Chapter 30: Appearing in the Murim (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 30: Appearing in the Murim (3)
Seo-jun left the back alleys he’d grown somewhat fond of, Chun-bong in tow.
Since he had spent all his time in that immediate area after dropping into the Murim, this was his first time actually crossing the city.
“This city is bigger than I thought.”
“Not really.”
“It isn’t?”
Even for two martial artists at the first-rate level or higher, they had to walk quite a distance before the city walls finally came into view. And she claimed this wasn't a large city?
Clearly, he couldn't judge this place by Earth's common sense.
Perhaps the geography of the Murim was entirely different from Earth's China. Not that it really mattered; he didn't know anything about Chinese geography anyway.
Once they finally cleared the area affected by the Dueum Incense, the two checked their map.
“This is the right way, isn't it?”
“Yeah. If you’re planning to cut straight through the mountains.”
It was a map they’d picked up at the market, and by all appearances, it had been drawn rather haphazardly. Using a compass to find their bearings, they charted a straight line toward the Mount Hua Sect.
Mountains, cliffs—whatever. As long as you were a martial artist, taking the direct route shouldn't kill you.
With that mindset, they began their ascent.
Since they had gotten off to a late start after packing their gear and browsing the market, they would likely have to camp out on the mountain tonight.
Seo-jun trudged along the mountain path, glancing at Chun-bong trotting beside him.
She had certainly grown quite a bit since they first met.
She was taller, and the heavens had been cruel enough to let some of her baby fat melt away.
Seo-jun let out a sigh as the faint lines of a young woman began to emerge in her silhouette.
“Can’t you just stop growing?”
“…Why do you always spout such bullshit?”
“No, I mean, think about it. My cute little Chun-bong is…”
“Hmph. Do you like kids that much? Your tastes are seriously weird.”
“It’s not that I like little kids, it’s just… there’s a certain charm to it, you know?”
I am not a lolicon. That much he could say with absolute confidence.
However, the thought of Chun-bong growing up and becoming a proper adult woman brought on a wave of… an indescribable sense of loss.
“I won’t even be able to give you shoulder rides soon.”
“Huh…? Well, does that really matter? Even if I grow a little…”
“I knew it!”
“You bastard! Was that a trap?!”
“I knew you actually liked getting shoulder rides!”
“I do not?!”
Chun-bong barked back in anger. Was this the fabled complexity of a woman's heart?
He knew she liked it, regardless of what she claimed. The body was more honest than the lips, and he had already mastered reading Geum Chun-bong’s reactions.
“Alright. Want a shoulder ride?”
“Stop messing around and just walk.”
“Aw, come on, don't play hard to get when you know you want—huh?”
A commotion drifted through the dense trees. Human screams and frantic footsteps. As he stared in that direction, a wild-looking bandit suddenly burst from the undergrowth.
“R-Run…!”
“Save meeee…!!”
The bandit sprinted past them as if his tail was on fire.
“What’s going on here?”
Seo-jun moved quickly. The moment his foot pushed off the ground, he appeared right behind the fleeing bandit.
He grabbed the man by the scruff of the neck, hoisting him into the air.
“L-Let go of me!”
“You’re a bandit, aren't you, mister?”
His fashion sense screamed 'bandit' to anyone with eyes.
“If you know that, then let go! You’ll regret facing the Green Forest’s wrath—eek…?! L-Let go! Quickly! Please! Let me go!”
The bandit’s struggling suddenly intensified as he caught sight of something.
Seo-jun turned his head. A rapidly approaching presence had just come to a halt. It was a man drenched in blood. Crimson drops fell steadily from the blade in his hand.
“Who are you…?”
The man didn't answer Seo-jun’s question. Instead, he lunged forward and swung his blade.
If Seo-jun stayed still, the bandit’s head would be lopped off.
Stepping back lightly, Seo-jun tossed the bandit he was holding far away.
Whoosh!
The blade sliced through empty air.
The man’s sharp gaze fixed on Seo-jun.
“Are you with that lot?”
“I’m a lot better at beating them up, if that's what you mean.”
Seo-jun spun on the spot and swung his leg.
Boom!
The man blocked the kick with the flat of his blade, but the force pushed him back a considerable distance.
“Hmm…”
The man shook his numb hand to brush off the frost. His fierce eyes glared at Seo-jun.
“Who the hell are you?”
“I… fuck, shouldn't I be the one asking that?”
Swinging a sword at someone without a word? This guy definitely lacked social skills.
The man, staring intently at Seo-jun, shifted his eyes.
He glanced once at Chun-bong, who was on guard, and once at the bandit scrambling away.
His expression contorted as he wrapped his weapon in Blade Qi.
“Get out of the way!”
The man charged. No, he feinted a charge and veered straight toward Chun-bong.
“You son of a bitch.”
Seo-jun drew his sword and sprinted.
Brilliant golden Sword Qi coated his blade. As he swung, an explosion of heat engulfed the man.
Boom!
The man was blown back.
Seo-jun quickly scanned the ground and scooped up a pebble. He infused it with Yin Energy and flicked it forward; the man blocked it with the flat of his blade.
Clang!
The pebble bounced into the air.
Seo-jun locked his middle finger against his thumb.
After gaining enlightenment regarding the Taiji, it wasn't just his internal energy that had deepened.
The speed at which he could convert between Yin and Yang Energy had increased exponentially.
In an instant, Seo-jun fired the Yang Energy gathered at his fingertip.
The bullet of Yang Energy struck the suspended pebble, and—
BOOM!!!
