Tangmunjeon - Chapter 305



Only Noblemtl

Episode 305: The Heavenly Dog Hong-Gyeon

Hong Geol-gae was grabbed by the collar by Du Jin-pung and thrown out in front of a large crowd of people.

However, not many people paid attention to Hong Geol-gae. Most people only listened to the bickering between the angry Du Jin-pung and the awkward host.

However, when two first-class unmanned people (and they weren’t even close to first-class people) appeared next to the host and glared at him, Du Jinpung had no choice but to turn around with a heavy heart.

“Hey, that damn thing!”

Hong Geol-gae quietly got up from his seat only after Du Jin-pung disappeared.

Naturally, people’s attention shifted back to Hong Geol-gae.

Hong Geol-gae looked around for a moment with a bewildered look in his eyes, then pretended to puff out his chest and moved outside the unarmed area.

Hyun-gong stuck out his tongue when he saw that sight.

“Did you see that just now?”

“what?”

“I’m talking about Honggeolgae. Didn’t you see what Honggeolgae did?”

“···All I did was get up from my seat and get out, right?”

Hyun-gong pounded his chest, perhaps frustrated with Dang Mu-jin and Nam-gung-myeong’s reactions.

“No. It wasn’t just that. A normal person would cower and get out of that situation. I thought I would end up like that too, until Hong Geol-gae looked around.”

“Wasn’t it?”

“No! You didn’t stop there, you puffed out your chest and pretended to take long strides. But you couldn’t look at people, and you just trembled anxiously and wandered in the air.”

“···What does that mean?”

“It was a delicate expression of the psychology of trying to protect one’s self-esteem by displaying one’s forced confidence in front of people, and the desperate struggles of the weak. Hong Geol-gae, a scary child…”

Dang Mu-jin decided not to pay attention to Hyun-gong’s story.

Before we knew it, the next group’s names had been called out, and twenty new faces filled the unarmed hall.

However, Hyun-gong kept muttering, “What a scary guy, what a scary guy…” and looked at the door through which Hong-geol-gae had escaped.

*

From the next day onwards, the competition was held as a one-on-one match.

The true meaning of a martial arts competition starts here. It is ambiguous to call a group battle a martial arts competition.

As if it were a given, a gambling table was opened. A simple gamble was made on whether the participants would win or lose.

Namgung Myung was excited.

“Actually, the prize money is secondary. From now on, you can make a ton of money just by gambling.”

However, contrary to Namgung Myung’s expectations, the situation was not very good for making a lot of money because he had too little spare money.

After paying the accommodation fee in advance, I only had four silver coins left.

Namgung Myung muttered with regret.

“Can I borrow some money for just a little bit?”

“huh?”

“It’s a sure bet. You take a few gold coins from a rich family, bet them, and then when you win the money, you put back the money you borrowed. Then, you can make several times the profit in no time.”

Dang Mu-jin calmed down Namgung Myung.

“We’re not here to make a ton of money. Besides, even if the principal is small, the money we make will be much more than you think. There’s no need to rush.”

However, contrary to the party’s expectations, the dividend was not very good.

“···Even if Hong Geol-gae wins, it doesn’t get three times as much?”

“It looks like the opponent is also in a mess. I guess I got lucky and got through the group battle.”

“Oh my.”

Hong Geol-gae’s first opponent was a second-rate unmanned man.

Although he is a mediocre person, he has some skills, but he is not good enough to be considered a full-fledged martial artist.

Gamblers who can gauge the outcome of a game based on the skill of the participants do not bet money on games played by participants with insufficient information, while those who do not have a good grasp of the skills enjoy making risky choices.

It was only natural that Hong Geol-gae’s dividend was not satisfactory.

Still, at this level of dividends, the noodles and dumplings you eat for dinner will be replaced with fried dishes.

The group watched Hong Geol-gae’s game with relaxed expressions, while the other gamblers watched the game with slightly more eager expressions.

Hong Geol-gae pretended to be very defensive against the man with the sword, but when he had the chance, he attacked once. He tripped and pushed his opponent over.

My opponent rolled around on the floor unarmed, not even knowing how I had fallen.

Hong Geol-gae’s opponent immediately stood up, but the host shouted without hesitation.

“The winner is Hong Gyeon of Juulchon!”

Hong Geol-gae raised his fist high as if he had achieved a tremendous victory.

Then the onlookers each shouted at Hong Geul-gae.

“Well done, Hong-Gyeon!”

“How can someone like that, unarmed, beat a swordsman?”

“It was just a momentary loss of balance! Let’s continue the game!”

In an instant, the stands turned into a scene of chaos. However, Hong Geol-gae paid no attention and ran around in all directions with a steady pace, expressing his joy.

