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[ Manbaknogoe (5) ]
“No offense to me “Aren’t you interested in learning?”
The moment those words came out of Manbaknogoe’s mouth, Old Man Jin and Namgunghyeon were more surprised than Daein.
‘You’ve gained a tremendous amount of talent!’
They saw Manbaknoge performing martial arts in the manor of the Amhyeoldan.
He was showing off his sword skills with not one but three swords.
I had only heard of such a state in stories.
In particular, the shock received by Old Man Jin, who was the martial arts leader of the Sword Emperor Gate in the past, was enormous.
‘Among the top ten masters, the Changcheon Sword and Maehwail Sword were at the level of Igigeeo Swords, but they were barely capable of handling one sword. The late Lord Moon also said that handling two swords is as bad as handling one sword…’
What he meant was that Manbak Nogoe, who was only(?) known as a 100-year-old master, was actually a master of a higher level than a 100-year-old master.
Such an expert was the first to offer to teach martial arts to Daein.
In this case, there was only one thing to say.
“Congratulations. “You have gained the gift of heaven.”
“Congratulations!”
Old Man Jin and Nam Gung Hyeon spoke sincerely to Dae In.
However, Daein reacted completely differently from what the two expected.
The great man said with a shocked expression.
“well. “I don’t really want to learn.”
“what?”
“why?!”
Old Man Jin and Nam Gung Hyeon looked shocked.
“…what?”
Manbaknogoe was equally surprised.
He was embarrassed at first, did not understand, and was secretly angry because his difficult words were rejected.
‘What a shameful bastard. Nobu said he would teach me first, despite his reputation…’
The Manpaku Nogei narrowed his eyes and said with a look of bad mood on his face.
“Why do you hate it? How strong is Nobu… Wow. “Didn’t you see it with your own eyes?”
As he said that, the old man cleared his throat as if he was embarrassed.
The great man nodded obediently. He had no intention of making Manbaknogoe angry.
“Of course I saw it. Even teenage experts will be no match for the old soldiers. “You have to be at least three times the world before you can compare the martial arts skills with the old soldiers.”
Sword Saint (劍聖), Moronghon
(刀王), Sword King (刀王), Jeokgunyang
(神槍), Shinchang (神槍), and horse riding,
so three. In martial arts, the masters of Cheonoecheon were grouped together and called ‘the three under heaven’.
The Three Emperors of the World are legendary masters who have been active since the last Jeongma War 100 years ago, and their average age is now over 130 years old.
Moreover, since each of them used swords and spears, which were the most commonly used swords in the martial arts world, there were quite a few warriors in the martial arts world who regarded the Three Days of the World as a form of religion.
Daein said that Manbaknogoe’s martial arts would be similar to theirs. It was a compliment worthy of any warrior.
“Cluck.”
Thanks to this, the once-stern face of Manbak Nogee softened a little. He nodded and said.
“It’s okay. “If you want to be like Nobu through martial arts, you have to be at the level of those guys.”
‘This inspiration. ‘Who on earth could it be?’
Not only does he speak as if he knows Geomhwang well, but it’s also true that he simply refers to the Three World Orders, whom the martial arts people worship like gods, as ‘those bastards’.
There was no doubt that Manbaknogoe was well over 100 years old.
In the past, he probably worked under a different nickname and name than he does now.
‘Why was such an expert hiding his skills? By any chance… isn’t it one of the three?’
The great man was curious, but did not hesitate to ask. If it was hidden, there must be a good reason.
The old man tilted his head and said.
“It’s even weirder knowing that. “You know how strong Nobu is, but you don’t want to learn martial arts from me?”
The great man nodded cautiously.
“Thank you, but… I think I need to know why you suddenly decided to teach me martial arts.”
The martial arts-crazy martial arts people are people who bow on the spot when an absolute expert says, “I’ll teach you a martial arts move,” but great people have a different way of thinking.
‘If you look at the offer alone, it’s definitely good. But why suddenly?’
The reason Daein came to this place in Murim in the first place was to find the Changcheon Godgeom and obtain the last herbivorous food hidden within it.
In other words, Daein clearly had a desire to become stronger than he is now.
Nogoe’s proposal was very attractive.
But why?
Some kind of intuition sent a danger signal to Daein.
‘It’s suspicious. ‘You shouldn’t bite.’
“Is it because I learned martial arts from the Sword Emperor? Or are there other reasons?”
Seeing the Daein’s suspicious appearance, the old Manbak grinned.
“There’s a lot of suspicion about that guy. Should I hurt you? Or are you going to say you will teach me and then take away my martial arts skills? “If that was going to be the case, it would have been done a long time ago.”
