The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 31

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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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The Youngest Son of the Nakhyang Jin Family — Chapter 31

A chill ran down my spine.
The figure peering through the window with a tilted head was so unsettling that every hair on my body stood on end.
His overwhelming physique was intimidating enough, but his disheveled hair and beast-like eyes stirred even deeper dread.
Gu Gunbaek, the Green Forest King.
He was right before my eyes.
“Ugh?!”
Chu Hyeongi, whose gaze had suddenly locked with his, stumbled backward in panic, collapsing where he stood.
He scrambled to his feet.
In moments, he had rushed behind me.
Imperial Guards, indeed?
I shook my head with an expression of disbelief.
“Let me ask again. Was my song that terrible?”
Gu Gunbaek extended his hand toward the window frame.
Crack!
He seized the wooden frame and tore it away, creating an opening, then squeezed his massive body through and entered.
The sight was like something from a horror tale whispered on a summer’s night—so grotesque that even I, who knew him well, felt my skin crawl.
As Gu Gunbaek forced his way inside, the room felt cramped beneath his overwhelming stature and presence.
Those beast-like eyes finally turned toward Chu Hyeongi and me.
A bead of sweat trickled down.
Though his gaze was simple, the ferocity contained within it caused perspiration to flow unbidden down my spine.
Then, as Gu Gunbaek alternated his stare between Chu Hyeongi and me, he stroked his chin in thought, let out a small sound of realization, and his eyes gleamed as he broke into a grin.
It was the innocent, playful laughter of a child.
But I knew all too well how terrifying that laughter could be.
As I steadied my breathing, Gu Gunbaek’s finger pointed at both of us.
“You two—are you those guys, by any chance?”
“What are you talking about so suddenly?”
“The ones going around crushing bandits, aren’t you?”
“We apprehended the bandits as payment for touching the Sega. Is there a problem?”
“Hehehehe, there is a problem! Because I’m the Green Forest King, you see.”
Gu Gunbaek puffed out his chest proudly as he spoke.
He appeared to take pride in being the Green Forest King, but I knew the truth was far different.
He was merely the result of fortunately encountering and defeating a Green Forest King who had the misfortune of blocking his path.
I spoke with measured courtesy.
“I am Jin Cheon-u of the Nakhyang Jin Family. It is an honor to meet the Green Forest King.”
“Honor? Your expression doesn’t look like it at all.”
“And you don’t seem to take much pride in that position yourself, do you?”
“Kahahaha! Now this is an interesting fellow.”
Gu Gunbaek stepped forward slightly.
In that instant.
A weighty aura pressed down upon all directions.
I could see every space save where his feet touched being slowly crushed beneath an invisible weight.
Despite not even drawing upon his full strength, the suffocating pressure threatened to steal my breath.
I slowly drew upon my inner energy to resist it.
“I came for a drink and stumbled upon some amusing fellows. I’d prefer to laugh it off and move on, but given the circumstances, it seems I cannot simply let this pass, hmm?”
Curiosity and intrigue.
Eyes like those of a child who had discovered a fascinating toy.
His expression was that of one repeatedly clenching and unclenching his fists, contemplating how best to enjoy his new plaything.
Observing that face, I steadied my resolve.
After all, I had orchestrated this situation to recapture Gu Gunbaek’s interest. Cunning would hold no meaning against him—I had to prove everything through sheer skill.
Besides, I had already endured this once before.
Why not a second time?
Having come to this village for precisely this purpose, I steeled my resolve and quietly grasped my sword.
In that moment.
Gu Gunbaek, who had been watching both me and Jang Chuchyeong while repeatedly clenching and unclenching his fists, flashed that deep smile once more and squeezed his hand into a fist.
I urgently kicked Jang Chuchyeong behind me, sending him tumbling.
Craaash—!
Tremendous force shattered the wall.
“Oho?”
A sound tinged with intrigue escaped Gu Gunbaek’s lips.
It seemed he had not anticipated evasion.
His eyes gleamed brighter as he swept up wooden debris from the floor.
Bang!
“Kyaaaah?!”
Jang Chuchyeong stared at the splinter that had grazed his cheek and embedded itself in the ceiling. He finally seemed to grasp that even a small fragment, if it struck true, could kill a man.
“Hahahaha! Dodge more!”
He then began hurling whatever he could seize.
