Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: The Nine Dragons Tournament
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The next day, when I arrived at the First Squad Pavilion as usual, I saw the squad members all gathered together.
“Oh! Squad Leader!”
“Squad Leader!”
When the youngest member saw me and hurriedly saluted, the others around him joined in.
“At ease. What’s everyone gathered for?”
“We were discussing the Nine Dragons Tournament.”
“Are you guys planning to participate?”
Yu So-pyeong answered in their stead.
“Sigh, with our skills, we wouldn’t win a single match. We were just talking about how the tournament might unfold.”
“Is that so?”
“By the way, are you planning to participate, Squad Leader?”
“Hmm… I think I probably will.”
If I don’t, that bastard Dan Un might just chase me down with a sword.
“Then we’ll have to add your name to the list.”
“List?”
Yu So-pyeong pulled out a bundle of papers.
I could see the names of well-known young martial artists, with marks next to them indicating their rankings.
“It’s nothing much, just a list of the masters participating and our predictions of their strength.”
As I stared down at it with a look that said, *what kind of nonsense is this*, Yu So-pyeong continued to explain.
“Ah, the Red Dragon Hall is hosting a betting pool on the outcomes of the Nine Dragons Tournament. It’s much more fun to watch with money on the line than just watching, isn’t it?”
So it was sports betting.
“It would certainly make it more interesting. But don’t bet too much. You could lose your whole month’s salary and end up surviving on water for a month.”
Well, the end of gambling is ruin, after all… or so I thought.
‘Wait a minute.’
A thunderbolt suddenly struck my mind.
‘If I play this right…?’
It seems I’ll have to give it my all in this Nine Dragons Tournament.
* * *
As announced by the main fortress, the Nine Dragons Tournament began.
A large stage to be used as an arena was set up outside the outer fortress, surrounded by warriors from the Outer Hall to prevent any unforeseen accidents.
Merchants from Sichuan and the southwestern regions of the Central Plains set up temporary shops in tents.
All sorts of performance troupes flocked to the area, showing off their talents and drawing people’s attention.
Drawn by the first major spectacle in a long time, the residents of Nine Dragons Fortress came out to watch, holding their children’s hands.
And then.
“It’s the flag of the Wudang Sect!”
“The Shaolin Temple is over there too!”
“The Mount Hua Sect!”
Guests arrived from the Righteous Path Alliance, the headquarters of the northern martial world and one of the Five Great Powers alongside Nine Dragons Fortress.
“The Martial Emperor Fortress!”
The young master from the Martial Emperor Fortress, considered one of the two strongest among the Five Great Powers along with the Ten Demon Alliance, also came.
“It’s the Iron Horse Gate!”
“The Blood Gorge Valley!”
Envoys from major factions not affiliated with the Five Great Powers also arrived one after another.
The only ones who didn’t send envoys were their rivals, the Ten Demon Alliance, and the Eastern Camellia League, which had historically been on bad terms with Nine Dragons Fortress.
That wasn’t all.
Martial artists who roamed the realm, wandering the world alone, gathered like clouds.
It seemed they were here to witness the martial arts of Nine Dragons Fortress.
As the situation escalated, the workload of the Outer Hall exploded.
No matter how much the name of Nine Dragons Fortress, one of the Five Great Powers, was used to keep order, martial artists were, by nature, psychopaths accustomed to killing.
Naturally, incidents and accidents were bound to happen frequently.
Because of this, the Outer Hall warriors were constantly running all over the outer fortress.
With so many masters flooding in, if it weren’t for my order to actively use Bukgung Baek’s name, we would have had several corpses on our hands by now.
At that moment, I couldn’t help but be impressed by Bukgung Baek’s notoriety once again.
‘Just how has he lived his life?’
Masters whose names were widely known would immediately tuck their tails between their legs the moment they heard Bukgung Baek’s name.
Some even pissed themselves!
There were many times during the Southern Man War when I wanted to grab him by the collar, but I’m glad I held back.
A few days later, the long-awaited day of the Nine Dragons Tournament dawned.
Having already declared my intention to participate, I was granted a leave of absence.
“Sis, did you understand everything I said?”
“Of course. You want me to bet the money just as you said.”
