Chapter 87. The Entire World is My Home (8)
Ah Sam stood firmly, grounding his body with a rigid stance. He stopped each and every one of Jae-Hwa’s attacks using his fist and forearms with slow but firm basic blocks.
As soon as Ah Sam blocked the three blows, Jae-Hwa suddenly flipped upside down and placed his right hand on the ground. He bent both legs and kicked with both feet, aiming for Ah Sam’s chin and chest.
He was using the Flying Tiger Flips the Heavens, Woo-Moon's favorite stance within his self-created Heavenly Lunar Fist.
Just like before, Ah Sam parried Jae-Hwa’s attack with slow and steady movements, relying on his solid stance to dissipate force.
They were two sides of the same duality. On one side, Jae-Hwa showed his wit at every moment, constantly moving as he launched wave after wave of attacks, modifying and connecting the individual stances of the Heavenly Lunar Fist accordingly. On the other, Ah Sam moved almost foolishly slowly as he very deliberately chose his stances to counter each of Jae-Hwa’s attacks accurately.
If Jae-Hwa was the everchanging storm, Ah Sam was the immovable and unwavering boulder.
“It seems like, contrary to your expectations, Jae-Hwa is going to win pretty easily, right?”
Woo-Moon smiled at her question.
“Junior sister, who do you think is more similar to me?”
Si-Hyeon answered almost immediately, as if she already had an answer in mind.
“Definitely Jae-Hwa. He’s similar to you in many ways, from the feints he likes to use to catch his opponent off guard to the flurry of attacks that he uses to gain momentum.”
“Is that so? Well, then that’s most likely why I know the answer. Ah Sam will ultimately win this fight.”
“Mmm, really?”
Si-Hyeon seemed to be having some difficulty believing Woo-Moon's words.
Even as they spoke, Jae-Hwa had slipped past Ah Sam’s defense and attacked him several times in succession. While Ah Sam was bruised all over, Jae-Hwa hadn’t been hit a single time yet.
Si-Hyeon turned to Ma-Ra.”
“What do you think, Ma-Ra?”
“Not flustered.”
‘What does that mean?’
As Si-Hyeon was confused, Woo-Moon elaborated on Ma-Ra’s point.
“Normally, when someone is attacked in such unceasing waves of irregular attacks, they become flustered without even realizing it. That leads to their stance deteriorating as they become unable to keep up with the opponent’s attacks. However, Ah Sam is still staying firm. No matter how many blows Jae-Hwa gets in, his stance is as perfect as before.”
“Oh...”
It was only after Woo-Moon’s explanation that Si-Hyeon realized what they were talking about.
BANG!
Right then, the sound of an incredible impact echoed through the training hall. It was different from before.
Jae-Hwa flew backward and landed hard, rolling on the ground. Si-Hyeon looked on in surprise as she saw Ah Sam drawing back his outstretched feet in his steady, unwavering stance.
“What just happened?” she asked Woo-Moon.
“Ah Sam was staying firm and just waiting for an opportunity. Eventually, the moment came, and Jae-Hwa’s stance wavered just a little before that last attack. Ah Sam used that split second to counterattack and match Jae-Hwa’s blow. Even though they both attacked at the same time, Ah Sam’s stance was firm and grounded, while Jae-Hwa’s had no support from anywhere because he was flipping around like that. So while Ah Sam could somewhat dissipate the impact, Jae-Hwa suffered the full brunt.”
Jae-Hwa lay down for a while, unable to move. Eventually, he began to stir before getting up from the ground and clenching his fists.
“Y-you bastard. You dare... You dare to hit me?!”
Woo-Moon frowned. There was no way that Jae-Hwa hadn’t suffered some internal injuries after being hit in the abdomen like that. Ah Sam’s attack had been more than powerful enough to do so.
“Stop. You lost, Jae-Hwa.”
“N-no, I didn’t! How... How did I lose? No, I haven’t lost yet!”
Overcoming the pain, Jae-Hwa rushed forward and attacked Ah Sam.
