The Merchant's Reckoning
Leffman, head of Sunset One Trading Company, was a merchant who grasped situations quickly. He had turned a single back-alley general store into a major trading company by selling even the dregs of potions. His eyes were sharp, and he knew how to read the flow of the world. When the moment called for bowing his head, he was the first to prostrate himself; when it was time to raise his chin and crush someone with arrogance, he stepped forward without hesitation.
Rumors had long circulated that he was a vicious man obsessed with money, and they were true. For the sake of his company's profits, he never hesitated to engage in dirty backroom deals. The bribes he had poured into the imperial lapdogs alone could have fed dozens of commoner households for years. Thanks to that filthy duke, Sunset One had survived countless crises and prolonged its life.
Then one day, travelers from another world began appearing across the continent. Wearing terminals on their left arms, they lived methodical, almost obsessive lives, throwing themselves into quests. Unlike the leisurely continentals, Leffman instinctively sensed something as he watched these travelers sacrifice even their own happiness for work. Someday, their influence would grow too large to ignore.
His intuition proved correct. Several travelers formed clans and rose to become major players in the underworld through their exceptional skills. Leffman reached out to the largest criminal clan among them—the Black Tiger Clan. The Black Tiger Clan cleanly erased all traces of his bribery and tax evasion. He did not know exactly how they managed it, but it was clear they had either destroyed evidence or planted spies in the imperial court. In return, Sunset One supplied them with modest sums of gold and a few potions. True to Leffman's nature of never making a losing deal, it was a perfect transaction where both sides profited.
Sunset One provided the Black Tiger Clan with supplies needed for hunting and growth. Impressed by their competence, Leffman eventually made direct contact with their leader, Yushido. Yushido was an unusual traveler. Even at their first meeting, Leffman felt a profound sense of unease. Perhaps it was because Yushido had been the first traveler to establish a criminal clan. It felt as though his madness pierced straight through Leffman's narrow mind.
That day, Yushido made an intriguing proposal, and after careful consideration, Leffman accepted. Sunset One entered into a long-term partnership with the Black Tiger Clan. They decided to expand their operations through the underworld. Sunset One began selling drugs in collaboration with the Black Tiger Clan. Yushido claimed that the drug trade was the opportunity that would make Sunset One even greater. Since Sunset One's main business had always been potions, they already had every alchemist and herbalist worth knowing under their control. Acquiring the formula for drugs had not been difficult either.
The Black Tiger Clan handled distribution in the back alleys while Sunset One manufactured the drugs in secret at night. The profits from drug sales were terrifyingly intoxicating. The revenue was so immense that Leffman's entire career selling nothing but potions felt like wasted time. The customer base in the underworld was diverse—from homeless people who had hit rock bottom to noblewomen addicted to gambling. It seemed their market was even broader than that of candy or sweets. Those who started out of mere curiosity soon begged for more, making it impossible not to turn a profit.
Once he tasted the sweetness of the first deal, Leffman expanded the business aggressively. Sunset One dramatically increased drug production, and the Black Tiger Clan began distributing beyond the capital into the provinces. The massive profits allowed them to evade the investigators' eyes. Though the bribes grew substantial, they were worth every coin. With abundant capital, Sunset One began devouring shares of rival trading companies. Using the wealth accumulated through the underworld, they absorbed several small trading companies, then set their sights on medium-sized ones. Over time, Sunset One proudly established itself as a major trading company in the capital.
No one could call Leffman a vicious man anymore. He had become a figure so powerful that even mentioning his name in private required caution. No one dared treat him lightly. That was why Leffman could only stare at the man who had kicked open his office door with a skeptical gaze.
Leffman's office was off-limits to everyone without prior appointment. Even his secretary could not open the door without knocking and receiving permission. Yet this man had boldly kicked it open and now lounged on the leather sofa with his legs crossed, as if he were in his own living room. His attitude was utterly arrogant.
Leffman set down the documents he had been working on and asked, "Who are you?"
Kang Yoonsoo answered indifferently, "A prospective murderer."
Leffman fell into momentary contemplation—whether to call the guards and throw this madman out, or to fire the secretary and guide who had allowed this lunatic into his office.
Leffman tapped his fingers on the desk. "You must have seen me earlier, so speak. Were my secretary and guide so incompetent that they would let someone like you through?"
Kang Yoonsoo ignored the question and cut straight to the point. "I've planted a bomb in this building."
