Published at 5th of February 2026 2:42 pm

Chapter 391

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Kwaaaak—! I widened my eyes at the bracer coiled around my arm.

"What the hell is this?"

Why is this suddenly tied to my arm? I frantically tried to untie it.

"It won't come off...?"

It wouldn't budge. No matter how much I struggled or how hard I tried.

"What is this?"

I was flustered. While I desperately tried to take it off, my gaze went to the Tyrant King.

"... What are you doing?"

The Tyrant King also looked at me with a baffled expression. Seeing that, I hurriedly said,

"I don't know either. It suddenly wrapped itself around my arm."

"... Huh?"

"You saw it too, didn't you? I didn't put it on—"

He had seen the bracer come flying through the air and wrap around my arm all on its own.

"Seriously. Why won't it come off? Please help me."

At my words, the Tyrant King approached. He grabbed the bracer—

Pang—!

"...!"

"Huh?"

The Tyrant King's hand was knocked away; he had been pushed back by the bracer.

"What?"

The Tyrant King's eyes widened in surprise.

"Look at this..."

He reached out again to try and grab it, but the moment he did—

Thunk—!!

The Tyrant King's body vibrated.

It looked like he was shielding himself from a shock. Does holding the bracer trigger a jolt?

"Why?"

It wasn't even mine—it was his. So why was it reacting to me?

"... Was it because of the blood?"

Was it a problem because I'd tried to use a trick to transfer my karma to the Tyrant King?

"Could that be connected?"

I really couldn't understand. There shouldn't be any reason for a problem, so why was the bracer acting up?

Rumble rumble.

The Tyrant King braced himself through the vibration and finally gripped the bracer firmly. He pulled on it with all his might—

"... Ngk!?"

A piercing pain shot through me.

He was trying to pull off the bracer, but it felt like he was going to rip my arm out of its socket.

"... Senior! Please, wait...!"

Rumble. Either he couldn't hear me or he ignored me, but the Tyrant King kept trying to pull the bracer off as he endured the vibration.

"Ow!"

It hurt like hell. I seriously thought my arm might get torn off at this rate.

So I couldn't help but channel power into my dantian.

Whoooosh—!!!

"...!"

I invoked Moon Heaven, resisting the pressure from the Tyrant King. Seeing that, he instantly let go and stepped back.

"What are you doing?"

"I asked you to wait for a moment."

"Oh, did you?"

He looked like he hadn't heard me. I really thought I was going to die from the pain.

At that moment—

Drip.

Blood trickled from the Tyrant King's lips.

"... Senior?"

"Hmph. That's more intense than I expected."

He wiped it off with the back of his hand, but the very fact that he bled was shocking.

"... The backlash is really that harsh?"

He's a Heaven Beyond Heaven-level absolute master, bleeding just from trying to remove a bracer? That was absurd.

"It's not coming off?"

"Yeah. Trying to pull it off feels like my arm is going to be torn off."

"... Hmm."

At my words, the Tyrant King narrowed his eyes and glanced at his own bracer.

"Well, this is tricky. Should I pull out your arm with it?"

"... Senior?"

That had to be a joke. Please, tell me it was a joke...

But the way he quietly stood there, it didn't seem like he was joking.

I pretended not to have heard and asked,

"Do you not know anything about this situation?"

"I've never heard of such a thing."

"And there weren't any problems when you wore it yourself?"

"Yeah. That's why I'm even more confused."

If the Tyrant King didn't get it, there was no way I could.

"... Unbelievable."

What the hell was I supposed to do about this bizarre situation?

I never imagined the bracer would cling so tightly to me.

"Why is it doing this...?"

It would be easier if I even knew why, but this was something that just couldn't happen by common sense.

Who could have predicted the bracer would coil around my arm like this?

"What do we do now?"

"Hm."

The Tyrant King stroked his chin, pondering.

"Maybe pulling out the arm really is the—"

"I'd really prefer another way."

"Well, isn't that the quickest?"

"It's certainly not the best way for me."

"Then do you have any other ideas?"

"Well..."

Honestly, it was the first time for me too, so I really couldn't say.

"Ugh..."

At this rate, my arm might really get yanked off. I definitely needed to find a solution.

Wuuuuung—!

"Hm?"

Suddenly, my mind started to thrum strangely. What was this feeling? I narrowed my eyes.

"... Huh?"

My arm grew hot and something began seeping into my mind.

"What is this?"

It was unfamiliar information—words I couldn't even begin to understand.

"... Taesan... Ohyung... Gilcho..."

"What?"

As I muttered the words that filled my mind, the Tyrant King reacted.

The words kept spilling out.

"Wait."

The Tyrant King suddenly grabbed my shoulder.

Zap.

"Urk?"

A jolt of pain shot through my shoulder—the Tyrant King was using force.

"Those words just now. What were they?"

"... Pardon?"

"I asked what you just said."

"I don't know. That information just popped into my head..."

"Information?"

His tone grew heated. What was this all about? It seemed the Tyrant King knew what I'd just recited.

"... A record. Don't tell me, that's the record?"

"Senior...?"

"Recite it."

"What?"

"I said, recite the rest."

There was a fervent, almost desperate energy in his tone. It was enough to make me flinch just from feeling it.

