Baek Sowol's journey was uneventful.

"Hand over everything you have!"

Except for the bandits that popped out from time to time.

Whenever that happened, Baek Sowol took the lead and beat down the bandits.

"Wh-what? This kid?! Ugh!"

She didn't forget to eliminate any future trouble, just as her master had taught her.

And so, as Baek Sowol got closer to the Heavenly Mountains day by day, her heart was complicated.

'The world is in great turmoil. I don't think it was this bad when I was going to the Heavenly Mountains with my family.'

Now, on the road to the Heavenly Mountains, bandits were rampant, and grim things like empty, abandoned villages and corpses that had been attacked by wild animals or thieves were not an uncommon sight.

Baek Sowol looked at such scenes calmly and came to one thought.

'Is it okay for the world to go on like this?'

Baek Sowol recalled the Three Kingdoms period, a long time ago, when numerous heroes rose up and carried out their will.

A chaotic era.

A confusing and difficult time.

And a time when numerous heroes appeared.

She had heard that the beginnings of the heroes of that time were often forces that rose up for the self-defense of the areas where they lived.

In a way, it was a sight that could be similar to the current martial world.

But there was a clear difference from the martial world.

The current martial world is said to be centered on the forces called family clans, which were formerly part of the military establishment.

Of course, there were forces that had risen up on their own in the regions for self-defense.

Half of them were just black way/unorthodox factions who pursued their own interests, and the rest were forces called evil way/heretical factions by the martial world.

'In a way, the forces that the martial world calls heretical factions are more similar to the heroes of the past.'

Baek Sowol thought about 'what if I joined the heretical factions?' with her own martial prowess.

'Master also said that I could teach what I learned to others as I pleased.'

As she imagined joining the heretical forces, Baek Sowol thought about her own martial prowess.

Her master had said she was third-rate or lower, but her senior brother had rated her as between first-rate and the peak.

'Master's martial prowess reaches the heavens, so in front of Master, everyone is third-rate or lower. It seems difficult to evaluate based on this.'

Recalling the conversation with Zhuge Hyun, where he had said that even Zhuge Hyun, who possessed extraordinary martial prowess, was rated as third-rate or lower by her master, she recalled Zhuge Hyun's standards instead of her master's.

'If I'm between first-rate and the peak, it means I'm stronger than a general first-rate martial artist, right?'

Baek Sowol recalled what she knew about the realm of first-rate and what she had learned from Zhuge Hyun.

Most of the martial artists in the Central Plains were third-rate, who had just accumulated internal energy in their bodies and learned some martial arts. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Second-rate were martial artists with martial prowess to the extent that any family would run out barefoot to greet them.

From first-rate, it was a stage called a master, and she had heard that even if they were of low birth, they would be treated as a deputy commander in the military.

And the peak.

'An absolute master.'

Those who could build their own forces, occupy a region, and act like a king.

'Thinking about it this way, Senior Brother's evaluation of me is really ridiculous.'

Moreover, Zhuge Hyun had commented that if Baek Sowol had a little more enlightenment about her martial arts, she could rise to the peak.

'An absolute master.'

Baek Sowol felt a hot desire welling up in her chest at the thought that she could step into that realm.

'The martial world, the Namgung family. If I step into the realm of a peak master!'

The desire for revenge blazed in Baek Sowol's chest.

She imagined tearing apart those who had framed and tormented her and her family.

And so, as Baek Sowol was dreaming of revenge, her mind gradually cooled down.

'Even an absolute master is not enough.'

The scenery of the Namgung family that she had seen when she was young came to Baek Sowol's mind.

-Sowol, eat a lot. I'm worried about your small frame for your age.

Along with the memory of Namgung Cheon, who had treated her like a real younger sister.

-Don't be hesitant and think of me as your real father.

The memory of the current head of the Namgung family, Namgung Jehyun, who had benevolently looked after her.

'This is not the time to be sentimental.'

Baek Sowol coldly cooled the nostalgic and longing feelings for a moment.

'What I was trying to recall was.'

Baek Sowol recalled Namgung Jehyun's appearance as she remembered it.

A middle-aged man who was older than her father but had not yet entered old age.

And.

'A transcendent master.'

A transcendent martial artist who was said to be among the top ten in the world, who had surpassed even the realm of the peak, called an absolute master.

Baek Sowol was complicated.

It was not difficult to guess that those two must also be involved in the harm done to her and her family.

