novelraw Chapter 83 : Chapter 83
Chapter 83 : Chapter 83
Chapter 83 Life-and-Death Tournament (6)
A silence lingered for a moment.
The complexions of the warriors standing nearby were pale.
This brutal(?) duel, which had passed in an instant, would not easily disappear from the warriors' minds.
Even the supervisor, with a face turned white, shuddered once and raised the flag.
“Vi, victory for Han Jaun!”
In the quiet stillness, while Jaun walked down from the platform, the doctors of the Sado Alliance, who arrived late, rushed toward Ma Dong-chun.
****
“It is unusual. You usually didn't go this far.”
“That is…… I lost my composure for a moment.”
Ice Rakshasa glanced at Jaun once and scratched her nose.
“It was the first time I saw that kind of expression. It was a bit scary, too.”
“Scary, my foot. You did well. An unscrupulous fellow like that deserves to be treated this way.”
Ban Cheol-hwi's complexion was much brighter, perhaps because the dissatisfaction that had built up for a long time was considerably relieved.
Jaun thought it was not something to regret.
Even if he were to climb onto the tournament platform again, he would have acted the same way.
However, losing his reason even for a moment during that process was by no means desirable.
While Jaun was reflecting on the previous match in his mind, he felt the stinging gazes of those around him and slowly stood up from his seat.
“If today's matches are all over, let's head back now.”
Jaun looked around the tournament grounds and calmly met the gazes of the warriors directed at him, then began to step away.
Since there was no longer any reason to stay here, Jaun's party immediately packed their belongings and left the inner court.
When Jaun's party had left the inner court and passed about halfway through the outer court, he felt a young man of massive build approaching quickly from behind.
Enveloping his entire body in massive black chains, he seemed to be Black Blood Ghost Whip Jin Cheol-myeong.
“Oh? Why is he here again……”
Ice Rakshasa tilted her head and then clapped her hands together with a pop.
“Ah. Since Young Hero Jaun won both matches, he might be the next opponent if things go well. Is it a scouting mission?”
Jaun turned his head and looked at the approaching Jin Cheol-myeong.
Jin Cheol-myeong, who came close, looked down at Jaun and opened his mouth.
“……It was impressive.”
Jin Cheol-myeong swallowed once and continued speaking.
“That thrust in the first match. It was quite good. And the body techniques shown in the second match were also not bad.”
Hearing him talk, it seemed that Jin Cheol-myeong was quite conscious of Jaun in his own way.
But in fact, Jaun had completely forgotten about Jin Cheol-myeong's existence, so he did not even know if the man had fought a match.
“You must have had enough leisure to observe other people's matches.”
At Jaun's answer, Jin Cheol-myeong shrugged his shoulders.
“Just as you are curious about the level of the Sado Alliance, I too was curious about the level of the Murim Alliance. Honestly, I didn't have high expectations but……. You're quite good. Especially the…… decisiveness in the second match was unexpected.”
Jin Cheol-myeong shuddered as if the memory of the match from a moment ago had come back to him.
Ban Cheol-hwi, who was looking here and there at the chains wrapped around Jin Cheol-myeong's body, whispered toward Ice Rakshasa.
“Th, I feel like the chains are wrapped a bit thicker in one specific place than last time. Is it my imagination?”
Ice Rakshasa's gaze went down a bit, and she soon burst into a giggle.
“It looks like he wrapped the chains about three more times there.”
Whether he heard the whispering of Ice Rakshasa and Ban Cheol-hwi or not, Jin Cheol-myeong's face turned bright red.
“Ahem. Anyway, since you won both matches, you are now qualified to enter the main rounds. We will likely meet at the tournament grounds soon.”
The preliminaries followed a format where half the participants were dropped after one match, so by winning twice, one could at least secure a spot in the main rounds.
“Is that so? We'll meet soon then. Practice hard until then. If you don't want to end the match as fruitlessly as someone today.”
At Jaun's words, the corners of Jin Cheol-myeong's mouth twitched slightly.
“Heh heh. Do not be arrogant. It will be hard to even leave a single scratch on my body with a sword like yours.”
