The man (martial arts Master) said:
"So these are the monsters that appear in the city at night. Looks like it won't be easy, but I can handle them."
He drew his sword (the Sharp Mountain Sword) and charged at the monsters.
Master:
"One strike, and I'll finish them all!"
"Haaaaa!"
After dust and debris filled the area, he sheathed his sword and said:
"That was easier than I thought."
But when the dust settled, he saw the monsters were still intact. Realizing he couldn't fight them alone, he muttered:
"Just a moment, I'll go check the water… I'll be back soon."
He walked slowly, but suddenly a monster roared, and Wong (the martial arts Master) panicked.
"Ruun!!!"
He ran at full speed, with the monsters chasing him, when a monster from a side alley ambushed him. One strike sent him flying, and he landed on the inn where the Master and Ryo were staying—right inside the Master's room.
Meanwhile, the monsters stormed the inn, destroying it completely.
The Master, who had been sleeping, woke up and rushed to the drawer near his bed where his money was kept. The drawer was covered in dust. He searched everywhere but couldn't find a single coin.
Wong, rising from the debris, said:
"Are you okay? Go find shelter. These monsters are dangerous. I'll distract them; you escape."
The Master, furious over the lost money, was about to attack Wong, but then remembered his disciple. He looked around and saw Ryo unconscious and injured under the rubble.
Master, extremely angry:
"Who destroyed this place?!"
Wong, still in a battle-ready state, said:
"The monsters threw me here and attacked themselves, that's why this place got destroyed."
Master:
"Then it's your fault and the monsters'."
Wong:
"Ummm… sort of…"
The Master vanished and reappeared behind Wong, knocking him unconscious with a single strike to the neck.
The monsters tried to attack the Master, but his overwhelming anger and power terrified them. They couldn't even move.
Master:
"So you monsters are the ones who made my precious money disappear! (And hurt my disciple!) But my precious money…"
He approached one of the monsters. The sheer force crushed it to the ground, destroying it completely. He glanced at another monster, waved his hand, and tore it apart. The remaining monsters, frozen in fear, knew death was staring them in the face. Using his power, the Master compressed them with gravity and annihilated them entirely.
Master:
"Huff… I guess I got a bit too angry."
He looked to his right and saw the inn owner, mouth wide open.
Master:
"Ummm… please don't tell anyone about this incident."
The inn owner, who had lost his entire family to monsters, fell to the Master's feet, crying in gratitude:
"Thank you! Thank you! Finally, someone avenged my family against those monsters! I promise I won't tell anyone, and I'll return your money!"
The Master, hearing this, was pleased:
"Thank you."
Some time passed, and Ryo woke up, finding himself lying down with the Master treating his injuries.
Ryo:
"Ma-Master… what happened? I don't understand… the building suddenly collapsed, and I couldn't even figure out what happened."
Master:
"The monsters attacked, and the inn was destroyed. But it's good that you're okay. But… my precious money…! Where did it go?!"
Ryo:
"Ah… so that's why the Master is so upset."
Looking around, Ryo saw someone unconscious in the corner. From his clothes and sword, he knew the man was a martial artist.
Ryo:
"Master, who's that guy?"
Master:
"He's the one who's going to return my money…!"
Ryo:
"Haha… bless him…"
Wong, unconscious since last night, woke up in the morning and saw his hands tied. He yelled:
"Who tied me up!??"
Master:
"Hello, dear friend. Better talk a little… and maybe discuss returning my money?"
The man, seeing the Master, got a bit scared and looked at Ryo, who signaled with his hand across his neck, letting Wong know he was in deep trouble.
Wong thought to himself:
"Damn… I messed up…"
Master:
"Hmm… what should we do with him?"
Ryo:
"I don't know, Master, whatever you think is best."
Ryo:
"But he fought those monsters to protect people, and that's why the money was lost."
Master:
"Nope. We have to make sure he doesn't end up in my room again."
Wong said:
"Damn! I swear it wasn't on purpose; the monsters threw me…"
The Master, giving him a stern look:
"Don't lie! You should've been careful."
Master:
"How about… aha… we sell him as a slave! We'll definitely get good money."
Ryo:
"Master! Isn't that dangerous? This guy knows martial arts. And is there even a buyer for him?"
Master:
"Hmm… yeah, many people would buy him. We'll give him to a trader. If that doesn't work… hehe…"
The Master chuckled a bit and said:
"We'll make him a eunuch, a strong martial-arts eunuch, and sell him to a noble. Hehe!"
Wong yelled:
"Nooo!!! Whatever you do, don't do that!!!"
Master:
"From the start, you should've thought about what you did. Now you have to become a eunuch to avoid such mistakes."
Watching, Ryo suddenly remembered a trader he overheard discussing acquiring strong slaves.
Ryo:
"Master, maybe we don't need to go that far."
Master:
"Hmm? Why? Is there a better way?"
Ryo:
"While I was exploring, I heard a trader saying he was looking for some strong slaves."
Ryo:
"Maybe we can sell Wong to him."
The Master thought for a moment:
"You're right. Let's do that. Do you have a name or address?"
Ryo:
"Hmm… I think the name is Paradise Traders' Union."
Master:
"Ah… why does everything here have Angel or Paradise or Heaven in its name? Anyway, let's go and sell that handsome guy to them."
---
(Meanwhile, inside the Paradise Traders' Union building…)
Yong Han (head of Paradise Traders' Union) was sitting on his chair when suddenly someone rushed into the room.
Woo Chang (Vice Head):
"Boss! Boss! A problem has occurred!"
Yong Han:
"What's wrong? A problem?"
Woo Chang, trembling:
"Some of the monsters we released at night disappeared!!"
Yong Han, surprised:
"Explain exactly what happened for me to understand."
Woo Chang:
"Some of the monsters we released last night didn't return to their lair in the morning. After investigating, we found a martial artist destroyed them."
Yong Han:
"That's really bad! We need raw materials to create new monsters. How many were there?"
Woo Chang:
"About five."
Yong Han:
"Prepare the materials to recreate the monsters immediately."
Woo Chang:
"Yes, sir!"
Meanwhile, the Master and Ryo were bringing Wong to sell him to the Paradise Traders' Union…
---
End of Chapter 9