Apollo, who I met during the border incident, was a veteran warrior with 20 years of mercenary experience.
He boasted to me that he roamed the border handling various tasks, during which he had learned various martial arts from different regions.
While suggesting that if I learned martial arts, I could become the strongest mercenary and a legend, I wasn’t really interested, so I let his words go in one ear and out the other.
“What? You called me just to ask for a lesson!?”
When I explained the situation to Apollo, who I had hurriedly summoned with a hefty fee, he immediately lost his temper.
He thought he could finally recruit me after I expressed an interest in learning martial arts but seemed to be quite frustrated upon hearing that I merely wanted to learn.
In such situations…
“Yes, the best martial artist and warrior I know is none other than you, Apollo.”
“Kwahaha! You’re right! You really know your stuff! As expected of Yuren, a man I acknowledge!!”
Just like the saying goes that flattery makes people dance, I sweetened Apollo’s mood.
After all, I spent 20 years in my previous life buttering up high-ranking officials for project approvals. This was child’s play.
“So will you take me on?”
“No!”
Ah, why again!?
I asked Apollo, who smiled pleasantly while looking at me with displeasure and firmly said no.
“Why not?”
“No matter how much we are paid, we won’t engage in clowning around.”
It seemed that he wasn’t fond of teaching martial arts to us for money.
This fellow had a strangely self-righteous side.
Like a martial arts master who only teaches their secrets to a destined successor they meet by chance, and finds satisfaction in watching that disciple soar in the world—that’s the kind of ‘high and mighty master’ vibe he had.
“Clowning around? No, no, I’d say you’re more of a consultant if we use a more refined term.”
“That’s the same thing!”
Apollo seemed to be quite annoyed.
What’s up with this petty high and mighty master!?
I internally cursed and thought of the next method.
The most primal and certain approach, which was…
“If you just help me for a month—I’ll give you—” beep—“gold. How about it?”
Money.
Apollo shouted at me in rage.
“Are you trying to buy me with money!!!”
…That was too much money to just refuse.
In the end, Apollo agreed to become our guest instructor for martial arts at the Irene School.
*
Everyone gathered at the Irene School’s spacious gymnasium that I had just purchased.
With our instructor Apollo, and me along with my master, Jiren, Karen, Noirin, and even Julia… Huh?
“When did you come here?”
“Hahahahah! I came to see what fun things Yuren is up to!”
Julia smoothly stood there in her workout clothes, seeming too comfortable.
Lately, it felt like she’s been spending more time in our school than in her own.
Anyway, we all put on black workout clothes that were made for easy movement and prepared to receive Apollo’s teachings.
“So, what do you want to learn?”
“We would like to learn the martial arts from each region and find the style that suits us best.”
At my words, Jiren and Noirin reacted in shock.
What’s up with those guys?
“Yuren-hyung! What do you mean by that?”
“We’re learning too? Brother!”
“Of course! It’s common sense to experience martial arts when learning a fighting game, my dear students.”
It is said that the original developer of the first 3D fighting game went all the way to China because he couldn’t feel the impact properly and came back after learning martial arts.
Learning and experiencing martial arts before making a fighting game was a common sense approach, yet the two looked at me with confused expressions.
“I’ve never heard of such strange common sense.”
What? Is this the difference in common sense between this world and mine?
While I was seriously pondering, Jiren dropped a bomb.
“By the way, Apollo, is that martial art really practical?”
Zing!
At that moment, I felt a zap on Apollo’s forehead.
Oops, Jiren pushed the self-destruct button.
With an exceptionally friendly smile, Apollo replied.
“Oh? Is that little boy saying martial arts seem weak?”
“Not weak, but compared to magic…”
From Jiren’s perspective, having experienced both, he might see martial arts as somewhat inferior.
If magic is like missiles, then martial arts are like guns.
Both are strong, but in a direct fight, of course, a missile would turn a gunman into dust.
However, just because missiles exist doesn’t mean guns have disappeared; they each have their own strengths.
Apollo looked at Jiren like he was bait.
“Hmmm, then let’s see for ourselves, shall we?”
Apollo called over Jiren for a practice match.
He deliberately backed off to around 30 meters, a distance favorable for magic users, and shouted.
“Now! Go ahead and attack with all your might!”
Jiren looked at me for a cue.
I signaled him to go all out, and only then did Jiren unleash his magic.
“Here I go!! ‘Slokini’ (Paralysis Magic) X3!”
Piyong! Piyong! Piyong!
Three pink energy balls shot from Jiren’s staff towards Apollo at high speed.
But…
“Hahahaha!!! So slow! Slower!”
In a flash, Apollo evaded and began running towards Jiren.
With explosive speed from his magic-enhanced legs, but it seemed Jiren had already anticipated this.
“‘Aeker’ (Wind Blade Magic)!”
At the moment Apollo closed in, Jiren released a point-blank ‘Aeker’ (Wind Blade Magic).
In that second, Jiren was sure of victory. However…
“An illusion!?”
Apollo’s figure seemed to vanish like smoke as it was hit by the wind blade.
Jiren must have witnessed Apollo’s form dissipate just like that.
However, Apollo was right there.
In fact, he was right next to Jiren.
