WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 18: Betting (2)

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Cough!

Squad Leader Oh, who had been writhing in pain, coughed up blood, trembled violently, and then collapsed.

They had ignored the warning, so it was karmic retribution.

For once, the perversity of that crazy old man, Evil Heaven, felt satisfying.

At the same time, it gave me much to think about.

‘So this is what strength is.’

If Evil Heaven could reduce even an Advanced master to this state in a single move, it was impossible to estimate the extent of his Martial Arts.

Then what about the Southern Heavenly Swordmaster, who had defeated Evil Heaven?

It made me realize what mattered most in the harsh martial world.

I needed strength.

- Even if you train until you shit blood, reaching that crazy old man's level will be tough.

I know that without you rubbing reality in my face.

“Ugh, damn it...”

The high-rank training cadet named Do Hyun, whom I had knocked unconscious with a punch, was just waking up.

It seemed they had recovered quickly because I had not used innate life energy.

But having just awakened, they did not understand the situation at all.

“You bastard, attacking while I was speaking...”

Snatch!

Evil Heaven grabbed Do Hyun by the nape and lifted them.

“Urk?”

Do Hyun flinched at the sight of Evil Heaven, a huge man who looked like a wild beast.

He was so tall that it looked as though he were holding a child.

“W-Who are you?”

“Me? I am Evil Heaven.”

“Eek! E-Elder!”

Only then did Do Hyun seem to understand the situation and become flustered.

“What are you? Did you come here with that one?”

Do Hyun’s face turned pale after spotting Squad Leader Oh lying on the ground.

They needed to answer, but they were so frightened that all they could do was stammer.

“Th-That... I... Oh... Oh... Squad Leader... Oh...”

There was only one answer to that.

“Are you a stutterer? Tsk, tsk. And this thing is supposed to be a high-rank training cadet.”

Whoosh!

Evil Heaven threw Do Hyun away in irritation.

They had been hurled so hard that they rolled across the ground, gasped a few times, and fainted again.

He truly had no mercy.

Tap tap tap tap!

I looked up at the sound and saw the twin brothers descending the cliff.

Watching them climb down so skillfully, it seemed they had learned Evil Heaven’s remarkable Body-Lightening Technique.

- Those two get everything so easily, don’t they?

They really did.

I had needed to win a bet for it. In a sense, they were fortunate too.

Then Evil Heaven asked me,

“Why did Squad Leader Oh and Do Hyun come up here today?”

I told him the truth.

“They brought someone new to replace me as your attendant.”

“That thing? Ha!”

He had dismissed Do Hyun as trash, but they were still considered talented.

They had simply been unlucky.

I had suffered until I was ready to shit blood, to the point where the training Do Hyun received seemed like nothing.

- Agreed.

The SoDam Sword snickered.

Even if Do Hyun had been more capable, there was no chance I would have been replaced.

Evil Heaven approached me and asked,

“Then why did those two attack you?”

It seemed he had been watching since my fight with the high-rank training cadet.

Whenever I became involved with Squad Leader Oh, troublesome things kept happening.

What could I say that would sound believable?

At that moment, Song JwaBaek, the older twin, cut in.

“It is because that one caught Squad Leader Oh’s attention. They seemed to hold a particular grudge against that one.”

Song JwaBaek winked at me.

Was he trying to say I should be grateful that he had spoken for me?

...How generous.

“Who told you to speak?”

At Evil Heaven’s sharp rebuke, Song JwaBaek clamped his mouth shut.

That crazy old man really did frighten him.

“Heh heh. They brought someone to replace you, and they even tried to deal with you personally. You must have drawn their ire badly for them to go that far.”

He was telling me to explain why.

Apparently, he was curious.

In any case, if he decided to find out, he would learn quickly.

All he had to do was ask the Tyrannical Blood Brigade Leader.

In the end, I told him the truth.

“I killed two warrior retainers under Squad Leader Oh.”

“What?”

Interest flashed in Evil Heaven’s eyes.

