Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Wangsimni Cowboy (2)
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Without a fridge, even in late winter, rotten meat and side dishes were everywhere you looked. No, it was worse in winter when people let their guard down.
I took the fresh meat I'd loaded onto Pony to Inspector Park Chaem of the Office of the Inspector General and offered it up, getting some of that rotten meat in exchange.
When Yi Ikjeong was Grand Inspector, I'd done a bit of snitching, which had soured things between me and Park Chaem. But he was thrilled this time.
He'd traded for it fair and square, so as an official of the Inspector General, he had nothing to feel guilty about.
I asked that favor of him in return and scored a full-month exemption from night watch duty in January. The rookies would suffer, but if they didn't like it, they could buy meat or get promoted.
The load on Pony was that spoiled meat. I soothed her grumbling about the stench and set off south again.
I left the capital before curfew and headed straight for the ranch without sightseeing.
As I'd considered when first setting up Chunsik Ranch, the area around the capital was crawling with tigers, and even Salgoti Ranch got hit by them now and then.
It was like a spot already marked on the map app as a popular eatery.
About ten years ago, even King Yeongjo got a report on it. "Unless the ranch is wiped out, don't bother me with every little thing." After that, no one reported anymore, but the raids kept coming.
Ever since acquiring the "Beast Blood Affinity" skill, I hadn't seen a single tiger myself.
Dogs and cats, though? I'd seen plenty trying to bite.
Like our neighbor Chowbok—I'd had to talk down the owner more than once who kept trying to beat him for causing trouble, then set him straight. I was basically the Dog Lord of Jangdong.
Cats were similar. Leveraging that they were in the same feline family and the tiger knowledge I'd picked up as survival basics, I mapped out the optimal route.
Then Pyo Cheolju took all the horses, leaving the empty Chunsik Ranch site—right by Salgoti Ranch—stinking of blood and meat scattered everywhere.
Eoji helped, but working like thieves in the dead of night was brutal.
When was the last time I'd handled this stuff myself? First time ever, I think.
Of course, I buried it shallow enough that no human would notice. The bloodstains were faint unless you were looking for them.
To a tiger, though, it was the surest signpost to a free buffet.
There was way more meat than any tiger—or even humans—could polish off, so it wouldn't satisfy them.
At first, I'd thought of tracking down a tiger somehow and negotiating to get my point across.
But no matter how I spun it, that was pure fantasy.
Just because it speaks Korean doesn't mean you'd walk naked into a cannibal killer's den to haggle.
So I went with this classic method. Luckily, my skills had boosted the precision from all that accumulated experience and knowledge.
I'd brought my bow and waited, but as expected, it wouldn't happen overnight.
I wandered around practicing mounted archery—my first time ever—for a bit.
Thankfully, I confirmed Lee Seonggye was damn good with a bow even on horseback.
I crashed in the ruined warehouse of the wrecked Chunsik Ranch and headed back with Eoji the next day.
Then I just kept at my work quietly.
Until the fifteenth of the first month, my one day off night watch, when Pyo Cheolju came charging in again in a panic.
Salgoti Ranch was a disaster when I got there—nearly as bad as Chunsik Ranch.
It was much bigger than Chunsik, but a tiger's power dwarfs a human's. The fences looked like they'd taken cannon fire.
Pyo Cheolju spoke like he could barely hold back laughter.
"Just as you predicted, sire—a calamity struck. Heaven's will is vast and profound, beyond mortal ken."
"Watch your mouth. No injuries on their side?"
"My apologies. One horse got taken, and two men holding torches against it were killed. No relation, but they were the cocky ones from before."
"Tch."
"Damn my loose tongue."
I scolded Pyo Cheolju, but I didn't feel much responsibility for the deaths—it was as good as my doing.
They'd abused their power to trespass on private property and, worse, commoners had insulted nobles to their faces.
Like Yi Geon-myeong who blabbed to the envoy, "Our king's a eunuch," and died naturally—it was a crime that would've gotten them killed on the spot if they weren't the king's men.
They were dead from that moment.
Of course, I'm the one ray of modern light in this brutal pre-modern hell.
I wanted Salgoti Ranch wrecked, not deliberate murder.
But if they died? Couldn't be helped. Their fate, their fault. Same as those Yi Bang brothers in Mokcheon County back then.
"What do you think?"
Pyo Cheolju got it instantly.
