I Became an Outcast the Martial Arts Masters are Obsessed With – Chapter 2

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: TushChen
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It was a pleasant voice that could be called jade-like, but for me right now, it was a voice that sent chills down the back of my neck.

Who was it? How long had they been following me?

The opponent was not just first-rate at best.

To catch up to me so cleanly without leaving a single trace of discomfort, they had to be at least at the peak level.

If the opponent wanted to kill me, I would have already died several times.

I slowly turned around.

The first thing that caught my eye was a face with sharp features.

It was a face that could be called a beauty without any shortcomings.

Still, the eyebrows raised angrily, and the sharp eyes were enough to ruin the good impression.

Wrapped around the slender and long neck was unmistakably red sable fur.

The Jeomchang Faction is renowned throughout the Central Plains martial world.

Descendants of the mythical figure who shot nine arrows and brought down nine out of ten suns.

The Jeomchang Faction was a Taoist sect that served such descendants.

It was said that the descendants, who were hunters, raised red sables to catch rabbits.

In the Jeomchang Faction, they called the ten most renowned disciples of the current generation the [Ten Prodigies] and gave them the right to wear red sable fur.

Regardless of the origin, it was a way for the faction to lend its name to guarantee the reputation of those worthy of representing Jeomchang but had not yet made a name for themselves in the martial world.

That was the meaning of being one of the Ten Prodigies.

Even if their individual names were not known, like the Eighteen Arhats of Shaolin or the Plum Blossom Swordsmen of Mount Hua, the meaning that they were our faction’s top masters and not to be trifled with was contained in that sable fur.

Of course, I knew better than anyone who that woman was.

Among the Sacheon outcasts, there wouldn’t be a single person who didn’t know who she was.

However, I had no choice but to ask as if I didn’t know.

It was a question of escapism, hoping she wouldn’t be the person I thought she was, even though it was unlikely.

“I am a lowly warrior staying at the Outcast Inn. May I ask for the esteemed name of the lady from the great Jeomchang Faction?”

“Yeo Il-ye.”

Yeo Il-ye, the Red Bamboo Swordswoman.

A woman known among the Sacheon outcasts as the Outcast Crusher.

A person famous for shattering the limbs of outcasts and leaving them crippled just by encountering them.

However, as a member of the righteous faction, she seemed unable to kill the outcasts, as I had never heard of her killing an outcast.

But I had heard countless rumors of outcasts who had become disabled and retired after falling into her hands.

Her nickname, Red Bamboo Swordswoman, was also practically created because of the outcasts.

In this Sacheon, outcasts were considered absolute evil, and just capturing and crushing them was enough to become a hero.

The cruel hand that crushed outcasts was worthy of the character for blood (血), but since they couldn’t dare attach blood to a member of the righteous faction, they put the character for red (紅) as an ambiguous meaning referring to the red sable fur.

Since she crushed every outcast she encountered, she was called the Bamboo Gentleman (竹君), unbending like bamboo.

Thus, she was the Red Bamboo Swordswoman.

This woman was a widely recognized outcast killer.

Today could become the memorial day of the death of this Hocheon An.

“You must have committed another evil deed, scurrying away like a rat.”

“Haha, there seems to be a misunderstanding. I just went on a small errand to the Gwangyang Gate today.”

“You’re telling an absurd lie. I personally had a meeting with the lord of the Gwangyang Gate today.”

“I swear to the heavens that this is the truth.”

“No, you didn’t come to the Gwangyang Gate today.”

There was a sneer on Yeo Il-ye’s face.

From that smile, I understood the situation.

Those Gwangyang Gate bastards had secretly joined hands with the Jeomchang Faction.

Yeo Il-ye, dispatched as an envoy to join hands with the Gwangyang Gate, had followed me to wrap things up and get a taste of blood after hearing about the commotion today.

“Just how vile of an evil deed did you commit to be running away so urgently and spouting lies?”

“Great Hero, listen to m-”

“There’s no point in listening, it will only sully my ears, and I can’t let evil remain, so I’ll have to open the killing register today.”

Anyone could see that this woman had a grudge against the outcast race.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have so persistently and indiscriminately caught and crushed outcasts.

Even if she had a grudge against outcasts, as a member of the righteous faction, she only crippled them without killing them.

Still, today, with justification, she seemed to intend to cross the line.

