Chapter 103
Chapter 103
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Flying Bear Stronghold (3)
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"We clearly paid the toll to Black Bone Stronghold and received their mark. Do you intend to break the rules?"
"We have no intention of breaking the rules, but we're even less inclined to accept a fake mark."
"Fake? We got this straight from the chief of Black Bone Stronghold."
"As I said before, this mark is fake. It should be yellow, not red. You know what that means, don't you?"
"W-What...?"
Gwan Jiheung felt like the sky was crashing down at the mention of yellow instead of red. Now he understood why Deung Jagun was calling the mark fake.
"Did Black Bone Stronghold give us the wrong mark?"
"How should I know? Maybe it was a simple mistake, or maybe they were trying to screw you over. Either way, the mark is wrong. So we need to collect the agreed-upon toll. Of course, if you'd rather not, there are other options."
Deung Jagun smirked and tapped the sword at his side.
His expression suggested he hoped they'd resist rather than pay quietly.
"So what about Black Bone Stronghold's mistake? Are we just supposed to swallow it?"
"Go complain to them—why ask me? It's their screw-up, so if they have any shame, they'll cough up compensation. If not, take it up with the Yangtze River Alliance headquarters. There's precedent, so you might get something."
He didn't seem too confident as he spoke.
Bandits coughing up money they'd already pocketed? Fat chance. Gwan Jiheung harbored no such hopes.
"Don't look so scared. Pay the reasonable toll, and we won't lay a finger on you."
No sooner had Deung Jagun finished than Gwanghae stepped forward, swinging his wolf fang mace menacingly as he bellowed.
"But if you try any cheap tricks, you'd better be ready. I'll smash your skull."
The whoosh of the mace thickened the already tense air on the deck into something murderous.
"Captain, let's finish our talk. Oh, and who's the owner of this ship?"
A middle-aged man stepped forward slowly at Deung Jagun's question.
"Not the owner, but I'm representing the Namgyeong Merchant Association."
"Ah, a Namgyeong trading vessel. Haha! I know some folks from your group, but you're a new face. Anyway, we're on pretty friendly terms with your association, so don't worry—just come with us. No need to make a fuss."
Deung Jagun led the captain and the middle-aged man aside, and with Gwanghae in the lead, the bandits began their work in earnest. As if already instructed, they ignored the merchants and escorts, targeting only the travelers' pockets.
"Do we have to pay too, boss?"
Cheol Woo asked quietly, his calm voice laced with irritation.
"Shh! We agreed to play it quiet. Just close your eyes and pay."
Man Chu's brazen grumbling earned a blank stare from Cheol Woo, who irritably tapped Noe Jeon's shoulder.
"Hey, handle it yourself."
Noe Jeon took one look at Cheol Woo's face and figured complaining wouldn't end well, so he nodded without argument and tossed some silver into the bag a bandit held out.
"You little shit!"
"Let it go. Looks like he wants to save face. That big lug too. They think they're hot stuff. Hey, friends, don't get cocky. You might end up dead. Heh heh heh!"
The bandits glared daggers at his rude attitude but let it slide with a mocking laugh, satisfied with the amount.
"You did that on purpose, right? To bait them into picking a fight."
Noe Jeon shrugged and shook his head at Man Chu's question.
"No way."
"Liar. Anyone could see..."
"Both of you, shut it. Things are about to get interesting."
Cheol Woo silenced Noe Jeon and Man Chu, his gaze fixed on the stern of the deck. He watched with keen interest as the bandits approached the women they'd been eyeing moments before.
The bandits froze mid-stride toward the women.
Gwanghae, who had noticed them the moment they boarded, had called off his men.
"Well, well! I had no idea such lovely ladies were aboard this humble ship."
Gwanghae's face, mimicking a friendly neighborhood uncle, was filled with lechery.
Where did these bitches come from?
Though half their faces were veiled with cloth, it was obvious they were no ordinary beauties. Especially the one in the center—she stood out like a crane among chickens. Her slender figure, jade-like forehead, straight moth brows, and crystal-clear eyes made his loins stir involuntarily.
"Unnie."
The woman on the far left signaled with her eyes, and the one beside her offered a silver ingot.
As one bandit reached for it, Gwanghae kicked him away.
"Who told you to butt in, you idiot?"
"S-Sorry!"
"Scram."
The bandit recoiled at Gwanghae's feral glare and backed off.
"Regrettably, ladies, you'll have to come with us for a bit."
"What do you mean by that?"
