The Gambling Apocalypse
For one hundred and eight days, I spent my time in various places of the Black Cat Chamber, sitting cross-legged.
My waist grew stiff, my knees often locked up, and I began to emit the faint smell of a beggar from not washing frequently.
However, it was necessary.
In the inner courtyard, Ho Yeon-cheong was teaching Cha Seong-tae, while in the outer courtyard, the subordinates of the Black Cat Chamber continued their training.
I practiced my breathing exercises on the roof of the Black Cat Chamber, in the bathhouse, against the garden wall, under the plum tree, in the inner courtyard, outer courtyard, and even in my bedroom.
Occasionally, figures like Dokgo Saeng, the Death God, the Wall Commander, Geumhae, and Hongshin would visit, but I acted like someone deep in secluded training and did not respond much.
My consistent reply was, "Handle it yourself."
I did not want to interfere in matters that my subordinates could decide and judge on their own.
The reason I set a period of one hundred and eight days for my breathing exercises was that my understanding of the realm of the Golden Nine was vague.
I felt that with just a bit more focus, I could transition into the next stage, so I had no choice but to concentrate during this time.
My subordinates also realized that I was facing a critical point in my martial arts training and handled matters among themselves as best as they could.
One hundred and eight days is a strange time, both short and long.
Some days, I would sit under the plum tree, watching the falling petals all day while practicing my breathing exercises, and only get up to drink water or eat when I could no longer endure it.
Thanks to this, I lost more weight.
Whenever I needed a break, I would step into the inner courtyard and quietly watch Cha Seong-tae train.
He still looked like himself, whining, but I did not interfere.
After thirty to forty days had passed, the deaths of Daenachal, Teacher Su, and the Dragon Lord had become known to the nearby dark forces.
The Wall Commander conveyed that news had spread that all the dark forces in the Namhwa and Ihwa regions were under the control of the Black Cat Chamber Master.
The Wall Commander asked me, "Shouldn't we correct the rumor to say it is the Master of the Hao Clan instead of the Black Cat Chamber Master?" I replied to the Wall Commander for the first time in a while, "There’s no need for that."
"Yes."
For the time being, I planned to wear the mask of the dark forces.
The main base of the Hao Clan being built in Yiyang County was not yet complete.
Moreover, having taken control of just two small regions of the dark forces did not affect the balance of power in the Central Plains or the map of the dark forces at all.
This place was still a borderland.
The rivals I had faced in my previous life had not yet appeared, and since my return, there had been no masters who had troubled me.
In the grand scheme of things, I had gained quite a bit of time for training by dealing with Daenachal and Teacher Su.
My subordinates, including So Gun-pyeong, were training fiercely.
Cha Seong-tae was also training hard day by day, but without a doubt, I was the one training the hardest.
I thought this was what a commander should do, so I poured myself into my breathing exercises.
As I burned away all the trivialities of daily life with focus...
When I closed my eyes and opened them again, sometimes it was dawn, and other times it was night.
The moon and sun, the wind and rain, the reports from my subordinates, and the occasional hunger that surged did not disturb my training.
A man who forgets everything when he concentrates on training, that is me.
When I had lost track of how many days had passed, the energy I had drawn from the Heavenly Jade had perfectly conquered the realm of the Golden Nine.
I had now entered the realm of the Fighting Rooster, repeating the cycle of the One Thousand Days.
From this point on, I began to listen to my subordinates' words little by little.
The meals I had once every two days increased to three times a day.
I reduced the number of cycles of the One Thousand Days and began to train in external martial arts alongside the subordinates of the Black Cat Chamber.
I mixed in with my subordinates, following So Gun-pyeong's shouts, accurately adjusting my posture and building my strength without complaint alongside the others.
At first, when I trained in external martial arts with my subordinates like a madman, the atmosphere was indeed serious, but later everyone became accustomed to it, and I became so friendly with them that they could not tell whether I was originally the Master of the Black Cat Chamber or just one of its subordinates.
