Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: The Protagonist Appears at the End
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But Han Ibi didn't stop.
He relentlessly kicked at Gu Cheon-se's dangling legs.
Blood trickled from Gu Cheon-se's lips as he bit down hard, unable to endure the excruciating pain.
But at that moment...
The clash between Han Ibi and the Crimson Dream Great Law was intensifying even further.
The madwoman showed no intention of understanding the situation and continued her countdown.
In an instant, Han Ibi flung Gu Cheon-se into the air like a ragdoll.
Then, with steps as fast as light, he twisted his body high into the sky and unleashed a spinning heel kick.
Thwack!
"Gaaah! Kraaaagh!"
A bloodcurdling scream that seemed to shake the entire Qingcheng Mountain...
'Yes...'
Han Ibi answered with every ounce of his strength.
At that moment, he felt his energy drain away from his dantian like the receding tide.
The blackened veins in Han Ibi's body rapidly returned to their normal color.
Gu Cheon-se clutched his manhood with his intact left hand, writhing on the ground.
His limp legs dangled even more pathetically as a result.
That's right.
Han Ibi had leaped using the Eight Trigrams Steps' Ghost Charm footwork and slammed a full-power spinning heel kick straight into Gu Cheon-se's groin.
And it carried not just his power, but the terrifying, ferocious energy of the Crimson Dream Great Law...
The result was obvious without saying.
Bright red blood poured like a waterfall between the fingers of Gu Cheon-se's left hand clutching his groin.
Foam bubbled at Gu Cheon-se's mouth...
He finally passed out right in front of Han Ibi.
In the end, it was Han Ibi who cracked the egg.
'Should I have just killed him?'
Seeing that utterly wretched sight, Han Ibi felt a twinge of guilt.
But at the same time, he felt his strength draining from his body even more.
Like the aftereffects of using some drug.
Suddenly, Han Ibi's mind grew hazy, and against his will, his body tilted toward Gu Cheon-se.
'Wh-what? Why is this...'
Thus, the two naked men ended up embracing and rolling on the ground side by side.
The horrified Han Ibi desperately tried to get up.
That's when it happened.
Three masked figures were charging toward them at high speed from afar.
'Damn... we're screwed.'
Han Ibi quickly pretended to be unconscious.
The three seemed to sense a fight had taken place and rushed over like the wind.
But...
"Gasp!"
"No!"
"Th-this...!"
From their expressions, they were too shocked to even close their mouths.
Of course, it was because of the indecent position in which the naked Han Ibi and Gu Cheon-se were entangled.
One of the masked men approached the sprawled Gu Cheon-se and said,
"Brother Gu! H-has your taste changed in the meantime?"
The other men chimed in.
"Even so, this during a mission is a bit..."
"Indeed. It's embarrassing to even look at, so please put some clothes on."
Hearing that, Han Ibi despaired.
'Damn it. I had a hunch, and sure enough, they're on the same side. Now what...'
That's when it happened.
A figure came flying in like the wind from the distance.
"Ah... I can't get any more embarrassed... This is really..."
Han Ibi cracked his eyes open slightly, recognized the figure, and gave a wry smile.
Should he be glad... or resentful...
'Damn it. They say the protagonist always shows up at the end...'
That's right.
The man rushing over was none other than Jong Ri-hyeok, Jong Ri-mae's brother whom he longed for even in his dreams.
He bellowed loudly,
"Who dares cause a commotion in the sacred grounds of the Qingcheng Sect!"
'He grabs every chance to show off, whether it fits or not...'
Spotting So Eun-ri's disheveled clothes, Jong Ri-hyeok quickly removed his outer robe and draped it over her.
She seemed to be in a daze, slowly opening her eyes with effort.
'Wow... even the protagonist's gentlemanly charm... Fine, you're great. Your shit's thick.'
The masked men naturally assumed attack positions toward Jong Ri-hyeok.
But Jong Ri-hyeok struck first.
Raising his sharp sword, he slashed at one of the masked men.
The masked man, slightly flustered, drew his blade to block.
Clang!
Sparks flew with a loud crash.
However, aware of the numerical disadvantage, Jong Ri-hyeok unleashed a flurry of lethal strikes from the start.
Clearly aiming to take one down first.
The two other masked men instantly closed in, surrounding him.
Swords and blades clashed, sending sparks flying like from a welder in an instant.
Jong Ri-hyeok's skills were impressive.
But the masked men's prowess was no joke either.
And they had the numbers.
Jong Ri-hyeok seized the initiative first, but soon fell into a disadvantage under the trio's combined assault.
Han Ibi seriously considered joining the fray.
'Agh... but in this exhausted state...'
That's when it happened.
"Ahh... Take me first... me..."
Gu Cheon-se rasped hoarsely, gasping.
"Hurry... take me to a physician..."
But the masked men, focused on the fight with Jong Ri-hyeok, didn't react immediately.
Gu Cheon-se shouted in a more urgent, irritable voice.
"Take me to a physician now! Before it's too late! Hurry!"
Only then did one of the masked men speak up.
"Let's withdraw while escorting Brother Gu for now."
