Chapter 52
After ending the life of the guy named Unit Leader Wi Sajun, I stood up.
Then, I turned my head toward the other guy he had pleaded for before dying.
“S-Save me… Hic… S-Save…”
“…”
…He was still alive. But could that really be considered living?
I didn’t know how he dodged it, but his neck wasn’t completely severed even after taking my Saber Qi. However, a part of his neck was deeply gouged, and a terrifying amount of blood was pouring out of it.
Even a Divine Physician couldn’t save him now.
No, rather, ending his life right now might be a mercy. At least then he wouldn’t suffer.
Step.
I walked toward him.
That was when.
Rustle.
“…”
“…”
Hearing a presence, I turned around to see Yoo Somyung standing there with a somewhat different expression than before. She stared blankly at the dead martial artists of the Murim Alliance for a moment.
Dash.
She noticed that someone was still alive and ran toward him.
Riiip.
Then, she tore her sleeve to make a bandage and applied pressure to his neck to stop the bleeding. She infused her fingers with Internal Energy and struck his Pressure Points.
She was trying to save him.
I sighed briefly at that foolish act, then approached and grabbed her shoulder.
“He’s already dead.”
“…He hasn’t died yet.”
“He’ll die soon.”
“I have to do what I can.”
“…”
Saying so, Yoo Somyung pressed the bandage firmly against his neck. She seemed determined to stop the bleeding somehow.
However…
“Ugh… Urgh…”
Thud.
The guy’s hand, which had seemed to be holding on somehow, fell limply through the air. I could tell even without checking his pulse.
He was dead.
“…”
“…”
Whether she didn’t realize it or knew but still had lingering attachments, Yoo Somyung couldn’t bring herself to take her hands off his neck.
I gave a rough shake of my head at the sight and turned around. I still had work to do.
Just then…
“…Maybe you’re right.”
…Yoo Somyung’s seemingly calm voice flowed out.
“…It’s true that the current Murim Alliance might have a lot of problems. There might be trash-like humans mixed in. Still…”
“…”
“…Even now, there are countless people in the Murim Alliance who throw their bodies on the line for Righteousness and Chivalry. I… I want to become like that too.”
I couldn’t react to her words.
I knew. I knew exactly what she meant.
The current Murim Alliance might be rotting, but the majority still acts for the greater good and for the weak.
In fact, when the war with the Demonic Cult broke out later, countless martial artists of the Murim Alliance would throw themselves into battle and sacrifice their lives.
And…
[You’re the same.]
Having read the novel, I knew this in far too much detail.
“…So please don’t hate us too much.”
“…”
Feeling that any answer would be meaningless in this situation, I didn’t reply.
Still, I felt like I had learned one thing from this incident. To be exact, I learned it through Yoo Somyung’s bloodstained hands, dirtied from trying to stop a dying man’s bleeding.
[Yoo Somyung is exactly the same as in the novel.]
She grew up as a flower in a greenhouse. She didn’t know the world.
However, there was one thing she knew for sure.
Namely, Righteousness and Chivalry must be upheld until the very end.
Yoo Somyung knew something that I didn’t know at all.
So… I only felt our differences. I didn’t hate her at all.
Swoosh.
As I gathered my Internal Energy to use my Lightness Skill, Yoo Somyung asked.
“…Are you leaving again?”
“I have to go to my Subordinates.”
I hadn’t caught everyone yet. The truly strong guy was currently on my Subordinates' side.
If they were unlucky, they might have already encountered him.
“…Please just stay alive.”
I prayed inwardly as I unleashed my Lightness Skill.
* * *
“Hmm… What a shame…”
Dokgoyeong muttered as he looked at the collapsed Pavilion. This was the fourth one. So far, he had cut down about ten Bandits.
However…
“It’s a shame…”
A feeling of regret filled his heart.
He thought he would be able to slaughter bandits left and right once he came here. But what was this?
Far from swarming, they were all scattered, and many of them weren’t even armed, making them no fun to cut down.
Dokgoyeong derived pleasure from slaughter, but it was even more enjoyable if the victim resisted.
From his perspective, these Bandit bastards who were cut down so easily lost his interest.
Of course…
“Hey.”
…this guy, tied up, was quite entertaining.
Dokgoyeong kicked Bang Sam-i, who was being dragged across the ground covered in blood, and asked a question.
“Where is your Mountain Stronghold? Specifically… where is the Mountain Stronghold where the guy called the Bandit King stays?”
These bandits were currently operating all over Hunan Province. To do that, they would need to manage a considerable number of personnel, and there was bound to be a Mountain Stronghold where they gathered to live.
And one of the biggest reasons Dokgoyeong came here was:
It was precisely that heavily rumored Bandit King.
They said the guy called the Bandit King had unified the bandits of the entire Hunan Province in just a month.
No matter how pathetic bandits were, that was absolutely not an easy task.
That was why he especially wanted to meet this Bandit King and cut him down himself.
However…
“Tell me the location of the Mountain Stronghold, and I’ll spare your life.”
“Hehe… I told you we set it up nicely inside your mom’s belly. Why won’t you believe me?”
“…”
Even covered in blood, Bang Sam-i showed absolutely no intention of spilling the secret.
At this, Dokgoyeong raised his fist.
“Hey… I might not look it, but my face is important since I deal with Merchants, so if you could avoid hitting my face…”
As Bang Sam-i-i-i-i said that, Dokgoyeong’s fist flew straight toward Bang Sam-i’s face.
