I Am the Youngest Disciple of the Martial Arts World’s Mastermind
Chapter 58
Chapter 58
The Youngest Disciple of the Murim’s Hidden Mastermind
Episode 58
I had heard my father speak of the ‘Way of the Sword’ until my ears were worn thin. And yet, this was the pathetic result…
Just then, a warm light fluttered down from somewhere like a butterfly, wrapping around everyone’s shoulders.
At the mystical sight, Baekri Hyuk lifted his head with startled eyes.
“……!”
And then, like a divine revelation, the Medicine Immortal’s voice reached them.
“Even so, the reason I appeared before you is to grant you one more chance.”
Hearing it again, the voice was nothing but benevolent.
“Then……”
This time, not just Baekri Hyuk, but everyone raised their heads.
The Medicine Immortal, in the form of a young child, had already turned around and was walking toward the path on the left.
“Follow me.”
At that single command, everyone began to follow behind the small girl with dazed expressions, as if possessed.
What a relief.
‘It’s a good thing it ended with a contest of internal force. If Namgung Ryeong-hwa had come at me with her twin swords, it would have been difficult to suppress her without getting hurt myself…’
Fortunately, Baekri Hyuk, who possessed the deepest internal energy here, had charged in with a contest of qi first.
And because he had fallen back and shown everyone how terrified he was of me, everyone now believed I was the Medicine Immortal.
‘Internal energy is the only thing I’m confident in!’
In Master’s words: pig-like internal energy.
It was a stroke of luck.
‘My external martial arts are still non-existent. My body hasn’t even finished growing yet…’
I led the young masters into the left passage. The long corridor was shrouded in deep darkness, but there was no need to worry.
Snap. With a flick of my fingers, a faint vibration spread through the air.
As the subtle ripples of the sound technique touched the hidden mechanisms and formations, lights quietly flickered on along the walls, illuminating the passage.
“Whoa…”
While the young masters marveled at the mystical sight, I secretly felt a sting in my eyes for a different reason.
‘How many days did I spend rolling on the floor just to learn how to use these mechanisms…’
I had learned this while being nagged and scolded to death by Gwang-eum.
Now that I could operate them calmly while acting as the Medicine Immortal, I was truly overwhelmed with emotion.
Once the lights were lit, a plain door with no engravings was revealed at the end of the once-gloomy passage.
“Beyond that…”
Yeong-do clenched his fists, his voice laced with faint excitement.
It was then.
“W-Wait a moment, Medicine Immortal-nim!”
Dang Cheong-a stopped in her tracks.
As everyone naturally turned to look at her, she hesitated before walking toward the wall. Then, she reached out toward the skeletal remains that everyone had seen but tried to ignore.
The bones, which seemed to have endured a long time, were faintly cracked.
As if only just noticing, Deung So-han muttered quietly.
“There’s a box next to them.”
Beside the fallen remains sat a luxurious, large chest that seemed out of place next to the crumbling bones.
“Is there something inside?”
Namgung Ryeong-hwa spoke with a hint of anticipation in her voice, but when Dang Cheong-a opened the chest, it was empty.
“Aw.”
Regardless of Namgung Ryeong-hwa’s disappointed sigh, Dang Cheong-a began to carefully move the remains into the chest.
Baekri Hyuk muttered as if he had finally realized something.
“Ah, to recover the remains… I will help as well.”
He quickly rolled up his sleeves and began to assist Dang Cheong-a.
I watched the two of them in silence and waited.
“…Me too.”
Then, the other young masters, who had been hesitating, eventually joined in one by one to help her arrange the remains neatly.
Even Namgung Ryeong-hwa, who had been watching with her arms crossed, glanced at me several times before finally sighing and moving to help.
With all six of them assisting, the recovery of the remains was finished in an instant.
Once it was decided that Baekri Hyuk, who had the most stamina, would carry the chest containing the remains, I gave a low clap.
“Well done.”
Finally, you lot are actually cooperating.
“Do not forget this choice.”
“Yes.”
Baekri Hyuk bowed his head deeply.
