NOVEL NEXT WORLD A few days ago, Hongryeon became the new clan leader of Hongseong, but the daily lives of the Hongseong disciples didn’t change much at all.
Even before she became the clan leader, Hongryeon had been doing most of the clan leader activities.
As such, Sayoon was training as usual without much going on, when Chaeran came and suggested they visit a hidden realm.
Passing on her suggestion to Hongryeon and hearing that Doje and Namgoong Cheon would be joining Chaeran’s group, Hongryeon gave her permission to Sayoon.
As a result, Sayoon was finally able to go outside after a long time.
“Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I went out without Mister.”
It seemed like this was the first time since going to Amipa. When Sayoon said this, Chaeran chuckled.
“You’ll need to get used to going out often once you start your martial arts journey, right?”
“Um… Is that so?”
“Yep.”
Chaeran smiled brightly at the slightly nodding Sayoon and looked around.
It had already been three days since they had left Seomhwa Fortress.
They had to camp out on the way to the hidden realm, but Sayoon seemed to be adapting to camping better than expected.
“They say people who were raised gently have a hard time sleeping the first time they camp.”
“Ahaha… I’m quite far from being gently raised.”
Scratching her head, Sayoon lit a fire with the gathered branches and adeptly set up a sleeping area.
Chaeran, who had dug the ground to set up a good resting spot, lightly stretched her back.
Now that they had set everything up, it seemed like it was time to prepare dinner.
She placed a pot hanging on the words over the campfire and looked around.
The sun was setting.
Doje and Namgoong Cheon, who had mentioned going hunting earlier, still hadn’t returned.
“I feel like we might just have to settle for congee for dinner. That’s okay, right?”
“Huh? For me, it’s fine. I can eat anything.”
Sayoon had gotten used to good food and sweets only since last year.
Before that, even as a disciple of Hongseong, she had to be stingy with her food and clothing.
Of course, compared to when she lived as a beggar orphan, it was a remarkable level.
“Really? It won’t be bothersome when we journey through the martial world together later.”
“Um. Is this bothersome?”
“Yeah. There are people who just can’t stand having simple food when camping.”
“Oh… I see. I guess it’s because you have a lot of experience, huh? You know quite a bit?”
“Hehe… It’s just about this much.”
“Hey, Chaeran. How much have you traveled in the martial world?”
“Me? I’ve traveled a lot! I’ve probably been to almost all the famous places in the Empire!”
Casually answering, Chaeran filled the pot with water and poured in the contents from a small pouch.
Watching the cut dried vegetables, meat, and rice pour into the pot, Chaeran stirred the contents with a ladle.
“Isn’t it hard?”
“Don’t you think that’s a lot to worry about?”
“Well, I can’t say it’s not. Honestly, there are a ton of things to deal with. We have to be prepared for attacks from evil monsters or bandits, you know? And depending on the region, there are a lot of dishes that might not suit my taste.”
“But why go through all that trouble?”
Saying this while squatting and watching Chaeran cook, Sayoon carefully asked. Chaeran glanced at her and flashed a bright smile.
“Because I want to.”
“Oh.”
“I have a lot of desires, so I feel like I have to do everything I want to feel fulfilled. Like wandering the martial world or breaking through secret realms.”
As Chaeran spoke confidently, Sayoon shook her head slowly.
Doing what she wants…
“Don’t you think you should find something you want to do too?”
“Um… Well, I don’t really know yet.”
As a disciple of Hongseong, she had the ambition to train in martial arts and become a great hero.
But what after that?
She just painted vague ideals and didn’t have any clear desires left in her.
For several years, she had been focused solely on survival.
Even if she was told to find something else, she couldn’t pinpoint anything concrete.
“Just getting along well with the Hongseong senior sisters?”
“Come on, that’s too simple.”
“That’s not as simple as you think.”
At that moment, a voice chimed in. Approaching were Doje and Namgoong Cheon.
In their hands were two rabbits and a pheasant.
As Namgoong Cheon went to the nearby stream to prepare the rabbit he received from Doje, Doje sat down and leisurely continued the conversation.
“What exactly does it mean to get along well? Depending on how you look at it, it can be extremely difficult. Some might say the sect has to become the strongest in the world to be considered well-off, while others might think one has to be the leader of the sect to truly get along. And still others might say the sect’s influence needs to extend over the entire region to call it getting along.”
“Uh… that’s not quite what I meant. I just want to get along well with the senior sisters…”
“That, too, isn’t easy. Hongseong has been in a special environment up until now, so we could get along. But… whether that will still be possible from now on is questionable.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
Doje grinned.
“Hongseong has been able to get along well internally as long as the members cooperated to resolve external issues. But now that there are no external issues… won’t there be problems arising internally?”
“No way.”
Facing Doje’s smile, Sayoon replied earnestly.
No matter how strong the person before her was, like a master, she couldn’t concede on this.
“All of us disciples of Hongseong were brought here by our Master. And we’ve been together for so long that we know we won’t be swayed by petty desires and emotions. So, it’s definitely going to work out.”
