Chapter 22: You brought it on yourself (4)

Chun Yeowun's attack was not a light one. It was so powerful that Chun Mukeum had defended with seven levels of energy, but he was still pushed back two steps.

'His power is not weak.'

Mukeum thought Yeowun was a piece of cake, but it was not as he had expected.

'Now is the time!'

Chun Yeowun then unleashed the second formation of the Butterfly Blade Dance. A quick attack of the blade was completed through the powerful spinning move originally made to defend, but it also proved to be effective when in close range as an attack. He didn't have any weapons in his hands, but he wielded internal energy in his right hand to make it work like a blade.

"Prince! Be careful!"

One of the boys out of the six students shouted as they got down. Mukeum used his running skill to run three steps back to dodge the attack.

'He dodged it?'

Yeowun became surprised as he thought that this was going to be the final blow. Mukeum then jumped out and attacked Yeowun's chest. It was the third formation of the Loyal Demon Fist.

"Ugh!"

He had taken a strike from the counterattack, but he dodged the second attack by pulling his upper body back. However, that wasn't the end. Mukeum then jabbed Yeowun's right shoulder with his elbow. Yeowun quickly brought his wrist up to defend, but the attack from the elbow had more power.

Yeowun was pushed back about four steps.

'I still lack internal energy.'

Mukeum had entered the academy with twenty years worth of energy, and with the Black Dragon Ball, he increased the amount of energy he had.

'But I can take it."

Mukeum had taken many kinds of medicines since he was young, so his absorption rate of the Black Dragon Ball wasn't as high. Moreover, his quick temper also made him absorb less.

'I should give him no time to counter it.'

Yeowun then unleashed agile blade attacks and his hand chop left a trace that looked like a butterfly flying through in the air as it attacked Mukeum's right shoulder.

"How can he use such martial arts?!"

The six students blankly watched Yeowun. They knew he had acquired one of the finest martial arts just by looking at it. If they knew it was the Butterfly Blade Dance that Submeng used, they would have been so shocked.

"You are above my expectations."

Mukeum spoke in astonishment and dodged Yeowun's attack while getting closer. His fist skills were powerful but he also focused on being flexible, which allowed him to move flexibly and Mukeum kicked Yeowun's left side.

"UGH!"

Yeowun was thrown to the right from the kick. He had learned about basic martial arts but he had not learned a landing skill yet. So, he had to roll on the ground before crudely getting up.

'I didn't expect a kick.'

He was shocked. The kick got him on the head, so it made him feel dizzy. When he couldn't find his balance, Mukeum felt relieved.

"I was surprised at such fine blade art, but you still are a newbie."

Yeowun frowned. Mukeum had found out that Yeowun was still very new to martial arts just after a few exchanges.

'He has the basic movements down, but he does not know how to react to attacks.'

Chun Mukeum was hot-tempered, but he was still a talented individual who was trained in various teachings. He had many experiences since various teachers had taught him. Martial arts required real-life experience so that the user would know when or what to use under different circumstances.

"Well well. You still have a long ways to go."

'I underestimated him. What should I do?'

Chun Yeowun became nervous. His head was filled with various formations of the Butterfly Blade Dance, but he didn't have the experience to choose what to use.

"I'll look into how you learned martial arts after I crush you."

Mukeum then charged in toward Yeowun. At that moment, Yeowun was frantically trying to make a decision.

'What should I do? What do I need to use?'

And it was then that Nano's voice came to him.

[Sensing danger from hostile entity. Activating Augmented Reality on the user's sight to deal with the incoming danger. Activating battle tutorial to start defensive mode.]

Yeowun's eyes shook quickly while it shined with small light particles.

"DIE!"

Mukeum's fists attacked and Chun Yeowun tapped to move to the side and punch Mukeum's chin.

"ARGH!"

Mukeum had not expected an attack, so his head was turned to the side. The fist didn't have any internal energy, but the attack on the chin made him feel dizzy and made him lose his balance.

