If there’s one thing I definitely realized with the appearance of Jeong Cheol, it was this: the Martial World I’m living in isn’t a game, but reality. I wasn’t just unsure whether I had been sucked into a game or traveled to another world. After all, no matter how incredible the game, it ultimately operates within limited constraints. No matter how many possibilities there are, there can’t be events that exceed them.
That’s why I recently came to the realization that I’m living a portion of reality, not in a game called the Martial World. The landscapes of Sacheon that I had never heard or seen in the game were now unfolding right before my eyes. I was gradually accepting this fact as I felt the slow changes in Sacheon City after I stepped out. But then, suddenly, Jeong Cheol’s business smashed through the walls in my mind.
Jeong Cheol. Honestly, just thinking about him made me sigh. Considering he’s a Hwa-gyeong, this was to be expected. And not just any Hwa-gyeong — he was someone with the guarantee of the current Hwa-gyeong Martial Artist, even if it might take him years.
To be frank, it was utterly reckless. Achieving Hwa-gyeong status was already a challenging goal, but peeling back the secrets of the bloodline and elevating my skills while also dealing with the conflict between the Sacheon Righteous Faction and the Yunnan Outcast Faction seemed like an impossible task.
But I decided to go for it. Jeong Cheol was trying to take away everything I had built up as ‘Ho Cheon-an.’
So let’s finish up the determination part! It was time to find a way to draw out the Podalap Palace. The best course of action would be to open the path heading towards the Western Martial World, turning the flow of the game’s plot. That would mean establishing official diplomatic relations with the Huang Nation.
That’s why I sought out Samayeom. “A diplomatic relationship with the West, you say…?”
Samayeom looked at me strangely when I brought up my unexpected proposal. “I knew your ideas were exceptional, but this one’s just ridiculous.”
“Well, isn’t diplomatic achievement still an achievement?”
“That’s true… but…”
Samayeom paused to think before continuing, “Hmm… Have you heard any recent news about the Imperial Family?”
I shook my head. Most of the news I received relied on the Wolbok-dang’s information provided by the Black Cat, as their policy dictated I keep my distance from them to avoid danger. I wasn’t well aware of what was happening with Hyeok Gi-rin, who was currently active as Princess Yuya.
“There’s a shift in power among the nobles, and it seems the current influential nobles are slowly losing their strength due to Princess Yuya’s involvement. It’s indeed a turning point, a 6 to 4 scenario,” he explained.
“Oh, that sounds promising.”
“Not so good for the Great Hero. Both sides are in a fierce struggle, so the focus has shifted entirely toward that direction — the Imperial Family, the alumni, and the Golden Guards all have their attention there.”
“Is that so?”
To be honest, I didn’t have all that much hope. After all, it would take at least a decade for the Huang Nation to reach its golden age and engage in expeditions and diplomatic exchanges.
I sought Samayeom knowing it might not work but held a sliver of hope nonetheless, plus there was the heated frustration among the Sacheon Outcasts due to the Black Cat sending them information. They wanted to be prepared when they burst out of the inn.
It seemed like the Podalap Palace joining the epic of the Martial World would take at least ten more years — I had no complete predictions about the current situations of the Podalap Palace and the Western Martial World. In a way, I was fully pushing myself into uncharted territory.
Well, I had prepared for this. And it wasn’t necessarily all bad; the Outer Martial World had its own character and advantages. I needed to collect what I could.
“Samayeom, Governor.”
“Yes.”
“Do you often exchange letters with Sam Ma Gyeong-hwi?”
Here we go. Samayeom’s expression turned serious as he squinted his eyes.
“Of course, I do. I know exactly what trouble Gyeong-hwi has been causing you…”
Although the Imperial edict could serve as a shield, it doesn’t change the fact that Sam Ma Gyeong-hwi tried to shove me into a trap at Cheongsangru after being recommended by Samayeom. An Imperial edict is an Imperial edict, but the lingering animosity between Samayeom and me is a separate matter altogether.
“Let’s make a small request then. Just a simple one.”
“What type of request are you referring to?”
Samayeom looked at me suspiciously.
“Nothing big, really. Just to support one rookie from the Golden Guards?”
Okryong. This instructor will give practical diplomatic experience.
Thank you very much?
—
The Tang Clan sent out a flyer to the entire Martial World.
The Nangya Sword, Jeong Cheol, also sent flyers across the Martial World.
Whether or not Jeong Cheol’s actions were right or wrong, the people argued fervently. The Sacheon Tang Clan certainly had difficulties applying the benchmark of a typical family or sect to themselves. They are a sect and a clan, and with the peculiarities of poison and hidden weapons that strongly dictate their family motto.
