Tangmunjeon - Chapter 417



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Tangmunjeon Episode 417

Jang Il-nam

For some reason, his cheek felt ticklish. Jang Il-nam scratched his cheek with his bloody left hand. He could feel a faint trembling through the cheek where his fingers touched.

Jang Il-nam looked at the unknown guardian. The young man was young, but from Jang Il-nam’s perspective, he was a considerable expert.

The young man introduced himself first.

“I am Jo Eul-Hyeon of Sangsan Joga. I am also a friendly law of the Demonic Cult. It is my pleasure to meet the famous Blood Rider.”

“Even if it’s Jang Il-nam.”

Jo Eul-hyun’s words that he was happy to meet her were not empty words. In Jo Eul-hyun’s eyes, the blood-loving guest read a clear yearning and a bit of a competitive spirit.

It was a look he had seen so many times that he was sick of it, and it was the look Jang Il-nam hated the most.

The five people who followed Jang Il-nam persistently and died all looked at him with those eyes.

Those people would do whatever it took to make Jang Il-nam draw his sword.

Jang Il-nam thought it was better to be afraid, vent anger based on rumors, or be indifferent.

“Can I call you Mr. Jang?”

“It’s burdensome.”

Jo Eul-hyeon laughed lightly, then lifted the spear and lightly tapped the ground with the spear handle.

Jang Il-nam looked at Jo Eul-hyeon’s spear. It wasn’t just a spear, it was a sword. A long blade extended from the end of the spear shaft, and there was another small blade attached next to it.

Although Jang Il-nam had never fought an opponent who could handle poles, it was not difficult to guess what the small blade next to the spear would be used for.

Thanks to the long, dangling red tassel attached to the bottom of the blade, Jo Eul-hyeon’s spear looked gorgeous even when held still.

Jo Eul-Hyeon said, aiming the spear he had set up forward.

“I’ll go.”

Then, Jo Eul-Hyeon quickly and straightly thrust out the window.

It was a spear technique that was similar to that shown by a general in the military. To put it positively, it was strong, but to put it negatively, it was a rigid, herbivorous technique.

However, its power was certain.

Instead of blocking the force, Jang Il-nam slightly twisted his upper body to avoid the spear and dug inward.

Anyone who has ever dealt with a spearman will think of this, and it was actually the most effective response.

However, it was also a countermeasure that not just anyone could pull off. Aren’t the unmanned people who use spears the best aware of the fact that giving up close range would put them at a disadvantage?

Jo Eul-hyeon swung his spear again to try to block Jang Il-nam.

However, Jang Il-nam reached a distance where Jo Eul-hyeon’s spear blade could not reach very naturally. It was not simply that he avoided the spear and approached, but rather that he used his sword to draw the approaching spear blade as if he was wrapping it around himself.

Jo Eul-hyeon, who had anticipated Jang Il-nam’s response, was greatly taken aback by how natural the movement was.

“Ugh!”

Jang Il-nam swung his sword calmly.

However, Jang Il-nam’s sword missed Jo Eul-hyeon by a hair’s breadth.

Jo Eul-hyeon skillfully dodged Jang Il-nam’s sword, then spread his arms wide as if he were using a staff, grabbed the handle of his spear, and tried to push Jang Il-nam away.

There were three or four rounds of attacks. Jang Il-nam’s sword still did not reach Jo Eul-hyeon. On the contrary, Jo Eul-hyeon tried to shake off Jang Il-nam with his spear.

Changdae gradually reduced the space in which Jang Il-nam could move, and finally aimed for Jang Il-nam’s leg.

No matter how much he thought about it, there was no better way to deal with it, so Jang Il-nam had no choice but to pull back. In this tense standoff, it was Jo Eul-hyun who achieved his goal.

Jo Eul-hyeon tried hard to shake off Jang Il-nam, but she had no intention of letting him go smoothly.

The moment Jang Il-nam moved backwards, Jo Eul-hyeon also used his magic and took two steps back.

For a moment, a three-step gap appeared between the two, and Jo Eul-Hyeon did not miss that opportunity.

“Ugh!”

Jo Eul-hyeon swung his spear roughly from the inside to the outside. It was a very common technique of the orchid.

However, a master can incorporate his own enlightenment and wisdom into even a simple attack.

The spear, swung horizontally, did not move stiffly like an iron bar, but bent smoothly like a bow with the string loosely hung.

The curved shaft makes it difficult to guess the position of the approaching blade.

Even the rich red tassels hanging below the window obscured Jang Il-nam’s vision.

