Chapter 328 Awakening Jinmujin (5)

Chapter 328: Awakening Jinmujin (5)

That thing that comes to mind when you think of Korean folk games.

It’s none other than Star Wars.

In my youth, as an immortal commander who achieved 600 wins (and 1,280 losses) on the ladder, I used to enjoy playing a custom map called Defense to warm up before joining the battlefield.

Countless enemies pouring in versus a small elite force holding the line.

The outcome drastically changes depending on where and how you block them and how you deploy your forces.

Just thinking about it makes your hands itch and your heart race, doesn’t it?

But when the game became reality, it wasn’t quite so enjoyable.

“Over there!”

“Kill them!”

“Homa Gate, annihilate the enemies!”

“Fire arrows first!”

Countless scum filled the field of vision.

Even at a glance, the enemy numbers seemed to be at least a thousand, charging forward with a fierce, life-filled momentum.

Meanwhile, Black Coral and I lured them into the valley, maintaining our defensive formation.

Why did it suddenly come to this?

To find the reason we ended up in this situation, we have to go back a week.

To draw aggro more effectively, I cast ‘I am Dosan Gwonyong!’ right in front of the Lion Clan territory in northeastern Guangdong Province.

Naturally, a massive crowd gathered, and some even followed us around as if starting a new religion.

And finally, today, we were attacked by those bastards from the Lion Clan.

The problem is.

“Hmm… there are more than I expected?”

He hadn’t expected them to swarm like a pack of dogs.

The Black Tiger Clan Leader blurted out his honest reaction.

“That’s why I told you not to reveal our identities so blatantly!”

“But you liked it too…”

I saw you grinning like an idiot when that pretty lady put the flower necklace on you.

And how could you possibly have known the first opponent you’d face would be the Lion Clan’s most numerous faction, the Homa Sect?

Well, what can you do?

We’ll just have to fight.

‘Like a defense game.’

Actually, it wasn’t that dangerous a situation.

After all, I was an awakened Chojinmujin.

The problem is I can’t go all out.

Until I reel in the big fish, I need to hide my true identity and show a weakened front.

“Hmph.”

With a short, sharp gasp, I unleashed my martial energy, deflecting all the incoming arrows.

The Black Snakes clung to my side like ghosts, keeping the enemies at bay.

“Yaaah!”

“Die!”

Thud. Thump. Crack.

Childish battle cries and bone-shattering cracks echoed in all directions.

CRASH!

I unleashed a massive wave of destruction upon the enemy ranks.

As dozens fell dead in an instant, the Sapa bastards faltered.

What is needed at a time like this?

“How dare you! You scum of the underworld, always scheming and plotting, dare to challenge me, Dosan Kwonryong! Do you want to die?”

That’s what seizing the initiative is all about.

“Guhk.”

Whether it truly worked or not, the rogue scum dared not even think of approaching.

“Hmph! You cowards look utterly pathetic, like worthless pieces of shit ! You’re worse than dogs! And yet you still dare covet the common folk’s wealth? Aren’t you ashamed to face your parents and children?!”

“This son of a bitch?! Isn’t that a bit harsh?!”

“What the hell? Even when we fight among ourselves, we don’t drag parents and children into it…!”

“You little bastard, let’s see if a knife won’t stick in your body.”

Ah, this is going too far.

The Black Tiger Clan Leader shouted in an irritated voice.

“Just shut your mouth!”

“No.”

Did I do that on purpose? I just got too into it.

You’re always picking on me.

“Die!”

“Die? What the hell are you talking about?”

SMACK!

“Kerk.”

And so began this battle.

Me and Black Coral beat back the Safa bastards charging at us with rage gauges maxed out, keeping them at bay.

The key point here is that you can’t wipe them all out at once.

They had to be worth fighting—let’s see what they’ve got! Cliché or not.

Going all out recklessly would just lead to… well, them realizing we’re not their match.

