Chapter 4. The Village of Madness (1)
Chapter 4. The Village of Madness (1)
"Well. Shall we have a quick lecture?"
Sura, having easily wiped out the bandits, paused the game and spoke to the Tusu.
- Oh lol, looking forward to this.
- Tell us quickly. That skill seems useful!
"Yes, yes. I'll explain the principles simply."
Sura unpaused the game and spoke to Roland for a moment.
"Roland! Wait here for a second! I have something to do."
"Huh? Okay. You have to come back quickly. Who knows when the bandits might show up again!"
After patting the shoulder of the anxious Roland, Sura stepped away to a nearby vacant lot.
"Right. Then, I shall enlighten you."
- If you know that, you can go full Musou lol.
- Look at that confidence. If it were that easy to go Musou, Hard Mode would've been cracked ages ago.
- It's possible because it's Sura.
"Hmm. Where should I start? I suppose I should start from the time I was in the Murim."
- ?
- Something's weird.
- Uh oh? Guys, is this weird?
- ???: Back when I was in LA...
"Back when I was in the Murim, I met my master at the time, Master Han Ga-hwi, and..."
The rambling began.
It was enough to remind one of the rambling of a certain baseball player who played in LA, and it started to give the Tusu a headache.
['AncientBookletLAplayerStop' donated 10,000 won!]
- Please stop. Can't you just tell us the technique?
"We're only at the beginning of meeting my master and establishing a relationship... This is a shame."
- Wasn't this guy supposed to be a Murim concept? It sounds so real;;
- My point exactly. Does the Central Plains Murim actually exist?
"Well, to put it simply. You know how you need a strong will when imbuing your sword with Chivalry? You just need to focus that into your feet."
- Is it that simple?
- What, was a shift in perspective the key?
"It shouldn't just stop at concentration. Imbue your feet with Chivalry, and have the feeling of releasing it downwards."
- Release? Hmm. Release.
- Releasing Chivalry shouldn't be possible at the beginner stage yet.
- Since he said 'feeling', it's probably not an actual release.
"That part is easy. But there's something more important. It's how you step. It's what's commonly called footwork."
Saying that, Sura moved the camera slightly away to show his whole body.
"Watch closely. This is the Heavenly Evasion Footwork. The footwork said to have been used by the Sword Immortal, Lü Dongbin."
Sura performed a mysterious movement and took 10 steps.
"Look at these footprints."
He manipulated the camera again to make the footprints visible.
- Oh, it stepped in a weird way.
- Does that mean we just have to follow that?
- But I don't understand a single thing lol.
- Lmao true.
"Of course. This is genuinely difficult. If you succeed in mastering this, congratulations. You will easily be able to reach the first-class level in footwork."
Naturally, there was no one in the chat claiming to understand the footwork.
- Ah, I get it (understands nothing).
- Anyway, I understood it lol. I said I did, right? Lmao.
"First, I'll teach you some rudimentary footwork. There are three in total. Gaebang. Haomun. Bigak. Let's learn the basic footwork of these three places."
- Gaebang??? Oh my god. The footwork of those beggars?
- Haomun, damn. That's an evil faction information group.
- What's Bigak?
"Ah. Bigak is an information group of the Magyo. Don't worry, there's no way demonic energy will form. And you shouldn't look down on them just because they're an information group; when it comes to footwork, they have to be incredibly fast.
Since this place doesn't have cars, motorcycles, or smartphones like back home. Speed is life for the fluidity of information."
- What about carrier pigeons?
"When you use footwork, a person is faster than a carrier pigeon."
Soon, Sura's footwork lecture began.
"First. Chwigyeon Bobeop (Drunken Dog Footwork). It's said to be inspired by a dog running around here and there while drunk."
- Is it Drunken Fist lol.
"It is Drunken Fist. Gaebang has a lot of martial arts like that. Even the highest footwork of Gaebang, the Chwipalseonbo, in a way..."
Sura trailed off, lost in thought.
Beggar Sect Leader, Chwiseon (Drunken Immortal) Jang Bang-hu.
He missed that easy-going old man.
- Give me some booze!
- Ugh. You won't even give me a drink? If your master Ga-hwi saw this, he'd be furious!
- ...Do you miss that guy Ga-hwi?
"...I apologize. I was just thinking of the Beggar Sect Leader."
- The concept is insane lol.