*

A day was skipped and the next game continued.

The atmosphere inside the unarmed stadium was not much different from the previous game, but the audience became very serious. This was because after the first round of the main tournament ended, skilled gamblers began to gather at Hong Geol-gae’s game.

People gathered in small groups to share information and gauge the direction of the bombing.

Dang Mu-jin and his party stood there with their mouths wide open, their ears pricked up, and eavesdropping on what the people were talking about.

“Hong Gyeon defeated Yeo Chuk from Namtong? How strong was Yeo Chuk’s incompetence?”

“As far as I know, it was second-rate.”

“Did anyone watch the game yesterday? Does anyone know how much we won?”

“I saw it. Hong-Gyeon was pushed back the whole time, and luckily he tripped Yeo-Chu’s leg and knocked him over.”

“Was it just a fluke? Still, I guess I should keep in mind that he’s a second-rate player. But this time, my opponent is Sa Dong-Heum, the only one who’s lost. Even against a first-rate expert, that kind of fluke won’t work…”

The expression ‘first-class expert’ sounded very unfamiliar.

However, from the perspective of ordinary people, a first-class martial artist would definitely be considered a master. They could claim to be the best martial artist in any town.

One of the gamblers expressed the opinion that caution should be exercised.

“You can’t let your guard down completely. I’ve heard before that between first-class and lower-class fighters, sometimes the outcome is determined by luck.”

“Still, it’s okay if the dividend is this much. If I can make a little money by working, I should take a small risk. If I back out in this situation, I’m not a gambler.”

“That’s true.”

On the other hand, the dividend for the party led by Dang Mu-jin was a whopping six times. Of course, the money they were betting today was small.

Soon, Hong Geol-gae’s second match began.

“Hong-Gyeon of Ju-eul-chon! That opponent is – Gam-Yu-il-Pae, Sa! Dong! Hmm!”

As the host called out Sa Dong-Heum’s name one letter at a time, Sa Dong-Heum raised his right arm.

At the same time, a loud cheer erupted from the audience. It seems that he was more well-known than expected.

Sadongheum glanced at Honggeolgae and smiled leisurely.

“You said Hong-Gyeon, right? If you don’t want to get seriously hurt, it would be better to wait and see and abstain. I think you would be satisfied with this level of performance for your skills.”

“···It’s still too early to give up.”

As Hong Geol-gae spoke, he clenched his fists and glared at Sa Dong-heum. The audience could clearly see Hong Geol-gae shaking violently.

Dang Mu-jin thought that Hong Geol-gae was extremely disgusting.

Sadongheum laughed at the reaction and pulled out his sword. It was a practice sword that had not been sharpened, but it was strong enough to tear flesh.

“Really? Let’s see how long your thoughts last.”

Sadongheum said while performing a rather splendid ceremony.

“Gamyu is a large town with over a thousand households. I am the best man in Gamyu. Can you fathom the weight contained in the nickname Gamyu Ilpae?”

The gamblers who heard the story cheered. Sa Dong-Heum’s confidence seemed to be telling the gamblers that he could guarantee them a daily payout of five pennies.

Of course, from the perspective of the party members who knew the truth, there was no situation more ridiculous than this.

Hong Geol-gae answered.

“I heard that you have to look at the long and short ones.”

“Yeah. He must be the kind of guy who would shed tears just by looking at a coffin. Just be thankful you met me at the non-celebrity concert hall.”

The host announced the start of the match.

Sadongheum rushed at Honggeolgae with a speed that could hardly be described as the speed of a ray of light, and swung his loose sword with a speed that could hardly be described as rough and ferocious.

And Hong Geol-gae barely managed to lower his body and avoid the sword.

A series of downward cuts.

Hong Geol-gae jumped up while crouching to avoid Sa Dong-heum’s attack. It was a natural response, as if he had read the sword’s path in advance, but Sa Dong-heum showed no signs of tension at all.

In all martial arts, the more you know, the more you see.

“It’s funny how desperate you are to avoid it. Let’s see how long you can hold out.”

Sadongheum continued to strike with his sword, and Honggeolgae barely managed to avoid the sword strikes by moving around.

Little by little, my clothes were torn, and if I couldn’t avoid it completely, thin lines of blood remained on my skin.

‘···Is it really necessary to deceive the other person like that?’

The fight lasted longer than expected, but the content of the fight seemed very one-sided. The gamblers and onlookers shouted.

“Sadongheum! Sadongheum! Get rid of it quickly!”

“I’ll send you away in one stroke. Why are you delaying?”

However, Sadongheum was not as relaxed as he seemed. This was because Honggyeon was surprisingly good at avoiding attacks.

