Chapter 9

Ding.

System

• You have acquired Jin Family’s Manoeuvre Technique.

• You can obtain various effects by mastering this martial art.

• You have completed the achievement Learn a Martial Art.

• As a reward for completing the achievement, you have acquired the title Novice Trainee.

“Good grief.”

The moment the System notification appeared, I slumped to the floor. Dust billowed into the air, but who cared? I already looked like a bum anyway.

Why is this so damn hard?

There were only two kinds of books in Jin Taekyung’s study.

Erotic novels. And books that weren’t erotic novels.

Of the more than four hundred books, only about a hundred remained once I removed the erotic novels.

What an incredible bastard.

If he’d been born in Korea, he would’ve been running an illegal adult website. If he’d been born in America, he’d be serving a prison sentence.

At any rate, once I finished sorting them, there were only about thirty martial arts manuals.

If only he’d collected half as many manuals as erotic novels.

It was a shame from my perspective, but I had still made a worthwhile discovery. I’d found the martial arts manuals I needed right now.

The Jin Family’s Spear Technique and the Jin Family’s Manoeuvre Technique. They were hereditary martial arts of the Jin Family of Taiyuan—arts I’d forgotten because I hadn’t practiced them in far too long.

Check the Jin Family’s Manoeuvre Technique.

Ding.

System

Skill Window

Jin Family’s Manoeuvre Technique

Type: Manoeuvre Technique

Grade: First Rate

Restriction: Direct descendants of the Jin Family of Taiyuan

Realm: First Stage

Description: A manoeuvre technique devised by the founder of the Jin Family of Taiyuan. It has few variations and is monotonous, but it is practical.

The description of the Jin Family’s Spear Technique wasn’t much different. Except…

“Few variations and monotonous,” my ass.

This hereditary martial art, supposedly created by the family founder—or was it some prehistoric bird?—was complicated as hell. Just thinking about last night made me grind my teeth.

System

• Acquisition of Jin Family’s Manoeuvre Technique will now begin.

• Memorizing the formula. Speed varies according to the martial art’s Grade and your Intelligence.

Right. Everything was fine up to that point.

The problem started after that.

System

• Displaying the movement sequence for Jin Family’s Manoeuvre Technique. (0 / 100)

I followed the footprints displayed by the System and practiced the manoeuvre technique. But the footprints were so fussy and razor-precise that stepping even slightly outside them meant failure. Taking too long to perform the next movement also meant failure.

I had to follow the entire sequence perfectly for it to count as one completion.

What a fucking garbage game.

There was a major difference between my real-world physique and this character’s. I was nearly half a handspan shorter, and my reach was shorter too. I couldn’t make the fine adjustments I needed, so one mistake followed another.

It’s a miracle I succeeded at all.

After completing the sequence one hundred times, my hands and feet were trembling.

Still, I gained one thing.

After years of working as a Hunter, I was thoroughly familiar with combat—especially group battles. In fights where life and death were on the line, the most important thing was luck first and your feet second.

Advance. Retreat. Or stop.

Even if your arm was cut off, you could survive as long as your legs still moved. But if your legs were cut off, it was over.

Your feet had to move before your arms could. That was how every battle I’d fought had worked, and that was why I’d chosen to learn the manoeuvre technique first.

But…

It was too slow. Even with the System’s help, half a day vanished in the blink of an eye. How much longer would it take if I also had to learn spear techniques?

Today makes five days.

I’d heard that time passed faster in virtual-reality games than in the real world. But even after accounting for the time multiplier, five days was a long time.

“Whew.”

I sighed and forced the distracting thoughts from my mind.

Rescue? Logout?

This wasn’t the time to cling to possibilities. I had to keep moving forward, even if I had to do it alone.

That’s enough for today.

I gathered up the martial arts manuals and stood.

When I reached the bedroom on the second floor, I realized that one unusual book had been mixed in among the manuals.

The Night King: Well-Endowed Man

“Ahem.”

Oh dear. What a mistake.

“Are you up already?”

The servant stared at me with wide eyes, holding a tray laden with breakfast.

“I couldn’t sleep…”

It was the truth. Circulating my qi was the reason.

This is ridiculously effective.

Circulating my qi didn’t just clear my mind and sharpen my senses. It also relieved fatigue. Come to think of it, I didn’t think I’d felt tired once since I started doing it.

The pain is almost gone too.

“Your wounds could worsen, so please don’t push yourself too hard.”

Warmth spread through my chest at the servant’s words.

Even this shitty game has an NPC who’s like a ray of light. I’ve finally met a normal person.

