Chapter 4: Just Fix Him Already! (2)
Chapter 4: Just Fix Him Already! (2)
What is an underworld gang?
In the martial world, there are warriors of various inclinations.
The Orthodox Faction, the Unorthodox Faction, the Demonic Path, the Path of the Hegemon, and so on.
If you were to break it down further, there would be many more, but these are the general categories.
An underworld gang technically falls under the Unorthodox Faction.
However, even within the Unorthodox Faction, it’s common for people to refuse to acknowledge underworld thugs as fellow martial artists.
Why?
Because they are pathetic, bottom-feeding losers.
Being grouped with them is considered an embarrassment.
Their activities mainly consist of extorting protection money from merchants, mugging passersby, running loan sharking operations, managing gambling dens, and the like…
In short, they are the trash among trash, taking on every dirty and wicked deed in the world.
That is an underworld gang.
And…
The Twin Dragon Sect, which had once produced a brilliant talent like the Radiant Dragon Hero Jincheon, had become exactly that.
What would happen if the Radiant Dragon Hero himself saw this sight?
It would look like this.
“Oh, Master… Our Twin Dragon Sect is ruined. It’s completely finished.”
Patrick sat slumped on the street, wailing loudly.
Naturally, Patrick’s backside was well-acquainted with the ground.
To get his way, he was prepared to lie down anywhere, anytime, throwing a tantrum and crying, “Waaaaaah!”
But right now, he was more sincere than ever.
He was truly in despair.
“Our Twin Dragon Sect, once called the conscience of the martial world and the paragon of the Orthodox Faction, is an underworld gang? An underworld gaaaang?!”
“Master, please calm down for a moment.”
“Is this what I came back to see? Huh? I… I… hic…”
“He’s going to pass out again.”
Persona tried to help him up, but it was no use.
The mental shock seemed to be quite substantial.
As Patrick wallowed in despair and lamentation, a group of underworld thugs naturally came charging out from the Twin Dragon Sect—no, the Twin Dragon Gang.
“Who is it? Which one of you is it?”
“How dare you make a scene here!”
“You want to die? Huh?”
Looking at the muscle-bound thugs appearing with clubs and murderous intent, Persona let out a sigh.
‘So, it ends up like this after all.’
Yes. She knew it would happen.
It always did.
Whenever there was a fire, moths would inevitably fly into the flames.
‘Poor bastards…’
Persona looked at them with pity.
And the men who received her gaze…
“Ho, what’s this?”
“Whoa. There was a beauty like this here?”
“Look at how pale her skin is.”
Well, she suddenly stopped feeling sorry for them.
Feeling a physiological revulsion as if a snake were crawling over her skin, Persona began to contemplate where and how she should start beating them.
Just then, one of the men spoke to her.
“Ahem. Who might you be, young lady? And for what purpose have you visited our Twin Dragon Gang?”
The man speaking, trying to sound somewhat dignified, seemed to be the highest-ranking person among them.
Persona sighed and replied.
“Me? I’m your Senior Sister.”
“…Senior Sister?”
“And I’ll give you one warning in advance…”
“Grrr…”
Behind her, something began to awaken.
Something horrific, evil, and ferocious, as if it had crawled out of the bottomless abyss of hell, was slowly rising, converting despair and humiliation into pure rage.
Persona spoke.
“You’d better run.”
“What?”
“Bolt right now. Don’t look back, just run. Run to the ends of the earth.”
“What kind of nonsense is—Gwak!”
WHAM!
The man who had been speaking was sent flying backward as a fist slammed into his face.
CRASH!
The sight of a human flying horizontally and smashing into a wall was quite a rare spectacle.
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the monster that had created this rare sight.
And he… no, it spoke.
“Run? Where do you think you’re going…?”
The members of the Twin Dragon Gang instinctively flinched and backed away.
They sensed that something was terribly wrong.
And then, it roared.
“Where are you going to run, you bastards?!”
The Radiant Dragon Hero Jincheon had returned to the Twin Dragon Sect.
* * *
Great Bear Twin Axes, Kang Man.
That was the name of the current leader of the Twin Dragon Gang.
He was the leader of the Twin Dragon Gang, a massive underworld organization that held the entire Cheonsu County in its grip.
Even if he did nothing, his subordinates brought in money, and the income from the gambling dens and brothels operating under the Twin Dragon Gang was substantial.
Thanks to that, he lived like a king within Cheonsu County.
Even the County Magistrate couldn’t treat him lightly. However…
“Leader! It’s an intruder!”
“What? Who dares attack our Twin Dragon Gang? Is it those bastards from the Blood Saber Sect?”
“That’s… I don’t know who it is. But the boys downstairs can’t handle him.”
