ALL NOVEL Though the arena was packed with many people, the atmosphere was still.
The result was that shocking.
There was no one here who could have predicted such a one-sided victory.
In the midst of the silent arena, as the announcer’s voice faded,
Mok Riwon sheathed his sword while panting heavily.
A smile formed on his lips.
‘I overcame it.’
He had cleanly overcome the rising urge at that moment.
He had wielded his sword without killing intent, merely reading Namgung Jincheon’s own without acting on it. In the final moment, he refrained from driving his sword through his opponent’s throat.
It was a perfect victory to the point of making his spine tingle.
Both the fight against himself, and the fight against Namgung Jincheon.
Mok Riwon’s gaze drafted to the highest seats where Namgung Hyuk sat, looking as if he had expected this outcome.
‘Just a swordsman.’
It felt like he understood the meaning of those words Namgung Hyuk imparted to him just a bit more.
Suddenly.
“…Did I lose?”
He turned towards Namgung Jincheon’s voice.
‘Ah.’
Just as he was about to apologize for the provocation, the sight of Namgung Jincheon’s bewildered state stopped him short.
Mok Riwon hesitated, pausing to consider his next words, then made a fist-palm salute instead.
“It was a good match.”
Apologizing now seemed disingenuous.
Namgung Jincheon raised his head, a myriad of emotions passing through his eyes as they met Mok Riwon’s, and then he uttered hollowly.
“…A good match.”
Namgung Jincheon looked at his hand, trembling like a coward.
Disliking this, he clenched his fist tightly.
“How did you do it?”
“…Do what?”
“How did you create that sword? How did you…”
Wield the sword with such conviction?
Namgung Jincheon dwelled on those words, his expression gradually crumbling.
Watching him silently, Mok Riwon answered.
“I just didn’t want to lose.”
“Does that work?”
“It does for me.”
Mok Riwon looked straight into his eyes, whose full attention was on him, and said.
“Truthfully, I’m not fully satisfied with the win. I gained the upper hand by exploiting your emotions, not through my pure skill. I don’t believe this type of victory suits chivalry.”
It was an undeniable truth.
Even if he could achieve his ends through this, he didn’t want to use such an undesirable means.
“But still, I wanted to win. I wanted to prove it. That a sword wielded with ambition breaks so easily.”
“Are you saying I was wrong?”
“You weren’t wrong. But you weren’t right either.”
This was when Mok Riwon truly understood why he wanted to win so badly.
“...Yes, I think that was the reason I wanted to win. Because the Sword Dragon hasn’t become anything yet, I just hoped that in the future, you would be a little closer to chivalry. Sword Dragon is a great person, so I wish that you would use that strength to protect others.”
Mok Riwon was a man who had always received such teachings.
A swordsman’s blade might be cold, but their heart must blaze with warmth.
Only then would the sword be swung in the right
He sincerely hoped that the ideals that moved his heart would also move Namgung Jincheon’s heart.
Namgung Jincheon blankly mulled over his words, but the more he did, the more his expression darkened.
It was expected for Namgung Jincheon.
His first defeat in life.
Moreover, all the values he had built up while living until now were crumbling like ashes, leaving no room for other thoughts.
‘Prove it…’
Mok Riwon proved it.
And he had failed to do the same.
Was he lacking?
Was this a match he was destined to lose?
Numerous questions arose.
Like Mok Riwon’s sword he had just faced, they were questions without any answers.
“…Congratulations on your victory.”
With that, Namgung Jincheon left the arena.
He needed time.
Time to settle his inner turmoil.
* * *
The awards ceremony for the Dragon Phoenix Tournament would be held three days later.
In other words, the next thing Mok Riwon had to do was exit the arena and meet Tang Hwa-seo.
“Young Lady! I won!”
When Mok Riwon ran to her with a smile, Tang Hwa-seo abruptly stopped while watching him approach.
The feeling was finally starting to sink in, seeing his foolish face.
“...Yes, you truly won.”
Mok Riwon won.
Against none other than Namgung Jincheon.
Keeping his word as always.
A strange tightness suddenly arose in her chest.
A blend of proudness and his dazzling brightness made her feel like she had won herself.
“You did really well.”
“Brother Mok! I’m here as well! Acknowledge me too!”
“Leave him be. It seems he isn’t even looking at you.”
As Zhuge San and Hyeun grumbled, Mok Riwon turned in their direction.
“Ah! Thank you for cheering me on! I widened my qi detection and heard everything!”
“I wasn’t cheering for you.”
