NOVEL NEXT Chapter 26
Rolling across the battlefields of medieval war inevitably meant facing inadequate supplies.
Thus, a bountiful meal was something one could only dream of.
Wilted vegetables.
Bread so hard it could crack your teeth, having to be soaked in saliva just to eat.
Jerky so rank it required coating one’s teeth in aura just to tear it apart.
He had survived by devouring things on the battlefield he wouldn’t have glanced at before.
Because of this, he could not, under any circumstances, tolerate the sight of a feast in front of him going to waste.
He ascended to the second floor to find the wretch who had treated people worse than dogs.
“Excuse me… Please don’t go this way!”
As William ascended with a murderous aura, the inn’s servants tried to stop him, but at a single glance from William, they had no choice but to retreat like tail-tucking dogs.
Afraid that if they blocked his way, that spoon in his hand might embed itself into their foreheads.
‘That’s the guy.’
His gaze landed on a corner of the inn’s second floor. Concealed by a thin cloth, it was clearly a reserved seat. From said seat emanated incessant loud noises.
William began to walk, his gaze firmly fixed on that spot.
Thud thud thud…
In contrast to the ruckus at the reserved seat, outside it had become deathly silent, as if all the mice had died.
This was due to the thick murderous intent William was emanating. Some people were even gasping for breath, exhibiting signs of hyperventilation.
The guests who caught on to his approach towards the raucous reserved seat parted like the Red Sea, some watching him with eyes filled with curiosity.
‘Colored-eyed person…?’
‘The aura is terrifying.’
However, William, his anger reaching its peak, did not notice these gazes and, with steadfast determination, proceeded forward and swiftly pulled away the cloth.
He glared at the guys who were still obliviously fighting, tightly gripping his spoon. Six young men, just barely past their youth, entered his sight.
They were exchanging punches, tangled up with each other.
William assessed the situation with a glance.
“2 against 4?”
“You again? What is it with-”
His words were cut off as William grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up.
“Are you the one who shoved that person?”
“Hey, hey! This long-arm monkey, do you know who I am? Should I send you flying like that other guy?”
William’s gaze shifted to the hand raised by the thug he had grabbed. Though subtle, he could sense internal energy, making him think the thug had learned quite a bit.
“I don’t care who you are. From now on, you’re going to get some table manners education from me.”
“What?”
In an instant, William’s arm swung, leaving an afterimage as it moved from above to below. Naturally, the thug’s face that had been grabbed by the collar was smashed onto the table.
“Yang Jian!”
“You son of a bitch! Do you know who we-”
“You talk too much.”
William extended his left hand towards the one babbling. A plain hand motion, devoid of any mystical tricks. The thug’s friend immediately pulled internal energy to their dantian.
‘This colored-eyed punk doesn’t know his place…’
Under normal circumstances, his friend should have realized something was amiss when they couldn’t even touch William and ended up with their face smashed on the table, but the guy was already dogged and incapable of rational thought.
Finally, his friend unleashed the Golden Claw Technique.
Silver Phoenix Claw.
It was a skill he prided himself on. His hand, drawing a curve as it spun, darted towards William’s wrist.
‘Foolish tricks.’
Foolish tricks have no meaning in the face of overwhelming power.
William enveloped his hand with aura and struck the approaching hand with the back of his palm.
Naturally, there was no way a thug’s skill could withstand a hand wrapped in aura.
“Aaaah! My hand!”
He clutched his hand and screamed. His hand was swollen as if struck by a cudgel, clearly broken at a glance.
“You guys have no manners.”
“I, I do not! Great Hero Wi!”
“I, I also do not!”
At the unexpected situation, the relatively intact thugs nervously stood up and shouted, resembling well-drilled rookies.
Uninterested, William shifted his gaze and grabbed the neck of the youth whose face he had first smashed into the table.
Yang Jian, the thug, was bleeding from both nostrils, his eyes rolling back.
“Seems like you unruly fellows need some discipline.”
“Y, yes sir! Great Hero Wi!”
Yang Jian’s chubby friend, careful not to fall out of favor, rubbed his hands while deploying flattery he had honed over the years.
The life wisdom gained from hanging out with Yang Jian, the leader of the thugs, fortunately saved him from a life-threatening situation.
“I, we are now-”
“Have a seat.”
“Yes, sir!”
The thugs who had been fighting suddenly turned into gentle lambs, smiling innocently as they quickly sat down. Once seated, William gave an order to the chubby thug who had spoken first.
