Chapter 45: Kim Seohyun
TL/Editor: looloo
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After a brief moment of shock, I found words to respond to Kim Seohyun.
"Well, that could happen."
I took the strange sounds to be an unavoidable physical reaction.
The situation had taken me by surprise, nothing more than that.
-......
Still, the Black Heavenly Demon Sword was hiding her face in the bed, her cheeks flushed.
'So a sword spirit can blush too.'
A random thought entered my mind as I started searching for some oil.
Caring for the blade with oil seemed to lift the sword's spirits.
'But if it gets happier here, wouldn’t that be rather bad?'
Whether I liked it or not, the Black Heavenly Demon Sword was a companion who would be with me till the end.
……What to do.
If it was a man, I might have dismissed it as a joke, but dealing with a woman was a different matter.
'With a girlfriend, I could just go with it......'
The Black Heavenly Demon Sword was a comrade, so that approach won't work.
I thought for a moment, then decided to step out.
Being alone for a while in times like this usually helps.
I left the Black Heavenly Demon Sword and stepped outside.
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Raei Translations
---
It was hot outside.
Quite a bit of time had passed since the midterms, and the final exams were quickly approaching.
In other words, it signaled the arrival of summer.
And with summer, came a load of things to do.
Once the finals were done, the vacation would begin, which meant considering where to do an internship that included practical training. Plus, I needed to conquer the Tower of Illusion as well.
'I should also make a trip to the United States.'
I sighed to myself.
Despite being a vacation, it felt like I would be busier than when I was in school.
That was disheartening.
With a heavy sigh, I walked towards the training ground.
The others had already claimed their spots and were exercising.
"Seoha, you've arrived?"
"Yes."
Kim Seohyun placed his dumbbell on the ground.
Thud.
A heavy sound echoed. I looked at the weight of the dumbbell.
It was 300kg.
Just a dumbbell, and it weighed 300kg... the same as my bench press.
Suddenly, I felt less proud of myself.
"Are you going to work on your upper body again today?"
I asked in a downcast voice.
"Let's focus on the lower body. You've been working so hard on your upper body recently that your lower body seems a bit weak."
"......."
Kim Seohyun suggested, a slight grin on his face.
It felt odd.
Perhaps it was because of Kim Seohyun's gender-neutral voice and looks.
When I heard it from Kim Seohyun, it felt as if... I was hearing it from a woman.
'Ah, but he's a man.'
I sighed to myself, following Kim Seohyun's lead.
Copying Kim Seohyun's moves felt like my body was being pushed to its breaking point.
"Whew."
I paused to catch my breath and made my way to a corner of the training ground.
Black Divine Martial Art.
It was a martial art that continuously strengthened the body.
The entity known as Cheonma created many martial arts, but according to Heavenly Demon, the ones he put the most effort into were Sungshinahn and Black Divine Martial Art.
-All fights eventually come down to watching your opponent and defeating them.
That was his reason.
My body quickly recovered its balance. Yeokcheon circulated throughout my body, making it even more powerful.
"Wow......"
When I opened my eyes, Kim Seohyun was looking at me, his eyes filled with admiration.
"When I first saw you, it was just a regular body..."
"Just a body, what does that mean?"
"Hehe, just the kind of body that normal people have. But now..."
"Now what?"
"It's almost like a piece of art."
Kim Seohyun said, his face turning red, as he swallowed hard.
'This is a bit......'
It was a little unsettling.
Could Kim Seohyun be gay?
No, that was unlikely.
There were many times when Kim Seohyun would lose focus upon seeing a woman with a large chest.
He was just very interested in the physical body.
I held back the punch that was about to land on Kim Seohyun.
"This is not ordinary muscle. It's rare to achieve this kind of form even when all muscles are exercised."
Saint, standing next to me, admired my muscles.
"Really, it's as if the Martial God himself shaped your body. Have you learned something like the reversed muscle view of Shaolin?"
"It's not the reversed muscle view."
Kim Seohyun replied to Saint's comment.
"Hmm? You, do you know about the reversed muscle view?"
"Huh? Oh, I just, I just know a bit about it."
Kim Seohyun stuttered, seemingly hesitant to reply.
"Really? I would love to discuss it sometime. As you know, the martial arts world has taken a back seat in the world with its thousand-year history."
At Saint's words, Kim Seohyun gave a wry smile.
I looked at Kim Seohyun.
The sky-blue eyes of his silver hair.
A very gender-neutral look.
His unusual appearance was noticeable.
A being who inherited a thousand-year martial lineage and at the same time was learning magic from the greatest wizard.
He was the hero in this world.
However, behind it, he carried a deep darkness.
And a significant responsibility.
The base of the martial world, once known as old China, had been ruined.
