Martial Artist Lee Gwak - Chapter 45: Walking Slowly, But Never Stopping (2)

Light Novel: Volume 2 Chapter 20

Manhwa: Chapters 46-47

Lee Gwak blinked his eyes in surprise.

He recognized the face but couldn’t immediately recall the boy’s name. The boy then smiled and said,

“It’s me, Lim Ji-moon.”

“Ah, right!”

The brightly smiling boy turned out to be Lim Sobo’s younger brother, Lim Ji-moon. His face still carried an air of innocent cheerfulness.

Lee Gwak seemed quite taken aback, as he hadn’t expected to encounter Lim Ji-moon here. Lim Ji-moon only looked at Lee Gwak’s surprised face with a hint of amusement.

“What are you doing here, brother?”

“Oh, Master Ma asked me to help him.”

“Really?”

Lim Ji-moon’s eyes widened in surprise, while Ma Duwon chuckled.

“He helped me a lot at Mount Shaohua. While he may not know how to make new mechanisms, he’ll have no problems with repairs.”

“That’s impressive.”

“So I called him here. As you can see, my arm’s like this.”

Ma Duwon shook his bandaged and splinted arm. Lim Ji-moon frowned slightly.

“You should have been more careful. It’s so sad when you get hurt.”

“Haha, that’s true. Thank you for your concern.”

Ma Duwon’s attitude towards Lim Ji-moon was extremely polite.

Ma Duwon’s status in the Creation Pavilion was by no means low. On the contrary, he was among the high-ranking individuals, and yet he showed a courteous demeanor towards Lim Ji-moon.

‘That just mean that Lim Ji-moon also holds a high status too.’

But Lee Gwak wasn’t surprised. He already knew about Lim Sobo’s status from Nam Woo-gyeong.

It was natural to think that her brother, Lim Ji-moon, would also have an extraordinary status.

Lee Gwak’s gaze then shifted to the woman standing behind Lim Ji-moon.

She was a woman who radiated a sharp aura, as if one was looking at a well-honed blade. Her appearance was plain, but the creepy and chilling aura emanating from her entire body was enough to make anyone who looked at her shudder.

The woman stood in a protective stance around Lim Ji-moon. It was clear from her demeanor that she wouldn’t tolerate even the slightest threat to him.

Lim Ji-moon smiled and introduced the woman.

“This is sister Gung Han-seol, my escort.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Gwak, the leader of Squad 13 from the Outer Hall.”

“……”

Even though Lee Gwak greeted her, Gung Han-seol just stared blankly without responding. Her attitude clearly indicated she was ignoring Lee Gwak. Lim Ji-moon then let out a soft sigh.

“I’m sorry, big brother. Sister isn’t much of a talker. But she’s not a bad person.”

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it.”

“Hehe!”

Lim Ji-moon gave an awkward laugh.

Lee Gwak looked at him for a moment and then spoke to Ma Duwon.

“Then, I’ll take my leave and let the two of you talk.”

“Alright!”

“See you tomorrow, big brother!”

Ma Duwon and Lim Ji-moon bid farewell to Lee Gwak. Lee Gwak bowed to them and then stepped outside. Following him out was Gung Han-seol.

Thud!

As the door closed, Gung Han-seol’s red lips parted.

“Squad 13 Leader Lee Gwak!”

Her voice was cold, swirling with chill.

At her sudden call, Lee Gwak frowned slightly.

“Please speak.”

“I don’t know how you are acquainted with Young Master Lim, but he is not so insignificant that you, a mere squad leader of the Outer Hall, can talk and interact with him so casually. From now on, I hope you don’t initiate conversation with him and only do as you’re told.”

“Did you follow me out here just to say that?”

“Yes. I ought to give you a warning.”

“Lim Ji-moon must be quite important.”

“He is a person with a genius intellect. Especially in matters of mechanical traps, there is no one who can match him. That’s why he is specially taken care of by the alliance. Your status, merely a martial artist of the Outer Hall, is fundamentally different from his. So, I would appreciate if you would be especially careful in how you interact with him in the future.”

“Are you warning me not to cross the line?”

“Yes. There’s a reason why boundaries exist.”

Gung Han-seol was firm in her stance.

There wasn’t a single gap in her demeanor that could be penetrated, even with the finest needle.

Gung Han-seol’s family had held key positions in the Jade Heaven Alliance for three generations.

Her grandfather was the first leader of the Righteous Heaven Corps¹ in the Inner Court, while her father had served as an advisor to the Alliance Leader. She herself, recognized for her martial prowess from a young age, had been recruited in the Secret Court and had risen rapidly through the ranks.

