A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 251

Chapter 48: Isaac (1)

A small mountain stood near the house.

Because it was late autumn, the sun dipped below the horizon quickly.

The foothills were shrouded in dim light, with a golden sunset clinging to the mountain’s summit.

Whish.

The wind seemed to sharpen, like a hidden blade tightening around the skin.

Residents strolled along the trails, scattered here and there.

Jun-hoo ascended the mountainside, seeking a less populated area.

He settled in a vacant spot he often frequented, picking up a fallen branch from the ground.

It would serve as a substitute for a sword.

Merely holding the branch transformed Jun-hoo’s expression completely.

His eyes lowered calmly.

His spirit became as firm as a rock.

The current Jun-hoo was no longer Seo Jun-hoo of the modern era, but Seo Jun-hoo of ‘Flawless Sword,’ the former commander of the Murim Alliance [a martial arts alliance in wuxia stories].

Jun-hoo began to perform the Cheongun Sword Technique of the Seo Clan.

His footwork was light and gentle, as if he were stepping on clouds.

Crunch, crunch.

Even the sound of his steps on the fallen leaves seemed cheerful.

The branch in his hand slashed, stabbed, and cut through the air as if possessed.

Woo-oong, the air hummed.

As time passed, the sword dance grew more violent and intense.

The fragile branch in Jun-hoo’s hand completely dominated the vacant lot.

That was the overwhelming force and gravity that a former Harmony Realm [a high level of martial arts mastery] master could unleash.

Drawing in all surrounding objects.

Jun-hoo finished his sword dance, which had ascended to the realm of art, and stood still.

He slowly caught his breath.

Soon, a smile appeared on his lips.

‘As expected, Body Tempering and Marrow Cleansing is amazing. The effect is incredible.’

‘The movements are twice as fast and precise as before. I’ve already reached 60% of my prime.’

‘The same goes for internal energy manipulation.’

‘The amount and speed of drawing up true energy have increased nearly twofold.’

Jun-hoo felt a surge of pride as he spoke to himself.

The effects of Body Tempering and Marrow Cleansing weren’t limited to martial arts and internal energy.

Suturing, incision and resection, acupuncture.

And various other treatments.

It would also have a significant impact on various aspects of surgical skills, because surgery is also a realm of ‘physicality.’

Jun-hoo stood still, reviewing his plans for the future.

‘The top priority is…….’

‘Of course, to perfectly master Howol Twelve Forms.’

Beyond 4-Star to 10-Star.

In other words, if he achieved Great Mastery, Jun-hoo would surely become the most delicate surgeon on Earth.

The next task was to contact his teacher, Jaehyun.

Conquering the brain tumor aspect.

Conquering the cerebrovascular aspect.

It was time to study other fields of neurosurgery.

‘Should I start with the stereotactic neurosurgery aspect first?’

‘Or the spinal cord and cervical spine aspect?’

Jun-hoo hadn’t yet decided on a field to specialize in, so he hadn’t contacted Jaehyun.

“Hey, mister. What are you doing here? Holding something like a tree branch.”

Seven male students in school uniforms approached Jun-hoo, swaggering.

He had sensed their presence for a while.

He hoped they wouldn’t bother him, but it couldn’t be helped.

This too was the karma of these youngsters.

“Are you perhaps mute?”

“Why? Did I look like an easy target as you passed by? Did I look good to extort?”

“Wow. This mister is surprisingly quick on the uptake. Did you get bullied a lot back in school?”

The bulky student at the front laughed.

The students behind him giggled along.

“Please donate some pocket money to the poor students wandering the mountain path because they have no money. If you give us the money, we’ll leave quietly.”

The bulky student took out a cigarette and a lighter from his pocket.

However, even when the bulky student flicked the lighter, the flame kept dying weakly.

Jun-hoo had blown out the flame with a ‘hoo’ breath.

“What the f*ck. Are you messing with me? Do you want to get beaten to a pulp on a rainy day? There are no CCTVs here. We can just beat you up and run away.”

The bulky student glared at Jun-hoo and threatened him.

