Chapter 54: It's Really Nothing

"Did you say you're Han Seojin, the Head Professor? I am the head of the Wi Clan. My name is Wi Cheongun."

The elderly man who introduced himself as the head of the clan looked at me as he said this.

I felt a fierce aura.

The aura he emitted was vast, akin to a storm.

'Among the high rankers, he must be one of the best.'

I couldn't see any flaws.

He was already this strong. Perhaps, with my current physical condition, I would lose before even ten exchanges.

That is what it means to be among the best.

He is already in the Transformative Realm, and his existence is equivalent to that of the 7th circle mage. Moreover, those here are stronger due to their Unique Traits.

I took in the head of the clan, Wi Cheongun.

A robust body with scales faintly visible under his clothes while covered by a fierce aura.

It seems like he can control his aura, but he doesn't seem quite proficient at controlling his aura.

That's all I could see.

'It should be possible to discern it in normal circumstances.'

Traits.

Because of the system, some things are obscured.

Still, I think I can tell a few things.

A vast, storm-like aura.

The information Yoo Eunchae provided.

Perhaps this is how the status window would represent the head of the Wi Clan.

Name: Wi Cheongun.

Unique Trait: Storm Dragon

Traits: Dragon Scale (S), Fist King (A), Wind's Decision (A), Sensory Path (B), Monstrous Strength (B)

A typical martial artist.

Said to have Inherited the power of a dragon, as well as tremendous magical power and a robust body.

He is said to be the legendary man who single-handedly raised the Wi Clan.

And now, he's also called the most normal person in the now-ruined Wi Clan.

"The professor is quite a strange person. When I saw him at the Iron-Blood Sword Clan, he wasn't like this."

"Is that so?"

"The ignorant say that Han Seojin, the Head Professor, has hidden his power. But is that even possible? Only those like the head of the Iron-Blood Sword Clan can be considered comparable to myself. To hide your power from such people's eyes? That's nonsensical."

Two eyes looked at me.

It was as if they wanted to pierce through my inner thoughts.

"This kind of aura, it's not just at the level of being in the middle rank. Nor has it ascended to the upper rank. No… Then has the level already surpassed the upper rank while still being unstable?"

"…"

"Ah, sorry. I saw something too interesting, and I got carried away without realizing. Shall we go inside?"

We headed inside.

Even then, Wi Cheongun was looking at me with an interested gaze.

"You may not think much of me, but I am grateful to you. There are many who do not understand the characteristics of our Seolyeong, causing quite the headache."

"…?"

Seolyeong?

From the way it's spoken, could it be…

I had some guesses, but hearing the confirmation made me feel strange.

"Seeing your expression harden a bit, it seems you were unaware. Well, that child wouldn't have mentioned it beforehand, nor should they have."

"Well, everyone has their circumstances."

It was shocking, but I accepted it.

This place, which venerates superhumans, drives people mad.

What's so special about mental illness?

When people have nowhere to rest and are driven out, they develop mental illnesses.

It's just a matter of how severe it is.

"That look on your face. It is as if you're able to understand without me saying anything?"

"I think I get the gist. The circumstances of such a place are obvious."

A family that venerates the superhuman.

To venerate the superhuman is to venerate power, and since ancient times, men have venerated power.

It's a typical trait of a macho mentality family.

Those who don't even know their own place, despite needing to pour everything into nurturing successors, look down on women and venerate men.

Such is this family.

"Here we are."

A master bedroom with a small garden attached.

We entered that place.

We sat facing each other where tea and snacks had been prepared in advance.

"Feeling familiar?"

"I grew up in the Iron-Blood Sword Clan."

"What a joke. The Iron-Blood Sword Clan is following the Western style."

"…"

"Come to think of it, I didn't ask. Tell me the reason you came to the Wi family clan with our Seolyeong."

Wi Cheongun asked me, looking at me.

"Wi Gunak said she wanted to destroy the Wi family clan."

"Heheh… If it's that child, it makes sense. During my busiest times, I failed to manage the family properly. That child was deeply hurt then."