Although she was unable to train at the Steel Blood Hell Training Ground on Mount Shaohua due to unforeseen circumstances, she never once thought that she was inferior to them, and in reality, it was true.

Lim Ji-moon was her responsibility.

A precious being whom she must protect at all costs, therefore, she couldn’t afford to let her guard down.

In her eyes, Lee Gwak seemed far too inferior.

She did not know under what circumstances he had become so casually acquainted with Lim Ji-moon, but she could not allow him, a mere leader of the Outer Hall, to continue interacting with Lim Ji-moon in such an informal manner.

Gung Han-seol’s gaze at Lee Gwak openly displayed these sentiments.

Her look demanded an answer from Lee Gwak.

After meeting her gaze for a moment, Lee Gwak nodded.

“I will do so.”

“Is that a promise?”

“I promise. I won’t take the initiative to be overly familiar. But—”

As Lee Gwak added a caveat, Gung Han-seol’s eyebrows twitched slightly. Yet, Lee Gwak continued unabashed.

“If Lim Ji-moon approaches me first, I will not turn him away.”

“Are you ignoring what I just said?”

A sharp aura emanated from Gung Han-seol’s entire body, overwhelming Lee Gwak. It was the kind of momentum that a mere Outer Hall warrior would not dare to withstand, but Lee Gwak continued, unfazed,

“I’m not ignoring you. That’s just how human relationships are.”

“You–!”

“See you tomorrow.”

Ignoring her, he turned and walked away.

A twitch ran down Gung Hanseol’s shoulder. She watched Lee Gwak’s retreating back with a fearsome gaze.

“How dare he, a mere Outer Hall warrior…”

* * *

The next day, Lee Gwak led Squad 13 into the Creation Pavilion. He needed help in transporting the materials needed for the repairs, and Squad 13 was much better and secure than using ordinary porters.

“Wow!”

“Amazing!”

Exclamations of awe escaped the lips of the Squad 13 members as they entered the inner city. This was the first time they had ever been inside the inner city.

Initially carefree and awestruck, their demeanor soon became cautious. The atmosphere was markedly different from the outer city.

Not a single one of the martial artists passing by looked normal. All of them had a fierce light shining in their eyes, and every single one of them carried themselves with a hint of discipline.

Above all, the warrior of the inner city radiated a sense of pride, an aura that the warriors of the Outer Hall could never possess.

“Phew!”

Seok Yi-cheon sighed, feeling overwhelmed by the atmosphere. Go Cheon-gwang and Woo Il-yeong looked no different from Seok Yi-cheon.

In contrast, Ki Jinhwi and Cheon-wol didn’t seem as intimidated.

“Whew! They are really something. Their glares could almost slice a person in half.”

Ki Jinhwi whistled, jesting as Cheon-wol silently nodded in agreement.

“At least, thanks to the squad leader, we got to see the inner court, which wasn’t even in our fate. Quite the rise in status, huh.”

“We’ve arrived. Please be quiet now.”

“Understood, squad leader!”

When they reached the Creation Pavilion, Ma Duwon, Lim Ji-moon, and Gung Han-seol were already waiting.

Lee Gwak walked up to them.

“Sorry for being a bit late.”

“Not at all! You arrived just in time. Are these your squad members?”

“Yes, they are.”

“Good. We needed someone to carry these materials. Take those packages over there and follow me.”

Ma Duwon pointed to the packages in one corner of the Creation Pavilion. Lee Gwak recognized them as materials for repairing mechanisms.

Lee Gwak nodded, and the squad members shouldered the materials. They willingly took up the role of porters, with no one showing any signs of displeasure.

“Let’s get going.”

Ma Duwon led the way.

He headed towards the eastern wall of the inner court. Upon arriving, Ma Duwon instructed Lee Gwak,

“Put the materials down here and have your squad members wait here.”

“Can’t my squad members enter as well?”

“The area we’re going into is critical for the defense of the main castle. You must assist me, but it’s not permissible to reveal it to your squad members. It’s not that I don’t trust them, it’s just that the place is of such importance.”

“Understood.”

Lee Gwak agreed and relayed Ma Duwon’s instructions to his squad.

“So, we just have to guard this place?”

“Yes! Wait here until I return.”

“Got it.”

“Don’t let anyone inside.”

“Don’t worry and go ahead.”

Seok Yi-cheon smiled and gently pushed Lee Gwak forward.

Lee Gwak looked at each of his squad members’ faces before approaching Ma Duwon and Lim Ji-moon.

Since his squad members couldn’t enter, Lee Gwak carried the necessary materials for today.

“Let’s go.”

“Follow me, everyone. From now on, you must step exactly where I step. A single misstep could cost you your life, so be extremely careful.”

