Absolute Regression

Chapter 574: So This Is the Level of Martial Halls These Days

The Sword King’s gaze was gentle.

The officials found the first impression of this new instructor favorable.

Was it the calmness conveyed by his expression? Or perhaps the worn-out martial robe, the iron sword, and the hair tied back? There was a sense of unrestrained freedom about him.

How should one put it? He looked like the kind of man who carried a single sword, roaming the Central Plains, savoring freedom.

And that was precisely why Geom Mugeuk grew even more tense.

Because he knew well that this air of freedom stemmed from a certain level of mastery.

Geom Mugeuk stepped forward, placing himself in front of Lee Ahn and Seo Jin.

He positioned the two women slightly behind him on either side.

Had he been alone, he wouldn’t have been this tense. But this place was full of officials, and more than anyone else, Lee Ahn and Seo Jin were here.

Was there any guarantee that the Sword King wouldn’t attack him right here?

Considering all that had happened with the forces behind the scenes, it wouldn’t be strange for anything to unfold in this place.

Lee Ahn’s gaze landed on Geom Mugeuk’s back. Since the arrival of the temporary instructor, she hadn’t taken her eyes off him.

He was the Young Cult Leader she had known since childhood. Just by seeing how he stood, she could guess how he felt. And right now, she sensed that Geom Mugeuk, for some reason, was nervous.

‘He’s someone completely unrelated to nervousness, though.’

Naturally, her gaze shifted to the new instructor.

He felt entirely different from the instructors who all gave off similar impressions within the martial hall. Yet, she couldn’t sense any particularly unique energy from him.

If Geom Mugeuk really was nervous because of that instructor, then it meant the man was far more skilled than she was.

‘No way... could he be a master from the White Dragon Branch?’

She had never imagined that the forces behind Geom Mugeuk’s previous confrontations would appear here, which made her wonder if this man was someone from the White Dragon Branch.

“Well then, let’s start with you.”

An official standing close to the Sword King introduced himself first. The Sword King asked the officials various questions. How old are you? Why did you enter the martial hall? What will you do after graduation? Do you have a girlfriend?

Just from this scene alone, he looked every bit the martial hall instructor—nosy and overly interested in others’ business.

Then it was Geom Mugeuk’s turn.

“I’m Geom Yeon.”

There was no pun or double meaning in today’s name introduction.

From that, Lee Ahn became convinced that her intuition was correct. Normally, he would’ve remarked that it was not *Yeon* as in fate, but *Yeon* as in smoke. She was expecting that from the Young Cult Leader she knew.

And this was the decisive reason why Geom Mugeuk was tense.

‘He came here already knowing who I am.’

What were the odds of him meeting one of the Twelve Zodiac Kings by mere chance? And not just any Zodiac King, but the First King.

The problem was that the Sword King had stepped forward publicly. If he had known Geom Mugeuk was here, he might have moved in secret—just as most of the other Twelve Zodiac Kings had done up to this point.

But the Sword King stood proudly before him.

Was it because he thought Geom Mugeuk wouldn’t recognize him?

Impossible. No matter how much he concealed his energy, how could he fail to sense that overwhelming presence? This was the Sword King’s confidence. A silent challenge—let’s see who’s truly stronger.

As he stared at Geom Mugeuk, the Sword King suddenly shouted with delight.

“Hey! It’s you!”

But to Geom Mugeuk, those words sounded more like:

So you’re the bastard who’s been such a thorn in our side all this time!

Of course, the Sword King offered a different reason.

“There’s already a rumor spreading through the martial hall. About a new recruit wandering around with two beautiful women. You lucky bastard!”

His expression showed genuine envy. The observing officials around them burst into laughter. It was the first time they’d seen an instructor openly express jealousy over a fellow official’s companions. They were already starting to lower their guard toward this temporary instructor.

Geom Mugeuk gave his chest two light pats and said proudly,

“That’s right. I’m that dazzling newcomer.”

“Let me get a better look at how dazzling you really are.”

The Sword King began walking toward Geom Mugeuk.

In that moment, the *Heavenly Demon Body Protection Technique* activated instinctively in response to Geom Mugeuk’s tension.

With each step the Sword King took, he revealed no trace of his energy.

Grinning broadly as he approached, he looked every bit like an instructor fond of joking around with his students.

The Sword King stopped right in front of Geom Mugeuk.

They were now close enough that if either drew their sword, it would be within striking distance of the other’s throat.

Geom Mugeuk’s heart pounded.

He was facing the Sword King.

And even then, the Sword King took one step closer.

