Chapter 34. Alley Boss 1.
"Yes, nice to meet you."
"Please, have a seat."
Basil, wearing a warm smile, gestured to the chair across from him. The orc man and fairy woman stepped back half a pace beside him. But both kept all their attention fixed on Ji-hyuk, not letting their guard down for a second.
The A-rank hero hailed as the continent's greatest genius, Kang Ji-hyuk, was practically a walking weapon of mass destruction. Word had already spread across all of Parisia that he'd subjugated that Demon King from the history books alongside the S-rank hero Ganesha.
True to the rumors, Ji-hyuk's face remained utterly serene, as if he were out for a casual stroll—even in front of two of Parisia's top power players. Without hesitation, he strode right up to Basil and plopped down in the chair.
The hero was unarmed and bare-handed, but the orc and the fairy still felt a chill run down their spines. Of course, Basil hadn't earned his "alley boss" title as a joke; even in this tense atmosphere, his smile stayed relaxed and easygoing.
"I've been dying to meet you just once. Looks like my wish came true."
"Starting off by gilding my face like this makes it a bit awkward."
"Awkward? Do you have any idea how famous you are in this city? ...Isn't that right?"
"Yes, exactly. We've heard your name so often it's ringing in our ears, sir."
When Basil glanced their way, the orc man bowed his head politely in agreement.
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have bothered coming out here myself. ...Not that it's anything to brag about, but I'm the type who doesn't move easily."
Ji-hyuk knew that already. In fact, he hadn't expected Basil to come all the way out to a distant place like this. ...Especially not now, when he's in the middle of a turf war with the Cock Collector.
Every move had to be calculated carefully at a time like this.
"It's an honor."
"The honor's all mine. Haha."
The mood lightened up a bit, at least. Basil rubbed his palms together lightly, eyeing Ji-hyuk with his small eyes.
"So, what's the reason you wanted to see me?"
Ji-hyuk paused for a moment, studying the don's face.
"It's about the missing heroes."
"Ah, I've heard about that. Such a shame."
He said it without so much as twitching an eyelid.
"It has nothing to do with this place at all?"
"Even a thug like me wouldn't touch imperial heroes. ...I know that'd mean my doom."
"...Is that so?"
Ji-hyuk let out a long breath through his nose, resting his elbows on the table and propping his chin on his hand. A thick smile spread across his lips.
"Let's... be straight with each other."
Having dealt with the alley boss back in his 11th loop, Ji-hyuk knew their operations inside and out. No one knew better than him that dozens of sly foxes writhed inside this damn money-grubbing bastard named Basil.
"You think I'd come here clueless and start talking like this?"
At those words, the smile slowly faded from Basil's face. The once-warm atmosphere turned frigid, like a northland blizzard.
"What do you mean by...?"
"You said it yourself. Even a thug like you wouldn't touch imperial heroes. That you'd know it'd mean ruin... "
"That's right."
"You think the Cock Collector doesn't know that? ...Nah, she knows."
"That bitch is a little crazy, so maybe."
Ji-hyuk met Basil's small eyes for a beat. The don held his gaze without flinching.
"Of course, I'm not saying Vudel didn't touch the heroes. The culprit's probably the Cock Collector."
"Then why bother talking to me? This is getting uncomfortable for me... "
"Doesn't that leave the fundamental question of why it happened?"
Ji-hyuk figured the money-grubber would play dumb even after all this, but he drove the point home just in case.
"Like I said, you think I'd come here knowing nothing and lay this out to you?"
!
Basil stared at Ji-hyuk for a long while. The hero waited patiently for him to speak.
"...I did nothing wrong."
"Maybe in the results. ...But if the imperial family finds out you hired heroes with money, they won't be thrilled."
Basil's voice rose a notch.
"Hired? That's a bit embarrassing word."
"If not hired, then what?"
"It's courtesy for my sincerity. I served them with all my heart, and they returned the favor."
"And that courtesy means sending them to knife-fight another alley boss?"
!
The two guards twitched to move, but Basil snapped at them.
"Stay put! How dare you interrupt while the grown-ups are talking?!"
"...Sorry, boss."
Basil turned back to the hero.
"So... what are you getting at?"
"The dark elves did it, but you're not entirely innocent. ...You at least egged them on."
"...I won't deny that."
Ji-hyuk leaned back from the table, resting against the chair's backrest. His voice softened again.
"I like you."
Basil's eyes narrowed—what kind of play was this?
"You're rational and practical. You know what to do and what not to. ...Sure, you slipped up a bit, but that happens in life."
"...What are you trying to say?"
"The Cock Collector's getting taken care of by my hand anyway."
!