Leffman did not panic. After decades as a merchant, he had heard far more outrageous lies. He simply dropped his usual benevolent mask and let the wrinkles of anger show on his face. That alone was usually enough to make most people shrink back. But Kang Yoonsoo showed no sign of intimidation. Instead of cowering under Leffman's sharp gaze, he met it directly.
This one...
Leffman stroked his beard. "You've got more backbone than most your age. I'll let this slide, so stop this pathetic test of courage and go home."
The head of Sunset One returned to his paperwork. At that moment, Kang Yoonsoo pointed out the window. Leffman glanced toward it. A woman with reddish-brown hair was walking hand-in-hand with a young girl—an utterly ordinary scene. Leffman looked puzzled. Then Kang Yoonsoo snapped his fingers.
Tap.
BOOM!
"Kyaaah!"
Scarlet flames erupted from beneath the woman and child. Their bodies were instantly engulfed in fire.
* * *
The street outside had turned into a cauldron of chaos. Carriages collided, and people screamed in terror.
"W-what is that?!"
The burning woman and child writhed on the ground in agony. The flames that had burst from the pavement were so fierce that no one dared approach. "Damn it! Everyone move!"
While the crowd hesitated, a middle-aged man fearlessly charged into the fire. He bravely pushed through the flames with his bare body and pulled the two victims out. He stripped off his coat and desperately tried to smother the fire clinging to the mother and daughter.
Leffman could not close his mouth at the sudden disaster. Kang Yoonsoo calmly drew the curtains. The room darkened, and Leffman gritted his teeth. "That was your doing, wasn't it?"
Kang Yoonsoo nodded. "Remote-activated explosives are buried beneath this trading company. If I snap my fingers again, they'll detonate instantly."
"Bullshit. Don't lie. You did all this alone?"
"Well, technically, my comrades and I did it together."
Kang Yoonsoo showed the back of his right hand. A familiar tattoo was etched there—a fierce black tiger. The seasoned merchant's face momentarily filled with shock.
"The Black Tiger Clan?"
"Who else could pull off something like this in a single day?"
Kang Yoonsoo sat back down on the sofa, as calm as if he had not just burned a woman and child alive. Leffman stared at the man before him with suspicious eyes. Through his dealings with the Black Tiger Clan, he had seen many of their members. Even with his sharp instincts, he could tell the tattoo was genuine. Such intricate black stripes could not be easily forged. Moreover, the man was a traveler wearing a terminal. But why would the Black Tiger Clan do this? If explosives were truly planted beneath the company as he claimed, the situation was dire. Everyone in the building—including Leffman himself—had become hostages. Worst of all, the company still held countless high-value goods that had not yet been touched.
Leffman spoke harshly. "Why are you doing this all of a sudden? I remember our relationship with the Black Tiger Clan being perfectly fine."
"Perfectly fine?"
Kang Yoonsoo curled his lip in disbelief. "I wish Leader Yushido could hear you say that. If he were here, he would have slit your throat on the spot."
"Damn it, what the hell are you talking about?"
"Leffman, you angered Leader Yushido."
Kang Yoonsoo rubbed the tattoo on the back of his right hand. If it had been dye or paint, it would have come off easily, but the black tiger remained intact no matter how much he rubbed it. His expression unchanged, he continued, "Do you know the White Lion Clan?"
"The White Lion Clan? You mean the one formed by travelers?"
Kang Yoonsoo nodded. "It's the largest traveler clan in existence. They're the only traveler force capable of rivaling our Black Tiger Clan. Someone leaked information about Leader Yushido to the White Lion Clan."
"Who did it?"
"Who stands to gain the most from stabbing us in the back right now?"
Leffman exploded. "Are you seriously suspecting me?!"
Kang Yoonsoo pointed his index finger directly at the center of Leffman's chest. "Speaking on behalf of our entire clan, you're currently the prime suspect."
Leffman gritted his teeth, his face turning bright red. "This is absurd! Completely absurd! How could you destroy years of trust in an instant? You've taken my company and my people hostage, and now you accuse me? If you keep this up, I'll never do business with the Black Tiger Clan again...!"
"Shut up."
Kang Yoonsoo snapped his fingers again. Another explosion echoed from across the street.
BOOM!
Leffman rushed to the window in a panic. Another woman on the street had been engulfed in flames and collapsed. He whirled around. Kang Yoonsoo sat with his legs crossed, fingers interlaced.
"Sit down. Unless you want to see the entire company burn to the ground."
Leffman swallowed dryly. He realized he had met someone far more terrifying than himself.