“I see…!”
Mok Riwon’s expression fell, filled with disappointment.
She felt strangely guilty.
‘Wait, why am I the one feeling sorry?’
Thinking about it again, there wasn’t any reason to apologize, so Hyeun snorted and turned away.
“Well, good job and rest well. I’m calling it because I’m tired.”
“Have a good night!”
Mok Riwon waved at Hyeun as she left.
Tang Hwa-seo watched him do that momentarily, then slapped his hand.
“Let’s go eat. We can continue the celebrations there.”
“Oh! Understood!”
Zhuge San watched that series of events and thought.
‘This is serious.’
Tang Hwa-seo’s hold on him was tremendous. Whenever Mok Riwon got involved with a woman, she would freak out.
Of course, he didn’t dare say those things out loud.
Zhuge San didn’t want to experience getting poisoned and having diarrhea for days again.
* * *
Even in the midst of a commotion that turned Shexian upside down, Mok Riwon and his companions were peaceful.
They were busy having conversations while ordering the same foods they always ate at the secluded inn they always visited.
“Of course there’s a prize for winning the Dragon Phoenix Tournament. Brother Mok,were you really unaware until now?”
“I-I had no idea…! So what’s the prize for winning?!”
“It’s Shaolin’s lesser rejuvenation pill.”
“The lesser rejuvenation pill! One of Shaolin’s signature spiritual elixirs!”
“Yep, the very lesser rejuvenation pill that’s said to make your cultivation soar taking just one.”
“Wow…!”
Mok Riwon expressed his joy with stars in his eyes.
After all, wasn’t his inferior cultivation the reason he had to use those undesirable moves in his match against Namgung Jincheon?
‘That’ll mean enlightenment will be right around the corner!’
Just a swordsman.
The pursuit of enlightenment, initiated by those very words, continued to inspire him.
If he delved a little deeper, he would be able to achieve the fourth star of the Star God.
There was no way he wouldn’t be happy that a way to boost his internal qi accordingly had appeared.
“Will I receive the lesser rejuvenation pill at the awards ceremony in three days?”
“That’s right. Oh, but you have to take the pill immediately after the ceremony in front of someone from Shaolin. It’s to prevent being secretly hoarded.”
“They’re quite thorough.”
“Naturally, since it’s one of Shaolin’s secrets. Monk Il-woon will probably be the one to help out that day.”
Mok Riwon was nodding his head with a bright smile when a sudden question occurred to him and blurted out.
“Ah, then what do the second place and semifinalists receive as an award?”
He looked at Tang Hwa-seo, curious what kind of prize she would be awarded.
She chuckled, answering him.
“The runner-up receives ten-thousand-year-old cold iron. The semifinalists receive one of those useless Martial Arts Alliance’s secret manuals.”
Mok Riwon’s face went blank.
“Ten-thousand-year-old cold…? Secret manual…?”
He couldn’t understand.
The lesser rejuvenation pill.
Of course, it was clearly a valuable treasure as it was a spiritual elixir, but considering it was the first place prize, it didn’t feel like an outstandingly superior reward in comparison to the other prizes he had just heard about.
It was none other than the ten-thousand-year-old cold iron.
How could that iron, said to be the toughest in the martial world, have less value than the lesser rejuvenation pill?
And what about the secret manual?
Even if they called it useless, it was still a secret manual from the Martial Arts Alliance.
There would surely be an abundance of things to learn in it, so how could they be valued lower than the lesser rejuvenation pill?
“It’s the distinct characteristic of the Dragon Phoenix Tournament. Until now, those who ranked high in the tournament were all from famous sects or clans, so they placed more weight on spiritual elixirs than ten-thousand-year-old iron or secret manuals. The other two could be solved with money, but the lesser rejuvenation pill can’t.”
“Ah…!”
“And doesn’t Young Hero Mok need the lesser rejuvenation pill more?”
“That’s true, but… still… the ten-thousand-year-old iron is tempting.”
Mok Riwon stroked his shabby katana.
It was a sword he had grown attached to after using it for more than a decade, but nevertheless, Mok Riwon wasn’t confident about using this sword forever.
He was ultimately a martial artist and had an abundance of desire for a good sword.
Tang Hwa-seo chuckled at his bitter smile.
“If you need a sword, tell me. I can buy you one.”
“R-Really?!”
“Why would I joke about that?”
A friendly atmosphere bloomed between the two of them.
In the meantime, the excluded Zhuge San silently tilted his cup and forcibly swallowed the thought that came to mind.
