Chapter 163
Chapter 163
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: Dragon's Stomach Cave (4)
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Dragon's Stomach Cave.
It was an underground prison for martial artists guilty of heinous crimes.
Since it housed only the most vicious individuals, murders used to be a near-daily occurrence.
But those fierce battles no longer happened.
Once the various factions carved out their own territories, a relative peace settled in, with everyone abiding by a set of unspoken rules.
Even those unaffiliated with any faction simply kept to themselves, bothering no one.
Recently, however, the Dragon's Stomach Cave had been thrown into turmoil by the sudden appearance of a single man.
The Madman.
That was the prisoners' moniker for him.
He had first appeared three days ago. Initially, he did nothing more than survey the common areas of the cave, taking no particular action.
He began to draw attention two days ago, when he started brazenly trespassing into the territories of the various factions.
It was impossible not to attract attention when he was so openly committing an act considered taboo within the prison.
As if that weren't enough, he then began barging into the prisoners' private cells.
He even crippled those who resisted, spewing humiliating words like, “prisoners have no rights.”
This, naturally, enraged the prisoners of the Dragon's Stomach Cave, who had been living in relative quiet.
It was only to be expected.
They might be mere prisoners now, but before their incarceration, they had all been formidable figures in their own right.
The Ten Demon Alliance faction, whose shrine to the Demon God he had destroyed, even decided to take matters into their own hands.
Mutan, a man from a foreign tribe, decided to deal with him.
With his innate brute strength, enhanced by the external martial arts passed down in his tribe, he was ranked among the top ten strongest fighters in the Ten Demon Alliance.
Naturally, the other prisoners had no doubt Mutan would win.
The strength he had displayed was just that formidable.
But the outcome of the fight was completely unexpected.
Within ten moves, both of Mutan's knees and shoulders were shattered.
Ten moves was being generous; it happened in the blink of an eye.
Meanwhile, Jan Pung, the leader of the Southern Heaven Palace faction, couldn't help but tremble as he witnessed Mutan's defeat.
He had realized the madman's identity.
Fighting Dragon Jin Mujeon.
The right-hand man of Bukgung Baek, the mortal enemy who had annihilated the Southern Heaven Palace.
Jan Pung gritted his teeth.
*Grit*.
This was his chance to avenge his lord, whose soul now wandered unjustly.
He called his most trusted subordinate.
“Go to the Ten Demon Alliance and the Black Way and tell them I wish to see them.”
“Yes, sir.”
And so, the envoy from the Southern Heaven Palace proposed a parley.
* * *
The negotiations were difficult from the start.
Mutual distrust made even choosing a meeting place a chore.
The common area, an open space, was too close to the Ten Demon Alliance's territory, and the spot by the pond was too close to the Black Way's.
In the end, the Southern Heaven Palace, which had proposed the negotiation, compromised. The meeting place was set at the entrance of Dragon's Stomach Cave, midway between the territories of the Ten Demon Alliance and the Black Way.
The next day, the leaders of the three factions that ran the Dragon's Stomach Cave gathered.
“You all look well. A pity. This place would be far more pleasant if you'd all just die. Hehehe.”
Despite Bae Jung-ri's taunt, Deung Sa-gyeok of the Ten Demon Alliance showed no particular reaction.
Jan Pung, leader of the Southern Heaven Palace faction, changed the subject.
“How about we just say what we need to and leave? Staring at each other like this will only lead to a fight.”
“Let's... do that.”
“Fine by me.”
Jan Pung explained the reason for proposing the meeting.
“As you know, the reason I called this meeting is because of the madman who recently appeared.”
Deung Sa-gyeok's face twitched. His reliable subordinate, Mutan, had been crippled overnight.
Jan Pung paid him no mind and asked.
“What should we do?”
“We... must kill... him.”
“Wouldn't it be better to leave him be? Why poke a sleeping tiger?”
Deung Sa-gyeok and Bae Jung-ri offered different opinions.
Then, an argument began between the two.
“You... fool... ish... man. Afraid... of just... one man...”
“Old man, do you really think he's alone? If you have a brain, use it. Stop invoking your damn Demon God all the time.”
At Bae Jung-ri's provocation, Deung Sa-gyeok's eyes turned menacing.
He raised his hand, looking as if he would attack at any moment.
Jan Pung, wanting to proceed with the negotiation as quickly as possible, hurriedly stepped between them.
