What the Hell Are You?
I narrowed my eyes at the man staring me down. “You… who the hell are you?”
“Me? Just the owner of a perfectly ordinary dojo.”
“……”
Gwak Daewoong, the leader of the Black Wind Bandit Camp, frowned as he studied me. He had the massive build of a bear and a face so vicious it could scare someone at a glance. His appearance matched the name Gwak Daewoong perfectly.
I was currently sitting inside the leader’s quarters at the heart of the Black Wind Bandit Camp. The room was fairly spacious, with walls made of thick logs. True to the bandit aesthetic, several menacing blades hung ominously along one wall. Behind me stood Namgung Hyun and his escort.
Honestly, I hadn’t expected them to tag along. We’d only just met, after all. But when I reached the mountain stronghold, the pair had followed me the whole way—holding their unsheathed swords like a couple of sad puppies.
What the—? Why did you follow me all the way here?
You took my scabbard. You have to give it back.
Ah.
I’d snapped at him earlier and said I’d borrow it a little longer. I figured even if he refused, there wasn’t much he could do to me. In the end, Namgung Hyun had simply trailed after me.
Walking into a bandit den on your own might seem like a stupid decision. But when you think about it, the safest place is usually right next to the strongest person around. These two had already seen a glimpse of my power. They’d probably decided this was their best option.
“I heard you beat up more than ten of my men.”
“Beat up sounds a little harsh. Let’s call it self-defense.”
“……”
Killing intent flared in his eyes at my answer. Of course, it didn’t feel like a threat at all. He continued in a calm voice.
“It seems you don’t understand your current situation. Have you still not realized you’ve walked straight into the tiger’s den?”
“……”
“You injured my subordinates and you expect me to just let it slide? That’s a foolish thought.”
His gaze drifted toward the blades hanging on the wall. Looked like he was trying to intimidate me.
“Tiger’s den, huh… So you think you’re the tiger?”
“Compared to you, yes.”
“Really?”
I slowly reached out toward the blades his eyes had fixed on.
“What are you doing? You think the swords are just going to fly into your hand or some—”
His words cut off mid-sentence. One of the blades that had been hanging quietly on the wall really had flown straight into my grasp. At the same time, a startled “Hup!” came from behind me.
“Wha… what…?”
“Go on. Finish what you were saying.”
I toyed with the sword in my hand while looking at him. But no answer came. Gwak Daewoong’s mouth hung wide open, frozen in place. For a long moment, only silence filled the room.
“Why aren’t you talking?”
“Ah, y-yes! I’m sorry!”
“Sit down. It’s hard to look up at you like this.”
“Understood!”
The way he shot up from his chair and sat back down had a strange military precision to it. I hadn’t even done anything—why was he so terrified?
“Are you scared of me?”
“N-no, not at all!”
“Then what is it? Relax your face.”
“S-sorry!”
“And lower your voice. It’s hurting my ears.”
“Y-yes.”
People really do listen better once you scold them a little.
“Anyway, I came here because I have something to ask you.”
“Ask me anything you like!”
“Do you know the Five Dragon Society?”
At the name, confusion spread across his face.
“The Five Dragon Society… what is that?”
“A bunch of thugs who extort money from merchants. You really don’t know?”
“No. This is the first I’m hearing of it.”
What? I was sure those guys had claimed the Black Wind Bandit Camp was backing them. Were they lying, or was he playing dumb?
“Those bastards were running their mouths saying the Black Wind Bandit Camp had their backs.”
“……!”
Suddenly, something seemed to click. His eyes lit up.
“D-did the leader have a large scar across his face?”
“Yeah. Big knife scar right across his mug.”
“And he was really huge, right?”
“That too.”
“Were his subordinates all really skinny?”
“What? You said you didn’t know them. Sounds like you know everything.”
He let out a long sigh before continuing.
“Those guys were expelled from our Black Wind Bandit Camp.”
