Chapter 1200. Cutting Down (5)

Chapter 1200. Cutting Down (5)

“Well, I was in a bit of a dilemma, sure,” said Bang Jin-Hun.

“A dilemma, sir?” Kim Won-Hyeok asked back.

“That’s right. A dilemma,” Bang Jin-Hun reaffirmed while chuckling awkwardly. “Should I just release it in one go? Or should I do it bit by bit so people wouldn’t notice my accident? That dilemma.”

“...I don’t understand.”

“I’m talking about pissing, man. Pissing.”

Kim Won-Hyeok’s eyes opened wider. What on Earth was Bang Jin-Hun even talking about?

“I got so sh*t-scared that I almost pissed myself, okay?”

Bang Jin-Hun glared at Kim Won-Hyeok as if he got annoyed by the younger man’s inability to understand.

“Hey, you think I’m not a human being? One mistake, and I’d be dead, so how can I not be scared?”

“B-but, how were you able to fight like that, sir?”

“Fight like what?”

“I mean, you were fighting at your full...”

Smack!

Bang Jin-Hun smacked Kim Won-Hyeok’s head. The latter shielded his head while bowing down.

“

Owie, owie, owie

...!”

“What the hell? This punk, you think that’s funny? Is that what you see me as? Listen here, okay?! If I was giving my all, I could’ve ripped that f*cker apart in ten seconds or less!”

“...Sorry?”

“Who can give their all in an actual fight, man? No one, that’s who. No one can do that.”

Kim Won-Hyeok stared in sheer confusion at Bang Jin-Hun. He asked, “Then, sir? Even though you weren’t fighting at your 100%, you still beat that Jap bastard? Is that it?”

“Well, it’s because that Jap also wasn’t at his 100%.”

“Sorry?”

“Hah, this punk... Sorry this, sorry that! What’s so shocking about it? Doesn’t matter if you play soccer or basketball, you still won’t play at your full steam every single match. Let me ask you something. “Have you ever watched NBA players practicing three-pointers? They’ll get it a hundred times out of a hundred during practice. But in actual games? They only hit their targets about forty percent of the time. That’s what an actual fight is like.”

Kim Won-Hyeok’s eyes powerfully shook just then.

Bang Jin-Hun continued to growl.

“So, stop believing everything you see in movies, okay? What was that? A type who performs at their best during the real thing? That’s horsesh*t, stuff that only shows up in fantasy movies. Every person alive can’t perform at their 100% in an actual fight. That’s how it’s supposed to be.”

“...”

“So, yeah. It’s not like you’re a coward. It’s just the way things are.”

Kim Won-Hyeok nodded, finally understanding it.

“In short... Sir, what you’re saying is that me getting scared isn’t wrong.”

“That’s right.”

“Which means...”

Kim Won-Hyeok understood the true intention hidden in Bang Jin-Hun’s explanation.

“...It’s my lack of strength that’s the problem.”

“So you know,” Bang Jin-Hun tutted away. “People usually look for things to blame whenever they fail to get the kind of results they want. Let’s say you killed about ten enemies despite wetting yourself in fear. Would you still be worrying about this sh*t, then?”

“No, sir. I wouldn’t be.”

“There you go. You were looking for a scapegoat because the outcome wasn’t good enough for you. And you just happened to find the most convenient scapegoat, that’s all. You got too nervous. Luck wasn’t on your side. Your condition was bad. Whatever.

“They are all bullsh*t reasons, you punk. I heard that Michael Jordan still kicked ass during one of the final games despite catching a cold before the game. If you have the necessary strength, you will find a way to make up for your poor condition or sh*tty luck.”

“...Understood, sir.”

“Willpower? Sure, that’s important, too. But you still need strength to get the best out of your willpower,” Bang Jin-Hun grunted loudly. “Don’t worry too much about it. You getting scared or not wouldn’t have changed the outcome of tonight’s event, anyway. If you have the time to worry about useless stuff like that, train even harder instead.

“There’s only one answer here, and that is to become stronger. Got that?”

“Yes, sir!”

Kim Won-Hyeok animatedly nodded.

Honestly, it felt more like a fresh problem had reared its head while the old one hadn’t been resolved yet. And this new problem was a bit tougher and somewhat worse than the problem Kim Won-Hyeok had been agonizing about.

Even so, Kim Won-Hyeok sensed his heart regaining some semblance of peace.

