Beastly and Fearlessly - Chapter 2
Only Noblemtl
Episode 2
Nanman (Southern Barbarians).
A direct translation would be “southern barbarians.”
It is named after its location further down than Yunnan, the southernmost region in the Central Plains.
Namman is wide.
A place where vast grasslands and dense forests coexist, with rocky mountains and swamps scattered throughout.
There are also races that deal with wild beasts and wild animals, and there are also places like Dokgok and Odokmun that deal with extreme poisons that are not found in the Central Plains.
There are also some who practice strange magic.
But no matter what anyone says, the Beast Palace dominates Namman.
The Beast King, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, is at the top.
Among the many families that protect the Beast Palace, the eight families with the strongest influence are called Paldong.
Paldong. Meaning eight caves.
Of course, no one lives in caves these days.
“So, this is Namcheon Damdong, one of the eight districts? My name is Dammyeong. And I’m also Sodongju.”
“Ah… … . What on earth happened to you while you were napping? You’ve become a completely different person. Even your speech is strange.”
Well, it’s true that it’s a different person.
“But am I really sixteen years old?”
It was a fact more unbelievable than the fact that I, who had died, was reborn as a barbarian from the South.
How can this solid, muscular body belong to a sixteen-year-old?
I haven’t confirmed the face yet though.
The guy named Deoksam looked like he was about to cry.
“Why on earth are you doing this to me? Did you pick some weird mushrooms somewhere?”
If I ask any more questions, tears will start to pour from this big little guy’s eyes.
“Ah… … . And I think I ate something like a colorful mushroom. I guess I don’t remember anything.”
First, we need to get a lot of information from this naive but kind-looking guy named Deoksam.
“It’s up to you how quickly I come to my senses. Until then, of course, you must keep my condition a secret.”
Deoksam nodded with tears in his eyes.
With his mouth tightly shut, as if telling people to trust only him.
“But what did you say earlier? That I skipped training?”
“Is it just today? You skip it every day and take a nap.”
Hah! You crazy guy.
Are you saying that you neglected your training in this environment?
In a place like this, where the natural energy of just breathing seems to build up your internal energy, with a body that seems to gain muscle just by swinging chopsticks, you take naps every day?
It was my lifelong wish to swing my sword without worrying about my health.
Now I can practice with peace of mind.
The corners of my mouth are already going up.
“Anyway, you should go east quickly now. The Lord of the East is waiting for you.”
A guy named Deoksam grabbed my hand with an urgent expression.
It’s a new life, so I have to give it a try.
“Yes. First, I should apologize to my brother-in-law for neglecting my training. I will train hard from now on, so don’t worry too much.”
* * *
Deoksam didn’t understand the current situation.
We were born in the same year and there was a time when we were friends when we were young.
Until I was about five or six years old.
Since then, I have been living as a servant for almost ten years.
Even if I make a hundred concessions, I can believe that he lost his memory.
Since he is a very erratic person, he might have eaten some really strange poisonous mushroom or something.
There are mushrooms that kill you as soon as you eat them, so you might lose your memories for a little while.
But people have something called ‘nature.’
And nature does not change easily.
So Dong-ju, who opens his eyes and wonders ‘Where should I take a nap today?’, suddenly decides to practice?
I looked back briefly.
He’s following me around, looking around as if he’s really lost his memory.
Look at that sturdy body that inherited the blood of the Lord Dongju.
Aren’t they as great as the young warriors who train every day?
And what about that face?
What a beautiful face, just like a woman’s, just like her mother.
As soon as you go outside, you can’t take your eyes off the young men and women of other countries.
You were born with everything you could possibly have.
How can you think of rolling around and playing every day when you were born with everything like that?
If you put your mind to it, you could have the honor of being the first to be called a Grandmaster before you turn thirty.
Because you’re such a lazy bum.
As Deoksam was walking along, clicking his tongue, Lazybones asked him.
“What kind of person is your father?”
No, why are you asking me about my father?
“Ah! Ah. Hahaha… … . I guess you’ve lost your memories of Dongju too. But he’s still your father.”
