Black-Haired Foreigner In The Martial Arts World – Chapter 10

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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“Clink, one mun.”

I currently had 270 mun.

My balance had ballooned after catching the Giant Rat.

Looking at it, I felt a sense of pride in how diligently I’d saved.

If I’d stuck to manual labor, it would have taken 27 days of non-stop work at 10 mun a day to earn this much.

Thanks to demon hunting, I’d amassed this small fortune relatively quickly.

Let’s see.

It hadn’t even been a month since I arrived in the Martial arts world.

But at this rate, I seemed to have grasped the rules of survival quite well.

I was truly proud of myself, Kim Geun-hyeop.

I was the GOAT.

“Greatest Of All Time.”

Now then.

How should I use this money?

If I’d leveled up from manual labor to demon hunting, a corresponding investment was necessary.

This required careful consideration.

Lost in such thoughts, I went to the inn and slept.

***

[Large Soseonggwi Outbreak at the Mijang Cargo Port]

I checked the notice board at the Dahwebang in the morning, and a particular message caught my eye.

“Ooh.”

Apparently, there had been a large outbreak of Soseonggwi.

[Recruiting: 2 people]

Just how many were there that they needed two people for the job?

Moreover, the pay was 200 mun per person.

I’d received 200 mun for dealing with a group of Soseonggwi last time.

This time, two people would receive 200 mun each, making it a 400 mun job.

I had a gut feeling.

This one was going to be tough.

But that wasn’t a reason to back down.

Who was I?

Kim Geun-hyeop, the demon exterminator. A man with Inuyasha-level combat prowess, minus the Tessaiga.

Besides, I already had experience exterminating Soseonggwi.

If I chickened out and backed down now, I’d lose all my street cred and become a laughingstock.

“I can’t become a laughingstock.”

Alright. If it was a two-person job, it couldn’t be that dangerous.

What could the Soseonggwi do if we fought back-to-back?

I’d broken through their encirclement alone before. Just like the hero of the Shattering, General Radahn.

With me and a partner, we could definitely clear this.

No.

We wouldn’t just clear it; we’d drive the Soseonggwi to extinction.

Was that really okay, though?

I didn’t know what would happen to the ecosystem if the Soseonggwi went extinct.

I was quite interested in the demon ecosystem, so I immediately went to sign up.

“I saw the notice about the Soseonggwi at the cargo port.”

“Ah, you’ve been doing a lot of miscellaneous demon extermination work lately, haven’t you?”

“Hehehe, how did you know?”

“You’ve been here several times recently.”

The staff member recognized me.

“You should be able to handle this. But this job requires two people. Since we haven’t found anyone else yet, you’ll have to wait.”

“I’m sure someone will show up soon.”

“Soseonggwi are such a nuisance. If you’re unlucky, we might not find anyone today.”

“Hmm… Then I’ll wait here. I want to exterminate those Soseonggwi as soon as possible.”

“You’re very enthusiastic! Then wait over there! I’ll let you know as soon as we find someone!”

“Thank you.”

Was this special treatment because they recognized me?

I was grateful that they even offered to inform me personally.

After awkwardly loitering for about an hour, someone arrived.

“Are you… here for the Soseonggwi job at the cargo port?”

He was smaller than me and skinny. And he had a somewhat vacant look.

As expected, he wasn’t a Martial artist.

His combat ability seemed inferior to mine… but numbers were what mattered, not individual strength.

“Yes, I am. I’m Kim Geun-hyeop. And you are?”

“Go Seok-sam.”

“Do you have experience exterminating Sosunggwi?”

“Once or so…”

This guy was awfully terse.

“Well, that should be enough. I’ve caught nearly a dozen of them.”

He’d shown up after an hour of waiting. We’d be fighting together today, so I should try to be friendly.

We went to the staff member and received our instructions.

“A large number of Soseonggwi have been appearing at the Mijang Cargo Port, damaging the cargo. They come every night, and it’s become quite a nuisance, so please take care of them properly.”

