Heavenly Martial God - H.M.G Chapter 8 (Part 2):

The Heavenly Martial Storage was accessed once daily by the family’s servants for maintenance.

Cleaning, organizing, repairs—routine tasks.

Today, however, a servant who had diligently worked his way up to the fourth floor froze in shock.

Someone was there.

Not just present, but with a mountain of manuals piled on a table.

The servant’s face twisted in horror.

Not only had someone entered the supposedly empty storage, but they had also laid hands on the Namgoong Family’s secrets!

*Thud!*

The broom slipped from his grasp as he fell back onto his rear.

“Huh, huuh! An i-intruder!”

His scream threw the Heavenly Martial Storage into chaos.

“Intruder?!”

“Who is it?!”

“Block the exits!”

Amid the clamor, martial artists swarmed up from the first floor.

*Clang!*

Their faces were etched with vigilance and fury.

Who would dare infiltrate the Namgoong Family’s Heavenly Martial Storage without permission?!

And what kind of master could bypass their security?

Such questions fueled their rage.

The Tiger Cloud Unit’s leader, Howoon Daeju, lunged forward like a fierce tiger.

*Shing!*

Drawing his sword, he roared.

“You damned—huh?!”

Mid-thrust, he halted abruptly upon recognizing the intruder.

“T-The Second Young Master?!”

Howoon Daeju hastily sheathed his sword, stunned.

In the center of the storage sat Namgoong Hyuk, eyes glazed over, looking half-dead.

His slumped shoulders and lolling head resembled a sickly chicken.

Bloodshot eyes and a pallid face suggested he might collapse any moment.

The martial artists behind Howoon Daeju were equally baffled.

*“Y-Young Master?”*

“Lord Namgoong Hyuk?”

“How did he even get in…?”

Namgoong Hyuk, who had been listening to their conversation absentmindedly, let out a deep sigh.

Then, with a detached glance, he sighed again before weakly standing up.

Clad in his night-roaming attire, stuffed with cotton and wrapped in thick cloth, he looked every bit the intruder.

And yet, this intruder trudged past the martial artists without a care.

Their eyes followed him in stunned silence.

Namgoong Hyuk kept sighing.

“Sigh.”

After lightly patting Howoon Daeju’s shoulder, he descended the stairs as if nothing had happened.

Muttering under his breath, he said:

“That damn Sword King bastard. Scamming me? ‘Peerless manuals,’ my a*s.”

Exhausted, he dragged himself out of the Heavenly Martial Storage.

Howoon Daeju, still dumbfounded, turned pale.

“R-Report to the Family Head!”

—

*Chew, chew.*

Namgoong Hyuk gnawed on premium jerky and sighed.

“To think they’d be so subpar.”

Anyone else would call him insane.

The martial arts stored in the Heavenly Martial Storage were all top-tier, worthy of being called Supreme Techniques.

If leaked to the martial world, they could spark bloodshed across entire cities.

But to Namgoong Hyuk, they were lacking.

In his past life, he had been known as the Supreme One, a figure revered with awe.

A man who surpassed *“Greatest Under Heaven” and stood at the threshold of divinity.

How could he be satisfied with such mediocre techniques?

The martial arts he had mastered were on an entirely different level.

“I could make better ones with my eyes closed.”

A thousand years of history? Please.

‘Calling this the heart of the Namgoong Family? Ridiculous.’

Yet, something nagged at him.

“But that Sword King bastard was pretty strong.”

Excluding the Demonic Monarch, he had been one of the few who could truly challenge Namgoong Hyuk.

“He must have direct lineage techniques or profound insights hidden somewhere.”

*Chew, chew.*

As he chewed, he rubbed his chin.

One Divine Technique was worth a hundred mediocre ones.

And at his level, even among divine techniques, only the finest would suffice.

“Not enough. This isn’t what the Sword King boasted about.”

The Sword King* was a braggart, but he wasn’t one for empty boasts.

When it came to martial arts, he was surprisingly rational.

– “Our family’s sword arts glimpse beyond ‘Greatest Under Heaven’—they touch ‘Greatest Through All Ages.’”
– “Even with me around?”
– “…You don’t count.”
– “Sword, blade—what’s the difference?”
– “…It’s different.”
– “How?”
– “…Just different.”
– “Anyway, besides the Heavenly Martial Storage, there are other grand repositories. They form the foundation of our family, the future—”
– “So where are they?”
– “…Hmph. What’s for dinner? How about seafood? Ever had raw fish? The flavor is exquisite.”

‘Tch, that bastard. If you’re gonna brag, at least hide them somewhere easy to find.’

Namgoong Hyuk suddenly stood up.

“Ah, this won’t do.”

If it doesn’t work, make it work.

Time for a frontal assault.

He grabbed another handful of jerky and chewed aggressively.

“I’ll just ask.”

Now that he thought about it, why bother with all this trouble?

It wasn’t like he was stealing—these were his family’s secrets.

The reason he couldn’t enter the repositories or leave the estate was the Family Head’s order.

So, all he needed was permission.

If he wanted to explore other floors or hidden manuals, this wasn’t the way.

Namgoong Hyuk flung the door open just as Geum Cheom Sang came panting toward him.

“Young Master! What in the world have you done?!”

Namgoong Hyuk glanced at him.

“What?”

“When did you break into the storage?! It’s chaos right now! The Family Head is looking for y—huh? Where are you going?”

Namgoong Hyuk smirked and turned back.

“You said he’s looking for me.”

“Huh?”

“Refill the jerky while I’m gone. It’s good.”

Cheom Sang stared blankly as Namgoong Hyuk sauntered off.

Why was he smiling like that?

‘Why has he been acting so strange lately?!’

Scaling walls, breaking into the family’s sacred storage—what next?!

“Haaah, I’m going to get chewed out by Father again.”

Cheom Sang grumbled, picturing the scolding he’d get from the father, the overseer.

“And when did he start eating jerky? He used to refuse because of his teeth. What if they fall out again…?”

Just as he turned to leave, sighing heavily—

“Hey!”

“Y-Yes? Yes! I didn’t say anything!”

“Who said you did?”

“Oh, uh… What’s up?”

Cheom Sang turned back to see Namgoong Hyuk looking around.

“…Where’s the Family Head’s quarters?”

“……”

Otaku_Tensei

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