Chapter 202
Chapter 202
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 202
Chapter Title: Black Dao Laborers for the Antidote
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In Hefei of Anhui Province, Do Da-woong, the silver-rank leader of the Ilsun Association's black道 alliance, lay slumped in a corner of the Milky Way Inn, his mouth agape.
His sunken eyes, hollowed out over the past month, seemed to bear witness to his recent ordeals.
"Shit... the great Do Da-woong of the world... me... Hoo..."
He spat out his boiling rage as a sigh, his face blank and lost.
Memories of his glorious past—gambling freely, drowning in liquor, living it up—only added to the bitterness.
"They say you never know what life has in store a single step ahead, but who would've thought I'd end up swallowing poison just to stay alive. Shit."
It was a life on borrowed time.
Why did he have to get tangled up with that utter scumbag of all people...
Seo Chil-hong, who had been mopping nearby, suddenly snapped. She flung the mop aside and shouted.
"Aaargh! Fuck! How long do we have to keep this up?! What's taking that pig bastard Paeng Ho-un so long to get the antidote?!"
"It's expensive."
"Expensive? Fuck, is money the issue right now? This is about our fucking lives!"
Seo Chil-hong glared at him.
"So how much?!"
"A thousand silver taels."
"...A thousand silver taels? Fuck, how many of us are there! We could just chip in a hundred each!"
"Per pill."
"Oh, per pill..."
Yeah, no wonder they couldn't get it.
Seo Chil-hong quietly picked up the mop she'd thrown and started wiping the tables again.
Swish, swish, swish.
"Money's tied up, and so is my life..."
"Shut your damn humming, you bastard."
"My life's fucked!"
"Haaa!"
Sighs erupted from all directions.
How the hell did they end up tangled with a demon like that?
Where did it all go wrong?
When he failed to recognize the demon and spat at him?
Or when he put a knife to his own throat thinking he'd squeeze some cash out of him...
Wait.
Yeah, he crossed the line there.
"...At least the monthly pay's steady."
"You think that pittance matters now? Do you know how much I used to rake in a month?!"
"Uh..."
"Look at this! Look! The great Seo Chil-hong, mopping floors! Mopping!"
"..."
"Fuck! If that little shit doesn't give me the antidote this time, I'll rip his head off and take it myself! I am not taking that poison pill again! That shit feels like it'll kill me."
"You actually will die if you don't take it."
"So I'll grab that bastard, beat him half to death, and get the antidote..."
BOOM!
"Whoa, fuck! You scared the shit out of me!"
A sudden thunderous crash made everyone in the inn jump in alarm.
Seo Chil-hong, who had been holding the mop to her throat in mock strangling, froze in place.
Through the wide-open door strode Namgung Hyeok.
Silence instantly fell over the Milky Way Inn.
The eyes of the Ilsun Association's black道 bosses trembled as they turned toward Namgung Hyeok.
His piercing gaze, gleaming with blue light, swept the room, and people sucked in their breaths.
Namgung Hyeok snorted heavily, scanning his surroundings.
The bosses' eyes darted wildly.
'Sh-should we greet him?'
'Does he look like someone you greet? Look at those eyes, those eyes.'
'Wh-why's he suddenly here?'
'For the antidote?'
'Then ask for it!'
'You crazy fuck! Look at those eyes. Open your mouth, and he'll turn you into Swiss cheese!'
'Look at that murderous glare. How the hell is that a righteous warrior? He's a damn goblin.'
Though they'd desperately sought him out, Do Da-woong and the black道 bosses couldn't muster any response.
Thud.
Seo Chil-hong dropped the mop to the floor.
Namgung Hyeok opened his mouth.
"Everyone, follow me out!"
"Pardon?"
"Quick, quick! It's urgent!"
"Y-young master, what about our antidote?"
"Come out first!"
"Pardon?"
"It's urgent for you too!"
Urgent matters besides the antidote?
What the hell could be so pressing?
Drawn by Namgung Hyeok's cryptic words, Do Da-woong and the bosses followed behind.
"Everyone, come on! Work to do!"
"Yes, sir!"
Swept up in Namgung Hyeok's intense aura, the Ilsun Association mobilized.
The group that had been holed up in the alley poured out, filling the main street.
* * *
As Total Steward Geum Gwang-mo checked the headcount, he tilted his head.
No matter how many times he looked, they were short on men for the escort agency support.
"Paeng Jung-hyeok?"
"..."
"Has anyone seen Young Master Paeng?"
"He said he was going to see Second Young Master earlier and hasn't come back."
"Hm?"
"Shall I fetch him?"
"No, it's fine. If Second Young Master called him, there's a reason."
Geum Gwang-mo nodded, and the warriors agreed.
"Then Little Miss So Hye-yeon for the Blue Dragon Escort Agency support... Huh? Where's Little Miss So? When did she disappear?"
"A Thunder Dragon Squad warrior just took her away."
"Huh? Again?"
Were they all gathering for some group event?
Not just Paeng Jung-hyeok, but So Hye-yeon and Paeng Yeon-hwa were gone too.
What the hell was going on?
'Hm, we need every hand we can get right now. They begged for work themselves, and now they all vanish like this...'
"Ugh! Should I fill in the escorts with bearers? No, even the servants are short-handed... Huh? What's that?"
Geum Gwang-mo stared at the group trudging in from beyond the main gate.
Dust billowed faintly, and the ground trembled.
"Wh-what the hell?"
Geum Gwang-mo gaped.
A horde filled the wide street, marching in.
They seemed arranged by degree of ruffianism, with Namgung Hyeok at the very front, followed by a line of rough-looking men.
Their number easily surpassed two hundred.
"...Y-young master?"
Geum Gwang-mo looked at Namgung Hyeok in bewilderment.