Song JwaBaek’s eyes also widened because he had not known that.

Unlike the twins, who had been caught while fleeing, I had killed two people. That was probably why he reacted that way.

“Ha! You killed their warrior retainers?”

“They were wearing masks then, so I could not tell who they were. They tried to seize me without reason, so I acted in self-defense.”

It had been self-defense, after all.

Of course, I knew they belonged to the Blood Cult, but it was still self-defense.

I could hardly return to the past only to be kidnapped again.

- You did end up getting kidnapped.

‘I came here on my own two feet.’

- Yes, yes. Of course you did.

The SoDam Sword truly had a talent for spoiling the mood.

I watched Evil Heaven’s expression.

No matter how eccentric he was, he was still one of the Blood Cult’s highest-ranking figures. I thought he might defend Squad Leader Oh.

But his response was unexpected.

“Khahahahahahat! What idiots. They were defeated by someone without even a shred of internal energy? They deserved to die.”

Evil Heaven burst into wild laughter, clearly delighted.

It was a mistake to try to understand a madman’s common sense with my ordinary mind.

After laughing for a while, he said,

“It is only natural for the weak to die. Indeed.”

- They are on the same side, yet he is remarkably cold about it.

The SoDam Sword clicked its tongue.

Still, I could understand it from my position.

‘This is the Blood Cult’s true nature.’

The Blood Cult belonged to the evil path, not the orthodox path.

Martial artists of the force of justice were commonly considered orthodox because they emphasized chivalry.

But the force of evil was cold in such matters.

In that regard, Evil Heaven could be called a genuine, if questionable, member of the force of evil by nature.

Smack!

“Urk!”

Evil Heaven slapped my back with his huge palm.

“I thought you only knew how to talk, but you have the nerve to act as well. Heh heh.”

It was unexpected.

For the first time, praise came from Evil Heaven’s mouth.

It gave me a strange feeling when that crazy old man showed me favor in such a way.

But that favor ended there.

“They are in the way. Take them down and dump them.”

Evil Heaven’s expression hardened as he told us to take the unconscious Squad Leader Oh and Do Hyun down the mountain.

Then again, with that terrible personality, there was no way he would let them remain here.

But how was I supposed to carry two people down?

- Just push them off the cliff. They will go down on their own.

‘...You are a genius.’

Unfortunately, reality did not allow it.

As if he had read my thoughts, Evil Heaven looked at Song JwaBaek and motioned for him to help.

“What?”

Song JwaBaek’s face twisted as he realized he would be coming down with me.

It must have been annoying. He had just finished all that hardship and was about to rest.

Suddenly, I felt better.

Seeing that I could enjoy someone else’s misfortune, perhaps I was becoming a true member of the force of evil.

Song JwaBaek glared at me with a furious expression.

I told him,

“You climb cliffs well now that you have learned the Body-Lightening Technique.”

At my praise, the corners of his mouth suddenly rose almost to his ears.

He really wore his emotions on his face.

“Ahem. Well, I am better than you.”

“Sure, I admit it. So you carry Squad Leader Oh.”

“What?”

I quickly slung the unconscious Do Hyun, the high-rank training cadet, over my back.

Song JwaBaek’s expression twisted.

As a precaution, I untied Do Hyun’s belt and wrapped it around myself to secure them when Evil Heaven’s voice reached me.

“It must be bothersome. You have been bitten by that son of a bitch. The good thing about a son of a bitch is that it keeps biting and does not let go. Heh heh.”

“Pardon?”

“You will not have an opportunity like this again for some time. Is that not right?”

When I turned to look at him, Evil Heaven smirked and entered the cave.

‘An opportunity...’

As my thoughts grew heavy, Song JwaBaek shouted while hanging from the edge of the cliff.

“Are you not coming down, bastard?”

* * *

Having learned Evil Heaven’s Body-Lightening Technique, Song JwaBaek was certainly fast.

