Chapter 11 (5)
Chapter 11 (5)
"So, they sent you guys because they wanted to know why I'm looking for the Black Spot?"
"Ye...yes......"
The guys who ambushed me were fixers sent by the Black Spot.
Some unknown brat is running around smashing up gambling dens while looking for the Black Spot, so they must be wondering what the hell is going on.
"Well, I get it. I would've thought the same thing."
"Th...then......"
"But I cannot forgive you for attacking me!"
"What kind of bullshit... Kuaak!"
I smacked the attacker who answered my question on the head, knocking him out.
"Alright, next."
I turned to batter number two and gave him a bright smile as I saw his stiff face.
"Why so serious? Come on, smile. Smile. If I had any ill will toward the Black Spot, you guys would already be dead, with only one head left to bring back to the Black Spot. Don't you think?"
"Y...yes, that's right......"
"Hmm~ You smile well. See? You look much better when you smile."
I squatted down to eye level with batter number two, who was forcing a smile, and patted his shoulder.
"I'm looking for the Black Spot because I need to find some information quickly. Look. I even have money for the information fee."
"Ye...yes...... I...see......"
"So, won't you tell me where the Black Spot is?"
"That's, given my position......"
"Ah... I see...... Sob sob. I'm disappointed."
Udeudeuk!
I dislocated his shoulder with my hand.
Hmm~ The sensation of that udeudeuk is nice~
"Kkeuaaak!"
"Don't worry. I broke it kawaii-ly so it won't cause any trouble if you set it back properly. It's not that I don't know how to torture, so I'm just breaking bones. I'm hontoni really asking you, won't you answer while I'm smiling? I'm telling you, I'm a customer!"
"B...but...that is......"
Ppeudeudeuk!
"Kkeueueueok!"
After dislocating both of his shoulders, I checked on the other guys.
Having struck their pressure points to prevent them from using martial arts, the other batters were kneeling and waiting as I ordered, but they were looking at me with eyes that said they couldn't answer this one thing, even out of fear.
"Haa~ Can't be helped. Let's start with the fingernails first......"
Something's flying! Behind!
Kaang!
I deflected the weapon flying from behind with the edge of my hand and spotted a man wearing a martial arts uniform that was quite flashy for an attacker.
"Are you the boss here?"
He looked to be in his mid-30s to early 40s.
He had his hair in a topknot, and his gaze was sharp, possessing an appearance that carried weight.
And the flying dagger technique that would have been lodged in my back if I lacked skill.
He's a master.
"You're a young fellow, just as I heard. Why are you looking for the Black Spot?"
I didn't answer, but I didn't deny or confirm it either.
So it's a silent confirmation, huh.
"Because I need information. Even if I don't look like it, I'm a potential customer."
"Hmph. Is that why you've been running around scorching the gambling dens?"
"I only beat them up enough that they'd recover after a few days of rest, I didn't steal any money, and all I did was break a few doors, so isn't it too much of an exaggeration to call it 'scorching'?"
Ah, I get the feeling. This guy has zero intention of telling me about the Black Spot.
"Insolent......"
"Excuse me? I just need to buy a few pieces of information from the Black Spot, that's all! Can't you just tell me the location of the Black Spot instead of getting beaten up, crying, and telling your superiors?"
"Hiiik!?"
"Heup!"
The ones who reacted most strongly to my provocation were the lackeys who had been suppressed and were kneeling before me.
Seeing this reaction, he's either quite strong, cruel, or both.
"Heh, hehe, hehehehehe. Don't get beaten up, cry, and tell your superiors...... It's been quite a while. How dare you......"
"Ah, yes, yes. Actually, you're a martial artist with an incredibly great reputation and title, right?"
Sorry, but my provocation doesn't end here, old man.
"Wow~ That's amazing~ So scary~ I'm shaking with fear~ Now, I've shown you a scared reaction, so is that enough? If you're satisfied, why don't you just tell me the location of the Black Spot......"
Swish!
Oops.
Wow, how do you aim for the space between the eyebrows with a flying dagger right from the start?
Did the provocation work too well? He doesn't even want to talk?
"I acknowledge you have some skill, but you are very insolent."
"Well, it's better than someone who lacks skill and doesn't even have the eye to see that someone is stronger than them."
"Heu-heok!"
"St...stop it......!"
The ones surprised by my answer were, once again, the lackeys I had suppressed.
"That person is the Talhonbido (Soul-Snatching Flying Daggers) Wi Gang-yeon! If you offend him, you won't even be able to keep your bones intact!"
"Is that so? This body is the next best under heaven, Jincheon."
"......."
"......."
"Hm? What? Why is everyone silent? They introduced him, so I introduced myself, didn't I?"
