Chapter 4: A New Awakening
Wang Dusik charged at me while wildly swinging both arms.
There was a fair amount of power behind each punch.
But to me...
they were nothing more than slow gestures.
I casually slipped past Wang Dusik's fists.
I deliberately avoided each one by the smallest possible margin, yet there was still plenty of room to spare.
At the same time, I continued provoking him.
"You're way too slow."
"Even if I wanted to let you hit me, I don't think I could."
Wang Dusik cursed and swung even harder.
"Han Mujin, you fucking bastard!"
His face had turned as red as an erupting volcano.
It was almost funny.
That should be enough.
Even though I had regressed into my fifteen-year-old body, the soul inside it belonged to someone well past forty.
Continuing to argue with a brat who still smelled of milk was ridiculous.
I couldn't afford to waste the precious time regression had given me.
No reason to drag this out.
Let's finish it in one hit.
Of course...
I wasn't planning to finish gently.
I'll add interest to everything he did to me in my previous life.
After continuously retreating, I suddenly changed direction.
My body shot forward.
In an instant, I entered Wang Dusik's guard.
The movement was as fast as lightning.
"W-What?!"
Wang Dusik hurriedly tried to protect himself.
Too late.
I put all my strength into my right fist.
And where did I aim?
Directly beneath Wang Dusik's abdomen.
"Urk... ugh... guh...."
Thud.
Wang Dusik collapsed.
His eyes rolled back until only the whites remained.
Foam spilled from his mouth.
"You'll probably be pissing blood for the next few months."
The Jeoldan Acupoint.
Among all the vital points I knew, it was one of the most painful.
It was said that properly striking the Jeoldan Acupoint could destroy a man's reproductive ability.
Wang Dusik was going to suffer for quite a while.
Of course, I hadn't hit him hard enough to permanently destroy anything.
Eventually, the day would come when he could function as a man again.
However...
Even I don't know when that day will be.
Watching him unconscious with both hands clutching his lower body made me feel a little sorry for him as another man.
But compared to what he had done to me before regression...
this was nothing.
I turned my gaze aside.
The remaining lackeys stared at me in horror.
"Eek!"
"Ugh!"
The moment our eyes met, they recoiled.
Apparently my harsh lesson had been rather shocking.
I spoke coldly.
"Who's next?"
"Anyone else want to teach me proper manners between senior and junior brothers? Come forward."
"..."
Silence.
These same bastards had been threatening me arrogantly just moments ago.
Now they couldn't even open their mouths.
They trembled like leaves.
They were so frightened they couldn't meet my eyes.
"No one else?"
"Then carry those two away and get lost."
"O-Okay. Mujin, we'll do what you say."
They hurriedly lifted the two unconscious boys onto their backs.
Just as they were about to leave...
"Wait."
"Wh-Why...? Mujin, we already did what you said...."
"Where do you think you're going?"
"You still have work to do."
"W-Work? What do you mean...?"
I turned and pointed toward a nearby pile of brooms.
"Are you blind?"
"W-What?"
"What do you think I mean? The Martial Training Hall still needs to be cleaned."
"..."
"The two carrying the unconscious idiots can go."
"The rest of you, start cleaning. Now, while I'm still asking nicely."
They nodded furiously and immediately ran toward the brooms.
They looked like terrified mice fleeing from a cat.
Pathetic.
They're completely scared shitless.
I turned again.
The remaining boys carrying the unconscious pair were still standing there awkwardly.
I looked at them.
"Same goes for you."
"Dump those unconscious idiots in the Event Hall and come straight back."
"If I catch you wasting time..."
"You know what'll happen, right?"
"Y-Yeah! We'll come right back!"
"Don't worry! We absolutely won't be late! Absolutely!"
They sprinted toward the Event Hall.
After watching them disappear, I looked around.
The guys who had insisted that we call them "Senior Brother" were now holding brooms in both hands and sweating as they cleaned the floor.
I felt strangely satisfied.
Nice.
This is what you call restoring things to normal.
The bastards who used to dump every unpleasant chore on Sogwang and me were now panicking and working because of a single command from me.
Nothing could have felt better.
Looks like I won't have to waste much time on Event Hall work from now on.
After all...
I had plenty of kind "junior brothers" who would work hard for me.
Then I noticed Sogwang.
"..."
He stood frozen, mouth half open, staring blankly at me.
He looked as if he'd just witnessed something unbelievable.
I laughed and casually put my right arm around his shoulder.
"Sogwang, from now on, you're exempt from the youngest-worker chores."
"H-Huh...?"
While Sogwang muttered in confusion...
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sound of drums echoed around the Martial Training Hall.
It's already time.
The drums announced that today's martial arts lesson was about to begin.
Not long afterward, a man entered the Martial Training Hall.
He wore the dark gray uniform that symbolized Kunlun.
An elegant sword rested across his back.
His steps were confident, without the slightest hesitation.
He was the young Kunlun Taoist responsible for today's lesson.
And in my memory...
he was unforgettable for another reason.
You were born abandoned by martial arts itself. Forget holding a sword. You're destined to spend your entire life holding a broom.
Yes.
He was the very Taoist who had brutally told me exactly how screwed my life was.
Seeing the Kunlun Taoist again made my head throb.
The miserable reality of my previous life, which I had temporarily forgotten, slowly returned.
Right.
Nothing has changed yet.
