novelraw Chapter 80 : Well
Chapter 80 : Well
Well
"That crazy bastard!"
"Kill him!"
Belatedly, shouts mixed with rage and shock erupted from all sides.
Yet for all their bluster, not a single one rushed in recklessly.
This was not only because the stronghold lord had not yet given his order, but also because the first to rush in would instinctively sense he would be the first to die.
'Insane fools.'
To be honest, Jeong-un was seething inside.
These were the ones who had set up a base and taken dozens of innocent lives.
And such people dared speak of negotiations? On the condition that they wouldn't kill more?
'Even shamelessness should have its limits.'
He never considered negotiation in the first place. He had come here intending to shed blood.
The conversation they had so far was solely for his own experience.
He desperately needed to broaden his shallow knowledge of the martial world.
He had to directly witness and understand the many types of martial artists living in the Central Plains in all shapes and forms.
And indeed, it proved useful. He felt he had some understanding of the mindset of those who survived as bandits by practicing martial arts.
'These men have no conscience.'
They fundamentally lacked the guilt every human ought to possess.
The proposal they offered under the pretext of negotiation was simply, "Pay a toll, and we'll kill fewer people."
It was outrageous.
'I'll cut them all down right here.'
Jeong-un steeled his resolve once more and drew up all the energy in his body.
Fwuuush!
With his surging emotions, a storm of vital ki erupted from his body.
As the sharp energy spread across the floor and into the air, dust rippled like waves.
He made his intentions perfectly clear. There would be no negotiation with people like them.
"......"
Byuk Dae-gwang, who had been staring at Jeong-un with a stern expression, slowly raised his chin.
Then he spoke.
"Kill them all."
WAAAAAA—!
At that, bloodthirsty shouts exploded from all around. In an instant, dozens of bandits rushed at the group, each wielding a weapon.
They relied on their superior numbers, believing that attacking en masse inside a tight building would grant them victory.
Slash!
As Jeong-un cut down the lead bandit charging at him, a sudden storm of vital ki roared from behind him.
Turning his head, he saw Tang Yerin spinning with arms outstretched.
The storm was the aftereffect of her martial technique.
Spurt!
At the same time, blood spouted like fountains from several places.
The throwing knives released from Tang Yerin's hand in an instant claimed five lives.
She hadn't simply launched multiple knives at once. The knives were spinning through the air around her as if they were living birds.
"What is that?!"
"She's a demon!"
The eyes of the bandits, witnessing the bizarre and sudden death of their comrades, turned to panic.
It was a sight reminiscent of the legendary technique Sky-Filling Flower Rain.
Jeong-un watched with narrowed eyes.
The throwing knives infused with true ki were connected to her fingertips by something invisible.
'Thread?'
Was this part of the process to master Sky-Filling Flower Rain?
Tang Yerin was guiding her true ki through the thin threads connected to the knives, controlling them freely.
That alone was an extremely elegant technique.
Spurt—!
Another four lives vanished.
As the knives brushed past, those nearby clutched their throats and fell dead.
Controlling five throwing knives individually with thin threads was difficult enough.
But Tang Yerin was also evading the incoming blows from weapons all at once.
It was footwork so ghostly that it showcased the profoundness of the Tang clan's martial arts.
"That... that's impossible."
"Run!"
At last, two bandits, having lost the will to fight, sprinted for the exit.
One already wore a look of utter defeat, as if unable to cope with the overwhelming martial skills he faced for the first time.
Stab!
As one tried to sneak glances at Tang Yerin while running, blood burst from his shoulder.
A sharp sword had pierced him in an instant.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Jo Gwang looked down coldly at the corpse.
The remaining bandit paused, then, in a fit of desperation, swung his sword back.
Jo Gwang must have looked the easiest to deal with.
"Die!"
Clang! Thud!
Jo Gwang's sword blocked the attack with a sharp parry and, in the same motion, pierced the bandit's abdomen.
Attack and defense blended seamlessly in his move—a masterful sword technique.
