Martial Arts Ain't Anything Special-Chapter 24: This is Not a Martial Arts Novel...! (1)

“Oh, right. Do you know anything about the Hao Sect?”

The Hao Sect. Strictly speaking, they were an Unorthodox Faction sect formed by lower classes like servants, courtesans, and coachmen.

They mainly deal in information, though I’m unsure if that’s the case here. Do they even exist in this world?

At Seojun’s question, Chunbong nodded.

“I know about them, why?”

“Well, that Maewol person knows martial arts. Just wondering.”

“What? Martial arts?”

Chunbong’s eyes went wide as if she had no idea. Seojun nodded.

“Yep.”

“Hmm... that’s suspicious. But not every courtesan who knows martial arts is from the Hao Sect.”

While about 80% were indeed from the Hao Sect, the remaining 20% could be something else.

Though rare, they might have learned secretly on their own, or perhaps belong to some unknown secret organization.

“Really?”

“Yeah, so be careful. You never know when that woman might turn on you.”

“Haha, your big brother isn’t weak enough to lose to some second-rate nobody.”

“Just be careful.”

“Of course.”

If she says be careful, then I’ll be careful.

*Two days passed and it was time to execute the plan.

Lying in his room scratching his belly, Seojun looked out the window.

“Ah... I should head out soon. But I really don’t feel like it.”

Why did I decide to do this? Now that the day has come, I don’t wanna move an inch from home.

“If you said you’d do it, then do it, you bastard! Get up already!”

“Ah, mommy! Five more minutes!”

“Shut your damn mouth!”

Only after getting smacked around by Chunbong did he finally leave the house.

Looking at the faint sunset, the timing seems about right.

After dragging his feet, he arrived at the red-light district.

“First...”

After brief consideration, he headed to the Red Moon Pavilion.

He had asked Maewol to gather the courtesans, but since he hadn’t asked how she would gather them, he needed to stop by.

“Welcome.”

“Oh, yes. So about the courtesans?”

“Since you said you would make a round of the red-light district to gather them, I’ve only passed along the message for now, Young Expert.”

“I see.”

Seojun nodded vaguely and looked around the Red Moon Pavilion.

“Then shall we start by gathering all the courtesans here?”

“As you wish.”

At Maewol’s eye signal, the men beside her went somewhere. About five minutes later, courtesans poured out and gathered on the first floor of the Red Moon Pavilion.

“Oh my, there’s so many.”

“Are you really doing this? I’m not sure about this.”

Chunbong, who had roughly heard the plan, frowned. She didn’t seem to like this plan much.

“I’m not expecting anything great, it’s just to satisfy myself.”

“Well if that’s the case...”

“What’s wrong with that? It’s all experience.”

Grinning, Seojun led the courtesans out into the red-light district.

Naturally, they drew stares.

The Fiend leading the way with courtesans following behind.

This bizarre entourage drew everyone’s attention—courtesans, customers, and Black Path thugs alike—as they moved through the streets.

At the front, Seojun opened the door to a courtesan house.

“Hey friends, long time no see! Remember how I said I’d take some courtesans in a week? We’re doing that today! Okay! Thank you!”

Since he had already secured their cooperation before, there was no friction.

But what about the next courtesan house? That remained to be seen.

He immediately opened the door of the adjacent courtesan house.

“Hey, friends! I’m taking your courtesans!”

There were countless courtesans visible through the open door, and a madman who had just barged in saying he was taking the courtesans.

Those who recognized the Fiend’s face exchanged glances.

“...Take them.”

“Really?”

“Just return them when you’re done.”

Treating people like objects, are we?

Well, since they said to take them, he gathered the courtesans and added them to the entourage.

And so he went around to all the courtesan houses in the red-light district.

Had those he dealt with before spread the word to others? Surprisingly, without any resistance, he was able to gather most of the courtesans in one place.

“There sure are a lot.”

With some slight exaggeration, you could say they took over the entire streets.

Should there really be this many courtesans? Sighing, Seojun stomped the ground.

Thump—

Using Yellow Dragon Crossing the Rosy Clouds, he jumped onto a roof and gazed down.

Countless eyes looked up at him.

The moonlight fell from the now-darkened sky. Looking up at the night sky, a full moon watched over them.

“Hmm, what a perfect weather.”

Ahem, clearing his throat, Seojun infused his voice with qi and shouted.

“Ladies and gentlemen! I have a proposal to make!”

The noise died down, everyone present awaiting his words.

An odd exhilaration rose from the tip of his toes to the top of his head.

Is this what being a superstar feels like...?

“You all know how shitty life in the back alleys is, and it’s true that women have no choice but to sell their bodies to survive here.”

While not true for everyone, it was true for most women.

“However, not all courtesans became courtesans by choice.”

He spread his arms high.

With the mindset of Hitler giving a speech, determined to write his own Mein Kampf here, he shouted loudly.

“Therefore, I will offer an opportunity to such individuals. It’s not a grand opportunity, and as it’s merely for my own satisfaction, I cannot take full responsibility for everything that happens afterward. But surely there are some among you who wish to escape your life as courtesans, is that not so?”

People who find their current situation so unbearable that they want to escape somehow.

Just those kinds of people will be enough.

I don’t have any obligation to save everyone here anyway.

It’s already troublesome and difficult enough to help just those who desperately reach out for this unknown opportunity.

“So I’m taking volunteers! Come on! Raise your hands!”

As if demonstrating, he raised his hand high, and a deathly silence filled the red-light district.

No one raised their hand.

“My, well this embarrassing.”

Seojun chuckled and jumped down from the roof.

