Stolen Treasures
Kim Jun was startled. Even Go Cheolmin, who had learned martial arts from Nam Eung-ryeol, used the title "Teacher." Kim Jun had been calling him "Elder" all this time because it felt like the old man didn't want to be called "Master."
"If you don't like it, don't bother."
"N-no... Master."
"This part is the blade. It's also called the sword body. You know the difference between a sword and a saber, right?"
"A sword is suited for thrusting, and a saber for slashing, as I understand it."
"Correct. That's why the most important part of a sword is the tip here—the point. You need to feel it like an extension of your finger. In the old days, they trained by extending the sword and catching flies with the point. Once you master the point, you can use the blade too. With enough power, speed, and technique, this sword can slice through anything like a saber. Got it?"
"Yes, Master."
"What's this groove on the blade?"
"The blood groove."
Kim Jun was happy he could answer his master's question.
"Right. It's a channel for blood. But originally, it was made to reduce the sword's weight. I saw Cheon Jae use this sword once. When you reach a certain level, the Thunder Brain Sword fills in the blood groove itself. As the weight increases, so does the destructive power. I couldn't believe my eyes the first time."
Nam Eung-ryeol handed the Thunder Brain Sword back to Kim Jun.
Kim Jun examined the guard, pommel, hilt, blade, and point in detail. Perhaps because of the explanation, the Thunder Brain Sword now seemed far stronger and more beautiful than before.
At that moment, Nam Eung-ryeol lightly jabbed the spot just below Kim Jun's collarbone with his finger. It wasn't loaded with enough internal energy to be repelled by the Thunder Brain Heart Technique.
His right arm went rigid.
The Thunder Brain Sword slipped from his hand and thudded into the dirt.
Kim Jun looked up at Nam Eung-ryeol in shock.
"That's the Jungbu acupoint. Strike it precisely with energy, and you can paralyze the arm. If you want to master martial arts properly, you need to know your body well—especially the acupoints."
"Yes, Master."
Kim Jun felt a swell of pride. It was like stepping into a special world.
Nam Eung-ryeol grinned as he grabbed Kim Jun's log-like rigid arm.
Convinced his master would release the paralysis, Kim Jun smiled back.
"You've rested plenty. Time to work up a sweat, eh?"
"...Pardon?"
Nam Eung-ryeol spun Kim Jun around like a shot put athlete, then hurled him over the cliff.
Flailing with his right arm paralyzed, Kim Jun plunged into the white-capped waves below.
'He really sings like shit.'
Go Cheolmin glared at Park Chang-sik, who was belting out off-key screams into the mic.
When Park Chang-sik, from the Dungeon Association's Raid Review Committee, glanced his way, the burly guild master forced a smile and clapped.
Having an E-rank dungeon license didn't mean you could raid E-rank dungeons freely. It just qualified your guild to participate.
To enter a specific dungeon, your team had to pass a strict review—and guys like Park Chang-sik decided that.
Skill alone wasn't enough to pass.
There was no budget for bribes.
The only option left... nicely put, building human bonds; cynically, schmoozing like this.
The room salon with its karaoke setup had three other guild masters with the same goal: getting their teams into E-rank dungeons by any means.
"Committee member, you've got some pipes!"
"First time hearing a song this lively!"
"My ears are feasting tonight."
The masters beside Park Chang-sik buttered him up shamelessly.
Go Cheolmin downed his drink in gulps. His mind stayed sharp. In places like this, you never actually got drunk, no matter how much you drank.
Then the song ended.
A perfect 100.
Cheers and applause erupted.
"Your turn, Go. Sing one."
Park Chang-sik shoved the mic toward Go Cheolmin, the only guild master still seated.
"I'm tone-deaf, sir."
"No need to force someone who doesn't want to."
His eyes turned icy.
"...I'll do it."
Go Cheolmin stepped forward and took the mic. He picked one of the few songs he could sing to the end.
