Invincible with Twin Swords

Chapter 33 : Now I Just Need to Eat Somen!

"Why are we fighting?"

Deoksam, who didn't know what was going on, asked as he went outside the inn.

"Yeah. They have a good carriage, and they said they'll give it to us if we win."

"What do we give if we lose?"

"My neck!"

"They're nice kids!"

Th-that's right! They're nice kids who showed up when we needed them.

What's so important about my neck anyway.

"But they seem like bad kids, can't we just take it?"

"That's why they call you a mountain bandit."

Na Yeryeong is right.

The Red Snake Asura and the Three Frogs of the Yellow River are bad guys, but they're not so openly bad that there would be no trouble if we killed them. Their exact identity was, after all, ronin who took on commissions and solved problems. Though they were a bit nasty.

There's no need to gain a useless notoriety before an important event.

"Can I kill them?"

This time, Parip hyungnim asked.

Hyungnim, isn't murder always the solution to problems?

As expected, assassins only have one solution.

"About one arm?"

"Hmm. It's more convenient to just kill them."

Why is there no middle ground around me?

Only Dam Sook was excited, as if she had met her parents' enemy.

"Those people have touched my pride as a martial artist. I will put my all into this fight."

This one is also too serious for no reason.

Whatever the process, this is Dam Sook's first fight in the Central Plains.

She is a martial artist who was born in the Forest of Swords and learned martial arts.

Just because she specializes in lightness skill doesn't mean that's all she's good at.

Across the street from the inn, there was a suitably wide open space.

Everyone who was in the inn came out and was watching, taking their places here and there.

"How did they get so unlucky to get involved with those guys?"

"Isn't it their specialty to pick fights here and there? By the way, that side, except for the big guy with the axe who came in later, looks pretty weak."

"At least that person looks somewhat usable, but isn't the build of the Three Frogs of the Yellow River here bigger?"

"Anyway, it would be nice if they could flatten the noses of those trashy guys, but this side looks pretty weak. There are also two women.

This is why you see as much as you know.

To people who haven't learned martial arts, a big build looks strong.

Should I also bulk up?

The guys who were snickering earlier became quite serious when Deoksam and Parip hyungnim joined.

Of course, the Red Snake Asura's expression was still relaxed.

"The guy holding the sword with the red snake engraved on it is your leader, right? What should we do? Should we just go for a free-for-all at once?"

This guy probably doesn't want a free-for-all. He probably wants to seize the initiative by taking care of the weak-looking ones one by one.

"You're last. I, the Red Snake Asura, will personally pull out your tongue!"

Pulling out my tongue. To think that there are still people who make such cliché threats.

I was about to give it back to him twofold, but I gave up because I was worried about Na Yeryeong.

"Then let's fight one by one. We're fighting under a mutual agreement, betting my neck and your carriage, right?"

I pointed at the carriage in front of the inn and got the tacit consent of the onlookers.

With so many witnesses, there will be no trouble even if we take that carriage after the fight is over.

"If you want to ride the carriage so much, I'll put your neck in the back seat of the carriage. Haha."

This one was a bit fresh.

"Who's coming out first?"

The Red Snake Asura will probably come out last and fight me.

The skills of the three brothers of the Three Frogs of the Yellow River are about the same, so it doesn't matter who from our side goes out.

"Is it okay if I go out first?"

I asked, looking at Dam Sook.

If Parip hyungnim and Deoksam go out first and show their overwhelming martial prowess, her turn might not come.

What she needs most right now is experience.

Dam Sook firmly closed her lips and nodded.

Na Yeryeong's expression, next to her, did not change.

I couldn't tell if she knew the future or if she knew Dam Sook's skills and wasn't worried.

Dam Sook stepped forward first.

Seeing her come out, the three frogs over there were playing rock-paper-scissors.

They must be trying to go out now.

Fortunately, the guy who had stood up earlier and spouted harsh words stepped forward.

Is that guy the eldest of the Three Frogs of the Yellow River?

I don't know, they all look the same.

"I am Dam Sook."

She even bowed politely, cupping her fists.

There's no need to go that far with guys like that.

"Your face is pretty, so I won't leave a scar. Hehe."

The first frog said, drawing his large saber.

"Miss Dam can handle him enough. He'll probably try to push with strength, so don't face him head-on and use your fast feet..."

