Disciple - 2
One day, Ok Yeongjin called his cherished grandson to him. Okhang greeted him respectfully at the door before stepping into the room. The interior was not particularly spacious but rather cozy. Weapons adorned the walls, making it clear that the room belonged to a martial artist. This was Ok Yeongjin's study, where bookshelves filled with military texts lined one side, and on the other wall rested two swords, both of which Ok Yeongjin had used throughout his life, neatly placed on black stands engraved with dragon motifs.
Beside the stands were three suits of armor. One was an ornate ceremonial light armor, another was a black battle armor, and the last was a more recently acquired black light armor. The armors, along with the four shields neatly displayed behind them, were impeccably maintained, showing how much care Ok Yeongjin put into preserving them.
Aside from the weapons, the room contained little furniture. However, the few items it did have, such as lamps and desks, were all old but of the highest quality, reflecting the long tradition of this distinguished military family.
Ok Yeongjin sat on a tiger pelt he had hunted long ago, polishing his favorite sword. In his younger days, like many military officers, he had wielded the large 30-kg heavy sword that was still displayed on the stand. However, as his strength had waned with age, he now used a 13-kg sword called Cheongyeong, which was 3 feet long.
Unlike martial artists, military officers favored heavier weapons. Despite the extra effort required to wield them, such weapons were necessary to penetrate thick armor and deal critical blows to opponents. Most soldiers also used large shields, making it difficult for even highly skilled martial artists to engage in direct combat with them. As such, very few experts dared to face the elite troops of the government.
For high-ranking officers like Ok Yeongjin, their immense physical strength allowed them to wear not only heavy armor but also the round steel plate known as Eomshim Gap, which protected the heart. They also wore layered leather protective gear, which extended from the shoulders to the abdomen, similar to a vest, over which they donned heavy armor.
There were generally two types of armor. One was full-scale armor, resembling dragon scales, which those with greater strength preferred due to its thickness. The other type of armor used scale armor on the shoulders, flanks, and thighs, but featured solid round steel plates for the chest and back. Some individuals opted to replace the backplate with scales for more flexibility. The backplate armor was often engraved with various patterns for decoration, making it popular among younger officers, and it provided excellent defense. However, older warriors favored the more flexible scale armor.
Such heavy armor and shields were difficult to pierce with the thin blades typically used by martial artists. Moreover, unlike the protective energy techniques (Hoshinganggi) martial artists relied on, which only lasted briefly, these armors and shields provided constant protection. This made confrontations with government forces something martial artists preferred to avoid whenever possible. For these reasons, the government favored heavy weapons and armor, and to prevent the fatigue that came with using such equipment, imperial martial arts had developed into a style that, while sharp, remained relatively straightforward.
Legendary weapons (Shinbyeong-igi), on the other hand, were lightweight but could cut through steel effortlessly. Older, wealthier officers preferred such weapons, as they rarely engaged in direct combat and instead focused on leading troops efficiently. As a result, they favored thinner armor and lighter swords whenever possible.
While Ok Yeongjin polished his sword, Okhang couldn't help but steal glances at his grandfather's black battle armor, which stood nearby.
Black armor...
His heart raced with anticipation, hoping for what might come next. Finally, Ok Yeongjin broke the silence.
"How long did you train with the Qingcheng Sect?"
"Five years, sir."
"Five years, you say… it's neither long nor short, depending on how one looks at it. Have you made any progress?"
"Yes."
"You sound confident in your answer."
"Yes, that's why I thought I'd join the Black Wind Brigade—"
"Forget about the Black Wind Brigade for now and focus on learning more swordsmanship."
"You mean to send me back to the Qingcheng Sect?"
"No, there's a better opponent for you. Have you met a man named Guk Gwang?"
"Yes."
Okhang was about to mutter something like "such an arrogant fellow," but quickly swallowed his words and bowed his head to hide his flustered expression.
"Learn more swordsmanship from him."
"From him? But, in my view, he's not exactly… well-built—"
"Martial skill isn't based on physical size. No matter how weak he may appear on the outside, Guk Gwang is an exceptional master."
Okhang found that hard to believe. The first time he met Guk Gwang, he thought his arrogance and demeanor were unbecoming. He had sized him up as merely a tactician with some tricks up his sleeve. Ok Yeongjin, noticing the expression on Okhang's face, spoke again.
"It seems you don't trust your grandfather's words."
"I would never, sir!"
"Did you bring your sword?"
