Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: The Common Point Between Billiards and StarCraft
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'Not bad at all. Back in the day, if my attacks ever landed and he got even a little hurt, he'd wail and throw a tantrum, running straight to his mommy to tattle.'
Geum Na-ryeon, Jong Ri-mae's mother and Jong Ri-hyeok's stepmother, would torment Jong Ri-hyeok with punishments like starving him or locking him in the storehouse whenever her son got so much as a scratch.
But the more she did that, the fiercer his rebellious spirit grew, driving him to train even harder and close the gap in their martial prowess bit by bit.
Fortunately for him, Jong Ri-mae was far too lazy.
And right in the midst of all that, Jong Ri-hyeok was sent off to the Qingcheng Sect.
It was probably Geum Na-ryeon's scheme to get rid of him, but to him, it was an opportunity too good to pass up.
And he had no intention of letting it slip away.
Jong Ri-hyeok began erasing traces of his origins one by one. To blend in with the pure-blooded Qingcheng disciples, he didn't shy away from even the dirtiest jobs.
But then...
Of all people, Jong Ri-mae—the most insufferable, loathsome bastard in the entire clan—shows up as an uninvited guest at the Qingcheng Sect.
Jong Ri-hyeok suddenly felt a surge of rage boiling up inside him.
His hands moved even more viciously.
As a result, Han Ibi ended up taking the full brunt of Jong Ri-hyeok's strikes with even higher probability.
In the midst of that pain, Han Ibi thought,
'Damn it... The urge to kick off the Red Dream Great Law is crawling right up my throat. Hell, I don't even need to go that far... If I could just weave in some Fierce Tiger Palms from the Qingcheng Sect sporadically for variable counters, I wouldn't be getting smacked around like this.'
But...
With two Qingcheng disciples glaring daggers at him, he couldn't just casually use another sect's techniques.
Endure... Keep enduring... And endure some more...
Thwack!
'Argh! That hurts too damn much!'
But he was learning a lot, too.
By clashing his body directly against Jong Ri-hyeok's martial arts, he gained deep insights into how to efficiently wield techniques at a similar level.
'Whether it's the Zhongli Pure Swordsmanship or the Qingcheng sword styles, it's all the same. Breaking free from the rigidity of fixed forms with fluid variations, adaptations, and combinations—that's what unleashes overwhelming power even against equal strength.'
At that moment, Jong Ri-hyeok spoke up.
"This is pointless now. Let's call it."
Han Ibi shouted back loudly.
"Pointless my ass! Look at me, I've been taking all these hits. Keep going!"
Right then, Han Ibi spotted an opening in Jong Ri-hyeok's forms.
It seemed like calling it quits had left him exposed.
Han Ibi inwardly cheered as he thrust his wooden sword fiercely at Jong Ri-hyeok's solar plexus.
'Choke and gasp for air, you bastard. Time to embarrass yourself in front of a girl. Heh heh heh.'
That was when it happened.
Jong Ri-hyeok's wooden sword, which had seemed folded back, whipped around in a semicircle over his shoulder in an instant.
Like a rainbow drawn in the shape of a blade...
And Han Ibi realized he'd been tricked.
By a feint—a most basic attack ploy.
Crack!
A louder sound than ever before echoed through the training hall.
Han Ibi had taken Jong Ri-hyeok's wooden sword straight to the crown of his head.
"You son of a...!"
The curse rose to his throat but never made it out.
His consciousness faded in an instant.
Han Ibi gradually felt his mind returning.
His throat was parched.
And then an enormous headache crashed in!
He nearly cried out without thinking.
That's when a familiar voice rang out.
It was Seo Ui-jae.
Han Ibi decided it was best not to open his eyes just yet.
"How's his condition?"
Someone was standing nearby.
"No life-threatening injuries. Just some light trauma, but he'll need rest for a while."
From the tone, it was almost certainly some kind of physician.
The Qingcheng Sect didn't have a resident doctor, but they had one they called frequently in emergencies.
Like an on-call partner, sort of.
Seo Ui-jae spoke up.
"Hyeok never gets worked up during spars, no matter what, and he never inflicts serious harm... This is truly odd. I need to talk to him after this."
The physician replied.
"They said it was a standard spar. There were witnesses, too."
"Witnesses?"
"Yes. The name was... Anyway, no need to ask them. Hasn't Elder heard of the infamous 'Zhongli Ruffian'? This punk must've charged in all cocky. Jealous that his brother made a name for himself here in Qingcheng. Obvious without seeing it."
Seo Ui-jae tilted his head.
"But rumors tend to be exaggerated... From what I've seen myself, this young man didn't strike me as such a thunderbolt terror."
"The badder they are, the better they hide it. You should be careful too, Elder."
Han Ibi felt a surge of anger and wanted to snap his eyes open and grab the physician by the collar.
What the hell do you know?
But he couldn't.
Managing his breathing to avoid giving away that he was awake, Han Ibi stayed put.
Seo Ui-jae said,
"I'll keep that in mind, as you say. In any case, with the message from the Martial Alliance... I've been watching closely."
The physician glanced at Han Ibi.
"Exactly. A true wanderer never lets their guard down. Even this guy seems to get it. Knocked out, and he's still rolling his eyes under the lids, scouting the situation."
Gasp... Ah... So you knew...
