Chronicles of the Lazy Sovereign

Chapter 10: The Counterattack of the Radiant Sword (1)

"Wake up."

"……."

"Come on, wake up now."

"Ugh."

Wi Yeonho abruptly turned his body and plugged his ears.

"Nggh."

Baek Muhan looked at Wi Yeonho with a sorrowful expression.

It had already been four hours since he began trying to wake him up.

But this damned disciple had ignored his words for that entire time and continued sleeping.

"How much longer do you plan to sleep? Don’t you need to train today?"

"Ah! Just let me sleep a little more!"

"You’ve already slept for fifteen hours."

"How can a person get by on just fifteen hours of sleep?!"

No, that wasn’t right.

The real question should be: how can a person sleep for a whole fifteen hours?

Who spends two-thirds of twenty-four hours a day sleeping?

But Baek Muhan couldn’t bring himself to speak such bitter thoughts aloud. If he said anything, who knew what this ill-tempered, lazy, foul-natured disciple might do?

‘How did it come to this…’

Baek Muhan fell into regret and recalled his past.

Once, he had been the emperor of the Martial World.

Everyone had praised him, and none had dared to challenge the martial prowess he had built up. All under heaven had placed his name above the clouds, and even the emperor of the era had shown him respect.

He was someone who had accomplished everything there was in the Martial World.

And yet now…

Baek Muhan looked at his disciple with a heart full of grief. The damned boy had fallen asleep again.

Since entering this cave, he hadn’t washed even once over the past four days. His face was filthy beyond description, and all that sleep had made it puff up.

Even in such a state, he slept soundly—so soundly he rolled around on the floor talking in his sleep.

"Get up already."

"Ah, just a little more."

"If you sleep more, it will interfere with your training. So—"

"Fine! I said I got it!"

The wretched brat actually snapped back and sprang up from the ground.

"Geez! Can’t a guy even get some sleep!"

Baek Muhan felt like crying. But getting worked up would only cost him in the end. He struggled to suppress the rising fury in his chest and forced his voice to stay calm.

"Go wash up so you can clear your head."

"Why?"

"…So you're not planning to wash, is that it?"

Wi Yeonho raised his hand and sniffed.

"Smells fine to me."

Baek Muhan engraved the word ‘patience’ into his mind.

‘So what if he’s a bit dirty! As long as he learns the martial arts well!’

But there was no denying that the heavens were truly cruel.

"Today, I will formally begin passing my martial arts on to you."

"Can’t we just start tomorrow?"

"We start today!"

"Ugh."

Baek Muhan coaxed and soothed the sulking Wi Yeonho.

Despite being someone who had never once spoken kindly to anyone, firmly believing that even one's own child should be raised with strict discipline, Baek Muhan was now bending over backward for Wi Yeonho.

Anyone who knew him and witnessed this scene would have foamed at the mouth and collapsed.

"But still…"

Wi Yeonho tilted his head in curiosity.

"Why did you choose such a complicated method?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you just want to pass on your martial arts, wouldn’t it be enough to hand over a secret manual?"

"You don’t know what you're talking about! How could one possibly learn martial arts from a mere manual!"

"But I’ve heard a lot of stories where someone finds a secret manual in a place like this and becomes a master."

"Nonsense! If someone became powerful with just a manual, it means they gained a technique so exceptional that even a tenth of it could already make them a formidable fighter!"

"Huh?"

Baek Muhan explained further.

"Conveying martial arts through writing is harder than capturing the world on a single canvas. Hold out your arm."

Wi Yeonho stretched his arm forward.

"Bend it slightly."

He bent it slightly inward.

"Now, could you describe the posture you just made with words?"

"I could."

"How?"

"Just say: ‘extend your arm forward and bend it slightly.’"

"Really? Then do you think someone reading those words would bend their arm exactly the same way as you?"

Wi Yeonho thought about it for a moment.

It didn’t seem likely.

"The direction of the bend could be different, or the angle might vary. Even if you say ‘bend it three inches upward at a precise angle,’ people have different arm lengths, so the result might not match what you intended."

"That’s true."

"And that’s just for one arm—what do you think it would take to describe the whole body? It might take several pages just to explain a single movement. Trying to record an entire martial technique into a secret manual would require a hundred volumes, and even that might not be enough."

"But there are still secret manuals floating around in the Martial World."

"That’s so people don’t forget. Humans are creatures of forgetfulness. That’s why only the key parts are written down. Secret manuals aren’t made for people who don’t know the technique—they’re for those who already do, so they can remember it."

"Ah!"

Wi Yeonho nodded in understanding.

"That’s why you used this method."

"Exactly! This is the only way I can truly pass on my martial arts."

"But even so, I still can’t see."

"Hmph, you’re underestimating me far too much!"

At that moment, a hazy figure began to appear before Wi Yeonho.

"Uwaah!"

The hazy silhouette began to gather, soon forming the shape of a person.

The figure standing before him was over six foot tall.

He had a slender build overall, with his hair neatly tied up into a topknot. His face bore a reddish jujube hue, and the long white beard flowing down to his waist added a commanding presence.

He truly looked like a sage.

"H-How did you do that?"

"Creating a visible form like this is nothing!"

"…Did you materialize a body?"

Baek Muhan gave a bitter smile.

"Not quite. This is just a shape. I can’t do anything with this body."

"Hmm?"

Baek Muhan's foot sank through the ground.

"See for yourself."

"You’re like a ghost."

"With this form, I can only demonstrate. Nothing more."

Wi Yeonho nodded in understanding.

"Still, your appearance is quite…"

Baek Muhan grinned.