If he lacked strength, he could strive to improve it. But effort alone wouldn’t fix the issue of his willpower. The fact that he found a reason to work hard again should be seen as a net positive.

Bang Jin-Hun glanced at Kim Won-Hyeok’s injury. “Don’t forget to stop by at the hospital, okay?”

“Yes, sir!”

Kim Won-Hyeok bowed deeply, then turned around to leave. Bang Jin-Hun grinned while looking at the younger man walking away.

‘I know it won’t be easy to resolve.’

However, that was still fine.

Maybe this conversation needlessly took time out of Bang Jin-Hun’s busy schedule. Listening to someone’s dilemma like this in the middle of an urgent situation might be an extravagant waste of energy.

Even if that was all true, Bang Jin-Hun still thought this chat had been fruitful.

Fighting this dangerous battle without Kang Jin-Ho, and sending regular martial artists to the battlefront despite the obvious risks, were all for this, after all.

‘Yeah, think about it for yourselves.’

So that they could figure out what it meant to live as a martial artist, and what kind of burden they must carry as a martial artist, too...

Once everyone pondered these questions and arrived at their own answers, the Martial Assembly would get to evolve and advance even further.

‘Of course, that’s if we win this war.’

Bang Jin-Hun grew somber, then turned away to look elsewhere.

Although very unlikely, if some kind of misfortune fell on Kang Jin-Ho tonight, everything the Assembly had done would be for naught.

‘For now, I better focus on what I can do.’

Supporting Kang Jin-Ho was the job of his comrades. So, Bang Jin-Hun should just focus on cleaning up the mess in this place.

‘Looks like I should talk to the people from the police.’

He wanted to discuss how best to wrap up the situation in this place with those people.

“Oii, you! Stop playing hooky and finish filling up those tanks! If you don’t finish everything by sunrise, you will all be dead meat, got that?!”

“Yes, sir!”

Bang Jin-Hun’s worried frown relaxed a little as he watched the martial artists busily carry water tanks around.

***

“

Huff, huff

!

Wheeze

!”

Lee Hyeon-Su could see the sky turning yellow.

‘Goddamn it! We’re still in the middle of the night, you know!’

It was too early for sunrise, yet the skies had turned yellow in his view! That was how badly he was pushed to the limit right now.

He would’ve started whining if the current situation wasn’t this urgent. But now, he simply gritted his teeth and swallowed any and all dissatisfaction.

He was the one who insisted on accompanying the others. In that case, he shouldn’t run his mouth or change his mind after coming this far. Even if his breathing became shallow and fast enough for his heart to rupture, he must keep running forward.

Even if he was about to collapse, he must run!

‘Sure, that’s true, but...’

They were moving at a shocking speed right now. If Lee Hyeon-Su had been alone, he’d never be able to run this fast.

However, trying to match everyone’s pace somehow enabled him to push himself to the limit. That was the only reason how he still managed to keep up with everyone.

Currently, they were rushing past a dark, deserted mountain road.

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Never mind running, most ordinary people would’ve found walking on this road incredibly challenging. Yet the Assembly’s martial artists were dashing along at a high speed. The roadside scenery slipped past them in a blur.

The noises of feet kicking the ground and rough, heavy breathing continued to dig into Lee Hyeon-Su’s hearing.

“

Huff, huff

!”

The one leading the charge at the front was Chang Min.

The sight of his back was urging everyone on. When he heard that Kang Jin-Ho could be in danger, Chang Min didn’t act like his usual self and raised an unholy fuss. No, he simply nodded, his face hard and cold, and started leading everyone forward.

“Which way!”

Chang Min shouted without looking back when they reached a fork in the road.

Lee Hyeon-Su glanced at his phone’s screen, then shouted back, “Left!”

The group immediately changed the direction. However, Lee Hyeon-Su couldn’t keep up with the sudden change and lost his balance before crashing into the ground.

...Or at least he was supposed to.

Grab!

That was when someone grabbed the scruff of his neck. Lee Hyeon-Su looked back.

“

Oh

...”

“

Tsk

!”

The hand holding him was huge. This huge hand easily picked Lee Hyeon-Su up before tucking him under the giant’s arm.

Although being carried like this by a man was not a pleasant experience, Lee Hyeon-Su was in no position to complain.

Vator grunted. “Focus on navigation.”

“U-understood, sir!”

Lee Hyeon-Su barely replied while trying to catch his heavy breathing.