Who the hell were these guys?
They looked cowed, but they couldn't hide their roots—one and all, they had that shady, roguish air.
Namgung Hyeok, even rougher beside them, somewhat diminished their presence, but up close, their faces were all vicious as hell.
Scars were commonplace on their faces, and some even had crude tattoos.
An instinctive aversion welled up in him as a righteous sect member.
Namgung Hyeok grinned.
"Short on hands? I brought 'em!"
"Pardon?"
"Take these guys on!"
"Eh?"
Bewildered voices rose from all sides.
Do Da-woong's eyes bulged as he stared at Namgung Hyeok.
"W-we're laborers?"
"Didn't I say?"
"You didn't."
"I just did."
"...!"
Do Da-woong's eyes shook as if they might roll out of his head.
'Labor for the Namgung family?'
I'm a bottom-rung black道 guy!
What's the difference from a government office?!
The office at least has trials—this place, one slip and your head rolls!
'I was an idiot to hope for the antidote!'
He said it was urgent for them too, but it ended up being this.
'Goddamn, we've walked right into the tiger's den!'
Spotting the Namgung family retainers lined up staring at them, Do Da-woong sweated bullets from his buzzed scalp.
"Y-young master... I-I've never heard of this."
"What?"
"You said it was urgent, so we followed, but suddenly this..."
"Don't want the antidote?"
The antidote?
"Do this job right, and you get it."
"F-for real?"
"Take it or leave it."
Ah!
Realization dawned, and Do Da-woong's eyes twitched.
His gaze swept over the clueless, baffled black道 bosses.
He bellowed.
"You idiots! What're you standing around for? Greet the Namgung family properly!"
"Wh-what? This lunatic's lost his—"
"Antidote!"
"Huh?"
At the word "antidote," the bosses' eyes spun.
They bent at ninety degrees, following Do Da-woong's lead.
"Do Da-woong and brothers, paying our respects. Please accept!"
"Please take care of us!"
"Just give us the orders!"
"Where do we start?!"
"Anything you need, brothers!"
Their voices boomed so thunderously that Geum Gwang-mo and the Namgung retainers gaped.
The black道 bosses stood tall, bowing deeply.
In the midst of the bizarre scene, Geum Gwang-mo whispered to Namgung Hyeok.
"Second Young Master, who the hell are these guys?"
"Friends of mine."
"..."
What kind of friends look like this?
"Just use 'em. They're fine."
"I'm not fine with it..."
"They're usable."
No, at least tell me their background.
Geum Gwang-mo pleaded with his eyes, but it didn't faze Namgung Hyeok.
Namgung Hyeok clapped Do Da-woong on the shoulder lightly.
"Silver-rank Do Da-woong!"
"Do your best."
"Of course!"
"Steward Geum, try working with these guys. I'm off to catch the bastards who touched my fortune!"
Namgung Hyeok snorted and spun on his heel.
People gaped at Namgung Hyeok, his emotions surging like waves.
Total Steward Geum Gwang-mo and Do Da-woong exchanged awkward glances.
'Well, Second Young Master wouldn't bring just anyone. Let's give it a shot.'
'Finish this job, and it's antidote time—antidote!'
* * *
Namgung Jang-cheon frowned as he read the report in the family head's chamber.
"Elder, is this true?"
"As far as we've confirmed, yes, Family Head."
"Hmm!"
Namgung Jang-cheon reviewed the report again with heavy eyes.
But no matter how many times he looked, the contents remained unchanged.
As he sank into thought—
Bang!
"Father!"
The door flew open, and Namgung Hyeok burst in.
"Did you find those scumbags?!"
Namgung Jang-cheon let out another low groan at his son's question.
After a moment's deliberation, he spoke.
"There's a bit of a problem."
"The problem is our fortune got robbed!"
"Yes, that's a problem too. But things might get more serious than expected."
"I'm pretty damn serious right now. Keep dragging this out, and I guarantee those bastards will be in a world of hurt when I catch them."
Namgung Hyeok clenched his fists, twitching as if ready to grab someone by the collar.
Namgung Jang-cheon, who had flinched briefly, said quietly.
"The escorts transporting the goods were all slaughtered. The bearers too."
"Slaughtered?"
"Yes. The method was so brutal it horrified them, or so the report says. It just came in."
Namgung Jang-cheon groaned lowly.
Of all things, it was cargo headed to the Namgung family, and the incident happened near Anhui Province.
As family head, he couldn't help feeling uneasy and regretful.
"Cunning and vicious..."
"Hm?"
"Not bandits."
Namgung Jang-cheon's eyes flashed at Namgung Hyeok's certainty.
'He's suddenly terrifyingly calm.'
No, beyond calm—coldly analytical.
Reading the situation in moments, he hardly seemed the raging man from before.
Namgung Hyeok sorted his thoughts swiftly.
'Not bandit handiwork.'
Bandits could be brutal too, but they were rational. They avoided drawing the ire of major sects or officials.
Which meant another faction.
Were there forces around Anhui capable of hitting a top-grade shipment?
From what Namgung Hyeok knew, top-grade escorts were small elite teams.
Even escort agencies sent only their top escorts, flag-bearer level or higher.
The Haibei Paeng family wouldn't entrust goods to a third-rate agency—likely high-caliber experts handled it.
Yet those proven escort leaders were wiped out.
Not one left alive.
Impossible without a massive skill gap, and meticulous enough to leave no witnesses—heavy-handed killers.
'Hmm, so that's how it is?'
As he pondered, Namgung Jang-cheon said.
"We'll find the culprits soon. The Paeng family and escort agency are on it, and headquarters will move too."
Namgung Hyeok's eyes darkened heavily.
Something smelled off here.