The Trap Was Never a Trap
Chen Lei frowned as he eyed the shabby apartment building.
So this is the place?
The footage had been unmistakable — CCTV clips showing Wei Jinsheng slipping into this very building, sent over by the guild master of the Iron Blood Guild. The problem was that the video alone told him nothing about why Wei Jinsheng had come here, or what connection this place held.
Well, that's what catching the rat is for.
At Chen Lei's gesture, the black-clad warriors lined up behind him began to fan out through every corner of the apartment complex.
"Leave no witnesses alive. Kill them all — spare only the rat."
That was the order Chen Lei gave his subordinates. A few innocent lives would be lost, but he couldn't have cared less. The weak dying at the hands of the strong was simply the natural order of things.
Creeeak—
It was at that very moment that a man walked out of the building, both hands laden with garbage bags. The gazes of the black-clad figures hidden in the darkness sharpened like drawn blades.
What an unlucky bastard.
That was what Chen Lei thought as he watched the man. Not that it mattered — he would have died inside the building all the same — but by stepping out at this hour, he'd managed to earn himself the honor of being first on the chopping block.
"Ha. This garbage never ends, no matter how much you haul it out."
The man grumbled on, blissfully ignorant of the fate closing in on him. Behind him, one of Chen Lei's men closed the distance with his presence completely erased — and then, like a machine, drew his blade and swept it toward the man's neck.
Wh-what the—?
The one who should have died was the man in the gray tracksuit. But the one who actually crumpled to the ground was Chen Lei's own subordinate — a man he had personally selected and trained. Like a puppet with its strings cut, Chen Lei's man collapsed straight onto the pavement.
Chen Lei couldn't fathom what the man had done, or why his subordinate had fallen.
"So how did Salmak's gutter-trash vermin manage to crawl all the way here?"
At the words murmuring from the man's lips, Chen Lei's eyes went wide. Salmak. He had never imagined that the name of the organization he'd once served in Murim would come out of this stranger's mouth.
But Chen Lei's shock was only beginning.
One by one, the presences of the subordinates he'd infiltrated into the old apartment began to vanish. Without a single warning sign.
A trap. Is this a trap?
That was his first thought. That the rat-like Wei Jinsheng had lured them into this run-down building on purpose, and that he himself had stumbled straight into a perfect snare the man had laid. But the problem was that no matter how magnificent a trap it might be, he simply could not understand why Cheonmuseong's pursuit team — himself included — was being butchered this easily.
"You're their leader, aren't you? You a returnee too?"
"Hup. H-how—?"
Chen Lei had forgotten his very purpose as an assassin, and before he knew it, he was sucking in a desperate breath. And no wonder — the man who had clearly been a hundred paces away was suddenly right in front of his face.
"I've got some questions for you. So let's have you take a little nap first."
As his consciousness faded, Chen Lei grasped a single truth. He hadn't fallen into a trap. He had simply blundered, oblivious, into a space where an overwhelmingly powerful being resided.
Chinese, by the look of them. So they came because of Wei Jinsheng?
I scratched my head as I looked down at the black-clad man sprawled on the ground. I held no particular feelings about China one way or the other — but lately it kept tangling with me against my will, and that was getting old.
Well, if they insist on being a nuisance, they'll just have to be cleared away.
Anyone overhearing might have called it absurdly arrogant, but my standards were simple: anyone who made an enemy of me got cleared away. By that measure, the black-clad man lying before me was a bit of a gray area. He and his men had been radiating killing intent all around the apartment, so I'd captured and killed every last one of them — but the one with the blood debt here seemed to be Wei Jinsheng, not me.
Of course, I owed Wei Jinsheng a debt of my own, so this could simply count toward settling it — but first, there were a few things I needed to verify with him.
I pulled out my phone and called Kang Iseol. I had Park Jaehyun's number too, but matters like this were far easier to handle through Kang Iseol than by notifying someone on the government side.
Her voice came through after barely a couple of rings. Still odd somewhere or other, as always.
"I need a favor."
