Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Otherworld Cheat Harem.

Episode 56: Martial Arts Exchange (2).

Ein Union.

An alliance formed by races other than humans, such as elves, dwarves, and beastmen. Among them, the beastmen held the greatest power in the union.

Unlike elves who lived in the Great Forest, or dwarves who built nations near mines, the beastmen survived anywhere, using the ground as their bed and clouds as their blanket.

Naturally, they fought the most with humans, and thus sought the most advancement.

“Sis, why would you set up a dojo in a place like this?”

“Teaching martial arts to mere humans, how pathetic.”

“…Do you want to die? Say that crappy thing one more time, and I’ll peel off your snake skin.”

“Isn’t it true? If you’re so confident in martial arts, you should think about nurturing successors. Mere humans…”

Sparks flew between the two beastmen. Watching them, a man sighed and stepped between them.

“Stop. Don’t waste your energy. And remember, we came to learn about human martial arts, not to fight.”

“…Understood.”

“…Got it.”

Hearing the words of the man who resembled a bear, the two quickly shrank back and stopped fighting, but that didn’t mean they got along.

As if they would start fighting at any moment, the two glared fiercely at each other, while the carriage stopped in the city.

In one of the seven most famous cities in the world, the Dungeon City.

‘Hoyeon.’

The bear beastman, Namwoong, moved forward, recalling his long-time rival.

“So, you’re taking a break next week?”

“Yeah.”

I said, as if apologizing. However, the group was not as displeased as I expected. Instead, they were busy congratulating me, as if it was a good opportunity.

“A martial arts exchange with the beastmen… What an incredibly rare opportunity. Congratulations.”

“Is it that rare?”

“The beastmen are a race that successfully held back humanity with just their bodies, right? Whether it’s the Imperial Knights or the Great Forest’s Rangers, it’s hard to beat a beastman in a one-on-one fight.”

Was it to that extent? I thought as I looked at Orion. She had accused me of being a spy or something, yet she herself was suspiciously well-informed about world affairs.

Ordinary people wouldn’t know who among the strong ones from each country was stronger, or under what conditions someone was stronger.

In fact, Raize also seemed completely unaware of the beastmen, merely expressing awe at Orion’s words.

‘I think I can roughly guess what kind of person they are.’

Suppressing the thought that came to mind, I asked for Raize and Orion’s understanding.

“Anyway, since that’s the case, the next hunt might take a while.”

“That’s fine. Oh, if possible, could I come to watch? I’ve always wanted to see the beastmen fight.”

“I’ll ask, but I can’t promise anything.”

Martial arts exchanges weren’t exactly open events. On Earth, people were eager to share martial arts secrets, going so far as to widely publicize such events to attract people.

‘This place feels like the medieval times.’

In the medieval era, martial arts were typically passed down one-on-one, and kept secret from outsiders. In medieval Japan, one might work for a dojo for over ten years just to learn a secret sword technique, and even marry the master’s child, and that might not even be enough.

I don’t think it’s much different in this world. If anything, it might be even more so.

‘Come to think of it, that guy was strong back then too.’

Recalling the wolf beastman I met at the dark mage’s warehouse, I held my pounding heart and awaited the day of the exchange.

An event isn’t organized in just a day. It typically requires preparation from a few days to even weeks or years in advance.

Though this exchange was decided quite urgently, that made it all the busier.

“Hurry up and stack them!”

“That scroll goes there, not here!”

The dojo, usually wide open, had its doors firmly shut, and the not-so-high walls were hidden by a temporary wall.

Additionally, to prevent any magical surveillance, anti-magic scrolls started being laid around the dojo.

‘Do they really need to go this far?’

Coming from a world where the value of martial arts was low, it seemed quite bizarre to me. To go to such lengths to avoid being seen by others…

As I watched the scene absentmindedly, Hoyeon approached and nodded slightly.

“Thank you for agreeing to help, Dojin.”

“No, not at all. You’re my comrade’s mentor, after all.”

“Thank you for calling me that. In the end, I’m just teaching for money.”

Hearing that, I worried whether other disciples might have complaints. After all, they, too, were paying for the same instruction.

“Are there no complaints from the other disciples?”

“The disciples who had complaints all disappeared after taking a hit from your comrade.”

“Oh, really?”

I cautiously glanced at Eunha. She seemed embarrassed about having silenced people with force, as she bowed her head and remained silent.

Leaving her behind, I asked Hoyeon why she specifically chose me.

“With so many disciples, why did you choose me?”

“There aren’t many whom I can truly call disciples.”

“…What do you mean?”

“You’d understand the difference between teaching one person and teaching many.”

Anyone who had learned martial arts even once would easily understand. She meant that although she had many students, not all of them were true disciples.

