Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: Settling the Debt
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“How much is that debt?”
“You’re the Hall Leader of the Black Tortoise Hall in the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan, so you must already know that much. And besides, it’s not about the money. It’s about how long we’ve been trying to take my big brother under our wing.”
Cheon Mu-jin grinned slyly as he spoke. Kim Sung-hoon, listening from the side, wore a look of utter despair.
“You sure know how to talk. It wasn’t effort—it was extortion.”
“Pardon?”
Cheon Mu-jin’s face twisted at Shin Yu-hyun’s sudden provocative use of informal speech.
“Still young, huh? Getting all casual with me?”
“Watch your mouth, Guild Leader Cheon Mu-jin. Unless you want to make an enemy of us.”
At that moment, Isia let out a chilling wave of killing intent as a warning.
This was Shin Yu-hyun, a direct descendant of the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan.
Unless they were from one of the other Four Great Families, speaking formally to him wasn’t just courtesy—it was a way to undermine their own clan’s prestige.
Yet the reason Shin Yu-hyun usually showed respect to others was to convey genuine regard for them.
But Cheon Mu-jin was different.
Shin Yu-hyun had no intention of showing him even a shred of respect.
And there was no reason to. Even setting aside the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan’s name and judging purely on Shin Yu-hyun’s personal abilities and influence.
“As if we’d dare. How could a small guild like ours afford to cross the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan?”
At Isia’s warning, Cheon Mu-jin raised both hands in surrender.
He was backing down a step.
But not out of fear of Shin Yu-hyun. Compared to the other direct descendants who had shone brightly since youth, he didn’t think Shin Yu-hyun was all that impressive.
To Cheon Mu-jin, Shin Yu-hyun was just a spoiled brat throwing his weight around thanks to his clan’s prestige.
“Just answer the question.”
Regardless of what he thought, Shin Yu-hyun kept up his relaxed smile and continued speaking informally to Cheon Mu-jin.
“……Ten billion. But like I said earlier, it’s not about the money. What matters is the effort we’ve invested, right?”
“Guild Leader Kim Sung-hoon doesn’t seem interested in signing with you.”
“No tree stands after ten strikes, does it?”
Cheon Mu-jin’s eyebrow twitched at Shin Yu-hyun’s persistent informal tone.
He politely called Kim Sung-hoon “Guild Leader” every time, yet spat casual barbs at him—this made it even harder to stomach.
“Twenty billion.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll pay twenty billion. And in return, the Black Night Wings Guild washes their hands of Golden Arrow.”
“…….”
Cheon Mu-jin’s face clouded with contemplation at Shin Yu-hyun’s words.
The reason he’d been chasing the massive ten-billion debt without seriously planning to collect it was because he knew Golden Arrow’s true value.
Kim Sung-hoon’s skills went without saying, and the other archers in Golden Arrow were top-notch as well.
Cheon Mu-jin figured that if he threw them into dungeons non-stop, he could recoup ten billion in no time.
In fact, he was already raking in cash that way from others they’d absorbed over debts.
The world called it “dungeon mining.”
‘But twenty billion changes everything.’
Work them endlessly, and they might drop dead before earning that much.
No reason to turn down that kind of risk-free cash.
‘If only I hadn’t loaned that punk money myself.’
As Cheon Mu-jin pondered, Kim Sung-hoon glared at him with eyes full of resentment, as if he wanted to kill him right there.
The biggest mistake of Kim Sung-hoon’s life was borrowing from the Black Night Wings Guild.
But he had no choice. His only daughter had a terminal illness.
Hospital bills and medicine costs were astronomical.
Thank goodness he was a skilled archer hunter; that let him scrape by somehow.
But it still wasn’t enough.
So he borrowed from Cheon Mu-jin, who’d always called him “big brother” and followed him around.
Without knowing what kind of scum he really was.
In the blink of an eye, the debt snowballed.
And using that as leverage, Cheon Mu-jin began eyeing Golden Arrow Guild.
“Deal.”
After a moment’s thought, Cheon Mu-jin nodded.
He backed off more easily than expected.
Shin Yu-hyun inwardly raised an eyebrow as he watched him.
‘Thought he’d haggle for more.’
What kind of man was Cheon Mu-jin?
A ruthless profiteer and predatory moneylender.
He’d push anyone into a pit for profit without batting an eye.
Countless superhumans had fallen into illegal gambling at his urging, drowning in debt.
Kim Sung-hoon had even been tempted into gambling but barely resisted, which was how he’d held onto his guild this long.
“Then we’re settled. Guild Leader Kim Sung-hoon, shall we sign a contract with us?”
“Yes! Absolutely!”
Kim Sung-hoon answered immediately. Contracting with Shin Yu-hyun here was far better than scum like Black Night Wings.
And above all, he could finally be rid of that loathsome Cheon Mu-jin.
“I’ll wire the money soon. Remember from now on: you and Golden Arrow Guild belong to the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan. Act accordingly.”
“Of course.”
Cheon Mu-jin nodded at Shin Yu-hyun’s words.
‘Deputy Manager Kim Jae-hyun’s gonna cry about this.’
