The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan-Chapter 321: Gal Sa-hyuk, And— (1)

Gal Dong-tak had collapsed.

At that moment, Gal Sa-hyuk felt intense rage.

However, he was a seasoned tiger.

Just as he had hidden his killing intent the moment the Divine Monk appeared when he had contemplated killing Yi-gang at Mount Tai.

Even though his most cherished son had fallen to a beggar’s poison, he did not lash out.

Instead, he concealed his claws and calmed his fury.

Unlike his son, Gal Sa-hyuk wielded only a single axe.

A double-headed axe known as the Green Mountain Great Axe.

He gripped the axe, its blade sharpened to a razor’s edge, in utter silence.

-Unorthodox Union Leader. May I step out now?

He bowed his head slightly and spoke in a low voice via voice transmission.

The Unorthodox Union Leader, who received the message, remained calm.

Despite the obvious enormous loss from Gal Dong-tak’s defeat, no emotional turmoil surfaced on his face.

-Just a moment.

Stopping Gal Sa-hyuk, the Unorthodox Union Leader set down the wine cup he had been holding to his lips.

Then, he leaned slightly forward and carefully observed the martial stage.

The collapsed Gal Dong-tak twitched, while Noh Shik, intoxicated by his victory, failed to notice it.

With such loud cheers erupting, it was understandable.

At that moment, the staggering Gal Dong-tak grabbed Noh Shik and flipped him over.

Noh Shik had his arms restrained, was slammed onto the ground head-first, and lost consciousness.

It was truly a case of mutual destruction.

The announcer, Heaven’s Secret Scholar, stammered as he made the declaration, “M-Match drawn.”

The Unorthodox Union Leader smiled in satisfaction.

Then, he sent a voice transmission.

-Go ahead. I will provide support.

Gal Sa-hyuk let out a fierce laugh.

He leaped forward, brandishing his axe.

Today, he had paid extra attention to his appearance.

He had dyed his hair with a mixture of mulberry juice and medicinal herbs, and his skin was taut with applied oil.

Of course, one day, even these troublesome efforts would no longer be necessary.

The newly growing hair was gradually turning black.

The once sagging and wrinkled skin was slowly regaining its elasticity.

It was certainly not the effect of mulberry juice and oil.

Gal Sa-hyuk was becoming stronger once again.

One day, Gal Sa-hyuk’s body rejuvenation that no one believed in would become a reality.

As all eyes in the audience fell upon him, he took a deep breath.

Then, infusing his voice with internal energy, he shouted, “I will not allow this!”

Most people, including his subordinates, simply thought Gal Sa-hyuk had a powerful voice.

This was because he had suppressed the resonance that normally accompanied internal energy-infused vocalization.

Moreover, his beast-like presence likely contributed to their misunderstanding.

“I cannot accept this outcome—!”

A draw was unacceptable.

Gal Sa-hyuk’s roar overwhelmed the hundreds gathered in the audience.

Heaven’s Secret Scholar, flustered, hurriedly approached.

“Sir Gal, what are you doing? You’re interfering in the match…”

“Step aside!”

Heaven’s Secret Scholar was not particularly skilled in martial arts.

Gal Sa-hyuk did not bother to conceal his killing intent, causing Heaven’s Secret Scholar’s face to turn deathly pale.

“Poison, how cowardly! Those beggars of the Beggars’ Gang have crossed the line!”

Gal Sa-hyuk looked down at Noh Shik.

Noh Shik lay unconscious, crushed under Gal Dong-tak.

Seeing Noh Shik lying there with his mouth stupidly agape in unconsciousness, Gal Sa-hyuk’s fury surged.

“This beggar bastard…”

Glaring at the foolish face, Gal Sa-hyuk suddenly flinched.

Noh Shik was regaining consciousness.

Although the match had already been declared a draw, it would not look good if Noh Shik woke up first.

Gal Sa-hyuk subtly aimed a kick at Noh Shik’s temple to knock him out again.

Clang!

At that moment, a sword fell from the sky and embedded itself in the ground just in front of Noh Shik’s temple.

A dark-hued blade that was no ordinary weapon—Shooting Star Fang.

Then, Yi-gang leaped onto the martial stage.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“…You insolent brat.”

Yi-gang glared directly at Gal Sa-hyuk.

His eyes burned with unmistakable anger.

Gal Sa-hyuk seethed at the blatant hostility Yi-gang did not even bother to hide.

Yi-gang strode forward and examined Noh Shik’s condition.

“…Noh Shik.”

Noh Shik’s condition was far from normal.

His face, brutally pummeled by Gal Dong-tak, was swollen and disfigured like a rotting dumpling.

From the back of his head, which had slammed against the ground, damp blood seeped out.

