Chapter 517: Training (2)

Kang Jin-Ho, Bang Jin-Hun and Lee Hyeon-Su left behind the depressed-looking French duo and exited the conference hall. Before leaving, though, Bang Jin-Hun glanced behind him. He tutted softly at the sight of two grown men soullessly staring at the empty air.

'...Yup, I do feel sorry for you.'

The French duo's misfortune was running into the two Korean devils walking ahead of Bang Jin-Hun. One of these two devils didn't seem to have read the memo on 'going too far' while the other dude was... Well, he might be an actual devil wearing human skin!

Weirdly enough, Lee Hyeon-Su was the latter in this situation. Even though Bang Jin-Hun didn't speak a lick of French, he could still make a rough guess while observing the devil incarnate, Lee Hyeon-Su, expertly coerce and threaten Vincent and Mathieu until the French duo gave up on everything there was to give up.

'What a terrifying bastard...!'

Bang Jin-Hun felt a renewed chill creep down his spine after thinking about how Lee Hyeon-Su's craftiness would've been used against the Martial Assembly if Kang Jin-Ho hadn't been here. And that also made his gratitude toward Kang Jin-Ho run even deeper than ever before.

Lee Hyeon-Su rubbed his chin. “Hmm... As it turns out, plenty of their stuff is more useful than we initially thought.”

“However, can we believe them?” Kang Jin-Ho asked suspiciously.

“Well, we saw them perform the skills, so it should be fine, Mister Jin-Ho.”

“Hmm...” Kang Jin-Ho nodded, his expression displaying how interested he was.

Although he started cultivating as a way to ensure his survival, Kang Jin-Ho still rose to the peak of the era he used to live in. There was simply no way he'd not be interested in martial arts with completely different foundations and frameworks than his.

Kang Jin-Ho crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Should we call this an embodiment technique? In that sense, it's completely different from our ways, so..”

Lee Hyeon-Su nodded weightily. “You're right, Mister Jin-Ho. It does seem that way. I'm wondering if we can even fuse this new knowledge with what we know.”

Bang Jin-Hun butted in after his patience quickly ran out. “Let me in on whatever you two are talking about!”

Lee Hyeon-Su looked back and smiled brightly. “Assembly Master, sir. We were talking about the magic the Frenchmen showed us.”

“Yeah, that. It was pretty amazing, right?” Bang Jin-Hun looked back as if he was still entranced by the performance from earlier. “It was literally... magical, right?”

“Well, sir... It was magic, after all.” Lee Hyeon-Su chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.

Magic wasn't the only thing the Chevalier's Captain and his subordinate had shown off back in the conference hall, but their non-magic physical techniques failed to impress Kang Jin-Ho and Co. It wasn't a matter of whose school of martial arts was superior; the Western way was neither better nor worse in any appreciative measure.

As such, it didn't seem necessary to integrate the Western methods into cultivation methods practiced by the Martial Assembly members, considering the overall unfamiliarity. It wouldn't have been all that effective at the end of the day. However, what about magic?

Lee Hyeon-Su's eyes sparkled. “I'm not sure what to feel about the other abilities yet, but at the very least, that subspace thingamajiggy seemed so cool, didn't it?”

“Mm...” Kang Jin-Ho wholeheartedly agreed with Lee Hyeon-Su's sentiment. He got interested in the Chevaliers' techniques precisely because he witnessed the subspace in action, after all.

That technique was not a mere random parlor trick that looked interesting but didn't have many uses. No, the subspace's practicality seemed genuinely limitless. Kang Jin-Ho even briefly wondered why such a practical skill hadn't spread to the East until now.

Most practitioners of martial arts used weapons of some kind. Weapons boasted a higher killing power than bare fists, after all.

However, walking around with weapons in this day and age was practically impossible. If Kang Jin-Ho walked outside his home with either the Azuremourne or Crimson Destiny, cops would show up in less than ten minutes and arrest him before throwing the proverbial book at him.

That meant the martial artists had no choice but to drive to their destinations. And that was where an existential dilemma presented itself.

Cars drove on roads and streets. And people used the same roads and streets. However, martial artists of the modern era needed to avoid drawing people's attention. So, they would usually park their vehicles in a deserted area and carry their weapons to their destinations, then load their cargo back after everything was said and done... Unsurprisingly, this process was as cumbersome as it sounded.

Like back when Kang Jin-Ho was accosted by the would-be assassin in the department store, being attacked in a crowded place while weaponless could make the battle quite challenging even if the enemy should've been a pushover. This problem shouldn't be dismissed with a casual wave of one's hand since it was literally a matter of life and death.

