Wanderer of the Martial World - Chapter 1

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Satori

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Wanderer of the Martial World ◈

Chapter 1

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“Ghh...!”

With a groan, a viscous liquid splashed across the woman’s back.

At the same time, the energy drained from my body, and I collapsed beside her.

The tension in my tightly wound nerves ebbed away, and the world came into clearer focus.

“Whew...”

After glancing at the woman’s face as she lay there silently, I got up and pulled up my trousers, fastening them tightly at the waist.

Clink.

I tossed a silver coin onto the table in the room, picked up my straight saber, and headed for the door.

After one more look at the woman, who was still lying in the same position, I opened the creaking door and stepped outside.

The setting sun was painting the sky with its glow.

Seeking a woman’s body on the day of a battle had become a long-standing habit of mine.

It was a kind of precaution I had developed after being consumed by the madness of combat and narrowly escaping death time and again.

Like that famous line from an American actor about getting one off before doing the job, this was how I relieved my tension.

“Huh? Mister!”

A child who looked about seven greeted me in front of the woman’s house.

“It’s Gyeong. Back from the martial academy?”

It was a little awkward to see the woman’s son in this situation, but I kept my expression under control as I asked.

“Yes! Hehe.”

The boy gave an innocent laugh and raised the small wooden sword in his hand.

“It’s dangerous. You should’ve waited. Your mother was probably going to come get you.”

“The sun’s still up, though. Hehe. And I’m good at fighting too! I’m the best among kids my age at the martial academy!”

I lightly patted the proudly speaking child on the head.

“Good for you. I should get going now. I’ve got work today.”

“Ah! Yes! Goodbye, Mister!”

“Right.”

I had deliberately raised my voice, so the woman must have noticed that her son had come home.

I had been able to sense her hurrying about inside for some time now.

Leaving the child behind, I stepped out onto the street.

Behind me, I heard him excitedly run inside, shouting, “Mom!”

The streets of the slums were dirty and dangerous, but this street, being close to the market, was relatively decent.

That was why I rented a house here. The woman did too.

If you were willing to overlook safety to a certain degree, you could rent a house quite cheaply.

I judged the time by looking at the sun in the sky.

It felt a little close, so I unconsciously quickened my pace.

Being a little late would have been fine, but they might find some needless fault with me.

After walking for about twenty minutes, I arrived where today’s client was waiting.

The first thing I saw was a huge gate and the plaque hanging above it.

Azure Balance Gate.

It was a martial sect founded by a lay disciple of the Mount Heng Sect, and together with the Black Sword Gang, it divided control of Yeongheung County.

There were other smaller sects, but none were as powerful as those two.

The gates of the Azure Balance Gate were already wide open. Inside, dozens of wandering martial artists had claimed their spots and were sprawled around.

I approached a scholarly-looking elderly person sitting at a table by the entrance.

“Hwang Jeong-un.”

The elderly person gave me a quick look, then checked the list.

“Hwang Jeong-un... Hwang Jeong-un. Here you are. Second Grade?”

“That’s right.”

After checking the wandering martial artist badge I offered them, the elderly person exclaimed in admiration.

“Hmm. Impressive, at such a young age.”

They marked my name on the list and pointed behind them.

“You can rest in the back.”

I gave a slight nod and entered through the gate. I could feel the sprawled-out wandering martial artists looking at me.

Some turned away as though uninterested. Some glared. Some gave a slight nod.

Those I knew exchanged brief greetings with their eyes.

I went to an empty spot and sat sprawled on the ground.

A few people seemed about to approach and strike up a conversation, but after seeing me firmly close my eyes, they gave up.

I didn’t want to talk much. Especially before a battle.

Once I closed my eyes, all kinds of thoughts passed through my mind.

“Impressive, at such a young age.”

The old man’s praise from a moment ago.

No, was it praise?

In the past, those words would have sounded like praise. Now, they just sounded hollow.

The grades of wandering martial artists, from Third Grade to First Grade, corresponded to levels of martial mastery.

Third Grade was third-rate, Second Grade was second-rate, and First Grade was first-rate.

They were called true wandering martial artists, excluding unranked novices.

Third-rate and second-rate were divided by whether one possessed internal energy, while second-rate and first-rate were divided by one’s ability to use it.

Luck and talent had combined to bring me into the second-rate, but without a proper internal energy cultivation method, the first-rate realm felt impossibly far away.

All I knew was the Qi Accumulation Method.

“All right! Everyone, gather up!”

A young martial artist wearing a hero’s headcloth shouted from the center of the wandering martial artists.

At their words, they sluggishly rose and lined up before them.

I stood up slowly and headed over as well.

I took a spot in the rear ranks.

Only greenhorns stood at the front.

That was why the wandering martial artists around me all looked experienced at a glance.

Once we had roughly taken our positions, the inner gates, which had remained tightly shut until then, opened, and dozens of martial artists poured out.

At their forefront stood a man.

He was the Young Gate Master of the Azure Balance Gate, said to have reached the very peak of the first-rate.

“Let’s go!”

At his shout, the martial artists followed him in orderly formation.

The wandering martial artists followed behind them in disarray.

The sun had already set, leaving the world dark.

The torches carried by the Azure Balance Gate martial artists lit the surroundings more brightly than the moonlight.

There was no one on the main road we walked down.

