I’m an Unorthodox Martial Artist?

“Unorthodox? Me, an unorthodox martial artist?!”

When a madman with a blade is chasing you, running away is only natural.

Seol Ah-heon sprinted desperately to evade the assassins.

“Stop right there!”

‘As if I’d actually stop…!’

He had no idea who those people were, where he was, or what was even happening.

However, he didn’t have the luxury to ponder.

Seol Ah-heon ran and ran again.

“Huff, huff…!”

Breath climbed to the very tip of his throat.

It felt as if he had reached his limit.

In the first place, escaping this far through a pitch-black mountain without a single streetlight was a miracle in itself.

To make matters worse, his head began to spin.

When he instinctively touched his temple, he felt a lukewarm liquid.

‘…Blood?’

Only then did a fishy scent hit him.

He hadn’t realized it, but blood was streaming down his head.

At this rate, it was a wonder he hadn’t collapsed from excessive blood loss.

What should he do?

Seol Ah-heon bit his lower lip hard.

It was obvious he would be caught soon at this rate; he wondered if he should just turn and fight, come what may—the moment that thought crossed his mind.

Swish!

Along with the sharp sound of tearing wind, a sword flew toward him.

Seol Ah-heon pulled the sword from his waist and blocked it.

‘W-what?’

His body moved on its own.

It was like a tennis player, who swings a racket hundreds of times a day, instinctively hitting back a ball.

“You! Such a futile resistance!”

The opponent swung their sword with all their might.

The blade, reflecting the dim moonlight, scattered an ominous glow.

Seol Ah-heon squeezed his eyes shut and braced for the impending pain.

But…

Clang!

He blocked the sword once again.

The numbing shock transmitted through the blade to his hand told him that this was reality, not a dream.

Seol Ah-heon decided to just let go of his senses.

He had heard somewhere that when your life is threatened, a transcendental power surges forth.

It seemed he was in exactly that state right now, and if he tried to regain his senses halfway, he might just get stabbed immediately.

“With such martial arts, you resort to petty thievery! It’s a joke that your moniker is the Ice Block, Seol Ah-heon!”

“If you obediently hand over the Soul-Snow Divine Pill, I’ll send you off without pain!”

He flinched while parrying the attacks pouring in from all sides.

Seol Ah-heon.

That was his name, but they surely couldn’t be referring to him.

After all, he didn’t have a nickname like “Ice Block.”

However, there was one thing that came to mind.

Though now wasn’t the time to think about it seriously.

“…Urgh!”

An attack aimed at the opponent’s flank connected.

This, too, was instinctive.

He didn’t think with his head; he simply thrust his sword because he saw an opening.

That was well and good, but the moment he felt the sensation of cutting through flesh, he snapped back to his senses.

Seol Ah-heon was a man who had lived a relatively ordinary life in South Korea.

There was no way he had ever done something like stabbing a person with a knife.

The men didn’t miss the moment Seol Ah-heon faltered.

An attack aimed at his neck flew in.

At the same time, a sharp voice rang out.

“Ah-heon, your master is here!”

Someone grabbed Seol Ah-heon’s wrist and pulled him away.

Looking back, it was some woman.

He flinched, having failed to sense her approach at all, but she seemed to harbor no ill will.

On the contrary, she fought against the assassins as if trying to help him.

Every time the woman swung her sword, her wide sleeves fluttered.

The trajectory of the silver-flashing sword was so fierce yet beautiful that he felt a sense of admiration even in this situation.

‘Is… is she winning?’

The momentum of the assassins faltered.

The woman was clearly superior.

However, she was but one person, and the opponents were many.

“Dispose of the Ice-Blood Demon Queen first!”

Swords surged toward the woman.

It was a speed so fast Seol Ah-heon couldn’t even track it with his eyes.

The woman not only blocked all those attacks but returned them twofold.

Just when it seemed the battle would finally end with her victory.

In the midst of the chaotic fight, someone thrust a sword into her back.

“Urgh!”

The woman staggered.

He ran to support her, but Seol Ah-heon’s own condition wasn’t great either.

Perhaps because he had lost too much blood, he found it difficult even to stand straight.

In the end, Seol Ah-heon became the one being supported by the woman.

She held him tightly and leaped.

The scenery blurred past.

“My god….”

Setting aside the fact that she lifted him so easily, her running speed was truly incredible.

Just how many kilometers per hour was this?

It felt like it could easily exceed 50 or even 60 kilometers.

Isn’t this… like the lightness skill he saw in martial arts novels?

“…….”

The hypothesis he had earlier gained another piece of evidence.

Facing a reality he didn’t want to believe, Seol Ah-heon squeezed his eyes shut.

******************************************

After running for a long time at that high speed, the woman entered a small cave.

As soon as she set Seol Ah-heon down, she vomited a mouthful of blood.

Cough! “…Ugh.”

“A-are you alright?”

Seol Ah-heon hovered anxiously, checking on the woman.

It was too dark to see well, but he could tell her condition was dire.

Had she helped him despite being injured herself?

He felt both grateful and sorry, not knowing what to do.

“Stay still. This master is fine.”

The woman raised a hand to stop Seol Ah-heon.

She sat in a cross-legged position and regulated her breathing.

He wasn’t sure, but it seemed she was recovering in her own way.

Meanwhile, Seol Ah-heon sank into thought.

‘Is this by any chance <The Chronicles of Mount Hua>? …And I’m the Ice Block Seol Ah-heon?’

