Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: The Nine Dragons Tournament (6)
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The quarterfinals ended in an instant.
This was because the opponents were clearly mismatched in skill.
It was obvious that the hosts, the Red Dragon Hall, had arranged things to ensure the Nine Dragons Tournament concluded successfully.
‘As expected of the entertainment-loving Red Dragon Hall.’
At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if a "Nine Dragons Land" theme park popped up somewhere in the Outer Fortress soon.
Thanks to this, I was able to enter the semifinals without expending much stamina.
Of course, the same would be true for Baek Mu-ha.
This was why I found myself contemplating my match against him more deeply.
“What are you going to do?”
“That's right. Decide quickly. The betting booth is about to close.”
The two women prodded me, unable to make a decision.
Thinking about it, it was ridiculous to even be having this dilemma.
All I had to do was bet on my loss, fight moderately, and then lose, just as I'd originally planned.
However, that one thing Baek Mu-ha had said back then kept messing with my head.
‘To someone like you?’
Was it because I was being looked down on by someone I usually despised?
His words replayed in my mind as vividly as if I'd just heard them.
‘The more I think about it, the more pissed I get.’
That son of a bitch, really.
As I agonized over the decision.
“Last call! If you want to place a bet, hurry up!”
The Red Dragon Hall warrior managing the booth shouted at the top of his lungs.
Lifting my gaze above him, I saw a paper with the betting odds written on it.
‘Baek Mu-ha at 1.7, and me at 2.3.’
As expected, many were predicting Baek Mu-ha's victory.
Just then, I heard the voices of the two women who had come with me.
“I believe in you, Squad Leader. You're stronger than anyone I know.”
Myo Hyang offered words of encouragement.
“What's life if not a gamble? It's all about one big score. Squad Leader Jin's odds are higher, so let's bet on you and fight like our lives depend on it. Don't worry about getting hurt. I'll patch you up for free.”
Aiming for the upset, Cheong So-so spouted the classic lines of a gambling addict.
By the way, why is she here when she's broke?
“What are you meddling for when you don't even have money to invest?”
“Oh my? Why would you think I don't have money?”
“Didn't you lose it all recently? I recall you went for one big score then, too, and ended up ruined.”
Hitting a sore spot, Cheong So-so replied with a gloomy expression.
“...I borrowed it from Myo Hyang.”
“What are you going to do if you lose it...?”
“I'll win it back and repay her, so don't worry.”
Cheong So-so was already showing symptoms of the final stage of gambling addiction: the 'win it back and repay' mentality.
“Oh? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?”
“It looks like you're looking at me with incredibly pathetic eyes...”
“You're imagining things.”
“No... It was definitely a look of pity.”
Damn, she's sharp.
“If there are no more bettors, we will now close the booth!”
The final call came from the betting booth.
It was time to decide.
In truth, I had already made up my mind when I heard Myo Hyang's encouragement.
“Just as you said, sister, I should trust myself. Bet it all on me.”
I decided to go all-in on my own victory.
* * *
Perhaps because it was the semifinals, the stands were packed with spectators.
Waaaaah-!
As Baek Mu-ha and I stepped onto the stage, they all erupted in cheers.
Most of them were common folk living in the Outer Fortress.
“It’s Squad Leader!”
“Win!”
“Squad Leader Jin, take me! *Sob*!”
Perhaps because they were people I saw around often, most of them sent me words of support.
And on a small hill overlooking the stage.
<Certain Victory for the Fighting Dragon, Jin Mujeon - From Everyone at the Outer Hall>
Behind Yang Gang, who was waving a large banner, over a hundred Outer Hall warriors were waving at me, and right next to them, Bukgung Baek was drinking.
Taking in the scene, I felt that the decision I had just made was the right one.
‘How can I lose after receiving this kind of support?’
Even if I had decided otherwise, my mind would have changed once I got up here.
As I met Baek Mu-ha's eyes, a telepathic message came through.
