Chapter 7

-Do You Know of Su-roe-bi?

"Sway... sway..."

Right now, beneath both of his hands, four Thunder Blades, each containing a Thunder Blade, were continuously swinging from side to side at a constant interval and speed, without getting tangled or colliding with each other. They crossed over each other slowly, a regular movement as if they were scissoring.

Bi Ryu-yeon looked at an old pine tree standing before him with a calm gaze.

"Swoosh..."

His right arm, which had been hanging down towards the ground, was elegantly lifted in a semicircular arc. The speed of his right hand, extended forward parallel to the ground, was not an invisibly fast speed, but an ordinary, everyday speed. Just because the arm's movement was not fast did not mean the Flying Thunder Dagger's speed was not fast. One of the two Flying Thunder Daggers that had been scissoring and swinging beneath his right hand flew towards the large pine tree standing in front of his line of sight. It was a beautiful flight, trailing an elegant tail like a river of light.

The other remaining one bounced up from just above the ground and was caught in his right hand. The moment the elegant arc of the Flashing Thunder flew to just in front of the large pine tree standing tall about 24 meters away, the index finger of Bi Ryu-yeon's right hand, which was extended forward, bent inward, parallel to the ground.

Following the tuning played by Bi Ryu-yeon's long, slender fingers, the flying Flashing Thunder wrapped around the pine tree once, cutting the base of the tree in two, and returned to its master's hand. Because he had adjusted the angle of the cut to be sloped forward, the tree fell towards Bi Ryu-yeon. It was just as he had intended.

As Bi Ryu-yeon indifferently watched the falling tree, his left hand moved again in a semicircle to face the sky. In that instant, a thunderous light, as if vertically bisecting the world, appeared like a phantom and disappeared, precisely bisecting the falling tree vertically.

Soon, his left index finger drew a small circle, wrapping the Thunder Spirit Thread once, then pressed the thread with his index finger and bent it inward. The Flying Thunder Dagger, which had been flying as if to pierce the sky, instantly changed direction and returned to land in Bi Ryu-yeon's left hand. The tree was still falling towards Bi Ryu-yeon, vertically bisected.

Two more Flying Thunder Daggers were added to the four that had been retrieved into both hands, and six streaks of flashing light flew simultaneously like lightning towards the falling tree. The trajectory of the Flying Thunder Daggers, drawing six paths of light as they flew, was like a painting.

As the six streaks of thunderous light flew towards the tree, the fingers of both of Bi Ryu-yeon's hands, extended in front of his chest, began to dance over six thin, transparent strings that looked like drawn-out threads of light, as if playing a zither. Following Bi Ryu-yeon's performance, the six Flying Thunder Daggers first precisely divided the falling tree into six parts, then flew between each piece of wood as if swimming, wrapping them tightly with the Thunder Spirit Thread and shattering the pine logs into pieces. A single pine tree became thousands of pieces and scattered into the air.

The explanation was long, but it all happened in an instant, like a fleeting dream. The six Flying Thunder Daggers, having safely completed their mission, returned safely to their master's embrace.

'Hmm...!'

A faint smile lingered on Bi Ryu-yeon's lips.

'Thunder Light Flowing River Tune. That was a decent performance.'

It was the majestic performance of a Thunder God desiring destruction. It had been three years since he had learned to wield one Flying Thunder Dagger. He could finally wield six. The more he thought about it, the more pleased he was. Bi Ryu-yeon could feel his shoulders puffing up with pride, but he felt no need to relax them.

"Geh-geh-geh. Amazing, amazing. Six already. Congratulations, my disciple!"

With a strange laugh, his master's voice came from behind him. Bi Ryu-yeon slightly turned his head back.

"Master? What's up?"

It was a short question, but it contained all his questions.

"You brat, watch your mouth!"

As his master suddenly put on a benevolent expression and spoke softly, Bi Ryu-yeon immediately showed a wary expression.

"My disciple, do not worry. Even if you have done some wicked deed, this master can forgive you. Do not underestimate this master's magnanimity, which is as vast as the heavens beyond!"

"What? Where on earth does that baseless senility of yours come from? A wicked deed? I'm afraid someone might mistake me for a criminal. And magnanimity? I don't remember ever seeing it during all the years I've spent by your side, so I'm not sure what that is."

