Chapter 7
If I drink like this one more time, I might as well be a dog.
Lee Seon squeezed his eyes shut.
He clutched his throbbing head and managed to stand up.
It was not uncommon for people to approach the vicinity of Hyeokmun Mountain.
The fact that it was full of poisonous plants also meant it was a treasure trove of natural resources where various plants thrived.
There were often those who forgot the dangers and ventured into Hyeokmun Mountain.
If not that, it could have been a large animal that triggered something.
However, not long ago, when he bothered to investigate, he had found Tang Ha-ryeong.
He couldn’t just ignore it.
Lee Seon took a deep breath.
His arm, hanging limply, had a clear droplet forming at the tip of his finger, which soon fell to the ground.
He had expelled the alcohol to ensure better movement.
‘You insane bastard! Not only did you drink that precious liquor without a second thought, but now you’re wasting it by expelling it from your body!’
It wasn’t like I planned this, but the world won’t leave me alone, so what am I supposed to do?
He waved his hand lazily in the air and stood up.
‘So what’s the issue this time?’
With the hangover cleared away, Lee Seon’s eyes gleamed sharply.
**
“Search everywhere!”
Ho-myung, bringing all his remaining subordinates, began scouring Hyeokmun Mountain.
From the moment he decided to kill Tang Ha-ryeong, his fate had already been sealed.
If he didn’t kill her, he would die. He had no choice but to risk his life to kill her.
Even if she was already dead, he needed to find evidence and bring it to the man.
“There are too many poisonous creatures!”
“I got bitten by a bug!”
“Someone help! There’s a snake!”
Grit!
Ho-myung clenched his teeth.
What kind of mountain is this?
He had heard the rumours about Hyeokmun Mountain.
But rumours are just rumours.
Stories of people disappearing and a monster living on the mountain were ridiculous.
But that man… was more terrifying!
He valued his life too much to retreat out of fear.
How did I rise to this position?
Under normal circumstances, I would have died as a mere bandit.
But fate hadn’t been so indifferent, allowing me to become the leader of a proper bandit camp.
‘If I finish this, I can rise even higher!’
Touching a direct descendant of the Tang Clan was sheer madness.
Even if I succeeded, I could be hunted for the rest of my life. So why did I accept this?
‘Kill Tang Ha-ryeong.’
Ho-myung, who valued his own safety above all else, had tearfully followed the order for a reason.
If he hadn’t, he would have ended up like the previous leader, with his body exploding in a single strike.
‘Finish this task, and I’ll reward you.’
The man’s identity was unknown, his name a mystery, his affiliation unclear.
But he never made empty promises.
If I completed this task successfully…
Perhaps I could achieve my dream.
If I could just improve my martial skills a little more…
If I could become stronger, recruit more subordinates, and expand my territory…
I could become one of the leaders of the 72 Strongholds of the Green Forest, a dream all bandits shared.
The opportunity was right in front of me.
“You idiots! What’s so scary about a few poisonous creatures?”
This earned him resentful glares from his men.
It made sense. He hadn’t lifted a finger, just ordering people around and acting like a tyrant. No one would look kindly on Ho-myung.
“There’s something here!”
A hidden weapon embedded in a tree, or broken branches.
Evidence that a fight had taken place here.
“Well done!”
Ho-myung’s face lit up as he examined the signs closely.
To survive in the mountains, one needed keen observation and a sharp mind.
Ho-myung narrowed his eyes as he examined the embedded weapon.
‘It was thrown to keep someone at bay. Given that she had so few hidden weapons, it was a desperate move. The depth of the embedment shows there wasn’t much force behind it.’
“Found something else here!”
Footprints deeply imprinted in the mud.
They were too small to belong to a man, so they must have been Tang Ha-ryeong’s.
Since she hadn’t lightened her body, it was clear she couldn’t use her movement technique properly due to her internal injuries.
“There must be more nearby! Search every inch!”
Ho-myung’s eyes gleamed as he barked orders.
However, after hours of searching, they had little to show for it.
