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< Martial Arts Competition (2) >
The group moved into the room.
It was because of the old man Jin who was so angry that his anger reached the top of his head.
“You’re putting the Heavenly Sword up for grabs as the grand prize! What right does the leader of the martial arts world have to dare to do so!”
Old Man Jin’s face turned bright red as he could not control his anger. If the leader of the martial arts world were in front of him, he would strike him down.
The Heavenly Sword was the symbol of the Sword Emperor.
100 years ago, the Seven Heavenly Demons, who were the leaders of the Demonic Cult at the time, led the Demonic Cult’s masters and invaded the Central Plains martial arts world.
No one could stop the Heavenly Horse.
According to the records, corpses formed mountains, blood flowed like rivers, and flocks of crows followed the cultists and sang.
At that time, even the leader of the Murim Alliance was brutally murdered by Cheonma, and everyone accepted the defeat of the Murim Alliance as a foregone conclusion…
“His Majesty the Sword Emperor led the masters of the main text and changed the course of the battle. He single-handedly confronted the Heavenly Demon that no one had been able to stop! He fought for three days and nights and defeated the Heavenly Demon! He pursued and killed the fleeing demons all the way to Xingang before ascending to the Uhwadengseon!”
‘A fable? This story is very different from what I know.’
In fact, the Emperor of Swords fought against the Heavenly Horse and was defeated.
It was a match that was close to a double-crossing plan, so Cheonma returned to Xingang with serious injuries, and Geomhwang barely managed to survive with his limbs cut off.
After that, he left behind the Geomhwangbirok, asking Huin to take revenge.
But that was a fact known only to the public.
‘Let’s just leave legends as legends.’
The man nodded quietly, not wanting to damage the old man Jin’s idol.
“That’s right. Bad guys.”
Old man Jin said with the veins in his neck rising.
“The Murim Alliance, which didn’t care when the main text was destroyed, now dares to sell his sacred items as a product at will!”
Old man Jin grew up hearing tales of the Sword Emperor’s bravery since childhood. The Sword Emperor’s school, which took him in as an orphan, meant everything to him, and the Sword Emperor was more than just an idol.
The fact that the new soldier used by the Emperor was used as a prize in a competition held by mere later indexes made Old Man Jin angry.
“Damn it! I’m going to go and confront the leader of the martial arts world right now!”
Manbaknogoe caught Jin, who was getting up from his seat.
“You punk, Jin-ga. Cool your head. What’s going to change if you go and argue with me?”
“But, sir···!”
Old man Jin called Manboknogoe “elder man.”
Although they were both old, the age difference was more than 50 years – according to an adult’s guess – so even the old man Jin was like a child in front of Manbaknogoe.
“I don’t like what the leader of the martial arts world is doing, but isn’t it a good thing?”
Then, Manbaknogoe looked back at Daein and Namgung Hyeon.
“One of the two will win and get the sword.”
“···Huh? Are you telling me to go to the martial arts competition too?”
Namgung Hyun, startled, pointed at himself with his finger. Manbaknogoe laughed loudly.
“Of course you should go. The descendant of the Sword Emperor and the disciple of the Sword Emperor. Who else besides you two is qualified to become the master of the Heavenly Sword?”
“but···.”
Many things came to Namgung Hyeon’s mind.
An identity that has been hidden for a lifetime.
A cursed constitution called Cheon-eum-jeol-maek.
A life lived while running away from unidentified pursuers…
‘···I’m going to a martial arts competition where so many people are watching? And I’m aiming to win?’
Just thinking about it made me feel scared, and my heart started beating faster and my chest started pounding.
“But, if my identity is discovered···.”
Manbaknogoe said there was nothing to worry about.
“How many people do you think there are in the martial arts world today who would know the martial arts of the Sword Emperor?”
“······.”
“Even if you find out, you won’t be able to do anything else while attending the event. So you can participate.”
‘If anyone touches you, I will protect you. That is the only way to repay the debt.’
Manbaknogoe looked at Namgung Hyeon with complicated eyes.
Even Old Man Jin, who was worried about his granddaughter and tried to stop her from going out, found it difficult to open his mouth after seeing her expression.
“Before you leave for the land called Earth, this may be your last chance to make your name known to the world as a drone.”
“······.”
