LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 110 - The Will (8)
Chapter 110. The Will (8)
11 years ago.
On a night when the moonlight was faint, Gilsam was climbing a mountain, leading his injured subordinates.
All of Gilsam’s followers had faces battered beyond recognition, and they all said that it was the work of a damn young brat.
Damn, how humiliating!
As the nation fell into chaos, law and order naturally collapsed, and corrupt officials arbitrarily raised taxes, forcing the common folk to treasure every meal they could get.
Gilsam, exhausted from enduring such a reality, eventually began a life of banditry with like-minded people.
At first, he felt pangs of conscience, but now, three years had passed.
After all, most people didn’t live honestly.
It was an era in the Han Dynasty where if you didn’t take, you’d be taken from.
So, it was inevitable that some sense of pride would develop even while living as a thug.
At least in this neighborhood, Gilsam’s gang was the best—there was pride in that.
But now, against just one person.
And a brat at that?
They came back like this?
How could the men he’d fed and supported end up like this!
Grinding his teeth, Gilsam shouted at his subordinates.
“Where’s that bastard?!”
His subordinates hunched their shoulders and pointed to the hill behind them.
That was why Gilsam ended up climbing a mountain he didn’t particularly enjoy.
“Huff… damn, this is… so damn high.”
Eventually, they reached halfway up the mountain, where a small shack could be seen in the distance.
Gilsam and his subordinates wiped their sweat, panting heavily, and drew their swords from their backs.
They had no intention of killing.
They just wanted to scare the kid.
That was how they lived.
“Hey, brat! We know you’re here! Come out quickly!”
Gilsam squeezed out his voice, panting as he did.
However, there was no response.
Maybe… no one’s here?
Scratching the back of his head, Gilsam slowly walked forward.
“Hey, stop hiding and come out!”
“…Who are you?”
Finally, a response came.
But what Gilsam saw was not a boy, but a girl.
A small, cute one at that.
The girl was confidently shaking out the laundry with her dainty hands.
“Uh, um? Hey, are we in the right place?”
“Y-Yes, we’re sure of it…!”
“…”
Gilsam didn’t feel right about threatening a little girl…
But this was a matter of pride.
Not wanting to scare her too much, he sheathed his sword and slowly approached.
“Where’s that bastard hiding?”
“That bastard?”
“Yes, you know who I’m talking about.”
“He had jet-black hair and red eyes!”
“Ah, right, that guy.”
Good timing on the assist.
Even with his two front teeth knocked out and his cheeks bruised, his subordinate was indeed loyal.
“Are you looking for my brother, by any chance?”
“Brother? Oh, I see, this is going smoothly.”
Gilsam grinned slyly.
He felt a twinge of guilt, but scaring this girl might quickly lead them to the brat’s location.
Gilsam tapped the hilt of his sword.
“See these guys? That damned brat did this to my subordinates.”
At that, the girl blankly looked around at them.
Good.
A tiny girl like her wouldn’t stand a chance against these hulking men.
At least, that was the common sense.
Now, she’d start babbling her little mouth.
But then, flap!
Ignoring them, the girl shook out the laundry again and deftly placed it in the basket.
“…What are you doing?”
“It’s already this late. Why not just go back?”
“No, you brat, just tell me where he is!”
“…Sigh.”
The girl shook her head, ignoring Gilsam’s words, and packed the laundry into the basket before slinging the strap over her shoulder.
“Just go while I’m asking nicely.”
Veins popped on Gilsam’s forehead as he tried to resolve the issue peacefully.
In all his life, he’d never met such a rude brat at that age.
But little did they know, the girl was kinder than anyone could imagine…
“You bitch! I’ve had enough!”
Gilsam’s face turned red as he took a step forward, but another voice came from behind.
“Oh, who are they?”
“Damn it, Unsam. Weren’t you supposed to be drinking at the market today?”
The man called Unsam was staggering, his appearance rather rough.
“Don’t even ask. Damn it, why don’t any women approach me… All the other guys… It’s all because the world’s screwed up. The only one I can rely on is you, brother.”
“Look at your face. Your face.”
“This damn brat.”
Gilsam’s gang clearly outnumbered them.
It was ten against two, to be exact.
Plus, Gilsam’s group was armed.
So how could they act so nonchalantly?
While Gilsam was dumbfounded, Unsam sighed deeply and rotated his right shoulder in a circle.
“So, who are these guys?”
“…Just let them go. We don’t need more noise.”
“Huh? Now I’m even more curious. Hey, what brings you here this late at night?”
“Oh, come on.”
As Gilsam was about to speak, the girl explained the reason they’d come.
“They said they’re here to see my brother.”
“To see the brother? Wow, what a joke. If they wanted to die, they could’ve just jumped off a cliff.”
“Let’s just ignore them, okay? I’m dead tired. If brother gets involved, we won’t get any sleep with all the screaming.”
“But it doesn’t seem like they’re planning to leave.”
As Unsam pointed out, Gilsam, enraged at being ignored, finally drew his sword.
He shouted.
“Bring out that brother or brother of yours right now! Otherwise, things are going to get ugly!”
“See?”
Unsam shrugged, laughing heartily, and Haryeong smacked her forehead.
“Sigh… If that’s what you want, fine. But you’d better put that sword down.”
“Huh?”
“I warned you.”
With that, the girl grabbed the doorknob of the shack and went inside.
A few seconds passed.
“Kyaaa!”
The girl burst out, slamming the door open.
Her face was flushed red, much like Gilsam’s, and she was gasping for breath.
