Escape (1)

Seonwoo sat alone in the interrogation room, lost in deep thought.

'How can I escape?' he wondered.

The looming threat of being framed for rape and murder grew stronger with every passing moment.

Based on Ju Kwang's behavior, it seemed clear that he had already made up his mind about Seonwoo's guilt.

He was simply waiting for Seonwoo to parrot his words and confess to the charges.

No matter what the truth was, Seonwoo's words would likely be dismissed as nothing more than excuses or justifications, further pushing him towards the label of a murderer.

Feeling betrayed by Ju Kwang, who had treated him like a nephew, Seonwoo, now in Jangsam's shoes, felt utterly powerless.

Desperate for a solution, Seonwoo began sifting through Jangsam's memories, hoping to find something that could aid in his escape.

Unfortunately, no viable option came to mind.

Jangsam may have been a skilled martial artist, but within the Heavenly Martial Alliance, a den of formidable opponents, there were nearly 100 individuals stronger than him and close to 200 others who were just as skilled.

While this may not seem like a significant number compared to the thousands of members in the alliance, it still posed a considerable challenge for escape.

Although these individuals were once allies, they had now become the most dangerous adversaries.

Nevertheless, Seonwoo was unwilling to give up on the idea of escape.

Under the alliance's laws, rape was punished with castration, and murder with execution.

If Seonwoo were to be found guilty, the likelihood of facing such horrifying punishments was all too real.

The thought of experiencing even greater despair after despair was too much to bear.

Although he pondered the possibility that death might return him to his original body, he had no desire to stake his only life on such an uncertain gamble.

With determination, Seonwoo closed his eyes and delved deeper into his thoughts.

Memories from the perspective of the reader Seonwoo, who had witnessed everything omnisciently, and Jangsam, who had been by the protagonist's side for nearly 20 years, swirled inside his mind.

Spark!

Then, in an instant, Seonwoo's eyes snapped open, filled with a newfound brightness.

A viable plan had appeared in his mind.

With his decision made, Seonwoo wasted no time and sprung into action.

Rather than being at the mercy of the Enforcement Hall, he would go into hiding until his master, Lee Jaewon, returned.

Once Lee Jaewon was back, Seonwoo intended to present his defense directly to him.

Despite being a character from a typical high school isekai sex novel who found himself in a martial arts world, Seonwoo believed that his master would at least listen to the pleas of a disciple whom he had raised and cared for over the past two decades.

Standing up from his seat, Seonwoo pressed his ear against the door of the interrogation room, focusing intently on any sounds beyond. The door, made of thick wood, effectively blocked out all sounds from the outside.

Sssssssss.

Seonwoo infused his power into his index finger and carefully whittled away at the outer part of the door to avoid making too much noise. After a gak1 had passed, the finger-sized hole was created and he peered through it to assess the situation outside.

Two members of the Enforcement Hall patrol, wearing bamboo hats and carrying whistles on their necks for backup call and swords in one of their hands each for emergencies, came into view at the edge of Seonwoo's line of sight.

Seeing their fully armed appearance, Seonwoo grew even more tense, aware that a slip-up could lead to a bloodbath.

Seonwoo held his breath and waited for them to approach.

Thud. Thud.

As luck would have it, the door was unlocked, allowing him to strike the moment they got close.

Now, exactly ten steps remained until they arrived at his door.

Nine steps, eight steps, seven steps, six steps, five steps, four steps, three steps, two steps, one step.

Tak!

Seonwoo swung the door open and charged at the Enforcement Hall members.

The shocked Enforcement Hall members quickly took a defensive stance, but they were no match for Seonwoo, who was already charging at them, fully prepared for the encounter.

He struck one member on the back of his neck, rendering him unconscious, and swiftly incapacitated another who tried to sound the whistle for reinforcements by kicking him and sending him flying. Perhaps it was because of the shock to his brain that the member fell unconscious that easily.

