"Get back!"
My father shoved me aside and lunged at the shadow that had darted toward us like lightning, thrusting his sword forward.
Clang!
The sword and the claws collided, sending sparks flying.
"Ugh!"
My father was pushed back, skidding across the ground, but quickly regained his stance, glaring at the creature that had ambushed us.
Grrr...
It was a giant tiger, its body as large as a house. The tiger circled us slowly, baring its sharp teeth.
"...There weren't supposed to be any traps, but the peddler did mention there might be a wild beast."
"Son, don't you think you should have mentioned that a bit earlier?"
Without taking his eyes off the tiger, it felt like my father shot me a sideways glare.
I scratched my head sheepishly, "I honestly didn't think we'd actually encounter one."
I recalled what Meng Hoak had mentioned back in the dungeon.
--"There used to be a small tiger living around the hut," he had said.
--"A tiger?"
--"It dared to challenge me, so I gave it a good thrashing. I considered eating it, but I was full at the time. Besides, I figured it would keep other animals away from the hut, so I let it be."
--"Do you think that tiger might still be alive?"
--"Who knows? Tigers usually don't live that long, but there's an onsen nearby, and the land is rich with spiritual energy. Heh, if it's still alive, it must have grown quite large by now. I'd have to eat it when I get out of here. It would be great for my health."
--"Tsk. You still can't control your appetite at your age or perhaps you've gone senile already."
--"What? Are you looking to die, you crazy bastard?"
That conversation had taken place many years ago.
If this tiger was indeed the "small" one Meng Hoak had mentioned...
"It's probably a spiritual beast, huh?"
"Are you trying to annoy your father right now?"
"Not at all."
I quickly avoided my father's sharp gaze and focused on the enormous tiger in front of us, which was easily the size of two or three regular tigers combined.
Grrr...
The beast, clearly displeased by our intrusion into its territory, scratched the ground with its claws, digging deep furrows into the earth.
After its first attack failed, it didn't immediately strike again. Instead, it watched us warily, indicating it was far more intelligent than an average beast.
"Son, if we back off now, it might not chase us."
"Father, that tiger's skin alone could get us through the winter without any worry."
"...Being poor is a sin."
As I watched the heavy burden of a father's responsibility weigh on his shoulders, I began to cautiously retreat.
Grrr...
The tiger's gaze remained fixed on my father. It seemed to have determined that I was no threat at all.
In truth, that was pretty much the reality…But no matter how intelligent the tiger was, it's not like it would think to take me as a hostage.
'In other words, I can sit back and relax from here.'
I retreated to a safe distance and positioned myself, then called out to my father in a voice that wouldn't provoke the tiger.
"Father! I will cheer for your victory from afar!"
"You impudent child. Just wait until this is over."
After giving me a sharp glance, my father executed a martial arts technique and charged at the tiger.
Roar!
In response, the tiger roared and leapt at my father.
I watched in quiet admiration as the skilled swordsman and the beast moved together like a painting.
'Impressive, both of them.'
The tiger, a spiritual beast that had lived for nearly a hundred years, was agile and its muscles were powerful. Even a top martial artist could be caught off guard by its speed. And its strength was such that it could easily break a thick tree with a swipe of its paw.
Crack!
'With that kind of strength, it could easily crumple armor made of iron.'
It was clear that even ten skilled tiger hunters wouldn't be able to capture this beast. Moreover, even a top martial artist would struggle against it. Fortunately, my father was a top martial artist who had reached a mature level of skill.
"Ta-ha!"
This was the first time I saw my father fight with all his might.
The fake Namgung Wook I faced during the Jin Academy incident was not a good enough opponent to draw out his real skill.
The movements honed over decades were fluid and smooth, like flowing water.His martial arts techniques were powerful, and the sword's aura was sharply defined.
'From his movements alone, he could easily be considered a peak master.'
Even in my days as a Blood Cult instructor, my father's stances and techniques were so clean that there was almost nothing to critique. It was proof that he hadn't neglected his training even after retiring to the countryside.
"But why…"
I narrowed my eyes, observing my father's martial arts performance.
"...does it look like he's having a hard time?"
"That beast? If it looks like such an easy target to you, then come and fight it!" My father shouted back, hearing my words.
…He has good hearing while fighting a tiger.
In any case, it was difficult to pinpoint exactly what was wrong with my father's performance.
