Nocturneâs first memories were of someoneâs back. That someone had long, unkempt hair and was deep in thought. In a few moments, Nocturne would call this person his master.
âHmm? Are you awake?â Sensing Nocturneâs presence, the Martial King roused himself and looked at Nocturne.
âWhere am IâŠ?â
âAn area outside the Tower. Itâs the village of the One-horned tribe.â
âThank yâughâŠ!â Nocturne suddenly frowned as a piercing pain shot through his skull. He had a pounding headache and tinnitus rang in his ears. His vision grew so distorted, as though it were breaking up like static. After grabbing his head and pressing his temples hard, Nocturne realized something. He possessed no memories. âWho am I? Where the hell am I from? My name⊠What is my name?â
For a moment, thoughts flashed through Nocturneâs mind like afterimages. He felt like his mind was a tangled mess. His head grew hot as if a fever were coming on.
âDonât overdo it. This⊠ah! What should I say?â After calming Nocturne down, the Martial King scratched the back of his head as if something were troubling him. He asked, âSome things happened, so I brought you here. Do you remember?â
Nocturne shook his head, dumbfounded. The Martial King was talking about him as though he were a stray kitten heâd brought home. Nocturne was initially a little puzzled by the Martial Kingâs reaction. Later, when Nocturne understood the Martial Kingâs personality, he connected this reaction to the Martial Kingâs character and didnât think much of it.
âYou donât remember anything? Then, stay here for a while. You can leave after your memories return.â
âThankâŠthank you.â
***
âNocturne? Why do you have a name like that? Itâs so uncool.â
The first thing Nocturne did as soon as he got up from his sickbed was give himself a name.
âI can give you a cooler name. Like Rumble or Bam. How about it?â
âIf I recall correctly, Master has many disciples. May I ask what their names are?â
âPhante, Edora, Jang⊠Why?â
âAre you playing a joke on me or are you just terrible at names?â
âOf course, I was joking. Youâre all alone in this world with only a master, but you donât even show an ounce of respect.â
âI never said that I would formally accept you as my martial arts master and become your disciple.â
After checking Nocturneâs stats, the Martial King said that he was quite impressed with Nocturneâs potential and asked him to become his second disciple. Nocturne had already decided to stay in the village until his memory returned, so the Martial Kingâs offer did not affect his decision in any way. From Nocturneâs point of view, the Martial King was qualified to serve as his martial arts master.
Nocturne found it hard to measure the depths of the Martial Kingâs skills. However, one thing bothered Nocturne about the Martial King: his dirty personality. Nocturne had heard that the Martial King had another disciple before, and Nocturne was amazed that someone could have developed properly under such a dirty personality. However, that disciple had persuaded the Martial Kingâs brother to escape from the village together, so technically, the disciple had run away.
âYou, perhaps you⊠Are you going through puberty? Iâve heard about that condition before. I donât remember my own experiences, but those undergoing puberty feel as though black dragon flames are constantly roiling in the palms of their hands, or they feel like theyâve suddenly awakened from a past life. Are you having those impulses?â
Sigh. For a moment, Nocturne considered whether to strike the Martial King with the sword in his hand. However, Nocturne quickly realized that the Martial King would easily beat him to death if he tried it.
Although the Martial King was the one who started it, he would never allow anyone to point a sword his way. Anyway, it did not matter for Nocturne. He was more focused on his own dignity. Nocturne was a typical introvert, and even though he had amnesia, he knew it would be easier to just overlook people like the Martial King.
âFine. The name is yours to decide. I donât think itâs something I should argue with you about. Shall I call you by that name in the future?â The Martial King looked at Nocturne, who exhibited no reaction. The Martial King seemed to be thinking, âAh. I wonât have any fun in teasing this disciple.â
Nocturne slowly nodded. Nocturne, a musical composition inspired by and relating to the night. The melody of a nocturne flowed as lyrically as the atmosphere and mystery of a quiet night. Since he was trying to recover his own memory, Nocturne could relate to such a melody, and he thought the name suited him well. He longed for the day when his wish of regaining his memory would come true.
