Monopolizing Fortunes (133)
Monopolizing Fortunes (133)
When someone first sets foot in an organization, it's normal to feel at least a little intimidated.
Being this utterly unbothered meant either he had backing from the higher-ups or he was confident in his martial arts.
'Which is it?'
Curious, he asked casually.
"Were you acquainted with the Hall Master before this?"
"Met him for the first time today."
"And no one you know in the Hwangdae Merchant Company?"
"I'd say no."
"What do you mean, you'd say?"
"Seems there's one old friend I'm not on good terms with. From the look of it, that one's low-ranked too."
So he had no backing. That meant he was confident in his martial arts.
'I'll find out soon enough.'
Hwang Du-pyeong could not tolerate someone with no skill eating Seongu Hall's bread. If he had neither backing nor skill, he would naturally be thrown out.
As it happened, the Sixth Squad members were training in the rear courtyard. There were ten members in all; four had gone out on duty, and six were training.
In truth, it was closer to sparring than training. Since everyone had learned different martial arts, it was difficult for any one person to receive instruction from a single teacher.
The two men sparring closest stopped moving when they saw Do Tong-dal.
No one had told them to stop, but one by one they halted their sparring, until in the end all six were looking at Do Tong-dal.
Hwang Du-pyeong spoke.
"Everyone, attention!"
They were already paying attention.
"This fellow here is...."
Mun Chang-seo, a sharp-eyed man in his mid-thirties, cut Hwang Du-pyeong off.
"Is that the bastard who got in on the Hall Master's backing?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Didn't he raise a huge ruckus, and not only escape punishment thanks to the Hall Master, but even get promoted here?"
He didn't know who had spread such absurd rumors in this short time, but the Sixth Squad members all seemed to believe them.
"Haven't I told you not to be swayed by unverified rumors?"
"If not for the Hall Master's backing, how could that bastard have made it all the way to Seongu Hall?"
Do Tong-dal muttered.
"How else? Skill."
Everyone glared at Do Tong-dal.
"So you're that confident in your skill?"
At Mun Chang-seo's question, Do Tong-dal picked at his ear and answered, 'Backing is a skill too.'
"What? As a martial artist, aren't you ashamed to say that!"
"Martial artists? You lot were martial artists?"
"What?"
"Watching you pair off earlier, I thought you were dancing girls. Though even as dancing, it was pathetic."
"Why, you son of a bitch!"
"You're dying to get yourself killed!"
Hwang Du-pyeong held back the members who tried to rush at Do Tong-dal.
"All of you, stop! And you, watch your mouth!"
The members swallowed their anger at Hwang Du-pyeong's words, but Do Tong-dal didn't shut his mouth.
"The way you're all jealous, you're like a bunch of little girls."
"Little girls? You fucking bastard!"
"Unit Leader! Don't stop us!"
The members' fury passed the threshold of what Hwang Du-pyeong could restrain. And Hwang Du-pyeong himself didn't care for Do Tong-dal's insolence either.
"Since tempers have soured this much, there's no choice but to settle it by the law of the martial world!"
At Hwang Du-pyeong's words, smiles tugged at the lips of the members who had been about to charge. Mun Chang-seo asked.
"You mean a duel?"
"What else would there be?"
"I'll do it."
At Mun Chang-seo's words, the bald man shouted.
"The Deputy Unit Leader stepping in? That's using a butcher's cleaver to kill a chicken! I'll face him!"
The rest of the men all raised their voices, each claiming he would be the one to fight. Into that clamor, Do Tong-dal's voice cut through.
"Just all come at me at once. It's a bother otherwise."
This time even Hwang Du-pyeong's face flushed red.
"I've let it slide long enough, but you're arrogant beyond all reason!"
"Everything...."
Do Tong-dal tapped the sword at his waist and went on.
"Won't this fellow do the talking?"
Hwang Du-pyeong stared blankly at Do Tong-dal with a dumbfounded expression.
'Is this bastard insane?'
The warriors of the Hwangdae Merchant Company were by no means amateurs. The warriors of the middle units in particular, though short of first-rate, were at least upper second-rate.
'So he's looking down on them as merchant-company warriors.'
He probably thought of them as common escort-agency guards. That was why he was spouting such crazy talk.
"Wang Cheong."
At Hwang Du-pyeong's call, the bald man answered vigorously.