Why is something this small getting to me?

Choked up, I began eating breakfast.

Every side dish was either too salty or too bland, but hunger made them tasty enough. I polished off the meal, then downed the bowl of herbal medicine in one gulp.

“Ugh.”

The taste made my face scrunch up. Once the servant had cleared everything away, he bowed his head.

“Then I shall take my leave.”

“Ah, wait a second.”

“Please speak less formally. Why are you using honorifics with me?”

Come to think of it, he had a point.

At first, the graphics and artificial intelligence had been so realistic that I had used polite speech with every NPC I met. But by now, I had grown somewhat accustomed to them.

At last, the time had come to reclaim my dignity as a user.

I answered sternly.

“For now, I’ll speak however I’m comfortable.”

Fuck, I can’t bring myself to drop the honorifics.

I couldn’t exactly talk down to a man who clearly looked over forty and call him “you bastard” or “you punk.”

Damn game. The graphics are so good I can’t even speak informally.

At this rate, I’ll end up becoming friends with an NPC.

When I emphasized that I’d injured my head, the servant reluctantly nodded.

“I suppose it can’t be helped. Is there something you require?”

“I was wondering if there was an empty room.”

The servant tilted his head.

“I can arrange one for you, but what might you need it for?”

“I want to practice martial arts.”

“Pardon?”

“All the rooms here are either dirty or stuffy… Why do you look like that?”

After leaving the pavilion, the servant ran straight to the Family Head’s office.

Once his report was finished, Jin Wikyung’s solemn voice rang out from beyond a tower of documents.

“You’ve done well.”

The instant the servant left, Jin Wikyung sprang to his feet and sent the documents flying into the air.

“It’s cause for celebration! I’m not working today!”

“Who said you could decide that?”

Wipeng caught every last one of the fluttering documents and sighed.

“If the others find out you’re acting like this, they’ll start talking again.”

“The Third Young Master says he’s going to take up martial arts in earnest. What could possibly be more important than that?”

“The fact that the Elder Council is waiting to pounce on you is more important.”

At the words Elder Council, Jin Wikyung’s expression darkened.

“Damn old men.”

“A family council meeting may be held soon. From their perspective, they’ve spotted an opening, so naturally they’ll sink their teeth into it.”

The agenda was obvious. It would begin with Jin Taekyung’s usual conduct and end with an attack on Jin Wikyung himself, the Lesser Family Head.

“Those bastards are persistent.”

“Is that anything new? Old pillars always end up crawling with bugs.”

“Isn’t there any way around it?”

“So you’re volunteering to serve as the Third Young Master’s shield again.”

Wipeng sighed.

“My lord, may I offer a word?”

“I refuse.”

“Then I refuse as well. This is the fifth time he’s embezzled the family’s public funds. I’ve lost count of the other things. If we had enforced the family rules properly, it would be a miracle if the Third Young Master were still alive.”

“Now, now.”

“Since we’re on the subject, grab anyone in the family and ask them. To you, he’s your beloved little brother. To everyone else…”

Wipeng shook his head.

“Honestly, I can’t even say it.”

“Do you have something against our youngest? What’s with that tone?”

“I’m frustrated. That’s all. Frustrated. The Third Young Master causes trouble, you clean it up, and then you agree to the Elder Council’s demands to protect him. They’re chipping away at your authority bit by bit. Do you know what rumor is going around these days?”

“What rumor?”

“Some people say the Third Young Master is part of the Elder faction. That he gets pocket money from the Elder Council and deliberately causes trouble.”

Jin Wikyung’s eyelids began to twitch.

“That’s an outrage!”

“I’d actually prefer that to be true. If the Elder Council slipped him even a few silver coins, he wouldn’t have to embezzle the family’s funds.”

“You…”

“I’ve said my piece. Fire me if you want.”

With a groan, Jin Wikyung let out a deep sigh.

“I’ve been thinking things can’t go on like this, either.”

“Thinking is all well and good. The problem is that you never act on it.”

“Even so, I should do my best this time.”

“Oh, my lord…”

“This will be the last time. I give you my word.”

Jin Wikyung spoke with a serious expression. Wipeng asked, sounding skeptical,

“Do you really mean it?”

“He’s still a child whose memory hasn’t fully returned. And besides… he changed into an entirely different person overnight. You’ve noticed it too.”

“That’s true, but…”

Wipeng trailed off.

The Third Young Master had definitely changed. Whether the memory loss was a lie or the truth, the way he was behaving now was undeniably hopeful.

Jin Wikyung thought for a moment before speaking.

