The Emperor's Iron Fist
Eventually, Kim Hwang-je was dragged out by Benedict and stood on the drillship's helicopter landing pad.
Endless blue sea stretched around them. A fierce, cold wind blew down from Siberia.
The sky loomed impossibly high...
Benedict remained in his two-heads-tall chibi form.
“Ahjussi, can I learn it too? My dad used his fists too.”
Poyu flapped over and landed beside Benedict.
The two of them looked like a pair of monster and knight dolls chatting.
“The Imperial Dragon Knights achieved Dragon-Human Unity and wielded the Dragon Fist. That is ancient history, however, and I myself do not know the technique, so I cannot say whether your father truly used it.”
“I seeee... That's a shame... I want to see Mommy and Daddy...”
“They must be watching their child grow into a splendid adult dragon.”
“Uuuung...”
What was that?
Dragon-Human Unity to use fists?
Even so...
Benedict spoke again.
“What I know is the Iron Fist of National Defense. It is the foundation formed by gathering the essence of all fist techniques. Even a dragon would not suffer from learning it.”
At those words, Poyu also climbed onto the rock beside Benedict and struck a basic stance.
“Poyat!”
“Your voice is excellent, young friend!”
Kim Hwang-je grimaced but eventually steadied his mind.
He could not abandon this technique anyway.
So it was a choice between his precious body or abdominal pain.
Obviously, choosing abdominal pain was the correct decision.
Behold this wise utilitarian emperor.
Was he not already mastering the basic principles of public administration?
And if things went well, he might even manage close-quarters combat.
Anyway, once Kim Hwang-je took his stance, the lesson began.
Benedict first ordered Kim Hwang-je to throw a punch.
He then carefully observed the speed and power.
“Strength, agility, stamina. All far surpass those of an ordinary person. They were not built through training, I presume.”
“No. They’re all thanks to items.”
The +10 to all stats granted by the Gold Crown was truly immense.
Benedict floated around, circling him.
“Can you produce something breakable? A log, perhaps.”
“I’ll bring out some wood.”
Kim Hwang-je retrieved a piece of timber from the royal castle and set it down on the landing pad.
“Break it.”
“Aren’t you going to demonstrate? You want me to hit this with my bare hands?”
“That is correct. Do not worry and strike it. Your Majesty must grow accustomed to a body reinforced by magic.”
“Can I actually break it?”
It was a massive log.
Truly enormous and thick—hit this with a fist?
“Try it.”
Benedict was firm.
Kim Hwang-je’s heart pounded.
Right. He was a hunter now.
He was a superhuman!
Receive the power of the items!
“Hyaaah!!”
Crack!
“Aaaagh!”
His fingers twisted!
“Uwaaaargh!”
Kim Hwang-je dropped to his knees, trembling violently.
“You said I could break it!”
Benedict flew over and mended the broken fingers with holy light.
“There. You did break it.”
Kim Hwang-je’s mouth fell open.
His palm print was clearly embedded in the center of the log.
Tears welled in his eyes from the sheer injustice.
“Forgive me. It was something you needed to understand.”
That shameless doll!
Truly the son of his father!
Benedict continued.
“According to your explanation, when you are attacked, you remain unharmed while the castle walls take the damage.”
“That’s right...”
“Yet your own attack harmed you.”
“Huh?”
“Indeed. If you cannot control your strength, Your Majesty will injure yourself with the Emperor’s Iron Fist.”
Kim Hwang-je swallowed hard as he looked at the fingers that had been twisted moments ago.
He had known, in theory.
But he had not realized it would be this severe.
A chill ran down his spine.
If he had punched his own stomach without understanding the physical reinforcement, his belly would have burst.
That would have been instant death.
“Such is the nature of martial arts. While its essence is a weak person’s means of survival against the strong, it also helps the strong avoid harming themselves with their own power.”
“That’s a novel way of putting it.”
It sounded like something he had read in wuxia novels about survival techniques for the weak.
“Before true strength, there is no ‘strong one.’ It is the same as there being no saint before light.”
Benedict climbed onto the rock and assumed the opening stance of the Iron Fist of National Defense.
“An arrogant strong one forgets that they too can be struck down. The result always leads to evil deeds. Look at that man, Jo Chun-ki, who treated you so carelessly.”
Kim Hwang-je recalled Jo Chun-ki’s arrogant gaze.
“After ruling for so long, he fell into the delusion that he could never be harmed. Those without worthy rivals inevitably meet such an end.”
“Ah...”
“That is why martial arts is the endless self-discipline of remembering one’s own weakness before strength. Without it, one will eventually be broken by their own power. This is what I wished to tell Your Majesty.”
