The Martial Genius Who Remembers Everything Novel - Chapter 72

Chapter 72
## Chapter 72. The ‘First’ Trial of the Hell Regular Exam (6)

Someone who had spent his whole existence exploiting his authority could not simply deign to humble himself on a whim.

Furthermore, if the counterpart happened to be an individual who had previously bowed before him with utmost diligence, he would perceive it not as modesty, but as an outright insult.

Even considering that, I truly had not anticipated that he would dispatch the premier martial artists he had retained to this front at such a critical juncture.

‘What an absolute fool.’

As I pondered the secondary request I had submitted to Hao Gate, Windless Demon Rod Han Geum-tak unwound a translucent strand from his weapon and remarked,

“This is exactly why clever little brats are entirely devoid of amusement.”

Han Geum-tak’s signature method involved disrupting a foe’s concentration with his intimidating Demon Rod while simultaneously manipulating concealed filaments and barbs independently of the main weapon, piercing through the target’s flesh before they could even perceive the threat.

I returned the Black Dragon Sword to its sheath and inquired,

“Is it truly wise for you to abandon your patron?”

“The Gyeryong Merchant Guild has already mobilized far more military might than required for the fortress they intend to strike. Furthermore, that is hardly a matter that should concern you at this moment.”

“What explicit instructions did the Guild Master provide regarding our fate?”

“He demanded we return with a right arm and a shattered Dantian. Should that prove unfeasible, he noted that severing your head entirely would suffice.”

“Is that not excessively ruthless, even for mercenaries of the road?”

“Who can say? We merely execute our assignments thoroughly in accordance with the compensation we receive.”

As our conversation progressed, the gap separating us narrowed continuously.

Turning to the three siblings, I instructed,

“Yama Axe Yeon Chu-ak is renowned for the immense impact of his descending strikes. Retain the Sword Formation, absorb and distribute his momentum as effectively as possible, and deduce a path to victory.”

“…….”

“…….”

When disciples verified the tangible fruits of their advancement, their commitment to their training deepened significantly.

Thus, I assigned Yeon Chu-ak to the three siblings.

The young ones, experiencing actual warfare for the first time, possessed hands that trembled with anxiety, yet the clarity in their gaze never wavered.

The moment my feet left the earth, I activated the Unrivaled under Heaven Movement Art and closed the gap separating me from the trio in a flash.

“Hup!”

“What in the……!”

“Curse it!”

Concurrently, I unleashed the Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist, manifesting nine distinct Fist Forms in midair.

THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD!

Han Geum-tak and Dam Cheol-gak desperately brandished their primary techniques to defend as they fell back, while Yeon Chu-ak parried the Fist Forms using his massive weapon, veered to the flank, and naturally pivoted to assault the three siblings.

The precise tactical alignment I desired had been established.

“Remain vigilant!”

Shouting those words, I once more executed the Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist, directing nine lethal Fist Forms toward the remaining pair.

CLANG. CRASH—!

From within Dam Cheol-gak’s cuff, a Turtle-Shell Hand resembling the limb of a tortoise darted forth to intercept the strikes, while Han Geum-tak retreated rapidly to create distance.

Yet the more he attempted to withdraw, the more aggressively I pursued, refusing to grant him any breathing room.

“Curse it!”

Recognizing that Han Geum-tak required space to operate, Dam Cheol-gak thrust himself into the intervening gap.

The exact instant Han Geum-tak attempted to exploit that opening to swing his Demon Rod and manipulate his hidden barbs,

“Heavenly Silkworm Thread is scarcely a tool exclusive to your repertoire.”

“Urgh! When did you managed to……?!”

I retracted the Flying Dragon Claw that had been driven into Han Geum-tak’s torso alongside the Fist Forms, swinging him through the air in a sweeping arc before slamming him violently against a boulder.

CRACK!

“Guhh!”

As befitted an expert reputed to dwell on the threshold separating first-rate from peak proficiency, his nasal bone shattered and lacerations marred his features, yet in that split second, Han Geum-tak mitigated the force of the collision and ripped out the Flying Dragon Claw embedded in his chest.

“You wretched dog! You are far more treacherous than the rumors implied.”

“What rumors might those be?”

“Does Black Flame not signify devious and underhanded machinations?”

“……It denotes contemplations as profound as the absolute void……”

“Silence!”

A moniker I already found distasteful grew even more repulsive when twisted in such a fashion.

“I shall report every detail to the Peak Lord of Four Emperors Peak in due time.”

Unsheathing the Black Dragon Sword, I instantly unleashed the Twin Heaven Sword Formula.

Phantasm Swords and Alteration Swords saturated the space between myself and the duo, working to disorient their vision.

Dam Cheol-gak, who initially attempted to strike down every blade manifesting before him, realized that phantoms were interspersed among them and shifted his focus to targeting solely the genuine blades.

