Armored Demon.
Each individual might have its differences, but generally, it’s a monster with a strength between Top Tier and Peak Level.
However, the reason for the Armored Demon’s notorious reputation isn’t solely due to its strength. It’s that pitch-black armor enveloping its entire body, which possesses a defense strong enough to deflect even Sword Qi.
But can you wear that armor after killing it? Nope, not at all.
Once the Armored Demon is dead, the armor loses its unique defensive power.
The folks at the Zhuge clan say this is linked to the Armored Demon’s own qi flow, leading people to think that the demon is adorned with some sort of protective talisman.
And, of course, a protective talisman loses its effectiveness when its caster dies.
In short, it’s hard to catch, and even if you do, you won’t end up with anything but a worthless scrap.
“Hey! Be careful!”
“Got it.”
Chun-bong looked at me with a strange expression as I leaped off the rooftop.
‘The Armored Demon is tough, but if it’s him…’
A sense of trust bubbled up within her for no reason at all.
He’ll figure it out. The thought of Lee Seo-jun losing while using his inner strength just didn’t make sense to her.
*
I landed right in front of the Armored Demon.
“Grrr….”
Thick drool dripped from its protruding mouth.
“Looks like a bit of a shortcoming, huh?”
I clicked my tongue in disappointment.
Could it at least understand the meaning behind its actions?
“KA-RAAAH…!!”
The enraged Armored Demon stomped its feet and charged at me.
“Let’s see…”
I rushed towards the Armored Demon too, drawing my sword.
Swish—
The blade gleamed just as the demon swung its arm at me.
Whoosh—!
I ducked down, pivoting on my planted foot to spin away from its strike.
The sword, wrapped in murky golden Sword Qi, aimed for the demon’s leg.
Clang—!
The blade ricocheted with a minor scratch. I furrowed my brows.
‘Tougher than expected.’
It didn’t seem like a half-hearted strike would do much.
What should I do in this situation? Logically, I could think of a couple of options.
No matter how well-armored it was, the joints would be relatively weak—that’s one method.
Another would be to ignore the armor and strike inside using my inner strength.
Among these two ideas, I decided to go with a third option.
“Hey, buddy! Ready to take a hit?”
If I hit it until it dropped, surely it would go down too. A free training bag for martial arts! What a steal!
“Grrr…!”
The infuriated Armored Demon charged at me recklessly.
I smiled softly and stomped the ground with my right foot.
Boom—!
The ground froze as Yin Energy seeped in, causing the demon’s foot to stick to the ground.
“KA-RAK!”
It wasn’t going to go down without a fight. It yanked its foot free and charged at me, shoulder first.
If I got hit by that, I’d at least be facing a fracture.
Of course, if I didn’t get hit, that’d be fine by me.
I grinned, pinching my fingers into a gesture.
Whoosh—
The Qi Dart flew like an arrow. The Armored Demon raised its arm to block, but its arm froze, drastically reducing its speed.
“Hey!”
I unleashed the Essence-Unity Qi Blast, made of Yang Energy, towards the Armored Demon.
“Grrr!?”
Did it sense the danger instinctively?
The Armored Demon leaped to avoid the projectile.
“Oh, dodging, huh?”
It clearly wasn’t behaving like a plain old training dummy.
I marched forward, swinging my sword in frustration.
Ka-ching—!
The Armored Demon raised its arm to block again, but with the blade soaked in Yin Energy, its arm froze solid.
“KA-RAK…!”
“Okay. This time, how about you stay still?”
I raised my sword, the brilliant golden Yang Energy igniting it like a flame.
“You crazy fool! That’ll kill you too!”
“Oh crap.”
I snapped back as Chun-bong’s loud shout pulled me from my thoughts, and I quickly distanced myself from the Armored Demon.
“Better not mess this up!”
Whoosh—!
The Yang Energy shot forth like a bullet.
“KYAAAAAH…!!”
The Armored Demon desperately dodged.
“You cheeky brat!”
I gritted my teeth.
Okay, you want to dodge? Let’s see if you can avoid being frozen solid.
My sword pulsed with a blue Yin Energy.
*
“Such a brutal guy!”
“Is it really okay for a monster to be treated like that?”
“Does it matter? We don’t need to hold back on a monster!”
“Right! Just wipe it out!”
