Reincarnated Sword Ghost-Chapter 3 : Three Talent Sword Technique

Three Talent Sword Technique
The boy raised the wooden sword, gripping it tightly with both hands. Then, he struck down in a perfectly straight line.
Transparent beads of sweat scattered. With an expressionless face, the boy once again lifted the wooden sword and struck down.
There were eyes watching the boy. Quite a few men were present.
"What on earth is he doing?"
"What a waste of time."
Most of them watched him with disapproving eyes. However, the boy did not care.
"Young master!"
A voice calling out to the boy came from somewhere. Still, the boy did not stop.
He simply continued to repeat the motion of striking with the sword.
At this moment, the eyes glaring at him and the voices calling for him were nothing but hindrances.
"Young master, didn't you hear me? I've been looking for you."
"... Yes."
It was only when the person calling for him had come right up close that the boy straightened his posture.
The boy who had been swinging the wooden sword at the training hall since morning was none other than Jeong-un.
Since the day he first swung the sword, he had come to the training hall every single day without fail.
Jeong-un wiped the sweat from his forehead with his hand. Then he took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly.
"Haa..."
Though winter was just coming to an end, his breath still felt warm.
Jeong-un, as if not used to that, furrowed his brow slightly.
Only then did he begin to look around.
"...."
The men who met Jeong-un's gaze frowned and exchanged glances. Then, as if nothing had happened, each resumed their own training.
'If it were me, I would have swung my sword one more time.'
To Jeong-un, they all seemed like idiots.
They lived blessed lives but wasted most of their time without realizing it.
He could not afford to waste time worrying about such people.
Of course, even among them, he considered himself the most pathetic.
"What is it?"
"It's meal time."
The guard accompanying him had a flustered look.
Only a few days ago had Jeong-un learned his name was Jang Hong. Until then, he had never once called his name.
"If it's just a meal, I'll go later..."
"The family head has asked you to attend the banquet."
At Jang Hong's words, Jeong-un looked at him in surprise.
His father had looked for him so few times that he could count them on one hand.
In fact, Jeong-un barely remembered his father's face.
But now, being told to join the meal—this was truly surprising.
Reading Jeong-un's expression, Jang Hong glanced around and added quietly.
"The chief steward saw you at the training hall, young master. Perhaps..."
"... I see."
Guessing the reason, Jeong-un nodded slightly.
The Yu household was quite a renowned martial family in the area.
And although he was not the son of the main wife, he still bore the title of the young master.
He had not trained properly for several years, but suddenly started coming to the training hall on his own initiative.
It was only natural the family head would take an interest.
Come to think of it, it was strange that the family head had left him alone up till now.
Why had his father ignored him?
Jeong-un had never questioned that before. Actually, he had never even tried to.
After all, he had lived so comfortably that he didn't want to create any unnecessary trouble.
But now, Jeong-un desperately wanted to learn martial arts. Or rather, it was simpler than that.
The boy just wanted to swing a sword. Faster, stronger than anyone else.
"But, young master..."
As the boy exited the training hall, Jang Hong, tailing after him, spoke carefully.
Lost in thought, Jeong-un turned his head toward him nonchalantly.
"Why have you suddenly started training in martial arts?"
"...."
It was something Jang Hong had been curious about. Not just him—many in the family regarded Jeong-un with suspicious eyes.
At those words, Jeong-un quietly looked at Jang Hong before slowly lowering his gaze.
Sensing Jeong-un's mood worsen, Jang Hong lowered his own eyes carefully.
"Perhaps I asked unnecessarily..."
"I had a dream."
"... Excuse me?"
As Jang Hong blankly echoed, Jeong-un continued.
"In the dream, I was a certain man. I lived a life obsessed by the sword, like a ghost under its spell."
"A ghost obsessed by the sword—what does that mean all of a sudden...?"
Ignoring Jang Hong's wide-eyed stare, Jeong-un kept walking. Jang Hong quickly hurried to catch up.
"Just like that, it was the life of someone who swung a sword his whole life."
"Even until the moment of death?"
"Yes."
"Then, in the dream, did you become the greatest under heaven?"
At Jang Hong's light remark, Jeong-un suddenly stopped. In turn, Jang Hong carefully observed Jeong-un's reaction.
Until just a few days ago, the young master had been utterly inscrutable. Even having a normal conversation like this felt deeply unfamiliar.
"No."
"Then, did you become a famous master?"
"No, I wasn't even called a master."
"Even though you trained with the sword your whole life?"
"Yes."
Answering briefly, Jeong-un started walking again. Jang Hong, following behind, tilted his head curiously.
If it was because of a dream, he'd thought the dream version of Jeong-un must've been some incredible master.
"Still, it must have been a pretty satisfying dream."
"Satisfying?"
"Otherwise, you wouldn't suddenly go train at the training hall, would you?"
"My arms were cut off."
"... What?"
"And I died."
Jang Hong clamped his mouth shut. The more he asked, the more uncomfortable he felt.
It sounded more like a nasty nightmare.
"... Young master."
After a moment of silence, Jang Hong carefully spoke again.
"Then why have you suddenly started sword training? Even after such an unpleasant dream?"
"... That's..."
This time, Jeong-un fell silent. It was a reasonable question.
That dream, so vivid it was hard to believe, was a life full of misery whenever he looked back on it.
'What was I—no, what was that man trying to accomplish?'
Why had he spent decades clinging stubbornly to the sword? What had he wanted to see at the end of that path?
In that dream, Jeong-un had spent decades living a sword-wielding life.
But he accomplished nothing. In the end, he lost both arms to a pitiful opponent and died.
But instead of feeling resentful, he only felt regret.
He regretted not being able to swing the sword a little more.
'... This time, for sure.'
He would see it through to the end. That's what the boy promised himself.
