I’m back, my hometown!
“But I’m not happy at all.”
The reason I’m not happy is simple. First of all, this isn’t even my hometown, and I got pretty tired getting here.
Coincidentally, there was a transport team operating here, so I took a temporary job with them. Because of that, I was so sleepy from doing night watch that I thought I might just die. How much I missed Serin during the night!
At least there wasn’t any fighting, so that was a relief.
“Now that we’ve arrived, the contract is over. Please pay me the contract fee.”
“Here it is.”
I received my payment from the transport leader and separated from the group.
First, I’ll check into a room, organize my luggage, do a little shopping, and then I can go look for Jaemi Son.
I headed straight to the inn where I used to stay.
“I’d like to rent a room starting now. How much is it?”
“40 coins, sir!”
Is it 40 coins because it’s still early?
My pockets got a bit plumper, but as soon as I walked into the inn, I finally felt like I was back in reality. 40 coins is a lot of money. Yep.
“Oh, and please bring me a plate of dumplings and a bowl of noodles.”
“Yes! That’ll be 30 coins!”
After handing over the payment to the server, I went up to my room and started organizing my stuff.
“Oof.”
My belongings increased.
But the inconvenient part is that as a wanderer, I have to carry everything around. Leaving it in the inn for a day is one thing, but there’s no way I can leave it for long.
Someone with a home can just leave their things there, but I’m not like that. This wandering life is really tough.
I guess I need to think about organizing my things too.
“We have your food!”
Soon the server arrived.
“Hmm.”
Dumplings steaming hot. I extended my chopsticks slowly, but honestly, I thought it was kind of underwhelming. The dumplings from Namgoong Clan were the real deal. Now I’ll compare everything I eat to their food? This is a curse…! A tragically miserable curse!
But still, I stuffed myself until I was full and then closed my eyes for a bit.
I was still tired from the night watch.
“Ah.”
Seriously.
Going from staying at Namgoong Clan to this inn is a huge contrast.
I feel like my spirits are already dropping.
It’s like getting back from a long-awaited vacation and, due to some magical force, having my home turn into a military base, making it feel like I’m not on vacation but back on duty.
I want to sleep in a bed…!
Plus, that blanket was so fluffy!
“Ugh!”
I miss Serin!
But Mr. Song would have boldly moved forward even under such tough conditions. I should do the same. I don’t want to see Mr. Song looking disappointed.
So I steeled my heart and took a nap.
* * *
After that nap, I headed to the shopping district.
Now that I have some money, I’m planning to buy something I’ve been eyeing.
“Sir! What brings you here?”
“I came to look at shoes.”
What I’m planning to buy today is shoes.
Last time I bought some boots here. To be honest, I was completely satisfied; I used those boots well and got through several crises.
The quality is unquestionable.
“Shoes, you say? Right this way, sir!”
But ‘Sir’?
Oh, right.
It’s because I look so neat right now. I just shaved and tidied up my hair at Namgoong Clan. Plus, I’m wearing clean clothes and a nice sword, so it’s no wonder they’re calling me ‘Sir.’
“Here they are!”
“I’m just browsing for now.”
“Yes!”
I said I would look around, but my gaze was fixated on one thing.
Shoes made from crocodile skin.
I heard last time that they’re made from the skin of the demon called the ‘Pikasa.’ They said it costs five silver coins, and I’ve wanted them since I first laid eyes on them.
Just look at those crocodile skin boots!
How can I resist?
“What’s that?”
“Sir! You have a good eye! That’s the crocodile skin boots! Made from the skin of the Pikasa demon, they have excellent waterproofing and are sturdy enough to step on sharp rocks without damage! It’s a high-quality product that can withstand rough use!”
“Can I try them on?”
“Of course!”
I immediately tried on the crocodile skin boots.
“Ooh.”
They’re tough.
Most importantly, they hold my feet snugly.
They feel just like military boots. After taking a few steps, I thought they fit my feet perfectly. The slight weight can be seen as a downside, but if it performs well, that doesn’t matter.
“I like them. How much?”
“Five silver coins, sir!”
“Five silver coins, huh.”
“That’s the price for a high-quality item. Hehe.”
Oh, damn.
I wanted to haggle a bit, but hearing ‘Sir’ made it hard to speak.
This crazy guy…!
Have you gotten all stuffed now!?
You should worry about your face!
“…”
Come on, haggle!
“Five silver coins! Thank you, sir! Please come again!”
“… Sure.”
In the end, I couldn’t manage to haggle and just walked out. I mean, I did just fine last time! It’s ridiculous that I can’t bargain just because I heard ‘Sir’ while wearing decent clothes. It’s driving me insane.
But I can’t help but feel a bit proud.
It’s ridiculous, but hearing ‘Sir’ did lift my spirits a little.
“Hehehe.”
But I really do like the shoes.
I’m very satisfied.
