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#561
Taejonbirok Volume 23, Episode 11
Chapter 125: Lazy Man, Showing Off (1)
“Simae Dokma.”
"yes."
The Gwanggu Shingae nodded its head.
“How well do you know the bishops?”
"I don't know for sure. In fact, the remaining facts about the Demonic Cult are nothing more than oral tradition. Aren't all the documents that could explain exactly what they are, lost?"
"yes."
"So, I don't know much about that information. I can only guess. All I know is that the bishops are the most powerful in the Demonic Cult."
Gwanggu Shingae nodded.
“It’s not almost wrong, but it’s not really true either.”
It was an ambiguous answer.
“Because there are quite a few people in the Demonic Cult who are stronger than the bishop.”
"yes?"
"Contrary to popular belief, the bishops aren't the strongest in the Demonic Cult, but rather the ones who are eliminated in order. There are many factors involved. Even non-bishops could probably handle something like Dokma. But his poison-using nature is crucial. No one can simultaneously deal with as many enemies as Dokma in a war."
“Yes.”
Since ancient times, poison has been used very effectively in war.
The historian who studied military history knew this fact very well.
"Ultimately, the position of bishop is held by those recognized by the church. Even if one possesses exceptional academic ability, if that lack of knowledge is deemed unhelpful to the church, one cannot become a bishop. Do you understand what this means?"
"……well."
"These bishops of the Demonic Cult are filled with those who are thoroughly helpful in the war effort. So, how terrifying must each of them be?"
Saga nodded.
“That’s definitely true.”
"When I first saw the Mad Demon Lord, I felt it. He was so powerful. And so terrifying. It was enough for me, a man of openness who had some confidence in myself, to truly feel the fear of the Demonic Cult."
A hint of fear crossed the face of the speaking Gwanggu Shingae. It was as if, despite the passage of time, the memory of that time was still vivid.
“That’s why I still can’t forget what happened back then.”
“If you say it was back then……”
“It’s the end of the Battle of Nanyang.”
"ah……."
Battle of Luoyang.
This is the story of the incident in which Wei Yanhu saved the main body of the Jeongmu Alliance from crisis and made his name known throughout the world.
“Come to think of it, it must have been quite shocking.”
Gwanggu Shingae gave a subtle smile.
“You probably can’t understand the shock right now.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Before you encountered the Battle of Luoyang, you would have already known about the existence of the Gwanghwimujon, that is, the Wei Yanhu.”
“…….”
“It’s one thing to know someone’s existence and what they’ve done, and another thing entirely to watch that work unfold before your very eyes.”
“That’s certainly true.”
Saga had no choice but to admit it.
He already knows that Wei Yanhu saved the world. Therefore, it's only natural that Wei Yanhu would overthrow the bishop.
But what would it have been like from Gwanggu Shingae's perspective?
He had no idea what Wei Yanhu would become. Furthermore, he had already seen Wei Yanhu defeated by the bishop. Wouldn't the sight of Wei Yanhu defeating the bishop have been a sight to behold in the eyes of such a sage?
“I think I know how you felt.”
"hmm?"
The Gwanggu Shingae chuckled.
“You, do you really think I’m surprised that Wei Yanho defeated the bishop?”
“……Isn’t that so?”
"I already knew he could take on someone as powerful as a bishop. When he fought the Mad Soul Demon Emperor, he was on equal footing for a brief moment. Even if that wasn't the Mad Soul Demon Emperor's full strength."
“Yes, that’s right.”
"How much stronger do you think Wei Yanhu has become since then? You could probably guess. Judging by his actions, everyone could have guessed. He's gotten stronger. He's gotten incredibly strong. He's gotten incredibly strong. But…"
The Gwanggu Shingae shook its head.
“That wasn’t it.”
"yes?"
"Everyone thought they knew, but no one knew. We underestimated just how strong Wei Yanhu was. Do you know what we underestimated?"
“It’s the Emperor of Gwanghwi.”
“That’s wrong.”
“…….”
Saga found this conversation difficult to follow. Gwanggu Shingae's rhetoric kept putting people off.
"then?"
Gwanggu Shingae lifted the bottle and sipped. He quenched his thirst with the alcohol, licked his parched lips, and spoke again.
"We kept overlooking one thing. We were so fixated on the fact that Wei Yanhu was strong. That's why we failed to sense the power of the person we truly needed to know."
“Who was the one who should have known?”
“The Sword Emperor. He is the teacher of Wi Yeon-ho.”
"ah……."
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Gwanggu Shingae said, clicking his tongue.
“When I learned that Wi Yeon-ho was the Sword Emperor’s disciple, I thought, ‘Ah, so that’s why he’s so strong. He must be this strong, to be the Sword Emperor’s disciple.’”
Saga frowned.
“What’s wrong with that?”
“It was wrong. It was wrong.”
It was an incomprehensible statement. What on earth was wrong with it?
“No one knew what kind of being the Sword Emperor was.”
“…….”
“If you knew what kind of person the Sword Emperor was and saw Wei Yanhu, what would you have said?”
“Like teacher, like disciple?”
