Chapter 147: Visiting the Hao Clan-3
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 147: Visiting the Hao Clan-3
Tremble.
Shudder.
Seo Hwan’s entire body was shaking uncontrollably.
He tried his best to stop the trembling, but it was no use. The overwhelming sense of dread that had wrapped itself around him refused to fade.
Where exactly had it all gone wrong?
To any observer, the man Seo Hwan had led into the alleyway behind Hwanhui Pavilion looked like a complete novice to the Murim. Since he had already conspired with Do-chil, the Vice Branch Leader of the Yoseong Branch, to fleece the man, Seo Hwan hadn't hesitated for a second.
He had successfully lured the man into a dead-end alley where hired thugs were waiting in ambush.
At that moment, Seo Hwan had been inwardly cheering.
The man had shown some suspicion along the way, but in the end, he had been successfully led to the slaughter. The plan was perfect. This third-rate-looking man would lose his life at the hands of seasoned killers, and his body would be dumped deep in the mountains.
He and Do-chil would pocket a fortune, and the thugs would receive a satisfying cut. Everything surrounding the man was perfect.
Until the man reached out his hand.
As a thug lunged at him, the man slowly extended his arm. Seeing this, the thug scoffed. How could a man expect to block a blade gleaming with a razor-sharp edge with his bare hand?
The thug thrust his sword straight for the man’s heart, and Seo Hwan braced himself for the kill.
Crunch!
But things rarely go as expected in this world.
An unanticipated sound echoed in Seo Hwan’s ears. The thug’s head had simply exploded.
Thud.
The headless body collapsed onto the ground.
"Aw, damn it. I got blood on me."
The man shook his hand roughly, trying to flick off the crimson stains. Seeing this, Seo Hwan realized something was horribly wrong.
Wait, what?
This scene was a far cry from the plan. According to the script, this sucker was supposed to die screaming in agony. Instead, it was the thug whose head had been pulverized—and not just any thug, but a skilled fighter handpicked by the Vice Branch Leader himself.
Seo Hwan and the remaining thugs could only stare in a daze. What had happened in an instant felt like a surreal dream.
The man then looked down and picked up the sword the dead thug had dropped. Holding the blade, he slowly pointed it toward the rest of the group.
"Come at me all at once."
At his words, the thugs charged simultaneously. They had instinctively realized the massive gap in power. If they didn't attack together, they stood no chance.
Swish.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
It didn't take long for them to realize that their judgment had been wrong as well.
For a split second, the thugs felt a strange sensation. Their eyes were fixed forward, yet the world suddenly began to shift to the right. Confused, they tried to turn their heads, only to see their companions' necks hitting the ground.
Then, they realized.
Ah.
Their own heads had been severed.
Thud.
With that final realization, the thugs lost consciousness. They had met their end.
"…Huh?"
Seo Hwan, who had watched the entire scene, stood with his mouth agape. Even with his clever mind, he couldn't comprehend this irrational sight.
Five thugs had charged at once, and all five had been decapitated. Simultaneously.
He hadn't even seen the sword move. It was a speed that transcended human perception.
They say when a person witnesses something they don't want to believe, they retreat into denial. That was exactly Seo Hwan’s state. He denied the reality before his eyes, telling himself it was impossible.
The men Do-chil had sent were all first-class experts. Though they were merely hunting dogs living off the scraps of the Hao Clan, their skills were the real deal. And yet, those men had been decapitated in a single move.
It was impossible to believe. It had to be a lie.
He closed his eyes. He must have been mistaken. When he opened them again, he would surely see the man being hacked to pieces by the thugs.
One… two… three!
Seo Hwan counted in his head and snapped his eyes open.
Despair immediately washed over him. Headless corpses were still rolling on the ground.
This was reality. All of it.
Seo Hwan looked at the man, his entire body quivering.
"Let's start by breaking your arms and legs first," Sun-woo said, looking at Seo Hwan with cold, indifferent eyes.
Despair clouded Seo Hwan’s vision.
*
Crack!
"Aaaaaagh!"
Seo Hwan let out a scream that seemed loud enough to shake the world. It hurt. It hurt far too much. Having a perfectly healthy leg snapped was an agony beyond words. Tears welled in his eyes.
Crack!
"Kuaaaaaagh!!"
This time, it was the other leg. An unspeakable pain surged through him once more. The tears that had been welling now began to stream down his face.
"Young… Master… please… spare… spare me."
Seo Hwan began to beg, his face a mess of tears and snot. He wanted to live. He wanted to live so desperately. The man had said he would break his arms and legs. Seo Hwan still had two arms left. The man would surely break them too. He couldn't lose his arms.
He pressed his palms together.
"Young Master… please… spare me…"
He began to rub his hands together, pleading for mercy.
"Fuck off."
Snap!
Ignoring Seo Hwan’s desperate pleas, Sun-woo broke one of his arms.
"Aaaaaagh!"
Seo Hwan shrieked in agony.
"You son of a bitch," Sun-woo spat, looking down at him. "Did you really think I'd forgive you after you tried to take my life?"
"Ugh… hnghh…"
"You're just paying the price. So take it like a man."
Crunch!
As soon as he finished speaking, Sun-woo snapped Seo Hwan’s other arm.
"Kuaaaaagh!"
Seo Hwan’s screams echoed throughout the entire alleyway.
*
"Ugh… huff… kuaagh… huff…"
Seo Hwan wept incessantly. In an instant, both his arms and legs had been shattered. Who wouldn't be in pain after having their healthy limbs turned into useless meat?
Through his tears, he regretted his choices over and over again. He cursed his greed for blinding him and his arrogance for thinking he could read a person at a glance.
