MTL NOVEL Chapter 27
Regression.
Also known as ‘rewinding.’
A curse and a blessing, hope and despair all at once.
The thing that drove my mind into madness and trapped my life in a cycle of repetition.
Why is it that I need to hurry and create the law-breaking technique to inform Jin Gayoung?
The memories from the regression keep resurfacing.
Among them, the memory of the first regression is prominent.
There were no grand titles like Divine Sword or Sword Sage back then. This was the first loop.
An endless iron cage… Simply put, my ‘regression point’ was thirteen years ago.
To be precise, it was the day the Blood Cult declared war on the martial world of Zhongyuan.
Although various events occurred afterward, I met an early death in the first loop.
This memory keeps coming back to me.
I was carrying my four-year-old son in my arms, while Soeun Yu held two-year-old Namgung Su-a, as we were passing over a mountain peak.
It was a mountain called Tan Jeom San. With its gentle slopes and terrain, it was a place we often went for night walks with the family.
That day was no different, just another ordinary day.
“Master, it seems like something good has happened?”
“Haha, is it that obvious? I actually attained a small enlightenment earlier today.”
“Really? That’s wonderful. Please tell me about it later.”
“If that’s what my lady wishes, it shall be so.”
Reflecting on it now, my tone back then wasn’t much different from today.
“Let’s get some tanghwa for Su-a on our way back. I saw her enjoying some just a few days ago.”
“Huh? Did you say you gave sweets to the child?”
“Hmph, in Namgung, everyone grows up eating such things. You might find it strange coming from Hua Mountain Sect, but…”
“No matter how you look at it, giving sweets to the child is unacceptable! How will I possibly survive…!”
“Haha, everyone grows up eating them.”
Or not.
Perhaps because it was before the regressions began, I was much brighter back then.
My speech was more lively, and…
…my relationship with Soeun was also good.
“By the way, how did things go with the Nine Dragons Tournament?”
“It seems to have gone well. Though I lost to the peerless dragon, I learned a lot.”
“One day, Master will surely win them all!”
“To focus solely on victory sounds rather childish. With two children to raise, I should rather teach them cause and propriety than obsess over winning and losing.”
“Tsk, is that so? Yet the night before the Nine Dragons Tournament, didn’t you spend the whole night in intense training?”
“Ah, that was… Simply because I wished to battle the peerless dragon at my peak condition.”
“Hmph. Grandma was fuming because the ten-year-old ginseng she had been carefully preserving disappeared. Do you happen to know anything about that?”
“…Cough.”
“Ahaha, Master’s thoughts are written all over your face. Though I must say, that naivety of yours is rather charming.”
“Hmm… Thank you…”
And then it happened.
I was cradling my sleeping son in my arms, while Soeun Yu carried the gently dozing Namgong Su-a as we walked along the mountain trail.
Thud!
“!”
“Master!”
The ground buckled, and my vision shifted.
We had fallen into a trap, a deliberately set pit-trap.
“Is… this…”
Fortunately, the bottom wasn’t lined with sharp stakes, so we weren’t injured.
Thanks to me twisting my body at the moment of falling, landing with my back facing down, my son wasn’t disturbed.
However, there was a serious problem.
“Master! Are you alright?”
Soeun was leaning over from the edge of the pit, anxiously calling out to me.
“I’m fine, but… damn it, this trap’s depth isn’t something mere hunters could have made…”
With my current level of lightness art, scaling this pit would be impossible. All I could do was helplessly hold my son while gazing at the sky.
“Just wait a moment! I’ll fetch some ropes!”
Soeun’s urgent shout was followed by a powerful roar that drowned out my reply.
“!!!”
DrDrDrDr-!!
Amidst tremors that shook the very earth.
Soeun’s face, bathed in moonlight beside the trap, was frozen in place.
I could see a myriad of emotions flash across her features in that fleeting moment.
“Madam? What’s the meaning of this sound?”
“…”
“Madam! Answer me!”