- The acting is amazing. He really seems to miss him;;
- Look at his expression. I'm going to believe it now. Sura really is the strongest in the Central Plains Murim.
- I believe it too lol. This is fun lol.
Leaving the longing behind, Sura performed the footwork so everyone could see it easily.
"This is how you do it. Clip it and watch it often. This is rudimentary, so you should be able to do it."
Sura then performed the footwork of Haomun and the Magyo as well.
"Right. Pick the one you like and try it. It'll be fun."
- Assemble, veterans lol.
- If you just know that, combat is a breeze lol.
- Bring it on lol. If you can't even do this, you're not a veteran of the Ancient Booklet lol.
The viewer count dropped slightly, which was a shame, but he decided to put that disappointment behind him.
"Right then. I'm going to find Roland. I'm afraid he'll nag me again for no reason."
Returning to where Roland was, Sura had to endure a full earful of Roland's nagging.
The place where Sura and Roland were was Mopran, a city slightly on the outskirts of the continent's central city.
If you go a little further southeast from there, you find a small village. Morcan.
Right now, Sura and Roland had killed the bandits and were almost at Morcan.
"Are you travelers?"
The guards standing at the wooden fence in front of the village approached. After asking the simple purpose of their visit and receiving an answer, the guard spoke casually.
"Hmm. Did you come to solve that too? Someone came a few days ago saying they'd solve the problem, but they had no luck."
"We're also having a headache over that problem right now. I'd be grateful if you could solve it."
"Is there anyone I should meet to help solve the case?"
"Hmm. Go meet Mr. Wig. He's the village elder. He's also the person in charge of controlling those who have gone mad."
Upon hearing the guard's words, a quest window popped up with a marker to meet Mr. Wig.
Presumably, following the marker would lead him to Mr. Wig.
"But it's late today, so I recommend you sleep at the inn for a day before meeting Mr. Wig.
The inn is the largest building in the village, so you'll be able to find it easily."
"Thank you."
"Yeah. Go on in. I wanted to travel like you guys too, but I took an arrow to the head and ended up getting married."
Hearing the signature line of the guards in this series, Sura greeted the guard and entered the village with Roland.
Night had fallen, and the moon was gently visible above their heads.
Sura looked at the moon for a moment and wondered how Lunance was doing, but he—or rather, she—must be sleeping by now.
'This necklace with communication functions. Is it actually useless?'
While he was having such idle thoughts, Roland discovered the largest building.
[Place Where the Moon Sets]
"Sura! Let's go in! We have to meet Mr. Wig tomorrow!"
"Yeah. Let's do that."
When they went inside, there was a large hearth in the center with a pot placed over it.
Presumably, it contained the eternal stew said to be made at inns in the Middle Ages.
The inside was completely empty compared to its size. On one side of the wall, a man who appeared to be the innkeeper was staring at Sura and Roland.
"Welcome. There are plenty of rooms."
Sura and Roland sat on chairs in front of the innkeeper.
"Can I get a beer? I'm craving a drink."
"I'll have a beer too!"
"Hmm. What would you like to have? Since this is somewhat central, we tend to get beer from all regions."
"Sura. Can I make a recommendation?"
Sura nodded at Roland's words.
"Birdman Beer. Do you have it?"
"...It's been a long time since a customer asked for that. Or rather, I should say there are no customers brave enough to order it. Of course, I have it."
The Tusu were surprised at the mention of Birdman Beer.
- No way. They have that?
- Info) Birdman Beer is a specialty of the city of Dalun, which is occupied by Garuan Mafras. It's known to be quite delicious.
- Is it in stock because it's on the outskirts of the village?
Sura nodded while looking at the information provided by the Tusu.
He thought the nickname Roland Wiki suited them well.
The innkeeper, who had gone into the storage room for a moment, soon brought out a beer with a bird-shaped human drawn on it.
"Here you go. Birdman Beer. Let me know if you need any snacks."
"I definitely want cheese. Give me some Salas Cheese."
When Roland turned his head and gave Sura a look, Sura said he would eat that too.
Salas Cheese was a cheese representing the specialties of the Salas Continent.
Soon after receiving the cheese, Sura and Roland toasted and ate their drinks and snacks.
"Kuh! This is Birdman Beer alright! I'm telling you, it's delicious!"
