“Remarkable, Great Hero Wi!”
“Sir, are you injured anywhere?”
“No, don’t worry about it.”
I shouldn’t get injured while trying to capture a fiend like this.
In this medieval world, sustaining an injury should be avoided at all costs.
You might not know this, but this is the kind of place where they roll a bandage, sit in meditation, and say a quick prayer—treating it as proper medical care.
Living in such a world, one might outwardly cry for honor, but when it comes to real combat, one has no choice but to take a coward’s route.
Hygiene is also a grave concern.
However, this is the Central Plains, so things should be better here.
At the very least, attempts at treatment using acupuncture and herbal decoctions will be applied.
Enough digression…
“Elder Baek, how was the situation upstream of the waterfall?”
“It was a horrific scene of massacre. Five members of the Martial Alliance patrol team were found brutally dismembered.”
Including the one carried away by Ha-jin, that makes six. A lot were killed, but considering the fact that this person is among the peak fighters, it isn’t so unusual.
The Martial Alliance patrol team is of a lower tier; most cases have first-rate fighters at the highest. Perhaps only the captain or division leader ranks reach the peak warrior level.
“We need to hear more from the martial artist Ha-jin carried away and must inform the Martial Alliance to retrieve the bodies.”
“Master Elder, should we not take care of the retrieval ourselves?”
“Carrying dismembered bodies into the city wouldn’t be feasible, would it? They have been properly arranged to avoid being touched by wild beasts, so it’s just a matter of informing the Martial Alliance’s warriors to retrieve them.”
…So, the event upstream was a killing spree, was it?
The man who dropped off the waterfall survived by luck. He might have even been escaping while buying time for his companions.
“So, what should we do about that demon?”
“Taking his head would be the best option. If a bounty exists, we can collect it. Even if there isn’t one, letting other warriors know that the villain has been dealt with will allow them to retrieve their fallen comrades’ remains with peace of mind.”
“I see.”
I watched as Ha-jin nodded in understanding and then looked towards Hye-ryeong. With a calm expression, Hye-ryeong was observing a nameless madman.
“Sir, is he dead?”
“Likely.”
I struck his vital points with full force and an aura enveloping my hand. Could he really still be alive?
Frankly, unless they were indestructible, there was no way someone soaked in their own blood and flattened in such a manner could rise again. Humans simply can’t shed nearly all their blood and still stand.
“…Let’s sever that demon’s head and visit the Martial Alliance’s Tongcheon branch by morning.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And, Great Hero Wi, thank you for your efforts.”
“Right! Sir, you really worked hard!”
This much is nothing.
I turned my eyes from the demon’s corpse and smiled at Hye-ryng, who approached me.
—
“Excuse me, is this the Martial Alliance’s Tongcheon branch?”
“Yes, yes… Is that the Hainan Sword Sect? Are you here from the Hainan Sword Sect?”
“That’s correct. I’ve come to inform you of an incident.”
Elder Baek concisely explained the situation to the Martial Alliance’s warriors.
There were dead patrol team members near the valley—the surviving patrol team member was personally carried off by a student of the Hainan Sword Sect to see a doctor, the demon appeared, and then it was defeated, and its head brought.
Having heard everything, the branch leader immediately bowed while showing respect to Elder Baek.
“Thank you for exacting revenge on behalf of our patrol team.”
“The thanks should not be aimed at me but at this young man. He alone defeated that demon.”
Elder Baek subtly passed the baton onto me. Seeing the leader’s gaze shift towards me, I slightly raised my hood.
“Colored-Eyed One… Could it be the famous Blue-Eyed Lion?”
“Yes.”
“Your command of Central Plains Language is as fluid as I’ve heard! Great Hero Blue-Eyed Lion, thank you for avenging the patrol team!”
“How could one just stand by while villains run rampant?”
“Indeed, the rumors were true! Few could match Bloodthirsty Demon, and for you to have defeated him by yourself, remarkable!”
So, I’ve now made an impression within the Martial Alliance.
