Chapter 205
Chapter 205
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 205
Chapter Title: In a World Without Evil Sects
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The mother of the little kid, who had come out to the courtyard before I knew it, slowly nodded.
“Back in the day, when the previous sect leader was still alive, that was certainly true.”
According to her follow-up words, the previous Justice Sect leader had been a noble man who never hesitated to extend a helping hand to those in dire straits.
The people of the county trusted the Justice Sect leader more than the county magistrate? That says it all.
Moreover, the disciples he led had thrown themselves into life-or-death battles against the bandits rampaging nearby to protect the county's people.
“But that's not the case now, right?”
“Yes. Hong Sa-min, the current sect leader, was notorious as a utter scoundrel even back when he was a branch leader, and after becoming sect leader, his villainy reached its peak.”
But that wasn't the only problem.
After Hong Sa-min became sect leader, the Justice Sect had been plagued by an unusually high number of misfortunes.
“Disciples suddenly dropped dead, or got their limbs' meridians severed and expelled for supposedly raping women.”
The strange thing was that every single one of them had been disciples who followed the previous sect leader.
And just like that, all the previous sect leader's disciples who had protected the county were swept away, replaced by the current sect leader's own followers.
“Which led to rumors that the current sect leader had killed or ousted them using underhanded methods.”
At those words, the head disciple bastard lost sight of his own situation and flew into a rage.
“You bitch! How dare you spout such ridiculous nonsense…!”
“Shut up.”
-Kwachik!
I stomped his face to silence him and sank into thought for a moment.
From the story, the Justice Sect of the past had seemed like a proud righteous sect, true to its name.
But now, it was the complete opposite—oppressing the county's people.
They dragged innocent folks off for forced labor to build their new manor, suppressing anyone who got in their way with beatings and threats.
This wasn't the behavior of a righteous sect.
It was the way of an evil faction.
“…In a world without evil sects, do righteous sects turn into evil ones?”
Muttering bitterly, I lifted the foot I'd been using to pin the head disciple and grabbed him by the collar, hauling him up and shoving him ahead.
“Alright, lead the way.”
“…Pardon? Lead the way where?”
“Where do you think? Your construction site. Let's see just how grand you're making it that you had to drag off every able-bodied man.”
At my response, unease flickered across the head disciple's face.
The look of someone dying to ask what I planned to do once we got there.
“What, you don't really think I'm just going to sightsee, do you?”
I smirked as I said it, and urgency flashed in the head disciple's eyes.
“Y-You're really thinking of making an enemy of our Justice Sect? Aren't you afraid of the consequences…?”
“Consequences my ass. Who the hell do you think you are?”
Did they really think they were hot shit just because they threw their weight around in one little county?
I kicked the head disciple's ass to force him ahead, when the kid's mother called out from behind.
“W-Wait a moment! What is this…! Are you saying you're going to fight the Justice Sect?”
Her voice was thick with panic, as if she hadn't expected me to act like this.
I answered nonchalantly.
“That depends on how they play it. I'd prefer to settle it with words, but if they want a fight, I won't back down.”
“Wow! Are you going to teach those bad guys a lesson, Silver Hero?”
Unlike her son, who was bouncing with excitement after hearing me, the mother shook her head vigorously, trying to dissuade me.
“That's reckless! No matter how much you've beaten their head disciple, the Justice Sect has dozens of them. Taking them on alone is madness!”
Eh, judging by the level of their head disciple, it didn't seem like it'd be any trouble at all.
I gave a slight smile to the kid's mother, who was looking at me with eyes full of worry.
“Don't worry too much. You and your son wait here. I'll bring good news.”
With that, I made the head disciple lead the way again.
But I hadn't taken more than a few steps when a child's shrill voice rang out from behind.
“Silver Hero~! Beat up the bad guys and bring back my daddy~!”
I chuckled at the kid's innocent shout and waved vaguely before heading straight to the construction site.
*
The way to the construction site was quite far.
The site for the new manor was pretty far out on the outskirts, even for High Castle County.
They must have planned something really extravagant, intending to work the laborers for free, because the site was vast enough to catch the eye from a distance.
And as we got closer, I could make out the laborers toiling away and the supervisors in martial robes whipping them.
“Heh, what a sight.”
Seeing those so-called martial artists whipping the laborers made the chivalrous spirit dormant in me boil over.
Right then, the oblivious head disciple cautiously opened his mouth.
“…W-We’ve arrived, so can I go now? Well then, goodbye.”
“Where do you think you're going?”
-Tuk
Without even waiting for a reply, I struck his pressure point to stop him from sneaking away.
“E-Eek!?”
Frozen stiff in his half-crouched escape pose, the head disciple's eyes bulged in shock as they darted around.
“You've got one more place to show me, so wait here.”
“W-Wait just a…!”
Ignoring his desperate call from behind, I stepped onto the construction site.
-Kkeueung-!
-Utcha-!
-Move faster, quicker-!
-Chwaak!
-Kraaak!
