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‘Bandits, huh?’

Thoughts swirled in my head at Pejon’s words suggesting that they looked like bandits.

Not long ago, right after the Demonic Gate had opened.

The Water Bandits and Mountain Bandits, who had dwelled in the mountains and seas, all descended into the cities and joined the Demonic Faction, unable to handle the Demon Beasts.

Even the few that remained faced most of their lives cut short by the Martial Alliance’s decree to eliminate evil, just fifteen years ago.

Ah, they might have been cut down, but not entirely.

Occasionally, I caught whispers of either Water Bandits at sea or Mountain Bandits in the mountains.

Of course, news of their presence would lead the Martial Alliance to send the Sword Team to hunt them down like rats, bringing rumors that there were hardly any left at all.

And now, here I was, hearing about bandits.

‘Of all places, why in Sichuan?’

This was—

‘That bastard’s gang.’

I was certain the bandit Pejon spoke of was a tail of the very fiend I intended to confront upon arriving in Sichuan.

There was no room for doubt.

As I approached Sichuan, the bandits active around this time were undoubtedly all operating under that very fiend.

I took a deep breath, contemplating the situation.

‘Even if that’s the case, it’s peculiar.’

A question arose. That bastard had started to stand out only recently.

If I recalled the timeline correctly, it had been maybe one or two years max.

Before that, he must have been holed up in the mountains, gathering strength and resources.

And now he was moving… That was indeed a bit odd.

‘Green King…’

I recalled the colossus once known as the king of bandits in my previous life.

A demon highly specialized in external martial arts, so powerful it could be described as indestructible.

The power that the Green King received from the Heavenly Demon was fittingly labeled “Monster Strength.”

I had endured great hardship in breaking through that powerful body in our fights.

‘Was this perhaps a blessing in disguise?’

The priority I placed just behind the White Horse Stone for my Journey to Sichuan was precisely that fiend.

He was a villain and demon in my previous life, a formidable martial master who commanded the Heavenly Demon’s direct forces.

If I were to establish my own power, that fiend had been one I planned to corrupt with Demon Energy.

‘And here he is, readily showing his tail, so I guess it’s fortuitous.’

However, there was one thing that weighed on my mind.

Glancing aside.

I found myself looking at the location of the Tang Clan.

‘Now, of all times, I’m with the Clan Leader…’

That was the problem.

When the Green King had begun to make a name for himself, his first notorious alias was known as—

‘The Slayer of the Tang Clan.’

He was dubbed that for targeting only members of the Tang Clan for extermination in Sichuan, wasn’t he?

The Green King would go into a frenzy at the sight of those bearing the Tang surname and his dislike towards me also stemmed ultimately from the Tang Clan.

‘Because he didn’t like that I was the one who killed the Poison Empress.’

He had expressed annoyance that it was me, not him, who had accomplished the feat.

Hearing that made me question the absurdity of such a reason.

I couldn’t grasp why that would matter but I vaguely understood the cause of his rage toward the Tang Clan.

The Green King’s real name was Tang Deok.

His name said it all; he was originally from the Tang Clan.

I’d heard he was a distant half-brother or cousin to the Poison King, but I didn’t find that particularly interesting.

What mattered was that he was labeled the failure of the Tang Clan.

‘Such a bitter title.’

The failure of the Tang Clan.

Perhaps due to the records of failures from the Gu Clan, I felt an unusual fixation on that title.

I had some understanding as to why he bore such a name.

The Green King was someone who could not possess any of the traits of a Tang Clan member.

Aside from his deep green hair, he had none of the attributes that defined the Tang Clan.

He had no resistance to poison whatsoever, nor could he cultivate Poison Techniques typical of the clan, and his physicality did not match the characteristics of assassins specialized in their martial arts.

It was said that due to his lacking traits as a Tang Clan member, he was abandoned and the rumors of his fury became more credible because the Tang Clan never denied such speculation.

Anyway, observing this, a monster bearing a grudge against the Tang Clan.

That’s exactly who the Green King, Tang Deok, was as the king of bandits.

I could care less about the reasons why he was cast out of the Tang Clan and became a bandit in the mountains.

What mattered to me was whether he was currently on the move or not. That was all.

‘Either way, it’s either kill him or make him a demon. One of the two.’

There were a multitude of demons in my previous life, but I already had selected particular ones I intended to corrupt personally in this life.

