Absolute Regression Chapter 460

460
Geumwoojin was practicing martial arts alone in the backyard.

Hwi stood outside the fence and listened to the sounds of the cult leader practicing.

He was always by the leader’s side, so he was the only one who knew. The fact that the leader has been working harder than ever on his martial arts training recently. And the reason for that is because of the Sword Dance Theater.

The leader’s breathing, walking, jumping, swinging his sword, and the sound of saying and taking back prayers.

It was a sound he had heard for a very long time. Hui had never seen the cult leader practice martial arts. The cult leader said it was okay to see him, but Hui had never seen him practice according to the rules and only heard the sound.

I could tell just by the sound. No, maybe I could tell better just by hearing the sound.

The leader’s realm has changed. The leader thought there was nowhere else to go, but could there really be another realm?

Clearly, the leader’s voice has changed.

When the training was over, someone came to Jangwon.

When Hwi went out, he was the yellow man who had come before.

“What brings you here?”

Hwang In said to Hui with a frightened face.

“Can I speak to you directly, Your Majesty?”

Whiga brought him into the backyard.

“The short-lived one at the top of the zodiac has arrived.”

Geum Woo-jin’s voice was heard from beyond the wall.

“Come in.”

Hwang In thought about what Geommu Geuk had said the whole way.

Avoid eye contact and be polite.

“Hello, Lord Moon.”

After greeting politely, he bowed his head and said.

“Your son has just been arrested. He is the one who came down to investigate this matter. The Lord said he would cook for you, but you wouldn’t listen, so he said he would do it himself. No, that’s not it.”

Hwi said to him, who was talking nonsense.

“Where is the place?”

“There is an old manor about ten li west of the author.”

Originally, this was what Geum A-rin had told him to say before coming here. Then Geommu-geuk intervened.

―Wouldn’t it be confusing if I just explained it like that? You should tell me in detail where the market street is, how many miles away it is, whether there are any forks in the road, and whether there are any other manors in similar places.

-You said your father wasn’t coming?

It was Geommugeuk pretending to be distressed by Geum A-rin’s words.

-Because you are a cruel person.

Hwang In could tell that Geommugeuk was secretly expecting his father to come.

‘But your hunch was right.’

As the sword dance said, Geom Woo-jin didn’t seem to care, let alone worry.

“I told you to tell him to come over there. He told me to come alone.”

Whiga said as if he had had enough.

“Okay, you go now.”

Hwang In, who had turned around, stopped walking. He thought that if he could somehow take Geom Woo Jin, Geom Moo Geuk would live. If Geom Moo Geuk lived, he would live too.

“Your son’s internal energy is suppressed.”

But it didn’t work.

“I told him several times to explain the location of the estate so that he wouldn’t get confused. It was so desperate and heartbreaking!”

Even exaggerated earnest pleas didn’t work.

Hwang In bowed his head in greeting at the still blunt response and turned around.

“Then I will go.”

Hwi knew the leader better than anyone else. He wasn’t the type of person to go out of his way to get out of something that the leader would figure out on his own.

However, Geum Woo-jin showed Hwi once again here that his change was not just a matter of martial arts.

At that time, Geum Woo-jin asked Hwang In, who was walking over there.

“Have you seen all the chapters?”

At first, I didn’t know what he meant by the unexpected question, but Hwang In quickly answered.

“Yes! Even though my internal energy was suppressed, I bought a lot of groceries with both hands. I bought vegetables, meat, and even fruit for dessert.”

Did he recall that image? Geum Woo-jin smiled faintly.

“Take the lead!”

In fact, the person who was more surprised than Hwang In was Hwi.

Hwi, who silently followed Geom Woo-jin, had a feeling that the escort would become more difficult in the future.

If the leader changes, I have to change myself to protect him.

However, this change seemed to be welcomed by Hui. As he followed, a rare smile appeared on his lips, one that was not as rare as that of the cult leader.

* * *

The meeting place was an old manor in a secluded place.

As soon as she returned, Geum A-rin set up ambushes all over the estate.

These were the people I brought down with me this time. They weren’t many in number, but they were experts at surprise attacks.

They were lying in wait everywhere. On trees, on roofs, behind buildings. They were so experienced that they took their places on their own.

Even if they manage to stop their surprise attack, they won’t be able to stop her own attack during the gap. The opponent won’t be able to get out of here alive.

Whether he knew about this serious situation or not, Geommugeuk came out of the kitchen, carrying dishes.

‘Are you really cooking in this situation?’

As expected, the ambush was already underway, and Geommugeuk prepared to cook.

We lit a fire in the yard, brought out the dishes and utensils, and washed them in clean water.

And he began to prepare the ingredients with skillful technique. Geum A-rin watched him with that kind of mind, wondering how far he would go.

