Traveling and assassination shouldn’t be done on a whim.
If it were a game, I’d just hit the fast travel button and clear the quest when I arrive, but reality isn’t a game, is it?
I need countless plans and preparations—budgeting, transportation, scheduling, and alternative plans for various contingencies.
Cheon So-hee said it would take her a day or two to get ready.
“Today is Kang Mo’s last performance in Chilgok County!”
Thanks to that, I got some time for the final performance in Chilgok County.
“No! Just because you’ve shared a new story for a few days doesn’t mean it should end!”
“Master! My wife promised to come tomorrow! You must extend it until then!”
“My daughter praised your performance until her mouth dried up! If she hadn’t come today, it would have been a disaster!”
“No way! I wanted to try the role of the main character once the audience was gone!”
“Sister! I’m glad I came today!”
The audience alternated between lamenting that they would never see this again and sighing in relief that they got to see it today.
“Kang Mo! Since it’s the last performance, I’ll give it my all!”
Gotta scrape together every last coin until the end.
In a booming voice, I announced the final performance in Chilgok County.
“Ah! Was that the main character? I can’t remember!”
Here comes the final heroine’s name drop.
Did the female audience members realize this was their last chance to see the main character in Chilgok County?
Even when I stepped off the stage to approach the audience, the women rushed forward.
“I’m going to be the main character!”
“Use that money to buy some snacks! I’m doing it!”
“Auntie! You can use that money to hide those wrinkles on your face!”
“Wha-what?!”
“Don’t you dare outbid me for the role of the main character!”
“Hey, you shouldn’t bid either!”
From a single coin to dozens of coins and silver bars, so much money filled my collection.
Counting it was its own job.
If it weren’t for my enhanced vision from the Small Wheel Mental Image Technique, I’d have mixed up how much money each main character put in and chaos would have ensued.
“Ahhh! I lost!”
“I won!”
The main character who put five silver bars in the collection clenched her fists in victory.
“Ah! Main character! I, Romeo, have lost my wits just looking at your beauty! Might I have the honor of hearing your name?”
I said this as politely as a fantasy knight asking a lady to dance.
“I-I’m So-young!”
Why is her voice shaking?
Should I just say her name is Jo So-young?
“Jo So-young! Just looking at your beautiful appearance makes me feel faint!”
“Th-thank you!”
Actually, I should be the one thanking her.
I flattered her throughout our conversation like a karaoke boss offering extra time on a slow day.
—-
“Are you really leaving?”
After successfully finishing the last performance, I visited Mr. Wang’s store, and he looked at me in surprise.
“Yes. I’m planning to go somewhere else now.”
“Isn’t it alright to stay here if you’re doing well? Did I make you feel uncomfortable?”
“There’s no way! Mr. Wang is my benefactor. I was just being pestered by my friend about when we’d leave for the Central Plains.”
I pointed to Cheon So-hee quietly standing at the back.
“Your friend promised to take me on a tour of the Central Plains in exchange for showing me around, right? Guess it’s already time to go.”
Mr. Wang chuckled sadly, nodding his head.
“Mr. Wang, thank you so much for everything. You’re my greatest benefactor.”
I bowed at a 90-degree angle and greeted him respectfully.
Although the Master Carpenter who introduced me to Chilgok County was also a benefactor, Mr. Wang, who provided clothing, a stage, and spread my name at just the right times, definitely deserves high praise as my greatest benefactor.
“Wow! You really have a talent for moving people’s hearts. If you’re leaving, take this!”
Mr. Wang pulled something from his pocket and handed it to me.
A black coin?
Upon closer inspection, I saw the character for “dirty” (汚) written on it.
I’ve never seen this currency before; I wonder what it’s for.
“What is this?”
“If you ever need something from Hao-mun, hand that over and ask for help. They’ll probably do it for free once.”
“Mr. Wang, you were part of Hao-mun?”
