Plop!
No matter how monstrous his stamina and resilience might be, it seemed Guak Cheolyong still couldn’t escape the direct impact to his brain, as he collapsed to the floor.
“Huff, huff, huff, huff.”
…Did I win?
I thought to myself as I stared down at Guak Cheolyong, who lay motionless on the ground.
To be honest, it didn’t feel very real.
Here I was, someone who had only been learning martial arts for about 4 to 5 years, taking down a master of the Hwa-gyeong.
In normal circumstances, that would be impossible.
“Awesome! Chilbok! You really took down Guak Cheolyong!”
At that moment, Namgoong Ruby cheered and rushed towards me from behind.
“Whoa!”
Caught off guard, I almost toppled forward, looking back at Namgoong Ruby clinging to my back with a bewildered expression.
“I was going to help you midway, but I changed my mind.”
“Oh, you noticed?”
With that, Namgoong Ruby playfully stuck her tongue out.
“Why did you stop?”
“Well, since Chilbok was doing well, I thought my jumping in would just be a distraction.”
“What’s that even supposed to mean….”
From my perspective, it felt like walking barefoot on a blade, yet she just sat there, sucking her fingers while watching until the fight ended?
Right at that moment.
“Excuse me, my lady.”
Swish!
With those words, Guak Cheolyong’s head was suddenly severed from his body.
“!?”
As I turned in surprise, I saw Namgung Min, who seemed to have recovered some strength, sheathing his sword while speaking.
“Confirming a kill is crucial on the battlefield. Especially with a monster like this guy, he could recover and get back up quickly.”
As he walked closer, Namgung Min squinted his eyes, scrutinizing me.
“Is this the Chilbok you mentioned, Ruby?”
“Yes!”
“What… well, he’s not bad for a son-in-law. Not as good looking as me, but his skills and face are decent.”
“Excuse me, what are you talking about? A son-in-law?”
I already have an engagement, you know?
“Do you know what ‘plunder marriage’ is? It’s a custom of the northern tribes.”
“…….”
Feeling a sudden sense of foreboding, I started to back away slowly when Namgung Min suddenly burst out laughing, “Hahaha! Just kidding!”
…It better be a joke, right?
As I continued to glare at him warily, his daughter, Namgoong Ruby, apologized on his behalf.
“I’m sorry, Chilbok. My dad has a playful spirit.”
“Haha, I apologize for bringing it up on first meeting. It’s just that I’ve never seen my daughter show affection for a man before.”
“Dad!”
Namgoong Ruby shrieked again, but Namgung Min pretended not to hear.
What a colossal thick-skinned guy.
“If I had more time, I’d love to chat further, but it seems the situation isn’t favorable.”
With that, Namgung Min surveyed the area and pointed toward the distant castle gate.
“I’ll handle this, so you go with my daughter to another place. There will be many people around needing help.”
“…Understood.”
Sure enough, as Namgung Min said, people were dying in various spots even while we were conversing.
With great power comes great responsibility; my newfound strength surely came with its own reasons.
“Let’s go.”
I said to Namgoong Ruby.
“Okay.”
She nodded, her usual carefree demeanor replaced with a determined expression.
As we attempted to head off, Namgung Min suddenly called out as if he remembered something.
“Ah, just so you know, my comment about him being a suitable son-in-law wasn’t a joke.”
Wobble!
“Dad!”
Hearing those words, Namgoong Ruby flushed red and shouted once more.
*
After taking down Suramajon Guak Cheolyong, we went around the battlefield helping people.
In the process, the nickname ‘Jijuhyeop’ I had used instead of my real name naturally established itself among the people.
“Thank you! Jijuhyeop!”
“Thanks to you, my son is alive!”
“Jijuhyeop! Thank you!”
While I waved at the grateful people, I mumbled in a small voice.
“…This feels complicated.”
At that, Namgoong Ruby, who was fighting alongside me, asked.
“Why?”
“Well, I don’t really like the nickname Jijuhyeop, yet people seem happy to call me that.”
I waved my hands as I answered her question.
As I did, the dense threads scattered across the battlefield were pulled together, causing the Golden Guards and the Sa-fa Warriors trapped like moths in a web to converge in one place.
After that, not feeling the need to finish them off, I severed the threads without regret and moved to the next location.
“Wouldn’t it be nice to have a cooler nickname?”
“That seems about right?”
The current nickname ‘Jijuhyeop’ feels a bit plagiarism.
