Ch 354 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

Dae-Tal – 2 "[A strange letter has been delivered.]" "[What strange letter?]" "[A bizarrely folded black paper was found in the mansion.]" "[Muyungsintu? Did he steal something again?]" "[That's the problem! He left the paper and then came back to steal! Thanks to that, wealthy households that received the strange letters are now in chaos, desperately seeking guards!]" "Is solving Unhyeon's problems really as simple as a strange letter? Announcing a theft in advance—for what kind of thief is that a sane act?" Why did Muyungsintu really send the letter? He couldn't understand it, but he was curious. The young man continued to read. "[Recently, children from the impoverished village have been disappearing. Because it's a poor area, constables don't want to be involved, and martial artists have no reason to step forward. Shouldn't I be the one to act?]" "[I've heard about places hiring guards because of the thief named Muyungsintu who prowls every night due to the strange letters. Isn't it a righteous act to protect the common people from the thief as well?]" Leaving Unhyeon, the current young hero, idle could result in great harm. Unhyeon, faced with the insistence of two women, had no choice but to accept the job of guarding a secure vault. ——– "[Young Hero Unhyeon, please guard in front of the vault. If Muyungsintu shows up, just pull this handle.]" "[So you're the one running the gambling den.]" Unhyeon knew who his employer was—a person operating a large-scale gambling house prohibited by the government, with a notorious reputation he had long heard about. "[Someone's got to do it, right? A person like me can make big donations to temples and charity for the poor.]" Whatever rumors he’d heard were nonsense. He was misunderstood. While it's true he ran a gambling den, he was also involved in numerous charitable activities. The employer brushed off Unhyeon's hostility with a laugh and skillfully touted his own virtues. "[...Alright.]" A person who donates much to the poor? Perhaps he had misheard. Though he was certain of what he'd seen and heard, Unhyeon, lost, was unable to find his direction. "Unhyeon! What’s happening! You should've just struck him down... Huh! I say not to tolerate injustice, yet here I am!" Sure, he felt some frustration about his heroic deeds. Astonished at himself, the young man realized he was slowly transforming into someone akin to Unhyeon. —— "[It's been a while.]" In front of Unhyeon appeared Muyungsintu, disguised as usual. "Was sending the strange letter a means for Muyungsintu to meet Unhyeon? The love letter, shall we call it, of Muyungsintu is truly on another level." Not as Okryeon, but as Muyungsintu, how was he planning to resolve Unhyeon's conflict? "[Go back. Even though you saved my life, I have no intention of letting you take someone else's belongings.]" "[No thanks. Either let me open the vault peacefully or pull the handle you've been clutching so tightly. Your choice.]" "Did he even spot the trap!" "[...This is your doing. What?!]" As Unhyeon pulled the handle, the floor of the vault room suddenly gave way. "[Grab hold!]" At the pit's bottom were densely packed lethal spears. Muyungsintu quickly grabbed Unhyeon and swung them both to a safe spot within the pit. "To change direction while falling? How skilled in martial arts must you be?" "[What in the world…]" Unhyeon, looking at the spears that could have pierced him, murmured in shock. "[If he could kill two troublesome nuisances with a single stroke, wouldn’t it be beneficial? Didn’t you know your target was employing those you killed among Heuk Do In?]" "[He was supposed to be a merchant who gave generously.]" "[Even after seeing this?]" In the basement, through the long corridor were rooms, where Muyungsintu showed the children working, emaciated, toiling at something. "[What is this?!]" "[They said children’s delicate hands are needed to make tools for gambling cheats.]" "What a vile creature!" "[Intruder! Capture them!]" "[Spears behind, swords ahead. If you want to live, you know what to do, don't you?!]" Unhyeon obediently drew his sword. Yet it wasn’t the usual blade Unhyeon wielded. The man whipping the children could be someone’s family too. Is it really right for me to wield my sword? Would my sword create another grudge? Though the tip of Unhyeon's sword trembled, it wasn't the result of a skillful strike but the inconsistency in his resolve. "Unhyeon! This isn’t the time! Look at how many Heuk Do In are right in front of us!" To hesitate even in a life-threatening situation was baffling. Although Unhyeon, who had led his life as a hero, might have found this conflict overwhelming, there wouldn't be any pondering if one wasn't alive. "[Why are you hesitating?!]" Muyungsintu immediately noticed Unhyeon's dilemma. "[I, I…]" Muyungsintu couldn't voice his quandary. Foolish and personal, but others could never comprehend his internal struggle. "[Are you waiting for a perfect reason to wield your sword?]" "[How did you know?]" In the brief standoff, Unhyeon glanced at Muyungsintu with bewildered eyes. "[Is a hero someone who calculates this and that? What makes you different from a merchant?]" Is weighing profit and loss what makes a hero? Is fearing retribution heroism? Into Unhyeon's wavering heart, sharp words as a rain punctured. "[From the moment we grasp the sword. From the moment we step into the martial world. We’re throwing ourselves into the river of gratitude and resentment. But do you know the difference between you