"Hoho, you dare to doubt me. And, how could such a strange phenomenon as you being able to wield six Flying Thunder Daggers already occur without some shady incident behind it? What is that if not an absurdity? Right?"

'I'm right, so it's better for you to confess obediently!'

As his master's sharp gaze, filled with that meaning, turned to Bi Ryu-yeon, Bi Ryu-yeon couldn't help but flinch inwardly. He remembered the Doll Snow Ginseng he had secretly eaten a few years ago, and even though it had been completely digested and absorbed, he felt as if he was about to get indigestion. Fortunately, his master didn't drag on about it. He knew his disciple's personality well and probably didn't want to waste his effort.

"Well, whatever. To be able to wield six Flying Thunder Daggers, you've finally become able to move on to the advanced course. Follow me."

In that instant, Bi Ryu-yeon's face began to twist strangely.

'Advanced course? Even after all this training, it's still the intermediate course? Just where is the end that it's still the middle?'

Bi Ryu-yeon, unable to erase his doubts, followed his master. His master took him to a small waterfall about half a shichen's distance from the house. The water surface where the waterfall hit was creating white foam. Judging by the color of the churning water at the bottom of the waterfall, the pool seemed to be quite deep. The waterfall's stream was not very strong, but it wasn't weak either. On one side of the waterfall stood a wide rock wall 15 meters high, and the path continued up to the top of it. On that rock wall, Bi Ryu-yeon sat facing his master.

"My disciple, I told you the legend about the founding grandmaster before, didn't I?"

"Ah, you mean the Golden Cauldron Pond Axe Atrocity Incident? Of course, I know."

"Did I tell you then how the grandmaster brought those heavy axes out from the bottom of the lake?"

"No. Based on my extraordinary memory, at that time, you said I would naturally find out when I learned the advanced course of the Flying Thunder Dagger and just glossed over it. You're not trying to back out of it now, are you?"

Bi Ryu-yeon's voice was still filled with suspicion.

"Exactly. From now on, I will teach you the knack of learning that advanced course. This advanced course was developed to completely overturn the common sense of the dagger and to compensate for its weaknesses. Also, the high-level course above that is a training method developed on the extension of the advanced course to overcome the weaknesses of the thread-sword. Listen carefully. Don't get beaten up later for asking, 'I don't get it.'"

The master of the Flying Thunder Sect, the self-proclaimed number one under heaven and the invincible under heaven, Bi Ryu-yeon's master, explained the training method for the future in great detail. However, as Bi Ryu-yeon listened attentively to his master's explanation, his face began to twist slightly, and then it started to crumple and wrinkle more and more. The words 'No way, no way?' swirled in Bi Ryu-yeon's mouth, and against his will, he even let out an unconscious mumble. During that time, his master's long, long explanation ended.

"Do you understand? This is the advanced part of the Flying Thunder Dagger, called Su-roe-bi."

"Ha, ha, ack! My master is such a kidder. That was a great joke, Master!"

"What joke? Now, work hard, my lovely disciple."

"It's not a joke?"

"Absolutely not!"

With that firm word, his master showed a gentle smile, driving Bi Ryu-yeon into despair. And at the same time, the sole of his master's foot, attached to his folded leg, slowly rose and rested on Bi Ryu-yeon's stomach.

"Shwoook!"

As the folded leg straightened, Bi Ryu-yeon's body was flung into the air, and soon, his body, having lost its support, flailed in the air.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa..."

Flapping in the air like a chicken yearning to fly the unattainable blue sky, Bi Ryu-yeon, as if to prove the truth that there are no wings for those who fall, slowly plummeted towards the dark blue waves. No matter how hard he flapped, his two arms were not wings.

"Plop!"

It sounded like a large rock falling.

"Gasp, help me! Gasp... Master, have you already forgotten what's on my wrists and, gasp, ankles? Gasp, gasp, glug, glug, gasp, gasp, gasp, gurgle..."

His struggles to keep from sinking were futile, and Bi Ryu-yeon's body slowly began to be sucked into the water. He looked like a person whose ankle had been grabbed by a water ghost. Bi Ryu-yeon trembled in despair and spat out a curse as if grinding his teeth.

'You, you devil, you fiend! To do this to me when you know what's on my hands and feet... Just you wait.'

