Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Nine Dragons' Struggle for Supremacy (2)
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Flying Heavenly Wind.
Though I had only just learned the basics, it was a divine movement art, and with each step, I felt a lightness as if I could fly.
"Hmph!"
Dang Ho-san scoffed and began waving his hands in the air.
*Swish. Swish.*
With each wave, small willow-leaf daggers shot toward me like arrows.
It was a martial art I had seen before.
The Butterfly Killing Dagger Arts, a supreme dagger technique that had earned him the title of "Dagger" in his name.
*Thud.*
As I stepped aside to avoid the dagger, I felt the freedom of the Flying Heavenly Wind, which was said to let one run across the sky like the wind.
*Scree. Scree.*
Two willow-leaf daggers grazed past my left and right sides.
Perhaps because I had dodged so easily, Dang Ho-san gritted his teeth and threw his daggers even faster.
But his daggers never reached me as I used the Flying Heavenly Wind.
I even wondered if I might be faster than his daggers.
Still, I couldn't let my guard down.
He might not be much, but the Butterfly Killing Dagger Arts was the signature technique of the Green Dragon Hall, the masters of hidden weapons.
Just as I expected.
*Flutter. Flap.*
The daggers that had flown past me made a peculiar sound, changed direction, and came flying back.
The daggers coming from the front veered to block my escape routes.
It was a situation I couldn't escape with my novice-level Flying Heavenly Wind.
But worry not.
The hand is quicker than the eye... No, the feet are faster than the daggers.
*BOOM!*
The moment I made up my mind, I stomped the ground.
War King Step.
When the body protection art that allowed one to move faster than anyone in the world for a single step combined with the Flying Heavenly Wind, it produced a lightning-like speed.
"This bastard...!"
As I slipped through the gap between the daggers, Dang Ho-san's eyes filled with bewilderment.
*Thwack-thwack-thwack!*
Behind me, I heard the sound of the daggers, having lost their target, embedding themselves in the ground.
"Hello."
As I entered close-quarters combat, Dang Ho-san calmly thrust his short sword.
He unleashed the Severing Poison Sword Art, which had earned him the title "Poison Sword."
*Swoosh.*
The sword aimed for my abdomen. It was a strike focused solely on speed, likely because it was coated with a lethal poison that would make one vomit blood with a mere scratch.
'I knew it.'
At the utterly predictable pattern, a smirk escaped my lips.
*CLANG! Crack.*
I struck the side of the poison sword with a fist filled with the force derived from the War King's Ki.
"Hah!"
As the sword snapped like a twig, Dang Ho-san retreated in shock.
"Too slow."
*Thump.*
I used the Flying Heavenly Wind again to close the distance to his face.
The five stances of the War King's Thirteen Strikes I immediately threw slammed into his abdomen.
*Thump-thump-thump. Crack.*
"Keuk!"
The sensation of his ribs breaking was vivid.
But Dang Ho-san did not give up.
Instead, he used the impact to retreat and once again unleashed his Butterfly Killing Dagger Arts.
*Swoosh! Swoosh!*
The faint saber energy I glimpsed spoke of the effort he had put in over the years.
'As I thought...'
After exchanging a few blows, I could tell he had improved.
He must have trained relentlessly even after graduating from the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion.
At this rate, it seemed he had a good chance of reaching the peak stage before long.
'Even so...'
But even if he reached the peak, he would be no match for me.
The War King Arts.
To face this divine art created by the Fortress Lord, he would need to learn something on the level of the Sky-Filling Rain of Flowers.
Out of respect for the Fortress Lord, the creator of such a martial art, I decided to give his nephew, Dang Ho-san, a thorough beating.
*BOOM!*
The Explosive Death Force erupted, deflecting the daggers.
"Hand over the money! You golden goblin!"
"You crazy bastard!"
He threw his daggers and then immediately extended his palm.
It was a poison palm, faintly glowing with a dark green energy.
*Smack! Crack.*
My fist, heavily charged with force, shattered his palm with the War King's Thirteen Strikes.
*POW!*
A follow-up kick struck his side, sending him flying far away.
