Chapter 670: Isn't Murim About Survival of the Fittest?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 670: Isn't Murim About Survival of the Fittest?
"You have a nasty habit with your hands."
A voice as cold as the bitter northern wind began to pierce his ears.
Lee Jae-sun scowled deeply. He felt a profound sense of shame at the mere fact that someone had dared to interfere with his actions.
Who was he?
Was he not the son of Lee Jae-won, the Great Hero who saved the Murim and the Alliance Leader of the Cheonmu Alliance—the strongest single power in existence?
What arrogant fool would dare to stop him?
Lee Jae-sun quickly turned his head toward the source of the voice, intending to snap back with a sharp retort.
But then, he stood there, dazed.
The person standing there was someone he had never expected.
The first thing that caught his eye was hair as white as snow. Next was a face so beautiful she looked like a goddess stepped out of ancient mythology. No, even the word 'beautiful' felt insufficient; her appearance commanded nothing less than awe.
Gulp.
Lee Jae-sun swallowed hard. He could say with certainty that no woman he had ever encountered could compare to the one before him. She was simply stunning—so much so that he didn't even feel lust, only wonder.
After staring blankly for a moment, Lee Jae-sun finally snapped out of it and barked, "Who... who the hell are you?!"
"You don't need to know," she replied in a soft, suggestive tone. "Why don't you start by pulling your hand back?"
"Don't you dare order me around, woman!"
"It’s not an order. It’s a suggestion."
"And if I refuse?" Lee Jae-sun glared at her with sharp eyes.
"Well... what should I do then?" She wore a troubled expression as she continued. "Should I give you a gentle touch?"
"You're a madwoman! Do you have any idea who I am?"
"Who you are doesn't matter. What matters right now is that I don't like your habits."
"What business is it of yours whether my habits are bad or not!"
"Must you really harass someone who is just doing their duty?"
"Of course!" Lee Jae-sun continued with a look of entitlement. "That fellow overstepped his bounds! How dare a mere gatekeeper block the advance guard of the Cheonmu Alliance!"
"From what I heard, he was just following procedure... It’s not right to beat him to the point of torture, is it?"
"Stupid woman! Listen well! The Murim is governed by the survival of the fittest! Rank is determined by the level of one's martial arts! That weakling offended me, a strong man! That alone is a crime enough!"
"I didn't know the Murim was such a bleak place." She spoke with a look of feigned surprise.
"So let go of my hand this instant! Or do you want to end up like him?!" Lee Jae-sun raised his voice and shouted. He was seething because no matter how much strength he used, he couldn't pull his arm free.
"Shhh."
The woman slowly placed her index finger to her lips. Then, glancing downward, she whispered, "You'll wake the baby."
"The baby?" Lee Jae-sun asked, looking puzzled. He followed her gaze downward.
"Ah!"
And then he saw it. A baby so cute it made him smile instinctively. A tiny head smaller than a fist. Two eyes closed peacefully in sleep. A rounded nose, as the bridge hadn't fully hardened yet. A thumb tucked into a tiny mouth.
The infant was adorable—so much so that even Lee Jae-sun, who had only just reached adulthood, felt a surge of paternal affection. His heart began to soften, and his lips twitched uncontrollably as he struggled to contain his reaction to the overwhelming cuteness.
"Cute, isn't he?"
Noticing his gaze, the woman asked with a proud expression, the pride of a mother radiating from her.
"What does it matter to me if the baby wakes up or not!" Lee Jae-sun shouted, snapping back to his senses.
"It matters a lot," the woman replied in a calm tone. "Because if he wakes up because of you, I'm going to beat you to a pulp."
She spoke with a voice so cold it served as a chilling warning. She was dead serious.
"What!?" Lee Jae-sun asked, looking utterly bewildered.
He had every right to be. Who was he? He was a top-tier prospect who had reached the Upper Stage of the Peak Realm at a young age. How could anyone speak so flippantly about beating him to a pulp?
"So, if you don't want to get hurt, you'd better watch your mouth."
"You... you bitch!"
Feeling humiliated by her words, Lee Jae-sun swung his left hand.
Whoosh!
He intended to slap her across the face.
Snap.
