Chapter 8
What is with this kid?
Ho-myung couldn’t shake the feeling that he had been caught up in something strange.
Before he realized it, the flow of the conversation had slipped out of his control.
But as a leader, being dragged along like this would be disgraceful.
“Are you just spouting nonsense without knowing anything?”
Ho-myung exuded killing intent.
Ordinary people, upon encountering killing intent, would freeze on the spot.
Unless they were extremely dull, their legs would give out and their knees would buckle.
But Lee Seon remained calm, his expression unchanged.
“A few days ago, I saw a group of people dressed like you.”
Twitch.
“They were all chasing after someone.”
Ho-myung’s eyes widened.
“The girl with black hair flowing against her green robe is the one you’re desperately looking for, isn’t she?”
It’s true!
Ho-myung instantly realized that this boy knew what had happened here.
“So, what happened to them?”
Lee Seon held out his palm.
“From now on, you’ll have to pay to hear more.”
Ho-myung fiddled with his coin pouch.
Fine. I’ll pay.
This kid lives in the mountains, a complete country bumpkin.
He clearly doesn’t realize the danger he’s in.
It’s just a temporary loan. I’ll get it back.
Once he had sorted out his thoughts, Ho-myung boldly agreed.
Since he could recover it later, there was no reason not to give whatever amount the boy asked for.
“Fine. How much?”
But Lee Seon’s answer exceeded his expectations.
“Hand over all the money you have.”
“What?”
Ho-myung shouted.
His voice, infused with inner power, echoed thunderously through the mountains.
Lee Seon plugged his ears and frowned.
“At this rate, you’re going to attract all the animals living here.”
“Are you a thief? You’re charging that much for a few words?”
Lee Seon casually glanced beyond the forest, exposing the vulnerable back of his neck.
Ho-myung’s hand trembled with the urge to snap that thin neck right then and there.
But even if it might feel good for a moment, what about after?
If they didn’t capture Tang Ha-ryeong, if they couldn’t prove her death, he would die too.
The bargaining power was now entirely in Lee Seon’s hands.
“So, are you going to pay or not?”
“You damned brat!”
Cursing was all Ho-myung could manage.
**
“Feels heavy.”
Enjoying the weight of his now bulging pouch, Lee Seon smiled brightly.
“I thought you were an intruder, but it turns out you’re quite the generous mountain hero.”
“…Shut up and show us the way.”
“Sure thing.”
Money? Just hold onto it for now.
You’ll die anyway. And I won’t let you die easily.
I’ll make you beg for mercy. But before that, I’ll make sure you suffer as much as possible.
As Ho-myung’s mind swirled with violent fantasies, Lee Seon casually flicked his fingers.
The coins jingled beautifully in his hand, creating a melodious sound.
The coins flipped in the air, glittering as they spun.
Ho-myung glared at him with eyes that looked ready to shed tears of blood.
“If you don’t guide us properly, I’ll take your head.”
“You don’t have to threaten me. I’ll guide you just fine.”
Lee Seon responded with a smile, unbothered by the intimidation.
Ho-myung was feeling incredibly irritated.
After all, having a greenhorn like this take his money, even temporarily, was infuriating.
It had been a long time since someone had annoyed him this much.
Guys like him wouldn’t flinch even with a sword at their throats.
Ho-myung had encountered people like this before.
Their emotionless eyes were calm.
This wasn’t someone who would be shaken just by intimidation.
Once we find her, I’ll tear his mouth apart first.
**
Before long, night had fallen.
Ho-myung looked around.
As the night darkened, his field of vision shrank.
The bandits soaked cloths in oil, tied them to branches, and set them alight.
“Put out the fire.”
Lee Seon advised.
But the bandits paid him no mind.
“How are we supposed to move without light in this darkness?”
Lee Seon provided a clear answer.
“You’re not supposed to move.”
“That’s nonsense.”
Time was of the essence.
Tang Ha-ryeong could be escaping at this very moment. How could they leisurely rest?
“This mountain is dangerous.”
“So what if the mountain is dangerous?”
Even if the lord of the mountain appeared, they had enough men to handle it.
“I warned you.”
Lee Seon said no more and continued guiding them.
After pushing through dense bushes, they arrived at a relatively open area.
On the ground were scattered particles emitting a faint glow.
“What… what is that?”
When one of the bandits approached and lit a torch, the bandits recoiled in horror.
There were giant spiders, each the size of a human palm, swarming the area.
“Chief! Look at those clothes!”
Ho-myung recognized them too.
It was the silk garment that No-cheol had stolen after ambushing a caravan not long ago.
The luxurious cloth, uncharacteristic for bandits, lay torn to shreds among the spiders.
Ho-myung swung his sword wildly with one hand while holding a torch in the other.
“If you mess with the spiders in this mountain, things won’t end well.”