Previously, wait—Bloodthirsty Demon?
“Bloodthirsty Demon?”
“Yes, that is correct. Originally, he was a villain from the Guangdong area, but something he ate must have been off because he succumbed to madness, starting to kill people. We sent a patrol to track him, but… he was much stronger than we anticipated.”
Could events have taken such an unpredictable twist?
Bloodthirsty Demon was supposed to be an opponent the protagonist was supposed to defeat early on.
If I took out someone who was supposed to have been part of an early team raid with the protagonist—what happens to the protagonist’s experience and growth?
“Great Hero Wi?”
I might have inadvertently wrecked the original story’s flow. It was hard to tell just how far-reaching the implications would go.
After all, Bloodthirsty Demon was supposed to give the protagonist an early tough enemy—aiding his growth significantly. With his defeat, it signaled the possibility of the original plot getting twisted.
…If things go awry, the protagonist could even fail against the Demonic Sect.
This foreboding feeling was quite unsettling.
By now the situation was far from reassuring.
I might just need to force some destiny into the protagonist’s hands.
Even if I do that, it might just mean advancing the protagonist’s supposed destiny earlier—whether I can actually return everything to the original plot is questionable.
…Perhaps it might be better if I monopolize all the protagonist’s destined opportunities and take down the Celestial Demon personally.
I am stronger, aren’t I?
This body has grown to peak level, at their standards, in two years.
Dealing with the Celestial Demon at least requires a Grand Master level—whether I can ascend that far is a problem.
“Great Hero Wi? Are you alright?”
“Ah, just had something on my mind.”
“Something… on your mind?”
“Just reminiscing.”
I placated Ha-jin with a vague answer.
Aware of some of my past, Ha-jin nodded and started discussing with Elder Baek beside the branch leader.
Seeing talk of compensation, they must be trying to claim the reward for the demon’s head.
I didn’t need to interfere in such negotiations…
“I’ll wait outside.”
“Understood.”
I quietly stepped out of the building, meeting Hye-ryeong’s gaze. Leaning against a wall and looking up at the sky, apparently bored, she smiled faintly upon meeting my eyes.
“Are we done?”
“Not yet.”
“Then why did you come out?”
“There’s no need for me to negotiate.”
“That is true. But I thought you would, like last time… Your silver tongue always came through then, and I thought you’d bargain with the branch leader!”
“Back then, there was a reason for me to step in, but not this time.”
Back then, it was a situation where I had no other option but to negotiate, but now with the Martial Alliance, all that needed to be done was passing on the information about the Demonic Sect—there was no need for my intervention.
Against an elder of Hainan Sword Sect, I can’t expect anything underhanded to occur.
“Well, as you said, just receiving the reward and informing the branch leader again about the Demonic Sect should suffice…”
“Indeed.”
“By the way, sir, are you going to participate in the Martial Prohibition tournament?”
With gleeful anticipation, Hye-ryeong squirmed her arms. Mentioning it again suggests she may have noticed a change in my mindset.
Considering her subtlety, Hye-ryeong might indeed have caught on.
“…”
Given the situation, this is something that now requires serious thought.
Hainan Sword Sect is so loosely tied to the original plot, its influence might not be significant, but this matter is a serious variable.
The rear is no longer a safe haven.
Thus…
“Participating might not be a bad idea.”
“Have you changed your mind?”
“If I’ve come this far, it would be a pity not to experience the martial arts of the Central Plains.”
I gave a plausible reason and stared up into the cloudless sky.
It was too clear, aggravatingly opposite to my complex thoughts.
I sighed wearily and looked at Hye-ryeong.
“Once we reach the Martial Alliance, help me with the registration.”
“Hehe, leave it to me! I’ll make sure your application is done splendidly!”
Eagerly nodding, Hye-ryeong puffed out her chest.
I drew my eyes away from her bouncing chest and looked back to the sky.
Leader, it seems that peace is also beyond reach here.
A bitter smile naturally formed on my lips.
