Novel Martial Artist Lee Gwak - chapter 336
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chapter 336
Disaster Strikes Without Warning (2)
Lee Gwak gazed at the battlefield with a heavy expression.
Half of the Black Wind Squad had already been killed or injured, and the vagrants they had hired were also groaning in pain, having suffered various injuries.
He had no desire to intervene unless absolutely necessary, but if things continued this way, the Black Wind Squad would be annihilated. Such an outcome would severely disrupt Lee Gwak’s plans, leaving him no choice but to step in.
Lee Gwak’s eyes turned toward So Jin-rak.
So Jin-rak was staring at him in shock.
Lee Gwak began walking toward So Jin-rak.
“What’s this?”
“Arrogant bastard!”
Seeing Lee Gwak’s approach, two martial artists from the Mad Wolf Squad rushed toward him.
Swish!
Their swords flew toward Lee Gwak’s neck with menacing force.
The momentum was fierce.
Having carried out countless killings, they had mastered the most efficient ways to sever a person’s neck. Naturally, their killing intent was far stronger than that of ordinary martial artists.
An average person would freeze like a frog in front of a snake, just at the sight of their killing intent. But they were no snakes, and Lee Gwak was no frog.
Swish!
Lee Gwak casually flicked his hand.
It was his leaf hand blade.
Clang!
The swords made of blue steel were sliced in two by Lee Gwak’s technique.
“What?”
“Huh?”
The vagrants who had attacked Lee Gwak let out bewildered groans.
Crack!
Lee Gwak’s Leaf-Hand Blade struck their sides and necks. They collapsed without even a scream.
Only then did the Mad Wolf Squad realize that something was amiss.
“What the hell? Who is this bastard?”
“Attack him!”
They were like wild dogs on the battlefield.
Though they couldn’t move as strategically as wolves or hunt on their own, their ferocity was no less than that of wolves. Especially when they moved in a group, they forgot all fear.
“Whoo-hoo!”
They let out bizarre roars and charged at Lee Gwak in unison.
No matter how skilled a martial artist might be, facing such a frenzied mob would inevitably shake their spirit. But Lee Gwak’s expression showed not a hint of disturbance or change.
Lee Gwak had wandered more battlefields than the Mad Wolf Squad, experienced worse bloodshed, and fought against incomparably stronger enemies.
Though his outward appearance was ordinary, the solidity of his inner resolve was unshakable, far beyond what the Mad Wolf Squad could hope to shake.
Swish!
His Leaf-Hand Blade sliced through the air.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The weapons that clashed with his hand shattered into pieces.
From thick broadswords to jagged wolf-tooth blades, all were broken and sent flying.
“Ugh!”
“Ack!”
“Gah!”
Unpleasant screams echoed.
The vagrants who had attacked Lee Gwak were now howling in agony. Lee Gwak’s Leaf-Hand Blade had not only shattered their weapons but also broken their bones and torn their muscles.
They had spent their lives inflicting pain on others but had never experienced such suffering themselves. As a result, they were particularly vulnerable to it. Rolling on the ground, they
screamed at the top of their lungs as if they were dying.
“What’s going on?”
Finally, the rest of the Mad Wolf Squad realized something was wrong and halted their movements.
When they had ambushed the Black Wind Squad, they hadn’t given it much thought. No matter how large a group of mercenaries might be, their skill levels were generally mediocre-at least, that was what they believed.
The Mad Wolf Squad was an exception, but most vagrant groups were inferior to martial sects. Knowing this, the Mad Wolf Squad had been confident of an easy victory. This was why they were even more baffled.
The existence of Lee Gwak was far beyond their expectations.
Lee Gwak continued walking toward So Jin-rak.
He didn’t even glance at the Mad Wolf Squad around him. Yet, none of them dared to attack.
They had already been overwhelmed by his aura.
So Jin-rak clenched his teeth and glared at Lee Gwak.
“Who are you to dare disrupt the affairs of the Jade Heaven Alliance?”
He deliberately mentioned Jade Heaven Alliance instead of the Mad Wolf Squad.
He doubted that the name Mad Wolf Squad would mean anything to a martial artist of Lee Gwak’s caliber, so he used Jade Heaven Alliance as the shield instead.
Normally, this would have been enough to intimidate anyone. No matter how skilled a martial artist might be, making an enemy of the Jade Heaven Alliance was no small matter.
But Lee Gwak was different.
Even after So Jin-rak mentioned Jade Heaven Alliance, Lee Gwak’s expression remained unchanged as he continued to approach.