However, the soft threats of a fledgling high school student wouldn’t work on Jun-hoo.

Jun-hoo had lived a life that was a tenfold concentration of the rough lives seen in noir movies.

Because Murim was such a place.

These little brats were worse than the street thugs in the marketplace.

‘Come to think of it, it reminds me of the old days.’

‘Before I experienced Murim, I was mercilessly bullied by Hyeongtae.’

No sooner had the reminiscence ended.

A vein of anger popped out on Jun-hoo’s forehead.

The students in front of him were little devils who extorted even adults.

If so.

How much more terrible and cruel would they be to their fellow students?

It was necessary to give them a taste of pain in this place.

“You guys will remember today as a nightmare.”

“What are you talking about? Are you crazy?”

The bulky student put his index finger to his temple and made a circle.

Without further ado.

Jun-hoo subdued the seven students in the blink of an eye.

He weaved through the students in an ‘S’ shape.

In the meantime, he unleashed various palm techniques, fist techniques, and leg techniques like a torrential rain.

The students were helpless.

They didn’t even know how they were attacked.

Wasn’t Jun-hoo a master of the Harmony Realm who had even completed Body Tempering and Marrow Cleansing? There was no way ordinary high school students could handle Jun-hoo.

Pow, pow, pow!

Thud!

The students were now lying side by side on the ground.

Ahhh…….

Ughhh…….

They could only let out various painful groans.

Jun-hoo suppressed the blood points [pressure points] of the fallen students one by one, making them unable to move.

Then, he unleashed the Tendon Severing and Bone Dislocating Technique he had learned from the Demonic Cult [a villainous martial arts sect](?).

Tendon Severing and Bone Dislocating Technique.

A wicked torture technique that infuses internal energy into specific parts of the human body, twisting the musculoskeletal system and nerves mercilessly.

The heinous martial art that the Orthodox Sect [a righteous martial arts sect] prohibited.

Jun-hoo had only used the Tendon Severing and Bone Dislocating Technique once during his internship.

This was the second time.

That’s how heinous these students were.

“…….”

“…….”

Because their blood points were sealed, the students couldn’t scream.

They were practicing the silent screams they had learned in textbooks with their whole bodies.

The students’ skin turned red.

The tendons and blood vessels stood out clearly. Dirty foam and saliva flowed from their open mouths.

“I’m going back to your school exactly one month from today. If you’re still bullying your peers then?”

“…….”

“I’ll make you happier than today. You can look forward to it.”

Jun-hoo smiled like a devil.

Tear.

He tore off the name tags of the delinquent students with his strength.

The students were now in Jun-hoo’s grasp.

* * *

That evening.

The atmosphere of the meat restaurant was bustling.

The pork belly on the grill sizzled as it cooked, accompanied by the chatter of people and the clinking of glasses.

“Eat a lot. You must be hungry.”

Jun-hoo cut the well-cooked pork belly into pieces with scissors.

He pushed the pork belly onto his parents’ grill.

“You should eat a lot of meat, Jun-hoo. You always eat poorly.”

“Yes. Your mom and dad have already eaten a lot.”

His father and mother were more worried about Jun-hoo.

The current time was 7:30 PM.

Jun-hoo, who had taught the delinquent students a lesson and returned home, rested for a bit.

He found a meat restaurant near his house with his parents, who returned around 7 o’clock.

The pork belly he tasted after a long time was amazing.

It was honey-flavored.

The golden ratio of chewy lean meat and savory fat was almost fraudulent.

Frankly, Jun-hoo liked pork belly more than steak.

He never got tired of eating pork belly, no matter how much he ate.

“Would you like a drink?”

“Yes.”

His father grabbed the soju [Korean distilled rice liquor] bottle.

Jun-hoo held out his glass with both hands to receive the drink.

Pour, pour.

The soju pooled in the glass like spring water.

The time for an emergency call from the ward had already passed. Well, it didn’t really matter if he got an emergency call.

Because Jun-hoo could evaporate all the alcohol with his internal energy.

“By the way, Jun-hoo, I don’t know if it’s just my eyes.”

