< Episode 577 > The Miracle of Shaolin.
Kyaahhh—!
A shriek sharp enough to pierce right through you.
I turned my head and looked in the direction the sound had come from.
It seemed to be somewhere not too far away.
However, the streets were still noisy, and the mood of the people remained unchanged.
In the midst of that, there were some here and there, like us, looking in the direction of the scream.
'They're all martial artists.'
They were probably ones whose senses had been heightened.
To be able to hear a scream amid such a raucous atmosphere, they had to be martial artists.
'Did something happen?'
If someone was screaming like that, it seemed like something had erupted, but...
Contrary to such thoughts, I wasn't very interested.
'They'll handle it.'
This was none other than Hanam.
If something like that had happened in the place where the Alliance's headquarters was located, it would be resolved soon enough.
Thinking so, I tried to bring up the topic again with Paejon.
"Elder, what were you trying to say earli... hm?"
When I looked beside me, Paejon was nowhere to be seen.
Wondering where this old man had gone, I looked around.
Far off in the distance, I saw Paejon walking in the direction the sound had come from.
"...Where are you going?"
Asking that upon seeing him, Paejon tilted his head and looked my way.
His eyes looking at me were filled with an inexplicable amusement.
"My disciple."
"Yes."
"Do you know what the most entertaining thing in the world is?"
"The sight of me making money."
"..."
Answering without hesitation, Paejon's face contorted in an instant.
Why? That is the most fun, though?
"...Truly an answer utterly devoid of romance."
My body was so steeped in reality that I couldn't help it; there was no finding romance in me.
"So, what is the most entertaining thing?"
Asking indifferently, Paejon once again held a smile at the corners of his mouth.
He seemed to have wanted this answer after all.
"The most entertaining thing in the world is this."
"Yes."
"Watching other people fight."
"...Yes?"
"There is nothing else as entertaining as that."
"..."
Hearing those words, I nodded.
In other words, those words meant:
'He's saying he wants to go.'
It was Paejon's stubborn insistence on going over there.
Having finished speaking, Paejon immediately turned his head and strode forth.
Watching this, I.
"Sigh."
Let out a sigh and followed after him.
The place we arrived at in this manner was.
"Hm?"
Surprisingly, it was a rather familiar place.
The inn with the famous dumplings that I often visited in Hanam.
That very place.
'I was planning to come here anyway.'
I had been thinking of stopping by, but I hadn't expected to arrive like this.
Wondering why there would be a scream at a restaurant for no reason, I looked inside.
"Aha."
Upon seeing the situation unfolding, I understood immediately.
A man with a flushed face, seemingly drunk, had drawn his sword and was pointing it at someone.
In the middle of it all, a woman was trembling with tears brimming in her eyes.
"...This bastard...!!"
The man on the left growled and shouted.
He appeared to be around the age of forty.
His realm was....
'Between second-rate and first-rate.'
An ambiguous position, but it wasn't a bad realm if you thought about it.
It was only because there were so many monsters around.
Even that much would be enough for a martial artist to make a living without issue.
However.
'The humans who remain at that realm tend to have particularly filthy personalities.'
The point where dullards are blocked by the wall of talent and sit down in defeat.
Most of the time, it was the moment when they settle into reality, give up, and accept their lot in life.
Since a martial artist has given up on climbing the wall.
Many are filled with disappointment and anger toward themselves.
Perhaps because of that, that realm was where especially messed-up humans gathered.
The fact that when you round up most people who cause trouble, the majority are these second-to-first-rate gentlemen was also because of that.
'This guy feels like that too.'
I had a feeling the man over there was the same.
"Hehe."
Paejon, seeing this, let out a pleased laugh.
It wasn't just Paejon.
The people around were already buzzing and looking inside the inn.
If there was one difference, it was that I could hear quite worried voices at the edge of my hearing.
"Isn't that... Mukdoseok?"
"That's right, that's right. Tsk tsk... Is he causing another drunken fuss?"
Judging by the reactions, he seemed to be quite a notorious figure in a bad way.
"What's going on this time?"
"Well, Misuk is there, isn't she."
The man speaking pointed at someone with his chin.
It was the woman trembling inside the inn.
"Don't tell me, did Mukdoseok touch Misuk again?"
"Why wouldn't he?"