“That brat... to think he still had that sort of power... I thought that he was just all talent and wit without any tenacity, but he’s better than I thought.”
After being hit once, Jae-Hwa’s momentum completely changed. A fierce fighting spirit seeped out of every fiber of his being.
Thud! Thud!
As Jae-Hwa punched Ah Sam in the face, Ah Sam punched him in the chest in turn. However, this time, Jae-Hwa made sure to focus on his stance, pouring all of his strength into his fists and properly supporting his blows. Thus, Ah Sam was surprised for the first time in the exchange.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!!
The sound of fists and feet hitting flesh continued to echo through the hall, and before long, both boys were drenched in blood.
“Shouldn’t we stop them now?”
Woo-Moon shook his head at Si-Hyeon’s worried question.
“Nope. Considering how far it’s gone, they have to finish this here. To the point where neither can move anymore. That’s the only way things will be solved. If we get involved and stop it now, neither of them will admit they lost.”
Jae-Hwa and Ah Sam continued to spar, exchanging blow and blow.
No, by this point, it wasn’t even a spar anymore, but a brawl.
However, the difference in their dedication to the basics was evident in Jae-Hwa’s lack of power compared to Ah Sam. With each blow, the discrepancy in strength and speed grew further and further.
Eventually, Jae-Hwa’s movements slowed down to the point where he was hit twice for every punch he threw.
“Aaaah!”
He mustered up the last of his strength and kicked Ah Sam in the stomach. However, it had no effect to speak of. Instead, all he received in turn was a punch in the face, and he saw the world spin around him.
“Y-you damned bast...”
Jae-Hwa dropped to the ground.
“I don’t want to lose...” he eeked out before losing consciousness.
“Huff...Huff...”
Ah Sam wasn’t in a good state, either. In fact, it wouldn’t have been surprising if he, too, collapsed right now. However, relying on his incredible endurance and vitality, he held onto his consciousness and bowed silently to Woo-Moon.
“Good. You did well.”
The moment he saw Woo-Moon smile, Ah Sam also collapsed forward. However, unlike Jae-Hwa, there was a smile on his face as he passed out. He seemed happy to have gotten Woo-Moon’s recognition.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and take them to the clinic!”
“Huh? Understood!”
The other guards, who had been watching with their mouths wide open, hurriedly rushed to the clinic with Jae-Hwa and Ah Sam on their backs.
Woo-Moon spoke as he watched them walk away.
“Then, I should begin teaching each of them individually some suitable skills.”
Woo-Moon was incredibly moved by them on the day he returned to the Baek Estate after having been rumored to be dead. He had recruited them without much thought, so the sight of them standing together, risking their lives against Hye-Ryeong, was something he could never have expected.
Thus, on that day, he promised himself—from now on, he would sincerely teach them martial arts and turn them into experts. Hearing him, the three people standing behind him rubbed their palms and chuckled.
“Hehehe. Then, are you teaching us suitable martial arts, too?”
Woo-Moon looked at the trio with a cold gaze. While the guards and Eun-Ah were risking their lives, these three idiots had been having the time of their lives, sleeping and gambling with each other.
Of course, it wasn’t as if Woo-Moon had expected that level of loyalty from them. Still, that didn’t mean he had any intention of teaching them anything.
“I can teach you some suitable martial arts for dying, if you’d like~”
The three people were startled by Woo-Moon’s soft words.
“N-no, that’s not it. Hehehe. I think we were just delusional from the heat for a moment. Please act as if you never heard us!”
“W-we can’t die while we’re this young, can we? Please forgive us!”
The trio begged for a long time, rubbing their hands as they asked for forgiveness.
Si-Hyeon returned to the merchant guild while Woo-Moon and Ma-Ra finished their dinner and returned to the Song residence. On their way there, they ran into an unexpected guest.
“Ah, how fortunate for us to meet here.”
“Patriarch.”
Mu-Hoon approached them, with Ye-Ye standing behind him.
“I have something urgent I need to speak to you about, please follow me.”