Han Geum-tak finally rotated his Demon Rod, lashing his concealed hooks in unpredictable trajectories.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM.

With each collision between the Black Dragon Sword and the Turtle-Shell Hand, the atmosphere ruptured with concussive force, and the moment an obscured hook sought to impale my face, I utilized the Taeul Eighty-Thousand Divine Steps to slip backward.

“Gaaaaaah!”

Simultaneously with my retreat, the Flying Dragon Claw I had covertly anchored within Dam Cheol-gak’s torso yanked taut, inflicting severe agony.

“When did you accomplish……?”

“When your concentration is fixed entirely on a single point, other threats become invisible.”

Employing the Illusion Step variant of the Taeul Eighty-Thousand Divine Steps, I evaded the incoming hook and wrenched the Flying Dragon Claw back with total exertion.

CRUNCH.

Accompanied by the sound of tearing tissue, a gaping cavity the size of a fist opened upon Dam Cheol-gak’s chest.

“Urgh.”

Crimson fluid erupted like a deluge, rapidly staining his combat attire a deep scarlet.

The second Dam Cheol-gak pressed his palm against the injury, I extended my left arm and triggered the Azure Dragon Bracelet.

“What sort of sorcery is this?!”

Likely due to his vital essence being siphoned by the Azure Dragon Bracelet, the hemorrhage ceased abruptly, replaced instead by a rapid decay of the surrounding flesh.

Facing Han Geum-tak, who lunged forward amidst the chaos, I executed the Twin Heaven Sword Formula.

Turning toward the retreating Dam Cheol-gak, I directed the Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist.

THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM.

Phantasm Swords and Fist Forms scattered across the battlefield, kicking up a dense shroud of debris.

“Cheol-gak! Can you stand?!”

Han Geum-tak scanned the hazy dust for his companion, but Dam Cheol-gak offered no reply.

The moment Han Geum-tak’s position became visible, I unleashed the Ten Thousand Seas Heaven-Earth Sword Formula, the pinnacle art of the Taeul Sword Emperor.

Observing the three blades hovering in midair, Han Geum-tak, who had been grimacing, let out a mocking sneer.

“Is that wretched Phantasm Sword of yours merely capable of this display?”

Han Geum-tak swung his Demon Rod in sweeping arcs to counter the manifestations.

It was the standard methodology to differentiate between the authentic weapon and a mere illusion.

However, not a single manifestation dissolved even when struck by the gale generated by his Demon Rod.

“W-What?!”

The sword constructs he had dismissed as illusions were entirely substantial.

Having wasted movement looking for the genuine blade to husband his energy, he had utterly failed to segregate the real from the false, belatedly attempting to wrench his torso clear.

Yet the Ten Thousand Seas Heaven-Earth Sword Formula had already detonated against his frame.

SQUELCH, SQUELCH, SQUELCH.

Two minor lacerations pierced either shoulder, while a profound gash cleaved across his midsection.

Han Geum-tak marshaled his remaining True Qi, launching his Demon Rod and hidden barb in a final desperate gambit.

WHIRL. TING.

Regrettably for him, the barb merely passed through the residual image left behind by my Illusion Step, sailing further downrange before deflecting off a stone structure.

“Hah, how could this……?”

Positioning myself directly behind Han Geum-tak, I remarked,

“There is a maxim shared among our Sojeong Squad Members. Deceived once, it is an oversight. Deceived twice, you are foolish. Deceived thrice, you are an utter imbecile.”

As Han Geum-tak turned his gaze, his pupils vibrated violently as though he were gazing upon an apparition.

“This represents the capability of someone between second-rate and first-rate?”

As if providing the answer to his despondent query, the Black Dragon Sword struck.

The reflection in his eyes was saturated with a mixture of phantoms and lethal steel.

“You insidious wretch……”

The ultimate accolade one could receive in the theater of combat.

I acknowledged the sentiment graciously.

“My gratitude for the praise.”

—

Having settled accounts with Han Geum-tak and Dam Cheol-gak, I made my way toward the position of the three siblings.

CLANG, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG. CRASH—!

The Geum, Eun, and Dong brothers were desperately holding the line against Yeon Chu-ak.

They had sustained numerous minor abrasions across their forms, yet precisely as I had commanded, they were parrying Yeon Chu-ak’s heavy axe strikes as much as possible while leveraging the strategic benefits of their Sword Formation to prolong the engagement.

“You! Cursed whelps!”

Yeon Chu-ak’s offensives were continuously neutralized, while the trio, conversely, capitalized on those brief lapses to inflict incremental damage.

The sole flaw in their performance, however, was that even when clear offensive openings manifested during the execution of the Sword Formation, they faltered and omitted the lethal blow.

“How much longer do you intend to protract this contest?”

“Eldest Senior Brother!”

“Senior Brother!”

