Ch 552, Yoo Joonghyuk's Birthday

Notes:

Hi! This is my translation of yjh's side story. I translated this from Vietnamese and had the other English version as reference. I also looked over the original Korean text but I know nothing about Korean so it won't be a perfect translation. I did my best, so please enjoy and feel free to leave a comment.

This side story contains important spoilers from Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint.

Readers who haven’t read the ending proceed with this in mind.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

"Ahjussi, when is your birthday?"

He couldn't recall when he first heard that question.

Was it in the 2rd turn? Or the 3rd turn?

But regardless of turns, he didn't bother to answer these kinds of questions because he believes that knowing the answer won't benefit the person asking.

But there was a time he answered as he did now.

“August 3rd.”

“August 3rd? Are you sure?"

"I promised to take that day."

The guy started to frown.

“Promise? How could anyone decide their birthday that way?”

He pulled out the Breaking The Sky sword and started cleaning it. The boy was right. Nobody could choose their own birthday. But is that important?

"Who did you promise?"

"You don't need to know."

"Was it a woman?"

He frowned slightly at the boy.

He could see Kim Namwoon's grin in the distance. He seemed to grasp what was going on.

As the cogs of time move, many memories disappear. Some memories got caught between the cogs and vanished, but there were also some that were intentionally thrown in there by Yoo Joonghyuk. And there were also memories that never faded away.

For example, the memory of the first time he learned sword technique from the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint.

“Again? What a stubborn man.”

Breaking the Sky Sword Saint looked at Yoo Joonghyuk with annoyed eyes. With a large pipe in her mouth, she arrogantly glared at Yoo Joonghyuk's face and blew out a puff of smoke.

“This isn’t recruitment time. I won't accept you as my disciple."

Without saying anything, Yoo Joonghyuk took the paper that was pasted on the nameplate.

Breaking the Sky Sword Saint frowned.

“It is true that I’m recruiting disciples, but not anyone is accepted.”

"I'm not 'anyone'."

“It seems like that. Your face is qualified though. You can be my slave if you want.”

"Teach me martial arts."

Hearing Yoo Joonghyuk's brazen commanding tone, Breaking the Sky Sword Saint quickly glanced over his entire body and muttered.

"Even if I teach you, it doesn't mean that you can learn it."

“Have you already made up your mind before teaching?”

“My martial arts are not for small brats like you.”

"I'm not small."

"And it's not a martial art suitable for men."

Breaking the Sky Sword Saint said as she spun her pipe. It looked as if she was just idly spinning it, but Yoo Joonghyuk could sense a profound move of martial arts from the upward trajectory of the smoke.

"Even if you learn my martial arts, you won't be as strong as me."

"How will you know if you haven't tried?"

“Why are you so stubborn about learning my martial arts?”

Yoo Joonghyuk slowly raised his head, his eyes shone brightly.

"Because it's the only 'Martial Art' left in this Murim."

It wasn’t that Yoo Joonghyuk didn't want to learn other types of martial arts.

He went to the Namgung pedigree, the birthplace of the Sword Emperor (劍帝). He also went to the Zhongnan faction, where he could learn to split the setting sun. But they're all superficial.

In this [First Murim], there is no longer a true martial art.

All those techniques that used to be called martial arts were standardized and became [Skills]. They are distributed as [Skill Books] that anyone can study at their convenience.

But Yoo Joonghyuk knew. With those kinds of skills, it was impossible to tear those lofty constellations down.

“I need the power to kill the constellations.”

Humans can kill constellations.

The existences that [Star Stream] called Transcendence.

Among them, the strongest one was the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint standing in front of him.

Breaking the Sky Sword Saint let out a soft sigh and opened her mouth.

“If you win then I will reconsider it.”

Then the Breaking the Sky Master appeared. It bared its teeth and snarled in Yoo Joonghyuk's direction.

Come to think of it, that was the beginning of this tedious master-disciple relationship .

After many hardships, Yoo Joonghyuk finally succeeded in stealing the rice bowl of Breaking the Sky Master. And the first task Breaking the Sky Sword Saint gave him was:

"Strike thirty thousand times."

"It's impossible to strike thirty thousand times a day."

“Thirty thousand times is nothing. In this world, there is someone who has stabbed ten billion times over the course of forty years.”

"Stop lying."

"Learn how to use honorifics first."

During the time of being spanked in the butt, Yoo Joonghyuk thought.

Is it really possible to get stronger this way?

Every day, he was beaten in the butt several times.

Just like that, another week passed, and a full moon passed.

"How many times have you stabbed?"