“That’s my sis. You get it in a flash.”
“Of course. How long have we known each other? Hehe.”
I was planning a perfectly legitimate sports investment.
‘Even if I just double it each time, how much would that be?’
If I won, it was a chance to make a massive profit of roughly 128 times my investment.
As expected, Nine Dragons Coin is a godsend.
As I briefly dreamed of printing money, I heard Cheong So-so’s disapproving voice.
“But is this really okay?”
“What is?”
“I mean, a warrior from Nine Dragons Fortress betting on a match he’s participating in? That’s practically fraud.”
“Hey! Fraud? This is all a legitimate economic activity.”
“What economic activity? It’s fraud.”
“Are you going to live here for the rest of your life?”
That was right.
Now that her marriage to Lee Jeok-ha was called off, Cheong So-so had no reason to stay in Nine Dragons Fortress.
However.
‘Aren’t you going home? The marriage with the… uh, I mean, the third young master is off, so there’s no need to keep running away, is there?’
‘W-well… I’m scared I’ll get scolded if I go back… Maybe if I make a couple of bottles of Seoleumsu-aek, they’ll forgive me…’
‘Then why don’t you hurry up and make it?’
‘This is all because you didn’t keep your promise to go to the Heavenly Mountains with me, Squad Leader Jin!’
‘Was I just playing around? I suffered so much on the battlefield. You don’t even know… Sigh, I didn’t want to say this, but Miss Cheong, sometimes you seem to lack the ability to empathize with others. How do you expect to get married like that?’
‘Hey, this old man!’
For such a childish reason, she was still staying at my house.
In fact, thinking about it now, there were more than a few strange things.
The head of the Cheong family hadn't looked for his youngest daughter for over a year, even though she had run away from home.
Cheong So-so, despite causing a huge incident by stealing and using the family seal, hadn't even sent a letter of apology.
I didn’t know for sure, but it was clear that if she returned to the Cheong family, she would be whipped until the switch broke.
“W-well, I do need to make it… But why are we suddenly talking about that?”
“Do you have any idea how much it costs to get to the Heavenly Mountains? Isn’t this all to earn that money? You don’t even know.”
“That’s why I’ve saved up about seventy nyang.”
I couldn’t help but be shocked by Cheong So-so’s answer.
‘She’s only been open for a year and she’s already saved seventy nyang?’
It was enough to get to the Heavenly Mountains, but I deliberately didn’t mention that fact.
If Cheong So-so blabbed, it would be all over.
“Unfortunately, that amount is nowhere near enough.”
“What? It costs that much? I don’t think it cost that much to go to Shaanxi…”
“Where is the Heavenly Mountain? Isn’t it practically the heart of the Ten Demon Alliance? How can we possibly go to such a dangerous place by ourselves? Wouldn’t we obviously have to hire experts to go with us? I’d say we need at least five hundred nyang.”
As I pressed her with a barrage of questions, Cheong So-so became flustered and asked back.
“F-five hundred nyang?!”
I didn’t miss the opening and rubbed my hands together as I continued.
“Now, now, in that spirit, why don’t you invest in Mujeon Investments, Miss Cheong? If you pay a ‘small commission fee,’ I’ll grow it nicely for you.”
“In-inve? What?”
“The name isn’t important. What’s important is how much profit you can make, Miss Cheong. Isn’t that right, sis?”
“That’s right. So-so, think about it carefully. If this goes well, you could earn your entire marriage dowry in one go.”
“M-marriage?!”
“Of course! If you make a lot of money now and bring it with you when you get married, think how happy your future husband will be.”
“Hmm…”
Nod.
Myo Hyang looked at me and gave a meaningful nod.
It was a sign for me to leave the rest to her and get going.
‘I’m counting on you, sis.’
Leaving Cheong So-so in Myo Hyang’s care, I headed to the arena with a grim determination.
* * *
The Nine Dragons Tournament was brutal from the very start.
First, the rules explained by Geum Geom-jin, the Vice Hall Master of the Gold Dragon Hall who was running the event, were insane.
“If you suffer a serious injury or declare surrender, you will be considered defeated. Naturally, the same applies if you die.”