'What's clear is…'
He was firmly stuck at the barrier between top-level and peak mastery.
I had seen similar cases in the past.
'Most of the time, it was more likely to be a mental issue than a physical one.'
And I had experience providing useful assistance in such situations.
Hmm…
"Should I help?"
"Stay out of this! Your interference would only be a hindrance!"
My father, scolding me, intensified his assault on the tiger. His sword strikes became faster and more ferocious.
Roar!
But the tiger was in fact, not an easy target. Agile and with incredibly tough muscles, even when my father's attacks landed, they only managed to graze the tiger's tough hide without penetrating deeply.
A growing impatience was evident on my father's face.
"A beast is still just a beast… Haa!"
A bluish sword aura began to emanate from the tip of my father's sword as he put more force into his attacks. But upon seeing his sword aura, my expression contorted.
"Father! Don't rush it!"
The biggest difference between a top martial artist and a peak master is the freedom to wield sword aura. Sword aura is a coveted level in martial arts where internal energy is visibly manifested on the sword and released outwardly. The difference in power between a sword with and without sword aura is immense. Unless the sword is exceptionally strong, it cannot withstand repeated clashes with a sword imbued with sword aura.
Moreover, handling sword aura means being able to project and manipulate energy in various ways, allowing a peak master to fight ten top martial artists if necessary. It is the gateway to becoming a true superhuman.
'But right now…'
Sometimes, in an attempt to increase power, a martial artist may let their swordplay falter or their breathing become tangled, making their techniques less effective.
I don't consider such martial artists to be peak masters.
Just like right now.
Whoosh!
The sword imbued with aura slashed across the tiger's side. Blood spurted from the tiger's flank as it roared in pain.
Roar!
But my father had to pay the price for his hastily executed attack.
Boom!
The tiger, writhing in agony, struck with its paw in a wild, instinctive attack.
My father managed to raise his sword in time to block, but the force of the blow sent him tumbling, hitting a large rock.
Thud!
"Gah!"
"Father!"
My father screamed in pain, as if his back were being shattered. Blood gushed out and stained his front.
Both were seriously injured.
But the first to recover was the tiger.
Roar!
The beast roared and charged at my father with lightning speed, as if it had squeezed out every last bit of its remaining strength.
"Ugh…"
My father, still dazed, looked in no condition to evade the attack.
At that moment, I threw a large rock with all my strength.
Thud!
The rock I threw hit the tiger's side squarely. The tiger leapt in pain.
In the meantime, I ran to my father and supported him.
"Are you alright?"
The tiger was the one hit by the rock, but for some reason, my father was angrier.
Wiping blood from his mouth with his sleeve, my father glared at me.
"Stay out of danger. This beast is something I…"
"It's not very reassuring to hear that while you're bleeding so much. And if you die, I die too."
"Then you should at least…"
"Stop talking nonsense and…"
Roar!
The enraged tiger, bleeding from its side, came at us with its huge eyes glaring in rage. I quickly hid behind my father and pushed him forward.
"Go fight. I'll make sure to cover you from the back."
"You…?"
I caught another rock I had thrown upward and said, "That way, our chances of survival are higher, right?"
"...You annoying brat."
With a sigh, my father charged back at the tiger. I shouted at his back, "Don't use sword aura anymore! Just aim for the side!"
"I know, you brat!"
"If you knew, what do you think you were doing earlier?"
"…Let's talk about it when we get home."
He says 'let's talk about it at home' when there's nothing more to say.
My father and the tiger were entangled in battle again. Both, now heavily injured, had slowed down compared to their initial pace. Yet, with the smell of blood and palpable murderous intent, the fight grew even more fierce.
Thud, thud, thud!
I diligently rotated my shoulders, ready to throw rocks at the tiger at any moment. The tiger occasionally glanced over at me, wary of my presence. I grinned and met its gaze.
Thud!
The tiger, having received a rock to one of its eyes, tried to lunge at me. But I had a reliable guard.
"You beast! I'm your opponent!"
My father clung to the tiger persistently, while I took the opportunity to hit it with rocks, bruising its body further.
'With a beast of this caliber, it should definitely have a core, right?'
I was already salivating.
✧
Boom!
As expected of its massive size, the sound of the tiger falling was thunderous. After making sure the beast was dead by puncturing its neck, my father leaned against its enormous body.
"Huff… Huff… If I climb this mountain just two more times, I will have to close the Baek Academy."
