Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 6: Reading a Book a Hundred Times Reveals Its Meaning (5) The name Yeon So-wol began to reach the ears of other experts in Sinheung County.
"Brother Yu-baek, are you wasting your time again? I heard you've been teaching some kid named Yeon lately."
Hang In-woo, the leader of the White Dragon Gang in Sinheung County, was Lee Yu-baek's sworn brother. He clicked his tongue in disapproval.
Lee Yu-baek, who had been drinking since morning, gave a thin smirk.
"Everyone said the same thing back when I picked you up—a dying, perpetual second-rate martial artist—and treated your wounds while giving you pointers. They called it a waste of time then, too."
Hang In-woo's expression stiffened. "Why must you bring that up now, Brother?"
"What I'm trying to say is that you never know. No one knows what becomes of a person who harbors great ambition. Just look at you—you became a first-rate martial artist in your own right and built the White Dragon Gang into what it is today."
Hang In-woo drained his cup in silence.
"But this is a different case. Didn't that Yeon kid endure your 'flogging' yesterday?"
"Indeed. He was quite admirable."
"Right. Enduring that beating... his willpower is certainly out of the ordinary."
Hang In-woo shuddered, having experienced that discipline himself. He continued, "That's exactly why I'm telling you not to give a desperate kid false hope."
"Did I give him false hope?"
"Didn't you? I heard the brat is eighteen. If that's the case, isn't there only one way for him to train his internal energy? No matter how talented he is, he'll have to spend at least two years on nothing but the Soyo Art, moving slow and wobbly like an old man. Even if he manages to pass that ridiculous stage and reach the Fire Phase, the next step will be a distant dream. The boy will never be rewarded for his efforts. His willpower only makes it more tragic."
The Soyo Art had a grand name, but in reality, it was little more than a health exercise. While it did have the effect of gathering Qi and reaching the Fire Phase through breathing, the results were so minuscule that martial artists didn't even give it a second glance. It was mostly practiced by elderly people in the streets, swaying their arms about.
"We'll see about that."
"Hmm?" Hang In-woo's eyebrows twitched. "Surely you aren't planning to skip the Soyo Art?"
"I might."
"Then the Warm Wind Secret? Brother, you'll kill the boy."
"..."
"Honestly, sometimes you're the most cruel of us all. People need to see your true colors... You know how dangerous internal cultivation methods are. And you'd give one to an eighteen-year-old whose body has already stiffened? He'll end up a cripple. It only makes sense to spend at least two years loosening the body with the Soyo Art."
"...It's not impossible. If one devotes themselves to Qi circulation day and night, progressing without a single moment of distraction, they could see results without going through something like the Soyo Art. If he can do that, he might even overcome the weakness of starting at eighteen."
"...That's just a theory. Who in the world could actually do that? You can barely keep your senses after just two hours of Qi circulation, and you want him to do it all day? If his body is that stiff, he'd probably have to do it even if he woke up in the middle of the night. Otherwise, something would go wrong. Could you do it, Brother? Because I certainly couldn't."
"True. It would be difficult. In fact, it's near impossible."
Lee Yu-baek nodded in agreement and took three long gulps straight from the bottle.
"But In-woo, as I said before, I believe there is nothing a person with a true purpose cannot achieve. Yeon So-wol... he's a boy who's willing to try. At least, that's how it looked to me. He's even hiding a trick or two... If he can just solve the internal energy problem, he might actually establish himself in this Jianghu. Through sheer will alone. Breaking through the impossible. Just thinking about it makes my heart race."
A smile bloomed on his lips. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he spoke again.
"In that spirit, why don't we take on a challenge of our own? The subjugation of the Mount Cheonro stronghold."
"Oh, Brother. Not that again. Please... If we clash with the Mount Cheonro bandits, at least half of us will die. There's no guarantee we'd even win."
"I told you, where there's a will, there's a way. I'll lead the charge. If we gather our friends and utilize the element of surprise, don't you think we could wipe them out? Let's do it. If we succeed, Sinheung County will develop twice as much as it has now."
"Don't tell me you've already talked to the Severing Sword Sect Leader about this?"
"Not just him. I've been egging on all the martial artists in Sinheung. I'm even sending letters to my acquaintances in the Pavilion, Eunpyeong, and Yangjiang, not to mention Foshan and Seocho. What do you say?"
"...Sigh. I'll think about it."
"Good, good. I should get going. I promised to check on So-wol's training this afternoon."
Lee Yu-baek stood up abruptly. Without even using the stairs, he opened the window and leaped out.
Hang In-woo watched his retreating back and clicked his tongue once more.
