Urban Vagabond: Reload

Going to see my teacher with my parents wasn’t my idea.

After turning down Azure Sky Sword Gate’s offer, I’d sprinted straight home.

I was planning to just grab a mask and a cap and then head out to get instruction from my teacher, even if it was late.

But the moment I stepped into the living room, I locked eyes with my parents, who were already waiting for me.

“Huh? You’re both home already?”

“......”

“......”

The atmosphere was different from usual.

Both of them were staring at me with serious expressions, and I immediately realized why.

On the laptop on the table, the YouTube video of me fighting Nightfiend Sword was playing.

“Uh, that’s...”

The instant I started to make excuses and unconsciously took a step back,

Mom crooked her finger at me.

“Kim Muhyuk. Come sit down.”

“...Yes, ma’am.”

I was someone who could turn down a contract from the Eight Great Sects in one shot, but when Mom spoke, I had no choice but to be a tame lamb.

Next to her, Dad, arms crossed, spoke in a heavy voice.

“Son. Didn’t you say you were going to come straight home after school?”

“The thing is...”

When I’d found out about the video at school earlier, I’d messaged them not to worry.

I told them once they both came home from work in the evening, I’d explain everything face-to-face.

But I’d ended up talking with Bu Yeonha for longer than I’d planned, so I got home late, and in the meantime my parents had gotten worried, taken partial leave from work, come home, and were waiting for me.

“Do you have any idea how shocked I was when I saw this? Seeing a sword whipping past right in front of your nose—do you know how scared I was...?”

Dad’s voice rose, and the corners of his eyes were red and bloodshot.

He said his heart had dropped watching that video of me fighting a black-path old monster, and that he hadn’t been able to focus on work all day.

“You should have at least told us.”

Mom was looking at me with an expression that was trying very hard to hold back her anger.

“I’ve been prepared, ever since you said you wanted to become a martial artist. Of course it’s dangerous. I know you could get hurt in fights, and that injuries are common. But still... you should have told us. Are we supposed to be like strangers, finding out our son got hurt because some video went around?”

Watching them tear up out of worry for me hurt far more than the wounds Nightfiend Sword had given me.

“...I’m really sorry.”

I realized I’d been so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I hadn’t considered my parents.

They were people who always put me first, and I’d sworn in this life I’d definitely live a long, happy life together with them.

But there had already been several times when I’d tried to hide that I was hurt and just quietly push past it because I didn’t want them to worry.

“From now on, I’ll always tell you.”

I apologized from the heart and promised firmly that this would never happen again.

“...You really are okay though, right?”

“You got proper treatment at the hospital?”

They hugged me tight.

Their warmth seeped into me, and it felt like the body I’d been holding tense over all these recent events was finally relaxing.

But that warm embrace was really a trap to lower my guard.

“So let’s see how bad the injuries are.”

“You hold him. I’ll pull his shirt up!”

Both of them reached for my shirt at the same time, trying to lift it and check my injuries. I struggled, trying to protect my clothes.

“Wait, wait a second! I’m almost twenty, you know!”

“What does your age have to do with your parents checking if their son is hurt?”

“Do you have any idea how many things we’ve had to see while raising you?”

Of course, if I’d really wanted to, I could have easily shaken them off, but I made a show of being flustered and just let myself get caught up in their antics.

It wasn’t any big deal to show my bare body to my parents.

If that was what it took to ease their minds, I’d show them as much as they wanted.

“Wow, you’ve really put on more muscle since last time, haven’t you?”

“Want me to take my pants off too?”

“That’s enough, stop saying gross things!”

After that storm of scolding, reconciliation, and joking around, once my parents were back to their usual selves, I carefully brought it up.

“...I’ve had a lot going on recently.”

I told them honestly about how I’d spent more than a week searching for my teacher, and how I’d ended up fighting Nightfiend Sword in the process.

“Oh my god... so you were hunting down some secluded master because you wanted sword instruction?”

“No wonder you suddenly asked me to pack a bunch of lunch boxes.”

I couldn’t tell them anything related to my regression, but aside from that, I didn’t hide much.

I told them everything—right down to the conversation I’d had with Azure Sky Sword Gate’s scout team leader.

“So I’m just now coming back from turning down Azure Sky Sword Gate’s offer.”

“......”

“......”

After I told them I’d refused Azure Sky Sword Gate, I waited quietly for their reaction.