The Green King was one of them, especially now that he was in Sichuan.

And of course, the Sword Demon at Heaven Kill Spirit sharpening his blade.

Those who would later become problems would either be eliminated or absorbed as discarded pawns.

That was how I intended to proceed.

“…Elder.”

“Hmm?”

“So, what did the King of Demons say he would do?”

Was it the King of Demons who discovered the bandits?

I didn’t know their intentions but he’d probably have an inkling. After all, there were monsters aplenty among this band of misfits.

Among them, the King of Demons held an absolute position regarding this matter.

‘If he were to say we should clear them out, that would be problematic.’

If the King of Demons decided to wipe out the surrounding bandits, it would pose a serious issue.

Opportunities like these were rare, and they were necessary for my plans.

While I was lost in my thoughts, Pejon chuckled and addressed me.

“What’s there to consider?”

His tone felt as though he found my concern amusing.

“Just let it be.”

“Are you referring to the King of Demons?”

Pejon’s expression changed a little at my question.

“Then, should we seek them out and eliminate them all?”

I had expected him to say that…

My perception of the King of Demons leaned that way.

“Tsk, judging by your expression, I can tell I don’t need to hear the answer.”

“…”

“I don’t know what the public’s perception is, but he’s not one to enjoy killing.”

“Is that so…?”

That was quite a strange thing to hear. A king of assassins not enjoying murder?

“He only engages in killings that are necessary.”

“…Oh.”

“Of course, if something irks him, he’ll kill them all… but unless something goes wrong, there’s no problem.”

“…”

Could it really be that he doesn’t enjoy it? Listening to him made me unconsciously glance around.

What if the King of Demons was eavesdropping?

‘…Ugh.’

I couldn’t help but feel hesitant around the King of Demons already, but that feeling had intensified after a month of rigorous training.

After repeatedly dying at the hands of a fellow human for over a month… even just witnessing it would send one into a frenzy.

‘This is a dead end…’

I had tried every trick imaginable at night, yet I still couldn’t reach the King of Demons even a little bit.

At this point, even if I were an idiot, I’d understand something was required to overcome this training.

The problem was, I had no idea what that method was, and thus, I was dying every night.

‘For now, putting this aside… bandits.’

Even though they were nearby, I was still not convinced of any correlation with us.

The only one likely aware of the situation would be the King of Demons.

Neither I nor the other Clan Leaders had perceived it, signifying that there was still a fair distance between us.

While I needed more time to gauge what the bandits might be plotting if they were indeed focused on us, I was already feeling uneasy since hearing Pejon’s words.

At that moment, Pejon looked at me and asked.

“Ahyaha.”

“Yes?”

“From your vibes, it seems something’s stirring within.”

“…”

How did he know? I was just meditating with my eyes closed.

Indeed, that old man had quite a sharp intuition.

As I narrowed my eyes, Pejon grinned.

“Whatever you do, do it moderately, just enough not to raise suspicion.”

“…Yes.”

What did he mean by doing things moderately?

Pejon wouldn’t know I had undergone reincarnation. Yet, there was a keen edge to his insight in that regard.

Even if he had realized it, he didn’t seem overly bothered by it.

As long as my actions didn’t disturb my training, he wouldn’t pay me any mind.

Conversely, it would be different if it hindered my training…

“Are you planning to do something today?”

“Like what…?”

“Anything.”

“…”

“You seem interested. Just watching will cause issues with your training, so handle things quickly.”

Hearing that, I swallowed hard.

What was he seeing?

And just then, feeling as if he had read my mind, he teased with a smile.

“Should I ask that bat guy where he saw you?”

“…”

What nonsense…

I was starting to feel frightened.

Oh, but—

“Yes… please do.”

That’s not to say I refused.

In the forest entering the territory of Sichuan.

On a middle path just slightly ahead, the moon was beginning to rise as moonlight seeped through the leaves.

In such a forest, a few men were moving quietly behind piled-up shrubs.

Surrounding the moving men was an ethereal barrier known as an energy barrier.

This was a method used to silence sound and mask one’s presence when requiring stealth.

With the energy barrier in action, the men headed somewhere.

“Oh, dammit….”

One among the group quietly muttered a curse.

Immediately after, the frontrunner looked back in shock.

“Are you crazy? Can’t you shut your mouth?”