So Jin-rak felt beads of sweat forming between his clenched fists. He was that tense.
As Lee Gwak drew closer, So Jin-rak felt an overwhelming pressure.
This was a first for him, so his face turned pale.
‘I’ve messed up. I had no idea such a master was hiding here.’
According to the information the Jade Heaven Alliance had, there was only the Black Wind Squad. They were well-informed about the Black Wind Squad since they were also a vagrant group.
With the strength of the Mad Wolf Squad, they could easily wipe out the Black Wind Squad, so they had accepted the mission without a second thought.
So Jin-rak regretted his decision, but it was too late.
Lee Gwak was approaching him, and his subordinates were paralyzed by Lee Gwak’s overwhelming presence.
In this desperate situation, So Jin-rak’s mind raced.
After a quick calculation, he forced a servile smile and spoke.
“Haha! It seems there’s been some misunderstanding. We had no intention of offending you, Grandmaster. Let’s resolve this through conversation.”
“Conversation?”
“Is there anything in this world that can’t be resolved through dialogue? Speak your mind openly, and we’ll do whatever you ask.”
Lee Gwak nodded slightly at his words.
Seeing a glimmer of hope, So Jin-rak’s expression brightened slightly. There was a chance he might survive.
Lee Gwak asked, “Did the Jade Heaven Alliance really hire you?”
“It’s not just us. The Fire Dragon Squad, the White Spear Squad, and the Ghost Howl Squad are all acting under the orders of the Jade Heaven Alliance.”
‘Damn it!’
Lee Chi-sang was shocked.
The groups So Jin-rak mentioned were all vagrant squads.
Though not as notorious as the Mad Wolf Squad, they were still infamous in their own right. And their strength far surpassed that of the Black Wind Squad.
The fact that they had all sided with the Jade Heaven Alliance was shocking, but upon deeper reflection, it wasn’t entirely surprising.
Vagrants preferred to align themselves with the side that offered more money and had a higher chance of winning. They must have judged that the Jade Heaven Alliance was likely to prevail.
Lee Gwak asked again, “Where is the main force of the Jade Heaven Alliance currently stationed?”
“When I received the mission, they were at Jiangkou. But I don’t know where they are now.”
“Are you saying they keep moving their main force?”
“As far as I know, yes.”
So Jin-rak answered honestly.
There was no point in hiding the truth, and if he lied, he would quickly be found out. Loyalties to the Jade Heaven Alliance mattered little now; saving himself and the Wild Wolf Squad was what truly mattered.
Lee Gwak continued:
“Have any new members joined the main force recently, aside from the Vagrants?”
“I’ve heard that martial artists from the inner and outer courts have joined, but I don’t know the details.”
“Outer Court? Are you sure?”
“I only overheard it in passing from the Master of the Demon Squad, so I don’t know the details.”
“The Master of the Demon Squad? Could it be that Ban Cheon-sang has come here?”
“Do you know about master Ban?”
At So Jin-rak’s response, Lee Gwak’s expression stiffened slightly.
The Demon Squad was a gathering of the elites from the Main Court. Along with the Soul Chasing Squad, it was one of the two pillars of the Main Court.
Ban Cheon-sang’s presence here meant that more than half of the inner court’s forces had come with him.
Lee Gwak realized that the situation was more serious than he had thought.
“Tell me about the dispatched martial artists from the outer court. Who exactly was sent?”
“As far as I know…”
Pah!
At that moment, a piercing sound echoed from behind Lee-Gwak.
While So Jin-rak was distracting him, the Mad Wolf Squad had stealthily approached and launched a surprise attack on Lee Gwak.
“Ah! Danger…”
Lee Chi-sang realized it too late and shouted.
“Die!”
“You’re dead!”
By then, the Mad Wolf Squad had already closed in on Lee Gwak’s back.
A satisfied grin spread across So Jin-rak’s face.
Their plan had worked.
“Did you think I would just tell you everything? Die, you damn bastard.”
He was certain of Lee Gwak’s death. Or at least, he was confident that he would suffer serious injuries.
That’s when it happened.
Splash!
Suddenly, a fountain of blood soared into the sky.
So-jin-rak’s eyes widened.
The fountain of blood had gushed from the chest of one of the Mad Wolf Squad members who had attacked Lee Gwak.
Clank!
The sound of Lee Gwak sheathing his blade back into its sheath woke So-jin-rak from his shock.
Only then did So-jin-rak realize that Lee-Gwak had drawn his blade and attacked the assailants.
‘When?’
