Chapter 9

Ding.

System

• You have acquired Jin Family’s Manoeuvre Technique.

• You can obtain various effects upon mastering this martial art.

• You have completed the achievement Learn a Martial Art.

• As an achievement completion reward, you have acquired the title Novice Trainee.

“Good grief.”

The moment the System notification appeared, I slumped to the floor. Dust billowed around me, but who cared? I already looked like a bum anyway.

Why is this so damn hard?

There were only two kinds of books in Jin Taekyung’s study.

Erotic novels. And books that weren’t erotic novels.

Of the more than four hundred books, only about a hundred remained after I took out the erotic novels.

What an incredible bastard.

If he’d been born in Korea, he would’ve run an illegal adult website. If he’d been born in the United States, he would’ve ended up in prison.

At any rate, once I finished sorting them, there were only about thirty martial arts manuals.

If only he’d collected half as many manuals as erotic novels.

It was a shame as far as I was concerned, but the search had still paid off. I’d found the martial arts manuals I needed right now.

The Jin Family’s Spear Technique and the Jin Family’s Manoeuvre Technique. They were hereditary martial arts of the Jin Family of Taiyuan—arts I’d forgotten because I hadn’t practiced them in far too long.

Let’s check the Jin Family’s Manoeuvre Technique.

Ding.

System

Skill Window

Jin Family’s Manoeuvre Technique

Type: Manoeuvre Technique

Grade: First Rate

Restriction: Direct descendants of the Jin Family of Taiyuan

Realm: First Stage

Description: A manoeuvre technique devised by the founder of the Jin Family of Taiyuan. It has few variations and is monotonous, but it is practical.

The description of the Jin Family’s Spear Technique wasn’t much different. Except…

Few variations and monotonous, my ass.

The hereditary martial art created by some fellow called the founder—or was it Archaeopteryx?—was insanely complicated. Just thinking about last night made me grind my teeth.

System

• You are beginning to acquire Jin Family’s Manoeuvre Technique.

• You are memorizing the formula. The speed varies according to the martial art’s grade and your Intelligence stat.

Right. Everything was fine up to that point.

The problem came next.

System

• The movement sequence for Jin Family’s Manoeuvre Technique is being displayed. (0 / 100)

I followed the footprints displayed by the System and practiced the manoeuvre technique, but it was incredibly strict. Step even slightly outside the footprints, and I failed. Take too long to perform the next movement, and I failed again.

I had to follow the entire sequence perfectly for it to count as one completion.

What a fucking garbage game.

There was a major difference between my real-world physique and this character’s. I was nearly half a handspan¹ shorter now, and my reach was shorter too. I couldn’t make the fine adjustments I needed, so one mistake followed another.

It’s a miracle I succeeded at all.

By the time I completed the sequence one hundred times, my hands and feet were trembling.

Still, I gained something.

After years of working as a Hunter, I was thoroughly familiar with combat—especially group battles. In a fight where life and death were on the line, the most important thing was luck first and your feet second.

Advance. Retreat. Or stop.

Even if you lost an arm, you could survive as long as your legs still moved. But if you lost your legs, it was over.

Your feet had to move before your arms. That was how every battle I’d fought had gone, and it was why I’d chosen to learn a manoeuvre technique first.

But…

This was too slow. Even with the System’s help, more than half a day had flown by. How much longer would it take to learn the spear technique too?

This is already day five.

I’d heard that time passed faster in virtual-reality games than in the real world. But even after accounting for the time multiplier, five days was a long time.

“Phew…”

I sighed and forced the distracting thoughts from my mind.

Rescue? Logout?

This wasn’t the time to cling to possibilities. I had to keep moving forward, even if I had to do it alone.

That’s enough for today.

I gathered up the martial arts manuals and stood.

When I reached the bedroom on the second floor, I realized that one unusual book had been mixed in among them.

The Night King: Well-Endowed Man

“Ahem.”

Oh dear. What a mistake.

“Are you up already?”

The servant stared at me with wide eyes, a breakfast tray in his hands.

“I couldn’t sleep…”

It was the truth. Circulating my qi was to blame.

This is ridiculously effective.

Circulating my qi didn’t just clear my mind and sharpen my senses. It also relieved fatigue. Come to think of it, I didn’t think I’d felt tired even once since I started doing it.

The pain is almost gone too.

“Your wounds could worsen, so please don’t push yourself too hard.”

A warm feeling spread through my chest at the servant’s words. Even in this shitty game, there was an NPC who shone like a ray of light. I’d finally met a normal person.

Why is this enough to make me emotional?

