I Became the Namgung Clan’s Omnipotent Item-Powered Martial God - Chapter 53
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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 53
Chapter 53 – They Continue to Grow Stronger
#1
The new training method was brutally simple.
Not merely simple, but savage enough to shatter bone and tear flesh.
Each time the sword collided with the Scarecrow, Internal Power drained from him in massive chunks.
The real problem was that all of this training came after hauling vast quantities of water each dawn.
Torn muscles became routine; bones snapped under the strain.
So how was every setback resolved?
“Seriously, where did you even get this many Magical Pills?”
“I know. Without them, I’d probably have been eliminated from the Selection Competition already.”
With money.
The Baek O Dok Dan was a medicinal pellet of exceptional restorative power.
This was a world where mystery and the extraordinary held sway.
What medicine said was impossible became entirely possible here.
Of course, ordinary folk made do with Wound Medicine and weeks of recuperation.
But the miraculous pellets Namgung Yeon provided healed every injury from the Scarecrow training without a trace.
It was an unreasonable regimen, truly.
“You’re feeling it too, aren’t you?”
“Yeah. My Internal Power grows visibly by the day. At this rate, I might reach the level of a complete master before the Selection Tournament.”
Yi Hyeon and Namgung Jinjin.
The two conversed as they recovered between beating the Scarecrow senseless.
Thud!
The sound of fists striking the dummy continued unabated.
The fact that he still required no recovery meant something crucial.
It meant the volume of Internal Power coursing through his body was enormous.
Both men watched the source of that endless assault—Namgung Yeon—and whistled low in awe.
“I’ve heard there are rare cases of late bloomers, but this seems excessive, doesn’t it?”
“He’s definitely a monster. The worry is just how much larger this monster will grow.”
“It’s no joke. Look at the rest of us stagnating.”
Moreover, Namgung Yeon wielded a blade approaching twenty catties, moving with deliberate slowness as he unfurled Martial Forms.
Overwhelming physical capabilities reinforced by Internal Power.
Various Magical Pills consumed steadily since his body’s recovery.
These slept within him, now restructuring muscle fiber, bone, and organs anew.
For the fierce and cruel battlefield ahead.
Namgung Yeon was methodically laying his foundations.
‘Progress is steady. And soon I’ll need to check on the youngsters.’
Tomorrow he would depart for the Main Estate once more.
Before then, he meant to assess how well the Magical Pills he’d distributed to his Group Members had taken root.
By now his body moved of its own accord, his thoughts arranged with crystalline clarity.
“Phew…….”
“Young Master, that was impressive.”
“When did I become like this…….”
After prolonged exertion, the Scarecrow lay before him, battered and twisted out of shape.
A sharp, stinging ache rose through him.
Sweat poured down in sheets; his joints screamed.
And all the while, two figures watched him with eyes full of concern.
Ho Ho and Man Ho.
Ho Ho was first with a towel and medicinal pellet; Man Ho brought well-wrapped portions of leftover meat.
“You’ve already missed mealtime by quite a while, Young Master. Nobody dared interrupt your focus, but…….”
“I’m grateful.”
“Are you certain you’re well? We do have to return to the Main Estate tomorrow.”
“I’m fine.”
Don’t worry.
Among those who covet the Group Leader position, none can surpass me.
Likely my elder brother Namgung Jin and his faction will make a move.
That’s acceptable.
I haven’t trained carelessly enough to lose to the likes of them.
I declared it from the start.
Since this is the final test, I will win overwhelmingly.
A gap so overwhelming that no one would dare to challenge it.
‘This hardship now—isn’t it precisely for that?’
Namgung Yeon swallowed a Magical Pill and contemplated the Group Leader Selection Tournament scheduled for tomorrow.
Whoever came at him would have to be prepared to lose an arm.
#2
That evening.
Namgung Yeon summoned all those who had taken the Magical Pill.
They had nothing particular to do in the Group Leader Selection Tournament itself.
But they could challenge him if they wished to test their own aptitude.
It was proof of their capabilities, and an opportunity besides.
If they could create variables, then they should try.
Namgung Yeon did not discourage their growth.
He intended to help them fly as high as possible.
“But… why are you going this far for us?”
“Right. In a way, we’re your competitors. And yet……”
“Before you are competitors, you are the Clan Successors of the Namgung Family. That is reason enough.”
Namgung Yeon answered those who asked with concern.
In a calm, measured voice.
What did those hollow eyes pursue?
The members of the Third Group still could not discern his true thoughts.
Unease rose unbidden.
Why was he treating them so well?
Those who fundamentally understood they were competitors asked themselves.
Se Un, Namgung Jinjin, and Yi Hyeon were especially anxious.
“You all lack faith! Our Young Clan Master is saying he’s confident!”
“What?”
“He looks after all of us so carefully and still says he can win! As if to say, ‘Go ahead and try to beat me if you can’! Isn’t that right?”
