Chapter 279: Orthodox Faction (4)

Chapter 279: Orthodox Faction (4)

6.

He was never meant for the orthodox faction from the beginning.

-Why do you bend the iron there? No, no, dont use your aura to revert it. See this gentleman here?

Venomous Snake swung his hammer.

-If you work using your aura now, thats a hobby, not work. Its just playing around. Are you here to play?

Clang!

Venomous Snake took a deep breath. The flames from the forge brightly lit his face. Droplets of sweat fell and sizzled on the hot iron.

-Did you come here to play?

Clang!

He was never cut out to be a blacksmith either.

When striking iron, there was no sudden rhythm in his forearms, no dance in the swing of his hammer, no trembling through his body releasing pent-up frustrationnone of that passion existed.

-Wow, damn it,

Clang!

-This is tough! Really tough!

What joy is there in work?

-Im dying! Damn, why is it so hard!

-You think youre dying? Dont worry. To me, youre far from death. When youre really close to dying, your eyes start to droop and such. You, sir I mean, can I just call you mister? Is that okay? You still look lively.

-Its tough!

-Work is always tough.

Clang!

-Just humble yourself. Ah, so damn hard. But its not the hardest job in the world.

-Thats not comforting at all.

-What kind of comfort do you want then? Do you expect some magical spell that, upon hearing a few words, suddenly makes you feel comforted, makes hammering bearable, and turns your day refreshing and joyful? Comfort isnt really that comforting. Its given because its even harder without it.

-Its, its tough

Clang!

-Aah

Clang!

The sound of the hammering gradually turned the area red. The bright blue sky of the afternoon turned into a bloody evening sunset. Merchants unpacked their goods for the evening market, and now the street was filled not only with the sound of the hammer but also various noises.

-Thats enough for today.

-Huff, pheewww! Haaaah phew, haah

-Lets go eat.

The fairy race, impeccably dressed in a suit as if they had just bathed, was ready to stroll out. Despite being able to dress casually, the blood of the fairy race couldnt lie they always planned to stride out in style. Venomous Snake, after wiping off some sweat, followed the fairy race.

-Wow! Mister! Look over there!

In a corner of the old street, several dancers were performing. Although there werent many spectators, everyone watched their dance moves with interest, finding it entertaining.

-They must have hired a Fire Painting Play troupe for promotion at that store! That must cost a pretty penny. Theyre really going all out to attract customers over there.

-Aah Is it something like hiring a singer to perform songs?

-Lets go and listen too! Its free!

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With a faint smile, Venomous Snake, weary from the days labor, walked towards the dance.

-Woo! Ah, woo! Ah.

-Grrr, growl.

The actors on the makeshift stage in front of the store seemed to belong to a modest Fire Painting Play troupe. There were only very young or very old actors.

Instead of powerful dances, they performed simple ones in rhythm, and instead of singing about the harshness of war, they sang small songs of love. The somewhat slow music flowed with the aura of the actors into the sunset.

-.

Venomous Snake took a seat in the front row, crossing his arms.

The sunset, as if it had drunk the blood of people who worked all day, was unusually red. The roofs, pillars, dirt roads, and cracks in the stone pavements of the street were all bathed in red.

-Woo, woo, woo, grrr.

-Toot, toot, brrrrr, toot, toot.

This too.

This too was quite nice.

-.

It was a strange day.

Venomous Snake watched several splendid Fire Painting Plays. He had seen many military dances performed by warriors belonging to the Fire River Council in his time. They were all intense yet magnificent, sorrowful yet beautiful. He had shed tears while watching them. But why?

From his heart, [his self] hissed and flickered its tongue.

The snake in his heart that remained silent in front of those glamorous Fire Painting Plays.

-Ah, theyre dancing.

Venomous Snake suddenly looked around. It was true. Other audience members, other guests who were watching the Fire Painting Play, were rhythmically moving their shoulders, joyously dancing, or inviting their partners to dance.

-Red wine! Cheap!

A fairy race shopkeeper came out of the store, selling red wine. The red wine was a traditional liquor from Guru, similar to beer.

-We have red wine cooled in the waterway! Ah, thank you! Thank you!

The shopkeepers swam through the crowd like eels in a stream. On closer inspection, this store mainly sold simple food and red wine. The sounds of selling and buying red wine mixed with the actors music, creating a lively atmosphere.

-Ill have two glasses too! Here! Two glasses of red wine!

The blacksmith jumped on the spot, reaching out his hand.

-Yes! Two glasses of red wine coming up! Thank you!

-Hehe.

The blacksmith handed a glass of red wine to Venomous Snake with a laugh.

-This is the taste after hard work. Youre lucky, mister. Enjoying a free Fire Painting Play and all.

-.

-Drink up. Go on. Your work today wasnt great, but Im investing in your future. Nobody starts out being good at something, right?

