Black Market Framing
Nam Gyuil's sword clashed against I Baekhwa's. The bastard had some real skill. His stance was flawless, and his speed was incredibly sharp.
Nam Gyuil took a single step back.
Not your average fighter.
Of course, that didn't mean Nam Gyuil was being pushed back. I Baekhwa's swordplay was decent, but it wasn't threatening.
Nam Gyuil unleashed sword aura. He was ready to get serious.
"!!"
I Baekhwa's eyes widened as he leaped backward. But was he half a beat too slow? A sharp gash appeared on his cheek from dodging the attack. A single drop of blood trickled from the diagonal crimson slash.
I Baekhwa wiped it away with the back of his hand.
Damn it. If I'd jumped even a fraction later, my head would've been rolling.
The wound was shallow.
What the hell is this guy? He can even use sword aura?
I Baekhwa eyed Nam Gyuil closely. His gaze kept drifting to the black panther emblem engraved on the blade.
That's Presento Guild's...
I Baekhwa clicked his tongue, denying his own suspicion. It was too obvious.
Presento Guild has no reason to raid the black market. And why hide their faces but flaunt their emblem on the weapon?
It was suspicious. This was the kind of thing where you concealed your affiliation entirely. If they really wanted to hit the black market covertly, they'd have erased the emblem from the blade.
But...
Then what about the sword aura? That's reserved for top execs and guild masters in the big guilds.
If not Presento Guild, who else could wield sword aura like that? I Baekhwa's mind raced. No matter how he turned it over, it stank of foul play—but without Presento, nothing added up.
It's gotta be Jo Sangmin.
Sim Jeongun had only shared black market intel with the major guild leaders loyal to him. So Jo Sangmin knew the location too.
If that's the case, why pull this stunt?
Without knowing the motive, it was all just frustrating dead ends.
"Tch."
I Baekhwa spat on the floor. He tossed aside the tangled deductions and went simple.
That bastard's Jo Sangmin.
Glared daggers, I Baekhwa unleashed his own sharp blue sword aura, fury boiling over.
"Guild Master Jo Sangmin. You thought you could pull this crap and walk away unscathed?"
Nam Gyuil smirked at the words. Right on plan—the guy was buying the Jo Sangmin disguise.
His scheme was straightforward: make it look like Jo Sangmin raided the black market. Sim Jeongun would come down hard on him for it. Desperate to dodge the hammer, Jo Sangmin would scramble to the strongest ally he could think of.
He'll head straight for Guild Master Han Ducheol first.
But their bad blood made that a non-starter.
Cornered to the end, the only place left will be Public Guild.
Nam Gyuil grinned. That's when he'd slap a collar on Jo Sangmin's neck.
I Baekhwa charged. Sword aura flared in flashy technique after technique, but Nam Gyuil saw every trajectory clear as day.
Clang clang.
He retreated one step, flicking his dagger. He nicked I Baekhwa's assault off course with the tip, then slashed his wrist.
"Kuh-!!"
I Baekhwa screamed, dropping his sword.
Whoosh, thunk.
Nam Gyuil snatched the falling blade mid-air. Disarmed, I Baekhwa stared in horror, face twisted, eyes wide with dread.
Thud.
Nam Gyuil kicked him square in the chest. I Baekhwa flew back with a yell, slamming into the wall.
Nam Gyuil hurled the dagger. It streaked through the air and buried into I Baekhwa's chest.
"!!"
Pain overwhelmed him; he couldn't even scream, body shuddering before his shoulders slumped in death.
Impaled by a Presento Guild dagger, no less.
Nam Gyuil regarded the scene coolly. Anyone seeing this would peg Presento Guild for the black market hit.
Job done.
Jo Sangmin's trapped now. No escape.
Nam Gyuil left the office. Gunshots must've cleared the place— the black market was deserted. Everyone had evacuated.
The armed staff remained, though.
"This fucker..."
"You know where you are, acting all high and mighty?"
They spewed filth from their mouths.
Nam Gyuil held I Baekhwa's sword. Good thing he'd pocketed it just in case.
Sure enough.
He ignited sword aura.
Tap tap.
He blurred into motion, not giving them time to aim.
Slash-!!
Nam Gyuil cleaved their machine guns and assault rifles in one go. The firearms were scrap now.
"Wh-what the?!"
"Who the hell is this guy?"
The staff stammered in shock.
Nam Gyuil swung swiftly, cutting them down. Seven armed adult men dead in under a minute.