Someday, this dark, blind period would end, and a new light would illuminate his old memories.
***
âUgh.â The Martial King let out a long sigh and looked at Nocturne with an exasperated expression. âYouâre going to leave?â
âThatâs right.â
âMay I ask why?â
âI have come to the realization that I will only be complacent if I stay here. It would be a waste of time. I am sorry for not being able to fulfill Masterâs wish, but I must also pursue my own goal.â
âI felt something was a little off after you passed the twenty-first floorâŠâ The Martial King seemed to have more to say, but he lightly clucked his tongue and brushed his hair back before he continued, âForget it. I was also thinking that it would be difficult to find the secrets of the Yin Sword from you. Aside from that, you do know what it means to leave without my permission, right?â
âYes.â Nocturne nodded heavily. In the One-horn tribe, the relationship between a disciple and a master ran very deep. There were occasions when the relationship was deeper than oneâs relationship to a parent.
For the One-horned tribe, martial arts was everything in life. It was the only goal that they all pursued. Oneâs master established and developed oneâs martial arts foundation, which gave them more significance than oneâs parents. If a disciple wanted to leave without the permission of their master, it was tantamount to abandoning their masterâs teachings. In other words, the disciple was refusing the masterâs help and declaring that they would never return. It also implied that the master and the disciple would essentially become enemies.
The Martial Kingâs expression was the most serious Nocturne had seen since he became a disciple.
âNocturne, a disciple of the Cheongram familyâŠâ the Martial King declared in a solemn tone. âIs hereby excommunicated.â
âFor everythingâŠâ Nocturne audibly gulped to stop his rising emotions from surfacing. Nocturne did not know what he was feeling. Perhaps it was an emotional outburst before tears. Nocturne thought he had forgotten all feelings along with his memories, but that did not seem to be the case. âThank you for teaching me, Master!â
***
For a moment, Nocturne recalled his history with the Martial King. He had relatively fond memories. His album of memories only had a few pages, and the times he shared with the Martial King took up the most space. After that time, as he climbed the Tower in earnest, Nocturne went through many ups and downs and formed numerous new relationships.
Nothing compared to the days he spent in the village of the One-horned tribe. He had often thought of those days whenever his journey became tiresome. It had been a time of peace and happiness. However, Nocturne eventually realized that happiness was nothing more than a deception.
The Sword God, whom Nocturne had only seen a few times, had come to Nocturne and told him a secret that no one else knew.
âDo you remember telling me that the One-horned tribe had a secret passed down through the generations from a very long time ago?â At first, Nocturne did not believe the Sword Godâs words. However, instead of directly confronting the Martial King, Nocturne had made a few hints because he still trusted his old master. âBright Tai Chi Pangu Sword Art.â
However, once Nocturne mentioned the simulation on the twenty-first floor, he had immediately noticed the fleeting quiver of the Martial Kingâs eyes. Thus, Nocturneâs faith had been shaken. âShaohao-Jintian, the founder and one of the members of the Trinity Wonder, realized right away the importance of this sword art and gave it to his descendants with his bloodline, but none of them were ever able to penetrate its secrets.â
Although his faith was shaken, Nocturneâs heart did not waver. To clear his mind, Nocturne deliberately spoke in a cold tone. âI often wondered about it from time to time. Why couldnât someone like the master not understand the secret right away? Isnât that too strange? Aside from Allforone, you are the strongest player⊠If it werenât for Allforoneâs divine power, Master might have already surpassed him. Why couldnât Master understand the secrets of the Bright Tai Chi Pangu Sword?â
Nocturne had been convinced for a long time that the Martial King possessed the power and ability to rival any of the great gods in the heavenly world. His current battle with Asgard already proved how great he was. If anyone in the heavenly world had heard and seen the events in this Illusory World, they would have been shocked. Furthermore, if it came to martial arts power and force, Nocturne was certain that the Martial King was already beyond Allforone. There was only one reason why the Martial King could not beat Allforone: Allforoneâs position.