Whatever had happened inside, her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the ground.
“Wh-why are you naked?!”
“What, do you expect me to suffocate in my own sweat?”
“It’s not that, but…!”
Slowly, the boy appeared.
Just as Gilsam’s subordinates had described, the boy had jet-black hair and crimson eyes.
Whatever he had been doing in there, he was drenched in sweat, looking rather pitiful.
“So, Haryeong, why are they looking for me?”
“…”
The girl, Haryeong, slapped her burning cheeks and steadied herself on trembling legs.
“They… said they wanted to see you…”
“Hmm?”
The boy turned his head.
Between his sweat-soaked bangs, his crimson eyes shone.
Gilsam let out a hollow laugh and approached the boy, sword in hand.
“These grown men got beat up by this little shit?”
Seeing him up close made even less sense.
How could such a small, weak-looking kid have beaten grown men to a pulp?
His subordinates must have been careless.
Just as Gilsam grinned and was about to aim the tip of his sword at the boy…
“Hahaha!”
The boy crossed his arms and laughed boldly.
“What a stroke of luck! I needed to test my martial arts anyway. This is perfect timing.”
“Huh?”
“Hey, you thugs, come closer.”
“W-What the hell are you-”
“Just come here.”
“…”
Gilsam hesitated but moved forward, perplexed.
Though the boy’s appearance seemed frail, there was a strange power behind his voice.
“Look at this. You’re not putting any strength into your grip, huh? So, at least you’re not the kind of scum who kills people.”
“You… Don’t you realize the situation you’re in?”
“Well, you look like you’d be fun to beat up. Your attitude screams ‘extra character who’s about to get punched.’”
Unryong clenched his fist.
“Alright, brace yourself. I’ll show you a martial art called the Exploding Palm.”
Sadly, it was Gilsam who failed to grasp the situation.
For a long while… no, they were beaten all night long…
Until Gilsam was forced to do handstands while crying.
It just kept happening.
***
Smack!
A searing pain enveloped his entire body.
Gilsam clenched his lips, barely enduring the pain.
If he relaxed, he felt like he’d pass out immediately.
“Gilsam, what did you say when you decided to follow me?”
“…”
Unryong, now stripped of even his ragged robe, asked in a furious tone.
Yeah, what did I say?
I remember…
I clearly remember…
“I want to live like a human being.”
“Like a human?”
“Yes.”
Whoosh, a faded memory from long ago passed by.
Yes, even after that, Gilsam sought Unryong every day to exact revenge for the humiliation.
Since that day, all his subordinates had abandoned him, doubting his abilities, and he’d become a beggar wandering the streets.
But Gilsam could never defeat Unryong.
He couldn’t even graze him.
There was an insurmountable wall between them.
Then one day…
“What’s this, have you given up?”
“Yes, I lost. I lost, damn it. You’re like a monster. How can someone your size have that kind of strength?”
“How many times do I have to tell you? Everything starts from the dantian.”
“Ugh, whatever. Anyway, I won’t be coming back.”
Gilsam wasn’t an idiot.
No one would try to climb an unscalable wall.
Unryong was that unscalable wall, and Gilsam giving up was the only natural outcome.
Smack!
The scenery shifted again, and pain returned.
“Answer me.”
“…”
Gilsam closed his eyes.
It was a familiar pain. Just like that day…
“What do you think you did wrong?”
“Wrong? Damn it, is it wrong to struggle to survive?”
“Even so, would you steal from the weak?”
Gilsam looked up at Unryong with a resentful gaze. His butt stung from the beating.
“Damn it, aren’t I weak too? Isn’t the reason I ended up like this because I was born without status or honor, without a damn thing?”
“…Tsk.”
Unryong sat down in front of Gilsam, who was rubbing his sore butt, resting his chin on his hand.
“So, you’re doing the same thing?”
“Yes, that’s exactly right!”
“Tsk, tsk.”
Unryong clicked his tongue.
“So, are you going to keep living like this?”
“…”
“Is that really a happy life?”
“What the hell do you-”
“Hold the sword.”
“…”
Gilsam did as Unryong instructed and grasped the sword.
Then, Unryong tapped the back of his hand.
“Still, you’re not putting any strength into it.”
“…”
“I don’t know who those higher-ups you’re talking about are, but there’s one thing I’m sure of. You can change.”
“…”
“Why did you pick up that sword?”
“Well, it’s…”
To survive.
The words rose to Gilsam’s throat.
But Unryong spoke first.
“Back then, your subordinates. You did it for them, didn’t you?”
Unryong spoke firmly.
“Maybe you picked up the sword to survive at first. But everything changes. Just as night turns into day.”
“…”
“I’ll ask you again. So, will you keep living that way?”
Smack!
It hurts. It hurts so much.
Gilsam shed tears he couldn’t hold back from the unbearable pain.
Thud, thud.
A grown man shedding tears on the ground was a pitiful sight.
“Does it hurt?”
“Yes, it hurts…”
Yes, it hurt.
Not just the physical pain.
Gilsam felt like he was going to go mad from his self-loathing.
Eventually, Unryong set down his staff. He squatted down, meeting Gilsam’s eyes.
“That’s enough. Get up.”
“…”
Unryong said, glancing at the prisoners whose limbs were severed.
At least, ending a person’s life like this wasn’t right.
That’s what Unryong thought.
“Gilsam, and Hanho.”
– …Yes.
“Let’s live like human beings.”
Unryong clasped his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky.
“At the very least, let’s not live in shame.”
– …Yes.
“Sorry it took so long.”