Vases, wash basins, tables—everything that lay scattered about.
Objects that had rested innocuously moments before now flew with terrifying force, obliterating the room.
Jang Chuchyeong and I barely evaded the onslaught as we desperately fled the chamber.
“Aaaahhh! What is that monster?!”
“Didn’t you hear? The Green Forest King.”
“What?!”
Ahhhhh—
Jang Chuchyeong’s face drained of color as he shrieked. He had witnessed feats that even Baek Ja-hyeon, hailed as the mightiest of the Nakhyang Jin Family, could never accomplish—performed with such casual ease.
Such inhuman ability was enough to inspire genuine terror.
The moment Jang Chuchyeong swallowed hard.
Whoooosh—!
A hand suddenly burst through the wall.
Crash—!
The wall shattered, and Gu Gunbaek emerged from the rubble.
With a playful grin plastered across his face, he swung his crude fist forward.
Boom—!
The force that rushed toward me was absolutely staggering.
Even though I deliberately dodged rather than meet it head-on, the tremendous shockwave sent both me and Chu Hyeongi flying backward.
I tumbled across the floor, my expression darkening.
Barely regaining my footing and lifting my head, a wooden splinter came hurtling toward me with a piercing whistle—faster than an arrow.
Whoosh—
I hastily swung my sword.
Using the subtle principles of the Harmonious Blossom technique, I redirected the splinter. It passed through just in time, punching clean through the wall and out into the open.
Crash—!
“How about this one, then?”
Gu Gunbaek extended his fist.
A torrent of fist wind erupted.
Countless waves of fist wind came screaming toward me, each one radiating a terrifying force capable of shattering anything—object or person alike. Cold sweat dripped down my face.
But I steadied my mind.
Drawing upon my inner energy, I moved my sword to meet the incoming fist wind.
Boom— Crash-crash-crash-crash-boom!
Each time my blade met the fist wind, I felt an overwhelming force pressing down.
Drip-drip—
Though I continuously redirected the attacks, my body kept sliding backward, and sharp pain shot through my sword arm.
If I didn’t grit my teeth and hold firm, I would lose my grip on the sword, and the incoming fist wind would shatter my bones.
“Hahahaha! Now this is fun!”
Whoosh—!
Gu Gunbaek hurled himself forward once more.
His speed was beyond what the eye could perceive.
His physical abilities far transcended the limits of human capacity. I hastily retreated and swung my sword defensively.
In that instant, with a sharp clang, Gu Gunbaek batted my blade aside with his hand, then raised his iron-like fist and swung it down.
This was a force I could not meet head-on.
An overwhelming pressure rushed toward me, and I felt death itself approaching.
“You bastard—!”
At that moment, Chu Hyeongi rushed in and threw a punch.
Gu Gunbaek’s gaze shifted toward the sudden arrival, and seeing the cursing figure charging at him, he flashed a sinister grin.
His swinging fist changed direction, now aimed at Chu Hyeongi.
Boom—!
“Gugh—!”
Chu Hyeongi’s body was sent flying helplessly.
After bouncing across the ground several times, he crashed through the wall and fell outside.
However, the one most shocked by this situation was none other than Gu Gunbaek.
Though he had been toying with minimal strength, the sudden counterattack had struck him with enough force to make his body jolt.
He stared at the wall with a gaping hole through it, then let out a hollow laugh and furrowed his brow.
“Well, well?”
Caught off guard by the absurdity of it all, he barked out a mirthless laugh, then turned his attention back to me as though he’d dismissed the invisible Chu Hyeongi entirely.
He then rolled his neck left and right, loosening his body.
“Oho, it’s been a while since I’ve had some real fun. Show me more effort.”
I shook my head with an exasperated expression.
The inn was already half-destroyed.
If he kept rampaging, it would surely collapse completely.
But Gu Gunbaek showed no concern whatsoever, clenching his fists again and stomping down with a thunderous step.
Kuuuung—!
In that instant, the inn trembled as though an earthquake had struck.
The ceiling cracked with sharp sounds, and ominous noises pierced my ears from all directions.
That alone was not the problem.
Cracks began spreading across the floor from where his foot had landed, and soon the entire structure collapsed with a deafening roar.
My body was pulled downward.
In that brief moment, Gu Gunbaek launched himself forward with terrifying speed.
