Urban Vagabond: Reload

The more the Martial Alliance Leader showed off on the sparring platform, the harder the faces of the Eight Great Sects’ sect leaders became.

“What kind of joke is this, picking on kids.......”

“Tsk, tsk. No sense of shame.”

“I don’t even understand what he’s relying on to keep crossing the line like this.”

They wore forced smiles on their faces, but in reality, they had thrown up a qi barrier to block out sound and were trading words through ventriloquism without moving their lips.

This was the seating area for the big names of every field. The entire situation was being broadcast through cameras. If even a displeased expression or a careless remark got exposed, they could become the whole nation’s laughingstock.

“So that’s why he made the exam this loud and showy.......”

“Looks like he decided to make fools of us.”

“I’d love to know how he plans to deal with the fallout.”

That was why the three sect leaders had no choice but to sit still, swallowing down their anger even as the Martial Alliance Leader’s behavior was no different from a provocation.

Everyone except the one man who was enjoying the spectacle all by himself—Na Ilcheon, the Azure Sky Sword Elder.

“Heh heh. You can see his resolve. He picked a day and came in ready!”

For some reason, he was the only one grinning from ear to ear.

The sect leader of the Supreme Pole Sword Gate, wearing a perfectly polite smile, asked him without moving his lips.

“Are you actually laughing right now? The Martial Alliance Leader insulted us in an official setting. Right in front of our eyes, he’s sending the Eight Great Sects’ young talents flying off the sparring platform!”

“That’s because your disciples are only that good. What can you do?”

“Grand Elder!”

“I’m not deaf.”

Na Ilcheon answered casually, picking at his ear. Unlike the other sect leaders, he wasn’t even bothering with ventriloquism.

“Don’t throw around the word ‘insult’ so easily. If what you’re feeling right now is an insult, then what do you call the way we’ve tormented him all this time? You should count yourselves lucky Yeo Pilgeuk didn’t apply for a life-and-death duel ages ago. Tsk, tsk.”

“......”

At Na Ilcheon’s shocking remark, the three sect leaders went speechless for a moment.

The Azure Sky Sword Elder Na Ilcheon was a man you could say had written the history of the Eight Great Sects’ alliance with his own hands.

One of the alliance’s central pillars—someone who stepped in as a mediator whenever conflict arose, guiding sects back into cooperation.

And now he was taking the Martial Alliance Leader’s side.

“...May we interpret that as you intending to support the Martial Alliance Leader going forward?”

“Grand Elder. What you just said is a statement that breaks the alliance.”

“Is that the will of the entire Azure Sky Sword Gate?”

Seeing the three sect leaders grow so serious that they forgot to mind their surroundings, Na Ilcheon eased back with a lazy chuckle.

“Heh heh. Don’t interpret the ramblings of a senile old man so politically. I’m just here to see my granddaughter.”

The three sect leaders didn’t believe him for a second.

He looked like a clueless old man at a glance, but they knew very well what coiled inside him was a hundred-year-old serpent.

“Let’s see. What’s my Yeonha doing.......”

Whether the sect leaders glared at him or not, Na Ilcheon’s gaze turned toward Bu Yeonha.

His granddaughter who never hurt his eyes no matter how much he looked at her.

Not just because she was his blood—because she was the kind of child whose talent made him believe she could raise the Azure Sky Sword Gate into the next generation’s greatest sect under the heavens, not merely one of the Eight Great Sects.

She was also the successor Na Ilcheon had personally pointed at and decided on as the next sect leader.

So she said there’s a young talent so impressive she was making a fuss about him, so I came to take a look while I was at it.......

Na Ilcheon studied Kim Muhyuk, who happened to be standing beside his granddaughter.

Bu Yeonha kept trying to talk to him, and he kept replying with an indifferent expression. It irked him more than a little.

If this was the kid who had rejected Yeonha’s scouting offer...... was he doing it on purpose? Trying to raise his price?

Even with the seasoned, sharp eyes of an old veteran who had seen every kind of battlefield, Kim Muhyuk’s expression was impossible to read.

So Na Ilcheon took his eyes off the two of them for a moment and glanced around—and his eyes began to shine.

