People Grow the Most When They Get Beaten (5)
‘This is it!’
Ilseon Dosa felt a shiver race down his spine. An strike that upended the ordinary! Of course, it wasn’t entirely unexpected. But in Namgung Daeso’s current state, that was...
‘The maximum he could draw out of himself.’
Anything more would be hard to hope for. Ilseon Dosa retracted his flung-back arm. Namgung Daeso’s eyes widened at the sight. As if nothing had happened, Ilseon Dosa simply raised his arm again, blocking Namgung Daeso’s descending kick. And returned it in kind.
“Tiger Foot!”
Namgung Daeso grimaced in that instant. Deploying Tiger Fist with his foot—a variable. He’d thought it was a strike of conviction. But there was also that chilling sense that it wouldn’t connect. Even so, he couldn’t help being shocked.
‘This is cheating!’
A heavy sensation had clearly transmitted through his foot. He’d seen the arm bounce back plainly. Yet there was no way it should return so easily. And now a foot was flying toward him. If only he’d known earlier that Ilseon Dosa could unleash Tiger Fist with his feet too!
Fine, getting hit was inevitable! But knowing it was coming should make it hurt a little less, right!
Thwack!
‘Someday... that big head of yours...’
I blacked out from the overwhelming impact crashing down on me. Namgung Daeso lay sprawled spread-eagled in the middle of the courtyard. Ilseon Dosa looked down at him and let out a low hum.
“Amitabha.”
And everyone else who had witnessed the spar was lost in their own thoughts. Though fifty people filled the courtyard, silence hung heavy. But the eyes they fixed on Namgung Daeso burned with fervor.
“Normally, that attack wouldn’t have landed. The gap between a monk and a little kid is enormous, after all.”
Mujikja replayed the spar in his mind and spoke softly.
“But in the end, it did.”
No one here placed much weight on the spar’s outcome. Everyone already knew what the result would be. That Namgung Daeso would lose. No matter the constraints, it didn’t make sense for him to beat Ilseon Dosa in his current state.
What mattered was that, for one fleeting moment, he’d shaken Ilseon Dosa. And not just him—everyone here had felt that ripple equally.
Someone might say what’s the big deal, but this was achieved by a martial artist who’d trained for just one day. Not a month, six months, or a year—just one day.
“If I hadn’t seen it myself, I wouldn’t believe it. Even seeing it, it’s hard to accept. Astonishing. And you...”
Mujikja had a fair inkling why Ilseon Dosa had stepped up for this spar—and first, no less.
‘You wanted to confirm it yourself.’
It must have felt just like when Hyegeom was snatched from right under his nose.
“Are you thinking the same as me, by any chance?”
And...
‘Not just me.’
Everyone had watched Namgung Daeso and Ilseon Dosa’s bout. They must have realized it too. The singular potential housed in that small body.
A ridiculous talent for mastering any kind of martial art. Enabled by an unobstructed inner energy flow, as if all meridians were wide open. Followed by the genius to intuit the next stage of a technique, embody it immediately. And adapt it instinctively to his own body.
Above all, the tenacity to never give up until the end. To not covet such qualities would mean you weren’t a true martial artist.
After gazing down at Namgung Daeso for a long while, Ilseon Dosa spoke.
“Indeed. I wanted to confirm it myself, perhaps. At the very least, anyone who’d be our lord should show this much, no?”
“So, what’s your conclusion?”
With a rustle, Ilseon Dosa carefully scooped up the unconscious Namgung Daeso. A stark contrast to how mercilessly he’d pummeled him moments ago.
“I thought maybe he’s too much for even me.”
He laid Namgung Daeso gently on the bed inside, then stepped back out. Someone among the group called to him.
“Let’s give it a shot.”
Gu Ryong Pak Jinmu. Sweat slicked his clenched fists.
“After seeing this, what am I supposed to do? It’s obvious!”
If someone else could achieve what he couldn’t... That’s what everyone here wished for.
“Let’s make him. A monster!”
To face a monster, you had to unleash one of your own.
“Let’s do it! The pinnacle of all martial arts!”
The ultimate synthesis of martial knowledge.
“I’ll stake everything on Namgung Sega’s youngest young master.”
“Me too!”
“Me too!”
“Me too!”
All fifty-odd people shouted “Me too!” in unison.
“Heh heh, a bunch of madmen.”
Mujikja watched them with a pleased smile. Then he shuddered at a sudden thought.
“What if one person wielded the essence of every martial art from the Nine Great Sects, One Gang, the Five Great Families, and all across the Central Plains?”
Obvious.
‘A monster would be born.’
And that monster might just... surpass this impenetrable Namgung fortress.
The mere idea sent chills down his spine.
“Our young master’s gonna be busy from now on.”
He probably had no clue. That while he lay fainted, the hell-bound carriage had already departed.
But the fifty coachmen pulling that carriage didn’t know either. How transformed Namgung Daeso would be when he stepped down from it.
* * *
I opened my eyes. Fortunately, less than a day had passed this time.
“Ugh!”
My head throbbed as if Ilseon Dosa’s final kick had landed clean. “Damn bald monk.”
Flop.
I tried to get up but collapsed back onto the bed.
