The Culprit Plays Victim (4)
Then there must be some other variable at play.
The Cheongpung Merchant Group and Seongdo Merchant Group were only providing minimal support to keep the Hwajeong Merchant Group afloat. There was little profit in pouring in massive resources, and no real reason to do so. It was enough for them to secure a suitable pretext while chipping away at the Bokho Merchant Group's prestige.
"Even if those two colluded, it's impossible to wipe out the Gwangpung Group without a trace."
To recruit experts of that caliber would cost a fortune. Moreover, they wouldn't expose their hidden aces—assets meant to be concealed for future use—just to aid the Hwajeong Merchant Group.
"Was this Nameless Wanderer really that formidable?"
They'd commissioned the Gwangpung Group precisely because the Nameless Wanderer kept interfering with attempts on Tak Jung-il's life. The lack of any report so far suggested they'd likely fallen to him.
"How the hell did they recruit a guy like that?"
He might claim an inability to ignore injustice, but Du Won-gwang had seen through more hypocrites masquerading as wanderers than most. They postured as paragons on the surface while harboring greed deeper than anyone's. In the end, they always swung to whichever side offered more coin.
The problem was the utter lack of intel on the Nameless Wanderer.
"What the hell is this guy's deal?"
From the circumstances, it seemed he was building a reputation, but that required exposure. What good was fame if no one knew who you were? He craved recognition yet hid his identity—clear evidence of some ulterior motive.
"I'll drag your identity into the light, you bastard!"
This wasn't the behavior of a true wanderer. He was hiding something he desperately wanted concealed. If force wouldn't work, he'd have to dissect his secrets and strike back.
Thud, thud!
Hm? The night was deep. Footsteps echoed from outside the room.
"I've told you fools time and again not to make noise!"
Contrary to appearances, Du Won-gwang was acutely sensitive and meticulous. His hearing sharpened at night, reacting to the slightest sound. This was a critical moment for tying up loose ends and preparing for tomorrow.
Creak!
Hm? The footsteps alone were infuriating enough, but now the door flew open without so much as a knock. As he opened his mouth for a thunderous roar amid this escalating absurdity—
Click! Whoosh!
Du Won-gwang hastily pressed the hidden switch. The shadowed floor beneath the table lifted, launching a barrage of sharp arrows.
The intruder was a stranger. Identity didn't matter. Anyone barging in unannounced at night deserved no hesitation. Following countless drills, he fired the concealed weapons at the intruder and called for his guards.
Slash! Thud! Crunch!
Du Won-gwang's right arm—the one reaching to summon his guards—severed cleanly and hit the floor. It had tried to yank the cord, but his will never reached it.
Silence blanketed the unreal scene for a heartbeat.
"……Arrrghhh!"
Snapping from panic, Du Won-gwang screamed and writhed on the ground. Far from the dignified merchant leader, he rolled about, splattering blood everywhere.
"Sit."
Gu Cheon-woo gazed down impassively and commanded.
Shiver!
Despite the unbelievable reality and excruciating pain, Du Won-gwang's mind cleared in an instant. The voice alone conveyed utter contempt, a chilling menace. Defying it might mean death. Terror surged.
Drip! His arm was gone. Blood soaked the room, yet the man loomed calmly before him, as if it were trivial. Utterly untouchable.
"Stanch the bleeding."
Du Won-gwang frantically doused his severed shoulder with the premium hemostatic powder from the room. Not all such medicines were equal, but as befitted a merchant caravan leader, this costly variety took effect swiftly. Death by blood loss was averted.
But far from relief, Du Won-gwang broke into cold sweats, tension mounting.
"Who are you?"
"Nameless Wanderer."
"……What did you…… Argh!"
"Quiet."
Overwhelmed by the domineering aura, the flustered Du Won-gwang clamped his mouth shut, inwardly seething. Causing a ruckus late at night, then demanding silence? The roles were reversed, the audacity staggering.
Why the hell is he here?
Regardless, he'd never anticipated the Nameless Wanderer showing up personally. Caught off guard, he'd been thoroughly pierced.
Everyone had misjudged. Assuming he focused solely on defense to protect Tak Jung-il, based on past patterns. A fatal assumption.
Even so!
Du Won-gwang's quarters lay at the heart of the Bokho Merchant Group. Breaching here was inconceivable from the start. And at this late hour, he'd slipped in without any resistance.
"I killed the ones who got in my way."
"……Gasp!"
He hadn't come quietly, but openly committing murder? It confirmed he wasn't some ordinary wanderer.
Still, the logic escaped him. What lunatic invaded here? Killing him would make the culprit a public enemy, hunted for life. He couldn't fathom risking that.
"Your defenses were lax."
Kuh! It felt like his innermost thoughts were laid bare. Humiliating, but Du Won-gwang dared not retort. He dreaded what might follow.
