Chapter 45. The Gambler's Fingers

In front, the enemies advanced; in the middle, they scattered to the sides; and those at the back moved their heads around, preparing their hidden weapons. I categorized them by their weapons. I didn't fight people but dealt with the tridents, straight swords, long swords, and judge's pens that were trying to kill me. I had no choice but to naturally retreat while deflecting their weapons.

Even as I did so, long spears, halberds, and maces cut through the air, rushing at me. The hidden weapons that missed me were stuck in the ground and walls. I was pushed back to the main hall door, then kicked it open and retreated outside. I took a deep breath, suddenly realizing how fresh the outside air was. Inside the main hall, the stench of the greedy old man and the solitary figures mixed, making it unpleasant to breathe.

I looked around, still holding my sword. The commoners of this strange country had gathered to watch the fight, but they didn't seem particularly excited.

'It's been a while since I fought, hasn't it?'

That was the expression on everyone's face. However, when the Black Line Sect's officers suddenly appeared, gripping their weapons, everyone's eyes widened.

In an instant, the officers surrounded me in a formation. The Black Line Sect's leader walked out and said, "Officers, don't be complacent. He's a skilled fighter. Squad leaders, don't interfere rashly. Those who die or are injured will be dealt with here and now."

I examined the hands of the officers holding their weapons. Most of them were missing several fingers.

Suddenly, I remembered something my grandfather used to mutter occasionally.

'Gambler's fingers must be cut off.'

He never explained why they needed to be cut off or which scoundrel caused him to say this. He just muttered it sometimes when the topic of gambling came up at the inn.

Suddenly, my grandfather's words echoed in my ears.

* * *

As the fight resumed, I dealt with it using the insights from cockfighting. I struck when I saw an opening, avoided traps, deflected honest attacks, and selectively countered unconventional ones. The officers' attacks grew more intense.

Suddenly, a dart flew at me, and the number of hidden weapons increased. The screams also grew louder. A hidden weapon that missed me hit a spectator in the neck. Another man, hit by a dart, screamed and ran off somewhere. I moved my body frequently to gauge the atmosphere around me.

Despite being attacked by twenty men, I held my ground, and the officers' eyes began to show signs of anxiety.

As soon as I sensed the change in their psychology, I reduced my defensive stance and launched an attack. As I switched to offense, I instinctively said, "Gambler's fingers must be cut off."

I moved more lightly and quickly than when I was defending, grabbed the middle of an incoming spear with my left hand, and slashed the officer's wrist with my sword.

Splat!

I didn't have the leisure to see the pained expression of the man. While dodging a straight sword and a mace, I struck the eye of a man wielding a trident.

As his head tilted back, I cut his wrist and moved on. A judge's pen drew a 乙 shape, and another one thrust at me as a single point.

The 乙 shape was a feint, and the single point was the real attack.

I leaped up, escaping the feint and the real attack, and while hanging upside down, I struck the man's pressure points with the Wooden Staff Technique and landed.

The man holding the two judge's pens stiffened, momentarily protecting my back.

Suddenly, a large number of needle-like hidden weapons rained down, some lying on the ground to stab feet.

I grabbed the back of the stiffened man's neck and used him as a shield in front of me.

With a series of thuds, the needles stuck into him. Some bounced off and rolled around on the ground.

Meanwhile, a weapon hit my shoulder from behind.

I inserted the sword I was holding in my right hand into my left armpit and released a wave of energy.

Swoosh! The wave of energy pierced the neck of the man holding a straight sword.

"Ugh!"

I looked around to assess the situation. The Black Line Sect's leader remained still like a king on a chessboard, while five or six men were dead or injured, and the rest maintained their fighting spirit.

When does the king move?

I couldn't tell.

Perhaps he was waiting until the end to maintain his position as king.

I shook the blood off my sword and looked at the man standing behind me. He was trying to stop the blood flowing from his neck with his weaponless hand.

I kicked the man's abdomen to block an incoming hidden weapon, then spun backward and released a long wave of energy.

Whizz!

Three men approaching with spears tried to block the energy and fell backward simultaneously. The officers were gradually running out of stamina and internal energy, making it difficult for them to properly block the energy waves.

For a moment, I met the eyes of the solitary figure standing with his arms crossed.

The solitary figure shifted his gaze to the Black Line Sect's leader, who remained still.

"..."

Despite the officers dying, the Black Line Sect's leader didn't give any specific orders to the other squad leaders.

'He wants them to kill each other, doesn't he?'

I speculated about the Black Line Sect's leader's thoughts and easily severed the wrists of the remaining officers. They had attacked me in a group of twenty, so I had focused on defense, but once half of them were seriously injured or dead, the tide turned rapidly.

I mainly chased after them, deflecting their weapons a few times before cutting their wrists. Eventually, I severed the wrists of all the remaining officers and looked at the Black Line Sect's leader.

The cries of pain from the Black Line Sect's elders mixed from all directions.

* * *

The Black Line Sect's leader, who had been carefully observing the officers' defeat, spoke.

"Thank you for your hard work."

It wasn't clear whether he was speaking to the officers or to me.

But the moment I saw his expression, I realized he was speaking to everyone.

The Black Line Sect's leader, holding a broadsword in both hands, charged at me and released a wave of energy in the shape of a 乄.

I neutralized the incoming wave of energy with my own, then deflected the broadsword with a strong wind.