At those words, everyone could be heard clicking their tongues.
It seemed he had often bothered women in the past, too.
"...And? Did Misuk get angry or something?"
"How could she? Misuk values her own life, so she's been holding it in all this time."
"Then what's going on?"
"Can't you see? A young hero stepped in."
It meant someone had blocked the man who was bothering the woman.
Hearing this, the people around looked inside with worried faces.
"Oh no...! This is bad. Of all people, Mukdoseok."
"We need to contact the Alliance quickly. Things could get bloody otherwise...."
It was truly an urgent voice.
Indeed, if a first-rate level martial artist were to wield his blade recklessly, the surroundings would obviously become a field of ruins.
The problem was....
They were choosing the wrong opponent to actually worry about.
I looked at the man called Mukdoseok and thought.
'That guy is going to die.'
Right now, the dangerous one wasn't the person being pointed at with a sword.
It was the man called Mukdoseok.
I looked at Mukdoseok's opponent with strange eyes.
I saw a figure sitting at a table, draped in a rain cape.
He had covered his face as well, so his age couldn't be determined.
Judging from his physique, it was only possible to guess he was a man, but.
The moment I saw him, I could be certain.
'He's in the Transforming Realm.'
It meant he was someone who had surpassed the pinnacle and reached the Transforming Realm.
Whether he knew that or not.
Mukdoseok looked at his opponent with fire in his eyes and shouted.
"How dare you deceive me!? Do you want to die!"
At Mukdoseok's cry, the figure who had been still rose to his feet.
Screech.
I hadn't realized while he was sitting, but he was much larger than expected.
"I did not deceive you."
Contrary to his massive physique, his voice was a fine tenor.
He didn't seem to be very old.
"A brat who knows nothing—if blocking my way isn't deception, then what is?"
"It is because you were coveting the body of one who refused, so I merely rebuked you for that."
"You bastard...!"
Mukdoseok gritted his teeth at the young man's words.
"What is a mere wretch like you interfering for? Is this wench your lover or something?"
As he spoke, Mukdoseok suddenly widened his eyes.
It was an expression as if he had caught on to something.
"Ah, so that's why."
His gaze shifted toward the woman called Misuk.
"You, you've been secretly meeting this brat, haven't you? Right?"
"N-no...! This is my first time meeting this young hero...!"
The woman shouted as if she were wronged, but Mukdoseok already looked as if he didn't believe her.
"So that's why you wouldn't come to me. You're saying you played me for a fool!"
I had no idea how one arrived at such a conclusion.
Listening to it was getting on my nerves.
'What a shame.'
I should have been the one in that spot.
Then I would have ripped his tongue out before he could flap his mouth. It was truly a pity.
At the same time, Paejon's earlier words came to mind.
'He said watching a fight is the most fun.'
Ridiculously enough, I found myself relating to that a little.
Then.
"After how well I've treated you. You toy with me like this?!"
Perhaps because Mukdoseok's anger had reached the top of his head, he began to vent his anger at the woman.
He even grabbed his sword and tried to do something to the woman.
"Kyaaah!"
The moment the woman screamed upon seeing this.
Clack.
"...!"
The young man grabbed Mukdoseok's arm, which held the sword.
Mukdoseok, his arm caught, looked at the young man with surprised eyes.
"What meaning is there in tormenting the weak? Please calm yourself."
It seemed he was trying to let things pass as smoothly as possible.
How kind.
If it were me....
'I would have torn the arm off first.'
I would have ripped the caught arm straight off.
That he was letting this go was a sight I simply couldn't comprehend.
And the one who likely understood it the least was Mukdoseok himself.
"This bastard...!"
By that point, he should have known his opponent wasn't someone to be trifled with.
Perhaps drunk on the spirits, he didn't seem to see properly.
"Fine, if you wish, I'll kill you first...!"
Mukdoseok twisted his body and threw a punch.
Looking at the energy contained in the fist, it was brimming with killing intent.
It meant he truly intended to kill.
Killing a person right in the middle of Hanam.
He had some impressive guts. Even if he was drunk, I could acknowledge that gutsiness.
However.
Just because you have guts doesn't mean everything goes your way.
The young man muttered as he watched the incoming fist.
"...I apologize. Please understand."
It was a small voice, but I heard it clearly.
