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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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For the members of the Sayoon Corps, it would have been a dream come true, but for me, it was reality.
So, I couldn’t just stand there dumbfounded.
“Indeed, that was close.”
“Please, speak comfortably.”
The Sayoon I had seen in the game and the Sayoon standing before me were different.
The Sayoon who had gone through all sorts of hardships and trials, sharpened to the point of being razor-sharp, steeped in hatred for the world and a coldness like a finely honed blade.
And this girl, who was just beginning to understand the warmth of the world.
Their appearances and personalities were different, but for me, for us, Sayoon was still Sayoon.
That’s why I could smile back at her gentle smile.
“So, why did you enter that alley?”
“Oh, about that.”
Sayoon smiled awkwardly and explained the situation.
Today was the day they sold the herbs and medicinal plants they gathered from Mount Hongseong in the village. She came down, sold the goods, and was about to head back when Senior Sister Yoohee told her to wait because she had something to do.
Then she saw me entering the alley, sensed killing intent from inside, and entered, worried that I might be in danger.
“I am a disciple of the Hongseong Sect. A Hongseong disciple never ignores those in need.”
I couldn’t help but smile, watching her puff out her small chest with pride.
She was just like the Sayoon we knew.
She might have lost a lot, but she never lost the spirit of the Hongseong Sect.
“That’s admirable.”
“Hehe, it’s nothing. Well, I should be…”
“Boss! It’s her!!”
Just then, a group of thugs rushed out of the alley. The three of them seemed to be just mob-level, untrained in martial arts, but the one who walked behind them,
A skinny man who was twirling a sharp dagger around his finger, hooked on the pommel of the weapon, was different.
“A Hongseong disciple, I see.”
“Sayoon, disciple of the Hongseong Sect. And who might you be?”
Gulp, I saw Sayoon’s throat move slightly. She was nervous, as she should be.
The man standing before her was strong enough to make someone like Yoo Jang-cheol seem insignificant.
He was one of the enemies that appeared in the middle of Part 1, and unlike the small fries with him, he was properly trained in martial arts.
Even though she lacked real-world experience and hadn’t fully mastered the Hongseong Divine Art, Sayoon was still a trained martial artist.
She could tell the difference in skill between herself and her opponent at a glance.
That’s why she was tightening her grip on the wooden sword.
Yes, she had no choice.
At her current level, having only mastered about half of the Hongseong Divine Art, it wouldn’t be easy for Sayoon to defeat this man.
“Gak-jun of the Sly Wolves.”
Gak-jun of the Sly Wolves.
A mercenary who sold his skills with the sword. A member of the evil faction, he was dispatched to kill Sayoon, the last survivor of the Hongseong Sect, on the orders of the Iron Blood Clan.
The martial art he used was Wolf Fang Swordsmanship, which involved relentlessly targeting the opponent’s weaknesses with his dagger, like a wolf’s fangs.
Sayoon, on high alert, scanned her surroundings. Sensing the tense atmosphere, the people in the market started to move away cautiously.
Some were probably going to call the guards, some were probably looking after themselves,
And others were probably going to call for someone from the Hongseong Sect.
But the law was far away, and fists were close at hand. There was no immediate way to avoid Gak-jun’s sharp fangs.
“If you hand him over, I’ll retreat.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Sigh… You stay out of this. This is a perfectly legitimate spar.”
He was experienced, alright.
If they ganged up on him here, Gak-jun would become an enemy of the Hongseong Sect.
But if it was a spar, not an ambush, it was a different story.
After all, the Hongseong Sect was part of the righteous faction and wouldn’t openly issue a kill order based on the results of a spar.
Gak-jun closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. The moment his eyes opened,
“I’ll let you experience the pain of a wolf’s bite firsthand.”
With those words, Gak-jun shot forward like an arrow.
Living up to his nickname, “Sly Wolf,” Gak-jun was known for his cunning tactics. In other words, most of the techniques he used were highly effective in combat.
For example,
-Grab!!
His charging feet stopped abruptly. Taking advantage of Sayoon’s flinch at the sudden change in attack timing, he kicked up dirt from the ground.