"I’ll have you know, when I was alive, people said I was nearly as handsome as Song Ok or Ban An."

"I can see that. I bet the old ladies liked you."

"Nggh."

Baek Muhan scowled.

Why did this damned brat always have to talk like that?

"Ahem~! In any case, from today, I will begin transmitting martial arts to you."

"Yes, sir!"

Wi Yeonho sat down with bright eyes.

"…Aren’t you going to complain or anything?"

"About what?"

"Like saying, ‘Let’s start tomorrow,’ or ‘Can we rest a bit first.’"

"Do you not want to teach me?"

"That’s not it…"

"If I said let’s rest, you’d say let’s do it now. If I say let’s do it now, you look at me like I’m strange. Honestly, I wonder if you boiled a green frog alive back when you were alive."

"Nggh…"

Baek Muhan felt oddly grateful that he no longer had a physical body.

If he did, he would have either gone insane already or beaten this insolent disciple to death.

‘Let’s think positively! At least he’s motivated! Yes, that’s right!’

Though he tried desperately to console himself, a part of his heart remained bitter.

"I will now pass on martial arts to you. But before that, there are things you must first know."

"Yes, sir."

Surprisingly, Wi Yeonho responded obediently.

"I am Baek Muhan, a descendant of the Ten Thousand Sword Baek Clan. While studying my clan’s sword arts, I came to realize their shortcomings and thus created a martial art of my own."

"Okay."

"I took the strengths of countless sword techniques across the world and distilled the insights I gained over a hundred years of life to create this sword style, which I named the Radiance Sword Style. You will be the first person to learn it."

Wi Yeonho raised his hand.

"Speak."

"I’m the first?"

Baek Muhan smiled.

"Indeed. You are the first heir to the glorious Radiance Sword Style!"

Wi Yeonho’s face twisted.

"So you’re saying I have to learn some untested martial art that you made up?"

"Huh?"

"You don’t even know what side effects it might have, and you’re planning to teach me an unproven technique?"

"That’s not…"

"Did you conduct clinical trials? What about human trials? Are you sure there's no risk of qi deviation? Did you check for side effects?"

"……."

"Can I just not learn it?"

Baek Muhan lifted his head.

There was no blue sky—only the dark ceiling of the cave above him. That black ceiling felt like a reflection of the path ahead, and he was overwhelmed by sorrow.

After throwing a fit, Wi Yeonho was finally convinced—barely—by Baek Muhan’s earnest assurances that there was absolutely no danger. After what felt like ages of persuasion, Baek Muhan swayed the boy’s heart, and in that moment, he cursed the heavens once again.

"A sword is an extension of the hand."

"But it's just a black sword. Why say it's an extension of the hand?"

"…Isn’t the sword something you hold and wield with your hand!"

"Then by that logic, sabers are an extension of the hand, sickles too, and staves are an extension of the limbs. I guess anything you hold with your hand becomes an extension of your body."

"Yes, you're right."

"Huh? I am?"

"Any weapon that you grip and use with your hand is an extension of it."

Feeling like the explanation had finally gone smoothly for once, Baek Muhan felt a bit proud. But Wi Yeonho was not a disciple who stayed agreeable for long.

"Then is a chain-sickle also an extension of the hand?"

"……."

"What about the Ten-Direction Hammer?"

"That one is…"

"And hidden weapons are used by hand too, but they’re thrown. It’s not like the hand flies off. So are those also extensions of the hand?"

"That’s a bit… different."

"Why is it different? You just said all weapons held in the hand are extensions of the hand."

"No, let me clarify. Only weapons held and not thrown are extensions of the hand."

"Then what about whips or segmented rods like the Ten-Section Staff? Hands can’t bend like that..."

"Argh! Just take it as it is!"

Wi Yeonho grumbled.

"Why are you getting mad?"

Baek Muhan engraved the word patience into his heart again and again before continuing.

"Anyway, the sword is an extension of the hand. The moment you consider the sword as something separate from your body, unity will break. You must always think of the sword as a part of your body."

"I’ll try."

"…Good."

A sword-shaped form suddenly appeared in Baek Muhan’s hand.

"The sword is called the King of All Weapons. It means it is the greatest weapon under heaven."

"That sounds like the kind of thing that would really piss off saber users."

Baek Muhan did his best to ignore Wi Yeonho’s remark.

"The very first weapon to appear in the world was the gon, a club. It’s no exaggeration to say that every weapon in the world evolved from that club. Lengthen it and specialize it for thrusting, and you get a staff. Emphasize its swinging force, and you get the axe."

"Okay."

"And from the staff came the spear, and from the axe came the saber. All weapons in the world can be seen as derivatives of the club."

Wi Yeonho raised his hand.

"Speak."

"What about the bow?"

"The bow developed from the sling. It’s a different branch, but part of the same tree, so to speak."

"Got it."

For once, Wi Yeonho nodded obediently.

"And the sword, when it comes to weapons, appeared later than the others. But the moment it emerged, it surpassed all other arms and became the most widely used weapon. Why? Because the sword took only the best aspects of what had previously been the top weapons—the saber and the spear. A sword can’t cut as fiercely as a saber, but it can stab, which the saber cannot. It may not thrust with as much power as a spear, but it can slash faster and harder than a spear."

"That's true."

"That’s why the sword is called the King of All Weapons. So, what did you take away from this explanation?"

Wi Yeonho answered honestly.

"Sword’s the strongest."

Baek Muhan closed his eyes.

With no expectations, there can be no disappointment.

What had he expected, really?

Even at his age, Baek Muhan had just learned something new.