He must have been the leader of the masked men.
He slipped away from the fight and lifted Gu Cheon-se.
Seeing Gu Cheon-se's dire condition, he looked somewhat surprised.
The remaining two masked men prepared to retreat at his command.
Jong Ri-hyeok yelled,
"Where do you think you're going!"
He intensified his ferocious assault even further.
That's when it happened.
Pweeeet!
The masked man carrying Gu Cheon-se whistled.
A barrage of hidden weapons rained down on Jong Ri-hyeok simultaneously.
Forced into defense, Jong Ri-hyeok swung his sword to block them.
The projectiles clinked off his ironclad defense and fell to the ground.
Thanks to that, the masked men managed to retreat with Gu Cheon-se.
Having barely fended off the weapons, Jong Ri-hyeok kicked off to pursue them.
That's when Han Ibi shouted,
"P-protect the junior sister!"
Jong Ri-hyeok halted and looked at Han Ibi.
"Brother! P-protect... protect the junior sister..."
Jong Ri-hyeok glanced at the fleeing group. He bit his lip, hesitating briefly, then turned back toward Han Ibi.
Han Ibi said,
"Brother. Nice to see you. And thanks... you believed my words."
Jong Ri-hyeok replied,
"Hmph! Don't flatter yourself. I just came running because I heard the noise."
'Heh heh. Sure you did...'
But for that noise to reach all the way from the sect grounds to this remote mountaintop? Not even a three-year-old would buy it.
Then a voice came.
"Wh-what... what happened?"
So Eun-ri clutched Jong Ri-hyeok's robe over her upper body, propping herself up at an angle.
Her eyes looked at Jong Ri-hyeok. He wore an awkward expression, mumbling wordlessly.
Han Ibi quickly jumped in.
"Senior Brother Jong Ri-hyeok saved us. He drove all those guys away."
So Eun-ri still looked dazed, murmuring. The aphrodisiac hadn't fully worn off.
"I... how did I..."
Han Ibi grinned and said,
"Junior Sister So, don't worry. Nothing happened. Our senior brother showed up right on time and handled it."
Oh yeah. A level up is always a mood booster.
Eh? What's this now?
Ding!
'Aaaah... Have I ever seen such frustrating people in the world...'
Han Ibi thought.
So Eun-ri, having composed herself and straightened her clothes, was being carried on Jong Ri-hyeok's back.
He hadn't wanted to do even that at first.
Han Ibi had argued fiercely, 'This is a life-or-death matter; what's with "men and women over seven don't sit together"? Is this a school?' to make it happen.
So Eun-ri didn't even offer a simple thank you.
Jong Ri-hyeok didn't recite the usual "Are you okay?" line...
Just watching them was enough to make one's clothes explode in frustration. A perfect couple in exasperation.
For Han Ibi, who had tried to play Cupid, it was utterly deflating.
'Well, whatever... Tsk. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink...'
Han Ibi pondered as he walked along.
They finally arrived back at the Qingcheng Sect grounds.
Surprisingly... or rather, unluckily, the first person they ran into was Bok Yeon-hwa.
Seeing So Eun-ri, Bok Yeon-hwa flew into a rage without regard for anything, directing it solely at Han Ibi...
'Wait, am I the easy target? Jong Ri-hyeok's the one carrying her, so why only me?'
But her furious expression overlapping with his old boss left Han Ibi speechless for a moment.
Jong Ri-hyeok even had to defend him from the side...
Anyway, once Bok Yeon-hwa took So Eun-ri to the physician, the incident was provisionally resolved.
An extraordinarily grand edifice.
It stood majestic, akin to an emperor's palace.
Yet it evoked a bizarre fusion of Central Plains and Western styles jumbled together.
And in a space like a grand audience hall stood a handsome white-haired man.
Perhaps in his mid-thirties...
His eyes were deep blue, and his prominent nose gazed down at his face.
Features one might now call Western were etched upon it.
Much like the mixed style of the palace where he stood...
At that moment, a man holding a black mask draped loosely bowed and spoke.
"O great and divine lord of the Heavenly Nature Palace!"
The unorthodox powerhouse, lord of the Heavenly Nature Palace, 'Jade Supreme Harmony' Ok Tae-je, replied arrogantly,
"Speak."
"Yes..."
The man hesitated briefly before saying,
"The operation... failed. Gu Cheon-se..."
"Did he cause trouble again?"
The black-masked man sweated profusely as he answered,
"Yes... Forgive my impertinence, but... he... he lusted after a woman again. When he was injured and asked for help... we couldn't just refuse..."
"Hmph. You dare question my decision?"
The man shook his head vigorously.
"No, I wouldn't dare."
"That bastard chasing women isn't a one-time thing... So why didn't Gu Cheon-se come with you?"
"Well..."
The man carefully folded the mask in his hands and said,
"...He suffered a severe injury."
Ok Tae-je unconsciously frowned.
"Injury?"
"Yes."
"Was there anyone in that puny Qingcheng Sect who could injure Gu Cheon-se...?"
"Yes. There was... a truly strange fellow."
(Continued in the next chapter)