“Who the hell dares…”
BOOM!
There was no need to wonder who it was.
The question was answered immediately.
“You…”
He appeared, smashing through the wall.
Eyes filled with a madness that seemed to have risen from hell.
White steam billowing from his mouth.
No matter how one looked at him, he didn’t seem human.
“Who… who are you?”
In the Unorthodox Faction—especially for an underworld gang with limited power—one needed sharp intuition to survive.
The moment Kang Man sensed his opponent was extraordinary, he tried to initiate a conversation rather than fight.
But the problem was…
“Are you the leader?”
“I… I am, but…?”
“Then let’s start with a beating.”
The opponent had no intention of talking.
In the very next instant, the thing that loomed large in front of Kang Man’s face was the sole of a shoe.
And then…
WHACK!
“Gah!”
Taking the hit directly, Kang Man was sent tumbling backward.
After rolling several times, Kang Man lifted his head and shouted.
“Ugh, you’re someone who won’t listen to reason!”
“Oh? You’re the leader, so you’ve still got some fight in you after one hit?”
Patrick looked at him as if he were somewhat impressed.
Kang Man glared at Patrick with a face full of humiliation.
That was the look a supreme powerhouse gives when judging the weak.
And the opponent likely had the right to look at him that way. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have stormed into the middle of an underworld gang alone to cause such a ruckus.
‘Wait, is he not alone?’
CRASH!
Kang Man’s eyes caught sight of a peerless beauty elsewhere, dealing with—no, simply obliterating—his subordinates with waves of blade qi.
Every time her black hair fluttered and her massive saber swung, his men fell like autumn leaves.
‘Monsters… monsters have come.’
Kang Man felt a moment of despair.
But he soon grit his teeth.
Indeed, among those who made a living by the blade in the martial world, how many actually died of old age?
If he was to die today, so be it. However…
“I, the Great Bear Twin Axes Kang Man, will not die easily!”
Shouting gallantly, he drew his signature weapons—two hand axes. And then…
“Axes… and twin axes at that…”
“What… what is it? Who are you?”
“You’re practically announcing to the whole world, ‘I’m a wicked underworld thug.’ Ugh… I’m so pissed.”
The opponent looked at him with an expression of utter futility. Then, he suddenly screamed.
“Where did you sell off the Twin Dragons Eight Sword Styles to be swinging axes so vulgarly? You damn bastard!”
“The… Twin Dragons Eight Sword Styles?”
What’s that?
Seeing the confusion on Kang Man’s face, Patrick spoke.
“You lazy bastards. Have you even forgotten the name of your own sect’s unique martial art?”
“I… I don’t know any such martial art.”
“You don’t know? Does not knowing mean your life is over? No. Actually, yes. Let’s end it. Your life ends today.”
“Wait… wait a minute…”
“Wait my ass!”
Patrick lunged forward again.
Kang Man fought back, swinging his axes fiercely.
Whoosh!
For an underworld thug, his axe-work was quite sharp. In fact, compared to most who were called by generic names like Twin Blades, Viper, or Mad Dog without a proper title, Kang Man had the title ‘Great Bear Twin Axes’ and was classified as a powerhouse in Cheonsu County.
It meant he had trained in martial arts to some extent.
THUD!
Well, not that it meant anything in front of Patrick.
“Swinging axes, huh? Just flailing them around like that? Huh?”
“Argh… Aaaagh!”
WHACK! CRACK! THUD!
Patrick began to demolish Kang Man with his bare fists, not even using a sword.
Shouldn’t he show this pathetic descendant, who had forgotten the dignity of the sect, the bitter taste of a Grandmaster’s fists?
Dodging the puny axe swings, he planted his fists into the man’s body, tenderizing him from head to toe.
“You bastard! How dare you turn the Great Twin Dragon Gate into underworld trash? You absolute piece of shiiiit!”
Bam-bam-bam-bam-bam!
Infinite Hell Chain Fist
Adaptive Style
This was the true education of an ancestor.
Patrick’s fists landed meticulously from Kang Man’s head to his toes, crushing every bone in his body.
[Well done. Teach them some manners.]
And for once, even his Master seemed to agree with Patrick’s violence.
* * *
“Phew…”
Patrick let out a deep sigh.
For now, the subjugation of the Twin Dragon Sect—no, the Twin Dragon Gang—was complete.
The guy named Kang Man or whatever had been ground down by his fists and couldn’t even move a finger, while the others were kneeling before Patrick, their bodies swollen and bruised.
Seeing how they didn’t even dare to lift their heads to meet Patrick’s gaze, it seemed he had successfully nipped any thoughts of rebellion in the bud. However…
“Huuuuuuuu…”
Patrick’s sighs only grew deeper.