“Huh?”
“Exactly as I said. They made a serious mistake and were kicked out.”
“So all that talk about the Black Wind Bandit Camp backing them was just hot air?”
“Pretty much. I had no idea what they were up to after we threw them out. So they were shaking down merchants, huh.”
Now that I knew the truth, it all felt anticlimactic. I’d come all this way ready to smash the place if the bandit camp really was behind them. Turns out they were just some washed-up rejects using the camp’s name to scare people.
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Tell me about it.”
I tossed the sword onto the table with a clatter and stood up. There was no reason to stick around anymore.
“Oh, right. Gwak Daewoong, was it?”
“Y-yes!”
“Those Five Dragon Society punks? You take care of them properly.”
“M-me?”
“Yeah. Actually, never mind. Just handle anyone who’s bothering merchants from now on.”
“Why should I…”
“Because if you don’t, I’ll kill you. That work for you?”
“I will do my absolute best.”
“Good. I’m counting on you.”
I turned around without hesitation. Namgung Hyun and his escort, who had been standing behind me, caught my eye.
“……”
“……”
“……?”
What? Why are you looking at me like that? It’s like you’re staring at some exotic artifact…
I walked between them and left the room.
As soon as we were completely out of the bandit stronghold, Namgung Hyun’s eyes sparkled as he latched onto me.
“Just who are you really?”
“I keep telling you, I’m just the owner of an ordinary dojo.”
“No way. How can an ordinary dojo owner do something like that? You just reached out and the sword flew right into your hand… That’s either telekinesis or sword control. There’s nothing ordinary about it!”
“If I say I’m ordinary, then I’m ordinary.”
“That doesn’t even make sen—”
“Young Master.”
At that moment, Namgung Hyun’s escort stepped in front of him. Namgung Hyun looked like he wanted to say something, but after a quick glance at the escort’s face, he shut his mouth.
“This is getting out of hand.”
“B-but…”
“This person clearly wants to live a normal life. Whether he’s a retired master or whatever else, we have no right to disturb that peace.”
Huh? Retired master? What is this guy talking about?
“I-is that so…?”
“It is. All we need to do is retrieve the scabbard and leave.”
“Alright. If Escort Jang says so, then that’s what we’ll do.”
Having calmed Namgung Hyun down, Escort Jang turned to me, bowed deeply, and expressed his gratitude.
“Thank you for saving us from those bandits today, Benefactor. I will never forget this kindness.”
“Ah, sure.”
“You may speak comfortably with me.”
“Haha, no, that wouldn’t be right. I can’t speak casually to someone older than me.”
“So that’s how you see it!”
See it? This guy was definitely convinced I was someone who had undergone rejuvenation. He probably thought my real age was close to a hundred.
“No, I’m really not even thirty yet—”
“I will keep that in mind.”
“……”
Fine. Let him misunderstand. It’s not like it’ll cause any big problems.
“Sigh. Here’s your scabbard.”
I tossed the scabbard to Namgung Hyun. He nearly fumbled it several times before finally catching it.
“By the way, what brings someone from the Namgung Clan all the way out here?”
The Namgung Clan was based in Anhui Province, while we were in Jiangsu Province right next door. Even though they were neighbors, the Central Plains were vast, so the distance was still considerable.
“We were heading to Hebei for the Dragon Phoenix Conference in two months.”
“The Dragon Phoenix Conference?”
“Yes. Traveling by boat along the Grand Canal is much more comfortable than going by land.”
The Dragon Phoenix Conference. In the murim, it was a kind of festival and tournament where the young geniuses competed in martial arts and built connections. Of course, while they called it “building connections,” it was really just a stage for everyone to show off how amazing they were.
“You’re planning to participate?”
“Of course!”
“You?”
“Yes?”
“Tsk… Are you serious?”
“……”
Namgung Hyun’s face darkened slightly. Well, what could I say? It was the truth.
