Nano Machine Chapter 23: This Guy, He Fooled Us All! (E)

Seven days have passed since Cadet Number Twenty-Three's comical, yet sad return to the dormitory. The ruthless Cheon Moo Geum mocked and beat him which went onto Cheon Yeo Woon's favor for these actions kept his former torture victim from spilling the beans on him.

It was now the fourteenth day since the time Ma Fighting Academy started, which marked the day when they would have discharged Cheon Yeo Woon from the dispensary. As always, East Grand Lord Seop Maeng had come to the dispensary early in the morning in the guise of dark.

However, unlike other times he was holding in his hand a leather sack that looked like a scabbard.

"Good morning, teacher." Cheon Yeo Woon got off the bed and greeted Seop Maeng with a casual bow.

Although it was only two weeks, Cheon Yeo Woon became a lot more relaxed in Seop Maeng's presence.

"Keul keul, I still have a lot to teach you, but it's already our last day."

It seemed uncharacteristic but based on the lack of redness at the tip of his nose, Seop Maeng was sober.

He looked a little downcast over the occasion. There was a part of him that wanted to train Cheon Yeo Woon in a formal setting, but in order to abide by the academy rules and regulations, he knew his wishes wasn't possible.

"Teacher, what is that in your hand?"

"Hehehe, I have brought this to show you the sword your teacher uses."

It sounded like vain boasting, but in reality, he had brought it to grant the last request Cheon Yeo Woon had made. The night before, Cheon Yeo Woon asked one final lesson if Seop Maeng can show him what jeopmoo dobeop looks like from beginning to end.

"Curious, huh?"

Cheng!

Seop Maeng pulled out his sheathed sword from the scabbard on his hand. The blade wasn't wider compared to other swords, but the length looked about four feet long. In the middle of its sharp blade was an engraving on which read "Gwangmoo."

"Here, try holding it."

Hwik!

Cheon Yeo Woon braced himself before catching the sword tossed at him. He thought it would have an unbearable weight, but, having never held a sword before, he couldn't be too sure how to compare its heaviness relative to other swords.

"Light, isn't it?"

"It feels lighter than I thought, at least."

"Most swords used by other masters are about three to four pounds. However, our sword, the Gwangmoo Sword, which our ancestors passed down for generations, weighs only about a pound and a half."

"Is it because of jeopmoo dobeop?

"Keul keul keul, you are a quick thinker as usual."

As Cheon Yeo Woon mentioned, East Grand Lord Seop Maeng's Jeopmoo Dobeop, when broken down to its bare meaning meant dancing (-moo) butterfly (jeop-). Compared to other fighting forms, Jeopmpp Dobeop emphasized light-heartedness and buoyancy. When trained to its uttermost level, it would make the fighter resemble a flying butterfly. With that being said, it was preferable for the fighter to use a lighter weapon where they can leverage the most fundamental elements of this fighting style.

"That doesn't mean the Gwangmoo Sword is dull or not durable. Give me the sword."

"Here it is, teacher."

Cheon Yeo Woon flipped the sword around and handed it to Seop Maeng facing its hilt toward him. As soon as Seop Maeng grabbed the sword, he swung at the corner of the bed's headboard in front of him.

*Chwa-ak!*

Even though it was a light stroke, the sharp blade of the sword lopped off a piece of the bed's top rail. Cheon Yeo Woon quickly bent down and picked up the block of wood sliced off the headboard and hid it in a corner of the room. If he knew Seop Maeng would slash at the bed like that, he probably would've stopped him.

-Sigh-

Being the clean freak that Baek Jong Myeong is, he likes to keep the dispensary clean, but if he saw what happened to the bed frame, there would be no doubt it would annoy him.

"….. the sword's blade is really sharp."

"Keul keul, although it is lightweight and has a short width, its durability and sharpness were unmatched since it's made from smelted iron. I'd say it's worthy to be our ancestral sword, no?"

