Chapter 189

System

Quest

There Is a Man Who Loved You So Much

A man’s burning love for a woman has manifested as jealousy and rage.

He seeks to win her love by defeating you.

Grade: Peak

Restriction: Jin Taekyung

Task: Win the duel (Incomplete)

Reward: EXP and Fame

Failure: Acquire the Title Weak Male

—Would you like to accept the Quest?

—If you refuse the Quest, the Title Weak Male will be granted.

Wow. This is bullshit.

Of course, the penalty for refusing would suck twice as much.

Not like I have a choice.

I clicked my tongue and rose from my seat, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Young Master Jin!”

“Young Master Jin.”

“Young Hero Jin, you don’t need to go out there.”

“That’s right. Has Senior Brother Chul gone crazy? Why is he suddenly acting like this?”

Wolhwa, Lee Seowol, Baek Museong, and even Eunhyang, whom I’d barely exchanged a few words with, all looked at me with concern.

I was the only one who didn’t think much of it.

“It’s fine. We’ll have a good, clean fight.”

Wolhwa sighed.

“Young Master Jin, do you know who you’re up against?”

“Of course. Chulwoo, the Defeated Flower Fist.”

“I don’t think you do. The Defeated Flower Fist is considered a prodigy even within Huashan. Think carefully about why he’s called one of the Three Plum Blossom Elites.”

“Probably because he’s good at fighting.”

“No, that’s not what I… Whew. Fine. I give up. Do whatever you want.”

Wolhwa was out.

Baek Museong and Eunhyang stepped forward next.

“I don’t mean to underestimate Young Hero Jin, but my Second Junior Brother is, how should I put this? He’s…”

“A mad bull. When Senior Brother Chul loses his temper, dealing with him is a real nightmare.”

“Eunhyang!”

“What? I’m not wrong.”

In short, they were saying someone like me was no match for Chulwoo.

That’s what you think.

I thought otherwise. I still didn’t know whether it was arrogance or confidence. I just…

I don’t think I’ll lose.

I was certain of it. Certain that I could defeat the man shouting at me.

“Come! Out! Right! Now!”

“I’m coming, you bastard.”

With more than a thousand people gathered around the Grand Training Ground watching me, I walked toward Chulwoo.

“We must stop the duel.”

At Baek Museong’s words, Jin Wikyung shook his head.

“My younger brother has already accepted the Defeated Flower Fist’s challenge. The duel will end after that.”

“Great Hero Jin.”

“I don’t know what happened between them, but there seems to be some bad blood. Wouldn’t this be a good opportunity for them to clear the air?”

Baek Museong sighed inwardly at Jin Wikyung’s carefree response.

Does he not understand the situation?

From what Baek Museong could see, Chulwoo was absolutely furious. He looked ready to break several of Jin Taekyung’s limbs before he stopped.

This is bad.

They had to stop this now. Baek Museong had heard more than enough rumors about the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi on the journey here, but in his eyes, Jin Taekyung was no match for his Second Junior Brother.

The names Defeated Flower Fist and Three Plum Blossom Elites had not been earned through his Master’s reputation alone.

“He could be seriously injured. Shouldn’t we intervene before something happens?”

“Who?”

“…Pardon?”

“The duel hasn’t even begun yet. Nor has its outcome been decided.”

Baek Museong realized he had been mistaken. Jin Wikyung understood the situation better than anyone.

They were simply operating under different assumptions.

“Great Hero Jin. Don’t tell me…”

“That’s right.”

Jin Wikyung gave a low laugh. His gaze remained fixed on the back of his younger brother as he walked toward the dueling platform.

“That boy will win. Just as he always has.”

“…”

Baek Museong was left speechless. The Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi was undeniably a remarkable prodigy, but he couldn’t match Chulwoo in experience, martial arts, or internal energy.

Baek Museong had watched Chulwoo since childhood. He could say that with absolute certainty.

The Lesser Family Head is wrong. The Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi can’t stand against my Second Junior Brother.

Baek Museong shook his head, but the water had already been spilled. If they backed down now, the prestige of both sects would be dragged through the dirt.

I’ll have to intervene at the right moment.

As he watched the dueling platform with a grave expression, he overlooked one fact.

Munch, munch. Smack, smack.

Cheongpung—the man who called Jin Taekyung his Benefactor—was silently watching the situation unfold.

“Waaaaah!”

“Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi! Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi!”

“Defeated Flower Fist! Defeated Flower Fist!”

The moment I stepped onto the dueling platform, cheers erupted from every direction. The response was on a completely different level from when the previous challengers had appeared.

“Oh, so everyone knows the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi. Just so you know, he’s. Damn. Strong.”

“Waaaaah!”

As I enthusiastically waved to the crowd, Chulwoo glared at me.

“You should wave too. There are no stars without fans. Don’t you know that?”

“Wave while you still can. You’ll spend the next three months staring at the ceiling of a medical clinic.”

“Let me ask you something. Why the fuck are you giving me shit?”

“You’re asking because you don’t know?”

I shrugged.

“Did you get rejected before you could even confess?”

“Who got rejected!”

Chulwoo shouted, his face flushed.

“If you hadn’t interfered, we’d already be living happily with three children!”

“…Isn’t that a little too fast?”

There were limits to how much you could speed things up. They hadn’t even known each other for half a shichen.¹ How were they supposed to get married and have three children already?

What is he, a Command Center?² He’ll hit a population of two hundred in no time.

As Cheongpung had said, even if a goose brought them by rocket delivery,³ it would take half a day. And since there were three children, they’d have to come as a bundle.

“It’s fine to spread your imagination’s wings, but leave me out of it. I don’t have anything to do with this Young Lady, so this is unfair.”

“Nonsense! I saw the way she looked at you!”

“The way she looked at me? What kind of look was it?”

“It was… It was… Urgh.”

Unable to continue, Chulwoo groaned and widened his eyes.

“I promise you this. You won’t be leaving here on your own two feet.”

“I’m a nice guy, so I’ll let you crawl out on all fours.”

“I’ll smash that insolent mouth of yours!”

With a roar, Chulwoo charged.

I swung my spear shaft at the punch flying toward me with a fierce aura.

Whoosh! Boom!

The violent impact sent me sliding backward. The force was unbelievable for a collision between flesh and steel.

At some point, a pair of dull-black gauntlets had appeared on his hands.

“Those Items look pretty nice. Mind if I check them out?”

“You bastard!”

Whoosh!

He truly was a mad bull.

The only difference was that he had fists instead of horns—and those fists weren’t just swinging blindly.

“Hup!”

I held my breath and swung my spear. The paths of the gauntlets and spearhead intersected, spraying sparks.

Clang-clang-clang!

I pressured him with the spear’s advantage in reach, while Chulwoo pressured me with his natural reflexes and strength.

Whoosh!

A steel-hard leg whipped toward my waist.

He was astonishingly fast and flexible for his size. I retreated and thrust my spear toward his neck.

Bang! Krrrck!

His toes cut through empty air, while his gauntlet blocked the spearhead. Chulwoo seized the blade and grinned.

“Got you.”

Krrrck!

At the same moment, an immense force yanked the spear toward him. He had probably been aiming for this from the start.

A spearman without his spear was no better than a scarecrow with its eyes open.

Of course…

I expected this much.

I released my grip and charged at Chulwoo. The triumph on his face turned to shock.

Unable to overcome the force of his own pull, both of his hands shot overhead with the spear still clutched between them.

“You…!”

“Give me back my spear.”

Crack!

“Guh!”

Something broke. Chulwoo staggered after taking my knee to the face.

Next came his solar plexus.

Thud!

“Ghn!”

Struck in a vital spot, he dropped the spear and stumbled backward. In the meantime, I calmly retrieved it.

“You bastard!”

Chulwoo finally overcame the pain and straightened up. The moment I saw him, a quiet laugh escaped me.

“Y-You’re laughing?”

“Your nose is bleeding.”

“You’re really dead—what? A nosebleed?”

He hurriedly wiped the bridge of his nose with the back of his hand, and his face twisted in outrage.

“How dare you injure my face?”

“It’s fine. You’re so ugly, no one will notice.”

“That makes it worse! Won’t I become even uglier now?”

“…”

What the hell was with this guy? He was surprisingly self-aware.

“Gaaaaah!”

Chulwoo let out a furious roar, his eyes flashing.

“For my Senior Brother’s sake, I was going to end this without going too far… But not anymore.”

“Do it properly. That’s why I came out here.”

“Fine. I’ll fight you seriously.”

As if to prove his words, a faint light shimmered around Chulwoo’s gauntlets.

