Surviving as a Cripple in Murim – Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Giving Someone a Name (4)
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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The Five Great Clans. A force rivaling the Nine Great Sects, the two pillars of the Orthodox Sects.

The Namgung Clan, the Hwangbo Clan, the Jegal Clan, the Sacheondang Clan, and the Hebukpaeng Clan. Their power and wealth transcended mere noble families, bordering on warlords.

Greedy didn’t even begin to describe them; their lust for power and wealth shamed the very name “Orthodox.” And that’s why they were strong.

They had survived amidst countless restraints: the Imperial scrutiny, the power struggles with the Nine Great Sects, and the territorial disputes with the Unorthodox Sects. Weaker clans had long since perished or been absorbed.

They had become strong to protect their ancestors and families. They had swallowed their humiliation and fear, becoming strong so their descendants wouldn’t bear the same scars.

Even if strong winds caused them to sway, it was only temporary. The roots of the Five Great Clans were forceful and firm, bending but never breaking.

…Or so it should have been.

The Jegal Clan, renowned as the Divine Jegal, was one of the Five Great Clans. Yet, despite its fame, it was being uprooted and destroyed by a single girl.

The grand mansion, its gates once besieged by countless retainers, a testament to the clan’s history and wealth, crumbled. Even the martial artists trained in the Jegal Clan’s secret techniques were mercilessly torn apart by the girl’s gestures.

I limped towards the blue-eyed girl, Jegal Gwahae, who stood alone amidst the burning ruins.

“Why? Why did you do this?”

“I’m destroying the Jegal Clan that abused me. That’s all there is to it. Mancheon, join me in destroying the Jegal Clan.”

Jegal Gwahae, the blue-eyed girl, smiled brightly at me, no longer hiding her shark-like teeth, which had once been her complex.

As I stood speechless, stunned by the unbelievable sight of the Jegal Clan’s overnight demise, an even more unbelievable sight unfolded.

Gwahae’s body began to swell and grow, transforming into a colossal, Gigantamax Jegal Gwahae. She then somehow produced dragon head puppets made of cloth and slipped them onto her hands, spreading her arms wide and roaring like a menacing raccoon.

“Kyaooo~!!”

That appearance was truly… Gwahaeberos!!

Trembling, I could only watch as Gwahae, transformed into the three-headed dragon, the beast of ruin that would bring about the Jegal Clan’s destruction.

“Your clan is finished! From now on, this place belongs to MancheonGwahae!”

“Count me out! Brat! Why are you making me a criminal?!”

At my desperate cry, refusing to be turned into a terrorist, Gwahae stomped her feet and threw a tantrum, breathing fire.

“No! No! We’ll be together forever! Ruin-bringing Buster Stream~ Kyaooo~!!”

“You say forever, but why bring ruin?! And stop stomping! The ground’s shaking! -Ouch?!”

The ground trembled violently as the gigantic figure stomped her feet. Mid-sentence, I bit my tongue from the tremors and lost my balance, falling to the ground.

Fire erupted from the dragon head puppets on Gwahae’s arms and from her mouth, now filled with no longer tiny, shark-like teeth, incinerating the Jegal Clan. She would destroy the world! And then, to stop the indiscriminate destruction, assassins from the Martial Alliance appeared.

“Found them! There’s the mad scientist, Sima Mancheon, who created the ultimate blue-eyed Gwahae! Kill him!!”

“It’s not my fault! I didn’t know this would happen?!”

“A child’s fault is the parent’s fault! A disciple’s fault is the master’s fault! Stop making excuses and die!!”

The Martial Alliance assassins, drawing their swords without a word, charged at me, intent on making me “Sima Mancheon.” Just as I thought I was about to die, something massive fell from the sky, accompanied by a benevolent voice.

“A disciple’s fault is the master’s fault. Wise words.”

Kwaa-Bang!?

An outer shell made of an unknown special alloy. Power defying gravity. A colossal machine. The pride of human civilization. The pinnacle of technology. The steel avatar.

God created man in his own image. And man created Gundam in God’s image.

Huh?! Gundam?! Why Gundam?!

Even in this limitless world of martial arts, Gundam was surely a step too far. Wouldn’t even a fantasy story be criticized for having a Gundam?!

As I struggled to comprehend the increasingly bizarre situation, the Gundam’s cockpit opened, revealing an old, unattractive man. My Master!

“M-Master?! What are you doing there? And where did you get a Gundam?”

“This is no time for such trivial matters. A disciple’s fault is the master’s responsibility. You will pilot the Gundam and stop the ultimate blue-eyed Jegal Gwahae.”

“Me?”

“Maximum weight, the largest of all mechs. The pride of humanity. A prototype, so there are some instabilities, but the experimental value makes it worth the risk.”

Hearing his words, I felt a surge of excitement within me, urging me to pilot the mech, but this was too much. It was too strange.

I couldn’t keep up. I couldn’t grasp reality. Or was this even reality? Come to think of it, I bit my tongue hard earlier, but there was no blood and no pain.