‘But did I really do all that?’
The sensations still lingered in my limbs. To think I’d unleashed real martial arts, not third-rate stuff. It didn’t feel real. In my mind, the techniques Ilseon Dosa had taught floated about, their forms vivid before my eyes.
I swung my arm through the air and muttered to myself.
“If I’d learned footwork, would the outcome have been different...?”
Dodge Ilseon Dosa’s first strike like this, close in like that, attack so, follow up with another. What hadn’t been visible before now played out vividly.
My head still ached fiercely. Not just that—bruises covered my body, every inch aching even as I lay there.
“I wanted to take a break from all the beatings for once.”
My body itched unbearably; I couldn’t stay put. I kicked off the covers, got up, opened the door, and stepped outside. As if they’d known I’d emerge, they were waiting.
“If you’re awake, hop out quick—what’s with the dawdling?”
“I thought I’d die waiting.”
“Oh, right! While you were sleeping, someone came looking. We sent ’em packing nicely.”
“Looked kinda important, didn’t he?”
“Kinda? He screamed high-and-mighty. Tsk tsk, cooped up in the mountains training—you don’t even know how the world turns.”
“Then what makes you so great? You got smashed on the road and ended up here.”
Wait, why were they suddenly fighting among themselves? I shot glances at those around, begging someone to intervene. But they all watched with thrilled, spectacle-loving eyes.
“Fight!”
“Fight!”
Some were even egging them on. No one stopped it. As I stepped forward to break it up, Ilseon Dosa and Mujikja appeared at my side and spoke.
“Let ’em be.”
“We’re living together now—gotta sort the pecking order.”
Did grown men really need to fight over this? Couldn’t they just go by age? Tch...
I pressed my temple and said,
“But you old-timers aren’t jumping in?”
Just curious. Ilseon Dosa and Mujikja gave me baffled looks and clicked their tongues.
“Tsk tsk, if I joined, it’d ruin the fun. Gotta keep some class.”
“With eyesight like that, how would you survive in the martial world? That’s why pampered young’uns don’t cut it.”
Hey, you don’t even know how I was raised! Anyway, I got the gist. They were stronger than those guys. Weaker than the Martial God and Heavenly Demon, though.
At that moment, they sorted their order among themselves and started trading blows. A feast of martial arts unfolded before my eyes. The techniques on display were ridiculously advanced.
I stared blankly at the chaotic scene and murmured,
“Can I become like them someday?”
Sword clashed with sword. Sword with saber. Sword with fist. Fist with fist. Fist with saber. They intertwined. The aura pouring from each made my whole body feel crushed.
“Who knows. But with effort, why not?”
Effort, huh... That’s something I’m confident in—the world’s best, even.
“You think effort can really make it happen?”
Having been betrayed by that effort before, I couldn’t be so sure.
“At the very least.”
I looked at Ilseon Dosa. He spoke with conviction.
“You’ll surpass them.”
And Mujikja added ambiguously,
“Effort till you shit blood, and you’ll surpass even us two.”
In unison, they said,
“Go utterly mad with effort, and who knows—you might even top the Heavenly Demon. And the Martial God.”
Words I’d longed to hear before my regression. You can do it. The path you chose wasn’t wrong. You... can do it.
“Then let’s do it. That effort.”
Deep wrinkles creased Ilseon Dosa and Mujikja’s faces.
“Amitabha, tomorrow starts a grueling routine. Rest well tonight.”
“Amitayus, if you wanna run, now’s your chance.”
“Don’t you two bail on me later.”
Especially since I still hadn’t smashed Ilseon Dosa’s shiny dome yet.
* * *
The brawl to establish hierarchy dragged on until the next day. Everyone except Ilseon Dosa and Mujikja was covered in wounds. But their eyes shone clearer than ever. The order seemed roughly set.
And from now on, I decided to think of nothing else. Just like my brothers had.
‘Get strong enough to be satisfied first.’
That’s when it happened. The closed gates swung open, and someone entered.
Thud, thud.
The man strode casually through the fifty armed warriors. He finally stopped before me. Shock filled my eyes as I looked at him.
The man spoke.
“Little bro, I’ve decided to accept your proposal.”
Namgung Daeso, who’d worn a resolute expression until moments ago, who’d vowed to think only of martial arts...
“Big brother? What’re you talking about all of a sudden?”
Namgung Jung smirked like he knew everything and said,
“Didn’t you declare war on me yesterday? Said in two years you’d peel me and chew me up.”
Huh? Me? I’d never uttered such harsh words in my life! And I’d never even met big brother before? Wait, come to think of it, they mentioned some high-up guy came yesterday... Was that Second Brother?
In that instant, immense pressure erupted from Second Brother.
“Yesterday was a surprise. First time you’ve shown your true feelings so blatantly toward me. Quite entertaining. Yes! That’s the Namgung direct line for you. Guess I’d been seeing you as just my cute little baby bro. I’ll be waiting. Two years is a long wait, honestly, but since you’re entering the proxy duel yourself, I’ll endure it big-heartedly. See you in two years. Don’t disappoint me.”
W-Wait a sec? Brother turned and left without giving me a chance to stop him.
So, what about two years from now? What did I...?