NOVEL NEXT Chapter 112
“Ahh, it’s so cold! If this keeps up, my toes are going to freeze off.”
As the filming commenced,
Joo Seong-hwan’s role, Beom-ho’s first line began.
“It’s about time to start.”
“I will right the wrongs of this land!”
As if waiting for this moment, the actors immersed themselves into the play.
It was a chilly winter.
The people gathered, raising their weapons as they stood tall.
They resolved to become rebels and uproot the corruption of this land.
After all, they were already being robbed every day just to survive,
filling only their own bellies with the spoils of their suffering.
How could they not feel anger?
Thud thud.
The angry crowd aimed to gather greater strength,
to stir up chaos from the very bottom,
heading towards Jeonnam.
Leading a group of many, they proceeded to Jeonnam.
Unable to strut through the main road,
they continued on narrow mountain paths.
While walking along the only clear path,
“…the maggots are gathering, giving off a rotten stench.”
They stopped in their tracks at the boy’s words coming from the other side.
Squeak!
The camera widened its view, capturing the scene.
While over a hundred angry people held their tools with rage,
the boy, who calmly spoke, was dressed rather simply.
Dressed in a white cloak reminiscent of the cold winter and a sharply pointed sword,
He seemed to be carrying a bow on his back, as if he had come from hunting.
Though it was not really an outfit befitting a hunter.
But judging solely by the quality of the weapons, that could be inferred.
“…I have no intention of harming children, step aside.”
Regardless of the level of armament,
Beom-ho didn’t pay much heed to it.
He was too busy focusing on where he needed to go.
“The disrespect of the underlings is unpleasant.”
“You must be so young that your reasoning is dulled.”
Beom-ho drew his sword for intimidation.
Originally a butcher’s knife used to catch beasts,
it glimmered.
Now it revealed itself as a rebel’s blade aimed at the heavens.
“I’ll say it once more, step aside.”
It was a narrow path; if even one person refused to yield, they couldn’t pass.
The only flat ground in the midst of the incline.
There was no way to go back, nor descend below.
“You should have enough sense to recognize that.”
What they could do was either retreat and run away or come forward and confront.
Naturally, the common choice here would be the former.
And Beom-ho believed the boy in front of him would choose such a decision as well.
“I heard some lowly pests were scheming, but I didn’t expect it to be like this.”
At the boy, Lee Tae-seong’s words, everyone hesitated.
Despite the clear numerical disadvantage,
his attitude remained unchanged,
naturally signaling defiance.
That was the clear stance of an adversary.
“One child, and you’d all scream like this, what’s so pretty about that candy-eater child?”
His calm words revealed everything underneath.
And in that moment, as if on cue,
“That guy! That’s him! He’s the princess’s brat!”
A minor supporting role jumped out from behind Beom-ho, pointing at Lee Tae-seong.
The princess’s brat.
Hearing that, Beom-ho turned back to face Lee Tae-seong again.
It was a familiar name.
Though he still had a long way to go before reaching the princess,
it had seemed uncertain when they’d meet again.
Who would have thought it would be here?
‘That’s a name I must kill.’
As Beom-ho entertained such thoughts,
Bang!
In the blink of an eye, an arrow flew,
“Gah!”
Piercing the heart of the minor actor who had been pointing.
Of course, it wasn’t actually shot.
It was a production technique using a cut transition since real shooting is dangerous.
‘But ultimately, arrows must be shot.’
Unconsciously, Beom-ho’s gaze shifted to the arrow’s destination.
And there, he saw the arrow embedded perfectly in the tree.
In that moment, Beom-ho, no, Joo Seong-hwan, had a past conversation replay in his mind.
-“Think at least twice as much as what you saw in the script reading.”
-“Twice, you say?”
Honestly, he thought it was a lie.
He dismissed it as just a way to elevate the favored actor.
But it wasn’t a lie.
‘An actor… right?’
Kim Donghu, completely immersed in Lee Tae-seong, was pure terror.
The bowstring became a horn for war.
Sword-wielding Lee Tae-seong slowly approached.
Gulp.
He must be holding a fine sword.
Yet, it looked as if it could easily cleave through dozens of people.
Even with over a hundred allies behind him,
a future where he couldn’t handle even one was painted clear.
“I had planned to take my time enjoying this, but you’re ruining the mood.”
Even so, he couldn’t tolerate the lowly ones crossing the line.
Finishing his words, Lee Tae-seong dashed forward.
Though it felt like a wild frenzy driven by instinct,
it was calculated to the core.
In a narrow path where only three people could walk side by side,
to engage in battle there?
Three people or not, only one could act.
Hence, no matter how many were present, a 1:1 scenario would only occur,
and in situations like this, the side with greater numbers would find themselves at a disadvantage.
Groups tend to move sluggishly.
“Thanks to you lot, I’ve lost my candy and firewood labor; I’ll hold you accountable.”
Swish!
The chilling slashing began.
No matter how angry the crowd was,
most were just scrappers without skill in combat.
Amidst that crowd,
a beast sent by heaven wielded a blade as he fell.
“Kraaaaak!”
“Help! My arm, my arm!!!”
He was truly a wolf amidst the flock of sheep.
“Scatter! The mountain’s steep, so it’s fine to flee downwards! Run!”
Beom-ho quickly realized the situation and ordered a retreat.
It’s ridiculous that a single person could disperse a crowd, but it couldn’t be helped.
“You! Don’t bully the weak; come face me!”
Beom-ho desperately trailed Lee Tae-seong, demanding a direct confrontation.
But Lee Tae-seong disregarded him and thoroughly sliced through the surroundings.
Using his long sword to carve out distance,
he deliberately avoided combat with the strong, conserving every moment of engagement.
Lee Tae-seong’s sword seemed like a living creature.
In its mysterious movements, the extras fell into a bizarre sense of awe.
’Is he really going to die?’
It was frightening.
That ferocious expression,
that seemed to be smiling brightly while slashing people.
Even with his dazzling movements,
his white cloak, still pristine and stained with no fake blood,
filled their minds with dread.
It couldn’t even be called a battle when he held such overwhelming advantage.
“…How could someone with such advanced skills use that power in such a way?”
Lee Tae-seong stopped his blade just before beheading the commoner at Beom-ho’s words, gazing at him in silence.
Then after approximately three seconds of silence,
as the wind rustled his cloak,
“Advanced skills, I showed you my homeland’s sword… and this is all you can do?”
Lee Tae-seong revealed his disappointment.
Swish!
He beheaded the commoner.
The camera captured every moment.
They didn’t even know where the ones who fled had gone,
and all those who couldn’t run were dead.
To say that over a hundred had disappeared feels empty in such a fleeting time.
Lee Tae-seong mocked Beom-ho, following up with his previous words.
“Step aside.”
The same line, the same situation, different characters.
Simply the person had changed.
“…I won’t forget this day.”
A completely different outcome unfolded.
In the worst-case scenario, Beom-ho ended up fleeing.
He hurled himself down the slope in haste,
and Lee Tae-seong watched with disdain,
“This truly is a pitiful way to live.”
Staring down the slope, he began to shoot arrows in succession.
Thud!
Behind the sound of arrows embedding into something,
Lee Tae-seong resumed his steps.
Now there was nothing left to obstruct his path.
“Ker-aaaaah!”
The director’s call signaling the end of the scene echoed through the set.