## Chapter 261 – Those Martial Artist Bastards
They’re just overflowing with confidence.
I coldly assessed his power. He’s an impressive-looking middle-aged guy in his early 30s with well-trained muscles. Of course, not as good as mine.
His hair was yellow, and his beard looked prickly, like he’d shaved the day before yesterday.
Overall, he looked like he could throw a decent punch.
“Haa. Who else would I trust but our instructors? Fine. Decide on a representative from the two of you to come forward.”
With that, the guild master sat back down on the sofa.
“I’m Michael.”
“I’m Therone.”
The two martial arts instructors stood before me.
I was annoyed by their confident attitude, but they were quite serious and polite, so I greeted them briefly. I said I would fight the stronger of the two.
At that, they started talking amongst themselves behind me. They must be deciding who would be my opponent. While waiting, I went to the guild master sitting on the sofa.
“Are you sure about this? No matter how strong a mid-level instructor is, it doesn’t seem like they could take on five low-level instructors at once and win?”
I can do it.
But it would be impossible for those guys.
At my words, the guild master turned her head to look me up and down, then covered the cleavage she had been openly displaying and said curtly,
“You. Unlike how you look, you’re a real smart-ass, aren’t you?”
“What’s wrong with how I look?”
“And you were begging for mercy just a moment ago, but your attitude changed in an instant.”
“Because there’s no reason to grovel anymore.”
There’s no reason to grovel.
“Because I’m going to win.”
I will win.
“…Tch. It’s not the same as fighting five weaklings and fighting one strong person. Win? Beat a mid-level and a high-level instructor? That attitude ends here. You’ve been running your mouth, but it’ll be something to see if you lose. Prepare to get your ass kicked.”
“Unfortunately.”
I turned my shoulders and stretched briefly.
“Cheonma Kim Kat.”
Doesn’t fight losing battles.
“Will run away if necessary.”
If it looks like I’m going to lose, I run away. If it seems like I’ll be defeated, I run away. And thus, I only fight winning battles. That’s me, Cheonma Kim Kat.
“Never loses.”
The fact that I decided to fight means…
ㅡIt proves there’s a chance of winning.
The opponent was decided.
It was Michael.
The short, slit-eyed man who introduced himself as Therone returned to his seat and sat upright. As expected, Michael looked stronger at first glance.
“…Even if you win, there’s still the high-level instructor left. Instructor Michael. I don’t think you’ll lose. Do your best. The guild’s pride is at stake.”
“Understood.”
Michael and I stood directly in the center of the gymnasium.
“Swordsman. I know you’ve trained in martial arts professionally. But you have no system. If you had a sword, maybe. But with your bare hands, I don’t think you’ll win.”
He said with a smirk.
No system?
I couldn’t figure out where his confidence came from.
“You talk a good game. Do you have any real combat experience?”
But no matter how I looked at him, he didn’t look like a murderer.
Even though I look like this, I have a good eye. I can distinguish between murderers, those who haven’t become murderers yet, and those who aren’t murderers at all, according to my taste.
Michael was a safe person, if I had to categorize him.
“A lotㅡ”
ㅡDing!
Just then, the bell rang,
ㅡWhoosh.
I kicked off the ground with the intention of finishing him quickly. I’ll use a little mana to crush him in one go. To beat the high-level instructor, I need to be a little bolder.
I’ll accept a small loss and take the victory.
I aim for his chin.
“ㅡI haven’t finished speaking yet!”
ㅡWhoosh!
The punch I confidently threw cut through the air. I don’t know if he saw my movement and dodged it, or if he predicted the trajectory and dodged it, but he dodged it anyway.
He’s better than I thought.
I immediately prepare a series of attacks.
“Now it’s my turn, Swordsman!”
He dodged my attack and quickly threw a punch, intending to counterattack. I immediately used footwork to penetrate towards his body and blocked the attack with my left arm.
ㅡThwack!
The fist that hit my forearm is quite painful.
It sucks so much not having gauntlets, everyone!
“What?!”
When his counterattack failed, he hurriedly tried to take a defensive stance.
ㅡI always fight with the enemy’s evasion and counterattack in mind.
An attack is not 100% guaranteed to land, and the enemy is always prepared. You have to think constantly. The moment you stop thinking, you’ll get stabbed and die.
A swordsman always lives on the edge of a blade.
One wrong move and you die.
One mistake and you die.
