The Green Forest (1)
The Green Forest (1)
The bathtub water overflowed, murky and stained.
My body, which hadn't been properly washed in two years, screamed as if the warm water didn't suit its constitution. I cupped my hands like a scoop, poured water over my neck and chest, and scrubbed.
Every time I roughly soaped up and scrubbed, black grime came off in clumps, like erasing deep pencil shading from paper. All the while, my eyes stayed fixed on the bounty posters I'd brought from the inn earlier.
The posters offered bounties of 30 nyang and 50 nyang of silver for capturing the thieves. According to the waiter, joining a reputable sect in this martial world required several dozen nyang of silver. If I could wipe them all out, I'd pocket 30 nyang and head straight for a sect.
Then I'd learn martial arts at the sect, rise through the ranks step by step, and eventually reach the top.
"Tch..."
But I couldn't help furrowing my brow and clicking my tongue at my own thought. Would it really go that smoothly? In this martial world teeming with martial masters, could a band of thieves really be that helpless? Was it really safe to just waltz into some random gang of robbers?
Money knows no high or low.
30 nyang of silver was 30 nyang even to a martial master.
If they were the type to be wiped out by some fool whose only skill was a measly Golden Capturing Hand, some nearby sect would have already devoured and eliminated them. 30 nyang was a considerable sum. The fact they'd survived until a 30-nyang bounty was placed meant they were troublesome bastards even a master wouldn't bother with.
So I needed to change my approach. I didn't have to kill all the thieves to make money. Looking at the wanted bandit gangs, some rampaged with over a hundred members, while others operated in groups of a few dozen.
I didn't know their income structure, but to feed and maintain that many, the monthly operating costs alone would be substantial.
In that case, there must be a decent amount of money piled up in their storerooms.
And I had the Dark Moon Step, a lightness skill specialized for escape.
That lecherous fiend who gave me the secret manual hadn't just written down ways to screw. He'd also recorded methods for concealing one's aura, hiding, and escaping from masters.
The bandit gangs had enough skill to rampage through the martial world, but they were still just bastards making a living off thievery in this martial world. If they truly had skill, they'd have become a sect, not bandits.
Still, just in case, I set aside the bounty poster for the 30-nyang gang. Even so, with my current skills, jumping straight into the den of such bastards would be reckless. Had no one else thought the same?
The right approach was to aim low, starting with the weak ones and eating them first. My gaze shifted to the other posters.
Which one could I prey on?
******
"Seokcheon, you say? It's quite far. Keep heading toward Sichuan... I'm a local, so I don't know that area in detail. If you follow the road, you'll run into people who know."
The poster in my hand was for 1 nyang of silver.
The waiter showed no particular reaction as he told me about my destination. I had nothing to hide, so I listened with a bold face.
I wasn't scared.
I had merely lowered my target a little, just in case of any unforeseen circumstances. After all, 20 nyang of silver was still a bit dangerous. The 10-nyang gang looked too far away.
Besides, didn't I still not know the level of warriors in this area? The right thing was to first pick the weakest-looking gang, gauge their strength somewhat, and then move more seriously.
I absolutely was not scared.
"Hey."
When I called him, the waiter flinched in surprise and bowed his head, saying,
"Why, why, what is it, Great Hero?"
"Mm. Right."
Right, I was a great hero.
Satisfied with the title the waiter called me by, I nodded.
Tonight, it seemed I would be able to sleep soundly.
******
The next morning, I turned to head downhill. I wore clothes the inn had provided—nothing fancy, just the staff's attire—but there was no better outfit for approaching a bandit gang.
On the way down, I saw people walking toward Mount Hua. Their faces full of anticipation, they gazed at the peak that shone sharply even through the sea of clouds. Following their gaze, I too looked at the faintly visible summit of Mount Hua.
"Wow, it's shining! The light!"
"Mount Hua, wait for us! We're coming!"
Unlike their fuss, I felt nothing.
I shrugged and moved on.
Just then, the sun was rising in the direction I walked.
I thought I was walking into the light as I moved forward.
******
"Damn it."