“Didn’t you say you forgot my name and age?”
Now that I look at it, Sodongju’s speech is also a bit strange.
“He is a great man. All of the Dongju of the Paldong are great, but among them, he is the one who boasts the most overwhelming strength. Whenever people talk about who is the strongest after the Beast King, his name always comes up.”
“Then, among the eight Dongs, Namcheon Damdong would be the best.”
“That’s right. That’s what it was… … . Of course it was… … .”
Deoksam’s words trailed off.
“however?”
Dam-myeong asked, urging him on.
Deoksam hesitated and explained for a while.
After hearing everything, I realized that he is truly an amazing man.
No, I should say he is a great father.
Regardless of whether the decision was right or wrong, this man made a choice that no normal person would ever make.
Of course, as a result of that choice, I lost a lot and gained something else.
I am one of them.
* * *
There isn’t even a wall.
Just a few dozen pavilions built of stone and wood on a wide plain.
There is not a single little decoration.
Well, there is no front gate or signboard.
As I entered Namcheon Damdong, I saw large men here and there.
Those who are called uncivilized barbarians in the Central Plains.
Around her neck was a necklace made of something that was either bone or teeth.
Some people carry a large boar on one shoulder, while others skin a freshly slaughtered deer.
There are those who are sharpening the blade of a giant axe.
All their eyes were focused on me.
Their eyes all looked pitiful.
“Deoksam, where was Sodongju napping today? Hehe.”
A man asked.
He had just returned from training, and his bulging muscles were soaked with sweat.
“Oh, you didn’t take a nap today.”
But still, they take my side because I’m a slave.
Did you walk like that for a while?
Deoksam, who was walking ahead, whispered quietly to me.
“They’re all here.”
He was where Deoksam pointed.
A man sitting on a large chair covered with tiger skin, accompanied by dozens of beast-like men.
A body like a giant tree.
Sharp eyes through long flowing hair.
His log-like forearms are covered with numerous scars.
It’s like a bear… … .
A huge wild bear that looks like it will tear any enemy it catches to pieces.
I could tell at a glance.
The author is a great expert.
There are such types of drones.
Those who were already strong from birth, and became even stronger through endless training and combat.
If you look at it through the eyes of the assassin who was once called Hong-an-gwi, it is full of vulnerabilities.
If you count the gaps, you can find more than ten.
But the gap I see is confidence.
The confidence to block with your body any sword that comes in through your weak point, and to twist your opponent’s neck with your bare hands.
I feel like my understanding of the Central Plains martial arts I knew is collapsing.
I walked in on my own two feet, so why do I feel like I’ve been caught?
On one side, several old men with white hair were sitting.
Even so, they have more impressive physiques than the young, blue-haired warriors of the Central Plains.
Everyone’s eyes are filled with pity.
Only one old man with one arm was sitting in the innermost corner, looking at me with a pitiful expression.
Deoksam, who was standing behind him, quickly whispered.
“These are the elders of Namcheon Damdong. Most of them do not like Sodongju.”
somehow.
It was like seeing an earthworm crawling out after the rain.
Still, he is the head of a small family.
“I see my father.”
After a long silence, he opened his mouth in a voice that sounded like he had eaten gravel.
“If you have something to say, say it.”
“… …I will now practice hard.”
“Ugh… … .”
His previously expressionless brow furrowed.
He has an expression that makes you wonder what kind of trick he is talking about.
“I don’t believe it.”
It’s not that I don’t believe it, it’s that I just don’t want to believe it.
Now I know what kind of life the real owner of this body has been living.
“It’s changed now. So give me one more chance… … .”
“Have you forgotten the promise you made with your own mouth? Didn’t you say that you would personally prove your qualifications as the Sodongju of Namcheon Damdong? After that, no one has seen you cultivating. How can you explain this?”
I don’t remember making that promise, so how can I prove it?
The original owner of this body was truly a helpless bastard.
While I was pondering what to say, an old man in the Senate stood up and opened his mouth.
