Chapter 52 - The Eldest Son's Return (1)

Today, the Spring of Elixir was unusually crowded.

As this was a place for healing and rest, the basic unspoken rule was not to go near an area already occupied by someone else.

But on a day packed with people, it couldn't be helped.

My pleasure was to quietly meditate and recover my body here, but it seemed that was not to be today.

Because no less than six auras were surging toward the prime spot I had claimed.

‘How annoying.’

I took out the Human Skin Mask from my Inventory and put it on.

Not many people would recognize me, but running into an acquaintance would be quite awkward.

It was much more comfortable to be in disguise than to stick with the amnesia concept.

“Hoo.”

I let out a deep breath and started my mana technique again.

The healing was progressing very smoothly.

The mana that was initially a speck of dust had become a sesame seed, and that sesame seed was now close to a millet grain.

It was tremendous progress.

This was all because of the existence of this blessed place called the Spring of Elixir.

According to my calculations, I would be able to recover all my past strength within two years.

“Hoo.”

Moreover, this calculation was the worst-case scenario.

If I factored in the rewards I would get from dungeons and the Abyss, this period could be shortened even further.

When I thought of that grand day, I couldn't afford to waste a single day.

I was feeling it today, so I decided to stay here a little longer.

“Hoo.”

The moment I thought that, six silhouettes appeared before my eyes, parting the thick fog above the spring.

I had already sensed them, but they were quite skilled.

They didn’t look very old, but the amount of mana they possessed was considerable.

“Excuse me for a moment. The spring is too crowded today.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

I replied curtly and was about to get back to my business.

But a symbol engraved on their clothes caught my eye.

Two eagles.

It was the emblem of the Haewon Sword Family.

‘I’ve never seen these faces before.’

Of course, since the Haewon Sword Family was the top prestigious family in this country, it was quite large, and I didn’t know all of its affiliated warriors, but it was normal that individuals of this level should have caught my eye.

If so, there was only one conclusion to be drawn.

People who had left the sword family for a long time to raid the Abyss.

‘Seo Ji-hoon’s lackeys.’

Six of them was the exact number.

The Wolyeong Knights.

Word had come that they had finished their Abyss raid, and it seemed they were finally returning to the family.

But why wasn't Seo Ji-hoon here?

I would be facing him soon at the family estate, but it was hard to bear the immediate curiosity.

“That’s the emblem of the Haewon Sword Family, isn’t it?”

For now, I threw that out.

The expressions of the six who heard my words were all different.

One of them responded with an annoyed tone.

“Hey! You don’t have to do that when you already know.”

It was a woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties.

The only woman in the Wolyeong Knights. Her name was probably Chae Su-ji.

“What do you mean?”

“Are you really asking because you don’t know us? While knowing the emblem of the Haewon Sword Family?”

I just nodded with an indifferent expression.

“Liar!”

“You guys must be famous, huh?”

“Famous? In this industry, if you don’t know us, you’re a spy! No, even a spy would probably know us.”

“Chae Su-ji! Stop it. It’s embarrassing.”

“No, senior! Does it make sense that this person doesn’t know us? That he doesn’t know us who just finished the greatest challenge of the Abyss?”

“Was that purely our skill? The Unit Leader carried us.”

“The Unit Leader is the Unit Leader, but we didn’t just play around either!”

“But Chae Su-ji, don’t you have no right to say that?”

“Why not?”

“You almost ruined everything at the last minute.”

“What did I ruin! And you always have to be so crude with your expressions!”

With just one word from me, the atmosphere suddenly started flowing strangely.

The Wolyeong Knights were said to be the face of the Haewon Sword Family, but contrary to their fame, they were childish people.

If I didn’t pretend to know them at this point, things were about to get noisier.

“Now I get it. You’re the people of the Haewon Sword Family’s eldest son! Right?”

“Tsk! You’re saying you really didn’t recognize us?”

“Congratulations. On returning after a long Abyss expedition. By the way, I don’t see Mr. Seo Ji-hoon.”

I was just trying to ask this one thing, but they were such tiresome people.

“The Unit Leader is undergoing a special ritual after clearing the quest. I can’t tell you the specifics, though.”

Considering the time it took, and a special ritual at that.

My curiosity was piqued, but it was impossible to find out here and now. I'd have to ask when I got home.

“But you.”

“Yes.”

“You seem suspicious, no matter how I look at you.”

Chae Su-ji tilted her head as she looked at me.

“Why. Because I didn’t recognize you all from the start?”

“I have an interesting ability. And it’s telling me that you’re a suspicious person.”

“To hear such a thing from a stranger.”

“I do hear that I'm a weirdo a lot!”

“Chae Su-ji! Cut it out!”

In the end, she was stopped by her colleague again.

But Chae Su-ji’s interesting ability was probably not a complete lie.

Right now, I was hiding my face with the Human Skin Mask, and there weren't many things more suspicious than that.

“Let’s hear what’s so suspicious.”

My curiosity was stirred.

Was the Human Skin Mask really discovered?

Or was something else I hadn’t thought of seen through?

It wouldn't hurt to know.

We were bound to keep running into each other in the Haewon Sword Family anyway.

Chae Su-ji opened her mouth with a bright smile.

“You’re a person full of lies. A lot of them, at that.”

I was surprised in two ways.

One was that I couldn’t deny Chae Su-ji’s words.

“That’s a rude thing to say to a stranger.”

