I Became the Hidden Chapter 53

Baek Yoonjun's worries were deep.

So deep that he worried throughout the entire journey preparation.

"How about going to Sichuan, the closest big city from here?"

He didn't listen even while Hong Yungae was talking about the destination.

"It seems it will be a long journey, so we'll have to rent a carriage."

"Senior brother. Leaving me aside, can't Master and you, senior brother, arrive faster by lightness skill than by carriage?"

"That makes sense. Although it's fast for a short while, a person's stamina can't be better than a horse's."

Although it was a story that didn't apply to Baek Yoonjun himself, who had been silent from the beginning, since he was only half-listening due to his worries, there was no particular rebuttal.

'Palm technique... isn't it just a palm technique if you strike with your palm?'

Baek Yoonjun had no expertise in palm techniques at all.

And for good reason, the martial arts of the Three Talents Astronomical Records, which were the foundation of Baek Yoonjun's martial arts, with the exception of a few, were just vague and difficult-to-understand metaphors.

Most of the martial arts that Baek Yoonjun used were things he had created and developed on his own.

Baek Yoonjun quietly recalled one of the martial arts passages of the Three Talents Astronomical Records.

-When you reach the realm of transcendence, form is useless, so do not obsess over it, but assimilate with the flow.

A very vague expression.

Baek Yoonjun took this as 'do it yourself'.

'Perhaps because it's a third-rate miscellaneous book, it's full of cloud-catching talk.'

His worries about the palm technique now turned to cursing the third-rate miscellaneous book he had learned.

While Baek Yoonjun was cursing the third-rate miscellaneous book, worrying about the palm technique, and actually trying out a few movements, the disciples' journey preparations continued.

Rattle, rattle.

Baek Yoonjun was now riding in a carriage.

"Junior disciple, aren't there too many supplies?"

"What are you talking about? How far is it from here to Sichuan!"

At Zhuge Hwaryeong's words, Hong Yungae couldn't rebut.

It was true that Hong Yungae had also left on a long journey to learn martial arts.

But it was hard to call it a proper journey.

Due to the peculiarity of being a beggar, he begged for his most important meals if there was a village, and if there was no village, he ate grass and fruits, and if there was not even that, he tore off and ate tree bark.

In a rough era like these days, eating tree bark or grass roots was not a particularly strange sight, so it was not strange for Hong Yungae, a beggar, to fill his stomach like that.

Of course, it was unreasonable to see it as a proper journey.

"By the way, junior disciple, is it okay for you to drive the carriage alone?"

"You said you've never driven before, senior brother. And we can't ask Master either."

Zhuge Hwaryeong looked at Baek Yoonjun, who was lost in thought inside the carriage.

His appearance, as if he were weighed down by the weight of the world and worrying with his sorrowful eyes, was as unrealistic as a painting, so she didn't dare to speak to him.

Zhuge Hwaryeong quickly turned her face, which had reddened without her realizing it.

'How can a person's face be so much like a painting?'

And Baek Yoonjun, the very person who had made a girl's heart flutter.

'What palm technique! I just want to eat rice mixed with gochujang.'

He was having such thoughts.

Rattle, rattle.

The journey was smooth.

"Stop!"

In this era, it was a daily routine to encounter bandits if you went on a decent road with few people, so it was not a lie that the journey was smooth.

"S-senior brother! Master! What should we do?"

Perhaps because she had not experienced bandits much, Zhuge Hwaryeong was flustered.

Compared to the flustered Zhuge Hwaryeong, the two in the carriage were calm.

"They're bandits."

"They're bandits."

Bandits generally rob food and property.

In other words, Hong Yungae, a beggar, had nothing to sell unless he was going to sell people.

Even selling people required connections. If you didn't have them, you were perfect to be subjugated, so bandits usually robbed property and food.

Therefore, Hong Yungae was indifferent even when he saw the bandits.

In the first place, since he had nothing to be robbed of, the bandits didn't even approach him, and now that he had even learned martial arts, he was even more confident.

And Baek Yoonjun was indifferent because if he thought they were evil, whether they were bandits or whatever, he would cut them down.

'The bandits didn't even look third-rate or lower.'

In the first place, if one had properly learned martial arts, unless there was some story, one would join a decent group and not engage in banditry.

