Chapter 15

Wipeng thought,

What am I looking at right now?

Something unbelievable was happening before his eyes. The Third Young Master—of all people, that very Third Young Master—was holding his own against Lee Seogeun.

Am I hallucinating?

Who was Lee Seogeun?

He was the Sect Leader’s own blood, the inheritor of his martial arts, and a First Rate swordsman.

When the Third Young Master first accepted Lee Seogeun’s challenge to a duel, Wipeng had sighed inwardly. What nerve did a guy who had barely escaped Third Rate think he had?

And then what? Come out? Let’s have a go?

Crazy bastard. He’s talking shit.

Something did seem to have changed lately. Hadn’t he suddenly started using polite speech without fail? Hadn’t he started practicing martial arts until late at night?

Oh, and there was also that bullshit about losing his memory.

At the time, Wipeng had wondered if the man had gone insane. But when he heard today that the Third Young Master had laid a hand on the Mount Heng Sword Sect’s cherished jewel, enlightenment struck him.

He had nearly ascended to immortality on the spot.

Of course. A person can’t change overnight.

Wipeng had served the Jin Family of Taiyuan for more than ten years. In his eyes, Jin Taekyung had gone beyond merely having yellow sprouts—his were practically golden.¹

But what could he do? Taekyung was his lord’s beloved youngest brother and a direct descendant of the Jin Family. Wipeng had intended to save him before Lee Seogeun turned him into a half-cripple.

And yet…

Whack! Whack! Whack!

Now Lee Seogeun was the one getting beaten without mercy.

By Jin Taekyung.

Wipeng knew the martial arts Taekyung was using: the Jin Family’s Manoeuvre Technique and Spear Technique.

He was fairly skilled at linking the two techniques together, and there was even a seasoned air to his movements—the hard-won experience of a wandering martial artist who had spent around ten years roughing it in back alleys.

What in the world…?

No one could master martial arts in a day or two.

That was the natural order Wipeng believed in, and he knew exactly one person who defied it.

The Second Young Master.

Jin Mukyung, the Second Young Master of the Jin Family of Taiyuan. A genius who had reached the Peak realm before the age of twenty—a true prodigy who defied the natural order.

Could the Third Young Master possibly…?

Wipeng’s thoughts went no further. A commotion had broken out around them.

“This duel is invalid!”

“Stop the duel immediately!”

“The Jin Family of Taiyuan used underhanded tricks!”

“That’s right! Otherwise, how could our Young Master possibly lose to trash like that—”

The Mount Heng Sword Sect warriors who had been snickering moments ago now had their hands on their sword hilts.

Would you look at these lunatics.

It was true that the Mount Heng Sword Sect had been riding high lately, but now even underlings like these dared to throw their weight around.

Wipeng could bear it no longer and was about to step forward when—

Whoosh—smack!

The wind blew, and about ten teeth flew through the air.

A Mount Heng Sword Sect warrior, blood pouring from the corner of his mouth, stared blankly up at the enormous shadow looming over him.

“What trash?”

“Buh. Buh-buh.”

Jin Wikyung calmly looked down at the warrior, who could no longer speak properly, then slapped him across the mouth with a palm as large as a cauldron lid.

Smack! Clatter.

The warrior spat out every tooth he had left, then lost consciousness and collapsed.

Leaving the Mount Heng Sword Sect warriors frozen behind him, Jin Wikyung returned to his seat and resumed watching the duel.

Wipeng sighed.

“This could cause trouble…”

“Wipeng.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t say anything.”

Jin Wikyung gazed at his youngest brother with shining eyes and added,

“This is the best moment of my life.”

This was my first time using martial arts in a real fight. Since learning them, I hadn’t had any reason to fight anyone—and I hadn’t wanted to, either.

But…

I had always thought about it. If I ever faced an enemy, if the moment came when I had to use my martial arts in actual combat, how would I respond?

In that respect, my time in the training hall had meant a great deal.

Whack!

“Guh!”

Lee Seogeun folded like a shrimp when the shaft of my spear struck him squarely in the abdomen.

He had dropped his greatsword a long time ago. I kept advancing and swinging the shaft, and every blow tore another scream from him.

Whack! Whack! Whack!

“Gaaaah!”

At first, I had been bewildered. My kick actually worked? Lee Seogeun is Level 30, and I’m only Level 14.

But after exchanging more than fifty blows, I realized the truth.

I’m stronger.

Lee Seogeun was definitely strong. Compared to a Hunter in the real world, he would be at least C-rank.

But I was stronger. The difference was slight, but it was undeniable.

Strength, Stamina, Agility.