Are they disappointed I turned down the Eight Great Sects?

From any angle, it was like I’d kicked away a guaranteed path to success.

Since they wanted me to succeed as a martial artist more than anyone, I could have understood if they were disappointed or angry with my decision.

But they calmly listened to my story all the way through, then looked at each other and nodded.

“...You’re not mad?”

It was me who asked, dumbfounded, and Dad just shrugged and smiled.

“What’s there to be mad about? It’s your life. You’ll figure it out.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s okay to treat your body carelessly and get hurt. You know that’s a completely different issue, right?”

Mom also didn’t seem to have any lingering regret about me turning down the Eight Great Sects. It was like she’d expected I’d do that.

They were more interested in something else than the story about the contract with Azure Sky Sword Gate.

“So you’re saying you found a sword teacher first, Muhyuk?”

“You said you didn’t need any private instruction outside the academy...”

They’d actually wanted to hire a separate sword instructor for me for a long time, but I’d turned everything down.

The cost of private instruction was just too high for what you actually got.

And I’d been confident I could get strong enough on my own without learning from anyone.

So it was only natural they were curious now that I was the one who’d gone out to find a sword teacher.

“We can’t just sit here. Since we’re talking about it, we should go meet him.”

“Huh? Right now?”

Dad checked the time, grabbed his coat, and stood up. I tried to stop him in a panic, but he already had his car keys in hand.

“Honey, should we bring something as a gift for the teacher?”

“I’ll grab some fruit. We can buy something else on the way if we see it.”

Mom was the same. She jumped up and headed for the kitchen, and I alone was flailing, overwhelmed by the suddenness of all this.

“Are we really going? Just like this?”

“He’s taking time to teach our lacking son. The least we can do is thank him properly.”

“It’s already late...”

“So you’re not going to go because of that? You still don’t even have his number, right? If you just don’t show up, he might keep waiting for you.”

“I can just go by myself.”

“Hurry up and get changed. We’re leaving right away.”

They usually gave way to me on most things, but when my parents did dig their heels in, there was nothing I could do.

*****

My teacher, looking awkward, set three cups of barley tea in front of us.

“I’m sorry I have nothing decent to serve guests.”

“Not at all. We’re the ones who apologize for dropping in like this without warning.”

“We brought some fruit. Should I slice it up?”

Mom poked me in the side with her elbow. That meant, Go and cut it.

While I was in the kitchen peeling apples and pears, the adults exchanged a few more formal greetings across the table.

Then the awkward silence arrived.

“......”

My teacher glanced at me with an uneasy look, and I avoided his gaze, glaring at the apples and pears like they were my mortal enemies as I stripped off their skins.

Thankfully, Dad broke the mood first.

“Muhyuk told us what kind of person you are. That even though you carry the terrifying epithet Sword Demon, you’re more of a hero than anyone he knows.”

“Ahem...”

He didn’t seem to have much resistance to compliments delivered straight to his face; my teacher’s ears flushed slightly red as he shook his head.

“I’m just an old man who swung a sword a long time ago. I’m not anyone that great.”

I knew just how humble that really was.

But he genuinely seemed to believe it.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have looked that serious when he said it.

“...With your son’s talent, any one of the Eight Great Sects would welcome him with open arms. No—if they realized what he’s really capable of, they’d probably be clinging to his pants leg, begging.”

At that unimaginable level of praise, my parents’ eyes went wide.

If it were just a joke, they could have laughed along and played off it, but his expression was so serious that anyone could see he meant every word.

“I’m not someone who hands ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) out compliments lightly. Muhyuk clearly has the talent and drive to deserve them. That’s why... I’m asking you, even now, to persuade him.”

“Persuade him?”

“He can find a much better teacher than me.”

“......”

His expression was softer than at first, but also firm.

Like he’d made up his mind, he nodded once, then turned his head and gave me a faint smile.

“I only guided you for a single day, but it was more than enough to see your talent. You should go somewhere that can truly let you fully blossom.”

I put the fruit I’d carefully sliced onto a plate, carried it over, and set it down on the low table.

“That’s why I’m here right now.”

“You little punk...”

The moment my teacher’s eyebrows twisted in displeasure, my parents laughed at the same time.

“Ha ha ha!”

They both had pleased smiles on their faces.

To me, those smiles looked like they were saying, You’ve found a good teacher.