“I’ve done it about 10 thousand times… ma'am.”

"How about slashing?"

“I’ve done it 20 thousand times…ma'am.”

“I told you to do each move twenty thousand times.”

"Don't slap my butt."

Yoo Joonghyuk got slapped on the butt again.

Although he didn't get hit much, it hurt as if he had been hit twenty thousand times.

One month, then two months passed like that.

In short, Yoo Joonghyuk still hasn't learned [Breaking the Sky Swordsmanship].

Breaking the Sky Sword Saint accepted Yoo Joonghyuk as a disciple, but all she did was lounge on the porch, admire his statuesque muscles, teach him basic movements or send him to do some trifling errands.

“When will you teach me swordsmanship?”

"Reach the Changcheon peak in the [Second Murim], pick the Hundred Spirits Grass (百靈草) and bring it here."

And so Yoo Joonghyuk was sought after by the Nine Great Schools (九派一幇). He must exert all his strength to reach the peak of Changtian mountain. After numerous sword clashes with Taoists of the Kunlun and Wudang Sect, slipping in the rain and falling off a cliff, Yoo Joonghyuk finally succeeded in obtaining the Hundred Spirits Grass.

"I've picked it."

“Ok, leave it at that.”

“Why did I have to pick it?”

Looking at the stem of Hundred Spirits Grass emitting a pleasant scent, Breaking the Sky Sword Saint smiled pleasantly.

“This herb has an air purifying effect.”

“Will you teach me swordsmanship now?”

“The treasure map has appeared in the [Forth Murim]. It was the map of the 'Secret realm of the old master’s profound wisdom'. Enter the secret realm and bring back the pill that the master left behind."

"What?"

Breaking the Sky Master beside him barked "Woof woof."

The Breaking the Sky Sword Saint said.

"Her body has been so weak lately that it needs spiritual medicine to replenish it."

So Yoo Joonghyuk once again set out to find spiritual medicine for the dog.

That world is named [Forth Murim], so he thought only weak men were there, but the masters in [Forth Murim] were really skillful. Especially those of the Ten Great Masters who can only be counted on the fingers. The current Yoo Joonghyuk is no match for them at all.

But facing the Ten Great Masters and still being able to return was a good thing.

“Go to the Demon Realm in the [Third Murim] and bring back the Eternal Glacies(万年寒氷-ten thousand years cold water). It's so hot these days that I don't feel like teaching martial arts."

He almost died during his visit to the Demon Realm. He had encountered the Demon Realm Master known as the Heavenly Demon. Even if the Ten Great Masters of the [Forth Murim] were to join forces, they probably wouldn't be able to kill him.

But that 'Heavenly Demon' guy is just the Heavenly Demon of the [Third Murim]. According to Breaking the Sky Sword Saint, the actual 'Heavenly Demon' was actually many times more powerful than that.

“Go to Shaolin Monastery and steal the Great Healing Pill. Watch out for those monks.”

Yoo Joonghyuk also often heard about the reputation of Shaolin Temple. But even so, he thought it to be nothing more than a gathering place for monks. He had fought against Heavenly Demon and the Ten Great Masters before. There was no reason why he couldn't handle them.

Holding such a thought, in a moment of carelessness, Yoo Joonghyuk was suddenly attacked by a monk. He was clean-shaved and locked in the Repentance cave for three months.

With great difficulty, he escaped and stole the Great Healing Pill, but not before narrowly escaping death while passing through the Eighteen Arhat Battle (十八羅漢陣).

“This time, it took quite a while. Why is your head like that?"

The bare head of Yoo Joonghyuk is the work of the great master of Shaolin Wushu, the Divine Monk (神僧).

But fortunately, despite losing his hair, he still had a harvest.

He learned Shaolin's [Hundred Steps Godly Fists].

Just like that, three months, six months, and then another year passed.

His hair grew back very quickly.

After that, Yoo Joonghyuk repeatedly overcame dangerous life and death situations to complete the errands assigned by the Sword Saint. Those quests were so difficult that he thought it would be better to regress and start all over again.

The [Star Stream] is vast and has many masters.

How much stronger must he become to be able to see the end of those horrible scenarios?

Occasionally, he would swing his sword to attack the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint indiscriminately.

He almost died.

Breaking the Sky Sword Saint is a person that even the Divine Monk, the Heavenly Demon and the Ten Great Masters can't defeat even if they all attack at once.

Even though his ass was beaten to a pulp, Yoo Joonghyuk was satisfied. After all, his master is stronger than the Divine Monk and the Heavenly Demon.

“After all, why did you decide to teach me?”

