I Am the Youngest Disciple of the Martial Arts World’s Mastermind
Chapter 23
Chapter 23
I’m the Youngest Disciple of the Murim’s Hidden Mastermind
Episode 23
Was he hurt? But when?
I was flustered, but fortunately, I happened to have the ointment Elder Sahyeong Hyeonhak had packed for me. With this, any wound would be fine.
I pulled a small jar from inside my skirt.
“Look. I have…”
However, as soon as I reached out, Ryang raised his voice for the first time.
“Don’t touch my body!!”
“Huh? Aren’t you hurt?!”
“It’s not like that…”
Then what is it!
“It’s okay! I have a really good ointment.”
Ryang pushed me away forcefully, but my persistence in wanting to repay the favor was stronger.
I finally succeeded in grabbing and pulling up his tattered tunic.
“I told you not to!”
“Gotcha. Why are you being so stubborn…”
My moment of triumph was short-lived. I froze in horror at the sight of his exposed abdomen.
“……!”
Dark blue marks spread across his frail body like a tangled web.
A sticky fluid secreted over those marks had even soaked into his clothes.
It looked like bruising at first glance… but these were traces that were definitely not bruises.
I gasped, thinking to myself.
‘…I’d rather it be a bruise.’
This was a wicked art—cutting the muscles near the dantian to forcibly infuse demonic energy. It was a type of Gu Poison.
‘Certainly, an ointment wouldn’t have any effect on this…….’
Thud!
The moment I laid eyes on the marks, Ryang shoved me away violently.
“Ah.”
I was pushed back, dazed.
“…It’s dangerous to touch. What kind of kid are you to be so fearless?!”
Ryang pulled his clothes back down, his voice panting as he calmly rebuked me.
“Uh, um. Sorry……”
“…Whew.”
Catching his breath, he continued in a small voice.
“Sorry for pushing you so hard. It’s difficult to control my strength.”
Oh, I’m sure you’re terribly sorry.
But sorry is one thing. What did he just say?
“…Control your strength?”
I tilted my head.
‘…Wait, could it be?’
Why was the protagonist, a future NPC-murderer, acting like a lost pup instead of a wild beast?
A puzzle piece flashed through my mind, solving the mystery.
I feigned a worried expression and asked.
“No, I’m sorry too……. Are you sensitive because that wound hurts?”
Ryang nodded slowly.
“…Something like that.”
This was it.
The reason he felt different from the future Heavenly Demon I knew was simple.
It was because the demonic energy hadn’t completely settled in his body yet!
Time to test it.
I thrust my face close to Ryang’s and asked.
“But why did you save me?”
“……?”
Ryang flinched back, covering his mouth with his palm.
He seemed flustered by the sudden proximity of someone his own age.
But I ignored his reaction, staring straight at him as I asked again.
“Weren’t you acquainted with that scary man chasing us earlier?”
“…How did you know?”
“Your clothes are similar. But why did you save me from him?”
At my urging, Ryang finally spoke with difficulty.
“…You’re too young. There was no reason for you to die like that.”
‘Wow.’
I marveled inwardly.
Was this really coming from a slave of the Demonic Cult who was supposed to offer unconditional loyalty to the Heavenly Demon?
‘Absolutely not!’
As I thought, the demonic energy definitely hadn’t taken root in his mind yet.
An honest murmur escaped my lips without me realizing it.
“I’m glad I met you now……”
If we had met later, I wouldn’t be running away with him; I would have been running away from him.
“…What? What are you talking about?”
“No, I mean, you saved me even though you’re hurting. I would’ve died if I hadn’t met you.”
Actually, I wouldn’t have died, but I laid it on a bit thick.
“…….”
Suddenly, he jumped up from his seat.
He then rustled through the pile of straw we had come out of, restoring it to its original state, before speaking to me sternly.
“You.”
“Yeah?”
“You said you didn’t want to die. Then forget everything that happened today. Understand?”
“Okay!”
I nodded my head so vigorously I felt dizzy.
I was lucky enough to survive an encounter with a cultist this time, but next time would surely mean death. Let’s never meet again.
“…….”
However, just as he was about to leave, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
“……?”
Not only that, he turned back toward me. Uh, why? My eyes widened.
Is he going to silence the witness after all……?
But after hesitating, he spoke in a voice so small it could only be described as shy.
“I have something I want to ask.”
“…Go, go ahead.”
“…What is your name?”
