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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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Suddenly, the world brightened, and a wave of intense heat washed over me. The moment Ha-yeong raised her Seokjang, a torrent of flames erupted from it, engulfing the charging bandits.
Whoosh!
The bandits caught in the crimson wave screamed as they were consumed by fire.
“Aaaaagh!”
“Uwaaagh!”
“Gasp, gasp!”
They were literally covered in flames, writhing and screaming like Morden’s soldiers from Metal Slug.
Did she just wipe out the vanguard of bandits with a single spell?
Is this the power of a Taoist?
“Uh…!”
“Whoa!”
“That, that powerful?”
“Is something like that even possible…?”
The bandits running behind them stopped in their tracks, stunned. From their perspective, they’d just witnessed their bravest comrades instantly evolve into human torches.
They were frozen, having witnessed the wondrous mystery of evolution.
I was also shocked.
Those boisterous bandits were reduced to this in an instant.
“Die.”
It wasn’t over.
Ha-yeong, having summoned the wave of fire, now pulled out a talisman with her left hand and unfolded it like a fan. The moment she swung her arm…
Flutter!
Several talismans, moving with impossible speed for mere paper, flew through the air and burst into flames.
Homing firebombs.
Literally homing firebombs. The talismans, transformed into small fireballs, tracked the stationary bandits. The bandits, finally snapping out of their stupor, screamed, but it was too late.
Boom!
The firebombs exploded against their bodies.
On the backs of their heads as they fled.
Or on their backs.
If they were still standing dumbfounded, in their faces.
“Hyaaaaagh!”
Bandits caught on fire screamed miserably. No, most of them couldn’t even scream, their faces engulfed in flames. It was all over in a flash. With a swing of her staff and a handful of talismans, Ha-yeong had incinerated more than half the bandits.
A veritable instant massacre.
“Uwaaaagh!”
“S-save meee!”
“What is thaaat!”
The remaining bandits, in denial, fled.
What about their leader?
He, too, looked at us in a daze, but he was still the leader. He suddenly regained his composure and swung his axe, decapitating one of the fleeing bandits.
“Stop! I’ll kill anyone who runs!”
This bastard…?
Is he actually catching the deserters for us?
How thoughtful.
“You fucking bastards! Don’t you want to fuck her?! Go and get her!”
“B-but we didn’t know she was this strong…!”
“Boss! Are Taoists really that powerful?!”
“Shut up! Taoists are weak after using their spells! Now’s our chance! Go capture her before I kill you!”
“But!”
“Follow me!”
Whoosh!
The leader kicked off the ground and charged.
The bandits hesitated for a moment, watching him, but then, as if caught up in the heat of battle, they roared and charged again.
“Honestly. No learning ability. I told you, you’ll just burn. Do you want to become ashes that badly?”
Ha-yeong, delivering her cool line, threw more talismans.
The homing firebombs zipped through the air like gnats, pursuing the bandits. The panicked bandits scrambled to evade, but to no avail.
Bam!
The charging leader was also hit by a firebomb.
But then…
“That bastard!”
He crossed his arms, blocking the firebomb, and continued to charge!
“That damn bitch… My men…!”
His face was contorted in rage. I was certain now. This guy was a higher-level expert than me. What realm was he? Second-rate? Or first-rate? He was definitely strong, able to withstand Ha-yeong’s firebombs.
The leader was closing in.
But Ha-yeong didn’t panic. She quietly chanted an incantation, and flames erupted from the tip of her staff. Gripping the staff with both hands, she swung it wide.
A large fiery arc, like a whirling fire-staff performance, appeared, and a stream of flames shot out like a snake!
“It’s over!”
Whoosh!
“Kraaaaagh!”
The leader, taking the fiery stream head-on, was engulfed in flames.
But that bastard was still coming!
“You bitchhh!”
“Huh!”
Ha-yeong stumbled back in surprise. He was still charging after being hit with a fire blast? I hadn’t realized he was such a monster. He was like a wild boar.
Step.
I stepped in front of Hayoung.
Protecting the mage was a warrior’s duty.
If I could stop him, this battle was ours.
I’ll finish you, you stalker bandit leader bastard!
“You look like a drowned rat! I’ll kill you!”
“Shut uuuup!”
The leader raised his axe, and I raised my Sky Thunder Sword. I had already been circulating my Azure Wing Heart Technique since the battle began. As the leader closed in, I unleashed the Great Flow Sword Technique.
Clang!
My Sky Thunder Sword deflected the heavily swung axe. I maintained the flow, parrying the onslaught of axe blows aimed at killing me.
“You little brat…!”
He was a skilled axe wielder, but I held the Sky Thunder Sword. The difference in weaponry alone was overwhelming.
“Hmph!”
Moreover, the Great Flow Sword Technique grew stronger with each successive exchange. Even as we traded blows, my sword was becoming more powerful!
