Chapter 13 – The Martial Arts Repository
“Thank you!”
Jang Woo-hyun stood up, feeling excited, and expressed his gratitude.
“Haha, if I knew you’d be this happy, I would have told you sooner.”
Seeing Jang Woo-hyun’s delighted expression, Bang Jong-oh smiled.
In so ways, he understood that expression.
Jang Woo-hyun, lacking a proper sect, must have drifted all the way to the Demon Extermination Sect.
For soone like him, the opportunity to learn a new martial art was more rewarding than anything else.
The fate of a wandering warrior.
A typical fate for those who hadn’t joined a proper sect or learned authentic martial arts.
“I’m the one who should be thankful. Because you defeated the Iron Armor Monkey, not only the Martial Disciples of the Demon Extermination Sect but countless others were saved. Now, you can head out. Stop by the armory on your way out and receive a sword, then head to the martial arts repository tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, thank you once again.”
The two parted ways with pleasant feelings, and Jang Woo-hyun went straight to the armory.
“I’ve co to receive a sword.”
“What’s your na?”
The man, who seed to be the manager, was moving around with various weapons in his arms, likely organizing them.
“My na is Jang Woo-hyun.”
“Ah, Warrior Jang Woo-hyun… Warrior Jang Woo-hyun… Ack! The Monkey Slayer! Jang the Great Hero!”
The mont he heard the na, the manager threw everything he was holding aside and ran over.
Jang Woo-hyun, who hadn’t backed down even in front of the Iron Armor Monkey, took a step back, surprised by the manager’s excessive reaction.
“Great Hero Jang! I’ve heard so much about you. My friend went on that mission with you and talked about it so much that my ears are bleeding. I heard you were coming, but I didn’t expect you’d arrive so soon. Oh, where are my manners? Please wait a mont while I get the sword.”
The man disappeared through a door at the back and returned after a while, holding five swords.
“Please, choose one that suits you. Though they are standard issue, they are high-quality and quite usable. Of course, for soone like Great Hero Jang, they might not be enough, haha.”
The man, grinning ear to ear, laid the swords on the table.
There were five swords, each slightly different in size.
Jang Woo-hyun drew each one and examined them.
As the man said, though they were standard issue, they were of excellent quality.
They were a tier or two above the sword gifted to him by Yang Hyo-myung.
“Where do these swords co from? Are they bought from sowhere, or are they commissioned?”
“There are craftsn affiliated with the Demon Extermination Sect. They make these swords for us. So people accumulate enough rit points to have swords made personally. Great Hero Jang will be able to gather rit points quickly and commission a sword. You could even obtain rare materials.”
“Rare materials?”
“Yes, rare tals… Ah! Great Hero Jang, you’ve only been with the Demon Extermination Sect for a short ti. With rit points, you can receive rare materials. From tals like Black Iron and Cold Iron to unique jewels imbued with the Five Elents’ energy.”
“I see. I’ll take this one.”
Jang Woo-hyun chose the sword that felt most comfortable in his hand.
“Excellent choice. Will you be taking it right away?”
“Yes.”
“Then, please sign here for confirmation.”
After exchanging pleasantries with the manager, who was honored to et him, Jang Woo-hyun left the armory.
* * *
The next morning.
Jang Woo-hyun headed to the martial arts repository early.
In his possession was an item given to him by Hwang An, who had visited him the night before.
“As I thought, I knew you’d be going to the repository, Brother Jang. Here, take this. You’ll need it. I heard others do the sa. Don’t just grab what you need and leave like a fool. Take your ti and note down what you need. That’s what everyone does, so don’t feel burdened.”
What Hwang An gave him was a small brush and a small ink container.
According to him, those who entered the repository would look around and write down what they needed on the back of the martial arts manuals they selected.
The repository guards knew this, so they didn’t stop people from bringing in a fine brush and ink.
“I’m glad I didn’t push him away.”
When Jang Woo-hyun had t him in front of the Demon Extermination Sect, he had noticed that Hwang An was from the Beggars’ Sect and thought he might be useful.
As expected, he turned out to be helpful.
Feeling reassured by Hwang An’s gift, Jang Woo-hyun arrived at the repository of the Demon Extermination Sect.
It was a single-story stone building located among many of the sect’s halls.
The small building served as an entrance, and going below led to the collection of martial arts manuals the sect had accumulated.
Nearby the stone building was another small building, and Jang Woo-hyun entered it first.
Inside were several martial artists guarding the repository and an elderly man who seed to be a manager.
The old man searched Jang Woo-hyun and found Hwang An’s gift.
“Be careful with it, and don’t dirty the other manuals.”
He only said that and returned it to him.
The old man then led the way toward the stone building and activated a chanism to open the door.
Inside, two thick iron doors appeared.
At the left iron door, the old man activated another chanism to open it.
“This way.”
As the door opened, a staircase leading downward appeared.
“You have six hours. You can bring out two martial arts manuals.”
Jang Woo-hyun replied that he understood and descended the stairs.
As he went down, a large cavern with shining stones embedded in the walls appeared.
Inside the cavern were rows of bookshelves, neatly organized with martial arts manuals the Demon Extermination Sect had collected.
Each shelf held two copies of the sa manual – the original and a transcribed copy.
When a martial artist took a copy, it would be replaced later.
“Whew.”
Letting out a deep breath, Jang Woo-hyun began moving to find the manuals he wanted.
He had already decided what to find before coming.
The first was a body-strengthening technique.
He had no lightness skill, and although he had an improved version of the Tiger Step, it still felt lacking.
He needed a technique that could cover footwork, movent skills, and lightness skills.
The second was swordsmanship.
Though he had modified the Tiger Form Sword to make it usable, he had learned much from watching Jin Ha-un’s swordsmanship.
