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[Murim Tournament (2)]
The group goes to the room. I moved my seat.
It was because of old man Jin who was so angry.
“You bet the Changcheon God Sword as the winning prize! What right does the Murim Lord have to dare!”
Old Man Jin’s face turned red as he could not control his anger. If there was a Murim lord in front of me, I was ready to attack him.
Changcheonshingeom was the symbol of the sword emperor.
100 years ago, the 7th Heavenly Demon, who was the leader of the Demonic Cult at the time, led the Demonic Cult masters and invaded the Jungwon Wurim.
No one could stop the Heavenly Demon.
According to records, the corpses formed a mountain, blood flowed like a river, and a flock of crows followed the demons and sang.
At that time, when even the Murim Lord was miserably killed by the Heavenly Demon and everyone accepted the Murim Alliance’s defeat as a fait accompli….
“The Emperor led the masters of the text into the war and changed the situation of the war. Take on the Heavenly Demon that no one had been able to stop until then, alone! He fought for three days and nights and defeated the Heavenly Demon! After slaughtering the fleeing Demon Cultists all the way to Xinjiang, you became a fable!”
‘Fable light ship? The story is very different from what I know.’
In fact, the Geomwang fought against the Cheonma and was defeated.
It was a match that was close to a two-game plan, so Cheonma returned to Xinjiang with serious injuries, and Geomwang barely survived with his arms and legs cut off.
Afterwards, he asked his successor for revenge and left a record of his reign.
But that was a fact only people knew.
‘Let’s just leave the legend as a legend.’
The great man quietly nodded because he did not want to damage the idol of Old Man Jin.
“That’s right. “Bad guys.”
Old Man Jin said, the vein in his neck rising.
“How dare the Murim League, who had no interest when the original text was destroyed, dare to sell his sacred items as products of their own?”
Old man Jin grew up listening to the sagas of the Sword Emperor since childhood. To him who was an orphan, the Geomwangmun that gave him up was everything, and the Geomwang was more than an idol.
The fact that the new soldier used by such a sword emperor was entered as a prize in a mere martial arts contest for later indexes enraged old man Jin.
“Damn it! “I’ll go right away and argue with the Murim Lord!”
Old Man Jin got up from his seat and was caught by Manbak Nogee.
“Jinga you bastard. Cool your head. “What will change if you go and argue?”
“But old man…!”
Old Man Jin called Manbaknogoe ‘Elder’.
Although they were both old people, the age difference was 50 years (according to the old man’s guess), so old man Jin was like a child in front of the old man.
“I also don’t like what the Murim Lord is doing, but isn’t it actually a good thing?”
At the same time, Manbaknogoe looked back at Daein and Namgunghyeon.
“One of the two will win and get the sword.”
“…yes? “Are you saying I should also participate in the martial arts competition?”
Surprised, Namgoonghyun pointed at himself with his finger. The Manbak Nogee burst out laughing.
“Of course I should go out. Descendants of the Geomwang and disciples of the Geomwang. Who else besides you two is qualified to be the master of the Changcheon Divine Sword?”
“But…”
Many things came to Namgoong Hyeon’s mind.
An identity that has been hidden my entire life.
A cursed constitution called transylvania.
A life of running away from unknown pursuers…
‘…I’m going to participate in a martial arts competition in front of countless people? Aiming to win too?’
Just thinking about it made me feel scared, and at the same time, my heart rate increased and my heart pounded.
“But if my identity is discovered…”
Manbaknogoe said there was nothing to worry about.
“How many people in the martial arts world do you think will recognize Geomwang’s martial arts skills?”
“…….”
“Even if I recognize you, I won’t be able to do anything else while attending the competition. So you can participate.”
‘If anyone touches you, I will protect you. That would be the only way to repay the debt.’
Manbaknogoe looked at Namgunghyeon with complicated eyes.
Even Old Man Jin, who was worried about his granddaughter and tried to stop her from participating, found it difficult to open his mouth after seeing that expression.
“This may be your last chance to make your name known in this world as a warrior before you leave for the land called Earth.”
“…….”
After thinking for a moment, Namgoonghyun nodded with a stern expression.
“I’m worried that it might tarnish the name of Geomwang, but… I’ll give it a try.”