He is an old man with a thin build and white eyebrows, and his narrow eyes look like a snake.
“Dongju, our council just wanted to see the results of the training that Sodongju has accumulated over the years, so don’t press him too hard. However, since he said that he has changed on his own, I think it would be right to give him a chance to prove it… … .”
My father was silent for a moment, then answered.
“Let’s do that.”
And then he opened his mouth to me again.
“Spread it out.
“Huh? What all of a sudden?”
“Whether it’s the basic martial art of Bankan Kwon or anything else, I’m telling you to show off Namcheon Damdong’s martial arts. Didn’t I say that you haven’t stopped training all this time?”
Ah… … . This is the biggest crisis I have faced in my new life.
Of course, it hasn’t been that long since I was reincarnated.
I don’t think you’ll believe this story about colorful mushrooms.
“Why? Are you not confident?”
“No. But… … .”
“but?”
I can’t display my family’s martial arts skills.
Because I don’t know anything.
“Will you trust my will just by demonstrating my martial arts skills here? So I request a chance to prove it through martial arts.”
“Bimoo? You?”
It’s an inevitable choice.
How can I demonstrate martial arts I don’t even know?
I wouldn’t personally confront my sixteen-year-old son, but I would assign someone of a suitable age.
Even though they are strangers, I can deal with those kids without letting it get to me.
The old man who had been offering a chance to prove himself smiled and opened his mouth again.
“Hehe. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Sodongju in person. But since this is Sodongju’s first fight, I think he needs an opponent who is more suitable for him. Well, winning or losing isn’t the important thing, right?”
There is no need for an opponent of equal standing.
I guess the author wants to show everyone here how excited he is to get beaten up.
“Nam Woong Dae Joo prepares for a duel with So Dong Joo.”
At that moment, as if he had been waiting, a man of huge stature stood up from his seat.
“Understood, Dongju! Can I personally eradicate Sodongju’s spirit while I’m at it?”
“… … I will allow it.”
Deoksam whispered quietly.
“This is Gam Cheol-woo, the leader of the Namungdae. He is one of the best warriors of Namcheon Damdong. However, his love of fighting is a bit of a flaw.”
Everything is good, but I’m still the one causing trouble here.
I think it’s too harsh to say that you’ll completely change your mind.
And why is Daeju involved in the fight with the young Sodongju?
And Dong-ju, who allows his son to be beaten up.
Are Beast Palace people like this, or is this just their family?
My initial plan to adapt to the new world while being treated like a so-called “little swindler” would be difficult, right?
In Nanman, a great war is considered the pinnacle by the standards of the Central Plains.
A state where one can freely use sword energy when holding a sword, and fist energy when holding one’s bare fists.
This means that it is at a level where you can release your bets externally.
Of course, I too have reached a peak, but that was a story from a previous life.
Now, all I have is a strong body.
Even that body will become a mess after a while.
When you see it up close, it feels very intimidating.
There are many great people in this family.
He’s already walking forward and shaking his big fist.
Well, it would be fun to beat up a disobedient person with your fists.
“I will teach you properly today.”
“… … .”
Let’s think positively.
It’s not a bad thing to get hit once, pass out, and lie down for a few days.
Anyway, I need time to adapt to this world.
Do you really think I should kill you?
He may look a bit rough, but he doesn’t seem like a bad person.
“You know that as a warrior of the Beast Palace, you have to risk your life even in combat. Today, I will break your head and let you be reborn!”
It’s definitely hotter than the central plains.
No matter how bad he is, he’s still a troublemaker, so you’re going to break his head.
And that too in front of his father, Dong-ju.
Judging by the life in his eyes, I think he must be sincere.
I have already been born again.
You don’t have to break your head.
Deoksam approached quietly and whispered.
“The Lord’s words just now must be sincere. That’s the kind of person he is. He’s the kind of person who thinks without looking at the consequences, just thinking straight… … .”
Deoksam-ah!
You should have told me such an important story in advance.
He’s not a bad person, but he’s a bit extreme.