The Heaven-Slaying Sword

In reality, Gwak Chil had been here for a while.

To be precise, he had been here since the moment those two had begun their conversation, just before Mok Riwon began the full execution of his sword forms.

How did the Experts at the Peak Realm fail to detect Gwak Chil’s presence?

The answer to that question was simple.

The two of them were just that focused on each other.

Mok Riwon was not in his right mind due to the prickling killing intent and demonic qi, while Pae Woongchu’s reasoning was also clouded by the demonic qi coursing through his meridians.

This was the reason for their battle to the death in such a state.

…That wasn’t the important part however.

Whatever the case, the crux of the current situation was that Gwak Chil had overheard the entire conversation.

Demonic Practitioner.

And Chivalry.

Gwak Chil felt dizzy hearing all of that.

It was inevitable. After all, even ordinary people who had never set foot in the martial world knew what kind of star it was.

That was also the reason he was slow to act, and why he helped Mok Riwon.

–I was deeply moved by the Tale of the Demonic Hero!

Gwak Chil finally understood Mok Riwon a little better now.

“Gwak...”

“Are you alright? Can you move?”

He was simply worried about him.

After briefly examining his condition and seeing that he was well enough to walk, Gwak Chil let out a sigh of relief.

Until this point, Mok Riwon had been anxiously observing his expression.

When he saw that Gwak Chil showed no other signs, he felt relieved.

“…Let’s return. From the signal flare the demonic practitioner just fired, the situation over there must be over as well.”

At his words, Mok Riwon nodded.

The calamity that suddenly befell them met its end in such a way.

* * *

A total of seven escorts died.

Thirteen were injured, among which seven were critically wounded.

As such, the atmosphere of the convoy was depressing to say the least.

“…Still, we did the best we could. The situation was truly unfavorable.”

Tang Hwa-seo said to Mok Riwon.

She wasn’t merely comforting him; rather, she had done her utmost to save the escorts.

Zhuge San had also used all of his jade stones to cause chaos so that the demonic practitioners could not target them.

Everyone present knew how much they had contributed, however, nobody was quick to offer their gratitude.

Facing the corpses of people they had been laughing and chatting together with until just moments ago wasn’t something one could easily get used to.

“…So, this is the martial world…”

Mok Riwon muttered softly.

His mind was as distraught as the others.

They came for me.

The man called the Fist Demon had clearly said so.

In other words, this whole tragedy was caused by himself.

Clench–

Mok Riwon balled his hands into a fist.

There was despair in his eyes and tears gathering on his crumpled face.

I…

…myself, and the star I bear, caused this tragedy.

Mok Riwon once more realized the kind of star the Heaven-Slaying Star was.

This time they could be considered lucky, but an even more devastating disaster may befall them the next time.

And at that time, the corpse lying over there might belong to someone close to him.

“Young Hero Mok...”

Tang Hwa-seo placed a hand on his shoulder.

Startled by the sudden touch, Mok Riwon trembled.

He spun his head around and their eyes met.

Tang Hwa-seo was taken aback when she saw the tears welling up in his eyes.

She could say with certainty that she had never seen Mok Riwon like this before.

Even in her wildest dreams, she had never imagined that he would cry with a face that looked like he would fall apart at any moment.

It was only natural for her heart to ache.

Therefore, Tang Hwa-seo reached out and embraced him, her heart sinking.

“It’s okay.”

Pat.

Pat.

She pat his back, driven by the desire to stop his tears.

There was one thing about being comforted by someone. The suppressed emotions they hid inside would all come flooding out in an instant.

“Hiik…”

Mok Riwon’s body quivered slightly as his raw emotions spilled out.

Soon, he cried like a child.

On his first venture into the martial world, during a journey from Jiangxi to Anhui and onward to Wuhan, Mok Riwon tasted defeat for the first time in his life.

* * *

The convoy’s load had increased.

In addition to the precious metals, they were now transporting seven more corpses.

With their injured bodies, they traveled five more days before arriving in Hubei.

“You’ve worked hard. Thank you for traveling together with us.”

The Escort Leader who had been in charge of this escort mission made a fist-palm salute.

Tang Hwa-seo returned the gesture and spoke.

“I merely did what I had to do. Moreover, I failed to properly fulfill my duty.”

The Escort Leader smiled bitterly and shook his head.