and me?]" "[What is it?]" Considering him just a lowly thief, he now seemed like the one who could provide an answer to his question. Lost, Unhyeon asked for an answer, resting his hopes on her. Muyungsintu, gazing at the desperate Unhyeon, holding his throwing knife at the Heuk Do In ahead, opened his mouth. "[Even if my body is drenched, I'll never ignore a child drowning in the river.]" Call me a thief; it doesn’t matter if I'm scorned. Even if I become a villain, I'll judge the greater evil with my own hands, in my own way. "Mu Yeong Sin Tu..." He had thought him a mere thief. Before Unhyeon stood another hero under the name of a righteous thief. "Ah, so this was it! A hero under the name Muyungsintu. As a senior in the martial world, you sent a love letter to guide Unhyeon!" [Young Hero Unhyeon! There seems to be a misunderstanding! If you help capture Muyungsintu right now, I'll fill your pockets with gold!] With half of the enemy forces defeated, the anxious owner appeared, shouting towards Unhyeon. [Owner. What about the children...?] [Children? It's all a misunderstanding! I'm taking care of children who might starve tomorrow!] A naive young martial artist. He'll believe anything I say. The owner convinced himself with confidence, ignoring the change in Unhyeon. [They were abducted from the slums.] [Ha... You knew? No choice, then. Attack!] As the man commanded, the room filled with Heuk Do In martial artists. They might not be exceptionally strong, but their numbers were enough to make even a fledgling martial artist shake. [I will not be swayed by deception any longer.] However, Unhyeon did not tremble. He did not falter. For the first time today, Unhyeon firmly gripped his sword. [What are you babbling on about! Attack!] "Gulp." What was about to unfold? The young man, as if present at that critical moment, turned the page with tense anticipation. Unhyeon was in the middle of a river. Although his sword was cutting down enemies, Unhyeon found himself in the midst of a river. In the middle of the current of gratitude and resentment. Standing with a sword in the wild currents. If he let go of his footing, he'd be swept away by the waters. If he let go of his sword, he couldn't rise against the current. [I cannot become a hero.] The sword aimed against the current trembled countless times. Enveloped in confusion, he couldn't move forward. He needed to find a path. But how? [I never ignore a child drowning in the river, even if I get completely drenched.] Right. It's refusing to fear. I will not fear the grudges born from righteous deeds. I will not be swayed by temptation. Even if the sword's edge wavers, it is I who decides all, and I who forges and severs bonds of gratitude and resentment. With unwavering feet, I will go against the stream. [Though the sword’s tip may tremble thousands of times, I will not waver.] From youth to now. The conviction that will never change. While all else may alter, my essence remains. [I am the center of the Eight Trigrams.] It was the next mystery to move forward in the Eight Trigram Sword Technique. [What is this sorcery! Ugh!] At the breakthrough of Unhyeon, the room filled with Heuk Do In martial artists knelt in a single moment. [Go out into the world and build your virtues. Because this is a sword that can't be achieved on Mount Wudang, you are told to wield it in the world.] A sword born to cast aside all temptation for those seeking to become a hero. That sword was the Eight Trigram Sword Technique. "Truly, the Grandmaster of the Five Ancestors! Truly Unhyeon! To gain another enlightenment! Incredible! Truly!" Feeling as though he had shaken off his own doubts, the young man was elated. ———————- [There are interesting things inside the vault.] Muyungsintu, stepping out above ground, spoke while opening the vault’s door. [Why did you help me?] Unhyeon, watching Muyungsintu open the vault, asked absentmindedly. Why did he help him? Though continually aided, he couldn't fathom the reasoning. [Here. Take this.] [What is this?] [It's a secret ledger. There are things I can and cannot do. Those constables who are always a step behind are swarming over there.] [Haven’t we met somewhere before?] [Is this the time to flirt?] [N-No, that's not it... The constables and martial artists are ahead. There's a lake behind us. Our retreat is cut off. If you remove your disguise now, I will help you.] [No way out, you say? Who do you think I am?] Muyungsintu leapt towards the lake. [What the?! How are you walking on water?] "Walking on water like a human? Not even the Bodhidharma, how in the world?!" Utilizing the legendary technique akin to Bodhidharma's crossing of the Yellow River on a single reed, both Unhyeon and the young man couldn’t help but share the same astonished expression. —– "I thought talking about heroes would be boring like Master Kwan's tales." But discussing heroes was anything but dull. The beautiful phantom thief, Muyungsintu. The crisis and the enlightenment emerging from resolving internal conflict. Unhyeon, freed from doubts and now stronger, vanquishing foes in an instant. It had been thrilling enough to make one's palms sweat. "I want to wield a sword like Unhyeon right away and become strong." The young man's heart brimmed with passion. The only reason he didn’t rush out to the practice yard was his eagerness to finish the third volume of the Winding Heroes Chronicle first. "Is the third volume already nearing its end? It feels like drinking saltwater—it only makes me thirstier." With that thought, the young man turned the next page.