The crowd in the red-light district was lively, chattering away.
The topic at hand? Surprise, surprise—the Armored Demon.
More specifically, it was getting delightfully beaten up.
Who’d want to miss a spectacle like that? Not many in the Central Region.
The courtesans gathered in the red-light district and those who heard the news swarmed the area.
Ka-ching—!
The Armored Demon, now completely frozen, let out a sorrowful cry.
“KA-RAK…!”
“Uh-huh. Try dodging again. I’ll keep shooting until I hit.”
And while it was on the receiving end, I kept blasting Qi Darts from a safe distance.
Whoosh—!
“KYAAAH…!!”
The Armored Demon threw itself around in desperation, moving with such fervor that it made onlookers feel pity.
“Missed again! I win the bet, right?”
“Yeah, right here. Ten coins.”
Gambling was also starting to surface among the spectators.
“Hey Moon! Is that the guy you mentioned?”
“Yeah. Take a good look. The information on this shining star will always be valuable.”
In the midst of the crowd, Mae-wol was keenly observing my every move.
A boy who suddenly appeared one day, wiping out the Black Tiger Clan. Ever since then, she took in every bit of information about him.
‘Strong enough to toy with the Armored Demon, he must be at least at Peak Level.’
Her eyes narrowed.
And just then, a cold sensation brushed against her neck. A sword.
“What are you doing?”
“Are you… the little girl who was with the hero?”
“Shut up. Fire Snake.”
“Oh ho, a Fire Snake you say? The hero wouldn’t even glance at something like you.”
“Just keep that in mind.”
“I envy you. How lucky to be so loved by someone like that.”
Love? Chun-bong’s lips puffed out as she put her sword down.
“Hmph, you know it. Just keep to your duties as a Fire Snake.”
“Hmm, didn’t the hero say something to you? You’re doing a pretty good job at hiding it.”
“Don’t test me.”
“I didn’t have any intentions at all.”
Chun-bong rolled her eyes at Mae-wol’s comment, yet her gaze remained glued to the battle by my side.
Mae-wol smiled slightly.
“You really like your brother, don’t you?”
“Shut it.”
As Chun-bong clicked her tongue, she silently watched my fight. It was like I could hear her internal thoughts.
‘What the heck, Geum Chun-bong! The ultimate supportive partner!’
Noisy indeed.
Chun-bong huffed, crossing her arms in an aristocratic manner with a cold expression.
But this was entirely her point of view.
Mae-wol watched Chun-bong’s relaxed smile with affection.
*
“Geez, you little brat. You really know how to make people work for it.”
I clicked my tongue at the sight of the Armored Demon.
“GYAAAH….”
The Armored Demon stood frozen, looking as pitiful as a lifeless statue. Its dark eyes locked onto mine as I scratched my cheek.
“Such a pitying look.”
But that didn’t mean I’d let it live. Just because it looked pathetic from taking a beating didn’t change the fact that there were corpses strewn about nearby. Those were victims from before I arrived.
“Goodbye then.”
I pinched my fingers into a gesture again.
Whoosh—!
The fired Qi Dart pierced the demon’s chest.
────────────!!!
Yin Energy and Yang Energy collided, creating an enormous explosion.
Watching it unfold, I fell into contemplation.
‘Lots to improve on.’
First off, hitting the same spot twice was harder than I thought.
And also, the balance between Yin Energy and Yang Energy was more crucial than I had anticipated.
While doing experiments on the Armored Demon, the number of times I hit it with Yang Energy where the Yin Energy was concentrated was quite substantial.
However, since the Armored Demon had excessively accumulated Yin Energy, the Yang Energy got swallowed up.
What just caused the explosion was the concentrated Yang Energy, which helped create a somewhat balanced ratio.
“Well… it’s not too bad after all.”
Grinning at the sight, I observed the remnants of the Armored Demon that lay shattered before me.
It had boasted armor that could deflect blades, but all that remained was what looked like its pulverized form.
The deep crater was just a bonus.
This—well, against a human, it’s a guaranteed instant kill, right?
Against anyone else, hitting them like this would practically seal their fate.
As for monsters?
‘Can’t tell.’
It’s hard to determine when I don’t know what kind of creatures might be lurking.
But one thing’s for sure, I recalled the flow of the protective art it used.