“Fist Energy?”

It was still incomplete, but it was unmistakably Fist Energy. A vicious smile spread across his lips.

“It’s too late for regrets.”

Whoosh! Slice!

Sparks flew as the spearhead was cleanly severed. Chulwoo drew upon every bit of internal energy in his body, and his fists blurred.

Swish! Swish-swish-swish!

A razor-sharp gale raged around me. Each time I swung my spear against the wind raised by his fists, another handspan⁴ was sliced away.

Though incomplete, the cutting power of his materialized qi was tremendous.

Slice! Slice! Slice!

In less than a split second, the steel spear in my hands had been reduced to a sharpened metal rod the length of my forearm.

“Damn. I thought I was finally getting used to it.”

At this point, it wasn’t a spear anymore. It was a short flute. A short flute.

Grumbling, I swung the steel flute through the air.

“Man, it suddenly got so light that I can’t adjust.”

Chulwoo must have found the sight amusing, because he burst into laughter.

“Ha-ha-ha! You pathetic bastard. What are you planning to do with that?”

“None of your business.”

“Are you admitting defeat already?”

“Admitting defeat, my ass. Who says I lost?”

“What gives you such confidence after losing even your weapon? If you think my Senior Brother or your brother will save you, you’re mistaken.”

I let out a quiet laugh.

“You’d better not regret this. If you ask for a draw now, I might consider it.”

“What? A draw?”

“Yeah. On the condition that you stop hitting on this Young Lady.”

“You lunatic.”

“Then negotiations are over.”

I strode toward him, casually swinging the steel flute that could no longer be called a spear.

“Come here. Let’s fight.”

A spearman was fearlessly approaching a master of fist-and-foot martial arts—and without even a proper weapon in his hands.

The crowd surrounding the Grand Training Ground began to murmur at the sight.

Chulwoo frowned as though he were looking at some bizarre creature.

“What the hell are you?”

“Jin Taekyung, the Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi. You know that.”

“Are you acting cocky because you have some hidden move up your sleeve?”

“Who knows?”

“You aren’t planning to use some underhanded trick, are you?”

An underhanded trick.

In a way, I supposed it was something like that.

After all, it was a method permitted only to me—one no one else could see.

Open Status Window.

Only thirty paces remained between Chulwoo and me.

The System responded.

Ding.

System

Status Window

Level 71 Jin Taekyung

Class: Peak Master

Fame: 2,500 (+250)

Titles: 5 (Title effects active)

• Returnee (All stats +10)

• Sleeping Dragon of Shanxi (All stats +15, Fame +200)

• Scion of a Prestigious Family (All stats +5, Fame +50)

• Gambler (Combat-related stats +10% in one-on-one combat)

• Intermediate Trainee (Training speed +20%)

Strength: 255 (+55)
Stamina: 207 (+50)

Agility: 250 (+55)
Intelligence: 40 (+30)

Charm: 40 (+30)
Internal Energy: 45 years

Toughness: 200 (+50)

Remaining Points: 70

• Certain stats have been temporarily increased by the Gambler effect.

• Assign the remaining points.

The Gambler effect. And the seventy points I’d gained by breaking through the wall of the Peak realm.

I stepped forward without hesitation. Twenty paces away, I could see the bewilderment on Chulwoo’s face.

“Lunatic.”

“I hear that a lot.”

Fifteen paces.

I muttered inwardly.

Assign twenty points to Strength.

Whoosh.

An invisible wind swept through me, carrying new strength into my body. My Strength, temporarily pushed past 300, churned like an active volcano.

Assign fifty points to Agility.

A second wind blew.

The very next step felt strange, as though the foot I’d just moved belonged to someone else.

Was I always this light?

It felt as though I’d stepped into an entirely new world.

I took a deep breath.

Chulwoo, not me, was the first to close the remaining ten paces.

“Damn it, I told you to surrender! Don’t blame me for what happens now!”

Whoosh!

I knew this martial art. It was called Crouching Tiger Fist because it was said to subdue tigers.

Just as its ferocious opening strike was about to slam into my chest—

Whoosh.

A third wind blew.

It began at my toes and ended at my fingertips.

“Hey, Level 95.”

Swish.

I jabbed the pointed steel flute into the back of Chulwoo’s neck.

By then, I was already perched on his shoulder.

“Looks like I’ve gotten a lot stronger.”