Lim Ji-moon took the lead, walking toward the eastern wall. Gung Han-seol, Ma Duwon, and Lee Gwak precisely followed his footsteps.

Suddenly, they disappeared from the sight of the Squad 13 members.

“Whoa!”

“Hmm!”

As Go Cheon-gwang and others expressed their surprise, Ki Jinhwi commented.

“It seems there’s some sort of formation in place there.”

“A formation?”

“Yes! Perhaps an illusion or maze formation, definitely something of that sort.”

“Hmm!”

“Anyway, our squad leader is really something. Mechanism studies are extremely complex and difficult. When did he even learn all that?”

A hint of admiration flickered in Ki Jinhwi’s eyes.

He intently gazed at the spot where Lee Gwak and others vanished, his eyes shining sharper than ever.

* * *

In an instant, the surrounding scenery rapidly changed.

The city walls disappeared from sight, and suddenly a forest appeared. After passing through the forest, a desolate desert emerged.

At that moment, Lim Ji-moon’s voice could be heard.

“This is the ‘Thousand Changing Illusion Soul Array.’² If you’re deceived by the landscape in front of you and step in the wrong place, the simple illusion array will transform into a deadly trap. Even a great master cannot guarantee their life in such a situation, so everyone be careful.”

Lee Gwak nodded and carefully stepped only where Lim Ji-moon had stepped.

The desolate desert then suddenly turned into a sea of mist. There was a dizzying sense of isolation, as if one was floating alone in the middle of a vast sea of clouds.

He knew all too well that it was an illusion, but he still couldn’t help but get goosebumps.

He had experienced similar things a few times at Mount Shaohua, but the array spread out here was on a completely different level. Designed for the defense of the Jade Heaven Alliance, it was several times more intricate and threatening.

It was then that Lee Gwak’s senses picked up a subtle presence.

It was so discreet that he would never have detected it if his senses weren’t at peak alert.

‘Experts!’

Lee Gwak realized that experts were lurking throughout the Thousand Changing Illusion Soul Array.

Perhaps it was to be expected.

This was a critical location of the Alliance’s mechanical array, responsible for the defense of the Jade Heaven Alliance. No amount of experts would be too many to guard it.

Anyone entering this area without prior notice was to be instantly executed, even if they were high-ranking members of the Alliance.

At that moment, Lim Ji-moon spoke up.

“Phew! We’ve arrived.”

Regaining his focus, Lee Gwak saw that the illusions had vanished, revealing a small iron door.

This time, Ma Duwon stepped forward. The iron door in front of him operated solely through a mechanism.

The surface of the door was embedded with about two dozen beads. Only by pressing the beads in a specific combination would the door be opened.

Ma Duwon quickly pressed the beads, shielding the door with his body. Lee Gwak and Lim Ji-moon deliberately turned their heads away to avoid any misunderstanding.

Clunk!

With a heavy metallic sound, the iron door opened, revealing the space inside.

The sight of numerous gears meshing flawlessly together was overwhelming, and Gung Han-seol was the first to be struck by the sight.

“Ah!”

To her, unfamiliar with mechanical arts, the massive mechanism appeared like the insides of a giant beast, which she found terrifying.

Ma Duwon, Lim Ji-moon, and Lee Gwak moved inside without hesitation. However, Gung Han-seol hesitated to step forward.

It was then that Lee Gwak turned his head and looked at Gung Han-seol.

“Aren’t you coming in?”

SoundlessWind21’s Notes:

As of now, there are two introduced corps under the Inner Court: Righteous Blood Corps and Righteous Heaven Corps.

If there are any errors, whether it be grammatical, spelling, translation, or website-related issues, feel free to let me know. (´◡`) Anyway, thank you for reading!

1. Righteous Heaven Corps. Raws: 의천단주(義天團主).
   • 義 yì – justice / righteousness / meaning / foster (father etc) / adopted / artificial (tooth, limb etc) / relationship / friendship
   • 天 tiān – day / sky / heaven
   • 團 tuán – round / lump / ball / to roll into a ball / to gather / regiment / group / society / classifier for a lump or a soft mass: wad (of paper), ball (of wool), cloud (of smoke)
   • 主 zhǔ – owner / master / host / individual or party concerned / God / Lord / main / to indicate or signify / trump card (in card games) 
2. Thousand Changing Illusion Soul Array. Raws: 천변환혼진(千變幻魂陣).
   • 千 qiān – thousand
   • 變 biàn – change, transform, alter
   • 幻 huàn – illusion, fantasy, mirage
   • 魂 hún – soul, spirit
   • 陣 zhèn – disposition of troops / wave / spate / burst / spell / short period of time / classifier for events or states of short duration

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