Chapter 33: The Slacker’s Divine Might (2)
“This….”
Nok Mokpung’s face turned red.
No matter how he looked at it, he could only think that the guy was deliberately provoking him.
“You damn turtle!”
Wi Yeonho flinched and looked at Nok Mokpung.
“Oh? How did you know?”
Now it was Nok Mokpung who looked confused.
“What do you mean?”
Wi Yeonho asked with a serious face.
“How did you know my nickname is Turtle?”
“You little punk, still mocking me to the end!”
“No… I’m being serious.”
Wi Yeonho looked aggrieved.
What a cruel world, to not be believed even when telling the truth. Dealing further with such cold-hearted people would only bring misfortune.
“Well, anyway.”
Wi Yeonho prepared to jump down from the wall.
“Hold on, you jerk!”
At that moment, Mun Eunji shouted urgently.
“What?”
“You have to help us!”
“I told you I don’t have the ability to do that.”
Mun Eunji shouted in frustration.
“You’re not refusing because it’s too bothersome, right?!”
Wi Yeonho flinched.
That woman had read him all too well.
“Well, that’s part of it.”
Mun Eunji ground her teeth.
No, not part of it—surely it was the whole reason. She was furious and frustrated, but yelling alone wouldn’t solve anything.
The one in need was Mun Eunji, not him.
“If you help, you’ll be greatly rewarded!”
“A reward?”
Wi Yeonho’s ears perked up.
“What kind of reward?”
Mun Eunji quickly turned to the Second Prince.
The Second Prince looked reluctant as he met her gaze, then turned to look at the pitiful figure of Wi Yeonho, who was still perched on the wall.
‘Honestly…’
No matter how he looked, the man didn’t inspire trust.
But the move he had used earlier to send the man in black flying… that definitely meant there was something about him.
A straw to grasp at—no, calling Wi Yeonho a “straw” would be far too generous. Still, with the desperation of someone reaching for even rotten straw, the Second Prince opened his mouth.
“If you help, I will grant you a great reward.”
“What kind of reward?”
“A reward so grand, you can’t even imagine it!”
Wi Yeonho looked as if he were considering it, then shook his head.
“If I die in the process, what use is a reward? I’ll just be on my way, so carry on.”
The Second Prince bowed his head in despair.
Trying to negotiate with such a worthless man was already humiliating enough, but to be rejected outright? It was a night so bitter he felt tears welling up—tears he hadn’t shed in decades.
At the same time, Mun Eunji realized her mistake. This sort of approach worked on normal people.
Wi Yeonho was different.
She needed to use the method that fit the man she had come to know as Wi Yeonho.
‘I was stupid!’
Realizing her mistake, Mun Eunji quickly adjusted her strategy.
“Wait!”
“What now?”
“Do you have anywhere to go?”
“……”
“Do you have any money?”
Wi Yeonho hesitated.
“Do you remember how emaciated you were when you got here? If you leave now, you’ll just end up living off roots again for a while, right?”
Wi Yeonho nodded grimly. Getting from that cave to here had not been easy. In terms of survival skills, he was worse off than the beggars on the street.
Sleeping rough again and again to make it this far—how miserable it had been.
Seeing beautiful scenery instead of cave walls had been nice, but going hungry and sleeping in the dew was something he never wanted to repeat.
Skilled martial artists could hunt and camp as they traveled, but that was impossible for Wi Yeonho. If he had to choose between exerting himself to hunt and going hungry, he’d choose the latter without hesitation.
How could a human possibly run around to catch wild beasts?
Even if there were berries on the road, Wi Yeonho would just walk past—too lazy to reach out and pick them.
That’s when Mun Eunji landed the final blow.
“If you help us with this, I won’t nag you to work anymore starting tomorrow! And you won’t have to play any Go matches either!”
“Ugh…”
“Think carefully. Are you going to go suffer out there, or endure a bit of inconvenience now in exchange for a long, comfortable life?”
Wi Yeonho looked at her sharply.
Mun Eunji met his gaze with equal determination.
A fierce psychological battle unfolded between their eyes.
“What about meals?”
“Top-grade!”
“Sleep time?”
“Guaranteed—all day!”
Wi Yeonho’s body trembled.
“A-all day guaranteed!”
To Wi Yeonho, guaranteed all-day sleep time was an overwhelming temptation. It sounded so sweet that he nearly drooled at the thought.
“You’re not just saying that and planning to quietly start bothering me again later, are you?”
“I swear I’m not!”
Wi Yeonho turned his blazing eyes toward Mun Yuhwan.
“Is this true?”
Mun Yuhwan, who had been watching the bizarre situation unfold with a strange expression, gave a forced cough when Wi Yeonho addressed him.
Was he really supposed to get involved in this absurd theater?
“Ahem! Ahem! I’ll vouch for it.”
Wi Yeonho jumped down from the wall.
And with that, a seriousness never before seen appeared on his face.
Straightening his shoulders, he shouted proudly,
“As a gentleman, I cannot simply overlook such injustice!”
The Second Prince’s mouth opened weakly.
“Bullshit…”
For the first time in decades, foul language slipped from his lips.
Where in the world had this ridiculous man come from?
But Royal Prince wasn’t the only one dumbfounded.
Everyone present in the courtyard looked at Wi Yeonho with expressions of disbelief. And none more so than Nok Mokpung.
“Ha…”
That confidence—as if he could defeat them all whenever he pleased. Where did it come from?
