Chapter 5
“Such great boasting. Are you really calling yourself a dominant force with this fist, weaker than cotton wool? Has everything that’s happened up until now been nothing but a dream of yours?”
Dokgo Ryong tossed Cheoldu’s fist aside. Thrown back, Cheoldu hastily gripped his right hand.
His hand, crushed by Dokgo Ryong’s strength, was mangled into a grotesque shape.
“Ugh! I’ll kill you!!”
Enraged to the point of madness, Cheoldu roared, but—
“Think carefully about that thing on your head. If it’s not just a decoration, you’d better rethink things.”
Dokgo Ryong had somehow closed the distance, now glaring at Cheoldu, his eyes wide.
“You couldn’t even swing that proud fist properly before it shattered—do you really think your remaining left hand won’t end up the same?”
Dokgo Ryong’s eyes were filled with murderous intent, filling Cheoldu’s entire field of vision.
Cheoldu had faced many adversaries, fighting and surviving through life-and-death situations.
In other words, he was no stranger to eyes filled with killing intent.
But Dokgo Ryong’s gaze was different from any killing intent he had faced before.
‘…Fun?’
The eyes, cold and dead like a fish’s, held some unknown, intense power within them.
“No, why should I spare this bastard? He’s just a punk anyway.”
In that moment, a light flashed in Dokgo Ryong’s pupils, and something hidden within him began to emerge.
“What…?”
Suddenly—
Cheoldu couldn’t continue his words. His vision twisted at an odd angle.
Strangely, he saw his subordinates behind him and the horrified spectators with pale faces.
Before long, Cheoldu’s eyes rolled back.
Thud—!
The giant’s body, with its neck twisted, collapsed to the floor.
“If you’re a punk, it’s fine to kill you. Isn’t it normal for martial artists to kill or be killed when things go wrong?”
Dokgo Ryong’s eyes were filled with madness.
‘W-what is going on right now?’
There were no flashy attacks, no competition between equals.
Dokgo Ryong had effortlessly killed Cheoldu, who had once filled the tavern with fear.
‘Could it be… all of that was just bluster?’
“Cheoldu’s dead!”
“The leader of the Black Wing Sect is dead! Cheoldu of the Black Wing Sect is dead!”
The shouts of the crowd, surprised by Cheoldu’s death, made it clear that it wasn’t just boasting.
If that’s the case, then one thing was certain.
‘Uncle is stronger! Stronger than that massive Cheoldu!’
“L-Leader!”
“Damn it, what the hell happened…”
The people from the Black Wing Sect who had caused a ruckus in the tavern with Cheoldu were now in a panic.
They had just lost their leader, which was only natural.
“How dare you kill our leader…!”
Some couldn’t hold back their anger and drew their swords, but—
“Do you want your neck broken too?”
Dokgo Ryong responded indifferently.
The Black Wing Sect, who had been readying various weapons to charge, hesitated.
“Are you heads of your clan? If so, that means you’re the strongest among them, right? Do you think you can match me?”
Gulp—
The sound of someone swallowing their saliva was clearly audible.
“Anyway, punks always seem to use their heads only for decoration. Just think about it for a moment and you’ll get the answer. By the way, I prefer using weapons.”
Since Cheoldu was unarmed, Dokgo Ryong had just momentarily matched his stance. He normally used a sword or a blade.
When the people from the Black Wing Sect saw the sword hanging from his waist, their faces turned pale.
“Well, what will it be? Are you going to charge or not? You can all come at me at once.”
Unlike Cheoldu’s empty boasting, Dokgo Ryong’s words carried weight.
A tremendous aura, incomparable to Cheoldu’s, radiated from Dokgo Ryong’s entire body.
It was as if they were facing a wild, rampaging dragon.
“Wait! That person is the Mad Dragon, isn’t it?”
Someone in the crowd suddenly shouted.
‘Mad Dragon?’
Eun So-wol turned her head at the name, which seemed familiar.
“Yes, that’s right. The black robe hides his face, but it’s definitely the Mad Dragon!”
“The Mad Dragon… the undefeated problem solver who’s never failed a mission!”
“Is that all? Those who’ve been marked by the Mad Dragon are all dead. No one escapes his grasp!”
“He doesn’t care whether his target is from a righteous faction or a demonic one. He’ll deal with them as he sees fit and earn the name Mad Dragon.”
