That’s Not How You Use Martial Arts

Chapter 8
The Attack (2)

『 Translator – Divinity 』

“It’s been a while, Second Brother.”

The one who appeared after breaking down the gate was a middle-aged man with a massive physique. He wore a robe with the sleeves roughly torn off, revealing the bulging muscles of his arms. And in his thick hands, he held a giant mace that seemed to be made of solid iron.

Master, who seemed to know the muscular middle-aged man, called out his name with a grave expression.

“Se-gon…”

Wait, but didn’t that man just call Master “Second Brother”? And Neung Baek-seo also called him “bodyguard,” didn’t he?

Master’s surname was Bae, wasn’t it? Why was he calling him “Second Brother”?

“Se-gon, how could you…!”

“It’s the flow of the times. Paecheon Fortress has already completely fallen into the hands of the Fortress Lord. No matter how hard Second Brother struggles, the Young Mistress cannot return.”

The muscular middle-aged man said with a seemingly regretful expression. At his words, Master’s arms trembled, and his face contorted.

“Master…”

Junior Sister Chu looked at Master Wang-sam with pity. I quietly approached her and asked,

“…Junior Sister Chu. Does Master Wang-sam also have a different real name?”

Junior Sister Chu whipped her head around at my question. At her dumbfounded look that seemed to ask, “You’re curious about that now?”, I responded shamelessly.

Well, the situation was urgent, but I was still curious.

“…Sigh.”

Junior Sister Chu let out a small sigh at my reaction and nodded.

“Master’s real name is Yeo Dae-un. And my real name is Yoo Seol.”

“I knew it…! Honestly, Wang-sam was too much of an extra’s name.”

“Huh? E-extra?”

“No, not extra, but ex…”

As I was about to explain it again to the bewildered Junior Sister Chu, I felt a strange stinging sensation on the side of my head. Turning my head, I saw that everyone was looking at me with dumbfounded expressions.

The exact same look Junior Sister Chu had given me just moments ago. A look that asked, “You’re curious about that now?”

Well, I could be curious, couldn’t I? Why were they looking at me like that?

Even Master was looking at me that way. Unable to bear it, I shouted at Master.

“Master, you shouldn’t look at me like that! It’s your fault for choosing such an extra-like alias in the first place!”

“What, what?”

“Honestly, Wang-sam? What kind of name is Wang-sam? It’s way too careless!”

My words made Master’s face turn red and blue. He inhaled to shout something back, but someone’s burst of laughter interrupted him.

“Puhahaha!”

It was Neung Baek-seo, the middle-aged man who had been trying to act all imposing. He clutched his stomach and laughed as if he had never seen such a comical sight before, then finally calmed down and said,

“This is quite an amusing fellow. It’s hilarious how he’s blabbering on without knowing he’s about to die.”

“Huh? Am I dying? I’m not terminally ill or anything.”

I’d already experienced being terminally ill in my past life. Having it happen twice would be crossing the line.

Neung Baek-seo twitched his lips at my response. He must have thought I was joking. I wasn’t.

Finally calming his twitching lips, Neung Baek-seo’s gaze shifted towards Jang Sa… Ju Hwa-ryeon.

“Young Mistress, you’ve been treating this idiot as your senior brother all this time? Must have been tough.”

“I don’t think so. Considering how poorly I’ve been treated, it’s hard to say I was treated as a senior brother.”

Perhaps he grew tired of my lighthearted responses. Neung Baek-seo’s face slightly darkened.

“A guy who doesn’t even know what’s going on, but has a lot to say.”

“Exactly. I have no idea what’s going on. Could someone please explain?”

At my request for an explanation, a smile returned to Neung Baek-seo’s face. But this smile wasn’t the jovial one from before; it was a clear sneer.

Along with the sneer, a chilling response came from Neung Baek-seo’s mouth.

“Khehehe… There’s only one thing you need to know. Because you were so eager to learn some martial arts, your entire family is about to die.”

At those words, my pounding heart sank.

Master’s shocked cry reached my ears.

“What…? Don’t tell me they attacked the Gun family?”

Perhaps excited by the expected reaction, that bastard Neung Baek-seo shouted gleefully.

“It’s the Fortress Lord’s order! Kill the wicked rebels and everyone associated with them…”

Before he could finish his sentence, I moved.

“…Gah!?”

I dashed towards Neung Baek-seo, grabbed him by the neck, and slammed him against the wall.

Bang!

“Ke, keuhk..!?”

“What did you just say?”

Neung Baek-seo’s face, red from being choked, was filled with shock.

He was trying to draw his sword belatedly, as if he were some kind of martial artist.

Crack!

“Keeeeuh—!”

I twisted his right wrist, the one reaching for the sword.

He screamed in pain as his wrist bent in a direction it shouldn’t naturally go.

Ah, right. He couldn’t answer while being choked, could he?

