Chapter 197
Chapter 197
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 197
Chapter Title: 43. Black Rain (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
What the hell was going on?
Why hadn't Dongdaemun's First Sword, Jang Jeong-ho, shown up with the money?
On this question, Yi Yu-bin, who lived right next door to him, blamed it on Jang Jeong-ho's intelligence.
"Like I said earlier, the guy's an idiot. He probably didn't think you'd actually kill him."
"That could be true."
Young-woo nodded in partial agreement, then quickly changed his mind.
'But no matter what, he wouldn't have chosen to go against me.'
Jang Jeong-ho was hot-tempered and not the nicest guy, but he wasn't reckless enough to pick a fight with someone publicly acknowledged as the strongest.
Even at their first meeting during the First Swords' gathering, he'd backed off the moment he sensed the difference in power.
'So what is it? Did he somehow scrape together that huge amount of cash and bring it?'
If not...
'...Coordinate Locator.'
There was also the chance he'd bought and brought the Coordinate Locator, one of the items Young-woo had put a bounty on.
Whether Jang Jeong-ho would actually be that proactive was another question.
Either way, the important thing was...
"Oh..."
That the First Swords were really bringing ten million karma.
A procession of black sedans was racing down the road ahead, heading in the same direction as them.
Among Seoul's First Swords, the only one flashy enough to roll with that kind of entourage was Yongsan's First Sword, Kim Do-ha.
"Ha, so that's their play."
Yi Yu-bin smacked her forehead upon spotting Yongsan's motorcade.
"Looks like they've got the cash with all those cars."
"Yeah. Seems that way."
Young-woo agreed with Yu-bin and pushed Negig's speed a little higher.
Kwaang!
As they delved deeper into the city, more and more residents lined the streets.
"Oh... First Sword!"
"Jeong Yeong-woo...!"
"What's going on today?"
Whatever it was, they had clearly noticed the First Swords from all over converging on Gangnam District.
"...Good thing I came loaded with backpacks full of merch, or I could've made a killing hawking it."
Yu-bin flashed an awkward smile at the crowds filling the streets and waved.
And in the meantime...
—Everyone, please step back! You could get hurt!
Taewon's staff were starting to push back the crowds from the hotel entrance, megaphones in hand.
Even Taewon was scrambling with the First Swords' sudden arrival.
"Young-woo!"
By the time Negig reached the front of the Parnass Hotel, Im Seon-ah came rushing out from the lobby.
"The First Swords are al-already..."
Behind her, Songpa's First Sword Oh Yeon-hee and Gwanak's First Sword Jo Sang-ik were already chatting in front of the lobby, having arrived early.
They'd probably come to spectate the spectacle, just like Yu-bin.
"They're gathering on their own, so that's perfect."
Young-woo murmured as he exchanged nods with Jo Sang-ik up ahead.
"What do you mean? Besides the ones coming to pay up, you need the others too?"
Young-woo pointed a finger at the sky.
"Like I mentioned around lunchtime, once we secure a Coordinate Locator, we're doing a test fire. The more witnesses, the better."
"......?"
Yu-bin tilted her head, clearly not getting it.
"You might not understand yet. You'll see when it happens."
Young-woo held back; he hadn't confirmed the laser cannon's power himself.
If it packed enough punch, they'd start collecting defense fees. If it fell short, they'd have to take a step back.
'Toma, was it? Seemed like they sold planetary-scale war weapons... A cannon from a place like that shouldn't be ordinary.'
Chik, chik.
As Negig slowed nearing the destination, the First Swords gathered in front of the lobby all turned to Young-woo.
"Young-woo."
"Oh... there he is."
A decent crowd of First Swords had assembled at the Parnass Hotel's main entrance.
Among them, three weren't obligated to pay protection money: Songpa's Oh Yeon-hee, Gwanak's Jo Sang-ik, and Yangju's First Sword Choi Jong-seon.
The ones who owed, on the other hand, numbered six.
'And four of them are here.'
Dongdaemun, Seongbuk, Yongsan, and finally Dobong's First Sword Kim Jeong-gu.
"Hey, you've got some balls. Calling all these heavyweights here just to collect cash. Right?"
Jeong-gu stepped forward, eyeing the powerhouses assembled from across Seoul like they were terrifying.
He even reached out to help Young-woo dismount from Negig.
Swish.
"Nah, I'm good."
"What're you talking about? You can barely walk."
Clicking his tongue, Jeong-gu glanced at Young-woo's ankle and his eyes widened.
"Huh? You little punk."
Young-woo's foot had grown considerably in the meantime.
"At this rate, I should be walking in an hour or two."
Either way, it was true that for now, he needed support to avoid looking pathetic.
"......"
So Young-woo reluctantly leaned toward his father—
Bbat!
His sole slave, Popu Tenta, came scurrying over and braced his back against Negig's right side.
As if ready to carry Young-woo piggyback.
"...What?"
Jeong-gu glared at the alien slave with clear disgust.
Meanwhile, Young-woo eyed Popu with a 'no way' look and rested his right thigh and part of his butt on the tiny shoulders.
Swish.
Popu's body shuddered as he strained to support Young-woo.
—Bbat!
He meant to carry his injured master around.
"You sure you're okay...?"
Even without shared language, Young-woo got the intent and shifted his remaining weight from Negig.
Swish.
Now Young-woo was straddling Popu's shoulders like riding a pony.