“Wipeng.”

“Yes.”

“Prepare an order in my name.”

“What sort of…?”

“Find a few suitable charges and sentence him to indefinite seclusion in the training hall.”

“Ah.”

Wipeng slapped his forehead.

It was mostly for show, but under the circumstances, it was an excellent emergency measure. It would relieve the pressure Jin Wikyung was about to receive at the upcoming family council meeting while lowering the severity of the punishment imposed on Jin Taekyung.

And on top of that…

“It fulfills the Third Young Master’s request too. He was looking for somewhere to train.”

Wasn’t this three birds with one stone? Wipeng was genuinely impressed.

“As expected of you, my lord.”

“That’s how the people in my family are. Oh, did I ever tell you? Taekyung was such a clever child when he was young. One day…”

“…I’ll go write the order.”

“Therefore, for violating fourteen regulations and disrupting the discipline of the family, the Third Young Master, Jin Taekyung, is hereby sentenced to indefinite seclusion in the training hall.”

His name was… Wipeng, wasn’t it?

I listened silently to the sour-looking bastard, then raised my hand.

“I have a question.”

“Go ahead.”

“What does ‘indefinite’ mean?”

Wipeng answered reluctantly.

“It means there is no set deadline.”

“Oh.”

I’d thought the game’s language system had malfunctioned. Fortunately, it meant exactly what I thought it meant.

Ha ha.

“Ha ha ha.”

“Ho ho ho.”

Laughter was contagious. The warriors who had accompanied Wipeng began laughing along with me.

In that warm atmosphere, Wipeng read the final line.

“The convict, Jin Taekyung, shall submit to the bonds.”

“No.”

“…”

“…”

“I said no. Fuck.”

The two men approaching with rope restraints looked at Wipeng as if to say, This isn’t how it was supposed to go.

I ignored them and said what I had to say.

“I asked you to find me a room to practice in, not throw me in prison.”

Were these people all completely fucking insane?

“Now, Third Young Master. Calm down and listen to me.”

“Listen to what, for fuck’s sake? You’re going to tell me the training hall has everything I need for practice and the living conditions aren’t bad. That kind of bullshit.”

Judging by Wipeng’s expression, I’d hit the nail on the head. I drove the point home.

“You people are the type to tell someone to enjoy military service because soldiers got a pay raise. Forget it. I’m not going in. I’ll practice by myself in my room or out in the yard.”

Honestly, on the surface, the training hall didn’t sound so bad.

But the word indefinite stuck in my mind like a thorn. I needed to learn martial arts and Level up immediately. I couldn’t spend day after day in the training hall, craning my neck and waiting to be let out.

I flopped onto the floor.

“Go ahead and gut me!”

“Third Young Master, that’s enough. Please get up.”

Wipeng scowled at me.

“The Lesser Family Head made this decision entirely for your sake.”

“Jin Wikyung—I mean, my brother?”

That brother-obsessed idiot had given this order?

At that moment, Wipeng’s lips moved. A voice reached my ears at the same time, with a strange quality unlike ordinary speech.

This is Sound Transmission. Don’t be alarmed. Just listen.

Sound Transmission. I remembered seeing it in martial arts novels. A kind of telepathy that only masters could use.

“You may not know this because you’ve lost your memory, but the Third Young Master is a person of concern. A harsher punishment may be handed down soon, so the Lesser Family Head is taking action beforehand.”

I had worked hard for twenty-seven years. What did I do to deserve an aggravated sentence?

As I lamented, Wipeng’s Sound Transmission continued in my ear.

“It may be called indefinite confinement, but do you really think the Lesser Family Head intends to bury you in the training hall for the rest of your life?”

I shook my head. There was no way he would do that.

Unless he wanted the two of us locked in there together.

I’ll get you out within seven days and nights at the latest. How does that sound?

There was fierce determination in Wipeng’s eyes. If I refused this too, he looked ready to beat me and drag me there if he had to.

Fuck, are all the NPCs here thugs or what?

Hey, you bastard. Are you really that good at fighting?

I raised my Qi Sense and checked Wipeng’s Level.

System

• Lv. ???

“…”

He really is a thug.

A Level thug.

He was probably every bit the human butcher Jin Wikyung was.

Wipeng opened his eyes wide and asked,

What will you do?

Even as I trembled with fear, I held up three fingers.

…You want me to get you out in three days?

What kind of bastard is this?

Wipeng glared at me as if he were thinking exactly that. Then he sighed.

“Escort him.”

#TrainingHall #ClosedDoorTraining #Negotiation #Successful.