Chapter 82
Namgung Mugang (2)
Namgung Hyuk quietly observed Namgung Mugang, evaluating his strength.
‘For someone who spent so many years wasting away, his body isn’t that ruined… and his internal energy seems solid enough.’
Perhaps it was because he had once been the promising young master of the clan, even though he had now fallen far.
The moment Namgung Mugang gripped the sword he had long abandoned, the appearance of a true swordsman resurfaced from within him.
‘But he’s still lacking.’
If he wanted to fully awaken as a martial artist, he was still far from it.
With a sharp glint in his eyes, Namgung Hyuk suddenly released killing intent and drew his sword without warning.
“……!”
Startled, Namgung Mugang quickly raised his blade and blocked the attack directed at him.
Clang!
Sword strikes collided repeatedly.
Namgung Mugang’s gaze gradually filled with shock.
‘What is this child’s swordsmanship…?’
He had heard rumors about Namgung Hyuk, of course. Even he had ears.
But now that he was personally crossing blades with him, he realized the rumors weren’t exaggerated in the least.
Slice!
A sharp strike came digging toward his throat, forcing Namgung Mugang to bend backwards.
Was it because he had neglected his training for too long?
The sudden movement made his lower back throb, and he quickly stepped back to counterattack.
Shrrriing!
Namgung Mugang unfolded the Changung Muae Sword Art in his hands.
‘Pitiful.’
Namgung Hyuk dismissed it with a single thought.
For someone who hadn’t shaken off his drunkenness, the sword form wasn’t entirely bad.
But so what?
There was no willpower in the blade. No sharpness. No spirit.
Clang!
Namgung Hyuk easily deflected the stab aimed at his chest.
Then he drove his left fist straight into Namgung Mugang’s solar plexus.
“Ugh!”
Namgung Mugang covered his mouth as if about to vomit.
Yet he managed to endure without losing composure.
“That all you’ve got?”
At Namgung Hyuk’s icy voice, Namgung Mugang wiped the saliva from his lip with the back of his hand.
Standing still for a moment, he circulated his internal energy and forced the alcohol from his system.
“…Let’s go again.”
His voice was decisively different from before.
Namgung Hyuk nodded slightly and adjusted his grip on the sword.
Shrrring!
Again, Namgung Mugang unfolded the Changung Muae Sword Art.
But this time, his strikes were alive—sharp, targeted, and aiming precisely for Namgung Hyuk’s vital points.
‘Looks like he’s finally come to his senses.’
Namgung Hyuk deflected the blows, his eyes shining.
Clish-clash!
He adeptly blocked every strike that followed.
His steady, composed response continued for an entire shichen.
Namgung Mugang, however, was running out of breath.
Even if he had expelled his drunkenness, years of slacking had weakened his stamina.
Meanwhile, Namgung Hyuk was just as energetic as when they started.
His level had risen enough that this much exertion didn’t tire him one bit.
“Haa… haa…”
“At this rate, you will never be able to put your blade on me.”
Provoked, Namgung Mugang glared at him.
Without realizing it himself, the flames in his eyes were slowly reigniting.
‘Don’t tell me… everything he’s done so far was to provoke Father on purpose?’
Namgung Jin, watching the exchange, had initially been furious at Namgung Hyuk for seeming to mock and toy with his father.
But seeing how things progressed, he began to understand Namgung Hyuk’s intention.
Fwoosh…
A blue sword aura began rising from Namgung Mugang’s blade.
In the next instant, his sword shot forward at high speed.
Clang!
‘Heavy.’
Blocking it, Namgung Hyuk realized something.
It was the Namgung Clan’s characteristic heavy sword strikes enhanced with speed—something he had never seen before.
[Understanding of “Iron-Blood Three Forms (Cheolhyeol Samsik)” has increased by 13%.]
It was no coincidence Namgung Mugang carried the epithet Iron-Blood Sword.
In his youth, he had created his own life-and-death martial technique, based on the Namgung Clan’s sword style.
And his assault wasn’t over yet.
Slash-slash-slash!
A barrage of slashes flew at Namgung Hyuk, like a torrential downpour.
Though reckless given his declining stamina and internal energy, the attack lasted long enough to momentarily pin Namgung Hyuk in place.
‘Even though he’s reaching his limits, he’s launching such an all-out assault?’
Blocking strike after strike, Namgung Hyuk sensed something strange.
Even while releasing sword aura, Namgung Mugang was gathering energy deep within.
And when that accumulation reached its peak—
‘Heaven-Shattering Sword!’
Namgung Mugang unleashed the final form of the Iron-Blood Three Forms.
BOOOOOOM!
A massive explosion of sword aura erupted downward, sweeping across the entire area.
* * *
The beautifully decorated garden had been reduced to ruins, and clouds of dirt from the explosion filled the air.
“Hoo… huff…”
Namgung Mugang dropped his sword to the ground, utterly exhausted and gasping for breath.
‘How many years has it been since I last used this technique…?’
He thought he’d never be able to execute it again.
But pushed to his limits, his body moved as it had once remembered.
‘So I still had something left… as a martial artist.’
As he stared at his trembling hand—
Swish—!