If so, this was a disaster among disasters.

He could accept being reincarnated into a novel.

It wasn’t an unfamiliar story; it was a martial arts novel he loved so much he had read it over ten times and memorized it. That was a relief, at least.

But if he was going to be the protagonist… no, since he wasn’t protagonist material, he should have at least been someone close to the lead.

How great would it have been if he were part of the Righteous Faction?

‘If I had to be in the Unorthodox Faction, I should at least be a strong character. Or at least have a long life…!’

“Seol Ah-heon” was an extra who appeared briefly at the start of the story only to exit immediately.

He didn’t even have a proper role.

A few lines of dialogue were all he got: “I heard that Ice Block Seol Ah-heon was brutally murdered by the demonic cultists, right?” or “Haha, the methods of the Demonic Cult are truly cruel, but this time it’s a good thing.”

He was essentially nothing more than a combat power measuring stick for the Demonic Cult.

Seol Ah-heon was such an insignificant character.

The only reason Seol Ah-heon remembered “Ice Block Seol Ah-heon” was because they shared the same name.

‘…Was I reincarnated into Seol Ah-heon just for that reason?’

It was an absurd situation he couldn’t even complain about to anyone.

Anyway, if all of this was real, the woman in front of him had to be the Ice-Blood Demon Queen, Bing So-yu.

“M-master…?”

“Yes… Ah-heon.”

Seol Ah-heon had actually called out meaning “Are you really my master?”, but it seemed to have reached Bing So-yu with a different intent.

She looked at Seol Ah-heon with an affectionate gaze.

It appeared Bing So-yu held a great deal of affection for her disciple.

“I am sorry.”

“…….”

“It seems this master has reached her end.”

For someone speaking of the end, her voice was calm.

Not knowing how to comfort her, Seol Ah-heon simply held Bing So-yu’s hand.

The hand, covered in callouses, was cold.

“Do not grieve, even if it happens. It was a life without regrets. However… I am worried about you, having to navigate this harsh world of martial arts alone.”

“Master….”

“Still, I am glad I can leave you one last gift before I go. Now, Ah-heon. Quickly, take it out.”

Without even knowing what he was supposed to take out, Seol Ah-heon began fumbling over his body.

He felt a hard object near his chest.

Reaching into his robe, he pulled out a carefully hidden wooden box.

“Open it.”

Seol Ah-heon opened the box.

A wave of cold air surged out, and a round, pearl-like bead revealed itself.

The light it emitted on its own was mystical.

“This is….”

“It is the Soul-Snow Divine Pill. A supreme elixir crafted from Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Essence. Consume it quickly.”

“M-master. I cannot.”

Seol Ah-heon knew very well what the Soul-Snow Divine Pill was.

In terms of importance within the story, the Soul-Snow Divine Pill was far more famous than Seol Ah-heon or Bing So-yu.

The opening of <The Chronicles of Mount Hua> went like this: The Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult acquires the Soul-Snow Divine Pill and becomes even stronger.

Upon hearing the news, the Murim Alliance enters a state of alert, and the clouds of war for the Great War between Justice and Evil begin to gather.

In other words, this Soul-Snow Divine Pill was originally meant to be the elixir for the Young Cult Leader.

‘No wonder they were trying so hard to kill me. They were assassins from the Demonic Cult!’

His chest felt tight, as if blocked.

Of all things to be chased by, it had to be the Demonic Cult.

How great would it have been if it were at least some small or medium-sized sect?

This was the third time today he had desperately repeated the word “at least.”

It was also the third futile wish he had harbored.

As Seol Ah-heon lowered his head, Bing So-yu urged him again.

“Hurry and eat it.”

For someone driving a person into a corner, her voice was far too gentle.

Perhaps Bing So-yu didn’t cherish her disciple but actually hated him?

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be telling him to eat an elixir stolen from the Demonic Cult’s Young Cult Leader.

“How about you take it instead, Master…?”

I don’t want to be murdered by the Demonic Cult’s relentless pursuit. If I’m destined to die anyway, I’d rather see the protagonist Kang Seon before I go. Don’t dump this on me!

He conveyed that meaning indirectly.

However, thinking of this as a tear-jerking sacrifice by her disciple, Bing So-yu slowly shook her head.

“I cannot. Don’t you know? My era has already faded.”

“Master, why do you say such things?”

“The Nine Yin Severed Meridians are a punishment from the heavens. It is a miracle I have lived this long despite being born with them. But I have finally reached my limit.”

“…….”

“Therefore, Ah-heon. You, the sole disciple of the Young-Ha Sect, are the only one who can carry on the legacy of the Ice-White Divine Art.”

“No…!”

He wanted to protest, asking why she was dumping such a heavy responsibility on him.

But Seol Ah-heon wasn’t heartless enough to say such things to a person whose life was flickering out.

Most importantly, there was no guarantee he would survive even if he didn’t eat the Soul-Snow Divine Pill.

Seol Ah-heon was already a thief who had stolen the Demonic Cult’s elixir.

In the story, wasn’t he brutally killed for that very reason?

Even if he returned the Soul-Snow Divine Pill to the Demonic Cult, would those demons say, “Haha, we’re glad you’ve repented now. We shall forgive what happened in the past”?

Not a chance. They would kill him with a single stroke.

Actually, that would be a mercy; in reality, they would kill him after severe torture.

‘It’s all or nothing.’

If he was going to die either way, it seemed better to at least eat the elixir.