"This son of a bitch, words won't work!"

At Makgae's roar, Cheonyeong couldn't hide his bewilderment.

He was a vagrant in the first place...

His life was to beg for himself and live.

He's angry because I acted alone?

What kind of fight is he picking with such a ridiculous reason.

Seeing him so confident even after spouting nonsense, he must think he's cool.

It's utterly pathetic.

This is like an adult getting caught by ignorant neighborhood kids and getting his money taken...

"Haa."

As Cheonyeong sighed, Makgae's eyes shot up.

"This bastard? You're sighing?"

Yes, I sighed.

How absurd would the adult in this thirteen year old body have to be because of you to do that?

"Hey you! Cheonyeong, you! What kind of tone is that to the boss!"

I didn't say anything. I just sighed.

"Ah! Isn't it because that bastard is crazy?"

"Huh?"

"That day, he was a little strange after he got beaten for biting the boss's ear. He didn't beg and just ran around. He came back late at night."

"Ah! Then what about Yongcheon?"

"They were originally close."

"Ah! That's right. They're a crazy pair."

The children come to their own conclusions.

Does that make sense?

Being crazy isn't some kind of contagious disease...

"Ha, these bastards, really. I felt sorry for them and fed them and let them sleep, but they don't know grace and act up?"

As if riding the atmosphere, Makgae took a step forward in front of the children and shook his head.

What is this bastard talking about now?

Fed me?

Let me sleep?

Who? When?

He might have taken from me, but what has he ever done for the kids...

Ah, the time he took them to the feast because he was on good terms with Ucheol?

What a load of... various kinds of bullshit.

Looking at the food Yongcheon secretly brought, there wasn't much.

Cheonyeong thought as he looked at Makgae and the children with a pathetic gaze.

What should I do?

I was going to live quietly and leave with just Yongcheon...

Even if I go back to my hometown, isn't it still too early to fight that creditor bastard?

I've only trained for a few days...

I don't even know how many people are in the creditor's gang.

I was thinking of training hard in the mountains for about three or four years and then returning to Sichuan, but if you guys come out like this, what should I do?

"This bastard! Why aren't you saying anything! Huh? Is your mouth shut because you're scared? Huh?"

At Makgae's sneer, Cheonyeong sighed once more and nodded.

Well, I was going to get revenge for being beaten by this guy and leave.

Since he's so diligently picking a fight... I can't just stand by...

"Ah!"

As his thoughts deepened, Cheonyeong suddenly clapped his hands and exclaimed.

"I remember."

"What?"

"The reason I have to be here."

"What kind of... bullshit is that!"

It must sound like bullshit.

It would have been out of the blue.

But I really remembered. The reason why I have to stay here.

It's not just because of Yongcheon.

Come to think of it, I had forgotten the most important thing.

That this was the very place where he was suddenly kidnapped by the assassin organization while living as a vagrant.

That was right before winter, so... about a month or two left.

Even if he doesn't have the strength to fight the assassins of Jingagu right now... shouldn't he at least know how he was kidnapped?

Cheonyeong smiled eerily at Makgae.

Then first.

"Makgae, I think... I'll have to take this place."

"Take it? What the hell is this bastard talking about! Take what!"

Cheonyeong stared blankly at the screaming Makgae.

A two year age difference.

For children of that age, two years is a huge difference.

Fifteen year old Makgae is much bigger than the other children in the gang.

Both in thought and physique.

That's why the children had kept their mouths shut despite Makgae's tyranny until now.

"Boss, just stomp on him. Even if you're crazy, you should be crazy in a good way."

"That's right, a beating is the cure for a madman."

Look at that.

They're all taking his side.

These kids...

"Hey! Everyone move."

Makgae took another step forward in front of the children who were each spouting a word.

"Cheonyeong, you bastard. If you had just answered my question about what you ate in the mountains, I was going to let you go..."

"Hey."

Cheonyeong cut off Makgae's words.

"Hey?"

