Tang So-wol had dragged me here against my protests and laid me down in the Medical Pavilion.
I asked her in a slightly sulky voice.
"So when can I get the sword?"
"Probably after my brother pays his respects to Father, he'll go find the swordsmiths, won't he? He has his odd sides, but he's a man who keeps his promises. However, your arm needs to heal first. In this state, even if you received the sword, you'd hardly be able to swing it."
"It's just a bruise at best. The bone isn't damaged, so I'll be fine by tomorrow."
"My brother clearly said he'd make it for you regardless of win or lose, so why did you push yourself so hard? Even knowing it was a sparring match, you had me worrying."
"Well. What if I just wanted to look impressive in front of my Betrothed?"
"By the very fact that you're asking me that, it's already a no."
"Ah, caught me. …Actually, I already said the reason during the sparring match. I'm not good at holding back."
"Young hero, do you really think that's a believable excuse for someone of your skill?"
"Since we're on the subject, let me ask you—how do you see my skill, Tang So-wol?"
"It's abnormally strong for your realm. It's like watching someone whose achievements can't keep up with their talent."
"Talent. Honestly, I'm not lacking in that department."
"Saying you're 'not lacking' is far too modest. I may not look it, but I'm the daughter of the Tang Clan, one of the Five Great Families, you know? Even though I've been raised on only the best and trained in excellent martial arts since I was young, I still haven't reached your level."
"But you lost to my brother."
"You call that a fair comparison? My brother is a full ten years older than you, young hero, and he's received the alias of the Dragon, which is only granted to the most outstanding among the current rising talents. But what about you, young hero? How long has it truly been since you properly learned martial arts?"
Tang So-wol let out a scoff as if she found the matter absurd. It was slightly off, but she had seen through me accurately. In my current state after regression, my body and internal energy had yet to catch up with my enlightenment.
To Tang So-wol, who knew nothing of the bizarre phenomenon that was regression, I must have appeared to possess absurd talent.
Of course, I was confident that I did have fairly decent talent, having managed to reach Transcendent Peak through sheer grit and a martial foundation that lacked proper roots.
However, it was not at the extraordinary level Tang So-wol imagined.
"Perhaps half of what you've seen from me, Tang So-wol, comes not from talent but from resolve."
"If one could grow stronger simply by making up one's mind, what would be the point of learning martial arts at all?"
"That's not what I meant. How should I put this… Right. Let's have a brief exchange of swords, shall we?"
"Sword Discourse?"
"Let's suppose you had to fight the Hundred-Kill Blade Master we faced before, along with the scum he gathered. Only this time, you didn't consume the purple poison-nurturing herb on the spot—you kept it, so you could use your poison art."
"Ah, wait a moment… I've got it."
Tang So-wol closed her eyes, pondering something, then nodded. Surely she wasn't imagining it in her head right now?
I let out a dry laugh at the sight of her calmly closing her eyes, and continued.
"I'm not by your side this time. Even if you wanted to run, the encirclement is too tight to escape. So—what would you do in this situation?"
"Hmm. Die fighting gloriously. That wouldn't do, would it?"
"Is that any way to talk? Unless you're planning to make me a widower, I'd like you to survive as long as possible."
"Even so, that's the thing. Honestly, I can't see a way out. Even if hidden weapons alone aren't enough, if I combine them with poison, I could take down four first-rate fighters and about thirty below that level, one way or another…"
"What's the problem?"
"The Hundred-Kill Blade Master is the problem. I'm confident in my own skills. I might fall short compared to young hero Cheon, but even among those at the same first-rate level, I'd say I stand out. But the opponent is a Peak Realm master, isn't he?"
"So what if he is?"
"Pardon?"
"A Peak Realm master is still human. Stick a blade in his heart and he dies, cut off his head and he dies… and if he's poisoned, he'll meet his end too. If it were you, I'd say even an opponent a level above is worth a try."
