How to Live as a Mage in the Murim World

Chapter 7 – Episode 2: First Battle (1)

“What? Wha-what are you suddenly talking about?”

It’s normal for Im Chung to be confused by his abrupt words.

Zhuge Hyeonmong’s words were beyond abrupt—they made no sense even.

Of course, Zhuge Hyeonmong knew his statement came out of the blue.

“Didn’t you find it odd?”

To others, it was Zhuge Hyeonmong who seemed odd.

His claim came out of nowhere. Even Zhuge Hyeonmong himself would have scoffed if it weren’t for the information conveyed by his Formation through his mana.

That’s why he decided to be even more bold. As if looking down at the others for not noticing the obvious.

“The road is unusually damaged today. Yes, it rained yesterday, but it’s nonsensical for the mountain path to be this damaged by that amount of rain to this extent.”

“…!”

“Moreover, the soil in this area is firm. A log of that size wouldn’t fall just because of a little rain. This is clearly the work of human hands. They’re either trying to slow our progress or guide us to a different path.”

‘Surprisingly, my speech went well.’

Though he hadn’t prepared what to say, once he started speaking, convincing words came naturally.

And it worked.

Im Chung’s expression grew hardened, indicating he was taking Zhuge Hyeonmong’s words seriously.

“What nonsense are you spouting! A timid scholar like you wouldn’t know, but these things happen all the time during escort missions. Stop talking rubbish and help us clear this!”

Im Jun-gyu barked.

He wasn’t entirely wrong.

Escort missions typically encountered various problems—wheels getting stuck in mud and fallen trees blocking paths were common issues.

Though his words were harsh, Im Chung agreed with his son’s opinion. Being too sensitive to every little thing would make it impossible to properly conduct escort missions.

Then, Im Chung looked into Zhuge Hyeonmong’s eyes.

They were too calm and cold to belong to someone speaking out of fear.

Zhuge Hyeonmong spoke.

“The two bandit groups.”

“…”

“Word about two bandit groups has already spread. There are even detailed rumors saying they were originally one group. Such notoriety would attract the attention of the authorities. And the bandits would be well aware of that .”

“And since they’ve joined forces again, they’d want to pull off one last big heist.”

“Father!”

When Im Chung nodded, Im Jun-gyu shouted in disbelief.

Im Chung waved his hand, silencing his son’s objection and asked.

“Zhuge Hyeonmong. Your words hold merit. But do you have any evidence that might convince others?”

At this moment, Zhuge Hyeonmong was once again grateful for having the surname Zhuge.

Zhuge Hyeonmong spoke as if he knew and anticipated everything.

Just like Zhuge Liang from the old tales.

“If my prediction is correct, there should be trackers monitoring us from behind. Send someone swift and stealthy to confirm. If I’m wrong, I’ll take responsibility for delaying the escort mission.”

“What, you’ll cut out your tongue?”

“Silence!”

Im Chung’s thunderous roar silenced Im Jun-gyu, who merely pouted in response.

Zhuge Hyeonmong nodded.

“If that’s what it takes to make you believe.”

“What…?”

Im Jun-gyu was startled by Zhuge Hyeonmong’s declaration.

Of course, he’d never actually intended to cut out the man’s tongue—it had only been a taunt. He hadn’t expected Zhuge to accept it so readily.

‘Excellent.’

A faint smile curled Zhuge Hyeonmong’s lips.

The existence of the pursuers was a fact and thanks to Im Jun-gyu’s words, the atmosphere had completely shifted in Zhuge Hyeonmong’s favor.

Not just Im Chung, but the others began taking his words seriously.

“Regardless, if what you say is true, what do you propose we do     ?”

“We’ll have to fight the bandits.”

About an hour later, the scout who had been sent for reconnaissance returned.

“It’s true! Just as Young Master Zhuge said, two bandits on horseback were following us! I overheard them talking—they plan to attack at midnight!”

Every pair of eyes in the room snapped toward one person.

At the center of their gazes stood Zhuge Hyeonmong, still wearing a relaxed expression.

“Then let us prepare.”

“Prepare for what?”

“To crush the bandits, of course.”

* * *

“How are they reacting?”

“They still haven’t noticed. They’re setting up camp now that their path is blocked.”

The bandit leader, Gyo Jin, nodded.

‘We’re in luck.’

He had been contemplating leaving the area, not due to pressure from the authorities, but from a different concern.

‘That madman might have caught wind of us.’

First-rate martial artists tend to trust their instincts.

And his instincts warned him, that staying longer might be dangerous.

Yet he couldn’t leave empty-handed.

When they split the bandits into two groups to operate separately, their plunder had been substantial. Now that they had reunited and their overall strength increased, their expanded forces demanded bigger targets than petty robberies.

In that sense, the escort convoy was a suitable prey.

‘This should be quite satisfying.’

Slaughtering helpless villagers had its charms, but nothing compared to clashing with worthy opponents.

But ultimately, it’s best to face opponents you know you can defeat.

Of course, the convoy’s resistance wouldn’t be negligible, but they would win in the end.