"Because you're handsome."

"What does it have to do with that?"

"There won’t be another opportunity to spank a guy this handsome again."

Another year has passed.

During that time, Yoo Joonghyuk had faced many masters, fought and won.

As his fame spread throughout the [First Murim], so did the reputation of the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint.

“I was the one who beat all those masters, but somehow your reputation increased.”

“Because the world recognizes me as an excellent master.”

"Master is the one who instructs."

“Come to think of it, you stop asking me to pass you the swordsmanship these days, huh.”

Breaking the Sky Sword Saint laughed and sat on the porch as usual.

Young ladies of prestigious families who had come to watch Yoo Joonghyuk practice went away one after another, and the cool night breezes came back instead.

Two years have passed since Yoo Joonghyuk came to Murim.

Panting, Breaking the Sky Master climbed onto the roof, came up to Yoo Joonghyuk's leg and lay down.

A dog that was stronger than him. That dog even entered before him and became his senior sister. A dog has consumed the pill from the old master’s profound wisdom and the Great Healing Pill, became the strongest dog in Murim.

Woof woof.

Yoo Joonghyuk sighed softly and stroked the dog's back. Breaking the Sky Master wagged his tail leisurely.

The sound of running streams echoed from the nearby rice mill. The grasshoppers chirped among the grass. Hundred Spirits stem leaves swaying and releasing scent in the cool air of Eternal Glacies. The heat of the day gradually dissipates as night falls.

The night sky of Murim was beautiful.

"Tell me your story."

Normally, if the audacious master asked, he wouldn't budge a word about his life. Because he is the kind of person who is always on high alert and rarely opens up about himself. So this time he was willing to talk about his life maybe because he believed that this turn was wrong from the start.

Or perhaps it was because the soft fur of Breaking the Sky Master was rubbing against his thighs.

Or perhaps it was because of the circular smoke puffing up amusingly in the night sky by the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint. Or perhaps because of the loud sound of grasshoppers accompanied by the sound of rushing water. The stars in the chilly Murim sky were so blinding that perhaps he mistakenly thought that no one would hear his story tonight.

But for whatever the reason, Yoo Joonghyuk opened his mouth and started rambling about a story.

The story of the first day he entered the scenario.

The story when he begins to regress and repeat his world.

Yoo Joonghyuk rambled to himself about the story that no one understood.

He didn't care if the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint heard that story or not. But it was rare for Yoo Joonghyuk to want to talk about himself like this, and there was someone here listening to him.

Like an ancient tree that has lived through times, Breaking the Sky Sword Saint quietly listened to his story.

Only Mirror Eyes (明鏡目) were still glinting brightly in the dim night, signaling that she was still listening to Yoo Joonghyuk's story.

Mirror Eyes. Eyes that see through the emotions of others.

Looking at those eyes that were neither reproachful nor consoling, for some reason Yoo Joonghyuk felt at ease.

How much time has passed? Finally, Yoo Joonghyuk's story has ended.

Breaking the Sky Sword Saint thought for a moment and then spoke.

"You came across as a parentless brat from the very beginning."

Yoo Joonghyuk thought for a moment and asked.

“Are you insulting me?”

"You're like a brat that fell from the sky."

Yoo Joonghyuk silently gazed up at the sky.

Perhaps the words of the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint were not wrong. In fact, he didn't know his parents' faces.

"Do you know when you were born?"

"I don’t know."

"Did no one tell you?"

Yoo Joonghyuk nodded.

Of course he has a resident registration number. But he knew it wasn't his real birthday.

“I just know that I was born in the summer.”

The sky in the Murim world was oddly beautiful and delicate.

And beyond that glittering [Star Stream], there must be someone who created all of these scenarios.

“Why do you want to become a Transcendent?”

Yoo Joonghyuk gave no answer and simply looked up at the sky. Breaking the Sky Sword Saint also gazed up at his sky.

Sometimes emotions can be conveyed by simply looking at the same scene.

Breaking the Sky Sword Saint slowly stood up and drew her sword to the sky. It was a spectacular stance. A subtle but powerful sword stance, elegant yet restrained.

Her sword moved towards the sky and broke it, just like that.

Was it an illusion? The stars seemed to be falling from the sky she had torn apart.

Yoo Joonghyuk blankly watched the stars fall. Even though he knew it was an illusion, he couldn't take his eyes off it.

How long had it been since he witnessed this stunning sparkle like fireworks? At some point, Breaking the Sky Sword Saint returned from somewhere, holding a small bag.

"Eat it. It's my favorite dish."

Steam rose from the bag that was swinging back and forth.