And experience.

“Graaah!”

Lee Seogeun charged at me with a roar. He was fast. And destructive. Every step he took left the training-ground floor dented and cracked.

But he has no finesse.

Lee Seogeun was young. And because he was young, he lacked experience. Against a weaker opponent, he could make up for that with sheer strength.

But I was different.

I was stronger, and I had more experience.

I’m going to win. No doubt about it.

It wasn’t determination. It was certainty.

That was why I threw away my spear without hesitation.

Now neither of us had a weapon. It would be body against body.

The moment Lee Seogeun saw me discard my weapon, fire poured from his eyes.

“You looked down on me? You dare—how dare you!”

Anger made the body rigid and movements simple.

I hooked Lee Seogeun’s leg as he charged like a bull and sent him tumbling. Then I straddled his chest as he tried to get back up.

“What is this…?”

Looking down into his bewildered eyes, I asked,

“Ever heard of full mount?”

I didn’t wait for an answer. I drove my fist straight down.

Lee Seogeun desperately whipped his head from side to side, but it did him no good.

Bam-bam-bam-bam!

Chin, cheek, forehead, nose… I rained blows down on every part of his face without discrimination. Lee Seogeun twisted his body endlessly and screamed until, at some point, he went limp.

This should be enough.

My original purpose in accepting the duel was to avoid war with the Mount Heng Sword Sect.

It would be a problem if Lee Seogeun suffered serious injuries. I had to stop before I went too far.

A little worried, I shook him by the shoulder.

“Hey, are you oka—”

Smack!

The world flashed before my eyes.

A little dizziness. Drops of bright-red blood dripped from my stinging chin.

Lee Seogeun’s fist had grazed me.

Ah. I let my guard down.

If I hadn’t jerked my head back at the last instant, I would have been in serious trouble. That blow had been imbued with internal energy.

“You dodged that?”

Seizing the opportunity, Lee Seogeun quickly escaped the mount and scrambled away, utterly bewildered.

Of course he was. He probably hadn’t imagined that a guy like me—no, a guy like Jin Taekyung—would humiliate him like this.

And now even his best shot had come to nothing.

“This can’t be… This can’t be happening.”

He muttered as if possessed, so I kindly answered him.

“Life’s full of surprises.”

“Why! How! How could this possibly happen? I’m Lee Seogeun. I’m Lee Seogeun of the Mount Heng Sword Sect!”

Lee Seogeun shouted with bloodshot eyes.

“I honed my skills for ten years. So why! Why am I losing to someone like you? To debauched, lazy trash like you!”

Although he was only a game character, at that moment, I could sympathize with him.

The feeling that all your effort had betrayed you. The futility. The emptiness.

I felt that way, too.

I had felt it for seven years. Time might dull that sense of having been robbed, but it never disappeared.

In the end, I had accepted it.

Reality was cruel.

I spoke to Lee Seogeun.

“Give up now. You’re weaker than me.”

Those words made Lee Seogeun’s eyes go wild with rage.

“Shut your mouth!”

The air around us crackled.

Gathering every last bit of strength he had left, Lee Seogeun shot forward like an arrow.

“I told you clearly. You made your choice.”

“Stop spouting bullshit!”

Whoosh.

With the sound of air splitting apart, his fist grazed my face by a hair. That alone sliced my skin and drew blood.

It was faster and stronger than any attack I had seen from him so far.

But the same goes for me.

I channeled internal energy into my right foot and brought it down on the top of Lee Seogeun’s foot.

Crack!

With the sound of breaking bone, his foot slammed into the training-ground floor and sank into it.

“Graaah!”

I drove my knuckles into his screaming face. His nose broke, and teeth scattered through the air. With his leg buried up to the calf, he couldn’t even pull himself free.

One more.

More.

More.

Whack. Whack. Whack.

Chest. Side. Stomach.

And finally—

The solar plexus.

Thump!

It landed cleanly. And it wasn’t merely a punch. It was a single blow with a tremendous concentration of internal energy behind it.

Lee Seogeun’s eyes flew wide.

“Guh!”

His pupils lost focus. The strength left his body, his back bent backward, and he began to collapse.

I saw it all as if it were happening in slow motion.

I even saw my right foot shooting toward his abdomen.

Pop!

With a sound like a balloon bursting, Lee Seogeun went sailing through the air.

Everyone watched it happen.

Jin Wikyung. Wipeng. The people of the Jin Family of Taiyuan and the warriors of the Mount Heng Sword Sect.

And me, too.

Thud.

