Martial Artist Lee Gwak Episode 101
Siege Fortress(1)
Novel-Martial Artist Lee Gwak
Gu Jang-saeng’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at his forearm. A white piece of bone was protruding out, piercing through his forearm, as thick as a log.
The radius bone, the bone that supports the forearm, had broken and pierced through his muscle and flesh.
“……”
The unreal scene did not even register as pain at first.
It was only moments later that Gu Jang-saeng blinked and realized the reality of his situation.
“Aaah!”
A pitiful scream burst from his lips. As soon as he became aware of the broken radius and the intense pain that accompanied it.
“Brother!”
“Damn it, you crazy bastard.”
His brothers, realizing the situation belatedly, rushed towards Lee Gwak.
Swoosh!
Their weapons sliced through the air towards him.
Lee Gwak stood his ground, indifferently watching the scene unfold.
The Mad Blood Trio were more than capable of making a name for themselves in the vagrant market. Had Lee Gwak been an ordinary Outer Hall martial artist, he would have been intimidated.
Unfortunately for the Mad Blood Trio, Lee Gwak was not an ordinary martial artist..
The full force of their attack was clearly visible to Lee Gwak’s eyes. The trajectory of their swords, the parts they were aiming for, the intervals between their inhales and exhales, Lee Gwak knew them in an instant.
A single step was all that was needed to dodge their all-out attack.
“Missed!”
“Damn it!”
Realizing too late that their attack had missed, the two men exclaimed in frustration. They quickly turned around to attack Lee Gwak again, but he was faster.
Lee Gwak approached them as smoothly as a cloud carried by the wind. His movements were so natural that even the vagrants of the Vagrant market gasped in astonishment.
Crack!
“Argh!”
With a burst of sound, teeth flew from the second brother’s mouth. It was the handle of Lee Gwak’s blade that had been thrust in reverse.
Seeing the second brother clutching his face and kneeling,the third brother bellowed in rage.
“You son of a bitch!”
He unleashed his killing intent with all his might.
Murder within the fortress was strictly forbidden. Any trouble could be overlooked as long as it did not result in death. However, murder demanded a severe punishment.
Blinded by rage, the third brother unleashed his killing intent without a second thought, losing all reason.
Whoosh!
With his internal energy pushed to the extreme, a faint sword aura enveloped the third brother’s sword. Yet, Lee Gwak narrowly dodged the sword by a hair’s breadth, letting it pass by the side of his face.
A stranger would have thought it a lucky dodge, but this was no accident, it was all carefully calculated by Lee Gwak.
Through his battles with Mo Yong Shin, the head of the Heavenly Escort Establishment, and Yul Cheon Ak, the leader of the Black Ghost Mist Squad, Lee Gwak’s fighting skills had improved dramatically. The third brother’s crude attack was ineffective against him.
Thud!
Lee Gwak’s blade struck into the third brother’s solar plexus.
Gasping in pain and struggling for breath, the third brother’s mouth hung open wide. Lee Gwak, moving swiftly, spun around him like a top and positioned himself behind. Then, with a swift move, he struck the back of the third brother’s head with his elbow.
“Ugh!”
With a scream, the third brother collapsed to the ground.
“Wow!”
Just then, Gu Jang-saeng charged at Lee Gwak like a mad dog, screaming. He threw his whole body into the attack, wielding his sword with his intact arm.
His mad appearance was enough to invoke a chilling fear in those who saw it. But Lee Gwak advanced without a hint of disturbance. He deflected Gu Jang-saeng’s attack over his head and closed in right in front of his nose.
For a moment, their gazes met at close range, close enough to feel each other’s breath.
Lee Gwak saw the hidden fear in Gu Jang-saeng’s eyes, filled with madness. Gu Jang-saeng had never imagined that the martial artist he had underestimated could be such a high-level expert.
If he could turn back time, he would have wanted to cut off this cursed wrist that had rummaged through Lee Gwak’s belongings.
TL/N- You don’t fuck with the MC
The eyes of Lee Gwak, whom he had underestimated, were as deep and peaceful as the ocean. Such was their peacefulness that it seemed impossible that they belonged to a warrior caught up in the heat of battle.
For a moment, a proverb from the Jianghu came to mind.
―Beware the ordinary man. For it is he who can become the most dangerous.
But he could not continue his thoughts any further.
Snap!
At that moment, Lee Gwak’s palm covered Gu Jang-saeng’s face. Lee Gwak then used the force of his arm to slam Gu Jang-saeng’s head into the ground.
Thud
With a dull thud, Gu Jang-saeng’s head fell to the ground. Unable to scream, Gu Jang-saeng’s limbs trembled and then fell limp.
The back of his head was cracked open, and he was bleeding profusely, but he was still breathing. Left Alone, however, he would surely die.
The onlookers held their breath, not expecting a seemingly inexperienced martial artist to subdue the Mad Blood Trio so quickly.
Moreover, Lee Gwak had not even used any special techniques or martial arts moves during the fight. This meant he was an expert capable of subduing the Mad Blood Trio without needing to resort to his true martial arts skills.
“Damn!”
“Is he really a novice?”
The crowd could not voice their thoughts and instead looked away, avoiding Lee Gwak’s gaze.
Vagrants would pounce on those weaker than themselves like wild dogs, but they would tuck their tails in the presence of someone stronger. As soon as they realized Lee Gwak was stronger, they fell silent as if by agreement.
It didn’t matter if others called them cowardly, the only thing that mattered to them was their own safety.
Lee Gwak sighed softly, looking over the silent Vagrants.
