The return of the granddaughter of the Namgoong family

Namgung Jipyeong, panting, turned his head to look at the child who had approached him.

“Did you finish everything?”

“Yes… I did a thousand… I completed them…”

“Impressive. A thousand is nothing for you.”

“…Huh?”

Namgung Jipyeong and the trainees, who were catching their breath, stared at her in shock.

Didn’t they just see how difficult it was? Didn’t it look like they were on the verge of dying?

Even though she was just a child!

“You should try placing the weights on your back next time. This way, your muscles and bones won’t be properly trained.”

Her serious suggestion caused Namgung Jipyeong and the trainees to stare at her with their mouths hanging open.

“Place the weights… on our backs? Fifty kilograms…?”

Can that be done?

“When you do push-ups with the weights on your arms and legs, it’s not very effective,” Seolhwa explained to the trainees who were sprawled out on the floor.

“For the horse stance too, putting the weights on your legs doesn’t do much. Next time, you should place them on your thighs.”

The trainees’ mouths dropped open.

They had barely managed to endure the horse stance with the weights on their legs for an entire hour, and now she was suggesting they move them to their thighs.

“Wouldn’t we die from that…?”

One trainee tried to protest weakly.

“You won’t die from that.”

Seolhwa didn’t back down. Her expression was so cheerful that it made the others feel even more helpless.

‘She’s a devil.’

‘I knew it from the moment she knocked down the team leader.’

‘She’s going to kill us all!’

‘Forget it…!’

They decided, almost in unison, that they wouldn’t show up tomorrow.

However…

“If you do it this way, you’ll quickly become a member of the inner circle.”

“…!”

“…!”

The trainees’ eyes suddenly brightened.

The dream of the outer circle warriors was to become inner circle warriors.

Becoming an inner circle warrior of Namgung meant learning secret martial arts that were only passed on to the inner circle and becoming stronger, eventually making a name for themselves in the martial world.

“Can we become inner circle warriors this way?”

Although she was just a child, wasn’t she a guest of the Heavenly Guest Court?

Shouldn’t they trust her?

“Of course. It’s possible.”

Seolhwa nodded without hesitation.

The warriors’ faces lit up even more.

They began to talk excitedly as if they were already inner circle warriors.

During their training, they repeatedly asked Seolhwa if it was true, and each time, Seolhwa affirmed it with a nod.

Each time she did, the trainees became even more motivated and pushed forward with their training.

Except for one person—Team Leader Namgung Jipyeong.

On the way back after the training was over, the trainees, now with a renewed sense of hope, returned to their quarters with bright faces.

After seeing them off, Seolhwa turned to Namgung Jipyeong, who was the only one still standing.

“We’ll meet at the Red Dragon Corps’ training ground tomorrow.”

Namgung Jipyeong, slightly surprised, asked again.

“Do you mean our training ground?”

“Yes. I don’t think I’ll be staying here anymore.”

“Are you leaving…?”

“I’m not leaving. I’m just leaving the Heavenly Guest Court.”

Tomorrow, she would be officially announced as Namgung’s child, and she would leave the Heavenly Guest Court to enter the inner circle’s quarters.

After that, she would no longer be able to use the Heavenly Guest Court’s training grounds.

“Training has to be consistent for results. So, can we afford to be lazy? We’ll see each other at the Red Dragon Corps’ training ground starting tomorrow.”

“Understood.”

“Please let the other warriors know as well.”

“Yes.”

Having said what she needed to, Seolhwa turned to leave, but Namgung Jipyeong, for some reason, stayed still, looking as if he had more to say.

“If you have something to say, go ahead.”

After a brief hesitation, he let out a deep sigh and spoke.

“It probably won’t work.”

“It won’t work? What do you mean?”

“Becoming an inner circle warrior, that is. No matter how strong we get, it’s not going to happen for us.”

Namgung Jipyeong had been debating whether or not to say this.

He had considered not saying it, for the sake of the trainees who had regained their will to train after hearing about becoming inner circle warriors. But…

“The greater the hope, the greater the despair.”

For the future’s sake, he had to speak up.

To prevent the trainees from having false hopes stirred up by the words of a master, he had to tell them the truth.

“Why?”

The child asked innocently.

Although she was a strong master, she was still just a child. She might not know. It was understandable that she didn’t know.

Namgung Jipyeong began to speak calmly.

“I, too, had the dream of becoming an inner circle warrior and worked hard for over ten years. I was considered quite skilled in the outer circle.”

Seolhwa listened quietly.

“I rose quickly to the position of team leader, and I thought I would soon become an inner circle warrior.”

His colleagues, who had taken the martial arts exams with him, all told him he would become an inner circle warrior soon.

“When a junior who wasn’t as skilled as I was was selected instead, I initially thought something was wrong. The second time, I thought I had become too arrogant, and the third time, I felt I must have made a mistake somewhere.”

He had worked hard to identify any flaws in his swordsmanship, or misunderstood parts of his martial arts philosophy.

But with each promotion exam, not only did Namgung Jipyeong fail, but the people who had praised him also realized something.

“After failing ten promotion exams, I finally realized why I kept failing. It wasn’t because of my lack of skill, but because of something else. Someone had to tell me the truth.”

“Namgung Jipyeong will never become an inner circle warrior, no matter how hard he tries.”

“There’s no point in waiting for his turn.”

“He has talent, but his background is lacking.”

Namgung Jipyeong let out a resigned smile, showing the face of someone who had come to terms with his situation.

Once he accepted the truth, he felt a sense of relief.

“I was just a frog in a well.”

He had climbed up the walls of the well, looking up at the sky, but it was impossible to escape the well by his strength.

Being born a frog meant that, unless someone took him out, he would never escape the well.

“So, I hope you don’t give the trainees too much hope. They’ve only just joined and don’t fully understand the situation of the Namgung clan yet.”

Namgung Jipyeong scratched his head awkwardly and chuckled, feeling embarrassed by himself.

Saying things about the Namgung clan’s situation and strength to a child seemed ridiculous, and he felt awkward.

“It will be different now.”

“…Huh?”

“It’s me.”

Namgung Jipyeong blinked, confused.

She was talking about the clan’s interests, yet she was asking them to trust only her.

Even though a master watching their training was undoubtedly a great opportunity,

‘Just by increasing the intensity of the training, does that mean new power will arise, and that I can become an inner circle warrior…?’

She was just a child, so of course she didn’t understand.

Namgung Jipyeong smiled warmly, playing along with her.

“Right. I’ll work hard.”

She looked at him quietly.

“Will you promise me something?”

“What do you want me to promise?”

“Never give up.”

No matter how hard it gets, no matter how much despair rises, thinking that nothing can be achieved.

“Will you promise to do your best until the end?”

Her gaze was firm and resolute.

There was no playful hint in her eyes. Namgung Jipyeong could only nod.

“…Yes. Understood. That’s what I do best.”

He had been doing this for over a decade, so surely he could continue for a few more years.

Just the fact that he had regained his lost passion by receiving guidance from a peak master was something he was grateful for.

“I’ve been idle for years. I should work hard now so that if the opportunity comes, I can grab it tightly.”

Seolhwa nodded.

“Yes. The opportunity will come.”

An opportunity. A once-in-a-lifetime chance to change one’s life.

It is a chance that must not be missed.

Some might say that the people who sseizedthat opportunity were just “lucky.”

But that is never something that can be achieved by luck or coincidence.

An unprepared person will fail to grasp the opportunity even if it comes to them, so the opportunity is, in fact, the inevitable result of one’s effort and skill.

Seolhwa smiled at him.

“I’ll help you.”

Fate smiled at him.