Although his breathing was puffing out, Sadongheum was still confident of victory. His opponent’s breathing seemed to have gotten rougher, and he had succeeded in leaving a few shallow wounds.

Then, an unexpected situation arose.

Hong Geol-gae’s expression became hazy, and he began to dodge Sa Dong-heum’s attacks quite leisurely.

Hong Geol-gae’s palm stretched out every now and then. Not only Sa Dong-heum, but also the gamblers felt a strong sense of foreboding.

“W-Wow, that thing!”

A gambler with a level of martial arts that was somewhere between third-rate and second-rate shouted. He was a man who was considered a considerable expert in martial arts among gamblers.

The other gamblers asked urgently.

“Why, do you know something?”

“I feel like the moment of enlightenment has arrived!”

“Enlightenment!”

“I used to be a third-rate rascal. But the day I single-handedly defeated five rascals, I gained enlightenment and became a second-rate warrior!”

Regardless of whether his claims were true or not, it was a very ominous story for gamblers to hear.

Bad feelings never go wrong.

As if the gambler’s claim was not wrong, Hong Geol-gae gradually increased the distance between himself and Sa Dong-heum’s sword. On the contrary, the number of times Hong Geol-gae extended his hand to target Sa Dong-heum’s weak points gradually increased.

One story came to the gamblers’ minds.

A fight is half about momentum and flow. And anyone could see that the flow was going in Hong-Gyeon’s direction.

“Damn it, Sadongheum! Come on! You can do it!”

Receiving such encouragement only made him more and more impatient. Sa Dong-Heum’s swordsmanship gradually wavered.

At that moment, Hong Geol-gae’s sword extended towards his ear and upset Sa Dong-heum’s balance. Sa Dong-heum desperately tried to keep his balance and did not fall, but ended up kneeling in front of Hong Geol-gae.

Hong Geol-gae looked at Sa Dong-heum with calm eyes.

“It was a good match.”

Sadongheum smiled with a sense of emptiness and satisfaction.

“Wonderful. I never thought I’d see the moment when a butterfly spreads its wings.”

“Are you going to surrender?”

“no.”

“···It was a good match.”

Hong Geol-gae clenched his fist and struck Sa Dong-heum’s crown with the lower part of his fist.

Sa Dong-Heum, who was hit in the area commonly called the Cheonnyeonggae (heavenly canopy), fell to his knees and fainted.

Hong Geol-gae looked around with an expression as mad as that of a first-class soldier.

But the madness of a first-class unmanned force could not overwhelm the gambler who lost his money.

“Boo!”

“Get out, you beggar!”

Hong Geol-gae happily accepted the people’s jealousy and anger as he took off his unarmed clothes.

*

A similar match took place the next day, and the day after that.

Hong Geol-gae went up against a first-class author with decent skills, and after a close match, he knocked out his opponent’s Cheonryeong-gae by punching him.

Gamblers who had bet with confidence lost their money every time, and countless others glared at Hong Geul-gae with expressions full of hatred.

And the next day, the stands were filled with people wanting to watch Hong Geul-gae’s game.

Surprisingly, the first full match of the Mu Chang Bimu Tournament was won by Hong Geol-gae.

The reason why so many spectators flocked to Hong Geol-gae’s match today was because Hong Geol-gae’s opponent was a formidable opponent: Nakwoldo (落月刀) Jeon Wi-ryang.

The nickname was different from the people I had dealt with before. The regional name had disappeared from the nickname.

This means that the reputation of the opponent has risen to the point where it is no longer limited to one region.

In fact, the potential was unmanned, having just recently crossed the zenith wall.

Jeon Wi-ryang looked at Hong Geol-gae with calm eyes.

However, Jeon Wi-ryang’s face was so haggard that it seemed suspicious that he was under thirty years old.

Hyun-gong whispered.

“That author, no matter how I look at it, looks much closer to forty than thirty.”

“I think so too. But I can’t help it.”

The age limit for the non-contest is 80% or older, depending on the receptionist’s discerning eye.

If the receptionist looks like you are under thirty, you will be allowed to participate, but if you look like you are over thirty, you will not be allowed to participate.

And even if their ages were similar, the higher their status and the more famous they were, the more lenient they tended to be in competitions.

It’s rare to find a receptionist who can firmly tell a master swordsman to turn back.

Moreover, considering that he had an uncommon degree of presbyopia, Jeon Wi-ryang somehow looked like he was in his thirties.

Namgung Myung evaluated it.

“This is going to be the ugliest match in the tournament.”

Those who lie about their age and those who lie about their skills.

And if you start fighting ugly, it’s better to win ugly than to lose.

Jeon Wi-ryang looked at Hong Geol-gae and smiled.

