Damned Transmigration - Chapter 30

WeTried Translations

Translator: Joy

Editor: Joy

◈ Damned Transmigration ◈

Chapter 30: Master and disciple

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“Mm...”

Bakerd let out a low groan and bolted upright. He blinked at the room he had stayed in for over a month, then looked out the window.

‘Night...’

He had fought the Moonlit Reveller before noon. It seemed he had been unconscious for at least half a day. Bakerd gave a hollow laugh and shook his head.

“Are you awake?”

Yuri entered through the door and spoke. Bakerd stared at Yuri’s face for a moment before nodding.

“Did you bring me here?”

“Yes.”

“What about Marigold and the Salhomun assassin?”

“I told them to return first.”

“Why did you stay?”

“Someone should at least explain things when you woke up.”

Elena looked as though she wanted to stay as well, but Haryeong eventually dragged Elena back to the mansion.

“How long was I out?”

“About seven hours.”

“Thankfully, it was not more than a day.”

Only then did Bakerd become aware of the pain throughout his body. Frowning, Bakerd looked down at himself. There was not a single part of his body that was not wrapped in bandages. The worst injuries were his fists from repeatedly striking and his left arm, which had taken a direct hit from the Madorido.

“Did you treat me?”

“No. I called a doctor.”

“Good. Doctors aren’t hard to find in the middle of a city. If you are injured, calling one is the right thing to do.”

“I took the money from your wallet.”

“You bastard.”

“I was not the one who got hurt.”

Yuri looked as though that was only natural. Bakerd glared at Yuri’s shameless face for a moment, then let out a hearty laugh and nodded.

“True. That makes sense. What did the doctor say?”

“The report is on the table beside you. Check it yourself.”

Sure enough, a diagnosis report lay on the bedside table. Bakerd reached out with a hand wrapped thickly in bandages and checked it.

Fractures, bruises, abrasions...

After scanning the familiar words, Bakerd crumpled the report and tossed it aside.

“Did they not give you any medicine?”

“I was going to get a prescription, but I was told that a martial artist like you would probably have your own potions.”

“Did the Salhomun assassin say that?”

“Yes.”

“That is right. There is even a saying that lower-tier martial artists do not fight with internal energy. They fight with medicine.”

When Bakerd held out a hand, a large bag from the corner of the room floated over.

“What do you think that means?”

“That martial artists get injured a lot.”

“That is right. If you intend to keep fighting with your fists, always carry plenty of medicine.”

“You are not a lower-tier martial artist, Sir Bakerd. Do you still fight with medicine?”

“Once you reach the fourth tier, you rarely get injured, provided you only choose opponents weaker than you. I have rarely fought anyone weaker than myself in my entire life.”

With familiar movements, Bakerd took several medicines from the bag and mixed them in a large glass bottle. After swallowing the improvised potion, Bakerd closed his eyes.

“Thankfully, I did not suffer any internal injuries. The Moonlit Reveller showed me great mercy.”

“Both your hands are broken.”

“It is not a serious injury.”

“Both your hands are broken, and that is not serious?”

“A martial artist’s body shows its true worth as their tier rises. Most injuries heal quickly without any special treatment. Today’s duel did damage my body considerably, but even without medicine, I would be fine within a week.”

“And if you take medicine?”

“Three or four days.”

It was astonishing.

‘Well, they fight bare-handed without weapons. Their durability and recovery have to be good.’

UrMumSpammer, the character Yuri had raised in the game, had been the same. He had acquired several self-healing skills, but even without them, his base recovery was excellent.

“I heard the Moonlit Reveller assessing you.”

“Were you not unconscious?”

“My body could not move, but I was conscious. I lost consciousness partway through, but I somehow held onto it until the Moonlit Reveller left.”

Bakerd opened his eyes and stared at Yuri.

“I already knew your talent for martial arts was extraordinary, but it seems it was even greater than I understood. So, how much did you see?”

“I did not see it properly, but...”

How should Yuri answer? A transmigrator’s talent concerned mana, so this answer had nothing to do with suspicions about being a transmigrator. Yuri hesitated simply because it was difficult to explain what he had seen.

