Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Snow Medicine Ice
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I kept racing along the road.
Trees whipped by like arrows, but I spared them not even a glance, eyes fixed solely ahead as I headed toward the source of the commotion.
-Clang! Kang!
-Aaaak!
The distant sounds grew clearer, until the clash of two forces came into plain view.
"Those guys... bandits?"
Clad in beast hides, axes in hand.
Anyone would peg them as bandits on sight, and a group like that was charging at a single wagon.
Escort guards, by the look of them, had surrounded the wagon to hold them off.
"Hold the line! We have to hold them no matter what!"
"Yes, sir!"
At the shout of a middle-aged man who seemed to be the chief escort, the guards bellowed back and bravely faced the bandits.
The problem was, there were twice as many bandits as escorts.
"Aaak!"
"Kraaak!"
The screams echoing from all sides belonged entirely to the escorts, and each time, the number of guards still fighting visibly dwindled.
Naturally, the chief escort's face grew darker by the moment.
That was about when I arrived on the scene, having hurried there myself.
"Huh? Who the hell are you?"
Two bandits spotted my sudden appearance and lumbered toward me.
Up close, I couldn't help tilting my head at their faces.
Something felt off.
Sure, they wore bandit rags and clutched axes like bandits, but the vibe was all wrong.
Real bandits should have wild beards and fierce mugs.
These two lacked that entirely.
They had thick beards and rough faces, sure, but still... off.
The way they gripped their axes looked awkward, and they kept squirming like the clothes didn't fit right.
Put simply, they didn't feel like bandits—just guys playing dress-up.
"This bastard won't answer. What the fuck are you?!"
-Aaak!
The curse from the approaching bandit overlapped with a scream from farther off.
I shook my head and snapped back to focus.
Bandit or pretender, the fact they were raiding the escort caravan didn't change.
I drew my sword at once.
-Sring.
As I pulled my blade free, the two wide-eyed bandits exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
"Puhahaha! Well, look at that—you're some young hero, eh?"
"Oh nooo, I'm scared. You ever even stabbed a man with that thing?"
The pair mocked me openly.
I had no intention of wasting time.
I kicked off the ground and slashed both down in one go, then rushed toward the escorts under attack.
"Huh?"
"Wha?"
Puzzled voices at my vanishing form.
Then came the sound of long gashes across chests, blood spraying, and two thugs crumpling—left behind as I charged the rest.
"Wh-what the!?"
The bandits busy hacking at the escorts spotted my approach and yelped in shock.
Every eye turned to me, some catching sight of their fallen comrades behind me.
"Yongchil! Deoksam!"
Yongchil, Deoksam... No wonder folks in this era half-ass their kids' names.
Grateful anew to my parents for the decent name Goon Ja-seong, I swung my sword.
"Aaak!"
Two bandits with sliced sides and chests collapsed from my quick stroke.
"Grab that bastard!"
Finally realizing I was the enemy, the bandits scowled and rushed me.
Of course, their clumsy mob rush was useless.
These fools couldn't even properly channel their mediocre inner energy, let alone graze my sleeve.
"Kraaak!"
No, that wasn't all.
These idiots swung their axes like total amateurs.
Long-hafted, head-heavy weapons, yet their form was all wrong.
Like swordsmen or saber users forced to grip axes.
Seriously, what were these guys?
I carved a long gash along one's side as I passed, and most of the bandits ended up sprawled on the ground.
"Ugh..."
"Eurk..."
Not deep enough to kill, but they'd be out of commission for a while.
I stepped over the groaning bandits and the escorts' stunned faces at the sudden reversal, heading for the hulking brute holding the rear.
He had to be the boss.
"...And who the hell are you?"
"Just passing by."
The bandit leader scowled at me, the guy who'd appeared out of nowhere and dropped all his men.
My answer twisted his ugly face uglier.
"If you're just passing, then fuck off. Why crash our party?!"
"What, so I should've just watched you bandit scum raid the caravan?"
"Hah...!"
The leader let out a frustrated groan.
Less anger at my meddling, more exasperation at the whole mess.
That confirmed it for me.
These weren't bandits. Just disguised for some other goal.
