The Novel’s Villain

Chapter 21

[Hey guys, names might be a bit off, but we don’t have the resources to match them to the previous translators, albeit they should be more accurate now. We will also try to work from the first chapter, but our budget is tight, especially while waiting for Adsense reapproval. The previous translators split chapters, so this is the from where they left off.]

3 Choi Family’s Sword School (8)

The Heavenly Sword Cave was neatly organized, elixirs and different types of books. Elixirs were generally a precious commodity, but these were at a level that was available at any time if only Jin-woo spent money. He quickly perused through the books.

‘I’ll have to choose carefully.’

He had just realized that if he learned recklessly, he would lose his direction.

‘Oh, this one will do.’

There was one about the martial arts the villain characters who would appear in the future learned. They were characters who had nothing to say, even if they were quite frustrated, but who appeared at important moments to disturb the main character and sometimes even killed the supporting characters. It seemed that the author was trying to compose a rivalry, but it only served as an opportunity to lower the quality of work.

Some of the Twelve Emperors were even awakened from their seals because of that guy.

[B] Deep Breathing Technique

A new technique of building strong mana started during the Silla Dynasty. A very large amount of elixir is required to properly learn and use the Deep Breathing Technique. It was also called the Golden Mind Technique in China, as it requires an elixir worth a lump of gold.

*The efficiency of technique increases with wealth.

It was a technique that suited him better than he thought. The technique handed down to him by a Chinese master was a deteriorated version of this one in the original story. Nevertheless, he prided himself in having enough power to beat the fraudulent main character half-dead.

‘This was the original. I’m pretty good at gambling, huh? I was half-doubtful because there was no description, but….’

In the original work, he was a villain born with the enormous support of the Chinese Proficiency Association, but he was confident that he would become much better than that. He learned the important skills earlier than expected due to some unexpected business at Choi Family’s Sword School.

Looking at this, the world didn’t seem to run as expected. As Jin-woo learned the Deep Breathing Technique, its name was immediately changed.

[A] Unbreakable Skill

A new skill reinterpreted based on the techniques of swordsmanship, Kama Sutra of Paradise. Now, all techniques will be interpreted based on the Unbreakable Skill. It is a strange kind of martial art that the more you waste, the deeper your realization becomes. The more energy you accumulate, the more your charisma increases.

* The efficiency of the technique increases depending on charm and honor.

* Everything goes by money. Any energy can be refined.

* Waste Stack: 0

It was transformed strangely, but it became better regardless. Jin-woo felt a surging sense of pride. It may require a great deal of elixir, but it was now possible to build his mana. It was far more satisfying than the other means he had at hand. He did wonder what the Waste Stack was but decided to figure it out later. Since it had deviated significantly from what was known at the Choi Family’s Sword School, there was nothing more to say.

‘This is all I need to learn.’

There were other techniques there, but they didn’t stand out to him. Jin-woo came back out less than thirty minutes after he went in. The Sword Master was sitting cross-legged, checking the time and smiling dismally.

“Right, did you find anything?”

“Yes, I found what I was looking for.”

“Haha, lucky you.”

He could feel Sword Master’s hot and tenacious gaze, and his goosebumps rose again.

“Why don’t you sleep over, too? I need to talk to you about something.”

“Ah! As I said, I already have a schedule to keep. Maybe next time…”

“Hmm, I see. Then let’s eat dinner first before you leave.”

“These days, I only have one meal a day.”

“Indeed…you’re so strict. That must be why you have such a body.”

Sword Master never took his eyes off Jin-woo.

“Hee-yeon is such a good girl. Don’t hate her; I am the bad one here.”

“Then please be nice to her. What’s the use of saving those techniques?”

“…Another lesson from you? Hahaha!”

Even though he treated him bluntly, the Sword Master’s eyes grew even warmer. Jin-woo could feel his cheeks burning red as he felt the harsh breathing next to him.

“I’ll walk you home.”

“It’s all right.”

“Hehe, but it feels good to walk with you.”

Even as Jin-woo hurried down the mountain, the Sword Master’s eyes continued to follow him. Returning home, he suffered from a nightmare that night.

‘Hahahaha! Take it off!’

‘Keaargh!’

‘Come on, that’s great!’

He woke up in a cold sweat. He had never experienced such a terrible dream before in his life. Even a nightmare with ghosts would be preferable.

“…”

Jin-woo vowed not to go to the Choi Family’s Sword School ever again, trying to calm his breathing.

Anyway, that was the end of their meeting. If he were this sure, there was always a high probability that he would be wrong, but for some reason, it seemed to be right this time. Jin-woo thought about where the Choi Family’s Sword School was before laying down on his back.

That night, he experienced several more nightmares.

***

It seemed like a storm had come. Even after Jin-woo left, the atmosphere at the Choi Family’s Sword School remained the same. The high ranks went into secluded training while the other elders and trainees were so anxious that they stopped eating and drinking. Their pride in being superior to everyone else and their elitism were their weaknesses. It wouldn’t be easy to overcome that sense of shame and despair, but if they could, they would only develop further.

The Sword Master nodded at the thought.

‘Enlightenment comes from hardship.’

If you are a warrior, you must accept suffering with joy. That was his basic stance for breaking past barriers. The obstacles would become bigger, taller, and harder the more you break them down. If that frustrated you, you weren’t qualified to be a warrior.

After a long time, the Sword Master spent some time with his granddaughter. It took quite a while to take care of her, as she had reached the beginning of her intense training.