“Cluck. Well thought out. And from today onwards, stop dressing as a man. “If you’re a girl, you should powder yourself and dress up pretty like a girl.”
Namgoonghyeon looked down at his rough military uniform and said.
“I feel comfortable dressing like this now…”
“Jinga. “Go out at night and come dressed in a red silk uniform.”
Nam Gung-hyeon and Old Man Jin also looked embarrassed.
“Elder. Why did you have to go that far…”
“You bastard. If you have to do it, do it. “Should I go to a dry goods store at this age?”
“…Oh no.”
After sorting out the situation, Manbaknogoe only then looked back at Daein.
“Hey. “Why are you just smiling without saying a word?”
“You need to give me a chance to talk.”
The great man shrugged his shoulders in response. His expression looked quite relaxed earlier.
Manbak Nogee, who guessed the reason, clicked his tongue.
“Cluck. Look at this guy. “You’re confident that you’ll win the Yongbongbimu, right?”
“That’s it.”
The great man grinned. Because that was the truth.
Yongbongbimu has an age limit of 18 to 40 years old.
The saying goes that the age limit is 40, but even if you are over 35, the warriors of political factions who value face rarely come out.
‘In other words, there will be no teenage masters who are all in their 40s or older.’
Under those conditions, wouldn’t winning be a given?
The great man smiled heartily and said.
“Now all that remains is to pack the sword and return to Earth. “Master, would you like to go with us?”
The great man naturally called Manbaknogoe “Master.”
We met in Liaoning and stayed together for almost a month. Now, even the old man knew about the Earth.
“Hey. First, just win and then say something like that. Do all of Moorim’s late-stage indices look easy in your eyes?”
“But I don’t think we’ll lose. “Unless you reach the level of a teenage expert.”
Daein’s skills had already reached their peak and he was growing steadily by absorbing the teachings of Manbaknogoe.
As things stand now, there is no doubt that he is the overwhelming candidate for the championship.
So
Manbaknogoe was thinking of changing the situation a bit.
To a level where a cocky disciple can be sufficiently disciplined.
“Cluck, click, click.”
The great man sensed a very ominous omen in that smile and his expression hardened.
“…Why are you smiling like that? “Uneasy.”
“Unmanned people experience and grow through crises. Experiences easily gained are easily forgotten. So…”
The grinning Manpak old monster got up and slowly approached.
Daein also got up and took a step back just that much.
In Daein’s mind, the hardships he had gone through on his way to this point came to mind one by one.
“You’re not trying to make me unable to use my skills again, are you?”
“Cluck cluck. “Please come here obediently.”
“Damn you old man!”
At that moment, the new model of Manbaknogoe is pot! And disappeared. The appearance of a great person at the same time is also fleeting! has disappeared.
The two people were moving so fast that Old Man Jin and Nam Gung-hyeon could barely follow their afterimages.
Pabababak!
Occasionally, the afterimages overlapped and the hands and feet of the two people clashed.
At the same time, a friendly conversation took place between the priests.
“Cluck. Hey. “If it’s too easy, there’s no fun in winning.”
“what the! “Don’t you know that my life’s goal is to live an easy and comfortable life?”
“Tsk tsk. That’s your problem. “You’re so talented, but you still think you can use tricks… I’ll break your head right now.”
Bababababaak! Bub bub bub!
The movement of the two afterimages became even more intense.
And in the end,
“I got you, guy.”
Bah!
With a sharp hitting sound, the man lay down on the floor.
“Whew… he’s a kid.”
Manpak Nogee stretched out his hand over the body of the great man who was lying panting and quickly checked the blood pressure of his entire body.
“I won’t make you completely unable to use your inner strength. “You will be able to use about 20% of it.”
“Keuung…”
The great man raised his upper body and tried to cry.
As if blood vessels were narrowed and blood was not flowing well, I was only able to move smoothly with about one-fifth of my normal internal energy.
“Keep in mind. “If you carelessly increase your internal strength beyond that, your acupuncture points may be torn.”
The great man lay down on the floor again and sighed.
“Haa… the martial arts competition and all. Should I just go back to Earth?”
“Hey. I’m just telling you to do well. “If you win, you will receive a gift, so try hard.”
