Side Story: Yuri’s Great Runaway Commotion! (4)

The Nokrimdo (Green Forest Bandits).

Yuri had heard from Cheongun before that martial artists who found themselves with no way to make a living either became ronin or bandits—and the bandits were organized under a group called the Nokrim.

They were sometimes referred to as the “Seventy-Two Strongholds of the Green Forest,” treated like a faction or sect of sorts.

“Nokrimdo, huh… no way…”

Yuri spotted a man standing behind, arms crossed. He was clearly from the East.

“Have the Eastern bandits set up a branch here in the Western Regions?”

“Oh ho, so you know about our Nokrim elders, do you?”

“The name Nokrim is already spreading across the continent, brother!”

Just as Yuri had guessed, the man spoke up.

“Since you know about the East, are you perhaps a merchant by trade?”

“No, my profession is an excellent husband!”

The man ignored the reply.

“I am the leader of the Bloodback Mountain Stronghold, one of the most ruthless among the Seventy-Two Strongholds of Nokrim. I’ve come to teach you Westerners the ways of Nokrim.”

“And what exactly is this teaching?”

“The importance of the mountain.”

“What?”

“The mountain is like a mother who gives to us without hesitation. Have you ever seriously thought about the value of the mountain?”

“…No.”

“Of course not. That’s why Nokrim collects tolls from you.”

“Why on earth?”

“To make you understand the mountain’s worth. The mountain is never free—just like freedom itself isn’t free.”

“Even so, why do you get to collect the money?”

“We’ll put it to good use.”

“…”

“For the mountain.”

Apparently, despite being a bandit group, they had some ridiculous philosophy they clung to.

“Well, anyway, perfect timing.”

Yuri needed an Eastern person to reveal the true nature of the item he’d received from Kori.

No need to go all the way to Liberta—this guy would do just fine.

“Bring it on.”

“Alrighty then…”

The big guy who had been flexing his muscles stepped up to Yuri.

He seemed to have learned martial arts from the fan leader, as there was a certain aura about him.

The big man spoke.

“Hey, you. Judging by how you talk, you seem to know how to fight. Don’t you have a weapon? How about a sword?”

“No.”

“Haha, your eyes are shaking—you’re scared out of your mind, huh?”

“Do you see that as shaking?”

“I’ll give you one last chance.”

The man grinned, the scar on his face twisting grotesquely.

“Draw your weapon. I’ll wait.”

“Are you really going to wait?”

“Yeah.”

“Waiting until I draw a weapon? Nokrim really is different from ordinary bandits.”

“Of course. We are elders who uphold the teachings of the mountain…”

Then—

Bang!

Suddenly, an explosion rang out.

The man collapsed, bleeding.

“I don’t care about that stuff.”

In Yuri’s hand gleamed a small silver chunk of metal.

The bandits, startled, stepped back.

“W-what just happened?”

“It’s magic! That guy’s a mage!”

“Mages can’t attack suddenly!”

“W-what is that? A weapon?”

Yuri hooked the metal piece on his index finger and spun it around, then clicked it back into position, aiming straight ahead.

He smiled slyly at the flinching bandits.

“This is called a ‘gun,’ you fools.”

“Gun? I think I’ve heard of that somewhere…”

“If you want to live, drop your weapons. I won’t kill you.”

“W-what…”

A standoff ensued between Yuri and the bandits.

Then—

“You bastard, die!”

A bandit hiding behind attacked Yuri.

Unfazed, Yuri spun around and pulled the trigger. Blood sprayed from the bandit’s thigh.

“Ughhh…”

He collapsed instantly, clutching his leg.

Seeing two fall so quickly, the bandits murmured nervously.

“Oh my god…”

“I’ve never seen a weapon like that before.”

The fan leader shouted from the sidelines.

“Everyone, attack at once! I don’t know what that weapon is, but it can’t be fired repeatedly! Don’t give him time!”

Yuri whistled.

“Quick to catch on, aren’t you?”

The fan leader raised his axe and urged on the bandits, who finally moved.