“Ah.”
We’re not going to meet again, so why?
A sudden fear gripped me.
If I tell him, will it somehow reach the ears of the Demonic Cult…?
“Uh……”
As I hesitated to speak, Ryang said in a shrinking voice.
“…It’s just, you’re the first person who ever tried to save me. I just wanted to know your name……”
Aw, man, if you put it like that….
Knowing he was fundamentally a different person from the cruel future Heavenly Demon I knew made my heart soften a little.
Reluctantly, I spoke as if granting a great favor.
“People close to me call me Soso.”
This much should be fine. There must be more than ten other Sosos in Hwangun County alone.
“Soso……”
He rolled my name softly under his breath.
It was then.
Swooooosh—
The sound of something cutting through the air reached my ears.
“……!”
This sound is…!
At the same moment I looked up, Ryang did too.
And we looked in different directions.
I looked behind Ryang, and he looked behind me.
Grab!
Simultaneously, someone snatched me up lightly.
Held in the air, the surrounding scenery began to blur past at high speed.
“Ugh……!”
My entire body froze stiff. I felt the blood drain from my face.
So suddenly. Without even giving me a chance to try and resist…!
The person standing behind Ryang was wearing clothes that undoubtedly belonged to the Demonic Cult. Our eyes met for a fleeting second.
If so, the person who snatched me is……?
Is this person a cultist too? Where are they taking me? Did they realize I have tempting internal energy in my body?
As I squeezed my eyes shut, a belated wave of regret washed over me.
I shouldn’t have gone out without Danhwi…!
I shouldn’t have been chatting so casually. I should have sent him away quickly and left the spot to find Danhwi!
Now, there was only one way for me to survive.
With my eyes still tightly shut, I barely managed to open my mouth. My body was trembling so much that a terrified voice came out naturally.
“P-Please spare me……”
Pretend to be an innocent child who knows nothing!
“…….”
However, no answer came from the person who had snatched me. Why isn’t he answering!
“Sniff, hic.”
Even without squeezing them out, tears streamed down my face because of the harsh wind.
“I, I don’t know anything. I’m just a, hic, kid from the Cheonun Merchant Guild…. I’ll give you as much m-money as you want, so please……”
I wailed at the top of my lungs. Honestly, my real feelings were starting to mix in, so it couldn’t even be called a fake sob anymore.
“I want to liiiiiive……”
“Pfft.”
Then, amidst the wind rushing past at a bone-chilling speed, I heard a familiar chuckle.
“Huh…?”
“Bwahaha! Right, then I suppose I have to let you live.”
I snapped my eyes open.
It was Danhwi!
“…Danhwi Sahyeong!!”
It’s Danhwi!
Only then did the tension drain from my body. As expected, he came to the rescue right on time!
Like a child, a whine escaped me first.
“Wh-Why did you only come now…! Do you know how scared I was…?!!”
You should’ve come earlier! Preferably before I met the protagonist!
“Sorry. I didn’t think you’d come out on your own.”
“Sniff, if you were going far away, you should have t-told me……”
Come to think of it, he definitely didn’t go to buy liquor. He wasn’t anywhere nearby!
“Uuugh….”
Between crying, being angry, and being carried like a sack of grain while the world blurred past at such high speeds, I felt like I was going to be sick.
“Feel like throwing up? Just bear with it a little longer.”
“Uuugh……”
After running for who knows how long, just as I reached my limit and was about to disregard all dignity and ruin Danhwi’s robe with vomit—
Danhwi set me down.
“I-I’m alive….”
We were in a remote area surrounded by nothing but rocky mountains, but the sensation of my feet touching the ground felt incredibly precious right now.
And once again, I felt like Danhwi was a monster.
He had run for a long time while carrying a heavy lump like me on his shoulder, yet he wasn’t even out of breath.
“Hmm.”
The monster spoke.
“How is Soso still alive?”
“Should I have d-died then?”
“No, no. Whoops. First, wipe your face.”
When I glared at him, Danhwi waved his hand dismissively and handed me a piece of cloth.
I used it to vigorously wipe my eyes, nose, and mouth, which were leaking like a broken faucet.
Meanwhile, Danhwi offered this as an excuse.
“I mean, it looked like you ran into a Demonic Cult brat, yet you’re still breathing.”
“…He helped me.”
In the end, his point was still that it was normal for me to have died.
While I continued to glare, Danhwi rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought.
“Hmm.”
