Chapter 91: My Life Isn’t a Life Full of Excuses (2)

…Memories of old, who knew how old, flashed in his mind.

-Don’t you get tired of those damned martial arts?

It was a memory of him being on duty. A Master Sergeant he had known for nearly ten years asked him why he didn’t get tired of reading martial arts novels everyday while he was on duty.

-You’ve been reading those things for ten years. Aren’t you sick of it already?

-Sometimes, yeah. But there’s always something new to see.

-Hah! Why do you like martial arts so much anyway?

-Hmm… Because it’s filled with romance?

-Romance my ass.

-How about you, Hyung? Don’t you get tired of playing duels or something for over ten years?

-Rascal! Duels are the essence that touches a man’s heartstrings, the essence!

-Ah, okay…

They said that people who resemble each other tend to get along. He could see that now, as people probably thought that both he and his superior were eccentrics.

But he still thought he was better than his boss. After all, martial arts wasn’t the only thing he enjoyed, webtoons, romance novels, and a lot of other things too. As for his boss, he was the kind of guy who’d only trade 1st generation cards until he got sick of them.

He mentioned he only recognized the basics and the 2nd generation or whatever…

Anyway, as his boss said, he did prefer the martial arts genre over other genres.

The reason?

-Because it’s fun.

Because it was fun.

People said that it was human nature to envy what they didn’t have, and he, for some reason, envied the exciting life of those chivalric fighters. They seemed to have no worries, just walked straight ahead and did everything they wanted.

They lived in the present rather than worrying about tomorrow, and they lived every minute, every second of their lives with all their might. The only thing they were worried about was whether they could live to see another day, but that didn’t mean that they feared death.

They did that so that they didn’t have any regrets, even if their lives were to end suddenly.

How could he not find such a life dazzling and fun?

…My life wasn’t like that…

He was always timid and lacking confidence. All this time, he had just been living a life where he kept being pushed around by others.

A life that was similar to a reed.

That was why he envied those chivalrous fighters in martial arts novels who lived for their own chivalric beliefs rather than the rich or the powerful. Because, with that kind of life, they didn’t need to make up petty excuses.

-So, does that mean you like the main character?

-Not really. I just envied those people who chase after chivalry in those novels.

Indeed. He didn’t specifically like the main characters of martial arts novels. Instead, he admired the lives of the chivalrous fighters in general. Their lives had become an ideal he had always dreamed of deep in his heart.

That was why he often muttered…

-If there is a next life, I won’t make any cowardly excuses and just live as I please.

-Why not do it now?

-Sure. I’m gonna set the commander’s head on fire now.

-…Hey, hey, that guy’s already bald, why bother?

-Haha, that’s true.

If there was a next life, he wouldn’t live like he did now.

And…

“Wouldn’t it be fun if you were to just assault your superior?”

At the end of his life, he achieved the ideal he wanted.

He, Lee Han, who had reached the same age as his previous life, thought as such as he strode forward.

A question appeared in his mind. Was he really living the life he wished for?

“…I need to wait and see to know that.”

However, Lee Han soon dismissed that question as a needless worry. After all, worrying about something in itself wasn’t a chivalrous thing to do.

Besides, all he had to do was to remember this one thing.

I’m gonna do what I think is right. Screw other people’s opinions.

At the end of the day, there was no right answer to it. No one, except God, knew what kind of repercussions his act would have.

Therefore, this act would only serve to satisfy himself, so the sole responsibility would also fall on him and him alone.

Thud-!

At that moment, Lee Han finally stopped walking.

However, he didn’t stop because he wanted to stop moving forward. It was because he could see a wall blocking his path. To be exact, an iron gate that was even stronger than a wall. So, he stopped to ponder what to do.

Two choices were available for him.

He could climb over the wall, or shout at them to come out.

But neither of those options were to his liking.

After all, since he was going to provoke a noble family anyway, why wouldn’t he act more aggressively?

