TRDT 4

Chapter 4 — A New Awakening

Wang Dusik charged at me while wildly swinging both arms.

There was quite a bit of power behind each punch.

But to me, they were nothing more than sluggish gestures.

I effortlessly weaved past his fists.

Deliberately by the narrowest margins—

Yet with complete ease.

At the same time, I continued provoking him verbally.

“At this speed…”

“Even if I wanted to let you hit me, there’s no way I could.”

Wang Dusik cursed and swung even harder.

“Han Mujin, you fucking bastard!”

His face, red as an erupting volcano, was honestly hilarious.

‘Yeah, I’ve messed with him enough.’

Even if I had regressed into the body of a fifteen-year-old,

My actual soul belonged to a man well past forty.

Arguing endlessly with some brat who still smelled of milk was ridiculous.

I couldn’t afford to waste my precious second chance any longer.

‘Enough dragging this out. Let’s end it in one move.’

Of course, I had no intention of ending it gently.

‘With interest added onto the humiliation he gave me before.’

Until now, I had only retreated while dodging.

But suddenly, I shifted directions and moved forward.

My body slipped into Wang Dusik’s range in an instant—

A movement as fast as lightning.

“W-What the—?!”

Startled, Wang Dusik hurriedly tried to pull his body back.

Too late.

Putting all my strength into it, I drove my right fist forward.

Where?

Directly below Wang Dusik’s abdomen.

“Ghk… ghuuugh…!”

Thud.

Wang Dusik collapsed on the spot.

Foam burst from the mouth of the unconscious boy whose eyes had rolled white.

“You’ll probably be pissing blood for the next few months.”

The Severing Point.

One of the most agonizing vital points I knew.

Since I struck the acupoint said to sever a man’s virility, he was going to suffer quite a bit from now on.

Of course, I hadn’t hit him hard enough to truly cripple him forever.

Eventually, after enough time passed, he’d probably function as a man again.

Though—

“When exactly that day comes, even I don’t know.”

Watching him unconscious while clutching his crotch, I almost felt a little sorry for him as a fellow man.

Still, compared to what he had done to me in my previous life, this was merciful.

I turned my gaze sideways.

The remaining lackeys were staring at me in complete horror.

Ø  “Hiiik!”

Ø  “Gasp!”

The moment my eyes met theirs, they recoiled in terror.

Looks like my “lesson” had left quite the impact.

With a cold expression, I spoke.

Ø  “Anyone else want to teach me about respect between senior and junior? Step forward if you do.”

“…”

Silence fell.

The same guys who had arrogantly threatened me moments ago now trembled like leaves, unable to say a single word.

They were so frightened they couldn’t even properly meet my eyes.

Ø  “Nobody else? Then pick up those two idiots and get lost already.”

“O-Okay! We’ll do what you say, Mujin!”

The boys hurriedly hoisted up the two collapsed bodies from the ground.

Just as they were about to flee, I spoke again.

Ø  “Wait. Stop right there.”

“W-Why…? We already did what you said…”

Ø  “Where do you think you’re going? There’s still work left to do.”

“W-work…? What are you talking about…?”

I turned my head toward the nearby pile of brooms.

Ø  “You blind or something? Can’t you see those?”

“W-What about them?”

Ø  “You still don’t get it? We need to finish cleaning the Martial Training Hall quickly.”

“…”

Ø  “Hey. Aside from the two carrying the unconscious idiots, the rest of you start cleaning immediately. While I’m still asking nicely.”

The boys nodded frantically and bolted toward the broom pile at once.

The sight of them looked exactly like frightened rats scrambling away from a cat.

“Pathetic bastards. Completely scared shitless.”

I turned my head again.

The remaining guys were still standing there blankly while carrying the unconscious ones on their backs.

Looking at the idiots awkwardly waiting for my reaction, I spoke.

Ø  “You guys too. Dump those unconscious idiots back at the Service Hall and run right back here. And if I catch any of you slacking off on the way… you know what happens, right?”

“O-Okay! W-We’ll come back right away!”

