The man known as Ma Dongcheol, the Bloodstorm Tiger, was remarkably tough, seemingly impervious to attacks, perhaps having trained in martial arts unlike his subordinates.
I attempted to channel my energy into my fists and hit him, but his large frame and formidable resilience left me utterly helpless.
Facing an opponent of this type for the first time, I quickly found myself cornered.
“Hahaha! How long do you plan to scurry around like a rat?”
As Ma Dongcheol pursued me, he smashed everything in his path with his massive fists, causing merchants around us to moan in despair, but he didn’t care in the slightest.
‘How is it possible that the Black Dao runs amok in what can be considered the front yard of the Murim Association?’
It was something that defied common sense, but it was imperative to subdue him first.
Bam! Bam!
His fists held overwhelming power that could lead to fatal injuries even with a single misstep.
Naturally, facing him head-on was unwise, but with damage already looming, I braced myself and met his punch.
Boom!!
It felt like being struck by a log, the heavy impact resonating throughout my body.
“Ugh!”
A groan escaped my lips, but thanks to my flow technique, I managed to endure it.
Seizing that moment, I burrowed into Ma Dongcheol’s space and struck back with a powerful punch.
The second technique of the Tang Mun Kwon, the Mantis Deflecting Tread, was originally a counter technique that utilized the opponent’s strength against them.
Its power was immense, yet it was difficult to attempt as it required taking an attack first.
‘But now is not the time to think about any of that.’
Channeling my own strength plus the power behind Ma Dongcheol’s punch, I launched my strike.
“Oh, that stings a bit.”
However, Ma Dongcheol calmly shook off the part of his body that had been hit.
‘Not effective either?’
At this point, I genuinely wondered if he was made of steel instead of flesh.
Seeing my disbelief, Ma Dongcheol chuckled and said, “The Iron Arm technique I’ve trained makes my body as hard as steel. No matter how hard you try, you can’t even leave a scratch on me.”
“……”
It was infuriating, but he was speaking the truth.
After nearly five minutes of back-and-forth, I hadn’t managed to inflict a single meaningful wound on him, while my own fists were covered in bruises.
It was a one-sided disadvantage.
Right now, I had no means to cause him damage whatsoever.
‘No, that’s not entirely true.’
There was just one way.
One of the three secret techniques of Tang Mun Kwon that I hadn’t mastered by the time I left the Four Heavenly Kingdoms, the Heavenly Ceiling Strike is an internal striking technique that targets the inside rather than the outside.
‘Can I even succeed?’
I had practiced it continuously, but my success rate had barely surpassed 10%.
Too low a probability for real combat.
In gacha games, a 10% chance is considered generous, but this is not a game.
One misstep could lead to a counterattack that takes me out in one blow.
But right now,
‘It’s time to do it, even if I fail.’
Resolute in my decision, I locked my gaze on Ma Dongcheol, standing before me.
“What’s with that cocky look in your eyes?”
Instead of replying to his taunt, I raised one arm over my head and lowered the other, slightly spreading my legs.
This was the twin-headed dragon stance, the most basic attack position of Tang Mun Kwon.
Seeing my stance, Ma Dongcheol chuckled and rolled his arms.
“I never thought you’d still not give up. I’ll give you credit for your tenacity.”
But—
“Sometimes you need to know when to run, kid!”
With that, Ma Dongcheol charged at me like a giant bear, arms wide open.
In an instant, I countered.
Targeting the eyes, one of the most vulnerable areas of the human body.
“!”
No matter how tough he was, this part was likely untrained, causing Ma Dongcheol to instinctively shut his eyes.
But the momentum of his already powerful body couldn’t be stopped.
If I just stayed still, I’d get swept away.
‘It’s true that the most dangerous-looking places are often the safest.’
Recalling the advice from Tang Hochang, I purposefully stepped one step closer.
With his arms stretched wide, it was inevitable that the space beneath his chest was completely open.
Overcoming my fear, I dove into that space and delivered everything I had into a strike aimed directly at his abdomen.
Boom!!
*
The technique ‘Heavenly Ceiling Strike’ was originally a modification of the fourth technique of Tang Mun Kwon, the Charging Blood Strike. It forces the opponent’s weak points to be exposed before delivering a killing blow to those weaknesses.