"Why close the academy? I'll just take over."
"Go home… Huff… ah, I don't even have the strength to talk."
"Rest for a while then."
I took care of slicing open the tiger's belly to retrieve its core. Since my father had already inflicted plenty of wounds, it wasn't too difficult.
"Ehh, the core is smaller than I thought it would be."
"It's big enough. With our skills, catching a proper spirit beast is still out of reach."
The tiger's core was only slightly larger than my thumbnail.
'Well, this is just a bonus anyway.'
Tiger skin, bones, meat, and organs are all worth money. And with such a large tiger caught, the Baek Academy's will be comfortably warm this winter.
"Let's tidy up and head to the hut."
We proceeded to the hut, which was our real destination. However, after searching the hut thoroughly, there was no sign of the precious medicine.
"Where could it be hidden…."
"Son! Come over here!"
At my father's call, I went to the back of the hut. A small field between the hut and the hot spring. There, three roots of Tuber Fleeceflower were planted. Examining the ginseng, my father marveled.
"It looks like it's been aged for at least several hundred years."
Thanks to Baek Suryong's efforts to find treatment since he was young, my father was knowledgeable about medicinal herbs. But that's why he looked a bit dissapointed.
"It's a rare medicinal herb, but…."
I knew what my father was going to say. The three roots of ginseng were nowhere near enough to cure the Celestial Yin Severed Meridians. He had probably given me more medicine over the years than what was here.
'But back then, Baek Suryong didn't know the method to effectively use such medicines.'
Healing Celestial Yin Severed Meridians and transforming it into Celestial Yin Divine Meridians. Without knowing the method, even if you had the legendary pill of Shaolin it wouldn't have been enough.
Obviously I know how to process it.
The problem is, it costs an enormous amount of money—more than selling hundreds of these ginseng roots.
I carefully dug up the ginseng roots and asked my father,
"Can I eat all of these?"
"Sure."
I expected him to complain and say something like, "Only for you huh?," but surprisingly, my father nodded in agreement.
"Anyway, at my age, medicinal herbs like this won't be of much use."
"True, an old man with only himself to rely on won't benefit from such things…"
Thud!
"Jerk!"
I got hit for fooling around.
'Well, with this, I have what I need to lay a solid foundation for the rest of my treatment.'
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. These three ginseng roots will serve as the foundation for changing my condition.
Standing up from the field, I suggested to my father, "Shall we take a dip in the hot spring while we're here?"
There was a small hot spring next to the hut. The milky steam rising from it added a mysterious atmosphere to the place.
Master Meng had also talked about this hot spring.
--"And next to the hut is a fantastic hot spring. I built the hut there because of that hot spring."
--"Is it like those stories where sitting in the hot spring accelerates your inner strength and relieves muscle fatigue so you can train non-stop?"
--"Tsk, tsk. Kids these days...You should have reasonable expectations. Do you think such precious things are just lying around in the mountains? If they were, the martial world would have long been taken over by the mountain bandits!"
--"Hah, why are you calling me a brat? Hmm, maybe Master Meng doesn't want any meat for tonights dinner."
--"Oh, you sneaky bastard!"
'Now, that's all just a memory.'
I chuckled as I recalled my conversation with Master Meng.
With everything done and fatigue setting in, I walked towards the hot spring, intending to relax and unwind..
Swish.
I dipped my fingers into the water to check how hot it was, and then I froze.
"Is something wrong?"
"…Master Maeng, you idiot."
"Who is Master Maeng?"
"…No, this… this is… truly incredible."
"Son, are you alright?"
--What? Did you think there were fortunes scattered throughout the mountains?
Then what's this in front of me?
I never expected the great Green Forest King to have eyes so dim that he couldn't recognize a fortune right in front of him.
'Then again, he's someone who relied solely on his own strength his whole life and had no interest in weapons. What should I have expected?'
I managed to turn my head and look at my father, "Father, it's not about the ginseng right now."
"What are you talking about?"
"Look over there."
My gaze was fixed on a dark blue stone in the center of the hot spring that emitted a faint blue light. It was about the size of two fists combined.
In my previous life, I had seen metal of exactly that color only once.
'…It was only for a moment, but how could I ever forget it?'
It was the metal that pierced my heart.
A legendary metal used to forge the Blood Demon Sect Leader's sword.
'I'm sure. That's Meteoric Iron.'