Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 217
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 217
Just as the other elders struggled to adapt, I found myself in the same predicament with Jegalling in his current state.
‘Though I must admit, there are moments now when he almost seems… human.’
“So, Meng Zhu, what assistance are you seeking from me?”
A desolate gleam flickered in Jegalling’s eyes, his voice cutting through the air like steel striking ice.
‘…He’s still not human, that much is certain.’
Changwang could only reach that conclusion.
“We’ve caught a thread of the Hyeolseonggyo’s tail. I wish to draw them out and eliminate them in one stroke, but their true strength remains unknown….”
Changwang trailed off, leaving his words hanging.
Jegalling lifted his icy gaze to meet him. Few in this world could hold his stare and answer without flinching, yet
“So, how much do you know?”
Baek Rin-ui-seon was one of the qualified few.
“A man who claimed to match Gwon Je introduced himself as
Hyeolseon
Sip Cheon-gun—that is, Geumcheon-gun. If that’s true, doesn’t it suggest there are at least ten warriors of the same Two Emperors level as Gwon Je?”
If the number truly reached ten,
and if there were even greater powers lurking above them….
Meng Zhu swallowed hard. He was a man who had stained his hands with countless blood and mud.
Though his methods were dirty, his objectives had always been clear.
Much like his spear.
Yet this time, his spear could pierce nothing.
He couldn’t even discern where to strike.
“According to our strategists’ calculations, should they move directly, even the combined forces of the Murim Alliance and the Sadoryeon would face a difficult battle. This is all under the assumption that the current circumstances are truthful, of course.”
“….”
Jegalling offered no response.
After a moment, Jegalling snapped his fan shut with a decisive sound.
“If those circumstantial evidences were true, why do you suppose they haven’t moved yet?”
This was a test. Changwang felt it after a long time.
The Jegallga chooses their people carefully.
Just as Kongming chose Liu Bei, they divide their intellect only to those deemed worthy and withhold it from others.
Damnable arrogant bastards.
Yet even if catastrophe were to descend upon them, that arrogance would never waver.
“I believe they’re wary of the Empire’s gaze. While the imperial family’s abilities are formidable, the number of warriors loyal to the Empire actually exceeds the combined forces of the Murim Alliance and Sadoryeon.”
…Humiliating, but I had no choice but to lay down my hand.
Jegalling answered readily.
“The absolute masters are few, but the mid-tier warriors number like grains of sand. Moreover, with everything from the Jincheonlei to countless other weapons positioned throughout, even ‘they’ would find it difficult to defy the Empire’s will.”
Had I passed the first test? As if responding to my initial probe, Jegalling revealed one of his moves.
“So what assistance does the Alliance need?”
“If our worst-case scenario is accurate, the imperial palace must know of this. Regardless of the non-interference pact between government and martial world, look at the number of dead civilians.”
Changwang’s move was chaos.
The plan was to turn the arena itself into a muddy mess and save people in the process.
Jegalling pondered this.
‘This smells like the strategist Dokgo Seon’s handiwork.’
If the magistrate’s office got involved, things might become somewhat easier.
The magistrate’s office bore responsibility for managing commoners, and through the tax system, they would naturally become aware of regions with many missing citizens.
However, once the magistrate’s office became entangled in this matter.
Would they truly leave things as they were?
Or would they seize the opportunity to tighten their grip on the martial world as well?
Dokgo Seon must have devised this strategy precisely because he was confident in his ability to escape such consequences.
Jegalling’s eyes remained coldly submerged, revealing nothing of his inner thoughts.
“So the idea is to draw one more player into the game. It’s not a bad move, but… if it were me, I’d employ a different strategy altogether.”
Dokgo Seon, standing behind the Meng Zhu, stared at Jegalling with tension evident in his grip.
As the strategist of the Martial Alliance, the most nerve-wracking opponent he faced was Baek Rin-ui-seon—Jegalling.
Before modifying his plan, Jegalling gazed downward from the pavilion with languid eyes.
There below were his precious disciple and the scraps of humanity who called themselves his brothers.
He offered his disciple a small smile, then turned his gaze away and returned to his original expression.
“There’s no need to use an ox-cleaver to slaughter a chicken.”
* * *
Jin Cheon-hee desperately tried to stop them.
“Just listen for a moment, will you? You’re going to advance upward anyway. And Sama Hyeon will advance too. You two are destined to meet regardless!”
Sama Hyeon spoke quickly.
“Brother, you mean ‘tournament,’ right~?”
“…Tournament? What does that even mean, brother?”
Where on earth did he pick up that foreign word?
Sama Hyeon seemed to remember every single word that Jin Cheon-hee uttered.
Yeo Ha-ryun placed his hand on his mask as he spoke.
“Brother, it seems you’ve spent quite a long time with that fellow.”
Jin Cheon-hee’s mind raced quickly.
The Gangho types were the sort who drew their blades first and asked questions later once they got irritated.
Even matters that could be resolved through conversation often ended up being decided by testing who was stronger.
