I Shouldn't Have Joined the Martial Arts Alliance - Chapter 6

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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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Needlessly joining the Murim Alliance — Episode 006
Saurin scattered Ma In’s black energy as lightly as if it were nothing at all.
It seemed that way to Ma In’s eyes, and to Jang Chun and Seo U Chan watching from behind with desperate intensity, and to Jang Chun’s younger brothers as well.
And so Ma In found this phenomenon unfolding before his eyes utterly incomprehensible.
‘…How is this even possible….’
The Demonic Energy that Ma In himself had drawn forth by his own will should have flowed from his own Dantian and surged toward that fresh-faced boy, displaying the terror of Demonic Energy.
Shouldn’t he have coughed blood from fear, or at the very least been unable to withstand the force of that energy and fallen to his knees?
Or if not that, shouldn’t his legs at least be trembling with dread?
But what was this?
The boy looked far too composed. No — more than composed……
‘…Was he laughing?’
It was utterly exasperating.
“…What does that laugh mean?”
It seemed to Ma In like mockery directed at himself. And that displeased him greatly.
And beyond the displeasure — his pride had been wounded. All the more so, being mocked by a mere boy.
“Was I laughing?”
“…Yes.”
“Well, I might have laughed without realizing it. People laugh and cry and grow angry as they live, don’t they?”
It wasn’t wrong, exactly.
But.
“Is this a situation to be laughing about?”
A boy about to die, no less.
“If I’m being honest, I find this rather enjoyable.”
“…You find this situation enjoyable?”
“Yes.”
“Ha ha. The energy I sent just now was merely a test — with a touch of play in it. So……”
Don’t underestimate me, he meant.
“I understand.”
Roiling. Boiling.
Ma In felt something rising fiercely from his Dantian.
He felt himself constantly on the losing end. As though his position and that boy’s position had been reversed.
In simple terms, the dynamic between strong and weak had been inverted — the situation was flowing in that peculiar direction, was it not?
“You know that and yet you find it enjoyable? You’ll soon be bleeding, dying in agony — and yet?”
“Even if that’s true, enjoyment remains enjoyment.”
He had never faced anyone so strong. And so now he was thrilled. Honestly, he couldn’t even be certain whether it was thrill or terror.
When he scattered Ma In’s energy, every hair on his body had stood on end. Because of the sharp, dark Killing Intent pricking at him from all directions.
Because of the tension that death might come any moment.
‘Now that I think about it…why am I….’
How could he be so composed before death?
Could it be because of what his father had impressed upon him?
‘Ah. I remember now.’
Around the time he was ten?
His father had once told him, “You were born with the makings of a true Martial Artist.” And he had added something more.
‘You are light. In thought and in spirit. So you are simple. You accept things as they are. So you harbor no attachments,’ he had said.
He still didn’t understand his father’s words.
When his father passed, the tears he shed — weren’t they from the affection accumulated between them?
He doesn’t know.
He knows only that this moment brings him joy.
Yes.
For Saurin, death was so light that he could not feel its heavy weight at all.
“Truly, you are a madman.”
Perhaps he was.
“Does it matter? Everyone dies eventually anyway.”
“Ha ha ha. You’re truly too valuable to kill.”
How many Martial Artists in Gangho could be so free from death?
And more than that, the one before his eyes was young — so very young.
And so the urge welled up fiercely within him: to dig into that boy as one digs through martial arts, to overcome difficult barriers, to teach him and refine him into a perfect instrument for himself.
And moreover, such a one would surely be of great service to his master.
“How about we stop playing with words and let our blades speak instead? I’m starting to grow bored.”
“Your sword arm is sharp, though your ear for meaning grows dull — a pity, that.”
I’m going to all this trouble to save him, but it seems the boy isn’t hearing a word of it.
“Since I was young, I’ve had a habit of letting things go in one ear and out the other.”
Whether it’s because of his father’s influence……
Or for some other reason, I can’t say.
“Is that all? Are we done here?”
“……Do as you wish.”