“Well now...... looks like there isn’t just one or two talents worth getting greedy over.”

They said this year was so packed with outstanding young talents it would go down as legendary, and sure enough, there were prospects everywhere—people any sect would want to bring in.

Especially the young talent who was stepping onto the sparring platform right now.

“DUN-DUN! Shin Kangheon the Origin! Finally makes his entrance!”

Shin Kangheon—who had gone back from blond to black hair—added his own sound effect as he faced the Martial Alliance Leader.

It was embarrassing enough to make the audience cringe a little, but his skill alone was something to look forward to.

*****

BANG!

They had agreed to skip the noisy formalities during the exam, but Shin Kangheon was the only participant who put on a performance like slamming his saber down onto the sparring platform out of nowhere.

“Leader! Please give me a proper lesson!”

With a crooked grin, Shin Kangheon lifted his blade tip as if he were provoking his opponent.

But Yeo Pilgeuk didn’t mind. If anything, he laughed it off, loud and easy.

“Haha! You’ve got an overflowing amount of fight in you. Let’s see if your skill matches it.”

“Can we start right away?”

“What—are you nervous and need to run to the bathroom? Then I’ll wait until you get back—”

In that instant, Shin Kangheon dropped his posture and exploded forward in a sprint straight at the Martial Alliance Leader. The distance collapsed in a blink, and their silhouettes overlapped.

“This little—”

SHRAAAK!

A fierce, savage saber technique tore in like it meant to split Yeo Pilgeuk in two. The saber art he had honed in real combat carried refined killing intent.

A smile formed at Yeo Pilgeuk’s mouth. At the same time, his eyes shone cold.

“So you hid a sharp blade inside that flashy exterior. A fine ambush. But you picked the wrong opponent.”

KWA-BANG!

The Martial Alliance Leader’s first fist knocked Shin Kangheon’s saber aside.

But unlike the earlier participants who had lost their weapons, Shin Kangheon didn’t stubbornly try to hold on. As if he had expected it, he sprang back and bled off the shock.

“Oh. You blocked that nicely?”

Shin Kangheon loosened his tingling grip as he flashed a grin.

“I watched exactly how everyone got wrecked up front. If I get wrecked the same way, I’m the idiot.”

“Hahahaha! Do you know how many people you just called idiots?”

Yeo Pilgeuk burst into laughter and immediately threw the second fist, his face full of eager curiosity—as if to say, Let’s see if you can block this too.

THUUUM!

Yeo Pilgeuk’s fist hammered the side of Shin Kangheon’s saber.

Even Shin Kangheon, who rarely got pushed around by raw strength, staggered. But he didn’t break his stance. Then, like lightning, he whipped his saber sideways in a counter.

Seeing the blade skim past his face by a hair, Yeo Pilgeuk smiled, pleased.

“Good! Take the third one too!”

Riding his rising excitement, Yeo Pilgeuk kicked off the ground and lifted his body high.

WHIRRRK!

A kick that came down from above as he spun like a top in midair. It was the first time he had used kicking techniques since the exam began.

“Hup!”

Shin Kangheon’s eyes widened. He bent his knees to brace for the impact—while at the same time letting his saber droop downward.

He’s not dodging?

For a split second, a flicker of confusion passed through Yeo Pilgeuk’s eyes. He had expected Shin Kangheon to counter with his blade—or at least block.

If he drops the weapon, what is he planning to block with? Is he offering up his shoulder or his arm? No matter how tough he is, it’ll break.......

Dozens of thoughts flashed through him in that short time, but he didn’t stop his foot.

This was an exam to determine a first-rate martial artist. If you couldn’t produce an answer worthy of that, you’d get the same result as the twenty before you!

And a moment later, Yeo Pilgeuk’s eyes snapped wide at the answer Shin Kangheon produced.

CRACK!

Shin Kangheon took the Martial Alliance Leader’s kicking technique with his forehead.

Blood streamed down from his split brow, and a triumphant smile spread across his mouth.

“You absolute brute...... Are you out of your mind?”

“My turn!”

A single move that made even the Martial Alliance Leader falter.

Right after taking the kick with the part of his body sturdier than shoulder or arm, Shin Kangheon swung the saber he had let droop—like a flash of lightning—straight for Yeo Pilgeuk’s heart.