Having heard that the Azure Balance Gate and the Black Sword Gang would clash today, everyone had either fled or hidden in their homes.

I didn’t know exactly why the two sects were fighting either.

I had only heard rumors spilled by drunken wandering martial artists.

The son of the Azure Balance Gate’s Young Gate Master had been beaten up by the Black Sword Gang.

Well, it didn’t matter.

It wasn’t as if those two sects had only fought once or twice before.

Those competing for first place in a region always wanted to get rid of each other.

After walking for some time, torches began to appear ahead of us.

A little while later, the two groups were facing one another warily.

“Mad Dog Sword! Admit your wrongdoing! Do that, and nothing will happen!”

The Young Gate Master known as the Blue Chivalrous Sword shouted first.

“Hmph! You came swarming out here over one brat getting beaten up? The Azure Balance Gate has really fallen low!”

“What did you say?!”

The Blue Chivalrous Sword bristled at Mad Dog Sword’s words.

“If the Black Sword Gang had not resorted to underhanded methods, how could Jun have been beaten so badly?”

“Hahaha! What a joke. Everyone in Yeongheung County knows that the Azure Balance Gate’s Young Gate Master’s son is the biggest wastrel around! Why would we need to resort to underhanded methods? Pahahaha!”

At his words, the people on the Black Sword Gang’s side burst into loud laughter.

Honestly, he was right. I’d heard the rumors too.

And what mattered now wasn’t responding to the representatives of the two groups as they traded words and tore down each other’s justification.

I quickly examined the wandering martial artists hired by the Black Sword Gang.

My eyes moved back and forth across the crowd several times.

Then I met someone’s gaze.

I couldn’t remember their name exactly, but they were a wandering martial artist I’d completed a few jobs with.

When our eyes met, they subtly glanced to one side.

I gave a slight nod in agreement.

That was how we made every preparation for the battle to come.

There was no chance there wouldn’t be any fighting.

Hiring wandering martial artists was proof enough.

Martial artists were madmen who believed a battle only counted if blood and flesh flew through the air.

And by hiring wandering martial artists, they could stage such a spectacle while quietly sparing their own disciples.

The lives of wandering martial artists weren’t worth much, after all.

In an age when human lives were cheap, wandering martial artists who sold their blades for money could only be treated as disposable goods.

I’d nearly lost my life in battles like this many times.

Somehow, I’d managed to survive.

“You arrogant bastard! I’ll cut down that pride of yours today!”

The Young Gate Master of the Azure Balance Gate, who had been pretending to be an esteemed martial arts master until then, erupted and spat out curses.

“Charge!”

Then, like a great general, he gave the order.

“Charge! Charge!”

The wandering martial artists rushed forward, followed by the Azure Balance Gate martial artists.

No matter where you went, the wandering martial artists had to be first.

I moved forward with them, carefully controlling my speed.

Among the dozens of people, I kept my eyes on the wandering martial artist with whom I had reached an understanding.

I gradually shifted to the side and came face-to-face with them.

Like mine, their weapon was a straight saber.

It was a cheap yet practical weapon, which was why many wandering martial artists used one.

“Hah!”

Clang!

Our straight sabers collided once with a clear ring.

It was a technique of clashing weapons while minimizing the damage to them, like the clear sound made when toasting with the rims of soju glasses.

They were also a seasoned second-grade wandering martial artist, so our timing matched well.

“Yah!”

“Hah!”

As though putting on a play, we thrust our sabers and pretended to dodge to the side.

From the outside, it looked dynamic, but each thrust went where the other could avoid it.

Clang!

Then we clashed sabers again and pulled away.

Even so, our eyes rapidly scanned from side to side.

Our coordination was working well, and we had both come to recognize that neither of us would betray the other.

Now, if we eliminated only the threats coming from outside, we would be able to finish this job safely.

Then I saw a wandering martial artist rushing at me from the side.

About my age? Or younger?

I didn’t know. But one thing was certain. That bastard was a novice.

The opponent clashing blades with me slightly slowed his weapon when he saw the novice’s attack.

Matching that timing, I deflected the novice’s blade to the side and, in the same motion, cut their throat.

“Ghk! Ghk...”

The novice staggered while clutching their throat.

Clang! Thud.

Ignoring them, I clashed my saber with the wandering martial artist before me again.

The clear ring of our blades and the sound of the novice falling came at the same time.

That happened several times as I cut down those who tried to ambush us.

My opponent did the same. Proof of that was how their martial attire was soaked and damp with blood.

Mine was probably the same. Still, since my attire was black, it wouldn’t show as much.

From experience, I had learned that brown martial attire was best for jobs outside the county, since dirt didn’t show easily on it. For jobs involving fights within the county like this one, black attire was best.

Blood didn’t come out easily even after washing, so most seasoned wandering martial artists did the same.

Clang! Clang!

“Hah!”

“Yah!”

How much time passed like that?

“Damn it! Retreat! Retreat!”

Mad Dog Sword of the Black Sword Gang shouted in a voice full of resentment.

At his words, the opponent before me quickly backed away, turned around, and fled.

They were fast, as expected of a second-grade wandering martial artist.

Slow when fighting enemies, faster than anyone when running away.

It might have been cowardly, but who would live honestly when their life was on the line?

I didn’t pursue him. This wasn’t a war.