Surviving the Uninhabited Island (14) - Wolf Fang Fist, Pung Jihae
Pung Jihae was born in the erosion boundary zone of Fujian. Though it sat near the zone itself, human tenacity ran deep, and there were always those who carved out lives in even the most nightmarish conditions. Existence on the edge of the erosion boundary was never easy. Show the slightest weakness and you'd be killed on the spot. Absolute obedience to the leader who ruled like a king was mandatory. Hell. That place was literal hell.
Not even the freedom to take a single sip of water had been granted to the young Pung Jihae. Chewing on unidentifiable chunks of meat, never knowing who his father or mother might have been, he survived by any means necessary.
One day, a high-level martial artist arrived at the village. After witnessing the horrific carnage inside, the master declared he would punish the wicked, beheaded the leader, and vanished like the wind. Once the ruler who had enforced order disappeared, hell transformed into something even worse. Everything descended into chaos. That was the moment Pung Jihae escaped the village. He was fourteen years old.
The place he reached after wandering aimlessly was a temporary base for raids into the erosion zone. Fortunately, life there felt like heaven compared to the village on the boundary. He somehow managed to learn the Six Harmonies Fist and the Three Talents Mind Method as well.
Though the martial artist had irresponsibly turned the village into an even deeper hell before leaving, the image of that godlike figure slicing off the leader's head had burned itself into Pung Jihae's mind. Naturally, his obsession with martial arts only grew stronger.
The third-rate Six Harmonies Fist had no unique variations to speak of. The Three Talents Mind Method was little more than a stable breathing technique with no other merits. Both were textbook examples of inferior third-rate arts. Under normal circumstances, reaching even second-rate would have been difficult, let alone first-rate.
But Pung Jihae was blessed with exceptional talent. Living as a rogue martial artist who drifted through the erosion zones, he refined and evolved his techniques. The street-level Six Harmonies Fist became his signature, practical Wolf Fang Fist. The Three Talents Mind Method transformed into something entirely different despite sharing the name.
By the time Pung Jihae turned thirty and finally stepped into the Peak realm, he felt as though he held the entire world in his grasp. He even commanded a respectable band of rogues known as the Wolf Fang Brigade. In the regions where he operated, some called him the King of Wolves. A small minority, but still.
For ten years. Over a decade, Pung Jihae polished his martial arts. And then he fell into despair. He realized that no amount of effort would let him break through the wall of Super Peak with the arts he possessed. He would age. The moment his prime passed, it would all be over. Growing stronger with age was a privilege reserved for the prestigious sects' supreme techniques. Mediocre arts caused the balance between internal and external energy to collapse over time, making it difficult to even maintain one's current realm.
He had already understood this on some level during his years as a rogue. The Peak realm might seem impressive to street martial artists, but it held little meaning for disciples of true prestigious sects. Those who consumed spiritual herbs from childhood, underwent marrow cleansing, and received systematic training in supreme arts could reach Peak by their early twenties. Geniuses could do it even younger.
Of course, none of that mattered if one possessed the aptitude of a great master. Beings like Bodhidharma or the first Heavenly Demon needed no teachers. The world itself would serve as their instructor. But Pung Jihae's talent could not be considered superior even when compared to disciples of prestigious sects. He was outstanding among ordinary people, but among the truly exceptional, he was merely average. Being the King of Wolves ultimately meant that no matter how high he soared, he remained nothing more than a wolf.
In a Murim world teeming with tigers and lions, what significance was there in being king among wolves? Even after turning forty, the wall of Super Peak still loomed impossibly high.
He abandoned all his rogue activities to focus solely on training and disbanded the Wolf Fang Brigade. And once again, he tasted frustration. That was when the Blood Sect extended its hand.
The Blood Sect's Eight Envoys. The moment he saw the man, Pung Jihae instinctively grasped that hand. He couldn't possibly fail to recognize him. Rare elixirs he had never encountered in his life and new martial arts were bestowed upon him. They were said to be genuine supreme techniques leaked from destroyed sects. The envoy added that the Blood Sect had acquired a vast number of such arts after China transformed into erosion zones.
The power of the elixirs, the new martial arts, and the guidance of the envoy. When the three combined, Pung Jihae overcame the wall of Super Peak with shocking ease. The effort of ten years felt meaningless. It had taken him less than a year.
The Blood Sect did not demand much from Pung Jihae. On the contrary, their offers were quite beneficial to him as well. All it required was abandoning his conscience just a little. It wasn't difficult. For someone who had survived hell and lived as a rogue for decades, the deaths of others meant nothing special.
Though the order had come suddenly, this mission was simple enough. Activate the Blood Sect's secret technique to create a rift. Enter the island using Tamatoma's anomaly as a pretext, stimulate the malice sealed in its core with the special incantation developed by the Blood Sect, and take advantage of the resulting chaos to eliminate a few manageable students. That was all.
The rampaging Tamatoma would not be an easy opponent for the students either. Some would likely die naturally while facing it. The Blood Sect had not ordered him to kill everyone. They simply told him to do what he could. With his position as instructor, dealing with careless students, feeding them to the Tamatoma, and erasing the evidence was not particularly difficult for Pung Jihae.
He had been anticipating what reward the Blood Sect would grant him upon successful completion when Kim Mugong appeared.
A genius. During his time as an academy instructor, Pung Jihae had seen countless geniuses. Even so, this particular class was extreme beyond measure. Students already attempting to breach the wall of Super Peak, and the monster called Cheon Hayeon who had already reached it.
The reason he had gladly accepted the order to kill the students he taught was probably jealousy.
