Volume 1, Chapter 19
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The moon is bright.
Beneath that moon, Ihoe ran.
Except for when he had to prepare meals for his junior brothers, he never stopped running.
With every step, beads of sweat fell like rain, soaking the ground.
The breath that rose to his throat threatened to choke him. His still-unhealed ribs sent a sharp pang of pain with every breath he took.
His legs, already cramping, were dragging along the ground. He didn't even have the strength to lift a finger.
And yet, he did not stop running.
‘Damn it! Son of a bitch! Goddamn it! To hell with it!’
He felt like this was the only thing he could do.
If he could, he wanted to run until he collapsed from exhaustion.
“Pushing your body too hard again.”
But he couldn't.
“You've returned, Master.”
Because his Master, Yu Hyeonjun, had come home.
Ihoe had not returned from Songru with Yu Hyeonjun.
Yu Hyeonjun had said he had something else to do and sent Ihoe home first.
And the night had deepened.
His Master had only returned now, deep in the night, long after dinnertime.
“You'll only hurt yourself like that. That's enough for now.”
“Yes. I was just about to stop anyway.”
At his Master's words, Ihoe smiled and scratched his head.
His legs were trembling. His arms and fingertips shook.
Even so, he didn't let his exhaustion show.
“Have you had dinner? Shall I prepare something for you?”
“No, I ate on my way back. But why are you pushing your body so hard?”
“I'll have to start learning swordsmanship soon, so I thought I should train hard. I can't go throwing my sword at you like I did that morning, can I?”
“What? Ha! Hahahaha!”
The Master burst out laughing at Ihoe's jest.
“It was… rather embarrassing. To think that the first sword I managed to swing just had to fly right at you, Master…”
“Haha! Yes, that's right. The look on your face then was quite a sight. But what would it matter if you threw it at me again? I'm not so incompetent that I can't handle something like that. So, don't take it to heart.”
As his Master laughed it off, Ihoe obediently nodded.
“Yes.”
“Good. And your talk with that girl? Did it go well?”
“Yes.”
To his Master's next question a moment later, Ihoe once again smiled and nodded.
“What did you talk about?”
“She said she has known you for a long time, Master. That she was the daughter from the merchant caravan you once belonged to…”
“Hoh, she told you that, did she?”
“Yes. And this and that.”
“This and that?”
He tried to get by with a vague answer, but it wasn't that easy.
Ihoe hesitated several times before finally, with difficulty, giving his answer.
“And also the meaning of ‘scatter them,’ which you two spoke of…”
“Hah…!”
A sound like a groan, a faint laugh, escaped his Master's lips.
That his Master, Yu Hyeonjun, would step into the forefront. And that under his Master's shadow, the disciples of the Sincerity Gate would be protected.
And even what that meant for his Master, Yu Hyeonjun.
“My goodness! That child certainly said some unnecessary things.”
“She did say she thought you would scold her for it.”
“Yes. I suppose I'll have to.”
The Master nodded calmly.
Ihoe quietly watched his Master.
“Master…!”
He opened his mouth with difficulty.
“Ihoe.”
But his Master's voice cut him off.
A faint smile played on his Master's face.
“Did you not see? I, your Master, am strong.”
He had already shown him how he could annihilate the Chagon Gang single-handedly.
And he knew that the Martial Prowess his Master had displayed then was not the full extent of his power.
In the process of annihilating the Chagon Gang, his Master had not been in danger for even a single moment.
Yes. His Master was strong.
At least in Ansang Prefecture, he had no equal.
Perhaps. Perhaps even Dan Goyul, who had been named one of the hundred greatest masters under heaven in his past life, would be no match for his Master.
“So, trust me. Do not worry.”
“...Yes. I understand.”
Ihoe forced a nod.
“Good. That is all that matters. Go on inside and sleep now. It's late. Ah! And I will be leaving again soon. I don't think it will be for very long this time.”
At Ihoe's answer, his Master's expression relaxed considerably.
“Yes.”
Ihoe bowed his head.
Then he turned away.
He headed for his room, trying his best not to show how his body trembled.
“Master!”
But after only a few steps, he turned back to look at his Master.
“...Is there something you want to say?”
Ihoe smiled at his Master's puzzled question.
“Sleep well.”
“Yes. You too.”
His Master smiled.
He bowed deeply once more before turning away.
Once he had turned and hidden his face, Ihoe's expression twisted. He clenched his jaw.
‘Damn it!’
He swallowed the curse that threatened to erupt.
—Your revenge… Is your revenge completely finished, Master?
His final question to Wolhyang at Songru.
“...”
In the end, no answer came.
That unanswered question was, in itself, an answer.
His Master's frequent trips. And the shared wounds and mutual understanding Wolhyang had spoken of.
That was the final piece.
The picture was complete.
His Master's revenge was not yet over.
“So damn bright.”
He cursed the innocent moon.
And yet, the moon that lit up the night sky was truly, brilliantly bright.
It became even more certain.
He had to become stronger.
* * * He had to become stronger.
Never in his life had he wished for achievement or growth as a martial artist.
He knew he had no talent, so he focused more on other things he could do.
Besides, he had no ambition to become a strong martial artist in the first place.
But since returning to the past, the thing he felt most often was the need for that very power he had never desired.
The Sincerity Gate was, in the end, a martial sect.
A martial sect, and the Murim, had to have power. The strength of each and every member was the sect's value, its worth in the Murim.
