NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5
A few days passed after that.
I worked every single day without fail, and I managed to save up 70 coins.
The only thought I had was one.
“I can’t keep living like this.”
This definitely won’t do.
As I thought while munching on rice last time, I can never secure a future in this Martial Arts World just by doing manual labor. I’ve been working from morning to night for a whole week and I’ve only earned 70 coins? That’s barely enough for a single day!
This is survival at stake.
At this rate, I’m bound to collapse eventually.
But wait, does everyone live like this? Surely not. At least those who grew up in this place must have families or some kind of support.
But not me.
I just dropped in here with nothing.
So what should I do to secure my future?
“I need to find a job with better pay.”
But can a foreigner with no connections really land a high-paying job? Isn’t this manual labor the best I can manage?
But then again, I, Kim Geunhyeop, am a well-educated modern individual, so perhaps I can leverage my skills. I graduated high school, so I might be quicker with calculations and handling office tasks than most people who don’t even know what school is.
Of course, it’s not like I could find such a job here.
After observing the atmosphere for a week, it seemed like a clear sign that to get into an office job, you need a clear identity. In other words, you need connections, and I’ve got none of that.
So what should I do?
What can I do to survive?
“…”
With a heavy heart, I headed to the Dahoebang. It offers various job leads. I had been too busy with work at the Dagumjeonjeong to look for anything else until now, but it’s high time I did.
This is my only hope.
—Murmurs—
Many people had gathered inside the Dahoebang.
Today, instead of standing in line like usual, I moved towards the bulletin board over there.
I can read characters, after all.
“Hmm… Nothing that catches my eye.”
“Are you in a position to be picky about jobs?”
“Well, yeah.”
I slipped in among the workers to check the bulletin board. Various job requests were pinned there. It looked like all I had to do was pick a job and go apply.
Let’s see.
[Looking for workers at Jangwon: Salary is 90 coins]
Are these bastards really posting a job for only 90 coins?
What a bunch of jerks.
Who would work for 90 coins?
Pass on that.
[Recruiting Guard at Gwangwoon Transport Agency: Salary Negotiation]
Guard!
A job commonly seen in martial arts stories!
There’s something called “Transport,” which means delivering goods to different regions. It’s coordinated by a special armed delivery company, and of course, with this world, it makes sense they need plenty of manpower.
There are guards to protect the transport from bandits and robbers, and there are also guards who help with loading and unloading goods while walking alongside cart drivers.
Naturally, the guard position is the lowest level. Anyone with stamina can carry goods and move them around.
“Guard, huh.”
Should I give this a try?
But…
Transporting goods sounds dangerous.
Just from reading martial arts novels, there are always tales of bandits and robbers showing up.
If I ran into any of them, I could really end up dead.
“…”
Death.
To survive in this world, you have to take risks. But here I am, just one week in the Martial Arts World, and coming from a place where violence is rare… Honestly, stepping into such a life seems daunting.
Am I being a coward just because I’m afraid?
No, I can’t give up just yet! I’ll think of a way out of this!
Looking for another job, I thought.
“Huh?”
Right at that moment, something unusual caught my eye.
[Request to eradicate Soseongui at Daeil Farm: Reward 200 coins]
What is this?!
They’re offering 200 coins?!
“How can…!”
I was flabbergasted by the absurd amount. That’s insane! I could earn this much in two whole days of hard labor.
If only I could take this job, I’d want to!
But what on earth is Soseongui?
Is a wild animal invading the farm? I guess if it were something like a wild boar, I’d have to hunt it down for money. Anyway, it seems this Soseongui is some kind of creature in this Central Martial Arts World. If it’s referred to in Chinese characters, I might not know exactly what it is.
I should ask about it.
“Excuse me, could I ask you something?”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“It says here that a Soseongui has appeared; what exactly is a Soseongui?”
“What…? You don’t know what Soseongui is?”
The man tilted his head, looking extremely puzzled.
“I’m from a faraway land, you see.”
“Oh, so they call it something different where you’re from? That’s it. It’s that little demon. Quick, yeah, it’s got a blue color, and it has a skull for a head.”
“Excuse me?”
What did he just say?
“What did you say? A demon?”
What kind of nonsense is this?
“Why a demon?”
The man looked at me as if the word demon was the most common thing in the world. What’s going on? Does that mean there really are demons around?
Really?
Demons exist in this world…?
“I!!!”
I grabbed my head.
“This isn’t a martial arts world!!!”
What kind of martial arts world has demons in it!?
“Ugh! Why are you being so loud?!”
“Are you crazy?!”
“Shut up!”
I said sorry!
Quickly covering my mouth.
But wait, if there are demons, why isn’t anyone freaking out? Even modern Earthlings would faint if they encountered a demon! This is beyond comprehension.
“…”
No, wait.
Let me think.
Is it possible that demons truly exist? I have read martial arts novels, but I have never seen one featuring a demon. Ah, occasionally there were ghostly beings or monsters resembling human heads, but those are more like special entities… They’re few and far between. But this Soseongui seems to be depicted as if it’s a common occurrence.
Could it be that they lump any harmful creatures together and just call them “demons”?
If that’s the case, it makes sense.