They crumpled screaming.
Nam Gyuil scanned the area one last time. A screeching goblin caught his eye.
Can't let that thing wander out. Better kill it now.
He severed its neck with the blade.
Noise erupted nearby again. Turning, he spotted more monsters in rebar cages, eyes blazing with rage.
If these broke free, hundreds would die.
He finished them off.
And stumbled on unexpected luck.
Hm? No way, is that...?
Nam Gyuil approached the final cage slowly. Inside huddled a ochre spider, fangs bared defensively.
Earth Spider.
Still a juvenile.
But this was one of murim's spirit beasts. Essential for Sichuan Tangmen's elixirs, its inner core was priceless.
Being young, the core wouldn't be huge. And Tangmen elixirs carried potent poison—without resistance, it'd kill instead of strengthen.
The Tangmen's trick to keep their elixirs from rivals.
Still, opportunity knocked.
A Tangmen elixir would boost his inner power and unlock deadlier poisons.
Luck's on my side today.
Nam Gyuil slew the Earth Spider and extracted the core—a fleshy orb swirling with crimson.
Monsters cleared. Time to bounce.
He'd smashed the cameras too—no one would peg him as the raider. Only evidence: the dagger in I Baekhwa's chest.
Eat the Earth Spider core, and even that's gone.
Perfect.
Nam Gyuil pulled out his Space Diamond from his pocket.
Won't activate with monsters around, but they're all dead now.
He dropped his sword to the floor and triggered the ring. His body vanished in an instant.
The ravaged black market held only cold corpses.
Nam Gyuil rematerialized at home. He incinerated his bloodied clothes with fire magic, erasing traces. Then scrubbed the blood off with soap.
Crimson-tinged water swirled down the drain.
Evidence obliterated, Nam Gyuil refined the monster core into an elixir.
Want to share with the team, but no poison resistance—they'd just suffer.
He'd built his resistance back in his national hunter days with special elixirs. No worries there. Plus, juvenile core meant just one dose.
Nam Gyuil swallowed the elixir and sat in lotus position, circulating his heart method.
The elixir's energy flooded his body, seeping into his dantian where inner power accumulated.
"Hoo."
He exhaled deeply. The inherent poison did nothing to him.
He felt his inner power swelling. His dantian expanded steadily. Senses sharpened. The meridians channeling his power toughened further, granting finer control.
Tangmen elixirs pack a punch.
Rivaled Shaolin's Summoning Pill. No—better, even.
Though Shaolin's Daehwan Pill would eclipse this, obviously.
Nam Gyuil fully absorbed the energy over three hours.
Process complete, he rose and gripped the sword the kobolds had forged.
It multiplied with Sichuan Tangmen inner power.
He infused the blade. It split into six.
Huge leap.
Used to cap at two; now six. The Tangmen elixir synergized perfectly.
Poison aura clung fiercely to the jade-green blade, glowing brighter.
"Definitely stronger now."
In wuxia realms, inner power floated swords as flying swords. The pinnacle: Manteon Hwau, Tangmen's secret art controlling countless darts that way.
Reach that, and I'm a one-man airstrike.
Nam Gyuil mulled his progress, satisfied. Enough reflection.
He grabbed a canned beer from the fridge and chugged it cold.
Now, wait for desperate Jo Sangmin to grovel at my feet.
But first, errands.
Nam Gyuil headed to the market, buying a jar and swarms of bugs.
Plenty for Gudok. Hope it suits Jo Sangmin's taste.
He chuckled.
Jo Sangmin arrived at Presento Guild. In his office, he skimmed reports with a sour face.
After his execs got wiped, he'd gathered talent and taught them Taebaek Heart Method.
Progress was glacial.
At least recruiting overseas hunters worked.
A few from Taiwan—all sword aura users.
Just four, but enough to keep big guilds at bay.
Jo Sangmin set the reports down.
Strength rebounding. No more bowing to Nam Gyuil's orders. Time to pay him back in full.
How to strike back? He drummed the desk, scheming.
Then—
Ring ring, ring ring.
His smartphone buzzed. Sim Jeongun summoning him to Hunter Association immediately.
Wonder what he wants.
Jo Sangmin jumped up, grabbed a gift to butter him up, and rushed over.
He whistled cheerfully.
Free from Nam Gyuil's threats at last. Fresh start today.
He grinned, oblivious to the hell awaiting him.