Absolute Regression

Episode 284 Not a retaliatory strike, but a strike.

In the middle of the night, Baek Cheon-gyeong was crossing the forest.

It was fireflies that brightened the pitch-black darkness. Fireflies circled around him and led the way.

Every time he passed, the trees and grass moved on their own to create a path. A road appeared in a place where no one expected there to be a road. As he passed, the grass and trees returned to their original state.

How long did it take to walk like that?

Baek Cheon-gyeong stopped deep in the forest.

Sssssssut.

There was no wind, but the grass swayed and the tree branches moved.

And there were people appearing among the grass. These people seemed to have become one with the forest, not only in the color of their clothes but also in their skin color.

A man walked out between them. The name of this man, who felt like a thin grass swaying in the wind, was a true disciple of Baek Cheon-gyeong, Chorim. No, strictly speaking, he should be said to be a disciple of the King of Wood.

If Jinha learned swordsmanship, Chorim learned Baekcheongyeong’s true German martial arts technique, Wooden Blade Cheonjuk.

Baek Cheon-gyeong said to Cho Rim.

“It’s time.”

Then, a soft green light flowed from Cho Rim’s eyes.

“Isn’t this too much faster than the original plan?”

“A variable has emerged.”

“We are not ready yet.”

“Can not help it.”

“For what reason?”

Baek Cheon-gyeong recalled the sword dance that had visited him over the past three days.

Geommugeuk sat next to him and imitated cutting wood.

He spoke nonsense and begged to be allowed to meet Jin Ha-ryeong. He brought me drinks and snacks and begged me to eat them with him, and he also complimented my appearance out of the blue, saying that my long, narrow eyes were very attractive.

Then he relayed various news that had happened in Moorim. He knew a lot and was witty and insightful. The guy’s mouth didn’t rest. When I was with Geommugeuk, I lost track of time.

On the third day, Baek Cheon-gyeong suddenly realized that it would be nice to have such an interesting guy as Suhana’s disciple.

‘This guy is poison.’

It wasn’t just poison. It was a poison more terrifying than a deadly poison that kills the opponent at once, as it slowly poisons you without you even knowing it is poison and eventually leads to death. Because it was a poison that made you die without even knowing why.

His instincts said this.

‘This guy knows something.’

how? Was I hiding well? You even fooled the leader for all those years?

But assuming he knew about him, it made sense why Geomugeuk was like this.

Instinct spoke again.

‘The author who is smiling is the messenger who came to eat you.’

Baek Cheon-gyeong made a decision at that time.

‘If fate sends interest to me, I will accept it as my fate.’

Yes, I just had to wait ten years. Now is the time to move.

Baek Cheon-gyeong handed something to Cho Rim.

It was the female doll I made earlier.

* * *

Ian and Jin Ha-ryeong stood facing each other in the field.

The eyes looking at each other were sharp. On their third meeting, they decided to dance.

Asking to be friends at the second meeting was unusual, and on the third meeting, Bimu was even more unusual.

At first, Ian was suspicious of Jin Ha-ryeong’s intentions. What is so disappointing about the Murim Lord’s granddaughter that she bothers to become friends with him?

‘It’s probably because of you, Master.’

To find out information about sword dance. Or to keep yourself in check.

But at the second meeting, Ian felt it. Jin Ha-ryeong truly wants to be friends with her.

The dance at this third meeting was possible because I knew that feeling. Otherwise, he would have suspected that he was trying to kill himself through bimu.

The two women drew their swords and rushed at each other.

And the difference in skill between the two was clear.

Before even twenty moves had passed, the sword flew out of Jin Ha-ryeong’s hand.

Jin Ha-ryeong asked, surprised.

“What martial arts?”

After asking, Jin Ha-ryeong said, “Oh no.” It was extremely rude to immediately ask what your martial arts skills were after losing to a non-fight match.

“Oh sorry.”

She greeted me with a polite wave.

“I learned a lesson well.”

Ian waved with an apologetic expression.

I wanted to tell you about swordsmanship, but I couldn’t.

The fact that he had learned the art of flying a sword was something that should not be known to the outside world even if the Heavenly Demon had given permission.

“I knew you were stronger than me, but I didn’t know you were this strong.”

“I thought it was polite for friends to not hide their skills.”

I definitely wanted to win at least in martial arts.

In the previous match, I lost to Seo Dae-ryong and today I lost to Ian again. They keep losing to young horsemen.

‘If this fight had been a matter of life and death rather than a fight, I would have died.’

The only consolation is that they are both very close to sword dance. That’s why Seo Dae-ryong and Ian are special people.

