The Return of the Sw Chapter 81 : What’s the Big Deal About the Monster King? -03

Chapter 81: What’s the Big Deal About the Monster King? -03

There was a strange sense of frustration layered into the voice, but Seo Joun and Moyong Cheok did not notice it.

Instead, they expressed their shock with their faces and their entire bodies.

As Seonu Bang had said, it was unbelievable even while watching that the Monster King Danwi was being beaten so thoroughly.

“Just as expected of soone worthy of becoming my big brother. Taking down one of the Ten Great Masters Under Heaven at the age of twenty.”

“He may be at the bottom of the list, but he’s still one of the Ten Great Masters Under Heaven.”

“That’s right. What’s important is that he’s held the position of one of the Ten Great Masters Under Heaven for decades.”

Moyong Cheok puffed himself up as if he were the one beating Danwi.

He spoke while praising his own discerning eye.

Normally, Seo Joun would have interrupted him at that display, but this ti he silently nodded his head.

At the mont, Seo Joun felt the sa way.

“Ggueeeek!”

A sound like a pig being slaughtered rang in their ears.

It was the sound bursting from Danwi’s mouth.

After the wound he inflicted while subduing him, Ban Hojin never once used his sword.

Yet even using only his two feet, Danwi’s entire body was reduced to a wreck in an instant.

Hwiieeeeng!

At that mont, along with a streak of wind, a single figure descended into the front yard.

It was Damhyeon, who had rushed over after sensing the shockwave caused by the clash between Ban Hojin and Danwi.

Damhyeon landed from the sky, scattering an icy killing intent, and stared fiercely in Ban Hojin’s direction before his eyes widened.

“Hmm?”

“Have you arrived?”

“Huh?”

Rather than being startled by the sudden appearance, Damhyeon let out a hollow laugh at the sight of his disciple calmly kicking Danwi away.

Then he looked down at Danwi, who had flown over and collapsed limply in front of his feet.

He had been stomped so thoroughly that Danwi, known as the Monster King, lay unconscious with only the whites of his eyes showing.

“He ca looking for .”

“For what reason?”

“He said he ca to teach

a lesson as a senior, but he wouldn’t have co for such a simple reason, would he? We aren’t even acquaintances.”

Damhyeon’s gaze sharpened.

Normally benevolent, he was different now.

Since Ban Hojin could have been crippled beyond recovery if things had gone wrong, Damhyeon glared coldly at the unconscious Danwi.

“What do you intend to do?”

“Seeing as he suggested a deal, he seems willing to talk about whoever is behind him. So I thought I’d have a bit more of a conversation with him.”

“A conversation.”

A strange smile ford on Damhyeon’s lips.

He knew that the conversation his disciple spoke of was not a simple exchange of words.

“Of course, I have no intention of making a deal. There’s no need for

to.”

“That’s true. You have both the qualifications and the justification. Still, before that, could you give

a bit of ti?”

“You wish to have a conversation with him yourself, Master?”

“Yes. I also have sothing I wish to ask.”

“I understand. However, I would prefer that you not dirty your hands.”

Ban Hojin readily agreed.

However, he added a condition.

It was not that he did not understand Damhyeon’s feelings, but he thought there was no need for blood to stain his hands.

And grudges were ant to be resolved by those who tied them in the first place.

“You leave no leeway.”

“There’s no need for you to do so, Master.”

“It seems you’ve already made up your mind.”

“That’s not quite it, but I don’t believe he’s soone the martial world truly needs. And the justification also lies with .”

“Then I’ll have a conversation with him first.”

Ban Hojin took a step back.

He had already given permission, aning Damhyeon could do as he pleased.

Seeing that, Damhyeon smiled faintly, lifted Danwi with formless energy, and retraced the path he had co.

“Big brother!”

“As expected of you, big brother!”

Just as he had appeared, Damhyeon vanished with Danwi as if flying, and Seo Joun and Moyong Cheok approached.

Their eyes were filled with reverence.

Behind them ca Seonu Bang with a pale expression and Jeong Iryong with a calm face.