The bandit fell, not even realizing what had happened.
"How dare a bandit look down on a martial artist from the Heavenly Martial Hall."
Meanwhile, more of Tang Yerin's knives flashed across throats. The hall was a scene of utter chaos thanks to her ceaseless blades.
The balance of power had reversed in an instant; the bandits' numerical advantage evaporated in the cramped space.
"Amazing, isn't it?"
"...?"
"Don't you agree? Against many enemies, there may be no better martial art."
Baek Il-gang, who had crept up beside him, spoke. He had cut down two more men on his way over to Jeong-un.
"That one—he's keeping his composure."
Baek Il-gang glanced at Byuk Dae-gwang.
The man was still calmly seated in his chair, watching the scene unfold.
Even with nearly half his men dead, he just observed the movements of the martial artists from the Heavenly Martial Hall.
"Kill these bastards first!"
"Put your full power into the strike! They're not ordinary brats!"
Meanwhile, the bandits had surrounded Jeong-un and Baek Il-gang.
The stronghold lord, who had been seated, was now hidden behind their backs.
Baek Il-gang grinned.
"I'll clear a path. Go do your thing."
Jeong-un simply nodded in reply.
Thud!
The two men leaped forward simultaneously. Baek Il-gang was half a step ahead, clearly intent on opening the way.
But this time, the bandits were also prepared. Expecting the charge, they gripped their sword guards with both hands.
They seemed ready to block the first attack and immediately close in to stab.
Just then, Baek Il-gang threw his sword. With a swift motion, he hurled it straight ahead.
Fwoosh!
Despite the short, snappy movement, the sword flew perfectly straight, piercing the solar plexus of the man at the center.
Splurt—
Even though they were indoors and the target was close, the sudden missile attack caught them off guard.
"Crazy—!"
"Kill them!"
Though the bandits reacted hastily, Baek Il-gang had already retrieved his sword from the corpse and was swinging it again.
Stab!
The head of the nearest enemy flew into the air.
Crunch!
The man beside him had his chest caved in by a kicking method. Three fell in an instant, clearing the path.
Thud!
Jeong-un slipped into the gap. Now nothing stood between him and the stronghold lord seated in the chair.
The moment he locked eyes, Jeong-un was already right before him.
Fwuuush!
Without delay, he swung his sword horizontally.
At the same moment, a heavy burst of vital ki exploded from the seated man's body.
In his hand, a massive dao blade had appeared.
In that brief instant, Jeong-un gauged the nature of his opponent's martial art.
Bang!
A tremendous burst of bursting energy surged forth.
The grip on his sword guard tore open in an instant.
From the ki and the enormous dao, Jeong-un guessed a heavy sword style and channeled all the true ki he could summon.
'Heavy...'
The opponent's sword contained internal energy beyond imagination—far more than Jeong-un could muster.
As the man rose, resting the blade on his shoulder, he spoke.
"Do you think you can handle me?"
Thud.
Jeong-un charged in without answering.
His allies were risking their lives behind him—he had no time for idle words.
Clash!
A massive surge of swordsmanship clashed with his own, forcing Jeong-un back several steps.
His opponent's strength was not only in the weight of his massive dao.
After just two exchanges, Jeong-un grasped the truth.
The amount of internal energy stored in his opponent's dantian was on a whole different level.
'Did he grow up eating elixirs as daily meals?'
The difference began with the overwhelming quantity of his accumulation of energy.
Worse, the man compressed and channeled that internal energy into his dao blade with perfect skill.
"Looks like you've lived your life never knowing defeat. Isn't that right?"
Radiating an overwhelming force, the man strode toward him, his eyes coldly analyzing Jeong-un's body part by part.
"To attain such martial skill at your age... The so-called righteous sects live for their honor, do they not? For one so young, you've already tasted the sweet fruit; no wonder you act so arrogantly. Consider yourself fortunate to have met me. Today, I'll show you just how much of a frog in a well you truly are, compared to my martial world."
Even before he finished, the man charged, clearly having measured the distance ahead of time.