After all, both brothers, Gyo Jin and Gyo Eom, were both First-Rate martial artists.

“Jin.”

“Brother Eom.”

“The targets?”

“They’re preparing to camp. They’re maintaining basic sentries, but they’ve no idea we’re tracking them.”

“The bows?”

“The forest and their barricaded wagons make clean shots difficult.”

Gyo Eom clicked his tongue in irritation.

Unlike his hot-blooded younger brother, Gyo Eom was cautious by nature. He had hoped to weaken the convoy’s morale with arrows first, so this was disappointing.

But Gyo Eom shook his head.

Their numbers were sufficient for a successful raid anyway.

“Then we’ll proceed as planned. Gyo Jin, you strike first, and I’ll support from behind. Be careful.”

“No need to worry, Brother. I’ve got this.”

Gyo Jin grinned, patting the massive axe strapped to his back.

Gyo Eom felt both pleased and troubled seeing it.

While the great axe was certainly an excellent weapon, it had also entangled their brotherhood in grudges.

‘Once this is over, we head west.’

Nodding to himself Gyo Eom led his men towards the ambush point.

***

Some time later, Gyo Jin looked up at the sky.

The moon was hidden behind clouds as it approached the Hour of the Rat. Gyo Jin woke his subordinates from their short nap and slowly led them toward the Great Dragon Escort Agency.

‘I’ll slaughter them all.’

Gyo Jin licked his lips.

He could almost smell the scent of blood.

But soon, unease prickled his spine, Gyo Jin sensed something was wrong.

‘Still not there?’

They had been traveling for a while, yet the escort agency’s camp remained elusive.

Not only that, but at some point, the agency members had disappeared from view. It’s as if everything had been shrouded in fog.

A shiver ran down through Gyo Jin’s body.

“…!”

The moment he drew his great axe and took a defensive stance, a sword manifested out of nowhere and struck his weapon with a resounding sound.

“Who the hell are you…!”

“You don’t need to know, kid.”

Im Chung spat out those words, pushed Gyo Jin back with force, and disappeared into the forest.

He vanished in the blink of an eye, despite the seemingly short distance.

“Damn it. Everyone, get toge…….”

Gyo Jin suddenly lost his words.

While he, as a First-rate martial artist, could react to the ambush, his men hadn’t been so lucky.

In just a moment of clash, many of his men had their limbs cut or even their torsos pierced, crumpled on the ground while writhing in agony.

“Gather!”

Gyo Jin shouted without hesitation.

In this situation where enemies lurking in the shadows while they are out in daylight, staying close together was their best option.

And the next moment.

Swoosh!

Daggers rained down from the darkness.

“There!”

Gyo Jin deflected a dagger aimed at his chest and charged towards the source, but it was empty. In the meantime, more of his men crumpled on the ground, struck by the unseen projectiles.

“Dodge, you stupid bastards! Block them if you have to!”

“E-even if you say that…”

A subordinate replied, seemingly wronged. If they could deflect daggers flying straight out of the darkness effortlessly, why would they bother working as bandits?

“Damn it!”

Gyo Jin gritted his teeth and swung his great axe, cutting down the surrounding trees that blocked his view in one stroke.

Though he had swung partly out of anger, at that moment Gyo Jin eyes detected something.

A tall man with a handsome face watching him with cold eyes.

‘He is… smiling?’

And there was a smile on that face.

In that instant, Gyo Jin found that smile extremely unpleasant and a surge of rage toward that man.

“It was you! You’re the one behind this!”

Without a second thought, Gyo Jin charged forward, his axe whirling like a tempest. And in response, Zhuge Hyeonmong gracefully evaded the attack before his figure vanishing once again.

But Gyo Jin didn’t stop his charged. He kept swinging, shredding branches and shaking the earth with each strike.

Crack, crack!

As trees and branches were cut down, the surrounding space began to shake and the fog-like disorientation began to recede.

Gyo Jin could see again.

And there—Zhuge Hyeonmong’s white scholar robes fluttered as he retreated into the distance.

“There you are, you bastard! Hey, you guys! Follow me!”

“Yes, sir!”

Gyo Jin put strength into his legs.

Though he wasn’t particularly skilled in lightness techniques, he was confident he could catch up to such a weak scholar in one breath.

There was another short guy next to him too, but Gyo Jin didn’t care.

‘Once you’ve caught my eye, you’re definitely dead!’

The moment he pushed off the ground and stamp down the ground with his foot, Zhuge Hyeonmong looked back and said, “Watch your step.”

“Watch my…?”

There was nothing there.

Disregarding Zhuge Hyeonmong’s words, he stepped forward and that’s when his world spun.

Not just him.

The men following behind also tumbled and slid, piling on top of him in a chaotic heap.

“They, they really fell!”

“A-attack! Attack!”

Seeing the bandits in disarray, the people of the Great Dragon Escort Agency were emboldened and charged forward.

“I warned you. How unfortunate.”

Hearing those words, Im Jun-gyu looked at Zhuge Hyeonmong as if he were crazy.

‘What is this guy?’