"Yes, Unit Leader!"
"You face him."
Wang Cheong broke into a broad grin, while the faces of the five who hadn't been chosen twisted.
"Heh heh heh... I'll make sure to burn the terror of Seongu Hall's Sixth Squad into your skull."
Someone threw a wooden sword toward Do Tong-dal. Catching it, Do Tong-dal asked Hwang Du-pyeong.
"Are we killing, or just deciding a winner?"
"You lunatic! It's a duel—who's killing who!"
"I see."
Do Tong-dal and Wang Cheong took their stances five jang apart. It was a duel to decide a winner only, but Wang Cheong, holding his wooden sword upright at the center of his body, burned with killing intent.
"Keep in mind this is a duel, and be careful not to get hurt."
As Hwang Du-pyeong spoke, he glanced at Wang Cheong. It was plain the man wasn't listening to his admonition at all.
'I'll have to step in at the right moment. A broken bone or two should be fine, right?'
Hwang Du-pyeong also disliked Do Tong-dal, so he hoped the man would get a thorough comeuppance.
"Begin!"
The instant Hwang Du-pyeong's voice fell, Wang Cheong moved. The moment Wang Cheong kicked off the ground, the five-jang distance vanished in a single breath.
Shiiik—!
Wang Cheong's wooden sword, slashing down at Do Tong-dal's shoulder, was as fast as lightning splitting the air. If it struck the shoulder as it was, it wouldn't just break a bone—the shoulder could be completely shattered, leaving him a cripple.
But Wang Cheong's wooden sword shattered nothing. Do Tong-dal, who had shifted half a step sideways at some point to evade the attack, swung his wooden sword at Wang Cheong as he passed by.
Thwack!
Not especially fast, but swung with perfect timing, Do Tong-dal's wooden sword struck Wang Cheong in the waist.
"Simple enough."
Do Tong-dal straightened up and was about to speak to the startled members standing there.
Wang Cheong, struck in the waist, spun around and brought his wooden sword down at the back of Do Tong-dal's head.
Because Do Tong-dal moved aside at the last moment, the wooden sword landed on his shoulder instead of the back of his head.
Wincing, Do Tong-dal shuffled back a few steps and turned around.
"Weren't we deciding a winner?"
"You little shit! I'm still perfectly fine!"
Do Tong-dal's gaze shifted to Hwang Du-pyeong.
"So this is how duels work here?"
In a normal duel, the match would have been decided the moment the wooden sword struck the waist.
But in this atmosphere, he couldn't rule in Do Tong-dal's favor.
"What matters in a duel is that the opponent concedes."
At Hwang Du-pyeong's words, Do Tong-dal wore a bitter smile.
"So that's how it is?"
Do Tong-dal pointed his wooden sword at Wang Cheong.
"I'll make this moment the most regretful time of your life."
"Stop talking shit!"
His speed in closing the distance and in bringing down the wooden sword was as fast as the first time. Being as fast as the first time meant he couldn't change the result the first time had produced.
Turning his body slightly to evade the attack, Do Tong-dal swung his wooden sword at Wang Cheong's calf. A thwack and a grunt burst out at the same time.
Naturally, he didn't end the attack with that one blow. The wooden sword came down on Wang Cheong's back as he began to collapse.
"Ugh!"
As Wang Cheong slumped, he had to feel searing pain in his shoulder once more. The wooden sword kept striking him. Back, shoulders, thighs—he was pummeled without discrimination.
"S... stop...!"
Only after that cry burst out did Do Tong-dal stop beating him.
"Is that a concession?"
Wang Cheong's last remaining pride made him hesitate to answer. At that, the wooden sword came down on his shoulder again.
"Aagh! I... I concede! I concede!"
When Do Tong-dal stopped, Wang Cheong, who had been struggling to rise, collapsed again. Every joint in his body felt dislocated, and his struck leg was so swollen he couldn't even stand.
One of the members helped Wang Cheong up and led him away. Do Tong-dal asked Hwang Du-pyeong.
"Do you need another duel?"
"Of course!"
The words came not from Hwang Du-pyeong but from Deputy Unit Leader Mun Chang-seo.
"I can't stand bastards like you. A barefaced whelp who learned a bit of martial arts and acts like he owns the world. Today I'm going to fix that habit of yours for good."
