Absolute Regression - Chapter 5
The journey to the hunting grounds wasn’t long.
The back mountain of the sect was famous for its ruggedness, with fortified defenses and traps installed throughout, making it an inaccessible place from the outset. In this secluded area, there were only my father and me, no one else.
Oh, there are three of us, aren’t there?
Father’s chief bodyguard, Hwi, must be shadowing us from somewhere.
I used to call him Uncle Hwi. I had seen him often when I was young, but as I grew older, I had fewer opportunities to see him. Hwi, the bodyguard whom my father absolutely trusted. If I had Ian, then my father had Hwi.
I scanned the surroundings, but I couldn’t detect Hwi’s presence. Indeed, he seemed to be a master in the art of concealment. Of course, even Hwi…
Had died at the hands of Hwamu-gi that day.
The first thing that my father said to me that day was this.
“What’s with that burdensome pack?”
I was carrying a backpack almost as big as myself.
“These are the things I need for the next few days.”
“A few days? I intend to come back down after sundown.”
“You never know, right? You might enjoy hunting with me and want to stay a few more days.”
My father openly showed his disbelief.
“A dreamer, indeed.”
Although I had only been with my father for less than half a day, I realized one thing. That was the fact that my memories of my father were quite distorted.
I remembered my father as someone who hardly spoke. But my father spoke much more than I had thought.
“You’re quite skilled, after all.”
It was an assessment of the performance against Gu Pyeong-ho in combat. My movements were unrefined, but the skills accumulated in my previous life seemed to shine through. I didn’t try to deceive my father.
“You’ve been hiding your skills.”
“So it seems.”
A jest added to the atmosphere.
“I’m not a hissing cat but a beast with hidden claws.”
Father stopped in his tracks and looked back at me.
“Why hide the claws if you’re a beast?”
“Oh, I hadn’t thought of it from that perspective.”
“So you’re a cat.”
Father, who was about to turn away, suddenly asked.
“How far have you progressed in the Skyscraper Swordsmanship?”
The Skyscraper Swordsmanship is a martial art passed down to the descendants of Celestials. It cannot compare to the Nine Evils Demon Art, which is exclusively passed down to the Celestials, but it is considered a supreme martial art similar to the martial arts mastered by the Majins.
“Dinner.”
“Then we must catch it.”
As I reached for my bow from the backpack, Father restrained me.
“How do you plan to catch something you can’t see? First, close your eyes and feel your surroundings.”
“Yes.”
Masters perceive their opponents through the fluctuations in the surrounding air. This is commonly referred to as sensing the opponent’s energy.
The only energy I sensed around me was Father’s. It was calm. Therefore, it was frightening. I knew better than anyone how fierce this energy could become when angered. In the peaceful sea, a storm capable of overturning the world lay dormant.
“Now, emit a strand of energy. Just one strand.”
I emitted a strand of energy as Father instructed.
“Don’t break the flow. Think of your body as a thread and release the energy slowly, as if pulling out a thread from a spool.”
In my previous life, I had never emitted energy in this manner. There was a clear reason for emitting energy: to suppress the opponent’s energy with mine. But now, I was emitting energy in a completely different way than I had ever thought.
“Thinner. Don’t let it break!”
It was the first time I realized that energy emitted from the body could extend for such a long distance.
“More, more, more.”
If Father hadn’t been there to encourage me, I would never have been able to emit energy for so long.
And then, in the next moment, my energy touched something.
“Did you touch it?”
Father noticed that my energy had touched something almost as quickly as I did.
“Yes. I feel it.”
“What do you think it is?”
“It seems to be a tree.”
Surprisingly, I felt what it was. It’s really hard to describe this feeling. But it was definitely a tree.
“Look around that area. Slowly.”
It felt as if the thread tied to the spool was about to unravel any moment. But I didn’t lose my concentration.
I extended the energy further to explore the surroundings. And then, under the tree, I found a living energy.
“Is it a wild boar, perhaps?”
With no response from Father, I opened my eyes slightly. Father was looking at me with a surprised expression.
“Or is it a bear? It seemed like a wild boar with dense fur and a long body.”
“It’s a wild boar.”
I looked towards where my energy had reached. Still, it wasn’t visible to the naked eye. I had pinpointed the wild boar in the distant forest.
“It’s not easy to hit it from this distance.”
Father’s discernment was hard to believe, even when experienced firsthand.