"He's a madman,"
The old man named Wi Gang-yeon concluded that I was a madman at that answer.
Yeah, we passed the point of resolving this with words from the beginning.
In that case, there's no choice but to resolve it thoroughly with skill.
"Pioneers are always evaluated in the future. Like how a person with two perfectly fine eyes is treated as abnormal if they go to a village where everyone is one-eyed."
"I'll make you shut that trap first!"
That would be impossible. The number of guys who have said that so far is over a hundred!
Wi Gang-yeon threw a flying dagger aiming for my head and then moved to the back.
Luring me? I don't feel any other presence?
Is it because of these guys?
The lackeys kneeling behind me.
Not wanting this fight to be interrupted, I opened my mouth toward them.
"You're in the way, so get lost! Take the unconscious brats with you too!"
As soon as I released them, they started running away, thinking this was their chance.
They are important sources of information to find the location of the Black Spot, but since there's a more certain opponent, it doesn't matter.
I started following the old man with the grand title of Talhonbido.
His goal is one. To lure me to a quiet place where the two of us can fight.
Good, he's a proper master!
He's definitely a cut above the peak master named Gu Seo-chan!
I can only gain experience points by fighting masters like this!
I headed toward a secluded place, intentionally letting myself be lured to a spot where he would find it easy to fight.
'He released the hostages? No, did he not even intend to use them as hostages in the first place?'
Wi Gang-yeon had deliberately provoked him and run away for the sake of his subordinates who were taken hostage.
But that brat named Jincheon, who calls himself the best under heaven, is letting those subordinates go and chasing after him?
'Is he saying he wants to fight me?'
Talhonbido Wi Gang-yeon. A peak master belonging to the Haomun Sect, and a high-ranking martial artist among them, he can be considered a valuable asset to the Haomun Sect, which has many members but lacks quality.
Since Agyang, which embraces Dongting Lake, and Hangzhou, which embraces West Lake, are truly like lifelines flowing with silver and gold, Wi Gang-yeon was stationed in Agyang and tasked with protecting the Haomun Sect.
'He certainly had skill. I'll give credit where credit is due.'
The first flying dagger I threw was a feint simply to divert his attention, but the dagger aimed at the space between his eyebrows was thrown with the genuine intent to take his life.
Since he dodged such a dagger easily, he definitely possesses skill.
However, in this world of Murim, having excellent skill isn't everything.
'Judgment and adaptability based on countless experiences. And the number of times one has crossed the line between life and death. This is a realm impossible for a novice in Murim who only has excellent skill. Today, I will show you a bitter taste, you brat who runs wild believing only in your skill!'
Having moved to an uninhabited area in Agyang, Wi Gang-yeon waited for Jincheon to follow.
"Hmm~ So this kind of place existed. As expected of a local in this region, you even knew a good place to fight."
At the sight of Jincheon appearing with a still relaxed smile, Wi Gang-yeon vowed to smash that face, which didn't think for a second that he would lose, into a pulp.
"Even if you're insolent, you didn't kill your subordinates, so I'll only break your limbs. I'll release you after you tell me why you were trying to find the Black Spot and apologize to the gambling dens that were damaged because of you."
"Hoe-eng~ You're just adding conditions to get beaten up more~ I was just trying to find the location of the Black Spot, but if you talk like that, I can't end this nicely either, can I?"
"That infuriating tone! I'll make sure you can never use it again!"
Wi Gang-yeon, whose insides boiled every time he heard that strange tone he'd never heard in his life, took flying daggers from inside his sleeves and shot them at Jincheon at a speed faster than an arrow.
However, Jincheon, who wouldn't have even descended the mountain in the first place if he were the type to get hit by mere fast flying daggers, easily dodged them.
Shirik-!
At that moment, the trajectory of one of the flying daggers suddenly changed and shot toward Jincheon's head.
"Eut?"
Jincheon was surprised to see the flying dagger, whose trajectory had suddenly changed, flying toward his head, but having known through countless virtual reality games that a single second of panic could mean life or death, he first threw his body backward to try and maintain distance.
"Haaat!"
At the same time, Wi Gang-yeon threw all the flying daggers he had, and the daggers imbued with internal energy rushed to pierce Jincheon's body from different directions, as if each had its own personal judgment and thoughts.
Ten flying daggers swarming like vipers that had discovered their prey from different directions.
However, Jincheon smiled at the sight, pulled both arms back, and took a strange stance.
"Energy Wave!"
Jincheon took a stance to fire a palm blast while pouring in his internal energy, and then unleashed the Dominating Nine Dragon Palm.
Kwaaaaaaa---!!