He aimed his sharp dagger at her shoulder, intending to bite into it as she momentarily closed her eyes due to the dust cloud.
She barely managed to dodge by leaping back, but that single move shifted the momentum to Gak-jun.
“That’s cowardly!”
“There’s no such thing as cowardice in a fight.”
He was right.
The winner takes all.
As long as you win.
-Clang!!
I threw a stone at Gak-jun. A large, solid one.
While he was deflecting it, Sayoon was able to quickly regain her composure.
Was it cowardly to interfere in a one-on-one spar?
What was cowardice in a fight?
“…Yu Wol, stay out of this. You’re coming with us anywa… This damn bastard! Do you really have a death wish?!”
The man dodged another stone I threw with just a turn of his head and roared in anger.
Unbelievable! He farted and then blamed someone else for the smell!
What was this guy, trying to kidnap someone in broad daylight, talking so much for?!
It was absurd, but one thing was clear.
He hadn’t attacked me despite my interference, which meant he wanted to capture me alive.
The reason was probably… because of my wealth, right?
Well, that was good.
At least I wouldn’t die.
At my mocking smile, Gak-jun bared his teeth and then glanced back at his lackeys.
“Damn bastard.”
“I’ll break every bone in your body today.”
“What the…? You,,, little punks,,, have no manners,,,!!”
“I’ll break you all!”
Three large thugs charged at me, and I threw the rock at the first one’s head.
-Thud!
“……”
“What are you looking at?”
If they haven’t even mastered proper martial arts, they’re easy pickings with a couple of well-aimed stones.
“I come from a country with a traditional game called “stone fight”!”
I threw another stone, and while two of them dodged, that was part of my plan.
-Thwack!!
“Ugh…!!”
The thug who flinched while dodging the stone showed an opening, and it resulted in a night of tears for his wife, or girlfriend, or maybe his left hand.
Stepping on the head of the man who collapsed, clutching his crotch and foaming at the mouth, I threw another hidden rock at the stunned thug who was holding a dagger.
-Crack!!
One more rock to the head, and he dropped, bleeding. I looked down at the fallen thugs and grinned.
“You think I haven’t taken down a couple of small fries like you before?”
I scoffed at the unconscious guys who couldn’t even respond and turned my attention back to the main event.
“Hup!”
“Haaaah!!”
Sayoon was fighting surprisingly well, considering it was her first real battle. Not well enough to defeat Gak-jun, though.
Their wooden swords clashed against his dagger. I thought she would be overwhelmed by his strength, but despite her young age, Sayoon was holding her own against the adult Gak-jun.
“Ugh… As expected of the Hongseong Sect…”
After exchanging a few more blows, Gak-jun retreated a few steps back, and Sayoon took a deep breath, lowering her wooden sword to a ready position.
-Thwack!!
Was that just a warm-up? Gak-jun’s movements became even faster.
Head, head, head, neck, chest.
Five consecutive strikes, one of the Wolf Fang Swordsmanship techniques, flowed like water, targeting Sayoon.
But it wasn’t enough to take her down.
She dodged the first two blows with a twist of her head, blocked the third attack with the sword guard on her left arm, and deflected his dagger with a swing of her sword.
The last attack, aimed at her chest, was avoided by stepping back. As she neutralized the Five Consecutive Strikes, Sayoon’s wooden sword thrust towards Gak-jun’s shoulder.
Gak-jun, having gained nothing but a bruised ego, gritted his teeth, while Sayoon, drenched in sweat, glared at him.
Her hand holding the wooden sword trembled. Perhaps due to the pressure of real combat, the anxiety of knowing that a single mistake could lead to serious injury.
Or perhaps it was the burden of knowing that I might be taken away if she lost, the responsibility of protecting someone she had met for the first time today. Whatever it was, she was tiring.
And the experienced Gak-jun wasn’t going to miss that.
-Boom!!
A swift advance, accompanied by wolf-like movements. The dagger in his right hand glinted.
Sword Qi, a powerful force that only first-rate martial artists could manifest.