“Ugh…”

With half-open eyes, he looked at Yi-gang and muttered, “I… apologize.”

He had completely overpowered Gal Dong-tak but had let his guard down.

Because of that, the match had ended in a draw.

“I really tried my best…”

Ever since he was eliminated from the successor beggar position in an absurd manner, he had taken a pessimistic and cynical approach to everything.

But during the past month at Tranquil Manor, and especially today, when he had fought an opponent far superior to him—Gal Dong-tak—

Noh Shik had truly given his all every single day.

Now, seeing all of it crumble due to a moment of carelessness, he could no longer hold back his tears.

As Noh Shik sobbed, Yi-gang spoke softly, “You did well.”

“…Hkk.”

“You gave it your best. That’s enough.”

Noh Shik hated hearing those words.

“You tried your best, so it’s fine.” “You did your best, so it wasn’t in vain.”

Was that not just the pitiful self-consolation of losers?

However, only those who had never given their all would think that way.

Lying down, Noh Shik let his tears flow freely.

“Tsk, what a pair of crybabies.”

Gal Sa-hyuk clicked his tongue in disapproval, but Yi-gang paid him no mind.

He supported Noh Shik and handed him over to the physician waiting outside the martial stage.

Not only that, but he also dragged away the unconscious Gal Dong-tak.

The poison of the Beggars’ Gang was not particularly potent, so Gal Dong-tak regained consciousness quickly.

Watching this unfold, Gal Sa-hyuk ground his teeth.

‘That damned brat just ruined everything I built…’

Gal Sa-hyuk had seized control of the atmosphere the moment he stormed onto the martial stage.

But now, Yi-gang’s intervention had muddied the situation.

He had to take charge of the moment again.

With that thought, he slammed his axe into the ground.

Kwaaaaang!

Everyone’s eyes turned back to Gal Sa-hyuk.

“A draw is unacceptable! How can a match that decides the fate of unorthodox and orthodox end in a tie?!”

His thunderous declaration silenced the entire audience.

Gal Sa-hyuk’s words were, in fact, quite persuasive.

“So much blood has been spilled. The vengeful spirits of our fallen comrades still wander the netherworld. We sought to end it with this duel, yet now you call it a draw?!”

It was a reasonable argument, and many people agreed.

The warriors on the unorthodox side nodded, while those on the orthodox side murmured among themselves.

“This is absolutely unacceptable—!” Gal Sa-hyuk roared once again.

At the perfect moment, the Unorthodox Union Leader interjected.

His voice was low, yet somehow, it struck every listener’s ears with force.

“That is not wrong. Ending things like this makes no sense.”

At that, the unorthodox warriors responded with cheers.

Gal Sa-hyuk, satisfied, crossed his arms and smirked.

Just then, a voice with an even more peculiar resonance than the Unorthodox Union Leader’s rang out.

「Silence!」

The voice echoed inside everyone’s minds, instantly silencing the crowd.

It was unmistakably the Heart Speech of Wisdom Light, the telepathic transmission technique of Shaolin’s senior monks.

Beneath the martial stage, the Divine Monk stood.

“Bandit, so what exactly are you proposing?” he asked with a smile.

Gal Sa-hyuk flinched.

“Are you suggesting we nullify the result and hold another match?”

“…Heh.”

Gal Sa-hyuk forced a laugh.

He had never been able to stand confidently in front of the Divine Monk.

It was because of an old memory—one where he had been beaten so badly that the dust had practically flown off him.

However, there was no need to fear the Divine Monk now. Behind him stood the Unorthodox Union Leader and the elite warriors of unorthodox.

“Aren’t you tired of watching kids fight?”

“Oh? What was that?”

Gal Sa-hyuk pulled his axe from where it had been embedded in the martial stage and rested it on his shoulder.

“The martial world gathered here probably thinks the same. It’s about time the adults stepped in.”

“That means…”

“I, the Green Forest Tyrant, the leader of the Green Forest Alliance, the Chongpyo Baja of Green Forest, and the inheritor of Green Blood Demonic Art, Gal Sa-hyuk, declare this.”

The crowd immediately understood what Gal Sa-hyuk intended as he leaped onto the martial stage.

He intended to fight.

“Settle this with a duel against me.”

Then, he raised his axe and pointed toward a certain spot in the VIP section.

A duel must always have an opponent.

“Iron Blood Merciless Baek Ryu-san. I’ve always wanted to face you one day.”

The opponent Gal Sa-hyuk pointed to was Baek Ryu-san.

“Let’s stake the future of the martial world and settle this with a fight!”

A formal duel challenge was declared in front of countless witnesses.

And watching this unfold, Yi-gang—

“…”

—felt a surge of intense fury.

How deceitful and shallow were the schemes and conspiracies of the world?

