expression.

While Karon pondered, Shong approached the elder.

“Were you waiting for us?” Shong asked.

“Yes. We are deeply sorry for not properly welcoming you after you saved our village. As a token of our gratitude and apology, the villagers have gathered this for you. Please, accept it.”

The elder handed over a pouch filled with silver and copper coins. It looked to be at least a thousand shillings.

“Oh, you didn’t have to do this,” Shong said, reaching for the pouch with feigned reluctance, but before he could take it, Karon, still on horseback, drew his sword and placed it between Shong and the elder.

Both men jumped back in shock.

“W-What is it, young master Karon?” Shong asked, instinctively switching to a more formal tone when he noticed the elder’s presence.

Karon dismounted from his horse, sheathing his sword with a sharp gesture as he spoke in a firm tone.

“This sword is enough.”

“But—”

“Distribute the money to the families of the dead,” Karon cut off the elder’s protest, turning and setting off on the road without looking back.

It was an embodiment of *noblesse oblige*.

The elder, deeply moved, watched Karon’s retreating figure with a look of awe, while Shong glanced longingly at the coin pouch before reluctantly mounting his horse and following after.

“Be careful of bandits if you’re taking the mountain pass! The closer you get to Bela, the more dangerous it becomes!” The elder called after them, but neither Karon nor Shong seemed concerned.

“Looks like we’ve got ourselves a hero,” Shong muttered sarcastically as he sidled up to Karon.

“That money was just dead weight,” Karon replied dismissively. “It wasn’t worth the trouble to carry.”

“Right, but you left three silver coins at the cabin. That was my money, wasn’t it?” Shong complained.

“What, should I have left a gold coin? You’re the one who exchanged it, not me,” Karon retorted, spurring his horse forward.

Shong watched him go, shaking his fist in silent frustration. With Karon’s keen hearing, it wasn’t worth cursing out loud.

No way Karon has eyes in the back of his head, right?

“Why don’t you say something for once? Hey! Wait up!” Shong hurried after him.

Having left the village of Robiten behind, the two chose to take the mountain path to reach their destination more quickly.

Though the safer option would have been to take the more secure roads, Shong wasn’t too worried. With Karon around, what was there to fear?

Besides, after a good night’s rest, he felt refreshed and ready for anything.

Little did they know how quickly the elder’s warning would come true.

About an hour into their ascent, Karon suddenly began fiddling with the sword strapped to his waist.

The length was perfect, comfortable even while riding, and it felt like the blade had been crafted specifically for him.

“Why are you messing with your sword all of a sudden?” Shong asked, glancing ahead and realizing why. He peered up at the end of the trail. “Is there something up there?”

Karon didn’t respond, but Shong could sense something was off. “Looks like the elder was right.”

By the time they reached the top of the hill, a group of bandits was waiting for them. More bandits emerged from the sides and rear, surrounding them.

Some were on horseback, but most stood on foot.

“You’ve got guts, trying to cross this mountain so brazenly,” said a burly man with a thick black beard, clearly the leader of the group.

“Hmm,” Shong muttered, wondering just how one was supposed to cross a mountain discreetly. He was about to retort when Karon stepped forward, much to Shong’s surprise.

‘Well, this is unexpected,’ Shong thought, tilting his head slightly. But the question Karon asked was even more surprising.

“The man with the long robe, blue hair, and red orb—tell me what you know,” Karon said quietly.

Shong’s brow furrowed as he shook his head. It was the same question Karon had asked the bandit leader in the Kruger Forest just a few days ago.

Shong had overheard the conversation from the tent, and it seemed absurd to ask a lowly mountain bandit such a thing.

‘Why would a mere bandit know anything about that?’

Shong kept his thoughts to himself, waiting for the inevitable. But to his shock, the bandit leader’s response was unexpected.

“What? Haha! Look at this cheeky kid! How do you know about them? But information like that doesn’t come cheap. It’ll cost you a gold coin. What do you say? Or maybe you’ve got a copper coin in that pouch of yours. Haha! No money? Then you can pay with your bodies!”

The bandits’ eyes gleamed with greed as they looked the pair up and down. Young, fit—perfect for selling into slavery.

These bandits made a living robbing travelers near the port city of Bela, stripping them of valuables, killing those with no worth, and selling the rest into slavery.

From the thick stench of blood on their bodies, Karon could tell how many atrocities they had committed.

After a brief pause, Karon reached into his cloak and pulled out a small pouch. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed a gold coin toward the bandit leader.

Clink!

The clear sound of metal echoed through the air, and the sunlight glinted off the golden coin as it spun in the air before landing in the leader’s hand.

“Huh?”

The bandit leader stared at the coin in his palm, momentarily dumbfounded.

‘What’s he thinking?’ Shong stared at Karon in disbelief. Giving them a gold coin? This wasn’t how things were supposed to go.

“Tell me what you know,” Karon said again, his voice calm but commanding.

But the bandit leader’s eyes had already lit up with greed. He slipped the coin into his pocket, a wicked smile spreading across his face as he slowly approached Karon.

“That’s a pretty secretive matter, kid. How about you come a little closer?” he said, twirling a gleaming axe in his hand.

In an instant, the air grew thick with killing intent. The bandits, already crazed by the sight of the gold, were no longer thinking clearly.

Karon could sense it all—their pupils dilating, their breath quickening, their heartbeats racing, and the cold sweat on their skin.

The stench of rotting teeth and sweat made Karon’s nose wrinkle.

Clop. Clop.

Karon casually nudged his horse forward, drawing closer to the bandit leader. His left hand rested lightly on the hilt of his sword. His fingers itched.

It was at that moment Shong realized something.

‘This bastard gave them the gold on purpose? Just so he could test the sword?’

The thought made Shong smirk slightly as he slowly backed away.

He wasn’t running away, of course. He just didn’t want to be splattered by the blood when things inevitably got messy.

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