novelraw Chapter 7 : Chapter 7
Chapter 7 : Chapter 7
Chapter 7 - Yongho Fortress (3)
Jaun shook his throbbing arm once to loosen it, then kicked Cheon-mang's body hard.
Cheon-mang's body, struck by Jaun's foot, began to fly toward the Fortress Master.
Subsequently, Jaun, sticking close behind Cheon-mang's body to hide himself, shot toward the Fortress Master with all his might.
“Cheon-mang!”
The Fortress Master, confirming Cheon-mang's body flying toward him with a great shake, called Cheon-mang's name loudly with a chilling sensation.
Following that, the Fortress Master, confirming Cheon-mang's body flying toward him limp and powerless, ground his teeth.
“You bastard!”
The Fortress Master pushed aside Cheon-mang's body flying toward him.
At that moment, Jaun, who was hiding behind Cheon-mang's body, thrust his sword forward like lightning.
─ Pa-at
Jaun's sword grazed past the Fortress Master's clothes.
The Fortress Master, barely avoiding Jaun's sword, rushed at Jaun and kicked his knee up just like that.
The attack of the Fortress Master, whose anger had soared to the top of his head, was sharper.
“Die!”
The Fortress Master's rapidly flying attack.
However, Jaun stepped back in an instant and avoided his attack.
‘Let’s end this.’
Jaun glared at the Fortress Master and kicked the ground.
Shooting forward, Jaun calmly settled his mind. And exhaling a long breath, he corrected his stance.
At the same time, the Fortress Master extended his fist toward the rushing Jaun.
Jaun twisted his body narrowly to avoid the Fortress Master's fist that shot in with a roar.
“This rat-like bastard……!”
In an instant, a mighty energy blazed in the Fortress Master's body.
Sparks seemed about to fly from the eyes of the Fortress Master, who had drawn up his energy to the limit.
“This is the end!”
The Fortress Master fired a fist strike toward Jaun once again, containing the energy he had gathered with all his might.
─ Kwa-a-a-ang!
Along with a loud explosion sound, a massive energy poured toward Jaun.
Jaun cool-headedly watched the Fortress Master's flying fist strike.
‘Fast and strong. However…….’
In a situation where all his sworn brothers had fallen, the Fortress Master had lost his reason.
Within that, Jaun did not miss the small gap created in the Fortress Master's move.
With sharp eyes, Jaun raised his sword from below to above.
─ Pi-ing
Jaun's sword slightly grazed past the Fortress Master's energy.
At that moment, the Fortress Master felt the path of the fist strike he launched twist minutely.
‘A mistake.’
The Fortress Master clenched his teeth.
Being too excited, he focused only on pouring out power.
Because massive power was contained, the fist strike had become dull, losing its precision.
‘If this attack misses here, it becomes dangerous.’
As the Fortress Master forcibly turned his shoulder, the direction of the fist strike that was slightly going astray settled back into place.
― Crack
The sound of muscles tearing was heard from the Fortress Master's shoulder.
‘Doesn't matter. With this, I will knock this bastard down.’
The Fortress Master, clenching his teeth, shot toward Jaun.
“The attempt wasn't bad, but it’s already late.”
Jaun burst his energy and jumped high into the air.
At the same time, the Fortress Master's fist strike grazed dangerously close under Jaun's feet.
Jaun, taking a stance in the air, swung his sword rapidly.
─ Slash
Blood soared like a fountain from the Fortress Master's chest where Jaun's sword had passed.
“Keu-heuk.”
It was a deep wound.
The panicked Fortress Master hurriedly stepped back.
In the meantime, Jaun's feet coming down to the ground touched the surface firmly.
─ Thud
From Jaun's hand shooting forward, the blade flashed and emitted light.
The Fortress Master's face turned pale white.
“Ee-eek!”
The Fortress Master hurriedly extended his fist, but Jaun's sword came in cutting right through the Fortress Master's fist strike.
‘……Unbelievable.’
The Fortress Master, looking at the sword shadow that approached right before his eyes, exhaled hollowly.
The feeling he had when he first faced Jaun was correct.
‘……As expected, this bastard. He wasn't a guy to be doing guard duty here.’
Following that, Jaun's sword swept over the Fortress Master's body just like that.
─ Slash
Blood spurted out largely from the Fortress Master's waist where Jaun's sword had grazed past.
“Keu-a-ak!”
Along with the Fortress Master's agonizing scream, a blood mist spread in all directions.
The staggering Fortress Master glared at Jaun.
“You bastard…….”
The Fortress Master's body was shaking greatly.
The eyes of the Fortress Master, having poured out too much blood, were losing focus.
Jaun, ignoring the Fortress Master's words, turned his body largely just like that. Jaun's foot flew toward the Fortress Master's head drawing a large arc.
─ Thud
The Fortress Master's body, covered in blood all over, floated into the air with a bu-ung and fell to the ground just like that.
─ Thump
Twitch.
The Fortress Master's body, which flinched once as it fell to the floor, moved no more.
“Fortress Master?”
“E-everyone run!”
As even the Fortress Master they had trusted until the end collapsed, the remaining bandits hurriedly fled in all directions.
‘Thirteen bandits remaining.’
Jaun, picking up a handful of small stones from the ground, threw the stones filled with energy toward the fleeing bandits.
“Keo-heok!”
“Eu-heok.”
The bandits pierced by the stones Jaun threw collapsed on the spot simultaneously.
Jaun, having knocked down all visible bandits, drew up his energy and scanned the surroundings.
No presence was felt anymore within a radius of battlefield.
***
“Haa…….”
Holding his left arm where a tingling pain was rising with one hand, Jaun flopped down on the spot.