“No.”
This isn’t the world I knew.
It might actually be a martial arts world where demons exist. To uncover such valuable information in just a week… it really makes me appreciate how well I’ve been on my own.
“Excuse me, could you please tell me more about this Soseongui demon?”
“Huh?”
“I’m curious.”
“It’s not like I’ve never seen demons before…”
It’s clear that demons appear quite regularly around here.
“So, a blue-furred creature with a skull head?”
“Yeah. It’s a bit bigger than a cat, but its fur is blue. The head? It looks like a rat skull. It has a long tail and is quick, like a monkey. Oh, and its eyes burn with blue flames. Did that help?”
Based on the description, I tried to visualize it in my mind.
A blue-furred monkey. Bigger than a cat, but the head looks like a rodent’s skull. And its eyes burn with blue flames?
That’s definitely not a normal creature.
Even if it were born a psychopath, it wouldn’t act like that.
This really seems like a demon.
“Thank you, fellow hero!”
“Fellow hero, now?”
The man scratched the back of his head, looking awkward.
With that, I said my goodbyes and left the bulletin board.
“So, Soseongui, huh.”
If I’m understanding this right, if I deal with these creatures, I’ll earn 200 coins, right?
Honestly, I was scared of the guard job earlier, but from what I heard, this Soseongui, although a demon, seems to be quite weak. They say its size is comparable to a cat, which means I should be fine.
Should I give it a go?
I’ve thought it over, and if I want to change my fortunes in this Martial Arts World, I need to do something other than labor. But a demon hunting job paying 200 coins means I can save up too and buy some essentials or clothes.
Besides, the target is only a demon the size of a cat.
The way they talk about it here makes it seem not too strong.
Alright then.
It’s time to take a risk.
I’ll give it a shot. I’ve got 70 coins saved up, which means I can afford to take a day off; it’s worth experiencing.
If I don’t take risks, I’ll be stuck doing manual labor for the rest of my life!
And I’m Kim Geunhyeop, a man who isn’t afraid to try new experiences!
“I want to learn about the Soseongui extermination!”
“Oh, are you thinking of taking that job?”
“Yes. By the way, is there a penalty if I fail?”
“Nope, there’s no penalty. You just don’t get paid for that day.”
No penalty.
So, worst case scenario, I can just run away. Considering I’ve never so much as killed a dog before, I should definitely have an escape route lined up.
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“Then I’ll take it. Please tell me what I need to be careful about.”
“Understood… but do you have any weapons?”
I don’t.
“I’ve practiced a bit of Fist and Kick Technique.”
I’m a Taekwondo 3rd Degree black belt.
From the perspective of the Martial Arts World, I’ve mastered a level of Taekwondo up to the third rank. That means I’m a rookie without the beginner look anymore.
“Huh? You were a martial artist? Exterminating Soseongui is sort of beneath someone in your position, though?”
He seems to think it’s a lowly job for someone with martial skills? But if someone offered me 200 coins, I think I’d still take it.
Let’s analyze this.
It doesn’t seem like it’s a very dangerous job, but if martial artists avoid it, maybe it’s more of a pain in the neck.
“That’s not it. It’s just for my health, you know.”
“I see. Well, if you’ve trained in Fist and Kick Technique, it shouldn’t be too difficult. Just beware, they’re quite quick. They show up at night, too, so you’ll be tired.”
“Ah, I see. I work at night.”
“Soseongui appears at night.”
That clears things up.
If I can handle them, it means they should be catchable with just my bare hands. And if they’re quick, it sounds like I’ll need to be alert at night to catch them, which probably explains why this job isn’t popular.
“Alright, take this badge. With it, head to Daeil Farm around Yushi (the hour of the rooster).”
“Understood.”
I pocketed the badge.
Yushi is roughly around quitting time. It’s when the sun sets and starts getting dark. So my job begins then.
“…”
It’s a nighttime job.
Since it’s morning, I have plenty of time left.
I thought about working at the Dagumjeonjeong, but I decided not to. I’ll need my energy since I’m going hunting for a demon.
If I exhaust myself, I could end up losing to that Soseongui and that’d be embarrassing.
“Alright.”
Now, I should learn more about this demon.
Oh, and I should buy a decent weapon too.
A Strike Staff.
It’s a stick used by beggars to smack dogs, but it should be good enough. I’ve seen people carry those around quite a lot.
I headed out of Dahoebang towards the shopping district. After looking around briefly, lo and behold, a suitable staff caught my eye.
“Excuse me, how much for this Strike Staff?”
“Just 40 coins.”
“What? Why on earth is a Strike Staff 40 coins? Give me a break. I think 20 coins is a fair price.”
“Are you serious? You must be kidding me. Fine, I’ll sell it for 30 coins.”
I saved 10 coins!
“Okay.”
“What?”
“Thanks for the quick transaction.”
I immediately handed over 30 coins and purchased the Strike Staff.
—Thud!
“Wow!”
It felt great in my hands. Kids and adults alike love weapons like this. It’s just the perfect club.
Perfect.
From today on, I’ll call you “The Real Implementation Club”.
“Ha ha ha!”
Soseongui, you’re toast!
“I’ll make you regret this!”