While Ha Hyun was taught by Ha Heun for entirely different reasons.

The child had lost his family to violence and survived alone. Perhaps that’s why he matured too early, even though his natural disposition was quite gentle. He was contemplative, often lost in thought, and knew from a young age that not just anyone could wield a sword.

So when he sparred for the first time, even though it was a wooden sword, he had difficulty pointing it at his opponent.

“He doesn’t really have a warrior’s disposition.”

Knowing he had grown quite a bit, Ha Heun still worried about letting him go.

Of course, independent of his natural disposition, unlike Ha Hyun, Ha Heun would not cross the basic line of morality even if he had no luck.

Also, separate from his gentle disposition, he had a resilient side, and she knew he had the strength to overcome any wounds on his own.

Despite knowing this, she still felt this way. She didn’t want a child who had already suffered once to suffer again.

Yoo Woon was aware of his favoritism towards Ha Heun to some extent. He knew, but he couldn’t help it.

If it was a saga, as Jang Moon In said, Yoo Woon would have already had a family, but he still saw the 12-year-old Ha Heun hiding in the corner of an empty warehouse not long after bringing him to Hwasan.

Moreover, the talent that Ha Heun had, despite his disposition, was also a concern.

“It’s like he grew wings after breaking his own curse.”

He wasn’t born into a martial family, but his talent was real. So, Yoo Woon sometimes wondered if he was unfairly confining a child who could become even greater than his own master.

At the same time, he couldn’t guarantee that raising a child who didn’t naturally have the disposition of a warrior like a warrior was the right thing to do. Especially because Ha Heun himself didn’t seem to have specific goals like reaching enlightenment or becoming stronger.

“Come to think of it, that’s also the same for Ha Hyun.”

Yoo Woon let out a bitter laugh, almost like a sigh.

He was lucky to have two talented students, but teaching them was far from easy. He couldn’t guarantee which path was the right one. Yoo Woon recalled something his own master, Jin Neung, had once said.

“He said I’d understand how he felt once I had students of my own…”

He couldn’t remember the context, but that sentence was clear. Although Yoo Woon’s teaching methods were almost the opposite of Jin Neung’s, he must have had his own set of worries too.
Yoo-woon felt like he could finally understand his master a bit better.

After finishing his morning martial arts training, his complicated feelings somewhat faded. He had a simple meal and decided to spar with Ha Hyun for the morning practice.

They used wooden swords instead of real ones, and refrained from using any inner strength.

‘I should be careful.’

In fact, due to the lack of people in their age group, they had sparred so often that they were familiar with each other’s techniques and skill levels. While the probability of an accident was low, it never hurt to be cautious.

Even if it’s a wooden sword, a sword is still a sword.

‘That’s why I used to hate sparring back then.’

He still didn’t enjoy it, but the aversion had definitely lessened compared to before.

They maintained a reasonable distance, each pointing their swords at the other, and Yoo-woon spoke lightly.

“Alright, let’s begin.”

“Understood.”

Since this was just a spar, there was no need to provoke the opponent, so he didn’t raise his voice.

But even then, the clash of wooden swords was far from light.

Thud!

With a large step, he swung his sword to block the incoming attack. Knowing he couldn’t overpower Ha Hyun, he deliberately clashed and then skillfully deflected the sword.

As if to pierce through him, he advanced with a thrust. Anticipating this, Ha Hyun stepped back and held his sword upright to block the approach. Their swords clashed briefly.

Not giving Ha Hyun a chance to regain his posture, he sidestepped and aimed for the poorly guarded flank, swinging his sword horizontally to close the distance once again.

Their swords clashed several more times, their surroundings reverberating with the sound.

Their eyes met sharply across the swords. After exchanging dozens of blows, Yoo-woon found an opening.

Either he couldn’t block it, or even if he could, there would be no second chance. With that thought in mind, he swung his sword without letting his guard down.

Clang!

“Ugh.”

As expected, Ha Hyun managed to parry, but the force was too much for him to handle and his wooden sword broke, flying away. At the same time, the edge of my sword stopped right in front of his neck.

Ha Hyun let out a light sigh and spoke.

“…I lost.”

Yoo-woon immediately sheathed his wooden sword and stepped back. He was still not accustomed to pointing a weapon at someone’s vital point. Ha Hyun blinked a few times before adding.

“I’ve learned a lot.”

“As have I.”