Absolute Regression

The One-Slash Sword Supreme came to see me again the following night.

“They say the third time’s the charm. Let’s have our final duel today.”

I couldn’t tell if her visit was because of her promise to my father or the joy she felt from our duel yesterday.

“Sounds good.”

I readily accepted the third duel.

“After our draw yesterday, I went back and slept the whole day. When I lost the first day, I couldn’t sleep at all, but after the draw, I slept so deeply. I don’t think I’ve ever slept that well before.”

“You usually have trouble sleeping, don’t you?”

“Yes, I’ve never slept deeply before. Do you know what I thought?”

“What was it?”

I laughed, and the One-Slash Sword Supreme smiled as she drew her sword.

After another bout, we took a short break, separating to catch our breaths.

During these breaks, we asked each other questions about anything we found puzzling.

“During the twenty-third attack, you dodged to the left. Why was that? Wouldn’t the right have been faster?”

“Dodging to the right would have given you more options. If I dodged right, you would have had three choices. Dodging left limited you to two.”

“Because of my center of gravity, right?”

“Exactly.”

For masters like us, even after exchanging hundreds of moves, we could replay the fight in our minds like a game of Go.

When I asked, the Sword Supreme didn’t hide her thoughts and explained them honestly.

You can tell when someone is speaking sincerely. If my father heard this, he’d scold me for thinking I could read people, but at least the Sword Supreme answered me truthfully.

She also asked questions whenever she had doubts. I answered her honestly. Just as I felt her sincerity, she would feel the genuineness in my answers. Teaching isn’t a loss. Just like when I taught Lee Ahn, you learn more while teaching.

“I can’t remember the last time I was so purely engrossed in martial arts. Maybe it’s the first time.”

Given her age and status, it wasn’t something she would say lightly.

“I can’t imagine how it feels for you.”

“Shall we start again?”

“Sure!”

This time, as if by agreement, we leapt into the air and fought. This duel was literally an aerial battle.

Whenever we seemed about to fall to the ground, we helped each other stay airborne by delivering attacks that allowed us to leap off each other’s momentum. Throughout this process, we never ambushed each other. We cooperated, continuously flying and exchanging sword strikes.

Brilliant sword lights adorned the night sky, and we kept fighting in mid-air until we exhausted all our energy, eventually descending to the training ground.

In the training ground, only our heavy breathing could be heard. If it were the first day of our duel, the result would have depended on who caught their breath first, but now we didn’t care at all.

“Do you have any alcohol?”

She, who never drank, was now asking for alcohol.

“Yes, I do.”

I went into the house and rummaged around for some alcohol.

“This is good alcohol.”

“You know your alcohol?”

“Just because I don’t drink doesn’t mean I don’t know about it. I used to drink in the past.”

We drank together. Sharing a drink after a duel with the Sword Supreme had a unique charm. Despite her claim of having quit alcohol long ago, she drank well, almost making me suspect she secretly drank on her own.

“Second Young Master, may I ask you something?”

“Yes, Senior.”

“What caused you to change so suddenly? You weren’t like this before, were you? I haven’t observed you closely, but I had a rough idea of what kind of person you were.”

“It wasn’t sudden. I’ve been preparing for a long time.”

“Have you been hiding your true self?”

“Something like that. If I had revealed my true self too early, my brother would have killed me. I kept myself hidden until I could protect myself.”

“You are truly a frightening person.”

When the bottle was empty, she spoke again.

“Let’s do it one last time.”

I was surprised. The tone of the One-Slash Sword Supreme had changed.

She, who always used honorifics, had naturally started speaking more casually.

“This may sound strange, but being with you feels like being with a friend.”

Perhaps she sensed a glimpse of my past life. In front of my father or Lee Ahn, I tried hard to leave behind the darkness, hardships, and years of my past, often acting frivolous and playful. But in front of her, I didn’t. Especially during our duels, I was more serious than anyone else.

We learn from masters and also from novices. The insights gained from such contrasts are so profound that we often neglect the lessons from those on our level, dismissing their value with sayings like “birds of a feather.”

But today, I realized that even ordinary experiences can become the finest feast.

We talked and fought, learned and fought, and had revelations while fighting. We put down our drinks and fought again. I can confidently say this:

Our duel was elegant. We harbored no intent to harm each other but shared a noble enjoyment of the duel.

Throughout this process, I didn’t mention the Blood Heaven Sword Demon even once. I even forgot about the idea of trying to win her over to my side.

Thus, we clashed powerfully, exchanging our final, dazzling moves.

“Forgive my boldness, but it felt like I shared a friendship with you through our swords.”

She agreed with my sentiment.

“I don’t know what kind of relationship we’ll have in the future, but today’s duel with you, Young Master, will forever be remembered.”

The One-Slash Sword Supreme also valued this duel greatly.

“Yes, I will never forget it. Thank you for your great teachings.”

“Did I truly teach you anything?”

She might have felt that she gained more from this experience.

But I was certain that I learned far more. She might have picked up a few teachings, but I absorbed everything.

Through these three days of duels, I thought a lot about the Soaring Sword Art, and the solid structure of my mastery began to shake.

I realized that the wall of Ten Star Greatness had crumbled, and now my level was advancing towards Twelve Star Greatness. My heart started to race with the new change that had come after such a long time.

We did not say goodbye.

The One-Slash Sword Supreme drew her One-Slash Sword and held it out, and I responded with my Black Demon Sword.