Dozens charged at Yuri.

Yuri fired another shot, taking down the lead bandit.

“Ugh!”

But the rest didn’t stop.

“Can’t help it.”

Yuri drew the sword at his waist.

One hand held the sword.

The other, the gun.

Having acquired this new weapon developed in Briole, Yuri embraced the changing times and created a more advanced fighting style.

The so-called “Gun-Sword Technique.”

A new deadly art was about to make its debut.

“This is my first time using it in real combat, not just sparring.”

Yuri sized up the formation of bandits rushing at him, aiming first at two who shouted at the front.

Since the gun was still in development and lacked accuracy, Yuri used mana to stabilize the barrel and guide the bullet’s trajectory.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

He hit their thighs precisely.

Three bandits collapsed, bleeding.

They weren’t threatening enough to kill.

“What the—!”

“Ugh!”

“Damn it!”

With the first three down, the following bandits stumbled over each other.

One particularly skilled bandit made it to Yuri.

“You bastard!”

“Well, well.”

Yuri blocked the bandit’s sword strike, then shot his thigh with the gun in his other hand.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Having figured out the gun, the bandit quickly pulled his leg back, dodging the bullet, which buried itself in the ground.

But the sudden move threw him off balance, and Yuri’s sword struck his shoulder.

“Move and you’ll get hurt.”

“Ugh!”

The bandit clutched his arm, groaning.

Yuri fired again. Blood spurted from the thigh, and the bandit collapsed.

Meanwhile, the rest of the bandits who had gotten up charged at Yuri.

They should have lost heart by now, but they were stubborn.

Yuri stepped back, firing.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

His ammo was running low.

Pressing a point on the barrel, the magazine popped out. Yuri quickly swapped in a fresh one from his waist.

“Got you now!”

Several bandits surrounded him.

But Yuri’s sword was superior to the gun. They were cut down in an instant, collapsing to the ground.

The bandits finally realized Yuri was no ordinary opponent.

“He’s too strong.”

“I think we’re going to lose.”

“Stronger than Nokrim!”

Yuri chuckled bitterly.

“Just now realizing that?”

The bandits turned and fled.

The fan leader from the East was the first to show his back and run.

“Despicable.”

Yuri couldn’t let that one get away.

He scanned the surroundings.

There was some distance, and obstacles blocked the line of fire.

One shot wouldn’t be enough.

Yuri drew the sword at his waist and pulled out another pistol hanging by his side.

Two guns.

Gun-Sword Technique: Firepower Concentration, Dual-Wield Style.

Gripping a pistol in each hand, Yuri chased after the bandits, then suddenly leapt sideways.

His body traced a smooth arc.

At the peak, through the gaps in the tree trunk and leaves, he quickly fired both pistols at the fan leader’s back leg.

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat!

The bullets, enhanced by the Spirit Slash technique, spiraled through the air.

“Arrgh!”

The fan leader collapsed in a gruesome heap.

Seeing him fall, the bandits froze in terror.

“S-surrender!”

“Please spare us, elder!”

“Just spare our lives!”

“We won’t resist!”

Yuri landed smoothly, twirling the pistols on his fingers, then casually blew away the smoke rising from the barrels.

“Piece of cake.”

He holstered the pistols and leisurely approached the fan leader.

The bandits lay face down on the ground.

Yuri asked,

“How do you feel?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, what do you think of my gun-sword combat style?”

“A-amazing.”

“Yeah, I thought so.”

Yuri smacked the bald bandit’s head a few times, then approached the fan leader.

“Fan leader, what’s your name?”

“Ugh…”

“If you answer, I’ll treat your wounds. But if you keep quiet, you’ll never walk again.”

“I am…”

“You are?”

After a pause, he finally spoke.

“My name is Hwang Bo-cheol.”

“Hwang Bo-cheol?”

Yuri was surprised. The fan leader faintly smiled.

“Someone who recognizes me even here in the West…”

“Why on earth is a descendant of the Hwang Bo family out here banditing?”