When words won’t reach a man, force becomes necessary. Better to knock him senseless and drag him along by sheer will.
I can’t bring myself to give up on this boy before me.
A martial artist who disregards death has limitless potential for growth. And from what I can tell—though I don’t know how intensely he’s trained—he possesses an exceptionally fine frame for mastering the Ascending Martial Art.
Furthermore.
The fact that he’s here in the Gambling House suggests he belongs to no one’s faction. What a stroke of fortune.
‘Let’s see it. What level is your true strength?’
The corners of Saurin’s mouth curl upward.
‘This boy……, he’s actually enjoying this moment?’
The child’s eyes—bright and depthless—are shining with unmistakable clarity.
‘The Master himself never possessed eyes like that……’
Then.
Crack!
Saurin pushes hard against the floor and launches himself toward Ma In.
‘What!’
Fast!
Faster than expected. Without sufficient Internal Energy, one couldn’t reach such speed—yet for him to have accumulated this much Internal Power at such a young age is truly extraordinary.
Desire swells unbidden.
But……
‘……A thrust?’
Madman!
You’re no assassin.
Even for someone who disregards death, isn’t this a completely suicidal attack?
‘The heart?’
Does he mean to end it in one blow?
‘Where does such recklessness come from……, no!’
Saurin’s blade wasn’t aimed at Ma In’s heart at all.
“You bastard!”
Saurin’s sword changes direction in an instant, thrusting instead toward the shoulder where Ma In grips his blade.
Ma In swings his sword desperately, deflecting Saurin’s rapidly advancing strike.
Clang!
‘Damn it……!’
His hands sting.
Considerable Internal Energy is channeled through that blade.
And in that instant, shock hits hard enough to send cold sweat down his spine.
He hadn’t imagined it. That the boy possessed such skill. That he carried unexpected Internal Power alongside his willingness to throw away his own life in attack.
This child is beyond imagination.
But it wasn’t over.
Ma In’s eyes widen in surprise, large as lanterns.
Saurin’s blade, deflected by Ma In’s sword, uses that momentum to spin and slash toward Ma In’s neck with blinding speed.
‘Damn!’
Not there either!
Not at the neck—the blade tears through the air at impossible speed toward his waist instead!
‘Block it……?’
No.
If he deflects it, Saurin will use that rebound to launch yet another attack, won’t he?
Of course, he might not. But preparing for every possibility—isn’t that the very difference between the novice and the master?
Rather than deflect Saurin’s blade as it slashes toward his waist, Ma In chooses to step back, creating distance. At the same moment Saurin’s momentum falters, he intends to counterattack.
Smooth.
Ma In’s feet glide backward with ease and grace, sweeping the floor of the Gambling House as he retreats.
A triumphant smile plays across Ma In’s lips.
‘This one is formidable, but the Gangho isn’t so easily……what is this?!’
……How can this be happening?!
Ma In was certain the boy would slash at his flank. He was sure of it.
But that wasn’t what happened, was it?
‘Surely he didn’t see through my movements?’
It was impossible, and yet there was no other way to explain what was happening.
The boy’s blade, swinging horizontally, suddenly shifted its trajectory toward the direction Ma In was retreating.
The chill that had briefly left Ma In’s spine returned in force. But he was not a man to be caught so easily.
In that instant, Ma In twisted his body and slipped past Saurin’s darting thrust.
Whistle!
Saurin’s blade pierced empty air, flashing past Ma In’s side like lightning.
It was only a heartbeat—but in that single heartbeat, Saurin unleashed not one or two attacks, but three in succession.
Saurin’s face flushed with exhilaration as he spoke.
“Well? How was that?”
Ma In, by contrast, wore an expression of genuine surprise.
“…Impressive.”
More than impressive, in fact. This boy was far beyond what Ma In had dismissed him as—certainly not the sort to toy with carelessly.
And doubt crept in.
He’d come intending to render the boy unconscious and carry him away unharmed, but at this level of skill, it seemed he’d have to break something or inflict a wound that might prove fatal.