Since the structure of monsters and humans differs, I wasn’t sure what outcomes I’d get, but there was definitely a worth to experiment further in the future.
“Ugh, my body’s aching.”
Stretching out my limbs, I grinned at Chun-bong, who was waltzing over.
“Did you see that?”
“Yeah.”
“Epic, right?”
“Pretty cool.”
“What!? What do you mean cool!?”
I gaped in shock, covering my mouth with my hands.
“Who are you?! This can’t be Geum Chun-bong!”
“Shut up.”
“Unbelievable!”
Seeing my theatrical reaction, Chun-bong sighed heavily.
“Why does he act like that…”
It was a serious concern, and not just a jest.
While there can be sudden changes, it can also gradually seep into a person.
Sure, he was the same person, but sometimes he didn’t even seem human at all. At those times, I couldn’t help but genuinely worry if he was afflicted by some kind of mental illness.
“Wait… Geum Chun-bong.”
“What?”
“Let’s get moving soon, alright?”
As I quickly jumped onto the rooftop, Chun-bong followed closely behind.
“Is it really a good idea to go directly to Cheong-ha House this late? Feels like a nuisance.”
I nodded at Chun-bong’s comment.
“True. How about we just go to my place to rest and then go tomorrow?”
“…Your place?”
“Yeah. Not okay? You have plenty of rooms available.”
“I don’t mind. Just wondering.”
While Chun-bong didn’t seem overly enthusiastic, there weren’t many places for the courtesans to stay.
I smacked my lips together and returned to the rooftop where the courtesans waited patiently for us now, seemingly comfortable.
Chun-bong was still fast asleep.
‘This blood transfusion is quite effective.’
I nodded in satisfaction.
“All right, everyone, let’s head to my house…”
“Please take us with you!”
Some courtesans who hadn’t scattered shouted.
In truth, even though there were still many people on the streets…
There were those shooting jealous glares, clapping their hands, or rummaging around the shattered remains of the Armored Demon.
“Sorry, we’re closed for business. Let’s aim for the next chance!”
“That’s not how it works…!”
Crash—!
A roof tile fell right under the shouting courtesan’s feet.
Chun-bong coolly looked down on the panicking courtesans.
“What did you say?”
“N-no, I just meant….”
The look in her eyes was ominous.
To me, it looked like a squirrel glaring, but clearly, the courtesans felt otherwise.
Pale-faced, the courtesans hurried away.
“Our Chun-bong seems quite furious.”
Pinching her cheeks made her brow furrow in a comical fashion.
“They’re getting on my nerves.”
“Oh-so-cute.”
“Want a punch as well?”
“It’s a reward in our line of work, you know?”
When I presented my back, Chun-bong instinctively flinched.
“Uh, that’s a bit….”
Oh, what a pity.
*
Once we returned home and provided rooms for the courtesans, I sat down in the yard, looking up at the sky.
Well, with things somewhat settled, it felt like it was about time to start moving on.
After I drop the courtesans off at Cheong-ha House, I could keep an eye on them for a few days before leaving.
Where should I go?
Twenty-four Sword Arts, The Celestial Skills, Taiji Sword, Four Style Sword Techniques, and The Five Tigers’ Sword.
Could I possibly witness these legendary martial arts that I’d only read about in novels? My heart thumped with excitement.
‘Speaking of which…’
Essence-Unity Thunderbolt Divine Art.
Known alongside the Hebei Peng Clan’s famed techniques.
As for whether they use the same martial art here, I had no clue, but if they did, it posed a serious dilemma.
“The Essence-Unity Thunderbolt Divine Art? It’s quite famous. Only the direct descendants of the Hebei Peng Clan can learn that technique.”
Chun-bong’s voice punctuated my thoughts as she continued gazing at the stars beside me.
“That’s messed…”
“Why suddenly cursing?”
“If so, does that make the Essence-Unity Divine Art a knock-off?”
“Hmm, when you put it that way…”
I fell deep into thought.
“If I wipe out the Hebei Peng Clan, wouldn’t I be the original?”
“Are you nuts?!”
“Haha, just kidding.”
“Let’s hope that’s really a joke.”
“Or is it?”
“Surely not.”
It was disappointing to see how little faith they had in me, Geum Chun-bong.
“…Cool it, big brother.”
“Okay!”
And just like that, we cooled off.
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