[Previous | Table of Contents | Next]
“Captain, are you awake?”
“Oh! The captain’s awake!”
Hearing the familiar voices, I slowly opened my eyes. The blurry objects gradually became clear, revealing the faces looking down at me.
“Captain!!!”
Sniff, sniff
One of my subordinate burst into tears. It seemed they thought I wouldn’t wake up. Now that I am fully awake, however, I could feel excruciating pain all over my body. My shoulders and head hurt so much that I couldn't think of anything else besides the pain.
“...Was it a dream?”
The madman who spouted strange things clearly said he would take over my body, but no matter how I examined myself, I didn’t seem to have changed.
“Captain! What on earth happened? How did you end up like this, collapsed in that shrine?”
“My bag?”
“Your bag is still in you.”
Thank goodness. Knowing that the my money was safe, the pain seemed to have lessen, at least temporarily. But the thought of being unable to work for a while made my heart ache. That’s because my subordinates would never take on any work without me. After all, even if I was a third-rate martial artist, my capabilities were still acknowledged, but it's a different story with them.
“...I'm sorry, everyone.”
“What are you saying now! Why are you apologizing to us, captain! We should be the one’s apologizing, and would rather die!”
“Take this opportunity to rest. You've been working hard without a proper break all this time.”
“That’s right. We will also focus on training during this time to become more helpful to you. So, please don't worry too much.”
I feel even more sorry now. When I look at my body, I know what lies ahead.
“Gwanpo.”
“Yes, Captain.”
“Divide the silver coins among yourselves, and with the remaining ones, let's have a drink together.”
“No, we’ve already agreed to use the money we received this time for your treatment. So please don't think about it and rest well.”
“I only got hit once or twice, so stop fussing about it. If I apply some herbal medicine, I’ll recover in no time, so listen to me.”
“Captain.”
“Should I get angry?”
“...Captain.”
“I need to rest, so all of you go now.”
After a while, they left. Even though I was the one who told them to leave, I felt strangely lonely being left alone in this place.
“There's rumors that there will be a proxy battle next month…”
There was something I hadn't been able to tell my subordinates. It was about participating in a possible proxy battle next month.
The government sometimes hired mercenaries and paid them money. When facing the combined forces of Sapana and Mado or when subduing the invaders in the southern region, the government often requested support from the army, but to prevent the sacrifice of the main troops, mercenaries were employed instead.
The risk of the job was significantly high enough to require signing a contract that they would not take responsibility if the mercenaries died, but the compensation was equally substantial.
Whenever such an opportunity occurred, numerous mercenaries flocked from all over the country. No, there were thousands of mercenaries residing in the land of Nakyang waiting for this.
Was it simply because of the money?
No. Among them, a considerable number dreamed of developing their martial arts and become official martial artists. For third-rate martial artists or men of low birth, it was like a dream. I, too, had the same dream. However...
“What.. Ugh.”
Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen. The pain was so intense it’s as if boiling water had been poured into my stomach. Even I, who was known for my resilience to poisons, could not stand it without screaming.
“Ah!”
Rolling and writhing, I fell off the bed, blood trickling from my shoulder. But that didn't alleviate the pain. The pain persisted for a while until a strange phenomenon occurred. The pain disappeared in an instant, replaced by a refreshing energy circulating through every corner of my body. Then came a foul smell that invaded my nose.
The smell came from the viscous fluid that started to seep out from my skin. What was even more astonishing and fascinating was that as time passed and the fluid flowed, my body felt lighter, like a feather. And one more thing. The shoulder that had been cut by the sword was gradually healing. Truly a strange and miraculous event. I absentmindedly observed my own body.
‘Has it been about an hour or so?’
When the fluid no longer flowed, I decided to get up first and grabbed a cloth to wipe my body, intending to wash myself.
However...
Thump!
Just as I made up my mind and got up, my head hit the ceiling. Reflexively, I hunched down and landed on the floor, but my legs went through the floor with a loud crash.
“...!”
‘What on earth is this happening? What was currently happening to my body?’
In an instant, I recalled the future version of myself that I had seen in my dreams. He had said it clearly. He claimed to be the God of Death, and had lived for 125 years.
“Could it be that his power has truly merged with my body?”
If not, there was no way to explain the current situation. Curious, I grasped the iron sword and struck it with my other hand.
Crack!
The sword cleanly split into two. I felt almost no sensation, as if I had struck tofu instead.
“It wasn't a dream…”
Thump, thump!
My heart raced. Had I truly become as strong as the future version of myself, the God of Death, who lived for 125 years? Yes! It seemed to be the case, his power had become mine. Or I wouldn’t be able to split the sword.
"Euhahaha!"
Laughter involuntarily escaped from my mouth. This was the first time I’d ever laughed so joyfully in my entire life.
