Chapter 38: The Bet (5)
Since escaping the Godok village, Harang had met various types of people.
Merchants who didn't shy away from the hardships of long journeys for money.
Mercenaries who sometimes pursued trust, and other times profit.
Beggars and delinquents who occupied the very bottom of society, yet still had things to learn from, and countless other connections brushed past his sleeves.
But if he had to pick just one person who remained most memorable among them, it was undoubtedly the beggar old man currently before his eyes.
‘This person… Just what kind of person is he?’
That's right.
It wasn't simply because he had provided a clue to the technique called ‘Acting Lowly’.
Harang was someone who had found things to learn from Mercenary Captain Carlson, the little beggar Glen, and various other people as well.
Nevertheless, the reason he regarded this beggar old man as particularly special was none other than this.
‘Is this person… strong?’
It was because, even now, meeting him for the second time, he couldn't ascertain that for sure.
“Hey! What are you doing like that! You need to put more power into it!”
“Just because you’re holding a sword, does that mean you only use the sword? You can hit with your back while turning, or throw a kick!”
“Right, that’s… Ah! Now you should have ducked to dodge instead of backing away!”
He considered it possible that the man had approached his side unnoticed again.
Unlike the last time when he vanished without a sound, this time Harang had definitely sensed his presence.
However, the beggar old man's unsolicited advice confused Harang.
At first glance, it sounded like kibitzing in a chess game, random chatter like any neighborhood elder might spout… but there were parts that were strangely accurate.
If he had to quantify it, about 1 out of 5 times, he was spitting out creative methods that even Harang himself hadn't considered.
‘Is this a coincidence?’
Harang's expression became serious to a degree rarely seen before.
Of course, he might be overreacting.
He might be excessively misjudging and paying undue attention to an old man who was merely a beggar who had taught him how to beg.
But what if it wasn't?
What if he was a truly formidable master, hiding his identity and hovering around him?
If that were the case…
‘Could he perhaps be… someone related to the village?’
Tightly, Harang clenched his fist.
A heavy aura unknowingly flowed out, dominating the surroundings, and Eddy and Daereon, sensing the strange atmosphere, stopped their spar.
Pale and the Iron Fist, Bloody Fist brothers, who had been continuing their physical training nearby, also naturally ceased what they were doing and looked towards Harang.
He didn't care.
More accurately, they didn't enter his field of vision.
With his eyes fixed solely on the beggar old man, the Godok took one step, then another, approaching the beggar old man and opening his mouth.
“Elder.”
Sseu-reu-reung-
“Would you… care for a spar with me?”
“…!”
“…!”
“…!”
The atmosphere turned sharply cold.
Unable to dare voice their thoughts, they exchanged glances with each other.
Why on earth was Harang acting like this?
Had he discovered something about the beggar that they hadn't seen?
As if by agreement, their eyes simultaneously turned towards the shabbily dressed old man, and they witnessed an astonishing sight.
‘His eyes…’
‘He’s meeting his gaze directly? Even after receiving Boss Harang’s stare?’
‘Not even a twitch. He’s receiving the Boss’s presence without any wavering!’
It was just as the Eddy Family thought.
Surprisingly, the beggar old man maintained a solemn expression without the slightest agitation, even when faced with Harang's unprecedentedly serious presence.
Hoo-woong
Hoo-woooong-
The wind blew.
Despite it being summer, it felt cold, brushing against their skin like ice, making people swallow hard.
Sweat beaded on their palms from the tension, feeling like something was about to happen at any moment.
The one who broke this tension was the young delinquent Glen, returning from fetching water.
“What’s everyone do… Huh? This grandpa?”
The boy, looking flustered, quickly approached the beggar old man and waved his hand back and forth in front of his face.
There was no reaction.
Startled, Glen looked at everyone and said.
“Grandpa… fainted? What happened? No, really, he fainted standing up!”
“…!”
“…!”
“Hey, don’t just stand there watching, somebody do something, ugh, what should I do in this situation?”
Snapping back to his senses at Glen's words, Eddy rushed over to check the beggar old man's condition.
Glen was right.