Yoo Joonghyuk frowned.

"I don't eat what others make."

“I bought it for you. Eat it."

"No."

"Let's see. Today……."

In the sparkling starlight of summer night, the sword of the Sword Saint stroked the characters eight (八) and three (三).

"My disciple, from now on, today will be your birthday."

If only that was the end of the birthday memory, how nice would it be.

But as always, [Star Stream] didn't like a happy ending.

Exactly one year since that summer night fireworks display.

It was a scorching hot and humid summer. On a ruthless stormy night…

"Master."

Breaking the Sky Sword Saint was attacked by both Heavenly Demon and Blood Demon

Thousands of masters were killed. Breaking the Sky Sword Saint stood by herself to defend her Murim world against the Returnee Alliance.

Yoo Joonghyuk soared through the air, carrying the fallen Breaking the Sky Sword Saint on his back.

Both he and the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint knew that the wound can’t be healed.

“Breaking the Sky Sword Saint!”

Despite Yoo Joonghyuk’s cry, Breaking the Sky Sword Saint gave no response.

After bringing her to a safe location, Yoo Joonghyuk poured the spiritual medicine he had into the mouth of the Sword Saint. Those were the elixirs he had gathered over the years. Hundred Spirits Grass. Great Black Pill. Great Healing Pill…

But Breaking the Sky Sword Saint's aura was only getting weaker and weaker.

The fables of Breaking the Sky Sword Saint’s were falling apart.

Yoo Joonghyuk cursed.

‘Please’.

Her existence was like a vast forest. But she is nothing more than a stump. And when the storm arose and the thunder struck, the tree fell.

What if he went back in time?

If he regressed, he might be able to save his master.

However, if he goes back in time, the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint from his memory would disappear.

Breaking the Sky Sword Saint slowly opened her eyes and looked at him. Her big hand covered Yoo Joonghyuk's cheek.

"Dear disciple."

"I haven't learned Breaking the Sky Swordsmanship yet."

"You have already learned it, haven't you?"

Breaking the Sky Sword Saint knows Yoo Joonghyuk's talent. Yoo Joonghyuk's remarkable talent is learning anything he sees. He even memorized the [Breaking the Sky Swordsmanship] which he had only glanced over his shoulder occasionally.

Yoo Joonghyuk shook his head.

“Didn't you say that you would make me a Transcendent? You said you would make me able to kill the constellations, allow me to destroy the [Star Stream]……”

If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been stronger.

I…

“Joonghyuk-ah.”

The master's eyes were staring at him

“You are already stronger than me.”

Yoo Joonghyuk's shoulders shook. He wanted to say that wasn’t true.

“You are just refusing to become stronger than me.”

Yoo Joonghyuk's head slowly dropped. His breathing became heavier, and his fingertips began to twitch.

The past year had been so peaceful that he had forgotten this feeling.

And all of this is about to repeat.

“Breaking the Sky Sword Saint, I…”

"I know."

Yoo Joonghyuk's head was covered by master’s big hand.

As if knowing Yoo Joonghyuk's true heart, the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint gave him a faint smile.

"Dear handsome disciple, I hope you won't learn the Breaking the Sky Swordsmanship again."

The master's words kept reverberating in his head.

He shouldn't have come to the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint. He shouldn't be trying to learn Breaking the Sky Swordsmanship. He shouldn't have come to this Murim.

“I want you to live a leisurely life, lie on the porch and eat dumplings made by others."

Master knew what he was about to do.

She knew that he wanted to destroy the sky with her [Breaking the Sky Swordsmanship].

That was why she didn't want to teach him swordsmanship. She hoped he would give up on that thought.

“But you went to pick Hundred Spirits Grass. Despite knowing why I asked, you still tried to accomplish the task.”

That was why she sent him to do such difficult tasks.

“Infiltrate the secret realm of the old master’s profound wisdom, steal Eternal Glacies and the Great Healing Pill. Repeating over and over, just like that, you will reach 29 years old, you will reach the age of independence (而立) [1]."

Yoo Joonghyuk's hand trembled. He wanted to say something, but no sound came out. Breaking the Sky Sword Saint kept talking.

“I will once again ask you about your birthday that you know nothing about. Everyone will congratulate you when you reach 29, reach the age of independence, without knowing what it means to you……”

As if seeing the disciple's distant future repeating, the glint in the eyes of the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint slowly dimmed.

"Even so, don't hate people too much, dear disciple."

He was a Regressor.

A lone wanderer who holds all memories of all timelines.

“They are just glad that you were born.”