Come to think of it, the technique I had just used wasn’t just a skill necessary for hunting. It was a remarkable technique that could be applied in martial arts.
“I guess you were trying to make fun of me for failing earlier.”
“Naturally, you had to fail.”
“I’m your son, after all.”
“I also didn’t hit it on my first try.”
“But don’t I have the Heavenly Martial Body?”
When the Heavenly Martial Body was mentioned, Father’s expression changed slightly.
At that time, I harbored some bitterness toward Father regarding the Heavenly Martial Body.
―Why did you neglect me, a Heavenly Martial Body, when you were someone who pursued strength so fervently, someone who even held martial arts competitions to find talented individuals to crush your own children? Why did you not push me forward? I even thought that Father might be jealous of me. Yes, your child was that clumsy.
But now I know.
That things in the world don’t always go as I wish.
Instead of asking for special treatment because I have the Heavenly Martial Body, I must become a special person by utilizing my Heavenly Martial Body well. Only when everyone’s expectations and desires are poured into that uniqueness does the Heavenly Martial Body become a blessing bestowed by heaven. Now I understand.
“What are you doing? Are you planning to starve for dinner?”
I energetically shot an arrow towards where I sensed the energy.
Thunk.
A campfire was blazing in the darkness, and on it, well-prepared wild boar meat was cooking.
“When did you learn to butcher animals?”
“I learned from books.”
“You seem quite familiar with it for just that.”
Father, even if it were just the wild boars I had caught, there could be hundreds.
I subtly changed the subject.
“That fur you’re sitting on is prepared as a seat cushion. It was worth grumbling about.”
Father was sitting on a tiger fur I had brought in my backpack.
His lips curled slightly at my cheekiness. It’s not easy for a smile to suit a person’s face, but Father managed it well.
“Did you express a desire to hunt with me because you want to become the successor?”
“No. I know it won’t work with you anyway.”
“It’s a relief that you understand.”
“Even without Father’s help, I can manage to become the successor.”
“You’re quite confident.”
“Of course, my greedy, cruel, and filthy-hearted brother may interfere, but…”
“You’re cursing him again.”
“I have to. How often do you get a chance to criticize openly in front of the judges who score you?”
If Father truly desired peaceful brotherhood among family members, he should have decided from the beginning. Who the successor is, don’t bother. Even if it’s decided like that, isn’t it still a succession dispute with fighting and killing?
“Why did you say you wanted to hunt with me?”
“I have two reasons. First, to learn something and become stronger. I think I succeeded in the first.”
“To become stronger?”
In response to Father’s provocative gaze suggesting whether I aimed to take my place, I quickly replied.
“I don’t want to talk about becoming a celestial yet. I don’t want to ruin my youth by talking about being a celestial when Father hasn’t even decided yet. If I can become the successor and learn the Heavenly Martial Body, I’ll be satisfied.”
From Father’s perspective, both my brother and I would seem inadequate to become the successor. In fact, Father chose my brother as the successor about ten years from now.
I can’t wait for ten years. I’m inadequate as a nail in the sack. It’s time to take out the spear from the pocket and poke around here and there.
So, I have to inherit the Heavenly Martial Body as soon as possible. No, I have to reach beyond that. Since even Father, who achieved the Great Achievement of the Ten Stars, failed against the Hwamu-gi, I must achieve the Great Achievement of the Twelve Stars.
“Sometimes I imagine. If there’s someone I really want to kill in my life, how frustrating would it be if I couldn’t? I want to become stronger, even if it’s just to avoid that feeling.”
Father’s expression remained unchanged, so I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
“What’s the second reason?”
“I wanted to spend some time alone with Father. It’s the first time, isn’t it?”
Again, a smirk appeared at the corner of Father’s mouth.
“Such cheap sentimentality.”
“How could it be cheap when I’m with the Greatest Under Heaven? If I sing, it’s the Greatest Under Heaven’s hit song, and if I drink, it’s the Greatest Under Heaven’s favourite liquor. Even if I take a dump…”
“Stop there.”
“Yes! I’ll keep my mouth shut for an hour.”
Father and I locked eyes, and I smiled happily. It was probably my first genuine smile in front of Father. Although Father calmly turned his head away, I spoke.
“When I thought of Father, there wasn’t a single memory. Isn’t a frightening memory not a memory? I won’t let my memories be so desolate. Don’t think I’m doing it for Father. It’s for myself.”
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