Whwoooosh!
A large club flew in from the front with a terrifying wind sound.
'Too honest (predictable), isn't it?'
I smiled.
'Should have aimed for the back of the head.'
I immediately ducked my head. The club brushed past the tip of my head.
"...!"
I can feel the guy who swung the club getting flustered.
'Did you really think that would work?'
I took a big step forward and dug into his bosom. At the same time, my knife-hand struck the guy's Adam's apple.
Thwack!
"Kuhk!"
The guy clutches his neck and staggers.
'Tsk, no basics at all. Don't you think about the opponent's combo?'
My opposite fist smashed into the guy's face.
Smack!
"...!"
Nice sound.
The guy's eyes glaze over from the solid hit.
In that interval, I sense a presence approaching from behind.
'Right, there's no way they sent only one.'
"Die!"
Tsk tsk.
'Why are you shouting? Are you kindly informing me that you're attacking?'
Whwoooosh!
Quickly turning my head to gauge the trajectory of the club, I furrowed my brow.
'Faster than I thought.'
It was too late to dodge.
Without hesitation, I raised my left arm. Immediately, the club slammed into my arm.
Thwack!
'Ugh.'
Severe pain struck, but I'm not one to shrink back from this much pain.
Without hesitating even a bit, I planted my right fist into the guy's abdomen.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
The moment the guy's body bent like a shrimp.
My left foot soared up and smashed the guy's chin.
Smack!
I could instinctively tell that the guy's consciousness had flown away.
'You intend to deal with me with just these guys? Iron Dog, isn't your judgment too poor?'
But this was too premature a judgment. Wang Chil's urgent voice came.
"Viper, on the left!"
"...!"
Even someone like me was flustered.
'Not two... but three?!'
They are even meticulous.
The moment I relaxed after knocking down two guys, he came aiming for my blind spot.
However.
The guy who was bringing the club down towards me met my eyes.
"...!"
I feel the guy wavering.
Not missing that gap, I narrowed the distance with him and grabbed the club with both hands.
Grab!
"Good ambush."
My forehead accurately smashed the guy's glabella (space between eyebrows).
Smack!
"Ugh..."
Due to the shock, the strength drains from the guy's grip on the club.
Not missing that gap, I snatched the guy's club away.
"...!"
"You rest now too."
I swung the club horizontally.
Bam!
Crack!
I hit him so hard that the club broke.
Thud!
The third guy collapsed, his face covered in blood.
Tap! Tap!
I dusted off my palms and looked around at the guys.
"Remember. I am Viper."
That petty Iron Dog.
To take out his grudge for losing the Red Flower Pavilion to the Seven Stars Society on me.
'Well, it is a common occurrence.'
This is one of the reasons why the lifespan of a professional brawler is short. We get hurt in matches, but we also get targeted by irrelevant grudges like this.
'You underestimated me too much, Iron Dog. Trying to do something to me with these greenhorns?'
The last ambush was decent, but these guys are rookies who haven't been thugs for long.
'Guys who can't even hide properly.'
Hiding clumsily, their shadows came out and they were caught by Wang Chil.
I rubbed the arm that blocked the club.
'Hmm. Fortunately, it's not broken.'
I got some bruises, but this is nothing.
Wang Chil narrowed his eyes and said.
"...Was this it? What you were hiding?"
I smacked my lips.
"As expected of King Fist. You noticed?"
"You fox-like bastard."
That I had completely fooled everyone.
'It's a shame. I was planning to use it on War Demon...'
In fact, I wasn't one-eyed. I just pretended to be one-eyed.
After fighting Blade, my left eye recovered soon after.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't a complete recovery, only a narrow field of vision returned. But even that was a heaven and earth difference from being one-eyed.
However, I closed my left eye and pretended to be blind.
'Everything is to use it reversely at a decisive moment.'
Some might think it's excessive, but not at all.
The fighting ring is where victory and defeat are divided by such small psychological warfare.
"Brother Wang, it's a secret to others."
"Tsk. Only calling me brother when you need something?"
I stepped close to Wang Chil and said.
"Hm? Hm? You'll keep the secret, right?"
"Alright, alright. So please just get away."
"Haha, you promised?"
"Really amazing. To act like a one-eyed person just to use it once... You aren't called Viper for nothing."
"Thanks for the compliment."
Wang Chil, who smirked, made a peculiar expression.
"You're this good just with brawling, but if you had entered a famous sect as a disciple..."
I frowned.
"Useless talk. Do you think they would even accept people like us?"
"True. Rather than living as a mediocre Murim-in like a dragon's head with a snake's tail - start strong end weak), being the best among brawlers might be better."
"Oh my. In times like this, it's not dragon's head snake's tail, but 'Better to be a chicken's beak than a cow's rump Better to lead a small group than follow in a big one).'"
Wang Chil made an embarrassed expression.
"I-is that so? Fascinating. How do you know such things so well?"
"I was someone called a genius in my youth. I mastered the Thousand Character Classic at the age of five."
It's not empty bragging.
My late father was a scholar and taught me writing. If not for 'that incident,' I might have become a scholar of the Imperial Palace.
Wang Chil made an absurd expression.
"Where are you coming up with such ridiculous lies..."
Thud!
Wang Chil, who was continuing his speech, tripped over a stone.
Normally, he would have balanced himself without difficulty, but unfortunately, Wang Chil's body condition right now was not normal.
'Uh?'
At that moment, along with a chilling feeling, the sight of Wang Chil falling appeared in slow motion.
'I have to catch him.'