‘Going so far as to bribe him with money…’
Zhuge San was afraid of Tang Hwa-seo.
* * *
The meal ended with a good atmosphere.
Zhuge San, who had been sending meaningful glances at Tang Hwa-seo throughout, became afflicted by a mysteriously released poison and ended up leaving first with diarrhea.
Tang Hwa-seo stopped in front of the dwelling, feeling the rustling wind.
“You should go and rest, you worked hard today.”
It was late at night and the next three days would be quite tiring.
After all, would the martial artists leave alone Mok Riwon, who had become the new winner of the Dragon Phoenix Tournament?
So, Tang Hwa-seo thought he should rest because he would be extremely busy, but Mok Riwon didn’t leave immediately.
“Aren’t you going?”
“There’s something we have to do before that, isn’t there?”
“Something to do, what do you me…”
Thump–
When Mok Riwon took a step forward, her body trembled.
Late at night.
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In front of the accommodation.
And he said there’s something to do.
Can he be implying ‘that’?
As her thoughts wandered to that point, Tang Hwa-seo felt lightheaded.
When she thought about it, that had to be it.
Despite looking so innocent, what kind of person was Mok Riwon?
Wasn’t he a proper man who blushed and liked it whenever there were talks of seductresses or sex fiends?
‘I-It’s too early…!’
Isn’t it too soon to have sex when we aren’t even in a proper relationship yet?!
The moment those thoughts emerged.
“Did you forget the promise?”
At his reminder, Tang Hwa-seo finally remembered what she had forgotten.
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First, the feeling of ‘oops’ washed over her, followed by rising shame.
Those were the emotions she felt when she realized she had forgotten the promise she had made first, and that she had mistakenly portrayed Mok Riwon as a lewd man when she was actually the one imagining vulgar thoughts.
“Hm? Young Lady?”
“…Just give me a second.”
She hid her face behind her hands, feeling the warmth of her own blushing.
“…Please, just a moment.”
Tang Hwa-seo was shaken.
She couldn’t come to terms with the self-loathing that arose.
It took a long time to erase the self-loathing, and gradually, her head also cooled down.
The cool night air helped calm her nerves.
Finally, she found her voice again.
“Ugh… I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“…For doing such a thing.”
It was clear that something was wrong with her head.
Considering lewd thoughts were the first thing that popped into her head even with such important matters at hand, it must be true.
“Young Lady.”
Tang Hwa-seo raised her head.
Mok Riwon was there, still brightly smiling.
No, he had a somewhat troubled expression.
“Umm… If you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to. I might have been too insistent.”
Tang Hwa-seo felt her heart fluttering again.
It happened again.
He was making her weak again with this warm consideration, this kindness.
“...No, why would you think that? The request was mine in the first ”
“But people’s hearts can change at any time…”
“No.”
Tang Hwa-seo shook her head, made a ball with her fists and said.
“…Actually, it might be me making the rude request.”
No, this would certainly be a rude request.
Why wouldn’t it be, when she would be tying his life to her’s, just for her own selfish desire?
In fact, now that the moment to tell him had come, she was feeling more and more anxious.
The love she had only just realized had a fragile aspect that didn’t suit her temperament, so Tang Hwa-seo was worried that Mok Riwon might feel disappointed by what she was about to say.
Perhaps noticing that, he spoke gently.
“I will not consider anything you request of me to be rude, as long as it does not go against chivalry and righteousness.”
“...Pardon?”
“Haven’t you done so much for me, Young Lady?”
Mok Riwon said sincerely.
“Young Lady taught me about the martial world which I was unaware of. You also showed me how to be chivalrous and protect others even against all odds. Is that all? Considering all the meals I’ve eaten, the places I’ve stayed at, and the help I received even after coming to the Dragon Phoenix Tournament, I do not believe I will be able to repay the debt I owe you even if I spend my whole life.”
“...”
“So, Young Lady, you have the right to make any request to me that I can fulfill.”
Mok Riwon reached out his hand, placing it on the back of hers very carefully.
“Please don’t feel burdened and tell me. For my sake, who wants to repay you.”
Her expression began to waver, and her eyes started feeling strange.
The man approaching her with his back to the moonlight was so lovely, and his manner of speaking was so kind that her heart started to creak.
It was truly strange.
The worries that had accumulated until then melted away like the snow, becoming so anxious and happy at his every word.
Tang Hwa-seo bit her lips tightly and slowly nodded.
Eventually, her hesitating lips /genesisforsaken