I'm still a hopeless dullard with absolutely no martial talent.
I had become overly confident simply because I defeated a few Event Hall brats.
Wake up, Han Mujin.
Your true enemies are somewhere else.
Moyong Cheonhwi.
The Righteous Alliance.
The strongest martial artist under heaven and the greatest force in the martial world.
Those were my real enemies.
I calmed my excitement.
If heaven had truly allowed me to regress for a reason...
then perhaps it was a heavenly command to punish those wicked bastards.
If I can't learn martial arts, revenge will be impossible.
No one understood better than me just how little talent I possessed.
So my first priority was fixing this body.
I need to repair this damned body first.
Getting an elixir comes before anything else.
First, I had to use an elixir to change my basic constitution.
I needed to transform this body into a vessel capable of holding martial arts.
That was my first task.
Fortunately...
I already knew exactly how to do that.
Right.
First, I need to find "that."
I knew a way to completely transform my weak body.
If I could obtain "that"...
then I would have hope of accomplishing my revenge.
At that moment, a familiar voice interrupted my thoughts.
"Oh? It seems you've been waiting for me."
I raised my head.
The Kunlun Taoist responsible for the Martial Training Hall lesson stood before me.
Apparently he had mistaken me for someone eagerly waiting for class.
Before I could answer, he continued.
"Naturally, you should wait."
"After all, today is the day someone as lowly as an Event Hall servant receives the great teachings of Kunlun."
An arrogant smile.
Eyes filled with superiority.
Yes.
This bastard hadn't changed at all.
What an absolute piece of shit.
The Martial Training Hall lesson was held only once a month.
The people who came here were the lowest-ranking workers in the Kunlun Sect.
Some desperately hoped they possessed hidden martial talent.
Others simply wanted to learn enough to protect themselves in this harsh world.
Everyone who gathered here had their own desperate reason.
Yet this damned Taoist used the excuse of "teaching" to pour contempt over those desperate people.
How foolish.
You can't even understand such a simple breathing method? Perhaps stupidity is simply part of your low birth.
You're Event Hall workers. At least move quickly.
You're this slow even when moving your bodies? Tsk, tsk. Truly worthless talent.
Why are you struggling to learn martial arts at your age?
Just stay in the Event Hall and live according to your fate.
Your lives have obvious endings anyway.
He was always like that.
He barely bothered teaching properly.
Instead, he crushed the hopes of everyone who came to learn and showered them with insults.
Every word was filled with mockery and contempt for Event Hall workers.
He wore the robes of a Taoist...
but his personality smelled rotten.
His character was completely rotten.
Before regression, I had never spoken back.
Back then, I had known absolutely nothing about martial arts.
Even when this piece of trash insulted me...
I lowered my head.
Simply because I wanted to receive his teachings.
Looking back, everything that arrogant bastard said and did came down to one thing.
Superiority.
He crushed people with less talent than himself...
and felt pleasure from imagining himself above them.
Twisted trash.
There was no reason to waste my first day after regression dealing with someone this unpleasant.
Besides, I understood my body's current condition better than anyone.
My martial talent was at the very bottom of the bottom.
It was lying flat against the floor of the deepest abyss.
All they teach here is a basic breathing method and the Three Severing Palms anyway.
What I needed right now wasn't martial arts.
First, I needed to improve my constitution.
That was the first step.
I slightly lowered my head toward the Taoist.
"I am still far too lacking to learn from you, Taoist."
"Today, I only intend to observe the Martial Training Hall lesson."
"Oh? At least you understand your place."
The Taoist grinned.
"One look at you tells me you're destined to hold a broom for the rest of your life."
"Good. Continue living according to the fate you were born with."
He walked past me while smiling.
I clenched my teeth and glared at his back.
I'll definitely deal with you someday.
Just wait.
As I swallowed my anger...
the drums sounded again.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Soon the wide Martial Training Hall was filled with people.
No matter how rotten the instructor's personality was, none of the Event Hall workers wanted to miss a chance to learn martial arts.
Even Sogwang, whose martial talent was as bad as mine, found a place near the Taoist.
I deliberately moved far away from him and settled in a corner outside the main training area.
I intended to spend the lesson organizing my plans to monopolize future opportunities.
Good.
The first thing I need is the Ice...
Just as I began constructing a detailed plan...
"The foundation of all martial arts begins with breathing."
The Taoist's voice echoed throughout the training ground.
He spoke so loudly that I could hear him clearly even from the corner.
"The martial art I shall personally teach you today is called the Initial Heaven Breathing Method."
Initial Heaven Breathing Method.
I knew it well.
Despite its impressive name, it was nothing more than a third-rate internal cultivation method.
It was so basic that even countryside martial schools taught it.
"It is a profound martial art far beyond what people of your status would normally deserve to encounter."
"However, since you are still members of the great Kunlun Sect, I shall graciously grant you this teaching."
It was nothing more than a basic breathing method.
Yet he acted as though he were handing down some divine secret.
"Empty your mind and directly feel the energy of nature."
"Then slowly draw that energy into your body."
His voice continued irritating me.
He's so damn loud.
He's teaching a third-rate breathing method and acting like a grandmaster.
Just as I was about to move even farther away...
[Martial-art information is currently being transmitted near the Awakened One.]
An unfamiliar voice echoed inside my head.
Then...
[Martial Art: Initial Heaven Breathing Method]
Clear blue letters appeared before my eyes.