As the three siblings acknowledged my presence, Yeon Chu-ak shifted his focus toward me.

“Already? By what means could…… Curse it!”

Yeon Chu-ak, distracted by my arrival, exposed a fatal vulnerability.

Geum-pyo launched a thrust, but hesitated at the critical moment, prompting Eun-ho to step in and intercept Yeon Chu-ak’s counter-axe strike instead.

“Dam Cheol-gak! Han Geum-tak!”

Yeon Chu-ak bellowed for his comrades, but no response came.

Then, resolving his course of action, he sprang from the earth in an attempt to flee the clearing.

At that exact juncture, I ascended alongside him, raining down the Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist upon his form.

THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD!

With Yeon Chu-ak, who had absorbed the full impact of the Ten Thousand Transformations Invincible Fist while airborne and plummeted heavily into the soil, acting as the nexus, the three siblings established their Sword Formation once more.

Nevertheless, the seamless proficiency they displayed during practice eluded them.

Despite possessing ample internal reserves owing to the Moving Circulation technique, they lacked the resolve to press home the advantage.

This was the stark divergence between actual bloodsport and mere training manifesting in real time.

“Will you only apply yourselves in earnest once one of you has surrendered a limb and suffered a broken Dantian?”

“…….”

“…….”

The blades of the three siblings, shocked back to absolute focus, grew exceedingly vicious.

Yeon Chu-ak’s physical responses were decelerating significantly.

CLANG.

Eun-ho, who commanded the most substantial internal reserves, forced an opening in Yeon Chu-ak’s guard.

Geum-pyo executed a lunge.

‘Yet it lacks depth.’

Extinguishing a human life was no simple psychological feat.

Even when striking an adversary who harbored lethal intent, they instinctively held back.

Ultimately, just as I prepared to swing the Black Dragon Sword, Dong-ryong’s eyes flushed crimson, and he vaulted forward from between Eun-ho and Geum-pyo.

Simultaneously, an aura of pure slaughter that should have been impossible for a youth of his years erupted from Dong-ryong’s frame.

“Uaaaaagh!”

Yeon Chu-ak’s complexion drained of all color, paralyzed by the sudden manifestation of bloodlust.

‘Could it truly be……?’

While I observed Dong-ryong in momentary astonishment, the youth succeeded in carving a massive laceration across Yeon Chu-ak’s body.

“Cease your strike.”

The moment I pressed my edge against Yeon Chu-ak’s throat, the movements of the three siblings and the defeated warrior ground to a halt, everyone drawing ragged breaths.

Their physical forms were drenched in perspiration, and faint tendrils of vapor drifted from them into the cool air.

“Haaah, haaah, haaah.”

While Geum-pyo and Eun-ho recovered their breath, Dong-ryong maintained a fixated gaze on Yeon Chu-ak, his eyes burning with undiluted murderous intent.

Yeon Chu-ak exhibited far greater terror toward Dong-ryong than toward me, despite the steel resting against his jugular.

“Dispel your killing intent at once, Dong-ryong.”

“……Ah? Understood.”

No sooner had the directive left my lips than Dong-ryong’s expression reverted to its customary, innocent clarity, and simultaneously, as the absolute tension drained from him, he began panting heavily.

“P-Please spare my life!”

I looked down at Yeon Chu-ak, who was pleading for clemency.

“Did you not arrive with the explicit intent to murder us?”

“I-I merely accepted the contract for the compensation. There was not a shred of personal animosity behind it!”

“Had we been representatives of the Wudang Sect rather than the Taeul Sect, would you have accepted this commission?”

“…….”

CRACK.

I shattered Yeon Chu-ak’s arm with a single strike and simultaneously destroyed his Dantian.

“Guhh!”

Yeon Chu-ak regurgitated a torrent of blood alongside profound internal trauma.

“Retain this lesson. Should you ever thoughtlessly unsheathe your steel against the Taeul Sect going forward, your demise will be catastrophic.”

“…….”

“…….”

As we consumed a delayed evening meal, Geum-pyo and Eun-ho remained despondent.

Conversely, Dong-ryong, entirely oblivious to the fact that he had projected an extraordinary aura of slaughter toward Yeon Chu-ak earlier that day, was happily devouring multiple portions of porridge prepared with rice and dried meat, pronouncing it superb.

When I subtly emitted a fraction of killing intent, the postures of the three siblings holding their utensils stiffened instantly.

“!”

“!”

“!”

Yet they did not panic or lose control.

They were already capable of maintaining Moving Circulation without experiencing disruption.

As a slight grin touched my features at that display, Geum-pyo spoke up tentatively.

“I offer my apologies, Senior Brother.”

“For what specific matter?”

“Regarding the engagement earlier.”

Was his mind still occupied by that performance?