After sketching out the situation for her, that was all I said. Every one of these things added up to debt if you wanted to keep score, but considering I'd captured Jin Dohyuk and handled business for the alliance, I figured this much could be chalked up as pocket change.
"No, I'm coming with you!"
"Then what about Seojun? How is Seojun supposed to stay home alone?"
"Uncle's here, isn't he?"
When I stepped into the house, the living room was in quite an uproar. And the culprit making all that racket from early in the morning was Seoyeon.
"Oh? Brother-in-law. Step out somewhere?"
"Just taking out the trash. Something going on?"
That was what I said to my brother-in-law, who was watching me with a troubled expression. His story went like this.
There had been one condition attached to my entering the Yeouido Gate to rescue him: conquering the gate that the old Blood Guild had promised to clear. And that task had naturally fallen to him. I'd tried to talk him out of it, saying it wasn't necessary, but he'd stubbornly insisted to the end that he needed to get his combat instincts back. The problem was that Seoyeon had noticed all of this, and was now digging in her heels about tagging along.
"...Then just let her come."
"Brother-in-law! Absolutely not. Our Seoyeon just turned eighteen. And what does she even know about running a gate?"
"That's rich coming from you, Dad, who doesn't know anything — I've been through dozens of gates myself!"
"Exactly. Which means you don't need to anymore. You've got me, and you've got your uncle."
I shook my head as I watched my brother-in-law lecture Seoyeon like that. Honestly, by that same logic, he had no particular need to enter a gate either — and in fact, I had suggested exactly that to him before. That I'd handle everything, gates and money alike, and he should just spend his time with Seoyeon and Seojun.
Jaeseong. But I just can't shake the feeling that this isn't the end. The way I see it, gates seem to exist to train people — to prepare them for some greater calamity to come. So who knows what'll happen next, but shouldn't I at least build the strength to protect my own family?
The reason I hadn't argued my brother-in-law down was that his words carried real weight. The world's fate was anyone's guess, but Korea was steadily falling apart, that much was certain. The internet still worked, and much of daily life was still holding on — but a country whose government had lost its grip could hardly be expected to function normally. The fact that eighteen-year-old Seoyeon was running gates and Seojun wasn't going to school made that plain enough.
And in a world like that, my thinking was this: unless you could guarantee someone's protection for their entire life, you had to raise them to stand on their own. No — that wasn't just my thinking. It was the teaching I'd received from my master.
"You know, Seoyeon's probably stronger than you think, brother-in-law."
"What? No—how would you even—"
My brother-in-law stared at me, eyes brimming with betrayal, but I had no intention of backing down on this one either.
"See? Dad just opposes everything without even knowing anything!"
"That's because everything you've done so far was D-rank gates! The one I'm heading into is C-rank!"
"I'd say a C-rank won't slow her down much."
At my words, my brother-in-law shot me a fierce look. To be fair, no matter how good a man he was, he had a tendency to turn into a complete fool where his daughter was concerned.
"Oh, and brother-in-law — one second."
"Whoa! Uncle's doing magic again!"
When I lifted out my bundle, Seojun, who'd been playing with his toys in the living room, clapped his hands in delight.
"Honestly, what is it with the 'magic'..."
"This is called a Binding Talisman. If you run into anything you can't handle, throw this at it and run. Don't just sit there waiting for the rescue team like last time."
"What? Ha. Clearly you don't know, brother-in-law, but there was a time they called me the Hope of Korea."
"That was your skill carrying you."
"...M-my skill carrying me?"
Truthfully, from where I stood, my brother-in-law was the one I trusted less. I had a rough grasp of Seoyeon's abilities, and it was about time the elixir I'd fed her when I first returned started taking effect — she was undoubtedly incomparably stronger than before. But with my brother-in-law, all I'd ever actually witnessed was him standing still. That said, his skill was so absurdly overpowered that I doubted he'd be in any real danger.
Well, if he was once the Hope of Korea, a Binding Talisman should be more than enough.