Namgung Hyun, who had been thinking for a moment, nodded with a resolute expression.
“I’m worried that I might bring shame to the Emperor’s name, but… I’ll give it a try.”
“Okay. I thought about it well. And from today on, stop dressing up as a man. If you’re a girl, you should act like a girl, put on makeup, and dress up nicely.”
Namgung Hyun said, looking down at his rough martial arts uniform.
“I feel more comfortable wearing this now···.”
“Jingaya. Go out at night and bring me a red silk suit.”
Namgung Hyun and Jin Noin also looked embarrassed.
“Elder. Why did you have to go that far···.”
“You punk. Do it if you tell me to. Should I go to a lumber store at this age?”
“···Oh, no.”
After organizing the situation, Manbaknogoe finally looked back at the man.
“You punk. Why have you been laughing all this time without saying a word?”
“You have to give me a chance to talk.”
The man shrugged his shoulders as he answered. His expression had seemed quite relaxed since a while ago.
Manbaknogoe clicked his tongue after guessing the reason.
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“Keep on going. Look at this guy. He’s confident he can win the Yongbongbimu, right?”
“What is that?”
The man smiled brightly. Because it was true.
There is an age limit for Yongbongbimu, which is 18 to 40 years old.
They say the age limit is 40, but even if you’re over 35, there are almost no people in the political party who value their reputation who come out.
‘In other words, there will be no teenage masters who are all over 40 years old.’
Under those conditions, wouldn’t winning be a given?
The man smiled broadly and said:
“Now all that’s left is to take the sword and return to Earth. Would you like to come with me, Master?”
The great man naturally called Manbaknogoe “Master.”
The time we spent together in Liaoning was almost a month. Now, even Manbaknogoedo knew about Earth.
“You punk. First, win and then say something like that. Do all the later ranks of the martial arts world look easy to you?”
“I don’t think it’ll be like that. Unless someone at the level of a teenage master comes out.”
The great man’s skills had already reached their peak, and he was growing steadily by absorbing the teachings of Manbaknogoe.
If things continue as they are, there’s no doubt that he’s the overwhelming favorite to win.
So,
Manbaknogoe was thinking of changing the situation a bit.
To a level where even an insolent disciple can be sufficiently trained.
“Click click click.”
The man sensed a very ominous omen in that smile and hardened his expression.
“···Why are you smiling like that? You look so nervous.”
“The unmanned one learns and grows through crisis. Experiences that are easily gained are easily forgotten. So···.”
Ss …
The man stood up and took a step back just that much.
In the man’s mind, the hardships he had endured on his way here came to mind one by one.
“You’re not trying to stop me from using my internal energy again, are you?”
“Click, click, click. Come here obediently.”
“Damn old man!”
At that moment, the new form of the Manbaknogoe disappeared with a bang. The figure of the great man at the same time also disappeared with a bang!
The two people’s movements were so fast that Jin No-in and Namgung Hyeon could barely keep track of their afterimages.
Pavababak!
Occasionally, the afterimages would overlap and the hands and feet of the two people would collide.
At the same time, a warm conversation took place between the priests.
“Click, click. You punk. If it’s too easy, there’s no fun in winning.”
“Oh my! Don’t you know that my goal in life is to live easily and comfortably?”
“Tsk tsk. That’s your problem. With such talent, you still think of being clever… I’ll take this opportunity to break your brain.”
Pavabavabak! Pubububuk!
The movements of the two afterimages became even more intense.
And finally,
“Got you.”
Bam!
With a loud crash, the man fell to the ground, face down.
“Phew… That guy is such a pain.”
Manbaknogoe stretched his hands over the body of the large man who was lying down and gasping for breath, and quickly felt the acupuncture points all over his body.
“I won’t completely disable your internal energy. You’ll be able to use about 20% of it.”
“Ugh···.”
The man raised his upper body and tried to do some breathing.
It was as if my blood vessels were narrowing and blood was not flowing well, and I could only move my internal energy smoothly at about one-fifth of its usual level.
“Keep in mind. If you raise your internal energy too much, your blood vessels may rupture.”
The man lay down on the floor again and sighed.
“Haa… The martial arts competition and all. Should I just go back to Earth?”
“You punk. I’m telling you to do your best. If you win, I’ll give you a present, so do your best.”
