Extra 6 |
At the voices calling them, Yu-seol and Woon-seong turned their heads to face the beggars who were blocking the entryway.
“Hmm, you seem to have quite a bit of money,” one of them sneered.
The beggars, unaware that they had been lured, swept their eyes over Woon-seong and Yu-seol.
“Hey, he’s a yangban [1] who knows everything, so he’ll understand the situation quickly.”
As if he had found good prey, the man spoke with a voice that seemed to be dripping with saliva.
“If you nicely hand over some of your belongings, you won’t be humiliated in front of your daughter.”
He then tapped the empty yakitori skewer in his hands and patted the fur hat on his head, adding, “Of course, since you’re rich enough to give these things out for free, the standard we’ll be using is different from usual. Heehee.”
It was a mischievous cackle.
The problem was the skewer in his hand and the fur hat on his head.
Sparks seemed to flash in Yu-seol’s eyes.
Obviously she would be upset, since she had given that chicken and fur hat to the two siblings shivering in the cold.
“Why do you have those?”
Was it because he thought Yu-seol was just a kid? The man who seemed to be the leader ignored Yu-seol’s question.
“You raised your daughter very spoiled. As expected, children from wealthy families are different.”
Instead of answering, the man staggered towards Woon-seong.
“Of course, the price for that attitude will be paid in addition.”
With that level of intimidation, Woon-seong laughed.
Did they think he was disregarding them? The beggar spat out words that would only come from a character in [Tale of Murim Heroes] and pulled out a small dagger from his sleeves.
“In the end, are you refusing our advice and drinking the bitter alcohol of punishment?”
That was the signal.
Shua, shau.
The other beggars, who had been waiting in the background, pulled out their own weapons.
Then, the man pointed his weapon at Woon-seong and Yu-seol. Based on their smooth movements, it was easy to guess that this was not the first time the group had robbed someone.
But in Woon-seong’s eyes, they looked ridiculous.
You’ve never even learned how to properly wield a blade.
The man had just pulled it out, but his grip on the handle was wrong.
Woon-seong, who had roughly grasped the level of these guys, took a step back and asked Yu-seol, “Do you want to try it?”
“Yes, Father!”
In response to Woon-seong’s question, Yu-seol clenched her fists, as if he had asked something obvious.
That man had stolen what she gave those two siblings!
She did not like these beggars.
“I’m going to give you a beating!”
When Woon-seong’s permission fell, Yu-seol stuck her hand into her sleeves, as if she was finally allowed to do so.
She then pulled out a small stick and lifted it up.
It was a stick a little larger than an adult’s palm.
When Yu-seol swung it…
Chwa-la-la-la-la.
The short stick made a strange sound and lengthened into a rod.
Although there was no blade, it had actually transformed into something similar to a spear.
It was a spear with a length just right for Yu-seol’s height.
With a spear in her hands, Yu-seol strode towards the beggars, shouting:
“This noona will take care of bad guys like you with her own hands today!”
Although the beggar was older than her, she called herself ‘noona’.
To the side, Woon-seong, who watched on with his arms folded, burst into laughter.
“Pfft.”
However, the beggar who was provoked did not enjoy the scene. The brat was clearly provoking and disregarding him.
“How dare you!”
Seeing that she was carrying a long stick, he knew that she was not an ordinary kid.
But even so, just one little kid was trying to confront them all.
“Today, I’m gonna fix this crazy woman’s attitude. Guys!”
“Yes!”
“Don’t just watch. It’s okay to break a bone or two. It’s fine as long as we get the money!”
Saying that it was alright to break some bones was a threat. If she resisted, it might really happen.
“Attack!”
When the leader gave the order, the others — except for the two who blocked the alleyway entrance — rushed over.
At first glance, it seemed that the beggars, who were at least eight years older than Yu-seol, had the upper hand.
However, what unfolded immediately afterward was completely different from expectation.
The moment that the beggars attacked, so did Yu-seol.
Gale Ten-Thousand Mile Travel.
A gale that traveled ten thousand miles in an instant…
And like that, Yu-seol became a strong flurry.
In Woon-seong’s eyes, she still had a long way to go, but in the eyes of a beggar who had never learned martial arts, the wind cut deep.
“I’ll show you the bitter taste of this noona!”
Yu-seol, who evaded the beggars’ attacks with her movements, swung the rod.
Who-hoo-
The rod swung wildly and slammed into the thigh of one of the beggars.
“Haap!”
Yu-seol leapt into the air, almost gliding as if she were a bird.
What unfolded was a terrifying blow, the rod smashing down vertically.
Chwa-la-la-la-la.
“Oof!”
One of the beggars, who had been smashed in the forehead, crumpled to the ground foaming at the mouth.
He wasn’t dead, but the blow had probably cracked his skull.
Of course, Yu-seol’s attack did not end there. She leapt into the air using the recoil, then swung her spear down and slashed at the temple of another beggar below.
Chwa-la-la-la-la.
“Stop!”