I had also learned the Southern Heavenly Swordmaster’s Body-Lightening Technique, but I could not climb cliffs as confidently as he could.

And since I needed to conceal my ability, I deliberately descended slowly.

“Hahahaha! You are slow as hell.”

The moment I reached the bottom, Song JwaBaek mocked me.

Sure, enjoy yourself while you can.

I would learn that Body-Lightening Technique too.

“This should be far enough.”

Thud.

I untied the belt around my body and laid Do Hyun on the ground.

Then I looked at Song JwaBaek and saw that he was holding Squad Leader Oh’s right leg.

It looked like he intended to break it.

“What are you doing?”

Song JwaBaek smiled at my question.

“Helping you.”

“What?”

“Did you forget what that crazy old man said? That there would not be an opportunity like this again. He was speaking indirectly. Besides, I have been wanting to vent my anger, so this works out nicely.”

That was not his first objective. The latter was.

He must have built up a great deal of resentment.

“I need to thoroughly ruin that leg if I want them to retire.”

He intended to cripple Squad Leader Oh.

When I shook my head, Song JwaBaek clicked his tongue.

“Hey. We have already eaten Blood Worms, and if we want to survive here, we need to become true members of the force of evil. It is over if we do not harden our hearts.”

- He has changed a lot too.

As the SoDam Sword said, Song JwaBaek’s mindset had changed after all he had suffered.

He still had a naive side, but he had become much more resolute.

“If you cannot do it, I will.”

Tap tap tap tap!

Song JwaBaek sealed Squad Leader Oh’s pressure points.

He had learned a lot.

He seemed to be doing that to prevent Squad Leader Oh from waking up while he shattered their leg.

I said to him,

“Hey.”

“If you are trying to stop me, give up. I am doing it.”

“That is not it. I think you have misunderstood something.”

“What?”

“Do you think that crazy old man said all that just so you could break their leg?”

“!?”

His expression hardened at my words.

He seemed to understand.

“Do you mean... kill them?”

“Yes.”

Did he think Squad Leader Oh would give up after merely having a leg ruined?

I had seen many kinds of people while working as a Spy in my previous life.

A person with that kind of obsession would not change after a simple lesson.

If their leg became crippled, they would become even angrier and use every means possible to kill me.

“Kill them?”

Song JwaBaek looked flustered, apparently not realizing that was the meaning.

He had no grievance with Squad Leader Oh, so killing them was difficult for him.

He was not resolute enough yet.

I said to him,

“You said you would help me. Kill them.”

“What? K-Kill them?”

“Have you gone soft?”

Song JwaBaek frowned and could not answer.

I thought that was understandable.

He had never stained his hands with blood before. But I was different.

To be honest, I had stained my hands with much blood. To survive as a Spy, I had done every filthy task there was.

“Move. If you cannot do it, I will.”

I returned his own words to him.

If I missed this opportunity, it would become difficult to deal with Squad Leader Oh.

Evil Heaven had finally created an opportunity for me to use his name. It was better to kill Squad Leader Oh now.

That was when it happened.

“What did you bastards just say?”

“What?”

Damn it!

It seemed Song JwaBaek had not properly struck the blood pressure points and chi.

Squad Leader Oh had awakened.

“Damn it!”

Song JwaBaek hurriedly tried to break their leg.

But Squad Leader Oh was still an Advanced master.

They twisted their body and kicked Song JwaBaek in the ribs with their other foot.

Thump!

“Urgh!”

It must have hurt terribly to be struck in the ribs, but Song JwaBaek forced himself to endure it and twisted Squad Leader Oh’s leg in the opposite direction.

Crack!

“Argh! You bastard!”

Fury reaching their peak, Squad Leader Oh struck Song JwaBaek in the chest with a palm attack.

Perhaps Squad Leader Oh had put ten levels of Force of ki into that palm strike, for Song JwaBaek’s body was flung backward.

Tap tap tap tap!

I ran behind Squad Leader Oh and tried to stab their head with the SoDam Sword.