“You. Explain what happened here.”
Saying that, William naturally took a seat, flipped Yang Jian, and placed his head on the table. At the moment everyone was wondering what he was up to, William took out a spoon from his sleeve and pressed it against Yang Jian’s forehead.
‘What is he going to do with that…?’
Snap!
“Aaaah!”
Yang Jian’s scream echoed through the second floor of the inn. The noise reached even the first floor, prompting a group from the Hainan Sword Sect to urgently ascend and find William.
Heedless of that, William began striking Yang Jian’s forehead repeatedly with the spoon.
“Aaaah! My forehead! Stop! Stop! I’m Seok Yang…aah!”
Snap!
Snap!
Snap!
Holding Yang Jian motionless with his left hand pressing on his chest, William continued to beat his forehead with the spoon, regardless of whatever nonsense Yang Jian was spewing.
Each time the spoon struck the forehead, it made a crisp sound, relentlessly jolting Seok Yang’s mind.
Despite the striking object being merely a spoon, Yang Jian’s forehead turned beet red, though there were no other injuries. The pain, however, was unbearable, and with each regular snap sound, Yang Jian’s screams echoed.
Unconcerned with his screams, William asked the chubby thug again.
“What happened here?”
Snap!
“Aaaah!”
‘If I don’t speak quickly, it might be my turn next!’
The chubby thug gulped down his spit. He managed to open his mouth and began explaining why they had thrown someone off the second floor.
Though lengthy, his explanation was understandable enough that when the rhythmic spoon strikes reached just over a hundred, William understood all the details.
“So, you guys are the troublemakers from Seomun County’s Seok Clan and Baek Clan, and you were picking fights and brawling while drinking?”
“Y, yes!”
“You rascals should be proud.”
“My father will-”
“Do you want more hits?”
William thrust the spoon in front of Yang Jian’s face. With the spoon that had relentlessly beaten his forehead now in sight, Yang Jian panicked and cried out.
“No, sir!”
‘Real hits will kill me!’
“…Great Hero Wi?”
Having confirmed the situation was under control, Elder Baek softly called out to him. William, realizing his anger had subsided, turned to look at him, and then stood up.
“Ah, Elder Baek. Forgive my loss of control.”
“It’s fine. Isn’t correcting the manners of young ones the job of elders?”
‘Baek, Baekhyeon Elder? Warriors from the Hainan Sword Sect too…? Why is the colored-eyed person with them…and Great Hero?’
As Elder Baek’s gaze turned towards the troublemakers from the Seok and Baek Clans, who weren’t as irritated as William but still somewhat vexed, his piercing stare swept over them, causing the thugs to shiver.
“I will formally file a complaint to the Seok and Baek Clans.”
“Huh?”
“Did your fathers raise you to act like this?”
“T, that’s not it!”
The guys’ faces turned pale.
There was a world of difference between getting complaints from an inn and receiving a personal reprimand from a senior of the Gwapyillyupang’s Hainan Sword Sect, which everyone in Seomun County knew.
Moreover, Elder Baek even had some acquaintance with their fathers.
‘Ruined!’
Still, there was nothing they could do.
Even if they were the offspring of well-connected families, they were in a fully compromised situation.
In such a predicament, all they could do was quietly go home and wait for their punishment.
“Return and await your punishment. Pay the repair costs to the innkeeper too.”
“Yes…”
The troublemakers from Seomun County slumped their shoulders and hurriedly exited the Qingliu Inn.
“Thank you for your help.”
“You’re welcome. Even I was upset about having my rare feast disrupted.”
With a hearty laugh, Elder Baek suggested they return to their seats. William smirked and nodded in agreement.
Now they could enjoy their peaceful meal.
“Where does a high-level warrior with colored-eyes come from? Do you know something about this guy?”
“If I knew something, would I keep quiet? You all know I can’t resist sharing a good story if I have one.”
“True, that was always you.”
“Still, it’s strange to see a colored-eyed person with ties to the Hainan Sword Sect.”
“Since Elder Baek called him Hero, maybe he has a debt of gratitude with the Hainan Sword Sect?”
The second-floor guests, having observed the entire ordeal, started whispering about the colored-eyed warrior dining on the first floor while they ate.
And that day, rumors about the colored-eyed person who had appeared alongside the warriors from the Hainan Sword Sect began to spread rapidly through Seomun County.