Chapter 357
With the shadow bird’s help, I knocked the bandits out quickly, then tied them up tight with the remaining rope and tossed them roughly beyond the brush.
They were all normal humans, and I’d taken their weapons, so there was no way they could undo the ropes I’d tied up as an S-rank.
As I dusted off my hands—tap, tap—Hyun Dowoon, who’d been hiding behind a tree, staggered over.
“We gotta wake this bastard up, right?”
Dragging Kwon Seoyul by the collar out from among the unconscious injured people, Hyun Dowoon said with a look of pure disgust.
“This guy’s got good ears, but every time something happens, he’s the one sleeping like he doesn’t know anything. It’s seriously bad luck just looking at it.”
Tell me about it.
Agreeing silently, I swung my fist. Maybe I’d be gentle with another S-rank, but when it came to Kwon Seoyul, there was no such option as “shake him awake nicely.”
Smack!
When I nailed the back of his head, the sound echoed out like cracking open a watermelon, and Kwon Seoyul’s whole body jerked.
“Ah, fuck...!”
The reaction was instant.
Kwon Seoyul shot upright, roaring the curse. Rubbing the back of his throbbing head like crazy, he glared around, bristling.
“Ugh....”
At that pathetic sight, Hyun Dowoon let out a sigh while still crouched down.
“What the hell?”
Kwon Seoyul looked back and forth between Hyun Dowoon sitting in front of him and me standing behind with my scabbard propped on my shoulder. Only then did he belatedly grasp the situation and bare his teeth.
“Fuck! Was it you guys who hit me? Why the hell are you hitting me?”
“You’re sleeping with no idea where you are, so what—should we wake you up by kissing your forehead? Like you’re cute or something?”
When I clicked my tongue and answered, Kwon Seoyul, who’d been growling, suddenly muttered with a stupid expression,
“Kissing my forehead...? I’m fine with that, though.”
Leaving the bastard to spout nonsense, I headed over to the injured people.
I cut through the ropes binding them and checked their condition. Thankfully, it didn’t look like anyone had major injuries.
So it wouldn’t feel too out of place, I used my skill and healed them just enough.
I also slapped on some old bandages I’d taken while beating down the bandits, and some crushed-up “medicine” made from whatever herbs I could see. At this level, when these people woke up later, I could pass myself off as a doctor who’d treated them for free.
When we were done, we sat back down in front of the campfire. The fire that had gone out was relit with the lighter Kwon Seoyul carried around in his inventory.
First, I checked Kwon Seoyul’s memory.
Kwon Seoyul, stroking the ends of his long hair with a puzzled face, gave a light shrug.
“No idea. I remember the moment I entered the rift, but after that, nothing.”
Hearing that, Hyun Dowoon tilted his head with a confused expression.
“Then I guess the first time this bastard opened his eyes was when we woke him up just now?”
“It’s a talent, being this useless.”
I was going to use his answer to track down the other team members, but he’d been sleeping the whole time and only just woke up now. He really was something else.
“You’re always only picking on me.”
Pouting his lips, Kwon Seoyul whined, but Hyun Dowoon and I ignored him and put our heads together to think.
“What do we do? Still, now that we’ve got Kwon Seoyul, wouldn’t it be better to at least find a village?”
“The problem is, even if we go to a village, the chances of running into the others are low. Still... we have to go.”
Wandering through the forest didn’t feel like it would lead to anything good, either.
We had to get to where people lived to gather information and get what we needed.
Especially food. Hyun Dowoon had filled his stomach for now with the combat rations I’d kept in my inventory, but we couldn’t keep doing that forever.
‘At least we did get some money by searching the bandits.’
But in a space where the internet and electronics didn’t work, the helpless feeling didn’t lessen at all.
Kiiik.
Maybe it sensed how complicated I felt, because the shadow bird sitting on my thigh let out a small cry, like it was comforting me.
I swallowed a sigh and stroked the bird’s back. While I did, the sky gradually brightened.
Night was ending.
***
“Thank you so much. How can we ever repay this kindness....”
Not long after morning came, the injured people woke up.
Still dazed, they spotted us and the bandits tied up tight and unconscious, and their faces filled with shock.
With the area bright now, my skill had turned off and I was back to black hair again. In a place where black hair was everywhere, that was honestly better.
