Chapter 11: Even Rich, A Bandit is Still A Bandit

“Huff, huff.”

“Boss, how about we take a little break?”

“Huh?”

I stopped in my tracks at the pleas of my subordinates.

“We just took a break, and now you want another one?”

I sighed as I spoke.

“We just took a break, you little bastards. Why are you whining?”

“It’s not whining, we’re really tired…”

“I’m not tired.”

“Well, that’s because… Boss…”

Bang-sam pointed at my empty back with a look of frustration.

“Isn’t it because you’re not carrying anything? The four of us are carrying all the heavy stuff!”

He wasn’t lying.

All the valuable treasures we looted from the Shanxi Yoo Family were being carried by my subordinates, while I was empty-handed.

But even if this seemed unfair, I was confident.

Because I am…

“I’m the Boss, right? Have you ever seen a leader carrying stuff?”

I’m the Boss of the Green Forest Gang.

“Damn it.”

As I spoke nonchalantly, Bang-sam, seemingly enraged, dropped his load and cursed into the air.

Then, looking at the Deputy Leader Dongryong instead of me, he continued.

“Deputy Leader! How long are we going to live under this young Boss?”

For reference, in our Green Forest Gang, I am 22 years old, the fourth oldest out of five.

Bang-sam is 26, four years older than me, and Dongryong is 28, six years older.

“Deputy Leader, can’t you challenge him in a Ranking Battle or something?”

In our Green Forest Gang, we have a system called the Ranking Battle. It’s exactly what it sounds like, if you challenge and defeat someone ranked above you, you take their rank.

I’m the Boss, ranked first, Dongryong is the Deputy Leader, ranked second, Bang-sam is third, Bongchun is fourth, and our cute youngest is fifth.

So what Bang-sam is saying is for Dongryong to fight me and win.

“Deputy Leader, you’ve been here long enough. Isn’t it time for you to be the Boss?”

Bang-sam, seemingly having a lot of pent-up frustration, pleaded with Dongryong in a desperate voice.

However, Dongryong’s response was…

“Bang-sam, if you want to die, do it alone. Don’t drag me into it.”

It was cold, even icy.

As expected of our reliable Deputy Leader Dongryong.

Dongryong, who has been with me the longest, knows my personality all too well.

I approached Bang-sam, who had suddenly gone silent after Dongryong’s sharp rejection, and put my arm around his shoulder.

“Bang-sam.”

“B-Boss.”

“Did you really hate me that much?”

“N-no, it was all a joke. I’ll pick up the load right away. Please forgive me…”

Realizing he was in deep trouble, Bang-sam began to sweat profusely.

I shook my head as I looked at him and continued.

“No, Bang-sam. I appreciate your actions.”

“Y-You do?”

“What’s the most important thing for a Mountain Bandit? It’s spirit, spirit. You showed a very spirited attitude.”

“Haha, did I? I didn’t do much…”

Bang-sam’s lips curled up slightly, though he still looked wary.

But…

“In that spirit, I’ll give you the chance to skip over Dongryong and challenge me directly in a Ranking Battle.”

“……”

Bang-sam’s smile quickly faded.

“I-I’m sorry, Boss! I must have been out of my mind! Please, just this once…”

“Refusal is not an option. This place is too cramped, let’s move to that open area over there.”

Ignoring Bang-sam’s pleas, I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and dragged him to the side.

For reference, my motto is ‘Strictly punish insubordination.’

As I took Bang-sam away, I kindly instructed the other subordinates with a gentle expression.

“Take a break while we’re gone.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Bang-sam also desperately pleaded with his comrades in a tearful voice…

“Deputy Leader! Bongchun! Youngest! Please, save me just this once! Please!!!”

“……”

They turned their heads, ignoring Bang-sam’s cries.

“Come on, Bang-sam, let’s go.”

“Nooooooo!!”

After that, only Bang-sam’s desperate screams echoed.

**

After a brief break, we continued our journey for quite some time.

“Boss.”

“What is it, Dongryong?”

Dongryong looked around before speaking to me.

“How about we take a break and have lunch here?”

“Hmm, sounds good. I’m getting hungry too.”

As soon as I gave permission, my subordinates immediately put down their heavy loads and started preparing for a meal.

There wasn’t much to eat, though.

We just chewed on the jerky we brought from Shanxi.

Chew, chew.

And don’t think of modern sweet jerky. The jerky of this era is much tougher and saltier than modern ones.

I’m too old to be picky about food, but the terrible taste made me throw the remaining jerky to Bongchun, the glutton, as I spoke.

“Damn it. I’m so sick of this jerky.”

“There’s not much to eat while traveling. Once we settle down, we can cook rice and hunt animals.”

“Yeah, you’re right… Ah… I’d love some boar meat and a nice drink…”

As I sighed and lamented, Dongryong’s eyes sparkled, sensing an opportunity.

“Boss, how about we settle down in this mountain?”

“Here…?”