Looking at his master's hand slowly letting go of him, Yoo Joonghyuk raised his head.

He saw that the sky of [Star Stream] was still there.

Even though the number of gazes at the sky had only decreased by one, the stars appeared different from usual.

Yoo Joonghyuk slowly stood up.

Just as a tree grows only after receiving light and water, a fable grows more by feeding it some more tragedy.

In the scenarios, people only become stronger after losing something.

The night sky of Murim was no longer beautiful.

Yoo Joonghyuk held the sword, and he was born for the first time.

At that moment, he was neither a constellation nor a nebula.

But to the constellations in the distant universe, Yoo Joonghyuk looked like a shining star.

And so Yoo Joonghyuk became a Transcendent.

The video ended with a bright beam of light.

Sitting on a park bench watching the video together, [41] murmured.

“Do you have such memories?”

The Secretive Plotter slowly shook his head.

He has an old habit of borrowing the memories of little Yoo Joonghyuks to restore his lifetime, but this was also the first time he saw this memory.

“Do you remember when you first saw it? You're the 'Yoo Joonghyuk' who has all the memories of 'Yoo Joonghyuk'."

Yoo Joonghyuk of the 41st turn.

Out of all the regressions, he was the only Yoo Joonghyuk who couldn't remember most of his life. That was why even the Secretive Plotter didn’t know exactly everything happened in his life.

The memories of Yoo Joonghyuk, who has gone through 1863 regressions, is as vast as a universe.

Among those, there are some memories that may have existed but have not been preserved. You might wonder what that meant, but that's how the universe was created.

As if suddenly remembering something, the 'Secretive Plotter' took out a notebook from his pocket.

『Kim Dokja's Comment Record』

Seeing the name of the notebook, [41] asked with wide eyes.

“What’s that?”

“I mean, why do you have that?”

The Secretive Plotter did not answer, but simply turned the pages. He finally came to a stop at a certain point.

The Secretive Plotter looked at this comment for a long moment.

Did Kim Dokja leave this comment before or after the Breaking the Sky Sword Saint mentioned his birthday?

At that moment, a ting ting sound rang out, and a text message was sent.

ᅳ Captain. You will come today at eight o'clock, right? Everyone here is waiting.

A picture was attached to the message.

It seemed that everyone was making dumplings together, Lee Jihye, whose cheeks were covered with flour, raising her fingers to make the V sign. He saw Kim Namwoon standing beside her, frowning. Lee Hyunsung was holding a cracked dumpling, unsure of what to do, and Uriel was making giant sheep-shaped dumplings. He also saw the hand of a boy who appeared to be a middle school student at the edge of the photo.

The Secretive Plotter sent back a message.

ᅳ I don't eat what others make.

The reply came immediately.

ᅳ What about this?

Lee Jihye sent him a picture of a dumpling the size of a human head. No matter how you look at it, it's not the size consumable for a human. This dumpling was not acceptable to his standard.

On the massive dumpling were squiggly letters, written in ketchup.

Dumplings made by others

The Secretive Plotter looked at the photo for a while before responding.

ᅳ Dumplings made by others then I…

Writing until that point, Secretive Plotter suddenly pressed the Backspace key, erasing the entire sentence.

Seeing that, [41] grinned. The scattering afterimages of [41] seeped into the Secretive plotter.

Secretive Plotter rose from his seat without saying a word.

Without realizing, the sun has already set. He looked at his watch and it was already 7 in the evening. Originally, this would be the starting time of the scenario's paid service. But no matter how long he waited, the scenarios wouldn't start.

Next to the flashing clock was the date indicator .

August 3rd.

It was a day in the solar calendar that had nothing to do with him.

The sun isn’t his sponsor constellation, so naturally, the solar calendar wasn't his time. [2]

No one lived the same time as he did, no one could.

But even so……

Those who remember him said that today was his birthday.

Now he no longer finds that fact sad anymore.

Notes:

Some explanations from the Vietnamese translators:

Murim worlds in the novel are adapted from Chinese martial arts novel/film, it is most likely that they follow the lunar calendar rather than a solar calendar. And the day Breaking the Sky Sword Saint chooses to be Yoo Joonghyuk's birthday may be 8/3 in the lunar calendar. So 8/3 in the solar calendar doesn't make sense to Yoo Joonghyuk.

Another way to explain it is that after becoming the Secretive Plotter, Yoo Joonghyuk's time cannot be measured using normal standards. Just like when Dokja only wandered to another world for a few days, but on Earth 3 years have passed. So the solar calendar doesn't mean anything to Yoo Joonghyuk anymore, because he's already exist out of the timeflow.