Strangely choked up, I started on breakfast.

Every side dish was either too salty or too bland, but hunger made a fine seasoning. I polished off the meal, then downed the bowl of herbal medicine in one gulp.

“Ugh.”

The taste made me grimace. After clearing away the table, the servant bowed his head.

“Then I shall take my leave.”

“Ah, wait a second.”

“Please speak more casually to me. Why are you addressing me so respectfully?”

Come to think of it, he had a point.

At first, the graphics and artificial intelligence had been so realistic that I’d used polite speech with every NPC I met. By now, though, I’d grown somewhat accustomed to them.

The time had finally come to reclaim my dignity as a user.

I answered sternly.

“For now, I’ll speak however I’m comfortable.”

Fuck, I can’t bring myself to drop the honorifics.

I couldn’t exactly talk down to a man who clearly looked over forty and call him “you bastard” or “you punk.”

Damn game. The graphics were so good I couldn’t even speak informally.

At this rate, I’ll end up becoming buddies with an NPC.

When I emphasized that I’d suffered a head injury, the servant reluctantly nodded.

“I suppose it can’t be helped. Is there something you require?”

“I was wondering if there was an empty room.”

The servant tilted his head.

“I can arrange one for you, but what might you need it for?”

“I want to practice martial arts.”

“Pardon?”

“All the rooms here are either dirty or stuffy… Why do you look like that?”

After leaving the pavilion, the servant went straight to the Family Head’s office.

Once his report was finished, Jin Wikyung’s solemn voice rang out from behind a tower of documents.

“You’ve done well.”

The instant the servant left, Jin Wikyung sprang to his feet and flung the documents into the air.

“This calls for a celebration! I’m not working today!”

“Who said you could decide that?”

Wipeng caught every last fluttering sheet and sighed.

“If the others find out you’re acting like this, they’ll start talking again.”

“The Third Young Master says he’s going to take up martial arts in earnest. What could possibly be more important than that?”

“The fact that the Council of Elders is waiting to pounce on you is more important.”

At the words Council of Elders, Jin Wikyung’s expression darkened.

“Damn old men.”

“A family council meeting may be held soon. From their perspective, they’ve spotted an opening, so naturally they’ll sink their teeth into it.”

The agenda was obvious. It would begin with Jin Taekyung’s usual conduct and end with an attack on Jin Wikyung himself, the Lesser Family Head.

“Those bastards are persistent.”

“Is that anything new? Old pillars always end up crawling with bugs.”

“Isn’t there any way around it?”

“So you’re volunteering to serve as the Third Young Master’s shield again.”

Wipeng sighed.

“My lord, may I offer a word?”

“I refuse.”

“Then I refuse your refusal. This is the fifth time he’s embezzled the family’s public funds. I’ve lost count of everything else. If we’d enforced the family rules properly, it would be a miracle if the Third Young Master were still alive.”

“Now, now.”

“Since we’re on the subject, grab anyone in the family and ask them. To you, he’s your beloved little brother. To everyone else… Honestly, I can’t even say it.”

“Do you have something against my youngest brother? Why are you talking like that?”

“Because I’m frustrated. That’s why. The Third Young Master causes trouble, you clean it up, and then you give in to the Council of Elders’ demands to keep them from making things worse. They’re slowly stripping away your authority. Do you know what kind of rumor is going around these days?”

“What rumor?”

“Some people say the Third Young Master is part of the Elder faction. That he gets pocket money from the Council of Elders and deliberately causes trouble.”

Jin Wikyung’s eyelids twitched.

“That’s an outrage!”

“I’d actually prefer that to be true. If the Council of Elders slipped him even a few silver coins, he wouldn’t have to embezzle the family’s funds.”

“You…”

“I’ve said my piece. Fire me if you want.”

Groaning, Jin Wikyung let out a deep sigh.

“I’ve been thinking things can’t go on like this either.”

“Thinking is good. The problem is that you never act on it.”

“Even so, I should do everything I can this time.”

“Oh, my lord…”

“This will be the last time. I give you my word.”

Jin Wikyung’s expression turned serious. Wipeng asked skeptically,

“Do you really mean it?”

“He’s still a child, and his memory hasn’t fully returned. Besides… he became a completely different person overnight. You’ve noticed it too.”

“That’s true, but…”

Wipeng trailed off.

The Third Young Master had definitely changed. Whether his memory loss was real or a lie, the way he was behaving now gave them reason to hope.

Jin Wikyung thought for a moment, then spoke.

“Wipeng.”

“Yes.”

“Prepare an order in my name.”