"No. Perhaps. 'How could such a rotten disciple have emerged from the ranks of the Sword Emperor?' Of course, he couldn't have said it out loud."
“……Are you going to throw it away?”
Saga let out a hollow laugh.
What a burr.
Even though it seems like Gwanggu Shingae has ill feelings towards Gwanghwimujon, this is beyond the level of a joke.
“I wonder if that’s a bit harsh.”
“It’s not a bad thing.”
The voice of the Gwanggu Shingae was firm.
"We thought we were strong. We thought Wei Yanhu possessed strength beyond common sense. And it was true. That is, unless he was the Sword Emperor's disciple."
Saga had difficulty understanding Gwanggu Shingae's words. What difference would it make if he were to add that he was the Sword Emperor's disciple?
"If the Sword Emperor had set his mind to teaching Wei Yanhu, Wei Yanhu would have had to be several times stronger. From the moment he emerged from the cave, he should have possessed the power to rule the world of martial arts."
"yes?"
Although Saga expressed his doubts, Gwanggu Shingae continued speaking.
"But I didn't know. Just how powerful the Sword Emperor was. He was already three hundred years old. His name was passed down as legend, but no one could truly grasp why he was the greatest of all time, or how terrifying that phrase truly was."
"ah……."
Only then was Saga able to understand Gwanggu Shingae's words.
A person needs a standard to be measured. The Sword Emperor is said to be the strongest in history. But how could future generations accurately know just how powerful he truly was?
At best, he might be a little stronger than the current best swordsman. However, the Sword Emperor was on a whole other level compared to the previous masters.
We can see it now, because we have a standard. But we couldn't have known it then. The Sword Emperor was so powerful. During his time, no one in the world dared to stand against him.
If you rush in, it's a single blow.
A third-rate warrior's sword, a world-class sword.
So, there's no way to gauge the Sword Emperor's level. To measure his level, countless warriors of the time would have to rush in together, but since Sword Emperor isn't even a Sima Yi, that's impossible.
So people only have a vague idea that the Sword Emperor was strong, but they don't know how strong he truly was.
"We only realized it later, after seeing him. It was only later that we realized how strong the Sword Emperor was. So, the question arose: Why was Wi Yeon-ho so weak?"
It felt strange.
The Gwanghwimujon is weak.
That you have a bad personality or that you have no thoughts.
Although all the curses and evil words in the world suited him, the word weak did not suit him.
“It was only then that I realized what the Sword Emperor had done to Wi Yeon-ho.”
Saga swallowed hard.
"With five years, even if it's not for others, the Sword Emperor can easily create the best in the world. Even if it's not Wei Yanhu, but a country-based martial artist, he can create the best in the world in five years."
"Is that possible? Being uneducated isn't that simple."
"It would be absolutely impossible for anyone but the Sword Emperor. But the Sword Emperor can do it. His martial arts skills reach the heavens."
“…….”
"But the Emperor raised Wi Yeon-ho, a rotten, talented bastard, for five years, and all he got was this? That's absurd."
"then?"
Gwanggu Shingae nodded.
"The Sword Emperor told Wei Yanhu to surpass him. To do so, he needed a foundation. A broad and deep foundation. For five years, the Sword Emperor focused on building Wei Yanhu's foundation. A foundation upon which he could one day build a tower that would surpass him."
Saga's eyes shook.
“And I left one more so that the foundation would not be in vain.”
“Are you talking about Duke Mongryun?”
"Yes, that's exactly it. The Dreaming Gong isn't meant to teach Wei Yanhu. It's the martial arts that keep Wei Yanhu from stopping. Every time he sleeps, Wei Yanhu must constantly practice the martial arts. Whatever the efficiency, that's enough. Wei Yanhu can't let go of the martial arts, even to escape the Dreaming Gong. Simply holding onto the tip of the martial arts allows the tower to rise."
“……I just don’t understand. Is that possible with human power?”
The Gwanggu Shingae shook its head.
“He is not human.”
“…….”
"It's an incarnation of nothingness in human form. It's beyond human comprehension or even comprehension. I guess that's just how it is."
Saga's face became serious.
So, just how strong was the Sword Emperor?
"The Sword Emperor had everything arranged. He laid the foundation and had the tower built. The only thing missing was Wei Yanhu's will. He wasn't diligent enough to learn martial arts on his own. The Sword Emperor even took that into account and taught Wei Yanhu. Even if this lazy bastard spent his entire life lazing around, he would eventually reach him."
"ah……."
"Then, with the rise of the Demonic Cult, even Wei Yanhu couldn't just sit idle. He began to study martial arts, ponder, and cultivate himself."
The Gwanggu Shingae spoke with a strange face.
“And then it blew up.”
“It’s going to explode?”
"Yes. The accumulated knowledge, the wandering Wi Yeon-ho, who had been lost and confused, not knowing where to go, finally found his path. And then he built it up rapidly. That's…"
The corners of Gwanggu Shingae's mouth curled up.
"That was unfortunate for the two bishops. That's… Listen carefully. What happened to Wi Yeon-ho back then…?"
Saga lost his mind and was sucked into Gwanggu Shingae's words.