It was a terrifying and overwhelming attack, treating the officers like subordinates. As I deflected the broadsword, I thought:

This old man must have been a real troublemaker in his youth, just like the solitary figure.

After clashing swords about twenty times, the sword I wielded began to lose its edge.

In terms of age, the Black Line Sect's leader was even older.

The broadsword of the Black Line Sect's leader, despite its rough appearance, was as solid as a young man's muscles.

During the fight, my old sword finally broke.

In that instant, I pushed off the ground with my right foot, sliding backward in the air.

The Black Line Sect's leader warned the surroundings.

"Anyone who gives this man another weapon..."

I extended my hands to the sides and used the Absorption Technique. With a small whirlwind, two weapons were drawn to my hands.

A mace in my right hand.

A judge's pen in my left hand.

I shook my head slightly.

'This is a bit...'

I should have checked what was there before pulling it.

I had never heard of a martial artist who could wield a judge's pen and a mace simultaneously. It was awkward, ungraceful, and prone to mistakes. Damn it.

The Black Line Sect's leader, without giving me a chance to switch weapons, charged again.

Even with my extensive experience, I had never fought with a combination of a mace and a judge's pen, but the situation was urgent.

The Black Line Sect's leader was a strong old martial artist in his sixties.

While ordinary people in their sixties might suffer from joint pain, chronic illnesses, backaches, presbyopia, and decreased vitality, a martial artist who had spent his life in the martial world would have accumulated internal energy despite these minor pains.

Sparks flew each time the mace and the broadsword clashed.

The judge's pen, like a kitchen knife, was always blocked by the broadsword.

In short, the Black Line Sect's leader fought well.

He gave the impression of having practiced sword techniques for about forty years, like the solitary figure.

He wielded dual swords brilliantly, and his footwork was natural. His attacks and defenses were well-balanced, and he didn't use childish feints. He swung his sword bravely and maintained his dignity throughout the fight.

Whether he was crazy or not, he was the king of the Black Line Sect when fighting. As I used various techniques that I hadn't shown to the officers, the Black Line Sect's leader became more flustered.

During the intense fight, I reduced my杂念. Focusing all my attention on the fight, the unnecessary sounds around me faded away.

"!"

The sound of the Black Line Sect's leader's footsteps, the rustling of his clothes, the sounds of the weapons, and our breathing were clearly audible.

The moment I heard his breathing, I recalled the smoke from the solitary figure's mugwort and realized that this man also suffered from lung disease. His phlegm bubbled up during the fight.

I deliberately fought loosely for a few rounds and retreated.

Suddenly, the Black Line Sect's leader spat out a mouthful of phlegm.

"Hack!"

Before the yellow phlegm hit the ground, I threw the judge's pen.

The sound of the broadsword and the judge's pen clashing echoed.

Thud!

Soaring into the air and closing the distance, I infused the mace with internal energy and struck down fiercely.

The Black Line Sect's leader, realizing the severity of my attack, crossed his broadswords to block the falling mace.

Boom!

Amid the deafening sound...

I used the Absorption Technique to draw the judge's pen back, and when it was close, I twisted my wrist and released a wave of energy. The direction changed, and the force became even stronger.

Thud!

"Ugh!"

Where did it hit?

Only after swinging the mace again did I confirm that the judge's pen had pierced the Black Line Sect's leader's chest.

Chasing after the retreating Black Line Sect's leader, I continued to strike down with the mace, preventing him from pulling out the judge's pen. After blocking three times, the Black Line Sect's leader finally dropped his two broadswords and fell on his buttocks.

He had overexerted himself, trying to use internal energy while injured, causing his qi and blood to reverse.

Blood spurted from the Black Line Sect's leader's mouth.

I approached, holding the mace, and looked down at him.

"Leader, can't you get up?"

The Black Line Sect's leader nodded wearily and said in a commanding tone.

"Stop it."

How long had he been a king to speak to me in such a commanding tone even now?

"I'm not your slave. Why are you speaking like that?"

Even to a dying man, I pointed out his tone. That's just who I am.

The Black Line Sect's leader smiled, revealing his blood-stained teeth.

"If I let my subordinates treat me, I'll appoint you as the next leader. You won't lose anything. You'll have everything the Black Line Sect has."

His voice was weak, but that was the gist of it.

I rejected the Black Line Sect's leader's offer.

"I refuse."

"Refuse? They're all fools. Fools who can't even take care of themselves without orders. Take them."

Was this the perspective of someone who had lived by using slaves? I asked the Black Line Sect's leader, who seemed about to die, for his last words.

"Leader, say something before you die."

The Black Line Sect's leader barely lifted his head and left these words for the Black Line Sect's people.

"Fools, thank you for your hard work."

As he let out a strange, metallic laugh, I smashed his skull with the raised mace.

Thud!

"Still a pain in the ass until the end."

Thinking of the slaves who had been sold for money, I struck the smashed spot again with the mace.

Thinking of the fools who had gambled away their family's money, debts, and even their neighbors' money, I struck again with the mace.

Thinking that you still ate well, slept comfortably, and stayed warm, I struck again with the mace.

Blood and flesh splattered on my face. Since the man was already dead, I thought that one more strike with the mace wouldn't deepen my sin, so I struck again with emotion. This time, the mace fell to the ground with a loud noise.

Boom!

I looked around the Black Line Sect, my face covered in blood.

"..."