Gak-jun wasn’t skilled enough to freely wield Sword Qi, but he could imbue his dagger with a faint gray aura by borrowing the power of a technique.
In other words, he was about to use the strongest technique he currently possessed.
And I, who knew more about this world than Gak-jun, couldn’t let that happen.
“It’s Twin Fang Strike!!! Don’t block it, dodge!!”
The wooden sword, raised to block the dagger aimed at her head, stopped in its tracks. Sayoon quickly leaped back, and as the dagger infused with Sword Qi grazed the air where her head had been a moment ago, a sharp point almost pierced her side.
Almost.
-Thwack!!
If the rock I threw hadn’t hit Gak-jun in the back, slowing down his attack, it wouldn’t have been an “almost.”
“Ugh!! Damn you!!”
“Wow, you’re worried about me at a time like this? Impressive.”
Enraged that his ultimate move had failed, Gak-jun let out a frustrated yell, and that created a tiny opening.
Sayoon didn’t miss it.
Her lowered sword shot upwards. Her swordsmanship, as swift as the wind, aimed for his jaw, and Gak-jun twisted his head to avoid it. The sword, grazing past, continued its downward trajectory, pursuing relentlessly. He barely managed to dodge that as well by twisting his body, and in that instant,
-Thud!!
Sayoon’s left hand struck his abdomen. The sound of tearing leather echoed.
Star Shattering Palm, the final stage of the first half of the Hongseong Divine Art.
A technique that channeled internal energy into the hand to unleash a burst of power.
“Gah… H-how…”
Blood spurted from Gak-jun’s mouth as he looked on in horror. Even I was surprised.
How indeed?
Star Shattering Palm was a technique that could only be learned after obtaining a hidden manual through an event after the prologue.
The prologue hadn’t even started yet, and she had already mastered Star Shattering Palm?
“Haa… haa…”
Whether I was bewildered by the unexpected turn of events or not, Sayoon was retracting her outstretched hand, gasping for breath. Gak-jun, who had fallen to his knees after the unexpected blow and was coughing up blood, finally collapsed. Looking down at him, Sayoon, her face pale from the strain of overexerting her internal energy to use the technique, also collapsed.
Gak-jun, who had vomited a pool of blood and lay motionless, was probably dead or dying from ruptured internal organs.
Sayoon, although pale and sitting on the ground, was conscious.
It was clear who had won the fight.
“Haa… haa…”
The tension of her first real battle.
The strain of using Star Shattering Palm.
Various factors seemed to be weighing heavily on Sayoon’s shoulders.
Approaching her, who was struggling to even breathe properly, I raised my hand.
“I’ll stand guard while you regulate your breathing.”
“I’m… okay. I…”
She helped me, but she didn’t seem to trust me.
That’s when it happened.
“Sayoon!!”
A sharp cry. Filled with worry and tension, two girls came running towards us.
Beautiful girls wearing the same Hongseong Sect uniform as Sayoon.
“What is the meaning of this!!”
Perhaps because they were allowed to carry real swords unlike Sayoon, their movements were refined and swift.
One of the girls, who quickly moved behind Sayoon to check on her condition, looked at me and said coldly,
“You’ll have to explain what happened.”
An explanation, huh.
I smiled at the two lovely girls, who were as sharp as finely honed blades.
“I can explain everything later, but that doesn’t seem to be the priority right now. It seems like she’s under a lot of strain from using an advanced technique. Let’s address that first. I think it’s best to provide her with support for regulating her breathing.”
“Ah, r-right. Quickly, regulate your breathing! I’ll stand guard!”
“Okay…”
She weakly responded and sat in a lotus position to regulate her breathing and reduce the strain.
Anyway, it was an unexpected event, but I enjoyed the show.
And I was able to confirm Sayoon’s current skill level.
But still, to think she would be this exhausted after using Star Shattering Palm once, even if it was her first real battle…
I looked back and forth between Sayoon and the other two girls and nodded.
Thanks to this sudden event, I had decided what to do next.
I needed to raise Sayoon’s internal energy.
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