Breaking Points

“……Pardon?”

Seol Ah-heon doubted his own ears. Who was supposed to handle whom? Was that even feasible?

“Why? No confidence? From the man who dared to infiltrate the Cult’s library of secret manuals?”

“But that… that was something the ‘past me’ did…….”

“So you can’t do in the present what you did in the past? Is incompetence something to be proud of?”

“…….”

“Stop making excuses and lift your sword.”

Seol Ah-heon’s face burned. He didn’t think he was making excuses. But if he placed a hand on his heart and asked himself, ‘Was it truly unavoidable?’… he couldn’t answer easily.

More than a month had passed since he possessed this body. It was a short period, but if he had truly put in the effort, he could have been stronger by now.

‘Right. Hiding behind Baek Geon-ha’s back forever isn’t the solution.’

Since he had been dropped into the Murim world, a peaceful life was out of the question. Even if he didn’t become the strongest in the world, he had to have enough prowess to protect himself. Fortunately, he had possessed the body of a peak-level master; with effort, he should be able to reap the rewards.

‘But fighting thirty people all of a sudden is too much……!’

It wasn’t a one-on-one; it was thirty to one. Regardless of his resolve, he didn’t feel like he could win. However, there was no room for hesitation.

“Hey, you! You with the donkey-look!”

One of the bandits pointed a finger at Seol Ah-heon.

“Yeah! Drop everything you’re carrying this instant!”

He understood why they singled him out. He was the only one saddled with luggage. Truly, like a donkey.

There was no helping it now. Seol Ah-heon began shedding the packs one by one as he replied.

“Fine, I’ve put them down.”

“Now get lost!”

“I can’t do that.”

When he responded with feigned composure, the atmosphere among the bandits grew even more hostile.

To the bandits, Seol Ah-heon looked pathetic. He was lean for a martial artist, and his features were so delicate that he looked weak. He looked so young he could almost be mistaken for a boy, making him an even softer target.

“Haha, I was going to let you go if you paid the toll, but I guess that won’t do. Second!”

“Yes, Boss!”

“Show this brat the terror of the Blue Wolf Fort!”

“Understood!”

The man who had been acting all high and mighty under the “Boss’s” shadow stepped forward. Seol Ah-heon clicked his tongue.

‘Why do they always shout about how they were going to “show mercy” or “let us go nicely”?’

They didn’t have a shred of intention to do so. Even Seol Ah-heon, who was unfamiliar with the logic of the Murim, wasn’t fooled by such lies.

“Die!”

The “Second” lunged, cutting off Seol Ah-heon’s thoughts. He quickly drew his sword and parried the attack.

Clang!

The blade vibrated from the heavy impact. The strength behind the blow surpassed that of the Qingcheng Sect disciples he had faced before. Seol Ah-heon furrowed his brow slightly.

‘Does he actually know martial arts?’

He didn’t seem like just a common bandit. Then again, you’d need some level of skill to maintain a fort.

“You said it was the Blue Wolf Fort?”

“That’s right!”

“Can I be honest? That name is lame.”

Blue Wolf (Cheong-rang). It sounded like a name a middle school gang would come up with. However, they seemed proud of it, as the “Second” scowled deeply.

“What?”

“Why a wolf? Because wolves look cool? Or did you think a dragon or a tiger was too much for you, so you settled for a wolf?”

“S-shut up!”

“And why a blue wolf? Does calling it ‘Cheong-rang’ make it sound more sophisticated? I don’t really see it.”

“You bastard!”

His face turning beet-red, the “Second” began swinging his sword wildly. Seol Ah-heon dodged the attacks with irritatingly light hops.

‘Whoa, my movements have gotten much faster!’

Following Baek Geon-ha’s training had paid off. Though it felt less like he was learning martial arts and more like he was learning how to run his mouth.

“Gah! Stand still!”

Furious, the “Second” thrust his sword savagely. But the movements were loud and the path of the blade was clear. Seol Ah-heon blocked it easily.

Contrary to his initial fears, dealing with the man wasn’t difficult. The problem was…

‘How am I supposed to subdue him?’

He didn’t know how to end the fight. He had experience facing those stronger than him, but never someone weaker. Seol Ah-heon fell into a dilemma while casually exchanging blows. He felt he could easily strike a vital spot, but that went against his values.

It wasn’t that he thought ‘Killing is absolutely forbidden under any circumstances.’ If killing a murderer was the only way to escape, Seol Ah-heon would lunge with lethal intent. But this wasn’t that kind of situation.

