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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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Several days have passed since then.
I worked every single day without fail, saving money, and managed to accumulate 70 mun coins.
The one thought I always had was this:
‘This won’t do.’
This really won’t do.
As I thought while eating the other day, I can never secure a future in this martial world just by doing manual labor.
I worked every day for a week, from morning till night, and only earned 70 mun? This is barely enough for a single day.
Even survival is uncertain.
At this rate, I’ll eventually collapse.
But, is everyone living like this? Probably not. At least those born and raised in this area would have families and some foundation.
But not me.
I just dropped here with nothing.
So what do I have to do to secure a future?
“I need to find a higher-paying job.”
But can a stranger with no connections get a high-paying job? Isn’t the manual labor I’m doing now the best I can hope for?
Still, I, Kim Geun-hyeop, am a somewhat educated modern man, so I might be able to utilize my aptitudes.
Compared to most people here who don’t even know what a school is, I, a high school graduate, should be quicker at calculations and office work.
Of course, there’s no way I can get a job here that utilizes those skills.
I’ve been observing the general atmosphere for a week, and it seems like to do office work, you need a clear social standing. In other words, you need connections, which I don’t have.
So what should I do?
What should I do to survive?
“…”
With a heavy heart, I went to the Dahwebang.
They arrange various jobs.
I was busy until today and had to work at the Dageumjeonjang, so I didn’t look for other jobs, but now I have to.
This is my only hope.
Murmur, murmur.
Many people were gathered inside the Dahwebang.
Today, instead of standing in the usual line, I headed towards the notice board.
I can read.
“Hmm… There are no appealing jobs.”
“Are you in a position to be picky about jobs?”
“Well, that’s true.”
I slipped between the laborers and checked the notice board.
Various request forms were posted. It seems you choose a job here and then apply for it.
Let’s see.
[Jiwon Manor Seeking Laborers: Daily Wage 90 Mun Coins]
These bastards are offering only 90 mun a day for manor work?
Damn them.
What am I supposed to do with 90 mun?
Pass.
[Gwangun Escort Agency Recruiting Guards: Wage Negotiable]
Guards!
A common job in the martial world!
There was something called pyohaeng, which means delivering goods to other regions.
It’s managed by specialized armed delivery companies called pyoguk, and in a world like this, they naturally need a lot of manpower.
There are pyosa, armed escorts, who protect the goods (pyomul) from bandits and robbers; coachmen to drive the carriages; and guards (jaengjasu) who carry goods that can’t fit in the carriages and do odd jobs like loading and unloading.
Naturally, guards are the lowest level. Anyone with physical strength can carry luggage.
“A guard, huh.”
Should I try something like this?
But.
Pyohaeng is dangerous.
Just look at martial arts novels, bandits and robbers are always appearing.
If I encounter them, I could really die.
“…”
Death.
To survive here, I need to take risks. But for me, only a week into the martial world, having grown up in the modern world where violence is rare, to actually risk my life for work…
Honestly, I’m very reluctant.
I’ve gotten soft!
I feel like a coward. This won’t do. Let’s give up for now. If I earn enough to buy a weapon, I’ll consider applying as a guard, but not yet.
If I encounter bandits during a pyohaeng and try to fight with Taekwondo, I’ll just get my limbs chopped off and slaughtered.
Actually, being slaughtered is the best-case scenario; there’s a high chance of a Kim Geun-hyeop meat feast.
I hear the Ming people enjoy cannibalism.
I need at least a knife to have a fighting chance against bandits.
So, pass on the guard job.
Anything else?
“Huh?”
Just then, a strange notice caught my eye.
[Soseonggwi Sighting at Daeil Farm, Extermination Requested: Reward 200 Mun Coins]
What is this?!
A reward of 200 mun coins?!
“What the…!”
My jaw dropped at the outrageous amount.
An insane sum of money.
No, it’s huge…
Well, it’s both. 200 mun coins is what I earn in two days of back-breaking labor.
If I can do this kind of work, I want to.
But what’s a soseonggwi?
Did some kind of wild animal appear on the farm?
Well… If something like a wild boar appeared, they would have to pay someone to hunt it.
Anyway. I think that soseonggwi refers to some animal living in this Central Plains martial world.
They might use a Hanja character for the animal that I don’t know.
I should ask.
“Excuse me, may I ask something?”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“It says here that a soseonggwi has appeared, but what exactly is a soseonggwi?”
“What…? You don’t know what a soseonggwi is?”
The man tilted his head as if it was incredibly strange.
“I’m from another region.”
“Ah, does it have a different name there? It’s that. That. That small demon. Fast. Blue. Skull head. That one.”
“Huh?”
“What?”
“What did you say? Demon?”
What nonsense is this?
“Why a demon?”
The man’s expression showed no surprise at the word “demon.”
What’s this? Does this mean demons actually exist?
Really?
Are there really demons in this martial world…?
“—No!!!!”
I grabbed my head.
“This isn’t a martial world!!!”
What kind of martial world has demons!
“Aagh! Why are you being so loud!”
“Are you crazy?”
“Be quiet!”
“Sorry!”
I immediately covered my mouth.
But wouldn’t anyone be shocked to hear that demons exist?
Even modern Earthlings would freak out if they saw a demon? This is unavoidable.
“…”
No, wait.
Do demons really exist?
I’ve read a fair share of martial arts novels, but I’ve never seen one with demons.
