Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Middle Schooler Yi Baram - [1]
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Two months had passed since the funeral, and today, Yi Do-hyeok was learning martial arts.
He was receiving instruction in the Flicking Finger Skill from the disciple of the revered Invincible BB Bullet. He'd been at it steadily for the past two months.
It was astonishing luck, but also an overwhelmingly burdensome affair.
Yi Do-hyeok looked at the disciple of Invincible BB Bullet.
A young man who appeared to be his peer in age, but was actually far older than he seemed. Yi Do-hyeok knew he was Invincible BB Bullet's disciple and an expert beyond expectations, but he never could have imagined the man surpassed even Invincible BB Bullet himself.
Yi Pung spoke up.
"Man, you really lucked out getting into this office. Learning martial arts for free from a Peerless Expert certified by the Martial Alliance? You know that's a luxury only chaebol heirs could dream of, right?"
Yes, a Peerless Expert. One of only three in all of Korea at that realm.
After that sparring match ended, the gathered martial artists had no choice but to acknowledge it when they saw the sparks flying from his fingertips—whether they liked it or not.
In the midst of it all, talk of martial merits and votes faded into obscurity. After all, wasn't this the birth of a new Peerless Expert? It was an occasion for martial artists nationwide to celebrate.
Even Invincible BB Bullet, a legend in the martial world, was considered a Peerless Expert, but his realm had never been officially recognized. Just that fact alone let Yi Do-hyeok grasp how extraordinary it was.
And now, that new Peerless Expert was demonstrating transcendent martial arts right before his eyes.
A BB bullet flew through the air before suddenly dropping straight down to hit the target below. He'd deliberately slowed it to make the trajectory visible. Thanks to that, Yi Do-hyeok could watch the whole process clearly and freak out accordingly.
Heo Pung-gae explained.
"The principle itself isn't anything special. Even in baseball, you've got two-seamers, four-seamers, knuckleballs—all sorts of pitches. Just spin creates massive changes. Imagine implementing that with BB bullets and practice accordingly."
Yi Do-hyeok muttered.
"The one I saw last time went beyond baseball—it was practically a guided missile. Even when deflected, it came back, and even after that deflection, it looped around again..."
"That was possible because I predicted where the opponent would dodge or the angle they'd deflect it at. You can't pull that off against a true top-tier expert."
The idea of perfectly predicting someone else's movements was absurd enough, but Yi Do-hyeok decided not to belabor the point. The man could shoot electricity from his fingertips—what was mind-reading compared to that?
"Wasn't that old guy an expert too? Go Jin-cheol or whatever..."
"He wasn't anything impressive. These days, experts are so rare that even that level gets labeled one. Back in the colonial era, he'd barely have escaped being a total novice at best. Toying with that guy wasn't anything to brag about."
"I don't know... No matter how I look at it, I can't even dream of imitating what I saw then..."
"Try your best first, then talk. My master wasn't some genius either—he mastered it through effort."
If others couldn't replicate it even if they wanted to, wasn't pulling it off the very definition of genius?
Yi Do-hyeok wanted to argue that point, but as the student, backtalk felt inappropriate, so he held his tongue.
The lesson continued. But as time wore on, Yi Do-hyeok felt his initial joy at learning techniques from his admired martial hero giving way to growing lethargy.
It wasn't called transcendent martial arts for nothing.
Even simple-looking motions that Heo Pung-gae demonstrated as examples were utterly impossible for Yi Do-hyeok to replicate. He couldn't even hold out hope of someday approximating them. He was starting to suspect the whole thing was a pointless waste of both his and his teacher's time.
His own time was one thing—he could afford to squander it. But wasting the time of the other party, a Peerless Expert no less? That felt far too sinful. Lately, it had even escalated to full-blown guilt.
Two months in, and Yi Do-hyeok still couldn't fathom why this Peerless Expert was teaching him for free.
Because he was Yi Pung's disciple? But was that really reason enough to warrant such attention...?
Just then, Yi Pung approached. Lost in thoughts about Yi Pung, Yi Do-hyeok startled.
"H-Hold on. Let's take a break, you two. Hey, Mr. Peerless Expert?"
Heo Pung-gae glared at Yi Pung as he replied.
"What."
"Would it be a bother if we added one more person to the lessons?"
"No. Got someone else who wants to learn?"
