Chapter 40…
The first sect was the Mudang Sect.
Lee Ji-han felt curious, and he couldn’t help but keep letting out words of admiration at the scenery before his eyes.
[The map is so pretty lol]
[No way — they rendered it this nicely?]
[I’ve never actually been there irl lol]
[Does the Mudang Sect even exist in real life?]
[I heard they do? lol, of course not this fancy though.]
[Nope, no way a place like this exists;]
The chat was echoing Ji-han’s astonishment.
“It’s definitely beautiful, the scenery. But when does the fight start?”
[Right? They said it was a fighting game but there’s no sign of combat.]
[Huh… does someone suddenly pop out?]
[LOL soon — if you look around a bit it’ll start.]
A knowing line from viewers already familiar with Gangho Sword Record.
Pabababam!
From inside the buildings dozens of martial artists suddenly burst out.
“There’s a wicked villain here armed even after passing the Haegomji!”
“State your purpose for visiting this place immediately!”
“If you don’t, our Mudang disciples will teach you a lesson!”
“Haegomji?”
The Mudang’s Haegomji — the place for unsheathing swords. It was a famous location, practically an emblem of the Mudang’s identity.
But Lee Ji-han had never read martial-arts novels. It made sense he didn’t even know what “Haegomji” meant.
[LOL]
[So that’s why it would start soon?]
[Wow — if you’d unsheathed your sword at the Haegomji would the story have changed?]
[LOL look how flustered Ji-han is]
[Anyway, he should probably explain quickly? They’re about to eat him?]
“State your purpose for visiting, now!”
The Mudang practitioners began drawing their swords. Ji-han just looked at them with an awkward expression.
[He should probably explain properly?]
[This is supposed to be a versus fighting game — why are they suddenly ambushing as a group?]
[LOL they say that but won’t it end up being 1v1 later?]
[This is getting interesting lol]
[But really he should talk himself out of it.]
[Clear up the misunderstanding?]
[LOL a fighting game where you have to manage relationships too? This is crazy lol]
The chat was full of concern for Ji-han. Mostly everyone said he had to clear up the misunderstanding, when suddenly—
“We came here to fight.”
Ji-han’s shocking reply rang through the Mudang Sect.
[?]
[????]
[???????????]
[What did he just say?]
[LOL?????]
[Is that a joke? lol]
The Mudang practitioners were stunned.
[The Mudang Daoists are speechless?]
[LOL they just stopped in their tracks]
And just like the chat said, the Mudang Daoists were left dumbfounded, staring at Ji-han. He had the nerve to ignore the sheathed swords at their waists, to pass by Haegomji, and then to say he’d come to fight — such shameless insolence.
It sounded like he was belittling the great Mudang Sect. Their pride and prestige began to plummet like crazy.
“Strike him down! Defeat that villain!”
Someone shouted, and the Mudang Daoists rushed at Ji-han.
[LOL it’s supposed to be a versus fighting game]
[Versus? Fighting?]
[Well, versus fits and so does fighting lol]
[Ah shit lol I’ve never seen this before]
[Gangho Sword Record is getting wrecked too lol]
[That familiar scent from Zombreath in an unfamiliar game…]
Ji-han launched himself forward. He had already learned how to use his inner energy.
Pababam!
[Whoa]
[WTF]
[What is that?]
[What are we even watching…?]
[Ji-han’s gone crazy]
[Cheonma! Cheonma! Show those despicable orthodox sects the righteous way!]
Like kicking at empty air, Ji-han moved through the void. Gymnastic movements mixed with internal energy began producing bizarre, dazzling moves none of them had ever seen.
Smack!
He landed a blow on the jaw of the first attacker. Then he planted his hand on the ground and tumbled.
With an acrobatic leap he dodged a thrusting sword.
“Gagh, uugh!”
“Hey, aim properly!”
“Watch where you stab!”
Because he vanished along the Z-axis like that, the Mudang Daoists started stabbing one another in utter chaos.
Heh.
[Why is he smiling?]
[Ji-han, are you smiling right now?]
[I’ve never seen Ji-han smile so creepily…]
[Cheonma! Cheonma! Cheonma!!!]
Ji-han, controlled by his body and inner energy exactly as he wanted — maybe even more than he wanted — found he liked it and began to go even wilder.
He felt a freedom he couldn’t taste in a simple one-on-one fighting game.
As if enjoying the moment, Ji-han burst into loud laughter.
“Hahaha!”
A boyish, cheerful laugh. Pure and untouched. Yet to the viewers it produced an inexplicable sense of dread.
Pabababam!
With that innocent laughter he stomped on the Daoists’ heads and ran across the air as though it were stepping stones. He had stepped on Zombie heads in Zombreath too, but stepping on human heads was…
[I think I’m starting to get a little scared of Ji-han]
[He looks like he’s having fun though — should we let him be?]
[If this happens what about the bets and missions?]
[Don’t know, let’s just enjoy it too?]
[Lol yeah, let’s enjoy it!]
[Ji-han!!! Jump more!!! Use them like stepping stones!!!]
[Lol let’s just enjoy it, everyone!!!]
Along with the frenzied rampage, the chat went wild too.
That was the Heavenly Demon’s first step.