A sword flew from the front, stopping precisely beneath his chin.
“……!”
Namgung Mugang shut his eyes, seeing Namgung Hyuk standing before him unharmed and pointing a blade at him.
It was his way of acknowledging defeat.
[You have leveled up!]
Namgung Hyuk turned his eyes from the message back to Namgung Mugang.
“You are dead.”
At the cold statement, Namgung Mugang’s eyes slowly opened.
Meeting his gaze, Namgung Hyuk continued:
“Decide whether you will be reborn here… or remain dead forever.”
“…You are just like your father.”
Namgung Mugang replied quietly instead of resisting.
Namgung Hyuk slightly frowned.
“You know the truth of that day, don’t you?”
Namgung Mugang was the one to bring it up first.
Namgung Hyuk nodded.
“I know almost everything. Including the fact that you killed my father.”
“That so.”
Namgung Mugang admitted it calmly.
Even though his own son, Namgung Jin, was right beside him.
“It’s true that because of me… Namgung Cheol—my precious friend and family—died.”
“…So that guilt is what drove you into ruin?”
“Yes.”
A faint, powerless smile spread on Namgung Mugang’s lips.
When he was younger—
Unlike his political wife, whom he married for clan obligations, there was a woman he truly loved.
He often met her in secret.
And because of that, he fell into the hands of a demonic cult.
There, he lost the woman he loved… and ended up killing Namgung Cheol with his own hands.
He was saved eventually, but he could never shake the guilt.
Thus, he drowned himself in alcohol and debauchery, believing he had no right to inherit the clan.
“That’s your excuse?! If that’s how you felt, you should have offered up your life instead!”
Namgung Hyuk erupted in genuine fury.
Namgung Mugang opened his mouth weakly, unable to deny it.
“I know. Nothing I do can undo the sins I committed.”
“That’s not why I’m disappointed. What angers me is that you made my father’s death meaningless!”
“…!”
“If my father gave his life to protect yours, then you should have lived in his stead with worth and dignity! But you didn’t!”
Namgung Hyuk’s voice shook with emotion.
With his past-life memories returning and the time spent in the ‘Room’, he was no longer a mere boy.
But right now, he could not control his emotions.
“…Yes. Everything you say is true.”
Namgung Mugang lowered his head.
He finally understood why Namgung Hyuk had come here today.
He also answered the question Namgung Hyuk had asked earlier.
“I’ve lived in regret until now. And here, I will accept death at your hands.”
Blood trickled down his neck as he pressed it against the blade himself.
“Strike me down if you wish. But… if you would give me one more chance… I want to use what life I have left to atone for my past.”
His words were honest—without a single trace of deceit.
Namgung Hyuk finally withdrew his sword.
Then he clasped his fists respectfully and bowed.
“I understand your intentions. Please forgive my earlier discourtesy.”
“No. Thanks to you, I could finally come to my senses. I should be the one thanking you.”
Namgung Mugang bowed deeply in return.
Then he turned to Namgung Jin, who was staring at him with a mix of shock and joy.
“I’ve caused you so much hardship… I’m truly sorry.”
“N-No, Father. I’m just happy you’ve returned.”
Namgung Jin replied with a trembling voice.
The shocking revelations from earlier no longer mattered.
He was simply happy his father had come back to himself.
‘Father in the afterlife can finally rest easy now.’
Namgung Hyuk smiled faintly at the thought.
Namgung Mugang looked at him quietly.
‘Cheol… your son has grown magnificently.’
For the first time in years, Namgung Mugang recalled the face of the friend he had avoided thinking about.
“What on earth happened here?”
“My goodness!”
The courtesans who had rushed over after hearing the explosion were stunned at the ruined garden.
As the commotion grew, Namgung Hyuk addressed Namgung Mugang.
“Let’s return to the clan. You have much to do.”
“Of course.”
Namgung Mugang, finally returning as the young master of the Namgung Clan, nodded.
On the way back, he heard about the late-night assassination attempt.
“That happened while I was gone…!”
He was deeply ashamed that he had abandoned his duties while such a crisis occurred.
Trying to console him, Namgung Jin spoke beside him:
“But thanks to Lady Jegal Lin’s quick response, the damage wasn’t too severe.”
“Even so, my responsibility does not disappear.”
Namgung Mugang replied heavily.
He didn’t know how long it would take to regain the trust of his clan.
‘But I will change.’
It was the only way he could repay the debt he owed his friend’s son—the one who pulled him out of the abyss.
At last, the three returned to the Namgung Clan.
But something seemed off.
‘What is this… like the calm before a storm?’
Just then, Namgung Do spotted them and hurried over.
“Where on earth did you all— S-Second Young Master?!”
He faltered mid-scolding as he saw Namgung Mugang standing behind them.
Why were these three together?
As Namgung Do froze, Namgung Mugang spoke.
“I apologize for leaving my post in such dire times, Chief Steward.”
“……!”
Namgung Do’s jaw dropped at Namgung Mugang’s transformed demeanor.
Namgung Hyuk asked,
“So, why were you looking for us?”
“Oh right! There’s no time for this—the Grand Elder has arrived!”
His words made all three of them stiffen in shock.
