บท 408: Chapter 1296: Is There a Place to Rest In This Land? (Part 1)
"Get out of the way!"
"Uh, oops!"
The man who had been roughly pushed tumbled onto the ground.
"What's going on! What..."
Unable to contain his anger, the man lifted his head and then quickly slammed it down again. Menacing figures with eerie weapons were racing past along the street. It would be best not to get involved, or his neck might pay the price.
'What in the world is happening?'
He had just been looking elsewhere for a moment, and now these ominous figures had somehow made their way here.
The man, who had been bowing his head, cautiously raised it again when the footsteps were no longer audible, silently watching those running in the distance.
"What's all this about..."
"Hyung-nim, are you okay?"
One of the flattened figures raised his head and asked.
"...I'm fine, but why are those people rushing like that?"
"How would I know? It's been chaos since this morning."
"This morning?"
"They've been passing by like this since who knows how many. All of them with faces as if they're being chased by something...You know, you're lucky, bro. [Hehe] The guy who blocked the street in the morning got so badly beaten that he's not even conscious."
"Th-The Evil Tyrant Alliance, maybe?"
"Where did you hear such nonsense? From the looks of it, they're a bunch of third-rate Evil sects.
While saying so, fear filled the man's face. Even if they were just a third-rate sect, to them, they were like the reapers of the underworld.
Seeing them brandishing weapons and rushing with a sinister aura, how could one's heart not tremble?
Ever since the Evil Tyrant Alliance dominated Gangnam, it wasn't common for them to pay attention to the movements of the Evil Sect. But, in fact, this kind of incident was unusual.
"What happened?"
"What do people like us know? It's not like they'll tell us anything."
"Well, then..."
"Still, this is the first time we've seen them in such a hurry, so I guess something must have happened. But their direction is south...Something happened in the south, not the north?"
The man tilted his head as if he couldn't understand.
It was understandable that something big was happening in the north, facing off against the righteous sects.
But in the south, wasn't there nothing significant?
The southern part of Gangnam was dominated by Myriad Man Manor.
"Something big happened..."
Whenever something big happened, it was the common people who suffered the most.
脣亡齒寒. A saying went, "When the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold." Having cursed the righteous sects for retreating and exposing their corruption and money, now that the Evil Sects were in power, their oppression reached even the common people's lives.
Deep down, while secretly hoping that the northern righteous sects would quickly invade and drive out the Evil Tyrant Alliance, they couldn't help but feel anxious. If that happened, their lives would only become more difficult.
"Could it be that a righteous sect invaded the south?"
"Hyung-nim, are you out of your mind? Why would a righteous sect attack from the south rather than the north?"
"Well... maybe there's some kind of rebellion or something. Attacking from the rear..."
"That sounds unreasonable. If that were the case, they would have done it by now."
"..."
"Also! When have the righteous sects ever risked their lives and fought so recklessly?"
It was a valid point. While it was true that the land ruled by the righteous sects was better to live in than the land ruled by the Evil Sects, those high and mighty righteous sect bastards didn't really care about commoners like them.
When the man nodded his head, a small voice escaped from the lips of the person with a firm face.
"If it were the Mount Hua Sect, maybe..."
The heads of several people around nodded simultaneously.
There was no one in Gangnam who didn't know how much Mount Hua, or Heavenly Comrade Alliance, wanted to crush the Evil Tyrant Alliance.
"Wake up. There's no way they'll come to Gangnam."
"Sigh..."
A depth of sorrow filled everyone's faces.
In the end, there was nothing they could do. Unless the righteous sects or the government stepped in, there was nothing the common people could do. What threat could they be to those who could leap across rivers in one step and smash rocks with their bare fists?
Unless there was a significant change, the dominance of the Evil Tyrant Alliance was unlikely to crumble.
"Life is already tough enough..."
"But still...Paegun is making some provisions. He even distributed grains this time."
"Provision?"
At the mention of provision, the eyes of the gathered people opened wide.
"Is giving a few sacks of grain considered provision?"
"Well, if we didn't have that..."
"In the first place, where did that come from? Originally, it was ours! They emptied our pockets, taking every last coin, and now, like a miserly person, they throw a few pennies as provision?"
"Do you believe this guy?"
"Where did he pick up such words!"
"Don't utter such words!"