“Don’t worry! We absolutely won’t be late! Absolutely!”

The boys bolted toward the Service Hall as if their lives depended on it.

After watching them for a moment, I looked around again.

The same idiots who used to force everyone to call them “senior brothers” were now sweating buckets while desperately sweeping the floor with brooms in hand.

It honestly felt satisfying.

“Nice. This is what you call restoring order to abnormality.”

The bastards who used to dump every unpleasant chore onto me and Sogwang were now scrambling around at my command.

Nothing could have felt more refreshing.

“Looks like I won’t be busy with Service Hall chores anymore.”

After all, I now had plenty of kind “junior brothers” willing to work hard in my place.

At that moment, Sogwang’s face entered my view.

“…”

As if he had suffered a massive shock, Sogwang stared at me blankly with his mouth half-open.

Chuckling softly, I draped my arm over his shoulder.

Ø  “Sogwang. From now on, you’re exempt from all the youngest-servant chores.”

“Uh… huh…”

While Sogwang muttered in a dazed voice—

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The sound of drums echoed throughout the Martial Training Hall grounds.

“So it’s already time.”

It was the signal announcing the start of the martial arts lesson.

Not long after, a man walked into the Martial Training Hall.

A dark gray Taoist robe symbolizing Kunlun.

A noble sword hanging across his back.

A proud stride without the slightest hesitation.

He was the young Taoist instructor responsible for today’s lesson.

And in my memories, he remained deeply engraved for another reason as well.

Ø  “You were abandoned by martial arts from birth, cripple. Forget swords—you’re destined to spend your whole life holding a broom.”

The very Taoist bastard who had beaten into me just how hopeless my life truly was with those brutal words.

 ***

Seeing the Kunlun Taoist again made my head suddenly throb.

The miserable reality of my life before regression—something I had briefly forgotten—began resurfacing little by little.

“That’s right. Nothing has changed yet. I’m still the same worthless cripple with absolutely no martial talent.”

Just because I subdued a few Service Hall brats, I had started acting full of myself like I was someone important.

“Get a grip, Han Mujin. Your real enemies are elsewhere.”

Moyong Cheonhui.

The Orthodox Alliance.

The greatest martial artist under heaven and the strongest faction in Murim—

They were my true enemies.

I steadied my briefly excited heart.

If heaven had truly granted me regression,

Then perhaps it was a divine command to deliver heavenly punishment upon those vile bastards.

“If I can’t master martial arts, revenge is impossible.”

No one understood better than I did that my talent for martial arts was practically nonexistent.

That was why I first needed to fix this body.

“I need to repair this damned body first. Obtaining a spiritual elixir comes before anything else.”

First, I needed to change my constitution through a spiritual medicine.

Transforming my body into a vessel capable of containing martial arts—that was my first objective.

Fortunately, the method was already crystal clear in my mind.

“Right. First, I need to find that.”

I already knew a way to completely change this weak body of mine.

If I could obtain that thing,

Then there was still hope for revenge.

And just then, a familiar voice suddenly reached my ears.

Ø  “Oh? It seems you were waiting for me.”

Raising my head, I saw the Kunlun Taoist responsible for the Martial Training Hall lesson standing before me.

Apparently, he had mistaken me for someone eagerly awaiting class.

Before I could even answer, he spoke again.

Ø  “Well, naturally you’d be waiting. After all, today is the glorious day when the teachings of mighty Kunlun are bestowed upon lowly Service Hall servants like you.”

That arrogant smile.

Those eyes overflowing with superiority.

Yeah.

This bastard hadn’t changed at all.

“What a fucking asshole.”

The Martial Training Hall lessons were held only once a month.

And the people who attended them were the lowest servants within the Kunlun Sect.

Some came to the Martial Training Hall with hope that perhaps their hidden martial talent might finally awaken.

Others came out of sheer desperation, hoping to at least gain enough strength to survive in this harsh world.

Everyone gathered there for their own desperate reasons.

And yet this damned Taoist bastard, under the pretense of “teaching,” did nothing but shower those desperate people with contempt.