The woman who had signaled for the toll asked coldly.
"No particular meaning. Just need to check a few things."
"Check what, exactly?"
"Our chief was ambushed recently by an all-female assassin group. What were they called... right, Crimson Moon Corps."
It was bullshit. Gwanghae had made it up on the spot—no ambush, no Crimson Moon Corps.
"That has nothing to do with us."
"The courtesans who secretly aided them said the same at first. Don't worry, it won't take long. Once we confirm you're not connected to Crimson Moon Corps, we'll let you go right away. We can even escort you to your destination if you like."
As he spoke, Gwanghae's eyes roamed over their bodies.
Feeling his gaze, fury flickered across the women's faces, and contempt gleamed in the eyes of the one speaking to him.
"We decline your offer."
"Offer? Why would you think it's an offer?"
Gwanghae grinned darkly and continued.
"Consider it an order."
"We refuse that too."
The woman dismissed it as worthless.
"Confident in your martial arts, I see."
Gwanghae's lip curled skyward in clear mockery.
"I'll admit, you look skilled. But you don't think you can take us all in this cramped ship, do you?"
"If you want, I can prove it."
Even the woman who had kept her composure shifted into a hostile stance.
"Good. I like that confidence."
Gwanghae laughed derisively and shouted to his gathered men.
"What are you waiting for? She wants to prove it. Give her what she wants."
At his command, the bandits cheered and charged.
"Argh!"
A chilling scream erupted from the bandit racing toward the women with the swiftest movements.
He collapsed limply, his neck twisted halfway around—clearly snapped.
"W-What the hell?"
"You crazy bitch!"
"Rip her legs off, the whore!"
The mood shifted instantly. Even lusting after their beauty couldn't override the sight of a comrade crumpling before their eyes. The bandits' eyes went bloodshot.
Spitting curses, they swung their blades wildly.
The atmosphere grew so vicious that Gwanghae's brow furrowed.
These idiots have no sense.
He worried the women might get hurt. A few dead underlings were no big deal, but injuring the women was unacceptable.
"Ease up..."
Mid-warning not to harm them, Gwanghae gaped as his men's heads soared into the air.
What...?
For a moment, he couldn't process the scene. But the screams, shouts, and curses snapping him back to reality.
"Fall back!"
Gwanghae swung his wolf fang mace and charged the woman.
Unlike his brutish looks, his movements were blindingly fast and powerful for a mere bandit.
The woman's sword, which had slain seven bandits in the blink of an eye, met its first block.
She showed a flicker of surprise at the parry but quickly seized the initiative.
"Whoa! I figured as much, but she's way better than expected."
Cheol Woo exclaimed repeatedly at the woman relentlessly pressing Gwanghae.
How did such explosive power come from that delicate frame? She dominated him in strength, technique—everything.
"Aren't they total morons? If you're gonna be a bandit, at least know who to mess with. Those women screamed 'touch at your peril' from a mile away."
Cheol Woo scoffed at Noe Jeon's deadpan remark.
"Not something for you to say, the one who was ogling them. Pretty girls like that fry the brain. And these are bandits who don't give a damn about appearances—lust blinded them, so what could they see straight?"
"That's why they're ending up like this."
Man Chu sighed, pointing at the fallen bandits.
At the stern, beyond the first batch the woman cut down, over a dozen more lay dead.
When the lead woman was stalled by Gwanghae, the others stepped in. They didn't go all-out, merely repelling attackers, but their skill was so superior that every bandit who lunged died.
"Ho, the boss finally shows? Bit late for all this commotion."
Cheol Woo remarked as Deung Jagul charged like a primal beast, radiating raw killing intent.
The woman who had tried to hand over the silver ingot to protect her comrades from a pincer attack intercepted him.
A fierce clash of metal rang out!
The victor was clear in an instant.
Deung Jagul wielded his twin axes freely, his momentum like a storm. The woman withstood it bodily—like a lamp in the wind. She blocked without major injury so far, but teetered on the brink.
"She won't last long. Could be fatal if she's not careful."
Noe Jeon said gravely, watching the fight.
"Who? Her?"
Cheol Woo asked playfully.
"Yes."
"Won't happen, so relax. The one who should worry is the clown swinging those axes like an amateur."
"You see the situation and still say that? It'll be over in two or three moves, tops."
"If it goes the distance, sure. But it won't."
Noe Jeon opened his mouth to call it vague nonsense—
"She's moving."
Cheol Woo clamped it shut, his playful tone gone, expression deadly serious.