Chapter 40. The Burning Hatred (2/2)
He felt ashamed. Gongson Chun Gi, looking at that, opened his mouth.
“That’s how it is. It was the same for me, too.”
“…….”
“You think you know a lot about someone, but once you think about it, you know next to nothing about him. That’s what a human relationship is. It looks like he gave you a good lesson, even after death.”
“…….”
Cho Ryu Hyang’s chest felt stuffy again. That was because he just remembered something his teacher said before death.
[You…. have…… to live.]
His teacher was worried about him, even when dying. Cho Ryu Hyang, when he thought about that, couldn’t even lift his head.
“But do you really know nothing about your teacher? Think carefully.”
Cho Ryu Hyang began to think when Gongson Chun Gi said this. Right. It wasn’t like he really knew nothing about his teacher. He knew what his teacher liked, and what his teacher’s personality was like.
And his teacher was the only one that could talk using mathematics. The information about his teacher that others didn’t know about. He knew about those.
“So don’t be so sad. This really isn’t your fault, either.”
Gongson Chun Gi put his hand on the sniffling boy’s head, and smiled.
“Come to think of it, you’re really cocky, aren’t you? Trying to take all the burden on yourself, just how arrogant are you?”
Cho Ryu Hyang fiddled with his glasses, and made a complicated face. He didn’t know how he should respond.
“Disciple.”
“Yes, teacher.”
“You’re still young. Am I right?”
“Yes…….”
Yes. He was young and powerless. He couldn’t do anything when Jo Gi Chun died.
“It’s alright to ask for help from adults. After all, aren’t there a lot of good adults like me around?”
It was a really arrogant statement. But it somehow displayed how much Gongson Chun Gi cared for his disciple. Cho Ryu Hyang, who realized that, tried to smile for Gongson Chun Gi’s sake. When Gongson Chun Gi saw that, however, he simply grinned and said something.
“Your face is really funny. Like, really really funny. Should I bring a mirror for you to see?”
“…….It’s ok.”
When Cho Ryu Hyang’s face relaxed a bit thanks to his teacher’s joke, Gongson Chun Gi spoke.
“You know, this friend here. He was probably satisfied. After all, he managed to save you. That was probably the only thing he would’ve wanted at that moment.”
“……..”
“But you wouldn’t be satisfied with that. Am I right?”
Cho Ryu Hyang nodded. And his eyes began to reflect eyes of rage, unlike before.
He couldn’t be satisfied with surviving. He managed to live by getting drenched in his teacher’s blood. There was no way he would end it at that.
“…….I need to be repaid for what was done to teacher.”
Revenge. The Alliance. He had to receive the payment from Yu Sul Bin for killing his teacher. That was the only thing Cho Ryu Hyang could do while he was alive.
If there at least wasn’t a motive like this, he would’ve gone crazy a long time ago. Gongson Chun Gi, after observing the bloodthirst contained within the boy’s eyes, scratched the back of his head and spoke.
“You know, I don’t believe in buddha or anything, but like these monks in the temples, I don’t like the word revenge. It feels like blood.”
“……..”
The people Gongson Chun Gi killed in the battle was said to be a thousand.
That was why Cho Ryu Hyang really couldn’t say anything when Gongson Chun Gi said that with such a straight face after killing so many people.
“But……. I know for a fact that there lives an unbeatable monster known as ‘obligations and resentment (恩怨)’ in the martial world. You know, that thing’s so big, that even I can’t do anything about it.”
Gongson Chun Gi paused a bit, then looked at Cho Ryu Hyang and opened his mouth.
“I hope that you don’t get devoured by that monster.”
“…….”
Cho Ryu Hyang couldn’t say yes straightaway. That was because the only thing he wanted to do at the moment was to take revenge for his teacher.
Cho Ryu Hyang just looked at Gongson Chun Gi without a word. Gongson Chun Gi stared back with a complicated expression.
“Damn it, if you feel that way, I’ll help you. After all, I don’t really like the guys at the Alliance either, anyways.”
“Thank you, teacher.”
Gongson Chun Gi wasn’t comfortable seeing that the only thing that drove his disciple to learn martial arts was revenge, but he completely understood what Cho Ryu Hyang was feeling right now.
Gongson Chun Gi, believing that time would wash away the feelings of revenge, opened his mouth.
“Don’t be too thankful. The training you’ll get from me will be hellish.”
“I’m prepared.”
There was nothing one could get for free in this world. Becoming the heir to the church was sheer luck, but it wasn’t like he could just learn the martial arts of the church for free because of that.
Martial arts demands one thing in return of learning it. Dedication.
“Martial arts should be hard, just like how living and dying is a hard thing. It’s obvious that one would have to approach death closer if he/she wants to be strong. Am I right?”
“Yes.”
When Cho Ryu Hyang responded with a resolute voice, Gongson Chun Gi leaned back a little in his sitting position, and spoke.
“In order to take revenge for this guy, in order to survive in this world, you’ll need martial arts. A strong one at that.”
“Yes.”
The purpose of him learning martial arts was definite. When Cho Ryu Hyang set his mind in stone like this, Gongson Chun Gi fell into a deep predicament.
‘Should I just teach him the Shura Environment…….’
The experts at the Alliance weren’t weak. The only martial arts that could surpass them was the Shura Environment. Normally, he would just pass on the martial art without even thinking about it.
But right now, Gongson Chun Gi was greatly concerned about it. There was no doubt that Shura Environment was strong. It was probably the strongest in the world.
But doesn’t this martial art have a terrifying side effect not many know about?
‘Can this boy overcome it?’
The effect of turning insane when seeing blood. Berserking Blood Effect (狂血症). Even Gongson Chun Gi, who overcame many, many walls after years of training, still was unable to surpass this side effect.
After using a certain amount of strength, the blood in the body goes crazy. Then, the sanity in the user’s mind slowly disappears, and in the end, it turns the user into a blood-craving monster.
Should he really teach such a thing to his disciple? A one that craves revenge, at that? Gongson Chun Gi thought and thought again.
‘Is there anything I can use?’
Teaching the Shura Environment would be detrimental for the boy’s development. After thinking for a long time, Gongson Chun Gi put on a bright face, and looked at Cho Ryu Hyang.
“Come to think of it, I heard you still have the Moon Edge Blade Technique. Do you?”
“Yes.”
“Let me see.”
Cho Ryu Hyang pulled out the book from his clothes, then flinched. There was a bloodstain on the cover of the book. Wasn’t this Jo Gi Chun’s blood?
His heart, which somehow calmed just moments ago, started to pound vigorously again. When Cho Ryu Hyang’s eyes began to turn red from rage, Gongson Chun Gi spoke.
“I hope this thing lives up to the rumors surrounding it.”
Is this really something that was as good as the Shura Environment? Gongson Chun Gi put his hopes into the book, and opened its covers.
He then began to slowly read it. The strongest martial artist in the world.
He was judging the power of the book. And that actually took more time than expected.