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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: One Effective Hit
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Bong-gu, who was facing a single Lizardman, kicked off the ground with all his might and shot forward.
THWACK-!
As he closed the distance to the Lizardman, he mulled over the lesson Kang-jun had taught him earlier.
‘If you really think about it, a sword is structurally incapable of inflicting a fatal wound on an opponent who’s right in your face.’
Just as Kang-jun had taught, no matter how skilled a swordsman, it was impossible to land a deep cut on an enemy pressed right up against them.
When Bong-gu rushed in, closing the gap until he was chest-to-chest with the Lizardman, the creature couldn't hide its bewilderment and began to back away….
‘I can do this!’
Sensing that things were going his way, Bong-gu tried his best to replicate the movements Kang-jun had shown him earlier….
He began to unleash a wild, relentless onslaught, using every part of his body that could serve as a weapon.
“Hyaaap—!”
But as is often the case, reality is far crueler and more unforgiving than imagination, isn't it?
Thwack, thud….
Perhaps because he hadn't yet learned how to effectively channel power into his attacks, they seemed far from enough to take down the Lizardman.
“Kueeeek-!”
Finally, with a roar full of fury, the Lizardman kicked Bong-gu square in the chest with all its might.
WHAM—!
Sent flying into the distance in an instant, Bong-gu struggled to catch his ragged breath.
“Tsk…”
Kang-jun clicked his tongue in disapproval and began to stride toward the Lizardman….
“Hey, I told you to strike precisely so the impact isn't dispersed. A single effective hit is more important than a hundred meaningless ones, isn't it?”
Kang-jun said with a sneer, and in the moment he swung his palm, striking the back of the Lizardman's head.
SPLAT—!
As expected, the Lizardman’s head disintegrated into fine particles of dust and vanished.
“Hey, is it really that hard?”
Clutching his ribs, Bong-gu struggled to his feet and spoke in a barely audible voice.
“I-I'm sorry….”
Shaking his head at those words, Kang-jun replied indifferently, “No, you're doing fine,” then immediately added.
“Still, after watching you for a while, I guess you're not just a complete pushover.”
“R-Really?”
“Yeah. You're a pushover on a scale that defies imagination, I'd say.”
At that, Bong-gu let out a low groan, “Keuk….” Kang-jun cracked a grin and immediately added.
“Once you’ve more or less caught your breath, let’s start the next round.”
“A-Already?”
“What enemy in the world is going to go easy on you just because you’re tired?”
As he finished speaking, Kang-jun’s gaze naturally fell upon the group of several dozen Lizardmen he had forced to kneel behind him.
“Kirrrk….”
“Kireuk….”
“Kieeek….”
The creatures were completely bound by the ‘black chains’ Kang-jun had created with magic, unable to move a muscle.
Today’s training involved Kang-jun releasing the Lizardmen he had captured one by one, with Bong-gu then stepping forward to fight the freed creature to the death.
Although he had fought six or seven Lizardmen so far, he was still recording a pathetic score with not a single victory to his name….
‘Still, he’s got a decent eye for things.’
He didn't have the talent to copy my movements perfectly after seeing them once, but he was at a level where he could grasp the general idea and imitate it.
Also, was it because his goal and motivation were so firm?
He was already considerably injured and must have been hitting his physical limits, yet he tried to follow along with a serious attitude and without a single complaint.
He might not achieve great things in a short time, but if taught with patience over a long period, there might be some results….
“Heh, at least you’re worth teaching.”
Bong-gu, caught off guard by the sudden praise, replied awkwardly.
“Th-Thank you….”
Seemingly satisfied, Kang-jun muttered, “Good, good…,” and snapped his fingers.
CRACK!
This time, two Lizardmen were released from the chains made of Kang-jun’s mana….
“Kieeek!”
“Kirrrrrk!”
Kang-jun added nonchalantly.
“Here, it’s a bonus.”
“Sir?”
“Two for the price of one.”
Of course, words like ‘results’ or ‘growth’ could only be spoken of if he managed to survive until the end of the training.
“Hey, this guy…”
And so, after finishing the first day’s training….
The two of them gathered their spoils and exited the Gate.
“To be honest, I never thought you’d make it back alive…. You’re truly incredible!”
The Bureau employee guarding the Gate entrance spoke with genuine admiration in his eyes.
“As you know, Hunter-nim, the Bureau has designated this Gate with a ‘B-rank’ risk level, and the minimum recommended party size is five to six people….”
Of course, ‘Kim Bong-gu the Filial Son’ was a rising star who had been featured all over the media lately for his recent achievements, but….
Attempting to clear this place, the unresolved Gate at Bukhansan, with just a single porter was, for all intents and purposes, a clear suicide mission.
He had been certain that, like so many young Hunters who overestimated their own strength, they were drunk on bravado and heading to their deaths like moths to a flame.
He had thought that if he granted them entry, they would never return, which was why he had so stubbornly tried to stop them.
“Truthfully, when Hunters I’ve personally granted entry to fail to return, I tend to suffer from the aftereffects for at least a few months.”
“Yes, I can imagine….”
“Given my position, it seems I troubled you both with my petty judgment. Please, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive my discourtesy.”
In response to the Bureau employee’s polite apology, Bong-gu waved his hands frantically.
“N-N-No, it’s fine!”
Then he quickly changed the subject.
“More importantly, if possible, I’d like to sell all our spoils, including the Mana Stones, right here.”
Most Gates had a ‘temporary purchasing station’ set up near the entrance, allowing people to sell their spoils immediately on-site.
Although it had the disadvantage of selling at a relatively lower price than the market rate, it was a frequently used method because it saved a lot of trouble.
“What should we do about that?”
The Bureau employee asked, looking troubled, and scratched his chin as he continued.
