Chapter 2 (2)
Chapter 2 (2)
"Hey, newbie. Do this too."
"Oi. Once you're done with that, chop some firewood too."
"Newbie! We're out of water! Go draw some from the well!"
Yeah, of course. That's how it goes.
I didn't even think I'd be learning martial arts from the first day.
What am I doing right now, you ask?
What else could it be.
Thanks to my role as the youngest, I'm working my ass off.
Cleaning, laundry, chopping firewood, drawing water from the well.
All sorts of chores were pushed onto me as if it were only natural.
In martial arts novels, the protagonist usually learns martial arts first, but there's a reason for that.
On the other hand, what about me, who has absolutely zero reason for that?
Naturally, I have to start from the bottom, doing chores and playing the role of the youngest.
Besides, there's a reason for all these chores.
It's because all these chores also serve as basic training to temper the body.
In novels, they make them do horse stance and exercise to temper the body, right?
That's only possible in sects that can afford to hire laborers.
In a second-rate sect like the Jugeom Sect, the youngest disciples have to take on those chores.
Under the pretext of saving money and tempering the body.
Chwa-ak~
After drawing water from the well, I poured it into the water storage jar.
"Hoo~"
I didn't forget to straighten my back and let out a sigh as if I were exhausted.
Why? Because thanks to the effect of Geungol 100, I'm barely tired.
If I act like I'm good at chores, these bastards will just give me more work, right?
I think this is similar to the military.
There, it's a system where if you do your job well, you get more work instead of praise.
Wherever people live, it's all the same.
And it's even more so in places where people live in groups.
"Oi! Newbie! If you're done drawing water, go back to chopping firewood!"
"Ah, yes!"
Fuck. I thought I'd get a break, but they're at it again.
I had no choice but to follow the orders of the subordinate of the general manager responsible for the sect's daily life, so I headed to the firewood storage near the wall.
There, I could find a large stump and piles of firewood so that a few people could chop wood.
"Hey! Why aren't you running over here!"
"Coming!"
Gang Byeok, the guy immediately above me in rank, shouts at me as I walk over.
He had a face that looked like he was 'born to harass the youngest,' so I was surprised when I first saw him.
It's fucking annoying, but he came here a few months before me, and I'm just a newbie who joined yesterday.
If I get into a fistfight with him, before even considering who's right or wrong, I'd be the only one getting scolded and punished.
Because he knows more people here than I do.
Memories of my military days came to mind, so I maintained as bright an expression as possible.
At least this sect saved my life, right?
I just have to think of it as repaying that favor.
Jjak!
I took a spot away from Gang Byeok, placed the wood, and split the firewood in two with a single swing of the axe.
Puck!
"Ugh......."
But after that, I deliberately swung the axe so it only went halfway in.
The reason, as I explained earlier, is that work piles up.
And because Gang Byeok next to me also makes similar mistakes sometimes.
A low-ranking member who has just escaped being the youngest gets the attention of the higher-ups.
Because as they check what kind of guy the new youngest is, they naturally start evaluating the person who was the youngest until just before.
In that situation, what if the youngest is super good at working?
Then, the person who was the youngest gets severely reprimanded.
He's doing so well, what about you?
You're worse than the youngest, aren't you ashamed?
If you hear things like this, obviously you wouldn't have good feelings toward me, right?
That's why I have to make mistakes on purpose while working.
Of course, while making it look like I'm trying really hard.
"Hoo! Hoo! Um... Gang-seonbae-nim."
"Heup! What is it?"
Gang Byeok's face became a mix of annoyance and goodwill at my question.
It must have been a mix of annoyance at being asked about such things and the pleasure of being called 'senior'.
"Have you learned martial arts too, Gang-seonbae-nim?"
"No!"
Kwajak!
He answered while splitting firewood.
"The senior just above me received the internal energy cultivation method after doing chores for 6 months. I'll be able to learn the internal energy cultivation method and martial arts in just 2 months too!"
Eh? What? What?
6 months? Is that for real?
I have to do this shit instead of learning martial arts for 6 months?
I knew I had to do chores, but I didn't know they wouldn't even teach me martial arts for 6 months!
Ah, fuck... Can't I just stumble upon a fortuitous encounter like in the novels?
If I could just learn one martial art, I'd be super strong.
Should I just steal it? No, what's the point of having the book?
I don't have a master to act as a reference point to teach me.
For a modern person like me, a master to teach me internal energy is absolutely necessary.
Anyway, I need to give some lip service here.
