Chapter 14 – Glimmer of Hope in the Darkness (3)

Chapter 14 – Glimmer of Hope in the Darkness (3)

There was a suffocating atmosphere in the guesthouse.

The four Taoists jumped up from their seats and grabbed their sword sheaths. They doubted their ears as to whether they had heard nonsense. Because it was the first double curse I had ever heard.

“Tell me again what you just said.”

The Taoist monks were ready to go out if the situation occurred to them. However, Il-gwang opened his eyes like a bird and continued to glare at them, as if he didn't care at all.

“I told you to shut up, you rat-like bastard. Where are you going to put your eyes? Mr. Quack.”

The faces of the monks turned red. I even felt dizzy from the harsh language that seemed to come from the mouths of street gangsters. I didn't know what to say.

Baek Hee urged the executions as if she could not stand it anymore.

“If the Mount Hua Sect stays silent after hearing such insults, how will the Ganghu view it? Just kill that ugly bastard!”

However, the current situation was not as simple as Sister Baekhee said.

The opponents were government soldiers who do not even possess weapons. Moreover, there were too many eyes watching. If they were killed, the Mount Hua Sect will be at odds with the government army. Since the private office had issued a warning not to get involved in the affairs of the government and military, it was impossible to move carelessly.

But I couldn't help but feel resentful.

“What are you going to do if I glare at you?”

In response to Il-gwang's continued provocations, Baek-hee ran around and urged the executioners.

“Do something quickly!”

Even without urging, the other Taoists were already shaking all over.

When the situation reached this point, the person who was most embarrassed was Cheong-hae. He seemed to be unable to raise his face and kept his head down. He was blaming himself as if everything happened because of him.

So-mu said, placing his right hand on Cheong-hae’s shoulder.

“Raise your head and look around.”

Cheong-hae looked around carefully. All the new recruits of the Sixteenth Group were seen angry and cheering for Il-gwang. So-mu's soft voice reached him again.

“Everyone is angry for you. But if you show yourself like this, you are making a fool of them.”

I felt strange. When he was ostracized by the Elders within the Mount Hua Sect, who stood by his side? Even when he was beaten to death by the plum swords, all the Taoist monks gathered together and pointed fingers at him and laughed at him.

Is that all? Even the elders of the clan, including Jang Mun-in, treated him like a dirtied bastard. Except for one person, Master.

Have you ever had this experience?

A feeling I experienced for the first time. It was making Cheong-hae's blood boil.

Suddenly his eyes began to shake slightly.

‘You mean everyone was on my side now?’

Cheong-hae was clearly shaken. As if he had been waiting, So-mu delivered the final blow to his ear.

“One thing is certain. If you avoid it now, you will regret this moment for the rest of your life.”

Cheong-hae, who was hidden under the table, clenched his fists.

‘Now the Volcanic Sect were no longer my executioners. The sixteen companions who rage together for me were my brothers. ‘I will never do anything I regret again.’

Kwaang-!

Someone slammed the table and jumped up from their seat. When Il-gwang and the Taoists of the Mount Hua Sect who were fighting turned their headed, they saw Cheong-hae with his fists clenched.

“Stop it. I can’t take it anymore.”

Baekhee's eyebrows narrowed sharply as she looked at Cheong-hae.

“Are you crazy? Don’t you know who I am? The youngest, Hang-ryeol, has a sister-in-law….”

Baekhee could not continue speaking. Because Cheong-hae interrupted her.

“Shut your mouth!”

As you have been living with Il-gwang for a while, have you been influenced by him? It was the first swear word I ever uttered in my life. I felt so relieved inside.

Not only the new recruits, but even So-mu stared at him with both eyes closed.

“You, you, you….now….”

Baekhee even began to stutter. The other three monks were so dumbfounded that they seemed speechless.

It was then. She suddenly pulled out her sword.

Chaaaang-!

“Die, you bastard!”

Everyone watching was taken aback by the sight of her rushing towards Cheong-hae.

It's right next to the table, so it's less than a day away. With just one step, Cheong-hae was within her killing distance.

“Buy, buy!”

The other Taoist monks urgently tried to dissuade Baek-hee, but now she could not hear anything. The tip of her sword, which shot towards Cheong-hae's uvula, was filled with murderous intent. However, there was no way that Baekhee's excited sword would contain any real changes or flaws.

A very honest swordsmanship. And one word came to Cheong-hae’s mind.

‘Slow?’

Something was strange. The sword of a student of Mount Hua Sect could not have been this slow. In the Mount Hua Sect, they were people whose levels were so different that it was difficult to even make eye contact.

That wasn't all. Her weaknesses, which were revealed one after another, were innumerable.

Cheong-hae let go of her sword just by twisting her upper body. He saw the blade of a sword passing in front of his nose. It was approaching slowly, as if time had stopped.

At that moment, Cheong-hae's right hand, which was moving reflexively, kicked up from below and struck her wrist.

Kwasik-!

“Aaaah!”

