Chapter 436: Trainer Doesn’t Hide His Strength (1)
Immediately after crossing the spatial rift, a new environment unfolded before my eyes.
It was completely different from the gate in the office.
This place looked like some kind of swamp.
The surroundings reminded me of the Southern Barbarians I had visited during my life as Mujin.
But now was not the time to indulge in memories like that.
“Suchan!!”
The child was still moving forward without a thought.
And damn it, there was some kind of monster up ahead.
A little larger than the average adult man. A bipedal lizard.
It was the monster commonly known as a lizardman.
“It’s a dinothaur, a dinothaur!”
The child named Suchan shouted in fascination.
“Krk.”
Killing intent appeared in the eyes of the lizardman when it noticed the child.
The distance between them slowly narrowed.
It was obvious what would happen in a few seconds.
Naturally, I could not simply stand by and watch.
Bang!!!
A thunderous roar erupted every time I forcefully kicked off the ground.
Mountain-Shattering Divine Steps.
My signature movement technique, which told skill and profundity to go to hell and focused solely on strength and speed.
But today, it felt unbearably slow.
It was not only because the situation was urgent.
Compared to when I had lived as Mujin, I really was moving as slowly as a caterpillar.
Please.
Praying inwardly, I drove my legs forward with all my strength.
The muscles in my calves and thighs screamed as though they were about to burst.
I was already accustomed to the screams of my muscles.
Right. Those are cheers!
I sprinted forward with the same self-hypnosis as always.
In an instant, I passed Suchan’s mother and approached the child.
The lizardman, which had already closed the distance, swung its spear at Suchan.
“Krk!!”
Just before the lizardman’s spearhead pierced Suchan’s body.
My fist, swung with all my strength, struck the shaft of the spear.
Clang!!!
A metallic sound rang out as the trajectory of the spearhead changed.
Swoooosh!!
The lizardman’s spearhead passed over Suchan’s head.
Startled, the child began to hiccup.
“Hic.”
Meanwhile, the lizardman that had been targeting the child turned its gaze toward me.
Its expression brimmed with killing intent, as though it intended to kill the intruder first.
I gladly stepped closer to it.
The distance at which I had barely managed to reach the spear shaft narrowed.
In other words, its body was now within reach of my arm.
I swung my fist at the lizardman’s murderous eyes.
Swoooooosh.
Thud!!
The lizardman, struck cleanly, was sent flying backward.
Tsk.
In the old days, its head would have exploded.
Suppressing my disappointment, I urgently shouted.
“Ma’am! Take the child and run!”
The mother, who had finally caught up, hurriedly pulled the child into her arms.
Was it not said that mothers were great?
Even with a monster rampaging nearby, she had run all the way here without giving in to fear.
“Th-thank you! Thank you, Hunter!”
I was not a hunter, but now was not the time to argue about that.
“Hurry, before more monsters come!”
At my shout, she hurriedly fled while holding the child.
“I-I’ll report this to the Association as soon as I get out!! J-just hold on a little longer!”
I merely nodded at her shout.
I could not turn my head to confirm that she was escaping.
The lizardman that had been sent flying was taking a stance.
After glancing at the child and the woman, its gaze fixed on me.
For some reason, a faint laugh escaped me.
“How dare something inferior even to an imugi.”
Compared to the imugi raised by the Master of the Beast Palace of the Southern Barbarians, this creature was no more than an earthworm.
Perhaps it understood what I had said.
The lizardman charged while letting out a shriek.
“Kieeeek!”
The distance closed in an instant.
The spearhead flew at me in a surprise attack.
It had truly been a long time since I had experienced a life-and-death battle.
The tension made my back damp with sweat.
Even so, my eyes did not lose sight of the spearhead’s trajectory.
I merely twisted my upper body slightly to the side.
Swoooooosh.
The sharp spearhead brushed past my body.
High risk, high return.
There was an enormous difference between throwing one’s entire body aside to evade and dodging by the width of a single sheet of paper.
Like this.
Bang!!
When I stepped forward with all my strength, the swampy ground exploded and muddy water shot upward.
With a single step, I instantly closed the distance to the lizardman.
The lizardman did not seem stupid either, because the moment its spear missed, it leaped sideways.
Just as I was about to take another step and pursue it.
An attack I had not expected flew toward me.
Swoooooosh.
A body part humans did not possess. The lizardman’s tail flew toward my abdomen.
Thud!
When I blocked the tail with my left arm, a dull pain traveled up the limb.
It was a familiar sensation.
It felt similar to when I had struck my body with chunks of iron with all my strength while training in the Iron Shirt.
I decided this was actually for the best.
“To think I can save a child and train the Iron Shirt at the same time! Two birds with one stone!”
I continued charging toward it.
There was a risk of being pierced by the spearhead, so I focused only on the spearhead.
I ignored the shaft, the tail it swung, and all its kicks.
Thud!
Clang!
Thud!
Each time I was struck, I continued repeating the mnemonic formula of the Iron Shirt.
Along with the pain, a refreshing sensation surged across my skin.
I had been so focused on the fight that I only realized it belatedly.
The concentration of natural energy here was also far denser than in Seoul.
However, compared to the gate that had opened inside the gym office, it was extremely thin.
Was natural energy normally abundant inside gates?
I shook off the distracting thought that had briefly entered my mind.
Now was the time to focus on the fight.
Clang!
Once again, I ignored the spear shaft it swung and stepped forward.
At last, the distance between us narrowed to a single step.
Thump!!
I stamped down hard and began rotating from the tips of my feet.
At the same time, internal energy flowed from my dantian and raced through the acupoints across my entire body.