‘Dammit!’

Frustration boiled his innards.

Of course he was aware of not being a combatant. Even then, he should still try his best not to become a burden. A tool that couldn’t be used when needed was junk, no matter how shiny and useful in other areas it was.

He... He needed to grow stronger, too. If he wanted to keep pace with his comrades, that was!

Wiggins glanced at Lee Hyeon-Su. “How far?”

“We’re almost there, sir!”

“

Mm

!”

Wiggins spat out a slightly suppressed grunt.

His hands were emitting bright white light. Although Lee Hyeon-Su wasn’t sure how, Wiggins used magic to increase everyone’s movement speed. It was as if they had skates on and were gliding along on a sheet of ice.

For a moment there, Lee Hyeon-Su wondered why they hadn’t taken more people with them if this kind of magic was available. However, one look at Wiggins’ face was enough to erase that thought from Lee Hyeon-Su’s mind.

“

Fuu

!”

Wiggins hurriedly wiped his face. Sweat was rolling down his pale face like a rainstorm.

Lee Hyeon-Su had never seen Wiggins looking this strained.

“Are you okay, master?”

“I’m fine.”

“But...”

“It seems being carried by Sir Vator is more relaxing than it looks like, judging from how you can afford to talk now.”

“...”

“Now isn’t the time to worry about feeling fine or not. We must do everything we can.”

“Understood, sir.”

Lee Hyeon-Su clamped his mouth shut.

‘We are all desperate here.’

Indeed, not just Lee Hyeon-Su, but everyone else, too!

Wiggins depleted a lot of his mana reserve during the battle in the Gunsan harbor. And he was still spending it even now. By the time they reached their destination, he’d most likely collapse from exhaustion and not participate in the battle.

Wiggins wasn’t worried about that. After all, others could fight in his stead.

However, enhancing everyone’s speed was something only he could do. And that was why he tried to reduce the travel time as much as possible, even if that meant he’d squeeze out every drop of mana in his body!

‘Even if I collapse in the middle of the road, I must!’

Wiggins gritted his teeth.

No one here believed Kang Jin-Ho would go down without a fight. He was that kind of man, after all.

Kang Jin-Ho boasted overwhelming strength and absolute martial prowess, and even Wiggins couldn’t think of a way to kill him in a straight-up fight.

However, in war, strength and martial prowess weren’t everything.

Plenty of unexpected variables existed in a war zone. An army that looked invincible might get wiped out in the blink of an eye. An utterly hopeless battle might end in a brilliant victory after the heavens looked on favorably.

If war could be planned perfectly through logic and military strategies, people wouldn’t start wars in the first place. It’d be obvious who would win even before a single bullet was fired, after all.

In other words...

Even Kang Jin-Ho and his incredible strength could still get killed by the Japanese. That possibility was definitely real. Especially when no one knew what the Japanese had hidden up their sleeves!

It was Wiggins’ and others’ job to remove as many variables as possible.

In case Kang Jin-Ho was killed, the ripples from it would be... something Wiggins didn’t even want to imagine.

Besides, that outcome wasn’t the only problem to worry about. Obviously, no one here wanted to see Kang Jin-Ho dead. The significance of his existence transcended past that of a boss to these people and became something much more, after all!

“

Huff, huff

!

Huff

!”

Sweat-soaked hair strands clung to Wiggins’ face. Despite looking unusually disheveled, he continued to force his legs to move even as they got progressively heavier.

Other directors besides Wiggins still retained some of their stamina, but the ones following them were beginning to feel the effect of their fatigue.

That was when Chang Min suddenly cried out.

“Run faster!”

Faster than this?!

Even before Wiggins could recover from his shock, Chang Min’s deathly cold voice registered in his hearing.

“We will tear apart any bastards daring to target my liege and send them to the pits of Hell! Anyone who can’t run anymore, crawl if you have to!”

“Yes, sir!”

Wiggins smirked as the others behind him cried out affirmatively and roused even more of his mana.

‘Well, then. Let’s just die on the way.’

He stopped caring about the aftermath and began using his mana. At this rate, he’d never arrive at the Assembly HQ, but that no longer mattered after realizing how dependable that old monster’s back looked!

“We’ll arrive in twenty minutes! One last push, everyone!”

Lee Hyeon-Su’s yell prompted everyone to strengthen their legs even more.

Their destination was the Martial Assembly HQ. Where Kang Jin-Ho was.