However, this subspace technique would solve this problem in an instant. Simply storing one's preferred weapons in the subspace would take care of the armament quandary facing all martial artists. Since that was the case, how could Kang Jin-Ho not be tempted by it?

Lee Hyeon-Su continued to mutter in excitement. “In my opinion, that subspace technique alone is worth sparing their lives.”

Kang Jin-Ho silently nodded in agreement. '...Well, that's not the only interesting thing, though.'

Indeed, the Chevalier duo also demonstrated several more genuinely interesting techniques. Especially the ability to use the power of nature to manifest a phenomenon without actually spending one's own energy; that technique piqued Kang Jin-Ho's interest the most.

Actually, that was downplaying Kang Jin-Ho's shock a little. When a man, who was a weakling in Kang Jin-Ho's eyes, suddenly created a lively flame on his hand without breaking a sweat, Kang Jin-Ho thought his eyes would pop out of their sockets. When was the last time he got this shocked after returning to the modern era? It must've been less than a handful of times!

Back in gangho, an expert had to reach, at a bare minimum, the transcendent realm to invoke Samadhi True Fire. But to think that a second-rate martial artist could freely ignite a lively flame in his hand...!

Sure, this flame's power couldn't be compared to Samadhi True Fire, but the efficiency alone was enough to shock Kang Jin-Ho. He was nearly overcome with a fierce temptation to grill the Frenchmen on how they did that right there and then.

Lee Hyeon-Su excitedly raised his voice. “This isn't as simple as how useful these foreign techniques are. There's no doubt that their martial techniques are far more efficient than what we practice.”

“Mm..” Kang Jin-Ho nodded in agreement. He felt the same and didn't have anything else to add in that regard, but...

“If we research these techniques and refine them, I imagine quite an amusing result might be in store for us,” said Lee Hyeon-Su, his eyes gleaming sharply.

'Yeah, that might be true, but...' Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes but chose not to voice his concern. 'As long as you research this properly, that is.'

What Lee Hyeon-Su seemed to overlook was that this matter didn't concern the efficiency of the techniques. Rather, it was the question of possibilities. Combining or fusing two disparate techniques was easier said than done, after all!

People capable of doing this back in gangho were reverentially referred to as the Grandmasters. Even though gangho's lengthy history was filled with many colorful characters, only a handful of experts had the honor of being recognized as the First-Generation Grandmasters. That alone proved the scale of this insurmountable task Lee Hyeon-Su would have to deal with.

The odds of Lee Hyeon-Su pulling this off seemed about the same as an ape pounding on a keyboard to reproduce Hamlet. And this wasn't about Lee Hyeon-Su's competence, either. From the get-go, the conditions and the environment weren't sufficient enough.

'...What we have is simply not enough.'

Combining one school of martial arts with another required a level of skill and expertise approaching that of a grandmaster. On the Korean side, they had Kang Jin-Ho, a top-tier expert in Eastern martial arts. Unfortunately, the other side had no one like that. None of the Chevaliers had reached the required level.

Even Vincent would crumble while trying to carry this burden. The alternative option was for Kang Jin-Ho to master Western martial arts from the beginning and reach the level of a grandmaster. However...

'That's not going to be a cakewalk, either...'

Again, it was another case of easier said than done.

An expert well-versed in one school of martial arts would have a torrid time trying to master a different school's techniques. If the foundation of the techniques differed a lot, it could distort the flow of qi until disparate energies collided with each other. That would be qi deviation in every sense of the term.

The risk of one's qi running amok was ever-present even when fusing different Eastern martial techniques. In that case, what would it be like when mastering a technique built on a completely foreign foundation? The risk factor should be several times higher.

If the risk was much greater than the potential benefits, was there a need to go through with this adventure in the first place?

Kang Jin-Ho slowly licked his lips. “Let's be patient and take our time.” N0vel_Biin hosted the premiere release of this chapter.

“I'm sorry?” Lee Hyeon-Su tilted his head.

“Being in too much of a rush will give you a... stomach ache, after all.”

Lee Hyeon-Su nodded while his eyes grew slightly wider. It seemed he understood the meaning behind Kang Jin-Ho's advice. “In that case... I'll select a few of our guys and find out if it's possible for us to learn what the French tell us. I'll prioritize those guys who try hard but can't improve their cultivation for some reason as our guinea pigs.”

“Mm, that sounds good,” Kang Jin-Ho nodded in satisfaction.

“I'm aware of what you're concerned about, Mister Jin-Ho. Don't worry, I'll proceed with enough caution to rival a man tapping on stone bridges. It'll be too late to turn back the clock if side effects belatedly manifest, after all..”

