The passionate sex had ended, and I came out to the nearby forest to clear my head. A large full moon hung in the sky. The night sky, free of clouds, was bright enough to illuminate even the dark forest.
"It's quiet."
Not even the sound of insects crying could be heard.
I had been so busy lately that I welcomed the stillness. It was as if my brain, exhausted from excessive magic use, was rejoicing at finding rest. There was a reason why wizards took long breaks of several months after finishing their research.
After all, just awakening magic power lengthened one's lifespan, and one could live even longer depending on one's level. Rather than small achievements in the immediate future, wizards tended to live leisurely lives for the sake of greater achievements in the years to come.
'When this match is over and I return to Earth, should I take it easy for a while?'
Of course, I wouldn't have that much time to spare since entering the Magic Tower was just around the corner, but it was important to make up my mind about these things.
I continued walking through the forest, lost in mundane thoughts. As I walked, I couldn't help but feel a pang of regret that Cheon Yeohwa wasn't by my side. But I couldn't force someone who said their back was hurting to come with me.
"Anyway, what do I do now?"
My mind was full of thoughts of stealing the 'Boundless Diamond Body' manual. It was pointless to assume there was no martial arts manual now.
According to what I heard from the investigation leader, the ancient temple was currently guarded by the Seventh Elder of the Mount Hua Sect, the Sixth Elder of the Jongnam Sect, and one of the Four Diamond Warriors of the Shaolin Temple. There was no way three elders would be guarding an empty place.
I wanted to rush to the temple right now, steal the manual, and run away.
But if the three people guarding the temple were as strong as the White-Bearded Old Man, it would be impossible to steal something and escape without being noticed.
'…It'll be even harder because my magic is focused on combat.'
It was rare for a wizard to be as specialized in combat as I was. Wizards needed to conduct research in various fields in order to raise their level.
In fact, there was a way. I could kill the three of them with Cheon Yeohwa and steal the manual.
'…I might want to be a master thief, but I don't want to become a public enemy of the martial arts world as a crazy murderer.'
Besides, it was a plan with many problems. The road was rough and complicated, but it didn't take long to get from Jinheung Village to the temple. If the martial artists in the campsite noticed something and came to help, everything would be for naught.
'Maybe I should just wait for a chance to steal it tomorrow.'
Of course, people in this world were ignorant of magic. With even a slight opening, it wouldn't be difficult to steal a martial arts manual without being noticed. There was no option of not stealing it. I had no intention of coming all this way and returning empty-handed.
I sorted out my thoughts and continued my walk. Since I had come this far, I thought I would go a little further inside.
Of course, I didn't plan to stay long. Every minute and second was precious when I thought of Cheon Yeohwa waiting for me eagerly in bed.
[Remaining Matching Time: 69:41:23]
'It would be nice if I could get the Boundless Diamond Body manual within the remaining time…'
Of course, there was no need to rush. There would be other opportunities.
I pushed the screen aside and followed the roughly laid-out forest path. There were fairly large footprints here and there, so it seemed like bears lived here.
"Will a panda appear?"
Since it was a different world, there was a high possibility that animals that couldn't be seen on Earth lived here. It was the same in the Great Forest.
Tap!
As I was walking with trivial thoughts, I felt a faint presence nearby.
Swish!
It sounded like someone was wielding a weapon.
'It doesn't sound like they're fighting, since there's only one presence?'
I was curious about the unexpected event. I muffled my footsteps and walked towards the presence.
As I pushed through the bushes and passed through the dense trees, an open clearing soon appeared.
"…Oh."
There, a woman was wielding a sword, using the full moon as her spotlight.
From the sword dance that cut through the air, a deadly murderous intent could be felt. It was a killing sword that showed a determination not to waste even an inch on frivolousness.
She looked like a fairy descending from the sky. Why? Because the woman wielding the sword was a beauty.
Her hair fluttered like silk, and her clear, clean black eyes, and the full breasts that were revealed over her martial arts uniform. She was such a stunning beauty that it was hard to take my eyes off her.
'That uniform is… from Mount Hua.'
That meant she was a fellow disciple of Sword Dragon and the White-Bearded Old Man, whom I met during the day.
'Didn't Sword Dragon say he was the number one genius of Mount Hua?'
Surprisingly, that weakling seemed to be called one of the best young talents in the Central Plains. It was absurd. While that guy had reached the peak of perfection in his late 20s, Cheon Yeohwa had reached the transcendent realm at just 20 years old.
Of course, it was a level she had reached through the unorthodox method of demonic arts, but I didn't think Sword Dragon would be stronger than Cheon Yeohwa even if he had practiced demonic arts from a young age until he was 20 years old. I thought Cheon Yeohwa's talent surpassed Sword Dragon's talent.
And it was hard to see that the woman in front of me had less talent than Sword Dragon. Of course, there was a difference in absolute skill, but if she maintained her current talent and honed her skills, it was certain that she would become more skilled than Sword Dragon someday.