Hao-mun (下汚門).
While there are proper factions with reputable information organizations, Hao-mun is a gathering of petty thieves within the world of martial arts.
Even though each one’s strength is weak, the sheer number makes it one of the top organizations for information.
No wonder my words spread like wildfire in just a day.
“Once upon a time, I was in Hao-mun, but now I’m just a guy who enjoys brunch at the store.”
Mr. Wang reflected on his glory days.
Did he really have a time when that bulging belly was muscular?
“I don’t know if someone like me deserves such an impressive gift.”
Although it looks like a shabby coin, it’s actually a one-time ticket to use Hao-mun.
I don’t know how much their service costs, but for a guy like me, the price will likely be a burden.
“Just take it and use it when you need it. Because of you, the store has seen a great influx of customers, and it was great to have someone to chat with after such a long time.”
“I’ll make good use of it.”
“That’s a rare item, so don’t waste it on something cheap. Use it for something important.”
How special could this coin be?
After hearing Mr. Wang’s brief explanation on how to use the black coin, I stared at it. It looked so plain, I thought it would just be a simple information voucher.
If I hadn’t been told, I might have made a blunder like wishing for a magic pearl that grants any wish and asking for women’s underwear.
“Thank you. Wishing you good health in the future.”
“Safe travels!”
I kept bowing to Mr. Wang as I left the store.
——————–
My last day in Chilgok County came to an end.
So-hee and I packed our bags like we were on a military expedition and set out from Chilgok County at dawn.
“Leaving Chilgok County feels overwhelming.”
I turned around to look at the receding town as I told So-hee, trying to convey my mixed feelings.
“Just an ordinary county in the Central Plains. There are plenty of towns like this everywhere else.”
Was she worried I might get attached and turn back? So-hee replied robotically.
“It’s not just an ordinary county; I met you here.”
I smiled warmly at So-hee.
“……. We need to leave soon if we don’t want to camp in the mountains.”
She avoided my gaze and urged us to start moving.
I hesitated to reply, wanting to imprint the sight of Chilgok County in my memory for the last time.
I encountered failures and successes there. Despite many ups and downs, I grew from worrying over a piece of bread for tomorrow to living like a person.
I probably won’t come back here again.
I don’t know what will happen after Daeheung County, but my goal is to elevate my reputation.
It would be wise to travel around the Central Plains, gather money, and write books instead of staying in one place.
“Yoon Ho?”
“Right. Let’s hurry.”
The starlight in the dawn sky was beautiful.
As if to bless my future.
—————
“Blessing? My ass. Hah!”
Traveling on foot is exhausting. Seriously.
It’s the second day of our journey. I was climbing the mountain with So-hee to reach Daeheung County beyond it.
“Yoon Ho, your pace is slow.”
So-hee, who was ahead, turned back to scold me with a face free of sweat.
Isn’t it you who is too fast? An older brother needs some consideration.
Though my body was strengthened by the Small Wheel Mental Image Technique, keeping up with So-hee’s pace felt like an overweight office worker trying to paddle with dolphins at the pool on the weekend.
“I wish I could learn Light Body Movement.”
Unfortunately, they said my two years of inner strength aren’t enough to use it.
When will I ever accumulate inner strength?
Using the ginseng inner strength jump ticket, would I start with the inner strength accumulated for two years instead of zero? And I wondered if I could gather more by scraping together any lingering ginseng energy in my body, but that was as far as it went.
When I asked So-hee if taking elixirs would help me build inner strength, she replied that my existing inner strength wasn’t fully mine, so taking more would be pointless.
Ultimately, for the time being, I have no choice but to accumulate inner strength through the Small Wheel Mental Image Technique.
So-hee walked ahead like a rookie on a date, unable to sync her pace with mine. She would pause and coax me, then eventually give up and match my pace.
“Is she bored?”
As So-hee adjusted her pace to match mine, I sensed a feeling of boredom from her. I guess for her, it must feel like walking alongside a toddler.