“gift?”
The man raised his head and looked at Manbaknogoe.
Manbaknogoe made a bewildered expression at the sight of those eyes that had suddenly become bright.
“This vulgar guy···.”
“I feel like the odds of winning would vary depending on the value of the gift?”
Manbaknogoe let out a deep sigh and said.
“Okay. If you win, I’ll teach you swordsmanship.”
The realm that any swordsman dreams of: the art of winning at swordsmanship.
But the man’s expression was very indifferent.
Because it was something I already knew how to do.
“I can do it too. It’s a little difficult, though.”
As the man stretched out his hand, the iron sword on the bed floated into the air.
Although it was slow because the internal energy used was not that great, it moved according to the will of the black master.
Manbaknogoe snickered when he saw that.
“Keep on going. It’s just your average swordsmanship. Watch carefully.”
Swish.
As Manbaknogoe stretched out his hand, the three swords of the party, excluding the Great Man’s, rose into the air.
The three swords began to move as if they each had life.
One of the swords displayed a stabbing motion like an island, the other slashed an imaginary enemy diagonally, and the other circled around the body of the Manbaknogoe as if guarding it.
Even the three swords were all imbued with a strong energy.
It was as if three masters were each performing different martial arts.
“Ugh···.”
“I can’t believe something like this is actually possible…”
Old Man Jin and Namgung Hyeon opened their mouths and looked at the great swordsman’s realm.
On the other hand, the man swallowed hard and watched the movements of the three swords.
Since he was able to perform swordsmanship, however clumsily, the Great Man was able to see more specifically how great it was.
“Click, click. This is the greatest talent of all the old men.”
I became greedy. I wanted to learn.
‘How convenient the world would be if we could use that technology…’
Even if it’s not necessarily a fight, if you apply it in various ways, it seems like life itself will become much richer.
‘You must learn that!’
The great man had already risen from his seat. Manbaknogoe smiled in satisfaction at the sight of his blazing eyes.
“Click, click. How about it? If you win the Yongbongbimu, I’ll teach you this skill.”
The man vowed that he would definitely win.
***
The next day.
The two people who decided to participate in the Yongbongbimu encountered difficulties from the start.
“I’m sorry, but you cannot participate in the Yongbongbimu without a letter of recommendation.”
“A letter of recommendation?”
Old man Jin, who had followed the two, asked with a puzzled expression. Manboknogoe had disappeared early in the morning, saying that he had some personal business to attend to today as well.
“Since when has that been necessary for Yongbongbimu? This is the first time I’ve heard of it.”
The unmanned reception desk explained the situation.
“This is a new rule introduced for this tournament. It is a measure to prevent spies of the Demonic Cult from participating in the tournament.”
In a situation where it was almost certain that the Great Battle of Jeongma would break out soon, it was obvious that the Demonic Cult would send spies if the Murim Alliance held a martial arts competition.
It would be impossible to catch all the spies sneaking into the city.
However, in order to at least prevent spies from the Demonic Cult from participating in the Yongbongjihoe, the Murim Alliance introduced a recommendation system.
“How can I get that letter of recommendation?”
When Namgung Hyun asked the question, the receptionist’s face turned slightly red.
“Ah, that···.”
Namgung Hyeon stopped dressing up as a man, as Manbak Nogoe had told him to do the day before. He let down his hair that had been tied back tightly, and wore light clothing that was active yet aesthetically pleasing, a style favored by female warriors.
She had just let her hair down and changed her clothes, but nine out of ten men passing by glanced at her.
Perhaps the remaining one would have turned around if she had been dressed as a man.
The unmanned reception desk was one of the nine, so he answered the beauty’s questions in as much detail as possible.
“You can receive a letter of recommendation with the seal of a sect leader who is a member of the Murim Alliance, or a warrior of the Gupa Ilbang or Odae Segae family of the elder level or higher.”
It was not an easy task, even just hearing it. The man muttered with a face of disbelief.
“Are you saying that if you don’t have connections, you shouldn’t participate in the competition?”
It would not be easy for someone of the sect’s leader or elder level to write a letter of recommendation. No, it was usually not easy to even meet someone.
In fact, that was the intention of the Murim Alliance.