*
Tap!
With a single tap of his toes, Mo Cheong swayed as lightly as a willow leaf.
At that sight, Yeon So-wol was struck with dread.
Wait a minute. This is a total physics engine bug.
Mo Cheong approached with a bizarre, swaying motion. Just when So-wol thought he was moving right, he was on the left; when he thought left, he was on the right. His center of gravity shifted multiple times within a single step.
So-wol couldn't grasp the movements of Mo Cheong, who had decided to take things "seriously."
Whack!
Thud!
Bam!
Crack!
Before, he could dodge at least half the attacks, but now he was lucky to dodge one in five.
Yeon So-wol wanted to cry. He had been hit so much that he just wanted to give up. He wanted to lie down and let Mo Cheong do whatever he wanted, whether it was killing him or not.
But he forced himself to stand up again.
I can't show any weakness.
In So-wol's mind, Mo Cheong was a wicked man who had lured him in with a trap. And when he avoided that trap, Mo Cheong had turned into a violent tyrant, beating him even harder out of spite.
"Ugh."
As he tried to regain his stance, a strange pain made his head spin. It felt as if hot threadworms were dancing beneath his skin.
Is this really okay...?
His thoughts kept spiraling into negativity. To distract himself from the pain, So-wol forced out a question.
"Master Mo Cheong. What on earth is that strange movement? I can't seem to react to it at all."
"Oh, this? It's the Willow Leaf Step. One of my master's signature movement techniques."
Thwack!
Mo Cheong didn't stop his assault even while answering.
What a relentless human being.
In truth, Mo Cheong was doing his best to show respect to Yeon So-wol. He was revealing everything he had, down to his very foundation.
However, So-wol believed the difficulty had increased as retaliation for his audacity in avoiding the "trap."
Go ahead, do your worst. See if I give up... I never give up when things get tough...
As he rolled across the ground and stood back up, So-wol thought to himself:
Willow Leaf Step? Ah, if only I could learn that!
He asked, his voice trembling slightly, "Can... can I learn that too?"
If I could do that, the number of times I get hit would drop to a fraction!
Having been hit a thousand times more in the last two days than in his entire life, So-wol couldn't help but covet a martial art that made his hands shake and his mouth go dry with longing.
Baaam!
The "serious" Mo Cheong answered while sweeping So-wol's shin with a kick.
"Hmm. Normally, signature techniques aren't taught to just anyone. But Master might teach you. You did come here to learn movement techniques, after all. But not right now. You have to learn an internal cultivation method first."
"Guh... cough."
So-wol, sprawled on the ground, crawled through his dizziness. Once his head cleared, he forced himself up again.
"Then how long will it take to get to that point?"
"Well... since your Qi Sense seems to be very good... maybe three years?"
"My Qi Sense is good?"
"Yeah. You're still dodging one out of every five attacks. Even though I'm only using the strength of a third-rate martial artist, this can't be explained by just having good eyes."
Whoosh!
Mo Cheong's fist sliced through empty air.
So-wol dodged the attack by almost collapsing to the floor, scrambled back, and then stood upright again.
I knew it.
Mo Cheong looked down at his fist and nodded. It wasn't a coincidence. He was missing his attacks far too often.
His Qi Sense is incredible. Everything else about him is clumsy, which means he's accurately reading my fighting intent and dodging. But how is that possible? Qi is as natural and abundant as air, making it difficult to notice.
Mo Cheong didn't know that Yeon So-wol came from a world where Qi didn't exist at all.
While Qi wasn't something visible to the eye, So-wol's body reacted rapidly to this unfamiliar energy he was feeling for the first time in his life. Sometimes it felt like a chill, sometimes like an intuition of danger.
This was the reason why So-wol, who had never been in a real fight, was able to dodge attacks reasonably well.
Thanks to this, Mo Cheong was growing increasingly fond of this "Annamite" of the same age. He had talent, and he had grace.
I'm being quite serious, yet he keeps getting back up without losing his composure.
Mo Cheong felt a sense of respect for him as a fellow man. He even felt a spark of competitiveness. At the same time, he felt pity.
If only he had started three years earlier.
Then Sinheung County would have produced another outstanding expert.
But he must be the one who feels the most regret. I should just give him the advice he needs.
Mo Cheong answered bluntly, careful not to let his pity show.
"Normally, for someone starting as late as you, it might be difficult even after ten years. But you might be able to reach the Fire Phase within three. A year and a half of Soyo Art, and a year and a half of the Warm Wind Secret. If you work yourself to death. Then, you'll at least be called a third-rate martial artist. The next stage... will take much longer, though."
