Published at 2nd of April 2026 5:12 pm

Chapter 418

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

"......."

I opened my eyes. I sat up, gasping.

My back was drenched in sweat again. I staggered, grabbing my forehead.

"Hooah..."

I turned my head. The sunlight was still shining outside the window.

The chirping birds signaled that yet another damned day had passed.

I looked away from it, turning my gaze elsewhere.

"Where is that old man?"

With annoyance thick in my voice, I looked around, but strangely, Yu Chun-gil was nowhere to be seen.

"... He's not here?"

I scowled deeply. The end of the Mind Realm became clear in my memorythose words spoken by the thirty-year-old Yu Chun-gil.

'That crazy old man.'

The thirty-year-old Yu Chun-gil was, in fact, the Yu Chun-gil I knew all along.

That bastard. He'd been pretending not to know me as he dealt with me.

'Without me even noticing?'

Was such a thing even possible?

The idea that he could use a soul-manipulating technique I couldn't detect was enough to make me shudderbut it was the truth.

How could that be? Fooling my eyes was one thing, but to deceive even my very spirit?

Even though I'd set a seal myself, and even if Yu Chun-gil himself was at the level of a general among spirits, this was nearly impossible.

But he had done it.

"Ha."

No wonder he was absurdly strong. Even knowing he was only thirty years old, the thought of besting him seemed hopeless.

'If he was doing it himself...'

It made a certain kind of twisted sense. Annoying as it was.

But the problem remained.

"Where did he go?"

Yu Chun-gil was nowhere to be found. That was the most infuriating part.

After all that, where had this old man disappeared to?

If he was going to confess everything, he might as well just show himselfinstead of pulling yet another trick. And what was it he said, again?

You'll like this one more than anything.

"'You'll like this'...?"

Like what, exactly? I clutched my throbbing head and stood up.

"Ha."

I let out a sigh. Yu Chun-gil was truly nowhere to be seen. I couldn't sense him at all. Which meant

'Is he inside me?'

Did that mean he was inside that Mind Realm, or was he up to something else? Wasn't this just insane?

'Even if it's just a joke.'

This crazy old manwhat was I supposed to do with him? And, even more annoying

"... I have to go before I forget."

I found myself heading out to the training ground, intent on putting into practice what I'd learned there.

***

Whoooong!!!

I cut the wind with my sword. I felt the cool rush as it split the air. And then

'... My condition.'

My body still didn't feel great. The aftermath of the Martial Tournament lingered.

It felt like a particularly severe case of muscle soreness, maybe? That's about how it felt.

"Tsk."

I sighed. My body felt like it was screaming, yet oddly enough, moving my sword was no problem at all.

So.

'... Let's go.'

I gripped the sword tighter and began to move.

For the record, I couldn't go to the actual training ground.

Too many eyes were on me these days, and it wasn't the first time I'd accidentally destroyed the place, so I had to find somewhere as deserted as possible.

'So this is it.'

Halfway up Blue Moon Sect's mountain.

Around the area where Yu Chun-gil had planted those spiritual herbs.

There weren't many people around here, and there was a nice open spot to train.

Whooosh!!!

There, I swung my sword.

Sword aura flared. Radiant Moon Annihilation released moonlight in broad daylight.

But not yet.

Crackle!!!

I immediately performed Moon Heaven. It was the prerequisite for using Great Moon.

Radiant Moon Annihilation, Moon Heaven, and the opening of Moon Eye.

I recalled them, about to execute what I'd learned.

'At this point...'

But before using Great Moon, I tried a different approach. Originally, I would have used Moon Waveagain, that would have been correct.

'But instead of Moon Wave...'

I dialed it down a bit, putting into practice what I'd learned from Blue Moon Sect's sword techniques.

Bigger than that.

But smaller than that.

That was the biggest problem with Moon Heaven.

'The range and movement are too wide.'

Moon Wave is a one-hit technique. It takes time to activate and couldn't be used lightly.

But this new sword was different.

Shh!

A swift crescent soared through the air. It looked like Moon Wave, but it was much lighter and faster.

Power might have been less, but for a sword form, "sword stroke" was the perfect description.

So, the second, then the third sword.

Even Night Moon became more of a simple downward slash.

I kept the sword moving, and each time I was struck by how much the techniques Yu Chun-gil had taught me resembled these sword strikes.

'It's easy.'

Once I realized it, it was easy. Maybe because I had already learned the heavier, stronger variant through Yu Chun-gil's transformed style.

Even as I kept moving the sword, that was all I could think about.

The sword felt unusually fitting to my bodycomfortable, even.

On the fifth swing, following the fourth

Chiiik!!

"..."

The fifth sword. I stopped just before using Great Moon. I didn't launch it. Instead, I looked down at my hand.

It was trembling. If I'd used the move, would Great Moon have exploded?

Probably. The feel of my ki, the flow of my energy at that moment made that clear.

I could use itbut I didn't.

'This'

I could feel it.

'It's not for using Great Moon.'