"Thank you for the advice, but I'll take care of it myself."

No one listens to my advice these days.

"And thank you. For letting me go out first."

Rather than being nervous, she had a slightly excited expression before the match.

She knows my intention.

A martial artist who has not experienced a real fight always has a sense of frustration. How well will the martial arts I have learned work in a real fight?

A martial artist must have a suitable fighting spirit.

She is an unavoidable martial artist of the Forest of Swords.

"Now, I just need to finish this quickly and eat somen!"

...Ah! So that's what it was.

The wish to stop by an inn to eat somen and get into a fight was not a joke?

To Dam Sook, the large frog who was drawing his large saber and licking his tongue was just a tool to fulfill her wish.

I was worried for nothing.

She drew her sword.

Parip hyungnim's sword is also on the short side, but Dam Sook's sword was even shorter than that.

She probably chose a short sword considering her build, and it's a good choice.

The idea that a large and long weapon is unconditionally advantageous is for amateurs.

When that short sword and her fast feet meet, it will be quite tricky for that frog, who relies only on strength, to deal with.

- Swish!

She rushed forward first.

She lowered her stance and, in one step, she occupied five directions, dazzling the opponent's eyes.

The frog's two eyes, which were already bulging, were looking around, unable to find the target.

Huh? The Five Elements Bewildering Steps?

That mysterious footwork is definitely the Five Elements Bewildering Steps.

The Five Elements Bewildering Steps was a footwork that had been lost and disappeared now.

More than a hundred years ago, there was a person named Zhou Tianbing who had toyed with masters with just his footwork and lightness skill. In the dozens of duels he had with the masters of his time, he had never won, but he had never lost either.

He would avoid all the sharp sword tips with just his dazzling footwork and then leave the scene with his marvelous lightness skill. Since he didn't raise any disciples, it wasn't passed down in its original form, but its form was vaguely remembered.

Right now, Dam Sook had put five changes in a single step.

That footwork is definitely the lost Five Elements Bewildering Steps.

She instantly dug under that guy's chin.

It's a perfect blind spot.

From that guy's perspective, it probably felt as if she had disappeared.

- Thwack!

She jumped up from her spot.

Dam Sook's elbow struck the frog's mouth.

A tooth flew out, and red blood gushed out with it.

- Thwack! Thwack!

She lightly avoided the saber he swung in a fluster and then hit his mouth twice in a row with the back of her sword hilt.

"Th-this!"

The inside of the guy's mouth, who was covering his bleeding mouth, was visible through his fingers.

All his front teeth were gone.

The angry frog rushed at her, swinging his saber widely.

- Thwack!

Dam Sook lightly deflected the large saber with her small sword and then headbutted the area around his mouth.

Now the big first frog had thrown his saber on the floor and was covering his mouth with both hands.

Red blood was flowing through his fingers.

Now that guy will never be able to chew meat for the rest of his life.

"Mouth! Mouth! Watch your mouth! You should use beautiful words. Should you spit out trash with the mouth you eat with?"

Dam Sook said, pushing her disheveled hair back.

Ah! Miss Dam hates people with foul mouths.

She was aiming for the mouth of that guy who had spouted harsh words earlier.

I unknowingly covered my mouth with both hands.

I should be careful now too.

Parip hyungnim smiled and gave a thumbs up.

Although the situation had flowed comically, the footwork she had shown when she approached quickly was not ordinary. If she had had killing intent, that guy's neck would have fallen in an instant.

- Waaah!

The people who were watching from the surroundings cheered.

It must have been thrilling to see the guy who usually did bad things collapse, but what surprised them more was probably Dam Sook's appearance.

A small woman like a girl had lightly subdued that large build.

I was also impressed.

Her ghost-like footwork and quick judgment were enough to understand her martial arts skills.

But what I was most impressed with was the headbutt she showed at the end.

Dam Sook had told me that she had no real combat experience.

Even if a martial artist has properly learned martial arts, it is difficult to display their full skills in their first real fight.

But she showed the appearance of a ronin who had rolled around in the battlefield for decades.

This is not something that can be achieved through effort.

It is a natural talent.

And the Five Elements Bewildering Steps!

I'll have a lot to talk about with her.

The remaining two of the Three Frogs of the Yellow River had a face as if they had eaten shit.

