Emotionless Swordsmanship Genius

Chapter 15: Bandits (2)

The tribespeople stared in shock at Karon, who was pointing his sword at Kungga.

Their eyes were filled with awe. In that moment, Karon appeared less like a human and more like a young demon.

He had killed ten bandits on horseback without hesitation, despite having no real weapons.

Although he was too far away for a detailed view, wherever he had passed, bandits had fallen.

One by one, he had eliminated them, and now he had come face to face with the notorious Kungga in a single blow.

However, the tribespeople could not rejoice.

“Karon! Wait a moment!”

Just as Karon was about to kill Kungga, the chief urgently intervened.

Stopping his sword and looking at the chief with a puzzled expression, the chief replied, his face troubled.

“If you kill him, it will only complicate matters.”

Hah, hah! “Yes! Listen to the chief, boy! If I die, this tribe will….”

As the chief tried to stop him, Kungga, filled with arrogance, shouted at Karon with a cunning smile, but Karon, with an impassive expression, struck the nape of Kungga’s neck with the back of his sword.

Thud!

Gack!

Kungga collapsed forward and fainted.

Karon retrieved his sword and nonchalantly scanned the tribespeople. They still trembled, glancing back and forth between Karon and Kungga.

Karon then turned his gaze back to the chief, expecting an explanation.

The chief stared blankly at the unconscious Kungga, seemingly surprised to see someone handle him like that for the first time in his life.

Noticing Karon’s gaze, the chief snapped back to reality and began to explain.

“Kungga is of the same bloodline as the Desert King. If the Desert King learns that we attacked him, not only our tribe but all the tribes in this area will be exterminated.”

“The Desert King?”

Karon tilted his head in confusion as the chief let out a short sigh before continuing.

“About ten years ago, he unified all the bandit groups in the desert, bringing them to their knees and becoming the Desert King. His influence stretches across the entire Taber Desert. He reigns like a king in the Taber Desert, the only place untouched by the shadow of the Rob Empire.”

Now Karon understood why the tribespeople were still afraid.

They were terrified of future retribution. Even if they were raided, the tribe’s lineage would survive. But this time, the tribe was facing complete annihilation.

“Don’t worry too much. It’s time for us to leave anyway. The oasis is almost dried up. We need to find another oasis and move on. If we leave that guy alive, he might not come after us….”

The chief looked toward the oasis, speaking with a bitter expression.

Would they leave the tribespeople alone?

Absolutely not. They would undoubtedly seek them out relentlessly, and when they did, Gaber would either die or become an orphan, just like Karon.

Karon’s gaze naturally fell upon Gaber, who was still clinging tightly to his mother. They both looked at him with eyes full of fear.

What have I done?

Karon closed his eyes for a moment.

“I shouldn’t have done something so foolish….”

The chief immediately waved his hands in denial.

“No, no. If it weren’t for you, we would have lost not just food but the tribespeople as well. And Gaber would have lost his mother. We owe you our gratitude.”

“…….”

“Don’t think too much about it. We were planning to move anyway. So you should leave this place with peace of mind, Karon. It was bound to happen eventually. I no longer want to lead the tribe by sacrificing its members.”

The chief glanced around at the tribespeople. For a long time, they had been sacrificing food and tribe members to the bandits, barely managing to survive.

He no longer wanted to live with the burden of guilt.

Now that Karon had taken action, the chief’s resolve had only strengthened.

At that moment, Karon looked at the unconscious Kungga and asked the chief, “I want to know more about the Desert King.”

“Just wait a moment.”

The chief ordered the tribespeople, who had been motionless until now, to get ready to move.

Finally, the tribespeople began to look away from Karon and returned to their huts.

The chief turned back to Karon and began to speak.

“The Desert King, Useta. He’s a true iron-blooded man. He prefers to see blood rather than words, which is how he earned his nickname. His strength is like that of a wild beast, and he has a vicious temperament. Recently, there have been rumors that the Desert King absorbed the Devil’s Orb. That’s how he conquered the desert and became a king.”

At that moment, Karon’s eyes widened in interest.

The Devil’s Orb.

This was only the second time he had heard about it from someone else.

The first was from the blue-haired man, the enemy of his parents.

The Devil’s… Orb.

As Karon showed interest, the chief wore an expression of surprise. It was the first time he had seen Karon take an interest in something.

“Is this the first time you’ve heard of it? Well, it’s so rare that few people know about it. I saw it only once when I was young. The Devil’s Orb comes in various colors, and depending on the color, the abilities differ widely.”

Karon focused on the information about the Devil’s Orb.

“There are orbs that maximize strength, make the body invisible, or even set the body on fire… Lately, rumors about the Devil’s Orb have been increasing. It’s as if something that had been buried deep underwater has surfaced.”

Seeing Karon’s impassive expression, the chief awkwardly chuckled.

“Haha, I’ve rambled on about strange things for no reason. You should hurry and prepare, Karon. It would be best to rush before sunset. We need to leave early tomorrow morning.”

The chief waved his hand, speaking to Karon, then pointed at the still unconscious Kungga, ordering some tribesmen to tie him to a palm tree.

“Wait.”

At that moment, Karon called out from behind the chief.

“What is it, Karon?”