Hearing that, Basil's posture grew a touch more deferential. Ji-hyuk grinned widely.
"No need to complicate things. We'll call it even with this."
"Then... "
"Whether you take over Palahino's back alleys or hand them off to someone else, that's your business. I won't interfere."
"...Is there anything you want in return?"
The hero crossed his legs.
"Lend me your info network in Palahino."
"Of course. I'll help with everything I can. ...Oh, and this too, humble as it is... "
Basil gestured, and the orc man pulled a heavy leather pouch from behind, placing it politely on the table.
But Ji-hyuk waved it off.
"Not interested. I've got plenty of money."
"Money's good the more you have. Take it, please. It's my sincerity."
"Really, no. Accepting money would cheapen why I came here. ...I'm here to avenge my fellow heroes and the imperial family, with my body on the line. You get what I mean?"
"...Yes, I do."
The money-grubbing don signaled to put the pouch away. The orc retrieved it from the table.
"Then at least let me host you comfortably while you're here."
"The dark elves probably have spies all over. Better not risk getting tailed. We both know what we want now, so let's part quietly."
"...A wise decision, as expected."
Ever since Ji-hyuk mentioned taking out the dark elves, Don Basil had gone full subservient mode. ...Well, who wouldn't? Having your annoying rival wiped out for free—what could be better?
"By the way... this is a warning to every alley boss on the continent. You're no exception."
"I'll keep it in mind. ...I'll send someone over tomorrow about the info network."
"Got it."
Ji-hyuk stood. Basil rose too, quickly approaching to offer his hand. They shook briefly, up and down.
"I'll always pray for your light to shine from my heart."
"May peace settle on your bed as well."
A glint flashed in Basil's eyes. Ji-hyuk's words were back-alley slang among the top dogs. It confirmed the don that the hero knew the underworld inside out.
Don't fuck with him.
That's how Ji-hyuk got filed in Basil's head.
He reclaimed his holy sword from the doorman outside. Luckily, the big lug hadn't tried drawing the cursed blade—it was intact. Otherwise, he'd have left a corpse behind.
Ji-hyuk quietly returned to his original inn room. Gunda, who'd been pacing with his spear in hand, counting the moments until his return, greeted him joyfully.
"Ji-hyuk!"
Ji-hyuk entered and sat on the edge of the bed. Gunda did the same on the opposite bed, propping his spear by the headboard as he waited for the story.
"What about that woman from earlier?"
"She left right away. ...Anyway, glad you made it back safe."
Of course, Gunda had believed Ji-hyuk would return unharmed, but a corner of his heart still harbored unease. It was that inevitable human instinct to worry when something's out of sight.
"...How'd it go?"
"Talk went well. We can borrow his info network whenever we're in Palahino."
"That's a relief. I'm clueless about this stuff... Sorry, Ji-hyuk. I couldn't help."
Born into nobility, Gunda was far removed from back-alley dealings. He knew how to hunt beasts and demons, but he was hopeless at this.
"No one starts out good at everything. You're plenty capable as is."
"When there's something I can do later, I'll give it my all."
"I'd appreciate that."
Ji-hyuk added that someone would come tomorrow, so keep it in mind. Gunda nodded vigorously, committing it to memory.
"Anyway, then day after tomorrow, we meet those two and cross the gorge?"
"Yeah, planning to tag along with a merchant caravan."
"...A caravan?"
"Gotta disguise as mercenaries and join up. If they find out we're heroes, they'll bail."
Mercenaries?
"Then we need new merc tags, find a caravan... Lots to do starting tomorrow."
"No need for new tags. I've got one. Caravan won't take more than a day to find."
"...You prepared that already?"
Ji-hyuk pulled a silver mercenary tag from his gear bag leaning against the bedpost. It was the one he'd gotten after leaving the academy, before becoming a hero. He'd kept it thinking it might come in handy someday—and here it was.
Gunda was floored by Ji-hyuk's thorough preparation. The guy wasn't just one step ahead; he was two or three.
"You're amazing, Ji-hyuk."
"...Just something I used before. Didn't prepare it special for this."
Gunda's eyes widened at that. He'd never heard Ji-hyuk had been a merc.
"You were a mercenary?"
"Briefly... yeah, once."
Ji-hyuk gazed out the window with a nostalgic glint. Memories of those days flooded back.
...Time flies, doesn't it?
He'd lost track of how many years it'd been since arriving here. The time thrashing to return to Earth already dwarfed his life back there. Did clinging to "going home" even mean anything now? Hadn't this place become his real home?
Even that endless loop of questions had worn thin. All that remained was the drive to return—a life defined by a single purpose.
With that, Ji-hyuk let out a long sigh.