Chapter 105
Chapter 105
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: The Whim of a King
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It was unbelievable.
He hadn't held back. As he’d said, the boy was impressive enough to deserve the strongest technique he possessed.
It wasn't that he was angry and had put too much force into it. The moment he acknowledged the boy, his mind had become clearer than ever.
His staff technique, the Blood Wolf, which he had honed for decades, had been executed more perfectly than ever before.
That's why he should have died. It was a strike that contained everything, one that should have been impossible to evade.
And yet…
He had struck the shoulder, not the heart he had aimed for.
There had been no margin for error.
It wasn't because the girl before him had deflected it. His staff had already reached its target before her dagger swung.
Neung Un-bi had dodged it.
In that fleeting moment.
It didn't make sense.
He acknowledged that the boy possessed incredible skill for his age, but wasn't he not *that* skilled?
Could it be that he had been holding back?
Impossible.
If so…
"Ha! You mean to tell me you had an epiphany in the middle of our fight?"
Jong Ri-gang couldn't hide his dumbfounded expression.
There was no other way to make sense of the situation.
He had heard that a human pushed to their limits could attain enlightenment on the brink of death… but to think he would witness it with his own eyes.
"You call yourself a master of Force Qi! Are you really trying to kill a kid!?"
"..."
At Hyang-i's shout, her daggers gripped tightly in both hands, Jong Ri-gang let out a hollow laugh.
What was with this girl, calling Neung Un-bi a kid while screeching at him?
She was a kid herself.
Was she fifteen, maybe sixteen?
She didn't look much different from that boy, Neung Un-bi.
Yet this girl, who looked so frail, had surpassed Tak-chu's coin technique and deflected his staff in a single moment.
On top of that, her eyes were like a demon's, and the sharpness emanating from her daggers was anything but ordinary.
However, it seemed she had concealed her internal energy, making it impossible to gauge her level.
The Demonic Cult may be a place shrouded in mystery, but… what in the world were these two?
"You damn wench! How dare you interfere in the boss's fight! What are you all doing!"
Tak-chu stepped in front of Jong Ri-gang, and the bandits surrounded her, pointing their swords.
But Hyang-i, already furious, didn't mince her words.
"Yeah, you fucking mountain bandits. I'll kill every last one of you right here, today."
With her harsh curse, her hair fluttered as if in a windless space.
Faced with her murderous aura, the bandits flinched instinctively.
"This young brat doesn't know her place…"
*Smack!*
"Ugh!"
Tak-chu, who had been facing Hyang-i's menacing gaze with a handful of coins, let out a grunt and clutched the back of his head.
*Clatter.*
All the coins in his hand fell to the ground.
"Boss!"
Knowing who had hit him, Tak-chu let out an aggrieved cry and whipped his head around.
Jong Ri-gang sighed at his subordinate’s glare.
"Tak-chu."
"What!"
"I think you're the one who doesn't know his place."
"What?"
"You're no match for her."
"Huh? No, what could a girl like this possibly—"
"You'll get your throat slit in the blink of an eye. Stop this nonsense and step aside."
"..."
Jong Ri-gang shook his head and handed his staff to Tak-chu.
*Thud.*
Tak-chu took the staff, pouting and grumbling.
"You lot, step aside too. Hah, to think my bandits could be so blind."
"..."
At the clear displeasure on Jong Ri-gang's face, the bandits looked at each other in confusion before retreating.
"You, what's your name?"
"You want to die?"
"What?"
"I only give my name to those I'm about to kill."
"..."
"I want to rip your face off right now… but the goddamn situation seems to be that I can't kill you."
As Hyang-i glared daggers and ground her teeth, Jong Ri-gang let out a smirk.
Somehow, her confidence felt real. A chill ran down his neck where her gaze landed.
"My, my. To possess such skill and yet restrain yourself. Someone of your caliber must be quite famous even within the Demonic Cult."
"...I tend to avoid conversations with people I'm not going to kill, so shut your mouth unless you want to die."
"..."
Hyang-i continued to threaten him with a murderous aura, but Jong Ri-gang simply smiled, unfazed.
Normally, he wouldn't have tolerated being insulted by a child.
However.
"You should put away your blades and step back as well. I've already lost the will to fight."