At that moment, a strange sound reached his ears—the sound of something breaking. Confused, Lee Jae-sun slowly turned his gaze.
And then he saw it. His arm was dangling limply.
'What... on earth...'
Lee Jae-sun's eyes widened. The situation had happened so suddenly that he couldn't process the abnormality of it. Then, the pain hit him.
"Aaaaaaaagh!"
An agonizing pain erupted, forcing a scream from his lungs.
"Where do you think you're putting your hands?" the woman said, looking at him with eyes as cold as ice. "I'm holding a baby. What if he got hurt?"
"Aaaagh! You damn bitch!!!" Lee Jae-sun glared at her with eyes full of venomous hatred.
In all his life, he had never suffered such a severe injury. Neither his father nor his mother had ever even laid a finger on him. But now, his shoulder was dislocated. His arm was dangling. And the pain was excruciating.
How could he not be filled with hatred? He, who carried the most prestigious blood in the Murim, was being treated like trash.
"Do you know who I am?!"
"Who are you?" she asked calmly.
"I am the son of Lee Jae-won, the Great Hero who saved the Murim!"
"And?" she asked, looking completely unbothered.
"...I am the son of the Cheonmu Alliance Leader!" Lee Jae-sun shouted again, frustrated by her nonchalant reaction. He explained in more detail, thinking she might not have understood.
"So what?"
"W-What!?" Lee Jae-sun stammered, looking flustered.
This was not the reaction he expected. The name of the Cheonmu Alliance Leader carried immense weight. Even though a generational shift had occurred, Lee Jae-won was still one of the strongest men in the Murim. Yet, even after revealing his identity as Lee Jae-won's son, she wasn't afraid at all. She was perfectly composed, even knowing his background. How could this be?
"If you want to show off, show off your own strength. Don't act like a loser by bringing up a background that doesn't even work here," the woman said in a freezing voice.
Grit.
Lee Jae-sun ground his teeth. Her words were an unbearable insult.
"Are you insulting me right now?!"
"And if I am?"
"Are you not afraid of the Cheonmu Alliance?!"
"I'm not afraid."
The woman spoke with a calm expression.
"............"
Lee Jae-sun looked at her as if she were absurd. Her attitude of treating the Cheonmu Alliance like a neighborhood stray dog was baffling. What kind of place was the Cheonmu Alliance? It was the strongest martial organization, the supreme single power in the Murim. It possessed enough military might to annihilate a mid-sized sect in a single day if it so desired. How could she not fear them?
'It must be a bluff.'
Lee Jae-sun thought. It had to be a bluff. This woman was a martial artist strong enough to dislocate his shoulder so fast that he, a Peak Realm master, couldn't even perceive it. There was no way such a person didn't know about the Cheonmu Alliance. She was definitely bluffing because she was intimidated by the hundreds of martial artists behind him.
"Woman, do you really want to die?" Lee Jae-sun lowered his voice threateningly. He intended to put heavy pressure on this bluffing woman.
"Do you even have the ability to kill me?"
What came back was blatant mockery.
"You think I don't? I have over five hundred martial artists behind me."
"There certainly are a lot of them." The woman glanced at the hundreds of warriors behind him. It was indeed a large number.
"Hehehe... Are you finally scared?" Lee Jae-sun let out a nasty laugh. He thought the foolish woman had finally realized the reality of the situation.
"You're right, I am scared," the woman agreed. She truly did feel a sense of dread. "I'm afraid I might end up killing them all."
"W-What!?"
"I don't mind killing them... but corpses aren't good for a baby's development. And it's quite filthy, too." She spoke with a serious expression.
"You... you crazy bitch!!!!!"
Lee Jae-sun's face contorted as he screamed. He was beyond furious at her arrogance.
Snap.
Suddenly, another strange sound echoed in his ears. It came from his right's shoulder. Lee Jae-sun slowly turned his trembling gaze. There, he saw his other shoulder dislocated and dangling.
"Aaaaaaaagh!"
He let out a pain-filled shriek. The moment he realized it was dislocated, a tidal wave of agony rushed over him.
Thud.
Lee Jae-sun fell to his knees. The pain was so intense that his legs simply gave out.
