Surviving in the 121st Century - Chapter 88



Only Noblemtl

* * *

Jincheol, who had roughly packed his luggage, followed Aiman ​​and walked inside the old airship. Jincheol thought as he watched Aiman ​​walk ahead. The airship was smaller than he thought. There was a hangar, but since the Stone Fist tank was already loaded in there, he couldn’t move around. Where would this puppy swordsman lead Jincheol?

As expected, the airship was not that big, so it was easy to figure out where Aiman ​​was headed. He went through a narrow passage and climbed up a dangerous ladder outside without any safety equipment. It was the upper part of the airship.

Damn, is this right? Jincheol couldn’t hide his slightly bewildered expression. This puppy swordsman was now leading him to the top of the airship where the wind was howling. It wasn’t a place with a flat deck, and it wasn’t easy to walk because of the rounded outer shell.

“Come up quickly!”

Only the child who climbed up the ladder first took out a rope from somewhere above and tied it around his waist. Yes, there was a safety device. Jincheol also climbed up and tied the belt that only the child held out.

The thing connected to the inside of the upper outer shell seemed to be a wire used to lift or tie something up to the top. That meant that if I slipped on this now, I might not fall to the ground, but I would end up dangling.

Only the child who saw Jincheol go up took the lead. He walked to the center of the upper area where the view was clear, stopped, looked back at Jincheol, and said.

“Is it okay if I don’t raise my voice?”

“Yes, well. I can hear it.”

“Okay. Then sit over there.”

The child who said that sat down on his own. Why did you come up here when you said you were going to teach me some martial arts? Jincheol sat down in front of him with his buttocks pressed against the cold wind blowing.

The tips of Ai’s ears and fur fluttered in the cold wind. Between the fluttering fur, her sparkling eyes were quietly looking at Jincheol.

The moment Jincheol saw that gaze and was about to say something, he opened his mouth.

“Martial arts are the most unnatural movements. Sometimes some authors say that the movements closest to nature are the true pinnacle of martial arts, but that is nonsense without knowing anything.”

The puppy swordsman was talking about dog barking. Jincheol felt a sense of joy. Aiman ​​also smiled faintly, perhaps sensing the mood.

“Martial arts are calculated movements to defeat the opponent you face. However, if you try to defeat every opponent you encounter in nature, the beast won’t live long. That’s why only intelligent species create, learn, and use martial arts. If the instinctive and spontaneous movements of an animal are for survival, the martial arts of an intelligent being are for defeating the enemy in front of you. And your movements are closer to the impromptu tantrums of an animal than martial arts.”

[Wow, there’s nothing the dog swordsman can’t say to a customer who even tore apart a cyborg. I don’t think even the swordsman himself could overcome that instinctive movement. Hehe.]

Bonchip’s grumbling. But Jincheol didn’t agree. Aiman’s analysis was accurate.

Even before he fell into a long sleep, his fights were more about surviving than defeating his opponents. And that was enough for him at the time. After all, that was the only thing a human could do when faced with a gun.

After waking up? As expected, a struggle was enough. Of course, he showed off some acrobatic moves that suited his amazingly strengthened body. However, those were also instinctive movements based on his strengthened body. It couldn’t be said that it was a calculated move to defeat his opponent, as Aiman ​​said now.

At that moment, Aiman ​​stood up from where he had been sitting. He spread his arms wide as if he was feeling the wind blowing from the sky with his whole body and said,

“Learning martial arts is like being on an airship right now. Just as you face the harsh winds blowing from a high place that you would never normally face, martial arts also requires you to face unfamiliar movements that are different from your instincts.”

He was looking straight into Jincheol’s eyes with a strange excitement in his eyes.

“And the wind you have to fight against is your own body.”

“···My body?”

“Yes. An incredibly excellent body. However, your mind is still not properly aligned with that body. Even after stealing my swordsmanship and learning it. Do you know why?”

“Why is that so?”

“Even my swordsmanship cannot handle your physical abilities! It’s like a dragon trying to learn how to run like a wolf! You have to learn how to fly yourself!”

I hope that is some kind of modifier. I hope it is not something that pushes you under the airship, saying that you really have to fly. Jincheol laughed at that thought. Aiman ​​continued talking while looking at that smile.

“Your mind is still stuck in the place you were before you fell into a long sleep. At first, I thought it was because you were intoxicated by your innate power and could not learn the forms and manners separately. Later, I thought it was because you could not handle your own power. But now I understand. You are simply afraid. What are you so afraid of? Why do you sit still when you have wings that can fly through the sky?”

“···”

The smile on Jincheol’s lips that had been snickering turned into a bitter smile, and then soon into a blank expression.

What are you afraid of? That question might have been a little off. What Jincheol felt was not fear, but an endless sense of loss and a distant loneliness. A wandering without direction or destination, like losing a compass and drifting through the dark, wavy sea of ​​the night.

The battles that were fought with their lives at stake have been buried in the sands of time, and their meaning cannot be found, and the people of the same era have become mythical beings. The hearts of the stragglers, torn from a corner of the era and thrown into the distant future, are filled with nothing but emptiness.