As for those remains, Master said they belonged to a supreme master of the Orthodox faction recovered during the Orthodox-Demonic Great War ten years ago.
They were originally kept elsewhere, but Master had moved them here.
However, there was nothing strange about it.
The remains of a supreme master who went missing during the Great War had been found in the Medicine Immortal’s Hidden Depository.
Everyone would assume that he had entered the depository searching for a way to turn the tide of the war, only to succumb to his prior injuries and die.
Thinking back, I believe that in the game, Ryang allowed the young masters of the Orthodox faction to take those remains with them when they retreated.
Just then, Yoo Chwi-san spoke up.
“Lady Dang, now that I think of it, are you alright after being caught in the poison mist?”
At those words, everyone’s eyes turned toward Dang Cheong-a.
“Pardon?”
Dang Cheong-a blinked blankly before answering with a bright smile.
“I’m more or less immune to a thousand poisons. I’m fine.”
Dang Cheong-a casually brushed off her sleeves with a nonchalant expression.
“But Young Master Deung, please take this. It’s an antidote that can neutralize most poison mists. It would be best to take it just in case. Thank you for coming to save me.”
“…Thank you.”
After confirming that she had handed the antidote—pulled from her long, wide sleeves—to Deung So-han, who had inhaled the mist with her, I turned my head away.
‘I really like her.’
Starting with her being the first to recover the remains, she was incredibly sharp for such a young age.
That was the reason I had my eye on her.
The final young master I had been watching was indeed Dang Cheong-a.
After the remains were recovered, the Medicine Immortal raised her hand, and the ordinary-looking door began to open slowly with a heavy thud.
Creeeeeak. Only after the door opened could they see that its thickness was extraordinary.
Normally, there would have been more traps or passwords, but in the Medicine Immortal’s hands, it seemed to open at will.
Of course. This was the Medicine Immortal’s Hidden Depository.
And the moment the space beyond was revealed, everyone gasped.
“……!”
Inside was a massive cavern.
Looking up at the ceiling, they saw a structure that seemed to condense the mysteries of nature.
“The ceiling… is water?”
Above, they could see the mysterious shadows of water hyacinths and fish swimming leisurely. It seemed they were beneath a pond.
However, the water did not pour from the ceiling. It was as if an invisible force was regulating its flow.
Below, green moss and crystals sparkled, imbued with light.
And beneath that blue light lay things more precious than gold or silver.
On one side, chests filled with Elixirs were lined up; ancient books recording pill-refining methods, secret manuals, and various research records were stored together.
Beside the bookshelves, rare medicinal herbs were even growing in various spots.
This was truly a depository worthy of the Medicine Immortal’s reputation.
“Look around.”
“……!”
As the Medicine Immortal nodded her permission, everyone rushed toward their respective interests with trembling hands.
The Medicine Immortal watched the backs of the young masters and occasionally gave quiet advice on what each of them needed.
After some time had passed, the young masters gathered before the Medicine Immortal once more, having obtained what they desperately desired, their eyes filled with awe and respect.
In the eyes of the young masters, the Medicine Immortal looked like a celestial child who was continuing her cultivation even after ascending to immortality.
The Medicine Immortal spoke in a much softer voice.
“These things are no longer necessary to me.”
Her gaze swept over the group one by one.
“Take them and use them well.”
“……!”
As soon as those words left her lips, the young masters gasped again.
Even at a glance, these were no ordinary items.
Precious treasures that could shake the Murim. To think a legendary being would simply give away such rare things—items that could instantly boost one’s internal force and perhaps even allow them to reach a higher realm of mastery.
Where else could one find such a fortuitous encounter?
However, the Medicine Immortal was not finished.
“Before that, I have one question.”
“…Yes.”
Someone managed to answer.
“From now on, reflect on what meaning is carried within the words ‘Righteous’ or ‘Orthodox,’ and decide for yourselves what kind of martial artist you will become.”
There was something profoundly significant in those words.
It felt especially strange to Namgung Ryeong-hwa, who had not heard a single word from the Medicine Immortal the entire time they were looking at the treasures.
The Medicine Immortal took a step forward.