Kim Mugong. When he first saw him, the boy's realm had seemed insignificant. Thanks to his Extreme Yang Body he possessed abundant internal energy, but that was all. So when news arrived that he had eliminated the Murderous Ghost Squad Leader and his blood demons, even Pung Jihae had been genuinely surprised. At the realm he had observed, it should have been impossible.
Whether he belonged to no faction or was a successor of some hidden sect, Pung Jihae couldn't tell. But the boy was clearly a true genius. Not the type who mistakenly believed himself a genius like Pung Jihae himself, but one whose full maturation could shake the fate of the world. Moreover, Pung Jihae had glimpsed the qualities of a hero in him.
Not only Kim Mugong, but the current first-year class contained many such geniuses. Jealousy or whatever the reason, Pung Jihae's actions would change a great many things.
Good.
Crushing the qualities of a hero and twisting the fate of the world. Pung Jihae felt genuine pleasure at the thought. He didn't know how the boy had discovered his connection to the Blood Sect, but dealing with him here would end the matter. Han Yeoreum, was it? Eliminating the student who always clung to Kim Mugong like a cicada wouldn't be a bad idea either.
The bitter smile on Pung Jihae's face froze as killing intent surged.
"Crazy bastard."
Kim Mugong muttered coldly as he stared at Pung Jihae, who wore a sly smile. Whatever method he had used, the power radiating from Kim Mugong's entire body had exploded outward. The pressure was close to the Transformation Realm.
This doesn't make sense.
At that age? Had he been hiding his strength? Pung Jihae assumed the opening stance of the Wolf Fang Fist and raised his Three Talents Mind Method. Thanks to the arts the Blood Sect had provided, it was now completely different from before, yet he still referred to his techniques by their original names. Perhaps that was the last shred of pride Pung Jihae had left.
Thud—!
A massive shockwave erupted from beneath Kim Mugong's feet. The ground caved in deeply from a single step. It was a domineering yet lightning-fast movement technique. The air itself was crushed. This was the power of intent.
Pung Jihae dispersed Kim Mugong's intent with a single breath and thrust out his arm. In an instant, Kim Mugong closed the distance. Their hands and fists clashed.
Dozens of exchanges happened in the blink of an eye.
Clanggggg—!
The sound of clashing metal rang out in all directions alongside waves of fist qi. Cracks spread across the ground and the beads vibrated violently.
Not good.
Pung Jihae's brows furrowed. If the beads were destroyed, all his plans would collapse. That could not be allowed. Still, one thing had become certain.
Kim Mugong had not reached the Transformation Realm. Realm was not determined simply by the volume of internal energy or physical strength. Even if the raw power approached Transformation level, without the necessary enlightenment it was nothing more than size.
Pung Jihae's intuition, sharpened through countless life-and-death battles, was eerily accurate. Martial arts forged in real combat. He had grown sick of facing opponents who relied solely on overwhelming power.
Piercing through the powerful energy waves Kim Mugong emitted, Pung Jihae launched his fist. The massive shockwave generated from his palm shot toward the boy's openings. It was an attack that mixed in the principles of the Art of Converting Flower and Grafting Wood, turning the opponent's own strength against him.
The explosive force sent Kim Mugong flying dozens of meters backward.
"Ptui."
Kim Mugong spat out the blood that had surged into his mouth. Creating distance from the beads, Pung Jihae's eyes grew icy.
Too shallow.
In that fleeting instant, Kim Mugong had blocked the attack. The boy himself didn't seem to realize it, but he had grown stronger yet again in that short span.
"You're a monster!"
Shouting firmly, Pung Jihae shifted his stance. He could not allow the boy to gain any more experience. Those with the bearing of great heroes, those possessing the qualities of a hero, grew stronger by overcoming adversity. He had to kill him before that happened.
An urgency that hadn't existed before poured into Pung Jihae's fists.
Feeling a stinging pain that seemed to slice through his entire body, Kim Mugong gritted his teeth.
Strength: 25(E) → 70(S)
Durability: 22(E) → 70(S)
Agility: 24(E) → 70(S)
Internal Energy: 61(A) → 71(S)
The numbers were insane. In terms of pure stats, Kim Mugong clearly held the advantage. Every single ability score had hit the upper limit. Even Cheon Hayeon couldn't match the current him if they only compared raw numbers.
However.
Martial arts had originally been created by weak humans to fight against overwhelmingly powerful enemies. That was also why so many techniques imitated animals. Pure physical ability was still far from enough against a master like Pung Jihae. As Pung Jihae used Kim Mugong's own immense power against him, it created a negative feedback loop. Following the man's movements, which flashed like beams of light, was difficult. The freely flowing fist and foot techniques were too sophisticated for someone with relatively little real combat experience.
Without the support of his Martial Soul, he would have been overwhelmed long ago. It was no coincidence that the man had proudly held an instructor position at an academy overflowing with geniuses.
His movements were bizarre. They felt completely different from the clean, refined techniques displayed by the prestigious sect disciples at the academy. Before he knew it, the wolf's fangs were closing in on his throat. Even though he dodged and blocked, some attacks still grazed him. The energy waves sliced past like blades, sending blood droplets flying in every direction.
In complete contrast to Pung Jihae, who still looked perfectly composed, Kim Mugong's clothes gradually became soaked with blood.
Rumble—!
The cliff walls of the basin, made of solid stone, shattered under the force of palm and fist energy. Broken rocks rained down while the ground caved in and split apart from the shockwaves of each step. Even as his entire body was being torn to shreds, Kim Mugong's eyes remained eerily calm. A beautiful arc even formed at the corner of his lips.
Pung Jihae clicked his tongue with a fed-up expression.