Shoes like these could be a great help in combat. I bet that if I kick a demon with these boots, they’d be groaning in pain, saying they were sorry for their mistakes!
Anyway.
After buying the shoes, I suddenly felt like changing my armor too. Not only that, but I also want to buy some leg guards and upper body armor. Maybe shoulder guards too.
But now, I’m out of budget, so I’ll pass.
Having spent five silver coins, I’m broke now. From now on, it looks like I’ll have to save money while coming and going to Haengdo Sect.
First, let’s go find Jaemi Son.
“Server!”
I went to the inn where Jaemi Son stayed and called the server.
“Is there a martial artist named Jaemi Son here? The one who wields some strange spear-like weapon.”
“Well…”
“I’m his friend.”
I slipped two small coins into the server’s hand.
“Oh! I heard he went out for a bit! He hasn’t returned, sir!”
“Is that so.”
Looks like I missed him again.
Well, it doesn’t matter. I don’t have any plans today anyway. He might return today, so I’ll just hang around here for a bit.
“Server. Bring me a bowl of noodles.”
“Yes!”
“Oh, and I have a little question.”
I handed another coin to the server.
“Of course, please ask!”
“I heard that a labyrinth-like place appeared last time… What happened with that?”
It’s crucial to gather information on rumors.
A lot of wanderers died there, so I wonder what happened?
“Ah! That… The martial artists of Namgoong Clan handled it well! But it’s surprising, apparently, the Madunachal showed up in that labyrinth!”
“What?!”
“So, a lot of wanderers who went there ended up dying. But hey, Namgoong Clan gave compensation to the families of the deceased, so I guess saying Namgoong Clan is quite reliable isn’t wrong.”
“Wait. What happened to that Madunachal?”
“Please don’t be shocked, sir! I heard that during a tough battle, that Jade Flower Sword from Namgoong Clan was struggling, and a wanderer jumped in and took down the Madunachal!”
“Whoa!”
This is my story, right?!
Did it really get spread out like this?
“Did a wanderer do that for real?”
“Indeed! The survivors were calling that wanderer ‘Nachalsal,’ so it fits that if he took down the Madunachal, he’d be called that!”
No way…!
They’re calling me ‘Nachalsal’?!
“Damn awesome!”
“Pardon?”
“Uh, I heard everything clearly. That’s intriguing.”
How could a ridiculously awesome nickname come to be…!
Indeed, in this Martial Arts World, one has to do something impressive to gain fame. Nachalsal. Nachalsal… Just hearing it sounds incredibly cool!
I have to brag about this to Jaemi Son quickly.
“Mr. Song…!”
This gets me one step closer to Mr. Song. If he hears the nickname ‘Nachalsal,’ he’ll definitely smile. I can earn his respect.
“Ah, Server! A bottle of wine here too!”
“Yes!”
Feeling elated, I ordered a drink to celebrate this joyful day.
What day is today?
It’s the day my nickname was born for the first time, bro!
How is it that you can’t even celebrate one anniversary?
I’m celebrating right now, you rascal!
“Ha ha ha ha!”
The wine is warming me up!
* * *
“So… what made you want to join our Assassin’s Room?”
“I want to take revenge for my friend!”
Oh Su-man stepped into the Black Tide faction to take revenge for his friend Chang Sam.
Life in the Assassin’s Room was relentlessly hard. He constantly had to endure harassment from the seniors, and compared to the times he worked with Chang Sam, his earnings were pathetic. Most of it went to tribute fees.
For this reason, Oh Su-man didn’t join the Black Tide faction and instead worked with Chang Sam on robberies.
But for revenge, he could endure this humiliation.
“I will definitely kill him…!”
That pale bastard.
Oh Su-man and Chang Sam had once planned to ambush him, thinking they’d have a little fun since he had become a martial artist after working in the Dahoebang.
But that crazy bastard suddenly freaked out and howled before brutally killing his friend Chang Sam. Because of that, Oh Su-man lost his friend and wandered lost. The robbing business that he used to have couldn’t be done alone, so he grew desperate.
That grudge blackened Oh Su-man’s heart.
He would use any means necessary to take revenge on that bastard.
“Kim Geunhyeop…!”
The target of his revenge was Kim Geunhyeop.
He had already gathered information about his target while working in the Black Tide. That guy learned martial arts from the Baek Geom Murim and was making a living by subduing demons with those skills.
He kills his own friend Chang Sam in such a brutal manner, yet he continues to live peacefully while doing his job.
This fact ignited Oh Su-man’s hatred.
“I will definitely, absolutely kill you! Kim Geunhyeop!”
If he could use the power of the Assassin’s Room, it wouldn’t be difficult to mercilessly eliminate him. Oh Su-man thought this while gathering more information about Kim Geunhyeop.
Recently, he hadn’t had any news and was worried he might have died, but suddenly intel came through.
There was a report of a tall guy with pale skin appearing.
Instinctively, Oh Su-man recognized that he was Kim Geunhyeop.
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