Chapter 119
Chapter 119
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: Born as a Tiger
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I was born as a tiger.
Anything I grabbed in my hands, I broke with ease. My innate strength was so overwhelming that blades couldn't even pierce my skin.
But there was no one to embrace me for it. My mother died the moment she gave birth to me, and my father had been gone from the start.
I grew up as an orphan with no one to look after me.
Even so, I could fill my belly. Thanks to that innate strength.
I handled tasks that others found daunting without breaking a sweat. I could even dash around carrying heavy loads.
I'll live diligently, I thought back then. I hated the way people pointed fingers at me, so I wanted a much better life.
But...
I was too weak to be considered a martial artist.
And too ridiculously strong to be seen as an ordinary person.
An awkward in-between position. Even when I approached others first, no one truly cared for me.
It was especially true when I was fingered as the culprit in a string of murders in a remote village. I hadn't done anything, yet everyone gossiped behind my back.
Once the real killer was revealed later, everyone shut up, but by then Na-rin trusted no one.
I realized there were things that money couldn't buy.
So I quit working. I left the village with the money I'd saved.
I wandered the jianghu.
Wondering if I could find someone on equal footing somewhere.
I even sought out martial artists a few times out of curiosity. But they were weaker than I'd imagined, and they belittled what I had.
They called my movements beastly, unfit even for the word "martial." Something not worth calling a style at all.
One person grabbed my hand and clicked their tongue.
They said my external strength was outstanding, but my body was innately unfit for building internal energy.
Even if I trained in martial arts, I'd only ever be half-baked, so it was better not to start. They chased me away.
In the end, it felt like a verdict that I belonged to neither side.
So where was the path I should take?
Na-rin truly wanted to know. But she didn't.
That's why she was passing time disguised as a bandit...
"......."
This.
This is real.
"...Ha!"
Na-rin's eyes sparkled. Her body naturally leaned forward.
He's moving. The man. The movements themselves are plainly simple.
Thrusting, slashing. Horizontal slashes, vertical slashes.
The enemy's bones shatter. The struck areas warp unnaturally.
-Crack!
The gruesome sound of flesh bursting. The massive body with completely mangled limbs rolls across the ground.
The movements are ordinary enough that even I can recognize them...
But different.
The spirit infused within them.
"...What...is...this...?!"
I'd encountered a tiger before.
The moment Gwang-yang and his gang were about to be devoured.
There, I faced that beast. I charged in bare-handed and beat it down.
But even after being beaten, that beast bared its fangs. Even cornered, it lunged at me endlessly.
That same feeling is in this spirit. A beast refusing to let its embedded fangs be pulled free.
The flowing spirit itself howls like a beast.
I'm curious.
So curious.
What kind of life has someone like that lived?
At the same time, I wondered why he wasn't using internal energy.
Could it be... like me?
...
"Grrr..."
The hulking brute collapsed with foam at his mouth. I turned to the remaining bandits.
"Take him and get lost."
I spared their lives. They weren't worth it, and I didn't want to carelessly taste blood.
Instead, I shattered their bodies all over. That should break their spirit completely.
Next time they pick up a sword, fear will hit them first. Even after wounds heal and bones knit, it'll be the same.
I granted him one chance. Because I wanted to.
But if we meet a second time...
I'll take his head.
The terrified bandits fled in a stampede. Thirty men vanished in the blink of an eye.
In the suddenly desolate place, only two remained.
A woman and a man.
Na-rin and the one called Gwang-yang.
I turned to leave. There was nothing more to say. I'd ended up helping them by chance, but I didn't want to get any deeper involved.
I tried to depart without farewell. But Na-rin grabbed me.
"W-Wait a sec!"
"What?"
"H-Hey, rest here just for today? Yeah? I owe you, so it feels weird not repaying you?"
"No need."
"C-Come onnn..."
"I don't want to get tangled with bandits. Let go."
"I-I'm quitting that! I am... I just have something I want to ask."
"Ask now."
"Y-You're a real martial artist, right? But you're totally different from the ones I've seen before. Internal energy? You don't use that?"
I sighed. I shook off the arm Na-rin was gripping.
"I have no internal energy. Only external arts."
"External arts... like that? Just training muscles?"
"Yes."
"H-Hey... wanna arm-wrestle with me? Just once?"
"What?"
"I-It just... I wanna... Can't I?"
What nonsense is this all of a sudden?
I stared at her in disbelief. But her sparkling eyes seemed full of sincerity.
