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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Strong Power Brings Strong Enemies
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"Have you ever seen such a muddle-headed fool!"
At Do Cheon's attitude, Yeo Song-hae shook his head in disbelief—just then, the White Sword Sect's Martial Sword Expert Yoo Ui-tag bellowed furiously.
"What are you all doing? Cut off that bastard's legs right now!"
At Yoo Ui-tag's command, the Sky-Spanning Gang's thugs charged forward, swinging their gleaming blades.
Thud!
Do Cheon's right foot slammed into the ground.
Ripples of force spread outward in concentric circles, unleashing a fierce gust that sent the rushing attackers flying back all at once. At the same time, Do Cheon thrust his right hand out to the side.
Incredibly, one of the Sky-Spanning Gang thugs flew straight into his grasp, his throat caught in Do Cheon's iron grip. Do Cheon snatched the sword from the man's hand, then hurled him aside. He fixed his gaze on Yoo Ui-tag and advanced.
Yoo Ui-tag's eyes twitched with savage fury at the sight.
"You bastard! You're no ordinary punk!"
Yoo Ui-tag kicked off from his spot and launched himself into the air.
Soaring skyward in an instant, he drew his sword mid-flight and unleashed a strike as fast as lightning, slashing toward Do Cheon's body.
Flash!
A blinding gleam erupted in a split second.
It was the harmony of light from the sword Do Cheon had swung.
In that flash, Yoo Ui-tag's head separated from his body. The very next instant, the sword left Do Cheon's hand like a sharpened awl, piercing through the severed head before embedding itself in a massive pillar.
Thud!
The building shook.
And from Yoo Ui-tag's severed head impaled on the pillar, crimson blood trickled down the column.
"Y-Yoo, Great Hero Yoo!"
Yeo Song-hae cried out in belated shock.
He couldn't tear his eyes away from the head stuck on the pillar.
Do Cheon kept walking.
As Do Cheon crossed the courtyard, Man Gwa-hae trembled like a leaf in the wind.
Step by step, Do Cheon advanced with calm composure.
Man Gwa-hae flailed in his chair, gripped by the illusion that the reaper from hell itself was approaching.
"You bastard!"
Suddenly, Yeo Song-hae whirled around with a shout.
"Do you even know who you've just killed?!"
Do Cheon had already come to a halt right in front of Man Gwa-hae and Yeo Song-hae.
He reached out his hand.
A sword lying on the ground flew up into his grasp. Do Cheon twisted it to point straight at Yeo Song-hae, who flinched and widened his eyes in panic.
"You've always hated me with a special kind of venom, haven't you."
"...!"
"Now that you've cut ties with the Iron Lion Sect, you'd better watch your words from here on out."
It was a warning. Whether he'd get it or not, Do Cheon had made it clear.
A warning not to block the Iron Lion Sect's path if he didn't want to end up like Yoo Ui-tag. A warning to weigh every word carefully.
Of course, whether the man would even understand it was another matter.
Do Cheon shifted the sword from Yeo Song-hae to point at Man Gwa-hae.
Man Gwa-hae shuddered violently, quaking in his boots.
"I told you. I'd consider letting you live right here today, just once."
"P-Please."
"Fine. I'll think about it this once. So give me a reason why I should let you live."
Do Cheon's gaze upon Man Gwa-hae was utterly indifferent.
The face of the man who had just severed a throat showed no emotion whatsoever. He looked like a merciless killer without a shred of hesitation. Cold sweat trickled down Man Gwa-hae's spine.
"Gr-Great Hero, I can offer far more than you might imagine."
"Couldn't you just make the steward do it?"
Do Cheon swung the sword toward the Sky-Spanning Gang's steward, who gasped and froze stiff.
Man Gwa-hae didn't even have the leisure to glance at him, blurting out desperately.
"The steward only knows a tenth of my wealth!"
"We'll find out if we search and scrape it all up from now on."
"It's the White Sword Sect."
"What about them?"
"Every merchant in Trading Grounds signed a pledge to pay protection money—and they sent it all to the White Sword Sect. I've only been collecting it on their orders and handing it over."
"...!"
It was something even Do Cheon hadn't anticipated.
The White Sword Sect was a righteous sect in its own right, which made the shock even greater.
Do Cheon turned to Yeo Song-hae.
"Did you know?"
"No."
Do Cheon didn't press further. It was the kind of guy who'd deny it even if he did.
"The moment you leave here, you'll run straight to the White Sword Sect, won't you?"
Yeo Song-hae didn't respond.
Do Cheon continued undeterred.
"Take that head and go to the White Sword Sect. Tell them to meet me here in two days."
"...!"
Yeo Song-hae's eyes bulged. But he soon bared a sneer.
"Martial Sword Expert Yoo Ui-tag isn't even in the White Sword Sect's top ten. From the skill you showed beheading him, you must've trained in fast sword arts—but do you think it compares to Elder Hwa the Great Hero's swift blade? If Supreme Elder Baek the Great Hero, Chief Baek, or even the Sect Leader moves, your pathetic fast sword won't even save your neck."
"That's why we're meeting here. At least not all of them will come."
"You just don't get it."
"The one who doesn't get it is you. You'd be thrilled if I died, so why all the chit-chat?"
Yeo Song-hae fell silent, gathered Yoo Ui-tag's head and severed neck, and fled the Sky-Spanning Gang. Once he was gone, Do Cheon turned back to Man Gwa-hae.