'Affection... is difficult, but I can throw it away somehow. But.'

Martial prowess was not something she could do anything about.

"Great Hero Baek! I see more bandits!"

"I understand."

Baek Sowol, awakened from her thoughts by the call from outside the carriage, immediately headed outside.

'It's not something I have to face right now, so let's think about it later.'

Putting aside the matter of the Namgung family, she quickly took the lives of the bandits blocking the front of the caravan.

* * *

Baek Yoonjun was walking down the road.

Normally, he would have used his lightness skill to its fullest and returned home immediately, but.

"Still dizzy."

Tang Yuhwa's condition was not good, so in the end, he had no choice but to just walk.

'I'm anxious.'

Because of Tang Yuhwa, he couldn't take the mountain path, so he was walking on a paved road.

For Baek Yoonjun, he couldn't help but be anxious about running into someone.

'What if I run into someone on the road?'

Even if it was a paved road, it was a narrow road in the mountains.

At most, he would run into a few people.

But even so, Baek Yoonjun was anxious.

Because in a crowded place like a village, people would be busy with their own work and wouldn't pay attention to Baek Yoonjun, but if they met on a narrow road like this, they would surely be interested in him.

Of course, that didn't mean the village was comfortable.

The only comfortable place for Baek Yoonjun was his house, and even then, only the corner of his room.

"We are the heroes of the Fierce Tiger Fortress! Hand over everything you have...!!"

Slice!

At least the bandits were better.

Because if you cut them down, they were just silent corpses.

Perhaps because it was a proper road, bandits appeared from time to time, and they all met their end at the hands of Baek Yoonjun.

"Ruthless."

Tang Yuhwa evaluated Baek Yoonjun as such.

For Baek Yoonjun, it was an unfair evaluation.

"Is there any reason to hesitate in cutting down an evil person?"

"Couldn't you at least listen to what they have to say?"

"Why?"

"They might have their reasons."

"There is no one without reasons."

"That's true."

And so, Baek Yoonjun walked, chatting with Tang Yuhwa and cutting down the bandits that appeared from time to time.

At first, he had covered Tang Yuhwa's eyes because it was not a good sight for a child to see, but seeing her nonchalant appearance, he just left her be.

It was Baek Yoonjun's own thought that if it were someone else, it would be a different story, but since he had taken her in as a disciple, she had to get used to cruel sights.

And so, they continued to move.

Baek Yoonjun was frustrated.

'If I had used my lightness skill to its fullest, I would have been home long ago!'

For Baek Yoonjun, who always moved using his lightness skill, it was a new experience.

'I want to go home.'

It was a new experience, but it wasn't particularly good.

As they were walking on a mountain road in the vast Central Plains, the day quickly began to get dark.

Even so, Baek Yoonjun could move around without any effect, but the problem was Tang Yuhwa.

He couldn't make Tang Yuhwa, who had no internal energy and a small frame, move on a night road.

"Let's camp here for today."

"Is it possible in the mountains?"

Baek Yoonjun immediately looked around to prepare for camping.

"It's enough."

"We don't have any tools."

"It's okay. Just wait a moment."

He didn't have any tools for camping, but it didn't matter.

Baek Yoonjun swung his sword and cut down a tree.

Then he trimmed and stacked the wood with a familiar hand.

And so, before a moment had passed, a fine hut was built.

'For a Three Talents martial arts book, these practical contents are quite useful.'

Baek Yoonjun didn't question at all why a construction method was written in a martial arts book.

'By the way.'

A rocky mountain came into Baek Yoonjun's sight.

Baek Yoonjun drew his sword and swung it as if stirring.

The sword blade, imbued with extreme sharpness, dug into the rock as if it were tofu.

Baek Yoonjun withdrew his sword, and the rocky mountain was in its original shape.

'As expected, it doesn't cut.'

Baek Yoonjun thought that the rocky mountain was not cut.

In fact, it was cut so sharply that there was no sign of it being cut, but for Baek Yoonjun, who thought it wasn't cut, of course, he couldn't know.

'It wasn't cut.'

Moreover, the cut sword strike, as if imbued with Baek Yoonjun's will that it was not cut, the cut gap quickly faded as if a wound were healing.

Thus, the rocky mountain will continue to maintain its shape.

Unless a fairly strong impact is applied.

Having lost interest in the rocky mountain, Baek Yoonjun returned to the hut.

"You're here?"