Ø  “Foolish. Truly foolish. You can’t even understand such a simple breathing method? I suppose lowly births really do produce lowly minds.”

Ø  “If you’re Service Hall servants, at least your bodies should move quickly. But you’re this sluggish? Tsk tsk… I guess your talents were simply born inferior.”

Ø  “At your age, why struggle so hard to learn martial arts? Just stay buried in the Service Hall and live according to your destined station. Your pathetic lives are already doomed anyway.”

It was always like this.

He barely taught the martial arts properly while trampling all over the hopes of those who came to learn.

Every word dripping from his mouth was filled with mockery and disdain toward the Service Hall workers.

He wore the mask of a Taoist—

But his character reeked of rot.

“He was rotten to the core.”

Before regressing, I couldn’t say a single word against him.

Back then, I knew absolutely nothing about martial arts.

So even when this piece of trash spewed insults at me, all I could do was lower my head.

Because he was the one “teaching” us, we had no choice but to bow before him.

Looking back on it now, the Taoist’s behavior all boiled down to one thing:

Superiority.

A degenerate who found pleasure in crushing those lacking talent beneath his feet,

Then reveling in the feeling that he himself was somehow extraordinary.

“A twisted piece of garbage.”

There was no reason for me to get involved with an unlucky bastard like him on the very first day after regressing.

Besides, no one understood better than I did the state of my current body and martial talent.

I was absolute bottom-tier trash—

The kind buried beneath even the deepest ocean floor.

“Besides, the only things taught here are basic breathing techniques and something like the Three Severing Palms anyway.”

What I needed right now wasn’t martial arts.

First, I had to improve my body’s constitution so it could even learn martial arts in the first place.

That was the true first step.

Slightly bowing my head toward the Taoist, I spoke.

Ø  “I am still far too lacking to properly receive the Taoist’s teachings. Today, I merely intend to observe the lesson.”

Ø  “Oh? At least you know your place. Just by looking at you, it’s obvious you’re destined to hold a broom your entire life. Good. Continue living obediently according to the fate you were born with.”

The Taoist grinned smugly as he walked past me.

I clenched my teeth tightly and glared at his back.

“One day, I’m definitely going to deal with you properly. Just wait.”

Just as I barely managed to suppress my boiling anger—

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

The drums signaling the start of class echoed once more.

Soon after, the spacious training grounds of the Martial Training Hall filled with people.

No matter how awful the instructor’s personality was,

None of the Service Hall workers were willing to miss the opportunity to learn martial arts.

Even Sogwang, who had less martial talent than almost anyone—including me—had already taken a seat near the Taoist.

Meanwhile, I deliberately chose a spot far away from him at the edge of the training grounds.

During class, I planned to organize my strategy for monopolizing future opportunities and treasures.

“Alright. The very first thing I need to obtain is the Ice Cold—”

Just as I was about to organize my thoughts—

Ø  “The foundation of all martial arts begins with breathing.”

The Taoist’s voice echoed throughout the entire training ground.

He spoke with so much force in his voice that even I, sitting far away in the corner, could hear him clearly.

Ø  “Today, the martial art I shall personally teach you is called the First Heaven Breathing Technique.”

The First Heaven Breathing Technique.

I knew it well myself.

The name sounded grand, but in reality it was merely a third-rate cultivation method.

The kind of basic breathing art one could learn even at a rural martial school.

Ø  “A profound martial art far beyond the status of people like you. Yet because you are still members of the great Kunlun Sect, I graciously bestow these teachings upon you.”

Even though it was nothing special, the Taoist acted as though he were delivering some heavenly wisdom.

Ø  “Empty your minds and feel the natural energy around you. Then slowly draw that energy into your bodies.”

His voice kept irritating me.

“So damn noisy. Acting all proud over teaching a third-rate breathing method.”

Just as I was about to move even farther away from the Taoist—

Ø  [Martial arts information is being transmitted near the Awakener.]

A strange voice echoed inside my head.

And at the same time—

Ø  [Martial Art Name: First Heaven Breathing Technique]

 CClear words suddenly appeared before my eyes.