Since Baek Yoonjun had established the formula of 'bandit = easy' through a few experiences, he couldn't help but be indifferent.

"Yungae, I'll leave the handling of the bandits to you."

"What? Me?"

But since the gaze was burdensome unless he cut them down right away, he decided to use his disciple.

"Uh, um... can I win?"

"You will win."

But it wasn't just passing the buck.

The bandits hadn't even learned martial arts, they were truly third-rate or lower.

It was a passing of the buck made because the current Hong Yungae could sufficiently overwhelm them.

"If Master says so, then I'll go."

Hong Yungae hesitated, held the Dog Beating Jade Staff in his hand, and carefully got out of the carriage.

He wasn't as nervous as he had thought.

At a glance, they looked weaker than the martial artist he had seen in the hallucination.

Hong Yungae's shoulders, who was facing the bandits, naturally rose.

"What's this beggar brat now?!"

Although they looked weak, their impressions were quite rough.

All six bandits had consistently rough impressions.

Hong Yungae's raised shoulders naturally cowered.

Although he would have run away without looking back normally, since Baek Yoonjun and Zhuge Hwaryeong were watching now, he couldn't do that either.

"H-hey, if you back down quietly, there will be no bloodshed."

"What is this beggar brat saying?!"

"Kwak! Do you want to die?"

As Hong Yungae cowered, the bandits became triumphant.

Although in reality, Hong Yungae was an overwhelmingly strong person, since ordinary people who had not learned martial arts had no way of distinguishing unless they were masters whose aura flowed out,

"Seeing a beggar brat pop out of a carriage, it seems these guys have no money."

"If they have no money, where did they get the carriage?"

While Hong Yungae was cowering, it seemed the bandits had come to a conclusion.

"Hand over the carriage quietly and get lost!"

The bandits all drew their weapons and shouted triumphantly.

Although their appearance looked a little clumsy, seeing that their weapons were not farm tools but things like swords and sabers, it seemed they were not ordinary bandits but professional bandits.

"Uh, then I have no choice."

Hong Yungae raised the Dog Beating Jade Staff.

"What's that club now?"

"It looks expensive! Hand it over right away!"

Hong Yungae held out the Dog Beating Jade Staff towards the bandit who had told him to hand over the club.

Thwack!

Towards the head.

"Kuaaak! My head!"

The bandit whose head was broken screamed, with blood flowing freely.

Since he had controlled his strength to some extent, he did not die.

Hong Yungae then fairly held out the Dog Beating Jade Staff to the heads of the other bandits.

Thwack, thwack! Thwack!

"Keuk!!"

"Uwaaaak!!"

The bandits, unable to even hold out their hands, had their heads fairly broken by the Dog Beating Jade Staff.

As all the bandits held their broken heads and rolled on the floor, Hong Yungae's shoulders and back straightened.

Because although a rough impression was scary, a rough impression rolling on the floor with a broken head was not scary.

"Do you want more? This time, I will not show any mercy."

"N-no, great hero! Please spare my life!!"

The bandits all knelt before Hong Yungae and bowed their heads.

It was because as soon as all the bandits' heads were broken, they had noticed the difference in level with the opponent.

Hong Yungae quietly looked down at such bandits.

"What are you doing?"

Baek Yoonjun, who was watching the scene, approached Hong Yungae's side.

Although he was also afraid of people's gazes, since the people with broken heads would not look at him, he had approached with peace of mind.

"Since you've already broken their heads, why not break them for sure?"

Baek Yoonjun asked as if he truly didn't understand.

'It seems he can send them off in one blow. Why leave future trouble?'

Baek Yoonjun's gaze as he looked down at the bandits was too indifferent to even be described as cold.

At the sight of him looking down at them not as people but as corpses, the bandits who were glancing at Hong Yungae all froze.

'Th-that gaze is the gaze of a human butcher who cuts down people like weeds!!'

The bandits were engulfed in fear.

Although they were bandits who threatened people on the road and extorted property and food, they did not cut down people like weeds.

"Let's just break them quickly and be on our way."

Baek Yoonjun's indifferent words rang the alarm bell in the bandits' sense of crisis.

The bandits all turned their gazes to Hong Yungae.

A human-like appearance of not knowing what to do.

The bandits all knelt and grabbed Hong Yungae's trouser legs.

"Great hero! Please spare our lives!"