“In a situation where everyone could have died, it was clearly thanks to the Great Experts that so many survived. You should take pride in that.”

“What will you do now?”

“What else? We must continue the escort mission.”

The Escort Leader said.

Although he had lost his brothers and was overcome with sorrow, he could not collapse.

As always, he would rise again and continue on his path.

That was the nature of the martial world.

“Will the Great Experts head to the Martial Alliance now?”

“Indeed we will.”

“I have a request.”

The Escort Leader looked up.

Still wearing that sorrowful smile, he continued.

“Demonic practitioners have appeared and the martial world may fall into chaos again. So, please stop them, Great Experts.”

“…We will.”

“Thank you.”

Only then did the Escort Leader wipe away some of his sorrow.

Listening to that conversation, Mok Riwon felt his insides churning.

People had been sacrificed because of him.

There were people who grieved for them.

Thus, he could not raise his head before them.

Until the very moment they left the escort agency, Mok Riwon did not look up once.

Afterwards, they emerged onto the road.

“Great Expert!”

At that moment, Gwak Chil called out to Mok Riwon.

* * *

Gwak Chil had not been able to exchange a single word with Mok Riwon ever since that day.

There were some concerns, naturally.

Although he had a better understanding of him now, the Heaven-Slaying Star was frightening.

Even if not for that, Mok Riwon had fallen into a melancholic state for the past five days, giving off an unapproachable aura.

That was how things continued leading to this day.

They had reached the point where Gwak Chil did not know when he would meet Mok Riwon again.

So he felt hesitant about letting him go like this.

It wasn’t like he had some grand determination or will.

He simply hoped that, just as he had, Mok Riwon too would regain his liveliness through someone’s warm words.

Mok Riwon had the Poison Phoenix and Strange Dragon by his side, but who knew if they were aware of his Heaven-Slaying Star?

“…I heard you were leaving.”

Gwak Chil said after calling him over to a secluded location.

Mok Riwon smiled bitterly.

“Indeed, the time has come for me to go.”

Mok Riwon complexion looked sickly.

One could say that his exhausted appearance was still beautiful due to his otherwise stunning appearance, but Gwak Chil noticed none of those things at this moment.

He clenched his fists tightly.

Then, tremblingly opened his mouth.

“…To tell the truth. I overheard the conversation between the demonic practitioner and the Great Expert that day.”

Flinch–

Mok Riwon trembled.

Soon, his expression became one of shock.

And partial fear.

He immediately understood the meaning behind his words.

Step.

As Mok Riwon took a step back, Gwak Chil took a step forward.

“I will never tell anyone! Even for the rest of my life!”

Gwak Chil yelled the loudest he had ever in nearly twenty years.

In fact, he had thought of many things to say before coming here, but at this moment, none of them came to mind.

And instead, he conveyed his raw, heartfelt feelings.

“I promise! I stake my chivalry on it. My life. And…”

Gwak Chil lived a worthless life.

Thus, he did not have much to stake.

For Gwak Chil there was not much to put on the line.

His lips quivered.

Then, as if forcing out his words, he uttered.

“…I will stake my pen name, Gwak Chil-pyo.”

In an instant, Mok Riwon’s breath stopped.

His brain didn’t register those words immediately, wearing a blank expression before his eyes widened.

“What do you...”

“It’s me. I am Gwak Chil-pyo. The good-for-nothing writer you flattered and praised so much, Great Expert.”

Gwak Chil smiled bitterly.

Now that he had spilled his secret, he felt a sense of emptiness.

It turned out that the secret he had tightly guarded for so long was this easy to say.

“I will stake my name on it. I will not tell anyone about the fate bestowed about you. So please. Please listen to me.”

Mok Riwon was bewildered.

It was because of the fact that the fellow companion he had clicked with was the writer of Tales of the Martial Heroes, the fact that he knew his secret, and the fact that he was saying he wouldn’t tell anyone.

He had many questions.

And hesitations.

But among that, only one question left his mouth.

“…Why?”

He simply uttered the doubt that arose.

“Why are you telling me that? Why are you saying you will keep my secret, and why are you staking your esteemed name on it? I don’t understand. I am…”

The reviled star, the Heaven-Slaying Star.

A star that deserves to be abhorred.

Even Mok Riwon was well aware of that now.