There was no need to stick to the hard and aggressive style of the Tiger Form Sword.
He intended to experience as much as possible and learn various sword techniques.
Those two were the most necessary.
Additionally, he sought martial arts or secret techniques to prepare for any unexpected situations and conceal his abilities.
He didn’t feel the need for an internal energy cultivation thod.
At so point, cultivating internal energy had beco easy for him.
Thus, even when he consud the Blood-Brain Worm given to him by Gal Yoon of the Cloud Sword Sect, he was able to dispel it just by circulating his internal energy.
His internal energy naturally increased just by breathing and circulating his Qi.
Therefore, an internal energy cultivation thod wasn’t necessary.
Jang Woo-hyun moved quickly around the repository.
The manuals here were gathered in a short ti.
While so were intact, many were incomplete or partially lost.
“About half of these are probably not complete.”
He had to sift through and select the best ones.
Not only did he need to find sothing to take out, but he also had to write down what he needed.
Six hours.
A long ti if long, a short ti if short.
* * *
The repository manager, Go Ryeom, was spending a boring day.
Usually, two or three hours were given, but the Vice-Sect Leader had granted Jang Woo-hyun six hours.
“Since he defeated the Iron Armor Monkey alone, they must have high expectations for him.”
The rising star everyone was talking about, known for his extraordinary skills.
Go Ryeom was curious about what kind of martial arts he would bring out.
Though he couldn’t practice martial arts due to his physical limitations, he possessed exceptional analytical and understanding skills when it ca to martial arts.
Even though he couldn’t practice martial arts, he had inadvertently caught the eye of the Sect Leader of the Demon Extermination Sect, which led him to join the sect.
Due to the Sect Leader’s recomndation, he beca the manager of the repository.
Most of the copied manuals in the First Repository, where Jang Woo-hyun had entered, had been transcribed by Go Ryeom himself.
He knew exactly what martial arts were in there and which ones were exceptional.
As he waited, lost in various thoughts, ti passed, and it was ti for Jang Woo-hyun to co out.
Hearing a knock on the stone building’s door, Go Ryeom and the Martial Disciples approached.
The repository door was designed so that it could only be opened from the outside, not the inside.
Creak.
The heavy stone door opened, and Jang Woo-hyun’s figure ca into view.
A wide smile was spread across his face.
“It seems he found sothing he liked.”
Most people felt regretful about the lack of ti or showed greedy expressions, but Jang Woo-hyun seed genuinely pleased.
Seeing people like him always made Go Ryeom feel good.
After conducting a simple body search, just in case soone tried to sneak out a manual, Go Ryeom checked the manuals Jang Woo-hyun had brought out.
Six-Legged Horse King’s Step.
“Hmm.”
He brought out sothing unusual from the start.
This was a martial art left behind by a master known as the Flying Horse King, who road the martial world a hundred years ago.
The Flying Horse King was said to be a foreigner from the distant West, and according to their mythology, the celestial horses had six legs, hence the na.
This manual not only included a body-strengthening technique but also a kicking technique.
It was an excellent manual, but it had a small problem.
The Six-Legged Horse King’s Step was too difficult.
Even though it had been around for over a hundred years, no one had properly mastered it.
“I don’t understand.”
Why did he choose that?
Surely, the last page had a note explaining that it was difficult to master.
Go Ryeom couldn’t understand.
He was worried, but since Jang Woo-hyun was the rising star, he trusted there was a way.
“The real issue is this one.”
The second manual Jang Woo-hyun had brought out.
Seven Star Sword Art.
This was the martial art of the Seven Star Sword Sect, founded by seven swordmasters who had sworn brotherhood.
After the sect was annihilated by the Demon Cult, their martial arts had drifted into the Demon Extermination Sect.
The Seven Star Sword Sect had, as its na suggested, seven different sword techniques.
Middle Sword, Ring Sword, Soft Sword, Flying Sword – seven distinct sword techniques.
That was the Seven Star Sword Sect’s martial arts.
At a glance, it seed like a good manual that allowed one to learn various sword techniques, but the manual was only the basics of the Seven Star Sword Sect’s martial arts.
Moreover, it was incomplete.
It wasn’t a good choice.
“Are you sure about that?”
Go Ryeom asked with concern.
“Yes, I’m sure. Is there anything more important than basics? To , this is better than any other manual.”
Jang Woo-hyun treated the martial art that others might dismiss as trash like it was a treasure.
“Well, if that’s your decision, then that’s fine. You may go now.”
“Thank you for your trouble.”
After bidding farewell to Go Ryeom, Jang Woo-hyun headed back to his quarters.
His steps were quicker than usual as he made his way back.
“I hope he made the right choice.”
Go Ryeom watched Jang Woo-hyun’s retreating figure, feeling even more regret.
He couldn’t help but think that it would have been better if Jang Woo-hyun had chosen a superior martial art.
* * *
Contrary to Go Ryeom’s concerns, Jang Woo-hyun had carefully selected his martial arts from the repository.
He had wanted to learn a hand-to-hand combat technique in case he didn’t have a sword, and fortunately, he found one.
Six-Legged Horse King’s Step.
Although the copied manual had a note at the end stating that the martial art was difficult, Jang Woo-hyun didn’t find it difficult at all.
Since it included kicking techniques, it was the perfect choice for him.
As for the Seven Star Sword Art.
It was a manual that contained the basics of seven different sword techniques.
For soone like Jang Woo-hyun, who wanted to learn various sword styles, it was exactly what he was looking for.
Although two of the techniques were missing, leaving only five, even that was a good start.
But that wasn’t all.
Jang Woo-hyun had also written down other sword techniques in the Seven Star Sword Art.
Though he hadn’t been able to complete all five techniques, he had managed to include three additional sword techniques into the Seven Star Sword Art.
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