"What?"
"It just happened. Because of him."
"..."
Jong Ri-gang gestured toward Neung Un-bi with his chin.
"Shouldn't you tend to him first? He managed to dodge my staff, but his shoulder must be in bad shape."
"..."
But Hyang-i did not sheathe her daggers.
"How can I trust you?"
"I didn't ask you to."
"..."
"But even if I am a bandit, I am known as the King of the Green Forest. I do not go back on my word."
After a moment's hesitation, Hyang-i sheathed her daggers, and a broad smile appeared on Jong Ri-gang's lips.
"Will you let me pass? I'd like to meet that young man."
"...Try anything funny and I'll slit your throat."
"Be my guest."
Jong Ri-gang nodded, and Hyang-i stepped aside, her eyes still full of vigilance.
Her opponent was a master of Force Qi, someone even she couldn't be certain of defeating.
But he didn't seem like the type to go back on his word.
Still, she intended to stick close behind him. If she sensed even the slightest suspicious movement, she would slit his throat immediately.
"My lord!"
"My lord!"
"Young Master Neung!"
Surrounded and protected by the Sakwol Unit, three people called out to Neung Un-bi in concern.
"My lord!"
"...Stop. My head is ringing."
As Wang Cheon gently shook his body, Neung Un-bi, who had barely managed to regain his fading consciousness, mumbled.
"Thank goodness. I'm so glad. I really thought you were going to die, my lord."
"Indeed, my lord… *sob*."
As Wang Cheon spoke with a brightened expression, Ju Seung wiped away tears in relief beside him.
*Damn them… they could have helped sooner and then said that.*
All they did was stand there cheering with their fists clenched.
Still, it seemed they had been worried. Worried that something terrible might happen to him.
"Phew, I don't even want to think about it. If something had happened to you, my lord, what would have become of my future, aiming to be second only to one and above all others…"
"..."
At Wang Cheon's sigh of relief, Neung Un-bi let out a hollow laugh despite the pain.
*Ah, so that's what you were worried about?*
*You were worried about that in that situation?*
*This Guard Captain, obsessed with fame and fortune…*
But Neung Un-bi just chuckled and shook his head.
He knew that despite his words, Wang Cheon had been consumed with worry for him.
Weren't his hands, still touching his body, trembling faintly?
*...Stop it. Your trembling is making my wound throb even more.*
"Halt!"
"...?"
Just as Neung Un-bi was about to push Wang Cheon's hand away.
Un Hak stepped forward with a fierce expression, and the warriors of the Sakwol Unit joined him, drawing their swords.
It was Jong Ri-gang.
He had come alone, and seeing Hyang-i following closely behind him with sharp eyes, he didn't seem to have any ill intentions.
If he had, Hyang-i wouldn't have let him pass.
"Let him through."
"My lord!"
"Let him through. If he was determined to come, you wouldn't be able to stop him anyway."
"But…"
"Master Un Hak, you step aside too."
"Young Master Neung!"
"My head is ringing. Don't shout."
"..."
Waving a weak hand at Un Hak, Neung Un-bi tried to get up but slumped back down.
"Damn, this is tough. Wang Cheon, help me up. Can't greet a guest lying down, can I?"
"..."
Wang Cheon grimaced at Neung Un-bi's smile but followed the order.
With Wang Cheon and Ju Seung supporting him on either side, Neung Un-bi finally managed to stand and straighten his back.
His body felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, and his shoulder drooped, but Neung Un-bi stood tall to face Jong Ri-gang.
"Are you alright?"
"Do I look alright? My shoulder bone was nearly shattered."
"Damn, so the bone is fine? What a shame."
"...Tch."
At Jong Ri-gang's grin, Neung Un-bi clicked his tongue in annoyance.
But he no longer felt guarded.
Jong Ri-gang's tone had already changed, hadn't it?
"Why did you stop?"
At the blunt question, Jong Ri-gang grinned from ear to ear.
"Because I've taken a liking to you, and I have something to ask."
"Something to ask?"
"Yes."
As Neung Un-bi tilted his head, Jong Ri-gang asked with curious eyes.
"How did you dodge it? At your level, you shouldn't have been able to see it."
"Well… I heard a sound."