"The ranch hands will petition the Board of Agriculture via the Privy Council and request troops."
No matter how busy the central army was guarding their turf, when the king's private property got hit, they had to show up (they're the ones raiding commoners' property).
I'd asked the military man just in case, but yeah—standard procedure was dispatching troops, even temporarily. I nodded.
Then I handed out the food I'd brought to the ranch hands, who looked like war refugees.
"No time to waste, but eat something first. The living must live on."
The arrogant crab gang minions were moved by my no-strings generosity.
"Sniff... We were so rude before, and now you bestow such grace again..."
"Even us lowly scum can't hold our heads up in shame!"
Even Pyo Cheolju got solemn.
"This is what the classics call conquering evil with virtue. Shameful, how I plotted to club you from behind in some dark alley."
Truly pathetic. That's why you're a thug—can't see past your nose.
I grumbled as I toured the ranch under the pretense of checking on people.
And I comforted the surviving horses, cows, and dogs, building rapport.
Thanks to the skill's empathy, I even showed top-tier 21st-century animal rights sensitivity.
You poor things, suffering under lousy owners. Hang in there.
Soon you'll need me to survive.
Kim Seong-eung was still drillmaster thanks to impressing Yeongjo during the alcohol ban (my doing).
Yeongjo finally took it seriously after deaths and dispatched the Training Command to Salgoti.
Not sending weaklings first to feed the tigers levels—no, straight to Joseon's elite.
A stance other failed demon kings should emulate.
But drillmaster Kim Seong-eung was tearing his hair out trying to meet expectations.
Asking market vendors to hunt tigers? Fair enough gripe.
I went to him and said,
"The dead hands were close to my ranch too—I'm furious. Let me join the expedition, even as a civilian hanger-on, to avenge them against this beast invading royal land."
"Hmm. With Kim Chunsik of Mokcheon—who shot a great tiger dead in one—the troops' morale will soar."
Kim Seong-eung agreed readily, adding,
"But a Inspector General man can't just tag along as civilian. I'll clear it ahead—if you've got nimble servants at home, bring 'em. That... bull-horn-plucking business of yours?"
I got his hint immediately. Not about Eoji.
Training Command alone wouldn't cut it, so deploy Joseon's classic "privatization" skill—recruit hunters.
I only knew "loyalty," so private army didn't cross my mind, but yeah, drillmaster seats aren't won at backgammon.
I happily emptied my pockets for seven or eight hunters. Orders from the drillmaster—who could refuse?
If it kept Salgoti's nuisances away, it was worth more than money.
This era didn't have a standing tiger-hunting unit called Tiger Catchers.
Central garrisons handled it—hence Training Command.
When needed, they'd pull soldiers for a Tiger Hunt Brigade and appoint a general. This time, it was an unexpected heavyweight: Yi Juguk, descendant of King Jeong (that guy?).
Royal blood meant little now, but the man himself mattered.
Joseon's first martial officer appointed to the Treasury's Left Auditor—and only in his thirties, elite fast-track even among warriors.
Proof of real skill and connections.
Yi Juguk met me at Salgoti like old pals.
"When I went to Japan as envoy, Chief Envoy Hong Gyehui talked you up plenty. Bold in national crisis, body be damned—how fierce are you on paper? Court scholars must be shaking!"
"Too kind. I've heard of your valor from my uncle the War Minister plenty—seeing you, a true hero's aura."
I'd never heard of him from Hong Gyehui. Probably mutual.
But that's Joseon greetings. Like modern networking, right?
With formalities done, we slid into strategy talk.
Civilian leading ops? Backed by drillmaster and War Minister.
Plus, I had experience none of these hundreds of soldiers could match.
"Heard His Majesty treasures that prime tiger pelt you got as Mokcheon magistrate. You're solid backup. Spill any secrets."
Amid officers' admiring stares (a couple from Songpa Dock?), I humbly demurred.
"Embarrassing, but if commanded: Lay lots of traps first."
"Sound advice."
Hunting isn't charging in for a heroic shot.
Even pros rarely get that. Combat aside, how do you find beasts?
From rabbits to bears, traps are basics. My common-sense pitch landed.
21st or 18th century, armies spend most time on what?
Not drills—labor, aka digging.
Training Command dove into their specialty with roars, grabbing shovels. Safe work.
I'd targeted materials for pitfalls, snares, pitfalls.