'…Sharp, and fast.'
At the same time, she was versatile. The sword energy that scattered from various angles transformed into a single strike. The sword energy that gathered in one line transformed into a beautiful flower and bloomed.
Changing Sword and Quick Sword.
She was an opponent I didn't want to fight in close combat. It was a swordsmanship that made me want to just fire magic from afar.
'…Let's go back.'
It was a serious crime to peek at someone else's training. If I caused trouble and attracted the attention of Mount Hua or others, it could cause annoying problems when I stole the Boundless Diamond Body manual tomorrow.
Of course, I had already attracted attention once with my duel with Sword Dragon, but I wasn't foolish enough to dwell on what was over.
I turned around to leave.
Thwack! A small dagger flew and pierced the tree next to me.
"Who's there?"
I'm screwed.
All sorts of thoughts flashed through my head. But I couldn't think of a way to get out of this situation.
I slowly raised my hands and stood up.
"…Who are you?"
"Haha… Hello…?"
The woman's eyes widened when she saw me. She seemed to know me. Considering what happened during the day, it would be stranger if there was someone in Mount Hua who didn't know me.
But even taking that into account, the woman's reaction was somewhat strange.
It was as if she was strangely pleased rather than angry that an outsider had recklessly stolen a peek at her training. Was it my imagination?
"I'm Kang Hyunwoo, who is indebted to the Hundred Flowers Sect."
I offered a handshake since I couldn't just stand still.
"Hwa, I'm Yoo Sowol of the Mount Hua Sect!"
The woman, who introduced herself as Yoo Sowol, grabbed my hand with both hands. Her hands were damp with sweat. It wasn't strange since she had been training until just now.
"Ah, then may I call you Miss Yoo?"
"Yes, yes! Please do!"
"…"
Yoo Sowol's reactions were so intense that they were burdensome. She was like a girl meeting her idol at a fan signing event.
No matter how much I racked my brain, I couldn't understand.
Putting aside the fact that it was our first meeting, she couldn't possibly have good feelings towards me since she was from Mount Hua. After all, I had a track record of beating down the most promising genius of Mount Hua in front of many people.
'Those old guys' eyes were so fierce.'
It was absurd that they blamed others for raising their disciples weakly.
"Th, then may I call you Senior Kang…?"
"…Junior is enough."
"Ah…! Yes, Junior Kang!"
The smile that bloomed on Yoo Sowol's lips was brighter than the full moon in the night sky. She was worthy of being called a fairy.
"…Mayflower Fairy."
"Yes?"
"It's nothing."
I made an excuse for the words that came out without me realizing it.
"So… what brings you here, Junior Kang…?"
"Ah."
I bowed my head lightly.
"I'm sorry. Although it was a mistake, I recklessly peeked at Miss Yoo's training."
In fact, it was an exaggeration to say it was a mistake. At least I could have run away before I was caught.
I had just been so mesmerized by Yoo Sowol's beauty and beautiful sword dance that I watched for a long time.
"It's, it's okay, since you did it by mistake…"
Yoo Sowol twirled the side of her hair with one finger.
The way she forgave me so easily confused the martial arts setting in my head. In the martial arts novels I had read, they would have requested a life-or-death duel for the reason of stealing a peek at their training.
Regardless of those concerns, I was able to guess the reason, even if only slightly, after a while.
Yoo Sowol kept avoiding eye contact with me as if she was trying not to make eye contact with me no matter what. If she happened to make eye contact, she would be startled and turn her head away.
A bright red blush was blooming on her face.
'…Does she have a crush on me?'
When I thought about it carefully, I thought it was possible.
Recently, as I have been meditating repeatedly, I have been burning away waste products in my body with fire energy and brain energy, so my features are becoming clearer. And thanks to physical training, my body has also improved.
I am confident that I have already exceeded the average in terms of appearance.
It wasn't because of the 'Alpha Male' skill like with Jo Yeonhee. I didn't even sweat a drop.
"So… how old are you, Junior Kang?"
"I'm 21 years old. How about you, Miss Yoo?"
"O, I turned twenty this year…"
"I'm a year older than you."
She was the same age as Cheon Yeohwa, but the atmosphere was quite different. If Cheon Yeohwa felt like a woman older, Yoo Sowol felt more like a younger sister.
"Y, you can speak comfortably…"
"Okay, then can I call you Sowol?"
"…Yes."
Yoo Sowol lowered her head as if trying to hide her face, which was flushed as if it would burst at any moment. If she had been born in Korea and debuted as an actress, the title of the nation's little sister would have been hers.
"So… is it okay if I ask you something, Junior Kang?"
"To me?"
Gulp, the sound of dry saliva being swallowed could be heard. For the record, it wasn't me.
"…Are you perhaps promised to the lady you were with?"