When the chief turned to ask, Karon hesitated for a moment, shaking his head, and then headed toward the hut where he had been staying.

The tribespeople still glanced at him sideways, but no one approached.

That night.

While everyone was busy packing and exhausted, Karon, fully dressed and ready to go, led the horse carrying their supplies to the front of the palm tree.

Strangely enough, he was pulling two horses.

Thud, thud.

“Wake up.”

As Karon lightly kicked Kungga, he grimaced and woke up, realizing he was being looked down upon by Karon, which made him flinch.

In Karon’s hand was a sword.

“What’s going on? What do you want? Are you planning to kill me…?”

Swish!

With a subtle gesture, the rope binding Kungga to the palm tree unraveled. The ropes around his hands, however, remained intact.

As Kungga looked at Karon in confusion, Karon led a horse forward and said, “Guide me to your hideout.”

At Karon’s words, Kungga’s pupils widened.

Is he going to take me somewhere to kill me? Or does he really mean for me to guide him?

Could he really be thinking of taking on the bandit group by himself? Who was he to pull off such a stunt? Did he have some kind of backup?

A flood of thoughts raced through his mind, but no conclusion formed.

This question would resolve itself once they arrived at the hideout.

He hopped onto the horse with agility, despite his hands being bound.

“Don’t regret this, rookie.”

He glanced at Karon and quickly urged the horse forward, with Karon following behind like a shadow.

At that moment, the chief emerged from the hut, watching Karon depart with a worried expression.

What on earth is he thinking… Karon?

***

Two days later.

Karon and Kungga galloped across the desert at a swift pace.

The increasing presence of gravel desert terrain indicated they had traveled significantly north.

Kungga’s previously bound hands were now free to move, for increased mobility.

Karon had unbound him without hesitation, knowing that even if Kungga tried to escape or attack, he was still firmly within Karon’s grasp. As they moved farther from the tribe’s village, Karon had felt no need to keep him restrained.

By the afternoon, distant mountains began to appear.

We’re almost there! As soon as we arrive, I’ll cut him to pieces. That rookie!

Kungga glanced back at Karon, who was closely following him, and steeled himself. He tightened his grip on the reins.

For two days, he had tried to escape from Karon several times, but each time, Karon had appeared like a ghost right in front of him, beating him with the wooden sword.

Kungga had experienced Karon’s impressive perceptiveness even during the nights when he slept soundly.

If he could get Karon to the hideout, he would undoubtedly receive some punishment, but the situation would change drastically.

When the time came, he was determined to beat Karon senselessly with a wooden sword until he died.

Huh?

Just as Kungga was imagining his hopeful revenge, he suddenly slowed down.

They were just a hill away from their destination. Something was half-buried in the sand, and its appearance looked familiar.

Feeling uneasy, Karon took the lead. As they got closer, he saw a bandit lying dead, buried in the sand.

From the looks of it, the body hadn’t been there long.

“What the….”

As Kungga approached to look at the corpse, a wave of anxiety washed over him.

Then he caught the scent of blood in the air.

“Yah!”

Kungga quickly urged his horse up the hill. But when he reached the top, he froze in place.

A multitude of corpses lay scattered across the gravel desert leading to the rocky mountains. The golden sand was stained red.

“No way!”

Kungga began to race toward the mountains, while Karon followed closely, scanning the bodies around him.

From appearances, all the bodies were bandits. Signs of battle were evident, yet there were no enemy corpses to be found.

This could either mean a significant gap in skill or that their comrades had collected the bodies. Either scenario was unsettling.

If there had been a considerable skill gap, it could pose a threat to Karon, and if the bodies had been collected, it suggested a thorough enemy who left no evidence behind.

Arriving at the rocky mountains, Karon followed Kungga’s lead into a large, open cave.

This cave was spacious and deep, providing shelter from heat, wind, and rain—ideal for settling down.

Simultaneously, he pulled out a bit of black herb from his pocket and tossed it into his mouth, chewing while stretching his senses to their maximum.

He needed to be prepared for the possibility of unknown enemies still being present.

But he didn’t feel a single presence anywhere, except for one.

Inside the cave, the smell of blood was overpowering. There were far more corpses than those found in the desert.

Blood pooled in various places, and flies buzzed around.

Among them were the three bandits who had fled from the tribe just days before.

Karon recognized them, having seen them just once.

This meant that this massacre had taken place in the last day or two.

Sure enough, there were no enemy bodies to be found.

At the end of the cave, Kungga was grasping a corpse and weeping bitterly.

“Useta!!”

Kungga’s wail echoed through the cave.

In his arms lay a large man, whose imposing presence was apparent even in death.

A long knife wound was clearly visible on his chest.

If he had been alive, he would have exuded an overwhelming aura, but now he was merely a cold corpse.

Is this the Desert King?

Karon’s indifferent tone seemed to irritate Kungga, who shouted angrily.

“Yes! This is the great Desert King, Useta!!”

“With this, we can conclude that the bandit group has been wiped out.”

As Karon surveyed the surroundings, he muttered in satisfaction.

“What? What do you mean…”

As Kungga frowned and turned his head.

Slash!

Kungga’s head rolled to the ground as he wept over the corpse.

Blood gushed from the still body he clung to.