Merely suppressing his killing intent alone wouldn’t change anything.

This star, as Mok Seon-oh had described, was a star that engulfed everything in the space he lived and breathed with killing intent.

Yet, here he was, saying such things that made no sense.

Mok Riwon’s words gradually trailed off.

He was in pain.

Gwak Chil’s answer came as soon as sorrow was about to devour all of Mok Riwon’s other emotions.

“Even so, the Great Expert does not forsake chivalry.”

Gwak Chil said.

“Even so, does the Great Expert not wish to become a chivalrous hero? Did you not save someone?”

“I failed to save anyone. I...”

“No, you did save someone.”

Gwak Chil straightened his back, and with a shabby smile, he made a fist-palm salute.

“The Great Expert saved me. The words you said to me rescued me from my agony.”

A confused expression appeared on Mok Riwon’s face.

To that, Gwak Chil said.

“I hated the Tale of the Demonic Hero. Because I received so much criticism. That’s why I could no longer pick up my brush. And eventually, I came to hate my own work.”

“...”

“Because of that, I was unable to hold a brush for twenty years. But not anymore. You told me that even the Demonic Hero can be loved, and that what had been tormenting me was not the criticism of others, but my own fear. So I no longer feel troubled.”

Gwak Chil bowed down.

“Thank you for saving me. No matter what star you bear or what sword you swing, I believe you are a chivalrous hero.”

Silence hung between the two.

Mok Riwon stared at Gwak Chil, who had his head lowered, for a long time before carefully parting his lips.

“…They died because of me.”

“They died because of demonic practitioners.”

“I am the reason they came.”

“There’s no law in the world that faults the victim. The Great Expert is also a victim.”

“In the future, I may continue to put those around me in danger.”

“However, it is still not your fault.”

Mok Riwon’s eyelashes quivered.

He suddenly felt like his throat was clogging up.

“Can I...”

His words didn’t come out easily.

Mok Riwon felt his chin trembling.

He bit down hard to suppress the shaking.

And eventually, in a desperate, pleading tone, he asked.

“…Can I become become a chivalrous hero?”

Mok Riwon didn’t know the answer.

Born under a star that incites atrocity and entering the martial world, he had ultimately caused people to lose their lives due to that fate, so he was afraid.

Thus, he wanted to ask.

To one of the masters who had taught him chivalry.

To Gwak Chil.

As though lights flickered in his eyes, Gwak Chil’s eyelids lifted slightly, then gently fell and curved.

“You are already a splendid chivalrous hero.”

He smiled brightly, revealing his yellow teeth.

Mok Riwon exhaled sharply.

“I will say it again, the Great Expert saved me…”

“No, no…”

Mok Riwon rubbed his eyes with his sleeve, shaking his head and said with a tearful smile.

“Gw… Great Expert Gwak is the one who saved me.”

Mok Riwon assumed a fist-palm salute.

Although he was still sad and in pain, the words that comforted Mok Riwon were warm.

“You saved me. From so long ago, even until now.”

The first day he became aware of his desire to kill, what saved Mok Riwon was the Demonic Hero’s Chapter.

Whenever training became too rough, what raised his spirits back up were the heroes in Tales of the Martial Heroes. And today, what saved him when he might have crumbled was the author of that work, Gwak Chil.

Mok Riwon bowed deeply.

“You were the one who told me that even someone like me can dream of becoming a chivalrous hero. You made me not give up. You lifted up my spirits.”

Mok Riwon’s clasped hands were trembling, his voice carrying a teary quiver.

“Great Expert Gwak saved me, and for that, I am so grateful.”

At those words, Gwak Chil bit his lips hard.

“…You give me too much credit.”

Only one thing was engraved in Gwak Chil’s eyes at that moment.

There was a man smiling through his tears.

A man walking forward on a righteous path with a purity like that of a young boy.

He was a man who would undoubtedly face an arduous path because of the cruel fate that had befallen him.

However, he did not look like a man who would succumb to his fate.

Upon seeing that sight, Gwak Chil felt inspiration sprouting within him.

For some reason, he felt the urge to pick up a brush.

“Far, far too much credit.”

The moment Gwak Chil saw that smile, he thought.

I want to write the story of a protagonist who cuts through adversity with a smile on his face, wielding an ink-black sword.

It was a passion that had rekindled after twenty long /genesisforsaken