“……”
Ho Ho pounded his chest and spoke on behalf of Namgung Yeon.
Everyone fell silent at his presumptuous words and looked to Namgung Yeon.
Just as the atmosphere froze, Namgung Yeon laughed softly and spoke.
“Ho Ho has it right. It’s also about telling you not to make excuses.”
“Wow, we really are being underestimated, aren’t we?”
“Well then, I needn’t worry anymore.”
A display of confidence.
There was an air about him that suggested he could defeat them whenever he wished.
Namgung Yeon spoke while looking at each of them in turn.
“It doesn’t matter how hard you come at me. You may attack with all you have, but remember—I have only five opportunities given to me.”
“But wouldn’t some deliberately collude with their Group Members to defend the Group Leader position?”
“They certainly would.”
There would definitely be those who exploited the system to protect their leadership.
But they could never become the Young Clan Master of the Namgung Family.
Did they think the elders would not notice such petty tactics?
Wouldn’t the thought come first to assign such scheming troublemakers to some minor post?
The hunger for talent ran deeper than one might expect, and nowhere was that judgment colder than within the Namgung.
To compete with other families and sects and crush them beneath one’s heel.
‘That alone is what the Namgung pursues. If one cannot prove pure strength, it will be difficult to earn their favor.’
This was the true significance of the Group Leader Selection Tournament.
Competitor and subordinate.
To walk that tightrope well—that was what the elders intended.
“All of you, rest early tonight. Preparation is complete.”
At last.
The moment had come for the board of power to be overturned.
#3
This was a shabby Training Ground somewhere in Anhui.
A comfortable bed, sumptuous food.
For Namgung Jin, accustomed to such things, surviving in this Training Ground was the challenge of a lifetime.
There, he had endured day after day with relentless determination, building his strength.
He crushed those who climbed toward him with skill.
He overwhelmed those who resisted with force.
Namgung Jin had but a single purpose.
“You’re all ready, aren’t you.”
“Yes, Group Leader.”
“Cling to them relentlessly. I’m counting on you.”
“Leave it to us. They say he got lucky winning that mock battle…… but he’s still just the sixth son.”
The sixth child of the Namgung Family.
The boy called Namgung Hui—they’d grown arrogant thinking they’d beaten him in that mock battle.
The Second Group under Namgung Jin’s command all harbored the same thought.
The Group Leader Selection Tournament was a test that revealed what one must do to hold onto power.
After each had trained in their own way, it became a fierce struggle to maintain that authority.
Namgung Jin.
For months, he had continued to dwell on that day.
“He dared to defy his elder brother. He’ll pay dearly for that sin.”
“Indeed, Group Leader. Beyond winning that mock battle by fortune, have you heard?”
“What about it? They say he didn’t even enter the recovery chamber.”
“Look at him, acting as if he’s something special. This time we need to set things straight, firmly.”
All members of Namgung Jin’s group showed him extreme deference.
Though some harbored doubts, he had consolidated the hierarchy cleanly, bending everyone to his will.
Under Namgung Jin’s absolute authority, they moved with a single objective.
To become the finest group in the Young Clan Master Selection Competition.
“You’ve all trained hard these past months, haven’t you.”
“Indeed. Our sponsors have provided enormous resources as well…….”
“Losing is not an option. Keep your wits about you.”
Namgung Jin sometimes saw that scene even in his dreams.
Eyes that looked down upon him with contempt.
That gaze commanding him from above.
Everyone…… gazing up at him in wonder.
As if that strange vision were the future of the Namgung Family itself, Namgung Jin found sleep impossible.
That’s why.
Perhaps that’s why he trained with such fierce determination. Moreover, he’d earned Mother’s praise again recently.
‘Mother’s praise. And…… a peculiar rumor spreading.’
That Mother, Dang So Yeon, had begun to practice martial arts again.
The word was it had started after Namgung Yeon brought home some mysterious Magical Pill from who knows where and she consumed it.
Was his wish truly so misguided?
Namgung Jin simply wanted to be acknowledged by Mother and Father.
Was it so wrong to crave a single warm word, a single touch of affection from them?
To truly earn Mother and Father’s recognition, yes.
“I’ll tear that wretch down completely, and then compete fairly against Elder Brother and Elder Sister.”
…….
His followers steeled their resolve at the sight of his determined gaze.
One might dismiss it as merely a matter within a single household.
But if that household bore the name Namgung Family, everything changed.
A king-like force ruling the Anhui region.
Should one seize the Family Head’s seat bearing the Namgung name, they would possess authority to command half the realm.
Thus, becoming Young Clan Master of the Namgung Family held singular significance throughout the entire Martial Realm.
“All the Martial Realm will be watching. At that grandest of festivals…… you will kneel before me in despair.”
Namgung Jin whispered alone.
Soon they boarded a carriage bound for the Main Estate.
The Namgung Family’s Main Estate, visible in the distance through the haze.
There, all these strengthened ones would gather.
For new glory.
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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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