With that mindset, we fought the enemies for about an hour when suddenly the atmosphere on the battlefield shifted.

“Make way!”

Masters appeared among the enemy ranks.

“Hmm…”

A chilling aura emanated from one figure amidst thirty peak masters.

At this point, it doesn’t seem much different from the Black Tiger Clan.

‘Indeed, worthy of being called a member of the Lion Clan.’

Still, it won’t be able to withstand the legendary battle tactics of Jin Mujeon, who shines in the A OS game frozen for a thousand years.

“Come at me! You scum of the earth who drive nails into your parents’ hearts!”

The masters charged in instantly.

Heoksanho calmly parried them with sharp sword strikes.

I couldn’t just stand by and watch.

Pah!

To end the fight, I unleashed the Transforming Sword Technique toward the one who seemed to be their leader.

“Hah!”

I thrust the Heaven-Piercing Triple Blade toward the startled enemy.

“You bastard!”

Perhaps pressed for time, the man struck down his sword, hastily covered in a ceramic sheath, like a bolt of lightning.

But.

Bang!

It was useless against this initial strike.

Struck squarely in the chest, the enemy staggered backward, unable to steady himself.

Crack.

“Gah!”

I seized the opening and struck his right arm.

My lightning-fast movement drew gasps of fear from all around: ” “

“Three Thousand Ju that easily?!”

“He’s not a master we can handle!”

“Everyone, fall back!”

The battle instantly fell into a lull.

“Shall we continue?”

“Guh!”

The bastard gritted his teeth.

He must be agonizing over it.

If I trust the numbers and fight to the end, too many subordinates will die; but if I retreat, I fear the blame.

I sent a telepathic message to that bastard to help him choose.

[Just so you know, if you choose to keep fighting, I’ll start by killing you first.]

The response came quickly.

After rolling his eyes a few times, the bastard chose retreat.

“We’ll retreat for now, but next time we meet, you’ll be begging for your life.”

“Right. I hope you bring plenty of friends next time.”

“……We’ll see how long that confidence lasts. Retreat!”

Rumble.

Watching the retreating men, I thought.

The fishing had begun.

* * *

The underground of the Lion’s Mouth Military Headquarters.

Baek Muha, alone there, stared down at the report with a hollow expression.

“Damn it all…!”

He couldn’t believe it.

He knew more about Guryongseong than anyone else in the Lion Clan.

He had even helped facilitate infiltration by revealing the secret passageway the Baek family had prepared during the Baekryongdang era. He had meticulously examined the Jeonryongdang’s forces and confirmed the locations of key figures before dispatching his own forces.

Yet, every operation had ended in failure.

The Assassination Squad sent to kill Myohyang at Guryongseong only managed to kill a few executives of the Western Heaven Trading Guild, while the Bloodthirsty Squad sent to Hanzhong was wiped out without killing anyone.

The military force, which had cost a fortune, was lost in the most futile manner.

“I suppose I must go.”

This was no trivial matter.

If handled carelessly, Lady Yi could be overthrown. Baek Muha immediately headed outside.

Only by solidifying her position could he ensure his own survival.

As Baek Muha ascended, he encountered an old man.

“……!”

In that instant, it felt like falling into an abyss.

Baek Muha, once known as the White Dragon Sword and counted among the masters responsible for Gu Ryongseong.

Though he had destroyed his own inner energy and abandoned his martial arts, his senses remained keen.

Noticing his opponent was no ordinary man , he bowed low. The old man murmured in admiration.

“Huh, you know me?”

“I do not.”

“Then why are you kneeling?”

“I kneel because you seem no ordinary man.”

“You’re a sharp one.”

“Thank you.”

The old man took his time examining Baek Muha.

“Your innate martial talent seems extraordinary, yet why is your dantian shattered?”

“……I shattered it myself.”

“What a waste. Why?”

“It is for the sake of revenge.”

“You abandoned your own strength and vowed revenge?”