However, Jang Il-nam kept his lower body firm and extended his sword based on his intuition. As if he had planned it out in advance, Jo Eul-hyeon’s spear was blocked by Jang Il-nam’s sword without a single error.

But Jo Eul-Hyeon’s attack didn’t end there.

Jo Eul-hyeon gathered his inner energy into his right arm and the spear shaft and roughly pulled the spear. Then, the small blade that was stretched out horizontally next to the spear blade lightly grazed Jang Il-nam’s neck.

If Jang Il-nam hadn’t bowed his head to the side, his neck might have been cut in half.

The first battle, which went on like flowing water, has ended.

Jo Eul-hyeon sighed, unable to hide her regret.

“I never thought you’d let your last move slip away like that… It seems you’ve dealt with a lot of people who use spears.”

In fact, Jang Il-nam had no experience dealing with people who used spears.

Among the martial artists, it is rare to find someone who uses a spear, and it is even rarer in the Sapa martial arts community. There are even more people who choose to use a weapon like a jodo or a dagger.

In other words, all of Jang Il-nam’s responses so far were actions based entirely on improvisation and intuition.

However, Jang Il-nam nodded habitually. He thought Jo Eul-hyeon would feel embarrassed if he said no.

“···Yeah. I’ve fought at least twenty times.”

Jo Eul-hyeon did not doubt Jang Il-nam’s story at all.

“As expected, you are a veteran.”

The two men were quite far apart, as the spearman desperately tried to keep his distance. Jo Eul-Hyeon recalled the clash just now in his head and prepared for the next attack.

‘This fight won’t last long. Next time I’ll cut you off.’

However, Jang Il-nam was lost in thought in a slightly different direction.

First clash. As soon as Jang Il-nam jumped into Jo Eul-hyeon’s arms, he seized the opportunity to cut off Jo Eul-hyeon’s neck.

It wasn’t enough to decapitate someone with a single stroke, but it was a pretty sure shot opportunity that made me think the blade could go all the way down my esophagus.

However, Jang Il-nam’s sword could not even reach Jo Eul-hyeon’s skin.

‘Am I wrong?’

No. Thinking back, my senses were accurate, and if I had moved with all my might, I could have easily cut off Jo Eul-Hyeon’s neck.

In that situation, the fact that Jo Eul-hyeon’s neck could not be cut off means that Jang Il-nam was unable to move with all his might.

That means Jang Il-nam still has some hesitation.

‘It’s hesitation.’

Jang Il-nam lightly rubbed his right arm with his left. As expected, his arm was a little stiff.

It wasn’t easy for Jang Il-nam to let go of his hesitation. How could he lightly let go of the hesitation he had harbored for decades?

The reason Jang Il-nam was able to easily deal with four masters of other demonic cults was because the gap in their skills was not small.

Even with their skills, they couldn’t avoid Jang Il-nam’s sword, which was full of hesitation.

However, Jo Eul-Hyeon was not an easy opponent to cut down with a sword filled with hesitation.

No, rather, we should see Jo Eul-hyeon’s achievements as being above Jang Il-nam’s. Wasn’t Jang Il-nam someone who couldn’t go straight on the path of ignorance and stopped at the very beginning of the peak?

“Mr. Jang.”

When Jang Il-nam did not approach right away, Jo Eul-hyeon spoke.

Even his voice contained a subtle sense of composure.

A conversation looking down on the unmanned person he once admired from above. That’s the kind of conversation Jo Eul-Hyeon wanted.

When Jang Il-nam looked at Jo Eul-hyeon, Jo Eul-hyeon asked.

“I crossed the zenith wall at the age of twenty-four, and I stood on the path to transcendence at the age of twenty-nine. When did you stand on the path to transcendence?”

“I think I was about thirty-five or thirty-six.”

Jo Eul-hyeon smiled faintly.

Jo Eul-Hyeon was very proud of the fact that he had reached a level beyond his imagination at such a young age.

It was an achievement that could never have been accomplished without the help of the cult leader, but that did not matter at all.

The fact that the world-renowned hemophiliac had reached the pinnacle of his abilities at a later age than he did excited Jo Eul-Hyeon.

“It’s not as fast as I thought.”

Jang Il-nam nodded slightly at Jo Eul-hyeon’s comments.

“That’s fortunate.”

“Thank goodness?”

“Before I turned thirty-six, I didn’t need that level of skill.”

Jang Il-nam’s story felt strange.

Doesn’t it seem like you’re saying that you ‘didn’t’ reach the peak because it wasn’t necessary before then?

“There’s no need to show off. At that age, you’re at your peak. To most martial artists, that alone would be a dream come true, and isn’t it a talent?”