Swish!
“You damn bandit bastard! I’ll split you in half!”
“Damn youuu!”
A little more.
Just a little more pressure, and I could finish him. This son of a bitch. He dared to lust after Ha yeong in front of me? This kind of perverted bastard needs to be chopped to pieces!
Crackle!
Purple energy flowed from the sword.
Yes, had I finally succeeded?
It hadn’t worked at Ha-yeong’s house, but it had worked now, in the midst of this chaos.
Feeling the purple energy, I swung my sword at the leader’s head.
Clang!
Cracks appeared on the leader’s axe as it blocked my sword. The purple energy had amplified my sword’s power.
“Th-this power!”
Starting to see death now, are you?
But then…
“Hah!”
Suddenly, the leader’s aura intensified. A sudden surge of power. My sword was pushed back, and thick veins bloomed like flowers across the leader’s face.
“Mutual Destruction!”
Ha-yeong shouted from behind.
“Mutual Destruction!”
Oh, shit!
That’s my specialty!
He’s going to die anyway, so he’s taking me with him?!
“Kraaaaagh!”
The leader roared and swung his axe with renewed force. I continued the Great Flow Sword Technique, defending against his attacks, but I could clearly feel his power had increased.
This bastard is trying to split me in two!
To protect Ha-yeong, and to survive, I had to split him in two before he split me.
Crackle!
Purple sparks flew more intensely. The energy momentarily enveloped my sword, and I had a vague understanding of how to release it all at once.
Shing.
I adjusted my raised sword.
The leader roared like a bear and swung his axe horizontally. For a split second, the scene seemed to slow down, and I unleashed the ominous energy engulfing my sword in a single instant.
I swung my sword down with all my might.
Slassssh!
A torrent of purple energy erupted.
A sinister and ominous arc was carved into the air. A powerful slash as if driven by a horde of demons. I briefly pondered what to name this technique.
A slash driven by demons… Demon Slash?
But that sounded too cliché.
Let’s call it Demon Fury Slash.
Crack.
The leader, taking the Demon Fury Slash head-on, was split diagonally. His axe, raised to block, was also cleaved in two.
I had simply swung my sword, and a man was split in half. This was a new kind of killing, even for me. Witnessing the gruesome spectacle, a wave of exhaustion washed over me, blurring my vision. My internal energy had been depleted in an instant.
The leader’s bisected torso fell to the ground.
I dropped to one knee, gasping for air.
“Gasp…! Gasp, gasp!”
“You, you! Are you alright?!”
A panicked voice.
Ha-yeong rushed to my side, rubbing my back.
“I’m, I’m alright… Whew!”
“That thing you just did!”
“Ah… That’s what I’ve been trying to show you… That last one was my first time, though, ugh…!”
My insides felt like they were tearing apart.
Had I sustained internal injuries?
“Quickly, meditate! Meditate!”
“Before that, we need to confirm the kills.”
Had my senses become more acute?
“Ugh…!”
“Argh!”
The groans of the bandits echoed all around me.
I had to kill them. All of them.
They were currently writhing on the ground, reeling from the firebombs, but what if they regained their senses, escaped, and alerted their main force to our location? We wouldn’t stand a chance against a horde of bandits in our weakened state.
“Hey!”
Before Ha-yeong could stop me, I dashed towards a bandit wriggling on the ground.
“Ah!”
The bandit, sensing danger, looked at me and opened his mouth.
“Uh, uh…! P-please spare me! Master! I, I only became a bandit because I had no other way to make a living…!”
“Shut up, you dog!”
“Noooo!”
Thud!
I plunged the Sky Thunder Sword into his chest, confirming the kill.
“Ugh, ugh…!”
“Argh!”
I proceeded to find and finish off the other writhing bandits. The last remaining bandit turned to me and pleaded.
“Please spare me! Please spare me, Master! Pleaseeee!”
His face was completely melted.
“…”
A momentary pang of pity struck me, but I couldn’t spare him. If it had been Jaemison, he would have shown no mercy, embedding the Isangjego into the bandit’s skull. That was the kind of man he was, and as his friend, so was I.
Thwack!
I swung my sword, decapitating the bandit.
With that, all the bandits were dead.
“Haa!”
I collapsed to the ground.
“…You.”
“Ha-yeong. We need to clean up the bodies.”
“The bodies?”
“The burn marks might lead them to you. What would people think if they found burned bodies? They’d assume someone using fire spells did it. And the rumor that you’ve arrived in Anhui Province has already spread… So.”
“You thought that far ahead? You’re more thoughtful than I thought.”
Ha-yeong’s voice softened.
“It’s alright.”
She crouched beside me and spoke reassuringly.
