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The two great powers of the righteous faction standing shoulder to shoulder with the Nine Great Sects. The Five Great Families. The Nangong Family. The Huangbo Family. The Jegal Family. The Sichuan Tang Family. The Hebei Peng Family. Their might and wealth went far beyond mere clans—they were practically warlords. They craved power and riches to a degree that made the term "righteous" feel shameful. And that's how they grew strong. Under the imperial court's watchful eye. Amid scraps over turf with the Nine Great Sects. In territorial brawls with the unorthodox sects. They survived countless checks and balances. Weaker families had long been wiped out or absorbed. They grew strong to protect their ancestors and kin. Swallowing humiliation and fear, they steeled themselves so their descendants wouldn't bear the same scars. Even when fierce winds made them sway, it was only for a moment. The roots of the Five Great Families ran deep and firm—they might bend, but they wouldn't break.
...Or so it should have been.
The Jegal Family, one pillar of the Five Great Families, renowned enough to earn the moniker Divine Mechanism Zhuge. Yet that fame rang hollow now, as a single girl uprooted their legacy and shattered the entire house.
The grand gates once pounded by countless guests. The majestic estate displaying the family's history and wealth. All reduced to rubble. Warriors versed in the Jegal family's secret martial arts were bisected at the girl's whim. Amid the burning ruins stood a blue-eyed girl, aloof and solitary. Gripping my staff, I limped toward her with unsteady steps.
"...Why the hell did you do all this?"
"I'm smashing the Jegal family that abused me. That's all it's ever been. Mancheon, join me in tearing down the Jegal family."
The blue-eyed girl, Jegal Ohae, flashed me a bright smile, no longer hiding the shark teeth that had once been her complex.
The Jegal family, crumbling to dust overnight like this? It was beyond belief. Stunned into silence by the unbelievable sight, I just stood there dumbly. Then something even more unbelievable unfolded.
Ohae's body began to swell and grow. She hit her super giant max form—Overlord Ohae. And from somewhere, she pulled out cloth dragon-head puppets, slipping them onto both hands. Arms spread wide like a raccoon menacing foes, she let out a roar.
"Kyaooo~!!"
That figure was nothing short of an apocalyptic beast... Ohaeveros!! The harbinger beast that would doom the Jegal family. Faced with Ohae turned three-headed dragon, all I could do was tremble.
"Your family is done for! From now on, this place is the domain of Mancheon-Ohae!!"
"Count me out! You crazy bitch! Why drag an innocent bystander into crime?!?"
My desperate cry that I couldn't become a terrorist only made Ohae stamp her feet, spewing fire from her mouth in a full tantrum.
"No way! No way! Together forever! Doom-bringing Buster Stream~ Kyaooo~!!"
"Together forever, but why bring doom?! And stop shaking the ground! Quit stomping right now!! -Ack?!"
With that massive bulk stomping around, it was pure chaos. Mid-sentence, the quakes rattled my jaw, and I bit my tongue hard.
To make matters worse, my balance gave out, and I toppled over. Flames spewed from Overlord Ohae's mouth—shark teeth too massive to call tiny anymore, dragon puppets on her arms—setting the Jegal family ablaze. Dooming the world. And to halt the indiscriminate destruction, Murim Alliance assassins appeared.
"There! The mad scientist Sima Mancheon who created the ultimate blue-eyed Ohae is right there! Kill him!!"
"It wasn't me! I didn't know it'd turn out like this?!"
"A child's sins are the parents' sins! A disciple's sins are the master's sins! No more excuses—die!!"
The Murim Alliance assassins drew blades without a word, charging to turn me into S/I/M/A/M/A/N/C/H/E/O/N. Just as I thought I was done for, a kindly voice rang from the sky, and something enormous plummeted down.
"...A disciple's sins are the master's sins. A most righteous saying."
Boom-!
An outer shell of unknown special alloy. Power defying gravity. A colossal machine. Humanity's pride. The pinnacle of technology. The incarnation of steel. God created man in his image. And man created Gundam in God's image.
Wha—Gundam?! Why the hell—Gundam?! The Murim world brimmed with infinite possibilities, but wasn't Gundam crossing the line? Even fantasy gets flak for Gundam!!
As the bizarre situation escalated and I struggled to process it, the Gundam's cockpit opened. Out came an ugly old man.
My master!
"M-Master?! Why the hell are you popping out of there? And where'd you even get a Gundam?"
"No time for petty questions. A disciple's sins are the master's burden. You pilot the Gundam and stop the ultimate blue-eyed Jegal Ohae."
"...Me?"
"Heaviest weight class, biggest mecha ever. Humanity's pride. Prototype, so some instability, but worth the experimental risk."