He then grabbed a woman by the scruff of her neck and jumped back up.

“You son of a bitch...! What are you trying to do to me again...!”

It was that woman from the first day. The woman whose name he still didn’t know.

After setting her down on the roof, Seojun asked.

“Your name?”

“...Why do you want to know?”

“Wouldn’t it be faster to ask what I’ll do if you don’t tell me?”

“...Churyeong.”

Churyeong. After more than a year, he finally learned her name.

Not that he particularly cared.

“You’re in.”

“What? Why are you deciding on your own...!”

“Shh.”

Seojun pressed her pressure point and knocked Churyeong out.

Thud—she collapsed onto the roof.

“Well, any other volunteers?”

The courtesans still showed no reaction.

Just as Seojun was about to wrap things up, one courtesan raised her hand.

“Um, would it be alright if I also...?”

She was a wreck of a woman. Her body was covered in scars, and one eye had gone milky, clearly blind.

Seojun nodded.

“Well, of course.”

“Hey, bitch. You sure you can handle the consequences?”

Was he a manager from the woman’s courtesan house? A thug glared at her murderously.

Seojun quickly jumped down from the roof and landed in front of him.

“Please be quiet!”

Bang!

The man who got hit on the head with a flick of his finger went silent.

Leaving the man with his head buried in the ground, Seojun grabbed the woman by the neck and jumped back onto the roof.

“Now we have two. Anyone else? This isn’t an opportunity that comes every day.”

“P-Please take me too!”

Now three.

Gathering all the courtesans who occasionally raised their hands, about six had assembled.

“I guess that’s it.”

No more courtesans raised their hands.

As Seojun mentally counted down, Chunbong climbed onto the roof and asked.

“Planning to become a wandering hero?”

“A wandering hero? Nah. It looks cool but wouldn’t it be too hard to actually pull off?”

“Right. Just because someone’s weak doesn’t mean they’re good. In this world, someone you save from drowning might demand your wallet too.”

“What an arrogant bastard. In that case, you kick them back into the water.”

At those words, Chunbong looked up at Seojun with a slight smile.

“Whoever taught you taught you well. You shouldn’t become a sucker do-good samaritan of a hero.”

A wandering hero. It’s a romantic idea, but then again, chasing ideals has never been easy.

“Then I’ll just be half a wandering hero.”

“Even that would put you in the top hundred personality-wise in murim.”

“What the. Just how shitty is the average personality of these scumbags?”

While clicking his tongue at martial arts practitioners’ morality, Seojun looked at the courtesans who had volunteered.

Despite not being promised anything specific, the fact that they volunteered showed how bad their situations were.

Should we head to the Clear River Sect first?

He had gotten a promise from their sect leader.

To provide jobs as maids or servants for the few courtesans who volunteered.

He had actually worried about what to do if dozens volunteered, but...

Dozens? Excluding Churyeong, there were only five.

“Well then first... Huh?”

Suddenly, chaotic sounds could be heard from far away. Screams and shouts. Not the good kind of commotion.

Black Path thugs?

Thinking he might need to beat them up, he craned his neck to look, but something strange caught his eye.

“No way, figures.”

Just as Seojun was chuckling in disbelief, a man running at a speed that would make Usain Bolt blush six times over came shouting.

“A de-demonic creature...! A demonic creature has appeared...!”

“De-Demonic creature!?”

“Everyone run! It’s a demonic creature!”

The gathered crowd fell into chaos, people running around in confusion. Seojun raised his eyebrows.

Demonic creature?

Bewildered, he looked at Chunbong, who was frowning.

“A demonic creature coming this far? This is bad. It’s been happening more and more these past few years.”

“Wait, hold on. What do you mean demonic creature? What are you talking about?”

“What? What do you mean what? You don’t know about demonic creatures?”

Why are there demonic creatures in a martial arts novel? What’s next, the traditional American martial art of Gun-fu?

“I don’t, what are they?”

“You really don’t know? How can you not know about this...?”

Pouting, Chunbong jerked her chin toward the direction of the commotion.

“Then go take a look. It probably isn’t anything too impressive.”

“Should I?”

Seojun gave an awkward smile to the courtesans staring at him blankly.

“Uh... I’ll be right back?”

“C-Couldn’t you let us down before you go...?”

By the time the courtesan spoke, Seojun was already at full sprint in the distance.

“Ah, aah...”

The courtesan sat down with a tearful face.

*Running across rooftops, Seojun soon arrived at the source of the commotion.

“Where are you, you demonic creature bastard!”

This isn’t what martial arts novels are about...! An enraged Seojun looked around searching for the demonic creature.

It had been around here until just a moment ago but had vanished without a trace.

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CRASH!

As if responding to his call, the demonic creature made a grand entrance by smashing through a building.

“Found you.”

Seojun’s eyes lit up as he spotted the demonic creature.

It was a creature walking on two legs covered in what looked like black carapace. A massive tail protruded from its rear, and countless sharp teeth lined its elongated snout.

“Wow... it really is a demonic creature.”

As Seojun scratched his head, Chunbong who had followed caught up and her eyes went wide.

“An Armored Demon!? How did something like that come this far!”

“What’s so impressive about this guy?”

“See that armor? I heard it can even deflect sword qi.”

“Sword qi? It’s that hard?”

“It’s not so much about hardness, it’s more like a protective qi...”

Chunbong swallowed.

But who am I? Lee Seojun, the MUGONG Master.

“It deflects sword qi? Well damn. This fucker’s gonna make one hell of a punching bag.”

Time to do some serious DPS testing.