How to Live as a Mage in the Murim World

Chapter 9 – Episode 2: First Battle (3)

Among the spells Zhuge Hyeonmong could use at this stage, the most lethal was the magic bullet meant for killing bookworms.

Naturally, it couldn’t harm even a child, let alone kill a martial arts master.

‘Then I’ll just have to amplify its power.’

He poured mana into it until reaching its limit.

As the bullet swelled in size, he compressed the energy instead, forging it into a small, dense orb.

He added rotation to maximize the force of impact.

‘The range is insufficient.’

If only his level were higher…

If he had just one more Ring, he could have made the magic bullet more powerful, and imbued more properties to it.

But as things stood, he needed to close the distance to within three zhang (10 meters) to guarantee a hit.

Thud.

“Strategist Zhuge, what are you trying to do?”

The escorts were bewildered by Zhuge Hyeonmong’s sudden movement and asked, but there was no answer.

Maintaining the magic bullet already demanded his full focus.

The escorts weren’t the only ones who noticed Zhuge Hyeonmong.

“You insolent fool! How dare you come here. Are you begging for your life!?”

“As if I would.”

Zhuge Hyeonmong smiled faintly.

The corners of Gyo Jin’s mouth twisted in rage.

Oddly, among everyone here, this boy alone showed no fear—as if Gyo Jin posed no threat at all.

Grind.

Zhuge Hyeonmong had a natural talent for provoking people without even trying.

“Arrogant bastard!”

This was the first time he’d been treated like this.

Since he’d given him such a rare experience, Gyo Jin intended to give Zhuge Hyeonmong a once-in-a-lifetime experience as well.

“Scram, you maggots!”

Whoosh!

With a roar, the great ax swung down, unleashing a wave of force.

Im Jun-gyu and the First Squad Leader had to grit their teeth.

‘What kind of bandit is he!’

This wasn’t the kind of qi a mere mountain bandit could emit.

Though a bandit, he must have properly learned martial arts.

Im Jun-gyu clenched his teeth.

“You shall not pass!”

He harbored no particular fondness for Zhuge Hyeonmong.

But right now, he was tasked with protecting him.

At the same time, he understood that saving Zhuge Hyeonmong meant saving everyone.

Pushing himself to his limits, he braced himself.

Against such overwhelming force, half-baked resolve wouldn’t suffice.

The great axe descended.

Im Jun-gyu, teeth clenched, met the blow with his comparatively stocky arms.

At that moment, Zhuge Hyeonmong moved.

‘Now!’

In that instant, Zhuge Hyeonmong fired the magic bullet as if guided by unseen hands.

The omnipotent thrill of wielding magic surged through him. Time seemed to slow as the bullet carved through the air like a lone salmon swimming upstream.

‘What is this?’

In a split second, Gyo Jin sensed the approaching projectile.

The fact that Gyo Jin noticed it proved he qualified as a First-rate martial master.

But having already committed to his attack, he couldn’t adjust his movement or retract the axe.

Instead, he channeled more power into his strike, amplifying his momentum.

Whatever trick this was, he intended to cut down Im Jun-gyu and subdue Zhuge Hyeonmong before it could take effect.

The magic bullet struck the descending arm, precisely at the crook of the elbow.

The great axe flew from Gyo Jin’s grip.

“Kuk!”

Zhuge Hyeonmong knew his magic bullet wasn’t particularly powerful.

But it could still deliver an impact precisely where he wanted it to.

Although he didn’t consciously know its name, he simply knew instinctively that striking that point with the magic bullet would disrupt Gyo Jin’s grip.

The most shocked was Im Jun-gyu.

He had been prepared to die, but then Gyo Jin’s great axe flew away.

“Seize it!”

Im Jun-gyu immediately kicked off the ground and caught the great axe flying through the air.

At that moment, Gyo Jin’s eyes flashed dangerously.

“Give it back!”

Gyo Jin shook his hand once and kicked up the discarded sword lying on the ground and catching it mid-air.

Though skilled in swordsmanship, his relentless pressure now met an empowered Im Jun-gyu—armed with the stolen great axe.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

After exchanging several blows, Gyo Jin furrowed his brow.

“You brat… you were really hiding your true skills.”

It wasn’t an empty statement.

Despite his shorter reach putting him at a disadvantage, Im Jun-gyu’s fundamental martial arts talent was exceptional. And the great ax seemed perfectly suited to him as if it had been crafted specifically for his use.

‘An excellent weapon.’

Though trained in sword techniques, he adapted seamlessly, wielding the axe without strain.

Moreover, as he was forced to engage in a life-or-death battle with Gyo Jin, he seemed to absorb and learn the intricacies of the martial arts Gyo Jin displayed.

Im Jun-gyu grinned.

“I’ll put this to good use.”

“Damn you!”

Gyo Jin snarled, teeth grinding.

His earlier advantage in the two-against-one fight wasn’t just due to martial arts, but also thanks to his divine weapon.

Now that it was in Im Jun-gyu’s hands, his chances of victory had become slim.

His judgment was swift.

‘Retreat.’

Though the divine weapon was important, it wasn’t more important than his life.

Weapons could be replaced; his life couldn’t.

“Fuck this shit! I’m out—!”

Just as he turned to flee and tried to take his first step, something tripped his foot.