She struggled to shake off the feeling of defeat, picked up the sword that had fallen on the floor, and put it in its sheath. He did not pick up the sword and stab his own pride out of unnecessary jealousy. Yes, you put your sword in a sheath, and your pride is protected by others.

“He has a pretty face, good personality, and strong martial arts skills. “Isn’t this a foul?”

Although he said it as a joke, it was Jin Ha-ryeong’s serious statement.

Then Ian said it back.

“This is a story you’ve been hearing your whole life, right?”

Ian truly thought Jin Ha-ryeong was pretty. Because out of all the women he had ever seen, Jin Ha-ryeong was the prettiest.

Jin Ha-ryeong felt that Ian’s words were sincere, not the consolation of a winner. It’s amazing that such a beautiful woman considers herself more beautiful.

Because of that, my steps on the way back were light.

“ah! “This road is really pretty.”

“It’s a place I come to sometimes when I’m feeling frustrated. “It’s my secret trail.”

As they came back talking about various things, Jin Ha-ryeong revealed his true feelings.

“Honestly, I’m worried about my brother.”

“don’t worry. “I will never regret calling you, Master.”

Although I said those words because I wanted to hear them.

“You really believe in your leader.”

“You believe it more than I do.”

“It’s truly a blessing to have someone in your life you can trust like that.”

“You can believe it too, right?”

“what?”

“I heard you decided to be friends with me too, Master? Then believe it.”

This is what Jin Ha-ryeong said to his brother.

Don’t half-heartedly believe in sword dance, but believe it with confidence. I’m hearing those words from Ian.

A strange idea flashed through her mind: fish with great faith catching and eating small fish one after another.

Jin Ha-ryeong felt a little at ease because of Ian’s faith. If all of this ends up being done to you by demons, you will end up being the victim of male and female fraudsters. Looking at those thoughts, it seems like I don’t completely believe it yet.

Still, seeing him say things like this makes it worth it even if he gets hurt later.

“See you again tomorrow. “You don’t know when you’ll see each other again when you go back, right?”

“Okay, see you tomorrow.”

Ian gladly accepted. Maybe I won’t be able to see you again for the rest of my life. Or they may have to meet on the battlefield where they must kill each other. Because my relationship with Jin Ha-ryeong was like that.

“Same time, same place.”

“good.”

Did you know about sword dance? When I introduced him as a friend, I thought he would become a real friend like this.

How long did you walk after breaking up with Jin Ha-ryeong? Ian stopped and turned around, feeling cold for some reason.

Before I knew it, Jin Ha-ryeong had disappeared from the beautiful trail.

Ian, who had been looking at the same path as before, started walking again.

* * *

Today, again, I visited Baek Cheon-gyeong.

But he wasn’t in the workshop. It’s been there every time for the past few days. Where did it go?

Anyway, thanks to that, I was able to focus on training all day today.

The main training is Sicheon Secret Art.

Was it because of the appearance of the Wood King?

My concentration was different than usual, and as a result, Sicheon Secret Technique also showed better results than the effect of regular training.

Repeat and repeat. I was so sick of it that I did it again and again even though my whole body was rejecting it.

Practicing is like the process of filling a large bucket by adding a drop of water every day.

Even if it’s boring, you have to endure it. You have to fill a place where there is no mark with a single drop of water that you worked hard to create all day. You should not sigh as you look at that big container that has not changed yesterday or today, and you should also resist the temptation to stop and find other joys, thinking that you will end your life by filling this.

Only if you endure it can you meet that special drop among the countless drops.

Today, that special drop came right into my trance.

Even forgetting that I was currently training, my entire mind was immersed in Sicheon’s Secret Art.

Ecstasy is truly a gift from heaven.

The trigger for this trance was a fire weapon. The thought that he might appear heightened my concentration and led me into a trance. Water poured into the bucket.

When the seemingly ten o’clock hour passed.

‘at las!’

Sicheon Secret Art has reached a level where it is more effective than martial arts training in reality.

Even taking into account the time it took to recover lost internal energy, it was now more effective to practice martial arts in Sicheon Secret Art. I finally started having more time than others.

“I did it!”

The moment I confirmed that fact, a shiver ran through my entire body. I was so happy that I felt like I was flying. I was just as happy as I was when I learned the martial arts technique from my father. I was so happy that I jumped around in the space-time illusion.

Now was the start of full-scale training. My time will increase more and more. Because I was learning Sicheon Secret Art within Sicheon Secret Art.

* * *

While Geommugeuk was resting for a while after coming out of the space-time anomaly technique, Ian came into the room.