“Since victory was impossible by force, I abandoned my attachment to martial arts.”

Heh.

The old man met Baek Muha’s gaze with a small smile.

“You’re a likable fellow. Next time we meet, let’s have a cup of tea.”

“It would be an honor.”

As the old man shuffled away, Yi Yeoryeong, who had approached unnoticed, grabbed Baek Muha’s shoulder.

“Don’t even think about getting close to him. He’s like a thousand-year-old dragon, that old man.”

“Huh? Who on earth is he…?”

“He’s from the royal family.”

“Ah.”

Baek Muha let out a small gasp of surprise.

Although the head of the Palace Clan also serves as the Alliance Leader, everything about the Palace Clan remains shrouded in mystery except for the Alliance Leader and his three sons.

Occasionally, a young martial artist from a collateral branch has been entrusted with a position within the Lion Alliance, but once they gained sufficient experience, they simply returned to the Palace Clan, leaving their post behind.

No one knows how many members exist, nor how many masters reside within.

Even the inner sanctum where they dwell boasted ironclad security, inaccessible even to Yi Yuling, considered the Lion Alliance leader’s right-hand man.

To actually become acquainted with such a figure from the Palace…

‘This might just be an opportunity…’

Baek Muha’s eyes lit up as he pondered how to make use of this.

But that flutter of excitement was short-lived.

Baek Muha was merely a common soldier under Yi Yeoryeong’s command, so he had to focus on reality for now.

“What brings you here? You haven’t been coming up much lately.”

“I heard you’ve been going through a lot lately, so I came to see you.”

“You came because you’re worried about me now?”

Yi Yeo-ryeong’s eyes curved like a crescent moon.

Though his beautiful appearance held a hint of kindness, it stirred no emotion in Baek Muha.

Baek Muha, who had abandoned even the martial arts he had spent his entire life cultivating solely for revenge, could never see a woman.

He handed over the prepared items without relaxing his stiff posture.

“This is the result of my relentless focus over the past six months, without missing a single day.”

“……Let’s go inside and talk.”

After briefly reviewing the contents, Lee Yeoryeong’s eyes lit up.

* * *

“There it is!”

“Catch him!”

After three weeks on the run, I succeeded in drawing out every pursuit squad that had set out from the Lion Clan.

Judging by the increasing number of enemies blocking my path lately, I suspect the Heavenly Net has been deployed.

Crunch. Crunch.

“Krek.”

Thanks to that, I had to keep moving day and night until my feet were sweaty, but I was thoroughly satisfied.

Why?

This is the core strategy of the New Martial Arts Movement campaign.

Tap tap tap tap.

While running at full speed, he asked the Black Tiger Clan Leader right beside him.

“How many do you think have gathered?”

“Well over a thousand, I’d say!”

“Whoa.”

An exclamation escaped him involuntarily.

He immediately unleashed the Heavenly Wind technique, leaping high into the sky.

It was to assess the situation while drawing even more attention.

“I told you to stop doing crazy things!”

A voice bellowed from below, but what could be done now that he had already leaped?

“There!”

The enemies filling every corner of the mountain.

As the Black Tiger Danju said, it looked like well over a thousand.

And.

‘Just about two hours of running should do it.’

He estimated the approximate distance to his destination.

Thud.

As I descended to the ground, dissatisfied stares pierced me from all sides, but I ignored them all and flung the stone I’d prepared earlier backward.

Thud!

The hit target’s skull instantly exploded, creating a grotesque scene, but no one paid it any mind.

“Look at your legs going limp. How do you expect your wife not to cheat on you and get pregnant like this? Put some muscle into it!”

“Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. I will kill you!”

His reason had completely flown away due to the relentless battle tactics.

Two hours later.

We finally reached the promised land.

Poo! Poo!

“Execute those Lion Clan bastards!”

Waaah-!

We joined forces with the Hoyeon Society led by Son Baek.