-.

Venomous Snake, feeling oddly bewildered, drank the red wine.

The red wine that gushed down his throat was refreshing.

With a single gulp, a fresh wheat aroma burst forth from his throat. The cool, spicy scent of wheat in his mouth instantly shot to his head, making his nose twitch.

-Krh! Ugh!

-How is it? Killer, right? I come to this tavern often. The red wine here is just amazing. There are plenty of places in Guru brewing good red wine, but in terms of value for money, this place is the best. Wow, mister! You know how to enjoy your drink!

-Here, uh, another beer!

-Beer? Whats this talk about beer? If you want beer, you have to go somewhere else. Anyway, shopkeeper! Another glass of red wine here!

-Life is tough to death, but when you get past that moment, you can breathe for a while.

Venomous Snake wanted to protect that breath.

Righteousness is calling the happiness of ordinary people beautiful.

Righteousness is telling those who have somehow finished a days hard work to rest now.

Righteousness is loving liquor, dance, and song, but only the liquor, dance, and song of those who have worked and finished their day.

-Foreman.

-Yes?

-Live long. Be careful of accidents.

Venomous Snake patted the blacksmiths shoulder.

He staggered away from the square where music and dance flowed.

-Survive till the end. You too. Me too.

-

-All of us.

Once he left the square, the shadow of the noble race disappeared among the crowd.

Slowly.

It became invisible.

The fairy race blacksmith stood alone, watching the back of someone disappearing into the sunset.

-Right.

Run.

Venomous Snake was running.

-Maybe because I went to the Fire Painting Play with the mindset of dressing up and listening to music politely, I never felt moved by any performance. Ah. It makes sense.

He ran.

Releasing the aura sealed all day, his body surged with blood.

His vision brightened.

Suddenly, with a leap, Venomous Snake was already stepping on the rooftops of the village. People in the streets pointed at him, shouting, but he moved too fast for their fingers to follow, disappearing quickly over the rooftops.

Venomous Snake gasped for breath.

-Originally, its tough, working like youre about to die. Only when it feels like dying, can you finally hear the music and dance. To forget. To endure. Not because were happy to live, but to become happy in order to survive. To survive.

Clang!

-To survive.

From a certain moment.

Every step Venomous Snake took resonated with aura, every swing in the air exploded with aura, and the sound of metal clanged.

Clang!

Day 410.

Venomous Snake became a lodger at a Snail Race farm, living and working with the farmers family for two years, tilling the land. The plow dug into the hard ground.

Clang!

Day 1503.

Venomous Snake joined a fairy race bank, working in finance. Always hiding his origins, his supervisor, unaware that he was a noble race deity, often scolded him from behind.

Clang!

Day 2874.

Venomous Snake entered a noble races mine and swung his pickaxe. The conditions in the mining industry had improved considerably compared to when the Snail Race used slaves. However, despite the improvements, the work at the mine face was undeniably tough. Venomous Snake, gasping for air, soaked in sweat, swung his pickaxe with difficulty.

Clang!

Day 7021.

Clang!

Day 14059.

Clang!

Day 19856.

Clang!

Day 22400.

-.

He was never meant for the orthodox faction from the beginning.

-Hmm.

He was never meant to be the solitary but skilled swordsman type.

-Is this enough?

He was never meant to be a protagonist.

-Huff.

Standing atop a mountain, Venomous Snake took a deep breath. The world he inhaled became blood and circulated through his muscles, shoulders, back, waist, thighs, calves, and the soles of his feet. Then, he slowly exhaled.

-Hooooo.

In the distance, atop the mountain.

A giant turtle monster, rising from the deep sea and heading this way, appeared. It seemed formidable enough to destroy the world, but Venomous Snake paid it no mind, not even sparing it a glance.

Because his focus was on humanity.

-Come on, Kim Gong-ja.

He.

After a long time, shedding the guise of the noble race and inhabiting his own body, spoke with his own voice, more than anything, from the heart of [his self], and thrust a righteous fist into the void.

-Here lies the orthodox faction.

Clang!

A hissing sound echoed.

-Fighting is work.

Clang!

-And work is naturally tough and arduous.

Clang!

-Fighting you, in particular, is going to be so hard it feels like death, even among tough jobs.

Clang!

-After this job is over.

Clang!

-Lets go somewhere with good music, and just damn drink our hearts out!

Venomous Snake laughed.

In a world where the Five Great Families were buried in snow, the Nine Martial Arts Sects vanished in snowstorms, and even the Martial Alliance Leaders sword was broken, now the Infernal Heavens thrived beyond the boundaries of the world, and Baraya sang in this place. Here, the last of the White Paths righteous warriors, left by the world of snow, stood.

The Master of the Chun Mu-mun Master was laughing.