He seemed to have fainted quite a while ago, slumping backward without resistance at just a slight nudge.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“Um… My apologies.”
Everyone's gaze turned to Harang.
After pondering for a moment, Harang uttered an apology.
It seemed he had been mistaken after all.
Looking at his completely unfocused eyes and other physical signs, it was clear he had fainted.
‘Was I too sensitive?’
Harang thought as he briefly stepped away, asking them to take care of the beggar old man.
It couldn't be helped.
If he possessed the overwhelming power to crush the village's general manager, he would have comfortably enjoyed his current freedom, but reality wasn't like that.
The thought that they could find him in an instant if they decided to never left his mind.
‘Perhaps, I’m still trapped within the village in a way…’
Of course, none of the Eddy Family knew about Harang's inner turmoil.
Why did he suddenly act like that?
Why did he challenge a mere beggar old man to a spar?
They watched Harang walk away and remained silent for a moment before exchanging various guesses among themselves.
“Why did the Boss suddenly do that?”
“Well, I don’t know… Maybe he mistook him for an assassin?”
“An assassin! Grandpa isn’t like that.”
“Glen, do you know that old man?”
“He taught me various things when I was a beggar… He’s just an ordinary beggar. I also don’t really know why Boss Harang suddenly acted like that…”
“Hmm, it’s strange. The Boss has incredibly sharp intuition, but to misfire like this…”
Unable to come up with a plausible answer, the delinquents just kept making puzzled faces.
Watching them, the former assassin Daereon, catching his breath, thought to himself.
‘Fools. Don’t you get it? He just threatened him!’
It was obvious.
How could that heartless guy possibly leave alone an old man who dared to crawl into his den and offer unsolicited advice?
Of course, he himself had considered telling the beggar to scram because his useless advice was annoying, but he hadn't thought of openly challenging him to a duel to silence him.
Even as a former assassin, he wasn't that cold-blooded.
‘That kid named Glen probably… is a child he personally favors, right? If it weren’t for that kid, he surely would have slit his throat immediately…’
Thinking this far, Daereon felt goosebumps rise on his arms.
That's right.
The current situation wasn't just about the beggar old man.
As long as he himself was caught in Harang’s snare, it was obvious he would face countless life-threatening crises.
‘No. I have to survive somehow. I can’t die unfairly like this!’
Daereon swallowed hard.
Then he looked at Eddy and spoke.
“Boss Eddy! Let’s go again!”
“What the, you bastard? Suddenly calling me Boss…”
“Since you are Boss Harang’s younger brothers, you are naturally my bosses too! Boss Pale, Boss Iron Fist, Boss Bloody Fist, Boss Glen… you are all my bosses. This younger brother will do his utmost to contribute to the improvement of my bosses’ skills!”
“Wh-what’s with this guy…”
“Why is he acting like that all of a sudden?”
The Eddy Family stared at Daereon with bewildered expressions.
Regardless, he picked up his sword with a serious face and, just as he had said, sincerely guided the delinquents in sparring for their sake.
He had to do his best.
If he didn't carry out his orders with utmost effort, he could lose his life at Harang's hands without anyone knowing.
“Haap! Taat!”
“Heuryap! Hap!”
“…Well, alright.”
“Yeah, we have to work hard. It’s a match we must win somehow.”
“That’s right.”
An incident that was merely a misunderstanding for some.
However, the butterfly effect it caused influenced the Eddy Family positively.
Seeing Daereon wield his sword with more passion than anyone else made them, the actual participants of the bet, feel that they too had to give their all.
Thanks to this, an enthusiastic atmosphere, comparable to the beginning of their training, once again filled the clearing, and this was conveyed even to Harang, who had returned after briefly leaving.
‘Right. For now…’
Let's focus on the present.
However, let's not avoid it. Let's not turn away, but figure out a way to become completely free from the village.
Nodding, he shouted vigorously towards the Eddy Family.
“Good! If we keep this up, we can definitely defeat the likes of the Portville Sword Family!”
“Yep!”
“Yeep!”
Bwoong!
Hoo-woong-!
Hwoong-!