Beginning from the Yongquan acupoints beneath my feet, the power racing through my acupoints continued to amplify.
The moment that power reached its peak, the fist I thrust with all my strength struck its abdomen.
Thud!!!
With a sound like a drum bursting, its body lifted into the air.
Its internal organs must have been damaged, because blue blood poured from its mouth.
“Kirk.......”
But it was not dead yet.
“Uryaaaaah!!”
I repeatedly drove my fists into the monster floating in the air.
Suddenly, I remembered the first incident at Shaolin.
Shaolin martial arts existed to subdue evildoers.
Along with that explanation, Great Martial Uncle Hyejeong had demonstrated by smashing a boulder to pieces.
Well, I supposed this monster counted as an evildoer too.
With the intention of shattering a boulder, I pounded the sturdy lizardman without rest.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Then, at some point, the lizardman went limp and collapsed to the ground.
“Hoo. Hoo.”
I had finally dealt with the lizardman.
I could simply leave the gate now, but the situation was not particularly good.
“Did I fight for too long?”
Four lizardmen had already taken positions around me as though surrounding me.
A sigh escaped me naturally.
“Haa. Too much cardio causes muscle loss.”
Perhaps misunderstanding my words, the four lizardmen charged while screaming.
“Kieeeeeek!”
Right.
Let us think positively.
Negative thoughts led to stress.
Stress led to hair loss.
“From now on, it is time for some enjoyable Iron Shirt training!”
I focused on the spearheads flying at me from every direction.
Spearheads were dangerous.
Therefore, I only had to avoid the spearheads.
Thud!
Clang!!
I endured the spear shafts, tails, punches, and kicks with my entire body.
No. Endured was not the right word.
It felt as though my stiff muscles were loosening.
“How refreshing! How refreshing!!”
***
Outside the gate that had suddenly opened.
A woman was anxiously stamping her feet with an urgent expression.
“Why, why isn’t he coming out? Why?”
A five-year-old boy was held in her arms.
That did not mean the child was injured.
“W-what if the Hunter inside dies because of this?”
They were the mother and son Choi Kanghyuk had just saved.
And the mother had kept her promise.
She had immediately reported the gate to the Association.
However, it was inevitable that it would take time for the hunters who received the report to arrive.
Just then, five people hurriedly ran toward them from beyond the alley.
Their strange attire consisted of leather suits and cold weapons.
They were unmistakably hunters.
“O-over here!! Th-there’s still one Hunter inside!! H-he went in alone to save my child.......”
“Yes. We’ll begin the rescue operation.”
“Please step back for now, just in case.”
They placed some kind of equipment against the entrance of the gate.
“Judging by the size of the gate, it seems to be C-rank.”
“According to the reporter, it appears to be a gate inhabited by lizardmen.”
“Then there’s no need to call for additional support. We can go in immediately!”
After finishing their assessment, the five hunters headed straight into the gate.
Once they entered the rift, a swamp spread out before them.
And from somewhere ahead, strange sounds repeatedly rang out.
Clang! Clang! Thud! Thud!
Someone’s shouts were mixed in between the noises.
“Hahahaha! More! Hit me harder, you bastards!!”
Four.
No, their number had increased at some point, and a burly man was surrounded by six lizardmen.
He was twisting the neck of one lizardman while practically holding it in his arms.
All the while, spearheads, tails, and kicks repeatedly flew toward him.
The man endured every tail strike and kick with his body, while twisting this way and that to avoid the spearheads.
As he rolled across the ground.
Thud! Thud! Clang!
“That doesn’t hurt at all!”
The five hunters watched the scene with vacant expressions.
Just then, the neck of the lizardman the man was holding snapped.
Crack!
After finally breaking one creature’s neck, Choi Kanghyuk exhaled.
“Hoo. One down.”
Once again, he rose while being struck by the lizardmen’s kicks.
Then he noticed the people beyond the lizardmen.
“Huh?”
Only then did the hunters come to their senses.
“W-we came to rescue you!”
Even as they shouted, something felt strange.
‘Are we really rescuing him?’
‘It looked like he was playing around.’
Fortunately, Choi Kanghyuk did want to be rescued.
“Over here! Help me!”
Choi Kanghyuk waved his arms vigorously at the hunters.
While being pummeled by the spear shafts wielded by the lizardmen.
Thud! Thud! Clang! Clang!
Even in the middle of that, Choi Kanghyuk skillfully avoided the spearheads flying toward his vital points.
Swoooooosh!
“Not the hair! You lizard bastard!”
Choi Kanghyuk began brawling with the lizardmen once again.
The hunters looked at one another.
“W-we should help him first, right?”
“Yes. L-let’s hunt them first.”
Once the five hunters joined the battle, it did not last much longer.
After the fight ended, the hunters approached Choi Kanghyuk.
Choi Kanghyuk’s clothes had already been reduced to rags, and his entire body was covered in mud.
“We heard what happened outside. You came in alone to save the child.”
“Yes. That is what happened.”
“The gate’s rank had not even been confirmed yet. You were truly brave.”
“This concerns matters such as compensation, so could you show us your hunter license?”
“My hunter license? I don’t have one.”
“Ah. Did you leave it at home? Then perhaps your phone....... Ah, your phone must have broken during the fight too.”
Choi Kanghyuk scratched his head at their assumptions.
“Um, I’m not a hunter.”
The hunters stared at Choi Kanghyuk with dumbfounded expressions.
He was not even a hunter, yet he had rolled around barehanded with monsters like that?
“Th-then what do you do?”
Choi Kanghyuk answered the question that had been thrown out in confusion exactly as it was.
“I’m a gym owner.”