“It wasn’t a spell that melts bones. If there are no burn marks on the bones, they won’t find out. Besides, in this condition, the demons will come and devour them as soon as night falls. Don’t worry.”
Is that so?
“Here’s some water.”
“Thanks.”
I took the gourd Ha-yeong offered and gulped down the water.
“Ah.”
I finally felt alive again.
But then…
“Ah.”
An overwhelming sense of unease began to well up in my chest.
Just how many people had I killed today? The leader, whom I fought and killed, was one thing, but I had also hunted down and unilaterally slaughtered the helpless bandits incapacitated by Ha-yeong’s spells.
Mass murder…!
I had killed more people today than in my entire life combined! Look at all these corpses! I did all of this!
A mad slaughter!
Killing bandits was a righteous and necessary act, but the sight of this sea of corpses made me feel like my brain was bleeding!
“Ugh… Sob, sob…!”
My breath hitched.
My vision blurred.
As I clutched my face, having dropped my sword…
“Sigh. Hey. Get up.”
Ha-yeong whispered in my ear.
“Get up.”
I obeyed, rising to my feet. Ha-yeong, who had been crouching beside me, also stood up and brushed off my shoulders.
“You. Are you alright?”
“Ugh… Whew, yeah. I’m fine. Just tired.”
“You don’t look alright.”
She was right.
I couldn’t possibly be alright in this situation.
“…No one’s around, right?”
Ha-yeong looked around.
“Yeah. I killed them all.”
“Not that. Look at this.”
Suddenly, and without warning…
Slip.
Ha-yeong took off her clothes.
“Whoa!”
Her clothes were already scant, barely covering her. The act of disrobing was so swift, it was as if she wasn’t wearing anything to begin with.
In an instant, Ha-yeong was naked.
Her snow-white naked body. Her ample breasts, threatening to burst forth. My gaze was fixed on her alluring and voluptuous figure. But then, I noticed something astonishing. Talismans were attached to her vital areas.
Three of them.
Two on her breasts, and one below her pubic bone.
So, she wasn’t completely naked.
“So she was wearing talismans after all…!”
Just as I was taken aback…
Whoosh.
Ha-yeong hugged me.
“Ah.”
My face was buried between her large breasts. Was… was Ha-yeong hugging me? No, this wasn’t a hug, it was an embrace. Like how my aunt had embraced me.
Stroke, stroke.
Ha-yeong held me against her chest, stroking my back.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. There’s no need to be sad. You just killed some common bandits. It’s alright. It’s not worth getting upset over. Why are you so shocked?”
Gentle consolation.
“I know, but…”
“Cry if you want to. I’ll hold you. You can use my breasts as much as you want.”
“Sob…!”
Hearing those words, the tears I had been holding back flowed freely.
I buried my face in Ha-yeong’s chest and wept.
“Chuckle, chuckle, you’re so big, yet so fragile… Well, what can you do? It’s because you have a good heart. You might not be suited to be a martial artist.”
“Sob, sob…! Thank you, Ha-yeong!”
“Don’t mention it. We’re friends. Ah, should I take off the talismans and let you suckle? Would that make you feel better?”
“What?!”
Immediately!
“Kyahahahaha! Just kidding! I won’t let you! What are you thinking?!”
“Ah! You!”
“You seem to have calmed down.”
With those words, Ha-yeong gently pushed me away. An overwhelming sense of loss and regret washed over me. To be separated from that warm embrace. It was agonizing.
She pushed me away the moment I calmed down, so cold.
But before me stood Ha-yeong, still naked, with only talismans covering her vital areas.
Without making any move to dress, Ha-yeong spread her ample breasts and said,
“Wow! Look how wet my breasts are! More importantly, how long are you going to stare at my body?! Can you look away?!”
“…!”
“Huh? Why are your eyes drifting downwards?! Look away! Where are you looking?!”
As soon as Ha-yeong covered her lower talisman with her hand, she turned around!
“Not only did you peek at the top, but you’re trying to look at the bottom too?”
“…That.”
That was truly unavoidable.
“Don’t get any ideas.”
“Huh?”
“I’m a virtuous woman. I haven’t allowed any man to touch me. Even I think this was a bit much… but I did it to comfort you because you’re my friend. Understand?”
A grumpy voice.
“…Thank you, Ha-yeong.”
I expressed my gratitude with my back turned.
“Well, you seem to have completely calmed down. Did you like my breasts that much? Enough to stop crying?”
“Th-that.”
They were very nice.
“Does that foxy bitch, Serin, ever do this for you?”
“Why are you bringing up Serin all of a sudden?”
“Did she, or didn’t she? Just answer the question.”
Well, nothing like that had ever happened.
“No.”
“Hmm, so I’m the only one who’s done this for you? That proves I’m a closer friend! Kyahahahaha!”
Ha-yeong laughed heartily, seemingly pleased.
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Thanks Simzy!