"Yes, I brought the one I used at the Qingcheng Sect."
"Is it a heavy sword?"
"No, it's one of the lighter ones that martial artists use."
"Then take that sword and come to Guk Gwang's residence. I'll be waiting there, so don't delay."
"Yes, sir."
When Ok Yeongjin arrived at Guk Gwang's residence, Guk Gwang was reading a book. He greeted Ok Yeongjin politely.
"Welcome."
"How are you these days? I actually came with a rather important request."
"A request?"
"Could you teach my grandson some swordsmanship?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Why should I be the one to teach swordsmanship to a child?"
"Haha, he's no child. He's already twenty-one this year. He's spent five years training in swordsmanship at the Qingcheng Sect, so if you put in a little effort, he'll make progress."
"I barely know swordsmanship myself. Even if I did remember some techniques, they're ingrained in my body, not something I can easily pass on to someone else."
"Hahaha, but perhaps teaching someone might jog your memory and stimulate those old skills. Don't you think?"
"Well… I suppose that's one way to look at it."
"What do you have to lose? Try teaching him for a bit, and if it's no fun, you can always stop."
"Alright then. I'll give it an hour or two each day. Where is your grandson?"
"He went to fetch his sword. He should be here soon."
"Understood."
Guk Gwang rummaged around and pulled out a wooden stick about two and a half feet long.
"What are you going to do with that?"
"You asked me to teach swordsmanship, didn't you?"
"Not with a real sword?"
"This will suffice."
At that moment, Okhang returned. He had a standard martial artist's sword, about 2.8 feet long, sheathed at his waist. Guk Gwang glanced at the scabbard and spoke.
"Let me see your sword."
"Here…"
Guk Gwang examined the sword closely.
"How long have you used this sword?"
This guy really has no manners, Okhang thought, irritated. But since his grandfather seemed fine with it, Okhang had no choice but to swallow his annoyance and not object.
"For about ten years."
"Hmm, ten years, you say… So you've been using this sword the whole time?"
After a moment of thought, Guk Gwang handed the sword back to him.
"Alright, go ahead and attack me."
Holding his wooden stick, Guk Gwang stood still, not even bothering to take a defensive stance. If he had, it wouldn't have aggravated Okhang as much. But standing there casually with a wooden stick, it felt like a clear sign of disrespect. Already annoyed, Okhang was filled with anger. After giving a formal bow, he immediately launched his first attack, Salcho, a killing thrust.
He lunged forward with three thrusts aimed in different directions, preparing to follow up with a slash if Guk Gwang retreated. But Guk Gwang simply twisted his body slightly, dodging all three thrusts, and then, with his wooden stick, lightly struck Okhang's hand.
Startled, Okhang quickly retreated, relying on the length of his sword to swing at Guk Gwang's stick. However, with a deft twist, Guk Gwang redirected the sword's trajectory, effortlessly flowing around the blade. In an instant, he closed the distance by a single step with incredible speed and swung his stick at Okhang's neck. Though it was just a wooden stick, the force behind the strike felt so powerful that Okhang feared it might break his neck if it landed.
In a panic, Okhang leaned back to escape the range of the stick, slashing horizontally with his sword to counter.
I may have retreated, but I can't avoid that guy's stick. Still, my sword is about three inches longer, so I have a chance. And it's wood versus steel—there's no question which one will cause more damage if we clash, Okhang thought as he quickly calculated his odds.
However, Guk Gwang suddenly kicked Okhang's hand with his left foot, and at the same time, his right foot landed a solid blow to Okhang's groin. Struck in a vital spot, Okhang collapsed, all the strength drained from his body, unable to stand. Lying there groaning in pain, he heard Guk Gwang's mocking voice from above.
"You didn't consider the distance. The gap between us was enough for me to use foot techniques. If you were thinking clearly, you should have used footwork yourself."
"This… this isn't a swordsmanship duel!"
"Oh, didn't I mention? When facing an opponent with a sword, you have to do whatever it takes to survive."
"That's dishonorable!"
"Dishonor? You think the dead care about honor?"
Enraged, Okhang launched attack after attack at Guk Gwang, but he couldn't even graze his opponent's clothing. Guk Gwang, meanwhile, used every trick in the book, even scooping up dirt and throwing it in Okhang's eyes. After an hour of being beaten by Guk Gwang's stick and bare hands, Okhang—despite his well-trained body—had no spot left that didn't ache by the end of their session. Exhausted, he collapsed, unable to move, as Guk Gwang left him with a parting laugh.
