Chapter 105
Chapter 105
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: Necromancer of the Sword Clan
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"It's fine. He's just a cocky little punk strutting around on his clan's reputation anyway. Sure, I've heard the rumors about his skills, but he's still nothing more than a clueless sucker who doesn't know shit about the real world."
Cheon Mujin sneered at Shin Yu-hyun.
He acknowledged that Kim Sung-hoon and the rest of Golden Arrow were valuable assets, but throwing away 2 billion for a contract with a tiny guild of just twelve members? Ridiculous.
Shin Yu-hyun might've thought it looked cool, but to Cheon Mujin, it was the height of flashy idiocy from some greenhorn.
"Couldn't we have just demanded more money?"
"You idiot. Everything's gotta have limits. The kid jumped from 1 billion to 2 billion— you can't just push for more after that."
Cheon Mujin knew exactly when to press and when to back off.
If they'd asked for more than 2 billion, Shin Yu-hyun might've walked away from Golden Arrow entirely.
Even as a direct descendant of the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan, shelling out that much extra wouldn't have been easy.
"Get too greedy, and you might end up with nothing—not even 200 million."
"You're so right!"
"As expected from the boss!"
Cheon Mujin's bodyguards nodded eagerly, chiming in agreement.
Cheon Mujin frowned.
"Hey, what did I tell you? Call me Guild Master from now on."
"S-Sorry, sir. It's just a habit... we haven't adjusted yet."
The bodyguards bowed their heads at his irritation.
Black Wings Guild.
Its roots lay in a violent gang, and the illegal loan sharking and rigged gambling operations they ran now were holdovers from those days.
"Anyway, the moment that 2 billion hits, we move fast. Get everything prepped ahead of time."
"Yes, sir. What about Kim Sung-hoon's daughter?"
"His daughter?"
At Kang Woo-hyuk's question, Cheon Mujin paused in thought. Kim Sung-hoon's girl, barely ten years old.
His wife had died giving birth to her due to preeclampsia, and perhaps as a result, the fragile child had been born weak—stricken with a rare, incurable disease, her future uncertain.
"Once Kim Sung-hoon's gone, what choice does she have? Let her follow her parents."
Cheon Mujin curled his lips into a wicked grin.
The girl was only clinging to life thanks to expensive meds and life-support machines—thanks to her father's devotion.
Without him, she'd slip away naturally, no extra effort required.
"Y'know, now that I think about it, we could even sell her organs after she croaks."
Exploiting an orphan girl with the hospital in on it would be child's play. A little cash to the right people, and it was done.
"Come to think of it, isn't the hospital director where Kim Sung-hoon's daughter is staying a regular at our casino?"
"Yes, he is."
"That makes things even easier."
Cheon Mujin flashed a nasty smile.
The Black Wings Guild ran a unique gambling den—so popular even VIPs dropped by occasionally.
And by sheer luck, one of them was the director of the very hospital housing Kim Sung-hoon's daughter.
"Prep thoroughly. If even one Golden Arrow member slips away, we're all dead. Got it?"
"Yes, sir."
"Don't worry. Hunters vanishing in dungeons? Happens all the time."
Kang Woo-hyuk thumped his chest reassuringly at Cheon Mujin's warning.
Dungeons were mysteries to humanity. Unverified gates, stampedes—plenty of unknowns.
Even "cleared" dungeons could spawn sudden disasters.
Anything dungeon-related defied common sense, with bizarre phenomena cropping up now and then.
That's why hunters and superhumans risked their lives clearing them—disappearances were commonplace.
"Still, stay sharp. Those guys know too much. Can't leave any alive."
Cheon Mujin's reasons for wiping out Golden Arrow went beyond the life insurance payout.
They had bits and pieces of intel on Black Wings' illegal operations.
If they weren't coming over to his side, they had to go—no exceptions.
Sending them to the Heaven-Splitting Sword Clan risked exposing his secrets.
The casino especially could never see the light of day.
To protect it, Cheon Mujin was ready to slaughter not just Golden Arrow, but their families and friends too.
"If I can't have it, no one can."
He smirked, lips twisting upward.
Two days later, just before midnight.
Cheon Mujin stood in a secluded spot on the outskirts of Seoul.
The dark night sky glittered with white starlight and a hanging moon.
Nothing around but trees and underbrush.