Park Chang-sik and the others lounged on the sofa, chatting among themselves. He'd made Go Cheolmin sing just to humiliate him thoroughly.
His pocket phone buzzed. He ignored it at first. When it kept going, he pulled it out during the instrumental break.
Seeing the number, Go Cheolmin answered. Just to check what it was about.
"What did you say?"
His voice boomed through the mic.
Only then did people look at him.
Go Cheolmin dropped the mic and bowed to Park Chang-sik.
"Emergency came up. I have to go. I'll visit again later."
"No need for that..."
"Right."
Go Cheolmin left without listening.
Skyla sat at a back table in a 24-hour cafe, sipping coffee while staring at her laptop.
"Hmm, public interest in that guy is definitely fading. He rode out on a raider's back, so what do you expect? Real-time trends are way down, barely mentioned in the news. Give it time, and no one will even remember who Kim Jun is."
Skyla, draining her mug, raised a hand to the yawning part-timer.
"Another Americano."
The cute-faced kid's eyes widened. Fourth black coffee—fair reaction.
Moments later, he brought another steaming mug.
"What do you do?"
Bold question. Typical of the young ones.
"What do you think?"
"Writer, maybe?"
"Not wrong. I write."
"Knew it. My aunt's a writer too—says she can only write at night and gripes why Starbucks doesn't stay open till dawn."
The kid grinned and headed back.
Skyla took a hot sip and logged into the Raiders Community.
The login screen popped up.
She entered an ID and password she'd stumbled on during a story. Worried it might not work, but the board filled her screen—community style intact.
"Alright, let's see the vibe in this raiders-only site."
After silently reading about ten posts, Skyla suddenly wanted to bolt from the quiet cafe and pound drinks at a street stall.
Beat Up My Team's Carrier Punk Cuz I Was Pissed – Hospitalized Him
How to Harass Carriers
Carrier Enlightenment Injector
The board was plastered with hate for the guild and raiders who'd gone into the F-rank dungeon with Kim Jun.
Next page, same vibe.
Some titles made her grimace.
She clicked one.
As expected, the post was childish and violent.
More shocking were the comments: dozens praising it, all saying "good job." No one called it wrong.
There were plenty of nasty posts about Yoo Min-jeong, Choi Muhyun, and Yeom Sang-taek too.
One dragged in Yoo Wan-seop to bash Yoo Min-jeong. Calling Korea's strongest dealer a "has-been," they laughed over a cartoon of one-armed Yoo Wan-seop begging comically in an alley.
Someone prophesied trouble for Choi Min-su of Cheonhondan because of Choi Muhyun—like Yoo Wan-seop losing an arm, Choi Min-su would lose a leg over his son.
Yeom Sang-taek had turned legendary Crazy Buffer Yang Hee-seon into a senile old hag.
Posts bashing Do Jin-yong of Cheonroehoe, Im Seung-hyun of Hanmudan, and An Seong-ho of Gwanpo Guild too. To these raiders, they were "idiots" for failing to finish off Kim Jun.
Skyla sighed.
Raiders' level was just this low.
'No, I knew it. How arrogant, childish, and cruel they are—I saw it endlessly while reporting. Don't need to look far. I was that kind of raider in the States. If I hadn't become a journalist... I might've posted crap like this too.'
You get awakened as a kid, claw through brutal competition to become a raider. Once you do, family, friends, everyone cheers you up like a hero.
To normals, raiders are heroes.
In that process, raiders turn arrogant and stubborn. Without a wake-up call, it doesn't change.
Her phone buzzed.
Seeing who it was, Skyla's eyes widened. Not someone to call this late.
"Master, what's up? What? On my way now."
Skyla swept her laptop and notebook into her bag, tossed a 10,000-won bill at the part-timer, and bolted.
Straddling her beloved Harley Davidson, she roared off.
Police cars filled the Uramata Guildhouse parking lot.
Skyla parked her bike behind the red Ferrari on the roadside.
A cop controlling the scene recognized her and approached.