Of course, Popu Tenta stood just 70 centimeters tall.
Young-woo, by contrast, was two meters.
He had to stretch his legs straight out to keep his ankles from dragging, making the whole sight utterly ridiculous.
And on top of that...
—Bbat! Bbat...!
Popu kept yelling "Bbat!" like he was psyching himself up as he took steps.
"...Ugh."
"Is that for real...?"
"Poor thing."
"What, you just gonna let it go like that?"
The surrounding citizens—and even the First Swords—gazed pityingly at the scrawny alien frog.
No matter how you sliced it, it looked like Young-woo was abusing Popu.
"...Better to crawl. Put me down now."
Young-woo tapped the ground with his hand, signaling to get off, but Popu rolled his big eyes around, then craned his head up at nearly a right angle to stare at his master.
—Baaat!
"What?"
The uncharacteristically snappy tone caught Young-woo off guard—
—Baa...!
Popu sucked in a huge breath and ballooned in size in an instant.
Pwaaang!
His 70-centimeter frame shot up to two meters.
The once-cute, pitiful frog now exuded monstrous menace.
"Huh?"
"M-Monster!"
"Eeeeek!"
No one glared at Young-woo anymore, but the hotel area turned to chaos.
Everyone but the First Swords fled in terror.
"...Nice and quiet now."
Young-woo muttered with a wry expression, and Oh Yeon-hee, who'd unconsciously gripped her spear, let out a sigh.
"You only keep the problematic ones around."
She was including the laser cannon Young-woo's friends had secretly assembled.
"This one's news to me, seriously."
As Young-woo waved off the accusation—not quite a denial—the hulking Popu trudged toward the hotel.
Thud, thump!
That's when Yongsan's First Sword Kim Do-ha emerged from his car's back seat, where he'd been hiding to watch.
"Young-woo! You're not fully recovered—get well soon."
He directed his government aides to set the money bags in front of Young-woo.
Clang, clank!
"Ten million karma, as promised. The New Seoul Government doesn't forget your contributions!"
Kim Do-ha had fully transformed into a politician.
With no way to hold out against Joseon's First Sword without paying up, he'd come with the grand plan of paying under the New Seoul Government's banner.
"Yes. Thank you. I'll put this money to very good use."
Kim Do-ha offered both hands, so Young-woo shook them.
Handing over ten million so willingly was no small feat, after all.
'So what about that guy...?'
Swish.
Young-woo's gaze shifted to Dongdaemun's First Sword Jang Jeong-ho, standing there blankly in minimal gear.
"You prepared too, right, Jeong-ho?"
Jang Jeong-ho strode toward the pony-riding Young-woo with a confident grin for some reason.
"Back in the military, I heard this saying."
"......?"
"B-grade soldiers just do what's ordered and bring it back. A-grade soldiers finish the job before you even ask."
"So you're saying you're A-grade, Jeong-ho?"
Young-woo asked, and Jang Jeong-ho shrugged, jabbing his chest with his right thumb.
"Me? Well..."
He pulled something from his pocket with his left hand.
Swish.
"I'm S-grade. Not only do I find and finish jobs ahead of time, I'm lucky too."
What he proudly produced was none other than the Coordinate Locator Young-woo had been hunting for.
「Coordinate Locator」 - Relic Tool
【Can determine the coordinates of visible points.】
"You put out the bounty because you needed a locator, right? So I saved you the trouble and bought it myself."
"Ah."
Young-woo nodded like he got the picture.
"How much did it cost? Relic-grade, so not too pricey... I'll deduct five times the price from what I was gonna take."
Young-woo had seen prices for countless gear by now.
Relic equipment rarely topped 400,000 karma—that's why he said it.
But Jang Jeong-ho's follow-up...
"Uh... well, this one's got special functions, so the price was kinda..."
As he squinted slyly to bluff, Yi Yu-bin behind Young-woo mimed slashing her own throat wildly.
Shut up or lose your head.
"Th-that... I mean, the price was..."
Jang Jeong-ho stammered, having spotted Yu-bin's gesture, and Young-woo aimed Ssaengah—drawn from who knows where—at the locator.
Sss.
"No way it was over ten million, right? So I'd owe you the difference...?"
"N-No, of course not."
Jang Jeong-ho barely clawed his way back from the brink.
Even then, he gave it his all to the end.
"Uh... fift—fifty thousand karma."
Despite Ssaengah hovering just 40 centimeters from his throat, he'd jacked the price by 20%.
Luckily, this level of fib was within Young-woo's tolerance.
Jang Jeong-ho had come through, after all.
And a locator popping up in his turf was a huge stroke of luck.
"Whew, way cheaper than expected. Especially valuable to me."
Everyone there knew Young-woo had seen through the lie.
So instead of cracking the whip, Young-woo opted for the carrot.
He might need the First Swords' help again someday.
And with plans to collect defense fees going forward, no need to sour things over a few hundred thousand karma.
"Lucky as always, like you said."
"......"
"You could've hidden this instead of bringing it... We're allies in the federation, right?"
"Y-Yes. Of course. Absolutely."
Jang Jeong-ho finally realized where Ssaengah's tip was pointing.
But unlike the fierce blade, Young-woo's words were velvet.
"Truly grateful. So as thanks, no payment from you today."
Gwanak's First Sword Jo Sang-ik, who'd watched silently, gaped in secret.
'This... this punk's diving into politics now too?'