As he entered the hut, Tang Yuhwa, who was lounging around as if it were her own living room, greeted him.

She looked as if she would scratch her back and say, 'Give me food.'

"Hungry."

Unfortunately, it wasn't 'Give me food,' but Baek Yoonjun prepared a meal.

It wasn't anything grand, just the jerky he carried in his bosom as a snack.

"Eat."

"I'll eat well."

Baek Yoonjun and Tang Yuhwa shared the jerky.

Baek Yoonjun didn't need a meal, and Tang Yuhwa wasn't a big eater, so the small amount of jerky was enough.

"Let's sleep now."

"Okay."

There was nothing to use as a blanket, but since the hut blocked the wind and rain, they spent the night comfortably, and morning came again.

"You're up?"

"I've been up for a while. Let's leave now."

"Okay."

Baek Yoonjun and Tang Yuhwa, who came out of the hut to leave.

As Tang Yuhwa came out, Baek Yoonjun tried to demolish the hut.

"Can't you just leave it?"

But at Tang Yuhwa's words, he stopped the hand that was about to demolish it.

"Why?"

"It's a place where passersby can stay, so I think it's okay to just leave it."

At Tang Yuhwa's words, Baek Yoonjun nodded his head.

Hearing it, it seemed there was no particular reason to demolish it.

'It's just one house, and it's on the roadside, so it probably won't be used for a bad purpose, right?'

Nevertheless, Baek Yoonjun, faithful to the disposition of a homebody introvert, had a useless worry.

'It probably won't be used for a bad purpose, but it's still bothering me.'

Baek Yoonjun went back into the hut.

Then he drew his sword and swung it at the wall.

Evil Annihilation.

The two characters were engraved on the wall with a murderous aura.

Baek Yoonjun had written it as a warning not to do bad things here.

'It's well engraved. It will serve as a warning, right?'

Satisfied with the well-engraved characters, Baek Yoonjun came out of the hut again.

"Then let's leave now."

"Okay."

"If you're feeling better, how about we start moving with lightness skill?"

"Gag."

At Baek Yoonjun's words, Tang Yuhwa let out a groan, but since she seemed to be in good condition, he immediately picked her up and performed his lightness skill to its fullest.

Perhaps because he had spent the night out, Baek Yoonjun's homing instinct was much stronger than usual, and the speed of his lightness skill was several times faster than usual.

His figure was like a meteor, and.

"Uweeeeeeegh!"

Tang Yuhwa tasted a motion sickness several times worse than usual.

* * *

"Great Hero Baek. I think we should start preparing for camping."

"I understand."

The sun was setting, and Baek Sowol's party was preparing to camp.

It was then.

"I see a hut over there!"

"A hut in a place like this?! Could it be a mountain fortress?"

"I don't think so."

One of the caravan members found a hut.

Although there was a road, it was deep in the mountains.

A single hut there was enough to arouse suspicion.

But to camp outside when there was a proper hut nearby was a bit much.

Baek Sowol asked the caravan member who had found the hut.

"Have you been inside?"

"My martial prowess is meager, so I judged that it would be difficult to prepare for an emergency, so I did not check inside."

"You did well. I'll go take a look."

Having finished her words, Baek Sowol immediately kicked off from her spot and moved along the path the caravan member had come from.

"Great Hero Baek! Let's go together!"

Following her, the caravan also moved.

The hut was not far from the place where they were about to prepare for camping.

A location that would have been naturally discovered if they had delayed their camping preparations a little and moved along the road.

"Why is there a hut in a place like this?"

Upon discovering the hut, Baek Sowol tilted her head without realizing it.

It was a single hut, too small to be a bandit's base.

On top of that, it was an unnecessarily well-made hut, so it was very suspicious.

Baek Sowol spread her senses and, feeling that there was no presence inside, carefully opened the door of the hut.

"Hah."

And she gasped without realizing it.

There was nothing particular in the hut.

However, she felt an indescribable power from the two characters 'Evil Annihilation' on the wall.

"Great Hero Baek, what's in the hut... Huk!!"

The caravan members who had followed Baek Sowol into the hut late screamed and collapsed as if crushed by the aura of the two characters.

Just two characters.

But everyone felt it.

'The insight of an unknown master is left in just two characters!'

However, for Baek Sowol, one more impression was added to that.

'Why is it familiar?'

Baek Sowol racked her brain at the murderous but familiar feeling, but she couldn't figure out why it was familiar at all.

(End of Chapter)