Clang!

The clear sound of our swords clashing marked our farewell, and our duel ended.

* * *

Returning to her quarters, the One-Slash Sword Supreme drank alone.

After the duel with the Geom Mugeuk, various emotions welled up within her.

Three days had passed like a trance.

She recalled the first day she lost the duel.

All sorts of thoughts had crossed her mind that day. She even considered wearing a mask and returning to kill Geom Mugeuk.

The person she was that day and the person she was today felt entirely different. Although she was the same person, her relationship with Geom Mugeuk had completely changed.

At that moment, Sa Woojong’s voice came from outside the cottage.

“It’s Woojong.”

He entered, carrying dishes that would serve as side dishes. Placing them on the table, Sa Woojong asked,

“Is something troubling you?”

Since serving her up close, he had never seen her drink.

But today, she suddenly drank.

‘This is a bad omen.’

Sa Woojong judged the situation this way.

Since One-Slash Sword Supreme moved so discreetly, Sa Woojong didn’t know about the duel from the past three days.

One-Slash Sword Supreme didn’t answer his question.

During such times, Sa Woojong felt a deep sense of self-reproach. She had never shown him a candid side. He had assumed it was because she was emotionally dry, but why was she suddenly drinking?

“Is this related to the Second Young Master?”

One-Slash Sword Supreme glanced at Sa Woojong. Her eyes, telling him not to say such nonsense, were cold.

“Nothing happened.”

Sa Woojong quickly bowed his head.

“I spoke out of turn. I apologize.”

When she was in a bad mood, Sa Woojong had a tailored prescription.

“By the way, I’ve brought a new one. He’s waiting in the secret room…”

“Stop it.”

“Sorry?”

“Stop bringing men.”

“!”

Sa Woojong was startled for a moment.

It wasn’t that he was surprised by the order to stop bringing men. It was that the Sword Supreme addressed him with respect. He felt like he had been struck on the head.

‘What is this? Why is she acting like this all of a sudden?’

He had taken pride in the special treatment of being addressed casually by her alone.

He thought he might have misheard, but that wasn’t the case.

So Yeonrang sighed lightly.

“It should have been stopped long ago. No, it should never have started in the first place.”

When Sa Woojong first brought a young man, the cause of the problem was her giving in to a moment of lust.

Just once! Yes, just once. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had slept with a man. Just this once, let’s enjoy it!

But with the box of lust opened, “just once” didn’t exist.

Once became twice, and twice became thrice.

Sa Woojong said it was something the men wanted, and she was even giving them a lot of money, so she was actually helping them. She closed her eyes tightly. Honestly, she couldn’t even feel guilty later on.

Lust became a habit.

The habit was scarier than the lust. She couldn’t stop, even though she didn’t enjoy it that much.

But now it was time to stop. After finishing the duel with Geom Mugeuk, she felt it was time to start something new. Whether with Geom Mugeuk or not.

“Then I’ll send him back today. Whenever you need anything, just say the word…”

“There won’t be a next time. Understood?”

With her cold gaze, Sa Woojong bowed his head.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Leave. And if you touch the young men thinking you’re keeping a secret, you’ll die by my hand.”

So far, she had taken good care of the young men, making sure they were paid properly and sent away alive, preventing Sa Woojong from killing them to keep the secret. (EN : I thought it was a life draining technique to maintain youth, glad that it wasn’t that)

“That won’t happen.”

Sa Woojong bowed hurriedly and turned to leave.

His expression was rigid. He believed he had solidified his position as the perfect second-in-command by winning her favor with the use of the young men and maintaining this secret.

But what was with that unfamiliar coldness? What was with that confidence?

He had been certain he would be the next Sword Supreme.

The Sword Supreme’s heart was wavering. No, she was turning away from him.

He knew the reason better than anyone. The person who had recently shaken her.

‘Geom Mugeuk!’

* * *

That night, someone was waiting in Sa Woojong’s quarters.

The woman’s name was Cheong Seon.

One of the five disciples of the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme, she was a ghost sorceress.

Cheong Seon ran into Sa Woojong’s arms as soon as he entered the room. It had been a year since they started seeing each other, and their relationship was at its peak.

In Sa Woojong’s embrace, Cheong Seon spoke with a slightly complaining expression.

“Can’t you take down that painting?”

Her gaze was directed at the painting hanging on the wall. The woman in the painting was the One-Slash Sword Supreme.

“Are you jealous of a painting?”

“It’s not jealousy. I know your loyalty well, but do you really need to have her painting in your room?”

“I didn’t become the second-in-command of the Northern Heavens Sword Family just like that.”

“I know. But it makes me uncomfortable every time I see it.”

Cheong Seon led Sa Woojong to the bed.

“Do you know? This is the first time you asked to see me first. It’s always been me who came to you.”

“Really?”

“You are the most taciturn person in our cult.”

“I’ve been busy.”

“Because of that old hag, the Sword Supreme.”

“Watch your mouth.”

“Sorry.”

Cheong Seon snuggled closer to him, and Sa Woojong embraced her fiercely as always.

But Sa Woojong’s gaze was on the painting on the wall. The heat in his eyes was not loyalty.

Cheong Seon didn’t know. At this moment, her man was thinking about another woman, one much older than herself.

When the sounds of ecstasy subsided, words that would change their fate flowed from Sa Woojong’s lips. The very words that mark the beginning of the end in any relationship.

“I need a favor…”

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