Grunts from carrying heavy materials.
The barked orders of supervising martial artists and the whistle of whips.
Screams bursting from brutal lashes.
Amid the whirlwind of noises, someone approached me.
“Hey, who the hell are you?”
Turning my head, I saw one of the supervising martial artists.
Blood dripped one or two drops at a time from the whip in his hand.
Hadn't they said construction had been going on for nearly three months already?
How much blood had that whip drunk up in that time?
“This punk deaf or what? I asked who you are!”
…Should I just kill him?
The moment I saw the savage martial artist's face, that thought crossed my mind.
What reason was there to let live scum who whipped innocent people without a shred of guilt?
I toyed with the scabbard at my waist as I pondered, then changed my mind.
We already had a massive enemy like Patian Castle to deal with; better not stir up unnecessary trouble.
Besides, I should give the victims a chance to pay these bastards back themselves.
With my resolve firm, I turned to the snarling martial artist.
“You guys got lucky. Or is it bad luck?”
“What?”
I drew my sheathed sword and smashed his jaw.
-Pbwek!
The clear sound of his jawbone shattering rang out, drawing the eyes of everyone nearby—laborers and martial artists alike.
“Ilgwang-ah-!”
“You bastard, who the hell are you!?”
Amid the stunned laborers, furious martial artists came charging over in a group.
Grinning at the sight, I moved first before they could surround me.
-Kung!
Stamping down with a solid step, I shot toward the nearest martial artist and slammed my sheathed sword hard into his chest before he could even track my position.
-Puk!
“Keok!?”
The tip of the sheathed sword dug deep into his solar plexus.
Unable to even draw his weapon, he tumbled backward, clutching his chest and groaning.
“You bastard!”
Only then did the other martial artists realize something was seriously wrong and belatedly drew their swords.
Of course, it made no difference—they'd never touch me.
“Keuk!”
“Kek!”
“Kahek!”
Short grunts accompanied the martial artists falling like autumn leaves.
Every one was so simplistic it was yawn-worthy; their rigid attacks didn't even graze my clothes.
After dealing with the head disciple, I'd wondered, and sure enough?
These guys weren't proper martial artists.
Half-baked types who'd never seen real combat, just swinging their swords in the air as ordered.
“Kkuk!”
With the last one, whose eyes rolled back from a strike to the crown of his head, all twenty or so martial artists lay sprawled on the ground.
The laborers gaped in bewilderment at the scene that had unfolded in less than half a breath.
And right in front of them, I systematically shattered each of the martial artists' dantians.
“Kheuraek!?”
As the death-rattle screams surpassed ten and neared twenty,
“Stop!”
A roar rang out, and a middle-aged man with sword drawn came rushing over.
Just from his gait, I could tell he had a different aura—a somewhat proper martial artist had arrived.
Of course, I paid him no mind and continued destroying dantians.
-Puk!
“Keuhuk-!”
“You wretch!”
As yet another disciple's dan tian exploded, the middle-aged man's face twisted in demonic fury, and he swung his sword straight at me.
-Swaek! Swaaak!
Consecutive double strikes whipped through the air.
I twisted my upper body slightly left and right to evade, then thrust at the center of his throat.
His eyes flew wide at the thrust far faster than his own sword strikes, and he twisted his neck to dodge my attack.
Was that an instinctive dodge just now?
His body reacted before his mind to the threat.
He had more real combat experience than I'd thought.
I looked at the man, who had retreated for the moment, with slightly renewed eyes, then shattered the last one's dan tian as well.
“Aaak!”
“Kuh…!”
The middle-aged man ground his teeth but didn't dare charge in recklessly.
He must have realized from my earlier move that I wasn't someone to rush at lightly.
*
‘…Who the hell is this guy?’
Jeok Pyeong-mun, an elder of the Justice Sect overseeing the construction of the new manor, eyed the young martial artist before him—Ja-seong—with deep suspicion.
When he first heard some martial artist was causing a ruckus, he hadn't thought much of it.
Just some hot-blooded young punk playing hero.
That was the extent of it.
He figured his disciples could handle it.
But when reports came that all twenty disciples had been taken down, he rushed over in shock—and there this guy was, striking their vital points.
The disciples' screams blatantly announced their dantians shattering one after another.
-Stop!
He'd desperately drawn his sword and shouted, but Ja-seong ignored him and destroyed another disciple's dan tian.
-You wretch!
Enraged, Pyeong-mun swung his sword. But Ja-seong effortlessly dodged.
And not just that—he countered, thrusting his sheathed sword at Pyeong-mun's throat.
-Swaaak!
In the blink of an eye, the scabbard reached his neck.
In his panic, Pyeong-mun hadn't deployed his protective energy, but luckily twisted his neck on instinct to evade.
‘Th-That was close…!’
If he'd failed to dodge, that thrust would have neutralized him on the spot.
Only then did Pyeong-mun realize the opponent was a master he couldn't underestimate, forced to watch as the last disciple's dan tian shattered.