That sword-wielding psychopath was making a delighted expression at the thought of brutally slicing me to death.

It was a face I wanted to shove in front of those who spout nonsense about beauties looking pretty no matter what they do.

Neither Yeo Il-ye nor I had drawn our swords yet.

However, Yeo Il-ye’s murderous intent towards me was firm, so it was time to use the emergency escape plan.

I, Hocheon An, took survival seriously to the point of scouting escape routes in advance.

It was impossible for me to know all the threats I would face, but I had prepared as much as possible for what I could.

As long as I was active in Sacheon, there was a high possibility of accidentally encountering Yeo Il-ye, so I had thought of countermeasures in advance, but…

The problem was that to escape from a master of Yeo Il-ye’s level, there was no choice but to take on an extreme level of risk.

As a mere second-rate, the only options I could use made me question whether this was a solution.

Whoosh!

While I hesitated to execute the emergency escape plan, a gust of internal energy blew.

As Yeo Il-ye began to circulate her energy in earnest, a dust cloud rose.

Facing the fluttering clothing and the fierce eyes of the murderous psychopath, my hesitation completely disappeared.

Yes, now was not the time to worry about the future.

I had to survive first.

I immediately opened my mouth.

“Yeo Il-ye. I have heard about your usual conduct. I don’t know what kind of resentment you have inside, but a warrior should control their inner self.”

“Not even funny. For a third-rate outcast…”

“Is that so?”

I drew my sword and assumed a combat stance.

I squeezed out even the little internal energy I had and expelled it under my feet.

It was incomparable to Yeo Il-ye, but a slight cloud of dust rose beneath my feet.

Yeo Il-ye’s expression stiffened as she placed her hand on her sword.

“You…! Could it be!”

Biryong Twelve Swords.

A supreme martial art that only those at the peak level or above could execute.

Anyone in Sacheon known for their swordsmanship knew the combat stance of the Biryong Twelve Swords.

The outcast who had used these Biryong Twelve Swords was the originator of Sacheon outcasts and the starting point that created the current twisted Sacheon martial world.

I, Hocheon An, had invested more than 10 years in Murim Cheonha.

The man who prided himself on knowing everything about this Murim Cheonha.

Of course, I didn’t know how to use the Biryong Twelve Swords.

However, Murim Cheonha was a high-spec game that is still considered current despite being a 10-year-old game, and the movements were accurate.

I didn’t know the martial arts but could imitate the combat stance.

Yeo Il-ye tensed up and bent her body.

Judging by the fact that she immediately assumed the combat stance of the Four Sun Swords, I guess she had fallen for my bluff.

This wasn’t because Yeo Il-ye was stupid enough to be fooled by a combat stance I had only learned through a game screen.

When the martial world was a game, it usually took less than a year for a completely bare character to reach the threshold of first-rate.

The point at which I, as the real Hocheon An, reached the second-rate limit was slightly over a year.

Then what had I been doing for the rest of the time?

I had focused on the [Skill] content outside of [Martial Arts].

In the martial arts genre, if the realm of martial arts does not support it, skills cannot be used.

There are countless scenes where supreme martial arts cannot be used because the internal energy runs out or the understanding of martial arts is low.

But in martial arts novels, were all the divine doctors, famous craftsmen, or wealthy people masters of martial arts?

Some works portray them that way, but many do not.

It is a common trope for wealthy people who don’t even know the character for martial arts to be attacked by martial arts masters,

divine doctors to be kidnapped by mysterious assailants,

and famous craftsmen to be killed by the very person they made weapons for after creating weapons for them.

But what’s funny is that even if the protagonist learns medical skills, gambling skills, or even fart techniques, they somehow utilize them and become stronger.

[Skill] is a category that can affect actual combat without being influenced by the martial arts realm.

Would I have just wasted the past 8 years when I couldn’t advance further from second rate?

Of course, I had spent fruitful time in the gambling house.

I was a second-rate warrior, but my gambling skills specialized in deceiving the opponent and assisting my actions.

They disrupted Yeo Il-ye’s discerning eyes and confused her mind.

The gambling skills I had honed by pouring all the silver I had earned as an outcast into the gambling house transformed the combat stance I had only seen through a monitor into movements that could deceive even a peak master.

In her mind, I would probably be perceived as a mysterious outcast master capable of wielding the Biryong Twelve Swords.

“You bastard, what is your relationship with the Outcast Demon Sword?”