"But now, you are the family head."

"Even so, it's a position of high status. I'm not sure how it appears to your eyes…"

"If you truly meant harm to Wi Gunak, you should have dealt with it."

"…"

"It's the greed of an old man. A child with potential that knows no bounds, and now just a family head of high status. The scale clearly tips to one side, but not wanting to give up on either, you forcibly hold onto both."

"…You."

Wi Cheongun moved his lips.

It was as if something was stuck in his throat, preventing him from speaking.

"Did you come here to say that?"

"Because that child has abundant potential."

"That child."

Wi Cheongun scrutinized me.

"There's a lot of talk about Professor Han Seojin."

"Is that so?"

"The sudden change in the eldest son of the Iron-Blood Sword Clan. That alone would draw all sorts of attention, but you've garnered even more by formulating new magic formulas."

Slurp.

I quietly drank my tea.

'No poison, it seems.'

Crunch.

I also put some snacks in my mouth.

"And though everyone found it odd when you suddenly became a professor… You eventually proved yourself. At the place called the Unity event, you organized the ranks among the professors with basic swordsmanship, spear techniques, and martial arts."

"That's because their levels were quite low."

"That can't be. The professors at the academy are all exceptional individuals. Oh, do you know? The one called the Sword Saint said that, in terms of swordsmanship alone, you might be even better than him?"

"Did he say that?"

"You really have no interest. Being at the very edge of the upper ranks, you're considered someone who might become the best in Korea."

"Teaching kids alone is overwhelming enough for me."

"Seolyeong told me. She said the professor is really like a devil."

"Does Gunak say that? I thought I had been somewhat moderate. What a pity."

"They say you pushed someone off an actual cliff for being late in climbing it?"

"Lions drop their cubs off cliffs."

"Lions don't drop their cubs off cliffs. They do it to make themselves kings of the pack by eliminating their rivals."

Slurp.

"Still, I'm better off. Even if they fall off a cliff, they won't die."

"…"

"Home is where you can rest most comfortably. Rather than wearing a mask while being mentally cornered, it's much better just to get stronger with nothing."

"You, your words have substance."

"It seems I got a bit angry without realizing."

"It must be because you care about our Seolyeong."

Wi Cheongun closed his eyes. As if deep in thought, then opened them.

"Can you prove it?"

"Why should I?"

"…Usually, at times like this, shouldn't the words, 'I can prove it.' come out?"

"I don't really care. If it comes down to it, I can just talk to the principal."

"…"

Wi Cheongun looked at me with a face of disbelief.

Then, after sighing, he said,

"Are you boldly saying you'll take her?"

"Well, what can be done about it?"

"If that's the case, I have no choice but to detain you here. What then?"

"Try it if you can."

"…Do you trust the principal too much?"

"There's something else I trust more than the principal."

Wi Cheongun looked at me.

His eyes were dark. They were the eyes of a martial artist crazed with martial arts, and they were also the eyes of one with dragon blood.

Of course, diluted and degraded by other blood, he couldn't observe everything.

'But still, because they are the eyes of a dragon.'

I looked at Wi Cheongun with a pounding heart.

How would I appear in his eyes?

My second and third life.

Back then, I was still young and naive.

Transcendents all found me strange when they saw me.

"How strange. So peculiar. I can't see anything. What kind of trait is that?"

"I don't know. I really don't."

This is not a trait.

Thanks to my second and third life, it was an additional effect of creating the Great Sky Dancing Divine Mantra because the eyes of the transcendent beings looking at me were burdensome.

"Then, turning the conversation back, in the opinion of the Head Professor, how far do you think our Seolyeong can go?"

"Ascension."

"…That's too much faith."

"Ascendents, transcendents. The words differ here and there, but the conclusion is the same. Whether one can overcome the wall of the high rankers or not."

"But do you not know how many of the high rankers face frustration?"

"Those who are frustrated are frustrated. Does that mean there are absolutely no transcendents?"

