The journey to Min-jun's town was a somber one. The boy, despite his desperate plea for his parents, was quiet, his eyes haunted by the memories of the night they were taken. Sun-woo, meanwhile, wrestled with the information he had gleaned, trying to formulate a plan without the system's direct guidance.
The town, nestled in a valley shadowed by the imposing mountain range, was a picture of desolation. The once vibrant marketplace was now a ghost of its former self, the stalls empty, the air thick with fear. The few townsfolk who dared to venture out moved with hunched shoulders and averted eyes, their faces etched with worry.
"This is… bleak," Sun-woo muttered, observing the town's atmosphere.
"The Black Vipers," Min-jun whispered, his voice trembling. "They've taken everything."
Sun-woo nodded, his mind already working. He needed to gather information, to understand the true extent of the bandits' power. He couldn't afford to be reckless.
"Min-jun, we need to talk to people," he said.
"But be careful. Don't reveal anything about me. Just ask about the Black Vipers. Their strength, their numbers, their leaders. Understand?"
Min-jun nodded, his eyes filled with a grim determination. "I understand."
They started with the tavern, a dimly lit establishment that seemed to be the only place with any semblance of activity. The patrons, mostly weathered farmers and weary merchants, spoke in hushed tones, their eyes darting towards the entrance.
Sun-woo, posing as a traveling merchant seeking information, began to ask subtle questions. He learned that the Black Vipers were not just bandits; they were a well-organized force, their numbers exceeding a hundred, possibly even two. They were known for their brutality, their leader, Viper, a figure shrouded in mystery and fear.
"They say Viper is a master of the 'Serpent's Coil' technique," a grizzled old man whispered, his voice hoarse. "A technique that can… well, intimidate a man greatly."
"And their strength?" Sun-woo asked, his voice casual. "Are they just common thugs?"
The old man hesitated. "They are… stronger than most. They have… 'cultivators' within their ranks. Men who possess… 'Essence'."
"Essence?" Sun-woo asked.
"The life force," the old man explained, his voice low. "The power that allows them to surpass ordinary men. They can break thick branches with their bare hands, move quicker than you'd expect, and take a few blows that would normally knock a man down."
Sun-woo's mind raced. Cultivators. Essence. This was the key to understanding the power dynamics of this world. He needed to understand the levels of cultivation, the hierarchy of power.
He continued to ask questions, piecing together the fragmented information. He learned that the Black Vipers had several lieutenants, each possessing some cultivation. They were known as "Venom Fangs," and they were the ones who enforced Viper's rule.
After hours of questioning, Sun-woo had a rough understanding of the power levels in this world. They were known as the "Paths of Ascension," and they were divided into ten distinct stages, each further subdivided into five tiers.
* Awakening Sprout: The initial stage, where one begins to sense the flow of Essence within their body.
* Flowing Stream: Essence begins to circulate, enhancing physical abilities.
* Rising Torrent: Essence surges, granting significant strength and speed.
* Breaking Rapids: The ability to manipulate Essence externally, creating shockwaves and minor energy blasts.
* Still Pond: Essence control becomes more refined, allowing for defensive barriers and enhanced senses.
* Raging River: Essence reaches a critical mass, granting significant power and the ability to perform complex techniques.
* Deep Current: Essence manipulation reaches a high level of mastery, and the ability to fly is gained.
* Tidal Surge: Essence becomes a force of nature, granting devastating offensive capabilities.
* Oceanic Abyss: Essence reaches near limitless levels, and the understanding of true martial arts is gained.
* Celestial Zenith: The peak of cultivation, where one transcends mortal limitations.
The cultivation progress needed to pass each power level was exponentially higher.
The old man estimated that the Venom Fangs were at the Awakening Sprout stage, while Viper himself was likely at the mid Flowing Stream stage.
"Flowing Stream," Sun-woo muttered, his mind calculating the implications. That was still a significant level of power, but far less daunting than he had initially feared. He, a man with no cultivation experience, was facing an opponent who was still far more powerful than a normal man.
He needed to find a way to bridge the gap, to leverage his own strengths against Viper's raw power. He thought back to his programming days, to the countless hours he had spent optimizing code, finding vulnerabilities, and exploiting weaknesses.
"We need to find a way to bypass their strength," he said to Min-jun, his voice low. "We need to find their weaknesses."
He decided to focus on gathering information about the bandits' routines, their patrol patterns, their defenses. He needed to understand their fortress, their layout, their security measures. He needed to find a way to infiltrate their base, to rescue Min-jun's parents, without engaging in a direct confrontation.
He began to ask about the surrounding terrain, the hidden paths, the secret entrances. He learned that the bandits' fortress was located deep within the mountains, accessible only through a narrow, heavily guarded pass.
"They have lookouts stationed along the pass," a young woman whispered, her eyes filled with fear. "They see everything."
Sun-woo's mind raced. He needed to find a way to bypass the lookouts, to infiltrate the fortress undetected. He thought of stealth, of deception, of exploiting the bandits' own arrogance.
The tavern's dim light cast long shadows, mirroring the unease that settled over Sun-woo. The information he had gathered painted a clearer, yet still unsettling, picture of the Black Viper Gang. Viper, a mid-Flowing Stream cultivator, and his Venom Fang lieutenants, barely at the Awakening Sprout stage, were the overlords of this town.
