Chapter 298
298fury. hunter
Shoot aaaaa-
In the pouring rain, the sight of those approaching with intent to kill is getting closer and closer..
There were two people.
One was a large man and the other appeared to be a slender man or woman..
They were fully equipped with rain gear, with straw hats draped over their shoulders and hats on their heads..
He held a bow in his hand. It seemed like more than half of the demonstrations were pulled so that they could shoot at any time. He had a sword at his waist and a spear diagonally across his back..
‘The weapon is a bit unusual for a martial artist.?’
When they approached the distance of about a dozen pieces, Namgungsu warned in a voice full of energy..
“Stop. If you do not reveal your identity, you will be considered an enemy..”
“Who are you, wandering into someone else’s cave at will?!”
The larger man of the two shouted..
The voice without any inner strength was full of anger and caution..
White Water Dragon narrowed his eyes and observed his opponent's every move..
‘First of all, I don't think it's a blood religion..’
But I couldn't be sure.
Baek Soo-ryong decided to have a conversation with them first..
“Did you just say cave? We are warriors passing by on the road. I ended up here trying to escape the rain..”
“What, you’re a Murim person? shit…….”
I could hear a hint of confusion in the man's voice..
If that's acting, it's probably an assassin or informant in training..
At that time, the slender man poked the tall man in the side. It seemed to mean that I will tell you and you should stay still..
“We are hunters. The place where you stand is our cave.”
“Do you have any proof that this cave belongs to you??”
“Inside the cave, there will be cooking utensils and animal skins spread out. You were planning on sleeping on it tonight, but it was supposed to be ours..”
The voice was female. I couldn't see his face properly because it was covered with a hat, but I felt that he was glaring fiercely in my direction..
Baek Soo-ryong and Nam Gung-su shared a secret message..
[White Water Dragon. what do you think.]
[It doesn't seem like they came here knowing who we were..]
[There doesn't seem to be anything suspicious to me..]
[……Not yet.]
If they are really ordinary hunters and this cave is used as a shelter for them, then it means that they came in from here on their own..
‘From their perspective, strangers have taken over their safe haven, so it is understandable that they approached with intent to kill..’
However, it was impossible to go outside again in this heavy rain. Baek Soo-ryong motioned for Nam Gung-su to step back and said..
“The rain is heavy, so come here and get out of the rain..”
“Are you being generous by taking over someone else's cave??”
“You can't go outside in weather like this, right? And this cave wasn't something I bought with money.?”
“…….”
“…….”
The two hunters seemed to be thinking for a moment, but the pouring rain was too strong for them to go back like this. The rain was so heavy that even experienced hunters could get lost and become shipwrecked. The body temperature also gradually dropped..
Eventually, Baeksu-ryong and Namgungsu retreated into the cave, and the two hunters slowly entered the entrance. We were still wary of each other..
The big man shouted loudly for no reason..
“Don't even think about doing something foolish! We also learned martial arts. If you fight, nothing good will come out of it..”
The two hunters untied their hats and stilts from their shoulders and placed them on the ground. men and women. The strange resemblance was like brother and sister or a married couple..
‘I learned martial arts, but it's not at a great level..’
White Water Dragon assessed the skills of the two hunters..
Second-rate at best.
He was quite strong for a hunter, but not to the point where it felt strange..
Then the male hunter asked.
“There are only two people?”
“There are two more people inside..”
For a moment, the hunters' expressions became tense. This was due to the fact that the opponents were twice as numerous..
‘Is it really a coincidence??’
Baek Su-ryong was worried as he looked at the expressions and reactions of the two hunters..
It's too clumsy to be considered a masterpiece, and too weak to be called a masterpiece..
Even if I was attacked by them while I was in a deep sleep, I was confident that I would be able to fight it off without even getting hurt..
“With the weather being like this, we have no choice but to spend tonight together here. Since there are a lot of people, how about taking turns keeping watch??”
Baek Soo-ryong made such a suggestion with the intention of seeing the other person's reaction..
If they readily accepted, I planned to question the other person's intentions once again..
“……We'll leave as soon as the rain subsides..”
However, the two hunters rejected the offer and instead looked at the white water dragon with wary eyes..
‘It really doesn't seem like it.’
The White Water Dragon has let go of most of its suspicions about the hunters..
For the past few days, the group had as little contact with other people as possible and only moved along mountain paths..
It was to save time, but the bigger reason was because of blood ties..
Baek Soo-ryong and Nam Gung-su were both persons of interest from the point of view of the clan..
If their whereabouts become known, it is quite possible to send assassins or plot something..
The people I suddenly met in this situation were those hunters, so I couldn't help but be suspicious..
‘If it was a blood religion, they wouldn't have targeted me in such a clumsy way. It would be better if it were another organization.…….’
After examining their clothing and weapons, it seemed clear that they were hunters..
I still don't know if he's a good hunter or a bad hunter..
Then the hunter woman spoke in a sharp voice..
“I'll take our things inside the cave..”
As if she wasn't specifically asking for permission, she slowly moved inside the cave, wary of Baeksu-ryong and Namgung-su. One hand was on the hilt of the sword at his waist..
And after a while, she found Zhuge So-young and Nam Gung-mi inside the cave. The two of them had already woken up from their sleep..
“child?”
“…….”
The woman paused when she saw Nam Gung-mi peeking out from behind Zhuge So-young. My sharp eyes became round.
“How old are you??”
“……I'm ten years old.”
At that moment, Baek Su-ryong saw the strength in the hunter woman's hand that was holding the hilt of the sword loosen..
The woman spoke to Namgung-mi. It was a surprisingly soft voice..
“I'm sorry for waking you up while you were sleeping. I didn't mean to surprise you.”
