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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
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-Two Years Later-
“Wha, what are you!”
Falling isn’t the only thing one should worry about in high mountainous areas. One must always be mindful that robbers can jump out from the bushes at any moment. But the world is too vast, and the opportunities to meet someone kind enough to warn you are rare.
“Ugh! Urg…!”
A naive man who set out alone into the martial world was butchered by robbers before he could use the supplies in his pack or display his talents.
His pack and expensive clothes were stained with blood, and his story was lost forever. The knife that had pierced his abdomen was rusted and chipped, ripping out the victim’s flesh in the most gruesome way.
The robber, wearing a mask, looked around. He was checking to see if anyone was following him. But there was no one. The traveler didn’t understand his meaningless death and gurgled blood while staring blankly.
“Too bad, huh? You should have learned some martial arts.”
The concept of morality was meaningless in this world. The words that governed a robber’s life were the law of the jungle, and the logic of strength had become a common sentiment that brainwashed criminals. He didn’t pray for the soul of the dead man but rationalized his actions by saying the victim died because he was weak.
The corpse was dragged toward the cliff. If the body were thrown into this fog-shrouded precipice, no one would ever know what the robber had done to earn a few coins. The robber dragged the corpse to a place out of sight and briefly took off his mask to catch his breath.
Hidden by the bushes, he was not easily visible. The corpse on the ground continued to gasp and twitch. The robber pulled out a money pouch from the corpse’s pocket and dragged the luggage separately. He closed the dead man’s eyes and said,
“It’s all your fault.”
“Aigoo….”
The robber stopped speaking. He heard a moan from somewhere. It wasn’t coming from the corpse. It was from the cliff, a groan coming from below. The robber forgot about dealing with the corpse and gripped his dagger again. He lowered his body and fixed his gaze on the cliff.
“Uak!”
A hand shot out from the cliff, startling the robber and making him fall back. Ignoring his reaction, the hand scraped the ground, pulling a sturdy man’s body up from the cliff. Black hair and sharp eyes. A scruffy beard and dirty clothes made his identity hard to discern.
“Ugh…. Seriously. That’s awfully high.”
“Wha, what is…! Who, who are you!”
The robber shouted, raising his dagger. The man frowned at the corpse before him and untied the rope around his waist, throwing it down the cliff. Then, he looked at the robber and said,
“Park Do-cheol. I was just… having a little trouble down there.”
Do-cheol pointed toward the cliff. The robber’s eyes followed Do-cheol’s finger. A cliff covered with fog filled his vision.
“O-oh, I see. Understood.”
The robber lowered his weapon and nodded. He did not know who the man was, but he was a strange fellow who had climbed up the cliff with his bare hands. Talking back to him or waving his weapon would be a foolish act.
The robber had never learned martial arts and was just a pathetic man who had luckily learned how to swing a dagger, using it to kill people.
Do-cheol tilted his head, noticing that the robber was not willing to fight. He brushed the dust off his clothes and said,
“Hey, you. Got any money?”
The robber nodded at Do-cheol’s words and handed over the money pouch he had just taken. He knew that if he acted tough, this man would kill him. To survive in the martial world, one had to know their place.
To live such a pitiful life, one had to bow low and grovel before masters.
“A-ah, here you go! There’s also an inn up ahead, so you can have a nice hot meal and bath and…”
“Alright.”
Do-cheol didn’t listen to the rest of the robber’s words. In the blink of an eye, the money pouch disappeared from his hand. Do-cheol was now roughly estimating the weight of the pouch, looking back and forth between the corpse on the ground and the robber. The robber nervously took a few steps back.
“Uhm… c-can I go now?”
Do-cheol nodded.
“Yeah, go on.”
The robber turned around as if he had been waiting for the chance, and tried to run away. But as soon as he turned his back to Do-cheol, he felt a sudden pain in his side, and his body was sent flying.
“Keuk…!”
Through his twisted waist, the robber knew that Do-cheol had kicked him. The heavy blow was undoubtedly charged with inner energy, and his bones had broken with just one strike.