“Kwahaha! Did you miss me, little one?”
“Wh-what!?”
With that, Apollo slipped behind Jiren and tripped him.
Then he went behind and applied a sleeper hold, starting to tighten it.
“Kwaha! How does it feel, kid, to experience the power of martial arts!”
“Gahhhh! I surrender!! I yield!!”
To demonstrate the power of martial arts, Apollo seemingly held Jiren in the sleeper hold for about 10 more seconds.
After the practice match, Apollo, cheerful as if he just finished a morning workout, addressed the groaning Jiren.
“Kwaha! This is a martial art called ‘Black Forest’ practiced by Dark Elves.”
Then Apollo took a stance and began explaining the martial art.
The posture looked a lot like wrestling from my past life.
“It’s a martial art that creates openings with illusions and then pins the opponent to choke their vital points.”
A Dark Elf female warrior pins an opponent with wrestling and chokes their vital points?
Hmm… I feel like I just secured a character.
Aside from my cheeky thoughts, it seemed Apollo’s teachings weren’t over yet.
“Everything in this world has a weakness. Nothing is as weak as something you think is invincible; little Jiren, make sure to learn this well! Kwahaha!”
I learned something good, the Dark Elf martial art ‘Black Forest.’
However, upon hearing Apollo, a question arose in my mind.
“Apollo, do Elves also have martial arts?”
“Of course! I’ve heard of a martial art using plant magic called ‘Yudra,’ but I’ve never seen it in practice, so I have no idea how it actually looks.”
I didn’t know what ‘Yudra’ was, but it sounded incredibly powerful.
I wished I could see it, but while I wore a disappointed look, suddenly my master spoke up.
“I’ve learned ‘Yudra’ before.”
“You, Master?”
Here, Master!?
I thought Master, who seemed to have no connection to martial arts, wouldn’t know about it.
But it seemed I wasn’t the only one who was surprised.
“No way! I heard that martial art was lost 300 years ago!”
Apollo looked astonished beyond happiness at the thought that a lost martial art was so close.
Did you really learn a martial art that vanished 300 years ago?
I asked out of curiosity.
“When did you learn ‘Yudra,’ Master?”
“Well… let’s see… a hundred, two hundred, three hundred, four hundred… a long time ago!”
Um… I shouldn’t ask any more questions.
I was about to ask Master to show the martial art, but Apollo butted in and politely bowed like a martial artist.
“May I learn a technique from Grandmaster Irene?”
Is this guy out of his mind!?
I hurriedly shouted at Apollo.
“Um… Apollo, I don’t recommend challenging Master.”
“Kwaha! Don’t worry, Yuren! Do you think I would harm your family? I merely want to experience ‘Yudra.’ Experience!”
No, that’s not what I meant…
I tried to warn him again, but this time Master intervened.
“I’m fine with it. My disciple, it’s been a while since I wanted to work out, and this is the perfect opportunity.”
Master was very eager to stretch and got ready.
Ah… this is bad. There’s no stopping it now.
I began preparing healing magic ahead of time, while Apollo took his stance and spoke to Irene.
“Then, I shall begin, Grandmaster Irene.”
“Anytime, little Apollo.”
Apollo took a stance that resembled taekwondo I had seen in my previous life.
On the other hand, Master took an odd pose with both hands extended forward, resembling a zombie.
Before their stances, there stood a muscular adult against a slender girl, an extraordinary sight.
In response to Master’s aura, Apollo seemed to feel a hint of fear and initiated the attack first.
“Whoa!!!”
With a lightning-fast lunge, Apollo aimed a jab!
This time, because it was an equal distance of 10 meters, Apollo’s magically enhanced jab sped towards Master like lightning.
But suddenly, a green something sprang from Master’s hand.
Whiriririck!!
“Whoa!!”
The green vine-like object that sprung from Master’s hand bound Apollo’s arms.
Then it tossed Apollo aside.
Boom!
“Argh!”
As he lost his balance due to the sudden speed, Apollo quickly scrambled to free himself from the vines. But…
“W-What is this! Why won’t it come off?!”
“Then I’ll keep going, little Apollo!”
“Whoa!!!”
As Master pulled on the vine, Apollo was dragged closer to her.
When he was right in front of her, Master jumped up and…
Pow!
“Gahhh!”
She executed a roundhouse kick, sending Apollo flying.
After watching this happen about three times, I started to grasp what the martial art ‘Yudra’ might be about.
It was a style of Elf martial arts that utilized vine magic to bind the opponent and then kick them.
Boom, pow, whack!
“Stop! Stop! Grandmaster Irene! That’s enough!”
In martial arts novels from my past life, there was a saying.
“One ought to be careful of old people and children in the martial world.”
Moreover, my Master fell into both categories.
How could an Elf not be strong?
This was precisely why I tried to stop Apollo from challenging my Master.
As I approached the flattened Apollo on the ground, Master quietly whispered something.
“If you ever try to take my disciple again, you’ll be in trouble. Little Apollo.”
“Ah… Yes… Grandmaster…”
Though I couldn’t quite hear, Master wore a cold smile while addressing Apollo, getting up.
Apollo’s experience with ‘Yudra’ came to an abrupt end on that cold floor.
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