It was the same even in modern times. Just because I paid and registered at a boxing gym didn’t mean I would become the coach’s disciple.

I would just be a member attending the boxing gym. A true disciple would be someone preparing to go pro.

“And more than anything, I wanted to show that among humans, there are those who have trained in martial arts that can’t be ignored.”

“…What benefit is there to that?”

“Isn’t it enough to make them realize that beastmen aren’t always the strongest?”

“Even though you’ve never seen my skills?”

“When you reach our level, you just know by looking.”

Hoyeon said this with a sly grin. Then, her fist came flying at me. I casually drew my sword and slashed at her fist.

It was an illusion.

“See.”

“…Your moves are rough.”

My body instinctively tensed its muscles in response to her killing intent, and at our level, that alone was enough to gauge the opponent’s skill.

It is said that the battles of masters are often decided before they even begin.

“Isn’t it truly curious how a master like you just appeared out of nowhere?”

“Who knows? Maybe I’ve just been swinging my sword in the mountains?”

“Haha, the level you can achieve through solo training is bound to have its limits. I can sense history from you. An unbelievably deep and vast history.”

Hoyeon seemed to have grasped some understanding of my swordsmanship just from that recent act. The core of the swordsmanship she understood might have been too absurd, but…

‘Well, it is a swordsmanship created by that man.’

Across Europe, beyond Germany, France, the UK, or Rome. Japan, China, India. Restoring all swordsmanship existing in the West and the East.

A monster who created a swordsmanship, a Joseon swordsmanship only in name, extracting the advantages of all martial arts developed in modern times, a swordsmanship that virtually encapsulated the history of humanity.

That was my father, and he wanted me to master that swordsmanship perfectly. The plan was half successful, and the techniques he created were embedded in my body.

“Still, in front of beastmen, it’s just a trick.”

So, I was hoping that the martial arts of the superhumans created by the beastmen could completely shatter the martial art crafted by a single genius.

As if reading my mind, Hoyeon shook her head and spoke.

“Don’t expect too much.”

“…Why?”

“The martial arts of the beastmen were not created for one-on-one situations. They are techniques developed after pondering how to massacre the weak more efficiently, based on overwhelming physical abilities.”

“Some elf said that the beastmen are the strongest in one-on-one situations.”

“That’s just because the beastmen are strong. Would someone who learned how to deal with ten five-year-old kids lose against one ten-year-old kid?”

“That makes sense.”

In a word, it meant Deokgu was inherently strong. It wasn’t that the martial arts of the Beast Tribe were extraordinary, but rather because the beastmen themselves were powerful.

I felt a sense of regret at that statement. However, there must be something to learn. It’s a martial art fundamentally different from those created by humans.

Martial arts are often described like this:

─A technique created for the weak to confront the strong.

Between the teeth honed by the weak to face the strong and the claws sharpened by the strong to massacre the weak, which would be sharper? Which side would sink their teeth into the other’s nape first?

‘Even if I’m told not to expect anything…’

How could I not be excited?

While having various conversations with Hoyeon, a disciple approached.

“Master, they have arrived.”

“…Alright.”

Hoyeon, with the demeanor of a master, moved with a serious expression. Meeting eyes with Eunha, I cautiously followed behind.

From now on, this was the person I would be dealing with. It wouldn’t hurt to see their face. Following Hoyeon, I headed to the front gate.

Three people stood at the front gate, exuding such intense energy that their strength could be felt even from a distance.

“…Namwoong, it’s been a while.”

“It’s been a while, Hoyeon.”

Hoyeon, who was talking to the biggest man among them, turned her gaze to the smallest of the three.

“And Hoyang. Long time no see.”

“It’s been a while, sister.”

Their similar facial features suggested they were siblings. Hoyeon didn’t even glance at the last man and turned her gaze away.

“What? Am I invisible…?”

“Sayeong, you’ve managed not to die with those skills? Did you learn some survival tactics like a snake?”

“Ha, what a joke… Seeing you manage such a shabby dojo, it seems your skills have diminished, Hoyeon Ahjumma.”

The man called Sayeong looked at Hoyeon, then slowly turned his gaze towards us. When he met Eunha’s eyes, he burst into a cheerful laugh.

“Who’s that kid? Did you have a baby here?”

“She’s my prized disciple.”

“A disciple? A human, and such a small kid at that?”

Sayeong said this as he approached Eunha. His vertically slit pupils began to scan her as if licking her.

His split tongue extended long towards her.

Eunha stiffened at the grotesque sight. As Sayeong’s tongue touched Eunha’s cheek, I immediately pulled her behind me.

Sayeong’s slit pupils glared at me.

“Who are you? Are you a disciple too?”

“No.”

Saying that, I swung my leg toward him.