At a time when the entity now known as the Seven Evils used to be the Ten Evils and had turned the world into chaos.
Alongside beings named 'Apostles'.
The great heroes had intervened too late with their allies to stop them, but by then the martial world was barely hanging on to its existence.
As a result, China is now split into five countries, therefore known as Wu Zhongguo (Five Chinas).
In the past, China was a powerful giant, but that status has now shifted to Korea.
However, their martial arts (武) were passed on to a single being.
'No, it wasn't just passed on.'
The Nine Sects and the Five Great Schools, Evil Sect, and the Demon Sect.
When they first faced an external foe (外敵), they gathered all their martial lineages in one place to prepare for any possible situation.
In that process, a prodigy combined all the martial arts to create nine arts.
This is the power known as the Thousand-Year Martial Art of the martial world.
Kim Seohyun had this forcibly 'injected' into him.
There are many other things that represent Kim Seohyun.
For instance, the dragon's heart that he can't use now due to the strain on his physical body.
"……Did you say something?"
"No, why?"
"I felt like you were staring a bit too much."
Kim Seohyun said, seeming a bit uncomfortable.
But in fact, I was the one who felt uncomfortable. Kim Seohyun kept examining my body and prodding me.
"But really, you're incredible. How did you achieve this?"
Kim Seohyun admired my body.
However, asking about martial arts or magic is practically taboo, so he only stared at my body with inquisitive eyes.
"……It's a bit uncomfortable if you look at it like that."
"Oh, sorry."
Only then did Kim Seohyun turn red with surprise.
"……."
For a long time, I couldn't help but wonder if Kim Seohyun was gay.
On the way back to the penthouse.
I reached the door and realized.
That Heavenly Demon is inside alone right now.
'It should be fine by now.'
I had brought oil that Kim Seohyun recommended for proper sword care.
I came with a gift, so I hope it will help ease her irritable mood a bit.
When I entered, Heavenly Demon was still laying face down on the bed.
Thinking of her as a teenage sibling, I left the oil inside and went into my personal training room.
There, I immediately began practicing the Black Heavenly Demon Sword Technique that I discovered yesterday.
After devoting about an hour to training, Heavenly Demon was still laying face down on the bed.
After showering, I shared recipes with the Alchemy Guild.
My wealth was increasing at an incredible rate.
It felt so surreal that it seemed like I was merely playing with numbers.
Just then, Heavenly Demon lifted her reddened face.
[Master.]
"Huh?"
[Ahem.]
Despite being a sword spirit, Heavenly Demon cleared her throat.
[First of all, I am your possession. At the same time, you inherited the legacy of the former Tianma who created me.]
"That's correct."
[But for that reason alone, I'm teaching martial arts to you for free. I don't mind it, but I believe I also deserve a fair compensation.]
"That's fair."
Honestly, considering she's trapped in a sword, Heavenly Demon's viewpoint is quite reasonable.
"Should I be diligent in teaching martial arts if the Black Heavenly Demon is eager?
With that thought, I nodded in agreement to the Black Heavenly Demon's words.
[So, at least once or twice a day, it would be nice if you used those skilled hands of yours to refine me.]
The Black Heavenly Demon made her request with a blush and a confident tone.
“...Alright.”
I gave the Black Heavenly Demon a cold look, then soon nodded my head.
"So, we're done then?"
[Yes, that's right.]
"Then I'll go to sleep. Today's training was even more exhausting than usual. I'm worn out."
I bid goodnight and collapsed onto the bed.
Feeling my consciousness rapidly fading, I drifted off to sleep as I was.
---
Raei Translations
---
"Head to the dungeon?"
Wednesday.
I summoned Kim Seohyun on an errand and informed him about it.
"Yes, the dungeon."
"I'm always ready."
Kim Seohyun nodded with a bright smile.
"But would it be safe with just the two of us?"
"It wouldn't be bad if it's just the two of us. Neither of us is limited by our roles, right?"
I am severely limited.
If it's not close combat, my fighting power is reduced to nearly a tenth.
But since Kim Seohyun thinks that I am training my body in the mage class, I added a small lie.
"So, where is this dungeon?"
"It's a dungeon in Suwon."
"Shall we go together then?"
"Just bring yourself. I'll handle the rest."
"......Can I?"
"Yes. I have plenty of potions made here anyway."
Above all, we can't treat the bus driver harshly.
I am powerful.
Objectively, I've become incredibly powerful, but I'm weak in quantity and specialized in PvP.
On the other hand, Kim Seohyun flourishes more when there's more quantity, owning martial arts.
"What about this Saturday night?"
"Let's do it. Seoha, your club activities are on Saturday too, right? Mine are on Saturday as well, so that would be convenient."
We set the date and then headed down to eat.
enjoy! :)
what a weird sword
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