As though treading on empty air itself, he closed the distance between us rapidly from the void, swinging his fist.
I gritted my teeth and surveyed my surroundings.
Falling debris caught my eye as the floor crumbled. I quickly moved my body, stepped on the descending rubble, and leaped high into the air.
In that fleeting instant, Gu Gunbaek’s fist whistled through the air with a sharp whoosh, barely grazing me.
“Ahahaha! This mad bastard!”
Watching this display, Gu Gunbaek let out an admiring cry. To step on falling debris in mid-air and rise upward required not only refined internal cultivation but also exceptional lightness of step.
Moreover, to conceive of such a solution in a moment of crisis, and then execute it flawlessly, was no simple feat.
Just as my rising body was about to land on the remaining floor of this level.
Gu Gunbaek, who had once again pushed off from empty air, took a deep breath and unleashed a shout.
“Wak—!”
Like a battle cry erupting forth.
A shockwave rushed toward me accompanied by a sound that made my ears ring.
I hurriedly threw my body to the side against the sudden force.
I dove toward the opening that Chu Hyeongi had torn through the air, and in that instant, with a thunderous crash that shook the very earth, the entire wall of the inn was obliterated.
Krrraaash—!
Then, unable to withstand the force, the inn collapsed entirely.
As I landed carefully on the ground and turned my gaze, I could see the villagers, the inn owner, and the server all trembling violently at a distance.
Who could blame them for their fear in such a situation?
I steadied my breathing calmly and withdrew my gaze, soon spotting a large caterpillar sprawled across the rubble, writhing.
Chu Hyeongi, having regained consciousness, slowly pushed himself up. Then, catching sight of the collapsed inn and me standing motionless before him, he thrust his thumb upward.
“As expected of our Young Master! I knew you’d win! Ahahaha!”
“….”
“Huh? We won… right?”
I offered no response.
Instead, I answered by staring intently at the collapsed inn. Jang Chuchyeong, who had been brimming with excitement, swallowed hard and turned his gaze away.
Crunch, crunch—
That was when it happened.
The debris of the collapsed inn shifted and stirred.
Soon, the silhouette of a man emerged.
A figure rose to his feet, clad in what could scarcely be called clothing anymore—the inn’s collapse had shredded it to tatters.
Even in such circumstances, he still wore a smile upon his lips as he gazed at Jang Chuchyeong and me.
“Ah, that was stiff.”
Crack, crack—
Gu Gunbaek spoke without a hint of concern as he loosened his body.
He seized the remnants of his torn upper garment and ripped it away, revealing musculature of perfect definition beneath the moonlight.
A tiger tattoo that spanned his chest and back seemed to shimmer with a bluish hue as it caught the lunar glow.
Everyone watching held their breath.
Though it was merely a gaze, many felt overwhelmed by the sheer presence it carried and hastily retreated from the scene.
“Hahahaha! This is the most entertaining day since I ventured into the Central Plains! To encounter two such worthy opponents at once!”
Thud, thud—
Gu Gunbaek moved lightly across the debris, treading upon the ruins.
As he advanced slowly toward where Jang Chuchyeong and I stood, he showed no sign of diminishing his momentum—it seemed he had no intention of ending this entertainment just yet.
Gu Gunbaek came to a halt at a deliberate distance.
A distance that allowed Jang Chuchyeong and me to face him directly.
He had clearly calculated this spacing with precision.
Then Gu Gunbaek’s gaze fixed upon me.
“I hear the Nakhyang Jin Family is a merchant clan, yet you fight quite well?”
“It is not fighting—it is martial arts.”
“Nonsense. It’s all the same. Haha! What does it matter? As long as it’s entertaining, that’s all that counts.”
Gu Gunbaek erased the smile from his lips and steadied his breathing.
The aura that had radiated outward in all directions instantly collapsed inward.
Feeling the oppressive presence—like thousands of needles piercing my skin—vanish, I drew upon my inner strength in a single breath and prepared for what was to come.
Whoooosh—!
In that instant, an entirely different energy erupted forth.
As though I stood before thousands of ravenous beasts with their eyes upon me.
Gulp—
Jang Chuchyeong swallowed hard and stepped forward gradually, while I calmly gripped my sword.
“Let us enjoy this with some seriousness! I warn you in advance—do not die so pathetically from carelessness.”
That would ruin all the fun—!

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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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