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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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They were trying to intimidate me, but their eyes were darting around!
Having been scolded plenty by my aunt and having been in my fair share of fights, I knew.
These guys were hesitant to fight me.
They thought I’d be scared and back down if they threatened me with swords, two against one!
But no…!
No way in hell was I handing over my hard-earned money! This was my time, my life! How dare they, how dare they try to steal the money I worked my ass off for!
How much like a dog had I toiled in this martial world, and they…!
“Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiyaaaaaaaaah!”
A scream, a mixture of tears and rage born from frustration, erupted from me.
“Wh-What the…?”
Honestly, I was terrified.
Facing murderers, I was so scared I almost pissed myself. But even stronger was the burning desire to kill these bastards…!
If this was the martial world, wasn’t killing allowed?
“One of you! I’ll kill at least one of you!”
I threatened them with all my might, vowing to kill at least one of them. I knew that against two, I would definitely die.
Even filled with murderous intent, I only had two arms; I couldn’t fight four at once.
“Come at me! You bastards!”
“Uh, uh…”
A bluff.
“You fucking pieces of shit, coming at me like this!”
An intense threat, a promise to kill at least one of them, no matter what.
If outnumbered, I had to fight with something else.
I had to tap into their primal fear!
“I will kill at least one of you…!”
I exhaled shakily, feeling the tremor in my hands, but I took a step forward.
A large step.
And another.
I strode towards them.
“Wait!”
“Th-This guy?!”
Did they have the resolve?
The resolve to face death?
Did they have the resolve to risk their lives for a few coins right here, right now?!
No, they didn’t!
They shouldn’t!
That’s why they were pulling this crap!
And if they did have that kind of courage, I was dead!
I knew these guys were murderers, but that didn’t mean they were bloodthirsty, battle-crazed maniacs. They would definitely avoid a direct confrontation. They liked easy kills and quick money, not life-or-death battles!
“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
I roared and charged straight at them. I was ready to unleash the Three Talents Sword Technique.
The determination to kill at least one of them fueled my blade with power.
If I didn’t fight for my life here, I would be exploited and die miserably in this martial world!
I might as well go crazy here and now!
“Gah!”
“Oh, no!”
Whoosh!
In an instant,
The two men turned and ran.
“I can’t deal with this! This lunatic!”
“It’s not worth dealing with a crazy bastard like him!”
Run?
They were running?
They dared to run?!
“Y-You bastards! Kiiiiiiiiyaaaaaaaaah! How dare you, how dare you turn your backs on me?! Hey, hey! Hey! Heeeeeeeeeey! Don’t run! Don’t run! Don’t ruuuuuuuuuuun!”
They started this and now they were running away?
I couldn’t maintain my composure in this insane situation.
How could I tolerate this?!
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! Don’t run! Don’t you dare ruuuuuuun!”
“Uh, uh?! Wah, waaaaaaaaaah!”
“Gasp!”
I screamed and chased after them.
This injustice.
I wanted to unleash all the frustration that had built up since I fell into this crazy martial world!
And these bastards deserved it!
I wasn’t living in this martial world life by choice! If they tried to kill me, I had the right to kill them back!
“Haa! Haaaaaaaah!”
“Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiyaaaaaaaaah!”
“He’s a madman!”
They split up, one running left, the other right. I chased after the one on the left.
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“Huff! Huff!”
Chang-sam ran with all his might.
He had planned to rough up that novice martial artist and steal his money and sword.
Then he would treat him like a slave, extorting money daily.
Chang-sam and Oh Su-man had exploited many newcomers to Jianghu this way, even resorting to murder when things went wrong.
After all, the deaths of wandering martial artists were commonplace in the martial world.
No one cared if their bodies were found.
The authorities would simply confirm the discovery of an unidentified vagrant’s corpse and cremate it without a second thought.
They had no interest in the deaths of martial artists.
That way, there were no repercussions, and they could just move on to the next target.
Toying with a frightened novice was easy. Fear paralyzed them, preventing them from fighting effectively. Even if they had learned martial arts, they couldn’t utilize their skills under pressure from two opponents.
Furthermore, if someone lacked the experience of taking a life, their blade naturally faltered. Subduing them was a simple matter.
