The Wizard Who Endured the World of Murim - Chapter 25

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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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Surviving in the Martial Realm as a Mage: Episode 25
This is the current age.
Mages line up knights in front of them and comfortably wield their staffs from the rear.
They chant lengthy incantations to complete magic circles.
A combat style that sweeps away enemies in an instant had become commonplace.
But in the very distant past.
Mages naturally had to excel at close combat to face monsters and demons rushing from all directions.
‘Otherwise, you’d die.’
Arch-Mage Trevallion.
He was a specialist who could send even decent high-ranking knights flying with his bare hands in chaotic melee situations.
Because he spent most of his long years of magical training alone.
He often found himself forced to face multiple enemies single-handedly without any support.
Thieves closing in to thrust their blades, enemies firing arrows from afar.
Even monsters occasionally attacking from beneath the earth or above the sky.
To survive in such complex chaos, Trevallion had to be capable of handling every conceivable situation.
Thus, Trevallion’s magical prowess, tempered in the literal wilderness of the field.
Later became an exceptionally powerful foundation when he transcended his limits.
Particularly, battles on river waters like this one—Trevallion already possessed abundant experience.
* * *
Boom— boom— boom—!
Boom— boom—
Urgent drum sounds had been echoing relentlessly from the central command ship flying the Jinseong Escort Agency’s flag.
“Enemy fleet four hundred zhang ahead!”
“Those flags… the Yangtze Waterway Eighteen Gangs. The Jiao Long Faction among them!”
“Five sailing ships! And over twelve wedge-shaped vessels!”
“From the left flank as well—massive numbers approaching! Three sailing ships! The flags are… the Yan Wang Faction!”
“They’ve appeared on the right too! Three sailing ships here as well! The Blood Wolf Faction!”
Shouts erupting from all directions and fierce drum beats.
Skilled sailors aboard the sailing ships frantically adjusted the sail ropes, desperately trying to change course, but it was futile.
In the middle of the Liu Chang River, vast as the sea.
This place was nothing but a playground for the enemy fleet.
There was no way to escape from enemies charging with such determination—this location offered no such option.
“By simple calculation, their forces outnumber ours by more than double!”
“The distance is too close to escape! They must have hidden their ships near an uninhabited island and emerged from there!”
“Lord, your orders!”
Jin Yu-seong, the Lord of Jinseong Escort House and the Gentleman Swordsman, had not left the vicinity of the most critical iron carriage since the escort mission’s departure until now.
His three grown sons handled all other matters independently.
But when facing such a grave crisis, he, as the representative of the Escort Bureau, had to step forward and make the judgment.
“How did they know? How did they appear at precisely this moment and location? Not on ordinary land, but here in the middle of this vast Yangtze River.”
“That is…”
As dismay flickered across everyone’s faces.
The Lord called out to the middle-aged man beside him.
“Seo Jang-gwe.”
“Yes, Lord.”
“What is your assessment of this situation?”
“…It appears there is a traitor among our escort party.”
Seo Jang-gwe spoke with a gloomy expression, lowering his head.
Jin Yu-seong, his brow slightly furrowed, nodded and turned to the man standing expressionless at the deck railing.
“Indeed, this makes no sense without a traitor. What are your thoughts, Namgung Min?”
“I share the Lord’s assessment.”
The client who had commissioned this escort mission.
Gyeong-cheon-geom Namgung Min showed barely any change in expression even as bandits swarmed toward them like ants.
Rather, now that the moment had arrived.
He simply accepted it as inevitable.
Jin Yu-seong, observing Namgung Min’s composed demeanor for a moment, exhaled a silent breath of relief.
‘If the Great Namgung Family knows nothing of this, the enemy’s scale may be smaller than expected.’
In this province of Myeong.
No large-scale military movement could escape the eyes of the Great Namgung Family.
Even if such a thing existed, I believed it would not be now.