"Heh heh. Ever since Garuan Mafras occupied Dalun, customers looking for that beer have disappeared. You're quite something for asking for it."
"Delicious things shouldn't be affected by such power struggles."
While eating the cheese, Sura thought he should start digging for information.
"Hey, owner."
"Call me Gelton. Well. Is there something you want to ask?"
"No. I was just wondering why there's absolutely no one in the inn."
At those words, Gelton sighed.
"What else could it be? It wasn't originally like this, but after hearing that people were going mad, travelers stopped coming."
"...We're the ones who came to solve that. General Salin under Lord Rubites of Mopran city gave us the mission."
"...General Salin. I've heard of her. I heard her swordsmanship is very sharp."
- Salin-nuna is a top-tier knight in terms of pure skill lol.
- Is she a disciple to Sura?
- Even an innkeeper in a village like this knows General Salin, but she's a disciple to Sura ㅠ
"That's right. General Salin gave us the mission. If you know anything, I'd like you to tell us without holding back."
"Hmm.... Alright. The incident goes back about a month."
A month ago. It started with the village girl, Arianne.
"Arianne started running wild as soon as she woke up one day. Even when the neighbors tried to stop her, even when her family tried to stop her.
Arianne was really acting like she was crazy, causing a ruckus. So in the end, we locked her in the guard's prison."
Gelton shook his head.
"But the problem wasn't just Arianne. Before long, her younger brother Damian went mad too."
He said they were also held by people and locked in the village prison.
"Is it famous just because two people went crazy?"
"Then why do you think we'd be famous like this for no reason? Everyone who came into contact with those two started going crazy."
After that, their parents, neighbors, and so on, it gradually spread.
"About seven people have gone mad. Once we locked them all in prison, no further disturbances occurred."
"Seven people. That's serious."
"They're in a state of madness, foaming at the mouth. I was scared, so I didn't even go near the prison."
Gelton shuddered.
"Was there anything different about them than usual? As an innkeeper, you must have heard a lot of things."
At that, Gelton nodded.
"I heard a lot. Hmm. To summarize the information, they said Arianne went out somewhere the night before. The next day, Arianne went mad."
"Anyone who saw that? Is there anyone?"
Gelton nodded.
"There is. Her mother, Silvin. She said she saw Arianne going to the ruined castle in the north from a distance.
Well, Silvin went mad not long after, though. Anyway, if you want to solve the case, it'd be best to stop by there."
"Thanks for the advice."
With that, Gelton left to clean the inn. After hearing Gelton's story, Sura asked Roland for his opinion.
"What do you think, Roland."
"Hmm.... I think it would be best to stop by Mr. Wig tomorrow and go to those ruins?
As of right now, there's too little information."
"That's true, isn't it? Let's finish eating and get some sleep."
Sura thought about getting a hint by looking at the chat, but since the spoiler prevention feature was on, and he wanted to solve this problem himself, he decided against it.
Whatever was sleeping in this mad village, he would find out as he went along.
The two finished their beer and went to bed.
The next day. Day broke, and Sura and Roland headed to the village elder, Wig.
"Ah. Sent by General Salin? Huh. The rumor seems to have spread that far."
Wig was an elderly man with white hair.
His cane was proof of his difficulty in moving.
"We intend to resolve the situation. Can you help us?"
"Of course. What kind of help would you like?"
"I want to see the people who have gone mad."
At those words, Wig's complexion stiffened.
"Hmm. It could be dangerous."
"Rest assured. I am a knight who has sworn an oath of Chivalry to Lunance. I have resistance, at least mentally, so it will be fine."
"...Were you a knight? I've been rude."
"You don't have to use honorifics. I swore an oath of Chivalry, but I haven't been officially knighted."
"...Ahem. I see. Anyway, if you say it's fine, it wouldn't be bad to see them once. Follow me. Please understand that it's uncomfortable to move without a cane."
While following Wig, Sura asked Roland.
"Roland. Will you be okay? Do you want to wait outside?"
At that, Roland shook his head.
"Haha! I can't send a comrade to their death. It's fine. My Durendal has a faint mental resistance, so."
"Then that's fortunate."
- Wow, resistance? If Roland dies later, do we have to take Roland's sword?
- Oh lol, I'm going to kill Roland right away lol.
While the Tusu were saying that, a Tusu who hadn't been watching the broadcast for long asked.
- What do you mean? Oh. Roland, who dies early, is still alive.