When I came out and openly took her side, I could see the corner of Seoyeon's mouth curling upward.
"But not today. I've got somewhere to be right now."
"Where?"
"I have an appointment."
"What is it with you and appointments every single day? Right, Uncle?"
Seoyeon shouted that in response to my words — and the problem was that Seojun had been listening.
"Is it... because I'm in the way of you and Uncle? I can stay home just fine by myself."
"N-no, Seojun! I just have somewhere I need to go with Dad today, that's all..."
At Seojun's words, Seoyeon went white as a sheet. And for some reason I couldn't fathom, she began glaring at me — of all people.
I let out a small sigh and pulled out my phone. It just so happened that a suitable candidate for babysitting Seojun for a few hours had come to mind.
"...Chen Lei?"
Inside the guild master's office at Baekya. Wei Jinsheng, who had rushed over from the hotel after receiving the call, murmured the name as he stared down at the black-clad man sprawled across the floor.
"Someone you know?"
"Chen Lei, a hunter under Cheonmuseong — the organization the Sword Emperor commands. He has most likely come pursuing me."
Wei Jinsheng answered Lee Jaeseong's question in a trembling voice. He had known the Sword Emperor regarded him as a thorn in his side, but never in his wildest dreams had he imagined the man would send Chen Lei — practically his own right hand — all the way to Korea. And watching Lee Jaeseong carry the man in and drop him on the floor like a sack of laundry, Wei Jinsheng couldn't help but shudder once more at his strength.
"The Sword Emperor? That old fossil Namgoong Changcheon?"
"I'm sorry? I don't know who you mean, but China's Sword Emperor goes by the name Namgoong Hwi."
Wei Jinsheng tilted his head at Lee Jaeseong's remark. Only belatedly did he recall that China's Sword Emperor had once been the Outer Hall Master of the Namgoong Clan in Murim — but by then, Lee Jaeseong's interest had already moved on.
"Well, we can get the details by asking this one."
"Kgh."
When Lee Jaeseong gave him a light kick, the unconscious Chen Lei's eyes snapped open. The hazy film over Chen Lei's gaze cleared, and soon his eyes locked onto Wei Jinsheng.
"Wei—Wei Jinsheng, you vermin, how dare you—"
Killing intent pouring off him, Chen Lei tried to rise from the floor — but his body wouldn't budge an inch. As if it had never been capable of movement in the first place. His panicked eyes could be seen darting frantically around the room.
"Is this one a returnee too?"
"Yes. By all accounts, he hails from Murim, just like Namgoong Hwi."
Wei Jinsheng hurried to answer. In any case, one look at Chen Lei was enough to confirm that Lee Jaeseong was a powerhouse beyond anything he could imagine.
"You—just who the hell are you?!"
That was the moment Chen Lei screamed in venom-fueled rage. He didn't stop there, either — he began hurling threat after threat at Lee Jaeseong.
"You think you can lay hands on the warriors of Cheonmuseong and walk away unscathed? Once the Sword Emperor learns of this, he will exterminate not only you but everyone connected to you — down to the last of your three generations!"
"Now that's funny."
It was the moment the words three generations left Chen Lei's mouth that the corner of Lee Jaeseong's lips twisted.
"The Sword Emperor, Namgoong Changcheon. Even that old man never dared speak to me like that. Last I checked, you're no impersonator — you're just his errand boy, so what makes you think—"
At Lee Jaeseong's words, horror flooded Chen Lei's eyes. Wei Jinsheng knew nothing of Namgoong Changcheon — but Chen Lei, a child of Murim, could hardly fail to.
"...You dare speak of Namgoong Changcheon? Just who in the world are you?"
"You're Salmak trash and you don't recognize me? Lee Jaeseong. In Murim, they called me the Blood Heaven Great Emperor."
Chen Lei could only stare at Lee Jaeseong, his face half out of his mind — wearing the expression of a man who simply could not believe the reality in front of him.
"Bl-Blood Demon?"
Lee Jaeseong was already wearing a faint, cold smile at the title the man choked out.