...What a strange woman.
I turned around. Arm-wrestling once wasn't too much to ask.
"This is the end of it."
"Great!"
We took positions. Facing a tree stump, Na-rin and I clasped hands.
No internal energy... I couldn't sense any. Her power was practically nonexistent.
She's an ordinary person. But the grip strength clamping my hand felt off somehow.
This is...?
"Go! Start!"
-Grrrrrind!!!
The sudden ferocious sound made me flinch.
My hand is being pushed back bit by bit. Even without internal energy, the sheer power is monstrous.
It doesn't look like trained strength...
Innate strength?
But even so, it's not beyond what I can handle. My own external strength far surpasses ordinary human limits.
Strength unfit for her slender frame. But just that level.
-Thud!
The flipped hand sank deep into the tree stump. Na-rin's body lifted off the ground for a moment.
She tumbled away. Having accidentally put more force than intended, I checked on her.
"You okay?"
"You... you... awesome! No joke! Was it always like this?! Or did you gain it through training?!"
"A bit of both..."
"How?! Every martial artist I met yapped about internal energy and had jack shit! What are you?! Where you from?! Must be from a rich family, right?"
"...I was born and raised in poverty. Far from any rich house."
"Poverty?!"
Na-rin jumped to her feet.
"How poor?"
"The kind where you worry about your next meal every day..."
"Same here! You... you... so, what do you think of me?"
"What?"
I pondered what she was asking.
Na-rin urged an answer.
"Don't I seem weird? How do I look? Twisted? A girl with freakish strength is kinda gross, right?!"
"I don't know what you're talking about... Have you ever learned martial arts?"
"Nope! Always been like this!"
"Hmm..."
Innate strength, after all.
"Impressive."
"Doesn't make you think beast? Like a wild dog or something."
"Beast?"
Na-rin flipped in the air. She leaped onto the wall, then bounded through the trees like an excited wolf.
"Like this!"
"Agile."
"This?!"
-Boom!
Her whipping leg snapped a tree clean. Not a scratch on her skin.
Her body is tough too. Come to think of it, same during the arm-wrestle.
From my view, though, it was just a bit sturdy. Nothing more.
Simply surpassing human limits slightly with raw external strength...
In terms of power alone, she could match a first-rate expert physically.
Even without me, she could've taken those bandits alone.
"Tough."
"That's it?"
"That's it?"
I've seen monsters with far greater talents.
Not just external, but profound internal and external prowess.
Eun Seol-ran was one, and Baek Mae was an outright bundle of talent.
What about Joo Ryeong-ryeong? Black Peony was hailed a prodigy from birth.
First Demon, Wol-hyang, No Ha-cheon, Gun Ho-gwang, and so on...
Surrounded by monsters, my perspective had shifted.
Ah, pretty unique-that's the end of it.
What does she want to hear? I looked down at the small girl sitting before me.
"Why'd you start with bandits?"
"Nothing to do. No motivation, so I didn't want to do anything. But I didn't want to rob people outright, so I took tolls. I kept the roads clean and pretty. Well, my underlings did."
"I see. You sticking to what you said earlier?"
"Yeah. Quitting the bandit life. But..."
Na-rin's eyes sparkled.
"Where you headed?"
"To the Murim Alliance."
"Alliance warrior?!"
"Yes."
The talk dragged on. I packed my things again.
Na-rin's gaze followed me. Questions poured relentlessly.
"I really don't seem weird? Be honest. We're parting anyway, right?"
"......"
Not understanding, I examined her face closely.
"You're rather pretty, aren't you? You could take pride in that."
"...Huh?"
I left Na-rin blinking in surprise.
The road was long. My destination now was Qinghai Province, near the Kunlun Sect.
I needed to restock supplies there. The final stop was Anhui Province, home of the Murim Alliance...
A long way to go. I had to move briskly.
...
The brief commotion with the bandits ended as I entered Kunlun territory.
The entire Qinghai Province was Kunlun Sect domain, one of the Nine Great Sects and Eight Great Schools, so bandits couldn't run rampant there. It was only natural.
What were the Nine Great Sects and Eight Great Schools?
The ten prestigious sects dominating the orthodox martial world.
Bandits appearing there would be bizarre. They'd become Kunlun's prey the moment they showed.
Thus, public order in Qinghai Province was excellent. Streets teemed with people, all passersby smiling.
A place brimming with life.
I settled at a suitable inn. After some rest, I'd depart again.
If not for the unwanted guest.
