Chapter 10 (5)
Chapter 10 (5)
Two years have passed since the news of the Sword Empress's death became known.
At first, due to the Sword Empress's death, the Righteous Faction prepared for the Demonic Cult's impending invasion. Even the Evil Faction entered into an implicit cooperative relationship with the Righteous Faction, as the Demonic Cult was different from the Righteous Faction—they were bastards who didn't listen to reason and killed anyone who didn't believe in their doctrines on sight.
However, in that situation, a problem arose when a treasure map (a drawing or map indicating the location of hidden treasure) for one of the Shadowless Divine Thief's treasure vaults appeared in the world.
Unlike typical treasure maps, which often had many fakes or tricks, the Shadowless Divine Thief had a provocative personality—"Pissed that you got robbed? If you've got the skills, try taking it back"—so he released the treasure maps he made himself into the world.
For that reason, there are records of facts where some people managed to find a few vaults in the past and were able to recover the treasures the Shadowless Divine Thief had stolen.
Furthermore, the Shadowless Divine Thief maintained his provocative stance by even recording what kind of treasures he had hidden in the treasure map's vaults.
At this point, it makes one wonder if he is just enjoying playing games with the world.
Anyway, because of the treasure map that popped up just when the Righteous and Evil Factions were trying to form a united front to block the Demonic Cult through an implicit cooperative relationship, a huge problem occurred where even the same Righteous Factions, and even the same Evil Factions, ended up fighting each other.
The reason this situation arose was because the treasure written on the treasure map was the Shaolin Temple's Yijin Jing (Muscle Tendon Change Classic).
The Yijin Jing, which was created by Grandmaster Bodhidharma himself and became the foundation and root of the Shaolin Temple.
For the Shaolin Temple, it was a disgrace that must never be forgotten, and a root and source that must be reclaimed at all costs.
It was common knowledge even among ordinary people that the reason the Shaolin Temple, a giant tree of the Righteous Murim, became so strong was thanks to its solid root, the Yijin Jing, and even within the Righteous Faction, they were burning with desire to obtain the Yijin Jing.
Because of this, a bloody wind of killing and being killed arose as countless people were swept up in this incident.
Even those who were usually slow to act because of their reputation as prestigious Righteous Factions hid their identities and tried to steal the Yijin Jing, only to get caught, which caused a huge shock.
Some thoughtful people might have been able to claim it was someone's conspiracy if the treasure map were fake or suddenly disappeared midway, but since it was a treasure map that truly contained the Yijin Jing, they couldn't lend any weight to such claims.
In the end, the Yijin Jing somehow returned to the embrace of Shaolin, but due to this bloody incident, a situation occurred where even the prestigious Righteous Factions could not trust each other.
On top of that, the characteristics of Murim people, who are proud and must always repay their debts and grudges, were added, and this bloody incident led to a chain of grudges where blood washed away blood.
If a disciple died, the other disciples of that sect would repay the grudge.
The families or friends of those killed in revenge would then take revenge again.
The elders or sect leaders of the sects whose disciples were avenged would take revenge.
Once things progressed this far, the reason didn't matter anymore.
Only hatred remained, enough to destroy each other.
When a war between sects broke out like that, they would call for reinforcements, creating even more debts and grudges.
The bloody incident caused by the Shadowless Divine Thief's treasure map spread in all directions like an epidemic, piling up new debts and grudges, and as those grudges spread, new ill-fated relationships were born.
If you think about it rationally, nothing remains from connecting a chain of hatred like this, but for Murim people who value face, they would rather die than be ignored, so the sparks of this bloody incident did not easily go out.
"...So that's the situation, huh?"
"Ye... yes....... That is correct......."
"Right, two years have already passed......."
Even though he was wearing loose Hanfu, the man, who boasted perfectly formed muscles and lines visible through his clothes, looked up at the sky as if recalling something.
While sitting on the back of the bandit leader who had been forced to bow his head into the ground after attacking him.
"Hey, but I'm really curious about something."
"Wha... what is it......?"
"Why is it that every time I come down from the mountain, the first thing I meet is bandits?"
