“Those pickpockets!”
I said as I tossed the wallet stolen from the young hero to him.
Pickpocketing has nearly vanished as a crime in Korea, but in this world, it’s quite a common profession. The scary part about pickpockets in the martial arts world is that, even at a mediocre level, they’ve already mastered their own pickpocketing martial arts.
These guys work as a team, creating distractions while one of them quickly swipes the wallet before anyone notices.
Of course, if you don’t let your guard down, you’re unlikely to fall for it; however, it’s easy for rookie heroes like the young one to let their guard down and get caught off-guard.
“So it was a pickpocket…”
The young hero, still gripping his sword sheath, looked disappointed as he glanced at the boys, causing the distraction team to flinch.
“M-Master! That thug, he didn’t learn his lesson, but my brother, he was really taken away!”
What a ridiculous excuse.
“If you head down the alley, the local thugs will likely be waiting for you. If you think you won’t get pickpocketed, they’ll lure you into the alley to rob you.”
One of the pickpocket’s tactics is to blatantly steal something insignificant and lure you into an alley.
“No! My brother is really being beaten!”
Fearful of getting really cut, the young hero spoke with a quiver in his voice.
Seeing this, the young hero furrowed his brow and opened his mouth.
“Let’s go together.”
“Master, it’s a trap. You said the ones waiting are thugs, but they might be armed.”
I could see right through this kid. He’s scared of being cut, not genuinely worried about his brother.
“How can I refuse a request for help? Let’s go.”
So you’re going anyway, knowing all that?
The young hero nodded in agreement with my words, yet still followed after the kids into the alley.
—
“Heh heh. Good job, kids.”
Just as expected. Once we entered the alley, about ten thugs surrounded us. They didn’t seem too impressive, but a few of them were armed.
“Where’s your brother?”
The young hero asked the kid with a nonchalant attitude, like a tiger surrounded by neighborhood mutts.
The kid seemed to realize something was off and merely stuttered in silence.
“I’m this kid’s brother! If you want to leave here with all your limbs intact, pay up and scram!”
Looks like his brother has caught on, but the one who appears to be the leader didn’t seem to get the situation. Does he think the young hero is some inexperienced rich kid who has just stepped out into the world?
“Sigh… No one worth saving, just a lot of trash to clean up.”
“Master?”
Is he angry? The young hero sighed deeply, looking quite frustrated as he murmured.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
“I won’t draw my sword against mere petty criminals.”
The young hero declared as he held his sword sheath like a club.
“Attack!”
Of course, it had to come to this. The group of ten thugs lunged at us in unison.
In the old days, I would’ve been too busy running away, but those days are long gone.
“Ack!”
I have my own special move, Assassin’s Deployment. The young hero swiftly took down the approaching thugs and disappeared into the middle of their ranks.
I couldn’t fall behind either. I scanned the area for the easiest targets.
“What the hell!”
“What do you mean, what?! It’s Joseon’s martial arts, Deathly Spirit Arts, and White Tiger Seven Strikes!”
“Is he a barbarian master?”
No, I’m just throwing some wild punches!
“Uagh!”
It was an instant wipeout.
While I took down about seven of them with sloppy hits, the young hero subdued the rest in the blink of an eye.
Seeing the thugs crawling around like worms with broken limbs, I felt I had worried unnecessarily.
After all, I’m the idiot who thought bandits were just awaiting my arrival while hiking alone in the mountains. Surely thugs wouldn’t be that scary.
They say when a person is weak, their head suffers, but it’s good to have strength; it lets you walk into danger with less worry.
“Master Kang, shall we go?”
The young hero turned away, his face stern as he spoke to me.
‘Is he really that angry?’
Even though he didn’t show it, the smile had completely vanished from his face.
Having had his intentions manipulated, he has every right to be upset; he seemed ready to leave as though wanting to get away from something unpleasant.
I had no intention of leaving, though.
“Master, I understand your feelings, but please wait.”
Unlike the young hero, I walked deeper into the alley.
“Master Kang?”
The young hero called to me, bewildered.
For him, this could be just an unpleasant experience, but these things accumulate and become emotional scars.
What if someone really needs help next time but hesitates because of this experience? Since what’s done is done, we must turn this unpleasant experience into a slightly amusing one.
Not as a hero, but as Kang Yoon-ho.
“Hey! Get a grip!”
I shouted, grabbing the leader by his hair as I spoke arrogantly.
“What? Why? We were wrong! Please, just spare our lives!”
The pickpocket leader spoke in a pathetic state, unrecognizable from his earlier confident self.
Just looking at his face is a good enough lesson, but a little comfort wouldn’t go amiss for me and the young hero, right?
“See, you really hurt us by trying to help people, didn’t you?”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”
“Is just saying sorry enough? We deserve fair compensation for the emotional scars you’ve inflicted.”