That’s why he…

Step-! Step-!

“Huh?”

“What the?”

“Stop right there and identify yourself! This is the Tristan Family’s mansion.”

The soldiers guarding the iron gate gave him a warning while exuding a sharp spirit from their bodies.

As expected of a great noble family, even their soldiers were elites among elites. Their spirits were genuine, they could attack him at any time, and they would do it without hesitation.

And yet…

“Didn’t I tell you to stop?!”

Lee Han didn’t stop and continued to walk straight ahead, like a truck with broken brakes.

Not only that, his pace also became faster and faster. And when he finally started running…

“I-Intruders! F-Fire the arrows!”

Whoosh-! Whoosh-!

The moment the soldiers rang the bell that announced the presence of intruders, the archers immediately aimed their bows at him and shot him without any hesitation.

It was a really excellent conduct. If they were his subordinates, he would gladly give them a vacation over this display. Unfortunately, they weren’t and there was nothing that he’d give them right now.

After all, the current him…

Taang-! Taaang-!

“T-The arrows!?”

“W-What is that!!”

Was simply an intruder who’d pierce through them.

The arrows that were accurately zooming towards his body all bounced off. However, they didn’t bounce off his armor. Instead, they were bounced off by the intense pressure he generated as he ran at full speed.

He was running as if he was tearing through the wind, and just like that…

Whoosh-!

He flew.

“━!”

Like a high jumper, he floated in the air, ran the five-meter distance in a single breath before extending his fist towards the iron gate blocking his way.

It wasn’t the Hundred Steps Divine Fist or any kind of techniques of his, it was just a simple fist filled with all his might.

But that fist…

BANG-!

…Possessed enough power to blow away the iron gate.

Baaaangg-!

“…”

“…A-Am I dreaming right now?”

The soldiers stopped attacking as their jaws hit the ground.

H-How…

How could that sturdy gate be broken by a punch?!

“…Hoo, the hinges seem to be a bit rusty. You people need to take better care of them.”

“…”

“What’s the matter?”

“…Aaah…”

Lee Han shamelessly stretched his wrists and offered some advice to them. Meanwhile, the soldiers could only let out a hollow laugh.

Taking the bull by the horns.

Lee Han’s third option was shocking in a lot of ways.

Marquis Tristan’s mansion was spacious.

No, it wasn’t just spacious, it was actually so huge that it would make the mouths of those who had never visited it hit the floor the first time they visited it. There were in total five farms surrounding the mansion, and a large pasture where they raised their horses.

The number of servants they employed easily exceeded 2,000. The place was pretty much just a mansion in name, as in reality, it was closer to a village than anything.

What was even more shocking was that this was nothing more than a drop in the water compared to the enormous influence and wealth of the Tristan family. After all, the Tristan Family owned five huge precious metal mines and a whole trading company.

For them, operating a mansion of this size was the same as buying peanuts on the street.

With such enormous wealth and influence, it was no wonder that their mansion’s defenses were comparable to a fortress’.

Dozens of elite soldiers were always on standby, patrolling the entire mansion in shifts. Archers were stationed on the high walls, ready to shoot at any time. All the entrances were also blocked by iron gates, commissioned directly from the mystical races of dwarves.

Even if intruders managed to defeat the soldiers, they still wouldn’t be able to get past the main gate. That was common sense.

…But now, that same common sense had collapsed on its face.

Woong-!

Because an absurd sight of that sturdy iron gate being completely torn off was unfolding before their eyes.

W-What am I seeing right now…?

More soldiers gathered, lighting up the surroundings with torches with their hands. Only then did the other soldiers were able to talk about the situation.

“W-What’s going on?!”

“Did a large monster attack us?”

“Watch out for the ballista! There might be a ballista nearby!”

The soldiers thought in a very common-sense-centric manner and prepared to respond. Their immediate thought was that a ballista, or a large monster, must have attacked and torn off the iron gate. Because following their common sense, there was nothing else that could have torn the gate off.

