Chapter 11

The Five Great Families, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Nine Great Clans, are one of the two major forces of the Righteous Faction.


The Namgung Family, the Huangbo Family, the Jiegal Family, the Sichuan Tang Family, and the Hebei Peng Family. Their power and wealth surpass that of mere wealthy clans, resembling warlords.


They were so greedy that the term “Righteous Faction” became an embarrassment. They craved power and wealth, and thus, they grew stronger.


Under the scrutiny of the royal family, the factional struggles with the Nine Great Clans, and the territorial disputes with the Evil Faction, they survived. The weaker families either perished or were absorbed long ago.


They grew stronger to protect their ancestors and families. They endured humiliation and swallowed their fears to ensure their descendants wouldn’t suffer the same wounds.


Even if a strong wind blows and they stagger, it’s only temporary. The roots of the Five Great Families are tough and unyielding; they may shake but they won’t break.


…Or so it should have been.


The Jiegal Family, one of the Five Great Families, was renowned as the “Divine Strategist Jiegal.” Yet, their fame was rendered meaningless as a single girl uprooted their foundations and destroyed their estate.


The grand gates once knocked on by countless visitors and the majestic estate that showcased the family’s history and wealth crumbled. The martial artists who learned the Jiegal Family’s secret techniques were mercilessly cut down by the girl’s gestures.


Amidst the burning ruins, a blue-eyed girl stood tall. Leaning on her cane, she approached step by step.


“…Why did you do this?”


“I destroyed the Jiegal Family that abused me. That was my only goal from the start. Mantian, join me in destroying the Jiegal Family.”


The blue-eyed girl, Jiegal Guhae, no longer hid her shark-like teeth, a source of her complex, and smiled brightly at me.


The Jiegal Family fell so easily in a single day. Stunned by the unbelievable scene, I stood speechless. Then, an even more unbelievable scene unfolded.


Guhae’s body began to grow larger and larger, transforming into the ultimate Jiegal Guhae. She even donned a makeshift dragon head puppet and roared like a threatening raccoon.


“Kyaaoo~!!”


Her form was that of a beast of ruin… Guhaeverus!!


The beast of ruin that brought the downfall of the Jiegal Family. I could only tremble at the sight of Guhae, now a three-headed dragon.


“Your family is finished! From now on, this place is ruled by Mantian Guhae!!”


“I’m out! You brat! Why are you dragging innocent people into your crimes?!”


At my desperate cry that I couldn’t become a terrorist, Guhae stomped her feet and threw a tantrum, spewing fire from her mouth.


“No! No! We’re together forever! The Buster Stream that brings ruin~ Kyaaoo~!!”


“If we’re together forever, why are you bringing ruin?! And stop stomping! The ground is shaking!! -Ugh?!”


Her massive body stomping caused chaos. My jaw shook from the tremors, and I accidentally bit my tongue. Losing my balance, I fell.


The dragon puppet heads on her arms and her no-longer-small shark teeth spewed fire, burning the Jiegal Family and bringing ruin to the world. To stop the indiscriminate destruction, assassins from the Martial Alliance appeared.


“We found him! There’s Sima Mantian, the mad scientist who created the ultimate blue-eyed Guhae! Kill him!!”


“It’s not my fault! I didn’t know this would happen!!”


“A child’s fault is the parent’s fault! A disciple’s fault is the master’s fault! No more excuses, die!!”


The Martial Alliance assassins charged at me with drawn swords, determined to make me pay. Just when I thought I was done for, something massive fell from the sky with a gentle voice.


“…A disciple’s fault is indeed the master’s fault. Well said.”


Kwaa-ang!?


A giant mech made of an unknown special alloy, defying gravity, the pride of human civilization, the embodiment of technological prowess, the steel avatar.


God created humans in His image. And humans created Gundam in His image.


Eh?! Gundam?! Why Gundam?!


Even in the boundless possibilities of the martial world, isn’t Gundam going too far? Even in fantasy, Gundam gets criticized!!


As the situation grew stranger, the Gundam’s cockpit opened, and an ugly old man appeared. It was my master!


“Master?! Why are you coming out of there? And how did you get a Gundam?!”


“Now’s not the time for trivial questions. A disciple’s fault is the master’s responsibility. You’ll pilot the Gundam to stop the ultimate blue-eyed Jiegal Guhae.”


“…Me?”


“It’s the heaviest, the largest among all mechs. The pride of humanity. It’s a prototype, so it’s experimental, but worth the risk.”


Hearing that, my cells heated up, urging me to get in the mech, but this was too much. It’s just too weird.