*Thump, thump, thump. Thud.*
Dang Ho-san skipped like a stone on water before falling outside the dueling stage.
Thinking the match was settled, I looked at Geum Geom-jin, who only then called out my name.
"The winner, Jin Mujeon of the Outer Hall."
"Kyaaaaaaah!"
From the audience, Myo Hyang and Cheong So-so screamed, hugging each other.
***
*Rustle!*
As soon as I returned home, I emptied the sack in front of Myo Hyang and Cheong So-so.
Five hundred silver nyang poured out, capturing everyone's attention.
In modern terms, it was an amount close to five hundred thousand dollars.
'Hehehe, look at all this.'
Just looking at it warmed my heart.
Of course, it wasn't all my money.
Cheong So-so and Myo Hyang had each invested 50 nyang, so 200 nyang of the winnings were theirs, and the remaining 300 were mine.
Still.
'Hehe, one step closer to my goal.'
It was undoubtedly a large sum of money.
If I had my way, I would have bet everything from the start, but I couldn't afford to draw attention so early.
Besides, doing so would have adjusted the odds, making it less efficient.
The best plan was to gradually increase the 'investment' as I moved up to bigger matches.
I nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Myo Hyang and Cheong So-so, who stood there speechless.
After a moment of daze, Myo Hyang slapped her own cheek hard.
*Slap.*
"This isn't a dream, right? This is all our money, right?"
"Well, not 'our' money. Most of it is mine. But a portion of it is yours, sister."
Upon hearing my reply, Myo Hyang began to laugh like a madwoman, while Cheong So-so's hands trembled as she reached for the pile of silver.
*Tap.*
"Ouch!"
"So-so, you have to wait until we've settled the accounts before taking anything. What kind of habit is that?"
"Uh, sister. I was just so happy..."
"Ahem! It's at times like these that we must be precise. I'll sort it out in a moment, so just wait."
Myo Hyang gave me a meaningful look.
It was a signal to hurry up and divide the money.
At her urging, I began to portion out the silver.
"Of the 500 nyang, 300 is my share. Sister Myo Hyang will take 100 nyang, and Miss Cheong will take 75 nyang."
It was fairness itself.
Despite this, Cheong So-so immediately protested.
"Hey, the payout was double, so why do I only get 75 nyang?!"
"Isn't it obvious? I worked hard and fought to earn this money, so of course, you have to pay a commission. Are you really that naive about how the world works? Tsk, tsk."
Even after my kind explanation, Cheong So-so did not back down.
"Even so, the commission is too high!"
"Hah, this is why I shouldn't have worked with a rich girl... Look, I did the planning, and I did the fighting. Miss Cheong, you did nothing, did you? Of course, the fee should be high. If you really have a problem with it, I won't take a commission. You can do it all by yourself. But in that case, I won't tell you when you're about to lose."
The moment I mentioned terminating our investment contract, Cheong So-so panicked and replied.
"N-No... I didn't mean it's expensive... Okay. I get it. I'll accept the commission. But why am I the only one paying it? Sister Myo Hyang isn't paying a single coin..."
"That's because my sister isn't a stranger."
"...Then what is she?"
"She's family."
Of course, she's family.
She feeds me, does my laundry, and even cleans.
Besides, didn't I make the investment in Myo Hyang's name?
I should probably remember to give her a carnation on the next Parent's Day.
Hearing my answer, Cheong So-so grew even more heated.
"Then what about me?! I've been living in the same house for a year, you should count me as family too!"
"Don't be ridiculous. Miss Cheong, you are not family."
"Then what am I?!"
"You are in the relationship of a landlord and a tenant."
"You're horrible!"
"Getting angry won't lower the commission."
"...Make it forty percent. Please."
Seeing Cheong So-so bow her head respectfully, I clenched my fist.
'Mission success.'
I had gained two things today.
A hefty commission of forty percent of the profits, and...
'Now, their relationship won't be the same as before.'
By discriminating with the commission, I had driven a wedge between Myo Hyang and Cheong So-so.
Just as I predicted.
I could already see the chill between them ever since Cheong So-so had pointed out Myo Hyang's zero commission.
"Hmph."
