I Am the Youngest Disciple of the Martial Arts World’s Mastermind
Chapter 48
Chapter 48
The Youngest Disciple of the Murim’s Hidden Mastermind
Episode 48
“I’ll eat well!”
Perhaps because he had endured all sorts of hardships in the Demonic Cult, Ryang was skilled at everything from preparing a campsite to catching and cooking wild animals.
I had learned the basics from Danhwi in a crash course, but I didn’t even get a chance to step forward.
Thanks to Ryang, we didn’t have to go hungry even while camping for several days.
The beef jerky I brought just in case was shredded and used as seasoning instead of salt; it never had to serve as our primary meal.
Munch. Ryang waited for me to take the first bite of the meat before asking again, as if to confirm.
“…How is it? Is it edible?”
My eyes went round, and I gave Ryang a big thumbs up.
“Yeah! It’s delicious! How did you roast this?”
I wasn’t exaggerating.
Truly, I don’t know how he roasted it, but the meat was dripping with juices; I would have believed him if he’d said he caught a fattened chicken rather than a small bird.
“I just roasted it.”
“But for it to be this good? No way!”
As I polished off the skewer with gusto, Ryang muttered with an air of relief.
“…Since Martial Uncle Hyeonhak always makes such delicious food, I was worried this wouldn’t suit your palate. I’m glad you’re eating well.”
“No, I mean, I was a beggar before all that….”
Compared to living as a beggar under a bridge, this was luxury.
I finished the skewer cleanly and clapped the dust off my hands.
“Thank you for the meal!”
Finally, I tilted my canteen to take a proper drink of water, but—
“Ah.”
I was out of water.
I happened to have spotted a spring nearby earlier.
I scrambled to my feet.
“Ryang! I’m going to go fetch some water!”
Predictably, Ryang looked up from roasting his own skewer.
“…Wouldn’t it be better if I went?”
I shook my head firmly.
“No. You worked hard hunting and cooking! I can at least handle getting the water.”
And before Ryang could stop me, I grabbed the canteen and dashed out of the campsite.
‘I feel bad working him too hard….’
Tap, tap, tap.
The full moon was out, making the mountain path quite bright. Running quickly along the path I’d scouted, the spring soon came into view.
“Up we go.”
I set the canteen down by the spring and first carefully scooped up some water with both hands to drink.
“Phew.”
Nice. It’s cool and clean.
I tilted the canteen and began to fill it.
As the water filled the container with a gurgling sound, I hummed a nursery rhyme that happened to come to mind.
“Hmm-hmm. A rabbit woke up early in the morning~ rubbing its eyes….”
What were the next lyrics?
It was then. Something wriggled and moved inside my robes.
“Huh?”
And then, zip!
“Oh!”
A lizard popped out from my chest.
“You!”
The lizard that had slipped into my clothes just before we left Cheongsanbong!
“You’ve been quiet this whole time!”
Why come out now?
The lizard that had jumped out of my robes looked around as if checking its surroundings, then approached the water’s edge and began to lap it up.
I crouched down beside it and asked.
“Were you thirsty?”
Well, even if it stayed perfectly still, it was bound to get hungry and thirsty.
“Aigo. Here, eat this.”
I pulled out the beef jerky I’d saved—thanks to feasting on Ryang’s cooking—and held it out. The lizard nibbled on it bit by bit.
It must have been very hungry.
“Then why did you follow me all the way here?”
When I spoke in a lightly scolding tone, the lizard looked up at me with clear eyes.
It tilted its head, which was both cute and a bit cheeky.
I can’t exactly leave it here now….
I let out a long sigh as I finished filling the canteen.
“Hooo, this is supposed to be the spring where the rabbit comes to wash its face, but a lizard is drinking the water instead.”
Ah, did the rabbit drink the water? Or did it wash its face?
I think it was one of the two.
Just as I was fallen into deep thought while staring at the lizard—
Rustle.
“Huh?”
I heard the sign of a presence, like someone stepping on the brush right in front of me.
The very faint noise barely caught my ear.
I immediately looked up and concentrated my mind on where the sound had come from.
I saw the lizard freeze and tremble.
“…….”
‘…Is it really a rabbit? Did a rabbit actually come to drink water in the early morning?!’