‘Perhaps…’
He might have to abandon the idea altogether.
The boy was undeniably a talented prospect, but no prospect was worth more than Ma In’s own life.
“And yourself. I’d have been disappointed if I’d gotten the better of you just now, to be honest.”
Very nearly disappointed.
Of course, some of the blame lay with Ma In himself—he hadn’t gone all out because he’d underestimated his opponent. But in the Gangho, underestimation is itself a form of weakness.
Even knowing that carelessness in the Gangho was tantamount to death, he’d allowed his guard to slip—seduced by the boy’s youthful face and his own instinctive nature. For a moment, he’d forgotten the cruelty that the Gangho demanded.
But Ma In resolved now: there would be no second mistake.
A life, once lost, cannot be returned.
“Hah. You’ve got nerve, I’ll give you that.”
“Shall we go again, then?”
“No. This time I’ll take the lead.”
He’d learned that ceding the initiative put him at a disadvantage. The boy’s blade was sharp, yes—but its speed was formidable.
“As you wish.”
‘Force.’
If he could pin the boy down with the raw power of his Internal Energy, perhaps—just perhaps—he could still carry him away without the boy surrendering.
‘It’s worth trying.’
Every moment of life is a challenge, after all.
The air around Ma In began to ripple and throb. His Dantian churned with Demonic Energy—the signs were unmistakable.
‘A true master, indeed.’
The very atmosphere seemed to roil from the sheer force of that Demonic Energy.
‘Just how strong is he?’
Could he really endure it?
The word ‘enough’ flickered through his mind, but he couldn’t be certain. He’d never faced a force of this magnitude before—he couldn’t make promises without testing it firsthand.
But what mattered most—
‘—was the thrill.’
It felt like experiencing an entirely new world. A sense of wonder seized him.
And now he perceived it, saw it clearly.
Ma In had no intention of killing him.
Though power enough to shake the very earth radiated from him, there was no Killing Intent behind it.
Father had told him once.
Internal Power—true Internal Energy—springs not from the limbs, but from the heart and mind.
The will to defeat your opponent, the resolve that you must survive and they must fall—these alone forge the deepest strength.
And so Ma In’s surging power, for all its fury, lacked both the will to win and the will to kill. Saurin had no reason to lose.
‘Here it comes!’
Ma In drives forward in a violent surge, his Demonic Energy compressed and hurtling toward Saurin.
No opening appears.
Or rather—no opening exists yet, because Saurin has not yet reached the level where he could find one.
‘Then it’s a direct confrontation.’
Ma In’s blade, laden with thick, dark Demonic Energy, swings down toward Saurin with savage force.
Slash!
Boom!
Not the ring of steel on steel—but the Demonic Energy from Ma In’s blade and the Primal Force Energy from Saurin’s colliding head-on, a deafening explosion that rocks through the Gambling House.
And then—
Tap.
Saurin was driven back a step by Ma In’s tremendous force. But Ma In’s blade showed no sign of stopping.
He had resolved to simply overwhelm Saurin through sheer power.
Boom!
Crash!
Bang!
In the wake of the collision between Demonic Energy and Primal Force Energy, tables, chairs, and every other fixture within the Gambling House shattered and flew in all directions, scattering wildly.
Saurin appeared wholly consumed with parrying Ma In’s relentless onslaught, yet his expression remained unchanged.
“Excellent!”
‘……What? Excellent? This madman!’
Ma In clenched his teeth and swung his blade again.
Bang!
“Now we’re talking!”
‘What in the……!’
Ma In drew upon deeper reserves of Internal Power.
Crash!
“More! Harder still!”
Ma In’s teeth ground together of their own accord.
‘Damn it! If that’s what you truly want, then die!’
Ma In channeled every ounce of his Internal Power into his blade.
Thunderous crash!!
A deafening explosion erupted as if the very Gambling House were about to be reduced to rubble.
And then.
Boom!
Saurin’s body hurtled toward the far corner of the Gambling House like an arrow loosed from a bow, crashing through the wall with such force it seemed nothing could stop him.

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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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