"See you tomorrow. Heh heh…"
Over time, Okhang realized that Guk Gwang didn't use conventional swordsmanship. He rarely repeated the same technique in sequence. He always aimed for a single decisive strike, exploiting his opponent's weaknesses or creating distractions with fake attacks, only to strike with his free hand or foot. His style adapted constantly to the situation, yet he only relied on a handful of preferred techniques. Despite being simple, those techniques flowed seamlessly into each other, generating extraordinary power.
Guk Gwang's strikes were calculated to avoid inflicting severe injury, but getting hit repeatedly left Okhang's body swollen and sore. He had to apply medicine and even resorted to hot compresses to manage the pain. Although he tried to counterattack, Guk Gwang's slippery, eel-like movements made it nearly impossible to keep up. The speed and agility of his lightfoot and body techniques amazed Okhang.
After three months, Okhang finally managed to dodge one of Guk Gwang's kicks. Guk Gwang, noticing this narrow escape, grinned.
"Oh? You dodged it? How about this, then?"
With that, Guk Gwang increased his speed and delivered another beating. While Okhang initially dismissed Guk Gwang's methods as cheap tricks, he soon realized that to stand a chance against him, he would have to adopt those same unconventional techniques. He began mimicking Guk Gwang's style, but soon discovered that executing those peculiar attacks naturally required a level of mastery beyond the ordinary.
One day, after Okhang had begun integrating his hands and feet into his counterattacks, Guk Gwang handed him three books as he lay exhausted on the ground.
"All the martial arts I've used so far are based on these."
"What are these, Master? I belong to an orthodox sect, I can't learn unorthodox martial arts."
As months passed, Okhang had come to address Guk Gwang with respect. It was both a recognition of his superior skill and a show of proper etiquette toward the man teaching him. Although he still had some desire to learn, his pride in having studied orthodox martial arts made him reluctant to delve into anything that smelled of unorthodox techniques, no matter how extraordinary they seemed.
"What do you mean, what are they? They're three books of Imperial Palace martial arts. Fist techniques, sword techniques, and foot techniques. The forms are pretty fun, so study them well. Once you've read them all, return them to Master Ok."
"So, all the techniques you've been using until now are part of Imperial Palace martial arts?" Okhang asked in surprise.
"Of course. I've just combined and applied those three martial arts styles," Guk Gwang replied.
How does one take simple attack-oriented Imperial Palace martial arts and turn them into such underhanded tactics? Okhang wondered as he reflected on their sessions.
After the sparring session, with his body aching, Okhang read through the manuals Guk Gwang had given him. To his astonishment, Guk Gwang was right—every technique he'd used was indeed written there. The three books contained martial arts commonly practiced by many officials in the imperial court, well-known for their strength. But these martial arts were intended for straightforward, honorable confrontations, not for combining techniques to exploit an opponent's weaknesses in such a cunning manner.
What shocked Okhang the most, however, was something else. He found it incomprehensible that Guk Gwang had connected four offensive techniques from the Jinlin Swordsmanship, three techniques from the Seven-Form Fist, and four techniques from the Thousand Shadows Eight Wilds Footwork into a seamless fighting style. Though Okhang had been the one to receive the blows, no matter how much he analyzed the manuals, he couldn't see how these techniques could naturally flow together. In fact, any attempts to combine them seemed only to get in the way of each other's movements.
After spending the entire night pondering, dawn broke, and Okhang rushed to Guk Gwang's quarters, clutching the manuals.
"I've been thinking all night, but according to the manuals, there's no way to connect the techniques the way you do!" he said, clearly frustrated.
"Tsk, tsk, you fool. Why can't they connect? If you use Heavenly Step Thunder Kick with your left foot and then use your right hand or foot in that position to clash with the opponent, the shift in your balance naturally settles itself. And once you've stepped out like this, why would you come back? Use that momentum to launch the Cloud Thousand Direct Punch. That way, it's easier to return to your position."
"Huh… So, the techniques connect when there's an opponent present."
"Exactly. But if your opponent dodges, then you have to change tactics."
"But how much longer are we going to keep sparring like this? These days, there isn't a single part of my body that doesn't hurt when I lie down at night."
"Well… it'll end one day. Just remember this: when you use a sword, don't get too fixated on the techniques or rigid ways of thinking. Just let your body follow your heart, and your heart follow your body. Imperial Palace martial arts, when mastered deeply, can take you to incredible heights. What you've learned so far is just scratching the surface."
