In this crazy situation, I felt like I was momentarily stunned, but because my survival was at stake, I snapped back to reality immediately.
“Hey, that bastard!!!”
I shouted while looking at Go Seoksam’s back!
“Hey, you punk! Where are you going? Aren’t you coming back soon?!”
This crazy troll bastard is ditching his teammates in the middle of the fight?!
“You bastard! Come back!!!”
I screamed, but Go Seoksam didn’t stop.
No, he seemed to be running even faster.
He’s using me as a sacrifice just to save his own skin!
I swear I’ll kill that bastard!
“Ushiiiiirk!”
“Ushishit!”
About half of the Soseongui initially chased after Go Seoksam but soon turned around and charged at me again. They judged it was better to hit the remaining target alone.
“This is insane!!”
Because of that, I got completely surrounded. All the Soseongui were rushing at me. My chances of taking them on alone…!
“Go Seoksam, you bastard! Come back quickly!”
—Paat!
It’s no use.
I ran after Go Seoksam like a flee instead of staying and fighting.
“Get over here, you bastard!”
“Uwaaaah!”
The Soseongui chased after me while Go Seoksam fled. Will I be able to catch up? But there are too many Soseongui…!
“Ushiiiiirk!”
“Shiiirk!”
In the end, the Soseongui that followed me recklessly dove into the fight and attacked me from both sides.
—Chwaak!
Their sharp claws tore the seams of my clothes.
“You filthy bastard!”
I swung my Strike Staff to keep them at bay and kicked like I was playing soccer, but with my unstable posture, every shot missed.
“Ushiiiiirk!”
Taking that moment, other Soseongui jumped up and started tugging at my hair from behind.
“Noooooo! Not my hair!”
“Hey, Go Seoksam! You bastard! Come back! Come help me! Aaaaaah!”
—Paat!
I immediately dove toward the ground, executing a roll to shake off the Soseongui clinging to me.
“Ushik?!”
I crushed the one that was attached to me with my weight and quickly got up to run. I can’t handle this alone!
Let’s chase after Go Seoksam!
“Go Seoksam, stop!”
“Hueeek, heeek!”
“Don’t run away! Fight back!”
Go Seoksam, perhaps because he was out of stamina, began to waver as he ran.
That bastard really!
If he has the energy to run, he should use it to fight!
—Thud!
In the end, Go Seoksam collapsed, and I rushed to his side.
“Hey! Get up!”
“Hueeek, hueeek!”
He was wheezing as if he was about to choke.
He exhausted himself while running away.
“Ushiiiiirk!”
“Shiiirk!”
I too was short on breath. But the Soseongui showed no mercy. They were charging at us like they wanted to kill us.
A partner who’s a complete idiot in a situation with way too many enemies.
So, I…
“Kyieeeeegh!”
Let out a scream like a demon, retreating back. The Soseongui hesitated, momentarily frightened by my cry, and then…
“Ushiiiiirk!”
“Ushishit!”
They started to pounce on the downed Go Seoksam.
“Ugh, agh! Save me! Help meeee!”
Finally coming to his senses, Go Seoksam cried out for help and thrashed around.
I seriously didn’t think it would come to this.
But this bastard ran away first.
Anger and hatred surged.
“Kyaaah! Save me, save meee! Aaaaah!”
“Then why didn’t you fight back, you bastard!”
“Ahhh!”
Completely distracted, the Soseongui bit into Go Seoksam. Talk about drawing aggro! In that meantime, I quickly caught my breath and aimed for the heads of the Soseongui wildly attacking Go Seoksam.
—Paat!
—Paat!
I brought my Strike Staff down to crush their skulls.
“Die!”
I can’t win this alone.
But if I have a meat shield? It’s worth a shot. The Soseongui were completely fixated on Go Seoksam right now.
“Go Seoksam! If you don’t want to die, get up and fight!”
“Hah, haah…!”
He seemed to regain some awareness with my words, but he was still exhausted. He barely stretched out his hands to push the Soseongui away. But that’s all he could manage.