"Th... that's... I'm not sure either......."
The bandit leader felt like dying because of the actions of Jin Cheon, a young man in his early 20s who kept talking to him despite his splitting headache.
Having trained in martial arts for two years, Jin Cheon now displayed the demeanor and composure of a strong person, along with perfectly built muscles forged through practical combat.
Though the bandits, who lacked the eye for it, failed to grasp that demeanor and composure.
The peculiar thing was that while he used to have a thin and sharp appearance, he now had a face with thick, rugged lines.
"And if you threaten someone with swords and they don't react at all, don't you think, 'This feels weird'?"
"Th... that's......."
"You guys were actually giggling, saying I was scared, right?"
'Fuck... I didn't know he was this strong......!'
At first, they thought he was a peddler with some tricks up his sleeve.
The reason was the large leather bag he carried; who in the Murim would carry things around wrapped up like a peddler?
The stronger a Murim person's ability, the smaller the luggage they carry.
Since experts can move quickly, as long as they don't get lost, there's no reason to sleep rough while getting soaked in dew.
Therefore, when they saw him walking around alone with a bunch of luggage, they considered him a sturdy peddler who had learned some self-defense martial arts.
And when they threatened him with swords, they thought he had frozen because the gap between reality and his imagination was too big.
"Everyone, stand up."
As Jin Cheon stood up and gave the order, the dozen or so bandits, including the leader, stood up nimbly.
"You guys are very lucky. Thanks to the cliché of bandits appearing as soon as I come down the mountain to become test subjects, I've learned how strong I've become."
Tak tak!
He smiled while patting the bandits on the shoulders one by one.
"I've reached the conclusion that trash is nothing, even if thousands or tens of thousands of them swarm."
"......."
"......."
The bandits were boiling inside at Jin Cheon's words disparaging them as trash, but they couldn't recklessly vent their anger at him, as he had subdued them in a short time—not even a hansikgyeong (about 30 minutes)—against them.
"...Th... then what about us......."
The bandit leader, instinctively cheering inside that it didn't look like he intended to kill them, asked cautiously.
"You guys, is this everyone here? No bandit lair or anything like that?"
"W... we are the ones who survived the subjugation, so......."
They had once been in a bandit group that was doing well, but the problem was that they were doing too well.
Because of that, they were wiped out by the cooperation of the military and Murim people, and the survivors had to scatter.
They had managed to gather with familiar faces along the way, but since the only thing they knew how to do was banditry, they were digging up grass roots to eat in the mountains, and unable to endure the hunger, they tried to rob him while he was traveling alone, only to get robbed in return.
"Right, so this is all of you."
Jin Cheon thought about something for a moment and then gave a wicked smile.
"You guys are very lucky."
"Yes?"
"I need money to solve my personal problems. You guys need money to live, right?"
That goes without saying.
If only they had money, they would quit this kind of work right away and go to a quiet place to live comfortably.
"I will become your leader."
"Yes?"
Surprised by the sudden statement, the bandits were flustered, wondering what kind of situation this was.
Clatter- clattering-
Jo Seo-jun, the head escort of the Songjeong Escort Agency based in Honam, was leading the escort mission more leisurely than usual.
This was because the Gangbyeok Bandit Group, which had been making a name for itself in Honam recently, had collapsed due to the cooperation between the military and Murim, improving public security accordingly.
Of course, new bandits would take their place as time passed, but it would take some time until then, so there was no big problem in being relaxed for now.
Head Escort Jo Seo-jun was moving leisurely while conducting a medium-sized escort mission like that.
"Hmm?"
However, weren't there a dozen men dressed as bandits standing right in the middle of the path the escort was taking?
'12 people. There's no forest on the left or right, so an ambush is impossible. What is this?'
Jo Seo-jun was puzzled, wondering what kind of situation this was, and the escorts who came with him could not hide their doubts either.
Although the number of personnel was smaller than usual because public security had stabilized, it was still a medium-sized escort mission, so the number of escorts alone exceeded 30.
"Defensive stance."
"Defensive stance."
The escorts, having received the order from Head Escort Jo Seo-jun, quietly received the command to guard the surroundings towards the back.