Baekhee's wrist was bent and she lost her grip on the sword. Her posture was broken, and a loophole was revealed in her front chest.

And Cheong-hae's counterattack followed. His wide open left hand struck Baekhee’s chest.

Kwaang-!

“Aaaahhh!”

After screaming and taking a step back, Baekhee returned to the spot where she had been standing a moment ago. Since Cheong-hae did not put much effort into the attack, it did not seem to suffer any major injuries.

However, her sword had already fallen into Cheong-hae's hands. With just one move, he snatched the sword of a student from Mount Hua Sect.

Cheong-hae was dumbfounded when he realized what he had just done. He didn't realize how much stronger he had become. And who has taught you martial arts so far?

Baekhee grabbed his wrist and gave a vicious look at the other Taoist monks.

“Are you just going to watch?”

The three Taoist monks, who had finally come to their senses, began to draw their swords at the same time.

window-! Car window-!

“Cheong-hae guy, what kind of trick have you pulled?”

As the three swords were aimed at Cheong-hae, a chill filled the room. Unrelated ordinary people crumpled into the corners of their rooms and prepared for any possible danger.

At that time, So-mu stood up and broke the silence.

“I don’t think we can just end things like this. Since we are martial arts people, how about doing it the martial way? A duel or something.”

The Taoist monks internally cheered at So-mu’s suggestion. This was because now we can legally take care of them. I don't know how Cheong-hae took away Samae's sword, but there was no time to think about that now. I had to agree quickly before he changed his mind.

The oldest Taoist among them nodded and stepped forward. Her name was Hyeonjeong, and she was considered one of the highest-ranking students among students at Mount Hua Sect.

“I’ll agree if you don’t hold me responsible even if I get killed or injured.”

Even though So-mu spoke politely, Hyeonjeong did not stop speaking. However, So-mu naturally nodded and said, as if he did not care.

“Instead, we will set the rules. I don’t want to make a fuss, so there will be only one match. Everyone on the losing side will kneel and apologize.”

There was no reason to refuse. To this extent, the soldiers made a huge concession.

“Good. I will come forward for us. Who among you will come forward?”

So-mu thought for a moment, then looked around at the group members and said.

“Choose one of us. If he loses, we will all kneel and apologize.”

Hyeonjeong’s eyebrows twitched.

Who were you? He was a disciple of Mount Hua of the Mount Hua Sect, which was considered to be the highest level in the Old School Ilbang. The opponent's words were like saying that any soldier could defeat him.

“This is ridiculous. It looks like you really want to see blood today.”

“Hurry up and make your choice. Before I change my mind.”

So-mu expected him to choose Cheong-hae or point out Jo Won, who looked weak. Because that was what he led.

However, Hyeonjeong was a person with very strong pride. His eyes began to scan the soldiers' appearances one by one. And he pointed out the person who seemed the strongest among them.

“Let’s do it with that ignorant bald guy.”

So-mu sighed as he saw a cruel smile appear on Il-gwang's face.

“Why don’t you think again?”

“Are you trying to change your mind now?”

So-mu could not answer easily and was troubled for a moment.

‘This guy has no sense. If he had been a disciple of Maehwageomsu or one of his disciples, he would not have accepted it. 'At best, I tried to scold them and send them away because they were immature people with a lot of pretense, but they tried to brought about their own death.'

From So-mu’s point of view, the disciples of the Mount Hua Sect of Mount Hua were like distant juniors of martial arts. He also had experience with countless newcomers to martial arts, so he knew well how to deal with them. All you have to do was suppress your pride.

However, if the other person was Il-gwang, there was no such thing as moderation.

“I’m saying this because I’m truly thinking of you.”

“I dare you to pay for tarnishing our volcano’s reputation. I chose that bald bastard, so if you don’t have confidence, everyone kneels.”

“Huh. I can’t do that.”

As So-mu gestured, the team members began pushing the tables out of the guesthouse. In an instant, a suitable space with a radius of three sheets was created in the center.

Il-gwang, who stepped forward, began to relaxed his knuckles as if he was already itching. Every time he moved his fingers, a cheerful crunching sound was heard from each joint.

Hyeonjeong narrowed her eyes and spoke to Il-gwang in a cold voice.

“Take up arms.”

Cheong-hae approached Il-gwang and offered him the sword he had taken from Baekhee, but he rejected it.

“It’s okay. When training a bastard, bare hands are more effective than sticks.”

Although he was training in swordsmanship, Il-gwang's favorite fighting method was box fighting. Having watched Baekhee's movements a little while ago, he had already confirmed the level of their skills. And also your own abilities.

“Are you saying that you learned box fighting while you were a soldier?”

The sight of Il-gwang raising his clenched fists to the level of his face looked quite convincing. A practical martial art that I have learned in the back alleys since I was young. This was my first time trying martial arts since training at the training center.

Il-gwang himself was also curious. What was the maximum level of destructive power that a fist that can emit from one's changed body can have?

“It’s noisy and it’s coming.”