Chapter 3
"Today, you're gonna get beaten until you're a *corpse*. Even if you beg and cry for your life, we'll beat you until you're *dead*. Got it?" "You can look forward to it, you *fucking bastard*."
The School Bully group, after swarming him and spewing unspeakable threats, left. From that morning, the classroom atmosphere grew chillingly quiet.
Regardless, Songtan merely stared blankly out the window.
He had many thoughts to sort through.
Maybe I should have just halfway crippled them yesterday...
He actually thought it was for the best. It felt like he could take care of all the annoying business at once.
Songtan, removing his hand from his chin, turned his head. His classmates, who had been whispering about him, startled and averted their gaze. As if they wanted no part of him whatsoever.
A sneer formed on Songtan's lips. Their behavior struck him as needlessly comical.
In situations like this, the Murim world might actually be better.
Fundamentally, the Murim world operates on the law of the jungle. The strong survive, and the weak are devoured.
However, this doesn't mean indiscriminate violence runs rampant. When ruffians tried to torment defenseless civilians, many Martial Artists would step forward, meddling in others' affairs. Righteous faction Martial Artists would intervene to uphold their <F1>Hyeop</F1>, while unorthodox faction Martial Artists would do so simply because they were bored and found a good target. Even if their true intentions weren't close to good, they rarely stood by and watched.
From that perspective, the current era felt even more heartless. Not a shred of sympathy was visible in the eyes of those who were supposedly his classmates. Though they didn't act as overtly as the School Bully group had just moments ago, Songtan clearly saw it. The subtle undercurrents of contempt and disdain.
Regardless, Songtan turned his head back to look out the window, holding a small wish for time to pass quickly.
♪~~♬
The bell rang. Coincidentally, the Homeroom Teacher had informed the class president that there would be no closing remarks today due to personal reasons.
The students rushed out of the classroom. As if on cue, the door burst open and the School Bully group stormed in.
Our <F1>Tani</F1> needs to go to a fun place with his <F1>Big Brothers</F1> now, doesn't he?
Songtan said nothing. He simply packed his bag in silence and stood up from his seat. Afterward, he followed behind them without a single word of resistance.
***
Two School Bully members put their arms around Songtan's shoulders from either side., making it seem like they were just ordinary Friends at a glance.
The place they arrived at was the Abandoned Warehouse where yesterday's incident had occurred. This Abandoned Warehouse was in a secluded area, rarely visited by people. There was also almost no CCTV surveillance nearby.
*Clang-*
The rusty door rattled shut. The outside noise was completely cut off.
Oh, look at you, still standing tall? I thought you'd be on your knees, bawling your eyes out?
One of them stepped forward, chuckling.
It was the leader of the School Bully group, Kim Hyeokjin.
He boasted a physique too massive to be a Minor, and he had been attending an MMA gym and learning martial arts since middle school.
I'm genuinely curious. Have you gone crazy? Is it like, even a worm squirms when you step on it?
Songtan's emotionless gaze fixed on Kim Hyeokjin.
Hey, you *fucking bastard*, answer me quickly!
Kim Hyeokjin, who had been grinning, straightened his face and glared, his eyes bulging.
His menacing aura was enough to make the other School Bully members flinch.
But to Songtan, it was simply laughable. Especially when he recalled the days he'd faced the killing intent of <F1>Demonic Masters</F1> who had reached the pinnacle of their art.
Huh, are you *grinning*? Did you just *grin*?
Kim Hyeokjin let out a hollow laugh. He wondered if the *loser* had truly lost his mind from being beaten so much.
This won't do. I need to re-educate him properly.
Anyway, there was no harm in messing with Songtan, that *idiot*. He'd heard Songtan lived alone with his disabled father. Kim Hyeokjin pointed a finger at one of the School Bully members and beckoned.
"Hey, Jo Namjin. You do it."
"Aw, why me? Make someone else do it, you *bastard*."
The School Bully with the unusually pointed chin frowned.
Just do it if I tell you to, *you bastard*. Don't talk back.