Seonwoo dragged the unconscious members into the interrogation room from which he had escaped. He then stripped one of them of their clothes, figuring that by covering his face with the bamboo hat, he could somehow escape from the Enforcement Hall.

Despite knowing that there were others stronger than him, since In-shi 2, there was no one ranked high enough to deal with this situation. Therefore, Seonwoo felt that he could take a bit more risk.

If he were to get caught, he planned to forcefully escape and prevent them from capturing him.

With the standard sword issued by the Enforcement Hall at his waist and his face concealed as much as possible by the bamboo hat, Seonwoo slowly made his way towards the outside of the interrogation room.

Thud, thud, thud, thud.

Patrols within the Enforcement Hall typically moved in pairs, so Seonwoo, walking alone, could have aroused suspicion. He quickened his pace as he headed towards the exit. Fortunately, the path to the exit of the Enforcement Hall and the path to the interrogation room were the same.

Thud, thud, thud.

Seonwoo's footsteps hastened as he neared the exit. Finally, he arrived at the main gate of the Enforcement Hall and opened it with a loud "Tak." Since it was late, there was no one in sight except for the gatekeeper.

This was a crucial moment for Seonwoo, who needed to move swiftly.

"Senior, are you leaving already?" the gatekeeper, who had been positioned at the main entrance of the Enforcement Hall, asked him.

"Yes, I just remembered something I left behind momentarily."

"Well, there's nothing to struggle over. Newcomers who have just joined the Enforcement Hall can't complain anyway."

Typically, the gate-guard officers assigned during the In-shi hour were the lowest-ranking members of the Enforcement Hall. The man before Seonwoo appeared to be a novice martial artist who had recently joined.

"But senior, aren't you supposed to stay at your post no matter how urgent the matter is?"

"Yes, it was such an urgent matter that I reported it to my superiors and hurriedly took leave."

"But it's strange, senior. There are no superiors in the Enforcement Hall to report to apart from the patrol team…"

"I'm sorry, I was in such a hurry that I disregarded the rules. Will you forgive me? I'll buy you a drink sometime."

"Ah, of course, senior, but something about you is odd."

"What's so strange?"

"Usually, senior members speak rudely, using words like 'hey,' 'you,' 'brat,' and 'bastard,' but you are quite polite, aren't you? It's very unlike an Enforcement Hall member."

Seonwoo felt a chill down his spine upon hearing these words, as the man had asked it as if he genuinely knew nothing. The moment he slowly turned to look at him, he saw a cheerful smile and a bugle in his mouth.

Peeeeeeeeeeep!

The loud sound of the whistle echoed through the Enforcement Hall.

Upon hearing the sound, all the members who had been on standby began to rise.

Without hesitation, Seonwoo turned and started running.

"The criminal there is escaping!!!!!!!"

The gatekeeper pointed accusingly at Seonwoo and shouted loudly.

Whoosh!

After running for quite some time, a giant spear flew in front of him, blocking his path.

Seonwoo twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the spear but still receiving a wound on his side, unable to fully dodge the attack.

Blood trickled from the wound.

Applying pressure to stop the bleeding quickly, Seonwoo stared at the person swinging the spear in front of him.

"I rushed here from training upon hearing that a criminal had escaped, only to find out that the criminal is the Heavenly Heavy Sword. Hahahahaha."

The giant brawny man burst into laughter with his deep, booming voice as if something amused him.

The man in front of him was Ju Seon-gang, also known as the One-Spear Giant Dragon.

Though he couldn't join the prestigious six great clans, Ju Seon-gang came from a respected martial arts family and was known as a successor of the traditional dragon spear.

His incredible skill with the gigantic spear earned him the nickname "One Spear Giant Dragon," and he was a formidable opponent. Since he was a peak expert like Seonwoo, it would be hard to defeat him in a single round.

"Hey, listen to me, Ju Seon-gang. This is all a conspiracy, a trap. Someone is trying to frame me."

"Tsk, I knew you couldn't control your subordinates, but I never thought you would stoop to rape and murder. Just go away obediently."