Since it wasn’t a mistake, the great man shrugged his shoulders.
“In my experience, kindness without reason usually hides some purpose.”
The old man burst out laughing at the word ‘purpose’.
Actually, it wasn’t wrong.
“Your suspicious temperament looks exactly like that guy from the Namgung family. Are you really of black blood? “Didn’t you give birth to her by secretly marrying a woman?”
“My true descendants are listening next to me.”
“Rogun…”
Namgunghyeon looked at Manbaknogoe with a puzzled expression.
He is cursing the Geomwang, the chief priest, to his face, and he claims to be the Geomwang’s close friend.
It’s a very ambiguous situation where you can either get angry or stay calm.
Fortunately, Manbaknogoe did something similar to an apology first.
“Cl. I said something bad in front of a young girl. “It’s a joke, so don’t keep it.”
“…All right.”
“Is the transsyllable vein getting any better?”
Namgoonghyeon bowed his head with gratitude.
“yes. “After taking the medicine given by Mr. Roh, I felt much more comfortable.”
It had already been a week since Manbaknoge had followed Daein and his party.
During that time, Manbaknoge visited them every meal time, got food from them, and asked them various questions each time.
Because of this, Manbaknogoe learned most of Namgunghyeon’s situation.
Also about the transsyllables she was born with.
And two days ago, Manbaknogoe brought an unknown medicinal herb to Namgung-hyeon, telling him to boil it and drink it after a meal.
After she started taking the medicine, her body became much lighter.
“thank you. “No.”
“Cluck.”
A few fine wrinkles appeared on the old man’s smooth skin as he looked at Nam Gung-hyeon.
“If you look closely, it definitely seems like this is a bloodline. that’s right. “He really looked like a gisaeng brother.”
“yes? “Surely you are the Emperor?”
“Then it must be someone else!”
The old man who shouted loudly soon chuckled to himself. He was an old man with an unpredictable personality.
“okay. Now, I will teach you martial arts as well. “The qualifications don’t seem too bad either.”
“…yes?!”
Namgung-hyeon screamed in surprise. Manbaknogoe looked at Daein and Namgunghyeon alternately and said.
“I’m not saying I’m going to teach you my German martial arts skills. You won’t need it anyway. Instead, I will look at your martial arts skills. There is no need to go through the trouble of bowing to me. “Do you still hate it like this?”
“…….”
Daein scratched his chin and Namgung-hyeon looked at Old Man Jin’s notice.
Of course, Old Man Jin was not the kind of person who would miss the chance to be a genius for his granddaughter.
As he was a martial arts bridge, he knew how much help the expert’s guidance would be.
“Hyuna, what are you doing? “I didn’t say thank you quickly.”
“…thank you. “I will definitely repay you someday.”
The old man chuckled and nodded. And then I turned my head and looked at Daein.
“Did you say you were curious about my purpose earlier?”
Manbaknoge took out a gourd from his belt and drank the strong liquor.
Gulp.
Only after drinking for a long time did Manbak Noge take his lips from the gourd. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand and spoke.
“…It felt good to be able to recall old memories after a long time. So I got excited and swung my sword, and out of curiosity, I followed him. “For old people, all they have left is time and all they have to do is drink and reminisce.”
Then the old man sighed and frowned.
“But imagine that those memories are ugly and you look pathetic. “Wouldn’t it be so pitiful that you would want to join the enemy?”
“…….”
Nam Gung-hyeon and Old Man Jin bowed their heads. The words ‘ugly and pathetic’ pierced my heart.
The old man who glanced at the two people with their heads down bowed, and this time he looked at the great man and clicked his tongue.
“Same goes for you. No, you are the bigger problem.”
problem?
Daein asked back with a puzzled expression at the sudden sound.
“Why me?”
“Hey. “Don’t you know that if you keep using martial arts like that, one day you might die from a poison spell or become an idiot?”
Those words sounded eerie, like a curse from a prophet.
“…What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”
The great man opened his eyes wide. It was something I couldn’t just ignore.
When the great man asked with a stern expression, the old man clicked his tongue and said.
“You bastard. So far, you’ve been learning martial arts on your own without a teacher, right? “You trained alone by only observing the level of the divine skills left behind by the Emperor of Swords, right?”
“How do you do that….”
“Clark. “It’s all obvious.”
Manbaknogoe said as he recalled his fight with Daein.
“It was herbivorous and internal energy, but nothing was right. There is also a strange energy in my body. I mean, he used all his energy on that topic. My body can’t stand it. “My muscles are so strong that I can hold on for now, but even that has its limits.”
It was like a thunderbolt. Manbaknogoe’s words continued. That expression was very serious.