“I feel a little heavy after eating, so... oh, all right.”
Woo-Moon was about to refuse before quickly changing his mind when he saw Ye-Ye glaring at him with a scary expression. Following Mu-Hoon, the group arrived at the Invincible Forged Squadron Commander Baek So-Hoon’s room.
“Ah, you’ve come.”
So-Hoon greeted Woo-Moon, Mu-Hoon, and Ye-Ye with a soft smile as he watered the miniature tree in his room. Following his urging, the four sat on the prepared seats. After some small talk, to which Woo-Moon responded as generically as possible, the group moved on to the main point of discussion.
“So, about why we asked you to come....”
“Yes, what do you need?”
So-Hoon took a sip of tea before continuing.
“I am very aware of my own shortcomings. I am not a good fit for the commander position.”
Woo-Moon wondered why So-Hoon was bringing it up to him.
“Um... and?”
“So, I’m thinking of stepping down as commander and retaking my role as vice commander.”
The Invincible Forged Squadron was the strongest martial force of the Baek Family. Knowing it would be difficult for the Family if the Commander position of such a force were to be left vacant, Woo-Moon frowned slightly before responding.
“Then who would become commander?”
“You.”
“... Excuse me?”
“I would like you, Song Woo-Moon, to become the Invincible Forged Squadron commander,” So-Hoon said.
Woo-Moon was shocked by the request.
“W-what are you saying? I’m too lacking to be considered for the position. I’m also still a child; how could I take on the role?”
It wasn’t that the always confident Woo-Moon actually thought that his abilities were lacking in any way. He just wanted to avoid having to take on any role of authority in the chance that things would become too troublesome or inconvenient in the future.
However, Ye-Ye shook her head and refuted him.
“Who in the Family would believe that you wouldn’t be a suitable commander for the Invincible Forged Squadron? No, rather, it would be the other way—the commander position is too menial of a position for you to bother yourself with. Don’t be so humble, Uncle. You’re the most suited for the role.”
Although it felt good to be praised, a few words of praise wouldn’t be enough for him to change his mind. In fact, it actually felt even more burdensome.
“Y-you’re too kind. How could I... I have no experience leading others, and I’m not good at it, either. Please reconsider,” Woo-Moon said, bowing his head to Mu-Hoon and So-Hoon.
However, Ye-Ye struck while the iron was hot.
“Are you sure? Considering how well you did during the Red Fog Valley expedition, I don’t think that’s a true statement... Moreover, when Aunt Hye—when she betrayed us and started the coup, the way you stepped forward and dealt with her wasn’t some normal ‘not suitable to lead’ behavior, either.”
Woo-Moon glared at Ye-Ye and tried to speak to her through his eyes.
‘Ye-Ye you little brat! I told you I don’t want to do it.’
However, she just smiled in return.
‘I’m sorry, but I can’t help it. Please take charge, Uncle.’
“Well...”
Seeing Woo-Moon struggle to accept, Mu-Hoon came up with a temporary solution.
“Then, how about this?”
“What do you mean?”
“We’ll select another vice commander for the Invincible Forged Squadron. So, we’ll have two vice commanders, with one acting in the commander’s stead.”
“... What would that accomplish?”
“There would be a total of three officers for the Invincible Forged Squadron. We’ll set it up that the commander would be absent for most of the time, while the actual leading and training would be up to the two vice commanders.”
“...”
“With that, you would be able to continue to act freely after becoming the commander and wouldn’t even have to perform in any way. You would only need to take command in the case of any special circumstances, like a great battle or something.”
Mu-Hoon’s words were definitely tempting. In simple terms, most of the annoyance of having to be a leader wouldn’t exist for him.
‘Hmm, that’s not too bad, then. The Invincible Forged Squadron Commander... the title is pretty cool, too.’
Although Mu-Hoon was indeed soft-hearted and weak, he was very good at reading people. He had immediately realized the reason Woo-Moon wanted to refuse and he had come up with a suitable suggestion.