"We're not officially master and disciple, so if you don't like my methods, you can quit anytime. And if I get tired of teaching, I'll stop too. Just focus on learning as best you can. It's been five months since we started training together… Your body's become much more flexible, and your judgment has improved. Once I think you've reached a certain level, I'm considering ending the sparring and giving you some serious training."
"But this training method is so different from what I learned at the Cheongseong Sect," Okhang remarked.
"Am I being too harsh?"
"Well, yeah, a little. Nowhere else do they teach martial arts by beating their students all the time."
"Then what do you want me to do?"
"You should teach me powerful techniques! That's how I'll become stronger, isn't it?"
"Getting stronger... Do you know what I realized after reading countless secret manuals in the Imperial Library?"
"Not sure."
"There's no such thing as absolute divine martial arts. Every technique has a flaw. Martial arts are interconnected. If Technique A overpowers Technique B, then Technique B will be beaten by Technique C. And Technique C will, in turn, lose to Technique A. This only applies when martial artists are of the same level. For example, there's a huge difference between your martial level and mine, and I'm sure you've noticed. I can destroy the first-rate martial arts of the Qingcheng Sect that you've learned with techniques that don't even rank in the third-rate of the martial world. It's not how powerful the technique is that matters, but the ability of the person using it."
"So, does that mean learning strong martial arts isn't necessary?"
"No, it's not that you don't need to learn powerful techniques. Rather, understanding the deeper meaning behind those techniques is what's more important."
"What do you mean by 'deeper meaning'?"
"For example, in the Qingcheng Sect's Pursuit of Illusion Sword Technique that you've used against me, the move 'Phantom Snake's Shadow Step' goes like this, right?"
"That's right."
"But if you strike like that, anyone can see it coming. Of course, if the user executes it with exceptional speed, the opponent would still fall for it..."
"Isn't that why you use a feint?"
"Exactly, you use feints. The more advanced the swordsmanship, the more developed its feints become. But you don't always have to memorize and use every feint. As long as you can deceive the opponent, it doesn't matter. Whether you cut or stab, there's no need to stick rigidly to a set pattern. The techniques themselves are just frameworks created because people lacked the ability to execute them quickly. If the opponent is weak and can't even block a feint, why bother pulling it back to use the real strike? If the feint is enough to land a hit, go for it. And if your real strike is blocked, you should pull it back, turn it into a feint, and divert your opponent's attention elsewhere. In short, sticking to a pattern isn't always necessary, in my opinion."
"I see where you're coming from. But what does that have to do with you beating me up?"
"You idiot! If you get hit enough, you'll learn to avoid it. You've started dodging and even counterattacking lately, haven't you?"
"Now that you mention it…"
"In long-range combat, powerful techniques dominate, but in close-quarters combat, experience is what matters most. So, stop complaining and let me hit you. You'll figure everything out eventually."
At this, Okhang exaggeratedly feigned shock.
"How could you say that? That's a terribly irresponsible answer!"
"By the way, have you ever killed someone?"
"What? No, not yet."
"Those skilled in martial arts often have a knack for killing. But, on the other hand, those who are good at killing aren't necessarily strong in martial arts. Since you've never killed before, let me tell you—if your opponent isn't someone you must kill, there's no need to fight. But if you spot a weakness, you must strike and kill without hesitation. Otherwise, in that moment of hesitation, you'll be the one to fall. There's a huge difference between someone who's willing to kill at any moment and someone who isn't."
"I've heard from my grandfather that you lost all your memories, so how do you know this? You haven't killed anyone since then, right?"
"I realized it after exchanging moves a few times. When the opponent attacked, and when we first traded moves, my hands and feet moved unconsciously the moment I saw their flaws. If I hadn't held back, they'd all be in the next world. It made me wonder, had I committed countless killings before? Who was I in the past? Why am I so skilled in martial arts? Did I ever kill innocent people? Do I have a family? Although, considering I feel no longing for them, I probably don't."
As Okhang watched Gukgwang smile faintly, he began to realize something. At first, he thought his master was a ruthless brute, but now, after gradually getting to know him, he was sure that wasn't the case.
"Master, I don't think you were a mindless killer. Please don't worry too much."
Okhang hadn't realized Gukgwang thought so deeply about his past, but after hearing him, he knew that was the best reassurance he could offer.
I should ask Grandfather to take Master to a brothel or something to help lighten his mood, Okhang thought.