I’ve got him!

The eyes blazing with competitive fire twisted a moment later, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“Pass.”

Yeo Pilgeuk landed on the floor, smiling in satisfaction—with two fingers pinching the blade.

“It’s a bit excessive, but that was skill and judgment worthy of a first-rate martial artist.”

“......”

The first declaration of a pass to come from the Martial Alliance Leader’s mouth.

Countless movements had been traded between them, but to the onlookers it had all happened in the time it took to breathe in and out a few times.

The young talents watching, fully absorbed, finally let out the breath they had been holding.

“Haaa......”

“What did I just see?”

“H-how did the last part happen?”

“He said ‘Pass,’ right?”

The stunned crowd began to murmur, voices piling up—until it swelled into cheers and roaring applause for the passer.

“WAAAAAA—!”

“Shin Kangheon! Shin Kangheon!”

The fearless way he swung his saber without backing down even against the Martial Alliance Leader burned itself into everyone’s memory.

It was the moment the name Shin Kangheon truly became known to the Korean martial world.

“That psycho. Even when he does it, he has to use a strategy that’s exactly like him.”

Even Kim Muhyuk shook his head, unable to hold back the smile leaking out.

Flashes and cheers poured down on Shin Kangheon for a long time.

Even the Eight Great Sects’ sect leaders—who had looked like they were drowning in thoughts—could only stare up at the star on the sparring platform with faces full of awe now.

“...How did we not bring in talent like that?”

“I heard that man’s uncle is negotiating viciously. I did hear the signing bonus he demanded was too high, but.......”

“After today, that number will shoot through the roof.”

“Heh heh. He’s already beyond most first-rate martial artists, isn’t he?”

Praise rained down from the Eight Great Sects’ sect leaders and countless others.

But the person in question only wiped the blood running down his forehead with a calm expression.

“......”

Considering his usual personality, it wouldn’t have been strange for him to jump around in joy—yet the way his shoulders trembled almost looked like anger.

Guessing the reason, Yeo Pilgeuk asked with a smile.

“Are you disappointed you couldn’t land one clean hit on me?”

“...I was going to win.”

Maybe the shock was catching up to him late—Shin Kangheon suddenly swayed.

But even as he looked like he might topple, he barely caught his balance, then scratched the back of his head hard.

“Damn it. I was going to win and make fun of that guy.......”

“Brash little punk. You charged in on purpose to decide it within three techniques, didn’t you?”

If Shin Kangheon had fought in orthodox fashion, his skill was good enough that he could have held out for several more techniques.

But instead of fighting safely, he gambled boldly—creating a moment where the Martial Alliance Leader nearly got put in an awkward spot.

“If luck had been on your side about five times over, you might’ve managed it.”

“To win with skill.......”

“You’re at least twenty years too early, you little punk.”

Yeo Pilgeuk, smiling warmly, spread a qi barrier and spoke in a softened voice.

“I heard you’re the son of Shin Jaehyun, who served as deputy commander of the White Tiger Unit.”

“I don’t really know much myself, but... I heard he was an excellent saber-wielder......”

In that moment, Shin Kangheon saw an emotion on the Martial Alliance Leader’s face he had never seen even once.

Longing—and on top of it, something like regret.

“...That’s right. What you’re using now is the family saber art your father left behind, isn’t it?”

“Yes. I learned it from my uncle.”

“When did you start learning martial arts?”

“Since middle school... I started seriously then......”

His words slowed more and more, and his consciousness blurred. His eyelids were unbearably heavy.

Shin Kangheon forced his eyes open, trying to listen to the Martial Alliance Leader to the end, but—

“There will be a chance for us to talk in detail later. So for today, rest.”

“You have to... really tell me......”

After making him promise what came next, Shin Kangheon grinned, let go of his saber, and flopped backward onto the floor.

THUD.

The boy lay sprawled out, slowly losing consciousness, a satisfied smile still on his lips.

“Good eyes. Someday you’ll become a fine, dashing hero.”

“A dashing... hero... heh......”

Looking down at Shin Kangheon collapsed on the floor, Yeo Pilgeuk wore a kindly smile.