Chapter 4: Mistaken for a Master (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 4: Mistaken for a Master (1)
“Brother Eo, who do you think will win?”
As expected of third-rates, they were less interested in the reason for the fight than the spectacle itself. No one even thought of stopping them; they just stood in a circle, spectating.
“I’m not sure. I suspect Poison Wolf Ibu has the advantage,” So Gu-chi said, nodding after posing the question.
However, Sim Geol, standing beside him, spoke up. “I think the Smiling Face Sword’s techniques are far more refined. As time passes, that precision will give him the upper hand.”
Refined techniques will give him the advantage as time passes?
These guys still didn't have a proper understanding or philosophy regarding what it meant to be a third-rate. Then again, who would ever pick up a sword and think of themselves as a bottom-tier hack? Even if their actual skills were bottom-tier, they never thought of themselves that way. Because they lacked self-awareness of their own mediocrity, they were missing the point entirely.
In my quest to perfectly impersonate a martial artist, I had studied the behavior and psychology of both masters and third-rates, building my own worldview in the process. That was how I managed to act the part without ever having to swing a sword.
In my opinion, as time passes, the one with better physical stamina wins. How much internal energy could these third-rates possibly have? Once that meager pool of energy is spent, it all comes down to raw physical endurance.
They really don't know the first thing about being a third-rate.
That was exactly why a guy like me could get away with pretending to be a martial artist. If everyone were smart, there’d be no place for someone like me to stand.
“It’ll be decided in half a jiazi. I think Poison Wolf Ibu will win.”
“You think so?” Sim Geol still sounded skeptical.
But a moment later, So Gu-chi began nodding repeatedly.
“As expected, Brother Eo’s assessment was correct. The Smiling Face Sword is somehow being pushed back. At this rate, he’ll lose his grip on his sword soon.”
Sure enough, the Smiling Face Sword was barely managing to parry Poison Wolf Ibu’s axe. However, his eyes were still sharp and fierce, as if he had one last move hidden up his sleeve.
In this world, if you lost a fight so publicly, it took a long time to recover your reputation. This was where third-rates differed from masters. Even if a master suffered a defeat, it didn't necessarily tarnish their martial name. People wouldn't dare gossip recklessly because they knew the master would simply redouble their efforts and grow even stronger to avenge the loss.
For a master, defeat was medicine; for a third-rate, defeat was poison. That was why third-rates fought with such reckless desperation.
I was standing there with my arms crossed, imagining the scene of the Smiling Face Sword’s imminent defeat, when a delicate voice from behind shook me out of my thoughts.
“Oh? If it isn't the Twin Soaring Blood Young Hero?”
Young Hero?
I turned around and flinched. It was the girl who had given me a double nosebleed before breakfast. Wait, now that I think about it, 'Twin Soaring Blood' literally means 'Double Nosebleed.' This girl was determined to humiliate me.
As I stood there with a troubled expression, the girl’s cherry-like lips continued to chatter.
“You don't seem very interested in this fight either, Young Hero. I suppose a fight between third-rates is just that. To be honest, you’re the first person to remain perfectly fine after being hit by my Seonhwa Palm. Usually, everyone stays bedridden for two or three days. Seeing you walking around like this proves my eyes didn't deceive me.”
So Gu-chi and Sim Geol were glancing back and forth between the girl and me with intrigued eyes.
“The Young Lady’s Seonhwa Palm was a rare technique, seldom seen these days. If you continue to apply yourself, the day will come when your name is known far and wide.”
I felt like my cover would be blown if I kept talking to this impulsive girl, so I tried to slip away from the crowd. I spoke with dignity and prepared to leave, but she blocked my path.
Ugh, what now?
Whenever this little girl stood in my way, my heart felt like it was being squeezed.
“I want to discuss the sword with you, Young Hero.”
What? Discuss the sword?
Oh, for heaven's sake. To me, that sounded less like 'discussing the sword' and more like 'discussing how to cut my throat.'
I was so shocked that I just stood there with my mouth agape, losing the chance to find an excuse to refuse. The girl had already drawn her sword.
“Whoa! Look at that!” Sim Geol cried out in alarm.
Startled by the girl drawing her sword, I followed Sim Geol’s gaze.
The Smiling Face Sword had finally been pushed back, and Poison Wolf Ibu’s axe had bitten into his shoulder. Blood soaked his trousers, but his sword techniques only grew more vicious.
“At this rate, they’re both going to die,” So Gu-chi said, clicking his tongue.
The exchange between the two had turned into a mutual destruction scenario. They were abandoning defense in favor of pure offense. It meant they were determined to see it through to the end, no matter the cost.
This time, the Smiling Face Sword’s blade slashed Poison Wolf Ibu’s left thigh, sending blood spraying. Unfortunately, the blood sprayed toward me, so I instinctively tilted my head.
As I turned my head, I found myself face-to-face with the girl. She, too, was completely absorbed in the perilous fight between the two men. Any ordinary girl would have screamed and run away at the sight of blood, but she was fixated on the techniques they were using.
It was almost comical to see her leaning forward to watch, her sword still half-drawn. I planned to use this opening to slip away.
But then, a total fluke occurred.
With my level of internal power, I had absolutely no ability to detect something like a hidden weapon. Identifying a projectile that reaches its target in the blink of an eye was something only a true master could do.
As I was staring at the girl while plotting my escape, I sensed a flash of light behind her as someone flicked their left hand.
It was a sneak attack.
