Chapter 222: A Martial Artist Who Can Hold His Own

Choi Geon’s birthday party aboard the cruise ship continued from late at night until dawn. A large crowd had gathered, and the celebration remained lively throughout.

“Oh my goodness! These braised ribs are incredible!”

“Muhyuk’s mother made them!”

“Everyone, look this way for the group photo!”

A large pot of mouthwatering braised ribs simmered beside another filled with seaweed soup packed with beef.

Several birthday dishes Park Jiyeon had prepared served as the centerpiece, while the food brought by the other guests covered the tables to overflowing.

“Instructor, may I pour you a drink?”

“Take mine first!”

“I think you’ll have to get in line.”

Surrounded by people, Choi Geon received more congratulations than he had in all the rest of his life combined.

“Good heavens. It is merely the day this old man was born. You did not have to go this far...”

Choi Geon normally limited how much he drank, but today, he refused no one and accepted every glass offered to him.

“Thank you.”

“My thanks.”

“Thank you...”

Pleasantly drunk, Choi Geon repeatedly expressed his gratitude as he chatted with one person after another.

Among them were not only old friends such as Yeo Pilgeuk and No Gucheon, but also martial artists whom he had taught during his time as a swordsmanship instructor.

“Instructor, do you remember us? We met at the Martial Alliance not long ago...”

Choi Geon recognized the two middle-aged martial artists he had met during his visit to the Martial Alliance and warmly clasped their hands.

“Of course I remember. Are you not squad leaders in the Black Tortoise Unit? You must be busy. What brings you all the way here?”

“Haha! It’s your birthday, Instructor. Of course we made time.”

“We also brought you a small gift. Do you like whiskey?”

Choi Geon spent quite some time discussing the Martial Alliance and the future direction of the orthodox martial world with them.

Toward the end of the conversation, the two veteran members of the Black Tortoise Unit casually brought up their true purpose.

“The Demon Extermination Unit will be reestablished soon. If there happen to be any openings for team leaders, could you pull a few strings and get us in?”

“...What did you say?”

“To tell you the truth, the liquor you just drank was our bribe.”

Choi Geon stared at the two shamelessly grinning men in disbelief before bursting into laughter.

“You rascals! Hahahaha!”

Even now, the two men played major roles in the Black Tortoise Unit.

They were squad-leader-class martial artists who formed part of the solid foundation supporting the Martial Alliance.

There was no reason for them to join a newly created organization like the Demon Extermination Unit, much less accept team leader positions below their current rank.

The fact that they had asked anyway meant that they sincerely respected Choi Geon and wished to follow him.

“It seems all the good fortune you were denied throughout your life has come to you in your later years.”

“Alliance Leader?”

Yeo Pilgeuk had quietly approached without anyone noticing. He poked Choi Geon in the side.

“These fellows seem to have fallen completely under your spell. Take them with you. I will smooth things over with the Black Tortoise Unit commander.”

“...”

Choi Geon looked at Yeo Pilgeuk, then at the two middle-aged men whose eyes shone with the enthusiasm of young martial artists eager to join the Demon Extermination Unit.

He soon grinned and gave them a stern warning.

“Heh heh. Do not expect any sympathy if you regret this later.”

“We’re fully prepared!”

“Exterminate demons and drive out evil! We’ll lead the charge!”

It was the moment that heralded the beginning of the legendary reborn Demon Extermination Unit of the Korean Martial Alliance.

And martial artists were not the only people who had come to see Choi Geon.

“Do you remember me?”

“...Of course. We met at the public hearing not long ago.”

They were the people who had gratefully testified on Choi Geon’s behalf at the public hearing.

People who had received his help when he was the Demon Extermination Unit commander had also been invited to his birthday party.

One of them was the woman whose husband had been killed by an unorthodox martial artist. She had used the money Choi Geon gave her to start a business and raise her son.

She smiled brightly.

“Your daughter and I prepared half the food here. I wanted to serve my benefactor a warm meal.”

“...My daughter?”

“Isn’t that young woman over there your daughter? She said she was.”

When the woman pointed toward Park Jiyeon, Choi Geon smiled and nodded.

“That is correct. She is my daughter. And the fellow who hosted the party with the microphone is my son.”

“...I heard those two were married.”

“I learned that blood is not the only thing that makes people family.”

“Ah...”

The woman seemed to understand. She nodded with a smile.

The good relationships Choi Geon had formed in both the past and present came forward to offer him sincere congratulations and well wishes.

Choi Geon asked himself a question.

Am I truly someone who deserves to enjoy such happiness?

Perhaps it was the alcohol. More sentimental than usual, the old man looked around at the people who had gathered for him.

His gaze fell upon Kim Muhyuk and the Blue Wolves members gathered to one side.

They had stepped back to give the other guests time with Choi Geon and were now enjoying the party among themselves, laughing and talking. Even then, they occasionally glanced back at him, and whenever their eyes met, they waved.

“If there is one decision I made in my life that I can truly be proud of...”

Choi Geon watched Kim Muhyuk being thoroughly scolded by Park Jiyeon for coming back so badly injured yet again, and smiled.

“It was taking you as my disciple.”

*****

After a night of celebration, the cruise ship did not reach the harbor until the following morning. Every guest departed with a smile after saying their farewells.

“Good grief. I hardly know whether I am coming or going.”

Choi Geon personally saw off the guests, then shook his head. Kim Muhyuk, who had been waiting nearby, grinned.

“Did you enjoy the surprise birthday party?”

The other crew members had all returned to their respective homes. Only Kim Muhyuk remained because he had something to discuss privately with his master.

Choi Geon answered with a mischievous smile.

“I had some idea what you were planning.”

