Jade Flower Sword Nangong Serin #2
That female knight's image lingered in my mind. A beauty with a style similar to my aunt's. But Aunt never wore such a seductive smile. Hell, I'd never even seen her smile. And her chest wasn't that big either. Still, Okhwa Geom Nangong Serin's looks were more than enough to stir up my nostalgia... I missed Aunt. I missed her embrace. Up until middle school, I'd slept in her arms, after all.
"Okhwa Geom Nangong Serin, huh... I think I saw her on the way here."
"Kuk kuk. Anyway, you're probably wondering why Okhwa Geom came here."
He didn't even believe I'd seen her.
"No, I really did see her."
"Show me then..."
"Show you what, you punk? Heh heh heh. Anyway, I'm curious why Okhwa Geom came here. Why'd she come?"
Jae Mi-son grabbed a dumpling and chewed it slowly as he spoke.
"Word is, some kind of labyrinth was discovered... She's probably here gathering ronin to deal with it."
"What? Labyrinth?"
What the hell? A labyrinth?
"A labyrinth was found? What kind? Don't tell me they dug up Qin Shi Huang's tomb or something?"
"As if... You're truly the knight I acknowledge. You don't even know about this."
"Ah, come on! Tell me quick!"
"Kik... I could go for some dumplings."
Damn, this bastard!
"Waiter! One order of dumplings here!"
"Right away!"
The moment I ordered, Jae Mi-son grinned.
"A labyrinth is... a space that's been transformed into another realm by a ghost gate."
"What, ghost gate?"
Come to think of it, I'd heard the term ghost gate before. I glanced at Jae Mi-son's face, and he reacted with utter disbelief.
"Kim Geun-hyeop, what the hell do you even know...?"
"Myself."
"You're definitely not right in the head... Kuk kuk. A ghost gate is a gate to hell. A passage for hell's demons to cross over."
What the...?
"Sometimes spaces exposed to hell's energy cause strange phenomena... Hell itself is another realm to begin with... So it's only natural for the present world to get distorted by hell's power."
"No way!"
But damn, this was fascinating as hell.
"Jae Mi-son, you bastard, why are you so damn smart?! You sound so intellectual! Were you always this smart?!"
"Kik..."
Jae Mi-son chuckled ominously, downed his liquor, and grabbed a dumpling. The more I looked at this guy, the smarter he seemed. Had he rolled around in the murim world for so long? He knew every scrap of info out there. Sure, he carried that weird weapon, but unlike Song-ssi, he had his own respectable qualities.
Speaking of which, hell and ghost gates. So when they said the Horse Demon King crossed over from hell, it wasn't a metaphor—it was literal. Anyway, when hell connects to the present world, weird shit happens, and labyrinths like that pop up.
"Anyway, when something like a labyrinth appears, you gotta deal with it fast. Hell's power will erode the surroundings otherwise."
"And all sorts of creepy crap starts happening."
"That's how the Yuan Dynasty fell..."
"Koke Temur?"
"You know that one..."
"Yuan's Heavenly Horse, right? Heard he held off the Horse Demon King's invasion."
"But he lost in the end..."
We drank while chatting about that stuff. It was plenty fun, but I couldn't help thinking it'd be even better with Song-ssi here. I imagined Jae Mi-son and Song-ssi flanking me, arms around my shoulders as we belted out songs and partied. It was such a perfect scene that it made me worship Song-ssi even more habitually.
I worship you, Song-ssi.
The next day, I met Jae Mi-son early and headed to the Dahoebang together. If it was true that Okhwa Geom was recruiting ronin for the labyrinth raid, she'd definitely come here. I planned to join the labyrinth raid with Jae Mi-son.
"A labyrinth raid."
It sounded insanely dangerous, but I couldn't pass up the chance.
"Kuk kuk, you aren't scared, are you?"
"Hell no. I'm in, no question."
Absolutely doing it.
"Heard yesterday that not just Okhwa Geom, but Nangong Family combat troops came down too. Means we'd fight alongside them, right? I could get a good look at their martial arts. That'd lead to my growth. Gotta do it."
I kept thinking it, but to survive in this murim world, you had to grow nonstop. I'd gained experience slaying stray ghosts and killed the High Buddha tribes' chief to take his yokai core, boosting my inner power. That alone changed my murim life drastically. No more slaving away at Dahoebang odd jobs. Get stronger like this, and you rake in bigger money, eat better food. Slack off, and you'd get weeded out by bandit scum. I'd use this labyrinth raid to boost my skills further—overcoming dangers, testing my limits.
"Kik... As expected of the knight I acknowledge. A bit weird, but worth hanging with."
"That's my line, punk. Heh heh."
"Kuk kuk."
"Who the hell's weirder than you? Hey, we're here."