"Makgae."

"Ma, Makgae?"

"Then what should I call you? I call Makgae Makgae, should I call you Makgae bastard?"

"Ma, Mak... bastard?"

"Ah, now that I hear it, the nuance was like that. Mak, bastard."

"You son of a bitch!"

At the teasing words, Makgae's face burned as if it would explode, and the children's faces showed surprise.

Well, there are many things to be surprised about.

Is it because he's in puberty?

Anyway, I didn't want to argue with a kid anymore.

Although I'm thirteen, I remember a life of over twenty years as an assassin...

And I wasn't just any assassin, I was the strongest assassin of Jingagu.

Unless I just beat him up and fix his habits.

"Makgae, how long are you going to just shout? Are you going to end it with a verbal fight? Then let's do that. I'm confident in that too."

"..."

"If not, stop talking and come at me. I'm tired of waiting."

Cheonyeong raised a finger and beckoned.

It was all contained in that.

Disregard, ridicule, sarcasm, curses, etc.

There was nothing better as a provocation to the fifteen year old Makgae who was running wild, unable to distinguish heaven and earth due to his overflowing vigor.

So come at me, you bastard. Don't just run your mouth.

"This son of a bitch! I felt sorry for you because you're so small and let you go!"

"Ah, you let me go?"

"What?"

"So you beat me like that because you let me go."

"..."

"Then don't let me go this time. It'll be less boring that way."

"You, you... you son of a bitch! You're dead today!"

In the end, Makgae, unable to hold back, rushed at Cheonyeong.

He's a guy who really has the word "kill" on his lips.

Even though he's never actually killed anyone...

Seeing the children watching with pitiful eyes, they seem to be predicting the outcome.

Cheonyeong's defeat.

It's a natural thing.

Makgae was a head taller than Cheonyeong and had a much better physique.

"Cheonyeong..."

That damn Yongcheon.

You can't even cheer for me, and you're making a face worried about your friend's defeat?

Whooosh!

While Cheonyeong was grimacing and glancing at Yongcheon, Makgae's fist flew in a powerful arc.

A heavy force was loaded into it, as much as his size.

At the level of kids...

Of course, not me.

Even though he only trained for a few days, his body is overflowing with this much power. But against a kid like this, he don't even need to use his internal energy.

As Cheonyeong slightly pulled back his foot and leaned back his upper body, Makgae's fist brushed past his nose.

Stupid bastard.

His movements are so big. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

There are too many openings, it's trivial to even deal with him.

What's the point of technique against a guy like this!

Thwack, shiiik!

Cheonyeong, who reached out and grabbed Makgae's arm, pulled him hard and headbutted him.

Crack!

"Kugh!"

Isn't the head the hardest bone in the human body?

Makgae, who was hit in the face with a headbutt, staggered, holding his nose.

Ouch, that hurts.

He's a big guy, so his head must be hard too.

But if this is the end... it would be disappointing.

It's an eternal truth that when you have the upper hand, you should push forward decisively.

You have to make them piss their pants just by making eye contact so they don't bare their teeth and growl again.

The next thing Cheonyeong chose after his head was his elbow.

Crack!

The elbow dug deep into the face of Makgae, who was staggering from the headbutt.

"Kugh!"

Two hits to the face.

It was enough of an attack to make a kid kneel.

But just that?

Thump!

Cheonyeong, who grabbed the head of the helplessly collapsing Makgae with both hands, smiled at the children as if to show them.

Watch carefully.

What kind of person I am.

Craaack!

"Kuuuh..."

It was just a moment.

The knee hit Makgae's face again.

Crack! Crack crack!

The hand that had grabbed his hair didn't let go, and the knee continued to slam into Makgae's face.

Blood spread on his knee.

Makgae, whose face had turned into a bloody mess, knelt down and begged Cheonyeong.

"Sto...p, please... stop..."

His previous confidence was nowhere to be found. But Cheonyeong didn't care.

Craaack!

