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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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A Madu isn’t a Madu simply because they’ve learned demonic arts.
They are called Madu because they commit heinous acts despite having learned martial arts.
“I still don’t understand.”
“Huh?”
“It’s nothing.”
Why did Gwak Mu-sam want to massacre this village?
After observing the village for several days, my impression was that they were ordinary, relatively kind villagers.
Of course, they were likely acting cautiously because we were clearly martial artists…
Perhaps he was simply a bloodthirsty madman, as he was portrayed in the original story when he met the protagonist.
This village was simply unlucky enough to be his target.
“Are you just going to keep sitting here? There’s nothing here…”
“Well…”
It was difficult to explain.
It was about time for the Blood Wolf Gang to appear, but I didn’t know where they would come from, so I was simply waiting on a rock near the main road.
Even with my aura-enhanced senses, I couldn’t detect any presence yet, which was frustrating.
But this was all I could do for now.
Or…I could lure him out.
“Hye-ryeong, Mokgyeong, follow me at a distance of about twenty paces.”
“Okay.”
“Understood, Benefactor.”
I was glad they followed without complaint.
I stood up from the rock and walked forward, slowly drawing aura from my mana core.
A thin, subtle stream of aura.
It seeped out of my skin and spread through the mountains.
While it wasn’t enough to cover a vast area, it would be noticeable within a certain radius.
To give the impression that someone was in the mountains.
After some time, I reached the mountainside and looked ahead.
I sensed a presence.
Was it Gwak Mu-sam? Or someone else?
Focusing aura into my eyes, I pierced through the darkness and saw the silhouette of a gaunt man.
“Who are you? Enemy? Enemy? Enemy?”
“…He’s not sane.”
The stench of blood clung to him, carried by the wind. He wasn’t a stranger to killing.
Someone with this much bloodlust had killed at least dozens of people.
And someone who killed that many people was either…
…a madman, or on the verge of becoming one.
Even in this barbaric era, killing countless people wasn’t normal.
No one understood that better than I did, having personally taken hundreds of lives on the medieval battlefields.
“Mister?”
“Hye-ryeong, Mokgyeong, it seems a madman has appeared, so stay back.”
I placed my hand on the hilt of my sword.
A wave of intense killing intent washed over me.
As expected, he simply wanted to kill.
For a nameless, wandering martial artist to survive, resorting to violence wasn’t unusual, but for someone who hadn’t learned proper martial arts, succumbing to the psychological trauma could lead to…
“…I’ll ask him when I get back.”
Whether I brought back his head or his entire corpse.
I drew my sword, hearing his approaching footsteps.
“Why is that person suddenly attacking Mister?!”
“…He seems insane. But I’m more curious about how Benefactor knew he would be here…”
‘He seems to be hiding something…but it’s not my place to pry.’
There was no need to uncover a secret that was intentionally being kept hidden.
Not wanting to strain his relationship with his benefactor, Mokgyeong channeled internal energy into his eyes and observed the sudden fight between William and the unknown martial artist.
‘According to the original story, the Blood Wolf Gang leader is barely at the peak expert level.’
The path to advancement for wandering martial artists was fraught with peril.
The martial arts available to them were mostly from the Demonic Cult, and the internal energy cultivation techniques they learned were often unstable.
The only way for them to improve, having learned such low-quality techniques, was through brutal combat.
Fight. Kill. Fight. Kill.
They climbed their way up, grasping at any sliver of enlightenment gained through countless life-or-death battles. But their advancements were like castles built on sand, easily crumbled by the smallest wave.
And a crumbling foundation often led to Qi Deviation, a downward spiral.
This man, who had reached the peak expert level, a rare feat for a wandering martial artist, was about to crumble.
Clang!
William’s sword deflected Gwak Mu-sam’s blade.
The blade, stained brown with dried blood, slid sideways, scattering sparks.
An attack filled with nothing but killing intent.
But the instincts honed through countless battles allowed him to recover his stance and continue his assault despite his madness.
“Can you hear me?”
“I won’t die!”
“…He’s completely unreasonable.”
While he hadn’t expected much, Gwak Mu-sam’s relentless attacks, as if he had encountered his sworn enemy, made William grimace as he parried the incoming blade with his crossguard.
