Chapter 141 First Strike Wins (5)

Chapter 141: First Strike Wins (5)

They say even a stray dog eats its fill at home, right?

‘No, how did they catch up when we left a day earlier?’

The distance between Nanju, where the Ten Demon Clan’s headquarters lies, and Xuehua, where we started, is a day’s ride on horseback.

And yet, we were caught by the enemies who had been pursuing us.

Clop clop clop clop.

Hee-ha! Hee-ha!

The Black Coral galloped at full speed.

And the skilled riders of the Ten Horse Alliance’s dark faction chased us relentlessly.

It was time to choose: fight or flee.

I shouted, filling my voice with all my inner strength.

“Turn!”

Dudududu…

The sound of hooves dwindled like a ghost.

Soon, the heads of our horses turned completely around.

If we waited just a moment longer, a head-on collision with the enemy was certain.

It might seem dangerous to entertain such thoughts against nearly a hundred elite magic warriors.

“Prepare for battle!”

I had no confidence.

No confidence in victory.

“Klekleklek.”

The leader of the Black Tiger Corps, who had positioned himself at the very front without being ordered, seemed to think this was his moment to step forward.

“You want a taste of my blade? Is that it?!”

“Yes! Uhahaha.”

“I’ll split you in two!”

Clang clang clang clang.

At his shout, the Black Tiger Corps members drew their swords, radiating fierce confidence.

A confidence born of genuine skill.

But I bear the duty to ensure all of them return safely.

I had no intention of facing the enemy head-on in a direct confrontation.

If the legend of the Black Mountain Tigers were shattered, who would bear the responsibility?

Whoosh.

‘Perfect.’

After confirming the wind’s direction by the movement of sand flung from my body, I drew two spheres, each the size of an adult’s fist, from my saddle.

My ultimate weapon: the Blindness and Deodorization Pepper Bomb.

Developed by Qingzhao Xiao, the leader of the Qingzhao Division’s Funta Unit and head of research, this bomb was an enhanced version of the standard pepper bomb. It was a powerful CC weapon that instantly paralyzed the vision and sense of smell of all enemies within a wide area.

If I had to categorize it, I’d call it an 18th-tier pepper bomb.

I hurled that Blindness and Loss of Smell Pepper Explosion high into the sky.

Boom. Boom.

I shot my ki like an arrow, driving it deep into the core of the sphere before detonating it.

Whoosh.

The toxic pepper powder, carried by the wind, engulfed the enemies.

And then.

“Gah!”

“My, my eyes!”

Thud! Eeeeeek!

The enemies, blinded, tumbled from their mounts repeatedly, their formation shattered.

The enemy vanguard was completely neutralized.

“……”

I spoke to the Black Tiger leader, his mouth agape.

“What are you doing? Not going?”

“R-Right. Follow me!”

Kill them! Woooah!

I couldn’t just stand by either.

I raced after the Black Snakes, who were already charging forward.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Red diagonal lines were carved into the enemies’ bodies along the trajectories of the Black Snakes’ swords.

“Guh.”

Running from the rear, I drove my kick into the head of an enemy struggling to rise, shattering it, then immediately pushed forward.

My target was the leader of this pursuit squad.

I had to take his head as quickly as possible to make the battle easier.

“Hmph!”

Pang! Crack. Crunch.

I unleashed the Dragon’s Thirteen Piercings, snapping the bodies of the enemies blocking my path. The Heuksanho rushed in instantly and drove the enemies back.

“Don’t stop! Keep killing!”

At my shout, the Black Coral clenched their teeth and began swinging their swords.

Because the CC skill’s duration was almost over.

Sure enough.

“Over there!”

Several enemies pointed at us with bloodshot eyes and shouted.

The rest opened their eyes one by one, drew their weapons, and charged.

‘Damn it, already?’

The CC effect wore off faster than expected.

“Yee-ha!”

One enemy, still streaming tears and snot, raised his sword and lunged forward.

Behind him, four or five mages raced in.

Kwaaang!

The explosive sword’s force tore through their bodies.

Thud. Thud. Thud thud.

Swords rising from the darkness pierced my body.

Each blade tip was enveloped in the characteristic gray aura of the Dark Clan.

“Guh.”

Even though I quickly activated my defensive barrier, I couldn’t avoid small holes piercing my body here and there.