“Wha—! Where do you think you are to act so flippantly?!”
After who knew how long of running around, when all the would-be disciples claiming to be his pupils had fallen, a powerful voice thundered from behind. The inner-energy-laden voice caused—
[Huh?]
[Wow, what a voice]
[Whoa, Ji-han’s legs look like they wobbled just now?]
[He staggered, right?]
[System-like debuff?;;]
[Wow, they even implemented this?]
Viewers, and Ji-han himself, had no choice but to look in the direction of the voice.
Step, step, step.
An old man came walking out. The aura emanating from him was beyond imagining.
[Wow, that old man looks really strong?]
[You know who you should fear most in martial-arts stories?]
[Who?]
[The child and the old man. The child is a master in a new body, and the old man…well, he’s strong because he survived.]
[LOL are they strong because they survived or did they survive because they’re strong?]
[Both lol]
Those who didn’t know Gangho Sword Record just traded jokes about the situation.
[Whoa; an elder-grade character came out?]
[In Asura mode an elder appears personally?]
[Nope; usually the big disciple shows up — at best you’d get a glimpse of the Sect Head.]
[But that old man is an elder though?]
[I’ve never seen Taeguk Swordmaster come out of the map before; he’s usually just background commentary — why is he coming out? No clue.]
Fans familiar with Gangho Sword Record were baffled by the anomaly.
Of course Ji-han was also a little taken aback by this strange load placed on his body.
“…Who are you? Old man.”
“You have no need to be curious about who I am.”
Bang!
The old man swung his robe and a fierce pressure shot out. Ji-han staggered.
“From the moment you trample over Mudang Mountain with bloody feet, consider your life forfeit.”
“No, sir. I didn’t do anything, I only avoided attacks—”
“Enough!”
[LOL]
[Ji-han, be careful! be careful!]
[But I kinda feel bad for Ji-han]
[Right, he was just running around and they died on their own? lol]
[Lol so funny Ji-han]
[I wouldn’t stand for being wronged even if I die!! lol]
[He just thinks he won’t die.]
Bang!
With a powerful shout, the old man’s spiritual projection surged forward, followed by a blast wave. The old Daoist swung his sword and Ji-han instinctively tracked it with his eyes.
“Hoh?”
Even the old man who had just roared couldn’t help but admire what he saw. The fact that Ji-han tracked the sword with his eyes was already evidence that he was more than human. The old man accelerated his blade.
Ssssh!
Ji-han’s vision narrowed. As it did, the world slowed.
Time, stretched; the moment dilated to an eternity.
Ji-han twisted his body to evade the incoming blade, and—
Whoosh!
At the same moment he planted his hand, rolled forward, and—
Pababab!
Ignoring the sword that plunged behind him, his eyes fixed on a pillar. He planted his foot on the pillar and—
Bang!
He shot into the air and—
Crack!
He drove his knee into the jaw of the old Daoist, Taeguk Swordmaster. But the old master was no pushover.
Siiirrre!
A strange transposition: the old man dispersed like afterimages and reappeared on the side to thrust his sword.
A stifling succession of clashes. But Ji-han, an athlete living in split-second moments, especially one prone to hyper-focus, found even those instants leisurely.
Whoosh!
An attack came from an angle; Ji-han seemed to read the air and dodged without even looking.
Bang!
He delivered a punch filled with inner energy straight into the old man’s chest.
“Gah!”
A death-rattle-like groan escaped the old man. The battle had begun.
Ji-han’s vision revealed the opponent’s health bar. The dueling HUD of Gangho Sword Record he’d just gotten used to appeared.
Whoosh!
Now the real versus fighting game had begun. Ji-han didn’t hesitate because the opponent was an elder. That man was definitely stronger than him.
Grind!
His clenched fist shot toward the old man’s face.
“This—this can’t be!”
The old man tried to block with his sword, but Ji-han’s motion was faster. A ordinary Daoist living by normal time, versus Ji-han, who burned himself up to stretch instants into forever — their match had begun.
No matter how the game settings or system declared the old man strong, to Ji-han in his hyper-focused state he was nothing but an enemy to be felled.
Patter!
He rained blows in quick succession — the so-called “national combo” — striking the old Daoist over and over.
Whoosh!
The old man lashed out with his sword in a desperate attempt; a perfect sword path honed by decades of training flew at Ji-han, but—
Swoosh!
Ji-han lightly turned his head and avoided the attack.
Crack!
At the same time, a clean cross-counter landed.
Ji-han’s fists had no hesitation; they reached out straight as anything.
With the single intention of emptying the opponent’s HP bar completely, those punches hit the old man again and again.
Pabababam!
“C-cough!”
The old man’s spiritual projection began to fall. What Ji-han saw in his eyes was emptiness and disillusionment — the hollow despair of one whose decades of training were collapsing.
“…Hoo.”
Thud!
The old Daoist collapsed completely. Around them, and in the chat, there was nothing but silence.
Tadan da-dan dan!
And it was that silence that was broken by—
[‘CheonmaShinGyoBeliever1’ has donated 1,000,000 won.]
—Cheonma descends! Ten thousand blessings! Lord Cheonma! Sweep away all the despicable orthodox sects! This is Cheonma’s first step!
A one-million-won donation.