“...”
“The knights of the Empire were especially guilty of this. They were crafted through magic engineering and were stronger than ordinary humans. That is why this Iron Fist was created as a foundational technique—to correct arrogance and serve as an example to all.”
He must have thought Kim Hwang-je would not understand if he only spoke in words.
“I’ll remember.”
Benedict looked at him and smiled pleasantly.
“I did not expect Your Majesty to be this humble. You shall become an example for every other knight. Let us begin from the start. We shall strengthen the body and turn the fists into iron.”
“Haha...”
Praise made Kim Hwang-je want to dance.
Benedict then leapt onto the log and executed six fist techniques toward the air.
The wind seemed to shift with each movement, and the sequence ended in an instant.
“......”
“Did you memorize it?”
“Memorize?”
He should have asked if he had even seen it.
It had been far too fast.
“The Imperial Iron Fist consists of six techniques based on the sacred beasts of the Empire. I shall demonstrate them one by one. Remember them well.”
Benedict demonstrated each technique again, this time shouting the names loudly.
“White Lion’s Straight Punch!”
“Phoenix’s Blade Hand!”
“Griffon’s Claw Strike!”
“Unicorn’s Thrust!”
“Turtle’s Knee Drop!”
“Dragon’s Palm Strike!”
Kim Hwang-je felt dizzy listening to the resounding technique names.
“Ooh... How magnificent... The Last Holy Knight is personally teaching our Emperor the long-lost Imperial Iron Fist!”
“Hey, Hunter. Am I seeing this for real? This can’t be happening...! Did you see that? The Dragon’s Palm Strike!”
The Hunter and the Fisherman had given up fighting and were now peeking together.
...Did those guys seriously think those technique names were cool?
More importantly, who on earth came up with names like that?
“Ahjussi, that’s so cool!”
Yet Poyu was earnestly copying each movement beside him with short little arms.
“Hoho. The young dragon has fine spirit. Now, Your Majesty, did you see it properly this time?”
“I... saw it...”
To make matters worse, the thought of striking his own stomach with a straight punch, blade hand, claw strike, thrust, knee drop, and palm strike filled him with utter chaos.
Kim Hwang-je asked cautiously.
“Do I... have to shout the technique names?”
Benedict nodded with a resolute expression.
“Of course. Because it is a fist technique imbued with magic, shouting the name loudly increases its effectiveness.”
“Ah... No way!”
“It does!”
Kim Hwang-je trembled.
In his mind, he imagined himself shouting “Turtle’s Knee Drop!” while driving his knee into his own stomach.
What kind of performance art was this?
If anyone saw, he would die of embarrassment!
Benedict burst into laughter.
“Hahaha, it was a joke. While greater effect is said to occur, that is merely a tall tale. What matters is concentration. The shout is merely form.”
Your Majesty.
No, that is incorrect.
What truly matters is the coolness.
Shouting loudly increases damage by 20%.
Hah-hah!
I’m not doing it, you bastard.
Kim Hwang-je dismissed the status window.
“However, during training you should shout the technique names repeatedly! Only then will your mind not wander.”
“...Understood...”
Though reluctant, Kim Hwang-je soon realized this training was genuinely enjoyable.
Moving his body after so long felt refreshing.
Thus, Kim Hwang-je stood with Poyu and Benedict atop the giant H on the helicopter landing pad and shouted at the top of his lungs for an entire hour:
“White Lion’s Straight Punch!”
“Phoenix’s Blade Hand!”
“Griffon’s Claw Strike!”
“Unicorn’s Thrust!”
“Turtle’s Knee Drop!”
“Dragon’s Palm Strike!”
Just as Kim Hwang-je’s entire body became drenched in sweat, his phone rang.
“Boss?”
“Ah, Jun-seo. How did it go?”
“I’ve located a plausible cave near the area where you hunted the Evil Spirit Class monster. We can decorate that place.”
“Good. Let’s do that. I’ll head over and prepare in advance.”
Kim Hwang-je checked the enormous quantity of potions he had purchased last time through the trade window.
Perfect. With these, he could shower the infiltration team inside the royal castle with potions.
Then Kim Hwang-je used World Observation to check on King Dave and Bahu’s elite soldiers.
Bahu had discovered a nearby orc fleet, was looting it, and raising the orcs as undead.
Just who were the orcs trading with?
Dave and his knights stood fully armed aboard a small fishing boat.
The boat was covered in magic circles, prepared for infiltration followed by an immediate teleportation escape.