[Have you considered my offer?]
“What offer?! Ah! You mean that dirty trick where you'd give me money to go easy and surrender?!”
As I answered deliberately loudly, a flicker of agitation appeared in Baek Mu-ha's eyes.
“...You truly are a man who won't come to his senses until he's at death's door.”
“Let's get our facts straight, even if our mouths are crooked. Didn't you actually try to kill me once? Four years ago. Don't you remember?”
“...”
“You don't care about the past at all, do you? As expected of the coolest guy in the Nine Dragons Fortress.”
As the conversation dragged on, Geum Geom-jin intervened.
“How much longer are you going to keep the audience waiting? Both of you, stop it.”
“Fine.”
*Nod.*
As Baek Mu-ha and I nodded, Geum Geom-jin announced the start of the match.
At the same time.
*Clang. Fwoosh!*
A flash of sword light exploded from Baek Mu-ha's scabbard.
Sunlight Sword.
The ultimate art of the Baek Family had been unleashed.
Of course, I had anticipated his surprise attack.
*Thud!*
Before Baek Mu-ha could draw his sword, I stomped the ground and executed the War King Step.
*Swish!*
The spot where I had just been standing was split by a shallow gash.
The audience fell silent, as if overwhelmed by the arrow-like speed.
And I.
“You must practice surprise attacks often, because your strikes are incredibly sharp. Have you considered becoming an assassin...?”
*Swish!*
“Whoa! Shit. I'm talking here...”
I continued to trash-talk him.
Why?
To wear him down, of course, even if just a little.
Only then could I break through his terrifying Sunlight Sword and engage in close combat.
*Thwack. Swish.*
Every time Baek Mu-ha's sword moved, the air and the floor were sliced apart.
Its power was so sharp it seemed to split the very air.
But don't you worry.
I have a self-preservation technique superior to anyone's.
I combined the lightness of the Flying Heavenly Wind with the explosive power of the War King Step.
*Clang! Shhhk.*
Thanks to that, I successfully evaded.
*Crack.*
The Sunlight Sword could only cut through empty air.
This went on for about ten seconds.
“...*Hah.*”
I could hear Baek Mu-ha's ragged breathing.
As I thought, that kind of speed isn't easy to maintain.
It must consume a massive amount of internal energy and stamina.
As proof, wasn't Baek Mu-ha visibly tiring?
I could attribute about half of it to my trash-talking.
And just as I expected.
At some point, I felt Baek Mu-ha's sword growing dull.
*Thud.*
I seized the opening as he retracted his sword, using the War King Step to instantly charge to his side.
*Crackle, crackle.*
The War King Ki I simultaneously raised coursed through my body, erupting with force and granting me immense strength.
And using that strength, I unleashed the War King Thirteen Strikes.
*Wham!*
Swinging, thrusting, twisting, and striking.
The most efficient striking methods a human could perform were unleashed upon Baek Mu-ha's body.
And in that moment.
I felt something was wrong.
I felt a considerable repulsive force from the fist I had landed.
“...!”
A smirk.
Baek Mu-ha smirked, one corner of his mouth lifting.
My instincts, quick as lightning, screamed a warning.
It was a trap!
*Clang! Swish.*
The Sunlight Sword exploded forth, slicing off the top of my hair.
A strike so fast that if I had hesitated for even a moment, it would have pierced a hole in my forehead.
When I came to my senses, I saw a short sword in Baek Mu-ha's left hand.
That was it.
The bastard had prepared dual swords and protective armor to face me.
As I quickly used the Flying Heavenly Wind to create distance, the bastard gave a triumphant smile.
“This son of a bitch...”
“Surprised?”
“A little.”
“Good. It wasn't in vain.”
I pointed something out to the smiling man.
“But you've made a huge mistake.”
“...?”
“Dual swords are the very symbol of defeat. It's nothing less than foreshadowing that you'll get beaten like a dog by me today and piss your pants.”