“What is it?”

“You, you look much healthier than the last time I saw you?”

“I look healthy because I am healthy. That’s why I told you, you don’t need to worry about celebrities and me.”

His mother chuckled at Jun-hoo’s joke.

The reason why his mother saw Jun-hoo as healthy.

The reason was very simple.

It was because Jun-hoo had done Body Tempering and Marrow Cleansing today. Thanks to Body Tempering and Marrow Cleansing, his physique had improved and his skin had become healthier.

“Our son’s body is getting better, so Ayoung must be happy too.”

“Why is Ayoung coming out here?”

Jun-hoo’s face turned red at his mother’s suggestive joke.

“You’re old enough to do everything and old enough to know everything, so don’t pretend to be innocent.”

“Honey, don’t talk nonsense in front of the child.”

“You too, why is Jun-hoo a child? Have you ever seen such a handsome and big child?”

“Let’s talk about something else.”

Jun-hoo hurriedly changed the subject.

He asked about his parents’ recent activities.

No matter how busy he was, Jun-hoo used to call his parents twice a week, at least for 10 minutes.

Still, he couldn’t know everything about his parents.

“Come to think of it, I didn’t tell you that story.”

His father continued in a somber voice.

“Jun-hoo, do you remember Grandma Kim? The one who ran the snack bar in front of the high school you used to go to.”

“Yes. Of course, I remember.”

“I heard she passed away a few months ago after battling lung cancer. Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

His father clicked his tongue as if he was sad.

Jun-hoo also had memories of Grandma Kim and the snack bar, so his heart felt heavy.

That energetic person had lung cancer…….

It was also true that he felt absurd, as if he had heard a rumor that wasn’t true.

Looking at it this way, there seemed to be no clearer truth than the fact that humans will die someday.

“I remember she didn’t smoke, so why did she get lung cancer?”

“The incidence of lung cancer in non-smokers is also about 10-30 percent. Cooking fumes, secondhand smoke, fine dust, and a history of lung disease can also have an impact.”

“So, in a word, it’s luck?”

“There’s luck, environment, genetics, and habits. There are too many factors to consider.”

Jun-hoo continued calmly.

“But Dad, why don’t you quit smoking this time?”

“Oh, our Jun-hoo said something refreshing. I was already telling Dad to quit smoking.”

His mother, who had been silent, welcomed Jun-hoo’s suggestion with both hands.

With a score of 2 to 1, his father was quickly outnumbered.

Because there were no reinforcements.

He fiddled with his soju glass with a troubled expression.

“Quitting smoking is not as easy as it sounds. It’s not like you can just cut it off once and be done. It’s a lifelong, nerve-wracking battle.”

“Of course, it must be difficult. But shouldn’t you and Mom live a long and healthy life with me?”

Jun-hoo tried to coax his father as carefully as possible.

However, this was only from a doctor’s point of view.

When he delved deeper into the root cause, Jun-hoo was honestly unsure whether quitting smoking was the right thing to do.

He was confused.

If he was happy when he smoked.

If he was unhappy when he didn’t smoke.

Wouldn’t it be better to smoke?

Anyway, his father did not budge despite Jun-hoo and his mother’s relentless attacks.

Like a scholar showing off his unwavering integrity.

He gave a general answer that he would consider quitting smoking.

Meanwhile, a debate about alcohol vs. cigarettes was taking place at the opposite table.

One side said alcohol was worse.

The other side said cigarettes were worse.

They fought a barrage of logic like a boxer boxing.

It was truly a match of the century.

People around him, like Jun-hoo, were also pricking up their ears toward the table.

Alcohol vs. cigarettes.

They were curious about the outcome of the villain match to determine the worst.

Time passed and it became 10 PM.

Jun-hoo was walking with his parents on the road where the moonlight was spread like a soft carpet.

He had a hearty meal.

He was moderately excited and tipsy.

Above all, he was happy to have time to communicate with his beloved parents.

It was Jun-hoo’s small but certain happiness.

Four months passed since then.

Spring came across autumn and winter, and Jun-hoo became a resident in his second year.