The only saving grace was that the dragon scale armor wrapping my torso prevented any critical injuries.

“You bastards!”

The attack was more chilling than I’d expected, sending a shiver down my spine.

I’m not the problem. The Black Coral…

“Hmph! Pathetic. ”

Thwack!

“Do you think I’ve only faced attacks like this once or twice?!”

Thwack!

……They were fighting incredibly well.

The way they formed a three-person squad, covering each other’s backs as they advanced, gave off a vibe of deep camaraderie.

‘I just need to do my part.’

Forty enemies remained.

I figured I could take down their leader while the Black Coral squad finished off the rest.

The War Dragon Qi surged up in an instant, spreading its aura over my body.

Kwaaaaah!

Soon, black War Dragon Qi began swirling around me.

Kwoong!

Adding the War King’s Might, I unleashed the Heaven-Shattering Wind and charged straight toward the enemy leader.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The five enemies blocking his path were torn to shreds and scattered in all directions.

“You!”

The startled leader’s body sank deep into the ground, vanishing from sight.

The elusive martial arts of the Dark Clan, always unpredictable.

But they won’t work on me now.

Woooooom!

After all, stealth is useless against an area-of-effect attack.

The Exploding Mirror, unleashed through my soles, tore up the nearby ground.

“Guh.”

The bastard appeared, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

“Hold on!”

Thud. Thump.

By driving my explosive mirror into that bastard’s head, we ended the battle with the pursuit squad.

A moment later.

“Huff…”

I caught my breath and surveyed the battlefield.

Only five minor injuries. You could say we held our ground well enough.

‘Not good enough.’

The performance of the Blindness-Inducing Pepper Bomb was deeply unsatisfactory.

‘I need to tell Research Director Cheong to extend its duration.’

Of course, today’s failure would fuel the creation of an even more powerful pepper bomb, so I didn’t dwell on it long.

“Let’s go!”

Having secured the idea for a more powerful pepper bomb, I led the Black Coral soldiers forward.

* * *

The next day.

I spotted a small village and frowned.

“…What is that?”

Flutter. Flutter.

A white flag hung above the village, flapping wildly in the fierce sandstorm.

Worse still, not a single guard was in sight.

“Looks like they fled before we arrived.”

“Seems that way.”

I nodded silently at the Black Tiger leader’s words.

‘In a world without cell phones…’

No matter how fast word travels, I couldn’t fathom how they caught wind of it so quickly.

Whoever they were, their survival instincts were sky-high, no doubt about it.

“Hmph, I see the Bloodshed Brigade’s reputation has spread this far.”

As I scratched my nose and spoke, the Black Sanho members chuckled like bandits, clearly pleased.

But what truly astonished me was a separate sight.

Waaah-! Long live-!

“Waaah, we suffered so much from those bastards’ atrocities.”

“Thank you so much for coming all this way. How can we ever repay this kindness….”

The villagers were welcoming us with open arms.

Good heavens, villagers welcoming bandits?

It was truly a sight that made my mind go blank.

Regaining my senses and observing them, I understood why.

‘This isn’t Africa or anything…’

The children were starved, their bellies bulging, and the adults were nothing but skin and bones.

In such a situation, clothing was a luxury; not a single person wore proper garments.

“…Is there a representative?”

At my question, an old man hobbled forward leaning on his cane.

“The village chief?”

“Y-Yes, sir.”

“…So the mage scum who were here fled?”

“The moment word reached us that heroes were coming, they fled immediately.”

“…Well, well.”

I don’t get it.

Those mages, notorious for their viciousness, ran away without even fighting.

I clicked my tongue and shook my head. The Black Tiger Corps leader chuckled and said,

“You see, those mages are the ones who care most about their own lives. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s correct, Leader.”

“Fleeing at the slightest disadvantage is their nature.”

Since this came from the Black Mountain Tigers, a special unit of the Great Ten Demon Alliance, it must be true.

I nodded and asked the village chief.

“I’d like to get some provisions…”

“They likely didn’t have time to properly gather supplies in their hasty retreat. Searching their base should yield a fair amount.”

“Thank you.”

Following the village chief’s guidance, we found a substantial amount of food and unclaimed valuables left behind at the Yujinpa’s base.

“Let’s just take a little and share the rest with them over there.”

When I casually suggested this, everyone, including the Black Tiger leader, grinned and nodded.