The possibility of this whole deal being caused by a single man never crossed their minds.

But, a few moments later…

“…No, this isn’t it…”

“??”

They were able to figure out who the culprit of this absurd spectacle was.

That Incomprehensible muttering entered their ears.

The intruder who was saying those words seemed to be displeased with something.

Does he regret attacking the marquis now?

Good, good! Please regret it!

Think about it more, please, please…!

“If I’m going to pick a fight, then I need to do it properly.”

“…”

Unfortunately, they guessed it wrong.

One of the soldiers looked into the intruder’s eyes—looking perfectly clear—as he muttered those words.

Flinch-!

At that moment, goosebumps appeared all over the soldier’s body. For some reason, his guts were telling him to run away right now.

And his guts were right on the money.

Crackle-!

“If you don’t want to die, then get the hell out of here.”

“…”

The soldiers saw it. Through brute force alone, the man lifted the enormous iron gate with a single hand.

One soldier’s expression turned pale as he remembered that it took more than ten people to install it. More and more soldiers began to suspect that they were dreaming, but unfortunately for them, this was real.

“Hoooooo!”

Inhale and exhale.

As he inhaled, the man, Lee Han, slowly turned his body while holding the iron door.

Hwaaak-!

It wouldn’t have been a surprise if his shoulders and arms were to fall off while he was lifting such a huge door, but Lee Han decided to forget about his human limitations for now.

And forced himself to proceed.

Crack-! Crack-!

He turned the iron door as if he was going to throw it like a shot put. In that instance, chaos enveloped the surroundings.

“Ahhhhh!”

“Run away!!!”

“Keuuuk-!”

2,550 kg.

The fact that a lump of iron, weighing approximately 2.5 tons, spun in the air was threatening and destructive in itself.

Even though its rotation was slow, the resulting turbulence still emitted incredible wind pressure, turning everything in its wake into a mess. Because of that, the soldiers were busy running away, forgetting their original goal.

While yes, the existence of Lee Han, who was playing with such a huge lump of iron, was terrifying, the reason they ran was simply because none of them wanted to be swept away by that rotating iron gate and be turned into a lump of meat.

Soon enough, there was no one within a 30 meter radius of Lee Han.

Crack-!

Thanks to that, he could have enough running distance, so he gritted his teeth and started preparing.

Crack-! Crack-!

A cracking sound could be heard from his arms, shoulders, waist, legs, and so on. If he hadn’t taken the elixir, the overwhelming pressure of the iron gate would have crushed him a long time ago.

“Keuuuuuk!!”

But the current Lee Han was able to endure it.

His grasping power and strength had become stronger than before. Add his deepened understanding about Martial Power to that, he had the monstrous strength and ability to throw such a large lump of mass.

But he only had one chance. He wouldn’t be able to do this twice.

This crazy act could only be done once, but that was enough. When he gathered enough strength and estimated that the distance and the timing were perfect…

“Haaaaaa!!”

With a shout—well, who knew if it was a shout or a curse—he threw the shot, no, the iron gate.

Wooooshh-!

The iron gate then drew a slow-spinning parabolic trajectory.

He just threw it just for the sake of it, and it was still impossible for him to rotate that much mass.

But the important thing here was that he ‘threw it’.

The 2.5 ton lump of iron flew and hit the target.

That fact alone…

Bang-!

Meant that a disaster that could easily destroy a building and cave the ground had occurred.

Baaaaannng-!

The iron gate that he threw like a shot put hit the mansion where the marquis was staying, shaking the ground.

“…Mhm, this is the proper way to pick a fight.”

Breaking down the main gate isn’t enough, you gotta go at least this far!

Although Lee Han’s body was covered in blood—blood poured out of his eyes, mouth, and nose—he was still satisfied with what he had done and just wiped the blood away.

The result was just too good for him to care about the minor(?) injuries he suffered.