historical

39. Your Head Is Stiff (1)

Jin-woo first installed the portal device made by Se-yeon in the guesthouse. The portal was now stable so that he could move directly to the Sanctuary. When the portal was completed, the General Manager breathed a sigh of relief.

The General Manager was about ready to return to the JW Gate, but he stopped when his gaze fell on Yu Hua-ran, who was staring blankly at the portal. He had become very attached to her while staying in this world, and Arcana was no different. If they left like this, Hua-ran’s future would certainly become dark.

After the last incident, all the members of the guesthouse had left. It was said that the General Manager handled the traitors. They went back to their hometowns to recover, leaving Hua-ran alone.

‘He must have grown attached to her.’

Jin-woo smiled. The General Manager was very sincere to Jin-woo, but he acted mechanically around others. It was very fresh to see this aspect of him.

“General Manager.”

“Yes, Master.”

“How long have you been with me?”

The General Manager bowed his head deeply.

“It’s been 19 years, 123 days, 4 hours, and 32 seconds since I started moving in earnest.”

“..I see. Were you counting even that?”

“Yes, it’s a matter of course. Maybe everyone else is counting too.”

It was said the General Manager had a watch in his head. Arcana, who was hiding behind Yu Hua-ran, flinched. Jin-woo nodded, however. Now he didn’t feel anything like he used to.

“Anyway, you haven’t used your vacation time yet, so how about now?”

“B-but..”

“Don’t worry, JW Gate is well run by the judges.”

Since the General Manager did so much work, high-ranking judges were dividing it amongst themselves. However, everyone was good at what they did, so there were no setbacks.

“Ah, Master, you are so considerate of me.. I will sacrifice my life to carry out your orders.”

“No, it’s a vacation..”

“Even on vacation, I will not waste a minute or even a second of my heart for you, Master!”

As the General Manager bowed his head deeply, Hua-ran also bowed to Jin-woo. Once you helped, it was right to take responsibility until the end. His subordinate’s actions were also his responsibility. That was the path of Jin-woo, dimensions.

Jin-woo looked at Hua-ran. She suffered a lot and still be so young. Wasn’t that what the martial arts world was about? It was a place where those who fought every day were gathered. The suffering of the weak was often forgotten and buried in the stories told by the powerful.

Jin-woo took out some candies and sweets from his subspace and handed them to Hua-ran. Looking at the jewel-colored candy, she hesitated for only a moment before popping one in her mouth. Hua-ran trembled. The combined sweet and sour taste broke all boundaries.

She smiled shyly when she made eye contact with Jin-woo. Hua-ran then approached the General Manager, still sobbing, and patted his back. Jin-woo shook his head.

‘Then..’

Next on the agenda was the Xiawu Sect, a regular of the martial arts world. Of course, his main purpose was acquiring the Moment of Ten Heavens Sexual Technique. No one knew that but him, of course.

Jin-hu was located in Anhui Province, below Shandong Province. The Nangong Imperial Clan was located on the road leading to the Shaolin Temple in Henan Province, so many martial arts people traveled upon its path.

Since the East World was a different dimension, it was an independent world with nothing to do with actual history. Still, it followed the general geography of most eastern fantasy. There were Five Great Families, Nine Schools and One Sect, a Force Beyond the Great Wall, a Demon Sect, and an Evil Faction, all common mainstays in the genre.

Jin-woo had no intention of pretending to be a strong man with hidden power or worry about negatively affecting the East World. The General Manager had already exerted a great influence.

‘It doesn’t matter.’

It had nothing to do with Earth’s history anyway. Since this had happened, he thought it would be okay to go all out. How about selling coffee, ice cream, and martial arts comics? Jin-woo smiled as he began to move. He heard that the leader of the Xiawu Sect often appeared in the largest guesthouse in Jin-hu, the Dragon Summer Guesthouse.

Though it held such a name, its number of customers decreased daily due to the restaurants and guesthouses that held the General Manager’s skill.

‘It’s pretty big.’

It was also a place that appeared several times in the original story. As expected, there were only a few guests. They blinked at each other as he approached. People around the guesthouse received their signal and approached Jin-woo. Despite their smiling faces, they had a pretty rough impression, marking them as obviously from the Xiawu Sect.

“Ooh! Young Man! Welcome. Please come inside.”

“Come, come! Come in!”

Some big guys surrounded Jin-woo. They moved quickly, showing expertise in their line of business. The Emperor of Gold and the Incarnation of Evil raised their heads, but Jin-woo suppressed them. After all, things were turning out pretty fun. As soon as the Incarnation of Evil understood Jin-woo’s intentions, it actively cooperated.

