Chapter 11:

Chapter 11:

Why are you out here? (1)

“Why should I, in the midst of precious training time, be bothered mingling with you guys?”

Mu-gung, who seemed not to have gotten over the grudge from the last sparring session, scowled at Mu-jin and Mu-yul with a face that was uncharacteristically childish for his age.

At that pettiness, Mu-jin also glared at Mu-gung with a fierce expression.

“Hey. Aren’t you a senior brother? A disciple is in that state, and your training is more important? Huh?”

“...Aren’t you also a disciple?”

Mu-gung asked with an incredulous look, to which Mu-jin responded with an open sneer.

“Then, if you prefer being a senior brother who got beaten by a disciple, I’ll call you that. Mu-gung senior brother.”

With the sass that comes from experience, Mu-gung trembled with his fists shaking.

“That, that was because I let my guard down!”

“Oh, yes, of course.”

“Squeak!!”

Unable to contain his anger, Mu-gung eventually charged at Mu-jin.

Mu-gung thought he had lost last time because he was caught off guard, because it was a surprise attack. Naturally, this time he aimed to deliver his best strike from the start. However...

“Tsk.”

Of course, it didn’t reach Mu-jin.

Even though it was a destructive punch that would have made a whooshing sound, to use Mu-yul’s words.

And Mu-jin, who easily dodged that punch, went straight into Mu-gung’s embrace.

“Hmph!”

Having been caught off guard last time, Mu-gung immediately lowered his stance to block the tackle.

But Mu-jin, who had anticipated that, straightened up from his lowered stance, circled to Mu-gung’s side, and used his own limbs to bind Mu-gung’s.

The tackle was a feint from the start.

Mu-jin twisted Mu-gung’s body, which was bound by limbs, into a bizarre angle. It was the Twister, a technique from modern combat sports.

“Kkeueuk.”

Mu-gung, who thought he couldn’t burst into tears like last time, tried to endure, but the pain from the abnormally twisted joint was beyond imagination.

“Don’t you understand why you’re losing?”

Mu-jin, having subdued Mu-gung, whispered into his ear.

“Tell me why that guy ended up like that, and I’ll tell you why you’re losing. So let’s just stop the sparring here, okay?”

Not wanting to make the kid cry again, Mu-jin spoke just that much and then casually released the Twister.

Freed from the Twister, Mu-gung glared at Mu-jin for a moment while catching his breath, but he didn’t charge again seeking revenge.

He was genuinely curious about why he was losing, and he also considered himself a disciple of the prestigious orthodox sect of Shaolin.

“Alright. You seem to have calmed down a bit, so now will you tell me why that Mu-gyeong ended up in such a state?”

In response to Mu-jin’s question, Mu-gung, massaging his aching joints, answered bluntly.

“Why else? He got on the bad side of the secular disciples.”

“Got on the bad side of the secular disciples?”

“Yeah.”

“That secular, as in the secular disciples you’re talking about?”

“Yeah. That secular.”

Upon Mu-gung’s answer, Mu-jin scowled and asked again.

“So, why did getting on the bad side of the secular lead to this? Isn’t this Shaolin?”

“It’s about his background.”

“Background?”

“His father works as a courier for a courier service started by secular disciples.”

“......”

Amidst the flimsy excuses of Mu-gung, a peculiar tale emerged, prompting Mu-jin to furrow his brow and ask.

“What do you mean by three people?”

“You said Mu-tae’s father is a secular courier service boss, right? There are two more guys who are sworn brothers with that courier boss, from secular disciple clans. They were deliberately sent here at the same time.”

“...So what do you mean by ‘even one is too much’? According to this guy, you’re the strongest here?”

“So, I’ve been thinking, and there might be a pretty simple solution?”

“A solution?”

“Yeah. Want to hear it?”

“...”

After a moment’s hesitation, Mu-gyeong cautiously nodded, and with an it’s-no-big-deal demeanor, Mu-jin said,

“It’s simple. You just have to report everything you’ve been through—being bullied and threatened over your father—to Master Uncle Hye-jeong.”

Mu-gyeong’s face fell at Mu-jin’s straightforward solution. It wasn’t that Mu-gyeong hadn’t thought of that himself.

“Are you mocking me? Then those guys won’t leave my father alone.”

“That’s simple too. If you can become a true disciple, all your problems will be solved.”

“???”

Mu-gyeong wore a look of incomprehension, and not only him, but Mu-yul and Mu-gung also had faces of confusion.

“Sigh.”

That’s kids for you.

It was the same in modern Korea. During middle and high school, the majority of kids suffering from school violence or ostracism were too afraid of retaliation to report it.

And as time goes on, they become trapped in negative thoughts like ‘my future is doomed anyway,’ and their perspective narrows.

Mu-gyeong couldn’t picture himself achieving anything; such images simply didn’t form in his mind.

Instead, what unfolded in his thoughts was a different scene.

His failure to become a true disciple...

“If I fail, father will have to continue working under Mu-tae...”

The image of his father, who had descended the mountain as a secular disciple, being tormented by Mu-tae was all too vivid.

Faced with this dreadful possibility that seemed all too likely to come true, Mu-gyeong lifted his head with resolve.

“Fine, I’ll give it a try!”

Pleased with the answer, Mu-jin clapped his hands and began with a cheerful tone,

“Good. Then let’s discuss the first solution we talked about earlier. After snitching, let’s talk about the second solution, shall we?”

“A second solution?”

“The first method might be enough to give those guys a hard time, but it won’t settle the grudge you’ve suffered up until now. Right? You have to at least pay them back for what they did to you.”

“Pay them back? You, you don’t mean we’re going to beat them up, do you?”

“What nonsense. It’s not about beating them up; it’s about beating them together.”

“Me, beat them?”

“No. We will.”

It was a moment that could be considered moving, but Mu-gung, who was listening to Mu-jin and Mu-gyeong’s conversation from behind, exclaimed with a shocked expression,

“Don’t tell me I’m included in that ‘we’ too!?”

“You think you can sit this out? You didn’t hear our conversation just now? Mu-gyeong is going to become a true disciple of Shaolin, just like you.”

“But, that’s...”

At just thirteen, Mu-gung had no chance of winning an argument with Mu-jin.

Seeing Mu-gung flustered, Mu-jin drove his point home,

“Or are you scared you might lose?”

“Hmph! With how hard I’ve trained over the past hundred days, I can easily take on such guys one-on-one!”

“Great. That’s settled then. Since there are three of them, I’ll take one, Mu-gung will take another, and Mu-gyeong and Mu-yul can take on the third one together.”

With a clap of his hands, Mu-jin easily summarized the situation and then added with a slightly regretful expression,

“Hmm. It would’ve been easier if Mu-yul could also sense Qi. Looks like Mu-gung and I will have to defeat two of them quicker.”

“Huh? What are you talking about, Mu-jin? I can feel Qi too.”

“Really?”

At Mu-yul’s response, Mu-jin asked with a puzzled look,

“Then why have you been practicing only the Breath Control Technique until now?”

“Hehehe. I can feel the Qi, but I haven’t memorized all the meridian points yet.”

“......”