“…Master, please take care of Su-a.”
Soeun carefully lowered Su-a into the pit.
She then turned her gaze away from me and drew her sword.
“Madam!! Madam!!!”
The trap was meant for me from the start.
One of the “Nine Dragons,” the “Thunder Dragon” Namgung Cheolbin, was the target. This was a trap deliberately set by the Blood Cult, after learning that I frequently took my family for strolls on Tan Jeom San.
Back then, Anhui hadn’t yet fallen under the influence of the Blood Cult, so I hadn’t anticipated such an ambush in the seemingly secure region.
This was the naive time of the first loop, leading me to fall victim.
“Madam!! So-eun!!!”
All I could see from the pit was her back as she turned away from me and the children.
Even in that chaotic situation, her back remained resolute, weaving through the hordes of Blood Cultists rushing toward the pit.
With grace befitting a former plum blossom swordswoman of Mount Hua Sect, she unleashed the Twenty-Four Hands Plum Blossom Sword Technique, filling the air with the fragrance of plum blossoms.
Among the endless hordes of quasi-human creatures who kept rising even when slashed, her form grew increasingly bloodied.
Eventually, her sword broke, and she gradually succumbed to the Blood Cultists, being torn apart helplessly.
“…”
Blood Cultists began descending into the pit, stepping over So-eun’s remains.
My mind went blank with the realization that So-eun was dead, and thus, I closed my eyes in defeat, cursing the crescent moon-lit sky as it watched from above.
When my eyes opened again, the “second loop” had begun.
“It was unbelievably gruesome.”
Upon reflection, perhaps it would be fitting to encapsulate that grueling experience into a martial technique.
Since the weapon in question, an axe, is naturally a brutal instrument, they fit quite well together.
“The name of the technique could be… ‘Facing Death, Embracing Life’ (背死臨生). That might work.”
“Master, don’t you think something’s off today?”
“…”
“If there’s anything troubling you, please let me know. Lately, you’ve been so silent, which worries me.”
“…I understand.”
Though he had said he understood, Namgung Cheolbin continued in his taciturn manner.
Yu So-eun could not shake off the uneasy feeling due to her husband’s recent change in demeanor.
‘Why is Master behaving this way…?’
Most of all, his eyes had changed.
The brilliant blue eyes that had sparkled just a short while ago seemed to have vanished without a trace.
Now, all that remained was a hollow, empty gaze.
Of course, she worried deeply as a wife, but whenever she asked if something was troubling him, all Namgung Cheolbin would do was say he understood, while withholding details.
‘Maybe I should prepare some good tonics for his health…’
Even while strolling along the mountain path with their son and daughter, something that used to lead to lively conversations, they now walked in silence.
“Uh… Master, how about we buy some tanghwa on our way home? Give some to Su-a too…”
Desiring to ease the tension, she mustered the courage to speak.
“…Let’s hurry and finish.”
Namgung Cheolbin responded with an unrelated statement.
Perplexed by his odd behavior, Yu So-eun could only stare at him for a moment.
“Wh-What?!”
Abruptly, Namgung Cheolbin shoved her.
Caught off guard, she thought she’d fall flat on the dirt ground but…
Thud!
The ground beneath her suddenly caved in, and she was pulled into a trap.
“Guh…! M-Master? What is going on here…?”
Yu So-eun, who fell backward, managed to protect Namgung Su-a by laying her on her stomach. Looking upwards with a questioning gaze as to why this had occurred.
Regardless of what was happening, Namgung Cheolbin said nothing; instead, he also pushed their son into the pit.
Thud.
“Huff! Master! Why would you drop the child in there…!”
Though anger bubbled up from deep within her, she shouted in reproach.
“…Faster, much faster.”
Namgung Cheolbin, showing no emotion on his face, repeated strange words.
And then the enormous roar followed.
Roar!!!!
The tremors were so strong that it felt like an earthquake. Yu So-eun hugged the two children tightly, subconsciously relying on her husband who had thrown her into the trap.