“gift?”
The great man raised his head and looked at the old man.
The old man made an expression of bewilderment as his eyes suddenly became brighter.
“You philistine…”
“I have a feeling that the odds of winning will vary depending on the value of the gift?”
The old man sighed deeply and said.
“I get it. “If you win, I’ll teach you swordsmanship.”
A state that every warrior who wields a sword dreams of. Igigeeo swordsmanship.
However, the great man’s expression was completely somber.
Because it was something I already knew how to do.
“I know how to do it too. “It’s a bit difficult, though.”
When the great man stretched out his hand, the iron sword on the bed floated into the air.
Although it was slow due to the limited internal power used, the sword moved according to the will of the great man.
The old Manbak saw this and laughed.
“Cluck. It’s just ordinary swordsmanship. “Take a good look.”
Slurp.
When the old man stretched out his hand, the three swords of the group, excluding Daein’s, rose into the air.
Each of the three swords began to move as if they had life.
One sword delivers a flash-like thrust, while the other slashes an imaginary enemy diagonally. One of the handles twirled around the body of the Manpak old monster as if guarding it.
Even all three swords were filled with strong energy.
A sight as if three supreme masters were performing different techniques.
“Huh…”
“I can’t believe this is actually possible…”
Old Man Jin and Nam Gung Hyun opened their mouths and looked at the state of the great sword.
On the other hand, the great man swallowed his saliva and watched the movement of the three swords.
Because he was able to perform the sword technique, albeit clumsily, the great man was able to see more specifically how great it was.
“Cluck. “This is the greatest talent among Nobu’s talents.”
I got greedy. I wanted to learn.
‘How much more comfortable the world would be if I could use that technology…’
Even if it wasn’t necessarily when fighting, I felt like life itself would be greatly enriched if I applied it in many ways.
‘I must learn that!’
The great man was already up from his seat. Seeing his burning eyes, the old man smiled with satisfaction.
“Cluck. How do you feel? “If you win the Yongbongbi dance, I will teach you this trick.”
Daein was determined to win.
***
The next day.
The two people who decided to participate in the Yongbongbi dance faced difficulties from the start.
“I’m sorry, but you cannot participate in the Yongbongbimu without a letter of recommendation.”
“A letter of recommendation?”
Old Man Jin, who followed the two, asked with a puzzled expression. Manbaknogoe disappeared early in the morning again today, saying he had personal business to attend to.
“Since when was something like that necessary for Yongbongbimu? “This is my first time hearing it.”
The attendant at the reception desk explained the situation.
“This is a new rule introduced for this competition. “This is a way to prevent agents of the Demonic Cult from participating in the competition.”
In a situation where it was almost certain that a political war would break out sooner or later, it was obvious that if the Murim League held a martial arts competition, the Demon Cult would send spies.
It would not be possible to catch all the spies hiding in the city.
However, in order to prevent spies from the Demonic Cult from participating, at least in the Yongbong branch, the Murim League introduced a recommendation system.
“How can I get that recommendation letter?”
When Namgoonghyun asked the question, the attendant at the reception desk blushed a little.
“Oh, that’s it…”
Namgung-hyeon stopped dressing up as a man, just as Manbak Nogee had told him the day before. She pulled back her tightly tied hair and put on the active yet aesthetically pleasing dress that female warriors often wear.
She only had her hair down and her clothes changed, but nine out of ten men passing by glanced at her.
Perhaps the remaining one would have turned around if she had been dressed as a man.
Since the lady at the reception desk was one of the nine, she answered the beauty’s questions in as much detail as possible.
“You can receive a letter of recommendation with the seal of the head of a sect affiliated with the Murim Alliance or a warrior of the elder level or higher from the old sect or the five major clans.”
It wasn’t an easy thing to hear. The great man muttered with a bewildered expression on his face.
“You’re saying you shouldn’t participate in competitions if you don’t have connections, right?”
There was no way that a person of the sect’s lord or elder level would easily write a letter of recommendation. No, it’s usually not easy to meet.
In fact, that was the intention of the Murim Alliance.
The goal is to prevent any possible betrayal by spies in the future by conducting Yongbongbimu with a focus on clearly verified later indicators.