The beggar hit in the head fell to his knees. He wasn’t knocked out, but the blow was enough to make him lose all strength in his legs.
“Ugh…”
The beggars weren’t stupid either. With two of their colleagues knocked down, the remaining ones began to falter and rapidly change their tune.
The most ingratiating one had to be the guy playing the role of leader.
“Ugh, it seems we didn’t recognize the people of Murim, ahaha. It seems I’ve made a mistake, Esteemed Master. And…” He glanced at Yu-seol for a moment, then added in a sullen tone, “Apologies, Young Miss.”
“Call me noona!”
As Yu-seol yelled, the guy timidly nodded his head. “Yes. N-N-Noona. We apologize for our mistake.
With an almost tearful voice, he added, “E-Esteemed Master and Noona might not know this, but behind us is the Black Tooth Gate.”
“Black Tooth Gate?”
At the unfamiliar name of the sect-gate, Yu-seol titled her head and glanced at Woon-seong.
Until now, Woon-seong had taught her about many of the gates to be wary of when in Murim. However, the Black Tooth Gate was not one listed.
That’s why she glanced at Woon-seong.
However, it was also the first time Woon-seong had heard of the Black Tooth Gate.
There was a logical deduction — the Black Tooth Gate was a faction so small that it wasn’t worth Woon-seong remembering.
Because there was no need for the Heavenly Demon, the living god of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon, to remember each of these small sects.
But there was a problem.
“A-And the Cult of the Heavenly Demon is behind the Black Tooth Gate… because the leader of the Black Tooth Gate was taught by a Demonic Master.”
“Which Demonic Master?”
“Huh?”
At the sudden question, the beggar leader moved his eyes back and forth, not knowing what to say.
Woon-seong repeated, “I asked which of the Demonic Masters he studied under.”
“……”
Seeing how the man couldn’t answer, was it fabrication or was it that he truly didn’t know?
“Did the Black Tooth Gate Leader say that directly? Did he say that he was taught by a Demonic Master?”
“…Yes? Yes. Sir, he definitely said so.”
“Hmm…”
Woon-seong slowly stroked his chin.
Although this was the realm of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon, it wasn’t like there was only one or two small sects.
But having a connection to a Demonic Master was a different matter.
And if the sect-gate using the name of a Demonic Master was only at this level, even using beggars?
You’ll need punishment.
When Woon-seong came to such a conclusion, the beggar looked between Woon-seong and Yu-seol, asking, “Hahaha. Can we go now?”
“Hey, where do you think you’re going? This noona’s business isn’t over yet.”
Yu-seol flatly rejected the man.
The beggars looked at Woon-seong with pleading eyes, but Woon-seong coldly said: “You can do whatever you want, Seol-ah.”
That day, in a dark alley:
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
The screams of a group of beggars flowed non-stop.
“I’m going to give this back.”
Even if the yakitori had already been eaten, Yu-seol picked up the fur hat and Woon-seong nodded.
A little while later, Yu-seol’s expression was much paler than expected after visiting the orphaned siblings.
“What’s wrong?”
When Woon-seong asked, Yu-seol hesitated, then sighed with difficulty. “They were perfectly fine.”
“……”
She thought that the siblings were threatened, beaten, or dragged away, but they had no injuries at all.
“I’m glad they weren’t hurt, but…”
“Conversely, it was stolen because they did not fight.”
Yu-seol raised her head and looked at Woon-seong.
“It is unimportant whether you have the strength or not. Before that, you need to have the courage to fight and protect what is yours.”
If you did not have that courage, you had no choice but to live with losing things.
Yu-seol returned the fur hat to them, but it would soon be taken away again.
It would be after Woon-seong and Yu-seol left the guest house.
It would be lost to that beggar earlier, or to someone else.
Because that fur hat was too luxurious for a pair of orphaned siblings.
Because those kids did not have the courage to fight to protect it.
Rather, it was those siblings who were special.
Woon-seong, who suddenly remembered the appearance of a child asking him to accept her younger brother as a disciple, chuckled to himself.
That young girl knew how to be bold when it was necessary, and knew how to pick her fights. Because of that, the younger brother was now Woon-seong’s disciple.
His sister, who was daring, is well adapted to living in the Cult.
According to Kang So-san, Kang Ye-ha had opened a restaurant inside the Cult; it seemed that business was so successful she soon opened up three branches.
While Woon-seong chuckled as he remembered the Kang siblings, a group of people ran towards Woon-seong.
They seemed to all be wearing uniforms of the same color and same poor quality.
As they rushed to a stop in front of Woon-seong and Yu-seol, a puffy and bruised face protruded between them.
The man pointed at Woon-seong and Yu-seol with his finger.
“Bah, that’s them!”
The man shouted with a loud voice and Woon-seong revealed his white fangs.
“Well done.”
Previously, it was Yu-seol’s fight, but from now on, his own fight would begin.
Of course, the process was so one-sided that it would be embarrassing to even call it a fight…
[1] yangban = noble, aristocrat, ruling class; scholarly official