“I started watching when you began using the Fist of the Rending Cloud.”

“Your eyes must have followed a familiar fist technique. What about after that? When the Moonlit Reveller began using Full Moon Killing Kick in earnest. Could you see that too?”

“I think I saw about half of it.”

“Heavenly Downpour. What about that martial art?”

Fortunately, Yuri did not laugh. He kept a serious expression and answered.

“That martial art was too advanced. Honestly, I could not tell what was what, so I could not see it clearly.”

“It could not be helped. I have faced many martial artists, but the secret technique of Full Moon Killing Kick was truly remarkable.”

“I do not know if I saw it correctly, but inside that secret technique, it looked like your fists were twisting the direction of the force aura.”

Bakerd’s eyes went blank at that answer. A moment later, Bakerd composed himself and let out a hollow laugh.

“Remarkable. You saw even that?”

“Yes.”

“It was thanks to the Moonlit Reveller going easy on me. The Moonlit Reveller could have killed me or defeated me in a single blow. But that did not happen. If what I felt was right... I think the Moonlit Reveller was trying to teach me.”

Bakerd looked down at his two broken hands.

“The fist technique I attempted at the end was a form I created from what I needed in that moment.”

“It looked like a fusion of the Diamond-Shattering Fist and the Fist of the Rending Cloud.”

“That is right. My study was insufficient, so I could not carry it through to the end, but I think this duel gave me an outline. From now on, I must turn that vague outline into a definite form.”

Bakerd closed his eyes again. As he had floundered within Heavenly Downpour and desperately swung both fists, he had reached a state of selflessness, if only briefly. It had lasted only an instant, but the memory and sensation remained clear.

“I should leave.”

“Pardon?”

“I was blocked by a great wall. The wall of the seventh tier. A wall where most martial artists fall into despair. Thanks to great kindness and good fortune, I feel that I have caught a faint glimpse of the realm beyond that wall.”

This feeling might vanish like an illusion at any moment. That was why Bakerd made the decision.

“As soon as my injuries recover, I will leave.”

“Where are you going?”

“Most of my life has been the life of a wanderer without a destination, and this time will be no different. Where should I go? I do not know. I challenged the Moonlit Reveller, so perhaps I should challenge the Fist King next.”

Bakerd chuckled and quietly clenched a fist beneath the bandages.

“I do not know whether the other Martial Apex Venerables will be as merciful as the Moonlit Reveller, but the enlightenment gained from dueling a master is truly sweet and precious.”

“Even so, this is too sudden.”

“Our meeting was sudden, so our parting will be as well. Yuri, perform the Fist of the Rending Cloud.”

“What?”

“If you watched the duel, you must have felt something as well. Perform it once.”

Bakerd’s eyes were extremely serious. The mood left no room for Yuri to refuse. Yuri nodded and rose.

“Perform the four forms separately in sequence: Wandering Floating Clouds, Cloud-Wind Dance, Dark Cloud Connecting the Moon, and Thunder Cloud Dragon Fang. Then perform them with the feeling of connecting them into one without separating them.”

Yuri raised both fists and took the opening stance of the Fist of the Rending Cloud. He had performed the fist technique before Bakerd countless times, but it felt strangely different now.

The duel from half a day ago, and the movements of the Moonlit Reveller and Bakerd, flickered through Yuri’s mind. Yuri took several deep breaths and calmed down. The Moonlit Reveller was not here now. But in Yuri’s Mental Image, the Madorido that the Moonlit Reveller had repeatedly kicked and a sphere of force aura were vividly present.

Slowly.

Yuri’s fist moved forward. He imagined the attacks of the Moonlit Reveller, who was not truly there, and responded with a fist. Wandering Floating Clouds, the first form of the Fist of the Rending Cloud and the form that represented the essence of the technique. Yuri’s feet moved naturally along with the slowly extending fist.

Yuri moved only within a few steps. Yet the freedom contained in his fists and feet seemed to go far beyond that small space.