Han Ibi could only awkwardly smile and crack his eyes open a sliver.
'Still, we're at least rat-shit close... No, fingernail close... Maybe even booger close now.'
That's what Han Ibi figured.
Sure, he'd gotten beaten to a pulp in the rain, but he felt their relationship had improved that much at least.
But it wasn't enough to drag Jong Ri-hyeok into the Qingcheng Sect Leader Selection Tournament.
'Hmm... Did I screw up my approach? Maybe bottom-up wasn't the way—should've gone top-down instead...'
Self-justifying like that, he figured it was time for Strategy 2-2.
Strategy 2-2: Turn Bok Yeon-hwa's heart so she gets Jong Ri-hyeok to join.
Turning Jong Ri-hyeok had failed, but with that tiny bit of progress, if Bok Yeon-hwa stepped in, it wasn't impossible.
And so Han Ibi hatched a plan to win over Bok Yeon-hwa.
But...
She was so buried in tournament prep that seeing her was impossible.
As an elder, she had to organize the event and rack up achievements, but her only disciple was poisoned by some unknown fiends...
Her stress levels had to be off the charts.
'But quitting over this? That ain't Han Ibi.'
Sure, he'd half-assed his office job because it never clicked for him...
But when it came to what he truly loved—like billiards or StarCraft, with Pump as his ace—he'd reached master level.
All during college, no less!
Those were realms you couldn't conquer without massive time investment and grit.
Harnessing that grit, Han Ibi hounded Bok Yeon-hwa daily, asking if she needed help with anything.
And finally,
"Then come to our quarters early tomorrow."
Whoa.
He'd finally gotten Bok Yeon-hwa's permission. She'd waved the white flag first.
With So Eun-ri too sick to handle chores, her inconvenience must've peaked.
Just like that, Han Ibi started running errands for Bok Yeon-hwa for a stretch.
The tasks were wildly varied.
Sometimes fetching specific items from the village, sometimes copying documents, sometimes delivering papers or goods.
Day by day like that, Bok Yeon-hwa gradually grew desensitized to his presence.
Natural rapport only comes from grinding it out like this. It doesn't happen overnight.
Han Ibi thought,
'Kuhahaha. Sales and gofer work—I hated it so much, but damn if it isn't useful now. Spotting what the other side wants and delivering it first. That's the common thread between salesmen and errand boys.'
As the sect leader tournament drew near day by day, the workload ramped up.
Han Ibi gritted his teeth and performed his near-secretary duties flawlessly every time.
Not a single thing came back his way...
But this was the fruit of his desperate struggle to normalize the plot.
He lived each day with the fervor of a soldier counting down to discharge.
Inevitably, weird rumors started swirling about Han Ibi and Bok Yeon-hwa's relationship.
Like they were secretly related, or that Han Ibi was head-over-heels for So Eun-ri...
They grated sometimes, but he ignored them, focusing on getting back home.
Then one day.
Han Ibi was helping sort Bok Yeon-hwa's private study.
It wasn't huge, but it was packed with martial world intel and basic manuals she'd diligently collected.
Today's mission: Find a certain ancient tome that was nowhere to be seen.
Originally, they'd both been combing through it since morning.
But a Qingcheng disciple came for Bok Yeon-hwa.
The sect leader had called an emergency elder meeting.
Bok Yeon-hwa said,
"I'll be right back, so keep looking for the book."
"Yes, Elder. I'll search every nook and cranny, so don't worry and go ahead."
Bok Yeon-hwa left with the disciple who'd come to fetch her.
"Whew—."
Han Ibi sighed and stretched languidly.
'Man, with that prickly attitude, no wonder guys steer clear... Master's tastes sure are unique, huh huh.'
She was the epitome of a fierce woman—serving under her as a boss would've been exhausting.
The book she wanted was called Gui Moon Jong, a collection of poems by martial arts masters, apparently.
Didn't suit Bok Yeon-hwa one bit, he thought as he hunted for it.
Of course, he kept that opinion hidden.
She needed it for a pitch at the tournament or something...
Events like this, big or small, soak up the blood and sweat of everyone prepping them.
Down to every last trivial detail.
'Whatever, not my circus. Just find the damn book.'
But rummaging through the shelves sparked a stray thought.
'Lately, the 108 Fortuitous Encounters and my light waifu have been awfully quiet. About time for a ding, right? Hmm. Could this be it? Perfect vibe. I "accidentally" flip open a book, she reacts—ding! 108 Fortuitous Encounter detected! Like that.'
Of course, forcing it with time would suck, and no guarantees.
But he had to search the books anyway.
So why not flip through more diligently?
Then a thought flashed through Han Ibi's mind.
'Haha. From my Pandemonium experience, fortuitous encounters pop up in unexpected books. The dusty ones nobody touches, or the ones that look ignored...'
With that, Han Ibi eyed the spines on the shelves like a hawk.
'Eagle's Eye Technique—activate!'
Welcome back, light waifu!
Huh? No movement, so she's acting up.
Trust me, though! Eagle's Eye Technique, go!
The shelves began glowing with green screens.
He'd worried visibility might drop compared to full color...
But the stark green contrast made the titles stand out sharper than ever.
'Ordinary-looking ones first! The useless-seeming ones.'
(To be continued next time)