‘Though the Yangtze River Bandits have appeared from three directions, most of them are small fry.’
In a large-scale battle like this, what truly mattered was the number of peak masters.
Fortunately, Jinseong Transport Company had mobilized ten peak masters for this escort mission.
With such overwhelming force, they could annihilate even mid-sized sects in an instant.
I had to use concentration and dispersal of strength wisely.
‘If there is a variable…’
It was that we were on the river, not on land.
There was no retreating if we lost.
In that moment, the eyes of Junjageom Jin Yu-seong deepened with intensity.
Seeing how they had gathered like this.
There was no chance they would leave with a few pleasant words and a small toll.
This was a moment that demanded swift decision.
“Divide the forces on the command ship as quickly as possible. All masters except myself and Il-gak-ju will transfer to other sailing ships.”
Even before departure, I had prepared contingency plans for such emergencies.
“Sam Gak-ju, take the masters I informed you of beforehand and move to the right sailing ship. This Gak-ju, confirm the list and move with the masters. Gyeong-cheon-geom, please move with this Gak-ju to the left sailing ship.”
“Understood.”
Just as everyone was hurriedly preparing to move between the sailing ships.
Jin Yu-seong’s eldest son, who was to remain on the central sailing ship.
Il-gak-ju, the only one of his three sons to have transcended the peak realm, carefully opened his mouth.
“What should we do with the Ronins we hired for this mission?”
To Il-gak-ju’s question, Jin Yu-seong, standing on the deck and commanding with cold precision, spoke calmly.
“They will face the Jiao Long Faction head-on. Their role is to buy us time while we subjugate the Yan Wang Faction and Blood Wolf Faction on both flanks.”
“…Understood.”
Everyone aboard the command ship knew it.
The Jiao Long Faction forces attacking from the front were the largest in scale and the most notorious.
It was obvious that the Jiao Long Faction would be the center of this assault.
Yet no one aboard objected to the strategy of having the Ronin Group’s sailing ships take the front line.
After all, they were hired mercenaries for exactly this purpose.
“While they draw maximum attention and buy us time, we will swiftly break both flanks according to plan.”
The strategy had been simple from the moment they departed the Escort Bureau.
Should an attack or battle occur.
Throw the Ronins into the most dangerous position and preserve the Escort Bureau’s full strength.
Then rapidly create a breakthrough.
‘The Ronins will probably all die.’
So what?
That was only natural for them.
There was nothing to feel sorry about.
The exact strength of the Jiao Long Faction remained unknown, but there had to be at least three Peak Masters.
The Jiao Long Faction alone had six known Peak Masters.
Of course, I doubted they would all come out.
In the worst case scenario.
‘All six might have come.’
If the attackers knew exactly what the cargo was.
It wouldn’t be strange for them to bring their full strength.
And if all six really did come?
‘Even throwing the Ronins as bait would become a dangerous situation.’
If the Jiao Long Faction brought their full strength.
Then the Yan Wang Faction and Blood Wolf Faction must have sent considerable numbers of Peak Masters as well.
Jin Yu-seong shook his head at the worst-case scenario forming in his mind.
‘Regardless, I can only make the best choice available right now.’
What Jin Yu-seong desired was only one thing.
Even if the Ronins were completely annihilated.
That they hold back the Jiao Long Faction for as long as possible.
‘If they can just hold out until we finish the Yan Wang Faction on the left, that would be ideal.’
Combat on the river surface differs from land combat.
No matter how overwhelming the Jiao Long Faction’s strength.
The Ronins could tenaciously cling and persist.
‘Please hold out like that….’
Lord Jin Yu-seong harbored this hope while maintaining the most impassive expression.
He sent the designated Bounty Hunter to the lead sailing ship carrying the Ronins.
It was to deliver the final orders.
* * *
“This… this can’t be right?”
“You’re telling us to block six ships of the Jiao Long Faction with just one vessel?”
“I mean, fine, the sailing ship is one thing. But those… those smaller boats over there. What about them?”
