Chapter 55 – Martial Arts Exchange (1)

* * *

Bubbling.

The pot boils. Beneath it was a magic circle that produced flames like a modern gas stove.

After confirming that the soup was boiling, Orion took out the magic stone and turned off the fire. Do-jin, who had been eyeing the scientific phenomenon created by magic, turned his eyes away when he saw the pot Orion brought.

“Ruler! Bon appetite.”

“It’s a traditional elven meal, but it uses fire.”

“Then, did you think elves were primitive people who couldn’t even use fire?”

“That’s not it… Isn’t it dangerous to make a fire in the forest?”

“That’s only true for people who can’t light a fire on their own. Elves have known how to use magic since humans started a fire by grinding wood.”

“Oh yeah?”

Dojin suddenly became curious about her age. From what she’s saying, she sounds like she’s been seeing humans since such primitive times…….

‘I guess not.’

The story of burning wood by rubbing wood, she says, is a story from millions of years ago. Even elves have not lived millions of years.

If she had lived that way, there’s no way she would still be working as an adventurer on the 20th floor.

“How does it taste?”

“…… It’s delicious.”

“Yes? After all, there is no human who dislikes the elven style, right?”

If Orion had not been staring at her to the point of being burdensome, she would have been even more delicious. Unfortunately, Do-jin wasn’t a fool-proof person enough to say such a thing.

In the first place, ingredients are just boiled fresh vegetables and fruits, put some meat, and that’s all, isn’t it?

It was a surprisingly simple stew that was tasteless. Although that stew will develop a very special taste after decades of experience.

“Orion.”

“Yes. Please speak.”

“Come to think of it, why did you come to this city?”

“Oh, it’s not polite to ask her lady secrets.”

Orion looked at Do-jin with his eyes sparkling at Do-jin’s question. It seemed that he would n’t let her go if he tried to dig up the secret her with all his heart her, so Do-jin shook her head as if nothing was wrong.

“No, I was just curious… If you don’t want to talk, you don’t have to.”

“Is that okay?”

“Somehow, a beautiful woman is more attractive when she has at least one or two secrets.”

“She’s It’s a beauty. Whoops.”

Orion must have liked Dojin’s praise his, and refilled his bowl of stew as he was about to eat it all up.

No matter how simple the fruit stew was, Do-jin, who was gradually full, opened his mouth by slowing down his eating speed.

“It’s just that I’m the leader. You have to decide whether the party is in danger or not. I understand?”

“I am the seed who will endanger the party.”

“That’s not to say, if you become an elven princess who ran out of the great forest because she was bored, wouldn’t the assassins come to kill us saying we couldn’t make you remember your ugliness?”

“Princess… ? Poohup, the leader seems to know nothing about elves.”

“… Did you catch it?”

Orion listened to Do-jin’s explanation, and then glanced at his hair, eyes, and appearance of his. He realized that he too was a stranger like himself.

Traditionally, strangers have something in common. They are not discriminated against for being strangers in this city, but because of the implicit differences.

“Do not worry. I’m not a princess… Even if it did, it wouldn’t harm the party. Rather, I am more suspicious of the leader.”

“…… I?”

“Yes. A new adventurer who suddenly appeared, I don’t know where he came from, but I can tell he learned swordsmanship skills. Anyone can see the award, right?”

I didn’t know you were thinking that way. Dojin silently drank her stew and met her eyes her.

“Yes. It’s award winning very award winning Was I a spy?”

“How is it in reality?”

“Okay. First of all, I am not a spy.”

A secret that has not been told to anyone in the other world. The fact that he is a stranger from another world.

Didn’t reveal that. Not only did I not believe it, but I didn’t know how people from another world would actually be treated.

“I came here…… It was kind of an accident.”

“Are you buying?”

“Okay. Every day is boring, and I hoped that something would change… I never thought I would become an adventurer catching monsters in dungeons.”

“What did you do?”

“As you said, swinging a sword.”

Dojin recalled the earth with a faint gaze. The crazy father who devoted his life to his and even his own children to restore Joseon’s swordsmanship, which he will never see again.

I was able to eat well and live like this now thanks to the life I devoted myself to…… Dojin had always been dissatisfied.

He thought of running out of the house if he had to, but he did not know that he would leave the earth itself in this way.

“It’s about swinging a sword…… Was it a knight’s family? Or a famous seal?”

“It was the latter. It was once the most famous dojo in the country.”

“Hey, isn’t that great? Aren’t you sorry?”

“Aren’t you sorry?”

Dojin looked at Orion’s eyes as he said that. Looking at her eyes of her, she seemed to think that she was truly worth it.

How to explain this, Do-jin, who took a bite of the soup, thought of an explanation suitable for an elf.

“For example… Suppose you were born as a son of a blacksmith.”

“…… An elven blacksmith?”

“Yeah, wouldn’t it? It won’t get much attention, though.”

“It has to be… Elves are reluctant to use metal and fire. Blacksmithing is a job that is absolutely necessary.”

“Then, do you think you’ll be sorry that you didn’t inherit the artisan’s job?”

“Isn’t it…… I don’t.”

“Is it not?”