Sourced from Salgoti, naturally—they're here to defend it. Gotta show effort.
Overages from work? My hunters' laborers "diverted" them.
But military merit needs impact.
Plan: Trap the ranch, dawn torches and gongs to drive tigers in.
Salgoti regulars—we knew their paths.
Seoul Tiger Hunters sallied bravely on perfect plan.
I felt solid.
Unlike unprepared Mokcheon.
Then, just a pelt—now, endless derivative schemes.
My plot, my payoff.
I mounted Pony, scheming post-hunt biz, and activated skills.
First time combo-activating actives in real combat. Like Double King's fusion power surging inside.
Just a figure of speech.
No flashy effects, sadly.
I advanced with troops, looking unchanged.
Our plan worked—mostly.
The wrinkle: Not just tiger, but "tiger and kids."
Population center here? Why am I watching National Geographic's Wangsimni Mysteries?
Great tiger leading like a fleeing king, deer, boars, rabbits, everything in primate panic wave-attack to the plains.
We went all-out to turn leader from Founder to Injo.
But fleeing kings have rearguards.
Not guarding tiger—just pissed—a couple huge boars wheeled, snorting.
Training troops paled even at dawn.
Boars tigers don't mess with lightly.
Unlike modern urbanites, Joseon folk knew from scars: Less power, more ferocity.
Elite unit still—my hunters calmly reloaded, inspiring them to pour powder. Some gulped bullets in haste.
Tried affinity, but no dice here.
Duh—enemy soldiers won't surrender sweetly on battlefield.
One boar took seven-eight shots (my hunters nine-tenths hits) to drop; other fled into pitfall, raging.
Others caught bullets or traps. Some troops broke for loot, but Yi Juguk held decently.
Solo tiger circled, bolted back to ranch.
Dodged traps—spirit-worthy—but that's endgame.
Ranch "anvil" waited with spears, guns.
Yi Juguk yelled in glee.
"Perfect—herded! Troops, charge harder!"
Agreed. Tiger hits line, our "hammer" strikes—done. Total Injo at Namhansanseong.
Human wisdom: Hammer-and-anvil, ancient greats' fave...
Anvil shattered spectacularly.
What? Injo didn't botch like that.
Troops fired, sure. But big beasts don't drop to one-two shots. Boar proved it.
That's why elites have blades—but these were Greenpeace embeds.
Foaming tiger smashed stockade; time travelers calmly ditched weapons, warped escape fields.
"Save us!"
Training Command's mystic flight outruns humans, most beasts.
Elites busy fleeing too—tiger ignored them.
Horses, cows who'd trusted humans fled everyway, just as I'd "taught" during relief.
Good prep for worst-case Training Command flop—and it was worse.
Hammer-anvil architect Tiger General Yi Juguk raged.
"You idiots! What the hell? Cavalry, charge and shoot it!"
Cav had excuses.
"H-horses panicked, sir!"
"Chasing tiger seems..."
I sighed beside him.
How'd they beat Yi In-jo rebels?
Wordless, I yanked reins.
"W-wait, where? You can't!"
Yi Juguk chased to save face—no tiger fodder on his watch.
But Pony outpaced easy.
Unlike rank-and-file needing orders, she grokked me.
No accel/decel waste—pure autonomous.
Prime horse too; his yells Dopplered away.
Pure speed, unloaded tiger faster.
But it'd run forever, zigzagging wary—panting, spent.
Why me? I could bail if needed.
Lower body to Seongjong, upper to Taejo.
Seongjong first: Bit timed. Saddle snug but comfy, waist bounces rhythm. Not theory—understanding horse wants.
Then Taejo: My frame ignores fatigue, draws bow brutally. Three days' DOMS incoming.
Prepped right—or workout payoff—no Mokcheon crisis.
Arrow pierced instinctive-glaring tiger's eye, scrambled brain.
Dropped like cut-string puppet, done.
Dawn sun rose over Wangsimni, beaming dramatically.
Perfect for "loyal vassal who, despite king's oppression, stepped up selflessly in royal crisis, solving woes."
1. Yi Juguk's envoy and Treasury experience are factual; no record of him as Tiger General.
2. Annals record Salgoti tiger raids twice in Yeongjo 16th and 32nd years alone—clearly frequent. Side note: Earlier, Yeongjo ordered illegal builds around ranch razed (vendors fleecing it?), maybe fate?