And...
Pzzt-zzzt!
A glowing white spatial rift hung in the air.
1-star dungeon: Corrupted Roadrunner Raceway.
A permanent 1-star dungeon managed by Black Wings Guild.
Cheon Mujin scanned the area around the dungeon gate.
"Move it, you idiots! Faster!"
The gate vicinity buzzed with activity.
About fifteen Black Wings guild members hauled mysterious equipment into the dungeon.
Cheon Mujin and four other core executives barked orders at them.
'Man, I'm a genius.'
Grinning to himself as he watched, Cheon Mujin felt smug.
When they first snagged this permanent dungeon, he'd cursed his luck. A measly 1-star.
1-stars were worthless trash. Pondering what to do with it, Cheon Mujin hit on a brilliant idea.
'Using roadrunners for horse races? Brilliant.'
Corrupted Roadrunners: 1-star magic beasts resembling ostriches.
Lightning-fast on powerful legs, but pathetically weak attackers.
Cheon Mujin figured their traits made perfect racehorses.
Low aggression compared to other beasts meant careful management would suffice.
Cheon Mujin stepped through the 1-star gate.
Flash! Whoooosh!
A floating sensation, then he was inside.
The dungeon's interior unfolded before him: an eerie red moon in the dark night sky.
Beneath it, massive walls—ten meters high—formed a circular arena.
Like the Colosseum.
At its heart, maze-like walls marked the roadrunner track.
"How's the setup coming?"
"Boss! You're here?"
A supervising executive greeted him warmly.
"We'll wrap up before 2 a.m. at the latest."
"If it didn't reset at midnight, we wouldn't need all this hassle."
"Can't be helped. All dungeons do it."
Cheon Mujin clicked his tongue.
The roadrunner racing scheme had succeeded wildly, but one massive flaw remained.
All permanent dungeons reset every 24 hours—everything wiped clean.
The raceway was no exception.
Turning the interior into a proper track required hefty setups: lures and barriers to herd scattered roadrunners, floodlights, and more for guests.
But midnight resets meant reinstalling it all from scratch nightly.
Hence, Cheon Mujin had assembled a dedicated equipment install team.
"Still, the profits make it worth it, right?"
Kim Sang-cheol—one of the executives—grinned.
"Damn right. Who'd suffer this crap otherwise?"
The roadrunner bets raked in insane cash for Black Wings.
Steep entry fees, house cuts, and loan sharking for losers.
Hunters who borrowed here and lost it all became guild slaves, slaving away in dungeons to pay endless debts.
This one spot bankrolled their entire operation.
"We've gotta manage this place ourselves."
Black Wings had six core executives total.
All five except the ops manager were here now.
The roadrunner casino was their golden goose.
One slip-up could shut it down, so they oversaw it personally every day.
"We gotta deal with Golden Arrow soon too. Preps on track there?"
"Yes, sir. Picked out a suitable dungeon."
For burying Golden Arrow's bodies.
"When's that payout coming? Time to settle debts."
Cheon Mujin grinned, anticipating Shin Yu-hyun's money.
Then—
Kaboom!
The magic stone generator powering the dungeon lights exploded.
"What the hell?!"
Cheon Mujin scowled at the sudden chaos, then backhanded Kim Sang-cheol in fury.
"You moron! How the fuck do you manage to let it blow up?!"
"S-Sorry! I'll check it out now!"
Kim Sang-cheol, stunned himself, bolted toward the smoking generator.
"Goddamn it! There goes today's take."
Cheon Mujin seethed.
Millions flowed through the track daily; the generator alone cost a fortune.
All up in smoke.
"They said it was safe and sturdy. What bullshit is this?"
He spat curses, plotting revenge on the seller.
"Because I blew it up."
"Who the hell are you?!"
Cheon Mujin whipped around, startled, shouting.
There, under the red moon, a stranger in a black coat and cloak billowed by the wind, standing like a ghost.
"Long time no see, Cheon Mujin."
"Who is this?"
The familiar tone made Cheon Mujin squint suspiciously.
But the mask hid the man's face completely.
"Ring any bells?"
The man slowly removed his mask.
His figure blurred, then sharpened.
"Y-You... why the hell are you here?"
Recognizing the face, Cheon Mujin gaped in shock.
An utterly unexpected figure smirked back at him.