Isn't it a universal truth, transcending time and space across all dimensions, that dual swords are a symbol of defeat?
Did I hit a nerve?
His expression twisting, Baek Mu-ha executed a footwork technique and sent his sword flying at me.
White sword energy shot toward me with the speed of an arrow.
“Tsk!”
At a speed incomparable to before.
*Clang! Pshk.*
The sword flash grazed my shoulder, and blood spurted out.
*Thrust.*
The short sword grazed past my shin at an invisible speed.
I couldn't just stand here and take it.
*Crackle, boom!*
I unleashed an Explosive Death Force forward, creating a storm of energy.
However, Baek Mu-ha paid it no mind and swung his sword.
I don't know what he was wearing, but the Explosive Death Force's energy was blocked by his protective armor.
‘This goddamn bastard.’
Using item buffs in a sacred one-on-one duel. What a coward.
But what can I do?
Right now, taking him down is the priority.
*Boom! Craaash!*
I unleashed the Explosive Death Force once more, blowing away his sword energy.
*Clang.*
The short sword shot up from below.
“Hup!”
I'll take the hit.
Making a split-second decision, I used the War King Step and charged straight at him.
*Thud.*
I threw a punch.
I didn't have time to imbue it with the Explosive Death Force's energy, but I poured in all the War King Ki I had. It was a punch powerful enough to send a man to the afterlife.
*Thrust. Bam!*
The short sword pierced my left shoulder, and my fist slammed into his solar plexus.
“Keuk.”
“*Cough.*”
The bastard let out a stifled cough, but I could tell from the sensation in my fist.
This was a losing trade.
“Kuh!”
I immediately followed with a kick.
A move aimed at his neck, which wasn't covered by his robe.
*Swish.*
But his longsword blocked the trajectory first.
Thanks to that, my attack failed, and I only managed to slice my own calf.
*Drip, drip.*
Blood flowed from the open wound. If it had been any deeper, it would have sliced to the bone.
*Clang.*
The Sunlight Sword erupted from the short sword, flying toward my neck.
“Hup!”
I immediately leaned back, but.
*Swish.*
The tip of my chin was grazed.
Baek Mu-ha's attack didn't stop there.
*Swoosh.*
He moved his longsword like a ghost, aiming for my legs.
I managed to create distance and dodge it in an instant, but a chill ran down my spine.
If I hadn't learned the Flying Heavenly Wind, my leg would have been severed.
Finding myself pushed back even in close combat, I frowned unconsciously.
At this rate, my defeat was certain.
‘I have no choice.’
I have to prepare.
“See? You should have accepted my offer.”
“Should I take it now, then? Hehe. Just give me around thirty thousand nyang, and I'll surrender and get off the stage.”
“Hmm? I'm not generous enough to spend money on a man who's about to become a headless ghost.”
“And here I heard you were loaded.”
At my jest, Baek Mu-ha lowered his longsword and short sword, then began to build up his aura.
“This will be different from before.”
“...?”
*Swish!*
The moment I perceived his sword's movement, I threw my body aside, but the sword energy still grazed my forearm.
Another wave of sword energy grazed my thigh.
If I hadn't been circulating War King Ki and emitting a protective aura, my leg would have been cut off.
“Hup!”
*Thud.*
I mixed the War King Step into the Flying Heavenly Wind and charged at him.
It was a choice made because I felt I couldn't hold out any longer.
And so, I engaged in close combat once more.
*Drip, drip.*
“*Pant, pant.*”
I was pushed back pathetically.
At the same time, I realized.
If this continued, I was headed straight for the afterlife.
‘Just a little more...’
The swords kept coming.
I barely managed to dodge them, but wounds accumulated all over my body.
And then.
*Thrust!*
His arrow-like sword succeeded in piercing my solar plexus.
It was an attack that should have meant instant death, but.
“Gack!”
“...?”
The sword failed to run me through.
“Because I received a nice gift from someone.”
