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Chapter 7: The Unexpected Encounter

“What the heck are you?”

I asked as I spotted Gu Bong appearing out of nowhere.

“…”

He didn’t respond to my question at all.

I grimaced at the sight of him.

His face was all puffed up, and his eyelids were black and swollen.

It doesn’t take a genius to know who did that to him. But that wasn’t what concerned me.

‘He’s already walking around?’

Gu Bong had recovered enough to walk. That was the part I focused on.

‘Wasn’t I rough enough with him?’

I had to keep my guard up to avoid killing him, but I certainly didn’t pull my punches.

It was partly a way to vent my anger, after all, so I hit him as if I wanted to crush him.

‘Definitely recovering fast.’

Seeing him standing there, fully recovered, made me let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

“Why? Since you’re up, want to throw down again?”

I tilted my head slightly as I spoke.

“There won’t be a second chance. Next time, you’ll really die, got it?”

Having spared him once, there was no way I’d do it again. As I seriously warned him, I noticed his shoulders flinch.

He swallowed hard and stammered,

“…I-I didn’t come to fight.”

In a manner of defense, he started his explanation.

“Not here to fight? Then what are you here for?”

“…I’ve come to guide the noble persons on the orders of the Sect Leader.”

“What?”

My brows furrowed even deeper at these words.

‘Guide?’

Now that I think about it, the old man did mention something about appointing a guide. So it was Gu Bong, huh?

“This old man has really lost his marbles.”

I couldn’t believe it.

Of all people, they assigned Gu Bong, the guy who bore a grudge and got his face smashed by me, to guide me?

The old man must have lost his mind.

At my words, Gu Bong flinched again. I leaned in closer and asked,

“Why? Are you mad again because I insulted the Sect Leader?”

“…”

As I teased him, Gu Bong bit his lip. Then he suddenly bowed his head in apology.

“I’m truly sorry.”

He offered a sincere apology while looking down. I stared at him, my face expressionless.

“What are you doing?”

What the heck is this guy? Why is he acting weirdly all of a sudden?

“I was consumed by my emotions and acted inappropriately towards you. I sincerely apologize.”

“Uh-huh.”

Seeing him bowing low made me nod slightly.

Maybe he was just coming to his senses and apologizing, but—

‘Noya must have had something to do with it.’

Life isn’t that forgiving, and it was clear that Shin Noya had done something.

So, he had probably been sent off to be a guide.

‘Still, he doesn’t seem completely disingenuous.’

Tsk.

I sighed and clicked my tongue.

“It doesn’t matter. I was the one who hit you.”

If he says he acted inappropriately, I’ve certainly done worse, so he doesn’t really need to apologize. By the time I hit him, all antagonist feelings were already cleared out.

So I said,

“Just remember one thing.”

This was just a warning.

“As I said before, there won’t be a second chance.”

Speaking with a killing intent, I noticed Gu Bong’s shoulders tremble.

“I’ll keep that in mind….”

Hearing his answer, I let my killing intent fade away. I approached him with a snort and asked,

“So, what did you come to guide me about?”

I asked if I had to receive guidance from him, and this time Gu Bong’s eyes widened slightly.

“What do you mean…?”

“You said you’re here to guide me. What am I being guided about?”

“Haven’t you received any explanations?”

“Uh, they just kicked me out.”

“…”

Gu Bong made a flustered expression at my words. Looking at his face, I understood.

‘Did they really throw me out without any explanation? That’s the look he’s giving me.’

Right? Shin Noya must truly be crazy.

“Do you understand what’s happening right now?”

“…”

“Explain while we go. It looks like we can’t go back anyway.”

Since returning seemed impossible, I figured I might as well head somewhere and think.

I walked alongside Gu Bong and the Heavenly Demon.

If there’s anything strange, it’s that there’s a proper path, yet we’re taking a mountain trail instead.

The path was rough, but considering our stamina, it didn’t feel particularly tough.