"A sound?"
"Yes."
"Ha, a sound…"
At those words, Jong Ri-gang realized his suspicion was correct.
Neung Un-bi had clearly broken through his shell in an extreme situation.
"Incredible. They say none of the Demonic Cult Leader's disciples are ordinary… To have an epiphany in an instant and act on it."
"..."
Nodding his head, Jong Ri-gang extended his right hand.
"Congratulations on overcoming the wall."
"..."
Neung Un-bi stared at the outstretched hand and grumbled in annoyance.
"After you did this to my right arm…"
"Stop whining when your bones aren't even broken… I was aiming for your heart, so you should be able to endure that much."
Seeing the injured arm, Jong Ri-gang scratched his head.
*Damn it, if he had hit my heart, I would have really died.*
But the hand he grasped was filled with warmth.
"You looked like you were going to kill me… Why the sudden change of heart?"
"Well… let's just call it a whim."
"A whim?"
"Because I lost to you."
"Lost?"
Neung Un-bi stared at Jong Ri-gang with a bewildered look.
*Can't you see my arm? Does this look like someone who won?*
"There must be a hierarchy in a contest. Despite the clear difference in our levels, I did not hold back."
"..."
"You should be proud. It was a strike that even those who have mastered Force Qi would find difficult to evade."
Well, he didn't feel bad, to be honest.
To be acknowledged by a master like the King of the Green Forest…
"Will you come back?"
"Who knows? Hasn't the debt of the mountain fortress already been cleared?"
"Cleared?"
"Sometimes, there are things more important than money."
"..."
"My defeat cannot be compared to the likes of a mountain fortress's debt. Since you defeated me, no one from the Green Forest can hold you accountable."
"You're completely arbitrary."
"Because this is the Murim."
"What?"
"For a disciple of the Demonic Cult who follows the law of the strong, your reaction is rather novel."
"..."
"Laws and rules, principles and order. In the Murim, what surpasses all of that is the power to overwhelm your opponent. Justification, righteousness… many people spout such words, but in the end, even those things require strength to make your opponent accept them."
"That's a plausible sophistry."
"Perhaps. But how do you think I, a bandit, have been able to live without being disrespected by others?"
"..."
"Because of the power I possess. The kind of power that prevents even the authorities from acting rashly when I cause such a commotion in the middle of a city."
Jong Ri-gang's words made Neung Un-bi's eyes narrow.
He wasn't wrong.
That was the Murim, and the world as it was now.
A place where such monsters lived, and because of them, only the powerless perished.
The world that Cheok Wol-rin had despised so much and had wanted to change.
"The authorities may be one thing, but do you think the Orthodox sects will stand by after you've caused such a ruckus in Shaanxi?"
"And if they don't?"
"..."
"I warned the Orthodox sects when I came to get you. I told them to be prepared if they interfered."
Jong Ri-gang smirked and continued.
"Even if it weren't for that, they wouldn't have moved."
"What?"
"You are a thorn in their side. Why would they intervene when they have a chance to kill with a borrowed blade, thanks to me? If things go well, the Unorthodox Faction and the Demonic Cult, which divide the Central Plains, might even go at it."
"...That's true. Still, you went too far. Aren't you afraid of your reputation? Everyone will blame you for this incident."
"Reputation? Rumors? Why should I care about such trivial things?"
"...?"
"Even you, a member of the Demonic Cult, should know, shouldn't you? While I can't say I haven't committed any evil deeds, rumors are always far more exaggerated than what actually happened."
He thought he could vaguely understand what Jong Ri-gang meant.
The prejudice people held.
He had seen countless times how small words gather and grow, eventually becoming baseless accusations piled upon things that never even happened.
Sometimes, people deliberately spread such rumors…
"I don't care what others say. And perhaps, you are the same."
"What do you mean?"
At Neung Un-bi's question, Jong Ri-gang paused to think.
The Demonic Cult and the Green Forest.
Though they couldn't be said to walk the same path, they were people who lived lives constantly pointed at by others.
Although he couldn't claim to have lived a righteous life himself, Jong Ri-gang somehow wanted to impart a word of advice to him.
Whether Neung Un-bi accepted it or not would be entirely up to him…
This must be fate.