Immediately after.
Thud-!
"Kurk."
Mukdoseok was struck in the chest by the blow the young man unleashed.
Mukdoseok's body, sent flying straight into the air, rolled across the ground not long after.
Afterwards, he seemed to barely manage to steady himself, but.
"Kuhluk... kuh... kkeu... kkeureureuk...."
Thud.
He plopped down, retched a few times, and then lost consciousness and collapsed.
The moment this was confirmed.
The murmuring sounds of the surroundings fell silent in an instant.
Not even breathing could be heard.
As a silent stillness descended upon the inn.
The young man cautiously moved.
It was toward the woman who had her eyes wide open in fright.
"I apologize for the disturbance."
"Ah... aah... n-no..."
"You seem very frightened."
Speaking to the woman who couldn't even answer properly, he took something out from his bosom.
It was silver.
"I have enclosed my apologies for the meal and the disturbance. Please forgive me with a generous heart...."
Right after pressing the silver into the woman's hand.
He immediately turned his body and walked out of the inn.
Before long, he passed by my side as if brushing past.
I glanced sideways at him.
Though his face was covered so it wasn't easy to see.
Very faintly, I could see golden eyes inside the rain cape.
Those eyes were looking at me, if only for an instant.
"..."
After meeting eyes briefly like that.
Fwoosh-!
A shallow wind blew, and the young man's presence vanished.
Only then did the people exhale the breath they had been holding and begin to speak.
"W-what in the world."
"What on earth just...!"
The murmuring began anew.
People began entering the inn to survey the situation.
Around that time, I was recalling one movement the young man had performed.
'Hmm.'
A short motion striking the chest.
A movement that seemed like nothing special.
But I was recalling something from it.
Then I surveyed the table where the young man had been.
I saw leftover dumplings and food.
"..."
Looking at that, I had to think many thoughts.
"Tsk, tsk."
Paejon laughed beside me.
"Will you go and come back?"
"..."
Hearing those words, I had to click my tongue inwardly.
It seemed Paejon had noticed I was bothered by something.
"Go and return. Sinui is probably still asleep anyway."
"...You said you had something to tell me."
"That can be done later. Rather than making such a shitty expression, just hurry up and go. You're in a bad mood because it's bothering you, no?"
"..."
After pondering Paejon's words briefly.
I turned around.
"Then, I shall go and return shortly."
Paejon was right.
I had to resolve whatever was bothering me somehow.
Especially.
In a situation like now, all the more so.
******************
The forest near Hanam.
It was a forest path somewhat removed from the city streets, a forest rarely visited by others due to its sparse foot traffic.
Tak.
Someone landed there.
It was the young man who had caused the disturbance at the inn.
"...Hoo."
The young man, looking around the forest here and there and barely catching his breath.
Only then did he catch his breath and remove the rain cape he had been wearing.
Then, a shiny bald head reflecting the moonlight was revealed.
A head slightly damp with sweat, it seemed.
The young man wiped it with a cloth as if accustomed to it.
"A pity."
He spat out the words as if lamenting.
Yes, it was a pity.
"I had barely taken a bite...."
It was an inn he had secretly and with great difficulty found.
Having brimming excitement, he had barely taken one bite.
To think he would have to leave so wretchedly like this.
It was truly a bitter affair.
"...Well, it was time to return anyway."
As if consoling his regret, the young man looked somewhere.
Since he had come out by cutting his time short, he would have had to return soon anyway.
He had to think of it that way.
"...Next time... Next time, yes."
I'll eat with a bit more leisure.
The young man nodded as if making a resolution.
The moment he tried to quickly move his steps.
"I'm saying."
He flinched.
A voice came from behind.
At the sudden voice, the young man's head snapped around.
In the darkness surrounded by trees where nothing was visible, someone was speaking from beyond.
Who is it?
The young man looked there, hiding his cold sweat.
"I can somehow understand a martial artist bastard gorging on meat. But in all my life...."
Someone appeared with an expression of disbelief.
A figure dressed in black martial robes with surprisingly fierce eyes.
He appeared suddenly and spoke to the young man.
"Isn't it a bit much for a monk to be eating meat?"
"..."
The young man who heard this.
Sinryong (Divine Dragon) Yuyeon had to contort his face in displeasure.