“To handle the Monster King so easily!”

“As expected, truly admirable!”

“That’s all you felt?”

“Uh…….”

The two who had co running hurriedly looked at each other.

They were montarily at a loss for words.

“The gap in level was too great for us to properly see your sword strikes, big brother. All we could feel was that it was amazing.”

Moyong Cheok spoke up in place of Seo Joun, who trailed off.

But it was neither an excuse nor a pretext.

That was genuinely how he had felt, so Moyong Cheok spoke honestly.

“You saw well. Learning it all at once just by watching would be absurd. It’s the sa for , and for other masters as well. But what you saw today will help you soday. And there’s one more thing I want to tell you. You can do it too. If I did it, there’s no reason you can’t, right?”

At Ban Hojin’s words, not only Moyong Cheok and Seo Joun, but also Jeong Iryong and Seonu Bang standing slightly behind them widened their eyes.

They were all shocked by words they had never even considered.

At the sa ti, flas surged within the eyes of the four.

It wasn’t even encouragent, yet strangely sothing burned fiercely in their chests.

“Of course, it won’t be easy.”

“But it’s not impossible either.”

“That’s right.”

Seo Joun said so and clenched his fist tightly.

In a way, it could have been called a wide-area provocation, but Seo Joun and the other three did not think of it that way.

Instead, their passion burned brighter.

Because it ant that all of them had potential, the four envisioned themselves standing shoulder to shoulder with Ban Hojin.

“Mm…….”

With a low groan, Danwi opened his eyes.

Feeling the heaviness of his eyelids for the first ti in several decades, Danwi looked around.

Since his mory had cut off the mont he lost consciousness, he first surveyed his surroundings.

However, all he could see were stone walls.

“I can’t tell whether this is a cave or a stone chamber.”

“That’s only natural. We excluded anything artificial as much as possible.”

“Hm?”

An old yet strangely familiar voice made Danwi turn his head.

Then the sight of Damhyeon, dressed in worn monk’s robes, ca into view.

“Law King?”

“It has been a long ti. I never thought I would face you like this, though.”

“Your manner of speech has changed.”

“I did not think there was any need to keep up courtesies toward a scoundrel who targeted my disciple.”

“Hahahaha!”

Though Damhyeon’s appearance was unfamiliar, Danwi was not flustered.

Rather, he laughed loudly as if in agreent.

At the sa ti, he carefully examined the state of his own body.

‘The bleeding has been stopped. He didn’t seal my acupoints. Confidence?’

His entire body throbbed from having been beaten so brutally.

Still, fortunately, his paralysis acupoints had not been sealed.

Of course, only the bleeding had been stopped and no treatnt had been given, so the sword wounds remained as they were, but what mattered was that he could still move.

“By now, you must have checked your condition.”

“You’re like a ghost.”

“That’s only natural. If you wish to try, you may.”

“To think the Abbot of Shaolin would resort to threats. One really does live long enough to see everything. And it also makes

reassess my own situation. The fact that you’ve kept

alive ans you have sothing you want to ask, doesn’t it?”

Danwi leaned comfortably against the wall.

He wore an expression as though he already knew everything Damhyeon was thinking.

But Damhyeon neither affird nor denied it.

Instead, he simply gazed steadily at him.

“Judging by that look in your eyes, it seems unlikely I’ll be leaving here in one piece.”

“You didn’t think otherwise from the beginning, did you?”

“Of course I did. I am the Monster King.”

“And yet, look at you now.”

“Even I can’t accept it. How could soone that young be like that?”

Danwi wore a hollow expression.

Even in this sorry state, he still could not believe it.

No, he simply could not comprehend how such a being could exist.

In realistic terms, Ban Hojin’s existence—his level—was impossible.

“It seems you’re trying to buy ti, but even so, nothing will change.”

“Hmph. Do you think I wouldn’t know that?”

“Have you resigned yourself to it?”

“Not a chance. Even a hopelessly tangled skein of thread can be unraveled eventually. Depending on how you deal with a situation, things can change enough.”

“Who ordered you?”