It was just like splashing filth into clear water.

When Gal Dong-tak collapsed, Yi-gang had been watching Gal Sa-hyuk.

He had seen him fiddling with his axe while transmitting a voice message.

Though he tried to cover his mouth, the slight movements of his lips had been visible.

Identifying the recipient of the transmission was more challenging.

The person must have been more cautious than Gal Sa-hyuk, but Yi-gang quickly realized that it was the Unorthodox Union Leader, Seomun Jae.

He was someone Gal Sa-hyuk would consult via voice transmission, and right after each exchange, Seomun Jae would lift his wine cup to his lips, deliberately concealing his mouth.

And when the match was declared a draw due to Noh Shik’s mistake, both Gal Sa-hyuk and Seomun Jae had clearly smiled.

‘Perhaps they never intended to accept the result in the first place.’

It was their side that insisted on sending Gal Dong-tak as the final fighter.

Had the match not ended in a draw, they would have found some excuse—claiming Noh Shik had used cowardly tactics or some other pretext.

‘That must be why they were pleased when the draw was announced.’

However, what enraged Yi-gang the most was something else entirely.

‘From the very beginning, they were targeting Father.’

Gal Sa-hyuk had shown outright hostility toward Baek Ryu-san since Mount Tai.

From the start, he must have considered Baek Ryu-san his designated opponent.

And now, after orchestrating this situation, he had forced a public duel that Baek Ryu-san could not refuse.

No doubt, he had already prepared to face Baek Ryu-san.

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He must have studied the Baek Noble Clan’s martial arts and devised countermeasures against them.

Yi-gang had sensed something was off back at the Tranquil Manor.

When he visited the right courtyard, he had sparred with Gal Dong-tak again out of curiosity.

Strangely, Gal Dong-tak had responded exceptionally well to Yi-gang’s sword techniques. At the time, he had thought it was simply due to natural sharpness and instinct, but…

Grit.

Yi-gang clenched his teeth.

Gal Sa-hyuk was an old and cunning beast.

Furthermore, whether he won or lost the duel, the greater loss would fall on Baek Ryu-san.

Baek Ryu-san was soon to be appointed as the leader of the Murim Alliance.

At that moment, the Divine Monk’s voice echoed in Yi-gang’s mind.

「Does rage consume you?」

Yi-gang nodded.

Then, the Divine Monk said something completely unexpected,「Would you like to step forward instead?」

“…!”

「That old bandit is certainly strong. But what do you think? Wouldn’t you like to give it a try?」

It was not something anyone could say lightly.

No, it was something no one would even believe.

How could the young Yi-gang possibly face the leader of the Green Forest Alliance, one of the Ten Grandmasters?

「From what I see, it is possible.」

But the one saying it was none other than the Divine Monk.

Yi-gang’s hesitation did not last long.

-What do I need to do?

「What do you mean, what? Just walk up there and tell him to stop talking nonsense and fight you instead.」

The Divine Monk grinned and added,「I’ll take care of the aftermath.」

Meanwhile, Gal Sa-hyuk boomed triumphantly, “Are you scared, Baek Ryu-san?!”

At this point, there was no turning back.

Just as Baek Ryu-san, his face hardened, began to rise from his seat—

A powerful gust of wind swept across the martial stage.

Caught off guard by the sudden blast striking his face, Gal Sa-hyuk instinctively turned to the Divine Monk.

The Divine Monk had casually unleashed a palm wind while feigning innocence, and in that moment, Yi-gang stepped onto the martial stage.

“What the…?”

The Divine Monk burst into laughter.

His laughter, interwoven with the Heart Speech of Wisdom Light, reverberated inside everyone’s minds.

The audience groaned in discomfort, and even Gal Sa-hyuk grimaced at the sensation.

「Hahaha! This is beneath you!」the Divine Monk bellowed as if scolding him.

「How dare a mere bandit challenge the leader of the orthodox Murim! You conniving scoundrel!」his voice thundered with fury, shaking the air.

Gal Sa-hyuk shouted defiantly, “A mere vice leader! What’s so great about that title?!”

「He is now the leader! At this moment, I am stepping down as the Murim Alliance Leader, passing my position to Vice Leader Baek Ryu-san.」

“W-what nonsense…!”

The Divine Monk’s laughter drowned out Gal Sa-hyuk’s protests.

「But I’ll give you another opponent!」

“What…?”

Yi-gang stood opposite the leader of the Green Forest Alliance.

As the Divine Monk’s Heart Speech of Wisdom Light ceased, a chilling silence fell over the venue.

“Green Forest Leader,” it was Yi-gang who spoke first, “Stop spewing arrogant nonsense and fight me.”

Gal Sa-hyuk’s eyes widened in shock.