On his arms and legs, which were still sinking under the water—still struggling as if he hadn't given up—were a pair of ink-colored dragon rings, each engraved with a dragon that controlled lightning.

The ink-colored dragon rings on Bi Ryu-yeon's wrists and ankles were no ordinary dragon rings. If you were to ask where he bought those ornaments just by looking at their appearance, Bi Ryu-yeon's fist would immediately crush the questioner's mouth. It was Bi Ryu-yeon himself who had named these rings the cursed demonic objects.

That's not to say that they were some wondrous object that would transform into a sword or some other mysterious weapon with the push of a button, nor were they some mysterious treasure that would allow the body to exhibit countless effects just by wearing them due to some mysterious yin-yang energy. The only worst drawback and characteristic was that they were just brutish objects that were insanely heavy. That's why he had named them the cursed shackles.

On Bi Ryu-yeon's 11th birthday, his master had bought him two pairs of shackles as a gift. At that time, they were just black, crude iron rings without any dragon patterns. But the miserable memory of when his master personally put those ink rings on him was still an unforgettable, crappy feeling. They were so heavy that a terrible pain as if his arms were being pulled out assaulted him. Of course, his body couldn't move properly. Still, thanks to being trained for a year with the steel firewood chopping and laundry, he was able to prevent the worst-case scenario of his shoulder and elbow joints dislocating simultaneously.

His master kindly explained that each one weighed 12 kilograms, for a total of 48 kilograms. And then, he gave his disciple, who was glaring at him, a stern warning (with a considerable amount of threat mixed in) that from now on, he must always wear these ink rings and must not take them off carelessly. He kindly threatened that he must wear them not only during training but also when working or hunting, and even when using the outhouse, bathing, or sleeping.

It took a considerable amount of time for Bi Ryu-yeon to get used to these fiendish ink rings. And, around the time Bi Ryu-yeon got used to these ink rings and felt no discomfort, he found out that it was not the end, but merely the beginning.

Again, on his 12th birthday, his master gave him ink rings weighing 18 kilograms each as a gift and put them on his arms and feet again. The ink rings he had worn for a year and had come to feel like a part of his body were sent to the blacksmith for recycling. If there was a common point between this master and disciple, it was that they would not throw away anything that seemed like it could make money. In a good way, you could say it was a thorough spirit of diligence and frugality; in a bad way, you could call them stingy, tight-fisted misers. But another common point between this master and disciple was that they were not bound by the common sense of the world or the gazes of others. They paid no attention to the gazes of those around them. Then again, the fact that there was no one around them worth paying attention to also worked in their favor.

Bi Ryu-yeon, who had received a sincere—regardless of the good or evil of that sincerity—gift from his master,

'A gift? What damn gift? These are shackles, where do you see a gift?'

cursed his master inwardly, but it was futile to expect any effect. In this way, every time Bi Ryu-yeon got a year older, the weight of the ink rings on his arms increased by 6 kilograms each, steadily increasing their weight. Furthermore, after his 16th birthday, the weight viciously began to double, increasing by 12 kilograms each time. It was because of his master's thought that from 16, one was a proper adult, and his master's nonsensical theory that adults should receive treatment befitting an adult.

Still, perhaps feeling a little sorry on his 19th birthday, he gave him ink rings with a dragon pattern as a gift. The ink rings he had received until then were all just plain iron rings, with only the ridiculous words 'In celebration of Bi Ryu-yeon's [age] birthday, bestowed by his master' engraved on the inside.

Now, Bi Ryu-yeon was 19 years old. The weight of one dragon ring was 84 kilograms. A total of 336 kilograms for all four limbs. His master had committed an act no different from tying Bi Ryu-yeon's body to an iron pillar with a rope and throwing him into the water. His body, wearing iron rings that weighed as much as a main beam, could not float on the water. It was also absurd to think of swimming with that body. Perhaps diving would have been much easier. Though it would be a dive from which he would never surface again.

He had to find another way to escape from the deep water. He had to live, even if it meant leaving the dragon rings behind. To find the abandoned ink dragon rings, he had no choice but to do the ridiculous training his master had taught him. Regardless of whether he succeeded or not. Because if he lost them, it was clear he would get a huge beating from his master.