"S-Sister. That's not what I meant..."
"It's fine. I don't want to hear it today."
"Sister, wait!"
As Myo Hyang got up to leave, Cheong So-so hurriedly followed her.
Now, the two of them would never team up to nag me again.
*Puhuhuhu.*
It was a perfect day where I both earned money and established my authority in the house.
***
The next day's match was against a weak opponent and ended quickly.
As a result, our payout was a mere 1.1 times the bet.
The rumor that I had beaten Dang Ho-san to a pulp had spread faster than I expected.
"Tch! What is this?!"
Cheong So-so, who had been crying for fairness on the first day, was greatly disappointed by the poor returns.
Once she got a taste of easy money, she had clearly become obsessed with it.
And on the third day, the round of 32.
I headed to the dueling grounds with a sack full of silver on my back.
As soon as we arrived, Myo Hyang went to the betting counter to check the odds.
"It's three to one."
"Mmm, as expected."
The odds were higher than I thought.
It was understandable, as my opponent this time was the Gray Dragon Saber, Jeon Muk.
He was the second son of the Gray Dragon Hall's Master, a peak expert who had mastered the Hegemon's Heavenly Great Saber Art to the tenth level.
Unlike me, a local expert known only within the Nine Dragons Fortress, he was a young, franchise-level master of the Gray Dragon Hall, famous throughout Sichuan Province.
Perhaps because of this, Cheong So-so looked at me with eyes full of suspicion.
"Can you really win? If not, tell me now. Don't make me lose my money for nothing."
"Ahem! What do you take me for? I am the man who blocked the saber aura of the Southern Heaven Palace's Lord."
Although, it was only a final hit on something the Black Mountain Tigers had already destroyed.
"You're always coming home beaten up and asking to be fixed, so how can I possibly trust you?"
As Cheong So-so grumbled, Myo Hyang chimed in with a soft voice.
"If you think it'll be difficult, we can stop here..."
"No, I told you I can win!"
"I believe you. I do, but..."
Myo Hyang subtly avoided my gaze, unable to finish her sentence.
'Even my sister doesn't believe in me!'
So this is what they mean when they say money ruins pure relationships...
I managed to persuade the two of them to place the bet.
It was called 'all-in.'
The three of us bet a total of 550 nyang. If I won, it would return as 1650 nyang.
And so the match began.
Unlike the first day, my name was called first today.
"Jin Mujeon of the Outer Hall and Jeon Muk of the Gray Dragon Hall, ascend to the dueling stage!"
As Geum Geom-jin's voice rang out, a giant of a man, easily over two meters tall, stormed onto the stage from the opposite side, radiating a tempestuous aura.
'...Maybe I shouldn't have bet?'
I felt a slight regret, but the egg was already broken. All that was left was to head to the frying pan and make a fried egg.
*Thud.*
I stepped onto the dueling stage with confidence.
Although it was the third day, since it was the first match, Geum Geom-jin explained the rules once more.
"If one sustains a serious injury, shouts surrender, or..."
But his explanation didn't register in my ears.
Because in the very front row of the audience, I saw my love, Yuk Jin-hwa.
The problem was...
She hadn't come alone, but with another man.
'How could she, after all I've done for her!'
They were standing incredibly close, clearly not just acquaintances.
*Thump-thump.*
My heart pounded as if it would burst with a sense of betrayal.
'N-No. It could be her brother, younger or older!'
But this hope of mine was torn to shreds in an instant.
Yuk Jin-hwa took the man's hand and then linked her arm with his.
It was a bold display of affection that only lovers would share.
At the same time, her face, filled with happiness, plunged me into despair.
"Are you all right, young man?"
Having finished his explanation, Geum Geom-jin asked me.
"...I'm fine."
"Tears all of a sudden? If you're scared, you'd better forfeit."
"No. I will fight."
My chest felt like it would explode with the rage welling up inside me.
"...Very well. I warned you, so don't blame me later."
"Yes."
Just in time, a target for my rage appeared before me.
A very sturdy-looking target at that.
"Begin!"
With Geum Geom-jin's shout, I stomped the ground with all my might.
*KRAAANG!*