When Kim Hyeokjin lowered his voice, Pointed Chin flinched.
Ugh, what a pain.
Feigning reluctance, Pointed Chin stepped forward.
"You *fucking bastard*. You're dead. I'm already pissed off about getting caught with cigarettes, so I need to blow off some steam." Pointed Chin, flashing a greasy smile, swaggered forward.
Oh, still not lowering your eyes?
Pointed Chin, who had approached right up to Songtan's emotionless face,
Lower your eyes, *you bastard*!
He suddenly swung his palm. But instead of the sound of flesh hitting flesh, what was heard was...
*Thud-*
Pointed Chin collapsed to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.
"What?"
The School Bully members watching from behind tilted their heads in confusion. From their perspective, they couldn't properly see what had happened.
"What's Jo Namjin doing? Why's he lying there like that?" "No way... Did that *idiot* get him?"
The School Bully members, still failing to grasp the situation, let out snorts of laughter. Kim Hyeokjin, frowning, roared.
You *fucking bastards*! Stop messing around and finish him off properly. If you *screw around* one more time, I'll kill you all, seriously.
At his murderous threat, the School Bully members pushed themselves off the wall. Even if they appeared to be friends on the surface, a clear hierarchy existed among them.
Hey, this is annoying, let's just go and kill him all at once. Yeah, let's. I need to get to the PC bang quickly. I have my promotion match today.
This time, three School Bully members stepped forward.
But the result, surprisingly, was...
*Thud-*
The exact same thing happened, like déjà vu. At this point, they couldn't just laugh it off anymore.
What the hell!?
In their eyes, Songtan had merely swung his hand. Like a light boxing jab. But for some reason, they all fainted just from being grazed.
Now that I think about it, isn't that *bastard* Songtan... a little strange?
As their arrogance faded, they finally saw their opponent's eyes. They weren't the usual terrified eyes, but utterly emotionless ones, devoid of even fear or anger. That dry, detached gaze, as if looking at an insect, felt strangely chilling.
But the School Bully members, unwilling to admit that fact, picked up broken wooden planks scattered around.
"Did that *bastard* take some kind of drug?" "Just hit him in the head first. Don't let him move." "What if he dies?" "*Fuck it*, who cares if he dies. Just beat him up." "Then die! *You bastard*!"
With a shout, five of them charged simultaneously.
A wooden plank sliced through the air, heading for Songtan's head.
Songtan didn't run. He didn't even raise his arm to block. He simply took one step.
*Thwack!*
As the wooden plank hit the floor, the body's balance broke, revealing an opening. Songtan, having darted half a step forward, lightly tapped below the collarbone.
*Thud-*
The first guy collapsed without even a sound. The second guy swung his wooden plank from the side. Songtan twisted his body, deflecting the plank, and then jabbed a pressure point deep in the armpit.
"Ugh."
The guy's limbs went limp, and the wooden plank rolled across the floor.
The third and fourth guys charged simultaneously.
Songtan boldly plunged between them. His left hand went to the center of one's abdomen, his right hand to the inner thigh of the other.
"Ugh!"
One guy choked and slumped to the ground, while the other writhed on the floor in pain.
Eeeek! You *fucking bastard*!!
The fifth guy, terrified, swung his wooden plank wildly.
*Thwack!*
This time, Songtan took the wooden plank with his forearm. His bones vibrated, and pain shot up. But in exchange, he was able to stab below the guy's neck.
*Thud-*
"Gurgle."
The guy, eyes rolled back, fell backward.
"Haa, haa."
Songtan gasped for breath. His face was already drenched in sweat.
M-my leg! *Damn it*! My leg won't move! H-huh, huh, I-I can't... I can't breathe...
In an instant, the Abandoned Warehouse became a pandemonium. The chuckling jeers were gone, replaced only by screams and groans.
Songtan wiped away the sweat that poured like rain and looked at Kim Hyeokjin with cold eyes.
"What are you doing? You're the only one left." "You *son of a bitch*..."