Damhyeon asked with a cold, uncompromising expression.

At those words, Danwi frowned.

No matter that he was practically a prisoner, he was still a martial artist of the sa generation, soone who stood on the sa rank among the Ten Great Masters Under Heaven.

And to speak as though he were rely soone else’s tool made Danwi’s displeasure plainly visible.

“Your tone is irritating.”

“Do you expect courtesy? Then you should have upheld the dignity befitting one of the Ten Great Masters Under Heaven. You couldn’t guide a junior as a senior should, and instead tried to trample him before he had even fully grown—yet you still want to be treated with respect?”

“…….”

Faced with the cutting reproach, Danwi fell silent.

There was nothing he could say in rebuttal.

“Who is it?”

“I want to make a deal.”

“As Hojin said, you still don’t grasp your own position.”

“Aren’t you curious? If you kill , you’ll never learn who’s behind this. And they won’t foolishly make the first move either. They’re not that stupid.”

It was true that the situation was unfavorable.

But from Shaolin’s standpoint as well, he was necessary.

Having a living witness was far more advantageous than re testimony.

And not just any witness, but one of the Ten Great Masters Under Heaven.

The weight of that was entirely different.

That was the point Danwi was banking on.

“There’s just one thing I want. If you let

go, I will never set foot near Shaolin again. And I will not go looking for the Divine Dragon either.”

Seeing Damhyeon remain silent, Danwi hurriedly continued speaking.

As he did, he quickly examined Damhyeon’s expression.

But since Damhyeon had been expressionless from the start, there was nothing to read.

“There are only two choices you can make. One is to die peacefully, without pain. The other is to writhe in agony so intense you’ll wish for death, and then die.”

“……Let’s take the amicable route. Bluntly speaking, I’m the one who suffered! I’m the one who was deceived!”

Danwi brazenly turned the tables.

At his brazen outburst, Damhyeon let out a short, incredulous laugh.

“Then speak. If you’re resentful about being deceived, we should go down together, shouldn’t we? It’s unfair for you to shoulder everything alone, isn’t it?”

“…….”

“Both I and Hojin already know. We rely want to be certain.”

“Promise . Promise that you’ll release . Then I’ll tell you everything I know.”

Hiding his desperation, Danwi spoke in a coaxing tone.

He still did not want to die.

Throughout his life, he had faced countless crises, yet he had ultimately survived and overco them all.

That was why he was confident this ti as well.

Swish.

But the mont his words ended, Damhyeon turned his body.

Without saying a word, he walked toward the outside where light stread in.

At Damhyeon’s sudden action, Danwi blinked.

“Seeing you again?”

“You…!”

“Of course I expected this outco. But you’re even dumber than I’d heard. To think you wouldn’t understand the value of the cards in your own hand.”

Grit!

At the sight of Ban Hojin slowly approaching, Danwi bared his teeth and ground them together.

Even so, he did not move rashly.

The mory of being rcilessly beaten remained etched into his mind—and his body.

It had originally been what he intended to do, but the result had been the exact opposite.

“If you want to attack, then attack. Your acupoints weren’t sealed. I can also take the opportunity to make you obedient.”

Thud!

Ban Hojin spoke provocatively, but Danwi did not rise.

Instead, he glared at Ban Hojin with a look that could tear flesh apart.

However, Ban Hojin was not soone who would be intimidated by re glares.

“To be honest, I’m not particularly interested in whoever is backing you. Even if you talked, it would only serve as confirmation. You seem to think your words carry trendous impact, but do they really? If the Sangguan Family is determined to deny it, it will be dismissed as nonsense. It’s not as if you signed a contract, right? There’s no way the Sangguan Family would leave behind evidence that disadvantages them. In the end, everything must have been agreed upon verbally.”

“Then why didn’t you just kill

right away?”

“Because you have a bit of use. Even if they deny it, people will still harbor suspicions, won’t they? That alone is enough to pressure the Sangguan Family. But that’s as far as it goes. It would be nice if it works, but if it doesn’t, it’s not a loss for

either.”