The Lazy Young Master of the Jin Clan

"Hooooo—!"

Without even realizing that the wrinkles on his forehead were deepening, Jin Seomok let out a deep sigh.

"My dear."

"Ah, I'm fine."

At Yu Seoheung's gentle touch, Jin Seomok forced a smile and said.

"Yonghu."

"Yes, Family Head."

"How many times did you say this was?"

"This is the twenty-fifth time."

"Hoo."

This was already the twenty-fifth time.

This was the number of times a servant who had come to work at the Jin Family had submitted a resignation letter and run away from the estate.

Why had so many servants run away from the Jin Family, which prided itself on having better welfare and salary than anywhere else?

The reason was none other than the eldest son of the Jin Family, Jin Sohyun.

"Is it the same reason this time?"

"Th-That's right."

Jin Seomok's head throbbed.

'A ghost appearing in the family estate... does that even make sense?'

The servants who had submitted their resignation letters and left the estate had a common reason.

It was that a ghost appeared within the estate.

The ghost was known to have long, flowing hair and fly around in a sitting position in the middle of the night.

The servants who had discovered this had fainted, foaming at the mouth, and had invariably submitted their resignation letters the next day.

Of course, the identity of that ghost was none other than Jin Sohyun.

"He flies around without a sound?"

"So they say."

"Is... that even possible?"

"I don't know either."

Even Mu Yonghu, the head of the guards who had the most outstanding martial arts skills in the Jin Family, knew nothing about Jin Sohyun's bizarre movement technique.

'It must be Elder Bi's movement technique... but does such a bizarre movement technique exist in the world?'

The problem wasn't just this.

Jin Sohyun, who had returned after completing six years of martial arts training, had proudly declared that he had suffered enough and would now live as he pleased.

For a whopping two years, Jin Sohyun had not moved a muscle from his quarters.

If he needed something, instead of coming out, he used another method, which was...

Whoosh— Thud!

"A-Again!?"

Jin Seomok said, shuddering.

Mu Yonghu nodded and approached the pillar where the sound had come from.

A wooden stick with a letter tied to it was stuck in the pillar.

"What does it say this time?"

Mu Yonghu, who had checked the letter, said.

"He says he wants to eat fruit from Uncle Yu's. It says that since apples are in season, apples would be good."

"Kkeung... I thought his laziness would have been cured..."

He had thought his laziness would have been cured, but far from being cured, Jin Sohyun's laziness had become even more severe.

In the past, he would at least enjoy a walk within the estate, but now he didn't even move from his room.

Jin Seomok's chest felt stuffy, as he said he ate only one meal a day because it was too troublesome to go to the privy.

"This won't do. Yonghu."

"Yes. Please give your command."

"Bring Sohyun here at once! Even by force if he resists!"

"I will do so."

Mu Yonghu, who had been waiting for this, ran to Jin Sohyun's quarters at the speed of the wind as soon as the order was given.

At the quarters he arrived at, Siu was blankly sweeping the yard.

"Siu."

"Uncle Mu. What brings you here?"

"Where is the Young Master?"

"He's inside, as always."

"Perfect!"

"Did you come to get the Young Master?"

As Mu Yonghu nodded, Siu nodded back and whispered quietly.

"If the Young Master knows that Uncle Mu is here, he might feign illness. I will check the Young Master's condition first."

"I'll leave it to you."

As Siu stood still, blinking her eyes without moving, Mu Yonghu took out a silver coin from his bosom.

"Hehe! Leave it to me."

Siu, who had received the silver coin, moved nimbly.

She approached Jin Sohyun's room stealthily, like a cat climbing onto a stove.

"Young Master! Are you inside?"

"Yes."

"I'm coming in."

As Siu opened the door and entered, Jin Sohyun was there, chewing on a sweet and scratching his side.

"The apples?"

"What apples?"

"Never mind. It seems they haven't brought them yet."

As Jin Sohyun stretched and lay down on the floor, Siu nodded her head outside the door.

'Now!'

Mu Yonghu, who had received the signal, quickly rushed inside.

"Young Master! The Family Head's call..."

Mu Yonghu, who had entered the room, was flustered and looked around when he couldn't see Jin Sohyun.

But no matter how much he looked around, not even Jin Sohyun's shadow could be seen.

