6.Struck by the Sword, Yet Unkilled

Chapter 21: Struck by the Sword, Yet Unkilled Rumors of a Killer

"Hey, did you hear? Another woman was murdered last night.""That makes three. They say he moves from village to village, killing people."

As Seung-chan walked, he overheard the whispers.Gangho was always like this.Somewhere, blood was being spilled.Somewhere, revenge was being sworn.

It was common.There was no reason for him to get involved.He was merely preparing to leave before nightfall.

But that night—

He encountered the man in the shadows.

In the Darkness, the Killer Fell

Moonlight dimly bathed the village outskirts.He was just about to leave town.

"Help me!"

A woman's scream.Seung-chan turned instantly, without thinking.

At the edge of a narrow alley,a man was strangling a woman.In his hand was a sharp dagger,and dried blood clung to his clothing.

The killer.

So the rumors were true.But Seung-chan didn't hesitate.

He stepped forward—and—

Slice—!

His sword cut through the dark, severing the killer's neck.

The man's eyes widened in shock.He opened his mouth to speak—but blood spurted from his throat,and he crumpled to the ground.

It was over.

The woman collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.Seung-chan exhaled and left without lingering.

Just like that,one rumor ended.

Or so he thought.

The Next Day—The Same Rumor Again

"You heard? Another woman was murdered last night!""What? That bastard's still alive?""Apparently so. The villagers said he was killed, but he showed up again!"

Seung-chan stopped walking.

'…What?'

He turned his head slowly, listening.The killer he had slain with his own hands—now killing again in another village?

He laid both hands on his sword.His fingers brushed across the dried blood.

He had killed him.His blade had never struck in vain.

And yet…

The same rumor had returned.In a different place.

At that moment—a strange sensation washed over him.Like reliving the same day.

The repeated conversation at the inn.The guard who had stood in the same place for five years.And now—

the killer he had already slain,murdering again elsewhere.

Seung-chan closed his eyes.

What had he missed?

No—Had he truly "killed" the man?

He gripped his sword more tightly.

Now was the time—to uncover the truth.

Chapter 22: The Invisible Hand Tracking the Killer

Seung-chan melted into the shadows.He didn't rush in this time.He would observe the killer with his own eyes.

Just like before.A quiet night, at the edge of a village.A woman, walking alone as if lost.

And from the darkness—

The man appeared again.

Same face.Same clothes.Same movement.

Now he was sure.This was no coincidence.

The killer moved slowly.The woman, unaware, walked into the trap.

Where Does the Killer Go?

Seung-chan didn't intervene.Not this time.

He watched as the killer struck.The dagger in his hand gleamed in the moonlight.The woman screamed and struggled.

Then—the blade flashed.

Blood splattered.

And quietly,he walked away.

Where does the killer go after the murder?

Seung-chan followed like a shadow.Not a single footstep echoed as he tailed him.

The killer left the village.And then—

he stepped back into the darkness.

The Ones Who Should Not Be in Murim

Suddenly, figures emerged to block the killer's path.

They didn't belong in Murim.

Their clothes resembled martial artists of Gangho, but bore no faction symbols.Their faces were void of expression.Their movements—too precise.They drew their swords faster than humanly possible.

They struck.

The killer had no chance to resist.As if this moment had been predetermined.

In an instant,his head was severed.Blood erupted.

But strangely—the blood vanished in midair,as though it was never meant to exist.

The men who had struck him downdisappeared back into the darkness,as if nothing had happened.

"…"

Seung-chan witnessed it all.And his instincts told him:

These people do not follow the laws of Murim.They exist for something else.

As he prepared to move,one of them turned—and locked eyes with him.

But—

they said nothing.And left.

As if his presence,his witnessing of this truth,did not matter.

The Next Morning—Rumors Confirmed

"The killer was found dead last night!""Someone finally took care of him?""Strangely, no one saw it happen."

Seung-chan listened quietly.

He had seen it happen.

And yet—no one else had.

But the villagers still knew:the killer was dead.

He inhaled slowly.

Someone—some force—was interfering.

An invisible handguiding Gangho from behind the curtain.

Who are they?Why do they exist within Murim, yet remain separate?

And more importantly—

Why did they let me go?

He held his sword.Then slowly let it go.

He was now certain:

This world…was not the Gangho he once knew.

Then perhaps—

the thing he truly had to cut downwas not the killer—

but the laws of this world itself.

Chapter 24: Breaking the Dojang with the Samjae Sword Technique (삼재검법으로 도장 깨기)

Seung-chan had made up his mind.

He would return to the essence of the Murim.

Too many strange events had occurred.Too many questions were clouding his mind.

But Gangho is a place where answers are forged through the sword.Only the strong survive.The weak are cast aside.

In that case, growing stronger—was the only way to find the truth.

Seeking the Dojang

Wherever there is Gangho, swords are drawn.There are martial sects. And there are dojangs, the halls that protect them.The skilled always seek out stronger opponents.

Seung-chan needed to retrain his blade.

He had mastered the Samjae Sword Technique (삼재검법)—and now, it was time to see if it was true martial strength.

He headed toward Cheolpung Dojang (철풍도장 / Iron Wind Hall),renowned for its swordsmanship across the Murim.

Its headmaster wasn't just powerful.He was a real swordsman, forged through combat.

It was the perfect place to test his blade.

The Start of the Challenge

"Hey. You can't just walk in here."

