Mount Hua is a den of monsters.

Murong Yeongsun said it like that.

‘...A den of monsters.’

What a chilling way to put it. The Mount Hua Sect is a Daoist sect, famous for lively, benevolent people.

‘Calling them monsters is a bit much, isn’t it?’

Monsters, for a Daoist sect. The word felt wrong on my tongue.

What was even funnier was—

‘Why is everyone reacting like that?’

Murong Yeongsun’s reaction, and Tang Cheonil’s too.

The way he’d jolted and trembled the instant he heard “Mount Hua” was still vivid.

Tang Cheonil couldn’t even control his body and ended up smashing his pinky toe into a corner.

‘What the hell?’

I couldn’t pretend this was nothing.

‘What is it?’

I was curious. What could be there that made them recoil like that?

Not just recoil—there’d been a faint fear in their voices, too.

What were they afraid of?

‘What’s on Mount Hua?’

I ran through what I knew. I’d heard the Sect Leader was Plum Blossom Single Sword, and I knew there were other masters with sobriquets under him.

‘Is Plum Blossom Single Sword the “monster”?’

If you’re talking purely about strength, maybe.

‘...But he’s not the kind of person people call that.’

With his gentle, benevolent nature and the respect he commanded, there wasn’t a soul in the Central Plains who would dare call Plum Blossom Single Sword a monster.

‘And it’s not that old man, either.’

If anyone deserved to be called a monster, it was Yoo Cheongil, that old bastard, a hundred times over.

[Huh? What are you staring at?]

Yoo Cheongil reacted to my gaze instantly.

[Your eyes look weird. Kid. You talking shit about me in your head again?]

His instincts were disgustingly sharp.

‘...So it’s not Plum Blossom Single Sword, and not the masters under him... then what?’

Who was it?

I thought and thought again.

‘I don’t actually know much about the Mount Hua Sect.’

It wasn’t a place I ever expected to get tangled with, so I’d never studied it. I knew basically nothing.

I forced myself to recall any famous names, slowly working my way down—

‘Ah.’

Only when I got all the way down to the level of younger-generation prodigies did one person finally come to mind.

Someone who’d made the Central Plains roar for a while.

That sobriquet was probably—

‘Sword—’

SWIIIIIIISH—!!!

I snapped my head aside mid-thought.

WHAAK—!!

A wooden sword skimmed past my cheek. My heart lurched as I drove strength into my legs.

Pressure loaded into my toes, power surging through my whole body.

I twisted my waist and cut back—

WHAAAK—!!!

CLACK—!

My wooden sword, packed with force, met the other blade. THUNK! and I got shoved back.

I’d lost the strength contest.

“Tch.”

I clicked my tongue and tried to recover my stance fast, but—

SWIIII—!!!

Like he had no intention of waiting, the wooden sword speared in sharply.

Light gathered in my eyes. Moon Eyes tried to map every line.

I rolled my eyes, tracking the blade’s path.

‘Two feints. The real one’s coming from the diagonal, low.’

I tightened my grip and twisted slightly.

CLACK—!!

Right where I braced to defend, the sword flew in like it had been waiting.

Blocking it with raw strength would just end with me getting shoved off-line again.

So I turned just enough and let the attack slide along my blade.

TAK—!!

The other sword rode up my blade and sprang into the air.

Now.

HUUUUM—!!

Blue Moon Heart Art flooded through my body.

I unleashed Moon Wave as-is.

A half-moon traced open through the air—

[Idiot.]

Yoo Cheongil’s lament hit at the same time a wooden sword was already flying toward my head.

‘Shit—!’

WHOOSH—!!

Just as the wooden sword was about to drop onto my forehead—

STOP—!

It halted right before contact.

And my sword, holding the moon, had also stopped right before it could reach the other man’s waist.

Judging by distance, if we’d actually followed through, I would’ve dropped first. No question.

“...I lost.”

I smacked my lips like it was a shame and pulled my sword back.

The other man nodded.

It was Do Hyeong.

“A good spar.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Lost again.

I sparred with Do Hyeong from time to time, and I’d never beaten him even once.

‘...This guy is seriously strong.’

Sure, he was a few years older than me, but still.

‘I’m at pinnacle too.’

Do Hyeong’s movements were clean to the point of being sterile.

Honest motions faithful to the basics, and inside them, an unavoidable power.

I already knew Do Hyeong had reached pinnacle too, since he was a Small Moon Unit warrior—

‘But I can’t reach him.’