"Although we are bandits, the number of times we have harmed people can be counted on one hand!"

"And even when we did harm, it was only because they drew their swords on us first or were worse guys than us!"

"Please have pity on us who became bandits because we were too cold and hungry!!"

As the bandits clung to Hong Yungae, wailing, a deep conflict arose in his heart.

It was compassion.

Such a Hong Yungae was looked at by Baek Yoonjun with an indifferent face.

"What are you doing? Why don't you finish it quickly?"

"Well..."

Hong Yungae looked at the bandits who were clinging to him, shedding blood from their heads and tears and snot, with a pitiful look.

"We haven't suffered any actual damage, so do we really have to take their lives?"

"You don't know. Those guys are guys who will stab us in the back as soon as we turn around."

"N-never! We'll quit banditry and live honestly, so please just spare our lives! Great hero!!"

"I-I have a bear-like wife and rabbit-like children waiting for me!!"

Hong Yungae looked at Baek Yoonjun with a very troubled face.

At that, the bandits also began to wail and glance at Baek Yoonjun.

And Baek Yoonjun, who was in the gaze of all of them, was looking down at the bandits indifferently.

'Quit banditry? A wife and children are waiting? Where are you spouting such lies?'

Baek Yoonjun naturally thought that all the bandits' words were lies.

At that moment, a lukewarm wind blew by his ear.

-Their words are true.

Something like a whisper that Baek Yoonjun had defined as a hallucination that he heard not infrequently.

But this time was different from other times.

Usually, a hallucination, like a hallucination, was of a similar opinion to Baek Yoonjun.

But this time, it was the complete opposite.

'A hallucination is rebelling?'

Baek Yoonjun's feelings were hurt.

'It's a hallucination, so there's no need to mind it, but why am I getting annoyed for no reason?'

Sreureung.

Black Iron Bright Night was slowly drawn from Baek Yoonjun's waist.

"If you can't do it, I'll do it for you."

Baek Yoonjun's voice spread quietly and coldly.

"Hiiik!!"

As the dark blade of Black Iron Bright Night was revealed, the bandits were startled and shivered.

-Although they may not become good people, they are a side that can live while sufficiently reflecting.

-They are not complete villains.

As Baek Yoonjun drew Black Iron Bright Night, a hallucination was heard in Baek Yoonjun's ear without rest.

'Shut up!'

Frowning, Baek Yoonjun approached the bandits.

At the same time as a rough aura different from usual was emitted, a blade-like gale swirled around.

"Hik! Hiiik!!"

"S-s-save... hiccup!"

"Heok, heo-eok."

Naturally, the gale also acted physically, and the bandits, engulfed in the unusual aura and wind, couldn't even scream and turned pale, continuously groaning and hiccuping.

Thud.

Every time Baek Yoonjun took a step, a gale swirled.

Not only the bandits but also Hong Yungae were crushed by the aura and lay flat on the floor, unable to even let out a breath.

Although it was a mountain road in a remote area with nothing special, at this moment, it seemed this road had turned into a cliff falling into hell.

Sreung.

In a space where the world seemed to have stopped, where even the sound of insects had ceased, Baek Yoonjun slowly raised his sword.

And just before the sword was slowly brought down.

"M-master, p-please hold on for a moment!!"

Hong Yungae struggled to get up from the floor and stood in front of Baek Yoonjun.

"What?"

"Pant, pant. W-well... keuk!"

Hong Yungae was struggling to stand.

It was felt by anyone that he was overdoing it, as his whole body was trembling like crazy.

"I-I know you're angry at my actions, but please hold on."

"I'm not particularly angry."

Hong Yungae glanced at Baek Yoonjun, who was muttering indifferently.

It was an indifferent face where no particular thought could be felt, as usual.

But the ferocious aura around him was still there.

'He's incredibly angry!'

Hong Yungae trembled like crazy.

On the other hand, Baek Yoonjun really had no particular thoughts.

'What's with this kid? Is he acting like this just because a third-rate let out some aura? Tsk, with such a weak body. I'll have to feed him some restorative medicine later.'

Although Baek Yoonjun clicked his tongue without any particular thought, at that sound, Hong Yungae flinched and squeezed out the courage he didn't have.

And so, with a feeling of desperation, Hong Yungae opened his mouth.

(End of Chapter)