“Faster, let’s end this as quickly as possible.”
Namgung Cheolbin stood with his back to the pit where his wife and children lay, muttering incomprehensible words.
“I’m… tired of it.”
In his right hand, he held a finely sharpened iron sword.
“Kueeeeeek!!”
“Kuaaaack!!!”
As monstrous roars echoed, more figures began to appear outside the pit.
However, something was strange.
Some moved on all fours with grotesque bends in their joints, and others hopped around with talismans stuck on their faces.
It was difficult to perceive these creatures as human.
Soon, Namgung Cheolbin began to move his sword.
“…”
On that day, Yu So-eun could only stare in awe at the unparalleled swordsmanship she could not possibly comprehend, leaving her mouth agape throughout the entire battle.
“Kyaak!!”
Awakening from a nightmare with a scream, cold silence enveloped her.
“Huff, huff…”
Her mind momentarily blank due to the silence, Yu So-eun slowly peeled back the blanket and looked around.
The pitch-black darkness.
Amidst it, she could occasionally hear… a regular metallic noise.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
What kind of construction project was happening near her quarters? Feeling an increase in agitation, Yu So-eun got out of bed to take a bath due to her sweat-drenched body.
She also wanted to distance herself from the incessant metallic sounds that had been preventing her from sleeping for several days.
“Where are you going so late at night, sister-in-law?”
As she thought this, preparing to leave her room, she came face-to-face with a chubby man at the door.
It was Namgung Bin, the man who always flicked his tongue.
“What are you doing here, you?”
“Why do you have that?”
She glanced at the tea he was holding.
“It’s a tea for soothing the mind. I thought it might help since you haven’t been sleeping well lately…”
“I’m not in the mood for tea right now.”
“It was especially brought from the west wing, aren’t you going to have it?”
“…Fine, you drink it then.”
“Such a rare tea, aren’t you going to have some?”
“I said fine, didn’t I…!”
Emitting her already high-strung temper, Yu So-eun walked past Namgung Bin with sharper steps than usual.
‘This fox-like person.’
Continuing to pace so, she had inadvertently passed by Namgung Su-a’s room.
Strangely, the light in Su-a’s room was still brightly on, even at this late hour.
‘Could she still be awake?’
Gently pushing the door open and peeking inside, she saw Namgung Su-a quietly gathering her clothes.
After knocking on the door a few times and clearing her throat to signal her presence, she entered.
“Mom? You’re still awake too?”
“As for you, Su-a, what are you doing this late at night?”
“Ah, isn’t it obvious? The Heptachord Tournament is coming up soon. I was just prepping my luggage early so we don’t miss our departure tomorrow.”
Namgung Su-a proudly presented her packed bags.
“…Tomorrow? Time passed so quickly already…?”
“What’s wrong? Aren’t you a bit too slow? You don’t even remember the day your daughter is entering the tournament?”
“Ah… Sorry… I’ve had a lot on my mind lately…”
“Haha, it’s fine. I’m excited about going outside and catching some wind!”
“Th-That’s right… Haha…”
‘Wind…’
Yu So-eun recalled Namgung Su-a’s recent demeanor.
Since dismissing Namgung Cheolbin, she had been wandering around with a weary gaze.
‘Fortunately, she’s regained her cheerful original self now.’
Nevertheless, she’s still somewhat unstable, so this outing could be very beneficial—
Perhaps even for herself.
“Should I come along too?”
It was an unplanned suggestion from her lips.
“Eh? You mean you’d come too, Mom? What does that mean?”
“The Heptachord Tournament. While our daughter is engaging in sword exchanges with accomplished female swordsmen, I should be there to cheer her on.”
“Mmm… Alright! Let’s go together! Mom should blow off some steam too! Lately, you’ve been so confined, it’s making you restless!”
The daughter also seemed excited, and since there’s no real work for her at the Namgung mansion anyway…
“Thanks to Su-a, I might get some visual pleasure too.”