Three years.
So-wol suddenly felt a sense of urgency. He had told himself he could endure three years and then take a Great Restoration Pill...
Thud!
Crash!
But after being beaten and rolling on the ground like this, he wanted to shorten that time by any means necessary.
I'm... too weak...
What was the point of having the power of the Heavenly Killing Star? If the Mo Cheong in front of him became an enemy right now, and if he had even a single sword, So-wol's head would be off before he could do anything.
But the Willow Leaf Step... if he only had that bizarre movement that seemed to twist the laws of physics...
In his desperation, three years felt far too long.
"Splendid!"
A voice full of excitement rang out.
It was Lee Yu-baek, who had appeared atop the wall at some point. Despite the wall being taller than a man, he descended as lightly as a leaf and approached with a wide grin.
"Looking at So-wol's face, it seems you've been working hard. You didn't slack off like usual."
"Gasp." Mo Cheong flinched. He knew about my usual slacking?
And So-wol nodded inwardly. I knew it was a trap.
They had tried to lure him into slacking off so they could use it as an excuse to kick him out.
Terrifying people... I must never show a single opening.
So-wol looked back and forth between Mo Cheong and Lee Yu-baek with eyes full of intense focus.
The Jianghu was cold, and martial artists were heartless.
However, that look in So-wol's eyes struck a chord in Lee Yu-baek's heart.
Wonderful. The light in his eyes hasn't faded.
Anyone else would have broken if they had endured even a fraction of what So-wol had over the last two days. They would have run away or be crawling on the ground, having lost their mind.
But So-wol was different. Though his face and body were covered in bruises, he stood straight and straightened his clothes. He gave Lee Yu-baek a proper bow.
"You've arrived, Pavilion Master."
Lee Yu-baek was moved once again.
'A gentleman does not remove his hat even in death.'
It was said that when Zilu, a beloved disciple of Confucius, had his hat knocked off by a spear while fighting an enemy, he left those words, straightened his hat, and died.
To Lee Yu-baek's eyes, Yeon So-wol looked exactly like that.
Just what kind of ambition does this boy harbor to be like this?
In reality, Yeon So-wol was simply a diligent, well-mannered student with excellent social skills who had been aiming for Seoul National University in 21st-century Korea. Even in Korea, he was a standout—the kind of "perfect kid" you might find once in a school.
He was simply struggling even more fiercely and desperately now that he had been dropped into the unfamiliar world of the Murim.
But to Lee Yu-baek, who knew nothing of these circumstances, he looked completely different.
Willpower that doesn't break even after such a beating. Focus and mental strength that do not wither.
In truth, people in lands without proper public education—even those who called themselves soldiers—often lacked discipline and mental strength. In the ancient world of the Murim, it was even worse. People would do their usual tasks, but the moment something became new, difficult, or scary, they would all run away or give up.
In such a world, Yeon So-wol's mental strength shone brilliantly.
Still, it's possible. It's not unheard of, Lee Yu-baek thought. Someone with the will to travel from Annam to Guangdong could be like this. Rarely, some are born with such a strong spirit.
However, the grace to straighten one's clothes and give a proper greeting even in such agony was not something that could be faked.
Lee Yu-baek guessed at the hidden story.
He must have a deep, unspeakable history.
The boy had summarized it as simply wanting to learn martial arts after seeing a martial artist, but behind that must lie an epic saga of resentment, hatred, responsibility, love, and secrets that words could not describe. Otherwise, he couldn't possibly show such terrifying mental strength and composure at such a young age.
Having reached this conclusion, Lee Yu-baek finally made a decision on the problem he had been agonizing over.
Yu-baek, what were you even worried about? You have a precious guest who came to you with such a desperate heart.
He would trust him. He would trust in the boy's desperate ambition and offer him the one path that was impossible, yet possible.
Lee Yu-baek felt everything finally become clear.
"So-wol."
"Yes, Pavilion Master."
"I will teach you the Soft Willow Art. With it, you will be able to reach the Fire Phase in less than a year."
Yeon So-wol was stunned.
One year...!
They had said it would take three years at the earliest. But one year?
"Thank you!" So-wol bowed his head deeply.
And then—
"Wh-what? Master! The Soft Willow Art? Not the Soyo Art? Not even the Warm Wind Secret, but the Soft Willow Art? Are you trying to kill Yeon So-wol?!"
Mo Cheong, the disciple who knew exactly what the Soft Willow Art was, was absolutely horrified.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
You're all caught up! Follow the story on NovelDex!
https://noveldex.io/series/dropped-into-the-martial-world-with-an-instant-death-ability
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━