"Yeah. Well, it's like..."
Yi Pung turned and beckoned.
The next moment, someone appeared, and Heo Pung-gae's eyes widened.
A girl who looked about middle school age beamed brightly.
"Hi!"
"The boss's daughter?"
Yi Do-hyeok's question drew a nod from Yi Pung.
"Yep. Middle schooler already this cute, huh? Takes after her mom so much... Our Peerless Expert knows her too, right? I've told you all sorts of stories about her..."
"Sure, whatever."
Of course he knew her. Yi Pung's only daughter, Yi Baram. When she was four, he'd even looked after her for a few days while her parents were on a trip.
Heck, at eight, he'd personally opened her Conception Vessel to help her qi flow smoothly. By martial world standards, Heo Pung-gae was practically her godfather.
Yi Pung grinned.
"Go on, say hi!"
Heo Pung-gae greeted her awkwardly but politely.
"Hello, Miss Yi Baram. Nice to meet you."
Yi Baram smiled. She didn't resemble her bandit-looking father at all—except for that grin, which was eerily similar.
"Whoa, first time anyone's added 'Miss' to my name after it! Do you add 'Mister' to guys' names? That sounds kinda otaku-ish..."
"No."
"Why the formal speech? 'Cause Dad's the boss?"
Her instant chumminess left Heo Pung-gae deeply flustered. He remembered kids being intimidated by his elderly guise.
Thankfully, Yi Pung intervened.
"Nah. This guy's an expert who could take on a thousand of your dad. Even I can't mess with him, so quit strutting, got it?"
Yi Baram's eyes sparkled.
"Ooh, so you're big bro, disciple of Invincible BB Bullet grandpa? You're the Invincible Unaffiliated, right?"
Invincible Unaffiliated. The moniker bestowed upon the new Peerless Expert.
He possessed invincible prowess yet belonged to no organization—hence the punny double "invincible" title. These days, they avoided overly grandiose names to prevent awkwardness when addressing each other.
"Did your father tell you about me?"
Heo Pung-gae asked, and Yi Baram nodded.
"Yeah. He said come learn martial arts? And why the formal talk? Use casual!"
"Uh, fine. So you want to learn martial arts? Taijiquan?"
"Nah, Dad's teaching me that. Teach me that finger flick thing..."
"Flicking Finger Skill?"
"Yeah, that!"
Another bewildering request. Why the Flicking Finger Skill?
Pondering inwardly, he obliged anyway.
Not expecting her to actually learn anything, he showed a few demonstrations—and Yi Baram let out an exclamation like this:
"Whoa, damn, Newton would be wailing in hell if he saw this..."
Her attitude toward learning martial arts was utterly playful, but she did seem genuinely interested in Heo Pung-gae's techniques.
That, too, was bewildering.
It wasn't displeasure at her demeanor or annoyance at an extra student. Spending time with a granddaughter-like kid he'd changed diapers for as a child wasn't unpleasant at all.
No, Heo Pung-gae's bewilderment stemmed elsewhere: her father.
"Alright, had fun! Keep working hard, big bros!"
After Yi Baram left, Heo Pung-gae said to Yi Pung,
"We need to talk."
Yi Pung forced a grin and followed.
They entered another room. Heo Pung-gae confirmed the door was securely locked before asking,
"Why'd you bring her here."
Yi Pung replied,
"Well, to learn martial arts from a Peerless Expert, obviously..."
"Does she have to learn in a gangster den?"
"Even Park Seong-cheol, who looked the thug part, quit. Improves the vibe, doesn't it?"
"You're insane."
"No, why..."
Yi Pung looked nonchalant, but Heo Pung-gae saw through the act.
Heo Pung-gae pressed,
"Yi Pung, you teaching that girl martial arts?"
"Yeah, to keep her healthy. Taijiquan—that Taoist guide-and-pull stuff? Just practicing it cultivates your spirit and body..."
"And the spirit pills were for health too?"
"Yep."
"You fed her hundreds of millions in spirit pills just for health?"
Yi Pung paled. This monster of an old man could gauge his spending from qi alone.
"Yes."
"You said you were earning for your daughter, but it was all to buy spirit pills. Giving her the cash directly would've been better."
"Money I can pass on later. Health comes first, right?"