'I have to take it.'
Jeong-un drew up his true ki to the very limit.
To overcome this overwhelming gap, he had to break through.
The pure internal energy of his lower dantian surged through his meridians like a flood.
Even the energy he had not yet mastered was swept up in the torrent.
The meridians, flexing and stretching, swelled as if to burst with the tremendous pressure.
'Grit!'
His whole body burned like fire. The backlash from forcibly controlling the untamed energy was immense.
But there was no time to waste—at that moment, the man's massive power rained down on his head.
Jeong-un raised his sword to block.
Claang!
This time, he was not pushed back. His opponent's eyes flashed wide for an instant.
With the gap maintained, they immediately exchanged the next series of moves.
Bang! Crash!
Steel clashed several more times. With every blow, a tremendous burst of energy exploded.
The force alone threatened to tear Jeong-un apart, but he endured, taking the shock with his entire body.
But he was not merely enduring. Not a single blow from his opponent's sword escaped his eyes.
'Don't miss it!'
His real path to victory lay in his senses.
Not only a delicate control of true ki, but an uncanny ability to read those around him and his enemy.
Lessons from several real battles had taught him this: victories he thought were luck had, in fact, been the inevitable result of those senses at work.
Thud!
At that moment, his opponent lifted his thigh high and executed a forcible stride, stomping the ground.
Instantly, a tremendous burst of energy shot in a straight line at Jeong-un—a clear sign that the next strike would be enormous.
Jeong-un gritted his teeth. With his mind emptied, he focused solely on this moment.
Moonlight Swift Steps responded, opening a path of escape just in time.
He immediately took two steps back and twisted his body aside.
KWAANG—!
The massive dao grazed his nose, smashing into the floor as it passed.
The ground shattered completely, stunning energy bursting out.
'Now!'
Retrieving a weapon from the ground took only a split second for a martial artist—faster than blinking.
Even when it was a blade buried in the floor. But for Jeong-un, that instant was an opportunity.
Jeong-un charged with a forcible stride, closing in right next to the recovering dao.
Vital ki erupted from the Yongcheon point, its force jolting the blade as it was being pulled back out.
"......!"
His opponent's eyes went wide. He sensed the gravity of the moment.
Swish!
Right then, Jeong-un's sword drew a flash of light in a lateral slash, cutting through the air at Byuk Dae-gwang's neck.
"Foolish whelp!"
Byuk Dae-gwang dropped the dao and raised his arm to block his throat.
A resilient energy coiled around his forearm—a powerful body-protecting ki.
He was confident even a forceful sword strike wouldn't get through.
'Come.'
Byuk Dae-gwang braced for the shock.
The true ki in the youth's sword was strong enough that he was prepared for bloodshed.
It wasn't a blow to be taken head-on, but this was the best he could do.
It was a swift sword the likes of which he'd never seen—too late to evade.
'If that's all you've got...'
Speed didn't guarantee power.
Above all, Byuk Dae-gwang trusted his layered body-protecting ki—compressed and dense, nearly reaching the realm of body-protecting enhanced ki.
"......?"
But there was no impact. He quickly looked up to see Jeong-un already had withdrawn his sword.
'A feint?'
The youth kicked off the hilt of the dao buried in the ground and soared into the air.
In an instant, the view was reversed.
In that split-second, it was too late for Byuk Dae-gwang to reposition his defending arm.
Their eyes met.
'.......'
Byuk Dae-gwang realized it then.
The eyes of the boy slashing down from above were no longer looking at him.
They gazed past him—eyes that, even at the moment of life-and-death struggle, considered this just another step in the endless pursuit of improvement.
Slash!
From above, the sword split his head in two.
The defensive body-protecting ki wrapped hastily around his head could not withstand the direct strike.
His wrists—that he'd braced for impact—were never the target.
Thud.
Byuk Dae-gwang's body collapsed in two.
Jeong-un looked down at the corpse, whose eyes had not even closed, and murmured quietly,
"... Even my well is wider than your martial world."
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】