The movement changed. The speed of the slowly extending fist changed. Softness, change, speed... The three principles pursued by the Fist of the Rending Cloud melted into the paths formed by Yuri’s two fists.

‘Wandering Floating Clouds, Cloud-Wind Dance, Dark Cloud Connecting the Moon, Thunder Cloud Dragon Fang...’

As Bakerd instructed, Yuri performed each of the four forms separately. That was not difficult. But connecting all four forms into one was difficult. Each form began differently. Yuri tried to link Wandering Floating Clouds to Cloud-Wind Dance, but the connection seemed to hang awkwardly.

“Again.”

Bakerd spoke. Yuri also thought the connection had been forced. He did not answer and returned to the beginning.

“Again.”

Yuri heard “again” countless times. He never stopped. He did not complain either. Martial arts were enjoyable to Yuri, and if something he had finally performed was unsatisfying, it was only natural to want to do it again.

After repeating the fist technique dozens of times, sweat poured down Yuri’s entire body like rain.

Again. What was the problem? Should he add a new movement when connecting one form to another? But that movement itself would become a new form.

‘This is not it.’

The Fist of the Rending Cloud was a peak-level fist technique. Yuri’s limited experience could not devise movements that linked its forms smoothly. Then should he cut off the end of each form and stitch them together? The deeper Yuri concentrated, the more dissatisfied he became with every part of his execution.

Lighter.

Faster.

Softer.

Freer...

One by one, Yuri’s desires increased. The movements drifting through his mind. How Bakerd moved and swung his fists. How the Moonlit Reveller moved through the air and moved their legs.

ㅡRiiip.

All the forms of the Fist of the Rending Cloud tore apart in Yuri’s mind. The verses, filled with abstract words, clung to every torn fragment. The secret manual. The illustrations drawn as examples for each form. The pictures made of dots and lines became Yuri.

Each form had points that felt wrong. Things Yuri had not noticed when first beginning were now clearly apparent. Yuri removed them.

Wrong. Too much had been removed. If he did this, his fist would hang in the air and leave an opening.

Yuri returned to the beginning.

While drawing back the extended fist, he bent it and struck again. The instruction said to do it with the left hand, but perhaps it would work with the right hand as well. Would it really? Yuri connected the torn forms, tore them apart again, and connected them anew...

‘Ah.’

At last, the Fist of the Rending Cloud connected as one inside Yuri’s mind. Before he forgot it, he performed it with his body.

ㅡWhoooosh!

It was a strange feeling. Yuri had clearly performed it physically, yet his mind brightened and his dantian trembled. Yuri let out a long breath and sat down.

“Excellent.”

Yuri looked up and flinched in surprise. Outside the window, night had given way to morning. When Yuri stared with his mouth open in surprise, Bakerd chuckled.

“How was it?”

“Pardon?”

“What you just did. Are you satisfied?”

Yuri had swung the Fist of the Rending Cloud from night until morning. He recalled the fist technique he had performed at the end. After thinking for a moment, Yuri let out a short sigh and shook his head.

“I am not satisfied.”

“Why not? I said it was excellent.”

“I connected them, but I do not think this is the right answer. I think I could do better...”

“Of course. The Fist of the Rending Cloud is a peak-level martial art. Does it make sense for you to perfectly connect its forms in half a day?”

“Then why did you make me do it?”

“Honestly, I did not tell you to do it because I expected success. I thought it would be enough if trying it made you feel your shortcomings, but you did much better than I expected. That is why I stayed awake despite being injured and watched you.”

Bakerd nodded with a smile.

“You connected them. That alone is remarkable.”

“Hmm... It still feels vague.”

“If you are not satisfied, continue training and refine it. Here, take this.”

A secret manual flew over and landed in front of Yuri.

<Whirlwind Cloud Steps>.

Yuri blinked at the name written on the manual.

“What is this?”

“It is the footwork of Light-Splitting Fist Yang Ilsu, the creator of the Fist of the Rending Cloud. It is also the footwork I learned, and the reason I was so fixated on the Fist of the Rending Cloud. Do you remember what I said a month ago?”

Yuri remembered.

[If you can use all the forms of the Fist of the Rending Cloud to face my fist, I will give you a gift.]