In an instant, the man was surrounded. It seemed like the people might grab him and show their spirit. Strangely, even in such a tense situation, the man remained calm.
"So you are saying that you are not grateful for the provisions given by Paegun?"
"...Th-that's..."
"Uh..."
Those who seemed ready to roll up their sleeves at any moment subtly exchanged glances.
They sensed that saying the wrong thing here could lead to trouble.
If that man were to report what they said to the Evil Sect bastards...
Cold water poured over their hearts that were boiling with anger. The men stuttered and opened their mouths with slightly tired faces.
"Well, there's no way, right? We should be grateful for what Paegun has given us."
"That's right! That's right! Thanks to the grains given by Paegun, our family barely survived. If we're not grateful, what kind of people are we?"
"Paegun is blameless. Doesn't he provide provisions? It's those idiots in the Evil Tyrant Alliance who don't understand his intentions properly! Ah, well!"
The men desperately changed the topic. The one watching them smirked.
"It would be better to be cautious with your words. I'll be watching."
"Haha. Be cautious with words, huh. We're just..."
"It's unsightly."
As the man turned away and moved further away, the people grinded their teeth in frustration.
Then, after a while, when the man was distant enough not to be visible, it seemed as if a dam burst, and the men vented their frustrations.
"Damn dog..."
"These guys are worse than the Evil Tyrant Alliance. Are they servants of the Evil Sect?"
"Servants? Those bastards don't even treat someone like him as a servant. He's a dog of the Evil Tyrant Alliance, a dog!"
People's faces turned red with anger.
Even as they spoke, a sense of helplessness filled them. They knew. The Evil Sect wouldn't treat you with great respect even if you were a snitch.
At best, they would only throw a couple sacks of grain as a token.
However, they were in such a position where they had to pay attention to a dog's perception of them.
The one who snitched would no longer be seen in a few days. [not sure] Just for the price of one or two sacks of grain.
That fact was so sad that they became very angry.
"Such a person will receive divine punishment and die. Divine punishment!"
"Of course!"
"There's no one to trust. No one to trust!"
Those who were pouring out their anger at each other sneakily exchanged glances.
It couldn't be said that he was the only informer. If someone here secretly informed, someone else may also be the victim of such injustice.
"Ahem."
Those who were watching each other awkwardly cleared their throats and quietly moved away.
The world had already changed, and people could no longer freely express their thoughts.
"Sigh..."
The one remaining man sighed deeply.
This was a world where everyone was wary of each other. Even though it was already difficult to make a living before the domination of the Evil Tyrant Alliance, it wasn't as harsh as it was now.
"How long do we have to endure this..."
Just as the man sighed was about to sigh.
Todododododododo!
"Huh?"
Perhaps due to the silence, a strange sound reached his ears.
Todododododododododododo!
"What's that sound..."
The man turned his head toward the direction where the sound was coming from. At that moment, a white flash swiftly passed right in front of his face.
"Ahhhh!"
The man screamed and staggered backward. It felt like white lightning had struck right by the front of his face.
"What the...!"
The startled man lifted his head and looked ahead, but there was nothing there anymore.
"Did a ghost just pass by?"
Staring blankly ahead, the man shook his head. It seemed like he had been hallucinating, probably due to not having proper meals recently.
In a forest not far from where the man was.
Todododododododo!
Four petite paws, extremely worthy of the description 'cute', pounded the ground at an astonishing speed.
At a glance, it might seem like an adorable sight, but to onlookers from a distance, it would merely appear as a white blur crossing the forest.
Thump! Thump!
Suddenly, something big jumped in front of Baek-ah, who had been running until his marten feet were drenched in sweat.
"Rawwwrrrr!"
A colossal tiger!
Judging by its size, it could be called a mountain lord (山君) or even a spirit creature (靈物).
It likely had come all this way in a fit of rage for trespassing on its territory.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
The tiger, attempting to block the white deer's path, bared its sharp teeth, unleashing a threatening roar that sent shivers down the spine just by listening.
However, rather than being frightened by the roar, Baek-Ah, without flinching, narrowed its eyes and continued the momentum of its run, leaping towards the tiger's face with its small head. It struck the tiger's head head-on with its tiny head.
Wooong!
A sound resembling a bell ringing echoed through the forest.
The house-sized tiger collapsed to the ground, wailing like a puppy.