Allforone was the nickname that everyone used to refer to the great being, although âall for oneâ was originally a term that referred to the divinity and legends that Allforone possessed. As long as Allforone possessed his divinity, no oneâwhether supreme god or ancient godâcould overtake him within the world of the Tower.
The Martial King had always been frustrated by this, and he had made every effort to surpass Allforoneâs divine supremacy. The method the Martial King chose to use against the seemingly insurmountable divinity of Allforone was the Bright Tai Chi Pangu Sword.
âI only realized later on. Itâs not that Master didnât understand the secrets of the sword art.â Nocturneâs eyes grew sharp. âYou understand the secrets, but itâs impossible for you to learn them.â
The Martial Kingâs restlessness stopped. A silence passed between the two, and the corner of Nocturneâs lips twisted upward.
âThe reason is simple. Doesnât Shaohao-Jintianâs divinity originate from the sun?â The main purpose of the Bright Tai Chi Pangu Sword was to bring out the harmony of yin and yang.
However, for Shaohao-Jintianâs descendants, who were born with a yang-filled body, this area of study was virtually impossible. Even if the One-horned tribe wanted to understand the secrets and practice the arts, their physical nature was too inclined towards yang. The innate qualities of the martial arts that the One-horned tribe was blessed with became an obstacle to accomplishing Shaohao-Jintianâs long-cherished wish.
In the end, the only thing the Martial King could achieve was the sword art that Edora trained in. âMaster found out about it too late, and you became frustrated. The Bright Tai Chi Pangu Sword was the only thing that could cut off Allforoneâs divinity, but it was a treasure that you could never obtain.â Sss! With each word that he spoke, Nocturneâs aura emanated.
Once, the Martial King had told Yeon-woo that Nocturne scored eighty out of a hundred points. This meant that Nocturne was one of the few beings in the lower world who could go toe to toe with the Martial King. The great holy territory started to tremble wildly as though it were preparing the ground for this occasion.
âBut Master never gave up, so you must have found another way. Since you couldnât learn it yourself, you thought it would be more effective to get a disciple to learn the Bright Tai Chi Pangu Sword.â
âNocturne.â
âSo, after a long search, you took in a disciple who possessed a powerful innate sense, and his qualities were comparable to those of the One-horned tribe! However, he was soon excommunicated because he couldnât fulfill your desires!â Shouting, Nocturne cut off the Martial Kingâs calm response. Nocturne had always been composed, but he couldnât stop his rage from boiling over. âIn the end, your thoughts must have led you to the simulation on the twenty-first floor! If you could obtain the simulation, it would not only have enough talent, it would also possess the old data of the hated Allforone, so it would be easier to figure out his weaknesses! Isnât this the case?â
The Martial King was the reason behind Allforoneâs missing simulation on the twenty-first floor. He had taken it out of the Tower. Nocturne didnât know how the Martial King managed to defy the Towerâs system. However, one thing was certain: he was just a lab rat, a test subject for the Martial King. The Martial King had treated Nocturne like a doll, pretending to give him love and sincerity so he could experiment on him.
The times that Nocturne had tried to recall his lost memories, the nights he was consumed by nightmares, the tears of loneliness heâd shed, the moments when heâd sought his masterâs attention to fill the void inside of himâwhat did the Martial King truly think of these times?
Did the Martial King laugh at Nocturneâs struggle to recall memories that never existed in the first place? Did the Martial King find it funny to watch a piece of data who wasnât even a real being trying to act like a person? Nocturne didnât know. No, he didnât want to know. Any further deception beyond this point would rip out whatever was left of him.
Nocturne clenched his sword and screamed, âFrom now on, I will be your new opponent. I will grab onto your ankles so that you are buried in this place.â Rumble! âMaster.â
The great holy territory shook violently. Nocturneâs body began to crack open, light leaking through him, as though Allforone had descended.
Nocturne was exuviating.
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