“Ah, K-King, do we really have to go this far?….”

“Are you really gonna talk back? I told you to keep quiet, right? Chaeju said so!”

As the man growled in anger, the one who cursed promptly sealed his lips.

Though they were disgruntled about having to sneak around like mice as bandits.

When they thought about who had given the order, none other than Chaeju, there were no more words to say.

‘Ugh.’

They just held their tongues, cursing inwardly.

“…How much longer are we going to go like this?”

“At this pace, it’ll be another day or two.”

If they rushed with a bet, it would barely take an hour, but at this crawling speed, that made sense.

Hearing the comment, a man exhaled and cursed again.

“Ha, dammit.”

Perhaps that was the issue, as the man at the forefront cringed again.

“Quit grumbling and keep up. After all, all we need to do is watch from a distance, so there’s no real danger.”

What Chaeju had ordered was only to observe their movements and determine their route.

There was no request for infiltration or ambush, so it was relatively far from combat.

“B-but what if we get spotted? It’s not exactly safe.”

“Are you serious? You think you have to worry about that?”

The leader of the group finally took something out of his pouch and showed it to the man.

“With this, there’s no fear of being spotted, alright?”

In his hand, there was a round, dark green orb.

Barring its size, which resembled a standard man’s fist, it didn’t seem special otherwise.

This orb was, astonishingly, a treasure.

A treasure that concealed its holder’s presence within a certain vicinity.

Chaeju had stated that as long as he held this, no Transformation Realm Martial Artist would easily detect him. Adding the energy barrier to the mix made being discovered next to impossible.

Unless, that is, there were monsters known as天外天 (Sky Outside Sky) in the transport unit of the Tang Clan.

“I received word that we might encounter only the Clan Leaders from the Tang and Pe factions. What’s all the fuss about?”

“Still…”

“Ha, for crying out loud. If you’re that scared, just return to the mountains. But you know what will happen if you do, right? You think you’d get spared by Chaeju?”

“…”

“All we need to do is follow orders. Everything will be fine as long as we don’t try to act smart. So if you so much as say another word, I’ll bury you with the ground.”

The leader huffed and turned away.

Hearing that, the man swallowed any further complaints. What could he say if he would get buried under the dirt?

‘…I’m feeling uneasy.’

The man sensed a growing unease.

No matter how excellent the treasure was, this was not just any place; it was the transport unit of the Poison King, who was among the most dangerous figures in the Central Plains with the title of “King of Killers.”

How could he not worry?

He wasn’t here to throw his life away in this den of bandits.

After pondering for a long while, the man readied himself to be scolded and was about to speak to the leader again when—

“Sir…. It seems…”

Suddenly, a spark flared in the man’s eyes.

They hadn’t even lit a torch to move cautiously, yet what was that spark?

Caught off guard by the unexpected development, the man stared in shock.

At that moment.

Crackle—!

A sound of something breaking came from behind them.

He hurriedly turned around.

“…!”

The scene that unfolded before him made the man’s eyes widen.

The others following behind lay lifeless with broken necks, and one was on his knees with a mysterious figure’s hand over his mouth.

In that chaos, the man clearly seen the features of the attacker.

The figure wasn’t concealing their face, and the flickering flames on their body made them impossible to miss.

The moment the man recognized the attacker, his expression twisted.

‘…A kid?’

They looked way younger than expected.

That realization struck the leader too.

“What… what the hell! Who are you?!”

The leader drew his sword, rallying his spirits, but the kid seemed unfazed و only cast an indifferent glance their way.

Then spoke.

“Three, huh.”

“…What?”

“Yeah, three should be enough. Once I burn two, the last will give up.”

The young man uttered incomprehensible words before—

BAM—!

“Ugh!”

He stomped on the leg of the one he was holding, snapping it without a hint of hesitation.

“That bastard…!”

The leader charged at the young man in fury.

Seeing that, the other man quickly tried to stop the leader.

“Sir…! Wait a moment…!”

But it was already too late.

The leader had lunged forward.

Meanwhile, the young man continued without breaking his expression.

“I have to get it done before the war time runs out, so let’s wrap this up quickly.”

With that, the leader’s scream was heard.

Something had gone horribly wrong. That thought flew through the man’s mind immediately.

And that was not the only problem.

Before long, he came to the realization.

The one he should have feared was not the Poison King, but someone else entirely.

 

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