Do Tong-dal snorted.
"Do you even have the skill for that?"
Mun Chang-seo aimed his wooden sword at the space between Do Tong-dal's brows.
"Today I'll teach you that there's always a heaven above heaven!"
But Mun Chang-seo's boast went unfulfilled. He was certainly faster and sharper than Wang Cheong. But he was nowhere near enough to beat Do Tong-dal.
First he was struck in the stomach, and as he doubled over, he exposed his back. After that, it was much the same process Wang Cheong had gone through. Still, he never spat out the words that he had lost.
If Hwang Du-pyeong hadn't stepped in to stop it, he would have been beaten for a long while after that.
Hwang Du-pyeong, who had been checking on Mun Chang-seo as he lay face down trembling, shouted at Do Tong-dal.
"What do you think you're doing, treating a comrade you'll be sharing meals with like this!"
"Let's get our facts straight. Who was it that ignored and trampled on a comrade he'd be sharing meals with?"
"That much is something every newcomer goes through when they enter a new place!"
"I'm not one of the 'everyone' you're talking about. The martial world says martial arts are the law, so shall we see who that law belongs to a little more clearly?"
Hwang Du-pyeong spat out a growling voice.
"Fine. That arrogant law of yours—I'll see it for myself."
Honestly, Hwang Du-pyeong had no confidence he could beat Do Tong-dal. The gap between him and Mun Chang-seo, who had just been beaten black and blue, was not large.
Yet Do Tong-dal had subdued Mun Chang-seo as easily as dealing with a child. Perhaps even if every member here rushed him at once, they might not win.
Even so, Hwang Du-pyeong stepped forward indignantly. Better to break against him than to bow his head in cowardice.
"If you want to feel shame and pain at the same time, I'll gladly oblige that stupidity."
Hwang Du-pyeong said no more and stood five jang in front of Do Tong-dal. Gripping his wooden sword with both hands, his bearing carried the grim resolve of a life-or-death duel.
After drawing a deep breath and holding it, Hwang Du-pyeong kicked off the ground. His anger had risen to the top of his head, but he didn't let rage rule his body.
Mun Chang-seo and Wang Cheong had launched big attacks and been counterattacked, losing helplessly.
Hwang Du-pyeong aimed for Do Tong-dal's waist. A horizontal attack toward the waist is hard to block. As expected, Do Tong-dal stepped back and evaded the attack.
Hwang Du-pyeong pressed in and aimed a thrust at his chest. The moment Do Tong-dal knocked the wooden sword aside, Hwang Du-pyeong spun and swept at his waist.
Do Tong-dal retreated without even managing a proper attack.
'There's no way it's this easy.'
The instant that thought crossed his mind, Do Tong-dal let the thrusting wooden sword slip through under his armpit and attacked his neck.
"Hup!"
Startled, Hwang Du-pyeong bent his torso back and barely avoided the attack. With that single strike, Do Tong-dal shifted from defense to offense.
Tak! Tak! Tatak!
Hwang Du-pyeong retreated step after step while Do Tong-dal pressed him, their wooden swords clashing ceaselessly in the air.
He was on the back foot, but it wasn't an unwinnable fight. The two men's fierce exchange continued for over one ke.
At first, he thought it was a fight worth having. He even held out hope that, with luck, he might win.
But as time passed, Hwang Du-pyeong felt something strange. Do Tong-dal's breathing, felt up close, was as steady as at the start.
It was unlike Hwang Du-pyeong, whose chest heaved with ragged breaths. Moreover, the force he felt in their clashing wooden swords was matched to the tired Hwang Du-pyeong's level.
Only after one ke had passed did Hwang Du-pyeong realize that Do Tong-dal was fighting while going easy on him.
'Why is this bastard doing that?'
The moment the question arose, the answer came too. Do Tong-dal was trying to preserve Hwang Du-pyeong's face.
If Hwang Du-pyeong could hold his own against Do Tong-dal, who had just flattened two members in an instant, his standing as Unit Leader could rise even higher.
'The little shit—I thought he was a complete madman, but he knows how to get along in an organization.'
He had no intention of recklessly insisting that Do Tong-dal stop going easy and fight for real. He wasn't some hot-blooded teenager.
"Stop!"
The ringing voice belonged to Won Chi-myeong.
* * *