“…….”
“It's raining heavily outside, so we just want to rest here for a while. It still works?”
When the woman relaxed her frozen expression and smiled, her face became ordinary and simple. she shouted at the man at the entrance.
“honey! There's a kid here! Put the knife in!”
“……okay? okay.”
The hunter man who was having a snowball fight with Namgungsu also slowly put away his knife..
Namgoong Mi's presence instantly changed the tense atmosphere to a smooth one..
A group with a healthy child wearing clean clothes without any marks of being hit or being bullied..
From the hunters' point of view, it was nothing more than confirmation that Baek Su-ryong and his group were not dangerous people..
‘They are simple people. You let your guard down just because you have a child..’
Baek Soo-ryong smiled bitterly..
Having met the scum of all kinds of blood cults in his past life, he thought that hunters who relaxed by taking a child with them were naive..
The relaxed hunter man smiled awkwardly and said.
“I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. It's such an ugly world.…….”
“no. We would have done the same.”
After a while, after resolving their misunderstanding, they lit a bonfire and sat down in a large circle..
Baek Soo-ryong and his party gave the hunters appropriate pseudonyms. I didn't feel any guilt because I wasn't going to see him again anyway..
“Thank you for letting me rest at Hunter's Rest.”
“Oh no, no. This is a place where hunters have been going to avoid the rain since ancient times. To be honest, it's a bit hard to say that we are the owners..”
Unlike the first time, the hunter couple responded in awe..
When we looked at each other up close, we could recognize each other's faces and clothes..
Baek Soo-ryong and his group all wore nice clothes, were pretty and handsome, and had swords on their waists that were clearly a treasured sword at a glance..
Even people who didn't know much about martial arts could tell that they were of an unusual status..
The leadership of the conversation naturally passed to Baek Soo-ryong and his group..
“Are you two married??”
“Ah, yes. yes.”
It is said that the hunter couple lived around here for a long time, hunting animals together..
Baek Soo-ryong, who was listening to their story, asked a question..
“Do you have any children??”
“…….”
It was an ordinary question, but the woman's expression suddenly hardened..
The man looked at his wife's expression, smiled bitterly and said,.
“They had a daughter, but she fell ill and died shortly after birth..”
“……sorry. I said something unnecessary..”
“no. It's a long time ago now. If only I was alive... … He must be about the age of the lady here. haha. Of course, she won't be as pretty as you. Because it looked like me.”
The hunter man tried to laugh it off as a joke, but Zhuge So-young and Namgoong-mi, who are sensitive, shed tears just by that..
As the atmosphere became dark because of him, the man quickly changed the topic..
“Are you going to climb the mountain? I know a shortcut. It's a bit dangerous because it's a path that hunters travel on.…….”
“We would appreciate it if you could let us know..”
As we sat around and chatted, time passed quickly..
Shoot ahhh…….
The rain gradually decreased.
The rain was still at a level that could be considered heavy, but it was enough for an experienced hunter to find his way..
“We've dried our wet bodies enough, so let's go..”
The hunter couple, who had been watching, stood up..
I put the hat I had put down on my shoulder again and put on my hat. I dried my wet body sufficiently..
“for a moment.”
As they were about to leave in a hurry, Namgungsu took out a slip from his wallet and handed it to them. It was a large sum of money with the seal of the Namgung family..
“Thanks to you, I had a comfortable night. Moreover, you even showed me a shortcut, so it's a fitting example..”
“This much money…….”
The hunter couple's eyes widened. The voucher Namgungsu gave was a large amount of money that would be difficult to earn even if they worked for several months..
But it wasn't just a case..
“I hope you don't tell us where you went and met us. It's good for your safety too.”
“……yes. Okay.”
The hunters who received the slips nodded..
So, this money was meant as a silence, and a warning that if you open your mouth carelessly, there may be repercussions..
“I…….”
The hunter's wife, who had been glancing at Namgung-mi the whole time she was sitting at the campfire, opened her mouth..
She seemed to have made up her mind, lowered her voice and spoke as if warning..
“Beware of the mountain spirit.”
“honey!”
The man shouted in surprise. But the woman didn't stop talking.
“Never go near a place where there is a thunderstorm. It is especially dangerous on rainy days like this. There are many people who were taken by the mountain spirit and never returned..”
“you! I can't shut that mouth!”
“You have a child.!”
The man who was about to get angry at his wife sighed as if he had resigned himself to the shout..
Baek Soo-ryong asked with a puzzled expression..
“It's a mountain spirit.?”
“…… It is a being that brings rain and wind and brings down lightning. Many of the Murim people who ignored the warning and went to look for the mountain spirit did not return. If we ever run into each other... … . Run away without looking back.”
The hunter man trembled as if he was afraid just thinking about the mountain spirit. I am afraid that I will be punished for using my mouth carelessly..
The man said, pulling his wife's arm..
“We'll just go now.”
“…….”
White Water Dragon looked at the back of the hunter couple leaving in a hurry. Their appearance quickly disappeared into the rain..
“They seem like good people…….”
Namgung-su and Zhuge So-young nodded at Namgung-mi’s mumbling..
At first, I was wary because I couldn't tell who they were, but it turned out that they were friendly and simple hunters..
Just because there was a child in the group, it was enough to warn them about the feared mountain spirit..
“It's a mountain spirit.…….”
“Probably a retired martial artist..”
Namgoongsu also seemed to have had similar thoughts as Baeksuryong..
A being that brings rain and wind and scatters lightning..
And they said that on rainy days, they come down from the mountain and catch people..
‘I somehow feel like we'll meet again.’
Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo-
The rain was gradually decreasing. It seemed like we could leave soon.
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