Jin Cheol-myeong, who was tapping the chains covering his body, continued his words.
“I have seen your match, but you did not come to see mine. All of this is your choice, but at this rate, it won't be a fair fight. The reason I came to see you today is to show you my martial arts.”
Jin Cheol-myeong, stopping his words, pulled up his energy in an instant.
Then, the chains imbued with energy tightly wrapped around Jin Cheol-myeong's body.
Jin Cheol-myeong, who maintained that state for a moment, this time raised his hand and stretched it forward.
WHOOOOOSH
The chains stretched out like a flash of lightning toward where Jin Cheol-myeong's hand was pointing.
The chains, which circled quickly here and there around Jaun, clattered as they were wound back onto Jin Cheol-myeong's body.
“My Black Blood Ghost Whip becomes a tool for defense when wrapped around my body, but it becomes a long-range weapon when released from the body. Even if you luckily avoid my attacks and approach closely, the thrust you showed cannot pierce the defense of this Black Blood Ghost Whip. In the end, you will end the match miserably without being able to do anything.”
RATTLE
The chains winding around Jin Cheol-myeong slowly moved and swayed around his body like a living snake.
“Beating you boringly in such a manner is not what I want. This situation where you have drawn the attention of the entire Sado Alliance is like a huge opportunity given to me. If you fall too fruitlessly, I will have no way to show anything, right?”
Jin Cheol-myeong took another step forward.
“So you find a way to attack me somehow during the given time. Only then will there be time for both you and me to show something.”
Jaun, who was quietly looking up at Jin Cheol-myeong, burst into a chuckle.
Jin Cheol-myeong, who looked down at Jaun for a moment as if dissatisfied, shook his head.
“The Five Evils are at a different level from the riffraff you've defeated. This is all I have to say. Keep it in mind. Find a way to pierce my defense somehow. If you can't do that, you'll have no choice but to descend from the tournament grounds after doing nothing.”
Jin Cheol-myeong, who glared at Jaun for a moment, brushed past Jaun's body and began to walk toward the inner court again.
“He is very full of energy, isn't he?”
Ice Rakshasa giggled while looking at the receding Jin Cheol-myeong.
“Probably because he hasn't met a proper powerhouse among his peers. His thoughts will change after a while, and I hope he doesn't receive too much of a shock then. He seems to be a decent warrior with a upright character.”
At Jaun's words, Ice Rakshasa shrugged her shoulders once.
“Well. The experience of failure will become a sufficiently good nutrient. If they're at the level of the Five Evils, their hearts won't break easily. By the way, since coming here, Young Hero Jaun seems quite serious.”
“I have no choice but to be serious. The Blood Cult is moving with terrifying speed, and we are not in a position to match it. If the Sado Alliance doesn't move, the gap will only grow wider.”
At Jaun's words, Ice Rakshasa slowly nodded her head.
“Well.. that is true. Um…… Young Hero Jaun. I know you're serious. But you're not by any chance using things like the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, right?”
At Ice Rakshasa's words, Jaun turned his head to look at her.
“Why? The Heavenly Demon Divine Art hasn't appeared in the Jianghu for at least ten years. Even if I use it a little, I don't think there's any warrior who would recognize it.”
“That is true, of course, but……. Actually, I can't guarantee that there are no spies from the Demonic Cult in the Sado Alliance. I'm saying this just in case. I hope that Young Hero Jaun's identity doesn't leak out to the Demonic Cult side if possible.”
“Thank you for thinking of me. Even without that, I was thinking of fighting in a slightly different way after seeing that kid called Black Blood Ghost Whip or whatever.”
Jaun glanced back at the tournament grounds where the Alliance Leader had been sitting.
“Since there is someone expecting something, I should satisfy them in various ways.”
****
“It won't be easy.”
Yu Ha-rin looked at Jin Cheol-myeong while spinning her sword.
“You, you might have done something unnecessary. That child is more of a master than you think.”
“Whew. I know that too. That's why I'm going to try more seriously.”