Fighting him was a repetition of almost touching and never touching.

‘Strong.’

It was bizarre.

‘He’s this strong—so why isn’t he known?’

By age, Do Hyeong still counted as a younger-generation prodigy.

Just entering the Small Moon Unit at that age meant he was unquestionably a genius, and—

‘At this level, isn’t he stronger than Tang Cheonil?’

He felt stronger than Tang Cheonil, who should be his peer.

‘So how did he not end up among the Seven Prodigies?’

It didn’t make sense.

‘Is he weaker than Cheon Hyein?’

Moon Dancer Cheon Hyein. Maybe Do Hyeong couldn’t enter the Seven Prodigies because he was weaker than her. If I had to guess, that was the only reason that fit.

‘Especially since the Blue Moon Sect already has someone in the Seven Prodigies.’

If the Blue Moon Sect produced yet another, it would spark talk.

‘And it’s already the kind of moment where people mutter that the Blue Moon Sect gets special treatment.’

It had been Yoo Cheongil’s sect.

And it was like the root of the Martial Alliance, so compared to other clans and sects, they definitely got this and that.

‘Even if that’s not strange. People’s eyes are people’s eyes.’

So maybe, because they wanted to be careful, Do Hyeong just wasn’t pushed into the spotlight.

At least, that explanation was plausible.

But—

‘Who knows.’

If you asked whether that was truly it, it probably wasn’t.

Click.

I put away the wooden sword I’d used and removed the sandbags tied to my hands and feet.

THUD—!

THUD—!!

Heavy as hell. The moment the bindings came free, my body finally felt light.

Do Hyeong watched and asked,

“Bang Sungyeon.”

“Yes, Senior.”

“Why did you fight without taking them off?”

“Huh?”

Do Hyeong pointed at my sandbags.

“...Ah. I thought it would help more this way.”

“......”

He looked dissatisfied.

Did he want me to take them off and spar properly? That was possible, but—

“You didn’t take yours off either, Senior.”

The funny part was that Do Hyeong had iron weights strapped to his arms and legs too.

If anything, his looked heavier.

“......”

Do Hyeong coughed like he had nothing to say.

Looks like he’d forgotten he was wearing them.

I’ve watched him for months now. That man is more of an airhead than you’d think.

“...Then.”

“Yes?”

“Forget that. Why aren’t you using it?”

“That?”

“......”

“Ah... are you talking about sword force?”

Do Hyeong nodded. He seemed to be asking why I wasn’t using Third Form: Radiant Moon Annihilation-Overturn.

“...I didn’t think I needed to use it in a spar.”

“......”

He looked genuinely disappointed.

Did he want to see it?

Or—

“Are you curious?”

“......”

Curious about Radiant Moon Annihilation-Overturn.

Do Hyeong flinched.

So that was it.

‘Mm.’

There was something I’d learned.

The Small Moon Unit all learned Blue Moon Sword Dance, and most had opened Moon Eyes, but—

‘What they use and what I use are different.’

You could tell just by watching Do Hyeong and the other Blue Moon Sect members.

My sword forms and what they learned weren’t the same.

They looked similar, but they weren’t.

The difference was subtle, but that subtle difference was clearer than it looked.

‘You can tell just from Moon Wave.’

Blue Moon Sword Dance was originally a delicate, beautiful sword.

Most of it was light and soft, embodying the rising moon, but—

‘Mine isn’t.’

What I use is rough and sharp.

Not a fragile blade that would crumble if you tapped it—

‘It’s violent, like it’ll break anything.’

As if nothing could stand in the way of the moon rising.

A momentum like it would smash everything and rise anyway.

That was the sword Yoo Cheongil taught me.

‘And I’m the only one who uses it.’

In the entire Blue Moon Sect, I seemed to be the only one using this kind of sword dance.

So—

‘Of course other people pay attention.’

They knew my sword’s origin came from Yoo Cheongil, so it made sense that Blue Moon Sect members sometimes looked at me like I was some kind of curiosity.

“Senior, you can’t use it?”

It was a genuine question.

Radiant Moon Annihilation-Overturn was still part of sword forms. First Form, Second Form, Third Form.

So if Do Hyeong wanted it, shouldn’t he be able to use it too?

“...?”

Do Hyeong stared at me like I’d just said something insane.

“...Why are you looking at me like that?”

Why that look?

Then—

[...Kid.]

Yoo Cheongil spoke, his voice awkward.

[The Third Form you use doesn’t exist to begin with.]

‘...What?’

I frowned.