Slowly, he raised his hand and extended it toward Geom Mugeuk.

That gesture made Lee Ahn’s heart—standing behind Geom Mugeuk—pound even harder than his.

If the two of them started a fierce battle, what was she supposed to do? Should she assist the Young Cult Leader? Or should she trust him and take care of Seo Jin while retreating?

The hand stretched out toward Geom Mugeuk reached its intended destination.

Tap.

The Sword King placed his hand on Geom Mugeuk’s shoulder.

“You’re impressive.”

Up to that point, Geom Mugeuk had remained motionless. To watch the hand land on his shoulder yet to not react was more taxing than engaging in a fierce battle. The strain of not knowing when or how an attack might come had pushed his energy reserves to the limit, ready to burst forth at any moment.

With a smile, Geom Mugeuk replied,

“You’re the truly impressive one, Instructor.”

“Me?”

“Most people would burn with jealousy. But you praised me instead.”

At that, the Sword King stepped even closer to Geom Mugeuk. Geom Mugeuk silently stared at the man’s eyes as they drew near. Once again, it was the same—it was harder to endure this without revealing any qi presence at all.

The Sword King whispered into Geom Mugeuk’s ear.

“To be honest, I’m jealous. I’m a man too, you know.”

Then he gave Geom Mugeuk a sly grin.

The Sword King was nothing like what Geom Mugeuk had expected. No—he was completely different.

‘So this is the kind of person the Sword King is.’

He surely knew as well. That Geom Mugeuk didn’t regard him as some ordinary instructor. And that made his behavior all the more impressive.

Even now, the Sword King's hand still rested on Geom Mugeuk’s shoulder. The moment even the slightest trace of energy was felt at the fingertips, a savage battle would explode without warning.

The Sword King’s gaze moved past Geom Mugeuk, toward Lee Ahn standing behind him.

Their eyes met, and Lee Ahn lowered her head in greeting and introduced herself.

“I am Lee Ahn.”

The Sword King removed his hand from Geom Mugeuk’s shoulder and took a step forward toward Lee Ahn.

Geom Mugeuk turned to follow.

‘If you strike Lee Ahn, you die with her.’

But he wouldn’t take that risk—not with Geom Mugeuk behind him. He had to know what kind of strength the Young Cult Leader possessed.

As expected, the Sword King did not attack her. Instead, he looked at her in admiration.

“Impressive!”

Though it looked like he was admiring her beauty, Geom Mugeuk could see the truth.

‘He read Lee Ahn’s accomplishments.’

In other words, he had seen through her martial attainment at a glance—her mastery of the *Soaring Sword Art*.

Even though she showed no sign of tension and thoroughly concealed her energy, she couldn’t deceive the Sword King's eyes.

The Sword King stared fixedly at Lee Ahn, then turned his attention to Seo Jin.

“Seo Jin.”

There was no hint of desire or longing in the way the Sword King looked at the two women.

And that made it worse.

Returning to his original spot, the Sword King called them forward.

“Lee Ahn, Seo Jin. Step forward.”

It was an unmistakable provocation aimed at Geom Mugeuk.

An instructor had every right to call officials forward.

So now—what will you do?

As Lee Ahn took a step forward, she looked toward Geom Mugeuk.

From the look in his eyes as he stared at the instructor, she now fully understood.

‘This man is powerful enough to make the Young Cult Leader this tense!’

She felt it—Geom Mugeuk was worried. Afraid that they might be put in danger.

In contrast, Seo Jin, unaware of the seriousness of the situation, looked toward Lee Ahn, giving her a glance suggesting they go forward together.

At that moment, one of Lee Ahn’s nine tails unfurled.

She reached out and grabbed Geom Mugeuk’s wrist.

Startled, Geom Mugeuk looked at her, and Lee Ahn pulled him forward.

“Let’s go together.”

Seo Jin followed right after. She, too, sensed that something unusual was happening.

The Sword King observed them and wore a curious smile.

“I believe I only called the two of you?”

Lee Ahn replied to him.

“There’s a reason I brought this friend along.”

She looked at Geom Mugeuk and said,

“This friend promised to be our sword and shield for life.”

Originally, he had promised to become her sword and shield, but now she said *our*. Because now, she had to protect Seo Jin too.

The officials, hearing those words for the first time, grew noisy. Most of them didn’t laugh—they frowned and jeered instead of applauding.

“Well, a martial artist should always carry a sword and shield wherever they go.”

Even as she spoke, Lee Ahn’s heart was pounding madly.

It was something she had thought of on the spot—there was no way to know if it would work. Still, it was the method she chose in her resolve to help Geom Mugeuk in any way she could.