I instinctively sensed a hidden weapon aimed precisely at the Great Hammer Point on the back of her neck. Making such a split-second judgment was the kind of thing a master would do, but because I had let go of all tension in my state of despair, the scene before me appeared surprisingly clear.
This, too, was a complete accident.
My body reacted subconsciously. The idea of me—of all people—trying to deflect a hidden weapon was absurd. Honestly, it was a survival instinct; I realized that if the weapon missed her, it would hit me.
The thought of dying from a hidden weapon surged a strange power through me. I took a perfect drawing stance and, using every ounce of internal energy and strength I possessed, I drew my sword toward the incoming projectile.
Driven by an instinct to protect her, I found myself pulling the girl into my left arm.
“Oh!”
The girl turned pale with shock at my refined, lightning-fast draw.
Clang!
The hidden weapon struck the flat of my blade.
As an uncontrollable force traveled up my arm, I pushed the girl aside and spun. The hidden weapon was imbued with an immense amount of internal energy that my pathetic reserves couldn't handle. It looked ungraceful, but I had no choice but to dissipate the force by spinning my body.
And then, yet another coincidence occurred.
My spinning sword entered the dueling ground of the Smiling Face Sword and Poison Wolf Ibu, coming to a halt exactly between them just as they were about to clash in a mutual kill.
Clang! Clang!
I stopped dead in the posture of my extended draw. When I regained my senses and looked around, the situation was exquisite. My sword was blocking both Poison Wolf Ibu’s axe and the Smiling Face Sword’s blade.
To be more precise, my sword had intervened just as the Smiling Face Sword was lunging for Ibu’s heart and Ibu was bringing his axe down on the Smiling Face Sword’s chest. Because the internal energy of the two men was almost perfectly balanced, I didn't suffer any internal injuries. If their power had been uneven, I would have surely suffered a life-threatening internal wound from the clash.
Everyone gasped in shock at the sight.
However, my eyes were fixed on the sleeve of the person who had thrown the hidden weapon. Since everyone’s attention was on my sword, no one noticed that the assassin was about to throw another one at the girl.
I thought about pulling my sword back to stab the person’s wrist, but my blade was currently pinned by the balance of the two fighters' forces.
Ah, I’m doomed now.
I didn't know why I was worrying about this girl. Was it because her eyes reminded me of my younger sibling who died when I was a child? Was it because her face held some faint memory of that sibling? I wanted to help, but I couldn't.
But then, the situation took a strange turn.
The Smiling Face Sword and Poison Wolf Ibu poured the last of their internal energy into their weapons to push my sword out of the way.
No, don't do that! I'll die! I screamed internally.
But as a powerful surge of energy flowed from Poison Wolf Ibu’s axe at the tip of my blade, I felt my sword being hoisted upward. Simultaneously, as the Smiling Face Sword poured energy into the hilt side, I felt the sword being propelled up.
I simply gave it a slight nudge to change its direction.
“Whoa! Sword Glare!”
People suddenly started shouting as they looked at my sword. A faint blue light flickered along my iron blade. It looked just like the Sword Glare seen in battles between high-level masters. In reality, it was a type of luminous phenomenon caused by the collision of the two men's internal energies on my blade.
As the blue light flashed from my sword, I leaped and used the blade to shield the girl’s Great Hammer Point.
K-ching!
My iron sword, imbued with the energy of the two duelists, collided with the hidden weapon, which was also packed with power, creating a sound like a clap of thunder. It was just like a duel between masters.
“Ugh!”
A groan escaped my lips. Belatedly, the foreign internal energy that had flowed through the sword shook my entire body. I felt a jolt of electricity, as if I’d been bitten by hundreds of electric eels.
And then, embarrassing as it was, I lost consciousness.
*
When I opened my eyes, I saw the interior of the Mid-tier Room I had been assigned. Fortunately, nothing hurt. Judging by the heavy feeling in my solar plexus, it seemed my tiny dantian had taken a bit of a hit. That would recover with time, and considering I’d been hit hard enough to pass out, I was in surprisingly good shape.
A moment later, I noticed two pairs of eyes staring at me. It was So Gu-chi and Sim Geol.
“What... happened?”
As I spoke with difficulty, Sim Geol and So Gu-chi looked at each other before answering.
“Don't worry. The Smiling Face Sword and Poison Wolf Ibu stopped their duel after you collapsed, Brother Eo. If they hadn't, one of them would surely be dead by now.”
As Sim Geol finished, So Gu-chi chimed in.
“Regardless, you are truly incredible, Brother Eo. Not only did you stop those two from killing each other, but you even saved the Fortress Lord’s daughter. It was dangerous for you, but for those of us watching, it was a thrilling sight. That one move has broadened my horizon of insight.”
What are you talking about?
As I blinked blankly, So Gu-chi nodded.
“That lightning-fast move of yours... That single straight thrust that blocked the hidden weapon aimed at the Fortress Lord’s daughter, and the way you used the technique of Shifting the Flower onto the Tree to redirect the weapon’s energy and stop the duel... it was truly breathtaking. And that final move, blocking the second hidden weapon aimed at the girl—it’s something I could never hope to imitate. We only realized it was a hidden weapon after hearing the sound of the impact; how could our visual prowess ever track a projectile imbued with such internal energy? And to think, Sword Glare, which people like us can't even dream of... Everyone gathered at Ten Thousand Dragons Fortress has been talking about nothing but yesterday’s events all day long.”
So Gu-chi prattled on with excitement, as if he were the one who had done it.