“Wait, really?”

“Did I not tell you before? While I lay trapped in my Inner Demon, I heard everything all of you said to me.”

“Ugh...”

Choi Geon ruffled the hair of his visibly flustered disciple.

“Still, it was a hundred times more surprising than I expected.”

“I’m in serious trouble now, Master. My father says his seventieth birthday has to be even more spectacular...”

“My eightieth will come before then. Whatever shall we do?”

The two exchanged jokes as they got into a car and headed for Choi Geon’s lodgings.

Because Kim Muhyuk was injured, Choi Geon took the wheel himself.

They chatted idly for a while before Choi Geon casually broached a more serious subject.

“While you were sleeping on the island, I went and cremated Seonu’s body.”

“...You saw him?”

Choi Geon nodded.

Yang Seonu’s corpse, with both arms severed and his tongue cut out, had been a horrific sight.

But Choi Geon had felt little upon seeing it.

“I raised him with my own hands, so I thought it only right that I confirm his end. Considering the crimes he committed, he died far too easily.”

Choi Geon had escaped the Inner Demon born from Yang Seonu, but his memories of the past would remain inside him like an old scar, even after the scab had fallen away and fresh skin had grown over the wound.

“It feels as though a tooth that plagued me for decades has finally been pulled. But I suppose it is only natural to feel the empty space it left behind as well.”

Choi Geon openly shared his feelings with Kim Muhyuk.

He did not want his disciple to misunderstand.

That allowed Kim Muhyuk to comfortably bring up what he had intended to tell him.

“Before Yang Seonu died, he told me how to make contact with the Heavenly Demon Cult abroad.”

Choi Geon’s expression immediately turned serious.

“Could it have been a lie or a trap?”

“We’ll have to verify it... but I think it was probably genuine.”

The Heavenly Demon Cult.

For decades, it had operated from the shadows, plotting to seize control of the Korean martial world.

Until they were eliminated, no one could claim that the deep-rooted corruption within the Korean martial world had been fully purged.

Choi Geon’s gaze quickly grew cold. The smile of a devil eager to eradicate evil appeared on his lips.

“Heh heh. Excellent. As it happens, I will have business abroad soon. I shall make contact with them myself.”

Choi Geon was due to report to the World Martial Alliance headquarters soon for his Black Restraint Band suitability assessment.

If he could establish contact with the Heavenly Demon Cult in the process, he might return with a major gain.

Kim Muhyuk had been thinking the same thing.

“Master, when you go to America this time, may I come with you?”

Choi Geon considered it briefly, then nodded.

“Very well. You have earned that right now.”

Kim Muhyuk had broken through the wall of the pinnacle realm and reached the level of a supreme master.

He was now strong enough to compete with foreign masters beyond Korea, in a martial world that was practically lawless.

In other words, he had become a martial artist who could hold his own on the world stage.

*****

The Sword Demon, Choi Geon, had officially returned to the Martial Alliance!

As news spread, rumors began circulating that the Demon Extermination Unit, a special operations unit, would be revived. It was also said that the unit would be granted sweeping authority.

Orthodox and unorthodox martial artists alike trembled in fear if they had anything to hide.

“The Sword Demon has returned...”

“The rumors about him becoming a peerless master must be nonsense, right?”

“I suppose we should keep our heads down for a while.”

Priority was given to applicants who wished to transfer from the Martial Alliance’s existing combat units to the Demon Extermination Unit. Choi Geon, who had been placed in charge of the newly revived unit, became so busy that he had to spend nearly every waking hour at the Martial Alliance.

“...Alliance Leader. I think life was better when I was merely the Shadow Sword.”

“Now, now! How can you start complaining already? From this day forward, you are the Martial Alliance’s divine sword!”

While his master remained frantically busy, Kim Muhyuk focused on consolidating the insights he had gained upon becoming a supreme master.

“Haaaa...”

He repeatedly meditated and reviewed his previous fight to the death, calming his mind while working to recover fully from his internal injuries.

Before long, midsummer had arrived. It was July, and the oppressive heat was at its peak.

It was also almost time for the single most important event in the global martial world.

“The World’s Strongest Sparring Tournament...”

Kim Muhyuk was at home alone, watching a promotional video for the tournament on television.

The footage was practically a highlight reel dedicated to Richard Han. His movements were difficult to imitate even after seeing them, his judgment inspired admiration, and his expression carried an effortless composure.

Every media outlet was busy speculating about this year’s dark horse or claiming that, after fifteen years of exhaustive analysis, Richard Han’s martial arts had been solved and another victory would be impossible.

But Kim Muhyuk knew better.

“Richard Han will win anyway.”

Richard Han’s unprecedented streak would not end until he had won twenty consecutive championships.

Even then, it would end only because he lost interest and retired from the World’s Strongest Sparring Tournament of his own accord.

“My only wish was to see it in person just once...”

In his previous life, Kim Muhyuk had watched recordings of Richard Han’s victories at the tournament more times than he could count.

He even remembered exactly how many moves Richard Han would need to defeat his opponent in this year’s final.

If things work out, I might be able to see it myself this time.

There were plenty of practical obstacles, from securing tickets to making the dates work, but it was not entirely impossible.

A spectacle of martial prowess performed by the greatest masters in the world.

Kim Muhyuk wanted to experience the atmosphere of it firsthand.

He had become completely absorbed in the footage of Richard Han when—

Bzzzt—

[The tempering is complete.]

Kim Muhyuk checked his vibrating phone and found a message from the Azure Sky Sword Elder.

[Come collect your sword.]

Kim Muhyuk sprang to his feet.

Filled with anticipation over how Phantom Dream might have changed during their time apart, he hurried out of the house.