I can’t keep up with the situation. I can’t keep up with reality. Wait, is this even reality? I bit my tongue hard earlier, but there’s no blood or pain.


“No! Mantian is mine! I won’t give him to anyone! ~Kyaaoo!!”


Guhae, spewing fire, charged at the Gundam but tripped and fell.


“~Kyaaot?!”


Ah?! I told you to be careful when running. With her size, applying ointment to her knees would be a chore. The hospital bills would be huge.


As she fell, pointing at the sky, the massive Guhae plummeted to the ground. I realized something.


I’m having a crazy dream.


“…Gasp!”


Opening my eyes, I saw the familiar ceiling of my room. A sigh of relief escaped with the cold sweat.


“…Haah… Haah… It was just a dream. Thank goodness.”


When you think about it, it was a ridiculous and funny dream, but in the moment, it was a nightmare like no other. I’m glad it was just a dream. But why does my body feel heavy?


Feeling the weight on my chest, I looked up and saw Guhae lying on top of me, her face buried in my chest, sleeping soundly.


“…Together… forever.”


I even prepared a separate futon for her, but why does she always sleep on top of someone, talking in her sleep? Does she like the warmth because she grew up without affection? Such a peculiar taste.


I felt like giving her a knuckle sandwich, but I didn’t have the energy, so I just closed my eyes and went back to sleep. …The slight weight isn’t so bad. It’s cozy.


***


The Seventy-Two Forms of the Empty Clarity Fist – One of the teachings of Taoism, containing the essence of “Emptiness leads to Clarity.”


Here, “Emptiness leads to Clarity” means “A vessel must have a hollow to be useful, and a room must have windows and doors to be functional.” It signifies that emptiness allows for holding food, light to enter, and people to come in.


In other words, the Empty Clarity Fist is a martial art that makes the opponent’s strong force disappear instantly, creating openings to defeat them.


Simply put, it’s a defensive, parrying, and countering martial art.


And it’s the only martial art my master taught me. When I roughly learned it, I asked to learn other martial arts, but he insisted that defense is the most important in combat and made me practice only the Empty Clarity Fist.


“Hehe~ If you don’t plan to get involved in martial world affairs, learning just the Dog Chasing Stick Technique and the Empty Clarity Fist is enough. I promise, you’ll never get beaten up anywhere.”


Yeah, right. Damn old man. I’ll hire a lawyer and sue you.


Guhae’s sparkling eyes filled with anticipation made me think it was a good thing I only learned the Empty Clarity Fist.


If I had learned the Hundred-Step Divine Fist or the Thunderbolt Divine Fist, I would have taught them to Guhae, and who knows what chaos would ensue.


In that sense, since the Empty Clarity Fist is a defensive martial art, teaching it wouldn’t cause as much trouble as in the dream. I just taught her out of pity and boredom. Being labeled a martial world criminal… It’s no laughing matter.


“…Are you hurt?”


Seeing me silent, Guhae’s face darkened with worry. Her face is so innocent and clueless.


Come to think of it, my master once said I think too much. Yeah, it’s unnecessary worry.


Relaxing my face, I calmly taught Guhae what I learned from my master.


“Alright, I’ll show you the demonstration now. Watch first. If you don’t understand anything, ask.”


-And three days later.


Is this how Dr. Frankenstein felt… No. Damn it. I was practicing the Empty Clarity Fist on a tree. Why did the tree break?


The broken tree trunk. Guhae’s shining eyes, expecting praise. And me, looking at the tree and Guhae with unease.


There’s no answer. In the end, I took drastic measures.


“Hmm… You’ve learned enough. Now you should practice on your own. Do 10,000 strikes of the Empty Clarity Fist as thanks.”


I left the scene. I told Jang Sam-i to clean up the broken tree.


Wrapping my head around the complexity, I walked through the beautifully decorated garden of the Jiegal Family. I wasn’t thinking of a solution, just walking. Wandering aimlessly, I ended up in an unknown place.


Where is this? Looking around, I saw a simple, old pavilion that didn’t match the beautiful garden. A handsome old man in traditional clothes sat alone, fiddling with Go stones.


Go… I once got into it after watching Hikaru no Go. To clear my head, I thought I’d do some volunteer work by playing Go with this lonely old man.


I sat opposite the Go board and took the black stones.


“Old man, it seems like your grandchildren don’t play with you. Shall I play a few games with you?”


The old man, one of the Ten Great Masters of the martial world, feared and respected as the “Strange Dragon Jiegal,” pondered how to deal with the brash kid who suddenly appeared to play Go. Bored, he nodded.


“Place nine points, kid.”