Heavenly Martial God - H.M.G Chapter 8 (Part 1):

A pitch-black night.

Even the moon was hidden behind clouds, making it impossible to see even an inch ahead.

The martial artists of the Namgoong Family patrolled the grounds with torches in hand.

Who in the world would be foolish enough to infiltrate the Namgoong Family? Yet, they remained vigilant.

The warriors of a prestigious family weren’t made for nothing.

*Whoosh, whoosh!*

The torches briefly pierced the darkness before vanishing again.

*Thud, thud.*

Amid the eerie atmosphere, the footsteps of the Namgoong Family’s martial artists echoed indifferently.

The vast courtyard of the Namgoong Family—wide as a city’s main road—was divided among the patrolling warriors.

Their movements were systematic, well-trained.

The martial artists split into groups, spreading out in all directions.

As the torches disappeared, darkness draped over the walls of the pavilion.

And within that darkness, a pair of clear eyes gleamed.

*Flicker.*

‘They’re gone.’

Namgoong Hyuk’s gaze briefly followed the fading torchlight before he carefully melded into the shadows.

Clad in night-roaming attire, he became one with the darkness.

*Ghostly Shadow Body Technique.*

A stealth technique once boasted about by some fool—whether it was Shadowless Blade-something or Divine Thief-something—a martial art that allowed one to hide in shadows with just a sliver of internal energy.

The fatal flaw? It was useless in broad daylight.

‘Maybe that’s why that Shadowless whatever guy became a thief.’

He never imagined he’d be using a stealth technique himself, but given his current situation—lacking even a speck of internal energy and needing to infiltrate—it was a perfect fit.

At least he had some internal energy now.

Namgoong Hyuk approached the wall of the Heavenly Martial Storage and stopped.

It was a perfect blind spot, untouched by torchlight.

‘Another wall, huh?’

This time, it was the wall of the Heavenly Martial Storage, but the feeling was still strange.

‘Do I really have to go this far?’

Scaling walls like a thief?

Just for some martial arts techniques.

Those martial arts techniques…

‘It is important. So, yeah. I’ll climb this damn wall for martial arts.’

From his bundle, he pulled out various items in a hurry.

*Swish, swish!*

He wrapped thick cloth around his body, stuffing it generously with cotton.

The fabric wasn’t ordinary—it was tough and durable, torn from the thick blankets in his room.

It was a makeshift solution, but it was better than nothing.

‘You learn by doing. Experience exists so you don’t die like a dog.’

Call it the wisdom gained from breaking his legs.

With his protective gear secured, he looked up at the wall.

‘Tall.’

But it didn’t matter now.

Namgoong Hyuk stretched his hand toward the wall and activated the Clear Mind Profound Heart Technique.

Energy circulated, revitalizing his body.

‘Cool!’

Compared to when his meridians were nearly blocked, this felt unbelievably better.

He firmly gripped the crevices in the wall and pulled himself up.

‘Much lighter than before.’

Was this what they called a virtuous cycle?

After unblocking one meridian, the Clear Mind Profound Heart Technique flowed smoothly, filling his body with vigor.

‘Alright, let’s go!’

*Creep, creep.*

Slow but steady, Namgoong Hyuk climbed the wall of the Heavenly Martial Storage.

‘You think blocking me will stop me?’

If it doesn’t work, make it work.

Keep trying until it does.

That was the creed Namgoong Hyuk had lived by in the martial world.

*Huff… huff… huuuff!”

Gasping for breath, he continued climbing.

His limbs trembled, his shoulders felt like they’d dislocate, and his fingers ached as if they’d break—but he endured.

‘Made it!’

Namgoong Hyuk hooked his arm over the top of the wall and pulled himself up with all his might.

Before him stood the Heavenly Martial Storage, as imposing as ever.

‘Which floor should I hit first?’

With the heart of a bandit, he scanned the building up and down.

Good things were usually kept on higher floors.

‘Fourth floor it is.’

He debated whether to climb over the roof or slip through the pavilion doors using the Ghostly Shadow Body Technique when—

*Crunch, crunch.*

Footsteps.

A torch flickered just ten paces away.

‘Already?!’

Security was tight around the Heavenly Martial Storage.

Namgoong Hyuk quickly reactivated the Ghostly Shadow Body Technique.

*Fwoosh!*

‘Again?!’

This time, torches were moving inside the storage.

The distance was closing fast.

Even with the stealth technique active, his low mastery meant detection was certain if the torchlight reached him.

His eyes darted between the approaching torches before locking onto a landing spot.

‘Jump.’

Even with his fragile body, he now had some internal energy and safety gear. The height was survivable.

‘It’s different this time.’

Steeling himself, he prepared to descend using the *Threefold Movement Technique.*

*Whoooosh!*

A sudden gust of wind shook his balance.

‘…Wind’s strong.’

The torches were almost upon him.

Rolling his eyes, he lay flat on the narrow wall, barely a hand’s width wide.

Gritting his teeth, he fought to maintain his center of gravity against the fierce wind.

The torches crossed paths and faded into the distance.

But another set was already approaching from the opposite side.

‘Now.’

Namgoong Hyuk leaped off the wall.

*Thud!*

As he landed, he learned a new fact (?)—wind could mess with his balance mid-fall.

*Crackle!*

A jolt of pain shot up from his soles, forcing him to clamp his mouth shut.

‘Ghk!’

A silent scream escaped him as he writhed, then quickly checked his feet.

A look of ecstasy flashed across his face.

‘Not broken. They’re not broken!’

A perfect landing.

To survive a fall from that height in this fragile body—unbelievable!

Yet, as he reveled in his triumph, a pang of sorrow hit him.

He suddenly felt pathetic for being happy over such a trivial thing.

‘Once I properly learn martial arts, even this won’t be a problem.’

Namgoong Hyuk swiftly dashed toward the Heavenly Martial Storage.

He had already spotted an entry point from above.

Using the Ghostly Shadow Body Technique, he slipped into the darkness.

*Tap, tap, tap, tap!*

Once inside, his eyes gleamed with excitement.

‘Yes. I did it!’

Past the first floor, the second, straight to the fourth—the top.

His plan was to scour the fourth floor for martial manuals.

“Hah, there’s a lot. That Sword King bastard had reason to boast.”

The sheer scale of the Heavenly Martial Storage was staggering. The densely packed shelves held rare treasures.

Just the fourth floor alone had over ten bookshelves, all filled with secret manuals.

Namgoong Hyuk grabbed the first one he saw and started reading.

*Flip! Rustle, rustle!*

His concentration was terrifying.

There wasn’t enough time to read them all.

His page-turning speed increased.

His pupils dilated.

*Rustle, rustle!*

In the darkness of the fourth floor, only the sound of flipping pages echoed.

Otaku_Tensei

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