Smack-! Smack-!
A merciless beating that made even onlookers frown.
Bang Sam-i felt a stinging pain while feeling his body simultaneously breaking down in real time.
And then he realized.
[Ah… The Leader has been taking care not to actually injure me when he has been beating me up until now.]
When he got hit by the Leader, it hurt like Hell, but there was nothing else wrong with his body. Through Dokgoyeong’s fists, he could tell that it was because the Leader had been mindful when hitting him.
Wasn’t being mindful not to injure someone while beating them up kind of funny?
At this, Bang Sam-i giggled and shouted.
“Hit me more-! More-!! Compared to our Leader, a cotton swab like you just has sweet little honey fists-!”
“…right, so you’re saying it doesn’t hurt?”
His anger reaching its peak at Bang Sam-i’s continuous provocations, Dokgoyeong instead grew calm and placed his hand on his waist.
And then…
Srrng.
“…In that case, I’ll sever all your Limbs and Meridians so you can’t use your body at all.”
“…I’m sorry. Let’s use our words.”
He drew his Sword and slowly began to press it against Bang Sam-i’s body.
At this, Bang Sam-i turned pale, his face stiffening as he stealthily backed away, but…
“I’m sorry. Come to think of it, insulting your parents was my fault. If you just hit me with your fists…”
“…I think it’s already too late.”
…Dokgoyeong’s eyes had long since rolled back in madness.
“Uwaaaah-!! Wait a minute-!! This isn’t right, fuck-!!!”
It was the moment Dokgoyeong’s Sword almost touched Bang Sam-i’s body.
Flinch.
Dokgoyeong had to momentarily flinch at the sudden chill he felt. The moment he turned his head toward where the Aura was coming from…!
CRASH-!!
…A fierce Saber Qi exploded against Dokgoyeong.
[A tiger…?]
From the intense Saber Qi, Dokgoyeong felt as if a house-sized tiger was pouncing on him.
If he had been prepared, he could have countered it, but since it was a surprise attack, Dokgoyeong had no choice but to retreat.
And in that brief moment, a figure leaped out and snatched up the bloodied Bang Sam-i.
Bang Sam-i let out a hollow laugh upon seeing the face of the person who had snatched him.
“Haha… Fuck… Elder brother, you should’ve come a bit earlier… I was right on the verge of dying…”
“…You foolish bastard. What happened to your face?”
Normally, he was just a nice elder brother who was sometimes a bit lacking, but at that moment, he was incredibly reassuring…
Looking at Dongryong’s face, Bang Sam-i almost shed a tear, no joke.
Dongryong laid Bang Sam-i down nearby and said.
“You’ve worked hard. Rest.”
“…Yeah, honestly, I’m at my limit too…”
Thud.
With those words, Bang Sam-i closed his eyes. Nothing had gone wrong; he had just fainted.
From Dongryong’s perspective, Bang Sam-i’s condition was at a level where it was a miracle he had held on this long. Feeling enraged by this, Dongryong raised his Saber.
As Dongryong raised his Saber, the other Subordinates revealed themselves one after another from the surroundings. Even at a glance, their numbers were more than double the personnel of the Dragon Slaying Squad.
“Your affiliation doesn’t matter. However, I absolutely cannot forgive you for coming in here armed and messing with us.”
“Are you that Bandit King? Hah… To think the Bandit King is from the Peng Family - what a surprise.”
Dokgoyeong straightened his clothes and continued.
“Based on your physique and appearance, it doesn’t seem like you have Peng Family blood in you… Did one of the Peng Family’s watchdogs run away to play Bandit? How on earth does the Peng Family manage its household? It’s something unimaginable in our Dokgo Noble Family.”
“…You talk too much.”
Through those words just now, Dongryong could tell that the guy in front of him was a blood relative of the Dokgo Noble Family. And he could also understand why the guy maintained his composure even in this situation.
What kind of place was the Dokgo Noble Family?
Even if they weren’t part of the Five Great Families, they were a powerful Faction comparable to them.
Because Dongryong had once been part of the Hebei Peng Family, he knew all too well what kind of monsters the blood relatives of noble families were.
That was why he was about to tell Jeokyeom, who was standing next to him, to be careful.
However…
“…That guy’s not ordinary. Since he’s from the Dokgo Noble Family, be caref…”
“…”
“…Jeokyeom?”
…As he looked to his side, Jeokyeom was trembling with his eyes wide open, like someone seeing a ghost.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t just Jeokyeom. All the guys who were originally from the Muak Mountain Brotherhood were greatly agitated, as if they had noticed something.
Just as Dongryong was about to question this… Jeokyeom opened his mouth with difficulty.
“…I-I know that son of a bitch too.”
“…What?”
As Jeokyeom couldn’t control his trembling lips and his answer was delayed…
“Huh?”
…Dokgoyeong spotted Jeokyeom, who had red hair and a red beard.
Normally, he wouldn’t have remembered. However, Jeokyeom had a unique appearance, and he had done something memorable enough that he remembered him.
“You… aren’t you that Imperial Army guy from back then? It’s been a while.”
“Dokgoyeong-!!!”
In an instant, as if his capillaries had burst, Jeokyeom’s eyes turned as red as his hair color.
Unable to endure the sight of Dokgoyeong smiling calmly as if exchanging greetings, Jeokyeom grabbed his axe and charged forward.