“Mm...!” Kang Jin-Ho nodded while licking his lips ruefully. '...If only they were a little stronger!'

It would've been so much nicer if the other side had been a little bit stronger. It was not for nothing that so many aspiring martial artists back in gangho wished to learn from high-level experts. In most professions, being highly skilled didn't always mean they would be a good teacher, but the path of martial arts played by a slightly different rule book.

Cultivation was similar to climbing a mountain. The higher one climbed, the broader one's view would get.

.

Those climbing to the top of a small hill could only see their surroundings, but the ones reaching the summit of the tallest mountain would get to see the entire world. The guidance from those who only saw the surroundings would never rival the high-level experts.

Kang Jin-Ho would always pick his master as the first reason why he became as strong as he was back in Zhongyuan. His master was an extraordinary man, after all!

Kang Jin-Ho had to reach the demon cult's top position first to fully appreciate his master's extraordinary martial prowess. Even after earning the title of 'Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor' and ensuring every member of the demon cult would kowtow before him, Kang Jin-Ho still wasn't confident of surpassing his master.

Reaching such a sky-high realm was the catalyst required to open Kang Jin-Ho's eyes. Now he knew how impossibly large and imposing his master's shadow was. He could finally fathom the extreme height of cultivation his master had reached!

Naturally, Kang Jin-Ho was puzzled by why his master's fame hadn't spread to all corners of heaven and earth. Not the sect master of Wudan who loved to put on airs, not even the abbot of Shaolin who often proclaimed himself to be peerless under the heavens... None of them could hold a candle to Kang Jin-Ho's master.

Receiving guidance from such a master was the chief reason Kang Jin-Ho became the feared Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor. If he hadn't met his master and instead threw his lot with the demon cult from the get-go, Kang Jin-Ho would've spent his entire life as a gopher or a foot soldier of the cult.

That was how important one's master was. And... When judged by that criteria, Vincent was hopelessly inadequate to become a teacher.

'Hmm... The final piece of the puzzle isn't fitting at all.'

Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly. Of course, he understood what Lee Hyeon-Su was trying to do here.

Nothing in this world could faze or frighten Kang Jin-Ho. However, the same story didn't apply to South Korea's martial society. Even if Kang Jin-Ho called this place home, his presence alone wasn't enough to shore up the lacking combat power of this country.

Besides, Kang Jin-Ho didn't believe in the concept of goodness in one's heart. And he believed in the kindness of a group of people even less. Lee Hyeon-Su was right about the utter destruction of this country being around the corner. Since that was the case, Kang Jin-Ho knew the Martial Assembly had to be strengthened somehow.

Imparting his knowledge of demonic arts and acquiring Western martial techniques were all part of that plan. However... If only they had just one person with a better understanding of the Western techniques here to make things easier for everyone involved...!

Kang Jin-Ho sighed ruefully. “Well, we can't have everything we want, anyway.”

“Sorry?” Lee Hyeon-Su tilted his head.

“No, it's nothing.” Kang Jin-Ho shook his head and continued to walk ahead.

***

“No, this is not right!” Elena shot up to her feet.

She knew what her position was. And that was of a lowly Pawn.

Elena couldn't do anything meaningful when her opponents were Kang Jin-Ho and the Martial Assembly. Getting too full of herself and butting in unnecessarily would only rub Kang Jin-Ho the wrong way.

If things ended up sideways from her actions, all responsibilities would fall squarely on her shoulders. The Round Table would never forgive her. And Elena would be ripped apart mercilessly as if a pack of hyenas had descended on a hapless victim!

What a blindingly obvious conclusion that was. Anyone with even a passing knowledge of the Round Table could predict that outcome. And someone as smart as Elena obviously knew it, too.

However, she still chose to take her chances. Even though she knew what failure meant in this case!

“I need to persuade Mister Jin-Ho somehow...!”

Elena would never do this if personal benefits had been her ultimate goal. Could it be her desire to become a hero, then? Or had she been starving for an opportunity to show off what she could do? It was none of those.

She'd rather let a stray mutt take a piss at those asinine reasons.

The sole reason for Elena's anxiety was the Chevaliers. Despite the threat of imminent death hanging over their heads, the Round Table had seemingly abandoned them.

Elena had no idea what the high-ups of the Round Table were thinking. However, one thing was for certain—the Round Table that discarded its valuable agents like this was no longer an organization she could trust.

Elena bit her lip before yelling in anger to no one in particular. “If the Round Table is unwilling to do it, I'll deal with it myself! I will... rescue them!”

That was when a weighty voice suddenly came from behind to interrupt her. “You seem to have made a bold but risky decision, Elena.”

Elena jumped up in surprise and hurriedly turned around.