"I'm satisfied. I feel like letting you live now."
"Thank you."
Man Gwa-hae bowed his head deeply.
"But I'm not sure if the White Sword Sect will want to let you live."
"...!"
Only then did Man Gwa-hae realize what he'd done.
His face hardened in an instant. Seeing it, Do Cheon chuckled.
"You'll have to cheer for me whole-heartedly now."
"Pardon?"
"Think about it. If I wipe out the White Sword Sect, you live too. Right?"
"Yes, exactly."
His expression changed, as if he'd glimpsed a ray of hope.
Watching him, Do Cheon recalled someone's creed.
- Kill one of the white bastards, and the other ninety-nine rebel, forcing you to kill them all. But kill ten, and the remaining ninety kneel—saving effort and even gaining them as subordinates.
Do Cheon nodded.
'Yeah, I know that. But right now, I need to kill just one. That way, more will keep crawling out like potatoes.'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
When Do Cheon returned to the Iron Lion Sect, Yi Yeol and Iron Mountain were waiting.
"How'd it go? You came back in one piece, so no big fight... You both agreed to let it slide?"
Iron Mountain asked.
Do Cheon's brow furrowed sharply at that. Iron Mountain quickly stepped back.
"Hey, I can fix the way I talk over time. How's a guy supposed to break a habit overnight?"
"Not that you don't want to fix it?"
"It's not that I don't want to—more like, I don't get the reason."
"Fine. Then let this senior brother explain the reason."
"There you go again. Why are you always picking on me?!"
"Because you're the problem."
"What's the damn problem?!"
"A guy who should become an Iron Lion and command the world is acting like a street thug."
"Iron Lion, my ass."
Do Cheon's face hardened at Iron Mountain's last retort.
He didn't snap in anger—just furrowed his brow deeply. That reaction unsettled Iron Mountain, who shot Yi Yeol a hesitant glance for help.
"Eldest Senior Brother."
Yi Yeol cut in.
Do Cheon raised a hand to silence him and addressed Iron Mountain.
"If you don't like it, just say so. I'll tell Master and get you kicked out of the sect."
"That's not it!"
Iron Mountain bristled.
Do Cheon's face flushed with faint anger as he stared him down.
"Then what is it?"
"Finding the sect's martial arts doesn't make you a master overnight. It takes at least twenty years of training to hold your head high. What's the point of living like that? Wouldn't it be nicer to live easy, warm back and full belly, laughing it up?"
"You really think you'd be happy living like that?"
"Well, not happy exactly, but..."
"Spit it out. Stop pussyfooting around like a shrimp!"
"Damn it! I'm scared, okay? I want to hold my head high too... but seeing cocky Eldest Senior Brother makes me scared, just scared!"
"Scared?"
"I'm worried we'll lose Master or Little Sparrow because of you."
"...!"
"You show up after three years, cough up the ancestors' secret arts like candy, waltz into the Sky-Spanning Gang like it's your backyard. Be honest—how'd you handle them? No way nothing happened when you went there. You're spotless, so what, you killed them all with the ancestors' arts?"
Iron Mountain wasn't clueless.
The "sorcery" he'd thought was actually inner energy arts, according to his senior—but either way, it was no small feat.
He remembered it clearly.
The Sky-Spanning Gang thugs had slowed like they were flailing in water under heavy air, while Eldest Senior Brother moved freely. It was so astonishing it screamed sorcery.
"Killing Sky-Spanning Gang thugs is that scary?"
"It's not responsibility that comes with strong power—it's strong enemies."
People say stronger is always better.
Of course it is. You can strut around more, do more things. But the stronger you get, the greater the dangers. Because the foes you face grow stronger too.
Iron Mountain was far superior to local thugs thanks to the Iron Lion Sect's basic arts. He hung with them because even if trouble brewed, they couldn't harm the sect. That's why he avoided Sky-Spanning Gang elites.
But now Eldest Senior Brother was going too far.
He might be strong enough, but the sect wasn't. That was Iron Mountain's worry and fear.
"Since I started, I'll lay it all out. You're riding high on your new strength—I get it, I'd be too. But if super-strong you stirs up trouble, super-strong enemies show up. Second Senior Brother, me, Master, Little Sparrow—we can't handle them. We're all dead meat."
Do Cheon fell silent for a moment.
He finally understood Iron Mountain's concern. And it was something he hadn't considered.
He stared at Iron Mountain wordlessly. Iron Mountain fidgeted uncomfortably, gazing off at distant mountains to avoid the pressure.
After a long pause, Do Cheon spoke.
"So you can think after all."
"Damn it. You think I'm some idiot moron?!"
Iron Mountain grumbled and turned—only to see Do Cheon smiling.
"Yeah, I guess I was only thinking of myself."
"...!"
"Mountain, you're right. Strong power does bring strong foes. And that's what's happened. We're on a collision course with the White Sword Sect now."
"What the hell did you do? Insult the White Sword Sect Leader?"
"No, they insulted us first. They stole what should've been the Iron Lion Sect's."
"...!"
"Mountain, from now on, we take big strides. To climb the massive mountain coming our way. I promise—if you trust and follow this Eldest Senior Brother, you'll see the White Sword Sect was just a pebble in the road."
Something immense emanated from Do Cheon now—more than confidence, an overwhelming presence.
Iron Mountain stared blankly, then smacked his lips.
"Damn it, anyone can talk a big game..."