“Yes, the terrain is rough, making it easy to hide. There’s a mountain path below where we can ambush merchants, and the water and air are good.”

As Dongryong gestured, the other subordinates eagerly chimed in.

“That’s right, Boss.”

“I like it here too.”

“I’ll follow your lead, Boss.”

Seeing them plead like that, it was clear the loads were heavy. Their blistered feet looked pitiful…

“Hmm…”

I pondered for a while longer before asking Dongryong.

“Dongryong, where are we exactly?”

“We’ve been traveling for quite a while since leaving Shanxi, so I think we’re in Hunan.”

“Hunan, huh…”

My original plan was to go as far south as possible.

In other words, Guangxi, Guizhou, or Hainan. Hunan was still quite far from my desired destination.

As I continued to ponder, Dongryong, seemingly frustrated, asked.

“Boss, I don’t understand. Is there something special in the south?”

“What…?”

“Isn’t it? We’ve made a lot of money this time, and our lives will be more comfortable. There’s no need to go to such remote places. Hunan is a decent place to live. This mountain is clean and nice.”

“Right!”

“Let’s just live here, Boss!”

“……”

I hesitated to tell them about the war that would break out in a few years, engulfing the world in flames.

If I told them, I’d also have to explain that I’m living my second life and that this world is a novel.

Well, they wouldn’t believe me anyway.

‘Hunan is still in the southern region. The Demonic Sects will push down from the north, so this place should be safe enough.’

Should I be more cautious and find a safer place, or should we settle down in this seemingly good spot?

I had to decide.

And just as I was about to answer…

“Hey, you there!”

“Alright, I’ve decided. We’ll…!”

“Hey, you there, young men!”

“Settle down… Huh?”

Someone interrupted me, calling out to us.

Startled by the sudden voice, my subordinates and I looked to the side…

“Could you help us out?”

…A simple-looking middle-aged man appeared out of nowhere, waving at us.

**

“Oh, thank goodness! We were in big trouble and were looking for help, and here are five strong young men.”

“What’s the problem?”

The man was quite talkative.

In the short time we walked together, he told us all sorts of stories.

Well, thanks to that, we quickly understood the situation.

He was one of the merchants from Hubei, and one of their carriages, loaded with goods, had a wheel stuck on a cliff edge.

“Are you merchants too? The items you’re carrying look quite valuable.”

“Yes, something like that…”

“Haha, it’s good to see young people working hard. When I was young…”

By the time we finished listening to his stories…

…We found a group of people gathered around two carriages, one of which had a wheel stuck on a cliff edge.

“Hey, everyone! I brought some young men to help!”

“Oh, you did well!”

The people gathered were the man’s fellow merchants, all simple-looking middle-aged men like him.

I gave them a slight nod and said…

“Guys, let’s help them out.”

“Yes!”

Together with my subordinates, we freed the stuck carriage.

Even though we were just lowly ruffians, we were martial artists, so we could pull out the cart quickly.

“Wow!”

“Young people are so full of vitality!”

“Haha, it’s nothing.”

Feeling a bit embarrassed by their praise, I scratched the back of my head and asked the man.

“By the way, what’s in these carriages?”

“Oh, both carriages are filled with liquor.”

“…Liquor? What kind?”

When I asked about the type of liquor, the man proudly puffed out his chest and said.

“It’s Top-notch Dukang Wine. We supply it to the largest Red Light District in Sichuan. This wine is amazing…”

The man, a talkative fellow, went on and on about the taste and benefits of Top-notch Dukang Wine.

After listening to his lengthy explanation, I nodded and said.

“After hearing your story, it sounds delicious. Could you sell some to us?”

Hearing that, the man shook his head apologetically.

“These are all for delivery, so we can’t touch them. I’m really sorry.”

“Can’t sell it, huh…”

My face hardened slightly at his refusal. But the man, oblivious to this, whispered to me.

“More importantly, can we talk somewhere else?”

“Why?”

“Well, this Mount Muak is said to be home to a large and violent group of Mountain Bandits.”

“Oh, really? That’s troublesome… I was planning to settle down here, but it seems there are already residents…”

“Yes, residents… Wait, settle down?”

Seeing the man’s confusion, I drew my Sword and stabbed it into the ground.

“……”

“……”

Seeing this, the man and his fellow merchants fell silent, the atmosphere turning tense.

I smiled at the man and said.

“What are you waiting for? Get the liquor out. I said I’m buying.”

“…W-Well, the thing is…”

The man, realizing the importance of the goods, hesitated even in the face of my sharp Sword.

“…These carriages contain liquor that must not be touched.”

“Oh, really? Well, in that case…”

I decided to use a magic phrase.

“Would you rather sell it for money, or have it taken by force?”

“……”

As soon as I said that, my subordinates, as if on cue, drew their Swords and Blades from their waists.

Even after making a lot of money, it seems Mountain Bandit DNA doesn’t go away easily.