Chapter 16 (4)
Chapter 16 (4)
Phallak-
After waking up from a deep sleep using Hye-un as a meat blanket, I drank a cup of water from the kettle and started flipping through my self-proclaimed 'Women Martial Artists Name Dictionary'.
Not this bitch. Not this one either. Damn it. Why are there so many mass-produced ones?
As I irritably flipped through the name dictionary, I could feel the pressure of soft, moderately firm breasts against my back.
"What are you doing, Sang-gong?"
"Sorry, did I wake you?"
"No. I slept very refreshingly."
She gave my cheek a light peck and hugged my back.
"Haa~ It was good usually, but yesterday was especially better. The intensity, the fulfillment. To be able to enjoyably build up internal energy while feeling such happiness... I'm so happy to have met you, Sang-gong."
Hye-un rubbed her face against mine with a voice and expression that blended cuteness and sexiness.
It was only natural, because after having sex until morning and stably finishing the Yin-Yang Wheel Turning Great Law, I was able to gather an amount of internal energy equal to, or perhaps even more than, what I would have gotten from doing nothing but the Great Heavenly Cycle for about a week.
No matter how long we had sex and how much pleasure we felt, it was clear that this was an excessive amount.
This was possible thanks to the unexpected synergy caused by the effect of my constitution, Circulating Energy Nourishment.
"By the way, what are you looking at?"
"This."
I felt the pleasant weight resting on my shoulder and turned a page of the book.
"This is..."
"The Women Martial Artists Name Dictionary I purchased by commissioning the Black Spot. Of course, I just named it that for convenience."
"Am I in here too?"
"Of course. What do you think I was looking at when I came to find you?"
"Hehe, so you were aiming for me from the start. You're a really bad boy, Sang-gong."
"Ugh..."
Ugh...! This sensation of her nibbling from my ear to my lips... it feels so good...!
"But, it seems like there are quite a few women you've targeted and already defiled... are you not satisfied with that?"
"Of course not. I won't be satisfied until I make all the women I like my females."
"Even though you could become a public enemy of the Murim, like a lecherous demon such as the Blood Wind Lust Demon, if you're not careful?"
"How can a lecher like that be compared to me? And in reality, you became my woman, didn't you?"
I dropped the honorifics between us as a married couple, pulled her body, and made her meet my gaze.
As I reminded her of the past, she seemed to recall the pleasure of that day as well, and her face slowly began to change into that of a female in heat.
"It's strange when I think about it now, too. At first, I even thought about committing suicide because I thought my body had been defiled by you."
"Are you ashamed of becoming the wife of a young man who is only half your age?"
"At first, yes. To be honest..."
She opened her mouth in a slightly lonely voice while nestling into my arms.
"I was afraid of that girl, Hong Seol-rin. Men are supposed to like young women, after all. Someone young, with good skin, and a promising future, rather than an old auntie like me..."
Ah, damn it.
I can't listen to this.
I spoke to her, almost snapping.
"Do I look like the kind of guy who would dump my female just because of age? If you put it that way, what about Hwan-yo? She's older than you, isn't she? She's sixty now!"
Now that I mention it, Ha-yeon, just you wait when I meet you later.
How dare you lie about your age?
Lying about your age means you didn't trust me.
I'll make you pay dearly for this lie.
"A woman's charm doesn't end with youth. You have elegance and the soft charm of an older woman, but all of this is only possible because you've aged that much. If you didn't have that charm, I would have just left."
"Ah... Thank you... Really... thank you... Sang-gong..."
As she confirmed that I had no intention of abandoning her, she seemed relieved, her eyes moistening as she nestled into my arms.
Good grief, I guess she was secretly worrying about it inside.
I stroked her hair to calm her down, then focused on the book again.
"How about this girl? They say she's the daughter of the Hwangbo Clan leader."
"She hasn't done anything significant. I'm not looking for a daughter from a noble family; I like women like you who have talent and some kind of deep story."
The two of them started choosing the next female martial artist to be his woman.
It feels like flipping through a pamphlet to decide which movie to watch. It feels heartwarming, so I'm in a good mood.
Since I hadn't seen any women I liked even after going through half the name dictionary, I got tired of looking at the book and decided to look at the rest later, getting ready to go outside.
"Well then, shall we go get some requests again?"
"That's a good idea. Even though we've earned the nickname Ok-myeon Ssang-ryeo, we have to keep being active so that the reputation spreads across the country..."