Sparks flew as their weapons clashed.
A momentary stalemate.
But this was the composure of a stronger opponent.
William swung his arm outwards, forcefully pushing Gwak Mu-sam’s blade aside.
Then, without hesitation, he thrust his sword towards Gwak Mu-sam’s throat.
A counterattack that seized control of the fight in a single move.
But even in his madness, Gwak Mu-sam was a seasoned wandering martial artist. He rolled on the ground, narrowly avoiding the attack.
“…Why do these guys always resort to rolling around?”
“Die! Die!”
Rolling in the dirt was a survival tactic for wandering martial artists.
Gwak Mu-sam sprung to his feet and lunged forward.
His blade, radiating a red aura of killing intent, aimed for William’s waist.
A simple, direct attack.
But William didn’t expect him to attack so predictably.
‘An experienced martial artist never uses obvious techniques.’
Even in his madness, his instincts honed through countless battles wouldn’t disappear.
So, William adopted the Ox stance and easily parried Gwak Mu-sam’s attack.
A faint impact.
‘A feint.’
The moment his sword was blocked, William rolled on the ground, aiming for Gwak Mu-sam’s left ankle.
An ordinary martial artist would have been caught off guard by the unusual movement, but unfortunately for Gwak Mu-sam, his opponent was a knight who had experienced far more battles.
“I never thought I’d see someone resorting to this in the Murim.”
William immediately channeled aura to his left foot and stomped on the blade.
As the blade aimed for his ankle was pinned to the ground, William swung his right foot, kicking Gwak Mu-sam in the face.
Gwak Mu-sam managed to block the kick with his palm, but the impact sent him flying. He somehow managed to keep hold of his blade.
William rotated his slightly stinging ankle and approached Gwak Mu-sam, who had crashed into a tree.
“Ugh…!”
A jarring impact reverberated through Gwak Mu-sam’s body. But he quickly got back on his feet.
This was commonplace for a wandering martial artist.
He pushed himself off the ground.
It wasn’t over yet.
‘…Should I try it?’
The incomplete footwork technique. If it worked as intended, it would be a devastating move, but he wasn’t sure if he could pull it off yet.
But a new technique’s true potential could only be revealed in actual combat.
He placed his right foot forward and his left foot back.
The stance wasn’t much different from longsword techniques.
After all, most martial arts techniques were centered around lower body movements.
He looked at the approaching Gwak Mu-sam, his face impassive despite the blood trickling from his mouth.
The volcanic qi flowing from Gwak Mu-sam’s blade indicated he was using his full power. While unrefined due to his low level, it was still a dangerous attack.
William, his expression unchanged, drew a large amount of aura from his mana core and channeled it throughout his body.
The distance closed.
Thirty paces.
Twenty-five.
Twenty…
Fifteen.
Like an arrow released from a bow, William shot forward, piercing the darkness.
With his Aura Armor activated.
Caught off guard by the unexpected speed, Gwak Mu-sam simply swung his blade, aiming for William’s heart.
But he didn’t know.
That Aura Armor was on a completely different level from ordinary protective qi techniques.
He was flung away like a man gored by a bull. William skidded to a halt, leaving a deep furrow in the ground, and sighed, looking at Gwak Mu-sam rolling on the ground almost five zhang away.
‘It’s still incomplete. I couldn’t stop in time.’
Without Aura Armor, that would have been a suicidal charge.
William sheathed his sword and approached Gwak Mu-sam.
“…That’s more of a finishing move than a footwork technique.”
He had traveled two cheok farther than intended, so it was a failure.
‘I didn’t expect to succeed on the first try, but…’
Creating a new technique wasn’t something that could be achieved overnight.
“Ugh…I don’t want to die…I won’t die…I have to go home…”
But his time was running out.
His limbs were broken, his ribs shattered, piercing his internal organs.
Fatal injuries that even Hua Tuo couldn’t heal.
William watched the life drain from Gwak Mu-sam’s eyes, then turned to Hye-ryeong and Mokgyeong, who were watching him.
“Let’s go back.”
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Names should be switched here, based on the context.