“What?”
“How much you got?”
It’s a law of nature that the price of trampled dignity is money.
I spoke with a wicked smile, like a magician enjoying legally pilfering the thugs’ accumulated wealth after wiping them out.
“We don’t have any money.”
No money? I briefly checked his pocket. Sure enough, no wallet was visible. But there’s no way someone like him doesn’t have any cash.
In this situation, that must mean “find it if you can.” If he doesn’t want to give it up nicely, we’ll make sure he does one way or another.
“Really? Then I guess there’s no choice. Hey, what color do you think my hair is?”
“Huh? U-um, black?”
“Right. My brother came from somewhere other than the Central Plains. In our town, if you get caught stealing, you either pay up or get your arm chopped off. You said you have no money, right? Young hero, I’ll hold his arm, so you can chop it cleanly!”
I recalled something the Guard Unit’s master had said and told the pickpocket. It was an absurdly barbaric statement, but considering there are strange rumors about barbarians, it would surely serve as a threat.
“Hiieeek!”
The leader thrashed about but couldn’t escape my grip.
“Master Kang!”
The young hero took a step closer to me, looking shocked.
I smiled at the young hero, turning my face so the pickpocket wouldn’t see. Just kidding! I wouldn’t really cut him!
“I’ll give it all! I’ll give it all! P-please spare me!”
Was the sight of the young hero taking a step that overwhelming? The leader was completely panicking now.
“Hey, don’t be scared. Who said I would kill you? Just said I’d cut your arm.”
“Waaaaah! Please! I’ll give it up!”
The pickpocket wailed as if he were pulling out all the cries he’d had since babyhood.
“Listen well. Get up, and gather all the money from everyone here. If I find any hidden cash, I’ll chop you into pieces out of sheer annoyance. Got it?”
That should do the trick. I released the terrified guy’s bound wrists and said,
“Okay. Just spare me!”
The pickpocket leader stripped himself and his accomplices of all their hidden cash, laying it before us.
Watching the pickpockets tearfully fumble about left the young hero speechless, but he couldn’t help but snicker at the sight of them in such a state.
I suppose that was a bit of comfort.
We packed away enough “compensation” and then headed back to the inn to buy some much tastier food with it.
—
The journey was nearing its end.
We had stayed at the inn, ready to set out again at dawn.
“Tonight, we’ll stay at an abandoned shrine. We should arrive in Sichuan Province by tomorrow or the day after. Once we reach Daekjuk-hyeon at the entrance, there will be a branch of the Sichuan Tang Family, so we only need to endure for a day or two. How about you, young hero…”
“I’ll leave as soon as we reach the Sichuan Tang Family branch.”
So this is where my journey with the young hero ends? Bittersweet. Still, it’s nice to know there are only a couple more days of tension left before it all ends.
Though my hardships won’t end just because the threat of ambush disappears, it’s still good news to have something to worry less about.
—
“How fortunate to have the first shift!”
I spoke to the young hero, who was staring glumly into the campfire.
“Indeed.”
He replied in a somber tone. Was he still feeling down about yesterday’s incident?
It’s probably like donating money to poor kids and then later discovering the charity used it for a lavish yacht party that got them jailed.
Even after all that, I probably should’ve taught them a lesson.
“The marshmallows are toasted perfectly. Have one.”
I handed a marshmallow on a stick to the young hero. We bought this with the compensation, so enjoy it and recharge!
“Oh? This is quite…”
The young hero opened his eyes wide after tasting the marshmallow.
“Delicious, right?”
Grilled marshmallows are the pinnacle of camping snacks. But wait, has he never had one before? He’s acting like it’s his first time.
“When I was at Mount Wu, I spent all my money on books…”
Looking curious, I gazed at him, and the young hero confessed.
“Haha. I also often spent my funds on hobbies, neglecting food.”
Rule of thumb: Three for spending, three for gacha, three for living expenses.
“Is that so.”
The young hero seemed a little cheered to find a kindred spirit, lifting the corners of his mouth. Maybe that was a bit of comfort for him.
“I really enjoy having delicious food like this while traveling. So don’t be too heartbroken about yesterday. Cheer up.”
A good ending makes everything worthwhile.
Seeing the young hero nod slightly, I started enjoying the marshmallows myself.
Who knew there would be marshmallows sold at the martial arts grocery store? I feel the urge to complain, but if it brings the young hero some comfort, let’s settle for that.
The young hero chomped down three marshmallows in a row, and maybe feeling slightly better, he gazed into the campfire and spoke earnestly.
“Master Kang.”
“Yeah?”
“Sorry, but could you spare a moment to listen to my worries?”
A rare worry-seeking moment. This is right up my alley.