However, most people were paying more attention to the conflict between Sacheon and Yunnan.
No one anticipated that Jeong Cheol, known as the Nangya Sword, would suddenly raid the Tang Clan.
But it was more or less a foregone conclusion that the confrontation between the Yunnan Outcast Faction and the Sacheon Righteous Faction would happen.
Sacheon was dazzlingly developing, but there was not a single faction in sight in that desirable region, so how could the Yunnan Outcasts not drool?
It was ridiculous for one faction to dominate a region while another faction thrived in a different one.
Which Outcast would infiltrate Sacheon?
Which sect among the existing ones would fall and which new deity would appear?
After the Great War several decades ago, the territories of power completely separated between Yunnan and Sacheon, but that boundary was starting to crumble.
While the forces of Outcasts gradually penetrated the borders and back alleys of Sacheon, small skirmishes started to break out.
At that moment, Ho Cheon-an and his party arrived at the Podalap Palace.
—
Bang!!
Hitting the iron.
With my knowledge as a veteran in the Martial World, combined with that of a modern person, I found that so much of what I learned has been immensely helpful in this world. My gambling techniques originated from modern magic, along with flyers and other minor tricks I’ve been leveraging with modern knowledge.
However, the “common sense” or “shallow knowledge” that I accumulated in modern times sometimes turned hazardous.
That was the case with the knowledge about artisans.
All I really knew about blacksmithing was from YouTube videos I watched.
And those videos fell into one of two categories.
One was traditional crafting that preserved techniques halting hundreds or even thousands of years ago.
The other was merely videos made for the sake of production, throwing together some weapons or armor.
Naturally, my understanding of blacksmithing was confined within those limitations.
And then, when Tang So-yeol swung the hammer in front of me, my perception shattered into a million pieces.
People praised my gambling skills, calling them divine techniques. After all, I was performing techniques they could hardly imagine.
Yet Tang So-yeol’s hammer strikes, which would one day evolve into supreme blacksmithing techniques, were equally astonishing.
Why was it that when he struck the iron, fine needles appeared without a hitch and why butterflies made from hidden weapons emerged pristine without a single flaw?
How could merely striking a heated lump for a breath result in the shape of a sword?
Indeed!
It had already been two weeks since I arrived in this city, under the Podalap Palace!
I hammered iron without regret!
“Concentrate.”
“I’m focusing!”
As I tried to imitate Tang So-yeol’s movements, I wondered if anyone could follow that process once my gambling techniques activated.
That was how Tang So-yeol worked.
While I based my thorough gambling on theories, Tang So-yeol struck the iron purely based on instinct, so if I asked him to ‘teach me step-by-step,’ he’d simply say, ‘That was one,’ and continue his work.
Even the Black Cat translator only read his intentions; it wasn’t adequate to translate the realm of blacksmithing, which could only be explained through instinct.
So naturally, learning how to craft swords became a cycle of watching and mimicking.
Bang!
Since gambling is a skill that deceives others, it’s obvious others can’t follow it; so why can’t I imitate Tang So-yeol’s blacksmithing techniques, which aren’t meant for deception?
It’s not just that even trying to grasp the essence of it is incredibly hard.
The variety of techniques present in each hammer strike is just too complex.
This is also a downside of practical training.
When techniques are used in practice, multiple key aspects must be interlinked and executed simultaneously.
But I refused to give up.
Bang!
Tang So-yeol is a magnificent artisan, but he’s not the best teacher. Thus I had a lot of grievances. No, there were still grievances now.
However, I won’t use those excuses.
My traits displayed on the status screen show no innate talents related to crafting; thus I will have to rely on Tang So-yeol’s teachings rather than expecting to enlighten myself.
The accumulated experience taught me as a gamer whispers in my ear: such thoughts are merely an inefficient judgment.
With no traits regarding blacksmithing and simply having an abundance of modern misconceptions, trying to directly imitate Tang So-yeol’s advanced techniques is merely a time-wasting endeavor.
Instead, I should raise my proficiency, step by step, starting from the basics, just like in the game.
Nonetheless, I ignored the whispers of reason. I would simply follow Tang So-yeol’s hammer strikes with my eyes, dissect them in my head, and move the results through my hands.
Clang!
“Did I not tell you to concentrate?”
When my hammering faltered for a moment, Tang So-yeol pointed it out instantly. I nodded and tried to heighten my focus.
Should I really follow the efficient route to mastering blacksmithing established in the game?
So when will I actually create a real sword?
At this rate, when will I catch up to Jeong Cheol?