“What sort of order?”

“Use a few suitable charges and order him into indefinite confinement in the training hall.”

“Ah.”

Wipeng slapped his forehead.

It was mostly for show, but under the circumstances, it was an excellent emergency measure. It would ease the pressure Jin Wikyung was bound to face at the upcoming family council meeting while keeping Jin Taekyung’s punishment relatively light.

And on top of that…

“It also fulfills the Third Young Master’s request. He was looking for somewhere to train.”

Wasn’t that three birds with one stone? Wipeng was genuinely impressed.

“As expected of you, my lord.”

“That’s how my family is. Oh, did I ever tell you? Taekyung was such a clever child. One day, when he was young…”

“…I’ll go write the order.”

“Therefore, for violating fourteen regulations and disrupting discipline within the family, the Third Young Master, Jin Taekyung, is hereby ordered to undergo indefinite confinement in the training hall.”

Was his name Wipeng? I listened silently to the unpleasant-looking bastard, then raised my hand.

“I have a question.”

“Go ahead.”

“What does ‘indefinite’ mean?”

Wipeng answered reluctantly.

“It means there is no set deadline.”

“Oh.”

I’d thought the game’s language system had malfunctioned. Fortunately, it meant exactly what I thought it meant.

Ha ha.

“Ha ha ha.”

“Ho ho ho.”

Laughter was contagious. The warriors who’d come with Wipeng started laughing along with me.

In that warm atmosphere, Wipeng read the final line.

“The convict, Jin Taekyung, shall submit to the bonds.”

“No.”

“…”

“…”

“I said no. Fuck.”

The two men approaching with binding ropes looked at Wipeng as if to say, This isn’t how it was supposed to go.

I ignored them and said what I had to say.

“I asked you to find me a room so I could practice. I didn’t ask you to put me in prison.”

Are these bastards completely insane?

“Now, Third Young Master. Calm down and listen to me.”

“Listen, my ass. ‘The training hall has everything you need for practice. The living conditions aren’t bad either.’ You’re just going to spout that kind of nonsense.”

Judging by Wipeng’s expression, I’d hit the nail on the head. I drove the point home.

“You’re the kind of bastards who’d tell someone to enjoy military service because soldiers got a pay raise. Forget it. I’m not going in. I’ll practice by myself in my room or in the yard.”

Honestly, when I thought about it in isolation, the training hall didn’t sound so bad.

But the word indefinite stuck in my mind like a thorn. I urgently needed to learn martial arts and Level up. I couldn’t spend forever in the training hall, craning my neck and waiting for someone to let me out.

I flopped onto the floor.

“Go ahead and gut me!”

“Third Young Master, that’s enough. Please get up.”

Wipeng scowled down at me.

“The Lesser Family Head made this decision entirely for your sake.”

“Jin Wikyung—I mean, my brother?”

That brother-obsessed idiot had given this order?

At that moment, Wipeng’s lips moved. A voice reached my ears at the same time, carrying a strange sensation unlike ordinary speech.

“This is Sound Transmission. Don’t be alarmed. Just listen.”

Sound Transmission. I remembered reading about it in martial arts novels. A kind of telepathy that only masters could use.

“You may not know this because you’ve lost your memory, but the Third Young Master is considered a serious troublemaker. A harsher punishment may be handed down soon, so the Lesser Family Head is taking action before that happens.”

I’d worked hard all twenty-seven years of my life. How had I ended up facing an even harsher punishment?

As I lamented my fate, Wipeng’s Sound Transmission continued in my ear.

“It may be called indefinite confinement, but do you really think the Lesser Family Head intends to bury you in the training hall for the rest of your life?”

I shook my head.

There’s no way he’d do that.

Not unless he wanted the two of us locked up together in the training hall.

“I’ll get you out within seven days and nights at the latest. How does that sound?”

There was fierce determination in Wipeng’s eyes. If I refused this too, he looked ready to beat me and drag me there if he had to.

Fuck, are all the NPCs here thugs or what?

Hey, asshole. Are you really that good at fighting?

I raised my Qi Sense and checked Wipeng’s Level.

System

• Lv. ???

“…”

He really is a thug.

A Level thug, at least.

He was probably every bit the human butcher Jin Wikyung was.

Wipeng’s eyes widened as he asked,

“What will you do?”

Even as I trembled with fear, I held up three fingers.

“…You want me to get you out in three days?”

What kind of bastard is this?

Wipeng glared at me with that exact look, then finally sighed.

“Escort him.”

#TrainingHall #ClosedDoorTraining #Negotiation #Successful.