Mom patted my shoulder where I sat beside her and spoke.

“You have no idea how happy he was, telling us he’d finally found the sword teacher he’d always wanted. It’s been ages since we saw him that excited, like a little kid.”

“Ahem...”

Embarrassed, I cleared my throat, and Mom looked between me and my teacher with eyes full of certainty.

“I don’t know much about the martial world, but I like to think I can read people. And I feel like you’ll guide him on the right path. You and our Muhyuk seem to be cut from a similar cloth.”

Dad chuckled and shook his head.

“You want us to persuade this kid? We haven’t succeeded even once since he turned nine. And honestly, with how I see it, instead of one of those big Eight Great Sects full of people and politics, I think you’ll teach him in a way that suits him much better.”

Who do they think I got it from?

I’d learned it from my parents since I was small.

“...I was wondering who this kid took after. Turns out he’s a perfect blend of both of you. Are you really sure you won’t regret this? I can’t do anything for him besides teaching swordsmanship.”

“That’s more than enough.”

“Wanting more than that would be greedy.”

“Please take care of our lacking son.”

Those were, in order, my answer, Dad’s, then Mom’s.

“Ha! Well, I’ll be...”

My teacher let out a short, incredulous laugh.

I was pretty sure he just didn’t know what to do with the three equally stubborn faces in front of him.

And in that moment, I felt the last lock on his heart come undone.

Because I saw a mischievous smile on his lips—one I’d never seen before.

“All right. Just know that even if you regret it later, it’ll be too late.”

I let out a cheer, and my parents thanked him again.

Then a tug-of-war broke out.

My parents, of course, insisted on paying for the sword instruction, and my teacher absolutely refused to accept any money.

The second battle of wills ended in my teacher’s victory.

“I have never once taken personal payment for teaching the sword. My honor is on the line, so I can’t yield on this.”

“But...”

“Instead.”

To my parents, who looked apologetic, my teacher smiled and proposed a condition in place of money.

“Would you be willing to pack an extra lunch box for me from time to time? I spent all day thinking about that warm food I had last night.”

“That’s all?”

“We can do that as often as you like, but...”

In the end, we agreed that the lunch box we’d share at dinner would take the place of any tuition.

We chatted a bit longer about this and that, and before we knew it, it was quite late. My parents reluctantly stood up first.

“Then we’ll be heading out now, Teacher.”

“Muhyuk, listen to your teacher.”

“You go ahead. I’ll stay and talk with him a little longer.”

“Get home safe.”

After my parents left, my teacher and I were alone.

“Whew...”

He looked completely drained as he downed what was left of his barley tea in one go, then gave me a weary smile.

“You’ve got wonderful parents.”

“Yes. I’m always proud of them.”

I straightened my back with pride, and my teacher snorted a laugh and nodded.

But only for a moment—his gentle expression sharpened in an instant, like a drawn sword.

“Now that I’ve made a promise to your parents, I won’t be teaching you halfheartedly.”

“I’m ready.”

I nodded, putting strength into my eyes.

Seeing my expression seemed to satisfy him; he nodded back and spoke.

“First, we’ll set up a training schedule around the martial-artist license exam. The details change a bit every year, but the basic structure stays the same.”

The old man who’d seemed detached from the world suddenly had the eyes of a top-tier cram-school instructor. I just sat quietly and listened.

“Right now, what you need most is someone you can match blades with. I can adjust my level to yours, but then the tension drops and it loses realism. To maintain your edge, you need at least one opponent you can trade thirty exchanges with on even ground.”

“And if you could get help from a competent spell-caster, you could recreate a variety of environments similar to the license exam. That would be the icing on the cake. The problem is, they’re not easy to recruit...”

At that point, I raised my hand.

“Teacher. I think I can get both of those right away.”

“You mean someone on your level, and a capable spell-caster? Even in the Eight Great Sects, that’s not easy to...”

He trailed off.

It seemed he’d pictured the same faces I had.

We nodded at the same time, and my teacher looked at me with a hint of expectation.

“Try getting in touch with them.”

*****

A few days later.

While I was training on my teacher’s rooftop...

“You said we were going to a famous restaurant! You lied about food again, you son of a bitch, Kim Muhyuk!”

“What? You said the gap got even bigger so I wouldn’t be able to lay a finger on you? I’m going to crush you today!”

Kim Bokja and Shin Kangheon burst through the rooftop door.