And only with that value could they avoid being ignored. They wouldn't be trampled, and nothing would be taken from them. No one would dare to look down on them.
If only to avoid living the same pathetic life as in his past.
And also, to protect.
His Master's revenge was not over.
That was why his Master was traveling.
For revenge. To find the true culprit, hidden behind a dark curtain.
And he would likely be away from the sect often in the future as well.
Even in his past life, his Master had never stopped his travels until the moment he passed away.
He now knew the reason for those travels, but he pretended not to.
Pretending not to know, even though he did, was not so he could cowardly turn a blind eye as he had in his past life.
It was simply because his Master did not wish it.
It was also because Ihoe knew he did not yet have the ability to help his Master.
Revealing that he knew would only hold his Master back. It would only become a burden on his heart.
He knew.
His Master had stepped to the forefront to protect the Sincerity Gate and his disciples.
He had become the roof, the shield, the umbrella.
It meant he would stand at the very front to face any potential danger.
It was all because he was weak.
If Ihoe had been strong, his Master would not have needed to step forward.
Ihoe could have protected them instead.
If he had strength, he could have protected himself, the Sincerity Gate, and his junior brothers and sister.
So he needed strength.
To avoid living a life full of regrets like his last one, to protect the Sincerity Gate and his juniors, and to lighten his Master's burden.
And to one day lend the strength that would be needed.
He had to become stronger.
It was the first fundamental goal he had set for himself since turning back time.
Of course, he was not alone.
Dan Goyul.
A child with the potential to become one of the hundred greatest masters under heaven.
He might be called a doting fool for thinking it, but perhaps the boy even had the makings of the greatest in the world.
In his past life, Dan Goyul had become one of the hundred greatest masters under heaven without any proper instruction.
His talent was overwhelming.
If a little teaching and guidance were added to such a talent…
There was no law saying he couldn't become the greatest in the world.
And then there was Chaehwa.
In his past life, Chaehwa too had become one of the top five female masters in the province through sheer talent and effort, without any particular instruction.
There were many talented children.
If his junior siblings with their overflowing talent were to grow, the Sincerity Gate would have no one left to fear.
But not yet.
Dan Goyul, Chaehwa.
Neither had yet learned any martial arts.
They needed time, having not yet learned even an internal energy heart method, let alone swordsmanship.
Time to learn martial arts, for their bodies to mature, and for their talents to blossom.
He needed the strength to hold out until then.
If he could just do that, everything would be happy.
The mature and resolute Dan Goyul would become the Sect Leader, with Chaehwa by his side to support him.
When that time came, he could trust in the two of them and just relax and enjoy life.
Perhaps his other junior siblings also possessed remarkable talents.
They would protect the sect and help it grow. And when that time came, they would be able to help their Master.
With strength, so many more things could be resolved at once.
And in the more distant future. No, perhaps a future that was even closer.
The Blood Cult.
The ones who had plunged the Central Plains into terror, and in the end, threatened and brought about the annihilation of the Sincerity Gate!
And also, the ones who had killed Ihoe.
He needed strength to prepare for them as well.
There were far too many reasons to become stronger.
So he was going to try.
Though his body still lacked any talent, he could at least serve as a stepping stone, holding out until the second and third siblings grew up.
He could also play a role in easing the burden on his Master's heart.
That would be enough.
That much was more than enough.
‘I’m used to trying hard.’
Though his life had been filled with regret and remorse, though it had been smeared with failure.
Even in that past life, he had tried ceaselessly.
To be a good disciple, to be a good Eldest Brother, to protect the declining Sincerity Gate, to keep his junior siblings from starving amidst the sect's ever-dwindling finances, to allow them to escape from the forces of the Blood Cult.
He had tried. He had tried endlessly, and there was never a single moment he hadn't.
There was nothing else he could do.
So he was used to it.
It was what he was most confident in.
So all he had to do was what he was most confident in and accustomed to.
Just as he had always done.
Three days passed as he sorted out his thoughts and settled his heart.
“Well then, I shall be off. I won't be long this time, so do not worry.”
As he had mentioned before, his Master left the Sincerity Gate.
A new sword was holstered at his Master's waist.
“Please don't worry and have a safe trip.”
Ihoe smiled and bowed his head.
“Yes. Thank you.”
And so, his Master departed on his journey.
“……”
For a long while, Ihoe stood at the main gate of the Sincerity Gate, watching his Master's receding back.
Only when his Master's figure was no longer visible did he turn around.
As he turned, Dan Goyul looked up at him.
“Senior Brother, are you going to run today too?”
“Eldest Brother, are you running again? When I run, my heart goes thump-thump-thump right here, and I get so out of breath!”
Hohyeon gestured with his hands and feet, looking somehow excited.
“Everyone’s like that. When they run.”
Chaehwa said, hugging Hohyeon from behind.
He had run whenever he had a spare moment during the three days he spent organizing his thoughts, and his junior siblings' reactions were quite cute.
He had wanted to move his body. If he stayed still, he felt suffocated, and his mind grew complicated.
Besides, he never had the kind of sharp mind that could solve things by just sitting still and thinking.
So he ran.
Of course, it was also for the sake of training.
With a body that couldn't even properly hold a sword, there was no way he could properly learn swordsmanship or any martial art.
That was why, even as he ran at every opportunity over the past three days, he had not actually held a sword.
Before learning swordsmanship, he had to build his foundation first.
So for the time being, he planned to keep running whenever he had the chance.
“Hmm… no? I’m not going to run right now.”
But not at this moment.
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