Having already decided his course of action, Baek Yoonjun was unstoppable.

"I will teach you martial arts."

"What?"

"I said I will teach you martial arts."

"Suddenly?"

There was no need to go through his brain.

In the first place, he was a born homebody introvert.

Since Baek Yoonjun had long since thrown his social skills into a bowl of noodles and eaten them, he moved forward without hesitation, as if he didn't care what others thought.

"You don't want to?"

"No, it's not that."

"If you're going to learn, get into a stance."

"What? A stance, you say? How should I do it?"

"Do I have to start from there?"

Sighing at Hong Yungae, who was bewildered at the words to get into a stance, Baek Yoonjun tapped Hong Yungae's body with his finger.

"Huh? Huh? Why is my body moving on its own?"

As Baek Yoonjun tapped Hong Yungae's body a few times, surprisingly, Hong Yungae's body took on a plausible stance.

'The stance is done.'

As Hong Yungae's stance became plausible, Baek Yoonjun was very pleased.

'Anyway, if he passes the secret cave, he'll learn the martial arts I left there, so I just need to set up the basics for him to pass it.'

Baek Yoonjun quickly reviewed in his head what he would teach Hong Yungae.

"I'll show you an example, so try to follow it."

"Like this?"

"Not like that! No, why can't you do it even when I show you?!"

"I'm sorry."

And Baek Yoonjun fell into a serious dilemma.

'Besides being physically strong, he can't do anything!'

Hong Yungae's talent was the worst among the people Baek Yoonjun had taught, to the point of being one of the worst.

"Foot! Foot! The angle is off by 0.1 degrees, isn't it!"

"Angle? 0.1 degrees? What is that?"

Baek Yoonjun thought Hong Yungae was teasing him.

But seeing Hong Yungae's newly serious face, he could tell that he was being sincere.

'This isn't easy.'

Baek Yoonjun had a premonition that this would be a long battle.

'Should I just give up?'

In Baek Yoonjun's mind, the homebody introvert's characteristic instinct to just pull out and see began to slowly rise.

'No. Although he's very lacking, he's not a bad guy, and since I was the one who offered to teach him first, it's a bit much to back out.'

But another homebody introvert's nature, the instinct not to refuse, slowly rose.

'It's my mistake. So for now, I have to do what I can.'

Baek Yoonjun compromised with himself.

Although it looked like a splendid appearance of carrying out his will at a glance, he had just not been able to overcome his own nature.

"At this rate, it seems there will be no end."

"I'm sorry."

Hong Yungae scratched his head as if he were very embarrassed.

Baek Yoonjun clicked his tongue as if he didn't like that.

"For now, leaving me aside, if I leave you like this, you look perfect to die on the street, so I'll go down to the village, regroup, and then come back up."

"What? Then someone else might discover the secret cave..."

Hong Yungae couldn't continue his words.

Rumble.

Because as Baek Yoonjun gestured towards the secret cave, the ground rose and completely covered the entrance.

"Wh-what happened...?"

"It's just a trivial trick. Anyway, this way, no one will be able to find the entrance carelessly, will they?"

Hong Yungae nodded his head at Baek Yoonjun's words with a foolish face.

"Now, follow me with peace of mind."

As Baek Yoonjun moved his feet, Hong Yungae followed with a foolish face.

'Then the location of the village is.'

Baek Yoonjun immediately spread his senses and searched the vicinity.

Since he was reluctant to go to a village itself due to his nature, he had intended to choose the smallest village to go to, but there was only one village-like thing nearby.

'Tsk, there are no choices. Is it a relief that the scale doesn't look that big?'

After confirming that Hong Yungae was following well, Baek Yoonjun moved his feet towards the village.

Although it was a distance that would have been reached in the blink of an eye normally, since he had to take Hong Yungae, who didn't even know the 'ma' of 'martial arts', it took a very long time to move.

And so, the village they arrived at just before the sun set.

Baek Yoonjun stopped his feet near the village where there were no people and said to Hong Yungae.

"For the time being, I will stay near this village and watch over your martial arts."

"We've come to the village, so why are you staying nearby?"

Hong Yungae's question was valid.

But since Baek Yoonjun always had an excuse on his lips, a plausible excuse immediately popped out.

"It is basic to practice martial arts in a secluded place without disturbance, but since you are still lacking, I have considered various conditions and rationally chosen the best place."

"Oh, is that so?"

Although a very plausible statement had popped out for Baek Yoonjun, since Hong Yungae did not have the learning to understand such a plausible statement, he just scratched the back of his head with a foolish face.

'Sigh, I can't say anything.'