“This Gate appeared not too long ago, so a ‘temporary purchasing station’ hasn’t been set up yet.”
“Ah, I see….”
“I’m sorry, but it seems you’ll have to visit the ‘Market’ yourselves to sell them.”
After finishing their conversation with the Bureau employee.
Kang-jun, who had been waiting quietly, asked cautiously.
“Bong-gu Bong-gu, what’s a ‘Market’?”
Bong-gu answered clearly.
“It’s a place where items from beyond the Gates are actively traded. Everything from Mana Stones, mystical weapons, rare elixirs, alchemical ingredients, and so on.”
“Sounds interesting.”
“Yes, there’s definitely plenty to see. Most of the merchants are ‘otherworldly races’ who migrated from beyond the Gates, so you can get an indirect taste of different dimensions’ cultures too.”
At that, Kang-jun nodded a few times and replied.
“Next time you go to sell mana stones, I should tag along and have a look.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to just go today?”
“We’re going to be selling at the Market from now on anyway, right? You said we have to sell there to get a proper price.”
Kang-jun finished speaking with a shrug and asked back.
“The more spoils we accumulate, the bigger the price difference will be, so we should sell at the Market, but we can’t be running over there every day. It seems much more convenient to save it all up and sell it at once.”
“That’s true….”
“Besides, my sister said she’s making ‘soy-marinated crab’ tonight. If we’re late, we won’t even get a taste of the sauce, let alone the crab.”
Having said that, Kang-jun was lost in thought for a moment.
‘I wonder if that Market place Bong-gu mentioned has a safe deposit box run by goblins?’
Back when he reigned as the emperor of the Anux Continent, it was no exaggeration to say that all the wealth and gold in the world belonged to Kang-jun.
There were immense amounts of gold and treasures, of course, as well as legendary weapons known as divine artifacts, elixirs with incredible effects, and more….
At the time, Kang-jun had never really worried about increasing his wealth, but funnily enough, he was constantly plagued by the problem of ‘storage’.
During that time, he heard about the ‘safe deposit boxes’ run by a goblin clan from a goblin who had visited the Anux dimension on a business trip.
‘If you use our safe deposit boxes, Your Majesty, you can freely store or withdraw your wealth from any dimension simply by paying a small fee!’
As it happened, he had a mountain of treasures that were difficult to store, so Kang-jun readily paid the usage fee for ten thousand years in advance….
He then entrusted a tiny fraction of the wealth he was having trouble managing and storing (an amount equivalent to several decades of the empire’s budget) to the goblin clan’s safe deposit boxes.
He had completely forgotten about it since then, not even recalling its existence, but….
Now that he was in a situation where every penny counted, the memory of the wealth he had deposited suddenly flashed through his mind.
‘By the way….’
Kang-jun’s gaze fell on Bong-gu, who was walking ahead, gently rubbing his own arm.
‘Did I deposit an elixir back then, too?’
Silently hoping his past self had indeed deposited an elixir, he began to follow quietly behind Bong-gu.
*
That evening.
Not only Kang-jun's family, but Bong-gu as well.
The whole family was gathered cozily around the dinner table.
Tonight's menu was soy-marinated crab, prepared by Lee Su-bin herself.
Kang-jun, who was slurping on a piece of crab, suddenly looked at Bong-gu.
“Hey, Bong-gu.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you.”
“What is it?”
Kang-jun frowned in annoyance and continued in a taunting tone.
“Why in the world do you keep leaving your own house to come eat dinner at someone else’s every day?”
“Aw, how are we strangers?”
“We don’t share a single drop of blood, so what else would we be? Now shut up and hand over your bowl and spoon.”
“Jeez, what’s with you all of a sudden?”
Just then, Lee Su-bin, who had been quietly watching their exchange, couldn’t hold back any longer and jumped in, starting to scold Kang-jun.
“Kang-jun, why are you suddenly taking it out on Mr. Bong-gu?”
“Because it’s pissing me off! He’s only eating the crab and not the rice….”
At that, Lee Su-bin chided, “This kid, honestly!” before quickly turning to Bong-gu and adding.
“Mr. Bong-gu, please don’t mind him and continue eating.”
“Yes, well, if you insist. Thank you for the meal.”
“Oh my, have you already finished a whole bowl of rice?”
Bong-gu licked the soy marinade from his fingers with a “slurp, slurp,” and replied.
“Ma’am, the crab is so full of meat, and it’s so plump and savory. This is a total rice thief!”
Hearing that, Kang-jun muttered, “Well, look at you,” and shook his head, mumbling to himself with a sneer.
“The rice thief isn’t the soy-marinated crab, it’s you, shamelessly depleting the rice stores of someone else’s house….”
Bong-gu, on the other hand, paid him no mind, pretending not to hear as he continued to slurp away at the crab.
Just then.
Suddenly feeling like something was missing, Kang-jun looked left and right like a meerkat before turning to Iriel and asking casually.
“Come to think of it, I don’t see Crabslie.”
“His Grace the Grand Duke should have returned home by now….”
“That bastard. Did he get into trouble somewhere without me knowing again?”
At that moment.
“Huh?”
Muttering quietly, Lee Su-bin picked up the smartphone she had set on the corner of the table and murmured in a low voice.
Startled by the sudden vibration, Su-bin muttered, “Oh?” and picked up her smartphone from the table, murmuring to herself in a low voice.
“Who could be calling at this hour….”
With that, she answered the incoming call. “Hello?” she said, then paused for a moment.
“What—?!”
As she shot up from her seat, asking loudly, everyone’s attention instantly focused on her.
“Th-The Elder is at the ‘police station’…?”
The short question that escaped Su-bin’s slightly parted lips fell limply to the floor with a “plop….”