The Dominating Nine Dragon Palm, having received sufficient internal energy, unleashed a shockwave that tore the ground and ripped the air, shattering the flying daggers that were flying toward him.
He had intentionally increased the distance to lure the flying daggers shooting toward him to move in one direction.
Thus, he destroyed all the flying daggers with the power of the Dominating Nine Dragon Palm, and the shockwave engulfed the spot where Wi Gang-yeon was.
"Ueuk!"
Feeling the power of the energy wave that he couldn't block or deflect with his own strength, Wi Gang-yeon threw himself to the side as soon as the flying daggers were destroyed.
"......."
Seeing the ground dug up by the shockwave right up to the close vicinity of where he had been, Wi Gang-yeon could feel that Jincheon had more internal energy than him through the internal energy unleashed while using such a terrifyingly powerful palm technique.
'This makes no sense! How can such a young brat have stronger and purer internal energy than me!'
Even if he learned martial arts from the womb, this makes no sense.
I suspect he might be a secret weapon raised by a prestigious righteous sect, but the martial arts he uses are things I've never seen in my life.
"Hatcha!"
"!!"
Surprised by the power shown by the palm technique, Wi Gang-yeon, who had been distracted for a brief moment, discovered Jincheon rushing in while stepping with footwork slightly too late, and countered by taking out two flying daggers used for close combat.
Kakang!
However, Jincheon, who deflected the flying daggers with his gauntlets, grabbed both of Wi Gang-yeon's arms, and then,
Ppa-aak!
"Keuheouk!"
He struck Wi Gang-yeon's face with a headbutt.
'Th...this is what......!'
A headbutt is the attack a master who possesses excellent internal energy, a powerful palm technique, and even agile footwork chooses to use?
Wi Gang-yeon, who had almost zero experience in street-brawler-like fighting, struggled, trying to escape somehow.
Kwajik!
"Keuheok!"
However, Jincheon, having seized the upper hand, had no intention of letting him go.
Jincheon, who fixed him in place by stepping hard on his feet, continued to launch headbutt attacks while holding both of his arms.
Kwajik! Kwajak! Ujijik!
"Keuhak! Aaaak! Keuheup!"
Every time Jincheon's head swung back and forth, Wi Gang-yeon's face began to gradually fall apart, and the amount of blood gushing out also increased.
Peoeok!
"Uweeeek!"
Wi Gang-yeon, who was sent sprawling by Jincheon's attack that finally struck his side with a fist and broke his ribs, ended up confirming what he had eaten.
"Did you think I was a brat? Zannen! I was a master who transcended your range!"
Wi Gang-yeon, who had tried to suppress Jincheon, who he thought lacked experience, with the power of experience, felt a sense of defeat and humiliation at the sight of him jokingly stating the cause of his own defeat.
'He didn't lack experience...... Rather, he knew better than anyone how to fight......!'
Jincheon's experience was actually equal to, or even richer than, his own.
Wi Gang-yeon, who had suffered a big blow after presuming the opponent's skill on his own, blamed himself for being careless because of his youth.
However, victory is victory anyway.
Jincheon approached Wi Gang-yeon to enjoy the rights of a victor.
"Now, shall I enjoy the rights of a winner? Don't resent me, old man. I was only going to ask for the location of the Black Spot if I won. If you made a statement that you would break my limbs and force me to apologize, it means you were prepared to suffer the same retaliation yourself, right?"
"Keueuk......!"
"Still, you didn't say you would kill me, so I'll only do what you said. Don't worry. It will hurt a lot, but I'll only do enough so that you'll be fine after a few months of recuperation."
"Th...this guy......! Aren't you afraid of the Haomun Sect's retaliation!"
The Haomun Sect has a small number of masters, but it possesses countless disciples, making it a realm impossible for a single individual to deal with.
Furthermore, since they lack masters, one could also think of the direction of hiring masters with money to retaliate.
"Geez, these Murim people. They act all high and mighty, but when they actually experience defeat, they rely on the power of the sect behind them to threaten others. In the end, the sight of getting beaten up and telling their superiors, just as I said, is just like brats under ten years old. Even the brats in the neighborhood I lived in don't play like you."
"Th...th...this......!"
Who on earth would dare to say such harsh things to Talhonbido Wi Gang-yeon.
He felt anger and humiliation at the sight of Jincheon, who trampled on his pride mercilessly without even the minimum courtesy, but above all, he was so ashamed of his own appearance of getting beaten up and telling his superiors, just as he had said.
"Stop there."
"You've finally shown yourself."
At that moment, someone revealed themselves from the darkness.
It was a woman wearing a loose-fitting, dark-colored Hanfu and covering her face with a veil.
She was with others who looked like bodyguards, and every single one of them was a master with skill similar to Wi Gang-yeon.