One Spear Giant Dragon swung his spear without hesitation, ignoring Seonwoo's words.

Clang!

Seonwoo barely managed to block the spear with his sword, but the force behind it sent him flying backward.

Whoosh!

'This bastard is serious.'

Fortunately, Seonwoo landed safely and began observing One Spear Giant Dragon.

If he continued wasting time, reinforcements would arrive, and it was clear that Seonwoo would be captured. He realized he couldn't let himself be caught by One Spear Giant Dragon. Seonwoo kicked off the ground and charged forward with his sword drawn, ready to attack. One Spear Giant Dragon stood his spear up, seemingly amused and prepared to counter Seonwoo's attack.

Clang!

The spear and sword collided, creating sparks. One Spear Giant Dragon, at a disadvantage up close, retreated to create distance.

Seonwoo seized the opportunity, getting even closer to One Spear Giant Dragon to prevent him from gaining distance.

"Back off, you leech-like bastard."

"Do you think I'll give you distance? I'm not stupid enough to let a spearman have it," Seonwoo, who kept clinging to him, responded.

Seonwoo continued to press One Spear Giant Dragon, swinging his sword from side to side.

One Spear Giant Dragon, like the peak martial arts expert he was, leisurely blocked Seonwoo's sword swings, and retreated.

Seonwoo moved to his left and made a sword strike.

Clang!

One Spear Giant Dragon quickly lifted his spear and deflected the sword away.

Seonwoo moved to his left once again, launching a sword strike.

However, One Spear Giant Dragon effortlessly parried the attack.

Clang!

"Hmph, your swordplay is too basic. It makes me question if you're truly a disciple of the Absolute Martial God, Lee Jaewon. Kuahahaha."

"It's fine, I'm not here to win."

Seonwoo swung his sword once again, and One Spear Giant Dragon blocked it with the shaft of his spear.

But Seonwoo wasn't finished. He kicked One Spear Giant Dragon's chest with a powerful internal energy imbued in the kick and sprang back.

Puk!

"Urgh!" One Spear Giant Dragon groaned, and raised his qi.

"Dammit!! You turned out to be quite talented! Allow me to show you the true form of the Absolute Super Giant Dragon! Brace yourself!"

"Let's save that for another time," Seonwoo said, immediately turning around and starting to run.

One Spear Giant Dragon, realizing that Seonwoo had fought him initially with the intention to flee, became infuriated and yelled, "You scoundrel! Daring to show your back in a fight! Have you no shame as a warrior!"

"What does it matter to you? I simply choose to live!"

Seonwoo shouted back.

Seonwoo increased his speed, sprinting with all his strength. Although One Spear Giant Dragon chased after him, there was a clear difference in their physical abilities, and Seonwoo pulled significantly ahead in speed.

"You bastard, stop!" One Spear Giant Dragon shouted.

Seonwoo disregarded his words and sprinted even faster towards the lifeline that promised salvation. Despite eluding the One Spear Giant Dragon, the path to the lifeline was treacherous. The sound of pursuers grew louder from all directions.

"There he is! The Heavenly Heavy Sword! Capture him!"

"The Heavenly Heavy Sword has fled the Enforcement Hall! Catch him!"

"Catch Jangsam!"

"He couldn't have gone far. Apprehend him."

With each passing moment, the only remaining path seemed to lead to inevitable capture. Seonwoo summoned every ounce of strength he had, even the power he possessed as a newborn child, and ran ahead.

"I will absolutely not, under any circumstances, allow myself to be caught! Even if it costs me my life, I will not be captured!"

Pressing on with unwavering determination, Seonwoo eventually found himself in the Phoenix Halls. This place was rumored to exclusively house female members of the Heavenly Martial Alliance, making it forbidden for men. However, Seonwoo no longer considered such rules important, as his very life hung in the balance.

Vaulting over the walls of the Phoenix Halls, Seonwoo took a deliberate step forward.