“Understood.”

After memorizing the route to the cargo port, Go Seok-sam and I set off.

“…”

This guy was too quiet.

I’d try to start a conversation.

“My first demon extermination job was wiping out Soseonggwi at a farm.”

I spoke up as we walked.

“Over ten of them attacked me, and I beat them all to death single-handedly. What about you, Go Seok-sam?”

“I just… caught a few.”

“A few? How many appeared?”

“…”

Why wouldn’t he answer?

“Hmm.”

I tried to make small talk after that, but this guy was incredibly unsociable.

Normally, I would have just shut up… but we were about to face combat, and we were comrades who would be fighting together.

That thought sparked a sense of camaraderie and a burning desire to connect with him.

“Well, it can’t hurt to talk with a comrade before battle. The cargo port is quite a distance away, anyway. Go Seok-sam, where are you from?”

I tried a more proactive approach, keeping the conversation light and personal.

This guy seemed incredibly introverted, and people like that, while not good at talking, were also not good at refusing conversation.

If I kept talking, he’d eventually respond.

“Anhui Province… I’m from around here.”

“I see. If you’re from around here, I imagine you have some sort of foundation. Why are you doing demon extermination work?”

“I need… to eat.”

“Hmm? To eat? If you’re from this area, you could find other work, couldn’t you? Don’t you have any connections here?”

This was a conversational tactic.

Even if he was from the area, he could still do demon extermination work. But by phrasing the question as if he couldn’t, it increased the likelihood of him explaining his situation.

“Not really… I don’t have any connections.”

“No connections? What do you mean?”

After persistent questioning, Go Seok-sam finally started answering.

It wasn’t particularly important information. It turned out he was a down-and-out like me, a vagrant with nowhere to turn.

A man who hadn’t learned any martial arts, just trying to survive.

I felt a sense of kinship.

Good. We were comrades for the day.

“I see.”

Knowing this much about my comrade was enough. I could fight alongside this man.

We continued walking, our conversation dying down, and soon arrived at the cargo port.

I stepped forward and spoke to the person in charge.

“Are you from Dahwebang?”

“Yes. We’re here for the Soseonggwi extermination.”

“Are you a Martial artist, by any chance? You have a strong build.”

“Hehehe, I’ve learned some self-defense techniques, but I’m not a martial artist.”

“I see. Anyway, the Soseonggwi appear right here. They’ve been a real pain, so I’d appreciate it if you could deal with them quickly.”

This was familiar territory.

“When do they usually appear?”

“They start coming out after sunset. You can come back then.”

“We will. We’ll show you their corpses in the morning.”

The person in charge nodded.

With that, the business arrangements were settled.

“Go Seok-sam, we have some time until nightfall. Shall we meet back here before sunset?”

“…Sure.”

We had half a day until it was time to work.

I surveyed the surroundings, memorized the layout, and decided to rest and return later.

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The time had come.

Go Seok-sam and I stood side-by-side, looking up at the night sky.

“The sun has set. The Soseonggwi will be coming out soon. When they appear, we’ll fight back-to-back and kill them. As long as we don’t get surrounded, they shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“…”

Despite my attempt to start a conversation, Go Seok-sam remained silent, seemingly tense.

“Ha, haa…”

Was this guy scared?

His breathing was shaky.

“Are you nervous? You said you had experience. These creatures are nothing to be afraid of.”

“Ah, ah! There!”

Just then, Go Seok-sam pointed at the darkness and shouted.

Gooo.

The burning eyes of the Soseonggwi came into view.

Appearing from all directions, they slowly approached.

This got my blood pumping.

“They’re here… Wait a minute.”

There were so many!

“Gulp!”

At least twice as many as last time!

Just how many were there?

It felt like they’d gathered a whole platoon, but…

There was nothing to fear.

We also had twice the number of people.

Having encountered me, today was their death day.

Whether there were one or dozens, that fact remained unchanged.