At Hong Yungae's foolish face, everything became futile for Baek Yoonjun. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"Then, for now, I will prepare a place to stay for the time being."

He decided to just do what he had to do.

"Uh, th-then I..."

"Stay still."

Stopping Hong Yungae, who was about to step up at the words of preparing a place to stay, Baek Yoonjun swung the side of his hand at a nearby tree.

At that, the trees fell with a rustle.

'I don't even need a sword now.'

Recalling how he had struggled to dig up trees when he had just entered the mountain, Baek Yoonjun chuckled and let his internal energy flow, wrapping the fallen trees.

At that, following the guidance of Baek Yoonjun's internal energy, the fallen trees floated up into the air.

Towards such trees, Baek Yoonjun drew Black Iron Bright Night and swung it.

The trees, delicately carved by his sword strokes.

As soon as Baek Yoonjun finished carving the trees, he moved the carved trees and linked them.

The pieces of wood, which were entangled in an instant, turned into a small hut.

"Gasp."

At that amazing sight, Hong Yungae couldn't even blink and could only stare with his mouth open.

'Wh-what on earth is this?'

Hong Yungae replayed the recent scene.

As the man in white in front of him gestured, the trees fell, rose, their shapes changed with a sword stroke, and in the end, they were entangled and became a house.

Wondering if this was a dream, Hong Yungae pinched his own cheek.

It hurt normally.

'If it's not a dream, am I crazy?'

Hong Yungae carefully approached the hut and tapped it with his hand.

It was definitely a hut with a shape.

"What are you doing? The sun will set, so come in and get some sleep."

"Ah! Yes!"

At Baek Yoonjun's call, Hong Yungae hurriedly went inside the hut.

'It must be martial arts.'

Since martial arts itself was just a mysterious power, Hong Yungae concluded that the current phenomenon was due to martial arts and looked at the inside of the hut.

"Wow."

The inside was so clean that it was hard to believe it was a hut that had been created in an instant.

"What are you standing there for? Lie down and sleep."

"Yes, y-yes! I understand!"

Hong Yungae immediately lay down in a corner of the hut.

Although he was in an excited state because there were so many surprising things and it seemed he wouldn't be able to sleep, perhaps because the accumulated fatigue rushed in, Hong Yungae fell into a deep sleep in an instant.

And the next day, Baek Yoonjun sent Hong Yungae into the village alone.

-Go to the village and get food and necessary things.

-Aren't you going with me, Master?

-Why am I your master?

-What?

-Anyway, go. Get the money by selling this.

Hong Yungae stealthily looked at the palm-sized pearl, which was shining with a faint green light, that he had kept in his bosom with all his heart.

'No matter how I look at it, this is the night-luminescent pearl that only appears in marketplace stories, right?'

Hong Yungae thought about the night-luminescent pearl.

An object also called a treasure or a divine object, which was said to be seen only in the place where the Son of Heaven of the imperial palace resided, or was rarely discovered with the probability of being chosen by the heavens, or that the best master craftsman in the world had to process it to barely give it a shape.

All of them were just extraordinary rumors.

'Is it okay to sell this?'

No matter how he looked at it, it was not an ordinary object.

'What on earth is his identity?'

It seemed he had a similar appearance to the martial artist who had saved him and his group in the past.

But the atmosphere was very different.

If the martial artist in white at that time had a feeling of emitting an extraordinary aura, the current martial artist in white had a feeling like a single gust of wind.

'Although his appearance is similar, he looks weaker than the person who saved us at that time.'

But seeing his action of telling him to sell a treasure like a night-luminescent pearl and get some food, the current Baek Yoonjun also looked like an extraordinary person.

And so, Hong Yungae, with a complicated gaze, recalled Baek Yoonjun and looked at the night-luminescent pearl in his bosom.

For now, since it was a bright morning and it was wrapped in several layers of cloth, the light did not leak out, so it did not attract the attention of the surroundings.

But if he were to take this out.

'It's going to be a mess.'

Although Hong Yungae was an unlearned beggar, he knew that the night-luminescent pearl was not an ordinary thing.

And so, Hong Yungae walked through the village, fidgeting.

'Well, since he told me to sell it, I have to sell it.'

But a beggar is a beggar.

On top of that, since Hong Yungae's nature was not to think deeply, he had long since forgotten the worries he had had and moved his feet to sell the night-luminescent pearl.

The place he headed to was a pawnshop.

It was not that Hong Yungae had knowledge about pawnshops.

'It was a good place to beg.'

It was based on the thought that since it was a place that gave a lot of food, it would also have a lot of money.

Hong Yungae set foot inside the pawnshop.