Going from near Mount Hua to Seokcheon wasn't something you could do as if stepping out for a breath of fresh air, nor was it a quick trip.
I was sitting on the slope of some mountain, sighing beside a lit campfire.
Since I couldn't check a map in real time, my journey felt as slow and frustrating as a snail.
If I used the Dark Moon Step, I could dash forward in an instant. But my inner energy was meager, so I couldn't travel far. Moreover, if I exhausted my inner energy with the Dark Moon Step, when 'guests' came at night, I'd be helpless and end up dead.
Thanks to that, I'd been moving entirely on foot, very sluggishly, and there was no telling when I'd reach Seokcheon.
I looked up at the stars and wished I'd arrive in Seokcheon or some nearby village by tomorrow.
"Well, well."
At that moment, I heard rustling around me. I didn't know exactly where I'd ended up, but I knew I was nowhere near that damned Seokcheon.
But the Central Plains were vast, and mountains were naturally home to all sorts of creatures.
Uninvited guests drawn by the warmth of the campfire, regardless of my wishes, suddenly poked their heads in and greeted me.
"Ehehehe...!"
"Well, well, sir. Alone, are you?"
It was bandits.
The road had felt rough and deserted, and it seemed I'd unwittingly entered a forest where bandits roamed. I tried to recall the faces from the wanted posters, but in a world where even a boss's face was drawn with crude ink scribbles, there was no way they'd depict these lowlifes in detail.
A bald man with a scarred face and one eye missing.
And a scrawny underling, wielding a dagger and stabbing the air with swishing sounds.
And another underling, holding a long sword and standing silently behind.
Glancing around, the way the three stuck together seemed oddly organized, so I figured they might belong to some group.
"What are you?"
I had been poking the campfire, and I picked up the poker lying beside it. Its charred end scattered embers into the air, creating and erasing red afterimages.
The robber blinked, then smiled. The firelight reflected on his face, making him look like a ghost from a 90s late-night drama.
"We are the Green Forest."
With an appearance like that, an introduction like that actually sounded rather cool.
Of course, since the Green Forest was essentially bandits, it was no different from saying, 'We're nothing special.'
I tilted the poker toward the ground and said,
"Which Green Forest bastard are you? There's more than one chieftain, isn't there?"
The robber seemed offended by my remark, but surprisingly answered obediently.
"He is Chieftain Unho, who holds the 68th seat among the 72 Strongholds of the Green Forest. The bounty on his head alone is five nyang of silver! If you're a local, you must have heard the name."
The 68th seat, huh.
Truly an awkward position to remember.
Even if I remembered the name Unho, it seemed unlikely I'd ever remember which seat Chieftain Unho held.
But saying I didn't know such a bastard here would be picking a fight.
I had no weapon, and no money to offer when things went south.
These bastards were mountain bandits who had dealt with all manner of pathetic commoners, and they knew where their own base was.
Besides, since I'd been planning to raid the mountain bandits' base and run anyway, wasn't it a godsend that they were coming to me on their own? The bounty on his head was five nyang of silver, too. Higher than the one-nyang bounty I'd been aiming for, but still seemed like I could worm my way in.
I decided to change plans.
"Ah! Chieftain Unho! So this journey following his renown wasn't in vain after all!"
So I put on a wide, happy grin as I said those words.
The bastards looked at each other, bewildered. I tossed the poker aside and said,
"I'm a disciple of a small sect nearby. I got sick of a life of nothing but training, so I ran away to try my hand at thieving. I heard of Chieftain Unho's reputation and came here seeking to study under him."
"Thieving?"
I channeled inner energy into my hand and stepped back. The bandits flinched for a moment, but when I put distance between us, relief showed in their eyes. Right in front of them, I gathered strength and slammed my hand into a tree.
Kwang!
When the fairly thick tree let out a cracking sound and twisted, the robber whistled and said,
"Oh."
I said,
"This much is useful, right? I want to meet the chieftain."
The Green Forest men exchanged glances.
I adjusted my fist and waited for their next move.
Would they welcome a stranger's visit?
As I believed in fate, I hoped they also had faith in chance and the heavens.
If it didn't work out, I'd just bolt.