Ancient Dragon (1)

There was an expression: struck speechless. When people witnessed something utterly bewildering or overwhelming, their lips seemed glued shut, refusing to move.

The kid named Park Siwoo certainly possessed some surprisingly impressive skills, but he was nowhere near as astonishing as the Sword Immortal was today.

The Divine Spear, the Fist King, and the Poison Demon knew the Sword Immortal's abilities well. Their old friend was undeniably extraordinary with a sword. But today, he was on an entirely different plane.

'Wh-what the hell?'

The Fist King, the youngest of the four, blinked. A pack of monsters well above level 500 had blocked their path. By the time he, the Divine Spear, and the Poison Demon had killed two each, more than six corpses lay before the Sword Immortal.

The Sword Immortal was certainly Korea's greatest awakener. But that didn't mean the gap between them was supposed to be this overwhelming. The four of them had only ever been a hair's breadth apart.

"... Big Brother. You haven't secretly found some ginseng and eaten it without us, have you?"

"I haven't. But I did receive a fine gift."

"A gift? What was it? Tell us younger brothers too! Let us all feel young again!"

The Sword Immortal looked at the three men. Not only the Fist King, who had asked the question, but even the usually taciturn Divine Spear and Poison Demon were watching him with curiosity in their eyes.

"I'll tell you once we're done with this gate."

"... All right! Let's clear it quick!"

Blazing mana gathered around the Fist King's fists. The Divine Spear's spear tip grew sharper still. Clouds of green vapor billowed from the Poison Demon's body.

When they finally reached the boss room, messages appeared.

[The tomb trembles violently upon encountering such powerful foes for the first time!]

[The tomb's final guardian, 'Ancient Dragon,' appears!]

"... Huh?"

The Poison Demon and the other awakeners tilted their heads. The tomb's boss had always been a dragonkin. But none had ever been called an Ancient Dragon. This was a monster none of the four had seen before.

'A hidden piece?'

Their eyes lit up. They, too, had once explored gates with a burning passion. Time might have dimmed that flame, but it had never extinguished it entirely.

"Haha! Now this looks fun! Brothers, I'm going in first!"

The impatient Fist King charged at the Ancient Dragon, an enormous mass of mana gathering over his fist.

[Using Hundred-Pace Divine Fist (S)!]

BOOM!

As he punched with all his might, a gigantic fist took shape and slammed into the Ancient Dragon's body.

HISSS...

Smoke rose. But as if to prove its title of final guardian was no empty boast, the Ancient Dragon hadn't budged an inch.

Black energy began gathering in its mouth. The Divine Spear and the Poison Demon narrowed their eyes at the terrifying power.

"Watch out, little brother!"

This was dangerous. The instant they reached that conclusion, they surged forward. The creature's dark-red breath was hurtling toward the Fist King.

[Using Moonlight Slash (S)!]

[Using Deadly Poison Spray (S)!]

The two men hurriedly unleashed their skills. Immense energies surged toward the breath attack. The Fist King also launched an attack against it. A moment later, all three were horrified.

'We're being overpowered?'

Their skills were being crushed by the breath. That enormous mass of energy crept closer to the Fist King. Then it happened.

A chilling presence struck everyone's spine. Their gazes turned instinctively toward the Sword Immortal. They saw a sword emitting no energy whatsoever, yet the pressure was suffocating. It felt as though they were naked, their necks bared before a blade.

The Ancient Dragon, too, hastily turned its head. That tremendous pressure squeezed its heart mercilessly. Just as it began redirecting its breath toward the Sword Immortal—

SLASH!

With the sound of something being sliced, the Ancient Dragon's body split in two.

"...!"

Everyone's eyes widened as far as they could go. Materials dropped from the Ancient Dragon, but no one gave a damn about them. What they had just witnessed from the Sword Immortal was simply too shocking.

No one had seen him swing his sword. Yet the Ancient Dragon was dead.

The Sword Immortal descended from the air and examined the messages before him.

[You have accomplished an unfathomable feat!]

[You have acquired the title 'Fanatical Disciple'!]

[You have acquired the title 'Mind Sword Wielder'!]