Seop Maeng saved himself from saying much about the other swords, but his Gwangmoo Sword was one of the three ancestral swords within the Ma faction.

"Before we go on, let's do a quick run-through of what you've learned so far."

"Yes, teacher."

Since consuming the manna orb, Cheon Yeo Woon spent the rest of his time learning the four key foot patterns and fighting stances involved in learning the basics of Jeopmoo Dobeop.

Seop Maeng emphasized the most fundamental element of any martial art and their different forms revolved around footwork.

To engage in Hojeop Dobeop, one had to first get Jeopyoung Bobeop's light-hearted and buoyant footwork down pat. This would lead to a better foundation crucial for training in the long-run.

*Tak tak!*

With light and bouncy steps, Cheon Yeo Woon maneuvered his feet with precision while keeping the allotted distance between his two feet. It's only been a few days since his training, but his movements were already fluid and flawless.

-As I thought, this kid is a prodigy!-

Although Seop Maeng didn't say it out loud, Cheon Yeo Woon rendered him speechless. He had shown Cheon Yeo Woon the various stances and movements only a few times, adjusting his form as he went. With his level of aptitude, he would have no problem learning the basics.

In reality, however, it was Nano, the nano machine's scan and transfer process, that enabled Cheon Yeo Woon to memorize what he had learned from Seop Maeng.

-If I do it too perfectly right from the get-go, he will be suspicious.-

Even though Seop Maeng was his teacher if his footwork was a little too perfect from the start there would be a risk of his secret being discovered. So instead, he made slow movements with a hint of awkwardness.

"Okay, next is the stance."

Twenty-four movement patterns composed Jeopmoo Dobeop, and when the fighter combines three movements, it creates a form. One could create eight forms with these patterns of movements and Cheon Yeo Woon had yet to learn to connect these movements into a form. The solidity of one's foundation would determine if one could know the key to becoming a skilled master, Seop Maeng had spent much of his time teaching Cheon Yeo Woon the various foot movements and stances first.

"Huh-uh."

As Seop Maeng observed Cheon Yeo Woon, there was a part of him that felt regret. With his level of aptitude, if given two months, he would have perfected the fundamentals of Jeopmoo Dobeop. But, their time had ended even before it could get started.

"That's good enough. You've done well. Keul keul."

"Thank you for the undeserved compliments, teacher."

Since it was the last day, Seop Maeng didn't save his smiles of approval as he commended his disciple. Just like the same day when he visited Cheon Yeo Woon, Seop Maeng pulled out a wrinkled-up piece of paper from inside his vest. The handwriting wasn't so pretty, but it was clear in the notes he tried to give perfect detail with each stroke of the pen. He had written on it the qi circulation pattern and eight fundamental forms of Jeopmoo Dobeop.

"It'd be good if I could teach it to you in person, but since we're out of time, you can take this. With your attitude and knowledge, you have no problem getting the basics down. Next time when I get the chance, I will test you on it so don't be lazy and make sure you train hard."

"…. thank you. Your disciple will do his best to meet your expectation."

His teacher's wholehearted tutelage moved Cheon Yeo Woon, and it's hard to not show it. Contrary to East Grand Lord Seop Maeng's unrefined nature, he was altruistic towards Cheon Yeo Woon, his first disciple.

"Now I've given you all my secret sauces, I'll show you what you asked for. Step back."

*Cheng!*

As Cheon Yeo Woon took a step back and gave him space, Seop Maeng pulled out his Gwangmoo Sword from the scabbard. Cheon Yeo Woon never saw his teacher's fighting form in full swing once during his two-week tutelage. Seop Maeng's face took on a very serious expression as he got ready to show his disciple the full arsenal of Jeopmoo Dobeop.

While he shifted his feet to begin his first stance, Cheon Yeo Woon looked on with great anticipation in his eyes as he alerted Nano.

"Nano, get ready to scan this."

[Initiating movement scan as per the user's command]