"Reporter Seo! Nose like a bloodhound, huh. Where'd you hear? We went all out to keep it from you guys. See? No other press."
"What's going on?"
Skyla played dumb. Her Uramata membership was still secret.
"Safe cracked. Pro job, clear as day."
"Seriously?"
"Real aggressive bastard. Most crack 'em quiet, but this guy used explosives. Oh, don't quote that."
"Of course not."
Skyla smiled and pulled out her phone as she turned.
If the master room safe was hit, the Thunder Brain Sword and Legio were gone.
No fence handles stuff like that. Needed a big player.
Kept ringing, no answer. Skyla persisted.
Finally, a sleepy voice.
"It's me, Reporter Seo. Yeah. Sorry this late. Urgent, though. What? Always urgent? Haha, true. Daughter growing fine? Birthday gift thanks? Piece of cake—she's adorable. Right, reason: stolen items. I know, you quit that. Just check around. Not ordinary gear. Two pieces. One's a Legio—dungeon compass. Yeah. The other's the issue. You'd know the Thunder Brain Sword, right? Yeah. It's gone. Call me if you hear anything, anywhere. Right away."
Skyla hung up and called a few informants.
Sorry for the hour, but no time to care.
Her web of contacts yielded nothing on the theft. The bold crooks who could pull this were in prison—two of 'em—or dead last year.
Then two cops hauled out the hole-punched safe door.
Skyla startled.
'That safe's custom-made. Dungeon Association designed, built, installed it for the guild. Can't open it casually. Those three holes... match the weak points exactly. Took three days of drinking with Factory Chief Grandpa to learn 'em. Connected to him? No way. Not him.'
Whoever it was, smart as hell. Cops wouldn't catch 'em.
Police wrapped up quick, vanishing before press swarmed.
The master trudged over.
"Just the Thunder Brain Sword and Legio gone. Left the rest. No worries—they'll get caught."
Go Cheolmin's face said otherwise, etched with concern.
"Yeah, they will."
Skyla couldn't say no to his face.
Yoo Min-jeong approached.
"Yeom Sang-taek's in Daejeon, Choi Muhyun's en route. Kim Jun... no contact."
"Don't worry about Kim Jun. I gave him a separate task."
Not just Yoo Min-jeong—Skyla's eyes sharpened too. What "separate" task for a carrier?
A Jeep pulled into the lot.
Choi Muhyun hopped out.
"Master! Burglary?"
"Min-jeong-ah."
Go Cheolmin eyed Yoo Min-jeong.
"Go inside and rest."
Getting the hint, Yoo Min-jeong filled in approaching Choi Muhyun on what Go Cheolmin had told the cops.
Soon, carrier leader Kang Jin-gu and guild doc O Won-jin arrived. Without Yoo Min-jeong saying, Choi Muhyun rushed to them.
Yeon Mu-jin lay in the center of a dark room without windows.
Lamps burned above his head, near both arms, and below his feet—each emitting smoke of different colors. Yeonhyangcho for healing.
Eyes opening, Yeon Mu-jin knew where he was instantly.
'Underground recovery room.'
Tensing his abs to rise—agony nearly made him scream.
He remembered why he was here.
The Thunder Brain Sword.
He raised his right hand shakily. Charred black, but Yeonhyangcho had healed it—palm mostly red now.
'...Right. I wasn't worthy to hold the Thunder Brain Sword. It rejected me, and this hand proves it.'
Body ached; heart more so.
Then, the sliding door rattled open.
"Where'd you fence it?"
Familiar voice.
Soon, Young Master Yeon Jong-ho's pale face loomed into the lamplight.
"Fence what, sir?"
Yeon Mu-jin grasped it. The Thunder Brain Sword was gone. He'd be the prime suspect.
"Heh, playing dumb? Fun."
Yeon Jong-ho approached and gripped Yeon Mu-jin's throat. As he squeezed, Yeon Mu-jin's breath cut off—face paling, eyes bloodshot.
Vision blurring.
"That's enough."
A soft voice from afar.