"Puh-heuk! Ok-myeon... Puk-keuk-keuk! Ssang-ryeo...! Ok-myeon! Puk-ka-ka-ka-ka-kat!"
"Sang-gong! That's the nickname we're going to use now, so stop laughing!"
"Sorry! But I can't help it! Ok-myeon! Ok-myeon! Hahahaha!"
Everyone! I'm being treated as a flower boy in the Murim!
Jincheon and Cheon Hye-un appeared at the Ronin Association during the hour of Mi (1 PM to 3 PM).
"Hey, that's Ok-myeon Ssang-ryeo over there."
"Didn't they catch the Blood Wind Lust Demon and slaughter dozens of Demonic Cultists?"
"They say the guy split a mountain with a single punch."
Numerous people whispered at the appearance of the rising star that had suddenly appeared.
However, malicious rumors accompanied them just as much.
"Hmph, rising star, my foot."
"How could those young brats kill dozens of Demonic Cultists? That's nonsense."
"They probably got lucky, ganged up on one cultist to kill him, and then exaggerated it."
Since few people had seen their exploits, there were those who nitpicked the fact that few had seen them directly, underestimating their achievements.
However, even those who nitpicked everything had to unanimously acknowledge one thing.
"I see why they got the nickname Ok-myeon Ssang-ryeo."
"The guy's face is clean and handsome, but the girl is overwhelming, isn't she?"
"I think the nickname Ok-myeon Ssang-ryeo came about because of that woman."
Due to the Eum-bang-sa-mul constitution, Jincheon's Circulating Energy Nourishment, and the Erotic Martial Arts known as the Yin-Yang Wheel Turning Great Law, Cheon Hye-un's appearance, which became more beautiful and her skin clearer by the day, was not something one could mess with lightly.
Furthermore, as the age-related fat disappeared for the reasons above, she, whose age could at least be estimated, was no longer recognized by anyone as an auntie who had given birth to a child.
And since she was wearing an outfit that showed a lot of skin, according to Jincheon's taste, it was even more so.
Anyway, Jincheon, receiving all kinds of gazes—envy, jealousy, expectations for the rising star, etc.—smiled inwardly.
'This is the atmosphere when you first get a nickname. These dissatisfied gazes, where you can hear the voices saying, "I couldn't even get one, so how could someone like you?", are thrilling.'
A nickname isn't something you make yourself; it becomes an accepted nickname only when others make it and it spreads.
In other words, getting a nickname also means you've become that famous.
But since young brats who got a nickname in one go are acting cocky, it's only natural they'd be an eyesore.
'In a way, this is the starting point of a real Murim warrior. I will protect this nickname, build even more fame, and make it so that we have individual nicknames, not a set-menu style nickname!'
Although I've been active in the Murim so far, I've always hidden my name and identity.
Therefore, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the past me who was active in the Murim and the current me who has started activities as a Murim warrior are completely separate entities.
For reference, the fact that a nickname has just been created also means that there will be that much trouble.
Because those who haven't earned a nickname try to defeat the rising star who has, in order to steal that fame for themselves.
Thuk!
"Hey, can't you open your eyes properly while walking?"
Just like right now.
However, Jincheon was a different breed from typical Murim warriors.
Ppa-aak!
"Gyaaaak!?"
"Can't you see where my eyes are? Here, look. I'm telling you to look!"
"St... stop... Keo-heok! Ke-hek!"
Ppa-ak! Ppak! Ppa-ak! Ppa-gak!
He grabbed the collar of the ronin who had bumped into his shoulder to pick a fight, and delivered a headbutt with his head protected by energy.
Jincheon, who had been headbutting without rest, only let go of the collar after feeling the nose bone break.
Peo-eok!
"Argh!"
He then threw the man who had picked the fight at the ronin who had been openly showing hostile expressions toward him from earlier.
Naturally, the eyes of the ronin who knew what that meant turned into slits, but Jincheon...
"Ah, I'm sorry. I couldn't control my strength well, so I threw the trash in your direction. I have a habit of throwing trash where I see it gathered. I'm truly sorry."
...he said with a smiling face that showed not a shred of remorse, and headed toward where the request board was.
Naturally, the ronin who understood the meaning of his words exploded with even more rage, to the point where even a thrilling killing intent could be felt.
-Is it okay to make enemies like that?-
Cheon Hye-un, slightly worried at the sight, sent a telepathic message asking if he really had to do that.