Seeing the lizard’s reaction, it was a possibility!
I stared intently into the darkness with an expectant expression.
Then, something slowly revealed itself before me.
It was….
“Hehehe.”
A mountain bandit, covered in shaggy hair.
“Whoa.”
I couldn’t hide my shock, my mouth hanging wide open.
‘…How can a bandit look so much like a textbook illustration?’
The bandit was barely covering his vital parts with fur clothing that looked like it was made from the entire pelt of some large mountain beast.
Every inch of skin not covered by the clothes was thick with shaggy hair.
“Ugh….”
Disgusting….
Suppressing a gag, I quickly tucked the lizard back into my robes.
The lizard tried to jump out again, but it settled down once I tapped it reassuringly.
Thinking my movements were because I was trembling with fear, the bandit bared his yellow teeth in a grin and approached me.
“Look at you shivering. This uncle isn’t a bad person.”
“…….”
Under the moonlight, the sound of the heavy bandit’s footsteps thudded closer.
“Didn’t your parents teach you it’s dangerous for a child to wander mountain paths alone at night?”
“Uuuu….”
I curled my body inward.
The bandit immediately reached a hand out toward me—a hand the size of a pot lid.
“Hehehe. You’ll be perfect to use as a servant. Come with me.”
And then, I uncurled my body.
Clack!
Just before the bandit’s foul-smelling hand could touch me, I drew the Iron Fan I held at my waist.
“Huh…?”
And before the bandit could even grasp the situation, I leapt up and struck the back of his dark, thick neck.
“…Gah.”
Thump.
The moment he was struck in the neck, the bandit collapsed forward.
His massive frame fell in the same posture he’d used to approach me and remained motionless.
“Phew.”
I straightened my back, stowing the Iron Fan.
‘…Did I hit him too hard?’
Since I struck him with an Iron Fan infused with internal energy, an ordinary bandit wouldn’t be able to withstand it and would faint.
Still, I hit him with the blunt side, so he should be alive.
I lightly shook out my stinging wrist, pulled out a small needle, and struck a pressure point that would cause short-term memory loss.
“…Ugh, the smell.”
Just getting close made my face wrinkle involuntarily.
The stench won’t cling to my clothes, will it?
Leaving the fallen bandit behind, I buried my nose in my sleeve and hurried back to the campsite.
“Ryang!”
As expected, Ryang, who was more sensitive than I was, had already sensed my presence and was dousing the embers.
“What happened?”
I explained as I handed Ryang the canteen full of cool water.
“I ran into a bandit at the spring.”
“…Are you hurt anywhere?”
Ryang’s eyes widened as he grabbed my shoulders and checked me over.
I giggled and let myself be shaken as Ryang moved me.
“Of course not! I think he was a bandit from that stronghold we slipped past earlier… I guess he wandered out this far. I knocked him out for now, but his comrades might come, so let’s get out of here quickly.”
“…Understood.”
Only after Ryang had thoroughly scanned my body while I was talking did he finally let me go.
I muttered to myself as I quickly repacked my things.
“That’s twice now we’ve attracted bandits.”
The reason I could deal with the bandit so calmly was that this was already our second encounter.
And at strongholds on two different mountains, no less!
“It’s probably because it’s just two children.”
Ryang replied nonchalantly as he tidied my hair and began to lead the way.
“I guess so.”
I quickly started walking behind him.
Since Ryang and I were kids not even ten years old, there were disadvantages like this.
However, I didn’t only have complaints.
On the contrary, it was quite useful for the plans of the Murim’s hidden mastermind!
For one, children aren’t easily suspected. Furthermore, because they can’t distinguish valuable items well, it isn’t strange for them to hand over precious things to strangers.
And just like that, for the price of a bowl of flour noodles, Ryang and I were disguised as benefactors—and a stroke of fated luck—delivering the lost spear technique manual of the Unhyeol Sect.
Returning to the present, immediately after carrying out the mission according to the plan.
Ryang and I naturally slipped into an alleyway to talk.
“Great. The hand-off was a success! Ryang, keep an eye on the area for about an hour to make sure no one tries to steal it from him.”
“Okay.”
Ryang nodded.
“Then I’ll be by the bridge leading out of town. Come back that way.”
“Got it.”
“I’m counting on you!”