Crunch.

I brushed aside the branches in front of me while climbing.

Meanwhile, Gu Bong didn’t stop talking.

“We’re on our way to pick up the food supplies, which we do once every full moon.”

“Food supplies?”

“That’s right.”

“It seems like you’re farming too. Do you have to go out for that?”

“Most can be obtained internally, but acquiring certain items like spices can be a struggle.”

“True enough, I guess.”

Remembering that the surroundings were mostly mountains, it made sense that getting everything would be a bit tricky.

“Then why are three of us going…?”

If the goal is for food supply acquisition, it’s clearly a trading mission, but why only the three of us? I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

Especially if we’re supposed to be fetching food supplies, shouldn’t we have some sort of cart to transport things?

“You don’t need to worry about that. While we say we’re gathering supplies, our actual task is protecting the disciples who will return with the food.”

“Protecting, huh?”

“Yes. Our job is to guard the disciples who will gather food and return.”

“…Ah. So that’s it.”

I smacked my forehead.

“After throwing me out, the task is protecting the kids who’ll be bringing back food?”

“…That’s correct.”

“Has the old man lost his mind?”

What kind of ridiculous task is he assigning after forcibly kicking me out? I never expected this.

That was just absurd.

“What about the top disciple, Seol-Young? Didn’t she say the other top disciples are out? Are they all doing this?”

At my question, Gu Bong’s expression darkened slightly.

“That’s not the case. Only a few disciples are doing this task; the others are engaged in important missions.”

“Mm.”

It seems not all of them were out gathering food. That was a bit of relief.

Yet as we reached this point, one thought struck me.

‘Not only was I kicked out, but now they’re sending me off to protect food runners?’

Regardless of Noya’s intentions, I had faith that he wouldn’t have me do anything that could harm me.

The problem is—

“Where exactly are these food supplies coming from?”

If they can’t produce them internally, where are they sourcing them from?

Just as I was starting to ponder whether there might be other villages—

“Yawolgung.”

“Yawolgung?”

“It’s a country located to the north.”

My ears perked when I heard Gu Bong’s response.

…So it really does exist?

‘Of course… it’s ridiculous to think that Noya’s Hwasan Sect exists all alone in this vast land.’

I never considered it before. I had too much to learn to even contemplate it.

‘Right, there could be other places.’

It’s a given.

I found it strange that Shin Noya created the Hwasan Sect here.

‘If he created it, what about the other creatures gathered here?’

The fact that all sorts of living beings had gathered in Hwasan, and that there had been conflicts with Duryeong.

What the heck has Shin Noya been doing all this time, and what position is he in?

Those questions suddenly occupied my mind, but—

For now.

‘I’m basically heading toward another faction.’

Not the Hwasan Sect, but another country in Mankye.

– Go see for yourself.

The thought mixed with Noya’s words. To say I wasn’t intrigued would be a lie.

*

After walking for about half a day more,

I really just walked. It means I neither leaped nor engaged in flight, just walked, and that’s it.

Wait, why aren’t we running? I asked out of frustration, so Gu Bong replied.

– It’s a law set by the Sect Leader to avoid attracting unnecessary attention.

None other than the crazy Shin Noya’s orders.

Is walking to another place a law? It seemed baffling, but I held my tongue.

Thinking about it now, Noya made us walk when he brought us to Hwasan too.

There must be a reason for this. Yeah, it has to be.

So I could come to understand this ridiculous—

Ahh!

I winced and glanced at the Heavenly Demon.

“Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“Who told you to touch me so sneakily?”

“Busted.”

“Busted? What the hell does that even mean?”

I couldn’t digest the absurdity of it.

He walked beside me and casually reached out to touch, and he thought he wouldn’t get caught?

“Back off.”

“Can’t I just touch a little more since I’ve been caught?”

“Get lost.”

“Got it.”