I grabbed him by the collar instead of the neck and asked again.

“What did you just say? What about my family?”

“You, you bastard…!”

“Uh-uh, wrong answer.”

Crack!

“Kraaagh!”

I stomped on his shin.

Judging from his reaction, it seemed to be broken.

Why were his bones so weak? Did he have osteoporosis?

Glancing at his broken shin, I asked again.

“What did you mean by…”

Whoosh!

But I couldn’t finish my question.

Because a giant mace came flying towards the top of my head with an ear-splitting sound.

I let go of Neung Baek-seo and jumped back, and the mace, missing its target, plunged into the spot where I had been standing.

Kwaaaang!

With a sound like a bomb exploding, the ground was deeply gouged.

The muscular middle-aged man lifted the mace embedded in the center of the crater.

“You’re more skilled than you look. You even managed to momentarily escape my notice.”

“Kr, kugh…! C-Captain Shin!”

The muscular middle-aged man clicked his tongue as he looked at Neung Baek-seo calling out to him.

“Tsk, tsk, even if you’re the leader of the Dark Heaven Squad, an assassination unit, haven’t you neglected your martial arts training too much?”

“…Kugh.”

The muscular middle-aged man looked at Neung Baek-seo, who could only groan without saying anything, with a contemptuous gaze, then turned his attention back to me.

Judging from their conversation, it seemed that the muscular man was higher in rank.

“If you know, why don’t you tell me? What did that bastard mean just now?”

The muscular man looked at me with a strange expression for a moment, then shrugged and replied.

“It’s simple. He means that another Dark Heaven Squad is currently heading towards your house.”

“…”

Another Dark Heaven Squad was heading towards my house.

They said the Dark Heaven Squad was an assassination unit, right?

An assassination unit was heading towards my house.

Even a three-year-old would know they weren’t going there for a friendly visit.

In other words, I didn’t have time to waste here.

I immediately headed towards the broken gate.

Thud!

The muscular man blocked my way again.

“…Move aside.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that. As Leader Neung said, we’ve come to kill all the rebels and those associated with them.”

“Se-gon! How dare you try to cover the sky with your palm!? How can you, who knows the whole truth, point your weapon at the Young Mistress!”

Master shouted furiously at the muscular man’s words, but he just brushed him off as if a dog was barking.

“Second Brother, the tide has already turned. Most of the vassal families who doubted and kept the Fortress Lord in check have been destroyed, and even the Imperial Family has acknowledged the Fortress Lord’s succession.”

“Wh-what…? The Imperial Family?”

Master looked at Merchant Leader Bang in bewilderment.

Her eyes asked if it was true.

The Merchant Leader, his face grim, nodded heavily.

“…It’s true. The Imperial Family has acknowledged that rebel’s succession. I should have told you earlier…”

“Ah…!”

At those words, Junior Sister Jang’s face turned pale.

Junior Sister Chu supported her as she swayed, seemingly in shock.

Seeing this, the muscular man gave a triumphant smile.

“Do you understand now? There is no hope left for the Young Mistress.”

And as if doing them a favor, he made an offer to Master.

“Second Brother, it’s not too late. I’ll put in a good word for you, so why don’t you join our side…”

“Hey.”

I couldn’t help but interrupt.

The muscular man twitched one eye, displeased that I had cut him off.

“I don’t care about the Imperial Family’s recognition or any of that. Move aside.”

“…Hmph. I told you, didn’t I? All those associated with the rebels will die tonight. That includes you. There’s only one way for you to leave this place. As a corpse.”

The muscular man smiled coldly and unleashed his aura.

The intense energy I had sensed earlier surged outwards.

“Ugh, this is…!”

Master gasped at the force of his aura.
Seeing this, the muscular man burst into laughter.

“Khahahaha—! Second Brother, do you feel it? The Fortress Lord bestowed upon me a drop of the Sky Blue Divine Oil for killing the Young Mistress. Thanks to that, my internal energy has skyrocketed.”

Master’s face was filled with despair.

It was understandable.

In this strange murim world without lightness skills, Sword Qi, or Sword Force, it was common sense that the difference in internal energy determined victory or defeat.

Indeed, the muscular man’s internal energy, as sensed by my qi perception, was a notch above Master’s.

At least in this place, there was no one who could defeat him with internal energy.

The man, with a triumphant look on his face, turned to me and asked,

“So, what will you do? If you surrender peacefully, I’ll let you die painlessly. If you go to the afterlife first, your family will soon follow.”

“Huh, what a load of bullshit.”

A curse slipped out of my mouth without thinking.

But to the man already intoxicated with the thrill of victory, even that curse seemed like an amusing joke.

Judging from how he kept chuckling.

“Khehehe… No matter what you do, the outcome won’t change. You’ll die here. What can you possibly do?”

“There is one thing I can do.”

I drew my sword from its scabbard.

“Kill you.”