“Usiiiik!”

“Siiiiik!”

Emboldened by their numbers, the Soseonggwi approached, making ferocious noises. I gripped my Siljang Gonbong, my fighting spirit surging.

“Huh, huhh…!”

But Go Seok-sam didn’t look so good.

“I, I didn’t know there would be so many!”

He seemed intimidated by the sheer number of them. He really did seem like dead weight.

Still, he was my comrade tonight. I had to somehow instill some courage in him.

“Don’t be afraid! There may be a lot of them, but if we fight back-to-back, we’ll be fine! If we fight with courage, we will surely win! I’ve fought ten of these things alone before!”

“What the…!”

Just as I finished bolstering Go Seok-sam’s morale…

“Usiiiik!”

“Siiiiiiiiik!”

“Usisit!”

The Sosunggwi charged like a wave.

Their movements were familiar to me.

I’d killed enough of them to know their patterns.

“Usiiiik!”

I spotted the fastest one approaching.

“Quiet down!”

Whack!

I unleashed my Bankai and smashed its head.

The sound of its skull cracking echoed in the air.

“Hahh! You pathetic creatures!”

There were many enemies, but I felt confident.

Even if he was dead weight, I had a comrade behind me.

The thought that I wasn’t fighting alone invigorated me.

So this was what the battlefield felt like.

“Die!”

Thud!

Crack!

I swung my Siljang Gonbong, delivering punches and kicks, repelling and crushing the Soseonggwi.

I’d done this so many times that it was second nature. If I fought calmly, I could definitely win.

“Uwaaagh!”

“Go Seok-sam! Get a hold of yourself!”

But Go Seok-sam was really struggling.

He was getting hit by the Soseonggwi.

Moreover, having realized he was the weaker of the two of us, the Soseonggwi seemed to be targeting him more than me.

Swat!

Several Soseonggwi latched onto Go Seok-sam!

“Aaaaagh!”

He was just letting them cling to him! Why wasn’t he trying to shake them off?! He was so frustrating!

I had to help him first!

“Go Seok-sam! Grab them and pull them off!”

I turned and slammed my Siljang Gonbong down hard on the head of a Soseonggwi clinging to Go Seok-sam.

“Kieeek!”

“Get off, you bastard!”

I grabbed another one and ripped it off, throwing it away with all my might.

But in the meantime, Go Seok-sam’s legs gave way, and he collapsed.

I had a lot to say to him, but I’d hold back.

The priority now wasn’t berating him, but fighting!

“Get up! Go Seok-sam! This isn’t a game; this is real life! Fight like you mean to kill them!”

Grab!

I grabbed his collar and hauled him to his feet.

“Ugh…! Huff! Huff!”

“Get your stance right! Fight behind me! Understand?!”

“O, okay…!”

His eyes looked vacant.

Was he in shock?

His mental state had already crumbled. He was utterly useless!

I had tried to be nice to him, but I had a sinking feeling this was going to be a disaster.

“Usiiiik!”

Regardless, these little Demons were trying to kill us.

To survive and get paid, I had to kill every last one of these impertinent little bastards.

Money was on the line, so I needed Go Seok-sam’s help, even if it was minimal!

“Haap!”

I had to show him how it was done and boost his morale!

“Go Seok-sam! Yell while you fight!”

“Huh, huff…!”

“Just make some noise, damn it!”

“Aaah…!”

I yelled, swinging my Siljang Gonbong and knocking away an incoming attacker.

At that moment…

Scrabble!

“Huh?!”

Something clung to my back…!

“A Soseonggwi! This bastard!”

“Usiiiik!”

How did this thing get on my back?!

That thought flashed through my mind, and when I reflexively looked back, I was horrified.

Tap, tap, tap!

I saw Go Seok-sam’s back.

“Oh!”

Go Seok-sam was running away!

“What, what?! He’s running away?!”

This crazy bastard was running away?!

“You son of a bitch!”

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