Chapter 1013: She Caught Him Today (Part 3)

Inside a large room.

The swordsmen of the Namgung Family, leaning against the wall, stared at the ceiling in silence. Even though many people were gathered in the room, not a single one of them spoke.

The atmosphere was so somber that it could not be expressed in words.

In the midst of this oppressive atmosphere, Namgung Dan sighed without a word.

Normally, he would have done his best to liven up this depressing mood in any way he could. Of course, it was Namgung Dowi's role to lead them. However, the role of helping him in situations where the head of the household couldn't personally take action was always played by Namgung Dan.

But now, Namgung Dan, sadly, had no room to even consider the feelings of others.

Why wouldn't he? He was the one who contributed the most to this terrible atmosphere.

He raised his hand and covered his face.

It was a terrible defeat that could not be expressed in words alone. The fact that he couldn't even mount a proper counterattack against Tang Soso, who had only been learning the sword for a little over five years, blew away even the slightest room for excuses.

What could he possibly say in this situation?

'How...'

The image of Tang Soso's sword still lingered in his mind.

What particularly drove him to the brink was that there was simply no way to find any aspect of her victory that could be called a miracle.

He was defeated at the basics.

The strength contained in the sword. The precise sword technique. And even her experience.

How in the world was he, who had devoted over twenty years to the sword, beaten at the basics by Tang Soso? He couldn't understand it.

"How can something like this happen?"

At that moment, everyone's attention turned to the voice that someone let out.

Namgung Hyeok mumbled with a face devoid of spirit.

"How... could we..."

Silence fell. No one could answer his question.

"Brother, did we do something wrong?"

"...."

"How could we..."

"Enough."

Namgung Dan interrupted Namgung Hyeok's words with a slightly irritated voice.

"Stop it. It's pathetic."

"Brother...."

"No matter how much we try to explain, the truth won't change. We lost. And it was a devastating defeat."

"...."

"Is there only one reason? Just that we were weaker than Soso."

"Isn't that unreasonable?"

Namgung Dan chuckled.

'Unreasonable... What can we do?'

Of course, based on what he knew, it was an impossible event. But didn't it actually happen? In that case, the conclusion was obvious.

"Well, maybe our common sense is wrong."

"Brother!"

Namgung Dan glared at Namgung Hyeok with sinking eyes.

"Why? Do you think insisting that it's unacceptable will change anything?"

"Th-that's..."

"Or do you plan to pick up a sword and fight her again yourself?"

Namgung Hyeok finally lowered his head. He knew it too.

No matter how unjust it was, shouting about it wouldn't narrow the fundamental gap in their skills. They couldn't endure Tang Soso with their current abilities.

"I... I can't understand it, brother."

In Namgung Hyeok's faint voice, Namgung Dan rubbed his face with his hand. He couldn't understand it either.

But...

"There's no need to understand."

"What?"

"Just accept it. The fact that we are weaker than the Mount Hua's latecomers."

"...."

The swordsmen of the Namgung Family nodded their heads slightly.

Namgung Dan said with a somewhat self-deprecating tone.

"We've already seen them in action at Plum Blossom Island, haven't we?"

"....Yes."

"Even so, we never fully acknowledged them. We watched them sweeping away pirates we hadn't even touched, with the belief that there must be something other than their skills that allowed them to shine."

As he spoke, a sense of disappointment appeared on Namgung Dan's face.

"We thought that we had worn down the pirates to the point where they could act. If the positions had been reversed, would we have been able to unilaterally wipe out our opponents... … . Well, with those thoughts..."

"Brother..."

"But."

Namgung Dan slowly nodded.

"Through experience, I understand. They're just... well, they're just stronger than us."

They never wanted to admit it, but now they had to accept the truth.

Even Tang Soso was that strong.

So how much stronger were the disciples who entered Mount Hua before Tang Soso? What about the skills of Mount Hua's Five Swords, who were considered among the best among Mount Hua's disciples? 

'Could even Sogaju be able to deal with them?'

Just a day ago, Namgung Dan would have answered without hesitation, "Yes." Namgung Dowi was Namgung Dowi. His skills were on a different level than the young swordsmen from Mount Hua. But now, he couldn't easily have that confidence.

"But, Brother."

Namgung Hyeok spoke as if he still couldn't accept it.

"Haven't we... Haven't we worked hard too?"

Namgung Dan understood his frustration. Were they really lazy? No, that wasn't the case at all.

Namgung had put in his best effort for the past three years to avenge his disgrace in the Janggang Tragedy. But despite all that effort, how could he explain such a wide gap?

