Chapter 165: Forced Growth-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 165: Forced Growth-2
Facing a large group of bandits, In-ho didn't think much of it.
He closed the distance with a sluggish gait, looking for all the world like someone who had just stepped out to pick up the trash.
They seemed to be a fairly sizable band; the way they brandished their weapons was certainly menacing. To In-ho, however, it was no different from a tiny stray cat hissing at him.
He drove his knee into the face of the first bandit to charge. In-ho’s strikes landed ruthlessly on vital points—spots where even a glancing blow would leave a man gasping for air.
He dodged the incoming blades with mechanical precision, driving his fists and feet—weapons in their own right—into every opening he found. With every movement, another man fell, either collapsing on the spot or tumbling backward.
They were still alive, but none of them would be getting up anytime soon.
Both Yeom-jin and So-yu criticized him for being too soft-hearted, but In-ho had no intention of changing his ways. Taking a life was still a bridge too far for him.
"Twenty."
By the time So-yu’s countdown reached twenty, the number of bandits lunging at In-ho had already been cut in half.
In truth, In-ho was feeling a bit impatient. He wanted to finish them off quickly so he could head to their stronghold.
'If there’s a structure large enough to be called a stronghold, it has to be there.'
He thought back to the headquarters of the Black Sky Cult—a place where he had once lived in comfort, now a faded memory. It would certainly be different from a mere bandit camp, but he was sure he could find some familiar traces there...
In-ho wanted to see it for himself.
Perhaps driven by that desire, his movements grew swifter and more daring. He threw himself into the thick of the enemy.
"You little rat!"
Just as he shattered the jaw of the bandit in front of him, a spear lunged from the side. In-ho jerked his head back, watching the spearhead whistle past his eyes.
Slice.
The blade grazed the tip of his nose, drawing a tiny spray of blood. Feeling the sharp sting, In-ho prepared to strike back instantly.
But his fist never reached its target. So-yu had already descended like a bolt of lightning, driving her heel into the bandit’s crown and slamming him into the dirt.
The man didn't even have time to scream; his skull shattered, killing him instantly. Horrified by the gruesome sight, the remaining bandits scrambled backward, their faces pale with terror.
"..."
Her crimson eyes glowed with an eerie light. Like prey cornered by a predator, the bandits froze, unable to either flee or fight.
"Gah!"
So-yu grabbed In-ho’s cheeks with both hands, yanking him toward her until they were face-to-face.
"In-ho, are you alright?" she asked, her voice thick with concern.
"I'm perfectly fine," In-ho replied with a look of sheer bewilderment at her overreaction.
"To think they dared to draw a blade against your face... tearing them limb from limb wouldn't be enough."
Even after confirming he was unharmed, So-yu’s rage did not subside. If anything, it flared up even hotter, like oil poured onto an open flame.
She lunged forward, the edge of her palm striking the throat of the nearest bandit.
Crunch.
His neck snapped, leaving his head lolling at a grotesque angle. The remaining bandits let out low, strangled cries of horror.
"The only one allowed to lay a hand on my disciple is me, you vermin."
With a low growl, flames erupted from her palms. Before long, the stench of burning flesh drifted across the entire mountain.