Murim's Grudges #3: My Fighting Spirit and Killing Intent Crush Yours
My fighting spirit, my killing intent—everything about me was superior. This bastard had come here to murder and rob people, yet he was utterly unprepared. You thought you could destroy a man's life with that half-assed attitude? You fucking piece of shit! Trash like you deserves to die!
"Hraaaaaagh!"
The moment the Amto-bang thug let out that agonized scream, my sword sliced into his shoulder. He was completely consumed by terror, not even trying to fight back until the very end. Looking at him, I saw myself reflected back. If I didn't fight in this murim world, if I relied on scum like these robbers, I'd end up dying just like this!
Shlick!
The Heavenly Thunder Sword from the Namgung Family was on another level compared to the cheap piece of crap I'd been using. I just channeled my inner energy and unleashed the Great Flow Sword Art, and the blade cut through his bones like a butcher's cleaver.
Thud.
But at some point, the blood sprayed wildly, and the sword stopped. My mastery of the sword art wasn't high enough to cleave through his entire upper body, but honestly, that was more than enough to kill a man. Still, the Great Flow Sword Art didn't stop. I twisted the blade that had plunged into the center of his torso sideways and slashed hard.
Shlick!
I pulled the sword out along his ribcage. That brutal continuous slash severed one side of his chest along with the arm attached to it. It looked just like a chicken wing being neatly chopped off. Or maybe like ripping the arm off an assembled robot?
"Hoo!"
In an instant. In a real instant, I'd dismembered the bastard. It was so gruesome that just watching would make anyone puke. But there was no shock like before, no extreme heart-pounding overload. Was it because I was circulating the Blue Wing Heart Art? Or had I just gotten used to it? I didn't feel particularly tired either.
If killing became routine for me, I'd definitely be a monster.
"..."
I exhaled once and turned around.
"Uh, uhh...!"
"Hoesam in one hit!"
I could see the two guys who'd been charging at me freeze in their tracks. At first, it seemed like they were reacting to my attack to support their ally, but Hoesam had gone down way faster than they imagined, and my swordplay was so savage it shocked them.
I deliberately picked up the fallen human wing—nah, the arm—like I was showing it off. It was disgusting, but what I needed to do here was project maximum fear to crush their morale and boost my odds of winning. Pure tactics.
"Hey, guys. Your buddy's arm fell off, and you're not gonna reattach it? Damn, look at all this blood going to waste."
"U, uwaaaagh!"
"Crazy bastard!"
I shook the arm to scare them, and the two immediately turned tail and bolted. Running away? Seriously?
"Hahahahaha!"
Seeing that made me burst out laughing. It was hilarious enough when these trash-talking robber scum yapped about revenge, but now one of them dies and they flee? The sheer audacity of trying to ruin someone's life with that weak-ass mentality! No wonder—fucks like these need to be exterminated. No different from yokai. Hell, if anything, they're worse than most yokai... since they eat people and cover it up with human disguises!
I, the Nachal Killer who slew the Demon Nachal, would let these bastards live? Fat chance!
Fwosh!
I unleashed the Cloud Flow Body Art. I'd trained hard with Serin while running around, and it was paying off. I was faster and could sustain it longer than when I was third-rate. Meaning I could catch those worm bastards.
Their momentum and spirit? I'd devoured it all. Nothing easier than killing an enemy with their back turned!
Screeeee!
The distance between me and the guy closed rapidly. This was tag with death—no, a murder game of tag. On a whole different level from kids playing on the playground!
"Dieeee!"
"U, uwaa!"
One of the fleeing guys, the "hyungnim" type, suddenly drew his sword to face me.
"H-Hey! O Su-man! This fucker! Take him down quick!"
He yelled, but the other one—the O Su-man with the grudge against me—just ignored him and kept running. Kinda ironic, huh? In the end, two innocent people died because of it.
I kept running and poured power into unleashing the Great Flow Sword Art again.
"Uh, uhh?!"
The Amto-bang thug saw my ferocious strike and clumsily tried to block while backing away to create distance.
"Y-You're a master! A high master! P-Please spare me! I was just...!"
Foolish. We're already in a situation where swords are drawn and we're trying to kill each other, and he's begging for his life. For me, that stupid reaction was perfect. Idiots like him were easy to kill safely.
"Amto-bang! Is Amto-bang after me?!"
"Th-That's...!"
"Go tell your boss!"
In that instant, I feigned sheathing my sword and bluffed.
"If you're targeting me, I'll kill every last one of you! Got it? Hurry up and relay the message before I slaughter you!"
"Understood! Understood, sir!"
The moment the Amto-bang thug turned around shouting that, I focused my energy to a single point like when I stabbed the Demon Nachal in the back and thrust fiercely at his back.
Pfshk!
The sword pierced through his back and out his chest.
"Guh, guhuk...!"
The groan didn't last long. I yanked the sword out, and he collapsed.
"Stupid fuck!"
My explosive killing intent subsided. This moron probably never grasped what he was doing. The weight of committing murder and robbery against people. And the idiocy of trusting an enemy mid-battle. Nothing normal about him. Two people died because of a retard like this...!
"Fuck!"