Lee Seogeun flew more than ten meters before hitting the ground. He seemed to have lost consciousness. He didn’t so much as twitch.

I let out the breath I had been holding and stood tall beneath the dozens of gazes that had shifted from Lee Seogeun to me.

“Whoo. Whoo.”

Ding.

System

• The Duel Quest has been successfully completed!

• Quest rewards will be distributed!

• You have acquired the Title Gambler!

• You have gained EXP and Fame!

• An additional reward has been granted for your overwhelming performance!

• Jin Family’s Cultivation Technique has risen to the Fourth Stage!

• Qi Sense has risen to the Third Stage. You can now detect targets up to Level 50.

• Level up!

• Level up!

• Level up!

The System notifications rang out like celebratory fireworks.

The Mount Heng Sword Sect left.

Since they had all arrived on horseback, the Jin Family of Taiyuan even had to lend them a carriage to transport the injured.

But Lee Seogeun was one thing. Who was the other guy?

Every one of his teeth was gone, and the cloth stuffed into his mouth was soaked with blood.

Good Lord. What kind of bastard had—

Just then, Jin Wikyung patted me on the shoulder with a solemn expression.

“Well done. You did even better than I expected.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you—”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Because there’s blood splattered on your cheek.

I had no idea why, but in that brief span of time, he had somehow turned a man into a cripple.

“So, what do you think?”

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

“About ending your confinement. It is true that your usual conduct has been disgraceful, but the remarkable performance you showed today is a great blessing for our family.”

Jin Wikyung looked around as he continued.

“What do the rest of you think?”

The senior members looked displeased, but none seemed particularly inclined to object. Compared to the looks they had given me in the meeting hall earlier, I almost felt that they were favorable.

Is it because they’re Murim people?

In novels, Murim was a place where justice mattered, but strength came first. Maybe defeating Lee Seogeun had influenced them.

“You should answer me. Hahaha.”

…Or maybe it was because of Jin Wikyung.

His mouth was smiling, but his eyes were not. Combined with the blood on his cheek, it was a scene straight out of a horror movie.

“I wholeheartedly agree,” Wipeng said.

Once Wipeng’s manipulation of public opinion was added to the mix, one by one, the others voiced their agreement.

Jin Wikyung watched the coerced vote, enforced through a show of force, and smiled in satisfaction.

Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!

Lee Seogeun bit down hard on his lip. Jin Taekyung’s face refused to leave his mind.

I lost? To trash like him?

The matter with the Jin Family of Taiyuan had given them more than enough justification.

If the Mount Heng Sword Sect profited from it, all well and good. If the Jin Family refused and the conflict escalated into full-scale war, that would also have counted as a success.

If he had turned Jin Taekyung into a half-cripple, word would have spread throughout Shanxi.

The Jin Family of Taiyuan had suffered humiliation at the hands of the Mount Heng Sword Sect.

But he had failed.

How could this have happened?

He had taken up a sword as a child. He wasn’t a genius, but neither was he mediocre.

The second son of the Mount Heng Sword Sect. A promising young martial artist. A First Rate swordsman.

He had always been someone others admired…

Damn it!

Everything he had possessed had been shattered today. For the first time, he had been brought to his knees by Jin Taekyung’s merciless violence—and lost consciousness.

When he opened his eyes, he was already inside a carriage.

Even this carriage belonged to the Jin Family of Taiyuan.

Fire poured from Lee Seogeun’s eyes.

I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you with my own hands, Jin Taekyung!

Unable to contain his rising fury, he slammed his fist into the carriage wall.

The carriage stopped.

Lee Seogeun shouted harshly,

“What are you doing? Don’t dawdle. Get moving again!”

At that moment, the spot between his eyebrows prickled.

• Get moving? We should. But going to the Mount Heng Sword Sect would be a little troublesome.

Sound Transmission?

“Who is it!” Lee Seogeun shouted, but no sound escaped his throat.

His chest felt tight, and his throat hurt as if it were on fire. The carriage began moving again.

• Let’s do this. Mount Beimang first. We can go to the Mount Heng Sword Sect afterward.²

What does that—

It took no longer than a few blinks.

His limbs went numb, and pain flared violently through his body. Lee Seogeun turned his trembling head.

Someone wearing a mask was staring at him.

“Grrk… grrrk.”

Who are you?

Instead of his voice, dark, discolored blood poured from his mouth.

His vision blurred. The sounds around him grew distant.

Sa… save me…

That was his final thought.

The next moment, he plunged headfirst into darkness.

“Farewell, Young Hero Lee.”

The masked man smiled brightly as he retrieved the large blue-black needle from the dead man’s brow.