Trap for the Flying Rakshasas
Before heading out to hunt down the Flying Rakshasas, I conducted a thorough investigation first. As the leader of an organization, I couldn't imagine charging into battle against an enemy without intel. Knowing your foe is the commander's duty.
So, I sent out my subordinates and spread some cash around to gather info on the Flying Rakshasa pack.
"Their numbers are about platoon-sized, huh."
A group of twenty to thirty—small if you think about it, but big enough to be a problem. In terms of sheer count, they're similar to your average bandit gang. Word was, these yokai roamed from place to place, but whenever a subjugation squad showed up in force or some high-level Murim expert appeared, they'd just take to the skies and bolt. That was their strategy.
So, couldn't we just chase them off and call it a day? You might think that, but no. They'd circle back or settle nearby again, leading to another run-in. That's why full extermination was the call. Proof they weren't total idiots.
Apparently, there was one big boss leading the pack, but beyond eyewitness accounts, there wasn't much intel. It just hovered in the air, watching. Anyway, whenever these Flying Rakshasas spotted cargo, they'd swoop down, attack, and make off with the goods. No one knew where they took the loot since they flew off with it—couldn't track their base.
"This could work."
Couldn't I track them? I'd tamed that rat yokai Seo Saeng-won in my prison cell, and on top of that, my own sense of smell had sharpened up. Even if the Flying Rakshasas fled, I could sniff out their lair, right? Hell, their base might be stacked with pilfered goods. If I found it and swiped everything, it could upgrade Nachal Bang's capital in one go.
"Perfect."
With the plan solidifying in my head, I jotted down the strategy to resolve this commission. In the Murim world, most problems could be handled by experts.
* * *
"You're going with a small elite team? Makes sense. Regular Murim folk wouldn't help much anyway, so just the three of you isn't a bad call."
"Exactly. Too many people, and they'll think it's a subjugation force and scatter."
Bringing a full squad would tip off the Flying Rakshasas—they'd sense a hunting party and fly away. So, Nachal Bang was deploying just me and my protectors. My regular guys were reliable, but they weren't ready for flying yokai. They'd just end up as bait. Better with just us.
And the Cheongja Escort Agency—they were sending out cargo and personnel too. A disguised escort run. They were acting like a clueless new agency unfamiliar with the route and the Flying Rakshasas, even using different banners. Small load, escorts who were pros at fleeing—no worries there.
That was the setup for our fake escort toward the pass they controlled.
"Uh... Great Hero Absolute Cry Rakshasa. You sure this'll be okay? If shit hits the fan, we're outta there. We can't handle Flying Rakshasas anyway."
The Cheongja escort leader said that, pale as a ghost.
"Don't sweat it. We'll handle the fighting. I might not wipe 'em out, but I guarantee massive casualties. Once they take that kind of hit, they won't just hide nearby—they'll fuck off far away. Mission accomplished."
"I get that, but..."
The leader was terrified of the Flying Rakshasas. His escorts and porters too.
"It's fake cargo anyway, right? No need to defend it—just run like hell. Hide out, wait for our signal, then come back. By then, it'll all be over. No worries."
"We'll trust in you, Great Hero Absolute Cry Rakshasa."
We didn't need their help anyway. And so, we rolled out on the disguised escort.
"Whoa, first time tagging along on an escort run, huh? You guys?"
"I've never joined one myself. First for me too."
Serin said it was her first.
"Eh, I've done it a few times. Escorts are safe to travel with, y'know?"
Hayoung had hitched rides on escorts a few times while wandering.
"Don't yokai or bandits pop up a lot?"
"Not super often. But when they do, fights break out."
"That much? Don't they just pay tolls to bandit crews and pass?"
From what I knew, in this Murim world, escort agencies and bandits were inseparable. Bandits show up demanding tolls, the leader pays up quietly, and they move on.
"That's old news. These days, it's war."
"What changed?"