Then, all of a sudden, a strange sensation welled up from within my body. It felt as if my internal organs were churning, and then an inexplicably powerful force spread throughout my body, converging at my dantian before disappearing in an instant. Subsequently, my body and mind, which had felt as light as a feather and clear as a mirror just moments ago, returned to their normal state, no longer feeling different from usual. Apart from the wounds healing and the pain disappearing, everything else returned to exactly the same state as before.
I punched the wall out of frustration.
Crack!
A hole was made in the wall. However, unlike when I struck the sword, I felt pain. Undoubtedly, I had become stronger than before, but that powerful feeling I had felt earlier was gone.
Disappointment, despair, frustration, annoyance, worries, concerns… These emotions filled my mind as I lay on the bed. I had experienced these emotions dozens, even hundreds of times throughout my life, and they were all too familiar to me.
But there was also a ray of hope. I had become stronger than before. With this level of strength, I would have many more options moving forward. After all, I had managed to endure well enough even in my weaker past.
“I’m tired. Let's get some more sleep.”
***read at novelworldtranslations.blogspot.com***
* * *
‘Don't be discouraged. I’m still alive.’
After the spring dream (春梦) had passed, this was what I said to myself.
I wasn't sure to what extent, but it was an undeniable fact that I had gained inner strength I didn't have before. Furthermore, my injuries had completely healed, which I was happy about. Now, I could apply for the mercenary recruitment of the Jeongdomaeng, which was where I was headed right now.
Seeing the recruitment posters for mercenaries posted throughout the city, I set off immediately. The path leading to the headquarters of Jeongdomaeng was bustling with people. From the way they carried their weapons, it was evident that most of them were applicants as well.
"Captain, do you think we'll be selected?"
Gwanpo accompanied me. Among my four subordinates, he was the strongest. He was once a martial artist of the Yonghobang Sect, so he had considerable practical experience and would show no fear in the face enemies.
"Let's not have too high expectations. It will only lead to disappointment if things don't work out."
"I’ve said that to the others, but to be honest, I am expecting to be accepted. How many people have worked as passionately as we have all this time?"
It was true. My subordinates and I had worked with such passion and dedication. Perhaps, even though we were just a small organization of five people, the fact that we always had missions could be attributed to our dedication being recognized. That's why I, too, had expectations.
"By the way, captain, is your shoulder really okay?"
"It's fine."
"Wow, it's amazing. I thought you'd be out for at least a month... But why did your sword break again?"
"It must have been damaged during the fight at the shrine."
I kept the fact that my injuries had completely healed from them. If I were to mention it, they would all find it strange. So I simply said that I could move without any problem and wrapped a cloth around it just in case.
"Wow. It's always impressive no matter how many times I see it."
Guanpo exclaimed in admiration at the magnificence of Jeongdomaeng’s headquarters that slowly revealed itself. This place, which was like a dreamland to the people living on this land, always made my heart beat faster as well.
As we reached the main gate, the warriors began to separate those who had come in response to the mercenary recruitment from those who hadn't.
"Oh? The captain is here, too?"
"It's been a while."
"Did you come to apply?"
“That's right.” I responded calmly.
The warrior looked around before grabbing my arm.
"I heard that this time we're being deployed on a very dangerous mission. So don't just do it this time. You might end up losing your life for no reason."
"If it's dangerous..."
I was thankful for the concern, but I was actually happy. The more dangerous the mission, the more money we would receive. And if I were lucky, I could also earn some extra income.
"Thank you for your concern. If I got recruited, I'll buy you a drink."
"Oh, really? Do you think that I’m warning you just to get a drink from you?"
"I know. Well then."
I politely dismissed the warrior's objection and headed towards the area where the applicants were gathered. There were many. A lot, in fact. Even though it was still early, it seemed like a thousand people had already gathered.
"Damn, why are there so many?"
Guanpo seemed anxious already. It's a well-known fact that the more intense the competition, the harder it was to get selected.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"All those who came to apply to the mercenary recruitment, go to the Grand Martial Hall and fill out your personal information in the register!"
Rumble!
People rushed towards the hall all at once.
"Captain, should we run, too?"
"There's no need to rush. They won't select you just because you're hurrying. You're being too impatient right now."
"....Yes."
As I walked, I looked around. There were quite a few people who didn't seem ill at ease. They were calmly heading towards the northern gate, ignoring the commotion. Were they confident in getting selected? The northern gate came into view, and beyond it was the Grand Martial Hall, which could accommodate thousands of people at once.
Through the gaps between people, I caught a glimpse of a practice stage set up in the middle of the hall. It was an old tradition in Jeongdomaeng that when the competition was fierce, the selection process was determined through the demonstration of martial art skills.
'This sword will have to hold up.'
I quickly bought a iron sword. Even though it was a poor quality one that even third-rate martial artists would avoid, the price of iron had skyrocketed recently, so I had to make do with this.
"Captain!"
In the middle of my reverie, I heard someone calling me from behind.
[Previous | Table of Contents | Next]
Comments
Post a Comment