I irritably rummaged through his pockets for anything valuable. No way I could catch that fleeing O Su-man now. Even if I was faster than third-rate, the distance was too great.
Plus, after killing two... thump thump!
Fatigue and exhaustion hit me like a wave.
"Hoo, hoo!"
I circulated the Blue Wing Heart Art as much as possible to recover while breathing. Still, I didn't stop looting. From the yokai—no, these guys' corpses, I scored over 300 mun in coins and two cheap swords.
Normally, tomorrow—yeah, tomorrow—I'd head out with Jae Mi-son to hunt yokai, make this much, and blow it on booze and gungbo-gyejeong. But I'd earned that much cash. That big money. Just from a quick midnight murder spree.
Something was seriously wrong. Irreversibly so.
"Fucking bastards!"
Rage boiled up. Why the hell did I have to kill for scum like this...!
"Right... Song-ssi wouldn't let something like this shake him."
Thinking of Song-ssi, I quickly steadied my mind. A man like him... he wouldn't sweat the small stuff. He's a true hero.
Once I finished up, I went straight to find Jae Mi-son. Now that I'd crossed these Amto-bang fuckers, I couldn't stay in this city anymore. Time to say goodbye to Jae Mi-son and bolt.
But when I got to his inn, it was in an uproar.
"No way...?"
A bad feeling hit me, and I shoved open the inn door.
"Hey!"
"Kik..."
There was Jae Mi-son, sitting on the first floor. Two corpses lay sprawled in front of him.
"Jae Mi-son!"
Blood dripped from his I-sang Je-go.
"Kuk kuk. What brings you here in the dead of night?"
"You got attacked too?!"
"Yeah... Looks like you did too, Geun-hyeop."
His voice sounded pretty drained.
"Jae Mi-son, sorry for dragging you into this. I got ambushed on the way. These fuckers came for revenge."
"Revenge...? Explain."
"So, here's the deal."
I quickly told Jae Mi-son about the two-man robber duo I'd run into before. The survivor had brought a black path crew.
"Kik... Even worthless robber scum have their principles, huh... That's murim grudges for you, Geun-hyeop."
"Fuck...! But I didn't expect them to hit you too!"
"They figured out I'm your friend."
I'd dragged my friend into my grudge. Killing a few black path bastards was no biggie, but endangering a friend blackened my heart enough.
"Sorry."
When I apologized, Jae Mi-son shook his head.
"Doesn't matter. We're the Anhui Twin Heroes, after all."
"You bastard...!"
Anhui Twin Heroes! I was overwhelmed.
"Thanks for saying that."
I held back the surging emotion and replied. Jae Mi-son was a true man. A hero I acknowledged.
"Anyway, Jae Mi-son. What now? These guys said they were from Amto-bang."
From what I pieced together, these fuckers got hooked on underground gambling, lost everything, and became slaves. Not spotlighted in Korea, but down in South America, it's a huge social issue with tons of people turned into slaves. They're called "dokla," heads shaved bald, stripped naked, forced into lifelong labor.
"Amto-bang?"
"You know it?"
"Kuk kuk... Of course. A small-time black path gang around here... Weak as hell, but killing four of 'em—two here, two you—makes us blood enemies."
Blood enemies.
"Unless you kill their boss or show overwhelming power, it won't end..."
Figured as much.
"So, two options: wipe 'em all out or run... Let's hide and plan first."
"What? Make a plan?"
"Lemme throw in... They tried to kill me just 'cause I'm your friend... That makes them my blood enemies too. It's not just your problem anymore. It's mine now."
"Jae Mi-son...!"
This mad bastard—I truly respect him!
"Thanks, Jae Mi-son! You're my real brother-in-arms!"
"So, what's the play? Run or fight?"
His eyes gleamed through his messy hair like a visual novel protag. The same intense gaze from when we resolved to kill the Demon Nachal. Jae Mi-son awaited my choice.
"Ha."
Couldn't back down now. How could I utter "run" in front of a hero like this? I took a deep breath and answered firmly.
"Fight, obviously, Jae Mi-son!"
"Kuk, kuk kuk, kuhahaha!"
Jae Mi-son clutched his stomach laughing at my answer.
"As expected from the madman I acknowledge! Kuk kuk!"
"That's how it is."
"But Geun-hyeop, if we're fighting, we gotta go ruthless from here on."
Jae Mi-son might look like a spaced-out weirdo, but he's a true warrior with a cold edge. I got what he meant.
"I'm already ruthless."
"Good. Let's lay low for now..."
"Yeah."
That's when it happened.
"Aigoo, guests!"
The innkeeper appeared.
"Ah."
Wait, hold up. For some reason, I felt like the typical wuxia asshole who wrecks an inn, making the owner cry blood tears.
"Sorry for the commotion. Nothing's broken, so... the blood on the floor and all. I'll cover the cleaning fee."
"Please dump the bodies somewhere, I beg you!"
That was the bigger issue for him?
"Just toss the bodies anywhere... Let's move."
"Right."
I immediately helped Jae Mi-son dispose of the corpses. Sneaking around with a friend for something heart-pounding? No different from school days.
It's an amazing feeling.