“Keuek…! Ack…! Wh-why…!”
The robber rolled on the ground, coughing up blood. The effect of the unprepared blow was significant. The robber grabbed his dagger again and tried to get up, but his body felt like it had been thrown onto an ice rink. It was difficult to maintain balance.
Do-cheol took out the money and, with one foot, kicked the corpse on the ground. As the corpse rolled down the slope, it disappeared into the cliff. Do-cheol said,
“If someone comes looking for who killed this guy later, and the investigation somehow leads to you, whose name will you give?”
The name they would give was ‘Do-cheol’. The robber clenched his teeth and tried to use his dagger as a cane to get up, but Do-cheol charged his foot with energy and kicked his chin before he could rise.
Crack!
The robber’s upper and lower teeth smashed together and broke, and his eyes rolled back.
Do-cheol searched the robber’s pockets for a few more coins, then rolled the robber’s corpse off the cliff as well. The robber’s figure disappeared into the fog after hitting a rock with a thud.
“Feels good.”
Do-cheol smiled while touching his pouch. He didn’t know who the corpse with the sack was, but he had a fairly thick pouch. It felt good to hear the pleasant jingling sound as he walked.
Do-cheol glanced at the inn.
It was time to take a bath, eat, and relax while making his next plan.
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******
“Welcome… what the…”
The innkeeper frowned as soon as Do-cheol appeared in front of the inn. Do-cheol stared at the innkeeper, scanned his own appearance, and nodded.
“I can pay. Take me as a guest.”
Do-cheol said this as he poured money out of his pouch. The amount was not enough to splurge, but enough to show off at the inn. The innkeeper’s contemptuous look disappeared, and he quickly bent over, scooping up the money as if he had never looked down on Do-cheol.
“Oh my! I’m sorry, sir! Will you have a meal?”
Do-cheol nodded.
“Give me whatever fits the amount, and I’ll be relaxing here all day, taking a bath and sleeping. Prepare a good room as well.”
“Yes! Understood!”
As the innkeeper left, Do-cheol sat down on a chair in the dining hall and leaned back. It felt strange to be back here. A few years ago, he had been full of dreams about joining the Mount Hua Sect here, but now, he was back after mastering the techniques of a sex offender who had caused a stir in the martial world.
Enough time had passed that the innkeeper had changed, but the owner was still in the kitchen, quietly doing his work.
Do-cheol scratched his head, recalling all his training. He had practiced his footwork by stepping on the marks on the floor and repeated various ridiculous exercises every day to master the art of the bedroom. He had to practice the bedroom arts since the training of his lower body was related to lightness techniques.
He had carefully accumulated inner energy by studying the basic cultivation methods. He repeatedly researched how to optimize the Shadow Step so that he could climb the cliff with his meager inner energy.
After more than two years of being trapped on a cliff, all he got was the title of a man who was good at sex, fast on his feet, and had a little inner energy.
Do-cheol didn’t like that.
He didn’t like that his hard work for two years only resulted in this.
Do-cheol believed that since he had thrown himself into the martial world, he had to pursue higher positions. If it was a world where the victor devoured everything, it was right for him to reign from a position where he devoured everyone.
“Innkeeper.”
“Ah, yes sir! Did you call?”
To become stronger, it was essential to join a sect.
With what he had, he could never grow stronger.
Do-cheol asked the innkeeper,
“These days, do the major sects have tests to join?”
The innkeeper scratched his head, looked around, and said in a low voice,
“Tests? Absolutely not. These days, sects will take an entrance fee first. The amount is substantial, so ordinary people wouldn’t dare try.”
“Entrance fees? They need money?”
“Yes. That’s right. Rumor has it you need to save at least a few dozen taels of silver.”
The innkeeper explained the amount he had heard. The money he had spent at the inn today was nowhere near enough, and he needed much more. Do-cheol tapped the table with his finger, deep in thought.
Wanted posters were hung on the wall of the inn.
Famous gangs in the area.
Criminals running rampant a little further away.
Do-cheol’s eyes landed on the gangs.
“That’s it. That’s it.”
