Chapter 7
“Take off your shoes before coming in, you punks!”
At my shout, the lead thug blinked in disbelief.
“Is this guy seriously talking to me like that?”
“It seems so, boss!”
“Unbelievable, really.”
The thug scowled, his face twisting into a menacing glare as he slung a huge broadsword over his shoulder. It looked just like the weapons my previous criminal buddies used.
“I’m Jang Chun-deuk from the Black Tiger Sect, you little snot-nosed brats.”
Should I tell him I’m Jang Chun-bong who crawled out from between your mom’s legs? Nah, probably not a good idea.
Reading the room, I frowned deeply.
“So what are you going to do about my wall, punk?”
“That broadsword over there looks like it belongs to my family. Explain what happened, and I might spare you.”
“No, I’m asking how you’re going to fix the wall!”
Chun-deuk clicked his tongue and gestured, and a group of burly guys charged into the house.
“You should know that after being beat within an inch of your life, you’d get the idea. Go get ’em, boys!”
As the muscleheads rolled their sleeves up and advanced, I exchanged a glance with Chun-bong.
“What now?”
“Duh, we run! … Wait, you wanna fight? Okay, let’s do this!”
Of course, none of us had the ability to actually communicate that with our eyes.
I kicked the sword I had set down into the air, catching it with my foot before twirling around and swiping at one of them.
Thud—splat—
When a head detached from its body, the house fell silent for a moment. The occasional squelch of blood pouring out filled the air, like some peculiar background score.
“…That works. Just wipe them out!”
Chun-deuk’s face turned a bright crimson as he raised his broadsword and stomped toward us. I stepped in front of Chun-bong protectively. She sighed.
“Hah… yeah, I guess this feels about right.”
“Right?”
“If we got dragged away by these jerks, we wouldn’t come out in one piece anyway.”
Chun-bong grabbed a broadsword that had been leaning against the wall, whispering softly while pressing against it.
“Fight moderately, and when the opportunity arises, run. I can handle my own.”
“Chun-bong.”
“What?”
“Listen, you little brat.”
I raised the sword vertically above my head. The sword tip pointed toward the sky, and my eyes never left the approaching Chun-deuk.
“There’s no way I’m running off alone after being born with my manhood intact.”
Whoosh—!
Chun-deuk swung his broadsword. It was like déjà vu. The trajectory was clear as day.
That was all the cue I needed. I slammed the sword tip downward into the ground.
Clang—!
“Ugh…!”
With sparks flying, Chun-deuk was pushed back. The broadsword cracked, and metal pieces flew everywhere.
“What… what is this?”
A shocked Chun-deuk hesitated. I knew fighting was all about momentum. Even if he lacked experience, he’d certainly heard that before.
I swiftly stepped forward, twisting at the waist. My legs anchored to the ground helped me transfer power through my hips. As my arms moved fluidly, the sword swept through bones and flesh.
Slash—!
One man was sliced in half, blood and guts spilling out onto the floor. I grinned.
“Oops.”
Thanks to Chun-deuk’s quick reflexes, one nameless goon took the hit instead.
Two bodies lay already, frustration morphing into rage as the thugs charged at me en masse.
Clang—clang!
Steel clattered against steel. My only training had been in basic sword techniques; the rest was pure instinct. With my knowledge limited, I fought desperately to defend and dodge.
Every time the swords clashed, it felt like my arms might fall off. I couldn’t avoid all the incoming strikes, and my wounds only multiplied.
The small room filled with sweat, heat, and the coppery scent of blood. Metal glinted ominously as it sought lives.
“Ugh…!”
One blade grazed my side. The burn tore into me and made me cringe.
If I stopped now, it would be curtains for me. Riding on adrenaline, I swung the sword like a madman.
Vertical cuts, horizontal slashes, thrusting. The two actions distilled down to the essence of swordplay. All countless techniques ultimately distilled into those two.
As my consciousness began to blur, I swung the sword more wildly, realizing more with every arc.
Slash—!
The blade ripped through an opponent’s chest.
Rip, tear.
The sensation of the blade scraping ribs and slicing through tendon or vein made my heart race.
“Mmm—.”
Fascinated and ill at ease, I jammed the sword straight into a screaming thug’s mouth.
“Phew….”
My young body cried out in fatigue. My arms shook, and the wounds from earlier burned like fire.
Still, my eyes darted around constantly.
Blades overhead, kicks approaching from the front, swords from the right. Moving diagonally left, I kept an eye on a descending blade.
And now! Just like when Chun-bong slapped a falling sword away, I shoved the incoming sword aside with my own.
Slice—!
“Aaah…!”
The misplaced sword cleaved through a comrade’s leg. The confusion created an opening. I rolled forward and jabbed my sword straight into the thug.
Thud—!
Blood droplets pooled around the tip of my sword.