* * *
When he arrived, the family head Yu Jungho and the other three young masters were already seated at the table.
As Jeong-un appeared, the other siblings stared at him.
In particular, the expression of the third, Yu Dong-ryong, was sour.
As if he'd seen something unpleasant, he turned his gaze away and shook his head.
"It's been a while since I've seen you."
The eldest, Yu Geum-ryong, greeted Jeong-un, narrowing his eyes to study him as if analyzing him.
"Have you been well, big brother?"
"Yes, sit down."
With a light bow, Jeong-un sat naturally at the empty seat at the end of the long table.
At the head of the table, as expected, sat the family head Yu Jungho; to his left sat the two daughters, and to his right were the four young masters in order.
'... There are a lot of them.'
Seeing his siblings for the first time in a long while, Jeong-un commented internally.
Of course, all his brothers and sisters, including the two daughters, were half-siblings.
Having shut himself away in his room, Jeong-un had no idea how any of them had lived.
In fact, he barely remembered the names of the two daughters.
Once Yu Jungho picked up his spoon, the meal began. No one spoke immediately.
Only the occasional clink of cutlery and bowls filled the air. Jeong-un, too, just focused on eating.
'You have to eat well when you eat.'
That was something he'd realized after several days of training, brief as it was.
At first, he'd even skipped meals to spend more time at the training hall, but skipping meals entirely proved unhelpful.
He'd come to understand firsthand that nutrition was necessary to increase stamina.
"These days, I hear you've been going to the training hall?"
At that moment, while staring down at his plate, Jeong-un heard a voice call to him.
Looking up, he saw that it was the second son, Yu Eun-ryong.
Among the brothers, he had particularly fierce eyes. Since Yu Jungho didn't look that way, he must have taken after his mother.
As Yu Eun-ryong spoke, everyone glanced at Jeong-un.
Word had spread within the family that Jeong-un was now at the training hall every day.
Everyone must have been curious what he was thinking, since until now he had just holed up in his room.
"Yes."
Jeong-un answered briefly. There wasn't much more to say. Going to the training hall and swinging a sword—that was all there was to it.
"I heard you spend the whole day there. Any accomplishments?"
"I merely swing the sword awkwardly. I am still very much lacking to say I've achieved anything."
Jeong-un answered calmly. He was still very, very lacking. It was a frank self-assessment.
"Hmph."
A snort sounded beside him. Turning his head, Jeong-un saw Yu Dong-ryong smirking.
"No need to worry about him. I hear all he does is repeat the Three Talent Sword Technique."
"The Three Talent Sword Technique?"
When Yu Eun-ryong narrowed his eyes and questioned him, Yu Dong-ryong nodded and continued.
"Yes, there are plenty of rumors about it among the household's guards. After all, what does the fourth know about sword techniques? Some even say he can't handle a wooden sword properly."
"Hm..."
"Still, it is rather embarrassing for the young master to behave that way when our family has its own sword techniques."
Though he was being insulted right to his face, Jeong-un did not interrupt, instead lowering his gaze quietly.
The family members watched Jeong-un as if to say, 'Of course.'
In truth, it was not wrong. He was repeating the Three Talent Sword Technique.
The Yu household prided itself on its unique sword technique, the Ascending Dragon Sword Technique.
Portions of which were taught to all household guards.
If he'd wanted to, he could have looked at the manual for the Ascending Dragon Sword Technique.
As a direct descendant, he was entitled to view the martial arts manual.
But he had never bothered to seek it out.
'... There are too many flaws.'
He didn't know why he felt that way.
But after briefly watching other guards use it in the training hall, the Ascending Dragon Sword Technique just seemed off.
There were lots of pointless moves and unnecessary forms, even at a glance.
Of course, he knew it was foolish for someone who had never learned or studied martial arts to make such judgments.
Still, he couldn't bring himself to even try using the Ascending Dragon Sword Technique.
At that moment, Yu Jungho put down his spoon with a decisive sound.
"What are you thinking?"
The question was directed at Jeong-un.
His tone was cold.
But it sounded more like genuine curiosity than rebuke. Jeong-un lowered his gaze respectfully and answered.
"I still lack much to learn the family's martial arts. I will study them once I am ready."
"Why did you suddenly start practicing swordsmanship?"
"As the third brother said, I'm just swinging a wooden sword around. It's not even proper training, to be honest."
"...."
At that, Yu Jungho did not speak further. That alone showed his indifference toward Jeong-un.
Likewise, Jeong-un just bowed politely and resumed eating.
"Are the eldest and second preparing well for the duel against Five Star Gate?"
"Yes."
At those words, Yu Geum-ryong and Yu Eun-ryong answered confidently, shooting rivalrous glances at each other.
"It's not far off, so make sure nothing hinders your preparations."
"No problem. We will show you splendid results."
"Don't be arrogant. The elder of Mount Hua Sect will also be there, so you cannot be lacking."
"Yes."
Yu Geum-ryong and Yu Eun-ryong answered with complete confidence. They must have been well practiced in martial arts since childhood.
The family head's face softened slightly as he looked at his two sons—quite the contrast to how he regarded Jeong-un.
'Five Star Gate?'
Jeong-un tilted his head slightly. It was a word he'd never heard before. From the sound of it, it seemed like the name of some sect in the martial world.
'A duel, huh. Doesn't matter to me.'
After all, he was just now learning to swing a wooden sword. At that moment, Yu Dong-ryong, who had been watching, suddenly spoke up.
"I have also mastered the Ascending Dragon Sword Technique, father."
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
Dong-ryong means Bronze Dragon
Eun-ryong means Silver Dragon
Geum-ryong means Gold Dragon
Jeong-un doesn't have a ryong/dragon in his name probably because his mother is a concubine...
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】