But it’s enough.
—Paat!
While Go Seoksam became a meat shield, I diligently smashed the heads of the Soseongui.
“Keek?!”
“Ugh?!”
I unleashed all my rage toward Go Seoksam as I beat them to death!
“Die! Die, you bastards!”
I literally went mad, beating the Soseongui senseless. If they tried to stick to me, I threw them away; if they fell down, I kicked them with all my might. While doing so with my Strike Staff, breaking their heads, I noticed the Soseongui who lost their allies were retreating in fear.
Good!
Finally, they’re losing spirit!
“Graaaaah!”
Everything is a battle of momentum. To instill terror in the Soseongui, I grabbed one of them.
“Ushiiiiirk?!”
With their long tail gripped, I swung it around like a flail!
—Booom!
I hit another one!
—Fwoosh!
It was like a giant appeared and grabbed their buddy by the ankle, swinging them around like a club. As I rampaged, the Soseongui that had crowded in began to flee in droves.
We won…!
I barely defeated these demon bastards!
I survived again today!
“Hah!”
I guess I’ve killed about half of them?
As the thought of having survived hit me, my energy drained, and my head spun. If I hadn’t turned Go Seoksam into a meat shield, I probably wouldn’t have made it out in one piece.
To think that after finally surviving until today, I almost died! That’s absolutely unacceptable!
“Go Seoksam, you bastard!”
“Ack…!”
I couldn’t hold back any longer.
I grabbed Go Seoksam by his bloodied collar and pulled him up.
“How dare you run away?!”
“I’m, I’m sorry…”
“Sorry, huh? You punk! If you came here to risk your life, you should cooperate! You frustrating bastard!”
—Slap!
I slapped him hard across the face.
“Graaaaah!”
One hit wasn’t enough to satisfy my anger.
One more time!
—Slap!
“Aaaah!”
“What do you think I’d turn into if you ran away? How dare you try to get me killed?! You trying to see me die?”
I treated you like a comrade!
I was going to fight beside you!
I wanted us to split the 200 coins and part ways happily!
Then you ditch me and run when danger strikes!
—Slap!
—Slap!
—Slap!
“Graaaah! Graaaah!”
So, I kept slapping Go Seoksam until my anger subsided and yanked his mullet to pull out his hair.
“Huh…!”
Of course, I wasn’t thoughtless about what I was doing.
Let’s think rationally. This guy earlier proclaimed he was a loser when talking to me. He said he had no money and no backers, so I can beat him without repercussions.
In the Martial Arts World, being a nobody means you’re practically a target.
A target that can take a beating without any fallout.
“Hah!”
Go Seoksam finally went limp.
Not dead, but he sure had a rough time.
I wouldn’t think about what happens next.
—Swoosh.
I immediately began to collect the corpses of the Soseongui. By my hands alone, at least ten had died. Adding in those further away, I’d say I reduced their numbers by more than half today.
The Soseongui that lost so many partners are sure to run off to another place. They have the ability to learn too, so when their squad gets wiped, they quickly change hunting grounds.
Anyway.
That’s one problem solved.
“…”
I felt completely drained.
I thought I needed some rest, so I leaned against an appropriate spot and closed my eyes. Time to recover my stamina. I should recharge my blood with some meditation.
*
“What a disastrous sight.”
Morning.
The sight of a bloodied Go Seoksam and the battlefield filled with Soseongui corpses left the onlooker in awe.
“I didn’t expect so many. But in the end, you killed all of them.”
“Truly impressive. I didn’t know there were this many… And that friend there is near death.”
“It was an intense battle. I thought it was a war. Hehe.”
“Indeed… Anyway, here. Your pay. 200 coins each.”
“Ooh!”
A heavy purse of coins!
“Thank you!”
I counted, and it’s definite!
A whopping 400 coins of fortune had come into my hands!
Is there such a happy weight in the world?
“Hehehe, then parting ways!”