‘Damn it. Against mere bandits……. If father saw, a thunderbolt of scolding would have fallen.’
Looking around the quiet surroundings, Jaun sighed softly.
He achieved the goal of saving Eun-wol. However, the process wasn't very pleasing.
It wasn't a duel with his father where he always entered with tension.
A moment of carelessness nearly created a dangerous situation.
Jaun smacked his bitter lips once.
“Hey! You…… Are you okay? Is it all over?”
Eun-wol, confirming that all bandits had collapsed, sprang up from her seat and ran to the sitting Jaun.
“As you see. It seems all over.”
At Jaun's words, a look of relief flashed across Eun-wol's face.
Eun-wol, whose legs gave way, flopped down on that spot and suddenly covered her face with both hands.
“Waaah!”
At Eun-wol's crying that burst out, Jaun scratched his head as if troubled.
‘Tsk. So noisy.’
In a situation where he was already out of his mind due to the first proper actual combat he experienced, it was one trouble after another.
“Waaah!”
Jaun looked at Eun-wol with troubled eyes.
It was the first time in his life seeing someone cry so sorrowfully.
Moreover, it just had to be the crying of a girl his age.
Jaun, who had been stuck only in the mountains with his father his whole life, had absolutely no idea what he should do in this situation.
‘Really noisy. And tiring.’
Jaun, letting out a small sigh, scratched his head vigorously once again.
“Hey, be quiet a bit.”
Despite Jaun's words, Eun-wol's crying only grew louder.
Jaun, looking at Eun-wol, shook his head from side to side.
‘Ah. I don't know.’
Jaun turned his attention away from Eun-wol and drew up his energy to check his left arm.
‘Fortunately, the energy meridian isn't completely damaged. I can recover if I rest a little.’
Even Hyeok-rin, called a Top 100 Master, was poisoned due to carelessness, and seeing that, he himself also struggled due to carelessness.
‘It’s embarrassing but…… it was a good experience. I must not let something like this happen again.’
Organizing his thoughts, Jaun slowly rose from his seat.
Eun-wol, confirming Jaun standing up, stopped crying and approached Jaun carefully.
“You. That arm…….”
The tearful Eun-wol reached out and caressed Jaun's left shoulder.
“Because of me, like this…….”
Tears began to well up in Eun-wol's eyes again.
“Ah…… Stop crying. It’s distracting.”
Jaun, answering awkwardly, extended his hand forward, hesitated for a moment, and slowly patted Eun-wol's shoulder.
Eun-wol bit her lip tightly and held back her tears.
“You must absolutely never tell anyone about what you saw today.”
At Jaun's words delivered with serious eyes, Eun-wol nodded quietly.
“……You are hiding your power because there is a reason you can't reveal, right? Understood. I will keep this as a secret just between the two of us.”
‘Keep what secret.’
Jaun tried to say something with a dumbfounded expression but closed his mouth.
Dealing with a girl his age who was crying was just uncomfortable no matter what.
It wasn't that he was trying to hide his power necessarily.
However, there was no need to create unnecessary grudges with the Green Forest.
Since he didn't know which group he would join hands with to face the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, he had to reduce enemies as much as possible and make as many allies as possible.
Eun-wol, who hesitated on the spot for a moment, took a step closer to Jaun.
“Since my lifesaver asked to keep it a secret, I will definitely keep the secret. Thank you so much for today.”
Eun-wol, who approached closely, raised her head with tear-filled eyes and looked up at Jaun.
A faint scent rose to the nose of Jaun, who was looking at Eun-wol's sparkling eyes.
Jaun, feeling something strange, gave a small dry cough and stepped back.
Eun-wol watched Jaun stepping back without taking her eyes off him until the end.
The heat contained in that gaze was hot.
In a situation totally unfamiliar, Jaun scratched his head.
Jaun, avoiding Eun-wol's gaze staring piercingly at him, sensed a presence from behind in an instant and turned his head.
“Ugh…….”
Far away, Hyeok-rin's body was squirming.
***
Jaun supported Hyeok-rin who tried to rise hurriedly as soon as he opened his eyes.
“Gasp! Wol, where is Wol-i? Is Wol-i safe?”
“She is fine. She is safe.”
Hyeok-rin quickly turned his head and moved his gaze to Eun-wol.
Confirming Eun-wol standing covered in tears, Hyeok-rin sighed heavily.
“Ah, Heavens! Thank you. Thank you……! It is truly fortunate. By the way, how.”
Hyeok-rin, who sighed in relief and calmed his mind, raised his upper body and looked around.
Mountain of Corpses and Sea of Blood .
The lush mountainside was full of corpses and blood.
Hyeok-rin, confirming the bandits' corpses and blood pools fallen here and there, opened his eyes roundly and turned his head to Jaun.
“This…… What on earth happened?”
At Hyeok-rin's question, Jaun pondered for a moment and opened his mouth.
“I also woke up just a little while ago. As soon as I opened my eyes, the bandits' screams continued endlessly, and when the surroundings became quiet and I slowly raised my head, some old man was disappearing far away. The surroundings were in this state.”
As Jaun's words ended, Hyeok-rin tilted his head slightly.
“Hah. What on earth happened……. Anyway, it is the care of the heavens. It is truly a miracle-like event. I do not know which expert it was, but he bestowed a very great grace on the Moyong Family. I must find him somehow and repay him.”
Hyeok-rin sighed largely in relief and grabbed his throbbing head due to the remaining poison energy.
Jaun, staring blankly at Hyeok-rin, smiled awkwardly.
‘For now, I should pass it over like this. Since there is no need to build unnecessary grudges.’
Jaun turned his head and glanced at Eun-wol.
Eun-wol nodded quietly as if she understood what Jaun meant.