Then, while we talked and dealt with soldiers, Namgoong Ruby swung her weapon, the Bi-cheon Sword, dramatically.
“In that case, let’s not use the threads in this battle. Nicknames are usually established by how strongly they leave an impression on people.”
…That actually made sense.
Nicknames tend to reflect the martial arts style or physical traits of the individual; the more I used the threads, the stronger the perception of me as ‘Jijuhyeop’ would become.
I found myself thinking while kicking a nearby Sa-fa Warrior away with a crescent kick.
‘From now on, I should only use the threads when absolutely necessary.’
It feels like I can’t shake that spider image since I’ve been using it so conveniently.
*
After defeating Cheolhyeol Majon Gu Yangcheol, Dokgorin infiltrated the palace of the Forbidden City all by herself.
Of course, countless Golden Guards rushed in to prevent her entry as a civilian, but they were no match for Dokgorin, who had completely mastered the Gucheon Hyeon-gyeong.
When the Gucheon Hyeon-gyeong reaches its peak, one can control nine swords with sheer will, each named as Gyeongcheon, Changcheon, Byeoncheon, Hyeoncheon, Yucheon, Hochcheon, Juchcheon, Yeomcheon, and Yangcheon.
Moving in perfect unison like living beings, those nine swords sliced through any enemy blocking their path.
Moreover, the radiation emitted from her body as she unleashed complete control made nearby soldiers cough up blood as if poisoned, even if they weren’t directly facing her blades.
“Cough!”
As another Golden Guard collapsed, coughing blood, Dokgorin, with a cold glare, made her way toward the source of a powerful aura.
“Damn! Is the leader of the Magic Guild a monster or what?”
By the time she arrived, it was clear that a man in golden armor, likely the commander of the Golden Guards, was being brutally toyed with by Baek Yujin’s guardian, Cheonma.
‘…So strong.’
Dokgorin, being a master at the Hwa-gyeong level herself, could genuinely sense it.
Even at the same level, there was a significant gap in skill between her and Cheonma.
If she were to engage him head-on, there would likely be no way for Dokgorin to defeat him.
Attacks that transcend cognition would be difficult for even her to counter.
‘Thank goodness he’s not my enemy.’
Thinking that, Dokgorin grabbed a young eunuch who was hiding nearby and asked.
“Where is Mangwibi?”
“Is-is it the lady Mangwibi you speak of?”
“Yes. If you tell me where she is, I might spare your life.”
At that, the young eunuch hastily pointed to the east of the Forbidden City.
“Over there! Just go that way! If there’s no special events, Lady Mangwibi usually stays in the secondary palace!”
“…….”
She withdrew the blade she had pressed against the young eunuch’s throat.
‘East, huh.’
She then turned towards the east and said,
“If you lied to me, I’ll definitely hunt you down and kill you.”
It was merely a simple threat, yet the young eunuch appeared to take it seriously, crying and burying his head into the ground.
“I swear! Please trust me just this once!”
“…Hmph.”
Seeing that, Dokgorin scoffed, then used her technique to dash towards the direction of the secondary palace.
*
“Master!”
As I was helping people around the battlefield, I spotted Tang Hochang, supported by Tang Sosu.
Having suffered severe injuries during the fights, Tang Hochang’s right shoulder looked dislocated, and blood was leaking through his clothes, suggesting that the bleeding hadn’t been properly controlled.
“I’m a step too late.”
Tang Hochang, sweating coldly from his forehead, immediately pointed towards the direction of Seungcheon Gate.
“Rin went straight into the Forbidden City after taking down Gu Yangcheol. She hasn’t been gone long, so if you chase after her now, you’ll catch up.”
“Got it, but first, we need to treat your wounds!”
Saying that, I pulled out a special healing ointment from my pocket.
It was the one Wolhyang had personally prepared for me when I left Myoseondong; it was made from herbs she had tended to herself, making it far more effective than ordinary healing ointments.
“Sosu, you apply it.”
I said this and handed the ointment to Tang Sosu, then decided to follow the path that Dokgorin had taken into the Forbidden City.
“Wait a second.”
Just then, Tang Hochang suddenly spoke up.
“…?”
I had just been about to use my technique when I paused and turned back.
Meeting my gaze, Tang Hochang said,
“Please take care of Rin. Chilbok.”
To him, I replied with a smile.
“Leave it to me. Master.”
I’m not the kind of pathetic man who would let the girl I like die.