But Squad Leader Oh hurriedly rolled to the left.

It was Lazy Donkey Flowing Movement.

Survival mattered more than the pride of an Advanced master.

Whoosh!

I threw the Short Sword in my right hand and caught it in my left hand like lightning.

- That is it! Exactly!

This was the Eight Light Short Sword Technique I had learned from the SoDam Sword.

It was a Short Sword technique that made use of both hands freely. I had not learned it long enough for it to become familiar, but it worked in an actual fight.

Holding the Short Sword in my left hand, I tried to stab Squad Leader Oh in the chest as they rolled aside.

“Urgh! You brat!”

Clack!

Squad Leader Oh hurriedly seized the Short Sword with both hands.

They truly were an Advanced master.

Even in that disadvantageous situation, they responded well.

Clack!

To kill them, I gripped the hilt with my right hand as well and pushed with all my strength.

Squad Leader Oh spoke in a mocking voice.

“Do you think a brat without internal energy can stab me?”

It was not empty boasting.

Their Force of ki was so strong that the SoDam Sword trembled and rose upward.

They were even trying to turn the blade toward me.

‘Tch. Is there no other way?’

There was no longer any way to hide my strength.

I raised the Stellar Star Mystic Art to the second level.

The blade, which had been trying to turn, stopped midway.

Squad Leader Oh’s eyes shook when I displayed strength nearly equal to their Force of ki.

“H-How can you?”

They were surprised, but I was struggling greatly.

Even at the initial stage of the second level, fully enduring an Advanced master’s Force of ki was overwhelming.

“Ughhh.”

With their life at stake, Squad Leader Oh desperately tried to push the Short Sword away.

My insides felt as though they would be churned apart by the contest of Force of ki.

That was when it happened.

“Aaaah!”

Song JwaBaek charged in like a bull with a battle cry and struck Squad Leader Oh’s crown with a kick carrying ten levels of Force of ki.

Crunch!

“Ghk!”

With the sound of their skull being crushed, the strength left Squad Leader Oh’s hands.

Thrust!

“Gaaaah...”

The Short Sword plunged into Squad Leader Oh’s chest.

They opened their mouth and made an expression beyond words, then trembled before their head fell to one side.

Blood flowed from their eyes and nostrils.

Their skull had been completely caved in.

“Pant... Pant...”

As though his ribs had been broken, Song JwaBaek clutched his side and sank to the ground.

“Fuck...”

I was also exhausted from the excessive contest of Force of ki, so I braced myself with my palms and stretched out both legs.

I did not know what the two of us were doing, sitting beside a corpse like this.

I looked at Song JwaBaek and said,

“That was your first time, right?”

I was certain it was his first kill.

His kick had been the final blow.

“Do not act so proud, bastard. You owe me your life.”

I smirked and nodded.

As he said, if the contest of Force of ki had continued a little longer, I would have suffered an internal injury as well.

An Advanced master truly was strong.

The rank of Squad leader was not given out freely.

As I steadied my breathing, Song JwaBaek said,

“You said we would duel later, right?”

It seemed he had not known until now.

Or perhaps he knew, but we had not had time to speak until now.

He said to me,

“This may be unfortunate news for you, but I will win the duel. I need to become that crazy old man’s formal disciple.”

It seemed Evil Heaven had made him that offer.

Naturally, giving him something to strive for would make him train with greater enthusiasm.

Looking at his movements, he had certainly grown much stronger.

But I had no intention of losing either.

“Are you confident?”

“Obviously. Do you think you can even touch a hair on my head when we fight?”

He was overflowing with confidence.

Had he not seen properly after getting knocked down and rolling around? He had no idea of my true ability.

So that was how it was.

I said to him,

“Then shall we make a bet?”

“A bet?”

He frowned at me as though wondering what I was plotting, so I smiled.

“The loser becomes the winner’s retainer. What do you say?”

Having the future notorious Black-and-White Twin Ghost as my retainer.

I was already looking forward to it.

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