Chapter 13: A Hidden Change

‘What if, later, his body becomes even sturdier and his talent as a knight grows greater?’

‘Wouldn’t it be a good idea to recommend the path of the knight’? If he dislikes being a knight and prefers a Ma Beop Sa, then perhaps the path of a Magic Swordsman would also be good…

…Nonsense. No, it probably wouldn’t go as far as a Magic Swordsman.

There isn’t even a precedent for that.”

Indeed, the path of a Magic Swordsman might be too difficult.

There isn’t a single family that produces Magic Swordsmen generation after generation.

There’s no such secret art in Opheron, either.

That path is impossible after all.

Still, whatever path he chooses.

“Your eyes look different.”

His father, the Count, didn’t mind.

He’d always worried about the youngest, who had shrunk back because he couldn’t become a knight in a Knight Family.

Now, even his gaze had changed.

Even if he doesn’t become healthy, that doesn’t matter.

It’s enough that the youngest doesn’t cower and walks with his chest out.

That alone is sufficient.

“Yeah. I’m satisfied. Haha.”

He could finally lay down some of the worries about his youngest, who had always weighed on his heart like a sore finger.

“Whether he’s a Magic Swordsman or Ma Beop Sa, it doesn’t matter.”

That’s enough.

The Count, thinking he could let go of his worries for his child, felt his complicated heart settle.

It was like a bad tooth being pulled.

Just as he was about to focus on his work again,

Something new caught his eye. The content written in the document he was reading was the problem.

“Hmm… One of the underworld organizations was wiped out, huh?”

An underworld organization.

They’d slipped into the territory at some point and only made the innocent commoners suffer.

There had been many attempts to wipe them out.

But every time, they’d failed.

It wasn’t a matter of ability.

Somehow, whenever a sweep was planned, the organization got wind of it and went into hiding.

When that happened, even the Count had trouble apprehending them.

Despite several raids, they’d only managed to catch the small fry.

Still, he never gave up.

‘I was preparing something new, though…’

He was prepared to accept some sacrifices if that’s what it took to capture the organizations sullying his land.

He was planning a strategy accordingly.

He pretended to turn a blind eye to the organizations.

He collected information on them and observed their movements.

But then, suddenly, A report that one small organization had been caught landed in his hands.

“Hmmm…”

This was news passed on by the Guard Corps yesterday.

A small change.

But the Count had often seen small changes lead to big incidents.

He mustn’t miss these shifts if he wanted to manage the territory well.

“I’ll have to make them act quickly. There are even more things to worry about now.”

The investigation into the Goblin Shaman wasn’t even finished yet. The monsters’ movements were also unusual.

It wasn’t good for internal problems to get worse in such a situation. In the end, the most urgent issue became clear.

***

“Sir Pirn!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Call for Sir Bishion!”

The flutter of a small butterfly was starting to spread wide.

Perhaps sensing my urgency, Myuron guided me right away.

“They say there was quite a result yesterday.”

“Really?”

“Yes. They were thrilled that they wiped out a whole organization. They’re even preparing a reward.”

“Oh, a reward…”

“They seem to think it’ll be a decent one. Thanks to that, the Guard Corps is pretty excited.”

He seemed to think I was curious about the Guard Corps.

As he guided me, Myuron told various stories.

‘Interesting.’

It wasn’t pointless chatter.

I’d gained important information.

It seemed the Guard Corps was taking credit for the organization I’d taken care of yesterday.

‘They want to take the credit, huh. I don’t mind.’

Whatever the process, the organization was caught, so that’s good enough for now.

Maybe someone might find it odd, but not many would dig into it.

‘It’s fine by me.’

‘Should I call it a relief?’

At least it didn’t seem the Guard Corps was connected to the Parakho.

‘If they were working together…’

If the Guard Corps and the Parakho had been in cahoots, things would’ve been very different.

They wouldn’t expect a reward for a clean sweep.

Instead, they’d probably have made deals with the Parakho, maybe taken bribes to let them go.

‘There were plenty of cases like that in Kim Seonggeon’s world… no, too many.’

It was more common than one might think for authorities and criminals to join hands.

They might have been paying the Guard Corps for their cooperation, just as lower groups paid tribute to the higher-ups.

But at least for now, that didn’t seem to be the case.

Still, caution was necessary.

‘I need to keep watching. The real boss might be someone else.’

What I’d caught was the lowest rung of the organization.

The higher you went up, the more benefits there’d be trickling down.

They might still be bribing the Guard Corps.

“So, how are they being dealt with?”

“You’ll see for yourself soon. We’ve just arrived.”

“Good.”

Perfect timing—we’d arrived at the Guard Corps headquarters.

“I’ll take you right in… No, would you prefer to observe quietly?”

“That’s right.”

Myuron was quick on the uptake.

He knew my intentions even without me saying anything.

‘Definitely useful.’

He was someone I’d like to keep with me if possible.

“Is there a way?”

“Of course. The First Young Lord came in the same way.”

“How?”

“You just need to pose as a new knight-in-training… but for the Third Young Lord, that might be difficult?”

He meant that, physically, I was too weak for the role.

“Then let’s say I’m a new Administrative Officer.”

“…Well, that’ll work for now.”

“Yes. Then, please follow me. If there’s any trouble because of the identity, I ask for your understanding.”

“That’s plenty. Just guide me; don’t worry about anything else.”

“Yes, sir!”

There was no reason to make a big deal.

If I checked things openly, someone might get suspicious.

It was best to look as if I just happened by.

Better yet, as if I was checking on the territory.

‘Getting a little help from big brother.’

Fortunately, the First Young Lord also seemed to patrol the territory like this from time to time.

Myuron guided me inside with practiced ease.