“No! Mancheon is mine! I won’t give him to anyone! ~Kyaooo!!”

Enraged, Gwahae breathed fire and charged toward the Gundam, only to trip and fall.

“~Kyao?!”

Oh no! I told her to be careful when running. With her size, treating a scraped knee would be a major undertaking. The hospital bills would be enormous.

As the gigantic Gwahae fell, her body pointed towards the sky and her face towards the ground, I realized I had no time to worry about others. I finally understood.

I was dreaming.

“Huh!”

I opened my eyes to the familiar sight of my bedroom ceiling. A sigh of relief escaped my lips, along with the cold sweat that had drenched me.

“Ha… Ha… It was a dream. Thank goodness.”

It was a ridiculous and absurd dream when considered piece by piece, but it had been a true nightmare while I was in it. Thank goodness it was a dream. But why did my body feel so heavy?

Feeling a weight on my chest, I looked down to see Gwahae lying on top of me, fast asleep.

“Together… forever…”

I had prepared a separate bed for her, yet she always slept on top of me, mumbling in her sleep. Did she crave human warmth because she lacked affection growing up? Such a peculiar habit.

I wanted to give her a knuckle sandwich, but I lacked the energy. I simply closed my eyes and went back to sleep. The slight weight wasn’t so bad. It was rather cozy.

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Seventy-Two Emptiness Illumination Fist (空明拳) – A fist technique containing seventy-two fist movements embodying the essence of “Emptiness Brings Clarity” (以空而明), one of the Taoist teachings.

Here, “Emptiness Brings Clarity” (以空而明) means, “A vessel is useful because it is hollow; a room is useful because it has windows and doors.” It implies that the empty space allows for holding food, letting in light, and accommodating people.

In other words, the Emptiness Illumination Fist is a martial art that neutralizes an opponent’s strength in an instant, creates openings, and uses those openings to defeat them.

Simply put, it’s a defensive, parrying, and counter-attacking martial art.

And it’s the only martial art I learned from Master. When I had more or less mastered the Emptiness Illumination Fist, I asked him to teach me other techniques, but he relentlessly drilled me in the Emptiness Illumination Fist, saying that defense was paramount in combat.

“Haha~ If you have no intention of getting involved in the affairs of the martial world, the Dog Beating Staff Technique and the Emptiness Illumination Fist are more than enough. I promise you, you’ll never be beaten anywhere.”

Don’t you dare break that promise, you damned old geezer. I’ll hire a lawyer and sue you.

I felt Gwahae’s gaze, sparkling with anticipation. Seeing her eyes, I felt relieved that I had only learned the Emptiness Illumination Fist.

If I had learned something like the Hundred Steps Divine Fist (百步神拳) or the Thunderbolt Divine Fist (霹靂神拳), aggressive martial arts, I would have taught them to Gwahae, and I shudder to imagine the chaos that would have ensued.

In that sense, the defensive nature of the Emptiness Illumination Fist meant that even if I taught it to her, it wouldn’t cause as much trouble as in my dream. I simply taught a pitiful child a martial art to pass the time, yet I’m labeled a public enemy… What a ludicrous story.

“Are you alright?”

When I remained silent, Gwahae’s face clouded with worry. It was an innocent, simple expression.

Come to think of it, Master once told me I overthink too much. Yes, these were unnecessary worries.

Relaxing my face, I addressed Gwahae with my usual composure, conveying the teachings I had received from Master.

“Now, I’ll demonstrate. Watch closely, and ask if you have any questions.”

-And three days later.

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Did Frankenstein feel like this…? No, damn it. I’m practicing the Emptiness Illumination Fist on a tree, but why is the tree breaking?!

The broken tree trunk. Gwahae beaming, seeking praise. And me, staring anxiously at the tree and Gwahae.

This was hopeless. I had to take drastic measures.

“Hmm… you’ve learned enough. Now you need to practice on your own. Do 10,000 repetitions of the Gratitude Emptiness Illumination Fist.”

I promptly left the scene, instructing Jang-sam to clean up the broken tree.

Holding my head, I walked through the beautifully landscaped garden of the Jegal Clan’s estate. I wasn’t trying to come up with a solution, just walking. Lost in thought, I wandered into an unfamiliar area.

Where was this? Looking around, I saw a simple, old pavilion, incongruous with the elegant garden. Inside, a well-dressed, handsome old man sat alone, playing with Go stones.

Go… I had gotten into it for a while after watching Hikaru no Go. Maybe I could kill some time by playing a few games with this lonely old man.

I sat down across from him at the Go board and claimed the black stones.

“Old man, it seems your grandchildren aren’t keeping you company. How about I play a few games with you?”

Jegal Liang, one of the Ten Great Masters and a highly respected elder of the Jegal Clan, known as the Jegal Wyrm (諸葛怪龍), pondered how to deal with the child who had suddenly appeared, inviting him to play Go. Feeling bored, he nodded.

“Give me a nine-stone handicap, young man.”

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Oh unpredictable meet 😏