Essentially, this technique delivers outward force into the enemy’s body, meaning no matter how tough their exterior is, I could still deal damage.
“……”
Ma Dongcheol, who had charged at me moments ago as if he would devour me whole, now stood frozen, likely unconscious from the blow.
As I pulled my fist from his abdomen, he slowly began to tip forward.
Thud!!
As his massive body hit the ground, a giant cloud of dust erupted, causing his subordinates to flee in terror.
“Big Brother has been taken down! Run!”
Instead of chasing after them, I focused on the sensation from the strike I had just executed.
‘It felt like a shotgun blast.’
The core principle of the strike was to use my fists to bash the shock into the opponent’s insides.
However, mastering that sensation had been incredibly difficult. Despite countless efforts, I had never surpassed a 10% success rate, yet now I felt I had grasped something important.
‘Is this what they mean by enlightenment?’
Despite training endlessly, I had never caught onto the sensation of the strike; I hadn’t expected to realize it this way.
Once again reminded of the importance of real combat, I checked to see if Ma Dongcheol was dead.
*Hiss—*
Fortunately, he was breathing normally.
I had struck him with full force without holding back, and his resilience served as a safeguard.
“Is it… over now?”
At that moment, one of the merchants cautiously asked me, and as I nodded slightly to signify that the fight was over, he joyfully took my hand.
“Thank you! These bullies have been harassing us for some time, and now it feels like a weight has been lifted!!”
“Thank you! Little Hero!”
“Thanks to you, we’re alive!”
Grateful voices suddenly surrounded me from all directions.
It seemed Ma Dongcheol had caused quite a ruckus.
With public sentiment so poor, it was clear.
“I see you must be a student of the Heavenly Martial Arts Academy; what is your title, Little Hero?”
Someone asked, and since I didn’t have a title, I nervously scratched my cheek and chuckled.
“I’m still too inexperienced to have a title worth mentioning.”
To that, the questioner was surprisingly startled and exclaimed, “What! How can you have no title with skills like that? Then we shall give you one!”
Merchants began gathering around, shouting, “Absolutely! Absolutely!”
“Then let’s call you the Spider Hero, since your movements are light and quick, just like a spider.”
“Spider Hero! That sounds perfect!”
“Everyone’s friendly neighbor! Spider Hero!”
Spider Hero! Spider Hero!
The makeshift title emerged, and the merchants declared it with zeal.
Feeling embarrassed, I cast my eyes down, and Namgoong Ruby, who came out due to the commotion, poked me in the side with a mischievous smile.
“Chilbongi is lucky. He got a cool title like Spider Hero.”
I replied to Namgoong Ruby, “Please shut up. It’s embarrassing….”
If my title was Spider Hero, I’d look like a cheap Chinese knockoff of an American comic book superhero.
*
After defeating the suddenly appearing bullies, I acquired the title of Spider Hero.
Though it was quite a clever title for something created on the spot, I felt a bit mixed about it.
‘In the original story, Dokgorin had the title Spider Girl.’
Thinking about it, it was more like a couple’s title than a couple’s t-shirt, and no matter how I looked at it, I felt embarrassed.
‘The friendly neighbor of the people, Spider Hero?’
How does it even have the same catchphrase?
At least the good news was that I wouldn’t be held responsible for the property damage caused during my fight with the bullies.
Most of the damage was actually done by Ma Dongcheol, and since he had a definite identity, it seems the merchants intended to collectively claim damages from the gang known as the Blackgloom.
Thanks to that, I returned to the shop I originally belonged to with peace of mind, eating the broken noodles and dishes while having a late meal.
Having settled lunch, Namgoong Ruby suggested.
“We’re heading to the teahouse I mentioned earlier. Would you like to join us?”
“Sounds good.”
After all, I had already accomplished the purpose of my outing, which was to buy new clothes.
Other than that, the only schedule left was to buy materials for Dokgorin’s mask.
With that next stop decided, I told the others to go ahead and wait for me while I went to settle the bill.
However, when I asked for the bill, Jeongsui smiled slightly and said,
“The food you enjoyed has already been paid for by our owner.”
As she pointed to a middle-aged man standing aside, I realized he had a familiar face.
“You are…!”
“Hehe, think of it as an investment in a future hero.”
It turned out that the person who had covered my lunch was indeed the very one who had given me the embarrassing title of Spider Hero.