"Welcome... tsk!"

As soon as the pawnshop owner saw Hong Yungae, he frowned.

"Give that beggar a spoonful of rice and send him out quickly."

Since he was dressed in shabby beggar's clothes, it was a natural reaction.

"Sir! Thank... no, that's not it."

At the pawnshop owner's words, Hong Yungae reflexively held out the gourd at his waist, then put it away and waved his hand vigorously.

"Sir, that's not it."

Hong Yungae quickly took out the night-luminescent pearl from his bosom and held it out to the pawnshop owner.

"I came to sell this."

"A beggar, what... huh?!"

Seeing the night-luminescent pearl, which was shining with a faint green light, the pawnshop owner's eyes widened.

"Th-this is?!"

The pawnshop owner's expression became serious as he took out a magnifying crystal and repeatedly examined the night-luminescent pearl.

"No matter how I look at it, it doesn't seem to be an item that a beggar would have."

"Uh... that's..."

Seeing the pawnshop owner's expression gradually sharpening, Hong Yungae was flustered and stuttered.

"Th-that's not a stolen item or anything like that!"

At the increasingly grim atmosphere, although Hong Yungae told the truth, the surrounding air only became colder.

"Is it stolen goods?"

"N-no, it's really not..."

"You brat! Confess the truth!"

As the pawnshop owner gestured, the men inside, who looked like they could use quite a bit of force, surrounded Hong Yungae.

As Hong Yungae was just sweating profusely and trying to squeeze out something to say.

-Grab the stick in front of you.

-Great hero?

-Quickly.

Baek Yoonjun's voice was heard in Hong Yungae's head.

"Gasp?!"

Although Hong Yungae was startled by the voice that suddenly came into his head, he unconsciously followed the words and grabbed a stick that was rolling on the floor.

"This beggar brat! Do you know what that is and are picking it up!!"

As Hong Yungae picked up the stick, which could be called a club, on the floor, the excited, rough men rushed at him.

-Roll to the left with all your might.

Even in a state of being completely swallowed by fear, Hong Yungae faithfully carried out the words in his head.

Surprisingly, as Hong Yungae rolled on the floor with all his might, he was able to cleanly escape the grasp of the rough men.

"This rat-like thing!"

One of the men, as if his anger had flared up at Hong Yungae's action, raised his fist with an excited look.

-Tap. Tap-tap. Tap. Tap.

At that moment, a sound as if tapping a piece of iron with a finger at a constant rhythm echoed in Hong Yungae's head.

'Huh? Huh? What is this?'

That sound surprisingly began to change into a shape as if drawn in a picture, and Hong Yungae unconsciously swung the staff according to the shape in his head.

Although Hong Yungae's swing of the staff, who had never hit a person before, was very clumsy, it surprisingly accurately struck the wrist of the man who had swung his fist.

"Keoheok!!"

Although it was a clumsy swing, since Hong Yungae's body was strong and the club had accurately struck the weak part of the wrist, the man screamed, holding his wrist.

Towards such a man, Hong Yungae swung the staff vertically according to the shape in his head and accurately struck the temple of the man who was holding his wrist.

"Keok!"

The man let out a groan and collapsed on the floor as if crumbling.

At that sight, Hong Yungabe's eyes widened.

'I won? That rough man?'

Hong Yungae was not the only one who was surprised.

The owner of the pawnshop also stared at Hong Yungae with his mouth wide open.

'Is he not an ordinary beggar?'

The pawnshop owner recalled a rumor he had heard recently.

The saying that beggars were practicing martial arts.

Since the source was a beggar, he had naturally not believed it.

But the young beggar in front of him had subdued a man who was quite skilled among the guards of the pawnshop in one go.

While everyone was unable to come to their senses, not knowing what was what, the first one to come to his senses was Hong Yungae.

Since if you don't watch your expression while living as a beggar, it's perfect to be beaten to death, he had instinctively come to his senses.

Having come to his senses, Hong Yungae quickly looked around.

'Everyone is out of their minds.'

Having confirmed the situation, Hong Yungae quickly took the next action.

'It seems hard to get out.'

Although he had knocked down one man, there were still many men left, and it was a situation where if he ran away like this, he would obviously be reported to the authorities.

'Ah, I don't know! I won, so it's right that I'm strong, right? In the martial world, the strong are the best!'

Therefore, Hong Yungae straightened his back.

Then he slung the staff in his hand over his body in a plausible manner.

"Do you want more?"

He lowered his voice solemnly.

That appearance showed the air of a master disguised as a beggar.

Only on the outside, of course.

(End of Chapter)