“Heh heh, let’s do that.”

“Agreed.”

“Who knows what the King of Hell is up to. He should be catching those demonic bastards.”

Our first failed robbery.

‘Well, not so bad.’

But it was a satisfying failure.

* * *

Three days.

“Huh!”

Even in that short time, the Ten Demon Army’s pursuit force kept closing in on us.

Having used up the Sancho bombs, Heuksanho and I had no choice but to fight them with everything we had.

After a bloody battle, we wiped out the enemy without a single casualty.

We did this three times in total.

After fierce fighting, we finally succeeded in entering Ningxia.

Whoa.

We stopped in front of an inn standing tall beside a large river.

Dragon Gate Inn.

It was an ominous name that seemed to promise trouble, but this place was Hao Gate’s liaison point.

Leaving the Black Coral members waiting outside, I entered and saw a middle-aged man busily stirring a wok.

“Looks like you found your way here.”

“Would you like to eat?”

Without even turning around, he offered food.

“I have a rule: I don’t eat what others give me.”

It wasn’t because of the martial world’s taboo against accepting food from others.

‘I can’t relax until I’ve seen the kitchen.’

He avoided it because China’s notoriously poor hygiene standards wouldn’t be any different in the medieval martial world.

For reference, the inns used as lodgings in Han-Chung underwent strict hygiene inspections under my supervision.

Thanks to that, no guests had gotten sick from the food, and the owner seemed quite satisfied.

However, the owner of the Yongmun Inn, unaware of this backstory, said in a slightly awkward tone.

“Oh dear, I made it after seeing you arrive.”

Glancing into the inner kitchen, sure enough, the kitchen was a complete mess.

I shook my head and changed the subject.

“It’s fine, let’s get to the point.”

He emerged from the kitchen and bowed.

“Haowen, I am Yi Jeok of the 37th Fragrance. Read backwards, it’s still Yi Jeok.”

‘So Yangling sent this dimwit!’

That was right. I had arranged an escape route beforehand by consulting with Yangling to get help escaping.

It was a bit unexpected that such a half-baked fool was sent as the person in charge.

Whether he sensed my thoughts or not, he began explaining the escape plan.

“The boats you requested are ready. However, we couldn’t prepare large vessels, so you’ll need to board in groups of fifteen.”

The news that I’d have to cram onto a narrow boat with a bunch of dark-skinned men made me frown involuntarily, but it couldn’t be helped.

In the martial arts world, a single ship capable of carrying people is considered as valuable as a concubine.

In fact, securing two medium-sized vessels was quite impressive.

“Let’s do it that way.”

“Thank you for your understanding. Do you know how to sail? If not, our disciples could…”

“I can handle it, don’t worry.”

Well, if the Black Coral brothers say so, fine.

“And regarding the payment…”

“We’ll use one of the three chances.”

I decided to use one of the three free coupons.

Given the expense of securing such a costly ship, the commission fee was bound to be steep.

“Hmm… If you hadn’t mentioned it beforehand, this would be a bit awkward. As you know, the money spent on the ship wasn’t exactly pocket change…”

“You said to use it whenever, but now you say I should’ve told you beforehand? What kind of bullshit is this? Don’t you know you should treat regulars better?”

It’s not like it’s some sweet and sour pork coupon or something.

“But…”

“Should I just smash it all to pieces? Huh?”

Impressed by this polite request, Lee Jeok nodded in surprise.

“…Ah, I understand. But please explain this to the branch manager later. It’s the kind of problem I could end up taking the fall for.”

“Of course, you bastard. I’ll make sure to praise you for doing a good job.”

“……”

After barely concluding the negotiation, Lee Jeok lit the wood placed beneath the chimney.

It seemed he was sending a signal by raising smoke.

And then.

Whoosh.

Before long, two medium-sized ships arrived.

Me and the Heuksanho crew boarded the ships without a word.

Right now, I was utterly exhausted and just wanted to rest.

Of course.

“Ah, and make sure to sell those horses we left behind to Han Jung. They’re good horses, so don’t sell them for peanuts, okay?”

“……”

He didn’t forget to sell the horses before leaving.

“Well then, good luck.”

With my farewell, the ship cut through the water and set sail.

And then, I soon realized a crucial fact.

“Ugh!”

The fact that during our life as bandits, none of us Black Coral members, myself included, had ever bathed once.