episode_0019

Flying through the air, the arrows struck with precision, toppling the Japanese pirates on the deck without fail.

However, the attacks were not concentrated in one place.

With around 40 Japanese ships, they moved from side to side, evenly shooting at each ship.

The reason for this was that if one ship was attacked and its crew fell, the others would be on guard.

Human nature dictated that even if the Japanese ships were close together, crews on different vessels would be less vigilant if they weren’t directly under attack.

But as the number of casualties increased, eventually, all the Japanese ships became wary.

Upon being unexpectedly bombarded by arrows, most ships either stopped or slowed their approach.

Some sailors still looked bewildered, unaware of what had hit them.

While some took cover to assess the situation, the relentless barrage forced even the hidden ones to rise, muster courage, and steer their ships towards the shore.

Each Japanese ship could carry around 15 to 20 people.

So, considering the numbers now converging…

600 to 800 individuals.

It wasn’t until more than one arrow was shot per ship that the enemies were spotted on the shore.

“Enemies at the harbor!”

“There’s only one archer!”

“Is that guy for real? Where are these arrows coming from?”

“You fool. Don’t you know about Korean bows?”

“Even so…”

“The arrows are too fast! Once you see them, it’s over.”

“Ugh. Can’t block them no matter how hard I try!”

At that moment, a high-ranking Japanese figure erupted in anger, shouting,

“Fear not! There’s only one archer! Quickly, steer the ships to the harbor! Archers, aim back at them!”

The commanding figure drew his sword, shaking it as he yelled.

However, there were no Japanese archers following his orders.

Their bows had a range of about 30 meters.

The Japanese ships were still far away; it would take quite some time before they reached the shore.

Until then, we could breathe easy.

It was high tide, and despite the 40 or so Japanese ships rowing with full force towards us, there was no fear.

Firstly, our fishing boats and warships anchored at the harbor limited the space for enemies to disembark onto land.

Perhaps, in their haste, some might abandon their ships and swim towards us.

But such actions were within my expectations.

These Japanese were fishermen from the Daemado Island who, faced with a severe famine, had resorted to piracy.

Daemado Island, close to Joseon, was detached from the mainland.

For instance, during the era of the Southern and Northern Dynasties about 30 years ago in Japan when there were not one but two emperors.

Daemado Island paid little attention to the conflicts of the mainland like the Southern Islands did not care about Daemado, and vice versa.

Daemado solely focused on pillaging through piracy, expanding their reach not only to Joseon but even further to Ming territories.

They targeted the weaknesses of Joseon and Ming exclusively.

Although the Japanese arrived with many ships and people, it was true that very few among them were skilled in combat.

There were hardly any properly armed individuals.

Most of them covered vital areas like sumo wrestlers, wearing only a cloth around their bodies and a long spear in hand, draped in a single cloth garment.

At that moment, the three largest figures among the enemy ships stood at the forefront as they neared the harbor.

Previously, they had been shooting arrows from multiple ships, but now they aimed their bows only at the leading three vessels.

As a result, the Japanese sailors on those three approaching ships fell in succession to the arrows, slowing their advance until they eventually came to a halt.

Meanwhile, some had managed to steer their ships to the shore, while others swimming from the sea rapidly increased in numbers, surpassing dozens and reaching hundreds.

“It’s time to move slowly.”

Prepared with only a few arrows left, I swiftly exhausted them before dashing towards the next outpost.

“Run!”

“Capture him! Catch that bastard!”

“Don’t let him get away!”

The voices of the pursuers behind me rang out clearly.

Having spent over a year without an official position, I diligently learned Japanese.

Though I never measured, the Japanese spoken by the pursuers behind me was clear enough to suggest I could score quite well if tested, given how distinctly it resonated in my ears.

Thud, thud.

While my shoulders and arms ached from firing nearly two hundred arrows, my legs remained strong.

If we consider 100 meters, wouldn’t it be in the range of ten seconds?

The fastest pursuer behind me might take around twenty seconds?

Why are they so slow?

Running with a long spear in hand and clad in crude straw sandals naturally slowed them down.

Some even ran barefoot, but the long and heavy spears hindered their speed.

Upon reaching the second outpost, I quickly loaded the quiver and shot at the approaching pursuers.

“Argh!”

An arrow pierced his forehead, ending his life instantly.

The rapid succession of shots continued.

Whizz, whizz, thunk…

As they fell one by one, some halted, seeking cover behind rocks or in nearby houses.

Although I caught my breath, there was no room for complacency.

Not only had the number of pursuing enemies increased, but they were closing in from multiple directions, encircling me rather than coming from a single path.

After shooting dozens of arrows at the second outpost, I moved on to the third, then the fourth, and the fifth.

I meticulously followed the route of outposts and the enemies trailed behind me.

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From the initial attack until half an hour passed, the coast was teeming with invaders.

About a third of them were determined to catch me, while the rest either set our ships ablaze in excitement or spread out to raid the coastal villages.

By now, at least a hundred to a hundred and fifty invaders had fallen to my arrows.

Not everyone dies from an arrow wound, so the actual count might be lower, but it could easily exceed two hundred.

Honestly, who has the time to count and fight each one individually?

Arriving at the fifth outpost, I shot several arrows before swiftly moving and climbing onto the roof of a nearby house.

With no more outposts to reach and completely surrounded by enemies, the rooftops became my refuge.

Dropping the bow here… and picking up a rock instead of an arrow.

Given the proximity to the enemies, throwing rocks seemed faster than shooting arrows.

Where did the rocks come from?

Naturally, they were prepared in advance.

It was quite a hassle to spend the night placing rocks on the roofs of others’ houses.

It was even more challenging than sneaking into a house to steal gold.

Meanwhile, chaos had erupted in the nearby villages due to the invading forces.

After hurling the rock downwards with force, a loud cracking sound echoed as skulls shattered.

Not to mention the splattering blood!

The scene was so shocking that the approaching enemies flinched, their faces pale with horror, frozen in place.

Those hit in the head naturally suffered skull fractures, blood gushing as they met their demise.

Within minutes, after tossing numerous rocks, I used a long rope connecting the rooftops to move to another house.

The rope had been installed overnight.

Swiftly moving along the rope, it almost resembled a tightrope walker’s acrobatics.

Since my days in Hanyang, I had devised plans to annihilate the invaders, one of which involved traversing village rooftops.

I practiced tightrope walking by hanging a long rope between two trees.

With exceptional athletic ability, Lee Jing-ok demonstrated outstanding skills in tightrope walking.

Crossing over to another village on the long tightrope, I once again picked up a stone.

The fallen Japanese pirates continued as I attacked moving across the rooftops like a flying squirrel, leaving the pirates bewildered.

Some shot arrows, some wielded swords or daggers.

My body bore dozens of wounds, turning me into a porcupine with arrows and knives sticking out everywhere.

Yet, thanks to my remarkable agility, thick armor, and leather protection, none of the wounds were fatal, even though blood flowed and flesh was exposed.

Some retaliated by setting fire to houses, but I only stayed in each for a few minutes.

Running through dozens of houses, the attacks continued, and the number of Japanese pirates killed (?) with stones exceeded dozens.

Finally, I reached the last house connected by the rope.

On the roof of this house, besides the stones, there was a sword that I used.

“Phew, Geobok, Bokjong. When will you come? It’s time for you to arrive now.”

Nearly half an hour had passed, almost approaching an hour.

Despite the chaos caused by the Japanese pirates, no government troops had shown up yet.