“Grrr….”
Yanking the sword free from the choking thug, I desperately dodged the falling blades around me.
“You little rat…!”
Chun-deuk charged in with a stolen sword. I locked on, wondering how I had become so damn good at this fighting thing. For just a moment, I couldn’t help but grin at the unexpected joy.
“Hahaha!”
Blood streamed in rivulets, turning the floor into a pond while my body became a mere stream.
As flesh collided with flesh, every thrust sent sprays of blood, igniting a heated rush in the air.
“Gotcha…!”
Hearing the shout, I turned my attention. One thug circled around, lunging toward Chun-bong.
Whoosh—
Chun-bong resisted with a kung fu technique, but her weariness showed.
The remaining thug captured her, and Chun-deuk loomed over her, swinging his broadsword down.
“Brother! Got her!”
As his voice echoed, he swung the wide blade to smite.
In a flash, I pivoted sharply, using my thumb to press down like a flick.
Swoosh—
The projectile shot straight into the thug’s forehead, piercing through. Chun-bong crawled out from under the falling thug.
“Hey…! Be careful…!”
The surrounding men lunged with their swords every which way. I quickly assessed. I swung my sword to create space between two incoming knives and threw myself through the gap.
Clang—
The swords collided, leaving a searing pain in my side. The agony ignited a euphoric rush. Turning my body again, I swung my sword wide.
Swish—
The blades sliced through the thugs’ waists.
Chun-deuk’s figure slipped into view, instinctively prompting me to press against the body of the nearby thug and plunge my sword into his gut.
“Gurgh…!”
Keeping the sword moving, I slid it deeper, using the writhing body as a shield.
My visibility narrowed. Recalling Chun-deuk’s position, I unleashed the Tanzigong.
Whoosh—
I couldn’t see the outcome.
“Hyung, brother…!”
But that startled voice told me enough. I was sure of Chun-deuk’s imminent death as I drew my blade free.
Splat—!
The man with his gut ripped open collapsed, spilling his insides. Grabbing a fistful of hair, I raised the severed head high into the air.
“Hahaha!”
I tossed it to the thugs. Their expressions cracked at the sight. With sword in hand, I strode forward, and they took a step back.
“Yack!”
With a surprised yell, they stumbled back, and I collapsed in laughter at their antics.
“…Hey!”
My head was swimming. I just wanted to keep hacking away. Should I chase after them all and finish them off? It seemed like a solid idea.
Whack—!
Just as I was about to move, my vision blurred.
“Get your head in the game, you idiot!”
In front of me was Chun-bong, her face twisted in annoyance. What’s her problem now?
“What are you, some kind of sicko? This is too scary—stop!”
“Why? This is fun!”
At that line, she facepalmed.
“Seriously. You’ll get yourself in huge trouble at this rate.”
But Chun-bong didn’t look well. Her face was as pale as it was last time I’d seen her like that.
“Blood has a demonic quality to it. If you get enthralled, you’ll become a demon yourself. So be careful.”
“First, you should worry about yourself.”
“I’m… wheeze…!”
Blood began to spew from Chun-bong in torrents. Had I grown a bit accustomed to this? I didn’t panic and simply patted her back.
“Focus on your breathing, will ya?”
“Y-you…! Ugh…! Just be careful, alright?”
“Okay, I got it. Now hurry up!”
After a few nudges, she finally folded her legs into a mediation pose and began concentrating.
It sure felt like she did this every time she used martial arts; was there something wrong with her body? As I worriedly glanced at her, I sighed.
“Geez, tsk tsk.”
Staying healthy should be the best way to repay her care, but already my little sister was stressing me out.
“Oh dear….”
Maybe it was just the relief flooding back? A searing pain began to throb through me.
I plopped down on the floor, counting the bodies strewn about.
“One, two, three,…seven. I’ve really killed quite a few.”
The floor was completely wrecked. Blood, guts, and bodies were everywhere; heads rolled around like they had minds of their own.
Looking back, it felt like I’d just fought almost 17 against 1 and come out on top. That day I’d been embarrassed by my criminal friends felt like a distant memory.
“I was joking when I said I might have a talent for this… but do I really?”
I poked at the head rolling around with my scabbard, pushing it further away.
“Hmm.”
In this newfound life, I had already killed nine people. In the previous world, that would have made headlines.
Is it strange that I could kill people so nonchalantly?
“True enough.”
Something was off, but I couldn’t tell if this was the way I was before, or if living here was corrupting me somehow, or if there was another reason entirely.
“Whatever, who cares?”
I flopped down, deciding to wait until Chun-bong got up.
What would I even do when she woke up? Should I just move? Were these guys from the Black Tiger Sect all there was? No wait, was it the Black Tiger Gang or the Black Tiger Sect?
A spiraling chain of worries consumed me as my consciousness slowly faded away.
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