Disciple of The Three Kings [EN]: Chapter 199

The Special Forces members moved using alternative transportation, as the train service was suspended due to enemy terrorist attacks. It was a complex and delicate operation, requiring them to travel discreetly, but they managed without major issues.

-Measures have been taken.

This was thanks to Ha Semin’s preparations for such a scenario.

Ha Semin and Heukshi [Black Lion].

Their influence was widespread throughout the Silver’s territory. While their reach wasn’t absolute everywhere, they had the ability to resolve matters discreetly.

Unlike the free-spirited Awakened, Heukshi, firmly under Lee Rowoon’s control, had no reason to disrupt the mission.

So, the Special Forces moved.

Screech.

The bus halted, and the doors opened.

“Ughhh.”

Baek Cheong stretched as she disembarked. The rest of the team followed behind her.

“That was a long ride this time.”

“It’s so uncomfortable; it’s hard to circulate my energy while traveling.”

“It can’t be helped.”

The team’s atmosphere was noticeably different, more relaxed than before.

“That idiot insisted on circulating his energy and ended up with internal injuries.”

“Ah, what are you talking about?”

“Hehe.”

They had grown closer. The deputy commander, who had gone to report, wasn’t really affiliated, but for Team 1 and Team 2, it was perhaps natural that they finally felt a sense of belonging after experiencing combat and treating their injuries.

Especially the biggest change was with Team 3.

Thud.

“Team Leader, are you alright?”

“Should I massage your shoulders?”

“Hey. The Team Leader said he doesn’t want it.”

Team 3, once full of complaints and distrust towards their Team Leader, now treated Lee Rowoon as if he were a respected elder of their sect.

Lee Rowoon hadn’t done anything specific for them in the meantime. However, the power he had displayed in the battle against the enemy had changed everything. For martial artists, a master with high-level martial arts was someone who deserved respect.

They knew Baek Cheong’s skills well, but.

‘Maybe he’s even stronger than the Captain.’

‘No. He definitely is.’

They were proud that their Team Leader, who was stronger than Baek Cheong, was their Team Leader.

Also, it wasn’t just Team 3 whose reaction to Lee Rowoon had changed.

“Take a short break.”

Team 1 and Team 2, even their Team Leaders, had all changed.

“Rest as you see fit.”

At Baek Cheong’s words, the team members exchanged glances. They moved as if they had planned it.

Thud, thud.

They sat in a circle around Lee Rowoon, straightened their postures, and focused on their breathing. They remained silent, staring at Lee Rowoon.

In response, Lee Rowoon.

Swish.

He drew the large two-handed sword from his back. Since Number 2 had gone to report to headquarters, this scene had been unfolding whenever they took a break.

Whoosh.

The two-handed sword fell heavily.

“……!”

The team members tried not to miss the trajectory with their eyes wide open.

Whoosh!

The two-handed sword was swung vertically once again.

That was all of Lee Rowoon’s demonstration.

“…….”

However, after those two movements, all the team members closed their eyes and entered meditation.

A simple sword swing, not a form or martial art, yet the strange mysteries and meanings contained in its trajectory were being conveyed to them.

Already.

“Ah….”

Quite a few had gained enlightenment from it. The story of gaining enlightenment just by watching was a legendary tale that had existed in Silver for a long time. But there was a reason why legends were called legends. It was possible to give a certain level of enlightenment, but it was impossible to give enlightenment beyond a certain level. If that were possible, then just by having the sect leader swing a sword in front of a group of martial artists, masters of the profound realm would appear as if they were being mass-produced.

So.

‘Incomprehensible.’

This was something that could not be understood and was not possible. However, they did not question it.

“Thank you.”

No matter what anyone said, it was clear that Lee Rowoon was helping them. Today, rest and training ended like this. The team members left their seats to process their enlightenment for a while. Then Baek Cheong approached and said,

“But why are you doing this?”

Anyone who didn’t know about Lee Rowoon wouldn’t understand, but Baek Cheong, who knew about Lee Rowoon, didn’t know why he was showing such grace to the team members. He was just a ruthless ruler to his own people, so what was so special about the team members that he was giving them teachings?

“Because of resonance.”

“Resonance?”

Lee Rowoon lifted the sword he was holding in both hands and looked at it.

“It’s quite a violent sword, so it needs to be tamed.”

Vibrate.

The sword seemed to tremble for some reason. For a moment, Baek Cheong was about to lose her mind at the strange feeling.

Swish.

Lee Rowoon put the sword back on his back.

“Just now….”

“Well, I promised.”

When the other team leaders promised something to their team members, he had also done something.

‘I’ll save you.’

He would save them. Of course, gaining this level of enlightenment did not overwhelmingly increase their chances of survival. Only one.

“To show you.”

Baek Cheong had a chance.

“…….”

Baek Cheong was blankly staring with the same face she had when she was captivated by the sword. And then.

“W-What nonsense are you talking about!”

She shouted with a flushed face.

***

Swish.

The team members stopped moving as Baek Cheong raised her hand. Their faces were full of tension. They had finally arrived at another border.

“…….”

A more tense face than any expression they had seen so far, even Baek Cheong, who had never shown a tense appearance until now.

“Hoo.”