And yet, in order to survive, they fill their stomachs and fight against the enemy to protect their lives. If they really only feel empty, they can just die. If they want to die, they can just kill the AI.

“No one else can take away your inner fears for you. You have to overcome them yourself. But I hope that the martial arts I’m about to teach you will be one way to combat those fears.”

Aiman ​​gestured for Jincheol to stand up. Jincheol stood up, and then Aiman’s hand slowly approached him. And in the next moment, Jincheol’s sky turned upside down.

“···?”

Jincheol looked upside down at Aiman, his head buried in the ceiling of the airship. Aiman ​​laughed heartily at his blank eyes.

“Okay! Let’s get started!”

As class began, Jincheol soon came to a realization.

What the hell, is this a dragon fist or something, isn’t this just grappling?

* * *

A few days of journey flying over the vast, calm ocean. During this time, Jincheol learned the so-called ‘dragon fist’ from Aiman. At first, he thought it was just a kind of grappling, but it wasn’t that simple.

There is not one species of people living in this era. Compared to the Esai and Olog, who have a similar body structure to humans, Jincheol looks like a very thin stick and a muscle-bound gorilla running around. There are also the Bikas with slippery skin, and the Camponi with bodies so diverse that it is doubtful whether they are the same species. The Rabitos are relatively similar, but considering the mutations that have occurred underground, there must be another variant somewhere.

So, in order to use grappling or jujitsu against them, you had to be prepared for a variety of variables. The moment you encounter each race’s instinctive movements, you have to immediately understand the direction of their power and at the same time be able to return it immediately.

Yongkwon was similar to wrestling, grappling, jiu-jitsu, and even jiu-jitsu, but it was different. Even to Jincheol, who had a martial arts background, Yongkwon included all of these areas. It was all about getting close, breaking joints, tripping, and twisting, rather than just striking.

Furthermore, the dragon fist went beyond simply twisting and bending the opponent, and instead took the form of tearing and ripping them apart. It was as if the claws of an imaginary dragon were tearing apart the enemy like a storm.

It was precisely because of this that Aiman ​​could not fully master the techniques of Yongkwon, as it was difficult for Camponi’s fingers and muscle strength to tear apart an opponent’s joints and muscles with bare hands. That is why Aiman ​​taught Jincheol the unfinished Yongkwon, which was more like an imaginary martial art.

“I told you. You are a dragon. So you can complete it yourself.”

“···A dragon is an imaginary animal.”

“What are you talking about? There are few witnesses to this creature. Up in the cold north, there is a place where the night and day repeat endlessly. There are people who say they have encountered dragons there. Otherwise, how would I know about dragons?”

“There really is a dragon?”

In response to Jincheol’s question, only Ai tilted her head.

“Weren’t there dragons ten thousand years ago?”

“···There were no dinosaurs back then.”

“dinosaur?”

“It’s Karltisara.”

The child who made a small sound like “Oh” shook his head and muttered.

“The Age of Mythology seems to be a less interesting era than I thought···”

“I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen one.”

“Why have I never seen you before? You’re alive here and I can even talk to you.”

Oh my. Even if you give me that much, it won’t appease my disappointment, you rascal. What’s the use of talking about the dragon fist or anything like that? Even if you throw a hundred punches and break limbs, it won’t be as effective as firing a bullet. It won’t matter if you shoot a gust of wind.

Jincheol turned his head and looked at the night sea that was reflecting the moonlight whitely. The high sky wind was cold, but he liked the scenery. The silence seemed to soothe his empty heart.

The airship was as quiet as the tranquil scenery. The airship was piloted by Harmen, and the aircraft was maintained by his subordinate pirates. They treated the passengers as if they were half-dead people, even eating separately.

Except when he was teaching Jincheol, Aiman ​​seemed to have a separate conversation with Harmen every night. I don’t know the details, but it seemed like Aiman ​​was trying to persuade him. From what I heard, it seemed like the swordsmen of Sandesiya were on the verge of conflict and only the royal family could prevent that conflict.

On the other hand, Haitha didn’t seem to care much about what Harmen did. Originally, she was supposed to be a royal sorcerer. However, she didn’t seem to have high expectations for Harmen. She just seemed upset and didn’t come to Jincheol to hear stories about the 21st century. Did she really want to just run away somewhere like she said at the Rabito camp in the past?

While the passengers were creaking, Stone Fist was busy cleaning and maintaining his own tank. When asked why he was working so hard, Stone Fist simply answered. This tank would be the beginning of his teachings.

In the end, the airship passengers all played separately. Even though there was no other purpose other than crossing the ocean, it was a bit extreme.

“Let’s stop here for today. I’m going down now.”

Aiman ​​said that and untied his belt and went down. Jincheol did not go down. He was not particularly hungry, and he was used to the blowing wind, so he was not that cold. So he just lay down on the bed and blankly looked at the clouds and the night sky passing by.

But I felt at peace because I pretended to learn something these past few days. The loneliness that had been surging deep inside my heart was now as calm as the night sea. Is Yongkwon really controlling that kind of heart?

