Surviving as a Rival in a Martial Arts Novel

Chapter 5 – Assume I’m Dead for Now (01)

Having fought against assassins, whether it was because I dragged the time too much in the battle or spent time being swept away by the Yangtze River, by the time I arrived at the lodging, the sun was rising.

In modern society, this time was considered leisure for those who exercise in the morning or for those with early work commitments, excluding some. However, in this world where agrarian society is the norm, it was a time when many people were just beginning their activities.

I mention this because it was uncomfortable for both men and women to move in wet clothes, both clad in black, given the current situation.

[Twins, could you come up to the roof for a moment? If you have spare clothes, bring them.]

Though I managed to arrive at the lodging by running between buildings, I couldn’t enter through the entrance, so I had to seek help from the twins.

Tap.

Using light martial arts, the twins gracefully ascended, maintaining balance even while stepping on the tilted roof. However, upon seeing my soaked attire and wet hair, they were surprised. Running towards me, they froze upon seeing an unwelcome guest lying at my feet.

“Sahyeong, what’s going on… Could you explain?”

“Let’s first tidy up the clothes, and then I’ll explain.”

Hwaak!

The moisture clinging to my body was dried off using my internal energy, generating heat.

Until now, even if I warmed my body, my elder sister Jegal Yeonji, who was on my back, was wet. So, I came in a soaked state, but now, by drying my clothes and changing hers as well, we could enter the room in a fluffy, dry state.

I wanted to dry her clothes too, but if I casually applied internal energy and she fainted or didn’t withstand her practiced martial arts, she could suffer burns or even wear out her delicate constitution. So, I had no choice but to change her clothes.

‘It’s men’s clothing, but it should be fine… It would be too apologetic to dress her in Sahyeong’s clothes.’

“Um…”

As I hesitated, holding the clothes, unable to reach out to Jegal Yeonji’s twin, Sa-mae seemed to have roughly grasped the situation and reached out to me.

“I’ll take care of the girl.”

“I’ll help too.”

“It looks like we should apply some Gold Needle Medicine.”

In other words, it meant we had to undress her and apply medicine.

“The executioner is inside, resting.”

After entering, Samae swiftly tore apart the tattered black infiltration suit of darkness with her sword, and when she dressed in it, there seemed to be no discomfort, perhaps because my clothes were too big.

I had been waiting in the room until Samae finished her work. When she sent a signal, I picked up her body with the changed clothes on my shoulders, waiting for the right moment when no one was looking, and entered through the window.

* * *

Samae examined my forearm and left foot, confirming that there were still traces of blood.

“What happened in the early morning?”

I thought the black clothes would conceal any stains, but the scent of blood isn’t easily erased. Samae, who is meticulous even in laundry, would probably see it as a clear indication of ‘I killed someone.’

Unable to tell Samae that this world was from the novel I knew and disclose future events, I tried to steer the conversation.

“Samae, did you stay up all night? You look tired.”

“How can I sleep comfortably as Samae when the executioner who needs to sleep next to me is not here?”

I thought I had waited long enough for the hint to be understood, but breaking through Samae’s vigilance was undoubtedly a difficult task.

“Even if you try to change the subject, it won’t work. Answer me. What happened in the early morning?”

Even if I were asked to explain only what happened in the early morning, I couldn’t bring myself to tell Samae that I killed dozens of people.

“I can’t say.”

“You haven’t done anything bad, right?”

“If I look like that kind of person, then there’s nothing I can do.”

“…”

Despite being worthy of being called Ami, Samae’s delicate eyes twisted, but since I firmly kept my mouth shut, Samae didn’t pry any further.

“Don’t worry. Samae doesn’t have any intention of doing such bad things.”

“Yes.”

If my master were to find out, he would surely inquire about it in great detail, but Samae, being kind-hearted, did not question me any further.

“And Samae, could you step aside for a moment?”

“…Alright.”

This time, Samae obediently left without asking any questions and went downstairs.

Knowing that Jegal Yeonji’s twin sister, who had been listening to our conversation in secret, had regained consciousness.

“I already know that she has regained consciousness. Please, get up.”

“…”

Upon hearing those words, she no longer pretended to sleep and sat up.

“Hmm… Jegal Yeonji’s twin sister, huh…”

Until just now, she had covered her face with a black cloak, so I didn’t know, and even after changing clothes, I didn’t have time to examine her closely because I was talking with Samae. But she was definitely a beauty, probably because she was Jegal Yeonji’s twin sister, who was a member of the Woryongchilbong.

Although she had many scars and her cheeks were slightly sunken in some places, giving her a slightly gaunt appearance, her original beauty made even those small imperfections seem like unique charms.

She was currently wearing men’s clothes that didn’t fit her size, making her look like a frail young boy, but even so, I could sense a strange charm, and I thought that beauty doesn’t hide its physique or circumstances.

“I am grateful for saving my life, Sohye.”

In a quiet voice, she bowed her head to me, and I also accepted her bow while facing her.

“It’s nothing special. As a fellow member of the Sahaedong, it was only natural for me to help.”