Alone in the room, the Sword Master and Choi Hee-yeon were sitting face-to-face with each other.

“How are you feeling?”

“Grandfather. Thanks to you, I feel better. I’m sorry to have worried you.”

Silence settled in. He hadn’t let go of his sword in decades, but now, there was no weapon in the Sword Master’s arms. He felt rather relieved.

A quiet knock sounded out from the door.

“Excuse me.”

The female disciple of the Choi Family’s Sword School entered the room carrying something.

“What is that?”

“It is a gift left by the guest.”

The guest referred to Lee Jin-woo. Choi Hee-yeon, who had been silent, turned her head to look at the present. She opened the box and saw a piece of warm bread and a pretty box inside.

“Oh my…?”

There was wrapping paper with the words Sea Stamped Moon written on it, and there were also tea leaves possessing a nostalgic scent. The Sword Master stared at it absentmindedly for a while as memories came rushing through his mind all at once. They were all pushed away as he grabbed his sword.

‘I’ve forgotten…’

The edges of his eyes turned red. Choi Hee-yeon couldn’t help but be surprised by the Sword Master’s appearance.

“What is it?”

“…This is…”

Sword Master opened the bag and stared at the bread inside. He felt like going back to that time. However, he had failed to keep his promise to come with his family when their child was born.

‘Oh! Jin-woo, does that child also have a good eye?’

Even the Frontline group would never know this story. The Sword Master didn’t feel bad about Lee Jin-woo’s consideration. Rather, he was touched. When Choi Hee-yeon prepared the tea, the Sword Master split the bread to share with her.

“It’s delicious.”

“Your grandmother loved it, too.”

Naturally, the old stories came out. He smiled as he told her the story of his past. It broke his heart to see his granddaughter so immersed in his story.

‘What does wielding a sword mean?’

The Sword Master had first picked up the weapon during the war. Although he also had a heart for his country, his real reason for joining was to protect his family. However, he was disappointed with his family, so he turned his back on them and left everyone, even his only granddaughter.

Lee Jin-woo had asked him what his purpose was for saving those techniques.

‘Be a human before you become a sword.’

He had heard that once from his master. He felt like this incident brought him closer to his granddaughter. Blaming his foolishness, Sword Master decided to tread on the human path rather than the divine one. The path of the sword may not be enough, but what about it? After all, he was a human who used a sword.

It was as sweet as the bread.

“I guess that’s yours.”

The well-packaged small box had a note with ‘To Miss Choi Hee-yeon’ written in a nice handwriting. It was such excellent handwriting that it took the packaging to a higher level with just that one-note, but it was clear that Lee Jin-woo wrote it himself.

Choi Hee-yeon held the box carefully as she opened it. When she unfurled the lid, a brilliant golden light poured out. What was inside was as delicate as a flower while being as bright as a star. The mysteriously sparkling necklace was so beautiful that it mesmerized her, but Choi Hee-yeon and Sword Master knew at once that this was no ordinary thing.

“That’s great stuff. It is full of the energy of nature. It suits you perfectly right now.”

Choi Hee-yeon carefully put on the necklace. Warm energy flowed into her body, and she could feel the blood veins that felt uncomfortable due to her intense training gradually loosen. Just looking at it, they knew that it was a very precious treasure that matched the martial arts of the Choi Family’s Sword School. The heirloom of the Choi Family’s Sword School was a sword, but this necklace seemed to be worth several times more than that.

Choi Hee-yeon intuitively sensed it. The Sword Master smiled as he looked at his granddaughter, who was frowning while looking at the necklace with mixed feelings.

“How do you feel?”

“I do not know. It didn’t seem to mean anything to him, neither did the Choi Family’s Sword School or me…but did he give me something so…?”

Choi Hee-yeon, who won against him with her sword, was able to tell that Lee Jin-woo didn’t want anything from her. It was so clear it felt suffocating. From the time the news about their engagement came out, she had been investigating him.

His history was a great tragedy. His parents killed each other, and there were several assassination attempts made on him when he was young. His bodyguard was poisoned, and his housekeeper, who followed him as his parents did, even attempted to kidnap him. It would be strange if his heart didn’t break.

If she were engaged to him, she thought she could make it right. She thought that if she gave him warm affection and corrected the crooked parts of him, he would be on the right path. But he was already a whole person. Rather, she didn’t know that it was her who was crooked.

Since today, anyway, the sword next to her appeared to be crooked.

“Are you angry?”

“…Yeah.”

“Then the next time we meet, you can greet him with a big blow. That’s how your grandmother seduced me. Hahaha!”

“What?”

Seeing his granddaughter’s eyes bug open, Sword Master burst into laughter once more. He couldn’t even remember how long it had been since he had laughed so happily.

“If you have that treasure…you will be able to catch up with them. Your weak veins and inner strength will all improve.”

“Grandfather?”

“Bring your sword with you tomorrow morning. It’s just a little technique, but I’ll teach it to you properly.”

Choi Hee-yeon stared blankly at the Sword Master.

“Surprise him with the secret sword technique I will teach you.”

Sword Master stroked his granddaughter’s hair. She had a determined expression on her face. She felt as if something had just come off.

‘I wonder how far my grandson-in-law will go.’

The engagement had already been broken, but in the Sword Master’s heart, Lee Jin-woo was already his grandson-in-law.

It just so happened to coincide with the moment Jin-woo was having a nightmare.