Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 1
>Chapter Title: Opportunity (3)
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Mok Kyung-un, whose neck had been snapped, met his end.
The ruffian was dazed for a very brief moment.
But that did not last long.
"You bastard!"
*Whoosh!*
Fury boiling over, the ruffian lunged at the boy in an instant, seized his neck, and slammed him against the wall.
*Thud!*
It was absurd.
Even if Mok Kyung-un was a third-rate martial artist incompetent in martial arts, this guy was just an ordinary civilian.
Even as a death row inmate, the gap between him and someone trained in martial arts was stark.
And yet, no matter how much of a sneak attack it was, could Mok Kyung-un's neck really snap in a split second?
As he stood there baffled, the boy spoke to him with an expressionless face.
"......Even if you've burned Sleeping Incense, you shouldn't cause a commotion, right?"
"What? You bastard, right now you're saying that...!?"
The ruffian furrowed his brow.
He had his neck gripped, yet there was no sign of agony.
On the contrary, he was speaking just fine.
'Come to think of it, this guy's neck feels...'
It was like the neck of someone who had trained external arts—his neck muscles were remarkably developed.
At this level, it seemed he'd need proper internal energy to snap it.
'No way, did he train in external arts? No, if so, he'd have at least some internal energy.'
External arts also required qi circulation as a foundation.
But this guy truly had no internal energy.
He didn't seem like a simpleton after all.
The ruffian's mind grew complicated, but that wasn't the important thing right now.
"You mad bastard. The Young Master gave you a chance, and yet you've truly lost your mind. To turn against the one who gave a mere death row inmate like you an opportunity..."
"Am I wrong about the purpose of a body double?"
"What?"
"From the start, a body double is someone who takes risks in place of the real one. Of course, for me, it's a chance to extend my life by about three days, but if you've gone to the trouble of breaking out a death row inmate to serve as a body double, doesn't that also mean you could discard me like a dead dog and cooked rabbit meat anytime?"
"......"
The boy spoke in a calm, measured tone.
At the boy's words, the ruffian was momentarily at a loss for words.
This guy was smarter than he thought.
An ordinary civilian or typical death row inmate would be desperate just to survive this moment.
'No, could they even attempt something like this in the first place?'
Not only had he instantly seen through the situation, he was even taking a gamble.
Even though he could die right then and there.
'What kind of guy is this...'
As he stood there in disbelief, the boy opened his mouth.
"May I ask one thing?"
"You bastard, do you even grasp the situation..."
"You said you're an escort, but you're awfully calm for someone whose master is dead."
"You bastard..."
"In a situation where you should want to kill me, if you still have this much rationality left, it doesn't seem like you have much affection for your master, does it?"
"Ha!"
At the boy's words, the ruffian was dumbfounded.
He had pierced right through his innermost feelings, which was irritating.
As the boy said, the ruffian had no great affection for this wastrel of a Young Master—he was no different from a thug.
He was simply flustered and angry at this unexpected turn of events.
Of course, that didn't mean his judgment was so clouded that he'd kill this guy right here and try to escape the government's Golden Prison.
'What a spectacle.'
To think he was being toyed with by a mere death row boy.
As the boy said, now that things had come to this, killing him was the right call.
But with the Young Master already dead, if he lost this one too, Timber Sword Manor would hold him accountable with his life.
'Damn, it's all gone to hell.'
His plan to make the Third Young Master the Clan Head and live out his old age leisurely as the manor's chief steward was crumbling.
All his investments up to now wasted because of this damned death row brat.
As he felt a sense of futility, the boy said.
"If you don't have any particular affection, how about switching carriages?"
"Switching carriages?"
"If you think of the guy lying on the floor as a convict who's going to be executed the day after tomorrow, wouldn't that be easier?"
The boy spoke nonchalantly.
Looking at him, the ruffian felt both exasperated and a chill down his spine for some reason.
Wasn't this damned death row inmate essentially saying he would become Mok Kyung-un?
*Grip!*
The ruffian tightened his grip on the boy's neck.
"Urk..."
Only now did the boy let out a groan of slight pain.
Glaring at him, the ruffian said.
"Did you kill the Young Master aiming for that, you damned death row scum?"
At his words, the boy smirked and replied.
"Is there... any other... reason?"
'!?'
At the boy's words, the ruffian swallowed hard.
What kind of creature was this?
His very thought process ran on a completely different track from ordinary people.
His cunning was beyond normal.
No, perhaps that's why he was a death row inmate in the first place.
'This guy's dangerous.'
Regardless of whether Timber Sword Manor held him accountable or not, it might be better to kill him now.
His instincts were screaming that strongly.
No good could come from getting involved with this guy, martial arts or age aside.
*Crunch!*
"Gah!"
He put even more strength into his hand.
With internal energy infused, it would be hard to endure.
"Don't make me laugh. For you, it's better to just die here."
Kill him.
Even if it meant starting over from scratch.
At that moment, the boy suddenly grabbed his wrist.
*Smack!*
"Useless. I don't know if you killed the Young Master by sheer luck, but I'm different."
He tried to lightly swat it away with his other hand infused with internal energy, but—
*Smack!*
'This guy?'
He withstood it.
It felt like striking a sturdy tree trunk.
There was a rebound from his forearm—the muscles were incredibly firm.
Firm enough to withstand a blow infused with internal energy.
In an instant, the ruffian swiftly tore the sleeve of the boy's forearm garment.
'!?'
The ruffian's eyes shook.
The densely packed muscle form was clearly visible.
He nearly gasped at the sight of muscles developed as if trained solely in external arts for over a decade.