The swordsman said while peeling an onion.

“Every time I cook, I feel like I’m learning martial arts. I light a fire, wash dishes, research what ingredients to use, and try out different seasonings and ingredients. Then, when I come up with the best recipe, I repeat it. What do you think? Isn’t it similar to our martial arts?”

“If you stick it like that, what might it be?”

Geommugeuk smiled and admitted to Geum Arin’s cold reaction.

“That’s true. Playing a musical instrument, painting, and going out to work every day are all similar.”

Then, Geommu-geuk closed his eyes as if the onion was spicy. Watching the tears flowing out, Geum A-rin thought that at least one thing was certain.

‘A man is crying while peeling an onion? I’ve never seen anyone like this before.’

Most of the unmanned people are like those onions. People whose insides are unreadable.

Hide the outside or hide the inside.

Pretending to be strong when you’re weak, or pretending to be weak when you’re strong.

But this guy was a new breed. He didn’t seem weak, nor did he seem strong.

So I can’t make a decision. So I’m watching this absurd sight that goes beyond my common sense.

“Honestly, I’m a better cook than my father. You should know that thanks to him, I get to eat more delicious food.”

It was just then.

Without realizing it, Geum A-rin’s gaze turned to the back.

It wasn’t just her. The eyes of those lying in wait there naturally turned to the gate she was looking at.

How long had he been here? A man was standing outside the wide open front door, carrying a backpack on his back.

He was none other than Geum Woo-jin.

The stillness that flows for a moment.

Geum A-rin’s heart began to beat so fast that she could hear it in her ears.

The other person didn’t show any kind of prayer or even look at me coldly, but my whole body became stiff as if it was frozen.

Why are you doing this? The other person didn’t do anything.

I could see that the eyes of those who were hiding their bodies were all focused on that place. The presence of the man standing leisurely with his luggage on his back was drawing everyone’s nerves in and making them tense.

The person who broke the silence that had not even a sound of breathing was Geommugeuk.

“Father! You came to save my son! As expected! I knew you weren’t a heartless father who would abandon his child!”

The corners of Geumwoojin’s mouth formed a sneer. This sneer said to his son. You? You must have come to save those who are being toyed with by you.

Geum Woo-jin walked slowly inside. Hwang In followed him carefully.

When Geum Woo-jin entered the yard, someone appeared between Geum Woo-jin and Geum A-rin.

The masked man with gray hair was none other than Lim Hyeok, the signal officer who had been protecting Geum A-rin since childhood.

“Go ahead, miss.”

Im Hyuk had lived as an unmanned man for a long time and had experienced many unmanned men. This was the first time he had encountered an opponent who made him feel such a primitive danger. What was even more surprising was that the opponent had not revealed any intentions.

Shhh!

A dark aura flew towards Geumwoojin. Originally, it was a situation where he should have shouted, ‘Combine with more force!’

visor!

The person who flew his body to knock away the dark magic was surprisingly Im Hyuk. He also threw his body to knock away the second and third dark magic attacks.

“Stop attacking! Stop!”

He stopped the surprise attack. He realized that this was an opponent that would not be affected by ambush. It was an instinctive judgment that he should not provoke the enemy.

‘If you touch it, you will be wiped out!’

His graying hair was a symbol of his age and experience, and he proved this with his excellent judgment.

“Everyone, back off!”

At Im Hyeok’s order, all those who had been lying in ambush retreated.

Geum A-rin flew away. She did not run away after hearing his words.

She held the sword to Geommugeuk’s neck from behind. It was her intention to kill Geommugeuk if he touched Imhyeok.

The sword dance spoke to her.

“There was a reason you were alive until now.”

It meant that Im Hyuk had taken good care of her.

At that time, there was a tense atmosphere.

“Put some black in it.”

Geom Woo-jin’s soft words were imbued with an absolute majesty that no one dared to defy.

Lim Hyuk’s judgment was good until the end.

He put his sword away without hesitation. Sometimes, putting a sword back in its scabbard could protect someone.

Then he looked at Geum A-rin. His eyes said, “Just do as I say.”

Geum A-rin retrieved the sword, but it did not move away from Geommu-geuk.

Geommugeuk spoke to his father as if nothing had happened.

“I will cook for you today.”

“Did you buy enough sheep?”

“Yes, I bought plenty just in case.”

The phrase, “just in case,” implied that he expected his father to come. He also hoped that his father would come.

It was just then.

Geom Woo-jin rolled up his sleeves and approached Geom Mu-geuk.

And then she started to quietly chop the vegetables, saying she wanted to help her son cook.

Geommugeuk looked at his father with a surprised expression, then quickly returned to quietly cooking.