The man he had dismissed as a mere drifter was actually a master hiding his true power. Judging by his methods, he was undoubtedly a cruel demon. And the thugs he had brought to kill him were now nothing but headless corpses.
Seo Hwan was in total despair. No matter how much he racked his clever brain, he couldn't think of a single way to turn this situation around. He wept bitter tears of regret, vowing that if he could only go back to the moment he first met the man, he would never make the same mistake.
"Stop blubbering."
It was then. The man’s cold, demonic voice pierced Seo Hwan’s ears.
Flinch.
The tears that had been flowing non-stop ceased instantly. The fear of the man had evidently surpassed the physical agony of his broken limbs.
"Now, I'm going to ask you some questions," Sun-woo continued, looking down at him. "Depending on your answers, you might live or die. How about it? Interested?"
Nod, nod, nod.
Seo Hwan nodded his head violently. An unexpected path to survival had opened up. He couldn't help but be overjoyed.
"Good. Then I'll ask. Did you do this on your own?"
Sun-woo smirked, seemingly pleased with the reaction. At the question, Seo Hwan fell into a brief dilemma. He had conspired with Do-chil, the Vice Branch Leader of the Yoseong Branch, to stage this ambush. All the headless thugs were men sent by Do-chil.
However, if he mentioned Do-chil’s name, this man would likely storm the Yoseong Branch. The situation would spiral out of control. He hesitated, wondering if he should sell out his superior or not.
"Look at this guy, still trying to scheme," Sun-woo chuckled.
He thought it was typical of a Hao Clan member—still trying to use his head even after all his limbs were broken.
Grip.
Sun-woo reached out and grabbed Seo Hwan’s right ear.
Rip!
He tore it clean off.
"Aaaaaagh!"
"Speak up. I don't have all day," Sun-woo said bluntly as Seo Hwan screamed in pain.
"I was with the Vice Branch Leader! All those thugs were sent by Vice Branch Leader Do-chil!"
Seo Hwan quickly confessed the truth. He wanted to stay loyal to the Hao Clan, but his own safety came first. He displayed the cheap loyalty typical of those living at the bottom.
"Is that so? No one else?"
"No one! Just him!" Seo Hwan shrieked.
"Then, can you tell me where the Hao Clan is located?"
"From Hwanhui Pavilion, you have to take the first alley on the left. You must go quietly so no one notices. If you keep going, you'll see a pharmacy. The owner is always sitting outside. A bit further past that, there's a small tavern called Haewon Pavilion on the right. That is the headquarters of the Hao Clan’s Yoseong Branch!"
Once he started talking, Seo Hwan babbled on, describing the location in extreme detail. It was a powerful reflection of his will to live.
"You're not lying to me, are you?" Sun-woo asked suspiciously. Since the man was such a smooth talker, he doubted if he was telling the truth.
"It's the truth! I'll bet my life on it!" Seo Hwan replied with absolute certainty. He felt wronged. He had described the optimal route to the Hao Clan with vivid detail, yet he was still being doubted.
"Is that so?"
Sun-woo finally accepted his answer. Who would lie when their life was on the line?
"Thanks."
Sun-woo offered a word of thanks.
"Hehe, it was nothing," Seo Hwan sighed in relief inwardly. It seemed the man was going to let him live.
"Then, goodbye."
"Huh?"
For a moment, Seo Hwan thought he had misheard. Then he saw it—the man’s fist flying toward him.
Crunch!
The fist slammed into Seo Hwan’s head, and it exploded instantly.
Thud.
Seo Hwan, the manager of Hwanhui Pavilion and an executive of the Hao Clan, ended up like the thugs—a headless corpse rolling on the ground.
"Aw, man. Blood on my hands again."
Sun-woo flicked the blood off his hands. Once they were relatively clean, he slowly walked out of the alley. Seven headless corpses were all that remained in the dead end.
*
"Hehehehe."
Do-chil let out a pleasant chuckle. He couldn't help but be happy. Soon, thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of nyang would be in his hands. How could he not be thrilled? Even if he gave a third to Seo Hwan, he would still keep two-thirds for himself.
His heart began to race. With that money combined with everything he had swindled so far, he could live as a wealthy landlord in some quiet village. He would no longer have to live as a bottom-feeder, looked down upon and ignored. He was going to be rich.
KABOOM!
It happened then.
"What the—!"
"Who goes there!"
"What's happening!"
Noisy shouting erupted from the floor below. Do-chil frowned. His happy daydream had been shattered by the commotion.
What's going on?
Curious, Do-chil stood up. He felt he needed to check what was happening downstairs personally. He walked over to the railing and looked down.
"Wh-what!?"
Do-chil’s eyes widened in shock. The ground floor was a disaster zone. Numerous Hao Clan members were strewn about, groaning in pain, and the furniture was completely smashed.
Do-chil couldn't believe his eyes. Who were these men? They were the elite members guarding the Yoseong Branch. Although the Hao Clan was an information organization made up of the dregs of society, they were still a Murim sect. As such, they had warriors trained in martial arts stationed there to prevent any unforeseen incidents. They were masters incomparable to the common thugs who acted tough in back alleys.
And yet, dozens of those masters were crawling on the floor, howling in agony. Do-chil rubbed his eyes, thinking he was seeing things.
But he soon realized it wasn't an illusion. No matter how much he rubbed his eyes, they were still there, writhing in pain.
"Hey."
A sharp voice cut through the air. Do-chil turned his gaze toward the source.
"Which one of you is Vice Branch Leader Do-chil?"
There stood a man with a cold expression, glaring up at him with a palpable murderous aura. Seeing him, Do-chil felt his knees go weak.