I maintained my stance without a word.

Sometimes, silence can convey more messages than eloquence.

I utilized the psychological techniques I had learned in the gambling house to the fullest.

The more hot-tempered and bloodthirsty they are, the more uncomfortable they find silence and feel pressured.

Simply put, it’s normal for crazy people to have no patience.

After waiting for my answer for a while, unable to endure any longer, she drew her sword and shouted.

The thick, murderous energy was a bonus.

“Fine! Let’s see if you can keep that mouth shut after tasting the Four Sun Sword Technique!”

As I tightened my grip on the sword and lowered my stance, Yeo Il-ye showed signs of condensing her internal energy.

And at that moment…

I slightly relaxed my stance and turned my head.

A motion as if looking beyond Yeo Il-ye.

From Yeo Il-ye’s perspective, it would have been a motion that could make her mistakenly think I had encountered an utterly unexpected person I couldn’t meet in this back alley.

The moment Yeo Il-ye also instinctively tried to sense the presence behind her…

“Okryong Sinhyeop?”

At my words, Yeo Il-ye spun around.

Hyeok Gi-rin, the Okryong Sinhyeop.

The leader of the Ten Prodigies.

A person of extremely righteous tendencies and Yeo Il-ye’s nemesis among nemeses.

A real hero who, if caught emitting murderous energy while confronting an outcast and colluding with the Gwangyang Gate, could cause unpredictable chaos.

A living moral book itself.

The timing was now or never.

My heart was still filled with hesitation.

I wasn’t sure if it was right to do this, not knowing what this crazy psychopath might do in the future, but now it was a matter of riding the momentum.

Having bluffed and even fished, if I didn’t go all out now, I would really die.

“Even the sun and moon in the sky decline after reaching their peak, and so do human emotions. The fire of the heart (心) that seems to burn forever is extinguished in just a moment, and this is called the principle of reversal at the extreme. But is decline truly decline, and prosperity truly prosperity? Metal must be heated to take shape, but it is truly completed when it cools down.”

Her body stiffened.

It was a sign of entering a state of enlightenment.

Regardless of the situation surrounding Yeo Il-ye, since Yeo Il-ye’s [Enlightenment] was being heard, she had no choice but to focus on this unconditionally.

This was the path determined by the heavens.

The one and only way prepared solely for Yeo Il-ye to break through her limits.

It was only natural for Yeo Il-ye to forget everything and devote herself to this.

“What is needed is not only the hot. The flow is completed by decline following prosperity, so what is truly needed is the cold.”

This outcast-killing enthusiast, Yeo Il-ye, had an unpleasant peak realm of transcendence.

For those with a first-rate limit, even their enlightenment is just a single line.

Still, enlightenment is filled with meaningful words for a transcendent like her.

“Reversal at the Extreme, Tempering with Fire and Cold (物極必反 火煉冷鍛)”

“Ah…!!”

If this were a game, lightning would have struck from the sky, and a log like this would have appeared.

Yeo Il-ye, who had stiffened with her eyes half-open, holding her sword.

Someone might consider this stiffened Yeo Il-ye the perfect opportunity to attack and finish her.

Yeo Il-ye’s eyes were only half-open; she wasn’t even in a combat stance, and she would be immersed in her inner self, so if they thought to quickly finish her off with a surprise attack…

They would die instantly.

In typical martial arts, enlightenment is often utilized as a kind of buff.

During the process of gaining enlightenment, martial arts themselves significantly increase, and the setting is that the body automatically executes martial arts in a state of selflessness.

Similarly, in [Murim Cheonha], a character who enters a state of enlightenment has their combat power greatly enhanced and automatically reacts to external threats.

It may be a standard setting in martial arts, but also a game mechanic to prevent the abuse of enlightenment.

If entering a state of enlightenment made one defenseless, it could be used as a status ailment skill, and how frustrating would it be if a comrade who naturally gained enlightenment died standing still because of it?

So, for now, I had to be satisfied that Yeo Il-ye couldn’t move while she processed her enlightenment.

Quietly slipping out of the alley, I dashed straight to the Outcast Inn.

For now, I had escaped Yeo Il-ye’s clutches by enlightening her.

Still, there was no way to know how Yeo Il-ye would emerge after awakening from her enlightenment.

There was a mountain of things to do to survive against such a Yeo Il-ye.

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