I was so surprised and touched that I didn’t even think about joking around.

Cooking with my father.

It was my first time doing something since returning. There were many things I wanted to do with my father, but I never thought that the moment would come when we would cook together.

It was even more touching because it was not a moment that I had created, but a moment that my father had created.

‘Thank you, Father.’

Geum A-rin watched the scene with a frozen expression.

The fact that Im Hyuk stepped forward like this means that he felt a strength in his opponent that he had not felt before.

‘What on earth are these people?’

I have never heard of such a rich person in the world.

-You must never act rashly.

It was Im Hyuk’s voice. It was the first time I saw Im Hyuk so scared and nervous. He himself had never felt this much danger.

After a while, Geommugeuk and Geomwoojin finished cooking.

The sword dance was the last to call Hwi.

“Uncle.”

Then, Hwi emerged from hiding between Im Hyeok and Geom Woojin.

“omg!”

Im Hyuk let out a single scream. It was the first time Geum A-rin had seen Im Hyuk so surprised by someone’s appearance.

I wasn’t surprised that he recognized me, but rather that I was surprised at the level of his stealth skills.

Lim Hyuk didn’t know that his opponent was hiding just a few steps away from him.

Other people may vaguely think that he is great, but he knows for himself that this one move that he just revealed was a great stealth technique.

The more skilled the player is, the greater the surprise it brings. That’s how perfect Hui’s hiding skills were.

The surprise wasn’t limited to that. The appearance of a master was felt from Hwi’s appearance. The opponent was clearly an escort. After all, an escort knows another escort.

‘I have never seen such a strong escort drone in my life.’

Who the hell are you protecting?

Skills befitting the presence of the man who appeared earlier.

His gaze naturally turned to Geum Woo-jin.

This was certain. Even if you didn’t know who that person was, anyone would know his name.

At that moment, Hwi looked at Im Hyeok. There is something that the guards who have been loyal and devoted for a long time have in common. What kind of guard they are, and what kind of life they have lived.

That must be why Hui sent this message.

―Do you want to protect your master? Then stop. Your thoughts, your actions. And keep your mouth shut.

Lim Hyuk understood that this was advice to leave everything to him. It wasn’t advice given to just anyone.

So everyone sat around the table. Hwi, Im Hyeok, and even Hwang In sat down.

“Now, let’s eat.”

Geumwoojin ate food.

“How does it taste?”

Geommu-geuk asked nervously. Today’s main dish was himself, and his father only helped as an assistant. The young sect master cooked, and Cheonma assisted. It was truly an unforgettable day in the history of Cheonma Sect, and in the personal history of the two.

“Not bad.”

To my father, this level of evaluation would be like a compliment, saying, ‘This is a delicacy!’

This time I asked Geum A-rin.

“Why aren’t you eating, young lady? Come on, eat. I told you that the dishes that my father and I make are the kind of dishes that you will never be able to eat in your entire life.”

Geum A-rin hasn’t picked up her chopsticks yet.

She was confused now. The situation was over before she could do anything. The situation was now out of her control. She was definitely the type of person who knew how to control herself in times like these, but in this situation… … .

“What the heck?”

I let out a sigh without realizing it.

Lim Hyuk said with his eyes. She had to endure it. Of course, she trusted Lim Hyuk’s judgment.

But while I could bear the sword being drawn, I couldn’t bear this question.

“What is your identity?”

A question I’ve asked and thought about many times, but still haven’t found an answer to.

Then Geommugeuk looked at her with clear and deep eyes.

“I happened to see someone being forced into an unreasonable contract and helped them. When things went wrong, the person who forced us tried to kill us. So I killed them. Are you trying to get revenge by coming here because some great people died?”

Because he had spoken in a calm and composed tone, and had mostly been talking nonsense up until now, Geommugeuk’s words came across as heavy to her.

“Why do you ask who we are? Isn’t it time for you to ask yourself who you are? Are you a human being who deserves to die like those who died? Or are you a person who deserves to live?”

“!”

Geum A-rin couldn’t answer.

She was overcome with anger. But she couldn’t express it. Another emotion, tied to anger and holding it back, was fear.

The sword dance is asking now.

Are you a human being worth living?

In the midst of the heavy silence, the only thing that could be heard was the sound of chewing food.

Pour water and use chopsticks.

Geommu-geuk and Geom Woo-jin ate naturally as usual. Hwi and Hwang In were careful, and Geum A-rin and Im Hyeok barely ate.

Just then there was a sound coming from far away.

The sound grew louder and louder.

Doo doo doo doo doo.

It was the sound of a carriage approaching.

The garden was in a remote place, so no one came there.

The carriage that had been running like fate arrived outside the door.

Absolute Return Episode 461