He had planned to showcase those skills and make a killing today, but
“Ugh…!”
Things had gone completely wrong.
“Don’t ruuuuuuun! Die by my haaaaaand! Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
“That lunatic…!”
He was completely insane!
The madman, as if intoxicated by blood, trembled, his eyes rolling back in his head.
Then he started crying, convulsing, and swinging his sword like a lunatic!
His demeanor was anything but normal!
Instead of fearing his own death, he seemed more intent on seeing their blood!
A third-rate novice, igniting his fighting spirit and attempting a mutual destruction tactic!
‘How could such a guy exist! He’s not even a monster!’
When a martial artist, disregarding their own life, launched a mutual destruction attack without any defense, they could push back even a superior opponent.
Let alone someone of the same rank.
If they fought this madman, they would be killed or crippled. There were only two possible outcomes.
‘I can’t throw my life away for a few coins…!’
Neither Chang-sam nor Oh Su-man wanted to die.
That’s why they scraped by in the underbelly of Jianghu. So, the two thugs chose to flee.
This wasn’t just a fresh face in Jianghu; he was genuinely insane. It was right to run.
There was no need to provoke someone like that. There were plenty of other terrified prey to target. They could just give up on him and move on.
Whoosh!
“Gah?!”
But how far was this guy chasing them?
Chang-sam felt the icy grip of fear constricting his entire body.
Was there no one to help?
He had deliberately run to a secluded area, so there were no people around.
‘Damn it…!’
Would he really have to fight a life-or-death battle?
Instead of two of them toying with a single frightened opponent in a completely advantageous situation, they had to actually risk their lives?
Even if they won, they would be severely injured, and the reward would be a few measly coins. If they lost, they would die.
It was a crazy deal.
There was no bigger loss than this.
Chang-sam couldn’t understand why he had to weigh his life and death in this filthy place.
Tears welled up in his eyes.
“Keha!”
He finally reached his limit.
Chang-sam stopped running, bent over, and gasped for breath.
The madman was still chasing him.
As if determined to kill him no matter what.
“Do you think…! Do you think I enjoy busting my ass in this shitty place?! Y-Y-You bastard, how dare you try to take my money…! My money! I have to work all day for that, you fucker!”
The man, consumed by madness, shouted incoherently as he strode towards him.
Chang-sam couldn’t understand what he was saying.
He seemed so insane that Chang-sam felt like he was standing before a demon.
“If I take a day off, I can’t fucking eat because I have no money!”
If that blade touched him, his flesh and bone would be severed.
“Gulp…!”
The thought intensified Chang-sam’s fear.
He had become the prey.
He.
“P-Please spare me! Master! Please spare me! Please! We’re just pitiful men! I was foolish to try and steal a few coins!”
He instinctively pleaded.
“Saying sorry now doesn’t change anything!!!”
“I’m truly sorry, Master! Sob!”
In a fight between a terrified person and a bloodthirsty madman, the latter always won. Experience had taught him that.
Chang-sam begged and pleaded for his life. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to drop his sword.
Then,
“Then empty your pockets and lick my boots, you bastard!”
The demon demanded he empty his pockets and apologize.
‘Wait…?’
For a moment, Chang-sam thought he might live. Money? He could just kill him and take it from his corpse. It wouldn’t take long.
But the specific demand to empty his pockets and lick his boots suggested that he genuinely wanted an apology.
“Alright!”
Chang-sam frantically searched his pockets. He only had about 120 mun. He wasn’t wealthy to begin with.
Would he be forgiven after receiving this?
“Oh.”
Chang-sam realized how foolish he had been. Terror had momentarily clouded his judgment.
He only realized this because his body instinctively sensed death.
Swish!
The blade flashed, slicing across his throat. Looking down, even for a moment, to empty his pockets had been a fatal mistake.
“Y-You… Ugh.”
The demon simply wore an expression of rage. Even after cutting him, he seemed unsatisfied, tears streaming down his face.
Killing someone while crying with rage—even the leaders of demonic sects would be horrified by such madness.
Trying to trick someone like this had been a mistake from the start.
“Gurg…”
In his final moments, as his face hit the ground, Chang-sam finally understood.
The demand to empty his pockets and apologize had been a ploy to make it easier to kill him.
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