Lee Seon muttered, but it was no use.
The bandits followed suit, killing the spiders.
“You filthy spiders! Get lost!”
“Kill them all! Disgusting creatures!”
Screeeech!
The spiders screamed, their red eyes glowing.
Some had their bodies crushed, and others had their legs severed, scurrying away into the darkness.
What was revealed after the spiders had fled was horrific.
There was almost nothing left, not even bones, except for a single arm.
Ho-myung’s face stiffened.
There was no recognizable face, but based on the clothes and the shape of the hand, it was definitely the deputy chief.
“What happened here?”
“A fight broke out.”
“Do I look blind? I can see that much without you telling me.”
Ho-myung’s face twisted into a monstrous grimace.
“Where is Tang Ha-ryeong? What happened to her?”
“She’s alive.”
“Where is she?”
Since he knew her name, it was clear Tang Ha-ryeong was conscious.
But having fought off many enemies while injured, she probably hadn’t fully recovered yet.
“At my house.”
Ho-myung blinked in confusion for a moment.
His expression twisted oddly.
His eyes twitched as if he was about to cry, and his lips trembled as if he were about to burst out laughing.
“So, she was at your house…”
He let out a chuckle, then suddenly swung his sword like lightning.
Lee Seon effortlessly dodged by leaning back and quickly created distance.
“You’ve been playing with us this whole time.”
Ho-myung was now unable to contain his anger.
All this time, while humouring a mere child with pointless questions…
“Don’t think you’ll die easily.”
But Lee Seon wasn’t looking at him.
He was staring behind Ho-myung.
“That’s my line.”
Ho-myung sneered.
“What could someone like you possibly do? Are you planning to fight us?”
“Fighting isn’t my job.”
It was only then that the bandits began to scan their surroundings.
“Something’s wrong!”
The bandits assumed defensive stances.
Suddenly, the number of red eyes gleaming in the darkness around the clearing increased.
Before long, the area was entirely surrounded.
“Did you really think carrying torches around in the dead of night wouldn’t attract attention?”
Before they knew it, they were surrounded.
Lee Seon watched it unfold, his expression unchanged, as if he had expected it.
Ho-myung pointed his sword at him.
“You led us into a trap.”
But Lee Seon shook his head.
“No, you walked into the trap yourselves.”
If they had simply been lost, he would have shown them the way out.
Even if they were reckless fools here to collect poisonous creatures, he might have saved them.
But these men were bandits.
Their greedy eyes had set out to find someone staying in his home.
“I warned you several times.”
They had disturbed the rulers of the forest by shouting recklessly in the mountains.
They had committed the folly of lighting fires in the dark.
They had gone so far as to disturb and harm the spiders, who were quietly having their meal.
“You’ll pay dearly for not heeding the warnings.”
At Lee Seon’s ominous words, the bandits turned pale.
But Ho-myung bellowed loudly.
“You think you can defeat us with just these things?”
Proving why he was the bandit chief, his presence emboldened the others.
The bandits regained their fighting spirit.
“They’re just a bunch of spiders!”
“Let’s kill them all!”
Sure, a spider might be large, but it was just a creepy insect.
It didn’t have massive fangs or sharp claws.
As long as they wielded their weapons and torches properly, it wouldn’t be a terrifying enemy.
That’s what they thought—
“Those were just the young ones.”
The bandits suddenly felt a chill down their spines.
“Wherever there are young, the mother is always nearby.”
The previously clear night sky was suddenly obscured.
It wasn’t clouds, nor was it the moon disappearing behind something.
A massive, pitch-black spider was looming overhead, drooling.
A peculiar pattern adorned the creature’s abdomen.
“No way…”
The pattern resembled a human face and was glaring at them.
The appearance was something only heard of in legends.
Its name was so well-known that everyone recognized it.
“…The Human-Faced Spider (Inmyeon Jiju).”
The bandits stared in shock at the enormous spider.
It was known as the king of poisonous creatures.
“Jinju, long time no see. Have you been well?”
Screeech!
Lee Seon greeted the spider, but it let out a terrifying scream from its jaws.
“I know, I know. But I did try to stop them. I’m sorry your children got hurt.”
Lee Seon extended a hand and petted the Human-Faced Spider.
But the spider turned its head away, ignoring him.
Lee Seon awkwardly withdrew his hand and chuckled.
“Well, it seems Jinju is quite angry with you for harming her children.”
The bandits were outraged.
“You’re the one who led us here!”
“You should be responsible for hurting her young too!”
“Don’t say things that’ll get you into trouble.”
Lee Seon waved his hand lightly.
And just like that, the bandits who had opened their mouths to speak grabbed their throats.
Mid-sentence, they collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
Screech?
The Human-Faced Spider looked at Lee Seon in confusion.
Lee Seon casually hid his hands behind his back as if nothing had happened.
—
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