As I collected my money and started to head back…
“Wh-where’s my money…”
From behind, Go Seoksam muttered something odd.
“What?”
Hearing that voice made my anger flare up. But I suppressed it; it was morning, and people were watching.
“Got something to say?”
“That, that is…”
So I pressed my body close to Go Seoksam and said,
“Your face is turning red, so I figure you do? Got something to say?”
“…”
“You bastard. Don’t you remember what happened last night? You ran away while I was fighting, right?”
“Th-there were more Soseongui than I thought…”
“I got paid to come work, so what does that matter? You threw me to the wolves and escaped alone; did that feel good? I almost died because of it!”
“Hueeek…!”
I immediately grabbed Go Seoksam by the collar and lifted him up. He was shaking in fear and mumbling something.
“I-I’m sorry…”
He looked pathetic, but there was no mercy or forgiveness.
Even in modern Earth, this guy would’ve been beaten senseless by me. Let alone here, in the Martial Arts World.
I can’t show compassion to someone who tried to screw me over and get me killed. If that idiot hadn’t fled, I might have really been dead by now.
He did act as a meat shield, but since he ran away, he should bear the consequences. Plus, the guy didn’t kill a single Soseongui. I killed them all.
And this guy demands his share?
“Do you really want to die?”
“S-save me!”
“The money goes to me. If you tried to kill me, you have to pay. And I took out all those Soseongui, didn’t I? If you understand, get lost, you damn bastard!”
“Hueeek!”
As I yelled, I finally let go of his collar, and Go Seoksam bolted away like he was running from that same Soseongui as before.
A guy like that is trying to catch Soseongui, really.
“If I see you again, you’re dead.”
Time to head back.
The weight of the money feels heavy in my hands.
“Oh, right.”
I should grab those corpses and trade them for coins.
I should be able to get a few coins for those.
“Phew.”
Even though I’d gotten a large sum, my mood wasn’t all that great.
From now on, I’ll fantasize about beating up Go Seoksam every night before I sleep.
*
I had many wounds.
That’s why I visited a place called the healer for the first time.
“This here is an anti-inflammatory pill, and just applying this golden salve will fix you up quickly. With your physique, you won’t rot.”
The healer, sporting a long white beard, spoke with grave authority, making it feel quite convincing. The visuals alone are intimidating.
“Ooh, is that so? But what’s an anti-inflammatory pill?”
I know what golden salve is.
It’s the equivalent of the OTC medicine you use in the Martial Arts World.
“It’s a pill made from medicinal herbs that alleviates inflammation. Here. One anti-inflammatory pill costs 50 coins, and the golden salve is 20 coins.”
That’s pricey, damn.
But I just got paid, so I’ll begrudgingly invest in it.
If I leave my wounds untreated, my health will drop.
I immediately paid, followed the healer’s advice, applied the golden salve to my injuries, and took the anti-inflammatory pill with water.
With that, if I eat and rest well, I should recover quickly.
Afterward, I returned to the inn.
“…”
After enjoying some plain noodles for dinner, I headed to my room and lay down.
Go Seoksam… Just thinking about that bastard makes me furious again.
Should I have hit him more?
No, that’s enough. I hit him plenty. After being bitten by Soseongui, I also took a fair amount of hits, so let’s forget about it now.
Anyway.
How should I live from now on?
“…I need to get stronger.”
A sudden realization struck me.
No, it was a fact I understood last night.
Power.
I need strength.
I faced a horde of Soseongui alone and almost died.
If I were stronger?
I could have easily dealt with them by myself.
“Yes…!”
The moment I thought about that, a shiver ran through my body.
“Martial Arts!”
That’s right!
If I want to gain power and skill, I have to learn martial arts! After all, this is the Martial Arts World! Learning martial arts here is truly a given!
I need to learn martial arts to enhance my power!
“Let’s learn martial arts!”
If I have some money, it’s time to invest!
In Earth, I would have invested in real estate, but here is the Martial Arts World! So let’s invest my money in learning martial arts!
I’ll use this money to learn martial arts!
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