Anyway, he entered the guesthouse. The interior was pretty good, feeling fancy in its way. A man and a woman in uniform stood to greet him. They seem to have disguised themselves, but they still stood out, drawing his intention. There exuded some ‘I am important!’ vibes at a glance.

‘They were probably characters from the novel.’

The protagonist made several new relationships, again, in the East World. Of course, there were several heroines and many supporting characters. If they had one thing in common, each one met a bad end, likely thanks to the reactions following Luna’s death.

“Should I see who it is?”‘

Jin-woo looked at them with his Magic Eyes.

Lv.32

[E] Nangong Xiao-yan

Age: 18 Years Old

Favorability: 0%

Loyalty: 0

Possessed Technique: [-F] King Sword Type, [C] Creating a List of Good Restaurants

Special Techniques

[B] Nine Yin Severed Meridians

An incurable disease of holding only Yin and no Yang in her body results in a short life. The body is very cold and weak. Those with this disease will never master martial arts and freeze to death before they turn 21.

[D] Glutton

Knowing that she will die early, her wish is to try all the dishes in the world. Thanks to Nine Yin Severed Meridians, she will not gain weight. She can eat until she is satisfied.

She was a typical martial arts heroine, even possessing a gluttonous trait that wasn’t originally highlighted in the book. That meant the man next to her was Nangong Hui, her older brother. He was at the C+ rank as the successor of the Nangong Imperial Clan. It was just below the Knight’s level, which was great for his age.

He wasn’t a rising star for nothing.

‘Was he a character who died thanks to his jealousy of the protagonist?’

It wasn’t like that at first, but it turned out to be that way later on. It felt as if the original author failed to create a rival. Jin-woo first ordered the favorite dish of the Dragon Summer Guesthouse. It was as good as free for Jin-woo, though it was set at a price to rip off other guests.

‘It tastes bad.’

It was bad. Even the tea smelled like dirt. He wanted to drink some cold water, but they didn’t even have that. Though, it didn’t matter since the purpose of coming to the guesthouse wasn’t to eat. Meanwhile, Nangong Xiao-yan was eating very well while her brother pitifully watched.

‘Here he is. I got to see him sooner than I thought.’

Someone arrived, a rat-like fatso dressed in colorful clothes that didn’t suit him.

‘It’s that guy.’

Jin-woo’s eyes shone slightly. The man who looked like the rat was named Gan Ji-Chuan. His rank was D, and he achieved that level only with his sexual martial arts. Gan Ji-Chuan bowed his head to the pig guy beside him. He was the heir to the wealthiest family in the neighborhood, èyun Qi.

His family was well-known for their swordsmanship that couldn’t be ignored.

‘Come to think of it, did it mention that Nangong Xiao-yan had suffered some trauma?’

Her trait as a glutton probably disappeared because of that. Jin-woo seemed to have come at a point right before the original story began.

“There she is. We have taken action in advance.”

“O-ho, you did a good job.”

èyun Qi handed a bag of money to Gan Ji-Chuan. Gan Ji-Chuan had pointed directly at Nangong Xiao-yan. èyun Qi’s eyes widened a little, then he straightened his crumpled collar and approached her table. Of course, èyun Qi was stopped by Nangong Hui. Nangong Xiao-yan didn’t even offer him a first glance.

èyun Qi frowned as if his pride had been hurt, but he stepped back and looked at Gan Ji-Chuan. Gan Ji-Chuan grinned. It seemed like they were plotting something.

‘Well, that’s an obvious development.’

Still, the situation was exciting since Jin-woo was experiencing it in person. The two exchanged signals and flinched when they felt Jin-woo’s gaze. Gan Ji-Chuan and èyun Qi’s turned to him, then, after a moment’s hesitation, èyun Qi approached Jin-woo.

“Just leave. I will compensate you.”

“How much?”

èyun Qi dropped a couple of silver taels on the table with a fishy smile, the metal clinking loudly off the wood. He was clearly showing off his wealth to Nangong Xiao-yan.

“Is it not enough?”

As èyun Qi said so, he pulled out several more silver taels and let them clatter on the table. The tael bumped into Jin-woo’s hand and went into the dish. It wasn’t edible in the first place, but that wasn’t improving it. Jin-woo smirked.

“Do you think money can buy you everything?”

“What can’t it do?”

“Well, I agree to some extent.”