It was a method that had to be chosen to prepare for the impending political war.
As someone who had to ask for a letter of recommendation, I could only sigh.
Namgoonghyeon sighed and said.
“Is there no other way? “We don’t have any contacts to receive a letter of recommendation.”
As she approached and looked at her with earnest eyes, the mouth of the receptionist opened of its own accord.
“Now that the lords of various clans are here, it would be a good idea to visit the lords of your local clan…”
“Is there any other way?”
I shouldn’t be like this… Her eyes were so earnest that I couldn’t help it. The warrior lowered his voice and said.
“I heard that there are people who forge letters of recommendation. However, on the day you are caught, you will be treated with respect, so you must never do it.”
Namgoonghyeon opened his eyes wide.
“Oh, I see.”
“sorry. “If I knew Moonju, I would have introduced him to you…”
The three people turned around, leaving behind the man at the reception who was truly sorry.
“What a letter of recommendation. “Suddenly I don’t know where to get it.”
“Shouldn’t we at least get a forgery? First, I have to participate…”
“If I get caught in the middle of the competition, things will get serious. “They will even try to investigate our true identities.”
“Hmm…”
Even after walking and talking for a while, no suitable solution was found.
It was then.
“oh! “Kihyeop Sword Daehyup!”
When I turned my head in the direction the voice came from, a middle-aged woman I remembered seeing somewhere came running towards me with a happy face.
“This is how you meet your benefactor here!”
“Who… Ah!”
The great man remembered the face of the middle-aged woman.
Was it Kwak Doo-chil? He was the person who killed and saved the bandit leader who was a top-notch expert.
The woman’s face looked much brighter than before.
The clothes were classy and the makeup was pretty, making her look 10 years younger. She looked like a noble lady.
The great man said with a smile.
“It looks like you came home safely.”
The middle-aged woman was very happy to see the man and spoke chattily.
“Thanks to Daehyup. When I think about what happened back then… Oh, there was an elderly person there too. You can’t see any other large cooperatives… Oh my. “Is the beautiful lady next to you Jeongin?”
Namgoonghyun blushed.
Whether it was because of the words “beautiful young lady” or “jeongin” was something that only I knew.
The great man looked around roughly.
“He’s my younger brother.”
“oh. Your younger sister is truly beautiful. But what is going on here to my benefactor? Are you participating in the Yongbongbi dance?”
“yes. “I came here for that purpose, but…”
Perhaps she was naturally this talkative, or perhaps she was so happy to meet her lifesaver that she was being friendly, but
the middle-aged woman continued to pour out words without stopping.
“oh. Look at my mind. Instead of doing this, I will take you to my house. I don’t know how much I regretted not being able to at least treat my benefactor to a meal. “Seeing that this opportunity to repay has come, I guess the gods of heaven and earth have heard my prayers.”
‘You even prayed?’
Somehow, I felt like I was being dragged into this woman. The great man tried to decline in moderation.
At that time, two warriors were seen behind the woman, watching her.
Well-organized momentum and sharp eyes.
They were not ordinary people you could see anywhere.
‘Could it be that this lady is a bodyguard?’
It seemed like he was deliberately keeping a reasonable distance, but it definitely felt like he was a bodyguard.
“madam.”
As the man stretched out his hand towards the woman’s shoulder, the two warriors flinched and walked quickly.
‘That’s right. Guard warrior.’
“yes?”
The great man naturally lowered his hand. Then the guard warriors also slowed down.
But the understanding is already over.
The great man smiled softly and said.
“From what I heard before, I thought you said you worked for a certain family. Are you entrusting yourself there now?”
This is a person who is sent by a clan with a bodyguard. Maybe you can get help getting a letter of recommendation.
Namgoonghyun, who was next to him, seemed to have the same thoughts as Daein, with an expectant look in his eyes.
[Brother. The warriors behind me. You are a bodyguard, right?]
[I think so. Let’s follow this lady. If you do well, you might be able to receive a letter of recommendation.]
At that time, the middle-aged woman smiled innocently and answered.
“Thankfully, the Namgung family is taking care of me. They are really good people.”
[Murim Competition (2)] End
ⓒ Ganjjajang