It was because I had worn the Dragon Scale Armor, just in case.
As expected, you have to fight item buffs with item buffs.
Just as the bastard gritted his teeth and tried to withdraw his sword.
*Crackle. Crackle.*
The War King Ki I had been accumulating finally boiled over.
Mind and Ki as one.
It was a state I had reached during my training with Bukgung Baek.
It just took time to activate because I hadn't fully mastered the enlightenment yet.
With this, I could surely turn Baek Mu-ha into a pulp.
The storm of energy once again granted me immense strength.
And in that state.
*Rumble. Thud.*
I exploded my ki once again.
I had activated the Explosive Death Force inside my own body.
“*Cough.*”
Naturally, my insides were in turmoil.
Some of the fine meridians and blood vessels spread throughout my body took a huge shock, causing internal injuries.
Why would I self-harm like this?
Because there's something to gain.
*Boom.*
The power and speed to beat that bastard down.
Chain Ring Force.
I unleashed the third art of the War King Arts.
Energy exploded with every step I took.
A speed incomparable to just moments before.
Moreover.
*Clang!*
My senses sharpened to the point where his sword movements became clearly visible.
*Crack.*
With a single step, I dodged the Sunlight Sword's energy, which flew past me and slammed into the ground.
*Boom.*
When I used the War King Step, the entire stage shook.
I used the explosive force to fly forward, executing the Flying Heavenly Wind to increase the distance.
Sensing that something was amiss, the bastard used his footwork to create distance, but.
*Crack!*
My fist slammed into his side first.
“Kuh!”
Again, I felt the repulsive force.
At this point, I grew curious about the identity of his protective armor.
‘I've poured so much energy into my attacks, yet it's still intact.’
But that doesn't mean I'm out of options.
*Boom!*
If I keep pounding on the shell, he'll die eventually.
The Explosive Death Force erupted from my lightning-fast punch.
*Boom!*
Along with a somewhat dull thud, I heard the bastard's scream.
“Keuheuk.”
I have to pour on faster, stronger attacks.
‘There's no time.’
The time I can maintain the Chain Ring Force is running out.
I poured out all of the energy-infused War King Thirteen Strikes.
*P-p-p-pow!*
The bastard twisted his body, dodging the attacks.
“...!”
He unleashed his arrow-like sword.
To attack even while being attacked—I have to admit, his willpower is something else.
*Thrust!*
But I didn't dodge.
It was better to pour even that time into attacking.
Was it fortunate that he, too, couldn't aim properly, causing the attack to go astray?
*Riiip.*
The Ultimate Death Force from my kick slammed into his waist.
Thanks to the armor, his body wasn't torn in half, but Baek Mu-ha showed signs of pain, clearly having taken a shock.
I didn't miss that opening and rained attacks all over his body.
“Die! You fucking bastard!”
*Pow, pow, pow.*
My fists, bursting with energy, relentlessly pounded his entire body.
“Keuk.”
It seemed to finally be working, as the bastard started to groan.
Amidst his screams, I pushed myself even harder.
If not now, when would I get to beat this guy up?
But he still had his wits about him, thoroughly protecting everything above his neck, where the armor offered no protection.
However, that defense didn't last long.
*Crack.*
Unable to withstand the focused assault, his arm finally broke.
As expected, due to the nature of being clothes, it could block impacts and energy, but it seemed it couldn't block pressure.
Which meant the bastard could no longer defend his head.
“Hup!”
In other words, this was the chance to decide the match.
Aiming for his head, I gathered a large amount of energy in my palm.
I won't kill him.
Instead, I'll make it so he can never look at me for the rest of his life.
I don't mean I'll scare him so much he can't look me in the eye.
I planned to explode energy into both of his eyeballs and completely take away his sight.
Since we're already enemies, I have to go this far to make sure he can't target me again.
Just as my palm was about to strike his face.
A sword flew toward my chest with a brilliant flash of light.
*Flash!*