They were strong, yes, but not invincible. More importantly, they were not some insurmountable force of nature, as he had initially feared.
He leaned back, the worn wooden chair creaking beneath him. Min-jun sat beside him, his gaze fixed on the flickering candlelight, his small face etched with worry. The town's fear was palpable, a heavy blanket of oppression that stifled any flicker of hope.
"So," Sun-woo began, his voice low, "Viper is Flowing Stream, and his lieutenants are Awakening Sprout. That's… manageable."
Min-jun looked up, his eyes wide.
"Manageable? They took my parents!"
"I know, Min-jun," Sun-woo said, his voice gentle. "But we need to be smart. We don't need to fight them all. We just need to rescue your parents."
A realization dawned on Sun-woo. He was a programmer, a strategist, not a warrior. He didn't need to engage in a full-scale battle. He needed to find a way to extract Min-jun's parents without bloodshed.
"We need to think like programmers," he muttered, his mind racing. "We need to find the optimal solution, the most efficient path to our objective."
Min-jun frowned, tilting his head in confusion. "Programmers? What's that, Sect Master?"
Sun-woo paused, realizing he had slipped into his old habits. He was so used to thinking in terms of code and algorithms that he had forgotten Min-jun wouldn't understand his terminology.
"It's… a way of thinking," he explained, trying to simplify his explanation. "It's about breaking down a problem into smaller parts, finding the most efficient way to solve it. Like… like finding the shortest path through a maze, or building a machine that works perfectly."
Min-jun still looked confused, but he nodded slowly, accepting Sun-woo's explanation. "Oh… okay."
Sun-woo continued, "We need to analyze the information we have gathered, looking for patterns, for vulnerabilities. The bandits' fortress is located deep within the mountains, accessible through a narrow pass. They have lookouts, patrols, and likely some form of internal security. But they are also arrogant, confident in their strength and their control."
"They're not expecting us," Sun-woo said, a spark of excitement igniting within him. "They think they're untouchable. We can use that against them."
He began to formulate a plan, a stealth operation, a surgical strike. He would use the terrain, the bandits' routines, and their own arrogance to infiltrate their fortress and extract Min-jun's parents.
"Min-jun," he said, "we need to gather more information. We need to know the exact layout of their fortress, the location of their cells, the timing of their patrols. Can you help me with that?"
Min-jun nodded, his eyes filled with a renewed sense of hope. "Yes, Sect Master. I know some of the paths through the mountains. I can show you."
They spent the next few days gathering information, exploring the surrounding terrain, and observing the bandits' movements. They discovered a hidden path that bypassed the main pass, a narrow, treacherous trail that wound its way through the mountains. They also learned the bandits' patrol patterns, the timing of their shifts, and the location of their armory and storage areas.
Sun-woo, using his analytical skills, began to map out the fortress, identifying potential entry points and escape routes. He also started to develop a plan for distracting the guards, creating diversions, and exploiting the bandits' weaknesses.
He realized that the key to their success was stealth. They couldn't afford a direct confrontation. They needed to move quickly and quietly, like a ghost in the night.
He also began to consider the psychological aspect of the operation. He knew that fear was a powerful weapon, and he decided to use it against the bandits.
He would create an illusion of overwhelming force, a phantom army that would strike fear into the hearts of the Black Vipers.
He started by having Min-jun spread rumors among the townsfolk, whispers of a powerful sect master and his army of cultivators, coming to liberate the town from the bandits' tyranny.
He also created a series of distractions, small acts of sabotage that would disrupt the bandits' routines and create a sense of unease.
These "distractions" were carefully planned and executed.
For example, he and Min-jun would sneak into the bandit's unattended stables at night and loosen the saddles of the horses, or slightly damage the wheels of their supply carts.
He would make small adjustments to the ropes that held up their watchtowers, just enough to make them unstable, causing a collapse after a day or two of use.
One night, they slipped into the armory and removed a few essential parts from several crossbows, rendering them temporarily useless.
He altered the route of a small stream that ran near the bandit's water supply, causing a muddy mess that required time and effort to fix. Another night, he and Min-jun used rocks to create a small landslide that blocked the main path leading to the fortress, forcing the bandits to take a longer route.
These actions weren't meant to cause serious harm, but they were designed to create confusion, frustration, and a sense of vulnerability among the bandits. Each incident was carefully timed and executed, creating a pattern of disruption that couldn't be easily explained. He wanted to create an atmosphere of chaos and fear, to make the bandits believe that they were under attack from a far superior force. He wanted to make them doubt their own strength, to make them panic.
As the days passed, Sun-woo's plan began to take shape. He had a map of the fortress, a detailed understanding of the bandits' routines, and a plan for creating diversions and distractions. He also had Min-jun, a small, agile boy with a burning desire to save his parents.
He looked at Min-jun, his eyes filled with determination. "We're ready," he said. "We're going to rescue your parents."
Min-jun nodded, his eyes filled with a mixture of fear and excitement. "Yes, Sect Master," he whispered. "Let's save them."
Sun-woo felt a surge of adrenaline. He was about to embark on a dangerous mission, a mission that would test his skills, his courage, and his resolve. He was a programmer, a strategist, a problem solver. And he was about to debug a real-world problem, one rescue at a time. He knew he had a chance, a system that would make him twice as strong as his disciples, and a mind that could find solutions where others found walls.
He was ready.