Ah. Sometimes there are spiritual beasts or humanoid monsters, is it something like that?
But those are rare… But this soseonggwi is described as if it’s a commonly seen creature.
Could it be that they just lump together animals that harm humans and call them demons?
If that’s the case, I understand.
“No.”
This isn’t the world I knew.
This could really be a martial world with demons. To find out such valuable information just a week in… I’m glad I’ve been keeping to myself.
“Excuse me, could you tell me a bit more about this demon called soseonggwi?”
“Huh?”
“I’m curious.”
“It’s not like you’re seeing a demon for the first time…”
It seems clear that demons appear quite regularly.
“Blue fur and a skull head? Is that what you said?”
“Yes. It’s a bit bigger than a cat, with blue fur. And the head is like… Have you seen a rat skull? It looks like that. Long tail. Agile like a monkey. Oh, and blue ghost fire sometimes burns in its eyes. Is that enough?”
Based on his explanation, I pictured it in my mind.
Blue-furred, bigger than a cat, but with a head shaped like a rodent skull. And blue flames burning in its eyes?
This is no ordinary animal.
Even an animal born a psychopath couldn’t do that.
This really seems like a demon.
“Thank you, Daehyup!”
“Daehyup is a bit much…”
The man scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.
After thanking him, I left the notice board.
“Soseonggwi, huh.”
I don’t know the details, but if I exterminate these things, it’s 200 mun coins, right?
Honestly, I was terrified of the guard job, but after hearing the story, it seems like this soseonggwi, although a demon, is quite weak.
They said it’s cat-sized, so that says it all.
Is this… doable?
Should I give it a try?
As I thought before, to change my fate in this martial world, I need to do something other than manual labor. And the demon hunting pays 200 mun coins. This would allow me to save and buy necessities and clothes.
Moreover, the opponent is a cat-sized demon.
Seeing how they treat it as commonplace, it can’t be that strong.
Alright.
Let’s take the risk here.
Let’s give it a shot. I have 70 mun saved up. That’s enough to last me a day, so I’ll consider it an experience.
If I don’t take risks, I’ll just be doing manual labor for the rest of my life!
And I, Kim Geun-hyeop, am a man who isn’t afraid of new experiences!
“I’d like to know more about the soseonggwi extermination.”
“Oh, you’re thinking of taking that job?”
“Yes. By the way, is there a penalty for failure?”
“There’s no such thing. You just don’t get paid for that day.”
No penalty.
That means I can run away in the worst-case scenario.
Since I’ve never killed anything, not even a dog, let alone a demon, I need an escape route.
“Then I’ll do it. Please tell me what I need to be careful of.”
“Alright… but do you have any weapons?”
I don’t.
“I’ve trained in hand-to-hand combat.”
I’m a 3rd-degree black belt in Taekwondo.
By martial world standards, I’ve trained in the hand-to-hand combat technique called Taekwondo up to the 3-star level.
Meaning I’m past the beginner stage.
“Oh, you’re a martial artist? Soseonggwi extermination is a bit… beneath a martial artist, isn’t it?”
Is it considered a menial job for an armed martial artist? Even a martial artist would probably do it for 200 mun coins.
Let’s analyze this.
It doesn’t seem that dangerous, but if martial artists avoid it, it might be troublesome or tedious.
“It’s nothing like that. I trained for my health.”
“I see. Well, if you’ve trained in hand-to-hand combat, it shouldn’t be too difficult. But those things are quite fast. It’ll be annoying and bothersome. Oh, and they appear after nightfall, so it’ll be tiring.”
“Ah, it’s a night job.”
“Because soseonggwi appear at night.”
It’s starting to make sense.
If someone trained in hand-to-hand combat can catch it, it means it’s a demon you can catch barehanded.
And well, since they’re fast, I guess I’ll have to chase them around under the moonlight.
It’s understandable why this job isn’t popular.
“Then take this token. Go to Daeil Farm around the Hour of the Rooster with this.”
“Understood.”
I took the token and put it in my pocket.
The Hour of the Rooster is around quitting time. The time when the sun sets and it starts to get dark. The work starts then.
“…”
It’s a night job.
It’s morning, so I have a lot of time.
I thought about going to Dageumjeonjang for manual labor, but I decided against it.
I have enough money to last a day.
I need to conserve my energy for demon hunting.
It would be disastrous if I exhausted myself and lost to a soseonggwi.
“Good.”
Then, let’s learn a little about demons.
Oh, and I should buy a decent weapon.
A tagu bong.
It’s a club that beggars use to beat dogs, but that should be enough, right? I’ve seen quite a few people carrying those around.
I immediately left the Dahwebang and headed for the market street. After a quick look around, I found a suitable club.
“Shopkeeper. How much for this tagu bong?”
“Just 40 mun coins.”
“What? 40 mun for a tagu bong? Give me a discount. I think 20 mun is reasonable.”
“That’s just daylight robbery. Alright, 30 mun.”
Saved 10 mun!
“Okay.”
“What?”
“Thanks for the quick deal.”
I immediately paid 30 mun coins and bought the tagu bong.
Grip!
“—Whoa!”
It felt good in my hand. Men, young or old, like weapons. This is a perfect club.
Good.
From today on, your name is Siljang Gonbong.
“—Hehehe!”
That soseonggwi bastard is dead!
“I’ll beat you to death with this!”
