25. Therefore, I exist.
Hyukryeon Hong introduced me to the man sitting alone by the campfire.
"Master Zhang, I have brought you Lu Zhu."
It was strange that he had been called "Gakju" until now, but here he was referred to as "Zhangju."
Just by the way his subordinates addressed him, it was clear he was a man of great ambition.
Of course, that ambition also made him a target for dismemberment.
The man, Ban Sa-ung, the master of Geum Bong, who wore a coat made of animal hide, put down the bow he was tending to and spoke.
"Is it you? The one who devoured the three regions of Gilu? You look younger and more insolent than I expected. Come closer."
Curious about Ban Sa-ung's usual demeanor, I replied briefly to avoid revealing my personality.
"Yes, that's me."
I slowly moved while scanning the lodge.
The atmosphere felt heavy and gloomy, as if many had died here.
It felt like the souls of the unworthy were watching us from the darkness.
Ban Sa-ung resembled a wild boar he had caught.
It felt like a wild boar had caught another wild boar, and I couldn't help but smirk slightly.
The boar, or rather Ban Sa-ung, opened his foul-smelling mouth.
"Close the door."
As soon as he finished speaking, the iron door slammed shut with a loud bang.
I brought a nearby chair and placed it in front of the campfire.
As I naturally sat opposite him, Ban Sa-ung said, "Who told you to sit? Are you crazy?" I stared intently at Ban Sa-ung's face and replied, "Yes."
Ban Sa-ung ordered his subordinate.
"Oh, right. You are crazy. A madman deserves a mad dog. Bring in a hungry one."
A man approached, leading a large dog.
The black and fierce-looking dog surprisingly sat quietly with its rear on the ground.
The man with the dog struck its head with a knife to make it look at me.
Ban Sa-ung said to me, "You should sit like that dog."
"Oh, really?" I observed the hungry dog, the man training it, and Ban Sa-ung, who treated the trainer like a dog in turn.
From a distance, others were glancing curiously, wondering how I would respond.
When I finally did not get up from the chair, Ban Sa-ung commanded, "Bite."
The trainer shouted back, "Bite!"
With a growl, the large black dog charged at me fiercely.
When the black dog got very close, I flicked my finger and accurately hit its nose.
The dog was sent flying back, rolling on the ground from the impact.
It must have been quite painful, given the power infused in my strike.
As the people in the lodge watched the struggling black dog, silence fell...
After easily dealing with the black dog, I said to Ban Sa-ung, "How should you act for me to spare you? Let's calm down and think about it."
I extended my hands like a dog and said, "Do I have to pant like this to be spared?"
"……."
"Or do you have to give up all the hidden money in that estate for me to spare you? Or perhaps, if you swear to serve me while in the Heukmyo faction, I might spare you. I wonder if the answer lies among these. You pathetic parasite of the black path."
While I was speaking harshly, those who were butchering meat, carrying food, or simply waiting began to gather as if to form a defensive circle.
Ban Sa-ung grinned and waved his hand.
"This madman is amusing. We need to talk more, so you all go back to your tasks."
His subordinates replied in subdued tones, "Yes."
I let out a long laugh in a low voice.
I thought fate was quite strange.
A man destined to die in dismemberment would meet a cruel end anyway.
I was just curious if there was anything to gain from killing this man.
Money? Or perhaps some dog-like subordinates? Or maybe just a few hunting dogs?
Ban Sa-ung asked me, "You look young, how old are you?"
"You didn't call me here to ask my age. I'm younger than you. Can't you tell just by looking?"
Ban Sa-ung laughed, slapping his knee.
"Hahaha."
Only then did I rise from my chair.
"I can read faces, and yours shows that you will end up being torn apart by the Heukmyo faction after embezzling money. This is the face of a greedy wild boar. However, if you pay a generous tribute, I might spare you. What do you think?"
Ban Sa-ung, chuckling, shook his head.
"Even if I wanted to spare you, it would be difficult now."
I looked around before saying, "Will you die alone? Or will you push your subordinates to their deaths first? As a leader, you should consider your subordinates a bit. Before you die..."
Ban Sa-ung replied, "I'm not that kind of nice guy..."
Before he could finish, I kicked his chest.
Ban Sa-ung had no time to draw his sword, so he crossed his arms to block my kick.
With a loud bang, Ban Sa-ung's body was sent flying back in an arc.
He was quite sturdy.
As Ban Sa-ung drew the sword at his waist, he cursed.
I grabbed a piece of burning oak from the edge of the campfire.
There was no reason to draw my sword right now.
Infusing the oak with my energy, the flames roared even more fiercely.
Ban Sa-ung's eyes widened in surprise.
I swung the flaming oak towards him without saying a word.
Third-rate black paths are not those who compete with the elegance of herbivores.
The lower-ranked ones have crude martial arts.