For some reason, hearing that made my cells burn hot, screaming to hop in the mecha—but no, this was too much. Too weird. I couldn't keep up with the situation. Couldn't keep up with reality. Wait, was this even reality? Come to think of it, I'd chomped my tongue hard earlier. No blood, no pain.
"No way! Mancheon's mine! Not giving him to anyone! ~Kyaooo!!"
Ohae, rage at full boil, spewing fire as she charged the Gundam. Then her foot tangled, and she tripped.
"~Kyaot?!"
Whoops! Told her to watch her step while running. With that size, even ointment for scraped knees would be a chore. Hospital bill's gonna bankrupt someone.
The massive Ohae plummeted skyward-pointing, earth-bound. Wait—screw worrying about others. Not the time.
Anyway, I realized it then. That I was having one hell of a lucid dream.
"...Gasp!"
I opened my eyes to a familiar ceiling. My bedroom. Cold sweat trickled down as a sigh of relief escaped slowly.
"...Hah... hah... Just a dream. Thank god."
Pick it apart, and it was absurd, hilarious nonsense. But as the dreamer, it was nightmare fuel. Good thing it was only a dream.
Why's my body so heavy, though? I lifted my head at the weight pressing on my chest.
Ohae had climbed on top, face buried in my chest, sleeping soundly with soft breaths.
"...Forever... together."
I'd even laid out a futon for her. Why always crash on someone and sleep-talk through it? Craving human warmth from a loveless upbringing? Weird tastes.
Wanna smack her skull, but no energy for that. So I just closed my eyes and drifted off again.
...A bit of weight wasn't bad. Kinda cozy.
Empty Brightness Fist—Seventy-two forms embodying the essence of "clarity through emptiness," one of the Daoist teachings.
Here, "clarity through emptiness" means: "A vessel must have hollows to hold; a room needs windows and doors to be useful." The voids allow food to be contained, light to enter, people to pass. In short, the Empty Brightness Fist makes an opponent's mighty force vanish in an instant, creating an opening to topple them instead. Simply put: defense, parry, counter fist art.
And it's the only fist art my master ever taught me.
When I'd half-mastered it and begged for other fist arts, he hammered home that defense is key in battle, drilling me endlessly on Empty Brightness Fist.
"Heh heh~ If you don't meddle in Murim affairs, mastering just Dog-Beating Stick Technique and Empty Brightness Fist is plenty. I guarantee—no beatings in your future."
Liar. Damn geezer. Gonna sue your ass.
I feel Ohae's gaze sparkling with anticipation. Looking into those eyes, I'm almost glad it was just Empty Brightness Fist. If I'd learned something aggressive like Hundred Paces Divine Fist or Thunderbolt Divine Fist, I'd have taught her the same—and god knows what apocalypse that'd unleash.
In that sense, as a defensive art, Empty Brightness Fist won't cause dream-level chaos even if I teach her.
Just taught the poor kid some moves for fun. And now I'm a Murim public enemy... What a joke.
"...You okay? Hurting anywhere?"
I stay quiet, and Ohae's face clouds with worry instead. So innocent, such a space case.
Come to think of it, Master once said I overthought everything. Yeah, pointless worry.
I relax my face, casually passing on Master's teachings as usual.
"Alright, watch my demo. Just observe for now. Ask if anything's unclear."
-Three days later.
Was this how the Frankenstein doctor felt? No. Fuck.
Practicing Empty Brightness Fist on a tree. Why the hell did the tree snap?!
Splintered trunk. Ohae beaming like "praise me." Me eyeing the tree and her uneasily.
No answer.
I took drastic measures.
"Mm... You've learned enough. Time to practice solo. Hit a million grateful Empty Brightness Fist strikes."
I bailed. Told Jang Sambung to clean up the broken tree.
Massaging my throbbing head, I wandered the beautifully manicured Jegal Family Manor gardens. Not scheming solutions—just walking.
Drifting aimlessly, I ended up somewhere unfamiliar. Where the hell am I? Looking around, I spotted a modest, weathered pavilion amid the gorgeous gardens. A handsome old man in antique robes sat alone, fiddling with Go stones, playing solitaire.
Go, huh... Watched Ghost Go King back in the day—got hooked. Cool my head with some charity play against this lonely grandpa?
I plopped down opposite the board, claiming the black stones.
"Old timer, looks like the grandkids won't play. Mind if I keep you company for a few games?"
The Jegal family elder even the patriarch couldn't boss around. One of the Top 10 Masters, feared and revered as Zhuge Strange Dragon.
Jegal Yang pondered how to handle this kid popping up to play Go, but boredom won. He nodded.
"Nine-point handicap, kid."