This wasn't meant to end with the fifth strike. There was something more.

After all, the sword technique I learned in the library had seven parts. And more importantly

'That place.'

In the place I recalled, seven were also needed, so it shouldn't end with Great Moon.

'Ah.'

When I realized that, my mind cleared. I felt like I understood something.

'I see.'

I wiped away the sweat flowing down my face. At some point, I'd started sweating.

I brushed it off and returned the sword to my waist.

I immediately went down the mountain. My steps were urgent. I was heading toward a secluded building.

I entered it and opened Moon Eye. As soon as I did, I saw the state of the mechanisms.

Fumbling against the wall, I released my energy. With a clicking sound, the floor opened.

<>

I didn't use the ladder. I just kicked off and landed lightly.

I headed straight for the deepest chamber I was able to pierce.

A pitch-black space.

A wall in front. Seven sword marks apparent before me. Others wouldn't see them, but to my eyes, those blue lines stood out.

Seeing those, I drew my Divine Sword.

'Let's see.'

Would things go as I expected?

Would I be able to pass the point where I had been blocked by the sixth move?

Moving carefully, I focusednot on speed, but on accuracy.

'First.'

The first strike had originally been Moon Wave, but this time I led with the sword path learned in training.

Swish!

The sword sliced, a much smaller and sharper crescent grazing the wall. A single blue line was traced.

'It worked.'

No problem.

Then the second, then the third. Sword forms flew at the wall without increasing the speed, gradually stacking up.

Four strikes, then the fifth.

'Focus.'

This was where it mattered. Great Moon carried explosive force.

The energy consumed was massive, and the surge at the point of impact was almost overwhelming. But

'The version blended with Blue Moon Sect's style is different.'

It wasn't the sword Yu Chun-gil made, but a blend of Blue Moon Sect's style.

Is this still Great Moon? I never doubted the namebecause it didn't matter.

Sss!

The fifth technique. Radiant Moon Annihilation vibrated, making a sound.

Wooooong!!

My sword hummed. A white sword aura resonated, creating a small tremor.

'Now.'

Without letting my gathered energy scatter, I struck.

Fwooooosh!!

Ignoring the urge to let the power explode, I simply cut.

My muscles screamed from the strain. The effort spread through my whole bodybearing the burden.

Not Great Moon, but a white-edged slash. Seeing that, I immediately prepared the next technique.

'... Not yet.'

Don't falter.

The path didn't end here. The fifth was a stepping stone. Watching Great Moon, I'd thought the path ended therebut there were two more sword forms.

With this, I grew certain.

'That old man Yu Chun-gil.'

He must have always intended to merge his own sword form with Blue Moon Sect's style.

There's no other explanation for this.

If so

'No way.'

Did Virtuous Moon Sword foresee this situation when he said he'd hold the Blue Moon Festival and give me access to the library?

Is that why he prepared that Mind Realm in advance?

So I could gain the sword stroke, train in the Mind Realm, and reach this sword art.

'If he set up the whole board'

That's truly insane. There's no way he could have predicted this far aheadbut

'If it's that old man...'

Somehow, I felt like he really would. It's absurd.

Gritting my teeth, I unleashed the sixth strike. A diagonal slash. Then

'Seven.'

The seventh and final sword slash.

Creeeak!!!

I planted my feet, firing the seventh strike.

Shhh.

It was fast. Even though I tried to slow down, the slash flew out, rending the air.

Fwooooosh!!

Lights burst, a flash surging.

"..."

In the deep, still silence

Thudclick-click-click!

The mechanism began to open.

"Ha."

As expected, it was the answer.

Boom!

The door opened.

I steadied my ragged breath as I watched the door open.

Maybe because I used the techniques slowly, or for some other reason, but my breath was heavy.

Clutching my burning chest, I stepped forward.

A newly opened secret chamber. I didn't hesitate about whether to go in.

The darkness was illuminated by Moon Eye, so I advanced without fear.

The interesting thing about this chamberit was longer than usual.

"Normally, after crossing the wall, it's right there."

Why is it so long this time?

Wondering, I kept walking for half a quarter hour.

Finally, I reached the end. But what awaited me was a dead end.

"What the hell is this?"

Why was the path blocked again? I tilted my head. Was something else required of me here?

I narrowed my eyes. Moon Eye revealed a faint blue glow.

Wait. That

A hole of a familiar shape.

"..."

A rectangular size.

I recognized that shape from my memory. With that in mind, I pulled something out from inside my robes.

The seal given to me by Virtuous Moon Sword. I fit it into the hole.

Tsk.

A perfect fit.

The size was exact, but the door didn't open. Accordingly, I channeled my energy into it. At that moment

Tsk-click!

Again, a familiar noise, and the door began to open.

Boom.

The door opened once more. Unlike the previous pitch-black spaces, bright light brushed across my vision.

"Ugh?"

It was oddly bright, so I squinted. When my eyes finally adjusted

"Uh...?"

I could only stare dumbfounded at the scene before me.

Because it was completely unexpected.

Share