“uh? “When did you come back?”

Since Geommugeuk was training in space-time anomaly the whole time, it seems like he thought he had gone out and returned.

“young master. “Have you met Jean Sozer by any chance?”

“no. why?”

“I promised to meet you today, but you didn’t show up.”

“okay?”

“Is something wrong? “I’m not the type of person to break a promise.”

“Didn’t you send someone separately to send a message?”

“yes. So I’m a little worried and concerned.”

I recalled the fact that Baek Cheon-gyeong had vacated the workshop. I’m not the type of person to break a promise, and I’m not in a situation where I’m going to vacate the workshop. Coincidentally, both situations occurred simultaneously.

“When did we last see each other?”

“Yesterday during the day.”

“where?”

“We met in a field in the west and kissed.”

“And then you broke up?”

“We went for a walk together on a trail and then parted ways.”

“Was there anything strange at that time?”

Then, with a slightly anxious expression, Ian expressed what was bothering him.

“As I was coming back, something felt strange, so I turned around.”

One more suspicious situation was added. If I felt something in Ian’s state, something could have happened.

And then something happened that put an end to this anxiety.

I could feel numerous warriors surrounding the safe from afar. If such a large number of people were to surround the safe house, they would be Murim men. I was able to guess what was going on with the sword dance.

“If it was a trail, there would have been a lot of trees around, right?”

In the forest, Baek Cheon-gyeong could have fooled Ian and kidnapped her. Because the only person who could kidnap her now was Bai Tianqing.

‘It wasn’t just a retort, it was a blow.’

Ian asked worriedly at Geommugeuk’s serious expression.

“Jin Sozer will be okay, right?”

“Not yet.”

There is no way to end this matter smoothly after kidnapping the Murim Lord’s granddaughter. That means that it will end in some way.

The good news is that Baek Cheon-gyeong is a cautious person. Even if he killed her when he killed her, he wasn’t the type to kill from the beginning. However, if she is not rescued in time, her life cannot be guaranteed.

‘What does he want? Are you trying to kill me? or not?’

How on earth are you going to take care of it?

“Soon, the Murim men will attack.”

“I just felt it too.”

Geommugeuk opened the door and went out into the yard.

Ian pulled up his mask to cover his face, put on a bamboo hat, and followed him out.

Dozens of masters surrounded the place from all directions. The pressure I felt was unusual.

It was Ian’s first crisis as a midfielder, but she remained calm. Being with Geommugeuk made me feel surprisingly calm.

After a while, a group of warriors entered the yard.

The person who stood in the lead was the Murim lord Jin Pae-cheon. The masters guarding the Murim Lord followed around him.

“long time no see.”

Then, instead of saying hello, Jin Pae-cheon suddenly asked.

“Where is Haryeong now?”

It didn’t matter when I came or why I came. Now, Jin Pae-cheon’s priority was Jin Ha-ryeong.

“I don’t know either.”

“I’ll ask you again. “Where is Ha-ryeong now?”

It seemed like Jin Feicheon’s angry prayers would burst out at any moment. If it weren’t for the previous relationship, he would have already gone out and tried to take down Sword Dance.

Geommugeuk sent a message to Jin Pae-cheon.

– Lord.

―Why are you sending a message instead of using words?

-Because his eyes and ears might be here.

-who?

―It is Baekcheon-gyeong.

At that moment, Jin Feicheon’s expression hardened.

-Are you saying you know who he is?

―Yes, Confucius Jin is a master who studied for ten years. Master Jin felt in danger and asked me for help.

Jin Peicheon made an expression of disbelief. How can you believe that? The fact that his grandson sensed danger from his master and asked the small sect leader of the Demonic Cult for help.

―It may be hard to believe, but it’s true. Where is Confucius Jin now?

-I’m out there to take care of the Death Demon Squadron business.

-You guessed it right when Confucius Jin was away. You would have hoped that a conflict would arise between the leader and me here.

– Around the time Haryeong disappeared, he was with me.

I could see why he wasn’t in the workshop. He was with the person who was most certain to escape the charges in this case. That means there is a subordinate with the ability to kidnap her.

―Although he planned quite well, Baek Cheon-gyeong missed one crucial fact.

-Which one?

―The Lord believes in me.

Jin Peicheon asked coldly.

-Why do you think I trust you?

―My Lord, you know that if I had planned this, you would never find yourself in this situation. Just like last time, you must trust me this time as well.

Geommugeuk looked at Jin Feicheon with clear eyes and added calmly.

―This time too, only I can save Jin Soje.