As Sayoon spoke firmly, Doje burst into laughter.
“Come on, Doje burst into laughter.”
“Yeah. That’s it.”
“What?”
Doje spoke seriously to Sayoon, who tilted her head.
“To be able to stand firm and carry out your will no matter what happens. You need to have such a mindset to achieve your wishes.”
“Ah.”
“Remember this. To fulfill your wish, you must thoroughly contemplate what you need to do. Set a plan, establish goals, and have the mindset that you can achieve them.”
“…It’s difficult.”
“If it were easy, everyone would have achieved their goals. One piece of advice: it’s good to set detailed goals to achieve what you want and tackle them one by one. You said you want to be a hero, right? Then boosting your reputation should come first. You said you want to get along well with the sect members? Think about how to avoid problems. The more you achieve such things, the closer you’ll get to your goals.”
“Hmm…”
“In the process, you’ll be able to clarify what you truly desire.”
“Thank you, Doje elder.”
“Well, that’s nothing.”
Shrugging his shoulders, Doje crossed his legs, looking as if he was about to meditate, and in the meantime, Namgoong Cheon returned.
While mixing the seasoning into the neatly arranged meat and grilling it separately, Sayoon thought.
What do I really want?
Upon reaching the valley near Cheongho after a day’s ride north of the Kwan River, a basin came into view.
As she activated the seal carved into the tree according to Yu Wol’s instructions, a stone gate suddenly appeared in the center of the empty basin.
Doje, staring at it, shivered.
“Wow. I can’t believe I got to this place.”
“Hahaha. Father, aren’t you a bit too moved?”
“This kid? How can I not be moved in front of the secret legacy left by our family’s elder?”
Doje playfully ruffled Chaeran’s hair. Chaeran, pouting and whining, clung to Sayoon’s arm, and Namgoong Cheon, looking at them with disdain, calmly said,
“Enough with the jokes; let’s go in.”
“Hey, old man, why the rush?”
“We need to finish this quickly; there are two more places to visit!”
One of them is the secret legacy of the Sky Sword Master, which Namgoong Cheon yearns for.
Showing an impatient expression, Doje frowned at Sayoon and Chaeran.
“If you don’t train your heart, you’ll end up like that old man—ugly in the end. Remember that well.”
“What did you say, you brat?!”
It’s not surprising that those among the superhumans don’t get along well, so it’s understandable that the two are growling at each other.
“What would Mister have done?”
As she watched the two of them growl at each other, Sayoon thought.
Conflicts may invite progress, but in the process, someone inevitably gets hurt.
Considering Yu Wol, who likes to clarify the boundaries between friend and foe and minimize ally casualties, he would surely have stopped such an internal struggle.
“Enough, you two. What we need to do is break through the hidden realm, right?”
“Tsk.”
“I’ll settle this next time!”
It was just a contest of wills, so it was easy to break it up. Sayoon chuckled as she watched them head toward the hidden realm.
I wonder if we can properly break through the remaining hidden realms?
“Ahahaha… it’s not going to be easy.”
There wasn’t much problem in breaking through the hidden realm itself.
With two strong fighters, Doje and Namgoong Cheon, what could possibly go wrong?
Furthermore, Sayoon and Chaeran were now on the level of masters, making it no challenge for them to reach the reward room.
“I’ve fetched what Mister asked for, so that’s not a problem… but the rewards here are a different story.”
The most important thing when breaking through the hidden realm is indeed the distribution of the rewards.
Typically, the right to distribute rewards belongs to the one who discovered the hidden realm. However, Yu Wol only wanted one luminous necklace he had obtained from catching that stream’s spawn earlier, telling the rest to take care of themselves.
“Let’s open it first.”
When they opened the box, what appeared were a sword case, a few jewels, and a gauntlet.
“What’s this…”
Doje gulped as he lifted the sword case.
“Impressive…”
“What is it?”
“It’s one of the treasures lost by the Chaega clan. If you place a blade in this case and perform the drawing technique, its power will greatly increase.”
“…Huh? Really?”
“Yeah. Who would’ve thought we’d get this back?”
To the swordsmen, it was literally like a treasure.
Moreover, since it contains mysterious powers, it could hold any form or blade, making it even more valuable.
Holding the sword case carefully, Sayoon lifted the gauntlet.
“And this gauntlet?”
“This is called the Taeguk Gauntlet, used by the Chaega clan just like the sword case. It enhances the power when using Gold Flowing Water. If the weapons masters see it, their eyes would be spinning.”
“Then what about these jewels?”
“The jewels are just jewels; they aren’t anything special.”
Doje answered with indifference to Namgoong Cheon’s question, then muttered in disbelief as he looked over the rewards.
“Wait, did Sayoon really say that a measly necklace is more important than this stuff? Seriously?”
Even if one lacked greed, there should be a limit.
As Doje started collecting the items he needed, Sayoon smiled sweetly.
Taking only what’s necessary and sharing the rest with others.
Is this how Mister achieves his goals?