During the first half of the one hundred and eight days of training, my body was thin.
After entering the latter half of the Fighting Rooster realm, muscles began to form on my limbs, perfectly restoring my previous physical condition.
One day, while maintaining a calm mind under the plum tree, I heard Cha Seong-tae's voice.
"Master, today marks one hundred and eight days."
I opened my eyes and replied, "Already?" "Yes."
In that time, Cha Seong-tae had become a furry creature holding a sword.
In truth, Cha Seong-tae's gaze and posture had already changed, so there was no need to confirm it.
Still, it was only natural to give a word of praise.
"You seem stronger?" Cha Seong-tae grinned.
"I have become incomparably stronger than I was one hundred and eight days ago."
In that moment, I almost told him to train for another one hundred and eight days but managed to hold back.
While I was skilled with the whip, it wouldn’t be right to just keep whipping him.
This time, I looked at Ho Yeon-cheong.
"Seong-tae, you really have gotten stronger?" Ho Yeon-cheong replied, "Master, I have become a swordsman. Although it was a short time, I have mastered the basics, techniques, and forms of the Splitting Light Quick Sword, and I have also learned the heart method. After dinner, I mainly focused on building my internal energy with you. Although the time to build my internal energy was not sufficient, I have formed my dantian and learned how to draw energy from there."
I stroked my chin.
"You worked hard. How was it teaching him?" After a moment's hesitation, Ho Yeon-cheong gave a somewhat surprising answer.
"If the Master permits, I would like to continue teaching."
I looked at Ho Yeon-cheong with a puzzled expression.
"Really?" "Yes."
Now that I thought about it, the image of Ho Yeon-cheong from when he was captured was completely gone.
Had he gained some enlightenment while teaching Cha Seong-tae? He had changed quite a bit from the first impression I remembered.
"Seong-tae, what about you?" Cha Seong-tae replied, "I also want to continue learning."
I said to both of them, "Stand side by side."
I crossed my arms and looked at Ho Yeon-cheong and Cha Seong-tae.
Ho Yeon-cheong was originally over ten years older.
It could be seen as a typical master-disciple relationship.
I looked at the two of them and nodded.
"Since the three of us have made a pact together, you can handle things as you see fit from now on."
Ho Yeon-cheong and Cha Seong-tae replied with calm expressions, "Thank you."
"Yes."
I asked Cha Seong-tae, "Seong-tae, how does it feel to enter the martial world?" Cha Seong-tae replied briefly, "Not bad."
"If I had just wasted my days drinking and eating in the tavern, I would not have died due to my weak martial arts. But now, because of the martial arts you have learned, surviving has become even harder."
That is what I think of the martial world.
Cha Seong-tae looked at me and replied, "I am just getting started. I have no regrets. I never knew that getting stronger day by day could feel like this. It just feels good."
I had expected Cha Seong-tae to give such an answer.
Most martial world people are like that.
Unless it is the moment when a sword pierces their heart, most do not regret their lives.
They have come to understand the incredibly strong allure of becoming stronger.
"Ho Yeon-cheong, you also worked hard."
"Yes."
I had no particular thoughts about Ho Yeon-cheong anymore.
If he were to disappear someday, he would have left to find a way to survive.
If he occasionally visited the Black Cat Chamber like the Death God or Dokgo Saeng, it would mean that a bond remained.
I thought I would just let things flow as they would.
On a day when the wind was cool and the sunlight was pleasant, I finally washed my body and changed my clothes.
I packed the gold and silver coins that the Martial Master had given me into my pouch.
As I passed through the inner courtyard, Cha Seong-tae asked, "Where are you going?" "I’m going to participate in some martial arts gambling. I’ll also take a look around the Ihwa region."
I could hear the conversation between Cha Seong-tae and Ho Yeon-cheong from behind.
"What is martial arts gambling?" "It's fighting with money on the line. What else could it be?" "Why is the Master suddenly..."
"I don’t know either."
I intended to visit the martial arts gambling house at least once.
