Possessing Nothing Novel (쥐뿔도 없는 회귀)

Chapter 81 - Shaolin

"Bro."

When he turned twenty-one, Namgoong Heewon visited. Lee Sung-min was still in Shaolin. As was his wont, Lee Sung-min had been practicing with his spear early in the morning, and looked back in surprise when he heard a voice. Namgoong Heewon, who had finally come back to see him after three years, was smiling at Lee Sung-min. Lee Sung-min put the spear down, looking a little surprised.

"Brother."

The word 'brother' still felt awkward to say after three years had passed. In fact, the series of events that led up to calling Namgoong Hee-won his 'elder brother' happened so quickly that he never got used to the term. On top of that, he had also secluded himself to practice in the Shaolin Temple soon after that. That didn't mean Lee Sung-min had forgotten about their bet though.

Compared to the last time they met, Namgoong Heewon seemed to have slightly longer hair.

Lee Sung-min stared at his face and said, "Congratulations," bowing his head slightly as he did so. Namgoong Heewon shook a bottle of liquor lightly in his hand as he laughed in response.

"Wasn't it hard to have stayed in this stuffy mountain for three years?"

"... I still have hair left. "

Lee Sung-min replied with a smile. When he thought about it, he hadn't had a drop of alcohol since he had returned to being 14 years old. Namgoong Heewon sat down on a nearby rock.

"If that's so, why don't you accompany me for a drink? After all we haven't met in a long while. Even if the relationship was short and shallow, a brother is still a brother."

Lee Sung-min sat on a rock near Namgoong Heewon. Namgoong poured a glass and threw it at him. Lee Sung-min raised his hand and caught it.

"Please stop messing around."

"Hu hu!"

Namgoong Heewon let out a joyful laugh. The glass that Namgoong Heewon just threw had considerable power. Despite injecting Qi into a small, weak glass, he did not spill a single drop. It was proof that Namgoong Heewon's Qi method had reached a considerable level.

"You have improved a lot."

And Lee Sung-min successfully caught such a cup. Namgoong Heewon laughed loudly. Lee Sung-min replied respectfully, stroking the cup he received.

"You have completed the Transcendence level. ... Climbing to the height of Transcendence. Congratulations."

"I had a sudden enlightenment. Although, I don't know if I can call it enlightenment... It just felt as natural as sleeping and getting up. At some point, it naturally became like this. The overhaul really hurt I tell you. "

From an outside perspective, Namgoong Heewon's inner qi was no longer detectable. Although his physique was strong because he had been wielding the sword for many years, there were no signs to indicate his mastery of martial arts except physical strength. It was the same as saying that once you crossed transcendence level, you became superhuman.

"Oh, that's strange."

Namgoong Heewon threw a bottle at Lee Sung-min. This time, it was thrown without channeling Qi. He half filled his cup and returned the bottle to Namgoong Heewon.

"The Qi is balanced. It's not transcendent level, but ... It's different from the way you couldn't even jump properly before. It looks like the practice in the temple has helped. Or maybe it's because the rice there is fresh? "

"Is that so?"

"En. Your body has also grown ... and there is one more thing that's strange. In the past, when I looked at your face, I used to feel very excited, but that isn't the case right now. I simply felt a flurry of emotions after seeing a brother after a long time. "