Usually, even if he falls, nothing big happens. But for some reason, I felt like I had to catch him.
I stretched out my arm vigorously, but my hand was frustratingly slow, and since I had one eye (closed), my sense of distance was off.
In the end, I couldn't catch Wang Chil.
'No!'
He ended up hitting his head on the thigh of a person coming from the opposite direction.
Thud!
"Ugh!"
"..."
"Ah, I am sorry."
Wang Chil apologized without even checking the opponent, but the atmosphere was strange.
His gaze slowly moved upward.
Wang Chil saw the face of a handsome young man with a slender build in silk clothes harmonizing black and white, wearing a cold expression.
"What is this vermin?"
Looking down on people, his tone naturally aroused hostility. But I couldn't say anything from the side.
Because I knew the identity of this handsome young man.
'So Hwi-gang!'
The Young Leader (So-bang-ju) of the Cloud Peak Gang (Un-ak-bang / 雲岳幇), one of the top Unorthodox Factions (Sapa) in Changsha.
I remembered him because I had seen him from afar before.
'He's famous for his nasty temper!'
Unfortunately, Wang Chil seems not to have recognized him.
"No, Young Master. I apologized, but your words are too..."
I quickly grabbed Wang Chil's head and bowed low.
"We have committed a mortal sin, Young Leader! This guy is out of his mind today so he made a mistake..."
At the word Young Leader, Wang Chil flinched. Only then did he seem to realize So Hwi-gang's identity.
"Is that so? If you committed a mortal sin, you should die."
At the chilling killing intent, my heart sank.
"N-no. Please forgive us just once!"
So Hwi-gang examines his silk clothes without even giving us a glance. Unfortunately, a little of Wang Chil's blood was smeared on it.
"I wore this for the first time today... Tsk."
Saying that, So Hwi-gang just walks past us.
'Is he... letting it go?'
However, at his following voice, I felt a deep sense of despair.
"Gil-sang, take care of both of them."
The man with a formidable physique following behind him answers.
"Yes, Young Leader."
A man with an honest (stolid) impression appearing to be in his mid-thirties, I know him too.
'Damn.'
Jo Gil-sang, So Hwi-gang's bodyguard and a master expert (Gosu) whom brawlers like us dare not do anything against.
'We're in big trouble!'
Asking if two brawlers can do something about it?
Not a chance.
If we could even graze him, it would be heaven's luck.
"For the sin of daring to dirty Young Leader's clothes, pay with death."
"...!"
At the suffocating killing intent, even though Jo Gil-sang clenched both fists and approached, we couldn't even dare to think of running away and froze.
'We're dead...'
When I was pale with fear, Wang Chil whispered.
"Sorry, Viper."
"..."
"You live."
I couldn't help but ask.
"How do I live in this situation?"
Wang Chil said with a resolute expression.
"I will rush at him and buy time, so you turn around immediately and run."
"What?"
Can you, whose body is not even normal, buy even a little time?
"I'm going."
"W-wait..."
"Iyaaaap!"
With a resolute expression, Wang Chil even let out a shout and rushed at Jo Gil-sang.
"Hm?"
Seeing this, Jo Gil-sang smiles fishily.
'Damn it!'
Having seen up to there, I quickly turned my body and started running.
'I have to run for my life!'
I haven't even taken a few steps, but a gruesome sound is heard from behind.
Crunch!
"...!"
I can tell without bothering to turn my head to check. It's the sound of a head exploding.
'Goddammit!'
There is no time to mourn Wang Chil's death. I moved my feet with all my might.
"Doing useless things."
Ta-ta-tat!
Jo Gil-sang's loud footsteps were heard.
'Fast!'
He must have used the Lightness Art (Gyeong-gong) that Murim-ins use.
I am somewhat confident in running, but I can feel him rapidly narrowing the distance.
'At this rate, I'll be caught soon! What do I do?'
"Huk! Huk! Huk! Huk!"
Because I sprinted with all my might, my breath rises to my chin in no time. My lungs feel like they're going to burst, but that's not what's important.
'I will live! I will survive!'
I can't let Wang Chil's sacrifice be a dog's death (vain death)!
Is it because I felt death?
I got a strange feeling.
'This is...'
Following that feeling, I grabbed the sleeve of a figure ahead. No, I tried to grab it.
Swish!
'...Huh?'
The sleeve disappeared in an instant, and I fell flat on my face just like that.
Crash!
"Kuk!"
Lifting my head, an elderly man with a cold impression is looking down at me with an expressionless face.
"..."
I shouted as if screaming.
"Lord (Dae-in), save... save me!"
"Save you?"
The elderly man makes a peculiar expression. At that moment, Jo Gil-sang's voice was heard.
"He doesn't seem to have learned martial arts, but that guy is quite fast."
I shut my eyes tight.
'...It's over.'
Jo Gil-sang, who appeared, directed his gaze at the elderly man.
"Don't mind it and go on your way."
The corners of the elderly man's mouth slowly went up.
"Are you... talking to This Seat (Bon-jwa / 本座) right now?"
Jo Gil-sang's face hardened.
"Then who else is there besides you?"
"Kukuku, this is amusing. One guy begs me to save him, and the other guy forces me to go on my way."
The elderly man's eyes flashed.
"For now... shall I grant the request?"
"What?"
As soon as Jo Gil-sang's words ended, the sound of something being cut was heard.
Slice!
Thud.
Something fell right in front of my nose.
'...Huh?'
A human arm, to be exact, it was Jo Gil-sang's.
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