"No seats here. Come over."
"......."
The bandit I'd parted from before.
Na-rin and Gwang-yang gestured at me from an inn table as if it were natural.
I tried to slip out. But Na-rin pounced and grabbed my arm.
"My treat! Yeah?! Let's eat together."
"Why are you doing this to me?"
"You're the first who didn't treat me like a freak. Does that answer your question?"
"Makes even less sense."
"Eat with me, and I'll tell you."
"Not interested."
"Come oooon."
Gwang-yang sighed at her clinginess. He rubbed his face in embarrassment but pleaded earnestly.
"S-Sir... Please eat with us just once? My sister's stubborn. It'd be better if you..."
I shot back in disbelief.
"You in a position to talk to me?"
"...Sorry."
Eyes turned our way. Helpless, I sat. Excited Na-rin ordered a bunch.
Gwang-yang nervously checked his pouch.
"S-Sis. We're barely scraping by. No more..."
"It's fine. I have emergency funds."
"What the hell. Emergency funds?!"
Na-rin jingled the pouch I'd returned to her. I reflected on the path behind.
At least five days by simple count. Long trek since leaving the bandit lair.
A distance impossible without abandoning the lair.
"You really quitting for good?"
"Huh? Of course. I said so. I don't lie about stuff like that."
"What job you aiming for?"
"I thought hard about it..."
Na-rin glanced at me.
"You got money, right?"
"......"
"Don't look at me like trash. You'll need it for a long trip."
"Need what."
"I've been around a lot. Seen everywhere. Even been to where the Murim Alliance is. Never inside, though."
She puffed her chest.
"I know shortcuts! Hire me as a guide!"
"No need."
"Huh. Really?"
"I have a map, so finding the way is easy. I can reach the destination alone without a guide. It's a path I've passed before anyway."
Of course, years ago. Memories hazy.
But not unfindable. I poured water into my cup.
"If you're job-hunting, look elsewhere. Teaming with someone who tried to take my life... Doesn't sit right, does it?"
"...S-Sir... That time was really..."
"You say that because I was strong. If not, blood might've spilled. Excuses or not, ambushing someone without fighting power is no different."
I stared steadily at Na-rin.
I drew a firm line.
"I don't like your kind."
Na-rin blinked. Her stiff face twitched.
She forced an awkward smile. Her hand fiddled with the cup surface needlessly.
"...Saying it that harsh... well, nothing for it. You're not wrong. I messed up."
"S-Sis!"
"Sorry. For forcing myself on you. Shameless of me."
Na-rin stood abruptly. She scurried out of the inn.
Gwang-yang glanced between us, then chased after.
I'd inadvertently taken their spot. But better to speak plainly.
I didn't want to entrust my back to someone half-baked. Talk between swordsmen was one thing...
But not with those who ambushed the swordless.
...
I bought provisions. Funds were ample. First Demon had stuffed my pouch with an absurd amount, insisting I take plenty of money no matter what.
An amount I couldn't even gauge. Financially, overflowing. Even lavish spending to the Murim Alliance would leave plenty.
But no desire for luxury. I treated it as insurance, left it untouched.
Just the needed amount for needs.
In my room, I slowly circulated the Nine Heavens Blood Demon Art. Even excluding feints, I continued martial training.
I must grow stronger. Far beyond now.
In spare time after light circulation, I had deep talks with Heukju. Or rather, one-sided monologues.
Heukju snapped prickly replies to my words. Like his first talk with Baekya, he outright refused conversation at times.
Of course, now I could crush him by force.
Transcendence realm was the pinnacle for human-form martial artists, after all.
But I didn't want that. Bullying with raw power was beastly.
I wanted Heukju's cooperation. With sincere intent, I tended to him wholeheartedly.
I didn't neglect polishing Ghost Sword Baekya and Blood Sword either. Didn't want to lose hard-won gains by slacking.
While tending swords, I continued mental image training. A new method possible after reaching Transcendence.
Blending my experiences with First Demon and swords in vivid self-awareness. Pure imagination sparring, but full focus made muscles and body react naturally.
First Demon's training stimulated my body like the real thing.
Great to train while sitting still. I didn't settle for the present, kept advancing.
As always. Layering effort on effort.
Yesterday's me differed subtly from today's. After another mental thrashing by First Demon, I slowly opened my eyes.
Footsteps approached.
Someone stood at the door.
"...Who is it?"
"...Sir."
Gwang-yang's voice.
"Could you... hear me out? Just once?"