So, to survive, you guard against mistakes and improve your skills.
My senses, honed by murder and mana, are second to none.
“You dare try to show off in front of me with skills like that?”
On my elbow, on my forearm, on my wrist, on my fingers. I load mana. Trained muscles. And mana that has permeated my bones and flesh. It is condensed and compressed.
And then, in an instant, it explodes.
“Asura Blood Destruction Fist.”
ㅡBang!
The fist, shot like a pile driver, slammed into Michael’s side. A swordsman always thinks five steps ahead. Responding to a counterattack with a counterattack.
Michael was less skilled than me.
You martial artists don’t know true life-and-death battles. Of course, martial artists will grab some guy, beat him to death, and kill him. But even then, that ferocity is no match for swordsmanship.
So, I will win.
“Keuhak!”
He exhaled and quickly retreated about six steps, taking a stance. The sensation remaining in his fist is ominous… It’s a critical hit.
At least one rib must be cracked.
“How are your ribs? If they’re broken, take them off and make an Eve, you bastard. Must be nice having a girlfriend.”
“Kuhuk…! You’re faster than I thought!”
“Than you thought?”
ㅡWubba wubba!
“DEOOOOOOOOT!!!!!”
I immediately rushed at him, rotating my fists like a windmill. Then, a look of panic appeared in his eyes. This technique, one of the violent moves of the Parasite Fist, is certainly a ridiculous technique.
But wasn’t the advantage of the Parasite Fist precisely ‘change’?
This was a feint.
In other words, it’s a fake technique to confuse the enemy’s eyes and then switch to a deadly Cheonma Divine Art! Michael took a stance, as if he had decided to counterattack! It was as if a punch would fly into my face at any moment!
You idiot! You’ve been tricked!
What I was aiming for was precisely the counterattack!
“I, Instructor Michael! That’s a trick!”
Just then, Mariel shouted.
No, you fucking bitch, you shouldn’t say that!
“A trick…! I see!”
“Fuck!”
I was about to use the ultimate secret technique, the Rear Naked Choke, but Michael, realizing my intention, quickly moved his body to evade.
“Hey, Mariel, you fucking bitch! You’re dead later, you bastard! How dare you interfere in someone else’s fight!”
“Ah, uh…! Th, that! I’m sorry! It was a reflex!”
“Reflex my ass, you son of a bitch!”
“I’m sorry! I apologize! It wasn’t intentional!”
This bitch!
ㅡWhoosh!
“Don’t let your guard down!”
Michael kicked out as if he had spotted an opening. It’s a pretty flashy kick. The trajectory is unusual. Is he better at footwork than Mariel?
I hesitated to block with my arm.
Fuck. My gauntlets.
“That’s pathetic, you bastard!”
Enraged, I just stepped out using the Cheonma Godly Steps and slammed the Cheonma Shattering Palm into the bastard’s chest!
ㅡThwack!
“Kiyahaaaaaaakㅡ!!!!!”
You bastard! Do I need to dodge the attack! I just need to penetrate before it hits! No matter how good a kick a guy with a critical hit to his side has, it’s just a sparrow’s leg splitting!
ㅡCrash!
Due to the aftereffects of the murderous Cheonma Shattering Palm, Michael flew away and crashed into the wall. ㅡDrip, he slid down like a rag thrown at a window.
Oh, shit!
I was so pissed that I couldn’t control my mana for a moment!
The mana that drained out in an instant shook my vision for a moment.
Fuck… This is going to make catching the high-level one tough.
“I, Instructor Michael!”
“To be sent flying this far with a punch…!”
“He’s high-level! He’s high-level!”
“What incredible martial arts…!”
The martial artists admired and checked on Michael’s condition at the same time. Could he be dead? ㅡCough! Seeing him coughing up blood, it doesn’t seem like he’s dead. I almost fucked up, shit. I almost really fucked up because of Mariel.
As long as he’s not dead, it’s fine.
Anyway, I won.
I shook my head violently and shouted loudly.
“I won!”
Even the mid-level instructor of the Martial Artist Guild was no match for me.
“To me, who survived the Mountain of Blades and Forest of Swords, this lukewarm duel is nothing more than child’s play! Is there no true expert here! Is there no one who can defeat this Cheonma with ‘strikes of martial arts’ rather than ‘weapons’!”
I mixed in some bluff to show that I was still going strong.
“Guild master! Bring out the high-level instructor!”