Jin Cheol-myeong answered while doing push-ups with a massive rock on his back.
“He's at that level? Enough for both of you to acknowledge him?”
A woman holding a long staff looked at the two with a dissatisfied expression and then tilted her head.
“A man acknowledged by the Great Yu Ha-rin and Jin Cheol-myeong. Hmm. Suddenly I'm curious too.”
“Anyway, if I lose, you'll be the next opponent, so watch carefully. Neung Hwa-yeong.”
The woman called Neung Hwa-yeong widened her eyes.
“What? Did you just…… say that you might lose?”
“No one knows the result. I might win easily or I might lose. Since that guy hasn't shown much yet, judgment is impossible.”
“It's unusual. It's rare for you to speak like this. Maybe I should have gone to see the match too.”
Neung Hwa-yeong, who was tilting her head, picked up her staff, stepped down, and approached Jin Cheol-myeong's side.
“That child. You said he uses a sword, right?”
“Whew. Whew. He used a sword in the first match and ended it with body techniques in the second match.”
“Hmm. That means he didn't reveal his true skills both times.”
Neung Hwa-yeong spun her staff while looking at Jin Cheol-myeong, who was constantly warming up his body.
After thinking about something for a while, Neung Hwa-yeong rested the staff on her shoulder and turned her head.
“Interesting? If it's the Life-and-Death Tournament, there should be such variables.”
“You just focus on your next opponent for now. I heard that even if he's not one of the Five Evils, he's a formidable person.”
Jin Cheol-myeong said as he stood up from his spot after finishing the push-ups.
“Hmph. Well, so what. A warrior who hasn't entered the Alliance Leader's palace by that age is not our opponent.”
“……Don't be arrogant. You might end up being dropped like Sa Il-rang.”
“Can you not compare me to such a mindless guy? I heard he went out to the tournament grounds after drinking all night? Anyway, that guy is a disgrace to the Five Evils.”
Neung Hwa-yeong shuddered and rested her arm on Jin Cheol-myeong's shoulder.
“Anyway. Because of that kid, I even get to see our Cheol-myeong training like this. I don't know if we should actually be grateful to that child.”
“……Don't talk nonsense. You make sure to come to my tournament ground and judge with your own eyes. The real next opponent might be that child.”
Jin Cheol-myeong wrapped the chains that were on the ground around his entire body and slowly left the training ground.
After looking at Jin Cheol-myeong's back for a while, Neung Hwa-yeong turned her head.
“Hey. Yu Ha-rin. Can Cheol-myeong really lose?”
“Yeah. I saw him once, and I didn't think I could win easily.”
“……You guys are really strange. You've never praised anyone like this before.”
“It's not praising. He's a genius acknowledged even by Lord Ice Rakshasa, the legend of the Sado Alliance. If you think of him lightly, you'll get a big surprise.”
Yu Ha-rin winked and then walked toward the exit of the training ground while spinning her sword.
Neung Hwa-yeong frowned and was lost in thought, then scratched her head hard.
“……It's making me jealous. What kind of guy is he that Ha-rin talks like that?”
Neung Hwa-yeong's expression sank.
She kicked the staff up with her foot and slowly began to spin it.
Faint ghostly wails began to echo around Neung Hwa-yeong's body.
****
“You're joking, right?”
“No. I'm really thinking of going out with this.”
Ice Rakshasa blankly stared at the crude iron chain Jaun was holding.
“No, ha. This is driving me crazy. I really can't understand Young Hero Jaun.”
“I know how to use it. It's just that I'm not used to it. There are still two days left until the next match, right?”
“That is true, but……. Can it be done in two days?”
“It will be possible. Anyway, the end of martial arts is the Ten Thousand Streams Returning to One. A weapon is just an extension of the hand.”
Ice Rakshasa let out a small sigh and shook her head from side to side.
“I don't know anymore. If I think it's dangerous this time too, I'll go up without hesitation. Do as you please.”
“Don't worry. I have to do at least this much so the Alliance Leader can't say something else later.”
Jaun slowly lowered his head and looked at the iron chain dangling on the floor.