To be so easily defeated by the weakest-looking woman.

It's not just that they lost. They were toyed with.

"Who's next on your side?"

On our side, Parip hyungnim and Deoksam were already playing rock-paper-scissors.

They're probably worried that their turn won't come.

"If you're not confident, you can both come out together."

It's Parip hyungnim's turn. Deoksam, who had been pushed out of the order, had a sullen expression.

After thinking for a long time, the two frogs came out together.

Somehow, it had taken the form of a duel betting my neck and their carriage, but in fact, this is just a fight between martial artists.

Since a quarrel arose in an inn and led to a sword fight, there is no need to fight one-on-one.

Still, it is a disgraceful thing for them.

Moreover, there are onlookers.

Parip hyungnim probably looked a little better than Deoksam, who was holding a huge axe.

It seemed that those guys were happier when Parip hyungnim won the rock-paper-scissors.

You guys don't know the top ten assassins of the Central Plains, do you?

"Two arms are not allowed?"

Parip hyungnim asked in a small voice.

"Since there are two of them, it's two, one for each. Still, you have to let the kids eat with a spoon."

Parip hyungnim stepped forward first and asked the Three Frogs of the Yellow River.

"Which hand do you eat with?"

The Three Frogs of the Yellow River had a bewildered expression, not understanding what he meant.

"I'll leave the hand you eat with!"

The two frogs, who finally understood, turned red with anger.

They are also men who have eaten with a sword. Moreover, it was a statement made by a guy who was only half their size, facing two of them.

"You're just all talk!"

The two of the Three Frogs of the Yellow River rushed at him at the same time, holding their sabers.

In fact, those three brothers were famous for their combination techniques rather than their individual martial arts.

It would be less than when there were three, but it would be enough to show its power even with two.

One was standing upright and aiming for the upper part, and the other was lowering his stance and aiming for the lower part, and they closed the distance in an instant.

The saber wind created by the two large sabers rushed at him.

Parip hyungnim was standing with his arms crossed, without even drawing his sword.

"Th-that!"

The onlookers let out a low sigh.

The image of that slender martial artist being swept away by the rough saber wind must have already been drawn in their minds.

Only Deoksam and I were not worried at all.

Deoksam was sitting on the floor, drawing meaningless doodles on the ground with the tip of his axe, and I was thinking about what to order with the somen.

- Swish!

Parip hyungnim, who had not moved at all, was now standing on the opposite side, having passed between the two frogs.

The sword was still in its scabbard.

The two of the Three Frogs of the Yellow River, feeling the pain a step too late, dropped their sabers and sat down on the floor, clutching their right arms.

Against two people at the same time, the right armpit and the wrist!

A total of four sword strikes were made at a speed that was invisible to the eye.

Since their tendons were cut, those guys will no longer be able to hold a spoon with their right arm.

Of course, they won't be able to do bad things with a sword anymore either.

"Since there was no answer, I just chose as I pleased. You'll be able to eat with your remaining hand."

Apart from his skills, Parip hyungnim is just cool.

Of course, his real skills are beyond that.

"Ah!"

Dam Sook, next to me, let out a small sigh and then firmly closed her mouth.

Her eyes were sparkling.

This is the first time she has seen our skills.

Of course, it's not like Parip hyungnim showed everything.

Dam Sook is also a martial artist who specializes in fast footwork.

But Parip hyungnim's movements cannot be explained by footwork alone.

No matter how fast a footwork one has learned, it is impossible to dig into such a small gap and move like the wind.

Fast footwork and ghost-like movements are different.

Parip hyungnim is the latter.

She must have realized a lot today.

"You should come out now, right?"

The Red Snake Asura stood there with a troubled expression.

After holding all the weight in the back.

"Ah, no, since three out of four have lost, isn't it all over? As promised, I'll leave the carriage."

"Didn't you say you'd pull out my tongue? I was so scared when I heard that. You have to give me a chance to overcome my fear."

If you just let go of a vile guy like the Red Snake Asura, you don't know what kind of dirty tricks he'll come up with again.

There are also ronin who will be in danger in the future due to his betrayal.

A guy like that must be mercilessly trampled on to instill fear in his head.

"Let's finish this quickly. The beautiful ladies here are hungry."

I stepped forward.