“Walking in the mountains reminds me of that time I met bandits alone.”
Time for a story to prevent boredom!
“Did you meet bandits?”
She seemed interested in my story as if she hadn’t shown any signs of boredom prior.
I did. I nearly died.
“Hey buddy, why are you so in a hurry on this mountain path all by yourself?”
Every office worker’s dream: becoming a wealthy real estate tycoon. I had thought I’d want to fulfill that dream after saving my life.
“Because of you, our entire gang can retire! I’ll let you live this time!”
In reality, it was the bandit retirement plan.
I recounted the incident with as much humor as I could as I continued climbing with So-hee.
“Where are those bandits now?”
After a while, So-hee cut me off, slightly agitated at how quickly I had been robbed by the bandits.
“Who knows. They probably bought a house and land and are living well. It’s an old story now, so there’s no need to worry about it.”
I would love to shout “Give me my cash back!” like So-hee-moon, but I wouldn’t even know where they were. I’m just grateful they took down the Cheon Sal-pa.
Yet, the anger didn’t leave So-hee’s face. So many sadder things happened than this; it was better not to bring it up.
I kept telling her other amusing events from my time in the Central Plains while we continued climbing.
“Yoon Ho. Up ahead.”
After a while, So-hee interrupted my story and pointed ahead.
“The path is blocked.”
In front of us lay a pathway strewn with fallen logs.
Was it struck by lightning or something?
Focusing my vision, it wasn’t naturally fallen; there were signs it had been cut down by something sharp.
’If someone went through the trouble of blocking the path, there’s gotta be a reason.’
In these mountains, it usually indicates one thing.
I quickly scanned the surroundings.
As I did so, a group of armed thugs emerged from the bushes with sinister laughter.
My expectations were spot on.
“Heh heh heh, one girl with a sword and a guy struggling with his loads.”
“Black hair? There was one with black hair earlier. Is today some barbarian feast?”
“Boss, let’s kill the guy and have some fun with the girl!”
A guy and a girl just walking, and of all things, to get surrounded by bandits!
Wow. This is truly a big deal.
————
“Gah!”
“Damn it!”
“Please, save me!”
You guys are seriously in trouble.
So-hee easily dispatched the bandits, as if she were playing a game of “Who can pop off caps faster?”
Don’t they know how to be cautious around children, women, and the elderly in the Martial Arts World? If a woman is holding a sword, they should’ve been careful!
“Yoon Ho, what are you doing?”
“Just a moment.”
I was checking if there was anything of value on the bandit corpses; turns out it’s the kind of loot you’d expect from beggars.
Don’t they know you should carry enough cash and cards for emergency expenses when going out?
“P-please help me…”
Just as I was about to give up and leave, I heard a faint voice from somewhere.
Was there a living bandit left? No one should be able to speak if their head is severed like a Durahan.
“Yoon Ho.”
So-hee hurried over to my side, wary of that voice coming from somewhere.
We looked for the source of the voice, going into the bushes where the bandits had hidden earlier.
“Joseon person?”
There lay a black-haired Joseon man, bleeding and on the verge of death. Was this the guy they were talking about?
“A… Joseon…”
His face was pale. He had lost too much blood.
This doesn’t look good.
Life was already fading from the man’s eyes.
“Over there!”
Should I encourage him to leave a final word?
“Box… that…”
As the man tried to raise his arm to point at something, a glimmer caught my eye from the scrunched sleeve.
“What?! Ohhh?”
Instead of looking in the direction he pointed, I stared at the man’s wrist.
What? Why are you holding that?
“In… Sicheon…”
With those final words, the man breathed his last.
Hey! You can’t just die like that! I have questions!
I hurriedly pulled up the dead man’s sleeve, looking at his wrist.
“What is this doing here?”
On the man’s wrist was a bracelet.
This is something I know.