What does that mean?

[Radiant Moon Annihilation-Overturn is something I created. Originally, it was something else.]

“......”

I clenched and unclenched my hand.

Trying to cool the cold sweat that had formed.

‘So...’

That sword force—Radiant Moon Annihilation-Overturn—was a martial art Yoo Cheongil personally created?

‘Not a variation like Moon Wave or Night Moon.’

He created it from scratch?

‘Oh.’

Then what I just asked Do Hyeong was basically me mocking him for «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» not being able to use something that wasn’t even part of the original set.

Yeah. Now I understood Do Hyeong’s face.

“No, that’s not—”

I hurried to spit something out, but no excuse came to mind.

“......”

“......”

Silence passed between us.

I scratched the back of my head awkwardly, then said,

“Next time... if there’s a chance, I’ll teach you.”

“...!”

Do Hyeong’s eyes widened.

For once his expression changed, and there was a faint joy in it.

*****

After finishing the spar with Do Hyeong, I washed up and moved out.

It was barely past noon.

The sun sat high in the sky. A day that felt especially bright.

As I walked, I spoke to Yoo Cheongil.

“I said I’d teach him, but... is it actually okay for me to teach him?”

Can I teach Do Hyeong Radiant Moon Annihilation-Overturn?

I was asking permission for what I’d just blurted out.

[...You’re asking for permission after you already fired it off?]

“...If it’s not allowed, I can smooth it over somehow.”

[Hm.]

Yoo Cheongil floated up and picked his nose.

[It doesn’t matter.]

That was way calmer than I expected. How can someone be that casual about teaching a martial art he created?

Maybe because Do Hyeong was a Blue Moon Sect warrior too?

I looked at him like I couldn’t believe it, but Yoo Cheongil’s reason wasn’t that.

[He won’t be able to learn it anyway.]

“Huh?”

What does that mean—he won’t be able to learn it anyway?

Yoo Cheongil spoke to me with a colder face and voice than usual.

[He can’t learn it. He won’t have the qualification or the talent.] 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

“...What are you—”

Do Hyeong had plenty of talent, and he seemed qualified, but Yoo Cheongil was absolute.

[Kid. You need to understand just how outrageous the power you’re learning is.]

“...I understand it, more or less.”

[Tch, tch... With your narrow little talent, you couldn’t even touch it. You only barely get it because the great Yoo Cheongil is helping you.]

“......”

It’s true, but it pisses me off.

What am I supposed to do with that ridiculous ego?

[I’m not going to stop you from telling others. Just remember it’s pointless. Ah.]

He shifted mid-sentence.

[Moon-Thread Sword’s daughter, that girl, might be able to.]

He meant Cheon Hyein.

Just like before, Yoo Cheongil seemed to rate Cheon Hyein extremely highly.

[And her brother might be able to as well. Not yet, but eventually.]

“Hm?”

Her brother—does he mean Cheon Eujin?

‘That’s unexpected.’

Do Hyeong can’t, Cheon Hyein can, and Cheon Eujin might.

Does that mean Yoo Cheongil thinks Cheon Eujin’s talent is that high?

‘Even though...’

Cheon Eujin is talented.

First-rate at that age is impressive. But—

‘Compared to Do Hyeong...’

Compared to Do Hyeong, who had clearly reached pinnacle, it was murky.

Cheon Eujin couldn’t even make it into the Small Moon Unit.

‘But if Yoo Cheongil rates him like that...’

It felt like there was something else.

[Anyway, handle that yourself. And shouldn’t you start preparing?]

“Ah. Yes.”

I tightened my focus at Yoo Cheongil’s words.

We’d been talking while walking, and before I knew it, I’d reached my destination.

‘I have to do it.’

I nodded and steadied myself.

I had to remember why I came here starting from lunch.

‘It’s about time.’

What I came to do after arriving at the Blue Moon Sect.

‘Make my backing solid.’

To prepare for the Young Lord seat, I needed to build my power base.

Someone who would support me becoming the Young Lord.

This was the first place I’d come to, to pull him in.

*****

“...What did you just say?”

A blue-eyed man asked.

At that, I repeated what I’d said.

“I think I need to become the Young Lord, so could you help me?”

I said it calmly with a smile, and the man’s face twisted.

Like he couldn’t understand it at all.

No wonder.

“...You came here to say that to me?”

The man I was speaking to was the Blue Moon Sect’s second-in-command.

The one who’d openly said he hated me.

Small Moon Unit Leader Baek Yucheon.