Anyone can see that Hong Geol-gae’s martial arts skills are first-class.

Even though he was the ‘Hong-Gyeon of Juulchon’ who had gained quite a bit of fame in this competition, I was confident that he would not be able to overcome the wall of the peak.

Jeon Wi-ryang felt sorry for lying about his age and beating the latter index, so he drew his sword.

‘I feel a little sorry. But that guy can participate in three or four more martial arts competitions. This is the limit for me to lie about my age…’

But there was one thing Jeonwiryang didn’t know.

The fact that one’s opponent felt more sorry than oneself.

As expected, this time the fight went in a similar direction.

Hong-Gyeon of Juulchon is desperate to defend. And Jeon Wi-Ryang is unable to easily finish the match even though he is pushing Hong-Gyeon.

When Hong Geol-gae’s clothes were dyed red here and there with blood, Jeon Wi-ryang was overcome by a strange intuition.

‘···no way?’

The frills in Hong Geol-gae’s movements were disappearing, and his momentum was becoming more intense.

Jeon Wi-ryang shouted, unable to suppress his bewildered feelings.

“Hey, you punk, don’t do something ridiculous! You said you became first-class three days ago! How did you do that already!”

The people in the audience didn’t immediately understand what he meant.

However, some of the people in the stands shouted in confusion.

“You’ve already surpassed the climax? How on earth!”

People’s faces were filled with shock.

Those who came purely to watch were astonished at the fact that they were seeing a master of great talent blossom, and gamblers were horrified at the fact that they had lost money for four days in a row.

Gamblers, gripped by a sense of foreboding, cried out.

“That’s foul, that’s foul!”

“Hey, you little beggar! If you have a conscience, don’t do that! Please!”

“I’ve already lost a lot after three times! Why are you acting like this again?”

Some of the gamblers were so anxious that they cried like children.

A pledge to never gamble again was a bonus.

Five breaths later, Hong Geul-gae’s fist was striking down Jeon Wi-ryang’s Cheonryeong-gae. The ending that had become Hong Gyeon’s symbol.

As Jeon Wi-ryang’s body fell down, several gamblers who had bet money on ‘Hong-gyeon of Ju-eul-chon’ were overcome with joy. Today’s odds were high enough to almost recover the losses of the previous three days.

The brave gamblers shouted at the top of their lungs.

“Heavenly canopy, Hong-Gyeon! Heavenly canopy, Hong-Gyeon!”

Hong Geol-gae spread his arms wide and enjoyed the explosive attention pouring in.

Hong Geol-gae was ecstatic.

*

That evening, the party of Dang Mu-jin was enjoying a rich meal at the inn.

The most delicious rump meat among the chicken dishes was all Hong Geol-gae’s. If you think about it, wasn’t this splendid meal given to me thanks to Hong Geol-gae’s efforts?

As the meal was almost over, a strange sound came into the guest room. It was clearly the footsteps of someone who had learned martial arts.

Five people, excluding Representative Yang and Representative Yeom, looked at the entrance to the guest house at the same time.

The two congressmen looked surprised and asked the group.

“But why? What’s going on?”

“I just saw it because someone was approaching.”

The door to the guest house opened cautiously.

A person whose face I knew but had never spoken to before appeared. It was Namgung Hyeon, a participant in the Namgung Se-ga martial arts competition.

Hong Geol-gae hurriedly touched my face. Fortunately, the reverse magic was still in effect.

Namgung Hyeon politely gave Namgung Myeong a round of applause.

“Brother. It’s been a while.”

“Uh, Hyeon-ah. I should have gone first. I don’t know why you came here, but for now, you should sit here too. Have you eaten?”

Namgung Myung welcomed Namgung Hyeon quite kindly.

However, Namgung Hyeon only approached a little bit, and it was clear that he was finding Namgung Myeong difficult.

‘Why did you come here looking so uncomfortable?’

Namgung Hyeon hesitated and then spoke to Namgung Myeong.

“Brother, I really need your help. Can we talk somewhere without people around for a moment?”

Namgung Myung answered.

“You can talk here. Everyone is trustworthy…”

Namgung Myung’s story, which had been going on up to that point, stopped for a moment. Namgung Myung’s gaze was fixed on Hyeon-gong.

However, Namgung Myung somehow managed to finish the story.

“···Since they are one person, they won’t leak out. Is that perhaps not enough?”

Namgung Hyun looked at people’s expressions and shook his head.

“No, that’s not it. If you say that I’m trustworthy, then it’s fine.”

“Yes. What brings you here?”

Namgung Hyun asked, lowering his voice.

“···Before fighting Hong Gyeon, I would like to hear some advice.”

Hong Geol-gae heard a noise and started to squeak.