While I was pondering such worries, my feet moved on their own.
In an instant, as I closed the distance, the Black Bandit friends looked clearly flustered.
Do you know why these guys are classified as Black Bandits instead of Outcasts?
It’s simply because they don’t even meet the minimum standards to be classified as martial artists.
A bunch of punks who can’t even be called thugs.
They’ve never had proper knowledge or training in martial arts, just a bunch of posers.
Bam!
My flying kick landed squarely on the chest of a hulking brute with no muscle.
“Urgh!”
No matter how much I’m an Iryu, dealing with these guys is a piece of cake.
“You, you bastard!”
Suddenly, Black Bandit No. 2 charged in, but with no martial arts whatsoever, just flailing his fists around completely randomly. I easily leaned back and dodged, then delivered a knee to his side, finishing him off with a sweep to the back of his knees.
Bandits No. 3 and 4 hesitated and took a step back.
Hmm, what to do.
Even if they are Black Bandits, I didn’t expect them to be complete novices who hadn’t learned a single move.
So far, I had fought without using any internal energy, relying solely on my physical strength.
I had to drag this out, you see. Today’s request required me to stall for time, so I was just showing off some flashy strikes. If I jumped back up like a jack-in-the-box, it would let me waste time more naturally.
So rather than saying I attacked the first guy with a kick, it was more accurate to say I just pushed him with my foot.
Even though my knee strike to the second guy could have cracked bones and hit his insides, I just hit the surface while merely folding his leg without injecting any internal energy.
But the first guy can’t get up, clutching his chest, and the second guy is rolling on the ground.
To sum it up, it’s like I just slapped someone and they couldn’t get back up.
Seeing those two, the remaining Black Bandits 3 and 4 lost their will to fight.
Come on, even baby puppies should have some fight in them; these guys are just total fluff balls.
Even weaklings should have some standards.
If an old lady with a cane happened to charge in, she might be able to take down all these weaklings who cried “Ow, ow!” while picking up the night’s garbage.
“…Pathetic.”
I put my left hand behind my back. Truth is, I’m someone very practical, quite distant from such bravado. If I could easily subdue my opponent with one hand, wouldn’t it be normal to use both hands to do it even faster?
I can’t understand the mentality of the Martial World that finds it cool to toy with someone for long when they could finish a fight in an instant with one hand.
But here I was, stuck in a filthy situation, forced to put my hands behind my back.
I had to waste time since these kids were such weaklings.
“With bugs like you, one hand is enough.”
“You, you bastard, I’ll show you!”
“Receive my absolute technique! Twin Dragon Fist!”
Wow, I’ve never seen such a ridiculous guy before.
Black Bandit No. 3 charged with his arms flailing like a windmill, while Bandit No. 4 stretched both fists forward at once.
Even kids playing at being heroes in the back alleys fight more systematically than these clowns.
Bang, bam, boom!
My body moved like lightning.
I deflected No. 3’s attack with the edge of my palms before slapping his forehead, while No. 4 using the Twin Dragon Fist just fell over after I shoved him aside.
“Ugh, ugh!”
“Strong…!”
As I watched those guys unable to get up, a serious question crossed my mind. Is it really possible for such big guys to be this weak?
As my brow furrowed from uncertainty, a thought flickered in my head.
Could it be that [Luck] has activated?
The gambling skill’s grand reward, [Luck], occasionally brings good fortune as the name suggests.
Could it be that luck caused these truly weak water balloons like the Black Bandits to appear in this request?
What useless timing for it to activate!
I had to stall for time.
I rushed over to Black Bandit No. 1, who was groaning and desperately trying to escape, and stepped on his back.
“Ugggh!!”
Whoa, hold on! Why is he screaming like that just because I stepped on his back?!
I instinctively tightened my legs.
“Ughhh!”
I could understand him crying out from having his back stepped on, but isn’t that a bit over the top?
“Y-you vile…!”
“No matter how Black Bandit you are, how could you treat a person like that?!”
People in the market watching our brawl were in an uproar, their attention drawn to the wailings of Black Bandit No. 1, who sounded like he was in excruciating pain.