"…"

Wi Cheongun's eyes trembled slightly.

And then he closed his eyes.

"What do you think?"

"About what?"

"Me."

"I don't know. All aged and out of potential. As for traits, it's foolish. Isn't that way of fighting just sacrificing your bones to kill the opponent?"

"…Right."

"It seems that the Wi family clan is mastering external skills that have reached a unique extreme. It is largely due to external skills that Wi Gunak has remained unharmed by the Mysterious. She has also become a vessel of vast capacity."

"That's true."

"A bit out of the blue, but shall we talk about something else? The realm of transcendence is not about going down a single path. There are various forms of transcendence, and by perfecting that form, one can reach transcendence."

"From what I've heard, it's different?"

"Did the person who said that say that it isn't through perfection? Did they see the realm beyond transcendence?"

"That's right."

"It's a simple story. Transcendence begins with creating perfection, and what follows begins with destroying that perfection."

"…"

"If you start with external martial arts, you must end with external martial arts. You should reach a state where mind and body move together. If I were to answer on the correct path, I'd say it would be to master the ultimate mind and the ultimate body."

"Ultimate mind and ultimate body, hehe."

"The Wi family clan deals with the extremes of external martial arts."

However, it's inferior to my Great Sky Dancing Divine Mantra.

Because that's something I created by synthesizing all martial arts.

"With that, and martial arts devoted to training for ascension, one should be able to break through the barrier well enough."

"What about our Seolyeong?"

"I will teach Wi Gunak well, so there should be no problem."

"Heh."

Wi Cheongun laughed as he looked at me.

"Did you say the problem was with the young family head?"

"Please remove them. Both him and those tainted by its ideology."

"A storm of blood will blow. Then, what kind of price can you pay?"

"The ultimate mind."

"Is that so."

Wi Cheongun closed his eyes.

He must be weighing his options. The young clan leader and those steeped in his ideology. Dealing with them will make it difficult for the Wi Clan to act as Daejeon's main power since it's not just one or two who are influenced.

But I know.

Wi Cheongun will bring about a storm of blood.

He has lived his whole life as a warrior.

However, he faced barriers, became frustrated, and eventually looked away.

The dream of making his family into one of the Six Great Families motivated the old man.

Moreover, it seems Wi Cheongun feels inferior to the head of the Iron-Blood Sword Clan.

In such a situation, he's given the opportunity to break through the bottleneck in his martial arts.

He'd go insane over such a good opportunity.

"One week. Just give me that time. And after that, the Wi family will consider you an ally."

"You're more generous than I thought?"

"A partnership should at least save some face. It will be faster for me to act than to ask the principal to handle it."

I chuckled.

"Alright. Then I'll take Wi Gunak with me."

"I've been meaning to ask, can I ask you something?"

"What's that?"

"Why do you insist on calling Seolyeong 'Gunak'?"

"Because Wi Gunak told me to call her that."

That's all there is to it.

On the way back to school, Wi Gunak was restless.

"Isn't this a huge loss?"

"What is?"

"My grandfather said… for me… you traded an enormous martial art."

"Oh, that?"

I briefly thought about the ultimate mind of martial arts.

It seems incredibly significant, but in reality, it's not much.

'It's just about mental training.'

The study of the mind.

Reincarnation… If we look at it from the perspective of my third life, It's akin to the essential learning that practitioners who enter the path of Taoist magic begin with.

'It's sufficient enough as it is.'

It's also the study that best fills the gaps for Wi Cheongun since he has already reached the pinnacle with just his physical body.

'To be honest, I feel a bit guilty.'

Just with that basic knowledge, he comes to Wi Gunak's side, and the Wi family clan will propose an alliance.

If that's the case, this will be a long relationship.

'After all, the most restless person is the one who sets the price.'

Who said to put so much pressure from the start?

However, I did want to show off a little.

"It's nothing. It's just that your value shined brighter."

"…"

It's really not worth thinking of it as something significant,

Because I plan to make good use of you later.