“Hoho. How have you been?”

“Of course! By the way, what brings you here at this hour?”

“I’m showing the new guy around.”

“You take on those chores with your seniority?”

“Work piles up, you know.”

“Well, go on in.”

I was able to step into the Guard Corps right away.

“From here, please walk around as you wish.”

“I’d like to see how they deal with criminals, too.”

“It’s not a pleasant sight, but… shall we go?”

“Of course!”

“Then, this way.”

Moving through the Guard Corps as if it were his own home, Myuron led me to where the Parakho who were locked up yesterday were being held.

‘Wow, that’s brutal.’

Chiiiik—

A red-hot branding iron was pressed into a right shoulder.

“Kkgh!”

A bit gag was placed in the mouth to prevent biting through the tongue.

Through it, the pained groans of a Parakho rang out as the iron burned him.

“Ugh…”

It wasn’t their first time; some Parakho were already clutching their right shoulders and moaning.

I winced, but didn’t look away from the scene.

“What are they doing?”

“It’s the procedure for applying a slave mark.”

“A mark?”

“Yes. This is the process before the magical treatment.”

A slave mark.

There were similar things in both Murim and on Earth.

But none as cruel as here.

‘Utterly merciless.’

It didn’t end with just burning a mark in with an iron.

A magical process would be applied to the branded mark afterward.

The mark on the body would become a type of magic circle.

Once magic was added, that would be the end.

‘Because they’re bound.’

They’d become bound to the Ma Beop Sa who cast the spell.

Once bound, that was it. Except in very rare cases, it couldn’t be undone.

‘Only a High Priest or Ma Beop Sa could break it. And they wouldn’t bother for people like them.’

When it came to removing those, priests or magicians demanded a steep price.

Normally, there was no way to undo it.

Chiiiik—

“Kkgh!”

The moment the mark was branded, their lives as slaves were sealed.

“They’re being punished pretty thoroughly, huh?”

“They sucked the life out of others like parasites, so it’s only fair.”

“Not bad. It’s a good method.”

The punishment for the Parakho was harsher than I expected.

Not just a few years in prison—they were made into slaves for life!

It was a harsh sentence for the crime, but as Myuron said, they were like parasites.

If you commit a crime, you should pay a heavy price.

‘I’d like to spread this to Kim Seonggeon’s world.’

Even for great crimes, it’s only a few years.

They make excuses, get suspended sentences, or pay a fine.

This was a much more satisfying method of punishment.

“If you commit a crime, you should be punished thoroughly!”

“Absolutely!”

I even nodded at Myuron’s words before I realized it.

‘Good. I can rest easy about this for now.’

As long as the Parakho ended up with the Guard Corps, their lives were as good as doomed.

Now I could deal with the Parakho without worry.

Once caught, they’d become slaves and suffer for life! For small fry, this was a perfect ending!

If by any chance things went differently,

‘That can be handled as needed.’

There were other preparations, after all.

I was very satisfied.

So then—

‘Should I go after the next ones? Heh.’

It was time to hunt down the Parakho with the mark I’d placed.

Time flowed endlessly.

And with its passage, I gained more and more.

‘It’s not hard to understand.’

Six directions.

The six points: east, west, south, north, up, and down.

The essence of the Yukhapkwon lies in utilizing these six directions.

But it’s not as simple as just using six points.

If it were that simple, it wouldn’t be martial arts at all.

‘That would just be flailing fists.’

Once you master the forms, the real Yukhapkwon begins.

‘Combination.’

It doesn’t end with just punching in the six directions. You have to adjust the directions in between. Even as you punch, you adjust your direction on the fly.

Paang—

Using the oncoming enemy.

“Argh!”

You have to bend the direction, creating a new one on the spot.

That’s it.

‘In the end, it’s all about application.’

Utilizing and combining the six directions to create an almost infinite array of forms.

That is the true essence of Yukhapkwon.

Using Jegal Hyeon’s memories as a foundation, I worked to fully absorb Yukhapkwon into my current body.

‘Actual combat helped a lot.’

The real-life battles with the Parakho became a living training ground for me.

“77000”

There still weren’t any truly powerful opponents.

There were some who could use their bodies, but no one who used aura yet.

But as long as I moderated my strength, these guys were perfect for practice.

‘I might be able to learn the Eighteen Arms Martial Arts through real combat, too.’

Eighteen Arms Martial Arts.

It was one of the basics taught to any family or sect with power in Murim.

Starting from the sword and ending with fists.

They’d learn and practice eighteen types of weapons, each in their own way. You didn’t have to master them all deeply.

‘But there’s no need to just scratch the surface, either.’

You just needed to understand how a sword stabs or cuts, how a spear is swung.

Learn the uses of each martial art and the ways to counter them.

That’s why you learned the Eighteen Arms Martial Arts.

In that sense, Yukhapkwon was like learning the ‘fist’ among the Eighteen Arms Martial Arts.

‘Though I’m going much deeper than needed.’

If I kept gaining real combat experience like this, I’d have mastered the basics through fighting alone.

On top of that, ‘My understanding of the Liu Lei Method is deepening.’

Wuuuuuu—

Expend internal energy.

The Liu Lei Method was a technique that, through pain almost like torture, made the body stronger.

Even the body of someone without the Jegal family’s natural gifts could be strengthened by the Liu Lei Method.

My body was hardening from within.

‘I can move longer, and get less tired.’

Thanks to the effects of the Gui-Sik Grand Technique, it didn’t show outwardly.

‘I’ve made myself look weak.’

In reality, my body was several times stronger than it was before I’d gained these memories.

That’s how I trained through real combat.

It had been nearly a month already since I started fighting the Parakho while tempering my body.

“Already six of them.”