Shin Yu-hyun chuckled inwardly.
Kim Jae-hyun never imagined shelling out twenty billion for a small guild like Golden Arrow. Imagining his reaction brought a wry smile.
But Shin Yu-hyun didn’t see it as excessive spending. Golden Arrow was worth more than twenty billion.
‘I did warn him, though…….’
Shin Yu-hyun glanced at Cheon Mu-jin.
His sharply slanted eyes and the long knife scar across his face.
‘Wonder how he’ll play this.’
Shin Yu-hyun smiled to himself. He’d laid a trap card during their cafe chat to deceive Cheon Mu-jin.
He was looking forward to seeing how it’d play out.
After wrapping up even the procedures for collecting the debt going forward, Cheon Mu-jin left with a casual “good deal,” acting cool about it.
Shin Yu-hyun and Isia then discussed contracts and schedules with Kim Sung-hoon.
Kim Sung-hoon expressed deep gratitude to Shin Yu-hyun for freeing him from Black Night Wings, vowing his loyalty.
He hurried off to share the good news with his Golden Arrow guildmates. They’d been cowering under Black Night Wings’ thumb for so long.
Once Cheon Mu-jin’s group and Kim Sung-hoon were gone, Isia turned to Shin Yu-hyun.
“Hall Leader, should we bury him?”
She’d held her tongue until the talks ended, but Cheon Mu-jin’s attitude had clearly grated on her.
And rightfully so. No one should dare act that way toward a direct descendant of the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan.
If it were in front of his siblings like Shin Cheol-min or Shin Yu-ra, he wouldn’t even lift his head—he’d grovel.
Hell, he wouldn’t even dream of interrupting.
During the contract talks, Dia—who’d been wandering the cafe alone—approached and asked,
“Sis, wanna play in the dirt?”
“Huh? No, not dirt. But we might need to bury some trash.”
Isia faltered briefly at Dia’s words before making an excuse.
Dia’s eyes widened at the explanation.
“Sis, you can’t bury trash in the ground. It makes the earth sick.”
“R-Really? So what should we do, Dia?”
Dia beamed innocently.
“Burn the trash.”
“……!”
Enlightenment dawned on Isia.
“Right. Trash needs to be burned.”
Now that she thought about it, burning seemed better than burying.
Isia looked back at Dia.
“What about stuff that won’t burn?”
“Stuff that won’t burn?”
Dia whipped around in shock, her hidden cat ears perking up for the first time.
“Yeah, like pottery or metal.”
“Oh, use bigger, hotter fire for that.”
“……!”
Isia had her second revelation.
“Got it. Hotter fire does the trick.”
“Yup. Black flame burns everything.”
Dia knew.
Shin Yu-hyun’s Dark Soul Blaze—the black flame—could incinerate anything.
Though it guzzled mana like crazy.
“Why are you so cute, Dia?”
Isia ruffled Dia’s hair wildly.
“Nyaa~.”
Dia purred cutely, enjoying the touch.
They’d apparently bonded during the cafe visit.
But if Isia harbored any wariness or ill will toward Shin Yu-hyun, she never would have gotten close to Dia.
Dia—and the other Seven Arcs—showed no mercy to anyone hostile to their master, the Immortal King.
As Isia petted Dia, she shot Shin Yu-hyun a look that said, Shall we burn him alive?
“We’ll watch and see whether to bury or burn him.”
“Should I assign someone to tail him?”
“Nah, just leave it. If they’ve got any brains, they’ll stay put……”
Shin Yu-hyun trailed off.
Cheon Mu-jin was cunning with big ambitions. The type to get caught in his own schemes.
And doesn’t everyone have a foolproof plan?
Until they get slapped down.
“So you’re just going to do nothing?”
“Put someone on Golden Arrow Guild for now.”
“Golden Arrow?”
“Yeah. If Black Night Wings moves, where do you think they’ll hit first?”
“Golden Arrow Guild, obviously.”
“Exactly.”
Black Night Wings wouldn’t let Golden Arrow go easily. They’d strike there first.
Isia nodded, grasping his intent.
‘They’ll move once the debt’s cleared. But…….’
Shin Yu-hyun smiled inwardly.
He’d already planted that trap card during the chat.
And now seemed the time to use the Thousand Faces Mask, Persona, from Shin Ji-ah.
“What’s your plan?”
Right after leaving the cafe, Kang Woo-hyuk—Cheon Mu-jin’s bodyguard and one of his direct subordinates—asked.
“What plan? We process them as soon as the debt’s cleared.”
“Knew it.”
Kang Woo-hyuk smirked at the response.
They had no intention of letting Kim Sung-hoon go quietly.
Once they got the money from Shin Yu-hyun, they’d wipe out Golden Arrow. They’d already coerced them into life insurance policies for this exact purpose.
Collect on Kim Sung-hoon’s debt from Shin Yu-hyun, eliminate the guild, then cash in the insurance.
Two birds with one stone.
“But scamming the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan……you sure that’s wise?”
Another subordinate handling Cheon Mu-jin’s security asked cautiously.
Cheon Mu-jin sneered and opened his mouth.