Just as blacksmiths are not in the limelight in the forest where elves live, in the 21st century, human cultural assets that use swords have no value beyond spectacle.

“It is like that after all. In Korea, there is nothing good about using a knife well.”

“Then, do you think Dojin is rather fortunate to have come here?”

“Are you feeling lucky?”

I was lost in thought for a moment. Then, remembering what happened in the other world, she smiles slightly.

Human beings are so contradictory, there are times when we accept even the memories of the past that we didn’t like when we learned and didn’t want to boast.

“Okay… I think you’re lucky.”

When I was learning swordsmanship, I thought I would never use this kind of skill for the rest of my life, but when I wielded my sword in another world, I was proud of it.

“That’s fortunate.”

“…… What?”

“It’s because my life so far isn’t useless.”

Her words were so arrogant that a long-lived elf would think they were appropriate to utter. Words that only elves who live eternal life can utter with sympathy for all other races.

Haha, Do-jin laughed and drank the soup. Maybe it was because she thought of the earth after a long time, but the taste of the soup didn’t feel right.

* * *

—What are you doing, don’t stand up.

Sharp words pierced Dojin’s ears. Do-jin stepped on her trembling legs and raised her body.

Her hand her holding her sword her burst open and her blood her was dripping, and her sword her was busy swinging back and forth because she couldn’t get enough strength in her grip her.

The man in front of her clicked her tongue and glared at Dojin, as if she didn’t like the look of her.

—It’s pitiful, is it just that you collapse from exhaustion?

“Ha, but….”

─It’s a long excuse!

Kaaang!

Her man brandishes a steel stick in her hand. It was too thick and heavy to block with a sword, so Do-jin eventually let go of the sword.

At the same time, clubs held by the man flew in from all sides and began beating his body her. Dojin curled up and protected his vitals in her.

But just because he protects the vitals doesn’t mean there’s no pain. Dojin groaned and endured the pain.

– Grab your sword.

When he tried to grab the sword after hearing the man’s words, the club flew in and hit the back of his hand. When I grabbed my hand his in his pain, I always hit the vital part that was so revealed.

Hit by a vital point, choking, nausea soaring, and when that gap is revealed, you get hit with a club again…….

If the vicious cycle that cannot be escaped repeats itself, he will want to give up everything. At that time, Dojin was like that.

‘Why did you do that?’

I have a sword in my hand.
One swing can end all this pain.
I couldn’t.

‘Hey, if I tried to do that, I would have been suppressed.’

It was when Dojin was in middle school that he got out of that hellish situation. When I can now pick up a sword and stand against my father.

─What are you doing? Stand up

“It’s hard… Father.”

-Don’t be rude.

His father was a man with an old-fashioned mindset that would become a collective flagship for modern sports science students who thought there would be great growth if they went to extremes.

Do-jin grew up under such a father and learned the sword. However, he had not been able to use the sword anywhere.

When Do-jin was in middle school, he won a championship medal around his neck in a national competition.

—Now, kendo is over.

“Yes? However….”

——I didn’t teach you to use your sword for pranks like that.

“…… Then when did you learn to use it?”

—In practice.

He was a person who should not have been born in the 21st century. Growing up under such a father, there was no way Dojin would grow up normally.

It was all thanks to my mother that I went to school normally and did not become a knife-wielding maniac.

“You can’t be such a lunatic inspiration.”
“Mom, but…….”
“It’s okay. Mom will take care of everything.”

With a very old-fashioned father.
Among mothers who are so new age.

He was born with both the old-world ideology and the new-age ideology.

“…… Oh, chew.”

Do-jin raised his body and touched his head. It was a dream. Just as men who had been discharged from the military said that they dreamed of military service all their lives, the memory of his father his, who had dominated most of his life his, stuck to him even in another world.

“Today is……Yes, it was hunting day. With Seoyoon……I’ll get some rest.”

He gets up, does some simple gymnastics to warm up, and runs straight through the city. This is also one of the habits his father left him.

It was a shadow I couldn’t get out of.

* * *

“Martial arts exchange?”

“Yes…”

The words of Eunha, who came back to me after returning from the magic stone trap in the dungeon, were something I never thought I would experience in another world.

Her Ho Beopgwan Her, where she is taught, is the most famous martial arts school in the city.

Hoyeon, the head of Hobeopgwan, generously bestowed martial arts unique to the Beast Tribe to the people, and even those who had never experienced martial arts in their entire lives could easily learn the tricks of martial arts by simply paying money.

Therefore, there must be numerous martial arts that Hoyeon, the director, can call out…….

“Why me?”

“Well, it looks like some beastmen are coming from home this time…….”

“Hometown? Why?”

“They want to know how good martial artists human adventurers are. First of all, I decided to participate, but it seems there are not enough adventurers willing to participate.”

“Right, adventurers are monster hunters, not martial artists.”

“Do-jin, you learned swordsmanship, right? So, ask me how can I not…….”

I thought for a moment, then nodded. It happened that he was very interested in the martial arts of the beast tribe.

Indeed, what kind of martial art was created by beastmen with physical abilities that transcended humans?

“Great. Do not participate.”