"Siu. Didn't you say Young Master Jin was here?"

"Y-Yes! H-He was here?"

The one who was flustered was also Siu.

Jin Sohyun had been right in front of her, but as soon as she turned her head, he had vanished without a trace.

It was truly a case for a ghost to cry at.

"How dare you deceive me...!"

Mu Yonghu, who naturally thought that Siu had deceived him, had his face turn red, and Siu shrank back as if she were being wronged.

"He was here just a moment ago!"

"Then where did Young Master Jin go! Did he sink into the ground, or did he soar into the sky?"

"That can't be... that can't be..."

"I will definitely report your lies to the Family Head. If that happens, this month's bonus is as good as gone."

"No!"

Siu clung to Mu Yonghu's leg and begged him to let it go, but Mu Yonghu, who already thought he had been betrayed by her, was merciless.

"You brat! If you don't like it, find Young Master Jin at once!"

"I will definitely find him!"

As Mu Yonghu, who had finished speaking, left the quarters to find Jin Sohyun, Siu sniffled.

"Sniff—!" 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Siu, did you sell me out again?"

"Kyaak!"

At the voice coming from right behind her, Siu faced Jin Sohyun with a face as if she had seen a ghost.

"Y-Young Master?"

Jin Sohyun, who had appeared as if nothing had happened, looked at Siu with a displeased face.

"I am greatly disappointed in you."

"Wh-Where were you?"

"It's a secret! You'd better not expect to receive this month's bonus!"

"Young Master!! Are you casting out your loyal maidservant like this?"

"For just one silver coin, you sold me out!"

"Just one! Do you know how much money one silver coin is! You, who have money sprouting from the sky, wouldn't know!"

Siu pretended to wipe her tears with her sleeve and acted as pitiful as possible, but Jin Sohyun didn't care at all.

Through his experience of the past ten-odd years, he had seen Siu's cunning side many times.

'It's not enough that she abandoned me on the mountain, but she sold out her one and only Young Master for a single silver coin? Hmph.'

As Jin Sohyun did not yield easily, Siu soon grabbed Jin Sohyun's leg and clung to it.

"Uncle Mu! He's here!"

At Siu's shout, Mu Yonghu, who had been looking for Jin Sohyun outside, quickly rushed in.

"Young Master Jin!"

"He's here! I'm holding him!"

"What... are you holding?"

"Yes? Well, the Young Master's leg..."

Siu was startled when she realized that what she was holding in her hand was Jin Sohyun's clothes.

"Oh? Why is this...?"

"Are you making a fool of me again!"

"N-No! I was definitely holding the Young Master's leg with these two slender hands!"

"I'm tired of your lies now! I will report your evil deeds to the Madam as well!"

"Nooo—!"

Listening to Siu's scream from below, Jin Sohyun lay on the roof and leisurely enjoyed the warm sunlight of the day.

"This is nice."

Jin Sohyun, who had shaken off Mu Yonghu with the concealment and stealth techniques he had learned from Bieunggaek, was greatly impressed by his masters' teachings.

"They say there's no such thing as useless learning... the old sayings are never wrong."

Jin Sohyun used the martial arts he had learned from the renowned masters of the Central Plains to laze around and enjoyed his slothful life to the fullest.

The life of a lazy bum flowed at the speed of an arrow that had left the bowstring.

***

A dark room where not a single ray of light entered.

In a huge octagonal space, a young man stood with a single sword.

In a place where not even the wind could enter, the man stared into the empty space where nothing could be seen.

There was no sound.

But the man moved nimbly and swung his sword.

Clang—!

With the sharp sound of blades clashing, a spark flew up and illuminated the man's surroundings for a fleeting moment.

It was a short moment, not even a single breath, but a whopping ten swordsmen appeared around the man.

The blades of the swordsmen, who were wearing tight-fitting clothes from head to toe, stabbed at the man from eight directions.

"Hoo."

With a single exhale, the man dodged the swords he could dodge and blocked the swords he could block.

The black-clad men were more numerous, but the man was faster.

The blades that stabbed in densely tried to kill the man.

But not a single sword among them reached the man.

Tadadang—!!

The man's sword, which had simultaneously struck five swords, cut off the necks of the black-clad men in one fell swoop.