At that, Tang So-wol furrowed her delicate brows.
"In the end, it's a matter of time. A martial artist at a higher realm, even if poisoned, can use their internal energy to slow the rate at which the poison energy seeps in. Depending on the situation, they might even be able to expel it from their body entirely."
"So you're saying I'd be struck down before the poison could finish me?"
"Yes. These are people who prepared from the very start to face me. Whether it's Blood Poison Wine, or stockpiling antidotes of every kind, they'll have thoroughly prepared against poison arts as well."
"Probably so."
"Of course, the moment I'm poisoned, my combat power drops sharply. I'd have to expend internal energy and Simnyeok to suppress the poison energy. If I could use hidden weapons to keep them at bay and Lightness Skill to widen the distance, dragging things out until I can't hold on any longer, there might be a chance… but the enemy isn't alone."
"Let me add one thing: a Peak Realm martial artist won't be easy to hold back with hidden weapons either. Unless you can draw tricky trajectories like my brother, simply flinging several at speed won't be enough."
"What about Lightness Skill?"
"The Tang Clan's Lightness Skill is excellent. In pure speed, you'd be slightly behind or on par. But as I said, you're surrounded. You can maintain some distance, but continuously fleeing would be extremely difficult."
"Ugh, then what do I do…"
Tang So-wol muttered to herself, turning over various plans in her mind. But no answer seemed to come easily, and the furrow between her brows only deepened.
I held back the impulse to smooth that crease with my fingers, waiting for her reply. Finally, Tang So-wol let out a long sigh and opened her eyes.
"I don't know. No matter what I try, I can't think of a good plan."
"Is that so? From where I'm standing, there are a few methods worth attempting."
At that, Tang So-wol pouted her lips and glared at me.
"Really? Of course, the young hero did manage something similar in practice, but wasn't it only possible because you bought me time to face the Hundred-Kill Blade Master one-on-one?"
"I wasn't talking about me. I was talking about you, Tang So-wol."
"Ah."
"Of course, I'm confident I could have won even if I'd fought alone."
"…"
Tang So-wol quietly poked at his bandaged arm.
"That hurts."
"Does it hurt a lot?"
"It's bearable, I suppose."
"Then bear with it."
Even as she said that, she stopped her hand. Instead, as if telling him to go ahead and say what he wanted, Tang So-wol crossed her arms and huffed before speaking.
"So? How would a young hero fight, then?"
"It's simple. First, I'd push my way into the midst of the scum. Even Unorthodox Sect martial artists don't cut down their own comrades without blood or tears. Unless their own lives were at risk, that is."
"…Being surrounded from a distance where a sword can't reach—isn't that the same as being surrounded where it can? Isn't that more dangerous?"
"Not necessarily. The number of people who can surround you is limited, after all. And since they haven't trained in a Unity Formation, their hands and feet won't be in sync."
Except for a few special cases, a weapon is ultimately something a person holds in their hand and swings. That means their forms are limited.
With a limited number of people attacking with a limited set of forms, there's no need to be frightened and cower in advance.
"Besides, the fact that I'm buried among other martial artists is itself a check against the Hundred-Kill Blade Master. As I said before, even the Unorthodox Sects don't betray without any reason. They may be quick to flip their palms, but they still need a plausible justification."
If, in his frustration, he swung his blade to cut down me and the others along with me, then the martial artists he'd gone to the trouble of gathering would turn into enemies on the spot.
From their perspective, they're the ones who were betrayed first. They won't just take it lying down. They'll either run, or flail desperately, swinging their blades to survive.
As long as I hold my ground among those Unorthodox Sects scum, even the Hundred-Kill Blade Master will have no choice but to fight cautiously.
"A blade art that's lost its boldness has its power halved, no matter how great the martial art. And the scum's martial arts won't easily touch my body. What I'm saying is that, even if only temporarily, the most dangerous-looking spot becomes the safest one."
"…And then what? In the end, I'd have to face a superior master while completely exhausted."