Say more? I wanted to, if I could.

"I can't."

"What...?"

"I really would if I could, but that's all that came to me."

I'd already recited everything that had entered my mind. Nothing more was coming.

"There's no way that's it—"

"So what is this all about?"

"... Hmm."

At my question, the Tyrant King furrowed his brow, as if it was hard to explain.

For someone like him to react this way to the information that entered my mind...

"This must be really serious."

Just what on earth was going on?

"It's the final technique."

"... What?"

He explained.

"It's the last technique of the Western Silent Family's martial arts—the one I learned. That final technique's record is imbued in that bracer."

"...."

I swallowed dryly.

"So it really is important."

No, it wasn't just important—it was extremely important.

"... You mean it's in this bracer?"

So this was the "record" he'd been referencing? That there really was such a thing inside this bracer...?

'Ah.'

A realization flashed in my mind.

"The stuff I just said, then..."

"Yes. It's information to complete the final technique."

"Crazy."

I didn't even bother to filter my speech in front of the Tyrant King. It truly was insanity.

"Why did this end up in my mind?"

Not only was the bracer now stuck to my arm, but I'd ended up learning the secrets of the final technique?

"I'm screwed."

This was a real emergency.

"Learning another family's secret technique..."

If things went south, the Tyrant King could easily kill me for this.

Especially if it was something as momentous as the legendary final technique.

"...."

My heart pounded. How would the Tyrant King react?

As if on alert, I stared at him.

"What should I do about you?"

The Tyrant King also, as if he was aware, stared back at me with a somewhat chilling gaze.

'Maybe it would have been better just to have my arm ripped off.'

At least then things wouldn't have escalated this far.

'Tch.'

I bit my lips lightly.

Now what? Should I run? If I did, how would I escape?

'I have to get to the Virtuous Moon Sword.'

Could I even make it that far? I at least knew where the exit was.

If I had to, I'd run for all I was worth. There was no better option.

As I was quietly gathering my energy and considering my options—

"You said that was all the information?"

"Yes. Nothing else came through."

"And the bracer won't come off?"

"No, it won't."

"Then there's no helping it."

The Tyrant King nodded as if satisfied with some private conclusion.

"If it's come to this—"

Was he going to kill me and take the bracer? My tension spiked—

"I'll stay by your side."

"... What?"

Something odd came out of his mouth. Stay by my side?

"What do you mean, stay by my side...?"

"It means exactly what I said. Don't you get it?"

The Tyrant King idly picked his nose as he continued.

"If the bracer can't be removed and the record is feeding you information, I guess I'll have to stay and listen to all of it."

"Uh..."

It was a surprisingly straightforward solution.

"What if it doesn't give any more information?"

So far, all I'd gotten was a brief bit. The Tyrant King seemed to think there was more.

'But what if there isn't any more?'

If the bracer didn't offer up additional information—what then?

To my doubt, the Tyrant King responded,

"Then I really will have to pull off your arm."

"...."

His calm answer made it clear that obtaining the information was paramount.

Fine. Suppose it does give me more.

'But even so...'

There was still another problem.

"... And once you've gotten all the information, then what?"

"Then?"

"Yes. What are you going to do about me, now that I know the secret of your family's final technique?"

About the secret skill of the Western Silent Family.

Once I'd given him all the information, what would happen to me?

A person who'd outlived their usefulness—what would happen next?

"Well."

The Tyrant King grinned.

"I'll decide that when the time comes."

"...."

His tone was light—but his eyes were anything but.

There was nothing comforting about it.

* * *

I left the secret chamber. The Tyrant King glanced at the bracer on my hand, told me he'd be back later, and disappeared.

Maybe he figured it didn't matter, since he couldn't remove the bracer anyway.

'Is that his way of saying he can find me whenever he wants?'

Whether I ran or hid, it was like he was confident he could track me down.

Left alone at last—

'Now what?'

A ton of worries flooded my mind. I hadn't expected to get tangled up with the Tyrant King like this.

'... I should have just not touched the bracer.'

Trying to offload my karma—none of that mattered. If I'd just not picked up the bracer and handed it straight to him...

I felt like I'd brought disaster on myself by being crafty.

"Damn it."

What am I going to do?

"Should I go to the Virtuous Moon Sword, maybe?"

Would confessing everything about the Tyrant King to the Virtuous Moon Sword help at all?

'... I can't be sure.'

But that guy wasn't exactly someone I could trust, either—it was hard to decide.

"Damn it. Why is the bracer stuck to me?"

It was complicated. Why had it suddenly reacted like this?

"... Shit."

I kept rubbing my face in frustration. It was a problem if information didn't come to me, and a problem if it did.

"Ha..."

I sighed, collapsed on the bed.

Of all times, I found myself wishing for the one old man who'd be useful right now.

"... Where did you go?"

Yu Chun-gil. Unknowingly, I found myself hoping he'd turn up soon.

Time passed, and I drifted in and out of uneasy sleep until dawn.

"... Hm?"

I frowned at the familiar scenery spread before me.

"... Why now?"

A snowy white background.

A place I'd already visited many times.

The Mind Realm.

For some reason, my body had ended up there again.

TL's Corner:

Problem after problem...

These old men keeps giving Bang Sung-yun headache...

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