Not satisfied with that, Baek-Ah, which had climbed onto the tiger's head, fiercely swung its walnut-sized fist repeatedly, relentlessly battering the tiger's head. Then, with its foot, it stamped on the tiger's head the character 'King'. [...you've been through a lot, Baek-Ah...]
Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!
In the tear-filled eyes of the extremely enraged Baek-Ah, there was a sense of sorrow that was clearly directed toward someone other than the tiger.
Heoheoheoheo!
The tiger, which had been constantly beaten without even properly resisting, attempted to flee, but Baek-Ah stretched out its small front paw and grabbed the tiger's tail.
Then, he instantly arched his lanky waist, swung the tiger around, and slammed it on the ground.
Quaaaaaaaaaaa!
The tiger, trembling and shivering, snapped its neck and lost consciousness.
Kiiiiiiii! Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!
Baek-Ah, who was glaring at the unconscious tiger with a wrinkled forehead, pointed at it with his short front paw and continued to spew out words of condemnation. Then, as if realizing something, it turned its body abruptly and dashed away again with full force, as if nothing had happened.
Tadadadadat!
The white blur turned into a sprint through Gangnam. Pulling out all the energy stored in its body.
Faster. Even a moment faster!
The reconnaissance, hanging on its neck, needs to be delivered to Gangbuk.
Before the detestable owner's breath is cut off.
"Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!"
"Huh?"
Was it because of the silence that strange sounds reached his ears? The man turned his head toward the back, where the sounds were coming from.
At that moment, a white figure swept by like a gust of wind.
"Hehehe."
The man, who had been watching blankly, burst into laughter.
It seemed like a joke, as four small paws with a tremendous speed seemed cute at first glance. However, to onlookers from a distance, it would simply appear as a white streak cutting through the forest.
"Heck! Heck!"
With the power of a wild beast... no, a wild cat, the white creature sprinted with tremendous speed.
"Keheeeng!"
Leaping with all its might, a massive creature jumped into the path of the white streak.
"Keheong!"
A single stride!
Judging by its size, it looked like a mountain spirit. No, it was sufficient to be called a spiritual being.
Perhaps enraged by the invasion of its territory, the colossal creature leaped all the way here in one stride.
"Kheheheheeee!"
A roar that sounded like a giant bell rang out. The creature, house-sized, emitted a cry as sharp as its sharp teeth were exposed. Even hearing it was enough to send shivers down one's spine.
However, the creature's roar didn't frighten the smaller white creature, the one-tenth its size. Instead of cowering, the smaller creature squinted its eyes and leaped directly into the face of the colossal creature with its small head.
"Kuoooung!"
A tremendous impact sound, as if a house collapsed.
The house-sized creature, unable to resist properly and incessantly battered, collapsed to the ground with a howl.
Not satisfied, the smaller creature, riding on top of the giant creature's head, fiercely swung its small fist, relentlessly pounding the colossal creature's head, and stomped its foot on the head engraved with the symbol of a prince.
"Kwaaaang!"
A sound like a giant gong being struck. The colossal creature shivered for a moment and then fainted with its neck twisted.
"Keiik! Keiiiiiiiiik!"
Inflating its cheeks like a baby, tears hung down from the large, round eyes of the elated smaller creature. The deep resentment in its eyes was undoubtedly directed towards someone else, not the colossal creature.
"Kheheheeng!"
Having barely resisted and constantly received blows, the colossal creature tried to escape. However, the smaller creature reached out with its small front paw and grabbed the tail of the colossal creature.
Then, as if realizing something, the smaller creature forcefully flicked the colossal creature to the ground, and with its foot, stamped on the head adorned with a prince's mark.
"Kwaaaaah!"
The colossal creature, having trembled for a moment, broke its neck and fainted. Completely satisfied, the smaller creature then raised its small fist and fiercely swung it, cursing and scolding the unconscious colossal creature.
And then, as if realizing something, it abruptly turned around and swiftly ran away. As if nothing had happened.
Tododododo!
Baek-ah, who had once again become a white streak, bolted through Gangnam.
Bringing out all its energy.
Faster. Just a bit faster.
The letter contained in the bag hanging from his neck must be delivered to Gangbuk.
Before that detestable master's breath ceased.
ความคิดของผู้สร้าง 
Bagel_Seeds
Bagel_Seeds a whole chapter just for baek-ah?
author's spoiling us before the storm huh
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