“We ought to have concluded the matter swiftly. In the end, we required your intervention, Senior Brother……”

“Taking a life is an intricate threshold to cross. I consider it sufficiently remarkable that you did not abandon the parameters of the Sword Formation in order to safeguard one another.”

“……Even so.”

“Regardless, the three of you ultimately overcame Yeon Chu-ak, did you not? I merely applied the final stroke.”

Only then did the strained expressions of the three siblings begin to soften.

“Senior Brother, given that we have neutralized those three individuals, will Guild Master Gye Yeon-seok not dispatch an even greater force to hunt us?”

At Eun-ho’s query, Geum-pyo and Dong-ryong swallowed hard.

“There is no cause for apprehension on that front.”

“Pardon?”

“I mentioned previously that I tasked Hao Gate with two specific directives.”

“One involved monitoring the movements of Guild Master Gye Yeon-seok, correct?”

I inclined my head in affirmation.

“Precisely. And the secondary task was to transmit intelligence directly to the mountain fortress they intended to pillage.”

Gye Yeon-seok had utilized his financial resources to select the least formidable among the mountain strongholds designated for elimination by the Murim Alliance.

The Four Tigers Stronghold, situated in the vicinity of Fuyang within Zhejiang Province.

Setting aside the leader and the second-in-command, who possessed basic martial training, it was a bandit camp completely devoid of notable combatants.

I had arranged for information to be leaked to that specific locale.

Now that the Four Tigers Stronghold was cognizant that the mercenaries and guards of the Gyeryong Merchant Guild were marching upon them, they would likely consolidate forces with neighboring bandit strongholds or perhaps appeal for assistance from one of the Seventy-Two Green Forest Strongholds.

“I-If that occurs, what will transpire?”

“The Seventy-Two Green Forest Strongholds exist essentially beyond the boundaries of standard evaluation. They are not entities a common academy candidate can hope to confront with a mere one hundred hired blades.”

The Seventy-Two Green Forest Strongholds commanded a scale and martial capacity that established them among the premier powers among the thousands of bandit enclaves distributed throughout the murim.

An individual stronghold from that network was comparable in magnitude to an entire independent sect, and though they comprised an irregular assortment, every single member possessed at least fundamental combat training.

On occasion, even martial artists originating from illustrious clans frequently chose to bypass those fortresses entirely rather than risk a confrontation.

“Then……”

“Should the leadership of the Four Tigers Stronghold possess any modicum of intellect, the Gyeryong Merchant Guild will fail to recover even the remains of their men. If they prove dense, they might at least salvage the corpses.”

“Hah…….”

The three siblings absorbed my explanation, their jaws dropping in astonishment.

“……Senior Brother, you truly are an unsettling individual.”

Geum-pyo shuddered visibly and shook his head side to side.

Gazing at him, a faint smile crossed my expression.

“That is the fundamental reality of the murim.”

Having initially envisioned a glamorous, idealized future within the martial world, the youths remained mute for a duration, seemingly weighed down by the harsh, unfeeling reality of the murim they had encountered firsthand.

Then Eun-ho spoke up, as if a sudden realization had dawned upon him.

“……For some reason, I believe people chose Eldest Senior Brother’s title with great accuracy.”

“……What was that, you little scamp?”

“Hahaha.”

Before long, the three siblings were seated side by side, chuckling softly.

Eun-ho turned to question me,

“Ah, of course. Senior Brother, then which specific mountain stronghold are we designated to confront? You mentioned that Guild Master Gye Yeon-seok selected the absolute weakest stronghold.”

As I adjusted the logs within the campfire using a slender piece of wood, glowing remnants scattered into the darkness.

“Our destination is the Twin Curtain Stronghold, a member of the Seventy-Two Green Forest Strongholds.”

dishonesty
“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

—

While Eun-ho and Dong-ryong settled down and readied themselves for rest, I slipped over to Geum-pyo, who was maintaining the watch.

“Senior Brother, that jest from earlier was entirely excessive.”

“Hm? What jest do you refer to?”

“……Is our objective truly the Twin Curtain Stronghold?”

“There are very few bandit strongholds remaining available to us, given our delayed departure.”

“……No, but even so. Hoo…… Never mind.”

Geum-pyo exhaled a prolonged, weary sigh.

“More to the point, what brings you out instead of resting…… What are you doing?”

“Geum-pyo.”

“Yes.”

“Maintain your composure when you hear this.”

“……Whenever you prefaced a statement like that, Senior Brother, it only serves to heighten my anxiety.”

As I directed my gaze back toward the embers of the campfire, I observed Dong-ryong curled tightly into a ball to escape Eun-ho’s playful prodding as he rested beside him.

“Regarding Dong-ryong. It appears highly probable that he is the manifestation of the Heavenly Killing Star.”

“……Mmph!”

Geum-pyo’s eyes widened and trembled erratically as my palm instantly clamped over his mouth to stifle his outcry.