“I initiated this parley. If you attack Bae Jung-ri here, the Southern Heaven Palace will have no choice but to side with the Black Way.”
“...”
Once the atmosphere calmed down, Jan Pung asked what he was curious about.
“You said he wasn't alone. What makes you think so?”
“A while ago, three of my subordinates attacked a newcomer. All of them were crippled.”
“And?”
“He apparently asked for the way to the Dark Shadow Cave. With his level of skill, it's almost certain he's joined them, don't you think?”
“Hmm...”
Jan Pung let out a low hum.
Since Jin Mujeon always moved alone, Jan Pung hadn't known if he belonged to a faction.
It was no wonder he was flustered. If Jin Mujeon was alone, they could somehow deal with him, but if he was a member of the Dark Shadow Cave, it was a different story.
Although there were fewer than ten of them, each prisoner in the Dark Shadow Cave was on the level of an officer in the other factions.
They were warriors who could each fight ten men.
The terrain was also an issue.
Even if they tried to attack the Dark Shadow Cave, the narrow entrance made their numbers meaningless.
Going in one by one would only pile up corpses.
That was why the three factions had been unable to remove the thorn in their side that was the Dark Shadow Cave.
‘What should I do...’
Jan Pung swallowed a groan and fell into thought.
And then.
“We intend to kill him.”
Jan Pung made his decision.
If the Fighting Dragon, like the others in the Dark Shadow Cave, never came out, the chance for revenge would be lost forever.
He thought it was better in many ways to strike now while he was roaming around.
“However, we cannot be the only ones to suffer losses. Let's each contribute men and strike him.”
Bae Jung-ri sneered and rejected the proposal.
“Why should I? I'm fine with the way things are. It was my subordinate who got crippled, not me.”
But Deung Sa-gyeok’s thoughts were different.
“The sin... of destroying... the Demon God's... shrine... cannot be washed away... even in death...”
Bae Jung-ri inwardly sneered at the two of them.
If the two factions won, a nuisance would be removed, which was good. If they lost, that was good too.
The weaker the two factions became, the closer the Dragon's Stomach Cave would be to falling into his hands.
But Jan Pung was not so easily handled.
“If you don't participate, how about we strike the Black Way first?”
“Good... idea.”
With a simple sentence, he had persuaded Deung Sa-gyeok.
“What kind of bullshit is this?”
Thanks to that, Bae Jung-ri, who had been relaxed the whole time, shot to his feet.
The Black Way, whose strength was in its numbers, was inferior to the other factions when it came to individual martial prowess.
If the two factions joined forces, their numbers would surpass the Black Way's, and they would be absolutely no match.
“Kngh.”
Jan Pung looked at Bae Jung-ri and openly sneered.
“What will you do?”
In the end.
“Fine. We'll lend our strength as well.”
Bae Jung-ri had no choice but to surrender.
“Then let's plan how to catch this slippery eel.”
* * *
“Wow...”
It’s really not here, huh?
Five days of searching. I'd been moving for over a hundred hours, searching without sleep.
All I'd gained in that time was infamy.
“Eek! I-I'll get out of your way, so please just spare my life.”
“...”
Now the prisoners treated me like I was some demon from the depths of hell.
When in reality, I'm more like an angel of justice.
In truth, a bad reputation wasn't a problem at all.
The real problem was that no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find any divine arts, let alone something as basic as the Three Talents Sword Art.
‘In martial arts novels, you get all sorts of fortuitous encounters when you fall off a cliff somewhere...’
Bow before a skeleton and an elixir appears.
‘Sigh.’
It's the same martial world setting, so how can it be so different?
“Hah!”
*Thump! Crack.*
Out of frustration, I kicked the door, creating a hole the size of a human head.
“Gasp!”
The owner of the room was startled, but there was nothing to be done about what had already happened.
“My bad. I'm in a foul mood and made a mistake. You understand, right?”
I offered a preemptive apology.
It was a skill I learned from Baek Mu-ha. It seemed like a pretty good way to handle things, so I used it often.
“Y-yes, sir. I understand. Of course, I understand.”
“Your privacy might be a bit exposed, but on the bright side, the ventilation will be great, so it'll be good for your health.”
“I was just thinking the same thing.”
Anyway, talking to this guy, he seemed too feeble to be a prisoner.
Unlike the others, his face wasn't menacing either.
“What crime did you commit to end up here? You look diligent... were you framed for something?”