"So why teach her Flicking Finger Skill? You know it has zero to do with Taoism—won't help her health at all."
"For self-defense..."
"It takes decades just to learn, and you're teaching it for self-defense?"
"If she's talented and lucky, she'll pick it up great."
Heo Pung-gae narrowed his eyes.
"Cut the bullshit and spit it out straight. You bastard, you trying to raise your daughter as a martial artist?"
Yi Pung didn't answer. Heo Pung-gae took it as silent affirmation.
"Have you lost your mind?"
"Not at all."
Heo Pung-gae's tone sharpened.
"'Cause you're a gangster, you wanna make your kid one too?"
"That's a bit harsh, isn't it?"
"Don't dodge. Be straight. Is your daughter your property?"
"Ah, fuck. It's not..."
"You knocked her out, so she's your livestock or slave? Why decide her path on your whim? And not even a doctor or lawyer—you wanna make her a martial gangster? You call yourself a father?"
Heo Pung-gae usually kept an even tone on purpose for inner peace. It was part of his Taoist training.
So this undulating voice meant his calm was shattered—his fury so great he'd halted his cultivation.
How to soothe it? Yi Pung knew.
After a pause, Yi Pung said,
"Calm down, Dad."
Heo Pung-gae scowled.
"Who the hell's your dad?"
"You picked up a seven-year-old brat and raised him—that makes you Dad. Honestly, isn't it weirder telling me to call you 'hyung' 'cause 'Dad' makes you feel old?"
"You bantered casually till twenty-five, and now what..."
The emotional ploy worked. Noticing Heo Pung-gae's voice soften slightly, Yi Pung hurried on.
"Anyway, I get why you're pissed. You think since I couldn't become an expert, now I'm pushing my daughter to do it instead—something like that?"
"Am I wrong?"
"Absolutely not."
"Then why push her into martial gangster life, you punk."
"I'm not pushing. Never forced her. Haven't even once said 'become a martial artist.' Just teaching her martial arts to be popular at school."
"Then why tell her martial world stories?"
"Never done th..."
"Overheard during Flicking Finger lessons—she knows all about the Martial Alliance tournament, the Invincible Unaffiliated Peerless Expert's birth."
Yi Pung admitted readily.
"Okay, yeah, I've nudged her interest a bit."
"You son of a bitch."
"But that's it. If she wants college, I'll load her with tutoring. Business? I'll back loans if needed. Whatever she wants, I'll allow."
"And if she debuts in the martial world 'cause of her gangster dad, you won't stop her?"
"Why stop her? Gotta respect her choices."
"Bullshit. Not stopping a kid from becoming a gangster is parental neglect."
"No, why can't she be a gangster?"
Seeing Heo Pung-gae's murderous glare, Yi Pung elaborated hastily.
"I know what you wanna say. Make her do an honest job, right? You tried sending me to a good college, good job. Now this dropout thug wanna make his daughter a thug too—makes me look like a lunatic?"
"You get it. So why?"
Yi Pung smiled.
"I'm satisfied being a gangster."
"What?"
"Happy with my life now! Earning tens of millions a month is great, and beating shitty punks or extorting them is fun. Every day's a blast!"
"You punk, proud of that and wanna drag your daughter into it?"
Yi Pung sighed.
"Hyung..."
"Call me hyung."
"Yes, sir—but I know what you mean without explaining. Legit world's best, right? But is legit work fun and happy? Hell no. Think about it: martial artists killing each other a lot? Or young nurses bullied to suicide? Or ninth-grade civil servants overworked into depression and quitting?"
"Don't know, don't care."
"The latter's way more common. Makes being a martial artist sound safe. They're too busy bonding to kill each other."
"Heard some get shot these days?"
"Eh, that'll sort itself out. Cops aren't idiots—some foreign syndicate pulling that? They'll freak and crush 'em."
Then a voice from outside the door. Familiar one.
"Uh, long time no see. Sorry to bother after taking severance and leaving, but... Boss? Hiring more? If not, maybe..."
Yi Pung chuckled, recognizing it.
"Whoa, Park Seong-cheol's back?"
The employee who'd quit two months ago. He'd taken his severance saying violence freaked him out and he wanted an honest life now?
"Why'd he come back?"
"Tried society, realized this is paradise, I guess."
Yi Pung laughed again.
"See? Legit world's no cakewalk."