-In this Murim, once you get bent, you have to keep getting bent.-
If you get bent once because it's annoying, people will appear who demand it a second, third, or even more times.
Although there is a stark difference in the level of developed civilization, technology, and knowledge between the modern era and this place, Jincheon's theory is that people are ultimately the same regardless of the era.
When TV first came out in Korea, people said that because of the "idiot box," people wouldn't read books, and in ancient Greece, when theater was popular, intellectuals criticized that people wouldn't read books because of theater.
Through these anecdotes, Jincheon was able to realize that people are ultimately all the same.
Especially in a world where you fight using your body, pride is very important, so they never try to be ignored.
Because if you get ignored, you have to accept challenges from countless rivals who look down on you.
Therefore, Jincheon decided to rather suppress the atmosphere first and weed out those who would be hostile to them.
Because if just the ronin who would be broken by this level of intimidation disappear, he can reduce useless waste of time.
"Forget about other places and let's look at the requests."
Jincheon hugged Cheon Hye-un's shoulder, feeling the superiority that this woman was his, and provoked the surroundings again.
'Now that I've earned a nickname, I need to expand the fame of the nickname not just to this city, but to a national level. A big one-shot is better than doing small requests diligently, right?'
As he thought that, he tried to find a request on the board, but,
-Sang-gong. Really important requests aren't registered on boards like this.-
-What?-
-I remembered this morning too; I heard somewhere that requests registered on the board are things that are fine to be known, that is, they have low importance, are already known so there's no reason to hide them, or are used when gathering people in a hurry. Go ask the receptionist. If there's work, they'll tell you to go to the back room; if not, they'll say there isn't any.-
If Jincheon had climbed up step by step from the beginning, this was a fact he would have known.
However, because he had come up through the shortcut of a deal with the Haomun, he couldn't have known.
Besides, since they thought a ronin of the Black Tablet rank couldn't possibly not know such a fact, there was no reason for anyone to come and meddle first.
'Ugh, if I hadn't known this, I would have been in for something super embarrassing.'
If I had been clueless and acted like a fool while having the Black Tablet and excellent skills, people around me would have laughed.
Fortunately, the thoughtful and wise Cheon Hye-un, just in case, explained the facts she knew step by step via telepathy, even though it was troublesome.
'Sim Eun-nang, that damn bitch. She definitely knew but didn't tell me. Just wait until I meet her later.'
I don't know if it was on purpose or if she just forgot. But I will definitely pay her back for this.
That aside, when I think about it, it was obvious. It makes no sense to post important requests in a place where ronin are recruited publicly like this.
If there's a tense situation where a war between sects might break out, and one side suddenly hires ronin publicly, the other side will naturally notice and take precautions or launch a preemptive strike.
Once the war starts, there's nothing left to hide, so they would post the request on the board publicly.
'Thinking about it, it was obvious. Damn it.'
Like Columbus's egg, once I shifted my perspective, things that weren't visible became visible.
And impressed by her wisdom in letting him know this without anyone else knowing while pretending to know nothing, Jincheon, thinking that obtaining her was indeed a good idea, headed inside the Ronin Association building.
The receptionist with the fierce face became tense, having seen with his own eyes what kind of power he possessed.
"What is it?"
"The jobs on the board don't appeal to me at all,"
Jincheon opened his mouth with a relaxed smile toward the receptionist.
"Is there any request with a large sum other than those?"
"Go to the room in the back. Due to my position, that's all I can tell you."
'So there is.'
Requests that can't be spoken of lightly to others, but require a skilled person. You have to solve these kinds of requests for word to spread among the "real" skilled people.
It's important to gain fame through word of mouth from ordinary Murim warriors or commoners, but there is no surer way than being mentioned by the mouths of skilled people who have a great influence on the Murim.
Since important requests that can't be told to others have a high probability of being directly or indirectly related to such influential people, Jincheon opened the back door the receptionist had pointed out and went in with Cheon Hye-un.
Inside was a moderately spacious room with no windows, as if it were completely cut off from the outside.
The door he had opened was also a sturdy iron door, a structure completely sealed so that no sound would escape to the outside.
-Sang-gong.-
-Take the diagonal left.-
-Yes.-
Click! Whoosh-
The moment the door locked and the lights in the room went out, darkness rushed upon the two of them, despite it being a bright, sunny time.
Peo-peok! Chae-kang!
"Keuk!"
"Ugh!"
The sound of something being hit, the sound of metal clashing, and at the same time, the groans of rough men rang out.