Five were dead.

Even though they had lost their comrades in an instant, no wavering could be felt in the blades of the black-clad men.

On the contrary, they used their dead comrades as shields and pushed the man.

The sight was like a wall approaching.

The man jumped up towards the approaching human wall, placed his left hand on the wall made of the dead, and rotated his body.

At the same time, a blade flashed, and the necks of two men flew off.

In an instant, the ten swordsmen were reduced to three.

"Hoo."

With the second breath, this time the man moved first.

A blade rushed in and cut down the three black-clad men in order.

The moment the blade that had advanced without hesitation came to a halt, there was no living being in the octagonal space other than the man.

Fwoosh—!

A fire was lit in the extinguished brazier, and the space where not a single ray of light existed became bright.

"Whew... I killed a lot."

"They are all assassins from the Silver Sign Faction. And at least first-class at that."

As the fire was lit, five men and women of a similar age to the man appeared.

They approached the man, each talking among themselves.

Among them, the young man with the sharpest impression stood in front of the man with a venomous gaze.

"This is the eighteenth time, isn't it? Do you know how many martial artists of the Heretic's Path Alliance have died at your hands?"

"Stop it, Gu Seokjeong. You know it too, don't you? Ma Seongun is the only one among us who..."

"Shut up! I don't know how this son of a bitch managed to gain the Alliance Lord's favor, but my tolerance for this bullshit ends today."

As Gu Seokjeong placed his hand on the saber stuck in his waistband, the man called Ma Seongun said softly.

"Don't draw it."

"What? Who does this son of a bitch think he is, giving orders!?"

It was when Gu Seokjeong, who could no longer bear it, had half-drawn his saber.

Slice—!

Ma Seongun's blade cut through the air.

Thud— Thud—!

Gu Seokjeong's fallen head rolled on the floor, and his body, which did not know its neck had been cut, stood for a long time before slowly collapsing.

Seeing their comrade die in front of them, the four men and women stared at Ma Seongun with hardened faces.

"Wh-What have you done? Ma Seongun! Don't you know that even you have no authority to kill us, who were personally chosen by the Alliance Lord, so carelessly!"

"Pyo Ung."

"..."

As a cold fear engulfed his whole body, Pyo Ung could do nothing.

Ma Seongun approached Pyo Ung, whose whole body had stiffened to the point where he couldn't even move a fingertip.

"The reason I don't kill you... is because there was no reason to. So..."

There was nothing in Ma Seongun's pupils.

"Don't give me a reason."

"I-I understand..."

As Pyo Ung bowed his head, Ma Seongun passed them and left the Octagonal Prison.

Ma Seongun, who was walking down a path where darkness had fallen as if night had come, stopped his steps and then bowed his head to someone.

"You've killed the assassins of the Silver Sign Faction again. The complaints are already rising because of your ignorant training method."

The Grand Commander of the Heretic's Path Alliance, Mu Yu, looked Ma Seongun up and down with his hands behind his back.

"It doesn't matter."

"It may not matter to you, but it does to me. Do you know why martial artists form groups? Because there is no individual who can defeat a group."

Mu Yu's words were not wrong.

But Ma Seongun knew.

'There is an individual who can defeat a group.'

The tide of the war, which had been in a tense balance, was twisted by a single person.

He was not a martial artist who had made a name for himself in the martial world.

Like a comet that had appeared in the sky one day, the man who had appeared in the middle of the war changed the tide of the war with his individual martial prowess.

He had broken the power of the group with the power of a single person.

—If I kill you, this war can be ended, right? Then, I'm sorry, but you'll have to die.

As if swatting a bothersome insect, the man had trampled and shattered everything Ma Seongun had, and in the end, had even taken his life.

'There exists an absolute being in the world who can face the entire world.'

The memory of the past, which he could never forget even if he tried, was like a blade that had been embedded long ago, stabbing and tormenting Ma Seongun.

But on the contrary, in that pain, Ma Seongun's reason could become even sharper.

"Grand Commander Mu."

At Ma Seongun's call, Mu Yu raised his head.

"What is it?"

So now it was time for him to devour the absolute being and rise to that position.

"Do you know of a martial art that uses ten swords?"

(End of Chapter)