"From what I see, Gang-seonbae-nim, you'll probably be quite hated once you learn martial arts."
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Since your foundation is so solid like this, I think your skills will rise frighteningly fast once you learn martial arts. People with a lot of talent are easily envied, aren't they?"
"Heh heh heh. True, I have been training hard. You know how to judge people."
Wow, this guy was starved for praise. His expression relaxed immediately.
Gang Byeok smiled, seemingly pleased with my lip service.
Usually, the youngest is most involved with the senior right above them.
Until I learn martial arts, I have to get along with him, even if I have to force it.
Looking at it this way, it sounds like a lie that I struggled with personality issues in the military.
Still, these guys are my life-savers, but military seniors aren't like that, right?
Anyway, it's too much of a waste of time to do this shit for half a year.
What should I do? How can I learn martial arts?
Other martial arts novel protagonists just get a fortuitous encounter and learn martial arts, but I almost died as soon as I fell into the martial arts world, let alone a fortuitous encounter.
The fact that these guys saved me could be called a fortuitous encounter, but it would be even better if it were a fortuitous encounter related to martial arts.
'For now, there's no answer, so let's just work and plant a good image.'
Let's think of it as fortunate that at least I'm not starving and begging like a beggar.
If there's any only hope, I have no choice but to pray that many warriors died more than expected while the Jugeom Sect attacked the Ho-san-chae.
Please, Seung U-hyeon, I pray that that son of a bitch killed a fuckton of Jugeom Sect warriors.
-------------------
"Yes? Martial arts?"
"Yes. Consider yourselves lucky. If it weren't for the Ho-san-chae bastards' problem, you wouldn't have this luck."
As the afternoon began, Gang Byeok and I were called by Jang Pyeong.
And for the reason of teaching us martial arts!
It's stupid that I was worried about when I would learn martial arts.
The bandit leader must have done his job properly.
They suffered unexpected damage, so the number of warriors decreased.
Thanks to that, I got to learn martial arts.
I don't know how many died, but from the perspective of a small-to-medium sect, they would feel relieved only after filling the reduced personnel.
War is basically an opportunity from the perspective of a third party, and whether it's the winner or the loser, the time right after the war ends is when they are most vulnerable to attack.
Gang Byeok had an excited expression at the thought that he could finally learn martial arts.
Me? Of course, you bet your ass!
I followed Jang Pyeong, who was heading somewhere, and was able to hear about the general martial arts of the Jugeom Sect.
The representative martial art of the Jugeom Sect is the Cheonchu Ganggeom (Heavenly Falling Strong Sword), based on the profound principles of the Heavy Sword.
The Heavy Sword is a swordsmanship centered on destructive power, and it can be said to be a suitable swordsmanship for battles between many people.
Unlike a 1:1 duel with plenty of space, in a group battle where there is a lack of space to move and dodge due to the bodies of allies and enemies, the Heavy Sword, swung with fierce power, is very threatening.
And there is a footwork called Hojinbo (Tiger Advance Step), and the Heukmyeong (Black Darkness) Heart Method that will be responsible for the performance of the footwork and swordsmanship.
Besides that, there is the Heukrang (Black Wolf) Fist, a claw technique prepared for situations without weapons.
Now that it's explained like this, the martial arts names are just fucking grandiose for no reason.
Isn't it proof that it's actually trash if only the name is grandiose?
Well, it can't be helped. I have to learn even this to survive right now.
For reference, since it came up, meals are only twice a day.
That's right. The time when China had three meals a day was the 20th century.
Until then, they only ate breakfast and dinner, and if you're hungry for lunch, you have to fill your stomach on your own.
Hoo... I don't know what kind of fucking system this is, but what can I do.
They say it's not just here, but the whole world is like that.
I have to take care of eating on my own.
Anyway, even if it's an evil faction sect, a sect is a sect.
We wake up at Jin-si (7 AM ~ 9 AM), and after breakfast, the personnel were divided into two teams.
One team does martial arts training and sect security during the morning hours, and the other team goes around Taewonhyeon, which the sect controls, to collect money and patrol the surroundings.
They were taking a method where the external and internal teams switch around the time Oh-si (11 AM ~ 1 PM) ends.
Anyway, Gang Byeok and I arrived at a quiet space blocked from the outside to learn the most important internal energy heart method.
"Now, focus your mind and empty your heart."
Jang Pyeong, who made us stand at a reasonable distance from each other, sat cross-legged and made a serious expression that didn't match his gruff image.
This is proof that this part is very important, and it shows that there is no room for jokes.