Bantering with Jae Mi-son, we arrived at Dahoebang. But right away, I sensed the buzz—something was definitely up. We headed straight inside.
"Warriors willing to join the labyrinth raid, come this way! We need lots of ronin! Preference for those with labyrinth raid experience!"
Warriors in black martial robes were shouting.
"...Whoa."
They looked strong as hell at a glance. Uniform outfits too, with the same emblem embroidered on their chests and backs. That must be the Nangong Family combat unit. And at their center stood the beauty I'd seen yesterday.
"That's Okhwa Geom...!"
"No way."
"What a beauty."
"A heavenly fairy."
"One of the Murim's Four Beauties!"
Ronin everywhere pretended to listen to the family warriors while sneaking peeks at Okhwa Geom. She was that captivating. Even Jae Mi-son stared, and as I looked at Okhwa Geom too, our eyes met.
"...!"
I whipped my head away fast!
"A labyrinth has appeared! Warriors of justice and chivalry, come join us! Basic pay plus special bonuses based on achievements!"
I focused more on what the family warriors were shouting than on Okhwa Geom. She planned to raid the labyrinth with her family's combat unit and a bunch of ronin. That was more than squad-sized. Big numbers meant the raid was that dangerous. But the rewards would be sweet too. I raised my hand right away.
"Question about the special bonuses! How much exactly?!"
"Two silver taels for slaying a Baekpal Yogyo-level yokai demon! We'll review contributions and pay accordingly!"
Two silvers for soloing a yokai stronger than the High Buddha chief. Grab one and get two—decent? Based on my experience butchering the chief solo, Jae Mi-son and I teaming up could take one down easy.
"Got it! What about a Jungwon Hyuak Ssal-level yokai?!"
"Huh? Jungwon Hyuak Ssal?"
The warriors conferred briefly. Then suddenly, Okhwa Geom stepped forward.
"Okhwa Geom!"
"Okhwa Geom!"
"Okhwa Geom!"
The ronin cheered as she advanced.
"Mentioning a Jungwon Hyuak Ssal... How bold."
Her voice held no emotion.
"Well, you went straight for it."
But why? It was utterly beautiful.
"This labyrinth is estimated to be newly formed, so I doubt anything that strong is inside. But if such a being appears and you contribute to its defeat, I shall grant a worthy reward. In the name of this Okhwa Geom. Any other questions?"
"No. None."
I shook my head, and Okhwa Geom stared straight at me with a faint smile.
Gah...! Her beauty's destructive power was too much!
"J-Jae Mi-son. Isn't this the kind of thing the imperial army handles? Seems big—why's a family doing it?"
"Kuk kuk, as if the army has the spare manpower."
"No spare manpower?"
"They outsource most stuff to sects and families... The Ming Emperor's busy fighting demons, no slack... That's why sects and families control regions and basically rule them..."
Oh, right. Made sense. I'd thought it was weird too. Why would an emperor with Hyeon-gyeong absolute experts let armed noble houses run wild? Turns out, demons tied up their forces, so it was like tacit territory approval. Pay taxes right, and no interference. Pre-modern admin couldn't cover China-sized land anyway, especially with yokai rampaging. No wonder sects and families grew huge.
My knowledge grew.
"Supporters, form a line!"
Daily pay for the labyrinth raid was 100 copper coins a day—basic wage throughout the contract, plus combat bonuses, and merit rewards after review.
"Jae Mi-son, no brainer. We're joining. Labyrinth experience will level up our skills."
"Kik... As expected of my acknowledged knight. Agreed. And if we're lucky, treasure too."
"Treasure? Tell me later."
We lined up side by side, showed our tags when our turn came, and signed with the Nangong Family. Told to prepare properly since we'd head to the labyrinth tomorrow. Pack enough food for days, just in case. After contracting, we hung around Dahoebang for more info.
"Didn't expect to see you again, young hero."
Okhwa Geom approached and spoke to me!
"Oh, Lady Okhwa Geom!"
Up close, she was about 10cm shorter than me. But those massively protruding breasts pressed at me hard.
"You can call me Fairy Lady like usual."
"No, we just met yesterday, but you talk like we've known each other forever!"
What?! Okhwa Geom talking to me...! I was insanely tense!
"Fufu, no need to be so tense. As you said, beauty is blameless—and being captivated by it is no sin either."
She quoted my words from yesterday right back at me with a slight smile.
"Ugh... Wise words indeed. No sin in being captivated, so I'll let myself get more hooked. Anyway, what brings you to me, Fairy Lady Okhwa Geom?"
"Just... a bit interested, so I came."
Interested?!
"No way! I don't know where to put myself, Fairy Lady!"
Interest's sparking in me too!
"My interest... Surely an honor for your house. Fufu."
But she seemed to have a bit of princess syndrome.
"By the way."
"Yes?"
"For a ronin, you have fairly solid inner power."