The Bandits' Main Stronghold
I strode toward the vice-leader, whose face was adorned with a scruffy beard and a fresh knife scar.
“Alright, Uncle Vice-Leader. Pick one.”
“One. You charge in without knowing your place and end up with a broken bone somewhere.”
The vice-leader’s face drained of color until it was as white as a blank sheet of paper.
“Two. You pretend to have some pride and resist, only to get the absolute shit beaten out of you by me—like a dog on a hot summer day.”
I stopped right in front of his nose. Then, flashing the brightest, most beautiful smile anyone could imagine, I offered the final option.
“Three. You surrender nicely and spill everything you know.”
I made a show of being generous. “I’m giving you special treatment because you’re a big shot. You wear the title of vice-leader, right?”
Without a moment’s hesitation, the vice-leader leaped from where he stood and slammed his knees to the ground.
“T-this lowly one has committed a grave sin by failing to recognize the great masters of the Murim! Please, spare my life!”
As expected from someone with a title, his reaction was lightning fast.
“If you had told me you were Murim warriors beforehand, I would never have made such a mistake! Please show mercy!”
Agh… you really didn’t have to say that last part.
I immediately gave him a solid knuckle to the top of his head.
Thwack!
“Ack!”
“If I hadn’t known martial arts, I would’ve been toyed with and sold off to a brothel, right? Don’t you agree?”
I grabbed the back of the vice-leader’s head where his arms were loosely tied.
“Hiiik!”
“And those pathetic old men over there would already be dead.”
When I glared at him with a glint in my eyes, pure terror flooded his pupils.
“Admit it?”
“W-what… what…”
The fear made him stutter annoyingly, so I tightened my grip on his hair even harder.
“Ghk!”
“You son of a bitch. If I have to say it twice, I’ll kill you.”
His face twisted in horror as he nodded frantically.
“Admit it or not?”
I asked for confirmation again.
“Y-yes! I admit it! I’ve committed a crime worthy of death!”
Satisfied with his answer, a deeper smile spread across my lips.
“Then you need to be punished.”
“Huh?”
I locked his head firmly in place and slammed my forehead straight into the bridge of his nose.
Headbutt!
[BAM!]
“Kaaagh!”
The vice-leader clutched his nose and crawled across the ground. From the sensation against my forehead, I could tell.
It’s broken.
Thick streams of blood poured between the fingers covering his nose.
“Khh… khuuu… ugh…”
With his nose completely shattered, he writhed in agony.
“What a pathetic wimp for a man.”
Was he really throwing such a fit over a single broken nose bone?
Do I seriously have to sympathize with this?
Back when I was an Ultra S-Class Awakener and hero, I never went into battle without at least one broken bone. That was because the things I fought were mostly ‘Doomsday-class’ or ‘Catastrophe-class’ monsters. So who the hell whines about a few broken bones in the middle of a life-or-death fight?
Especially when I still die every single night in my dreams—limbs torn off, chewed up, and devoured…
And he’s making a scene over a nose?
“Hkk… You said if I surrendered quietly… ugh… you wouldn’t touch me…”
“When did I say that? I never said anything like that.”
I tapped his forehead lightly with my finger.
“Think carefully. I told you to choose. I never said I wouldn’t hit you, did I? Don’t get it? Then go ahead and resist right now.”
The vice-leader clamped his mouth shut, not daring to meet my eyes.
I ordered the demonic heads to gather all the bandits in one place and force them to their knees. Gapjil Jijon grumbled that the crazy bitch had stolen his share just when he was about to taste blood for the first time in ages. Then, as if venting his frustration, he started kicking and yelling at the bandits who were already groaning from their broken bones.
“Shut up! It’s noisy!”
On the other hand, Cheondok Noong patted my shoulder with a strangely proud expression.
“Madwoman, the future of the Evil Faction truly looks bright. That decisive and ruthless hand of yours will serve as a fine example for the young disciples of the Evil Faction.”
At that seemingly kind smile from Cheondok Noong, my face suddenly felt itchy.
Ugh… it’s a compliment, but why does it make me feel so gross?
Shaking off the discomfort, I stood tall in front of the gathered bandits.
“So, um…”
The moment I opened my mouth, the bandits started groaning, “Ugh,” “Ow.”
I gave them the most pitiful look in the world and warned them in a low voice.
“From now on, anyone who pretends to be in pain will be killed.”
“…!”
“You’re throwing a tantrum just because you’re a little hurt? Hey, you there. Ankle broken and you won’t even kneel? Should I smash the other one too?”
At my chilling words, the bandits broke out in cold sweat and desperately swallowed their groans. Once I confirmed they were in proper listening posture, I got to the main point.
“Where’s your main base? And how many people are there?”
But instead of answering my beautiful voice right away, these bastards just kept glancing at each other. I had no choice but to show them a ‘demonstration.’
I gave the nearby vice-leader a nice smack to the back of his head.
[THWACK!]
“Ack!”
The vice-leader screamed and clutched the back of his head.
“Hey, you idiot! The kids aren’t answering because they’re watching you! You gonna keep this up?”
The vice-leader looked up with teary, resentful eyes. When I glared at him, he flinched.
“Are you sorry or not?”
“H-hic… I’m sorry.”