Jin-woo stood. When he did, Nangong Hui and Nangong Xiao-yan also turned to look at him. èyun Qi grinned. This guy seemed to be something, but he was nothing in the end, or so èyun Qi thought. But his laughter didn’t last long.

Jin-woo took out a bag from his pocket, then turned it upside down over the table. What appeared to be a horseshoe-shaped coin fell out: silver sycees. Silver sycees fell to the floor and began to pile up. The silver taels sprinkled by èyun Qi were worth about five sacks of rice. However, silver sycees, worth about fifty times a silver taels’ value, were piled up on the floor.

Even Nangong Hui and Nangong Xiao-yan were mesmerized.

“Is it not enough?”

This time, not only silver but gold sycees were also poured out. It was the first time they had seen so much. With this amount of money, he could buy all the guest-houses in Jin-hu. No, that amount was enough to buy Jin-hu itself. Yet Jin-woo didn’t spend the money clumsily. It was the perfect waste of money to make them lose their fighting spirit, one of his specialties.

“Is it not enough?”

Jin-woo took out more.

“C-crazy!”

“Huh?!”

èyun Qi and Gan Ji-Chuan gaped at him as if their jaws might come off. Their eyes appeared ready to pop out. They wondered where the money came from.

“This must be enough to compensate for the damage.”

“What are you..?”

Jin-woo grabbed èyun Qi’s head. He struggled to escape, but it was useless. As he pulled it down slightly, èyun Qi’s body was slamming down onto the table full of dishes.

Bang!

The table was smashed, and his face was pushed to the floor.

“Ugh-kuuaargh!”

The silver taels that èyun Qi himself threw down were stuck to his forehead. Seeing it made Jin-woo feel a bit better, but not enough. He looked at Gan Ji-Chuan with greedy eyes, sending him reeling back.

“H-how dare you to do that to the Great Duke of the èyun Imperial Clan..!”

Jin-woo took out a pouch full of silver sycees from his subspace and dropped it atop èyun Qi.

Thud!

“Gasp”

èyun Qi shivered, then fainted. Nangong Hui and Nangong Xiao-yan were astonished. èyun Qi was famous for being vicious. It wasn’t at the same level as the Five Great Families, but as a member of a prestigious family, even the Five Great Families tended to respect him. It was also the reason why Nangong Hui didn’t react stronger.

èyun Qi was the only child of the èyun Imperial Clan.

“Gasp!”

“H-Hurry up..!”

The gang who were guarding the guesthouse door rushed away. They must have gone to summon people from the Xiawu Sect and èyun Imperial Clan. However, Jin-woo remained relaxed. He continued to look at Gan Ji-Chuan curiously.

‘That’s amazing.’

Jin-woo was amazed. He could feel the vigor emanating from Gan Ji-Chuan. It must be from the Moment of Ten Heavens Sexual Technique.

“Young Man.. you’d better get away from this place.”

Nangong Hui stood and warned him.

“I don’t know which teaching you came from, but there are things in the world that money cannot buy. The spirit of cooperation, the loyalty to risk one’s life, and the heartlessness of the strong. No amount of money will stop a heartless blade.”

“Overconfidence leads to anger.”

When Nangong Hui finished speaking, Nangong Xiao-yan chimed in with a serious expression. It sounded quite plausible, but none of them moved to aid him.

“Uh-kuuugh..”

As èyun Qi was coming to his senses, the disciples of the Xiawu Sect and the warriors of the èyun Imperial Clan stormed. They were shocked to see èyun Qi trembling helplessly on the floor and startled by the large piles of money. Despite the situation, their eyes were filled with greed.

“Y-Young Master!”

“H-how dare you..!”

The warriors of the èyun Imperial Clan were at a level called the Peak Masters. In terms of rank, it was about C. The disciples of the Xiawu Sect were like second-tier warriors at best.

“You punks! Do you think you’ll be able to survive and return to your daily lives after doing this to the young master of the èyun Imperial Clan?”

Nangong Hui and Nangong Xiao-yan were implicated. Nangong Hui frowned, letting his hand drift toward his sword.

“My qi..?! San-gong poison?”

“Brother?”

San-gong poison was a toxin that scattered one’s qi. Those who were poisoned couldn’t summon their energy forth. Nangong Hui frowned as he stared at Gan Ji-Chuan. Gan Ji-Chuan wore a satisfied smile. They both looked pretty good, so it seemed like they would be sold at a high price. They had made a mistake in coming here.

Jin-woo shook his head, then slowly took a few steps forward.

“There are many things that money can’t do..”

Jin-woo knew that better than anyone. After all, he was overflowing with money. As a smile was caught around his lips, the silver sycees on the floor bounced up one by one.