“If your martial arts level becomes higher than it is now, the limit will come sooner.”
“That can’t be possible…”
The Daein looked like he had a hard time believing it.
However, once the anxiety settled in, it did not go away easily.
“Cluck. “Just look at my face.”
Manbaknoge put down the gourd next to him and came closer so that the great man could clearly see his ugly face.
“Why do you think I, who am not afraid of anyone in the world with martial arts, am looking like this?”
“That’s right…”
The old man’s back was bent, and his dark-spotted face was wrinkled with wrinkles. The eyes were cloudy and the whites of the eyes were yellow like those of a sick person.
When I thought about it, it was a strange thing.
‘Of course you would have done something like Hwangoltaltae or Banro Hwandong, right?’
The more powerful an expert is, the less likely he is to age.
Although I have never seen him in person, he said that he looks young enough to be mistaken for someone in his 30s or 40s just by looking at his appearance.
However, the face of Manbaknogoe would make you believe that he was 150 or 200 years old.
I didn’t use a bast face or a shaft ball.
“…Have you suffered from paralysis?”
At that moment, the wrinkled face of the old man was twisted grotesquely.
“Cluck cluck. Yeah, you bastard. This is all advice that comes from experience. Your case and I are a little different, but the results will be similar. “It could be worse.”
The expression on the face of the person listening to the story became serious.
‘Are you saying I’m going to get a poison spell? ‘By learning new techniques on your own without a teacher?’
It was something I had never imagined.
Because in my previous life, the landlord was never strong enough to worry about such things.
“If you don’t believe me, try practicing luck and concentrating on the acupuncture points I am calling out to you. “Maybe some of them will be subtle.”
The great man did so and, just as Manbaknogoe had said, he felt a slight pain in some of his blood vessels.
“…!!”
“Will you believe me now?”
I had no choice but to believe it. Daein’s expression hardened as he realized the seriousness of the situation.
“You bastard, relax your expression. It’s good to know now. “It’s not too late for you.”
“Perhaps…”
The great man looked at Manpaknogoe. The look in his eyes was quite different from a moment ago.
“…Are you saying you’ll teach me martial arts to help me avoid getting caught in the fire?”
The Manbak Nogee said, chuckling as if he was embarrassed.
“Is it for no reason that Nobu is a manbak (萬博)? Especially when it comes to coinage, Nobu is the best in the world.”
Manbaknoge poured all the remaining liquor in the gourd in one gulp. And he said it cheerfully.
“Have you thought about learning martial arts now? Strictly speaking, you will learn from me how to properly control your energy and body.”
For a brief moment, a brilliant light sparkled in the murky eyes of the old man. He looked like a very excited child.
“It’s not just that. The circulation of internal power will become smoother than now, the use of herbivore will become more natural, the burden on the body will be reduced, and the level of martial arts will naturally increase. Clue.”
Old Man Jin, who was listening quietly, stabbed the great man in the side.
“you. Are you going to keep staying like that?”
“Ah…”
He was a man who usually hated serious and unfamiliar atmospheres, but at this moment, he couldn’t help but become serious.
The great man stood up hesitantly and bowed three times to the old man.
“Cluck. That’s it, you bastard. “What about temples?”
Nevertheless, Manbaknogoe did not shy away from the three bows of respect from the great man.
He looked at Daein with eyes that were both happy and envious.
‘This child will reach a much higher level than he is now. ‘You will be able to go beyond the throne and the emperor, and perhaps even reach a level that even the patriarch could not reach.’
Manbaknogoe knew that his lifespan was short.
At most, the next 5 years.
It was not enough time to see the extreme of nothingness that I had dreamed of my whole life.
‘This is my limit. However.’
If I couldn’t see the extreme of nothing myself, I wanted to feel vicarious satisfaction by nurturing a talent who could reach the extreme.
That thought came to me when I clashed swords with a great man at the dark blood group’s stronghold.
That’s why I followed him for a week and observed what kind of guy he was.
‘Cluck. I thought he wouldn’t take on any disciples for the rest of his life.’
A young man with tremendous potential.
However, it was herbivorous, the way it handled internal energy, and everything was a mess. I learned martial arts on my own without a teacher and developed many bad habits.
Yet, he became this strong on his own.
‘If only I could teach this guy!’
Just thinking about it made my heart pound. I felt like I had found something to burn the last spark of my life.
‘With my own hands, I will raise the best person from all times.’
The moment Manbaknogoe made that firm determination, Daein strangely felt a chill running through his body.
‘Could it be that this is an early symptom of a cold spell?…’
That couldn’t be the case. It might be a chill that foreshadows trouble to come.
[ Manbaknogoe (5) ] End
ⓒ Ganjjajang