“Surrender! Then I’ll spare your life.”

He shouted after much deliberation. It wasn’t a bluff; he meant it. If the “Second” withdrew his sword now, Seol Ah-heon would let him go without scratching a single hair.

“In your dreams!”

Despite his words, the “Second” seemed to be wavering. There was no way he hadn’t realized Seol Ah-heon held the upper hand. He was likely just too proud to retreat, or calculating if they would have a chance if they all attacked at once.

The tedious exchange continued for a while.

[Boring.]

Baek Geon-ha’s telepathic voice reached him.

[I’ll give you fifteen minutes. Clean this up by then.]

“T-that’s way too short!”

Seol Ah-heon blurted out loud, regardless of what anyone thought. There was no way he could settle this in fifteen minutes (Il-gak). He might subdue the “Second,” but there were still thirty more bandits waiting behind him.

However, Baek Geon-ha did not retract the order. What a personality—only saying what he wanted and then unilaterally ending the conversation. Seol Ah-heon grit his teeth.

“You little brat!”

It seemed Baek Geon-ha wasn’t the only one losing patience. Two more bandits lunged forward. A sword, a saber, and an axe—different weapons converged on him simultaneously.

“If you think I’m little, you should be protecting me! You jerks!”

Furious, Seol Ah-heon struck back savagely. Perhaps he had put more strength into it than he thought, because all three of them staggered at once.

In that split second, Seol Ah-heon hesitated. If he aimed for this gap, he could win. He had the reflexes and power to do it.

‘But…….’

He thought that if he were pushed to the edge, he would consciously or unconsciously unleash a finishing move. But he couldn’t. Most people cannot easily bring themselves to harm others even when their own lives are at stake, and Seol Ah-heon was one of them.

But he couldn’t keep this exhaustive exchange going forever. His anxiety began to reflect in his swordplay, and he slowly started to get pushed back. Finally, just as a saber was about to graze his flank—

“Spacing out in the middle of a battle… you idiot.”

Someone timely grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and pulled him back. He didn’t need to look to know it was Baek Geon-ha.

“I-I’m scared…….”

“Of what?”

“Of hurting others. I don’t want to see blood.”

“Truly pathetic. Why did you even learn martial arts if you weren’t prepared for at least that much?”

“But I don’t want to kill anyone.”

The “Second” gave a strange shout and thrust his sword forward again. Seol Ah-heon instinctively stepped back, bumping into Baek Geon-ha.

Before he could even apologize, a low, melodic voice whispered in his ear.

“If that’s truly the case, shall I tell you a better way?”

“W-what way?”

“Destroy their Dantians and sever the tendons in their limbs. It’s a bit of a hassle, but you won’t have to kill them.”

“…….”

He was speechless. He was a fool for expecting something good when the man said it was a “better way.” Setting aside the fact that it didn’t align with his values, there was a bigger problem.

“That’s beyond my current skill.”

“Stop making excuses about what you ‘can’t’ or ‘don’t know’ and do your best. I’ll give you a special demonstration.”

Just then, the bandit with the axe lunged. Baek Geon-ha grabbed him by the throat as if he had been waiting.

“Gak!”

It took less than a second. Seol Ah-heon, unable to process the situation, could only blink in bewilderment. Meanwhile, Baek Geon-ha spoke nonchalantly.

“Now, first you break the arms and legs. That way, they don’t move around and bother you. Oh, surely you aren’t going to say you don’t know how to ‘break’ something?”

“T-that’s…….”

“If you don’t know, watch closely. Like this—”

Baek Geon-ha literally ‘broke’ the bandit’s left arm. With a sickening crunch, the man let out a horrific scream. The other bandits watching the scene began to stir in agitation.

“You just have to snap it in the opposite direction of the joint. Simple, isn’t it?”

“…….”

“You do the right arm.”

Baek Geon-ha pushed the bandit toward Seol Ah-heon. The man was half-unconscious from the extreme pain. Nonetheless, he still hadn’t let go of his axe, posing a potential threat.

“Urgh…….”

Seol Ah-heon grit his teeth.

Kill or be killed. To the two existing choices, “breaking limbs” had been added. His choice was…

“……Aaaaaaaargh!”

Another scream of agony echoed. It was the sound of Seol Ah-heon mercilessly snapping the bandit’s right arm.