A massive explosion erupted.
“Gah…!”
Caught in the blast, the man was sent flying.
He smashed through several trees before his back slammed into a thick trunk, and he slumped to the ground.
“Ugh… huff…”
The man tried to stand up, but his legs kept giving out.
Even if he hadn't taken a direct hit and was only caught in the shockwave, the power of the Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Finger was difficult for a human to withstand. Had it been a direct hit, his entire body would have burst apart.
Standing before the man, Seo-jun looked down at him with glinting eyes.
“What kind of bastard are you?”
The only reason Seo-jun was leaving this guy alive was because he had reached out with his free hand, not his blade, when he lunged at Chun-bong.
If he had tried to kill her instead of just subduing her, Seo-jun would have torn his limbs from his torso.
“My daughter…”
“Your mom.”
Thwack!
Seo-jun kicked the man in the head, knocking him out cold.
“Hmm…”
Seo-jun narrowed his eyes as he looked down at the man. Should he let this guy live or not?
As he pondered, Chun-bong approached.
“Seriously, do these bastards think I’m an easy target? Why do they always come at me?”
“You do look like an easy target.”
Based on looks alone, she seemed like she’d lose a fierce fight against a neighborhood puppy by a narrow judge's decision.
“What did you say, you jerk?”
“I mean you’re just that cute.”
“W-What… You say the most ridiculous things…”
Chun-bong stammered. Seo-jun gave a smirk and patted her head.
“Anyway, what should we do with him? Kill him or what?”
“Let’s hear what he has to say. He was mumbling something about a daughter earlier.”
“A daughter… Hmm. Fine.”
Seo-jun sighed and shook his head while Chun-bong moved forward.
Tap, tap.
She struck his pressure points to seal his internal energy flow and restrict his movement, then asked, “Waking him up?”
“Yeah.”
Press.
As she pushed a specific point, the man’s eyes snapped open.
“Gasp…!”
“Hey.”
Seo-jun lifted the man’s chin with the flat of his sword.
“Name.”
“…Wang Dae-san.”
“So, what’s this about a daughter?”
The man’s eyes widened, brimming with desperate tears. He thrashed his restricted body and cried out.
“My daughter…! Please save my daughter…! You can do whatever you want with me, just save her…!”
“What, was she kidnapped or something?”
“Y-Yes! Search my robes! There's a letter!”
This piece of work. Couldn't he have just said that from the start?
Clicking his tongue, Seo-jun flipped the man over with his foot.
“Let’s see…”
Rummaging through his robes, he found a letter, just as the man had said.
“Hmm… I can’t read this.”
It was written in blood, and the handwriting was so rushed it was completely illegible.
“Give it here.”
“Sure.”
He handed the letter to Chun-bong, and she read the contents aloud.
The summary was roughly as follows:
The young lady was kidnapped by the Green Forest bandits. I barely escaped. I’m too heavily wounded to move, so I’m sending this letter. I am sorry.
“Was it sent by someone like a bodyguard?”
“Looks like it.”
When Seo-jun looked at the man, he nodded frantically.
“That’s right! It’s a letter from So-ryeong’s guard!”
“Wait, a bodyguard got taken down by bandits?”
When Seo-jun asked out of sheer disbelief, Chun-bong answered.
“Bandits these days are surprisingly strong. At least the leaders are. There are so many demonic beasts in the mountains that you can’t survive if you’re weak.”
“What the… If they’re that strong, why be a bandit?”
“How should I know? Don't try to understand how people think. It’s easier to just accept that there are idiots like that in the world.”
I just can't understand it.
Seo-jun scratched his head and clicked his tongue.
“But if the bandits are strong, shouldn't they avoid the mountains? Why did they go into the mountains just to get caught?”
“Why are you asking me? I don't know either.”
“No, I mean, it’s just absurd.”
“I agree.”
As Seo-jun looked at the man with a hollow laugh, the man defended the guard.
“He wouldn't have gone into the mountains. The child is young, and he knows full well how dangerous the bandits are.”
“Then why were they caught?”
“…They might have been staying in a village, and the bandits could have set their sights on So-ryeong’s beauty.”
So the bandits came all the way down to a village just to kidnap the daughter?
“Originally, there were no bandits on this mountain. It seems they settled here recently…”
“Yeah, whatever.”
He wasn't particularly curious. Knowing the details wouldn't change anything.
“So, where is their hideout?”
The man’s eyes widened. Tears—whether of relief or something else entirely—streamed down his face.
“T-Thank you so much…!”
“I asked where it is.”
“I was planning to capture a bandit and ask… but…”
That meant he didn't know. Useless bastard.
“Sigh… Let’s go, Chun-bong.”
“What about this guy?”
“He’ll figure it out.”
As Seo-jun started walking, Chun-bong quickly released the man’s pressure points and followed.
“Oh, my dear Chun-bong. You’re so kind-hearted, how are you going to survive in this harsh world?”
“You’ll provide for me.”
“W-What…!”
He was moved! Seo-jun covered his mouth.
“Right! Our Chun-bong should live with her big brother forever!”
“…What are you even talking about?”
Hmph. Chun-bong let out a shy snort.
* * *
“So, how are you going to find them?”
At Chun-bong’s question, Seo-jun closed his eyes.
After concentrating for a moment, his eyes snapped open.
“I think it’s that way.”
He pointed in a specific direction. Chun-bong narrowed her eyes.
“How do you know?”
“The Qi is disrupted.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, seriously.”
Chun-bong slapped her forehead and lamented.
“What a shitty world. Talent really is everything!”