He beat Makgae to the point where the watching children shivered with pale faces.

"Cheonyeong! Stop it!"

"..."

Yongcheon, who couldn't watch anymore, hugged Cheonyeong and stopped him.

"Let go."

It was an eerie voice.

Goosebumps rose, but Yongcheon didn't release his arms.

"Stop it. That's enough."

"..."

"He'll really die if you keep going."

At Yongcheon's words, Cheonyeong looked at Makgae, who was held in his hands.

Makgae, with some of his teeth missing and blood pouring out, was muttering weakly.

"Pleashe shtop..."

Then, as if he had lost consciousness, his head dropped.

He's alive.

But with this, he has to step down from his position as boss.

Because he was miserably defeated.

Thump, srrrk...

As he let go, Makgae's body collapsed helplessly to the ground.

The children couldn't hide their astonishment at the sight of Cheonyeong looking down at the unconscious guy.

Just by glancing at them, the children lowered their heads and folded their hands neatly.

Their spirit was broken by Cheonyeong's venomous aura.

No one could defend Makgae anymore.

"What are you looking at? Everyone go to sleep."

"Huh? Oh!"

It was a low voice, but it must have sounded like thunder, as the children scrambled to their beds.

None of them showed any sympathy or tried to take care of the fallen Makgae.

Seeing the covered straw mats trembling... those guys are not going to sleep.

"You did well to hold back, Cheonyeong. But you're really amazing! I never thought you'd actually beat Makgae. I knew you would win."

"..."

Yongcheon released his tight hug and smiled brightly.

This bastard...

I saw you making a face like I were going to lose earlier.

"Yongcheon."

"Yeah?"

"You have grass, right?"

"...What kind?"

"Gaebeolcho."

"Ah! Yeah."

"Wipe the blood and apply it after crushing it. The broken bones won't heal, but the wounds will."

"Uh huh."

Seeing Yongcheon's slow response, he must have been quite surprised inside, even though he pretended not to be.

While Makgae was being treated, Cheonyeong sat alone in front of the bonfire.

Crackle, crackle.

The embers burned and disappeared into the sky.

I won. But it wasn't something to be proud of or boast about.

Damn it, was I a little too harsh?

Against a kid...

"Tsk, what does it matter?"

It's enough to know that my body moves according to the combat experience left in my memory.

* * *

The next day, after falling asleep late, he woke up to find Makgae gone.

He must have left.

Well, his pride must have been hurt after losing his position as boss.

He probably wouldn't have the face to see the kids either...

Cheonyeong, who smiled wryly, was about to wake up the deeply sleeping Yongcheon when the children started to get up one by one.

What is this?

These bastards usually only get up when the sun is high in the sky...

Cheonyeong, who was looking at the children with a puzzled expression, roughly guessed the reason.

The bloodshot eyes of the children.

A haggard face as if exhausted from fatigue.

"You guys didn't sleep?"

"Huh? Uh huh..."

That's wrong.

They couldn't sleep.

They must have been so surprised by the sight of Cheonyeong breaking Makgae that their hearts pounded all night.

Well, it doesn't matter.

They can sleep now.

Where is there a schedule to keep for vagrants.

"Hey... boss."

"What?"

Hwangsam called him cautiously.

This bastard adapts quickly.

I'm already the boss?

Well, it didn't feel bad.

"If you're going to run today, can we go with you?"

"Why you guys?"

"No, just because the boss is running?"

At those words, Cheonyeong unknowingly let out a laugh.

What does his running have to do with them running...

"Don't bother. It has nothing to do with you guys. Just wake up late as usual and go begging."

"That's..."

As Cheonyeong waved his hand as if he was annoyed, the children looked at each other with troubled expressions.

"What? Why? Is there a problem?"

"That's... the boss has to go with us..."

At Hwangsam's words, Cheonyeong tilted his head.

Go with you? Why should I?

I have the pride of being called the strongest assassin. I quit begging a long time ago.

(End of Chapter)