Now the mystery was solved.
'......No wonder the Young Master fell to him.'
It wasn't just luck from a sneak attack.
Given this guy's muscle density, it would be hard to inflict damage without considerable skill.
In terms of physical body alone, it surpassed what a third-rate martial artist could handle.
'If a guy like this had properly learned martial arts...'
He might have become a considerable master.
But to properly cultivate internal energy, one needed to start between ages five and ten.
If started too late, impurities would accumulate in the body's meridians, slowing qi circulation.
*Crunchhh!*
At that moment, pain shot through the wrist gripping the neck.
The guy was exerting force to pry his hand away.
'What the hell kind of strength is this?'
Even using Seven Stars Internal Energy, he was trying to shake it off with raw power.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a powerhouse in terms of strength alone.
If he let his guard down, he might actually break free.
'Can't have that.'
With that, the ruffian unleashed the Capturing Hand technique.
He released the hand on the neck, seized the boy's wrist, and twisted the joint to force it toward his back.
'Eh?'
It happened so quickly that the boy was helpless as his wrist was twisted.
'How did he do that?'
Was this martial arts too?
If so, it was exquisite.
He had used the boy's own strength to twist his wrist.
But thanks to that, the hand on his neck was released, making it easier to breathe and speak.
*Shing!*
He saw the ruffian drawing something from his waist.
It was a dagger.
He planned to stab him with it.
The boy said.
"Is there really any need to kill me?"
"What?"
"Without the antidote, I'll die anyway, so don't I have no choice but to obey you?"
At those words, the ruffian paused his thrust with the dagger.
In this absurd situation, he'd momentarily forgotten, but the boy had swallowed the Poison Pill he'd brought.
Realizing that made it even more ridiculous.
'Ha!'
To think a guy who'd even taken the Poison Pill would pull this madness.
A guy who couldn't survive without the antidote from him—why would he do this?
'Is it because he's the only replacement left now that the Young Master is dead?'
His cunning had gone too far.
At that moment, the boy said.
"I'm not interested in being from Timber Sword Manor or the Third Young Master."
"Not interested? Then why pull this stunt now..."
"I just have a reason to live a bit longer."
"Live longer?"
What was he talking about?
As he wondered, the boy spoke in a meaningful tone.
"You have the antidote, so you can control me like a puppet however you want."
At the boy's words, the ruffian hesitated.
He had only seen his retirement plan in ruins.
Unlike in the past, he wanted a peaceful life.
He was thoroughly fed up with investing time somewhere else to achieve that.
How much research and time had he spent finding the ideal place?
'Control him however I want...'
He fell into thought for a moment.
It was tempting, but he wasn't a fool.
From the brief encounter, this guy was extremely dangerous.
Too cunning to control easily.
But a guy this obsessed with survival wouldn't defy him for the time being, at least because of the Poison Pill.
'......Should I use him as a chance to switch sides?'
The sole reason for seeking a body double in the first place was one.
To save the Young Master's life.
But the Young Master was already dead.
In that case, using this guy to switch allegiances was a good plan.
If he made him a figurehead and tried to manipulate him from behind, it would only give him headaches in the long run.
'Right. Use him and discard him.'
After a brief deliberation, the ruffian made his decision.
He would use the guy only until he could switch sides.
The ruffian warned him.
"If I see even a hint of funny business, you're dead. Disobey my orders, and you're dead."
"Understood."
The boy replied without the slightest hesitation.
"If you don't take the Poison Pill's neutralizer within twelve hours, the poison will spread through your five viscera and six bowels, so remember that well."
*Smack!*
Finally, the ruffian released the twisted arm.
He said to the boy, who was getting to his feet.
"From this moment on, you... are Mok Kyung-un."
"Understood. Should I call you Gam Escort?"
"Yeah."
"I can drop the formal speech in front of others, right?"
"......Yeah."
He didn't want to be addressed informally by this guy, but confirming it didn't hurt.
At that moment, the boy—no, Mok Kyung-un—approached the fallen 'real Mok Kyung-un.'
He then began stripping his clothes.
'Hmm.'
Gam Escort watched the scene with displeasure.
He hadn't ordered it, yet he was swapping clothes with the real one—truly cunning to a fault.
The only pity was the dead 'real Mok Kyung-un.'
*Rustle!*
Mok Kyung-un removed the upper garment of the prisoner robes.
'......Look at this guy.'
His upper body housed remarkably developed, dense muscles.
Even with bandages wrapped around his chest and abdomen stained red, the muscle definition was so clear that one could guess the extent.
'To call this a body untrained in external arts.'
He'd been surprised earlier, but seeing it now was even more astonishing.
As Gam Escort stared piercingly at Mok Kyung-un's upper body, his eyes narrowed.
'But the bandages suggest he took a serious injury to end up like that—why does he look perfectly fine on the outside?'
That was the question.
It wasn't an old wound; it was recent.
Yet Mok Kyung-un's complexion and movements seemed unaffected.
'What the hell is this?'
He grew curious about what this guy had done to end up as a death row inmate.
It seemed he'd need to meet his government contact again.
At that moment, having swapped clothes, Mok Kyung-un turned to him and said.
"Can I borrow your dagger?"
"Dagger...? Why?"
Mok Kyung-un casually pointed to the head area of the dead 'real Mok Kyung-un.'
"The Young Master's body is slimmer than mine, so I think I should just take the torso and leave the head."
"........"
It was a perfectly logical statement, but this guy still gave him the creeps.
Switching sides quickly seemed like the best course.
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