The Martial God with Psychic Powers

There are lunatics trying to cross Guihwa Mountain?
The bandit chief, Gwangyeo, stared at his subordinate with a baffled expression.

“Is that true?”
“Yes! I saw it clearly with my own eyes just now. I saw an escort agency flag fluttering in the wind.”
“Hey, did you hear any news that an escort convoy was headed toward headquarters?”

“No, I’ve heard no such thing.”
“Right? So whose escort agency is it?”
“Well… it had ‘Sincheon Escort Agency’ written on it.”

“…What? That escort agency exists?”
“Never heard of them before.”
“They must be new, which explains why they know nothing about this place.”
“If they’re new, they probably looked for the fastest route on the map, so it makes sense.”

At the subordinates’ words, Gwangyeo let out a faint laugh.
“Is that so? Then as the friendly folks we are, we should enlighten them. Let them know you can’t just pass through here freely.”
“We telling them that for free?”

“Are you crazy? Of course we’ll charge them a hefty education fee. Let’s go! Been a while since we entertained guests!”
“Yeahhh!”
 

****
The distant escort procession came into view.
There weren’t as many escorts as expected.

On top of that, they were all young.
“They really must be a new escort agency.”
“Yeah. Just a bunch of brats.”

“Heh, no wonder they’re clueless enough to pass through here.”
“Still, their cargo looks expensive.”
“What kind of idiot merchant would entrust such cargo to a bunch of kids?”

“We’ll just catch their leader and ask him ourselves.”
“Hahaha, good idea. Time to properly loot for the first time in a while!”
“Let’s go!”

The excited bandits charged toward Sincheon Escort Agency.
“Kahahaha! Halt right there!”
The bandits encircled Sincheon Escort Agency and shouted.
“Who are you lot?”

“Who are we? You asked, so of course we’ll tell you—it’s only proper, isn’t it?”
“We are the heroes guarding this mountain.”
“And if you want to pass, you’ll have to pay the toll.”

“Is that so? Then we’ll go a different way.”
“Kukuku, too late for that. Where you’re standing now is already our territory.”
“Do you have proof this is your territory?”

“…What?”
“I’m asking if you have any official document proving this is your territory.”
No one had ever asked that before.

Normally, when someone declared themselves the owner of the mountain, people would either pay up or ask how much.
“Ha… Guihwa Mountain is Green Forest’s domain. Go outside and ask anyone—they’ll all tell you it belongs to Green Forest.”
“We investigated thoroughly before passing through. Guihwa Mountain is government land. Which means, we owe you no toll.”

“…What? Are you the leader of these brats?”
“That’s right. I’m the Chief of Sincheon Escort Agency.”
“Is that so? You ever heard of Green Forest?”

“Yes. The bandit alliance, correct?”
“That’s right. We’re bandits.”
“Sure looks that way.”

What the hell?
Why did it feel like they were the ones being pushed back?
“You lot should’ve played nice when we were being polite—but looks like you need to learn the hard way.”
“No toll needed. Leave everything you’ve got and crawl away. We’ll spare your lives if you do.”

“So, you’re asking us to stake our lives?”
“Heh, looks like you’ve got half a brain. Don’t you value your life?”
“It’s not that. I’m asking because if we stake our lives, you’ll have to stake yours too.”

“…What?”
“Are you truly willing to bet your life?”
For a moment, the bandits flinched.

Something told them they shouldn’t take that bet.
At that moment, Gwangyeo, who had been observing from behind, stepped forward.
“What the hell are you idiots doing? Scaring the kids?”

“Sorry, Chief.”
“Out of the way.”
Gwangyeo stared at Yeon Woo Jin.

“You’re the escort chief?”
“That’s correct.”
“Cocky little bastard. I’m Gwangyeo of the Short Axe Blade.”

“I’m Yeon Woo Jin, Chief of Sincheon Escort Agency.”
“I said I’m Gwangyeo of the Short Axe Blade.”
“And I said I’m Yeon Woo Jin, Chief of Sincheon Escort Agency.”

“…Hmph. You’ve never heard of the Short Axe Blade?”
“No. First time today.”

Figures.
If he knew, he wouldn’t be acting so bold.

Something felt off about this.
“Looks like this whole situation is happening because you don’t know how terrifying I am. You’re still young—so I won’t kill you. I’ll just teach you a proper lesson.”
“So you won’t be staking your life then?”

“Puhaha! You’ve really got no fear. Well, that’s how all kids are. Let’s see if you’re still so bold after I knock some sense into you.”
Gwangyeo glanced at his subordinates.
“They’re just reckless brats. Show them the terror of the world—but don’t kill them.”

“Yes, sir!”
“Kuhahaha! Come here, you lot!”
“I’ll take that one!”

“Then I’ll take that one!”
The bandits rushed in, targeting the weaker-looking escorts.
Gwangyeo grinned leisurely, ready to enjoy the screams soon to come.

Clang, clang, clang—
The sound of weapons clashing rang out.
Lifting his head to see how the kids were holding up, Gwangyeo’s eyes widened in shock.

“…What?”
The escorts of Sincheon Escort Agency were fighting far better than expected.
“…What the hell?”

Far better was an understatement.
The bandits were being pushed back.
“Uwaaah!”

“Why… why are they so strong?!”
“Spare me!”
The so-called lesson had turned into the bandits getting a taste of their own medicine.

With a panicked face, Gwangyeo leapt forward to rescue his subordinates.
But a shield-wielding escort blocked his path.
“…A shield?”