“I’ll ask again. How many people are in the mountain stronghold?”
The learning effect was immediate. The vice-leader answered instantly.
“T-there are currently twelve people in the stronghold, including the leader!”
As expected, the most effective form of persuasion was violence.
“Then what’s the leader’s martial realm?”
“The leader said… he’s at the Peak realm…”
“…What? Peak?!”
Peak? Could I even handle someone at the Peak realm right now?
Flustered, I turned to look at Cheondok Noong. He snorted and declared firmly.
“It’s a lie. There’s no way someone at the Peak realm would be content being the leader of a pathetic little bandit den like this. Given the nature of the Evil Faction, which loves showing off its strength, he wouldn’t stoop to banditry—something even proper martial artists wouldn’t respect.”
“What if he’s just a huge pervert?”
“Even if he wanted to play bandit, would a Peak expert hide away in a rural backwater like this? If he went to the main headquarters of the Green Forest, he’d be treated with plenty of respect.”
“Hmm… that makes sense.”
Reassured by the expert’s insight, I turned my head—only to hear Gapjil Jijon grumbling beside me.
“You’re not going to ask me?”
I lightly ignored him and ordered the bandits.
“From now on, you will guide us to your stronghold. If any of you try anything funny on the way, I’ll cut off both your feet.”
“Wait, this bitch is ignoring me again—”
“Come on! Everyone up. Guide us right now. I refuse to accept any refusal.”
At my command, the bandits rose weakly and began trudging ahead. Watching their backs, I checked the most important detail.
“Is there a lot of money in the stronghold? If not, you guys are going to be in serious trouble…”
The one called ‘Dokchi’ hesitated, reading my expression.
“Don’t stop walking! Answer while you walk.”
“…W-well, rumors must have spread lately. Fewer people have been using this road. So I can’t guarantee there will be enough to satisfy you, my lord…”
The bad news instantly soured my mood. I needed an immediate target to vent on. So I smacked the especially annoying vice-leader on the back of his head again.
[THWACK!]
“Urk!”
The vice-leader staggered, clutching the back of his head with both hands.
“Stop walking and you die.”
He whimpered but didn’t dare stop.
Money is always better the more you have…
Especially when it’s stolen from villains—it’s not only fun, it’s practically a public service. The only question was whether I’d just take their money or kill them all. I still hadn’t decided.
In martial arts novels, the protagonists kill people left and right, but even though I used to be an S-Class hero, as a rational modern person, taking lives still made me hesitate. There’s no heavier karma than one person ending another’s life.
If they had only committed robbery, I could just take their money and beat them with a club a few times. But these bastards were planning to kill the demonic heads and sell me to a brothel?
The line was a bit blurry. I’d decide once we reached their stronghold.
After marching the bandits up the mountain path for about one hour, a fairly large stronghold came into view. A wooden fence roughly as tall as an adult man’s shoulder encircled the entire place. The bandit on guard saw us and quickly opened the gate.
“Oh my, Vice-Leader! You’ve brought back a stunning beauty!”
He spotted me before the vice-leader and lit up with a shocked expression.
“So… where is the leader right now?”
The vice-leader asked awkwardly, sneaking glances at me.
“You already know, don’t you? About the leader’s… particular tastes. A few days ago, he brought in a whole family—husband, children, and all—because the wife was exceptionally beautiful. He’s busy with her right now.”
At those words, the vice-leader’s face turned deathly pale as he anxiously watched my reaction. But the clueless gatekeeper kept chattering excitedly.
“By the way, Vice-Leader, why did you bring those old geezers? They’re useless. Shouldn’t we just kill them? I can take care of it right here if you want.”
Decision made.
I didn’t need to hear any more. These bastards were beyond redemption.
“Hey. Where’s your leader bastard right now?”
The gatekeeper looked dumbfounded at suddenly being cursed at.
“Has this bitch gone crazy? You want to di—urk!”
I didn’t feel like listening anymore. I drove my fist straight into his face.
[POW!]
I grabbed the fallen man by the hair and yanked him up to eye level.
“If you make me repeat myself one more time, I’ll rip your tongue out. Where is the leader?”
Still in shock, the man met my eyes and was seized by instinctive terror.
“Th-there…”
Still gripping his hair, I strode briskly toward the building he pointed at. The man thrashed in pain and screamed.
“Keeegh! Let go! Do you even know where you are—gahk!”
He was too loud, so I kneed him in the face to shut him up.
[CRUNCH!]
Thud.
As I dragged the unconscious man toward the leader’s location, the other bandits finally noticed the commotion and came swarming out from everywhere. They were in an absolute uproar—cursing, shouting, the works.
“Gapjil Uncle, Cheon Mister. Please subdue these guys appropriately. Don’t kill them.”
“Understood.”
“So we just can’t kill them, right?”
Gapjil Jijon’s bloodthirsty tone made me let out a dry chuckle.
“Yes, do as you please. Looks like the vice-leader lied, though. There are more of them than I thought.”
At a glance, there were nearly twenty. Still, they were all trash, so the old men could handle them.
I hurled the man I was dragging by the hair straight at the sliding door of the leader’s building.
[CRASH!]
The man smashed straight through the door. I stepped over the broken remains and entered.
And then… at the sight inside the massive hall, I was rendered completely speechless.