'W-what? This isn't the blade skill!'

He would have passed out if the fist had internal energy. Mukeum then used his running skill to distance himself.

"What?! His movement changed!"

Even the students were shocked. They thought Mukeum would finish him with the attack, but this made the situation uncertain. In Yeowun's eyes, everything was very different now.

'What is this?'

[Augmented Reality has been activated to guide Master through the battle tutorial to react to the hostile entity.]

Yeowun was seeing all kinds of lines and writings over what he was seeing. Even just now, when Mukeum's attack almost got him, he saw footsteps composed with lights and writing that told him to follow it. Yeowun followed it, allowing him to dodge the attack and then a white arrow appeared on Mukeum's chin with a fist sign, so he followed it.

[There was no direction, so boxing, one of the martial arts recorded in the program, was applied temporarily for this tutorial.]

'Tutorial?'

[It means guidance.]

'You ordered to tell me what to do?'

[I analyzed the hostile entity's movements to the 0.01 scale and came up with the result.]

'I don't know what you are saying. So, what I just did is a... boxing?'

[Boxing is one of embedded martial arts in the program and...]

'It's okay. If you are using boxing as the tutorial, can you apply it with the Butterfly Blade Dance?'

[The analysis and transfer of Butterfly Blade Dance is complete, so it is possible. Will you apply it?]

'Yeah.'

[Changing tutorial mode to Butterfly Blade Dance.]

While Chun Yeowun stood still to talk with Nano, Mukeum got up from his dizziness and shouted angrily.

"You even learned how to use fist techniques?! You sure hid a lot like a thief! But it won't work anymore!"

Mukeum then charged in again with tens of fists. Yeowun saw the fists coming at him along with the directions on where it was all coming from.

'I can see where he's attacking!'

Chun Yeowun smiled. He then followed the steps to dodge the attacks.

'What! He dodged everything?'

It was hard to believe that Yeowun who could barely react to the attacks before was now dodging everything. It wasn't only that — Yeowun then attacked back with a powerful blade attack.

"W-what?!"

Mukeum quickly turned to defend, but he could only defend two attacks. Yeowun's hands flew in like a butterfly and soon got him on the right shoulder.

"UGH!"

Mukeum felt strong pain and blood came up through his throat. If it was an attack with a real blade, he would have been cut down.

'How can he use such an attack?'

Yeowun did not have more internal energy than Mukeum, but his attack skill was that of like an experienced warrior. It was all possible because Yeowun's movements were the exact copy of Submeng's movements.

Mukeum then felt his legs losing energy from the damage. He then came up with the memory.

'Mukeum. If you do well, the Lord... your father's attention will come back from that dirty b*tch and back to me.'

'It's all because of you! It's all because you are weak!'

'If only that dirty bitch hadn't appeared!'

Mukeum's mother, Lady Ja, married the Lord Chun Yujong through an arranged marriage. It was a marriage from the oath of the six clans, but Lady Ja loved the Lord. She did all she could to win the Lord's attention, but she was never loved back. The Lord's attention was only on the girl slave at the Lord's palace.

'It's not me. It's all you. It's all because of YOU!'

The last memory he had of his mother was Lady Ja choking his own son while sobbing madly.

'Why am I having that memory again?!'

As that memory came back to him, he learned to hate only one person. Mukeum gritted his teeth with hatred and threw his fist at Yeowun's face.

"You think I will lose to a peasant like you?!"

Yeowun easily dodged the attack by tilting his head and although he tried to strike Mukeum's forehead, he changed his mind and grabbed his opponent's wrist to pin him down.

"UGH!"

Mukeum felt severe pain from the back of his head, and his head became red with veins popping out from his neck to his forehead.

"You dare... I can't lose to a peasant like you! How!"

Mukeum shouted angrily, but Yeowun looked down coldly at him and said,

"You brought it on yourself."