Yuri had a rough understanding of the Eastern martial world’s structure.

There were a handful of prestigious sects and clans, and one of them was the Hwang Bo family.

Those bearing the surname ‘Hwang Bo’ were known for their strength and ruthless martial arts.

“You…”

A scion of a noble clan turning bandit was no small matter. It was like Roland himself becoming a bandit.

What on earth was happening in the Eastern martial world?

Hwang Bo-cheol chuckled darkly at the bewildered Yuri.

“Listen carefully. My name is Bo-cheol.”

“Huh?”

“It’s not Hwangbo, it’s just Hwang.”

“…”

“There’s no connection to the Hwangbo family at all.”

“You bastard…”

As Yuri lifted her foot, Hwang Bo-cheol shouted out.

“W-wait! You’re the one who’s mistaken! I never said anything!”

“That may be, but…”

“Everyone keeps confusing me for Hwangbo, and it’s exhausting having to explain it over and over. Do you have any idea how frustrating that is for me?”

“…Hmph.”

Yuri lowered her foot.

“Alright, Bo-cheol.”

There was no need to press someone already subdued.

He had other things to focus on.

Yuri knelt down beside the fallen Hwang Bo-cheol.

“Bo-cheol, are you hurt badly?”

“Yeah. Get me treated quickly.”

“Before that.”

Yuri pulled out the mysterious book she’d received from Kori and showed him the cover.

“Take a look at this. What do you make of it?”

Even Yuri, who didn’t know Eastern languages, could tell this wasn’t an ordinary book.

Just the title alone might give them a clue.

Hwang Bo-cheol tilted his head in confusion, but when he read the characters on the cover, his eyes widened.

“Wait a minute, this is…”

“You know it’s not just any ordinary thing.”

Yuri drew her gun and pressed it against his forehead, her voice cold and sharp.

“Don’t ask any more questions. Just read it. And if you go blabbing about this, I swear I’ll hunt you down and kill you.”

“B-but…”

Fear filled Hwang Bo-cheol’s eyes.

“I can’t talk about this.”

“What?”

“I don’t know anything about it.”

“You bastard…”

Yuri frowned and pressed the gun harder against his forehead.

“I don’t have time. You wanna die?”

“I don’t know!”

“What don’t you know?”

“I can’t read!”

“What?”

Clenching his teeth, Hwang Bo-cheol squeezed his eyes shut and said,

“I’m illiterate…”

Yuri was dumbfounded and glanced around.

Even the bandits looked shocked.

“B-But Bo-cheol is illiterate?”

“This can’t be…”

In a trembling voice, Hwang Bo-cheol said,

“I’m sorry, everyone. You must be disappointed in me…”

“No, it’s not that…”

One of the bandits shouted,

“Bo-cheol, you speak, read, and write the continental common language just fine!”

“That’s because…!”

Hwang Bo-cheol cried out,

“Eastern languages are logographic characters!”

“…!”

“That’s why ordinary folks like me find them hard to learn! Only kids from wealthy families get to study them. Most Easterners live and die illiterate! That’s the harsh reality of the East! Money means knowledge, no money means ignorance! To hell with the entire Eastern martial arts world!”

His voice grew louder.

“The Eastern language is so difficult to learn that many simple people can’t express what they truly want! Then I came to the West and encountered phonetic scripts, and I was shocked! Such an easy-to-learn writing system—truly scientific!”

Yuri nodded with a smile. Indeed, the continental common language was impressive.

“So that’s the story behind it…”

“Plus, the food in the West is absolutely delicious! I never imagined such flavors existed—my taste buds have been revolutionized! I even gained weight since coming here!”

“Oh…”

“And the music! So fresh and beautiful! Listening to Western music changed my life! I want to learn Western instruments too!”

“Wow…”

“And the Western dogs are so cute! Loyal, smart, and soft fur! If I brought one back East, everyone would go crazy over how adorable it is!”

“Oh…”

“And the Western people are so kind…!”

“Enough already, you idiot!”

Yuri smacked Hwang Bo-cheol on the head.