Kim Hyeokjin spat out a harsh curse, but he couldn't hide the slight tremor in his voice. Kim Hyeokjin threw off his jacket, lowered his stance, and charged fiercely.
A surprise rush. A right hand rising from a low stance. It was a clean straight aimed at his opponent's face. Songtan barely managed to turn his head, and the punch grazed his cheekbone. A barrage of punches followed, targeting his abdomen, side, and then his face again. It was a clean combination that required proper training to execute.
With his current body, he couldn't evade all these attacks. He raised his guard to block the punch aimed at his jaw, but he allowed the abdominal attack. His breath caught from the pain, as if his insides were tearing, but Songtan merely stared heavily at his opponent.
Now that you've taken a few hits, your runaway mind is finally coming back, isn't it?
Thinking he had gained the upper hand, Kim Hyeokjin regained his composure.
You just have to take my punches! Like before! Don't resist, you *worm*.
A heavy punch flew again. But that was all. Songtan boldly plunged inward and struck the inside of Kim Hyeokjin's elbow.
Kuh.
Kim Hyeokjin let out a sound of dismay at the unfamiliar sensation of his arm losing all strength. Kim Hyeokjin, gritting his teeth, wrapped his thick arm around Songtan's neck.
There was an attempt to take him down with grappling. As he was falling, Songtan sharply jabbed a spot on Kim Hyeokjin's side. At that moment.
Kuaaaak!!
Kim Hyeokjin's body bent like a shrimp from the pain that turned his mind blank. A pain like flesh tearing from inside his ribs exploded.
Songtan's hands moved swiftly. It is located behind the ear, in the hollow between the cervical vertebrae and the sternocleidomastoid muscle. This pressure point, called the <F1>Nakhon-hyeol</F1> (Falling Soul Point), was where the <F1>gi</F1> ascending to the <F1>cheongmyeong</F1>, the <F1>gimaek</F1> descending to the <F1>dantian</F1>, and the <F1>sin-gyeongmaek</F1> spreading to both arms intersected. It was also a pressure point where, if struck, one could feel pain intense enough to scatter the <F1>samhon-chilbaek</F1> (three souls and seven spirits).
Kkueuk...
A choking sound came from Kim Hyeokjin's mouth. His eyes were wide open, as if tearing, and thick saliva drooled from his parted lips.
Songtan's hands busily tapped various parts of Kim Hyeokjin's body. He tapped his neck, armpits, sides, thighs, and so on. At first glance, it looked almost like he was playing a prank.
Kkeureureureuk!!
From the compounding pain, blue veins bulged on Kim Hyeokjin's temples. He wanted to scream, but for some reason, no sound would properly come out. All he could do was scratch the floor with his fingers.
Songtan, watching him intently, squatted down and grabbed Kim Hyeokjin by the hair.
What's with the dramatics? This is just the beginning.
W-wait... wait.
Kim Hyeokjin, receiving his own past words back, spoke in a desperate voice, but...
*Thwack-*
His mouth clamped shut from the searing pain in his side. The pain, like being branded by fire, began to spread terrifyingly like a wildfire.
Kuaaaaaaak!!!!
Kim Hyeokjin screamed loudly enough to make the Abandoned Warehouse tremble.
Uwaaaah!! It hurts!! It hurts! *Damn it*!
His body folded in half. Convulsions followed. Every breath sent pain through his entire body, as if sharp blades were piercing him. In the end, unable to bear the agony, Kim Hyeokjin fainted. A yellow liquid flowed from his pants, soaking the dusty concrete floor.
"Ughhhhhh..."
"It hurts so much... Someone call 911..."
Songtan casually swept his gaze over the utterly gruesome scene inside,
*Tap-tap-*
He dusted off the dirt from his pant legs and calmly exited the Abandoned Warehouse. And from behind the discarded oil drum that had been blocking the back entrance of the Abandoned Warehouse, a new scene unfolded.
Whoa...
Someone holding a cell phone was recording every single moment.