The reason my face had become so rough in my previous life was because of the martial arts gambling house.
I had taken many hits there.
When a person gets hit a lot, their face changes.
Martial arts gambling is divided into two types: fights with weapons and barehanded fights.
I learned a lot from being there.
First, I realized that there is much to learn even from defeat.
I learned how to counterattack while getting hit, and I also learned to gauge an opponent's strength through their appearance, demeanor, and gaze.
The reason a person who had reached the end of their life often sought out martial arts gambling was that even in defeat, they could still earn some money.
At the time I actually visited the martial arts gambling house, I was older than I am now.
However, those who stayed there for a long time would still be the same.
The level of the martial arts gambling house is, in a word, chaotic.
There are times when dark masters hiding their identities come to earn pocket money.
Sometimes, dark masters hiding their identities face off against each other, resulting in absurdly large fights.
The martial arts gambling house in the region of Sirun County is the most famous nearby.
Interestingly, the commercial area around the martial arts gambling house is entirely tailored to it.
They sell food and drinks to spectators and participants, and taverns flourished, while other gambling houses lined the streets.
Although it had been a while since I visited, I perfectly restored my memories while looking around the surroundings.
I knew everyone gathered here, and they did not know me at all.
It was absurdly funny. 'This place is still a mess.' I entered a tavern I often visited and had a drink first.
As I thought about peeling off the old layers of grime that had built up in my chest, the drink went down smoothly.
Everyone in the tavern was a fighter participating in martial arts gambling, so the atmosphere was indeed tense.
Rather, compared to my previous life, I had become softer in appearance, so I probably looked like a gentleman here.
As I chewed on some dry snacks and looked around, a big guy approached and drank a cup of my alcohol without permission.
When I chuckled and laughed, the big guy laughed along with me.
He sat across from me and said, "I’ve never seen you before, buy this brother a drink. I’ll explain it well."
I shook the remaining alcohol out of my cup and, as soon as I grabbed the bottle, I slammed it down on his head.
With a thud, as he bowed his head, I grabbed his head and kept slamming it down on the table.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! I lifted his hair to check his face.
His nose was broken, and three or four of his front teeth were shattered.
I pushed his head away and looked for the tavern keeper.
Since there had been such a loud noise, it was not difficult to make eye contact with the tavern keeper.
"Give me some more of that Dougang liquor."
The tavern keeper replied simply, "Yes."
I said to the guy, who was now covered in blood, "Get lost."
He jumped up and pushed through the crowd, moving somewhere.
Such a guy always had the habit of coming back after being told to get lost.
Laughter erupted from the surroundings.
The tavern keeper, who had rushed over, quickly wiped the table and placed new dry snacks and Dougang liquor in front of me, saying, "That guy is the owner of a brothel. He might bring his friends along. Are you okay with that?" "How many does he usually bring?" "About ten."
"Really?" "Yes."
I snapped my fingers at the tavern keeper and asked, "Could this be profitable?" The tavern keeper looked at me and said, "Huh?" as he scrutinized me.
"Have you been here before? I’ve never seen you."
"I came here before."
"Understood."
The tavern keeper busily ran around, brought a large basket, and shook the bell hanging from the ceiling.
Ding ding ding! Everyone in the tavern turned to look at the tavern keeper.
The tavern keeper announced, "Is there anyone who wants to participate in the tavern martial arts competition? The unfamiliar guest here will face off against the brothel owner who just got beaten up. The brothel owner probably has at least ten subordinates, right?
We’ll go with a no-entry fee bet on the outcome. On the left is the young guest, and on the right is the brothel owner. Our establishment will add five hundred nyang to the winner’s side.
Now, let’s go!" As the tavern keeper walked around with the basket, money began to fill the basket behind the screen set up in the middle.
Money was collected on both the left and right sides.
Meanwhile, all the martial arts gamblers in the tavern were looking at me in unison.
Someone boldly asked where I was from, and I replied briefly, "Pay to ask."
Remembering the old days, I added a curse. "…You bastards."