“I see···.”

Talent.

Jang Il-nam knew from a young age that he had outstanding swordsmanship. He couldn’t help but know, since his teacher praised him every other day.

But it was much later that I realized that the swordsmanship was not just outstanding, but bizarre.

A long time ago, Jang Il-nam sat in a corner of a guest house and eavesdropped on the conversations of other masters.

They were drunk and talking about all sorts of things. Among the many stories they were most proud of, the one they talked about the most was the moment when they reached the peak.

I had an experience when I crossed the climax wall.

I gained some insight and crossed the climax wall.

I almost missed it, but I managed to get over the wall at a certain age.

People were talking about it with so much excitement that it didn’t even sound like a joke.

That day, Jang Il-nam got one piece of information. He had to overcome the wall to become a top expert.

There were two problems.

First, Jang Il-nam has never climbed over anything resembling a wall.

Second, at that time, Jang Il-nam had been called a top expert for over ten years.

I guess I wasn’t a master of the peak. Jang Il-nam reached that conclusion in his heart and moved on.

And years later, Jang Il-nam reached the pinnacle of his abilities and realized.

The fact that most people can overcome the wall with great difficulty, but some may not.

To put it bluntly, Jang Il-nam was a man born beyond the wall.

To Jang Il-nam, martial arts were something that was so natural.

So, there was no desire to improve, no desire to advance to the next level.

Rather, there was even a sense of aversion towards martial arts.

Isn’t this how your life got twisted because of your martial arts skills? Even if you’re good at killing people, isn’t it true that all you get in return is misfortune?

Jang Il-nam snapped out of his thoughts and picked up his sword. Jo Eul-hyeon also picked up his spear again.

Jo Eul-hyeon thought that she and Jang Il-nam were looking at each other. However, Jang Il-nam’s gaze was focused on the area behind Jo Eul-hyeon.

The door that Jo Eul-hyeon opened was half-open.

A small face was peeking out through the crack in the door. It was Dang Hae-won. Very faintly, Mok Wan-ah’s voice could be heard telling him to come back.

Jang Il-nam thought.

‘Are they only tying up adults?’

When Jo Eul-hyeon saw that Jang Il-nam did not respond even though she had slightly moved the window, she realized that Jang Il-nam’s mind was elsewhere.

It was annoying, but it was also an opportunity to end the fight in one fell swoop.

“Where are you looking!”

Jo Eul-hyeon swung his spear like a ray of light at Jang Il-nam’s head.

Jang Il-nam turned his head belatedly, but it was too late. The small blade attached to the side of the spear cut Jang Il-nam’s earlobe deeply.

It wasn’t a fatal wound, but a searing pain spread throughout my body.

The person in question disappeared with a soft scream.

Jang Il-nam saw the scene of Dang Hae-won disappearing with his own eyes.

It had only been about two weeks since she had been called sister, and Dang Iryeong had dragged Dang Haewon along.

Jang Il-nam laughed even though blood was flowing from his ears.

It was so lovely that my heart almost burst. It was so joyful that I didn’t even feel pain for a moment.

I realized it again.

Dangyeong. Danghaewon. Dangiryeong. Many people from Danggajang. A slightly boring scene. And – Wijinanhyang, who is now a lover. How much he loves all of them.

That’s why Jang Il-nam thought.

‘Don’t hesitate. Give it your all and finish it in one go.’

Jang Il-nam performed a half-flying feat and jumped into Jo Eul-hyeon’s arms.

As if he had expected it, Jo Eul-hyeon took a defensive stance, holding the spear handle with both arms. Even the defense of a skilled swordsman would not be as strong as Jo Eul-hyeon’s spear.

But Jang Il-nam was able to find a loophole even in that position.

‘It can pierce the lungs.’

But contrary to expectations, Jang Il-nam’s sword was blocked by Jo Eul-hyeon’s spear.

‘why?’

Jang Il-nam was a little flustered, but soon found the next loophole.

‘Thigh. If you stab it obliquely, you will bleed to death.’

Jang Il-nam swung his sword at Jo Eul-hyeon’s thigh. But this time, Jo Eul-hyeon’s spear blocked Jang Il-nam’s sword.

Jo Eul-hyeon shouted with great enthusiasm.

“Is this it?”

Jang Il-nam did not answer.

This time, Jang Il-nam also realized what the problem was.

There was a very small hesitation left.

‘It is not the mind that hesitates. The body cannot follow the mind.’

It doesn’t mean you’re old. It doesn’t mean you have no strength in your limbs.

It was not the hesitation of the mind, but the hesitation of the body that held Jang Il-nam’s sword.