“Even those unruly fools who were protected by the righteous sects got a good thrashing from the Mad Dragon.”
“And that black robe… it’s said to have turned black with the blood of his enemies!”
The crowd’s conversations were filled with excitement, curiosity, and fear. It was a contradictory atmosphere.
“The Mad Dragon…?”
“Why is he here in Shanxi Province, when he’s known to be active in Hanam?”
The members of the Black Wing Sect, realizing who Dokgo Ryong was, quickly lost their momentum.
They were shocked by his skill and his true identity, having seen how effortlessly he broke Cheoldu’s neck.
“Ugh! We’re retreating for now!”
The second-in-command, looking panicked, hurriedly led his subordinates in retreat.
Seeing them scamper away, the spectators cheered.
“The Black Wing Sect is retreating!”
“Those bastards! Finally getting their comeuppance! They’ve been tormenting people for so long!”
“Mad Dragon! Thank you!”
Some were shouting their thanks, while others looked at him with a mixture of awe and fear.
No matter what, Dokgo Ryong approached Eun So-wol with an expressionless face.
“Are you hurt?”
“…No.”
“Good.”
Dokgo Ryong then turned to the stunned tavern owner and spoke.
“Is there a bounty on this bastard?”
He nodded toward Cheoldu’s corpse, and the tavern owner nodded in confusion.
“Yes… If you give him to the authorities, you’ll get the bounty, and you can use that money to repair the tavern. Including our meal costs.”
Realizing that he had done a favor for the tavern owner, the owner hurriedly bowed and expressed his thanks.
“Th-thank you! If it’s alright with you, would you like to stay the night at our tavern? I won’t charge you anything! Please let me repay you for your kindness.”
“It’s fine. I have somewhere to go.”
“But it’s getting late! There’s no other village or settlement nearby. You’ll have to camp outside.”
The sky was indeed filled with a deep orange sunset.
“Looks like you’ve been outside for a while. How about staying here for the night?”
“Uncle. I want to take a bath.”
Eun So-wol quickly spoke up before Dokgo Ryong could refuse again.
Cheoldu’s comments about them being beggars still lingered in her mind, and she was hungry since she had been interrupted while eating.
‘More than anything… I’m done with camping!’
She wanted to sleep in a soft bed for once during their travels. Dokgo Ryong seemed to think for a moment before turning his head.
“Is there a room?”
The tavern owner’s face lit up.
“Of course! We’ll give you the largest room we have.”
“And take care of this one too. She hasn’t bathed in days, as you can see.”
“Your niece, right? We’ll take her to the bathhouse and get her cleaned up. Would you like to take a bath as well, Mad Dragon?”
“Sure.”
Eun So-wol was soon led by the tavern owner’s wife to the bathhouse.
“Shall we try for a cheer?”
“I can do it by myself…!”
“Trust me, auntie. I’ll get you cleaned up quickly.”
Despite her fierce resistance, Eun So-wol had no choice but to give in to the wife’s hands as she stripped her clothes off.
‘Think of the times when I took baths with Mom. I’m still a baby. I’m still a baby.’
By convincing herself, her embarrassment soon faded. After a while, the refreshing and soothing feeling spread through her body, making her feel completely relaxed.
‘Come to think of it… everyone called Uncle the Mad Dragon.’
It seemed like a nickname. Since his name was Ryong, did they add “Mad” (狂) in front of it?
It wasn’t the usual kind of nickname you’d see in martial arts novels, like Heavenly Demon, Sword Saint, or Poison King.
‘But “Mad Dragon” isn’t a common nickname. Usually, nicknames with “Mad” (狂) in them are for the Mad Demon, not Mad Dragon… Mad Dragon is…’
Suddenly, something clicked in her mind, and she remembered a novel she had read.
The novel was called The Return of the Youngest Son of the Namgung Family.
‘It was definitely in there!’
Mad Demon, Mad Dragon.
There was a character in that novel who had the nickname Mad Dragon and hated his own family, the Dokgo family. He was one of the main characters.
‘What was the story about again…?’
The Return of the Youngest Son of the Namgung Family
The novel began with a massacre caused by the Demon Sect, wiping out many families and martial sects, killing everyone regardless of age or gender.
The only survivor was the youngest son of the Namgung family, and even he had been kidnapped and imprisoned for a time.
Later, the youngest son escaped, and as he grew, he fought his way through the martial world, eventually becoming one of the greatest figures of his time.