"Watch your language... the baby is listening," the woman said, glaring down at him with a frigid expression.
"Ugh... aaargh..." Lee Jae-sun began to groan incessantly from the extreme pain.
"Unit Leader!" a man from behind shouted.
Shring!
Shring!
The sound of swords being drawn filled the air.
Stomp, stomp, stomp.
Hundreds of martial artists pointed their blades at the woman, radiating a murderous aura.
Smirk.
Seeing this, the woman smiled as if it were amusing. There wasn't a trace of fear in her.
"You want to fight?" she asked, looking at the five hundred warriors.
"Release the Unit Leader!" Kwak San, the sub-unit leader of the advance guard, bellowed.
"Take him," the woman replied coldly. "If you have the ability to do so."
She gave a very provocative smile.
Grip.
Kwak San tightened his grip on his sword. It seemed words wouldn't work on her.
"You chose this," Kwak San said, his aura turning ominous.
"The same goes for you," the woman replied, still wearing a relaxed smile.
"Raise your swords! Rescue the Unit Leader!" Kwak San shouted, holding his sword high.
"Rescue the Unit Leader!" Nearly five hundred warriors shouted in unison, radiating an immense fighting spirit.
"Like moths to a flame," the woman chuckled. To her, their attempt to charge at her without knowing their place was exactly like moths flying into a fire, unaware that they would be consumed.
"Waaaaaaaah!"
Hundreds of warriors let out a war cry and began to charge. The woman welcomed them.
*
Lee Jae-sun looked around with a look of utter despair. A horrific scene began to fill his vision.
"Ugh... uuuugh... argh..." Some were groaning in pain.
"Hic... ugh..." Others were weeping from the agony.
"C-Cold... so cold... cold..." Some lay collapsed, their limbs frozen solid.
Chatter, chatter, chatter.
Others were shivering violently, their teeth clattering as if all their body heat had been stolen. Every single one of them was rolling on the dirty ground, broken and defeated.
"This... this is a dream..."
Lee Jae-sun denied reality. He couldn't believe it. There were over five hundred of them. Although there were no Super-Peak masters, they were all brave warriors employed by the Cheonmu Alliance. And yet, they had been defeated by a mere woman. A woman who was holding a baby in one hand, no less.
How could this be real? It had to be a dream. It made no sense otherwise.
"You're the only one left."
A voice as cold as ice pierced the ears of the reality-denying Lee Jae-sun.
Shiver.
He felt a chill run down his spine. It was the voice of the person who had created this gruesome scene.
Step, step, step.
The sound of light, rhythmic footsteps approached. To anyone else, they might have sounded cheerful, but to Lee Jae-sun, they sounded as heavy and terrifying as the footsteps of an executioner.
Step, step, step.
Stop.
The footsteps stopped right in front of him.
"Why aren't you answering?" the woman asked, looking down at him coldly.
"W-Why... why are you... doing this to me..." Lee Jae-sun protested, looking like he was about to cry.
"Because you're annoying."
"...What!?"
"Your nasty habits were annoying. And it's not good for the baby's development."
"J-Just for that reason?" Lee Jae-sun asked, feeling hollow.
"Isn't Murim about survival of the fittest?" she replied with a bright smile.
"...You... crazy..." Lee Jae-sun cursed, his face full of bewilderment.
The woman slowly raised her hand.
Whoooooosh.
Cold air began to gather in her palm, turning it pure white.
'D-Dangerous.'
Lee Jae-sun could tell. That white-stained hand was incredibly dangerous.
Tremble, tremble.
His entire body began to shake. Absolute terror had seized him.
"Always remember that there is someone stronger than you before you act so recklessly."
Having finished her piece, the woman swung her hand.
"Aaaaaaaaagh!!!!!"
Lee Jae-sun squeezed his eyes shut and screamed. He screamed because he couldn't bear the impending fear of death. He waited for the promised pain to arrive.
But no matter how long he waited, he felt nothing.
Lee Jae-sun cautiously opened his eyes.
And there he saw her—a flame-like woman, holding the snow-white arm of the other woman.
'I'm... alive.'
With that final thought, Lee Jae-sun lost consciousness. He had fainted from the sheer relief of being spared.