The Sword King stepped forward toward Lee Ahn.

“And what will you do if that shield gets shattered?”

A moment of silence followed. Then Lee Ahn smiled brightly and answered.

“That’s why shields are always open for recruitment.”

The Sword King stood frozen for a brief moment, then burst into laughter.

“Good, very good. That’s funny. Does that shield have an age limit?”

It was a joke asking whether he himself could apply, so the officials laughed out loud.

“All three of you, go in.”

Whether he appreciated her cleverness or not, the Sword King allowed them to enter.

As they turned to return to their original position, the Sword King called out to Geom Mugeuk.

“You said your name is Geom Yeon, right?”

“Yes.”

“There are two women and one shield. What will you do if they’re attacked at the same time?”

Though it sounded like a joke, the question was loaded with meaning. If both women were attacked simultaneously—who would you save?

It was a truly difficult question. Without these two women, Geom Mugeuk would not be here today. If Lee Ahn hadn’t protected him with the *All-Body Petrification Technique*, he would have died. If Seo Jin hadn’t informed him about the *Great Regression Technique*, he would never have returned.

Geom Mugeuk turned around with a smile.

“I probably won’t have to save either of them.”

“Oh? Why not?”

“What kind of fool would try to stab such beautiful women? Would you, Instructor?”

At the unexpected reply, the Sword King once again burst out laughing.

“I wouldn’t have stabbed them. I’d have stabbed you three times instead.”

“Why three times?”

“I have to stab enough for the women too.”

This time, Geom Mugeuk smiled as he looked at Lee Ahn.

“Fellow inductee—you heard that, right? Your shield is the kind that gets into this kind of danger.”

Lee Ahn answered with a smile.

“I’ll try to block the first one no matter what. So just take two stabs.”

Then Seo Jin, who stood on the other side, added,

“I’ll do my best so you’ll only need to block one.”

Geom Mugeuk turned his gaze back to the Sword King.

“So it seems.”

The two looked at each other. The Sword King’s face was filled with ease, and Geom Mugeuk wore a relaxed smile.

The other officials continued introducing themselves. As if to show he wasn’t giving special treatment to Geom Mugeuk and the two women, the Sword King asked all sorts of questions to the others as well. What are your family relations like? If you make money, where will you spend it?

Meanwhile, the training session came to an end. As soon as the bell rang to signal the close of the session, the Sword King walked off without even looking back.

“See you tomorrow!”

His figure dashing away looked just like an instructor who had just barely managed to scrape through the day—a true slacker.

Only once the man was gone did Geom Mugeuk finally exhale lightly. He hadn’t used a single thread of internal energy, and yet it had felt like a fierce battle. And it had been more exhausting than any actual fight.

Lee Ahn asked him cautiously,

“Did I ruin anything?”

“No. You did really well.”

At last, Lee Ahn sighed in relief.

“You said this to me before, didn’t you? That if someone wanted to talk about how strong I am, they should ask how many moves it would take for me to kill the *Hall Master of the Golden Dragon Martial Hall*! But just now, my heart almost exploded because of one mere instructor!”

In response to her joke, Geom Mugeuk answered with a joke of his own.

“Didn’t know the level of martial halls these days was like this.”

Of course, Lee Ahn knew. That so-called instructor just now was clearly a master from the very faction Geom Mugeuk had been facing all along. No expert from the *White Dragon Branch* alone could make Geom Mugeuk this tense.

“Someone of your level will start to face enemies like that now.”

“So what should I do?”

Geom Mugeuk gave her the answer.

“You need to achieve the *Twelve Star Greatness*.”

Lee Ahn nodded, resolving herself to attain the *Twelve Star Greatness* no matter what.

“Okay! But when that day comes, you’re not allowed to say to me—‘Sorry, but now you have to fight someone even stronger!’”

Geom Mugeuk smiled as if to say, ‘Maybe I will.’

Seo Jin, who had been standing next to them, also felt a powerful desire to grow stronger.

“I’ll do my best as well.”

“Good. What we need now isn’t a baby ghost, but a real ghost.”

That question the Sword King had asked earlier—*Who will you save?*—ended up being a strong motivator for both Lee Ahn and Seo Jin. They were the kind of people who wanted to protect others, they had no intention of living lives where they needed to be protected.

Lee Ahn looked toward the path the Sword King had taken and said,

“Looks like dangerous lessons are about to begin tomorrow.”

Geom Mugeuk replied with a meaningful smile.

“The more dangerous it is, the more there is to learn.”