[New Title List]

[1. Fanatical Disciple]

[Through fanatical faith, you have brought a miracle into being.]

[Effect: Being with the teacher you acknowledge in your heart increases your chances of attaining enlightenment.]

[2. Mind Sword Wielder]

[You have become a swordsman capable of transcending the boundaries of the material realm and cutting through essence itself.]

[Effect: Increases power by 30% when using the Mind Sword.]

[You have witnessed illusion, its boundary, and the realm of selflessness that lies between them.]

"... At last."

At last, he felt he understood a little of what Kim Minwoo had meant. The illusion was the material realm itself. Beyond its boundary, the Sword Immortal had pioneered a new realm: the sword of the mind.

His mastery had stagnated for more than twenty years. Without those words, that stagnation might have lasted the rest of his life.

'However...'

He was slow-witted. He still didn't understand what the realm of selflessness was. But that no longer mattered. He now had someone he acknowledged in his heart as his teacher.

As the Sword Immortal was consolidating his newfound enlightenment, the three old men hurriedly surrounded him with questions.

"... B-Big Brother!"

"What on earth was that just now?"

"A skill? No, you can't define that as something like a skill!"

His younger friends had considerable insight of their own, after all. Apparently, they had at least recognized that it wasn't a skill.

"That was the gift I received."

"Argh! You're driving me crazy! I'm asking what that gift was!"

The impatient Fist King pounded his own chest. His curiosity had risen past his throat and was practically spilling from his mouth.

"I received a very profound lesson."

"A lesson?"

"You did, Big Brother?"

"From whom?"

"You expect me to tell you for nothing?"

"Oh, come on!"

"That's hurtful!"

"Big Brother! After all our years together! Didn't we come here to help you?"

"... Ahem."

The Sword Immortal cleared his throat and looked at his younger friends. He had kept them in suspense long enough. It was time to get to the point.

"Very well. I'll introduce you to that person. However, this could prove a burden to him. You acknowledge that, don't you?"

They nodded.

"Then we ought to bring him a gift, at least."

The Sword Immortal pointed at the dragon's corpse. Understanding his meaning, the three old men nodded.

They had only joined the raid because he had asked for help, not for the rewards. Had they coveted such things, they would never have gone into semiretirement in the first place.

If that was all it took to form a connection with such an extraordinary individual, they would gladly hand over ten or twenty corpses and all their materials.

The Sword Immortal stored the Ancient Dragon's corpse and its materials in his spatial ring. Shortly afterward, they received their gate-clear rewards, and their figures vanished.

* * *

Kim Minwoo had been surprised several times today. The first came on his way back after watching the news at the auction house.

[You have acquired the title 'Greatest Teacher'!]

[New Title List]

[1. Greatest Teacher]

[A disciple you taught has brought a miracle into being.]

[Effect: Greatly increases learning effectiveness when you provide instruction.]

That utterly unexpected title notification had been one surprise. Another had been the Sword Immortal rushing over, apparently in such a hurry that he had hastily wrapped up his interview as soon as he left the gate. And then...

"You're giving me the corpse and all the materials? For free?"

"Yes. It was a boss called the Ancient Dragon, one that had never appeared before. Its level seemed beyond ordinary S-rank standards, so it should be a great help to you."

Ancient Dragon. That was a name Minwoo had never heard either. No such boss had appeared when he had gone to clear the Dragon's Tomb.

'Did it appear because of the Sword Immortal?'

He had said he had swept through everything in the gate. That seemed to have triggered the Ancient Dragon's appearance.

'These should be top-quality materials...'

Even if he scoured the entire world, it would be difficult to find dragon materials on par with the Ancient Dragon. Very few awakeners could kill a monster of that caliber.

Its price would easily run into the trillions of won. Every part of a dragonkin was already expensive, and this one was stronger than any that had appeared before. If people started bidding, there was no telling how high the price would soar.

And he was offering it for free. Of course Minwoo was surprised.

"Have the others all agreed to this?"

"Yes. We agreed to give it to you if you grant us one favor."

"What sort of favor...?"