If Bahu’s fleet attacked the camp from the flank, the Garak Clan hunters broke through the gate, and Dave’s army rushed in through the opening afterward, everything would fall into place.
“Hunter, Fisherman, and Bandits.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Command us.”
“Yes!! Your Majesty!!”
“Anything you sayyy!”
Kim Hwang-je looked at the massive drillship and spoke.
“Move the ship as close to shore as possible and stand guard. We’ll need to punch a hole with this vessel soon.”
“Yes! Your Majesty!”
“Understood!!! Your Majesty!!”
“Yeeees!!!”
They competed with one another, answering in thunderous voices.
“Let’s go!”
“Very well!”
“Let’s move!”
Kim Hwang-je headed toward the location Seo Jun-seo had sent, accompanied by Benedict and Poyu.
* * *
“So this is the cave.”
It was shallower than expected.
Well, any deep caves in Korea had probably been turned into tourist sites long ago.
But Kim Hwang-je had a secret method.
Just as he could summon the waves before Sinai into this world, he could also send Earth’s soil into the royal castle.
And in enormous quantities.
When Kim Hwang-je placed his hand on the ground, the earth sank with a deep whoosh and he dropped straight down.
He had dumped a massive amount of soil directly into the sea in front of the harbor.
There had been a game like this.
Mine... what was it again?
Thanks to that, the falling speed was dizzying. At some point Kim Hwang-je let go.
It felt like he had descended more than five stories of an apartment building.
“Whoa, it’s deep.”
Kim Hwang-je purchased spells from the mages on the castle walls.
[Light]
[110,000 won each × 33]
[3,630,000 won]
Bright orbs of light illuminated the vertical shaft.
The cave entrance far above looked impossibly distant.
The thick scent of earth and the slightly warm floor made him realize just how deep this place was.
But at this rate it was still just a dirt floor.
“This won’t do. I need to make it look more convincing. I’m not used to designing, though.”
“Ehehehe...”
In the pitch-black depths where not a single ray of light reached, Kim Hwang-je chuckled to himself.
He could not hold back his laughter.
[Carpenter, give me all the leftover wood scraps over there. And sell me all the doors you’re making too. Coffins? Decorations? They look terrifying. Give me those as well.]
[Innkeeper lady, what’s that pile of leftover bones? Do inns collect bones like that after meals? Anyway, give me all of them. What did you eat to make bones this big? Cow? Cow vertebrae? Barbecue?]
[Fruit seller, give me all the spoiled fruit. Whoa, they look insane. The smell is completely... wow... this is no joke.]
[Ma’am, that pile of medicinal herbs over there. Give me all the smoked ones. And if you have any poisonous herbs, give me plenty of those too.]
In roughly this manner, Kim Hwang-je wandered around the royal castle buying items that looked suitably authentic with silver coins.
He then smoked the leftover bones, rotten fruit, and medicinal herbs to make them reek.
The smell of earth mixed with medicinal herbs, leftover food, and piles of bones.
Rusty iron scraps embedded in bizarre sculptures.
This was truly...
“Anyone who sees this will think it’s a real dungeon!”
But it was still not a complete trap.
To prevent any possible resistance, Kim Hwang-je installed magic circles containing dispelling spells.
[Large-Scale Teleportation Magic Circle — 1.8 billion won]
[Destination: Inside His Majesty Kim Hwang-je’s Stomach]
[Large-Scale Shrinkage Spell Magic Circle — 1.7 billion won]
[Magic Defense Penetration Spell Magic Circle — 2 Grim]
(Remaining: 4)
After resting for a night, the royal castle produced one more Grim.
Now he had a total of six Grim. Kim Hwang-je boldly invested two of them.
“Poyu, will this work?”
“Uung... Yeah, as long as it’s not too big it should be fine! But even if you make it small, the weight stays the same...”
“That doesn’t matter. As long as they pass through the gate.”
The Tribute Trade judged feasibility by weight, not volume.
As long as the hunters were not as heavy as the drillship, he could send them flying without issue.
The moment anyone fell here, the magic defense penetration spell would strip away their magic, and they would instantly be pulled inside Kim Hwang-je’s body.
Yet they would still believe they had entered a dungeon.
Once the construction was complete, the once-empty pit now glowed with faint magical light and was piled with unidentifiable bones.
Otherworldly decorations, coffins, and doors lay scattered about, and an indescribable stench filled the air.
“Hmm. Anyone would be fooled by this...”
His phone vibrated.
Kim Hwang-je took it out and checked the message.
It was from Seo Jun-seo.
Kim Hwang-je issued a combat readiness order to the entire army.
Then he sat down and read Bahu’s report once more.