If we were to evaluate probabilities, I shouldn’t even attempt this.
Yet I had decided to go through with it.
Because I had to.
Clang!
I wiped out all thoughts of the status screen, skills, traits, or whatever else from my mind. I turned off the interface entirely.
Clearing my mind of negative judgments, I focused solely on my effort, determined to gain at least a sliver of understanding about my present surroundings.
“From now on, just observe.”
Clang! Clang!
As the form of the sword began to take shape, Tang So-yeol placed his hands over where I hammered. His relentless beating crushed the areas I attempted to form with no compromise.
Actually, saying it was somewhat crushed isn’t entirely accurate; it should be described as a refining process.
None of this was lost on my eyes.
This moment was a time to observe how my hammering, merely a copy, transformed and what mistakes occurred in the process.
“We’ll stop here for today.”
“Yes.”
Tang So-yeol wiped the sweat off his brow and placed a pipe in his mouth, unusually offering me praise.
“You’re improving. My disciple.”
“Isn’t that all thanks to you, Master?”
“Yes, you acknowledge that.”
“…”
For some reason, irritation flared up, and I spoke out.
“By the way, Master, why did you start being so helpful only now, after not being so nice when we were at the clan?”
“Back then, I thought it was unsafe.”
“What do you mean?”
“I was worried I might hit you with a hammer out of anger while we were working together.”
“…”
“Oh, don’t worry. Things are different now. There’s no chance I’ll hit you with a hammer.”
Should that be taken as praise or insult?
“Haaa. Is that so?”
Anyway, Tang So-yeol’s proactive attitude was a welcome change. I could feel the rising skills day by day in my very body.
Swish.
I pulled out the sword and attempted to infuse it with sword energy today… but, as expected, it remained unmoving.
“Don’t be anxious. From what I can see, you still haven’t fully grasped the sword.”
“Yes.”
Arriving at Lhasa, precisely in the Podalap Palace, wasn’t all that hard. We had the cheat-like Bicheongmacha, allowing us to bypass the challenging mountainous terrains between the West and Sacheon effortlessly.
Things unfolded pretty smoothly after arriving in Lhasa.
I benefited greatly from the unexpected reputation of the Tang Clan.
The merchants from the Central Plains trading with the West and the merchants from Lhasa trading with Sacheon treated Tang Do-yeon and Tang So-yeol remarkably well.
Thanks to that, we secured a forge, and I could finally bang some iron.
But then came the real problem.
The reason I was truly here at the West, the Podalap Palace.
The Podalap Palace was practically shut – like closed with a locked door.
While I wanted to understand why they were taking such a closed-off stance, even those who aimed to build connections with the Tang Clan refused to speak.
Seemingly more of a psychological issue arising from religious beliefs rather than a matter of compensation, they firmly declined even the simplest negotiations.
It was genuinely a deadlock…
Then, the sounds of loud laughter echoed, and as I looked over, Tang So-yeol exhaled a puff of smoke, saying, “Anyone would think we’ve been friends for seven years, not just one week.”
We arrived in Lhasa a week earlier.
It almost seemed like Okryong rushed here from Nangyang in desperation.
After a week, he was wandering throughout Lhasa, collecting information.
Right from the first day, Okryong had already become close friends with the locals around our lodging.
As expected from a future pioneer who would be roaming the outskirts, he displayed incredible charisma that melted away any hostility and built connections rapidly.
Wrapping up conversations joyfully with the neighbors, Okryong caught sight of me.
“Instructor!”
Seeking permission from the Western leaders, Okryong made his way over to us and Tang So-yeol asked, “Why do you call him instructor?”
“It’s a long story.”
As we engaged in such casual talk, I sensed a huge smile spreading across Okryong’s face, suggesting he must have found something significant.
“I found it!”
“Oh, did you discover something interesting?”
“Hey! No, no, it’s true! I learned why the Podalap Palace’s doors are tightly shut.”
Indeed, summoning Okryong was a brilliant stroke of luck.
To be frank, I wasn’t lacking in charm myself; I had skills in sleight of hand that could instantly lower anyone’s guard.
I could achieve a certain level of intimacy, but once it came to the Podalap Palace, even notes of casual interaction barely made a dent in their defenses.
I was merely a strange foreigner trying to pry into the secrets of the Podalap Palace.
Once I got that title, I found myself limited to burying myself in Tang So-yeol’s teachings.
But Okryong just hit upon a crucial discovery in a week’s time!
I believed in you, Okryong!
Sneaking a glance around to see if anyone was suspicious, Okryong whispered, “The Little Princess of the Podalap Palace has the Nine Yin Absolute Pulse.”