What martial art uses a shield?
As he pondered—
The shield flew toward him.
Clang, clang, clang—

Thunk—
Quickly, Gwangyeo kicked the incoming shield into the air, aiming to grab the cocky brat who threw it.
But the kid seemed to have predicted that.

Leaping up, he snatched the shield mid-air and hid behind it.
Gwangyeo scoffed with disdain.
“Hiding behind a shield? What kind of man hides like that? I’ll slice through both you and your shield.”

Determined to split him and the shield in one blow, Gwangyeo struck down hard.
At that moment—
The brat skillfully sidestepped the strike, charging forward with the shield.
“Heavenly Armor Break!”

“…Shit!”
It was too late to dodge.
All he could do was try to disperse the impact.

Thunk—
“Gah!”
Even dispersing the impact, the shock was enough to blur his vision.

His legs gave out as the force rippled through his body.
Staring at the shield-wielding monster rushing at him, Gwangyeo muttered weakly:
“Damn it… how humiliating…”

That was his last thought before the overwhelming shock knocked him unconscious.
 
****

Smack, smack—
The sting on his cheek jolted Gwangyeo awake.
He sprang up, scanning his surroundings.

His bound subordinates came into view, encircled by Sincheon Escort Agency’s escorts.
“He’s awake.”
The shield-wielder’s voice called out.

Yeon Woo Jin approached slowly.
“You only survived because you changed your tune at the end.”
Changed his tune?
What did he say again?

“If you’d ordered us killed, we’d have killed you all. But you told us to spare them, so we did.”
A chill ran down his spine.
He’d only said that out of habit—being excited to finally meet some guests.

Turns out, that saved his life.
“Th-Thank you.”
It was a humiliating situation, but he wasn’t stupid enough to cling to pride.

“So, what to do now…”
“W-What do you mean, what to do?”
“We’ll spare you—but we can’t just let you go. You’ll go back to your bandit ways.”

“N-No! Let us go and we’ll live quietly.”
“Do I look stupid to you?”
“N-No! What makes you say that? I… I never thought that, Escort Chief!”

“You clearly did. You thought we were clueless kids charging blindly into Green Forest’s bandits.”

“N-No…”
“Anyway, let’s think about what to do with you.”

“W-What do you mean? T-This is Green Forest territory. If headquarters hears about this, Sincheon Escort Agency won’t get away with it!”
Yeon Woo Jin looked down at him, expressionless.
“I’m not scared.”

“…What?”
“I said I’m not scared of Green Forest.”
“You can’t compare me to the real Green Forest heroes deeper in the mountains. I’m just a gatekeeper.”

“I know. I expected more of a challenge, but the fight ended too easily.”
What the hell is this guy saying…?
“My people need real combat to build experience.”

No way.
“You… You came here on purpose?”
Yeon Woo Jin grinned.

He’s serious…
Gwangyeo’s mind raced.
What would it take to get out of this alive?

“W-We’ll help!”
“Help with what?”
“Y-You’re short on porters, aren’t you? We’ll be your porters!”

“Hmph. Not a bad idea.”
They had intentionally left the porters behind for the rough mountain path.
The escorts had been handling all the labor.

Seeing Yeon Woo Jin’s consideration, Gwangyeo clung to hope.
“A-And I can guide you through Guihwa Mountain!”
He’d just watch for the Green Forest experts, then flee to them.

“Fine.”
It worked.
As he celebrated internally—

Pa-pa-pat—
“Urgh!”
Sudden, searing pain coursed through his body, draining his strength.

“I have a special acupuncture technique. You can’t use internal energy unless I release it.”
What…?!
“So forget escaping. It’s better for your health.”

Yeon Woo Jin smiled faintly, and Gwangyeo’s pupils shook violently.
Not only did he have to follow this man—
If the real Green Forest experts killed him, Gwangyeo would be next.
Am I the only one like this?

As he wondered, something sparkled in his vision.
Fighting the pain, he focused—
Needles?

Hundreds of needles floated in the air.
Why are needles suspended in midair? Am I hallucinating from the pain?
The moment he thought that—
The needles vanished.

Guh!
Groans echoed as his subordinates collapsed one by one.
A master.

It wasn’t the shield-wielder they trusted.
It was him—the monster capable of this.
Not only was it shocking he suspended so many needles—
But he precisely struck each subordinate’s pressure points without lifting a finger.

Is that even possible?
What level of cultivation granted such mystical ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) skill?
And who could possibly undo such precise acupuncture?

Even if there was someone…
Would they bother?
No.
They might just kill him for the inconvenience.

Meaning—
He had no choice but to follow Yeon Woo Jin.
Only then did he have hope of regaining his martial arts.
“Alright. The pain should’ve subsided—let’s move.”

With miserable faces, the bandits followed Yeon Woo Jin’s group deeper into Guihwa Mountain.
 
****

Nokrim (Green Forest) —
The name for the alliance of bandit factions across the Central Plains.
You couldn’t underestimate them as mere bandits.
They were a massive force openly holding one of the Central Plains’ pillars.

In truth, Green Forest hadn’t always been this powerful.
The scattered mountain bandits couldn’t unite easily, nor did they have reliable communication.
If a stronghold thousands of miles away fell into crisis, help wasn’t coming.

The public barely saw them as martial artists—just thugs with some skills.
But one man changed everything.
He attacked the strongest bandit strongholds across the Central Plains, absorbing them into his faction.

Those strongholds absorbed neighboring groups.
In the blink of an eye, all mountain bandits united under one banner.
It began with the eighteen most powerful mountain fortresses:

The Eighteen Strongholds of Green Forest.
The chiefs of those eighteen strongholds anchored each region, while the strongest among them became the Grand Emperor of Green Forest, ruling them all.