What kind of monster has eyes like that!!
Arrogance incarnate, overlooking the Bokho Merchant Group's master like he was nothing. As if pondering whether to squash an insect.
Shiver!
An unprecedented humiliation for Du Won-gwang, yet he was crushed by the sheer presence, unable to resist.
But he couldn't just take this lying down.
"You think you'll get away with this?"
"No one will know it was me."
"Everyone knows Tak Jung-il hired you!"
"You didn't hire anyone either."
"……That's!!"
Absurd wordplay, surely. Yet, on closer inspection, it held water. He hadn't publicly declared intent to kill Tak Jung-il. It was common knowledge, but unacknowledged by both sides—thus, officially, he hadn't.
Had he proclaimed it openly, that'd be different. Laughable, but hard to refute. Denying it for future leverage now choked him instead. He'd shot himself in the foot.
Who could've foreseen such nonsense?
Even inevitable, being mocked ignited fury.
"Dodging like that won't save you! Escape or not, you'll be hunted forever!"
"One arm isn't enough, then."
Du Won-gwang's last shred of pride, yet Gu Cheon-woo crushed it mercilessly.
Flinch, tremble!
As a merchant leader, he should stand firm. But he couldn't defy this man. His head bowed involuntarily, tone shifting.
"……No, please!!"
"Nothing matters more than knowing your place."
No response despite the commotion. Du Won-gwang couldn't even hope for guards. And even if they came, they'd be no match for the Nameless Wanderer.
If even the Soul-Stealing Arrow failed, the guards are useless!
The concealed weapon triggered upon entry—the Soul-Stealing Arrow—could slay even Peak Experts. A surprise shot like that was nearly impossible to dodge. Acquiring it had been arduous and expensive.
Still.
The caravan boasted Dam Sa-baek, the Heaven-Shaking Fist master, a guest expert recruited at great cost. Odd that he hadn't reacted to the noise.
"Dam Sa-baek is dead."
"……Ridiculous!!"
"No one withstands a sneak attack."
Gu Cheon-woo's first move: eliminating the caravan's strongest warrior. He'd stabbed the sleeping man through the heart, ending him before he could even register death. A pathetic demise.
Dam Sa-baek was the current lord of the one-successor Jincheon Sect, renowned as a Transcendent. But to Gu Cheon-woo, he was merely prey—a sinner under the Path of Dominance Through Destroying Evil.
How did trash like this get a wanderer rep?
Not even a fair fight—just a blatant backstab. Too brazen to be believed. No need to admit it, yet he did so casually, naturally.
"Aiming for fame as a hero of the jianghu?"
"You're the one who kept sending assassins. Did you think yourself untouchable?"
"……That's!!"
He hadn't officially admitted it, but Du Won-gwang's repeated hits were public knowledge. Claiming victimhood after constant aggression? Shameless—the epitome of the culprit playing victim.
Damn it, he's no ordinary bastard!
Far from reckless, reviewing events revealed the Nameless Wanderer's extraordinary cunning. That explained the defensive stance until now. Tak Jung-il's character was irrelevant. Repeated threats sufficed to garner sympathy. Even worms writhe when stepped on—retaliation was justified.
"You'll draft a document as I dictate. Refuse, and I'll take your limbs one by one."
Du Won-gwang couldn't even protest. No room was given. What words against a man threatening dismemberment?
"You have spares. Beyond you."
"……I'll do it!"
Impassive, serene. More terrifying than overt killing intent. And the threat encompassed his children too.
'Seeds of evil often grow into great evils.'
The Paewang granted no time for evil to mature. From the 100th regression's records, villains' offspring became monstrosities. Environment mattered, but harboring grudges made it inevitable.
For instance, Du Won-gwang's poor child-rearing fueled the Mireok Paedo. Though not vessel enough to surpass him in greed, father like son held true.
Still, Du Won-gwang was fortunate. The Paewang eradicated petty or grand evils alike, without discrimination.
Shiver!
After confessing his crimes, Du Won-gwang stamped the seal. Coerced or not, it lacked legal weight—but the humiliation endured.
"A thousand taels."
"What?"
"Your life's worth. Too much?"
"……I'll pay!"
Notes were traceable, so ingots it was. Gu Cheon-woo pocketed the document and gold, then strolled out leisurely. Hard to believe he'd scaled walls in the dead of night.
Tremble!
Only after a long while did Du Won-gwang grind his teeth and bellow.
"This grudge—I won't forget! I'll make you beg for death!"
Clutching his stump, he rose, burning for revenge, and stormed out. Yet the night remained eerily still. What kind of watch allowed such carnage?
"……Wh-what the!!"
The sight before him shook his vengeful resolve. He'd assumed some noise, but this was devastation. Wreckage and corpses littered everywhere.
"……You mad bastard!!"
Even the walls were smashed wide open. Spectacular to the end.