The other was that at this very moment, a lump of mana was wriggling around Chae Su-ji’s chest. Of course, the ‘Mana Eyes’ had caught it, which meant her ability was, strictly speaking, the effect of an item.

‘A necklace.’

I couldn't tell how it detected lies, but it wasn't a very pleasant item to have on the other person.

“Did I offend you? But I’m the type who has to say what I want to say.”

“Then let me say one rude thing, too.”

“Go ahead.”

“The necklace you’re wearing. Is it a bound item?”

I went straight for the jugular.

“……Pardon?”

I didn't have this kind of item, but I could read a momentary expression quite well.

The accuracy was very high.

“I’ll say it again. I asked if that necklace is a bound item.”

“S-suddenly, why my necklace!”

Chae Su-ji covered her necklace with one hand and snapped.

“Because the necklace is pretty. It looks like an item at a glance, so I thought I’d buy it if it wasn’t a bound item.”

“It is a bound item!”

It was true that most accessories like necklaces or rings were bound items.

But it was also true that there was an extremely small possibility of cases where they were not.

I believed Chae Su-ji’s necklace was one of those cases.

My gut feeling was quite…….

“It’s a shame it’s a bound item.”

I grinned at her.

“You’re still suspicious.”

With those words, Chae Su-ji fell silent.

I, too, began my mana technique again.

All I wanted was to improve this damn body even a day sooner.

***

When I first created the Chamryongdan, there was one thing I wanted to try.

Teaching them the swordsmanship of the Kalia Continent.

It might be a kind of elitism.

Kalia’s swordsmanship was clearly more advanced compared to Earth’s.

The fact that I, the greatest swordsman of Kalia, was reincarnated in another dimension, for some reason, gave me a sense of mission.

‘Still, the Raven Family’s swordsmanship is a no-go.’

No matter how different the dimension was, I couldn't pass down my family’s exclusive sword style. I was thinking of implanting a few suitable sword styles into our Chamryongdan.

For that reason, I called Choi Ho-joong and Shin Ah-yeon separately today to teach them.

“Unit Leader! Please be honest with me!”

“About what?”

“This sword style, which family does it belong to?”

At some point, this guy’s face was filled with worry.

“Why? Are you worried? That I might have stolen it from somewhere?”

“I’m sure you have your reasons, Unit Leader, but if you really stole another family’s sword style, it’s going to be a really, really big problem!”

“I told you. It’s a sword style I created.”

It wasn't created from complete nothingness; I had taken apart and fixed the Gairen School’s sword style, but still, I created it.

“Of all the things you’ve told me so far, Unit Leader, this is the hardest to believe.”

“All those things that were hard to believe until now, how did they all turn out?”

“It turned out you were right about everything.”

“This is the same.”

Choi Ho-joong gently closed his eyes, then nodded his head in acceptance.

“What about you, Ah-yeon? Are you suspicious too?”

“No, sir. I think it’s more natural that you created it, Unit Leader.”

“Why is that?”

“Because the way it uses mana is different from existing sword styles. My knowledge isn’t vast, but infusing a sword with mana in this way is very unfamiliar.”

As expected, Shin Ah-yeon was better than Choi Ho-joong in this regard.

“So, is it difficult?”

“It’s fun.”

It was rewarding to teach her.

This sword style couldn’t be said to have a particularly superior power compared to the Haewon Sword Family’s Muyoung Sword Style, but it was perfect for an introduction to Kalia-style swordsmanship.

Of course, later on, I planned to implant more advanced sword styles.

“But Unit Leader! As Ah-yeon said, this sword style is so different from our Muyoung Sword Style that I’m worried it might be confusing if I get too used to it.”

“Good question.”

“Will there be no problem?”

“None. The ultimate of swordsmanship eventually leads to one path. And even if you don't reach the ultimate, these sword styles connect with each other. They look different, but they go well together.”

But Choi Ho-joong still looked like he didn't understand my explanation.

“Why? What’s the problem?”

“When you talk about the ultimate of the sword, it feels too much like chasing clouds.”

“Are you saying that my talk of the ultimate seems like a bluff?”

“N-that’s not what I meant!”

“Ho-joong, draw your sword.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ll show you.”

Although I had lost my former power, I could at least give him a taste of what it felt like to have reached the ultimate of the sword.

Swoosh!

I raised my Reapersword.

Choi Ho-joong, taken aback, also raised his sword and swallowed hard.

“Come at me.”

“Is it really okay?”

“Were you planning on just playing around?”

“It's not that, I'm just worried I might hurt you, Unit Leader……”

“At your level, it’s impossible.”

It might have been possible in the early days of my reincarnation, but that stage was long past.

“Then I’m coming!”

Choi Ho-joong’s lips tightened.

Chaaaaaaeng!

He attacked me with the familiar Muyoung Sword Style.

And so, I responded with the same Muyoung Sword Style.

Swish!

Swish!

In terms of mana alone, I was at a significant disadvantage.

But the Guyeopcho necklace offset that handicap to some extent, making me comfortable.

Swoosh!!

In the past, even Choi Ho-joong’s crude attacks would have been burdensome, but now I could respond while watching each of his movements.

Right now, he was concentrating mana at the tip of his sword.

He said he was worried about hurting me, but this guy was going all out.

‘A thrust.’

Choi Ho-joong’s sword was heading for my chest with fierce momentum.