“What happens if one of our limbs gets cut off?”
“As long as you show the will to fight, the match will continue.”
Seriously, this wasn’t the Ten Demon Alliance. Where on earth did such a crazy rule come from?
And what was with these guys who were nodding as if it were completely normal?
‘The martial arts novels I read in my past life were all lies.’
In those, the one who used a killing technique was the one who lost.
Or was it just that this was a hardcore martial world?
Rumble.
As soon as the rules were announced, participants stepped down from the stage.
Waaah!
Sensing the tournament was about to begin, the audience erupted in cheers.
“Ho Jung-jin of the Silver Dragon Hall and Ga Seon-mok of the Gray Dragon Hall, come forward!”
With the two warriors whose names were on the match list leaping onto the stage, the first day of bouts began.
Clang, clang. Thud.
The life-or-death matches, born from the brutal rules, were quite a spectacle.
Though they were two lesser-known fighters without titles, they properly showcased the standards of the Silver Dragon and Gray Dragon Halls.
And not long after.
“Keuk…”
The short spear thrust by Ho Jung-jin of the Silver Dragon Hall pierced through the thigh of Ga Seon-mok of the Gray Dragon Hall.
It was a perfectly timed strike, a result of patiently blocking the relentless, all-out saber attacks with his shield while waiting for an opening.
‘If he doesn’t get that treated quickly, he’ll be a cripple for life.’
As I frowned at the unexpectedly severe injury, Ga Seon-mok struggled to his feet and cupped his fist.
“I have lost.”
“It was a good match.”
As soon as the match was decided, the cheers of the crowd erupted.
“Damn it, I knew you could do it!”
Someone who had bet money on Ho Jung-jin could be heard shouting in excitement.
Far away, the high-ranking figures sitting in the VIP seats looked down at the stage with satisfied expressions.
The matches that followed were just as thrilling.
The bloody nature of the fights made them incredibly tense.
In particular, the divine prowess of young masters who bore the names of their respective halls, like Wi Ji-pung and Dan Un, was enough to dazzle the eyes of the crowd.
When it was the turn of Dan Un, known as the best among them, all the warriors from the Wudang Sect came forward to watch.
Well, given who his opponent was, the match was over in a single move.
A total of 64 matches were scheduled for today.
Thanks to that, my name, which was last on the list, wasn't called until it was almost evening.
“Jin Mujeon of the Outer Hall and Dang Ho-san of the Green Dragon Hall, to the stage… cough, cough. Ascend.”
It was Geum Geom-jin, his voice shot from shouting all day.
In any case, I immediately went up to the stage at his call and saw that most of the audience had already gone home.
Even the VIPs in their seats were gone.
It was getting close to dinner time, so they had probably gone for a drink.
‘Seriously, if you’re going to watch, at least see it through to the end.’
Thanks to them, Dang Ho-san and I were about to fight with almost no one watching.
In the distance, I could see Myo Hyang with her eyes sparkling and Cheong So-so dozing off.
When our eyes met, Myo Hyang held up two fingers.
It was the payout ratio for this match.
‘Two-to-one… not bad.’
Thanks to the recent success of the viral marketing for the Fighting Dragon brand I had entrusted to Misan Inn, my name had become somewhat known.
For the payout ratio to be two-to-one in this situation meant my opponent was also a fairly well-known master.
He was also someone I knew personally.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Well, I suppose it has.”
It was the Folding Saber Poison Sword, Dang Ho-san, a member of the Heavenly Dragon Society and a promising figure from a branch family of the Green Dragon Hall.
‘Still, he’s only at the first-rate level.’
The odds were likely even because of the Green Dragon Hall name.
For reference, this guy was three years my senior at the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion.
Our relationship…
“Still as arrogant as ever.”
…was not very good. The bastard sided with Baek Mu-ha’s group and constantly gave me crap.
“When have you ever treated me well for being polite?”
“Ha! You’ve lost your fear now that you’re older.”
“Shut your mouth and hand over the money, you golden goblin.”
“What?”
Whether our relationship was good or bad didn’t matter. In my eyes, he was just an event mob that dropped money when killed.
Thump.
My foot stomp signaled the start of the match.