“Ha! Master, look at these dogs tucking their tails. Isn’t it hilarious?”
A young girl’s laughter echoed through the Vagrant Market at that moment.
The Vagrants, infuriated by the laughter, glared in its direction. They saw a girl laughing heartily with her hands on her hips, and beside her, an old woman dressed in ragged clothes standing beside her
The girl looked cunning like a silver fox, and the old woman seemed ominous like a black crow.
The girl laughed even harder.
“Oh my, my Belly! Look at these poor dogs. They can’t help their nature, even in death. Ha!”
“Yikes!”
An elderly martial artist couldn’t stand the girl openly mocking them and approached her.
“You brat, how dare you speak so insolently. Shut your mouth right now, or else!”
“Ha ha! Doggy, old doggy! A bald old doggy. You look so pitiful.”
“What did you say?”
The offended martial artist, unable to contain his rage, drew the large axe he carried on his back.
Surviving as a vagrant in the world had been possible thanks to this axe.
Hengshan Huntsman, Gok Woo Chang.
As his nickname suggested, he was a hunter from Hengshan. In his youth, he stumbled upon a master and dived into the Jianghu after receiving training. However, lacking exceptional talent, he could not join any prestigious sect and became a wandering vagrant.
Although he was a vagrant, his axe technique was highly regarded in the vagrant market.
Already humiliated by Lee Gwak, and now being mocked by the girl, he couldn’t hold back any longer and swung his axe.
Whoosh!
“Die, you wicked brat!”
“Ha! With those skills?”
The girl didn’t even blink at the approaching axe.
Everyone expected her head to be split in two by the force of Gok Woo Chang’s axe.
Clang!
“Argh!”
A metallic sound was followed by Gok Woo Chang’s stifled groan.
His axe had stopped right in front of the girl’s face.
The bulging veins on Gok Woo Chang’s face showed that the axe’s halt wasn’t by his choice.
“Ugh!”
An invisible force was binding Gok Woo Chang’s entire body.
Despite summoning all his internal energy to resist, Gok Woo Chang was unable to shake off the invisible force.
“What, what is this?”
Eventually, Gok Woo Chang gave up resisting and looked forward, only to see the grotesque figure of the old woman standing behind the girl, staring at him.
The moment their eyes met, Gok Woo Chang felt a chill deep in his heart, startled by the sinister gaze that reminded him of a malevolent deity.
Gok Woo Chang’s body slowly levitated off the ground by the invisible force. The onlookers exclaimed.
“It’s, it’s Telekinesis!”
“Good heavens!”
Telekinesis was a high-level martial arts technique that could only be attempted by those who had reached the pinnacle of their martial arts training.
The vagrants couldn’t dare to challenge the old woman and looked at her with eyes filled with terror, knowing that anyone capable of using Telekinesis must be an absolute master.
At that moment, the old woman spoke.
“You dare to injure my disciple with such a Lousy axe?”
Her voice was harsh and sharp, like nails scratching on metal, making it painful to hear.
Gok Woo Chang’s face turned pale.
“Please, I beg for forgiveness…”
“To commit a crime worthy of death is to deserve death.”
The old woman’s eyes glinted menacingly.
Crack!
“Agh!”
In an instant, Gok Woo Chang’s neck twisted sharply. With a scream, he collapsed, tongue lolling out, dead.
The girl burst into laughter at the sight.
“Ha ha! Old dog. That’s what happens when you overstep your bounds. Maybe in your next life, you’ll know your place.”
Thud!
It was then that the old woman released the Telekinesis, and Gok Woo Chang’s body lifelessly rolled on the ground.
It’s said that a Vagrant’s fate is to die by the roadside, but this was a particularly tragic end.
“Ugh!”
“Who is that old woman?”
The Vagrants backed away, their faces filled with terror. They did not wish to meet a miserable end like Gok Woo Chang by accidentally catching the old woman’s eye.
Fortunately for them, the old woman’s gaze was directed elsewhere, now looking at Lee Gwak.
“Keke! Not bad for a novice.”
Lee Gwak remained silent, just looking at the old woman.
‘Monster!’
While the Vagrants saw only her terrifying presence, Lee Gwak could see the waves of malice and Killing intent swirling around her.
He had seen many masters in his time, but never before had he witnessed such a terrifying aura, capable of killing at a moment’s notice without any reason.
The old woman was such a monstrous existence.
Lee Gwak’s palms were soaked with sweat.
Observing Lee Gwak, the old woman bared her yellow teeth.
“Why don’t you respond? Are you taking me lightly?”
“Not at all.”
“Ha! So you’re not mute. I was about to rip that mouth open if you hadn’t answered again.”
As the old woman expressed disappointment, the girl stepped forward, her eyes scanning Lee Gwak with a mischievous curiosity.
“And your name is?”
“I am Lee Gwak, an outer hall leader of the Jade Heaven Alliance.”
“Ha ha! I knew you were with Jade Heaven Alliance. Consider yourself lucky. My master is in a good mood, so she’s letting you off this time.”
“And the young lady’s name would be?”
“Are you asking for my name?”
Interest sparked in the girl’s eyes at Lee Gwak daring to inquire about her name.
“My name is Yeom So So. And my master’s nickname is Spirit Granny. Have you heard of her?”
“Spirit Granny? Could it be one of the Eight Great Martial Artists, that Spirit Granny?”
“To think that the Spirit Granny would appear here? Good heavens!”
The ones reacting to Yeom So So Ye’s words were the surrounding onlookers. A fear of a completely different level now lit their faces.