His eyes shook with fear.
Even though he had been facing Lee Gwak directly, he hadn’t seen when he drew his blade and attacked his men.
Lee Gwak’s movements had surpassed the limits of his perception.
Shiver!
Goosebumps broke out all over his body.
Only then did So Jin-rak realize that Lee Gwak was no ordinary master.
Thud! Thud!
Like rotten logs, the members of the Mad Wolf Squad who had ambushed Lee Gwak collapsed one after another.
“Ahhh!”
Faced with this unreal scene, So Jin-rak turned and fled without looking back.
He abandoned any pride he had as the leader of the Mad Wolf Squad.
His opponent was on a completely different realm.
A so-called absolute master.
A monstrous figure, rare even in the Jianghu.
No matter how long he had struggled at the bottom of the Jianghu and gained cunning, it only worked against those of similar strength.
Against someone like Lee Gwak, neither instincts, strategies, nor courage worked. He threw his pride into the gutter and chose to flee.
At least, he had some skill in qigong, which gave him a chance to escape.
In an instant, he put distance between himself and Lee Gwak.
At that moment, Lee Chi-sang shouted.
“We can’t let him go!”
Lee Gwak had no intention of letting So Jin-rak escape either.
As he reached out, the sword of a dead Mad Wolf Squad member flew into his hand.
It was the technique of Void Grasp.
Lee Gwak threw the sword straight at So Jin-rak.
Whoosh!
The sword flew like lightning and pierced through the back of So Jin-rak’s head, embedding itself into a tree in front of him.
So Jin-rak died instantly, without even a scream, his head impaled.
At his death, the surviving members of the Black Wind Squad looked on with expressions of terror.
It wasn’t So-jin-rak they feared, but Lee Gwak who had easily killed him.
During their journey together, they had treated him with disrespect and disregard, considering him to be an insignificant vagrant. Some had even said insulting things to him.
‘Oh my God!’
‘I was one step away from death.’
Cold sweat flowed down their bodies like rain. They couldn’t even be glad they’d survived. Bowing their heads, they avoided Lee Gwak’s gaze.
Only Lee Chi-sang, managing to pull himself together, forced out some words.
“W-Who are you, Grandmaster?”
“…”
Lee Gwak simply looked at Lee Chi-sang in silence.
Lee Chi-sang’s face grew paler as a sudden thought struck him: before anything else, he had to apologize.
“I—I apologize for the rudeness we’ve shown you so far. If we displeased you in any way, we’ll accept any punishment.”
He begged, forgetting all pride.
He had made a considerable fortune running the Black Wind Squad.
He didn’t want to die without being able to spend that money.
In the face of death, pride was useless.
He wanted to live.
To survive, he could grovel like a dog.
After a moment of silence, Lee Gwak spoke.
“My name is Lee Jin-mun.”
“Huh?”
“Just an ordinary ronin, Lee Jin-mun.”
“Ah! I understand.”
Finally, Lee Chi-sang understood what Lee Gwak meant.
He didn’t want to reveal his true identity yet.
“I understand: you’re Lee Jin-moon, an ordinary wandering vagrant. I was the one who hired you. And those enemies who attacked the supply convoy were subdued by us, the Black Wind Squad.”
“You’re smart.”
“Hehe! I get that a lot.”
Lee Chi-sang rubbed his hands together with a servile expression.
Lee Gwak’s true identity wasn’t important.
What mattered was that he wasn’t an enemy.
The fact that he had killed the Mad Wolf Squad proved that he wasn’t an enemy of the Dragon Heaven Valley.
Lee Gwak’s gaze turned to the surviving members of the Black Wind Squad.
Only four of them remained.
The vagrants trembled under Lee Gwak’s gaze.
They knelt down like Lee Chi-sang and shouted.
“We didn’t see anything!”
They were quick-witted like Lee Chi-sang. They had grasped Lee Gwak’s intention.
Lee Gwak nodded.
“Good.”
Only then did relief appear on their faces.
They realized from Lee Gwak’s tone that he had no intention of killing them.
Lee Gwak’s eyes gleamed at their reaction.
He didn’t expect them to keep the secret for long. He knew better than anyone how loose-lipped vagrants could be.
It wouldn’t be long before his identity was exposed, but by then, Lee Gwak would no longer be here.
Lee Gwak spoke.
“Gather the bodies and let’s head to Hwangwon Plains.”
Runcandelknight
Again with this bullshit, he waits until half members are killed and then acts. Like he could have just hidden himself if he didn’t want to be involved