"If they're stronger than me anyway, there's not much difference between exhausted and fresh. No, wait. If I'm exhausted, I can actually use that to lure them into complacency."
Saying that, he pressed his index finger against my chest and drew a diagonal line, as if tracing over a scar that had formed recently.
"Giving up flesh to take the bone is a risky method, but it's one that works all the same."
"…"
I shrugged toward Tang So-wol, who stood there with her mouth hanging open, unable to say anything.
"Rather than dragging things out and dying anyway, isn't it worth trying when there's a way out? One mistake and my head would be flying off, though."
"…"
"Somehow the conversation got long. The point is this: don't think of me as someone too great."
"Why not? Does the young hero Cheon dislike being recognized?"
"Surely not. I'm human too—it feels good when someone looks up to me. It's just that right now, you've clearly decided I'm your superior."
That was what I disliked.
Wasn't I just some scum from the Unorthodox Sects who happened to break through the Transcendent Peak wall thanks to a lucky alignment of conditions?
Tang So-wol, on the other hand, had reached the Harmony Realm and was one of the few absolute masters who could stand against the Heavenly Demon until the very end.
It was only thanks to the enlightenment I'd gained before my regression that I was ahead of her now. Tang So-wol could become far greater than me—and she had to.
Twenty years. At a glance, that seemed like a long time, but when I thought about how strong she needed to become to face a monster like the Heavenly Demon within that span, it was far too little.
If it came down to it, I even had thoughts of running away with Tang So-wol alone, prepared to be resented for the rest of my life…
But my brief time living with the Tang Clan had taught me something. Tang So-wol would seek revenge no matter what.
She would never agree to that plan, and unless I severed her limbs and crippled her Dantian entirely, she wouldn't stop.
Perhaps even as a cripple, she wouldn't give up.
In the end, the conclusion was that I had to grow as strong as possible before the Heavenly Demon led the Demonic Cult in an invasion… and it wouldn't do for her to unconsciously regard herself as my inferior like she did now.
Since I couldn't explain the full circumstances, I simply opened my mouth with that sentiment alone.
"So don't make me your wall."
"What?"
"What I want is to move forward together with you, not to become a limit blocking your path."
"A limit…"
"Tang So-wol can become a martial artist far stronger than Cheon Hwi. And the reverse is just as true. I hope you won't overestimate me, and won't underestimate yourself."
"…"
At those words, Tang So-wol pressed her lips tightly together and began to think about something. It was only after a long while that her small lips parted.
"I believe there is a way, young hero Cheon."
"Hm?"
"You said you're keeping the purple poison-nurturing herb stored away rather than swallowing it, didn't you? Then instead of absorbing it, I'll consume it all at once. That way, the power of my poison art will temporarily double."
"That's dangerous."
"Yes, it will be dangerous. Even with my Poison Spirit Constitution, the poison might overwhelm me and my body could collapse."
"Nine times out of ten, that's what would happen."
"But I'll be able to take down everyone in that room."
Tang So-wol had arrived at the same idea as before the regression. I nodded toward her.
"That's right. The strength you've seen from me is barely a fraction of what I truly possess. Don't dwell on it too much—just focus on your own training…"
"And then you'll rush over to save me when I collapse, won't you?"
"What?"
Tang So-wol cut me off and added that remark, a playful smile on her lips.
"Am I wrong? A young hero Cheon who fell for me at first sight and kidnapped me—surely he'd come running no matter what."
"…"
"I'd do the same. If you were in danger, I'd naturally go to save you. And that strength wouldn't come from a desperate resolve to stake my life—it would come from trusting you. Isn't that right?"
"What are you trying to say?"
"It means the young hero Cheon should stop underestimating his own abilities."
"…"
Her smug attitude, as if she'd gotten one over on me, was truly infuriating—and yet, that was exactly why I kept letting out hollow laughs.
It wasn't a bad feeling at all.