"Hyuk-ah."

"Yes, Brother."

"Have you seen Soso's hands?"

"...."

Namgung Hyeok fell silent. Namgung Dan scanned everyone looking at this side.

To persuade someone, you had to find reasons that were convincing to yourself as well. Although he hadn't fully convinced himself, from the position of persuading Namgung Hyeok, he could now see something he hadn't seen before.

"Show me your hand."

"...."

Namgung Hyeok reluctantly extended his hand. His hand had a few scars, but the number of scars was far from comparable to those on Tang Soso's hand.

Namgung Dan slowly began to speak.

"I remember... I remember the old Soso."

"Yes?"

"She was truly beautiful."

Namgung's swordsmen's eyes became thinner in an instant. In response to their reaction, Namgung Dan was taken aback and hastily retracted his hand. [lmao...ship?]

"N-no! I don't mean it like that...!"

He cleared his throat with a reddened face.

"The hand of the old Soso was very white and pure. The term 'fine jade beneath a green palace' suited her perfectly."

Some who remembered the past agreed with a nod.

"But what about Soso's hand now?"

Many people were saddened by his words. This time, the hand they saw of Tang Soso was nothing more than the hand of a swordsman. A hand filled with calluses and scars.

One could get an idea of how arduous her training has been just by looking at her hands. She has endured a harsh time to the extent of completely losing her original hands.

Namgung Dan opened his hand widely. He looked at the scars on his hand.

"Have we worked hard?"

"...."

"Well, we must have. Yes, we worked hard. But... it seems that our 'effort' and their 'effort' looks different. Just seeing how clean my hand, which has been trained for a longer time, is."

"....Brother."

Namgung Dan felt embarrassed again.

They thought they had worked hard. They thought they had lived more diligently than anyone else. But their hands did not bear the traces of their effort.

While the disciples of Mount Hua swung their swords to the point where both of their hands were filled with scars, they had been content with the usual training they had done.

"Did we really work hard?"

"...."

"Can you really say with confidence to them? Did we work as hard as they did? We who shouted so loud about how our bodies were sore from training for just a few days, did we really?"

No one answered his question.

They knew it as well.

The disciples of Mount Hua were engaging in training even more intensively than Namgung's swordsmen, who had criticized them for torturing their bodies. Moreover, their training was several times more intense than what Namgung's swordsmen had done for a few days.

Namgung Dan sighed deeply. At first, it was just a speech to calm them down, but now his words were heartfelt.

"Discussing talent, environment, and the superiority of swordsmanship has meaning only among those who have put in the same effort. We have no right to discuss swords with them."

Namgung's swordsmen, who had reddened faces, couldn't lift their heads.

"What makes me more ashamed is..."

Namgung Dan bit his lips.

"Despite having seen clearly the end of those who died in Plum Blossom Island to save us, we still couldn't let go of our useless pride."

"...That is..."

"Is it really embarrassing to learn from Mount Hua?"

He chuckled as he threw out the question.

"At the very least, it's much more embarrassing for me to still cling to useless pride, knowing that there are those who work harder than me. I will participate in training tomorrow. I won't force anyone. It's an individual choice. But I... if I can become stronger, if there is a way to regain the name of the Namgung Family, I won't hesitate. I intend to test where my limits are, not just speak like I have been."

Namgung Dan stood up and looked at those sitting in the corner.

Namgung Dowi. He was silently gazing at Namgung Dan.

Namgung Dan bit his lip slightly.

'Sogaju-nim probably already knew.'

The unbridgeable gap between Mount Hua and Namgung. How frustrating it must have been to see them clinging to their pride.

Namgung Dan deeply bowed to Namgung Dowi. And he went out without any regrets.

A thick silence fell in the place he left. The Namgung Family's swordsmen, leaning against the wall, were immersed in deep reflection.

Namgung Dowi, who was sitting in the corner, smiled as he watched their appearance.

'It's just the starting point.'

After going around in circles, they were finally at the starting line. To move forward, they had to first know where they stood.

Perhaps tonight would be exceptionally long for them. They had to find answers to the questions that no one would provide.

But Namgung Dowi trusted them. At the very least, those who knew the weight of the name Namgung deserved respect regardless of their choices.

Namgung Dowi just observed those choices...

"Sogaju-nim."

"Yes?"

At that moment, Namgung Hyeok approached hesitantly. Namgung Dowi asked with a puzzled expression.

"What's going on?"

Then, he seemed to hesitate and carefully opened his mouth.

"So-Sogaju-nim... If it's not too rude... I have one question I'd like to ask."