“…”
The guild master couldn’t answer.
She was looking at me with a serious expression.
She looked incredibly surprised.
“And Mariel, you bastard, come out after this is over!”
“Wh, why! Weren’t we friends, as you said! Don’t talk so scary!”
“Who’s friends with you, you crazy bitch!”
“Hiek!”
That bitch caused a disruption in my mana control.
This might be a little difficult. I might even lose… Damn it! A critical mistake! The excitement of the battle quickly cooled, and anxiety began to creep in.
It was a side effect of consuming mana.
The mana, less than half of what I had, was trying to extinguish my courage.
“…I didn’t expect this. I thought you wouldn’t be much because you didn’t have much mana… You. You seem to have an excellent ability to manipulate mana.”
She saw right through me.
No, more than that, she was aware of my mana pool?
That’s why she looked down on me. Because my mana pool is ridiculously small. I was just covering up for the lack of mana with my ability to manipulate it.
As expected, a master is a master.
“So. Where is the high-level instructor?”
“Rest for a while. I’ll bring her soon.”
Is she not here?
“Isn’t she here?”
“She’s out somewhere.”
“Then can’t I just leave? If she’s not here, it’s over.”
“Nonsense. And you. Do you still think you’ll be able to walk out of here?”
The guild master said, opening her eyes like a snake.
What, are you going to lynch me to death? That’s really scary.
“You said you’d let me go if I beat the high-level instructor. Are you going to lie? In front of so many people?”
“What lie? Of course, I intend to do that. But to do that, you have to beat the high-level instructor. Mariel. Bring her here.”
“Ah, understood!”
Mariel, answering energetically like a soldier, quickly opened the door and went out. Her? Is the high-level instructor a woman? If so, that’s very welcome. My chances of winning will be a little higher.
“Rest for a while. Mariel will bring her.”
“Hehe, can I really rest? I’ll recover my stamina.”
Anyway, there was nowhere to rest, so I went and sat next to the guild master.
“…You can’t beat the high-level instructor with your level anyway. Stop being cocky and prepare to get your ass kicked.”
But this person somehow has a similar vibe to Karin.
If Karin has an unreserved and outspoken feel, this one pretends to be classy but is actually outspoken.
“No, but why are your 말투 (manner of speaking) and actions so similar to our guild master?”
“Wh, what? Don’t be ridiculous!”
Judging by her shouting, I guess I’m right.
I said, setting the mood.
“Guild master. Can’t you just let me go? This whole thing happened because of your mistake in the first place, and honestly, this is enough, isn’t it? You’re not doing this to me, an innocent person, to cover up the Martial Artist Guild’s mistake, are you? Guild master, you know it too. You know what kind of ridiculous thing you’re doing.”
I tried to persuade her.
Fighting any further would be a loss.
If my mana pool was full, I don’t know, but now that I’ve used more than half of it, I honestly can’t guarantee victory. The high-level instructor will obviously be dozens of times stronger than those mid-level guys.
“Stop before you embarrass yourself further. I’ll keep this a secret. What if I beat the high-level instructor too?”
“You talk a good game. Well, I admit it’s gangsterism. But there are things in this world that take precedence over common sense, you know?”
“What is it?”
“Come closer.”
The guild master said softly.
I put my ear to her. At the same time, I felt a hot breath… Then, after a moment of hesitation, she whispered to me.
“It’s money.”
As expected, she knew something.
“It’s money.”
Money is more important than common sense.
“I can’t let you off because it’s about my livelihood.”
With that, the guild master smiled sweetly as she parted her lips.
“…”
“She’s here.”
The door opened, and someone entered with Mariel.
Burning crimson… A good-looking woman with wild, shoulder-length short hair caught my eye. She was like a red lioness.
ㅡWearing a red cheongsam.
Her blue eyes were as indifferent as those of a murderer, and there was a long, vertical scar on her eye. A scar? Could she be someone who switched to martial arts after wielding a sword?
“Lisette. I won’t say much. Crush this man.”
My wariness rang alarm bells.
It was a fear that felt like my testicles, no, my heart would break.
Stroking my face with her finger, the guild master said one last thing.
“You’ll probably lose, but I’m also secretly looking forward to it. If you want to live, try to win.”
This…
Unless I gather all the strength stored in the wrinkles of my balls.
ㅡI’ll lose.
I’ll get my ass kicked.