"Nothing difficult. I'd simply like you to meet those three."

"Meet them?"

The Sword Immortal nodded.

"They probably want your teachings. Whether you share them is entirely up to you. They're not something a mere dragon corpse could buy."

Let him think about this. In truth, Minwoo would have been hard-pressed to object even if the Sword Immortal had shared those words himself. After all, the Sword Immortal had originally taught them to him, and Minwoo hadn't even known whether they genuinely did anything.

'But he's setting me up this nicely?'

A few simple words could earn him connections with three masters? And a free dragonkin corpse on top of that?

'That's a damn good deal.'

The Divine Spear, the Poison Demon, and the Fist King. He had nothing to lose by getting to know any of them. Minwoo wasn't stupid enough to pass up a gift dropped into his lap.

"Of course. Are the three of them outside?"

"If you heard that, hurry up and come in!"

At those words, the door opened and three old men hurried into the room.

"Hoho. I had my doubts, but it really was this boy."

"You already suspected as much when we arrived at Ilseong Group."

"Well, yes, but..."

The three old men stared at Minwoo.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Kim Minwoo. I've heard a great deal about your reputations."

"Ahem! Is it true that you gave our big brother enlightenment? I find it hard to believe."

The Divine Spear cleared his throat as he asked.

"Enlightenment sounds rather grand, but... I suppose it was something like that."

At that, the three old men crowded around him.

"What exactly was that enlightenment?"

"Tell me too! I won't forget the favor!"

"Could you give us even a hint?"

They could ask all they liked, but all he could do was parrot the words he had used last time. He looked at the Sword Immortal. Conveniently, right before him sat a supergenius who had attained enlightenment and refined it to some degree.

"Why don't you explain it, Sword Immortal?"

"... Are you certain? You're the one who taught me, after all..."

"Yes. You must have already reached that realm, so I'm sure you'll explain it far better than someone like me, who's only caught a glimpse."

"... Very well."

The Sword Immortal turned to the three men and began explaining. To summarize it roughly, he was saying that he had seen a world beyond the material realm.

'What the hell is he talking about?'

It was definitely Korean, but it sounded like an alien language. More astonishing still, the three old men listening had become utterly serious.

"Hmm."

"I see."

They nodded, interjecting with sounds of understanding.

"... However, I have yet to grasp even a fraction of the realm of selflessness Minwoo spoke of. I merely feel in my heart that something must lie there..."

Minwoo saw the Sword Immortal glance at him. A barely concealed thirst for knowledge burned in his eyes. The other three old men turned their gazes on Minwoo as well.

The atmosphere somehow suggested that he ought to say something at this point. He hurriedly searched his memory of the Sword Immortal's sayings—the remarks he had casually tossed out—and found the one that sounded most convincing.

"I don't know exactly either. It's just..."

"Just?"

"Selflessness means forgetting oneself. The more we do so, the freer we become, but there is a clear limit. We are human. Is truly forgetting ourselves something humans can do?"

"..."

"So all I know is that we must forget ourselves, yet not forget."

Forget, yet do not forget. It was one of the things the Sword Immortal had told him in the past. The room fell so silent they could have heard a pin drop.

After keeping his eyes closed for a long while, the Sword Immortal nodded. At that moment—

[The effect of 'Greatest Teacher' activates!]

[The effect of 'Fanatical Disciple' activates!]

[The effects stack!]

Messages appeared.

'What the hell? That's scary.'

Had he actually realized something?

"Forget, yet do not forget... Once again, you've taught me something profound."

At that, the other three old men grew solemn as well. They hadn't attained any enlightenment themselves, but they could feel in their bones that those words were not meaningless.

"... I thought young people these days were all hopeless. Clearly, I was wrong. Korea is going to soar to great heights."

The Divine Spear was the first to speak.

"Kim Minwoo, was it? Here's my number. If you need a favor, call me anytime."

"Ahem! The same goes for me. Take my number too."

The Fist King and the Poison Demon handed over their numbers as though competing with each other.

His connections were piling up at a ridiculous pace. The Ancient Dragon's corpse falling into his lap was just a bonus.