The Ronin who had received the final order from the Lord of Jinseong Escort House all cried out in alarm, jumping back.
No matter how unavoidable the situation seemed.
This was clearly an order to go to their deaths.
Jang Guk-du, the senior Bounty Hunter who had transferred to this sailing ship, also spoke with forced composure, his complexion darkening.
“As per the subcontracted request. This is merely a demand to fulfill the original contract.”
“But this is too much! Even a simple comparison shows such a disparity in forces! And since you’re already on this ship, if we go through with this, you’ll die right along with us!”
As Yang Cheon-jo brandished his spear, sweeping it across the bow in agitation, senior Bounty Hunter Jang Guk-du turned his gaze away and answered with a grim expression.
“There’s no choice. It is the Lord’s command. We can only comply.”
“What is this even…”
Jochang, the senior Bounty Hunter who had been with the Ronin on this ship the whole time.
Spoke with a bitter smile as he watched the enraged Ronin.
“I apologize. But I will remain here with you all, so please understand.”
“This is clearly abandonment, no matter how you look at it! Isn’t it?”
Yang Cheon-jo trembled as he gripped his spear.
The middle-aged Ronin warrior who had been quietly listening—a member of the Cruel Faction carrying a Pak Do—Jang Geo-i, also known as Song Gwang-sik.
He stepped forward and posed a question in a low, measured voice.
“How long do we need to hold out against those numerical odds to survive?”
“Well… um…”
Jang Guk-du hesitated for a moment.
Truthfully, he had no way of knowing whether reinforcements would arrive on time.
But he couldn’t bring himself to speak that truth.
“…We’ll likely need to hold out for at least two hours.”
“What? Two hours? Don’t talk nonsense! We won’t last even thirty minutes!”
“If there are even one or two supreme masters among them, we’ll be annihilated in an instant. You understand that, don’t you?”
“…It is the Lord’s command. The time has come to honor the contract.”
Jang Guk-du repeated the same words like a parrot.
This was a definitive answer—there was no other way.
The faces of the cornered Ronin twisted in despair once more.
Except for Ilhyang, all the Dongpae Ronin present were first-rate masters.
(Jang Geo-i, or rather Song Gwang-sik, was a supreme master, but he was concealing his true strength.)
In truth, first-rate masters could hold their own anywhere and walk with their heads held high—they were masters of considerable standing.
But before supreme masters, they were nothing but ordinary mortals.
Could they truly withstand even a single strike from a supreme master’s hand?
As despair slowly crept across everyone’s faces.
So Il-hyeon cautiously approached Ilhyang, who had been standing quietly against the bow deck railing, his expression grim as he gazed at the approaching enemy.
And posed a question.
“What do you think our Young Lord is planning? Don’t you realize we’re all going to die at this rate?”
“Well, surely it won’t come to that.”
To Ilhyang’s eerily toneless voice.
Yang Cheon-jo, whose face had been anxious and restless until now, responded as if seized by a fit.
“Good heavens, Father! Haven’t you caught on yet? Those bastards don’t take hostages in the first place. They just kill everyone they capture, I’m telling you! They’re not like us—they don’t show mercy!”
Crack—
“I told you not to speak to your father in that tone.”
“Aaaagh! You madman! Are you really playing house games right now, in a situation like this? We’re all going to die!”
As Yang Cheon-jo pressed forward in panic, Ilhyang’s gaze turned cold and merciless.
Suddenly regaining his senses, Yang Cheon-jo hunched his shoulders and scurried into the corner.
The effects of years of conditioning had taken hold.
Meanwhile, Ilhyang turned his attention to Jang Guk-du and spoke.
“Looking at the orders the Lord sent earlier, it says we only need to hold back the Jiao Long Faction in front, and this contract will be considered complete. Is that correct?”
“That’s right. I even brought the official seal of confirmation. According to the final orders of the subcontract, we only need to deal with the Jiao Long Faction.”