“Black One.”
“Yes!”
The black-clad figure standing behind Nok Mokpung immediately responded.
“How long do I have to keep enduring this ridiculous mess?”
“My apologies! I’ll handle it immediately!”
“Do not kill him.”
Black One looked up at Nok Mokpung with a puzzled gaze. It was strange to him that someone like Nok Mokpung would choose to spare a man like that. But his confusion was soon resolved—there was a cruel fury burning in Nok Mokpung’s eyes.
“I’ll tear him apart with my own hands.”
“Yes, sir!”
Black One stood up and slowly approached Wi Yeonho.
“You turtle bastard, you’ve grown a pair, haven’t you?”
Wi Yeonho corrected him.
“I told you, I’m not a turtle—I’m a tortoise.”
“Keh keh, you’re a funny one. Let’s see how long you stay funny.”
Black One raised both hands.
Then Wi Yeonho lifted his hand to stop him.
“Hold on a sec.”
“…What is it now?”
Wi Yeonho turned to Mun Eunji.
“Hey!”
“Yes?”
“What happened to the sword that was stuck in my bundle?”
Mun Eunji replied with a baffled expression.
“Oh, that? I put it away in a corner of the room.”
“Really?”
Wi Yeonho clicked his tongue.
Then he turned and addressed Black One casually.
“Excuse me.”
“What?”
“I need to use a sword, so could you wait here a bit? I think I need to make a quick trip to the room.”
“Insane bastard!”
Wi Yeonho’s cheek puffed up.
“Come on! You look like an older guy, and a younger man politely says he’s going to grab his sword, and you’re getting offended over that?”
“Shut up!”
Wi Yeonho kept grumbling.
“Five years ago, things weren’t like this. What happened to the world while I was gone? Why is everyone so cruel now?”
He looked around.
Something usable as a weapon…
“Hmm…”
Wi Yeonho slowly walked backward and picked up a broom leaning against the wall.
“What are you doing?”
Wi Yeonho answered irritably.
“What do you think I’m doing? I’m not allowed to go get my sword, so I have to make do with this.”
“…Are you mocking me?”
“Why are you getting angry at me?! Then let me go get my sword!”
Unable to contain himself any longer, Black One glared at Wi Yeonho with a furious face and raised his hands.
“I won’t kill you! But I’ll make you wish you were dead!”
“Okay.”
“Even if you start crying and begging later—”
“Yeah, yeah. Can you just get started already? I’m still half-asleep here.”
Black One now truly understood what the phrase ‘smoke rising from your ears’ meant. This bastard looked like he was about to nod off from boredom, but his damn mouth just wouldn’t stop moving.
It was as if his mouth had a life of its own.
“You damned turtle bastard!”
Black One rushed at Wi Yeonho without warning.
“Tortoise, I said.”
Black One’s palm shot straight toward Wi Yeonho’s face at lightning speed.
Thwack!
At that exact moment, Black One staggered back, clutching his head.
‘What… what just happened?’
Wi Yeonho clicked his tongue at him.
“Be glad it was me. If it had been my conman master instead, you’d already be a corpse. You can’t just rush in like that! First, you need to…”
Black One lunged again.
Smack! Thwack!
Again, he recoiled, holding his head.
Wi Yeonho looked at him with a pitying expression.
“I’m being nice and explaining it to you!”
But Black One could no longer respond.
Cold sweat began trickling down his back. He had just realized that this young man wasn’t some loud-mouthed fool.
‘He was a master!’
If that broom had been a real sword just now… Black One would be lying dead with his head split open.
What was worse—he hadn’t even seen how Wi Yeonho moved the broom. The speed had been beyond his comprehension.
“How the hell…!”
Wi Yeonho sighed.
“That’s why I was explaining it. Why don’t people ever listen the first time and then regret it later?”
A tense look spread across Black One’s face.
He reached into his inner robe and pulled out a dagger that gleamed with a dark hue.
It was his secret weapon.
The blade was a mere seven inches long, but it was coated with the venom of the Seven Steps Soul-Severing Snake, which he had acquired with great difficulty.
Just a scratch was said to be fatal—death arriving before one could take seven steps.
‘A master. But…’
Though it was unbelievable given his age, the young man before him was clearly stronger than Black One.
Black One accepted that fact without hesitation.
His strength lay in having no unnecessary pride. If a child was stronger than him, so be it—no need to get hung up on ego. In real combat, it wasn’t always the stronger who won.
Victory made the victor strong, not the other way around.
The youth was certainly powerful, but given his age, he likely didn’t have much actual combat experience.
One graze—just one—would be enough.
“Oh? Poison?”
Oblivious, Wi Yeonho kept chattering away.
“Using poison? That’s low, you know?”
“You can curse me all you like after you’re dead.”
Wi Yeonho smiled.
“But that’s not going to work on me.”
“You saying you’ve got myriad poison immunity or something?”
Wi Yeonho shook his head.
“It’s not like I boiled ginseng roots and drank them or anything. Of course poison works on me.”
“Keh keh, at least you’re aware.”
“Can I ask what poison that is?”
“I’ll tell you. Seven Steps Soul-Severing Snake.”
At the mention of Seven Steps Soul-Severing Snake, the faces of those around them hardened.
“Such wickedness…”
From their reactions alone, it was clear how deadly the poison was.
But Wi Yeonho remained calm as ever.