It was a mound of earth that had suddenly appeared.

‘What.’

He had already mapped out his surroundings through his senses. This earthen obstacle hadn’t been there before.

Through his swaying vision, Gyo Jin could see Zhuge Hyeonmong with a faint smirk, pointing a wooden stick toward his feet.

“You son of a—”

Gyo Jin couldn’t finish his words.

Because Im Jun-gyu’s great axe had already severed his neck.

“I, Im Jun-gyu! Have defeated the bandits leader!”

Even amidst the chaos, that shout carried over the battlefield.

Bandits who’d fought fiercely moments ago faltered, despair seeping into their ranks. Without Gyo Jin, their strongest, defeat was inevitable. One by one, they turned to flee..

“Hold! Do NOT pursue!”

First Squad Leader stopped the escorts who were about to pursue with bloodshot eyes.

There was no benefit in chasing them, and besides, the battle wasn’t over yet.

Zhuge Hyeonmong thought the same.

The moment the fight ended, Zhuge Hyeonmong turned to look where Im Chung was.

‘Still evenly matched.’

If anything, Lim Chung was at a slight disadvantage, perhaps six to four.

If the fight continued to its conclusion, those were the odds of Lim Chung’s defeat. But this wasn’t a sparring match.

“Chief!”

“Father!”

First Squad Leader and Im Jun-gyu, who had just finished their battle, stood beside Im Chung and faced Gyo Eom.

Gyo Eom silently looked at the three of them before suddenly shifting his gaze.

It was a gaze filled with cold killing intent.

That killing intent made Zhuge Hyeonmong tremble.

“So it was you. Mark my words. I will avenge my brother!”

At those words, Zhuge Hyeonmong blinked:

‘But it was Im Jun-gyu, not me.’

He wasn’t the one who chopped his brother’s neck, so why him?

The injustice burned, but there was no time to dwell.

‘I can’t let him escape.’

The grudges of Murim were something he’d only heard about, still, he had no desire to leave loose ends.

“Think you can escape!”

Of course, the Great Dragon Escort Agency shared the same sentiment.

Im Chung, First Squad Leader, and Im Jun-gyu coordinated their eyes and closed in on Gyo Eom.

Gyo Eom also rolled his eyes around, watching for a chance to flee.

Suddenly, a cool breeze blew between them.

And the next moment.

“Kuk!?”

Gyo Um recoiled as dust stung his eyes, breaking the tense standoff.

“Now!”

“Tch!”

The moment Gyo Eom squinted his eyes, they launched a combined attack.

Three strikes lunged at Gyo Um’s upper, middle, and lower vitals. He twisted, snarling, barely evading the strikes.

‘Damn it, why of all times…!’

He used his footwork to escape Im Chung and the First Squad Leader’s sword and fist.

But at that moment, Im Jun-gyu’s great axe suddenly appeared.

“Think you can escape!”

The thrust Im Jun-gyu executed was clearly not ideal for a great axe. However, it was surprisingly steady and solid.

Gyo Eom ground his teeth and unleashed his ultimate technique. He channeled his innate life force into his blade and dispersed it, creating a fog-like force that repelled the great ax.

Clang!

“Urgh!”

Seeing Im Jun-gyu sent flying while holding the great axe, Gyo Eom fled without looking back while shouting.

“I will definitely have my revenge!”

“When?”

“Huh…?”

Gyo Eom abruptly turned his head.

A burly middle-aged man stood before him, beard unkempt and eyes sharp as a hawk’s. The moment he saw the man’s face with its unkempt beard, Gyo Eom felt the burning desire for revenge he had just felt instantly turn cold.

“Gyo Eom. I said I’m curious when you planned to take revenge. After all, you’re about to die.”

The middle-aged man said this while casually swinging his axe.

Gyo Eom spat blood and burned another portion of his innate life force, but… like chopping firewood, Gyo Eom’s qi was split in half along with his body.

“Thieving maggot. Thought you could steal my weapons and run?”

The middle-aged man spat on Gyo Eom’s bisected corpse before turning his gaze to Im Jun-gyu.

Im Jun-gyu gulped at the sight of this middle-aged man who had taken down even Gyo Eom in one strike.

‘A master.’

A master so powerful that even if everyone present had been in perfect condition, they would have struggled to face him.

Im Chung stepped forward despite his injuries.

“I never thought we’d cross paths with the Tyrannical Strength Great Axe (巨力覇斧) in a place like this.”

“You know me?”

“One cannot work in the escort business without knowing Ma Jin-gwang, the Tyrannical Strength Great Axe (巨力覇斧). Though I never imagined meeting you in such a remote place.”

“Nor am I. I never imagined that one of my own men would steal the weapon he was forging and run.”

Ma Jin-gwang said this while slowly scanning the escorts. Everyone unconsciously gulped at his gaze.

His gaze halted on Im Jun-gyu.

“That axe. Where’d you get it?”

“I took it while fighting the bandits.”

Though sweating cold, Im Jun-gyu spoke thus, not wanting to appear weak.

Ma Jin-gwang’s eyes narrowed. He studied Im Jun-gyu for a moment before a smile spread across his face.

“Your physique and spirit are to my liking.”

“…?”

“Boy, become my disciple.”