As a Squad Leader of the Outer Hall, I'm known for having a good eye for people.
If he was framed, I was thinking of ordering a reinvestigation...
“W-well... I couldn't contain my desire for a woman I'd long admired, so I kidnapped her...”
“You son of a bitch.”
*Smack. Thud. Thump.*
Framed, my ass. My belief that criminals have no human rights only grew stronger.
A half-assed attempt at rehabilitation could lead to an even greater disaster.
It might be different in the modern world, but when a martial artist goes on a rampage, it's no different from a natural disaster for ordinary people.
I kicked the unconscious bastard aside and entered the room to begin my search.
A moment later.
“Damn it, nothing here either. Anyway.”
As I was lamenting another bust and about to leave through the door.
“Who are you guys?”
I stopped in my tracks upon seeing dozens of people gathered before me.
A giant with a large scar on his face spoke with a sneer.
“Who are we? We're the heroes who are going to send you to the afterlife.”
“The management of this prison is a real mess, isn't it?”
Instead of answering, the man raised the weapon in his hand.
It was a stone club that looked to weigh at least fifty catties.
Its rough, uneven shape, like a weapon from the Stone Age, looked perfect for smashing a head in one blow.
‘Hmm, I haven't done anything particularly wrong... Is this some kind of hazing ritual?’
I didn't know why they were pulling this crap.
However, showing up like this could only mean they wanted a fight.
I gauged the War King energy I had spread throughout my body.
I could feel enough of it to unleash the Explosive Death Force once.
This was the limit after accumulating energy for three days.
However.
The War King Arts allowed one to accumulate energy while fighting, so it was more than enough.
*Crack!*
“Gurgle.”
As soon as I made up my mind, I executed the Three Yang Hand and crushed the windpipe of the man at the very front.
The surrounding men's eyes widened at the grotesque sight.
I killed him precisely for this reaction.
One of the most important things in a fight against many is momentum.
I immediately used a kicking technique and kicked the man next to me in the groin.
*CRACK!*
“Kuaargh!”
Leaving the man who collapsed with his eyes rolling back, I charged forward.
“What are you all doing? Kill him!”
A shout ordering the attack was heard, as if they had finally come to their senses.
Clubs swung wildly flew at me.
*Thwack, thwack.*
I couldn't dodge them all, so I took a few hits while striking down the men in front of me.
It was a complete dogfight.
There was even a guy who bit my arms and legs, as if he'd forgotten he was a martial artist.
But I somehow succeeded in creating some space.
*Whoosh. Vwoom!*
“Huk!”
*SMACK!*
Thanks to that, I was able to put power into my fists.
One punch, one man.
That was the concept for today.
“Die!”
*VWOOM!*
As I dodged a falling club, I simultaneously delivered an uppercut to the man's jaw.
With the sound of a jawbone shattering, teeth shot out from his mouth like popcorn.
“Keuk!”
I executed a kick behind me, striking the solar plexus of an approaching man.
“Hoo.”
Had I taken down about ten of them?
I could feel my War King energy rising in real time.
‘Just a little more...’
At this rate, by the time I took down about thirty of them, I'd be able to land the Explosive Death Force a couple of times.
If that happened, the fight would be as good as over.
They would be too scared to dare attack me.
But fights don't always go the way you think they will.
*Grab!*
The man I'd struck in the solar plexus grabbed my ankle.
“This son of a bitch!”
*CRACK!*
“Kuaargh!”
I quickly stomped on and crushed the man's hand, but I couldn't avoid the club that flew at me in that opening.
“Beat him!”
*THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK!*
It was like a scene out of a gangster movie, a club-beating.
If I had my Dragon Scale Armor, it wouldn't have hurt at all, but I'd left it with the Grand Chancellor.
I had no choice but to endure it with my body.
“Kuk.”
I didn't know if it was thanks to the War King Arts or if, as Bukgung Baek had said, I really had a unique constitution, but I could endure it.
But, as they say, even a light rain can soak you through, and it would clearly be dangerous if this continued.
In fact, some of the blows were not light rain, but a downpour.
‘Damn it.’
Just as I was about to draw upon the War King energy I had accumulated so far.
“How dare you lay a hand on him?!”
“Kehehe, this looks like fun for the first time in a while.”
“Hmph!”
“Namu Amitabha.”
“Leader! Are you alright?”
The five prisoners of the Dark Shadow Cave appeared.