“I’m joking.”
“R-really?”
His face brightened again. It was only half a joke, though. His current realm was at the entry level of first-class. Considering his clan’s status, it wasn’t that impressive, but it was still quite high for his age. He wouldn’t be respected for it, but he wouldn’t be looked down on either.
“Young Master. We should get going soon.”
“Ah, already?”
“Yes. We need to leave now if we want to make it in time for the boat.”
Even though he looked reluctant, Namgung Hyun turned around.
“I guess it can’t be helped. It would be nice if we could meet again on the way back. You said you were the owner of a dojo, right?”
“That’s right.”
“What’s the name of your dojo?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“I’d like to visit you later.”
“Baekun Dojo.”
“Thank you. I’ll definitely come find you.”
With those final words, he turned fully and set off down the road. Escort Jang also gave me one last bow before following after him.
Guess I should head back to the dojo too.
Unlike these two, I had no intention of sending my disciples to the Dragon Phoenix Conference. With their skills, they’d easily crush every participant. And if that happened, their master—me—would end up dealing with an absolute nightmare of annoyance. That was unacceptable.
If my disciples found out about the Dragon Phoenix Conference, they’d definitely beg me to let them go. So my perfect plan was to make sure they never even heard about it.
In a secluded alley that hardly anyone ever visited, an old beggar was rummaging through a pile of trash. His clothes were so ragged it was hard to tell they had ever been wearable, and his hair stuck out wildly in every direction. His skin was covered in layers of grime so thick it looked like he hadn’t washed in months. Seven knots dangled from the waist of his tattered robe.
“Hmmm…”
The old man picked something out of the trash, examined it carefully, then tossed it aside and went back to digging. That was when it happened.
“Elder!”
A young beggar came running toward the old man who was still sorting through garbage. He sounded urgent.
The old man was one of the four elders of the Beggars’ Sect—one of the highest positions in the organization, right below the leader and his successor.
“Hm? What is it?”
The young beggar stopped in front of him, caught his breath for a moment, then spoke.
“It’s about the owner of that Baekun Dojo.”
“Kang Juhyun? What did that guy do this time?”
“Yes. He went to the Black Wind Bandit Camp.”
“What?”
Shock flashed across the old man’s face for a moment.
“Didn’t he turn the Five Dragon Society upside down just yesterday? And now he’s gone to the Black Wind Bandit Camp?”
“Yes. And I saw him go in with Namgung Hyun and come back out unharmed.”
“Namgung Hyun? Why was that young man with him?”
“I’m not entirely sure.”
“……”
The old man fell into thought. After a very long silence, he finally spoke again.
“The members of the Five Dragon Society were people who had been expelled from the Black Wind Bandit Camp… There must be some connection there.”
“He seemed angry that they were charging excessive protection fees. Maybe he was trying to hold them accountable?”
“That’s certainly possible.”
The old man stopped what he was doing and plopped down on the ground. The young beggar sat down across from him.
“Oh, and I forgot to mention this earlier. After destroying the Five Dragon Society, he gave me some alms and directly asked me about the Black Wind Bandit Camp. It seemed like he already knew I was from the Beggars’ Sect.”
“Hooo…”
The old man pressed his fingers against his temples as if he had a headache.
“That young man named Kang Juhyun. I thought there was something strange about him from the beginning, so I came to see for myself… but he’s even more bizarre than I expected.”
“Is he really that strange?”
“Are you joking? He walked straight into a bandit den like the Black Wind Bandit Camp and walked out completely fine.”
The old man gave a dry chuckle.
“Do you think that’s something an ordinary dojo owner could do?”
“Absolutely not.”
“I think the same.”
Suddenly the old man sprang to his feet. The young beggar jumped in surprise.
“This won’t do. I think I need to meet him myself.”
“You’re going to see him personally, Elder?”
“Yes. A person like this deserves a personal visit.”