This was to maintain vigilance while not giving the impression that they were overly scared.
As they got closer to the men dressed as bandits, a man with a fierce face and a large axe strapped to his back stepped forward.
"Everyone stop! From here on, it's the territory of the Mujeok Fortress!"
"Pfft!"
Jo Seo-jun, who had let his guard down at the name Mujeok Fortress, burst into laughter and ended up making a strange wheezing sound.
Who in the world would proudly put forward the name 'Invincible' (Mujeok) in this day and age?
The other escorts had similar expressions.
Whether they knew their thoughts or not, the bandit kept flapping his mouth.
"1 nyang of silver per person! And if you leave half of the goods you have, I promise to let you go unharmed!"
"Crazy bastards."
A condition that could never come out of a bandit with a brain came out.
The deputy head escort next to Jo Seo-jun muttered as if he was dumbfounded by those words.
Usually, he would have warned him not to open his mouth rashly, but since he agreed with it himself, he cleared his throat and opened his mouth.
"I don't know which bandit lair you came from, but you are quite a funny fellow. Let's stop the jokes and tell me what you really want."
"Are your ear holes blocked?! 1 nyang of silver per head! Half of the goods you have!"
At those words, Jo Seo-jun and the deputy head escort looked around.
No matter how much they looked, there were no signs of an ambush.
There were no people who looked particularly strong either.
But what on earth were they thinking to commit such recklessness?
Having confirmed that they were all there no matter how carefully he looked, Jo Seo-jun opened his mouth to the deputy head escort.
"They are bandits who don't know how the world works. Wipe them out."
"Yes! Half of you, follow me! Let's go!"
"Eh!"
Although he left half behind to guard the escort goods just in case, more than 15 people still rushed toward the bandits.
"Is it my turn now? Move aside."
"Yes, boss!"
At that moment, a masked man appeared from behind the bandits, holding a steel bow.
It wasn't a mask for decoration or style, but a blunt iron mask that looked like it had simply been made by flattening thin iron.
"Ghost Beast, Snake."
The masked man, who had nocked an arrow into a steel bow that even an average strong man would find hard to pull, muttered quietly and released the arrow.
"Something like this arrow!"
The deputy head escort tried to easily deflect the arrow with his sword blade, but didn't the arrow suddenly change its trajectory and move like a snake?
Thwack!
The deputy head escort's consciousness faded, with the last thing he saw being the arrow dodging his sword and piercing his head.
Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!
"Argh!"
"Ugh!"
"Gaaah!"
The arrows moved fiercely like living vipers, piercing the bodies and heads of several escorts.
"W-what is this!"
"S-such archery skills......!?"
Generally, because the bow is treated as a weapon for war, even the government, which does not get involved in Murim affairs, does not take this part lightly.
Because of this problem, it is hard to see the bow as a weapon in Murim, and the escorts, having seen archery that took the lives of several escorts with a single arrow, could not help but be astonished.
"Ghost Beast, Tiger."
The masked man, muttering quietly again, nocked a new arrow.
Whoosh!
Before Jo Seo-jun, who was surprised by the sudden situation, could even say anything, he released the arrow, and it flew toward the escorts who were in disarray.
Boom!
And the arrow exploded, each piece becoming a small, sharp fragment that pierced the bodies of the escorts.
Thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack-thwack!
After the fragments pierced their bodies, they hung limply or became embedded in their bodies.
'Impossible! He infused internal energy into the arrow to make the tip explode! On top of that, he infused internal energy into each fragment to strengthen its power! Was there an archer in the Central Plains with such archery skills!'
In an instant, the 15 escorts were annihilated.
Seeing that, Jo Seo-jun realized through the two arrows that the masked man's skill overwhelmingly surpassed his own.
"W-wait a moment! I don't know which expert you are, but first......!"
"Ghost Beast, Leopard."
"Just wait, let me speak!"
"You should have said that before pointing your sword at me."
"Wait!"
Jo Seo-jun shouted desperately, but the arrow, which exceeded his range of perception, mercilessly pierced his head.