Whoosh!

Just like that, the silver sycees were stuck in the Xiawu Sect members’ foreheads. It was so powerful that their bodies were sent spinning several times in the air before they crashed to the floor.

“Huh!”

“W-what the!”

In an instant, all the gang members were slammed against the wall or to the ground. All of them had silver sycees embedded in their foreheads and bubbles frothing at their mouths. The ultimate masters of the èyun Imperial Clan hurriedly raised their swords to defend themselves.

Ting! Ting!

The Gold sycees smashed their swords, and their hands were broken.

“Ugh?! M-Master?!”

“Keaaargh!”

The gold and silver coins flew. A silver sycee stuck to the forehead of Peak Master at the front, and a moment later, a gold sycee smashed through his front teeth. His neck was bent, and he fell to the floor. Nangong Hui and Nangong Xiao-yan watched in astonishment, unable to detect how Jin-woo attacked.

“You can solve it with money like this.”

The Peak Masters and the Xiawu Sect were all beaten up. èyun Qi raised his head, then slammed his head back down, pretending to faint. The only ones standing were Nangong Hui, Nangong Xiao-yan and Gan Ji-Chuan.

“Let’s talk.”

Jin-woo glanced toward the trembling Gan Ji-Chuan.

“Eeaaargh!”

Gan Ji-Chuan screamed and tried to run away with an alarming speed for a man his size. However, a silver sycee hit the back of his head. He slumped over, planting his face against the floor. Jin-woo approached the fallen man.

‘Oh, I’m lucky.’

Hidden in Gan Ji-Chuan’s clothes was the secret book of the Moment of Ten Heavens Sexual Technique. He hadn’t finished it yet, so he carried it with him all the time, regarding it as a sacred treasure. It was fortunate that Jin-woo didn’t have to torture him to find it.

[C] A Moment of Ten Heavens Sexual Technique Book

A sexual martial art technique is said to send the opponent to heaven ten times in a single moment. It amplifies the male’s vigor and brings it to perfection. It will give you undying stamina if you successfully learn it.

In the past, this technique had plagued many. Jin-woo learned it right away using the Magic Eye of Information.

[The Emperor of Gold raises its head. The Kamasutra of Paradise and A Moment of Ten Heavens Sexual Technique were fused by the Emperor of Gold.]

[Congratulations! You created legendary martial arts.]

[S] Paradise of Afterlife Divine Technique

‘The sun is a symbol of eternity.’

‘The sun always radiates light and raises its head proudly.’

‘Nothing is lacking because it is proud above the sky.’

The technique and abilities of Kamasutra of Paradise combined with the vigor generation, ingenuity, and special effects of the Moment of Ten Heavens Sexual Technique to complement each other’s shortcomings. Those who master the Heaven of Paradise will have a huge amount of energy, and they will be able to radiate fire like the sun.

Do you want to become the perfect sun god? Then, don’t hesitate; let’s learn the Paradise of Afterlife Divine Technique.

[The succubus and incubus clans in the Demon Realm are astonished and afraid. Just tasting the fragments of the Paradise of Afterlife Divine Technique puts the whole clan in jeopardy.]

[The Chief Archangel and the Angels of Heaven have entered the meeting.]

[The Golden Angels have no idea.]

[Arcana has announced this! The Golden Women’s Association is nervous.]

[A Yellow Cross has appeared in the sky of the East World.]

‘A-a Yellow Cross in the sky?!’

‘Great disaster has come to the martial arts world!’

‘Is this a sign of blood and terror?’

[The Yellow Cross refers to destruction, bloody eons, and rare sexual martial arts. The hermits of the martial arts world were astonished by the sudden rise of the Yellow Cross, so they broke from their hideouts and came out in groups.]

[The Leader of Martial Arts World League, who was drinking while looking at the stars, began to spit up blood. He was right before his retirement.]

[It also appeared in the sky on Earth.]

“Umm..”

The Great Emperor was, as expected, different in scale. Jin-woo didn’t know it would even change the skies. This was the first time he’d seen something like the Yellow Cross. Come to think of it, the first thing Jin-woo learned was Kamasutra of Paradise. It was a long time ago, so he completely forgot about it. When the two came together, something extraordinary was born that exceeded all his expectations.

Whoosh!

A golden flame erupted from Jin-woo’s hand. It was beautiful and strangely full of color, fluttering in his hand seductively.

“.. It’ll be okay, right?”

Ella wasn’t just an elf. She was a High Elf, so he thought it would be okay.