At that, other Tusu provided supplementary explanations.
- Sura saved Roland, and now Roland is being re-evaluated. Roland has a decent piece of equipment called Durendal in his belongings.
At that, the Tusu who asked chatted.
- What are you talking about? I looted Roland a long time ago, and nothing came out.
At that, the Tusu became confused.
- What are you talking about? You looted Roland's corpse during the prologue and it didn't come out?
- Yeah, just an iron sword came out and that was it?
- What is this, is the system set up so that you have to save Roland to carry Durendal?
- Seems like it.
The Tusu moved on, thinking nothing of it. However, some Tusu started to gradually suspect Roland.
But it stopped at suspicion. It didn't go any further.
While the Tusu were talking, the three arrived at the guard prison.
"This is inside. Be careful, as the guards are also scared and don't stand guard near the prison. I'll be heading back."
"Thank you. Mr. Wig. Please take care."
Sura and Roland, who entered the guard station, explained the situation to the guards waiting above and went down to the underground prison.
Sura and Roland's expressions stiffened at the eerie atmosphere.
"Kyaaaak!"
"Kaaaaaak!!!"
The sight the two saw was the villagers walking around in the prison like zombies. As mentioned, there were seven of them.
"Ugh. They look like zombies. Sura."
"They do. Let's get closer for now. Roland. Tell me in advance if you feel like you're going to go weird."
"Don't worry! I have Durendal!"
Saying that, Roland held Durendal forward.
Seeing that, Sura smiled for a moment and approached.
Unexpectedly, he didn't feel like his mind was going weird as he approached them.
"Hmm. What should we do...."
"Even to me, they look like they've gone mad like zombies? I don't know for sure."
When Roland approached, the people rushed at him with a Kyaaaak. Roland hurriedly thrust Durendal forward.
"Hiiik!"
"Calm down. Roland. Let's at least observe these people for now."
At those words, Roland narrowed his eyes and turned his head here and there, but shook his head a moment later.
"I don't know. Sura. They just seem crazy?"
"Ugh...."
Sura continued to observe them.
It really looked like there was nothing, but Sura's sixth sense was bothered by something strange.
'My sixth sense is quite good, though....'
While saying that, Sura looked at the chat window for a moment.
- Hmm. How about going somewhere else?
- Yeah, somewhere else might be better?
'The Tusu seem to be hinting at going somewhere else, too. But I wonder if that's right?'
Looking at the chat window, it seemed like there was nothing more here.
But was that right?
Sura's sixth sense, which had been rolled and rolled in the Murim, was churning, telling him there was something here.
"Hey. Sura. Let's go to those ruins instead of here...."
"Huh?"
Cutting off Roland's words, Sura hurriedly approached the iron bars of the prison.
Roland was surprised and grabbed Sura's shoulder, but Sura was immovable.
"Hey! Sura! If you get bitten by those zombies, you might go crazy too!"
"Roland. Look at that. Isn't it strange?"
"...What is it?"
The place Sura pointed to was the hand of a young girl.
"Look at that. The other people are walking around with their hands open, but only that girl is strangely clenching one hand tightly."
"...You're right? What is it?"
- Oh?
- What is it?
- Wow, when I did it, I couldn't pay attention to that?
Seeing the Tusu's reaction saying it was strange, it seemed Sura's sixth sense was right. The sense that he had been thinking was strange from a little while ago was indicating this.
Sura knocked on the iron bars to induce the people to come to the front of the bars.
Whether Roland was scared and stepped back or not, Sura made them come to the front and carefully loosened the girl's tightly clenched hand.
"Huh?"
In her hand was a piece of paper stuck with sticky adhesive, and Sura quickly snatched it.
- 3 AM. Please come to me.
"Sura! This is...?"
Sura nodded.
"This. It seems like something is strange. There's something we don't know."
- Wow, what is this???
- What, the route we solved wasn't the right answer?
- Wow, wait a minute, the back of my head is tingling.
Sura, who pressed pause for a moment, asked the Tusu.
"Why are you like that? Didn't you all discover this?"
- No no no no, absolutely not. The usual route isn't this!
- I can't say because it's a spoiler, but no one knew that!
- Among the Elderbook guides, no one discovered that. It's the first route!
"Huh. This. It's getting interesting."
Sura had unintentionally cleared the first route that no one had ever figured out.