She stopped with a stiff face. There was a good reason for that. The border to cross over to Einheart. That border area, a place not under the control of Silver or Einheart. The name given to that place was.

‘The Lawless Zone.’

But there was another reason why this place had to be truly guarded.

“You’ve all heard about it, but I’ll explain it again.”

Baek Cheong stopped and began to speak.

“From here on, it’s the Lawless Zone.”

This place, full of abandoned buildings, was the border. The Silver’s sphere of influence had long since passed, and after the checkpoint there, no martial artists were visible.

“The Lawless Zone is a land where players, martial artists, and….”

The members of that place.

“Knights and mages also coexist.”

Also.

“In the Lawless Zone, all living things are treated equally. Whether you’re a player or a martial artist, anyone.”

At first glance, it sounded like a utopia. A land where everyone was treated equally and lived equally. But if that were the case.

‘Lawless.’

It wouldn’t be called the Lawless Zone. The Lawless Zone was.

“The law of the jungle. Everything is allowed except for the rules of the Lawless Zone.”

Murder, robbery, any kind of illegal act. They were not punished there, and no one was held responsible. Therefore.

-The land of the Unranked.

It was also a land where many criminals lived. But the most important thing was the three rules that had to be followed even in the Lawless Zone.

“Don’t forget.”

The first one.

“You must not touch children.”

No matter how vicious a criminal was, they should not touch children. Most of the children wandering around in this harsh land were children who were born and raised there. They were recognized as some of the few residents of the Lawless Zone. If they were touched, they could not escape the wrath of the owner of the Lawless Zone.

“Do not step into the forbidden areas.”

Also, there were several places in the Lawless Zone that should not be entered. Those places should never be stepped on, and if they were, they had to take responsibility. The responsibility in the Lawless Zone was.

‘Life.’

It was a land where only the death penalty existed, with no penalties such as detention. And finally.

“Do not touch the silver-haired.”

These three were the absolute laws that had to be followed in the Lawless Zone.

“We will join up with Number 2 here. Also, we will move as soon as the broker’s preparations are complete. So until then….”

Baek Cheong’s clear eyes took on a cold light.

“Don’t cause any trouble.”

Smile.

Baek Cheong smiled. They hadn’t relaxed their tension, but there was no need to be overly tense.

“Anyway, those who need to be careful won’t pay attention to us. As long as we don’t cause any trouble, we are free to move around here.”

Only then did their expressions begin to relax. In any case, it was a difficult march. If it were before the world’s invasion, it would have been a place they could have reached in just one day, but they had come this far, going around and through incidents. They hadn’t even had time to properly relieve their fatigue. They were.

“Let’s go.”

Stepping into the Lawless Zone.

* * *

The gaze that was coming towards them. Beyond that gaze, they arrived at this place.

“Don’t bullshit! When did I ever!” “This bastard is still denying it.”

That place was a world that was different and yet not different from the outside. Modern buildings that could be seen anywhere in the world.

“Bullshit!”

Among them, buildings that took the form of Silver.

“Okay, let’s see who dies today.”

And even those that had the same shape as the buildings of Einheart. This place was.

“You’re nothing but shitty players outside!”

A strange land where all of that was mixed together.

Clang!

The person who was shouting fell over.

Clang!

A metallic sound echoed.

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing.

Clang!

Another explosion. The scene that unfolded before the team members’ eyes was.

“Ughhh.”

“That’s why I said you’re nothing.”

A scene of several players stomping on a martial artist wearing martial arts attire. The difference was clear just by looking at their attire, energy, and the weapons they wore. Also, it could be seen just by looking at the techniques they had just used.

“Pay back the money. Today….”

Thud!

“I’ll end it with just one arm.”

Thud!

The players were stomping on the martial artist. The martial artist’s level didn’t seem low either. It was said that the Hwagyung realm [a high level of martial arts mastery] was overflowing through the special pills made by the Tang family, the Ghoul Spirit Pill, but that was only the story of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families. Only a fixed number of Ghoul Spirit Pills were given to each sect of the small and medium-sized sects. Of course, even if it wasn’t as good as the Ghoul Spirit Pill, a certain level of elixir was supplied. He seemed to be one of them.

‘Peak.’

He seemed to have only bloated internal energy as if he had eaten a low-quality Ghoul Spirit Pill. However, he could not be called a martial artist of a low level.

“Ughhh!”

It was a sight where the advantages of a martial artist could not be found. Why were martial artists stronger than players? The first reason was the unprecedented elixir called the Ghoul Spirit Pill. Players had to hunt countless times to reach level 100, but they reached level 100 just by swallowing and digesting the elixir. Also.

‘Martial arts and experience.’

Martial artists learned and trained in martial arts from birth. The younger they were, the better, so they learned martial arts as soon as they started walking. It was called martial arts, but in the end, they were learning combat techniques. On the other hand, players.

‘They don’t know when they’ll awaken, and they can’t train while waiting for it.’

Also, even after awakening, they had to find and establish their own combat methods that matched their jobs and skills, rather than established combat methods, and there was also the big problem of delay. So.

“That’s natural.”

That was the reality. A martial artist who was not qualified to be a martial artist, and several players.

“What? Is there a show? What are you looking at?”

The winner was clearly the player. The biggest reason why players couldn’t fight martial artists also didn’t apply here.