“…May I know your name?”

“Should I reveal my name here?”

In any case, I would reveal my name later when I become a disciple, and I had decided to tell her my name since there would be no need for my name to be widely known outside.

“They call me Yeoncheong. I am still a novice in the martial world.”

“Yeon Sohye… I will remember that. Although this body is disposable, I may not be able to repay you officially in Jegalsega, but I promise to secretly provide you with sufficient compensation.”

While saying that, she hesitated for a moment and handed me her bracelet.

It was an old bracelet that looked even dirtier with the passage of time, but for her, who couldn’t possess anything that could reveal her identity as a spy, it was something she had to carry with her, even if it meant breaking the rules.

“Was this bracelet made by Jegal Yeonji?”

Originally in history, she would go missing, and Jegal Yeonji would find a piece of this bracelet by the river.

Then, in order to obtain information about her sister, he would sell the protagonist’s name to provoke the rats hiding in the port. When the dark organization that misunderstood the protagonist to have the information came rushing, a clash would ensue, all connected to Jegal Yeonji.

“It seems to be in good condition.”

Originally, fate was to self-destruct with a dynamite in the river for confidentiality, so even having a piece of this bracelet was considered fortunate.

“It’s okay. I didn’t do it expecting anything in return.”

“But if there is something coming from the essence of the Central Plains, there should be something given. If not, I won’t be able to leave evidence that I, a humble person, received help from the Hidden Rat Society.”

“No, it’s not a problem to return to Jegal Se.”

I had to bring up the words I had been thinking about during the time I returned to the lodging with her.

“Jegal Soldier.”

“…I am not Jegal.”

To be precise, it would be an existence like a shadow version of Jegal Yeonji raised in Jegal Se, so the name would probably be Jegal Yeonji (shadow version).

Externally, there was Jegal Yeonji, the beautiful lady, and internally, Jegal Yeonji of darkness, educated as a spy.

“Saying this sounds like a name that would appear in a novel written by a middle school student.”

“I will call you Jegal Soldier, feeling like a soldier belonging to Jegal Se. You wouldn’t want to reveal your name doing such things, right?”

Although she, the shadow version of Jegal Yeonji, seemed to be trying to grasp me with unexpected common sense, it didn’t matter what information she collected, as she couldn’t return to Jegal Se anyway.

“You must not return to Jegal Se now.”

“…Why would you say that?”

“Jegal Sojeo, don’t you know about the incident that happened at the harbor this time?”

“I was just carrying out my mission, monitoring the harbor when we were attacked by the criminals…”

I used telepathy so that Samae, who was waiting outside, wouldn’t hear, and told Jegal Sojeo about their identities.

[…You think they’re after you, so you’re chasing them with a short letter?]

“…”

No change in expression. How…they don’t even show the same reaction.

But I could tell that she had guessed their identities from the fact that she didn’t make any feeble excuses.

“They can’t be exposed yet. It’s the time when they’re just about to show themselves in the trap. If we start exposing them right now, they will hide in the darkness again.”

It wasn’t what I wanted to do, to worry about when those bastards would come back in decades, while my goal was to live a healthy and peaceful life.

Minimizing sacrifices and annihilating those bastards at all costs, that’s the ending I want, where everyone lives happily.

“It seems that the information has already reached them. I think Jegal Se will have someone involved inside.”

Actually, there was an incident in the story where Jegal Yeonji was in danger, and it was a crisis caused by one of the characters of Jegal Se being captured by the dark organization and betraying them.

Here, the protagonist saves Jegal Yeonji in the midst of the crisis and builds up a favorable impression.

“They will probably come to the conclusion that all the assassins sent to capture Sojeo have died, along with the information that Sojeo has disappeared.”

“How do you know that?”

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Since it wouldn’t work to say that it’s because of the original work… I had to come up with a plausible excuse.

“Because I made it that way. I exploded a wall bomb and erased all traces of Sojeo and their traces.”

Actually, the wall bomb looked dangerous, so I just pulled out the fuse and threw it into the water, but I couldn’t say that the powerful explosion caused a water pillar to rise and the bodies of the guys who were flowing on the river were completely destroyed without a trace.

Even if I have to retreat, I don’t care. I just need to catch a mouse in any way.

“So for a while, it seems better for Sojeo to hide his identity to counterattack them. If they think that Sojeo is dead and let their guard down, there may be a chance for a counterattack.”

“……”

“If the soldiers were to find out that they are alive… given their nature, they might try to determine whether the soldiers are truly alive or not by attacking someone precious to them.”

“!!”

Upon hearing those words, Je Gal Yeon Ji’s (Shadow) eyes trembled. To her, what was precious was not her own life, but Je Gal Se Ga, and even more so, her twin sister.

“Even if others mourn, thinking that the soldiers are dead, if it is for their safety… we must deceive our allies before the enemy.”

There was no mistake in my words.

Since I knew what was going to happen in the future, there was no room for error, as long as I presented it convincingly.

“It’s like looking at the answers to an exam after receiving a family tree from the seniors. You just have to guess the questions.”