“Then we don’t need to involve ourselves with the Yan Wang Faction and Blood Wolf Faction on either side?”
Was he suggesting we take on the Yan Wang Faction and Blood Wolf Faction as well in this situation? Was he in his right mind?
Jang Guk-du’s expression became momentarily bewildered before he nodded and replied.
“We don’t have the capacity for it anyway… and the Lord doesn’t expect it of us at all.”
At Jang Guk-du’s confirmation, Ilhyang smiled faintly and nodded.
“Good. Then it’s worth attempting.”
“…Do you have some kind of plan?”
The other party appeared to be merely a child of around ten years old.
As if merely imitating an adult.
Dressed in a black formal robe made from what appeared to be extraordinarily expensive silk, with hair neatly bound by a jade hairpin.
Yet such superficial adornments could not conceal that youthful face and small frame.
‘But.’
Jang Guk-du gazed seriously at Ilhyang’s refined features.
He had already witnessed Ilhyang’s abilities during the escort mission.
Hyeol Pung Chang, Yang Cheon-jo—a master swordsman counted among the finest of the first rank.
Had been disciplined one-sidedly, as if beating a stray dog in the neighborhood.
Therefore, no one here doubted Ilhyang’s capabilities.
‘In Kangho, after all, the strongest becomes the king.’
Just as Jang Guk-du reached that point in his thoughts.
Every person aboard the sailing ship turned their expectant gaze toward Ilhyang.
Perhaps this prodigious boy might demonstrate something remarkable.
After brushing past each of those hopeful gazes one by one.
Ilhyang spoke briefly.
“Do you know the principle of capturing the thief by capturing the king—strike down the leader to fell the enemy?”
“Ah~ Father’s writing characters again. That’s too difficult!”
As Yang Cheon-jo muttered quietly from the corner, his fierce eyes twitching.
Ilhyang snapped his fingers.
“If you come now, I’ll settle this with just one strike.”
“Ah, hehe, did that reach all the way over there, Father?”
“Come here.”
As Ilhyang straightened up from the deck railing where he’d been leaning, seemingly ready to actually grab Yang Cheon-jo.
Yang Cheon-jo startled in alarm and made a show of trying to flee hastily toward the cabin.
Meanwhile, the Cruel Faction, which had subtly assumed the position of leader among the Ronin, and Jang Geo-i (Song Gwang-sik) asked again.
“Is that even possible? We only get one chance.”
“It seems like it might be possible.”
Jang Geo-i gazed at Ilhyang with a serious expression.
Truth be told, for reasons I couldn’t fathom.
Ilhyang’s exact martial prowess still hadn’t been measured.
Even if he were a mage.
Normally, one should be able to read the level of qi an opponent possessed.
‘Yet even now, I cannot gauge him with my eyes.’
Perhaps.
Just perhaps.
This mysterious boy before me might be a master of the caliber of an ‘elder’ from the Namgung Clan.
‘No, that can’t be. It’s impossible.’
But he was a monster with the mental fortitude to control no fewer than nineteen Jiangshi.
In a situation like this, there was nothing to do but gamble on this fellow.
“What should we do?”
At Jang Geo-i’s question, Ilhyang smiled brightly as he folded both of his loose sleeves once each and wrapped them tightly around his arms.
“Just draw the enemies’ attention. Make as much noise as possible.”
“Oh! That’s my specialty! Trust me, Father!”
Yang Cheon-jo, who had been cautiously watching for an opening, emerged from the corner and began swinging his spear like a flag again.
Ilhyang sighed softly and spoke quietly.
“Please throw that fellow into the most dangerous spot possible.”
“Hmm, that’s far too easy a request. I was planning to do that anyway.”
As the conversation wound down, the Ronin gazed at the massive sailing ship of the Jiao Long Faction drawing near, and they pulled their fighting spirit up from the depths to which it had fallen.

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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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