Whether it’s the Heukmyo faction or Geum Bong, they are inevitably inferior to the renowned swordsmen of the prestigious families I have faced.
In my view, the strengths and weaknesses of the black and white paths are as follows.
The white path has elegance, but often lacks practical experience due to being overly focused on martial arts.
They tend to be closed off.
Also, they often compete within their sects, so unless they are famous masters, they are usually inexperienced in handling various situations.
Sometimes, they fail to apply their excellent sword techniques in real combat, which is a chronic issue among the younger generation of the white path.
On the other hand, the black path has learned martial arts that are inferior to those of prestigious sects.
However, due to the nature of the black path, they have a lot of practical experience.
They risk their lives to survive.
Even if they use ordinary sword techniques, they become stronger through the experiences gained in real combat, and when they eventually acquire decent martial arts, their skills can improve explosively due to the added experience.
The martial arts of the black path, white path, and demonic path differ in their ways of living and the martial arts they acquire.
However, in the end, they all meet at the pinnacle of martial arts.
I was a man who had strived to reach that pinnacle, while Ban Sa-ung, whom I was facing now, was not.
My conclusion is that he is at a third-rate level, neither here nor there.
When Ban Sa-ung had blocked my attacks a dozen times relying on his practical experience, I launched a surprise attack from the side and struck the oak I held in my right hand diagonally downward.
Ban Sa-ung, busy defending, had no choice but to raise his sword to block the oak.
In that moment, I withdrew the energy I had infused into the oak, allowing his sword to embed itself in it.
Thud!
It was no surprise that his sword suddenly got stuck in the oak that had been deflecting it until now.
At that moment, I drew my sword from my waist and slashed in the direction of his sword.
Anticipating that he would narrowly evade, I advanced.
It didn't matter if he avoided my sword.
My sword, like a bowstring being plucked, unleashed a wave of sword energy.
It was a thin arc of sword energy, as if I had brought down the crescent moon from the sky.
As Ban Sa-ung tilted his head back, narrowly dodging my sword, the sword energy poured onto his face.
"Ugh!"
The moment the sword mark was etched onto Ban Sa-ung's face, my follow-up attack came in succession.
Ban Sa-ung would never have imagined that a mere lowly swordsman would unleash such sword energy.
That was his fatal mistake.
As Ban Sa-ung staggered, unable to maintain his balance after being struck in the face, I swung my sword left and right, cutting into his body.
With each swing, blood gushed out.
Despite being seriously injured, Ban Sa-ung stubbornly endured.
Truly, he was like a wild boar.
Even in this chaos, I heard the sound of the trainer sneaking up from behind and quickly turned, swinging my sword horizontally.
Thud!
The head of the trainer, who had rushed in at quite a speed, flew into the air.
Turning back, I lunged at the seriously injured Ban Sa-ung and stomped down on his torso.
With a crack, one of his shoulders collapsed, causing Ban Sa-ung to slump down.
I continued to stomp on Ban Sa-ung's body.
I stomped on his head, his torso, and his lower body, pushing him into the ground.
At the same time, the ground where Ban Sa-ung was being buried began to sink in a circular shape.
I struck the ground with a stomp infused with my energy while watching the expressions of those who were closing in.
Boom!
Ban Sa-ung no longer needed a grave.
I needed to engrave in the memories of these subordinates how their leader, who had tried to touch the lowly swordsman of Il Yang Hyun, would die.
So, I killed him cruelly on purpose.
There were many reasons.
He was originally a moneylender and a hired killer, and he did not even pledge loyalty to the Heukmyo faction.
There are always those who betray, no matter where they belong, and he was one of them.
After killing him cruelly, no one dared to charge at me.
I glared at the pale-faced subordinates of Ban Sa-ung, scraping some dirt with my foot to cover the pit.
They all stared at me, holding their breath.
These were the lowly ones who usually feared Ban Sa-ung.
Since Ban Sa-ung had died without even being able to resist, their fear had doubled.
I asked the subordinates, "Who will die following Ban Sa-ung?"
Someone replied, "How do you plan to handle the faction leader later?"
"The Heukmyo faction leader?"
"Yes."
Looking at the man who spoke, I said, "Why do you care? You are all about to die. You pathetic third-rate black path scum. Life and death are separated in an instant. Kneel before I count to three. I'll send those with stiff knees to Ban Sa-ung. One, two, three."
The one who was terrified knelt first.
After observing the situation, those who were deciding their fate quickly knelt down.
There was a slight time difference, but eventually, all of Ban Sa-ung's subordinates quietly knelt.
I liked this atmosphere.
The reason I had beaten mad monkeys in my past life was for this silence.
The reason I had risked my life to train in martial arts was for this atmosphere.
The reason I sat in meditation without eating or relieving myself was also for this.
I believe that all the pain I went through existed for moments like this.
Therefore, I must exist... or not.