When I stepped forward and explained what had happened, the merchants—who’d been trembling in fear—finally relaxed and started thanking us.
“You even treated us... Doctor, thank you so much.”
“It’s nothing. I only did what I should.”
I put on a warm, likable smile for the merchants who didn’t know what to do from being grateful and apologetic. Behind me, I heard Kwon Seoyul make a small “Blegh,” but I ignored him.
“Still. We want to repay you somehow....”
“Do you have a destination? My family’s estate is not far from here. Please—allow us the chance to repay our debt to you.”
The man who looked the oldest grabbed at me desperately, eyes wet.
‘Just like I planned.’
I chuckled to myself inwardly, but outwardly, I put on an apologetic expression.
“That... I didn’t help you because I wanted repayment. You truly don’t have to trouble yourselves.”
“We can’t do that. If it weren’t for the three of you, we wouldn’t have survived last night. Please, at least let us treat you to a meal.”
The owner of the caravan grabbed me again and bowed properly.
Yeah. That’s how it should be.
Smiling in satisfaction inside, I nodded as if I couldn’t help it.
“If you insist that much, then I’ll accept your hospitality.”
“Hospitality? Don’t say that! Come—I’ll guide you.”
The caravan owner looked overjoyed and started leading the way. With how urgent he looked, it felt like he was anxious I might change my mind at any second.
“...Seriously scary.”
“That’s a con artist, right there.”
I ignored the whispering from Hyun Dowoon and Kwon Seoyul behind me as we followed the caravan people.
Healers were nobles wherever you went. And in a world where fists mattered more than law, that was even more true.
***
After about two hours of walking, the trees finally thinned out, and we started seeing more people.
What appeared in the distance was closer to a city than a village—there were quite a few tall buildings, and a lot of people coming and going.
Every passerby stole a glance at Kwon Seoyul’s pale, flesh-colored hair as they went by. Kwon Seoyul yawned lazily like he didn’t care.
As for me, I looked around with a strange sense of fascination.
‘Did they really make this into a martial arts world?’
There was no clear reason why it had to be wuxia of all things, but because it felt as vivid as reality, my eyes kept getting drawn in.
“Just a little farther.”
The caravan owner leading the way said with a gentle smile.
Since it didn’t hurt to look around, I nodded back with a smile to show I wasn’t burdened by it.
That was when—
“Move aside!”
“Don’t come closer if you don’t want to get hurt!”
Along with screams, an agitated murmur rose from ahead. A crowd had gathered, staring at something.
‘Wow, so it really is wuxia.’
How did incidents and accidents keep happening nonstop like this?
Feeling impressed despite myself, I quickly signaled to Hyun Dowoon and Kwon Seoyul. It could be something involving a team member, so we had to check in person.
“I’ll go take a look for a moment.”
“What? Ah—wait, Benefactor!”
Leaving the flustered caravan owner behind, I headed straight toward where the commotion was.
When I pushed into the crowd and moved forward, a man’s voice—stiff with fury—came through more clearly.
“He is a sinner of our sect. Those with no relation should not interfere!”
“You thought you could run? Get up, right now.”
“Amitabha.”
What was in front of me—
was monks.
The moment I saw the three monks, one name flashed through my head—the name that showed up like clockwork in wuxia novels.
‘Shaolin?!’
Hyun Dowoon, who’d followed after me, must have thought of the same sect, because his eyes shook. Only Kwon Seoyul looked indifferent, as usual.
‘No way. Shaolin....’
My heart couldn’t help pounding.
If Shaolin existed in this space, did that mean I could see other sects too? Mount Hua, the Namgung Clan...
“Ghk—hey, Cha Seohu! Over there...!”
Hyun Dowoon sucked in a horrified breath and grabbed my shoulder, pointing down.
Maybe I’d been too entranced by the wuxia setting becoming “real.” Only then did I belatedly notice the person collapsed on the ground.
“...!”
My mouth fell open. My heart dropped.
The one lying on the ground with a monk’s foot grinding into his back, wearing a helpless expression—
was none other than Ryu Sunghyun!
While I froze in panic, one of the monks spoke.
“Amitabha. Give up. And... shave your hair.”
“...!”
What the hell did that bald bastard just say to our hyung?
‘Shave his hair...?’