Hayoung explained. Yeah, it used to be like that—pay the toll and go. But then it fell apart. Simple reason: bandits were all scum-sucking leeches. They'd demand tolls multiple times on the same route, or after one group took the cash, another crew would ambush right after. Escorts got hit despite paying, so they demanded compensation from the bandits. But bandits take money—they don't give it back. No concept of "we manage the road since you paid." Just grab the cash and dip.
Obviously, no long-term business with those brain-dead fucks was sustainable, so the toll culture died, leaving only war.
"If they take tolls, they should maintain the road, right? Clear landslides, compensate for rogue bandits causing damage. But bandits got no common sense. They just scream for more coin, so this is what happens."
In the end, bandits lost their steady toll income and had to scrape by on straight robbery.
"Hmm... so escort agencies were the bandits' biggest patrons. Once the money dried up, bandits crumbled."
That boosted the escort business even more. In this Murim, only fighters claim their rights. No more tolls meant bigger agencies, more escorts, stronger combat power. They overwhelmed the fading bandits, cutting costs in a virtuous cycle.
"Huh, never thought of it that way. Fresh perspective, Geun-hyeop."
"Right? Hits different when you think about it."
They both nodded at my words.
"Ahh, my insight is something else."
Damn, I'm smart.
"Anyway, Flying Rakshasas or whatever—best to kill every bandit we see. Leaving them alive just breeds trouble."
"Yeah. You know how many bandits I've slaughtered so far? Kill 'em all day, every day—they never end. But keep at it, and we'll exterminate the bastards eventually."
Good.
"Let's decide: wipe out any bandits we spot. I'm not weak anymore. No mercy for those fucks."
"You've grown."
We were chatting like that while moving when—
"Ah!"
One of the escorts yelled.
"Flying Rakshasas!"
"Ack...!"
The guy who'd been scanning the skies fiercely. Everyone reacted instantly. We checked the sky too.
Flap!
Far off, a Flying Rakshasa circled, scouting the area... A real bird-man, wings for arms, wheeling like a hawk.
"Hey! Scout's here! It'll check us out and bring the main pack! We're prepping to run!"
The leader shouted, face drained of color.
"No need to panic that hard, escort leader. You've honed your skills against bandits, right? No reason to fear Flying Rakshasas."
"Those beggar bandits are worlds apart from these yokai! They fly and use martial arts—how the hell do we win? Please handle it!"
The leader rallied his escorts to flee. Then, the sky scout vanished. Bringing the main force soon, huh?
"Serin. You good?"
"Obviously. Even they have to come down to fight. Their beak strikes are nasty, but we've got something nastier right here."
Serin patted her sword.
"Heh heh, yeah. Hayoung, you're a Daoist anyway. You can pluck flying bastards easy."
"Kuk kuk, too obvious."
"But use it on my signal. Fireballs too early, and they might spot the Daoist and bail."
"Got it, got it. You've said it a million times."
Hayoung was key firepower, but we had to hold her back. Reveal a ranged attacker, and they'd scatter.
"Here they come!"
The leader yelled.
From the horizon, the Flying Rakshasa flock approached.
"We're out!"
The Cheongja idiots bolted, faces twisted in terror. They fled so fast, they seemed quicker than the flying yokai.
"Hmm. Wonder if Cheongja Escort Agency will even survive."
"Same."
Yeah, me too.
Whoosh!
The approaching Flying Rakshasas circled overhead.
"Kahaha! They all ran! Just three Murim fools left?"
"Hand over the cargo quietly!"
"Resist and die!"
"Kikikik! Resist or not, you're dead! We'll drag you up and tear you apart mid-air!"
The Flying Rakshasas mocked us, flapping their wings. They looked human-ish, but with torn mouths and fangs galore—total monsters. Ugly fuckers. But, ah—
Jiggle jiggle.
A few females mixed in, tits swollen and bouncy. Faces were hideous, but those racks were distractingly perky.
"Hey! Where you looking!"
"You pervert! Staring at yokai tits?!"
"No!"
Just sizing up the enemy!
Whoosh!
That instant, the Flying Rakshasas dove at us en masse.