Energetic voices, and the sound of wooden swords swung even more energetically.
Time flew by like an arrow, and the day finally arrived for the 5-match, best-of-3 wins showdown against the Portville Sword Family.
It was precisely five months after the Eddy Family began training under Harang.
* * *
Portville Sword Family vs. Eddy Family.
Both were relatively famous groups in Marzen, but even so, the difference in their reputations was incomparable.
While the latter were merely delinquents extorting protection money from merchants in the back alleys, the former was a swordsmanship organization officially recognized by the kingdom.
The head of the family, Philip Portville, was said to have reached the 'Graduate' stage, capable of manifesting a 'complete Aura Sword', making him an opponent clearly beyond the reach of delinquents who strutted around just because they could throw a decent punch.
“Of course, it’s no match. You think they stand a chance?”
“That’s right. The new boss, Harang? Was it? I heard he’s somewhat strong, but even so, he’ll obviously break if he clashes with Portville’s proper forces?”
“Even if they win by some miracle, it’s not a single match, right? I heard it’s a fight where three out of five have to win to truly win… No way. They can’t win even if the sky splits in two.”
“The fact that the fight was agreed upon in the first place is strange, isn’t it? I don’t get why the Portville Sword Family accepted this, and the Harang Family? Eddy Family? Anyway, I don’t get why they even started the fight in the first place…”
“Tsk. I’d like to go watch, but they blocked outsiders, right?”
“So I hear. Since they’re fighting inside the family building…”
The unanimous predictions of many.
Despite this, Harang headed towards the Portville Sword Family with a relaxed attitude, but the others couldn't do the same.
Especially Eddy, who was up first for the wooden sword duel, was filled with tension to the point where he looked like he would explode if someone poked him.
‘Me, fighting?’
‘Against the Portville Sword Family?’
‘And against a direct family member?’
‘Is it possible? Even though it’s a wooden sword duel without using Aura Swords, is that possible?’
‘Isn’t this… isn’t this, impossible?’
All sorts of negative thoughts truly filled his mind.
Those feelings reached their peak the moment he stepped through the Portville Sword Family's main gate and into the training ground.
“…!”
The collateral family members lined up in disciplined rows.
Among them, the direct family members stared at him with stern, contemptuous expressions.
Eddy, feeling the strength of a group incomparable to the Eddy Family through his skin, became strongly convinced that he could never beat them.
It was then.
Harang placed his palm on Eddy's back and infused a warm energy.
Hoo-woo-woong-!
“Don’t be nervous.”
“…!”
“No, it’s okay to be nervous. But don’t try to see it too broadly. Mr. Eddy’s opponent isn’t the head of the Portville family, nor the entire Portville Sword Family, but merely a mid-level Expert swordsman. That means…”
Harang glanced towards Daereon and continued.
“It means you’re sparring against an opponent who is only at the level of that idiot over there.”
“…Ha, haha.”
Eddy nodded.
He was right.
His tension eased slightly.
He could feel the nausea that had churned his stomach subsiding.
However, he still couldn't help but worry.
Even though Harang sensed this, he wasn't concerned.
‘He’ll find out anyway. The moment he steps onto the stage.’
The moment all other beings are erased, and only the single person he must fight remains in his sight, he will realize.
That the effort he put in was not wrong.
That under favorable conditions, even a mid-level Expert swordsman is someone he can sufficiently overcome.
“Come up.”
A short while later, a member of the Portville family acting as the referee called the opponent onto the stage.
Eddy went up first with a stiff expression, followed by a direct family member who ascended with a broad grin.
The atmosphere on the family's side was also extremely amicable.
They were smiling as if the match was already decided.
That broke just three seconds after the match began.
Swiiiiiish-
Thwack-!
“Krk… Ugh! Uweeek!”
“…”
“…”
“…!”
Eddy's preemptive strike shot out like lightning, and the Portville direct family member, unable to dodge it, was hit and vomited.
Silence fell.
A deathly quiet silence pressed down heavily on the training ground.
Amidst it, Harang, maintaining a nonchalant expression, raised his hand and said.
“The result of the first match, isn’t it decided?”