And during that month, Yuri had never managed to use every form to face Bakerd’s fists.

“My injuries have not healed, so I cannot face you directly, but seeing your level, I do not think there is any need to face you directly.”

“Were you hiding footwork like this?”

“Hiding? I do not like that word. Should I take it back?”

“Thank you.”

Yuri answered immediately and held the Whirlwind Cloud Steps manual with both hands.

“I will not teach you that footwork directly. You had already been devising and using something similar to footwork on your own, and its form resembles Whirlwind Cloud Steps. Seeing your understanding of the Fist of the Rending Cloud, you should be able to learn Whirlwind Cloud Steps well on your own.”

“...”

“Besides, I am not your master.”

“You are practically my master.”

Yuri wiped away the sweat running down his forehead.

“Others would think so too.”

“No. I cannot become your master, and you cannot become my disciple.”

“Why not?”

“If I become your master, my karma might be passed on to you as well.”

“Karma?”

Bakerd closed his mouth for a moment. Silence settled over the room. Yuri said nothing and quietly watched Bakerd’s face.

“The reason I left the Sairan Guard was revenge.”

“...”

“I do not want to reveal the details. This is something I must do. I became a wanderer because I have revenge to carry out, and I cannot become anyone’s master.”

“I can keep a secret. Even if you tell me, Sir Bakerd, I will never tell anyone else.”

“Even so, I do not intend to tell you.”

Yuri knew Bakerd’s secret. Bakerd was a survivor of the destroyed Raspion Family. It was not a secret that would be good to reveal, and Bakerd had no intention of speaking about it, so Yuri did not pry further.

“After I succeed in my revenge, perhaps we can drink and talk then. If you are truly curious, hope that I succeed.”

“Work hard on your revenge.”

“From what I can see, your way of speaking is damn awful. You are not someone I would want to take as a disciple.”

Bakerd grimaced and waved his bandaged hand.

“I need to rest now. You must be tired too, so go home and sleep your ass off.”

“I would like to see you again before you leave. When do you plan to go?”

“There is no need.”

“Come on, I care about you. I am not enough of an asshole to ignore someone who is practically my master when they are about to leave.”

“The things you say...”

Bakerd grumbled, but he did not look displeased.

“My bones should mostly knit in about two days, so I plan to leave then. You do not need to come, and I will visit Marigold’s mansion to say goodbye.”

“Yes.”

Yuri rose, his body stiff and sore.

“Then I will see you then.”

“Alright.”

His steps were heavy as Yuri headed downstairs to leave for the mansion. He had spent the night away without saying anything, so Elena was surely worried.

‘Surprisingly, they did not come looking for me...’

Thinking that, Yuri came down toward the first floor of the inn and froze halfway down the stairs.

“...”

Elena was reading a book on the first floor, which served as a dining room, while Haryeong polished a dagger across from her.

“The one who stayed out without permission is coming down.”

Haryeong spoke while looking at the reflection in the dagger’s blade.

“Next time you stay out overnight, please at least tell us. Thanks to you, I had to stay awake all night too.”

“Is it over?”

Elena turned around.

“What are you doing here...?”

“We were about to enter the room, but Sir Bakerd sent a Voice Transmission. He said it was an important moment, so we were not to open the door.”

“Voice Transmission?”

[Like this.]

Haryeong’s voice rang inside Yuri’s head.

[It is a technique that uses internal energy to convey meaning directly without speaking. Magic has similar techniques, but martial artists can use it from the fourth tier.]

“Are you fourth tier, Haryeong?”

“Oops.”

Haryeong muttered without changing expression.

[I may be fourth tier, higher than that, or lower.]

“You said Voice Transmission can be used from the fourth tier.”

[That is generally true, but if one learns a related martial art, Voice Transmission can be used at a lower tier.]

“Perhaps what I am doing right now is not Voice Transmission but ventriloquism.”

Haryeong spoke with her lips closed, just as she had the day before.

“Did you not say you could not do ventriloquism?”

“Let us just accept it.”

“Aren’t you going home?”

Snap.