And that’s precisely why the Yongbong Assembly’s branch wasn’t burning down at this very moment!
“Ha-ryun, Sama Hyeon is someone I met through treating his younger brother, a connection made in the Demonic Sect. He’s been helping us tremendously. And Sama Hyeon! Ha-ryun is my first sworn brother—he saved my life. If Ha-ryun gets hurt, I’ll have no way to repay his kindness!”
Of course, Jin Cheon-hee himself had saved Yeo Ha-ryun three times, but that part of the story was conveniently omitted by the guardian of peace, love, and the emergency room—Professor Jin.
For now, Yeo Ha-ryun had his hand on his sword hilt in a posture ready to draw at any moment, and though Sama Hyeon wore a smiling face.
His knuckles cracked in a way that suggested he might tear the skin from someone’s face at any second.
‘Ugh… is their relationship really this bad?’
Were the peaceful, harmonious, and affectionate martial brotherhood bonds of Gangho only found in fairy tales?
Or had he somehow managed to recruit only hot-tempered fellows, resulting in this mess?
There was no way to know. For Jin Cheon-hee, it was utterly incomprehensible.
In any case, he needed to convey to both of them that they were each precious, that they were both necessary, and that the “selection tournament for the greatest sworn brother under heaven” should be held at the Training Ground instead.
‘I didn’t want to resort to this… Sigh, I have no choice. I’ll have to break the seal…!’
At this rate, one of them really will die here!
Professor Jin finally pulled out the magic word of the martial world and waved it dramatically.
“Are you scared of fighting fair and square? How cowardly. Both of you.”
“….”
Three seconds of silence descended.
Then a quiet killing intent began to emanate from both sides simultaneously.
In this moment, both of them were left speechless.
It was only natural.
Fair and square, scared? Cowardly.
He had chanted three instant-death incantations of the martial world rivaling Harry Potter’s Abracadabra, so the warrior’s ego couldn’t help but quake.
In this bizarre martial arts world where sword and Confucianism merged, this incantation was absolutely supreme.
If they fought like dogs here, they’d become cowards.
To avoid being a coward, one had to follow proper procedure and fight on the martial stage.
However, there was a law that transcended fantasy, martial arts, and all other mythologies.
This world operated on causality—use a powerful incantation and it all comes back to the caster.
“Understood, brother. You seem quite troubled. I’m a good younger brother, so I’ll be patient. If you insist that much, let’s have a fair duel on the Training Ground~”
Yeo Ha-ryun answered Sama Hyeon’s words. His low voice scraped with killing intent, transforming into something bestial as it passed.
“…Two.”
‘Just tell them you’ll kill them next time. Seriously!’
Jin Cheon-hee shed tears of blood in his heart.
‘Cheonwoo. At least Cheonwoo isn’t involved in this, thank goodness.’
Suddenly, looking toward the distant Wudang sect, I felt someone watching me.
Sharpening my vision, Cheonwoo was there.
‘Right. There’s no way someone with such good eyes missed this.’
Sharp-eyed, deep-hearted, and virtuous.
There was no way he didn’t see me fighting, and no way he missed me descending from the martial stage.
He simply understood that if he got involved here, it would burden his brother.
That’s why he was refraining from greeting me and waiting.
‘I’m sorry.’
At my eye gesture, Cheonwoo gave a light nod.
A sign that he was fine and not to worry.
That only made me feel more sorry.
* * *
Yeo Ha-ryun and Sama Hyeon decided to ride the martial world’s “tournament” to the end.
Here, “end” meant no need for treatment requiring emergency care operations and surgical methods to save through all-nighters—in other words, instant death.
If one was eliminated midway, he would be deemed unworthy of being brothers.
And fortunately, these two didn’t know something.
‘I won’t be eliminated either, you bastards.’
That’s right. While these fools talked about dying and such, I madly circulated the Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong.
Looking at the current bracket arrangement, it seemed these fellows would have to face me before they could meet each other.
Though my Abracadabra was destined to return as a major calamity due to the influence of that karmic whatnot, that was my own problem.
I needed to shoot my junior brothers’ heads once each with the tranquilizer gun of love and peace to put them to sleep.
‘Hmm, the real question is how much stronger these guys have become.’
At least I hadn’t given them the elixir yet—thank goodness for that.
I raised a silent toast to my own judgment.
‘These fools don’t seem to have memorized the bracket.’
Of course they hadn’t. How many people could memorize everything they saw once?
Besides, the strong ones didn’t need to worry about brackets anyway.
They could just smash their opponents’ heads as they climbed upward.
And who could have known there was a madman here who would search his own brain for the bracket and run simulations on it?
Professor Jin had done exactly that.
Instead of praying to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I offered my gratitude to Master Kong-myeong, my Master, and the elixirs.
A miraculous ceasefire.
First, Yeo Ha-ryun returned to his delegation since he came as an envoy of the Demonic Sect, and Sama Hyeon returned to conduct behind-the-scenes work for the Golden Blood Faction.
Of course, despite saying it that way, they might very well be training in their respective quarters right now for the sake of instant death matches.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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