When Seung-chan knocked on the dojang gate, a martial artist approached him.Solid frame. Sharp gaze.Clearly a trained fighter.

Seung-chan quietly unsheathed his sword.

"I'm not here to borrow your sword. I simply want to test mine."

The gatekeeper scoffed.

"Samjae Sword Technique? You think that's enough to break our dojang?"

But tension was already in his eyes.No martial artist ever lowers their guard before a blade.

"Fine. One-on-one. Let's see what you've got."

He drew his sword and took his stance.Seung-chan did the same.

"Cheon (天)."

His blade fell from above like heaven's strike.It clashed with the gatekeeper's sword in a sharp burst.

"Ji (地)."

A low sweeping cut blocked a rising thrust from below.The gatekeeper tried to pierce through a gap in that instant.

"In (人)."

A straight stab drove forward from the centerline.The gatekeeper's sword froze in mid-air.

Shhhk—!

It was over.

Seung-chan's sword was stopped just before the gatekeeper's throat.A mere inch further, and it would have pierced him.

The man clenched his jaw and sheathed his sword.

"…Go inside. I'm not the one who can face you."

Battles Within the Dojang

Seung-chan faced the warriors of the dojang one by one.

And he used only the Samjae Sword Technique.

Cheon (Heaven / 天) — A powerful downward strike aimed at the head.

Ji (Earth / 地) — A low horizontal cut targeting the lower body.

In (Man / 人) — A direct thrust from the center.

Just three moves.Simple.Yet within that simplicity, Seung-chan had reached perfection.

One by one, the swordsmen fell.Their techniques were more elaborate, more flashy—but Seung-chan's sword never wavered.

"Is that really the Samjae Sword Technique?""How can something so simple…""I can't find an opening in his form."

He kept fighting.Until finally, the headmaster appeared.

Duel with the Dojang Master — Why Are Strong Techniques Truly Strong?

"Interesting,"the dojang master said as he drew his sword.

"To come this far using only Samjae… means your blade isn't simple—you've pushed it to the absolute extreme."

Seung-chan raised his sword.

"But powerful martial techniques are strong for a reason.Let me show you what true swordsmanship looks like."

Shhhhk—!

Wind howled.

The master's sword vanished from sight.It was fast. Violent.

Seung-chan responded with Samjae.But this time—he was clearly being pushed back.

The reason strong martial techniques are powerfulis not just skill.

They are the legacy of those who came before.Polished, tested, and perfected through history.

And—

The Samjae Sword Technique is simplebecause it is the foundation itself.

Foundations are strong.But a foundation alonecannot surpass the wall of a true master.

Seung-chan gripped his sword tighter.He needed another way to win.

Chapter 25: Strong Techniques Are Truly Strong (강한 무공은 강하다) The Law of Gangho — Sword vs. Technique

Seung-chan stared at the master's sword.

There were many in Gangho who wielded blades well—but this man's technique was on another level entirely.

He was strong.

Not because of brute force,but because he had mastered a powerful technique,refined it through real battles,and elevated it to completion.

Strong martial techniques are strong.Not due to raw power—but because accumulated knowledge sharpens them toward perfection.

Seung-chan raised his sword.The master gave a slight smirk.

"A sword doesn't win just because it's fast or heavy.""You may have fought simpler opponents before—but my blade is different."

Blades Clash – The Completion of Power

Shhhhk—!The master's sword sliced through the air.

Three arcs slashed out in perfect unison.Speed, angle, and force—each at their peak.

Seung-chan blocked with Samjae.

Cheon (天) — From above.

Ji (地) — Low and wide.

In (人) — A straight thrust.

Samjae is simple.And in its simplicity—there are no gaps.It balances attack and defense perfectly.

But the master smirked again.

"Your sword is flawless.""But… flawless foundations alone cannot defeat a truly strong blade."

His sword moved in strange trajectories.

Not conventional slashes.Not normal forms.

Continuous motion.

Perfect rhythm and distance.

A blade shaped by anticipating the opponent's every move.

"This—is martial arts.""This—is swordsmanship.""This—is why strong techniques are strong."

Samjae Begins to Waver – The Power Within Technique

Seung-chan parried again.

But the master had fully read the Samjae's pattern.

The Samjae Sword Technique is foundational.And while foundations can be perfect—they are vulnerable to unpredictable variations.Predictable patterns are easy to counter.

CRASH—!

The master's blade overwhelmed Seung-chan's form.

It wasn't just speed.Or strength.It was technique.

Seung-chan's wrist trembled.He stared at the master.

Strong martial techniques are strong.Not because they are simple—but because they are truly complete.

Victory is decidedby the depth of technique.

Even as he wielded the Samjae Sword Technique,Seung-chan realized:

This alone is not enough to win.

Samjae is only the beginning.But—

What the Master Didn't Realize — The Preordained Power of a "Strong One"

The master smiled.

"Your sword is excellent—but this alone can't surpass the true giants of Gangho."

"The real strong ones are those who have mastered completed techniques."

Seung-chan looked again at the man's blade.

Yes.Strong martial techniques are strong.

But—

Does mastering a techniqueguarantee mastery over others?

Then why—are some people born as strong ones?

And why—do so many fail to surpass them,despite mastering powerful techniques?

Seung-chan's fingertips trembled slightly.

He knew.

The master's sword was flawless.His technique, overwhelming.

And yet—

He would never defeat Seung-chan.

Why?

Because Seung-chan…was already designated as a strong one.