What was it? Stealing the cargo, straight out of the playbook?
Questions swirled, but they could wait.
The bandit leader grabbed the axe slung on his back.
Unlike the pretenders before, he gripped it right from the start.
He growled, haft clenched tight.
"You're dying today for your nosy bullshit."
With that, he swung the axe down like lightning.
I sidestepped; the missed blade buried into the earth.
-Boom!
So hard the head mostly vanished underground.
Narrowing my eyes at the sight.
His grip was pro-level, and the swing carried real power and weight.
This guy was a natural axe-man.
Plus, a faint surge of qi prickled my senses as he gathered inner energy.
Less than mine now, but way more than my pre-elixir self.
"Hup!"
Channeling it through his body, he yanked the axe free with a roar.
"Too bad. Could've ended you quick and painless."
"If you wanna send me off, your axe work needs to speed up first."
"Cocky little shit."
Grinning savagely, the leader swung again.
-Whoosh! Whoosh!
Veins bulging on his arms, each shake ripped the air as the axe flew.
But it still didn't touch me.
Decent footwork with some forms, but too slow to land.
"Rat bastard!"
My casual dodges must've pissed him off royally; his face twisted demonically.
"Raaargh!"
A bellow echoed everywhere as his swings grew wilder, full of openings.
The moment I'd waited for arrived.
A big windup left his right shoulder wide open, balance lost.
I raised my two-handed sword overhead.
Three Calamities Sword Method, First Stance: Mount Tai Crush.
Grand name for a simple overhead chop.
A plain chop wouldn't faze this brute twice my size.
So I loaded my full body weight into it.
Shifted my center of gravity to the blade and smashed down full force.
That was the essence of heavy swordplay.
A mere chop infused with heavy sword secrets became no Mount Tai, but leagues beyond its original power, crushing down on the leader's shoulder.
"Grk!?"
Unable to bear the weight, he roared and slammed his upper body into the dirt.
-Kwaaang!
Face-planting, he didn't twitch.
Dropped his axe too—probably knocked out cold.
His hit shoulder was already swelling.
If I'd used the edge, the whole thing would've come off.
"U-ugh... The boss... in one hit...!"
A terrified voice from behind.
I turned to see the bandits I'd slashed clutching wounds, staring at me in horror.
I shrugged at them and sheathed my sword quietly.
Realizing I wasn't finishing them off, they scrambled up to flee.
"Hey."
"...!"
I called to their backs, no hesitation in their bolt.
They froze, turning anxious faces my way.
I nodded at their sprawled boss.
"Take your leader and go."
"......"
They blinked, confused for a beat.
I stepped aside; they crept forward warily, hauled him up, and bolted.
I watched them go a moment when someone approached.
The chief escort from earlier, who'd rallied the guards.
He came up, clasped hands in formal salute.
"My thanks for saving our lives, young hero. I'm Mak Pyeong-sam, chief escort of Daean Escort Agency."
"Ah, sure. Goon Ja-seong."
I returned the salute and introduced myself; he beamed.
"So you're Hero Goon. Truly, heaven sent aid. We thought we were done for, only to be saved by a sudden young master—straight out of some street tale. Hahaha!"
I stared at the hearty-laughing Mak chief.
He stopped, looking flustered.
"Why stare like that...?"
"You don't ask. Why I let them go."
"...Pardon?"
"Most would ask, or get mad."
No dead escorts, thankfully, and I hadn't planned to kill anyway—but they'd been ambushed out of nowhere.
Letting the bandits walk? Normal folks would demand why. Hotheads would blow up.
Hell, bandits might have bounties—why not drag 'em to the authorities?
But Mak just thanked me, no questions.
Only one conclusion from that.
"You knew. That they weren't real bandits."
"......"
Mak looked caught off-guard, speechless.
My hunch was right.
"Eh, no skin off my nose, but I'm curious. What's the deal?"
"Th-that's... it's our client's business, so I can't just—"
"Client? Escort?"
I'd assumed cargo haul, but it was a protection gig.
Makes sense. I'd overlooked it earlier, but the wagon was for passengers, not goods.
Right then, the curtain parted, and someone stepped out.