Aside from a few hidden weapons and torn pieces of clothing, there were no meaningful discoveries.
They couldn’t even find traces of the subordinates they had sent earlier.
Clang!
Unable to hold back any longer, one of the men threw his weapon to the ground.
“Do you want to die?”
No-cheol showed a flash of killing intent.
But one of the other men stepped forward to complain.
“Chief, I’ve been a bandit for over ten years, but I’ve never seen a mountain this terrible. The terrain is rugged, it’s humid and hot, and with all these damn poisonous creatures, there won’t even be any bodies left in this place.”
“Shut up! It hasn’t been long enough for there to be no bones left!”
The other bandits grumbled.
“Why don’t you search yourself, then?”
“Why is the chief doing nothing?”
“You… you bastards.”
Ho-myung flinched.
These were his subordinates, but they were also men who could stab him in the back at any moment.
They weren’t the type of men he could control with brute force alone.
After all, they had hidden in the mountains to protect their own lives.
If they got fed up, it wouldn’t be surprising if they pulled their swords on him and staged a rebellion.
Rustle.
Suddenly, the sound of rustling grass came from nearby.
The bandits quickly drew their weapons, startled.
“Something’s coming again!”
Since arriving here, the bandits had been harassed by various poisonous creatures that attacked without warning.
It was no surprise that even small noises startled them.
Ho-myung also drew his sword and took a defensive stance.
However, what emerged from the bushes was not a beast, but a person.
“Hello?”
It was none other than a boy with dishevelled hair covering his eyes.
“Who are you?”
“As you can see, I’m just an ordinary person living here.”
‘He doesn’t look ordinary at all!’
That was the shared thought of all the bandits.
How could a boy who looked no older than twenty stand calmly and chat with a group of armed bandits?
The bandits began whispering among themselves.
“Is it even possible for someone to live here?”
“No way, that doesn’t make sense.”
“He seems suspicious.”
“Hey, you lot. Don’t insult someone’s home so carelessly.”
The bandits responded indifferently.
“It’s not like there’s anything good to say about it.”
Ho-myung’s thoughts were similar.
He nodded in agreement before realizing he needed to ask a question.
“Who are you?”
A boy living in a mountain full of poisonous creatures, far from human traffic—that was suspicious no matter how you looked at it.
The boy answered nonchalantly.
“I live here.”
“You’re just a kid, and you’re speaking so rudely.”
“You guys are talking informally to me, yet expect me to use polite language?”
The bandits were left speechless.
“If you’re lost, I can help you find your way out. Otherwise, is there another reason you’re here? This mountain isn’t a place people can just enter easily.”
The bandits couldn’t hide their irritation.
“You fool. Do we look lost to you?”
The boy scanned the bandits and nodded slowly.
“Yeah.”
Ho-myung’s face twisted in anger.
But the boy paid no attention.
“Unkempt appearance, like you haven’t washed in days. The stench of your bodies reaches here even on the breeze. Bloodshot eyes, desperately searching for something. So, I assumed you were lost. Was I wrong?”
The bandits’ pride was wounded, and they shouted in anger.
“We’re skilled mountain climbers!”
“No one knows these mountains better than us!”
“You brat! Did you just call us filthy?”
Ho-myung’s pride was also stung by the boy’s words.
‘…Should I just kill him?’
Since they had already been spotted operating here, killing everyone was inevitable.
But soon a cruel smile spread across Ho-myung’s face.
He had thought of something better than killing right away.
“Kid, you said you live here, right? Then you must know what goes on around here.”
The boy nodded.
“Not everything, but enough.”
“I have a question. Not long ago, someone came through here. Do you know where they went?”
“You’re asking for free?”
“……”
Ho-myung pulled out a few coins from his pocket.
“Some of our men came through here recently, but we lost contact with them. Do you know anything about that? If you share what you know, I’ll reward you.”
But the boy’s reaction was unexpected.
He glanced at the coins in Ho-myung’s hand.
Lee Seon smirked crookedly.
“Is that how stingy mountain heroes act? If you’re going to spend, why not spend a little more?”
—
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