By conducting the Yongbongbimu mainly with verified review indices, we can prevent any possible betrayal by spies in advance.
It was a method that was inevitably chosen to prepare for the impending Great Battle of Jeongma.
From the perspective of someone who had to ask for a letter of recommendation, all I could do was sigh.
Namgung Hyeon said with a sigh.
“Isn’t there any other way? We don’t have any connections that could get us a letter of recommendation.”
As she came closer and looked at him with longing eyes, the unmanned receptionist’s mouth opened on its own.
“Since the leaders of various sects are here now, it would be a good idea to visit the leader of the sect from your home region…”
“Is there no other way?”
This won’t do… Her eyes were so earnest that I couldn’t help it. Muin lowered his voice and said.
“I’ve heard that there are people who forge letters of recommendation. However, you should never do it, because you will be punished if you get caught.”
Namgung Hyun opened his eyes wide.
“Ah… I see.”
“I’m sorry. If there was a person I knew, I would have introduced them to you···.”
The three of them turned around, leaving behind the unmanned reception desk who was sincerely apologizing.
“A letter of recommendation? I suddenly don’t know where to get one.”
“Shouldn’t we get some forgeries? First, we have to go out and do it…”
“If we get caught during the competition, things will get serious. They’ll even try to investigate our real identities.”
“Hmm···.”
Even after walking and talking for a long time, no proper solution was reached.
That was when.
“Oh my! The sword of chivalry!”
When I turned my head in the direction where the voice came from, a middle-aged woman I remembered seeing somewhere ran towards me with a happy face.
“It’s so nice to meet my benefactor here!”
“Who···. Ah!”
The man remembered the middle-aged woman’s face.
Was it Kwak Du-chil? He was the one who saved us by defeating the leader of the bandits who was a first-class expert.
The woman’s face was much brighter than before.
Her clothes were luxurious and she had put on makeup so she looked 10 years younger. She looked like a noble lady.
The man said with a smile.
“I see you arrived home safely.”
The middle-aged woman was very happy to see the old man and chatted away.
“Thanks to the great swordsman. When I think back to that time, it really is… Oh, you were there too, sir. I don’t see any other great swordsman… Oh my. Is the beautiful young lady next to you your lover?”
Namgung Hyun blushed.
Whether it was because she was called a beautiful lady or because she was called a lover was something only she knew.
The man gave a vague explanation.
“He is my younger brother.”
“Oh my. Your younger sister is really beautiful. But what brings you here, sir? Are you participating in the Yongbongbimu?”
“Yes. That’s what I came for, but···.”
Is it because he is naturally this talkative, or is it because he is so happy to have met his lifesaver that he is acting so friendly?
The middle-aged woman continued to talk nonstop.
“Oh my. Look at my mind. I will invite you to my house instead. I cannot express how sorry I am for not being able to treat you to a meal. Seeing that this opportunity to repay your kindness has come, I think the gods of heaven and earth have answered my prayers.”
‘You even prayed?’
Somehow, he felt like he was being manipulated by this woman. Daein tried to refuse her appropriately.
At that moment, two unmanned personnel appeared behind the woman, watching this side.
Organized demeanor, sharp eyes.
They were not ordinary people you could see anywhere.
‘Could this be the lady’s bodyguard?’
It seemed like he was deliberately keeping his distance, but it definitely felt like he was a bodyguard.
“madam.”
As the man reached out his hand towards the woman’s shoulder, the two warriors flinched and walked towards him quickly.
‘That’s right. A bodyguard.’
“yes?”
The man naturally lowered his hand. Then the guards also slowed down their pace.
But the understanding has already been completed.
The man smiled gently and said.
“I heard before that you worked for a certain family. Are you currently based there?”
He is the one who sends the bodyguard from the sect. Maybe he can help you get a letter of recommendation.
Namgung Hyun, who was standing next to him, also had an expectant look on his face, perhaps thinking the same thing as Daein.
[Brother. Those warriors behind me. They’re my bodyguards, right?]
[I think so. Let’s follow this lady. If we do well, we might be able to get a letter of recommendation.]
Then the middle-aged woman answered with an innocent smile.
“Thank goodness the Namgung Sega family is taking care of me. They are really good people.”
< Martial Arts Competition (2) > End
ⓒ Ganjjajang