Even though he had made up his mind, his body, which had been afraid of killing until now, could not hesitantly extend its sword. It was only natural, since he had always hesitated for over sixty years.

However, Jang Il-nam immediately denied his judgment.

‘No. It is always the mind that moves the body. How can the body itself be foolish and hesitate?’

Jang Il-nam came to a new conclusion.

‘There is only one thing I need. A stronger spirit. A spirit that is not afraid of wounds, and can even erase hesitation in the face of death.’

Jo Eul-hyeon’s spear blade flies towards Jang Il-nam’s heart.

It wasn’t an attack that could be blocked by lightly using a magic spell or twisting one’s body.

Jang Il-nam held the sword handle with both arms and swung the sword with all his might to deflect the spear blade.

visor-

A loud noise. At the same time, a strong shock is transmitted through the forearm.

Sparks flew between the sharp clashing blades.

With a spark that bloomed for a moment, Jang Il-nam entered the world of his imagination for the first time in a long while.

No, the expression “long time no see” was not appropriate.

This was only the second time that Jang Il-nam had fallen into deep thought.

Just as he had been twenty years ago, Jang Il-nam was still trapped among the thornbush on the side of the road. He looked not much different from Hong Geol-gae.

But there were definitely some differences from Hong Geul-gae. If you look at yourself from one step above, it was more like an act of complacency.

Thinking that this level of strength was enough, Jang Il-nam became satisfied with his achievements too early.

It wasn’t a very wrong thought. In the twenty years since he stopped, Jang Il-nam didn’t need more strength. Rather, he felt sorry for the strength he had.

During the twenty years of standing still, the thorns and obstacles blocking Jang Il-nam grew thicker.

Jang Il-nam put his hand on the thornbush.

Even though it was just a light scratch, blood flowed out. Even though it was a small wound, I felt intense pain as if my palm had been pierced.

Jang Il-nam took a deep breath.

‘Rather, what I need is this pain.’

Jang Il-nam took a big step forward as if he couldn’t even see the thornbush.

The sharp thorns pierced, stabbed, and cut Jang Il-nam’s body. It was as if they had been there for so long and were just now going somewhere.

The thornbush threatened Jang Il-nam to come back and sit down immediately. However, Jang Il-nam had no intention of stopping like he had in the past.

‘They say that all things exist in the human mind, but how can the pain of the mind stop me?’

Even though he only took one step forward, a thousand thorns pierced deep into Jang Il-nam’s skin. However, Jang Il-nam took a deep breath and took another step forward.

A thousand thorns that had gripped the flesh tore and tore Jang Il-nam’s body apart. Indescribable pain enveloped Jang Il-nam. However, Jang Il-nam knew that this path was not wrong.

Not only was his skin exposed, but his pale bones were also exposed.

But rather, Jang Il-nam thought that this moment was necessary.

Furthermore, Jang Il-nam allowed the thornbush to take everything from him.

A body that has become satisfied too soon, a body that has become lazy for twenty years, would be better off not existing at all.

The thornbush, which was soaked in blood, yearned for more blood and flesh, but Jang Il-nam had nothing left. Nevertheless, the thornbush clung to him, demanding that he give it even its bones.

So, he did so. Jang Il-nam left the thorns to scrape away at his bones.

The suffering that seemed like an eternity passed like that. Finally, the thornbush that had taken everything returned to its place.

Before he knew it, Jang Il-nam was standing on the road.

As Jang Il-nam stood on the road, the road accepted Jang Il-nam.

The man who had been satisfied, complacent, and evasive too early returned to the path of ignorance. He had belatedly climbed onto the path that he could have reached long ago.

And then he started walking again as if nothing had happened.

Jang Il-nam’s body is still soaked with blood, but his heart is as light as a feather.

Now I know that I will receive a new body even outside of my mind.

It didn’t mean regaining youth like Hwayeonshinni or Wijinanhyang.

A body that can strike without hesitation, following a strong spirit. Jang Il-nam thought that was enough.

Jang Il-nam opened his eyes.

The spark that bloomed between the blade and the sword.

The spark that should have appeared and disappeared in an instant still remained, waiting for Jang Il-nam to come to his senses.

Jang Il-nam straightened his back, pulled back the shoulder he had used to swing his sword, and planted both feet firmly on the ground.

Connects heaven and earth with the flesh.

Bend your knees slightly, lean forward and take a step forward.

The moment my right foot touched the ground, I stretched my arms forward.

There was no distraction, no fear, no hesitation. There would certainly be no regrets.

Fifty-seven years old.

The man who had become unmanned belatedly stretched out his sword.