Honestly, I was taken aback.
This [Luck] effect was just my guess, and I couldn’t focus on the rapidly changing situation around me against my will.
“Stop! Enough! You can torment me instead, you bastard!”
Black Bandit No. 2 cried out dramatically.
“No, you evil outcast! Me! Torture me!”
“Here! Here! I’ve got the Twin Dragon Fist!”
Bandit No. 3 and No. 4 shouted in unison.
While I struggled to keep my head straight in the chaotic situation around me, I pulled my foot off No. 1’s back.
“Huff, huff!!”
He was breathing heavily as if he had just been through hell.
“It’s me! I’m the filthy sword master!”
…Forget it.
I stepped on the back of No. 2, who lay crumpled on the ground.
Gently, without pressure.
Despite the light touch, as if I was standing on something weak rolling around the market, Bandit No. 2 was trembling all over.
“Uhh, uhh!! Ugh, ugh!!”
His face turned red, veins bulged on his neck, and he drooled as he struggled, as if he was enduring incredible pain, making me almost doubt my own senses; maybe I was exerting enough pressure to crush him completely.
Is this really the effect of [Luck]? Am I being punked?
I turned to look at Black Cat, wondering if she was the cause of any mischief. But she was peeking from around the corner, her earlier indifference replaced by an engaged expression and a look that clearly begged for popcorn.
I shook my head and brushed off such thoughts. What could Black Cat possibly gain from pulling this prank?
“What’s all this commotion?”
“They claim to be the martial artists of the Taegyeong Sect!”
At that moment, I finally heard the welcome shouts ringing in my ears.
I’ve never waited so eagerly for the [Clients] of a request as I did today.
“They’re the righteous martial artists!”
“This way! There’s an outcast here!”
The people around were in a frenzy. Upon hearing their cries, the Taegyeong Sect martial artists quickly dashed toward me, greeted by cheers from the citizens of Sacheon who had cleared a path for them.
“Woohoo! The Righteous Martial Artists have arrived!”
As soon as the Taegyeong Sect martial artists saw me, they yelled without missing a beat.
“Get that filthy sword master’s foot off him right now!”
“Chuckle, this foot? Why don’t you try moving me, huh?”
“You bastard! I am Gang Jun of the Taegyeong Sect!”
Gang Jun immediately drew his sword and charged at me.
What a reckless kid. Aren’t you part of the Righteous Faction? Shouldn’t you at least assume a proper stance and wait for your opponent to prepare before charging in?
I hurriedly grabbed my sword while focused on my act.
Gang Jun’s skill seemed to be roughly at the Iryu level.
Swish!
His consecutive attacks, thrown with all his might, peaked at just two. If you name yourself a master of the Three Swords, shouldn’t you at least land three attacks?
Regardless, I have to give it to the show-off mentality of these Central Plains folks.
Clash!!
With no time to fully draw my sword, I parried twice with my half-drawn blade.
Despite being at the Iryu level, the difference between us was stark.
I was a fully-formed Iryu, while he was just Iryu in name.
In this unprecedented situation where the pinnacle of mastery is deemed Iryu, I was fully equipped with all that it takes to excel at this level, combining all possible stats and optimal martial arts for an Iryu user.
If I were to compare it to a game, it’s like starting at level 30 in a game where the max level is 100, fully decked out with the best gear.
Who would play a game like that? Most players would just grind levels up to 100 with basic gear, right?
And it’s the same for the martial artists in the Martial World.
The vast majority of martial artists are obsessed with trying to push past their current level, leaving little interest in honing the maximum power they could draw from their present level.
They just polish their skills half-heartedly because their level doesn’t go up.
Normally, one would easily crush someone at 30 levels lower, but in similar level ranges, the difference can be striking.
“Whoa!”
Gang Jun’s attack was easily neutralized, and he stumbled back a step as he couldn’t withstand the force that ricocheted from my sword.
The atmosphere grew cold as Gang Jun’s aggressive attack had backfired and knocked him away unrealistically easy.
Whoops!
I must have over-calculated my response in my eagerness to block his attack.