Every time he sighed, the members of the Twin Dragon Gang trembled in fear.
Unable to watch any longer, Persona spoke up.
“Say something, Master. What are you going to do now?”
Patrick let out another deep sigh and said, “If I followed my temper, I’d just… from head to toe… I’d just… Ugh… thinking about it makes me pissed again.”
“If you’re that dissatisfied, why don’t you just cut them all down?”
At that moment, the kneeling men flinched in unison.
About eighty percent of them had been beaten by Persona, not Patrick.
So they knew.
That beautiful witch, who showed no mercy in her strikes, was more than capable of doing exactly that.
And Patrick felt the same way.
Descendants or not, he had no mercy for underworld thugs who lived by sucking the blood of innocent commoners.
Back when he lived as the Radiant Dragon Hero Jincheon, how many underworld groups had died by his hand? But…
Patrick stared blankly at something in front of him.
To others, it looked like his eyes were out of focus, as if he were spacing out…
[Quest]
Rebuild the Great… pfft… Twin Dragon Sect, which has fallen into the hands of villains, back into its original Orthodox Faction state.
Reward upon success: 500 Causality.
Penalty upon failure: 500 Causality.
“Huuuuuuuuuuuu…”
Truly, nothing but sighs came out.
He looked up at the sky and searched for his Master.
Master, what would you do in a situation like this?
[Crippling Technique. How dare those who claim to be descendants of the Great Twin Dragon Gate cause harm to the world…]
“Forget it. Forget I asked. You’re being unusually aggressive today.”
Then again, if his Master were alive, he might have actually done that.
He was a man so kind his title was ‘Sword of the Virtuous,’ but for that very reason, he was strict with himself.
If a disciple of his own sect had bled the commoners dry, he would have immediately apologized a hundred times to the victims and severed the disciple’s limb meridians. But…
‘If I kill all these bastards here, I can’t complete the quest.’
The loss of Causality upon failure was a staggering 500.
He had steadily built up his Causality by taking down bandits and underworld thugs on his way here, and his current total was 1,600.
If his Causality ran out, he would have to return to the Pangemonia Continent, and losing 500 here would be problematic.
“Tsk, I’d rather build it from scratch, but the quest specifically says ‘rebuild’…”
He had to rehabilitate these sub-human creatures and turn them into true members of the Orthodox Faction.
Just like himself.
‘Is that even possible?’
It was an impossible task.
In more ways than one…
‘After all, a righteous hero as just, fair, smart, and handsome as me isn’t something you can teach. You’re just born that way, like I was.’
“Right, Master?”
[…I have no words.]
His Master wore an expression of utter futility.
And just then…
“Ugh… Argh…”
Kang Man, who had been collapsed and writhing in agonizing pain, regained consciousness.
“Oh, you’re awake?”
The moment Kang Man opened his eyes and saw Patrick, he shuddered.
“Eek, a demon…”
WHACK!
“Who are you calling a demon when you’re looking at your great Grandmaster? Huh? You want more?!”
“Who… who are you? Really…”
“I’m your Grandmaster, you bastard. Let’s start with a beat—no, you already got one… whatever. Let’s just do it again.”
As Patrick raised his fist, Kang Man spoke hurriedly.
“Please forgive me! Whoever you are, you have the wrong person! I don’t have anyone like a Grandmaster!”
“You do. I’m your Grandmaster.”
“Sob, sob… I really don’t. I started as a stable boy, lived as a wanderer, and taught myself martial arts. Where would I get a Grandmaster?”
“Even so, you still deserve a beat—wait, what?”
Patrick stopped mid-sentence.
What did he just say?
Started as a stable boy and lived as a wanderer?
Wait, then…
“Hey.”
“Yes, sir!”
“How long has it been since you settled here?”
“About… 20 years.”
“Then, when you were trying to settle here, weren’t there people living in this manor?”
“…Ah, there were.”
Patrick’s eyes widened.
And Kang Man, desperate to live, spoke frantically.
“There was definitely a sword sect that used twin swords. Their martial arts were pathetic, but they wouldn’t give up the place, so I took care of them all… Aaaagh!”
WHAM!
“Gasp! Hey, no! Don’t die yet! You have to tell me where they are before you die!”
“Huh? Master, his eyes are rolling back. You should have hit him softer.”
“Tsk, I couldn’t help it! My disciples getting beaten by others is the second thing I hate most in the world! And…”
“Yes, yes. I know. I know. Once it gets personal, it’s serious.”
“You know me well. More importantly, fix him up.”
“Sigh… You shouldn’t have hit him in the first place.”
“Just fix him already!”