Suddenly, I felt that the shape of the clouds in the night sky that were flowing by really looked like a dragon flying in a winding manner. Is there really a dragon? What kind of creature could it be? It was not difficult to guess that the creature originated from the Jincheol era, as the dragon that Aiman ​​spoke of and the dragon that Jincheol knew were somewhat similar. Otherwise, the fantastical creature from ten thousand years ago would not have survived and become the name of a martial art.

At that moment, Jincheol’s sensitive ears heard the clear sound of a flute.

“···?”

Jincheol, blinking, rolled over and crawled to the upper edge of the round airship. He stopped just before the edge, where the slope suddenly became steep and he had no choice but to slip. He poked his head out and was able to spot a white head standing on the balcony outside the airship below. It was Snow.

She was leaning against the railing, her hair blowing in the breeze, playing a short flute. It had a mouthpiece that was turned sideways like a daegeum or a zither, so that the sticks were laid on their side.

Jincheol turned his body again and looked up at the sky. A clear sound echoed through the quiet night sky. A performance on a moonlit night. It’s not bad.

“—”

While listening to the performance, at some point, a voice sneaked into the performance. Jincheol, who had been lying comfortably listening to the performance, turned around again. As before, he stretched out his body and looked down, and saw Haita singing with his eyes closed on the railing a little way away.

There were no lyrics. It was a song close to humming. Snow, who was playing the flute while looking out at the sea, glanced at her and continued playing without much reaction. Then, Haita, who seemed to be observing her, slowly approached her and continued humming.

Jincheol turned around and lay down again. The humming was added, but the sound was much richer. Playing and singing. If only I had a drink, it would have been perfect.

[···This is not a song···! Oh, I miss the rough drums and electric guitar···!]

“Be quiet, honey.”

Jincheol silenced the whining Bonchip. Fortunately, he didn’t hear their conversation, so he continued playing and humming. After a while, when one of the tunes ended, the humming stopped.

Jincheol’s ears perked up. Two people were having a conversation.

“Your playing skills are quite good. It’s great.”

“···thank you.”

“Come to think of it, I don’t think we’ve ever greeted each other. I’m Haitha. I’m a sorcerer. Nice to meet you.”

“···Snow.”

Maybe they were shaking hands? The voices died down for a moment. After that, the two people started whispering something, and Jincheol unconsciously closed his eyes and focused his hearing to hear the sound. At that moment, he could hear their conversation through the sound of the wind.

Jincheol sat up abruptly. As if sensing his movement, the two Esai below also stopped talking.

But Jincheol’s eyes were looking far away at the sky under the moonlight. There, behind the clouds, an airship was slowly appearing. It was an old airship that was not very big and looked old, just like the one Jincheol was riding.

The airship was rapidly approaching. As Jincheol’s eyes glared at the cockpit of the approaching airship, this airship was also rapidly turning its fuselage.

Aiman’s scream was heard from below.

“Jincheol-! Come down! It’s the pirate ship of Sandesiya!”

Are you saying that pirates are trying to rob pirates, or rather, that public officials are trying to rob public officials? Where is the spirit of partnership? The moment that useless thoughts came to Jincheol’s mind, there was a bang—a puff of smoke from the airship on the other side, and a black iron pillar flew through the sky. It was a harpoon.

Before he could do anything, the harpoon slammed directly into the airship’s fuselage. Jincheol lowered his posture and kept his balance even as the ground shook violently.

What surprised Jincheol a little was that there was a rope tied to the end of the harpoon, and that there were Esai running on top of the rope.

[Are Frankenstein’s monsters fearless? They’re crazy.]

It was as Bonchip muttered. The rope tied to the giant harpoon was as thick and thick as the harpoon itself, but even so, riding that rope in the sky like this was impossible without great courage, beyond just being able to do it.

Thanks to this, Jincheol could immediately tell that they were not simple pirates. In the past, the ones who tried to hijack merchant ships did not show such well-trained movements.

Moreover, instead of guns, they each carried a long and short sword. With their fluttering clothes and hats that looked like bamboo hats, they were advertising themselves as assassin swordsmen.

The first one to come running among those possessors of that crazy courage was the one who boarded this airship and rushed straight towards Jincheol. His quick judgment without question and his hands without any hesitation in his own movements. It was a movement that clearly showed his intention to kill everyone on this airship.

The long blade of the guy sparkled in the moonlight. Its trajectory and speed were no less than those of the artifact warriors of Sioux. The tip of the sword shook strangely, showing that it was several levels ahead of the Sioux warriors in terms of technique alone.

And when Jincheol saw the blade, he unconsciously performed the movements he had been practicing with Aiman ​​for the past few days.

The bastard’s movements stopped with a squeaking sound.

“···?”

Underneath the hat, the bastard had a puzzled expression. He stared blankly at his right arm, which was twisted like a crumpled reed. The pain came a moment too late. However, Jincheol’s fist struck his mouth faster than his mouth could scream.

As the bastard’s body fell backwards, Jincheol looked at his hands and laughed.

“···This is it.”

[The King of Another World, Kang Ri-Irim-! You are already dead!]

Jincheol patted Bonchip’s shoulder, ignoring his crazy cries. There were still many swordsmen glaring at him with cold eyes.