With a feigned disappointed look, the Heavenly Demon withdrew his hand and retreated. Seriously, what’s wrong with him?

“Sigh.”

I was so annoyed. My tail and ears were still bothering me.

Do I have to deal with this for three days straight?

I wanted to tear them off right then. Wait, should I just go ahead and do it now?

Would it hurt if I pulled them off with force? Still, wouldn’t that be better? I was genuinely mulling it over when—

“We’ve arrived.”

Gu Bong’s voice, who was ahead, stopped me.

I halted and looked straight ahead.

A mountain path thick with brush still lay before me, but I could see something beyond.

“…Huh.”

I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle upon seeing it.

When I thought the Hwasan Sect that Noya had created was vast, I didn’t feel that way after seeing this.

‘This is crazy.’

It was enormous. It dwarfed Noya’s Hwasan Sect by a large margin.

‘If you compare it, it might be similar in size to Hanam?’

It was so vast that only with a comparison to the entire country might you grasp how large it truly is.

It was literally a whole nation.

That thought came to me naturally.

As I marveled at the sight, Gu Bong spoke again.

“Noble person, I must remind you that you must remember this.”

He said with a worried look.

Hearing that, I replied with a roll of my eyes.

“Yeah, I know. You said I should keep my mouth shut. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely stay quiet.”

I absolutely shouldn’t speak carelessly.

Gu Bong had repeated that line to the point of exhaustion throughout the entire journey.

“I’m doing everything you said. Look, I even changed into this robe.”

I was now wearing a martial robe from Hwasan instead of my usual outfit.

The Heavenly Demon had also done the same.

Did we need to change our clothes to enter?

Clothing should be no issue, so I cared less about it.

Even though I was obeying all your words—

“Just remember to be cautious.”

Gu Bong continued to express his worries.

“I got it.”

“Really….”

“If you say more, I’ll hit you.”

“…”

I was growing annoyed and snarled at him, finally letting him know I was done talking.

His mouth was shut, but his eyes were still filled with anxiety.

Seeing that, I clenched my fist, and Gu Bong turned away, continuing to move ahead.

We walked a little further until a giant gate was revealed, and I saw countless people going in and out through that entrance.

What was visible was not too different from the inside of Hwasan.

Beast Humans like Gu Bong and Seol-Young were notably abundant.

The difference being—

‘They’re all from there.’

While Hwasan was filled with various unidentifiable beings, I didn’t spot any of those around here.

As I followed Gu Bong into the area, he approached the gate and approached those standing guard.

They were beast humans wielding spears.

As Gu Bong approached, they reacted.

They tightened their grip around their spears and stared at Gu Bong. He then spoke to them.

“I’ve come to request entry.”

“Who are you?”

“Hwasan.”

“Hwasan?”

The moment Gu Bong mentioned Hwasan, the gatekeepers’ expressions shifted. I squinted at the site as well.

Their expressions were somewhat concerning.

“What is your purpose?”

“Collecting food supplies.”

“Number of personnel?”

“Three of us.”

Gu Bong’s words led the gatekeeper to glance over at us.

He examined the Heavenly Demon and me from top to bottom.

For reference, the Heavenly Demon had her face completely covered by the scarf Gu Bong had given.

The spear-wielding guard checked my ears and the Heavenly Demon’s swaying tail, then spoke to Gu Bong.

“Permit.”

Hearing those words, Gu Bong pulled something from his pocket and showed it to them.

The gatekeeper inspected it from various angles before nodding.

“Entry granted.”

“Thank you.”

Gu Bong offered a bow and entered without issue.

It seemed everything was resolved without a problem.

Slowly, as I entered,

“Pfft.”

Suddenly, a laugh slipped from my lips.

At the same time, the moment I walked inside, I heard the gatekeeper speak while looking at me.

“You fools.”

I realized he was definitely talking about me.

What’s with these guys?

‘Should I hit him?’

I clenched my fists.

 

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