Chapter 93
Chapter 93
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 93
Chapter Title: The Riddle is Solved (3)
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Four hours after my talk with Yong Ma-san.
“We found them!”
As befitting the Beggars' Union, which was said to handle the most vast information network in the world before they lost their official standing, they succeeded in tracking down the bastards who had slipped away less than half a day ago.
“Where are they?”
“They left through the North Gate, sir. Their expected route is toward Juryeong Mountain in Yuyeop County.”
At his subordinate's report, Yong Ma-san looked at me as if to say, 'See? This is what we can do.'
“Ahem, we can also cast a net from which there is no escape. Of course, you'll have to pay for it.”
“How much is that?”
“Two hundred nyang.”
“Bullshit.”
I casually ignored Yong Ma-san's offer and dashed out.
“You can collect the payment from the Outer Hall!”
“You bastard—!”
I heard Yong Ma-san's enraged voice from behind, but it was only natural.
'I can't use my personal funds for official business.'
* * *
Im Go-san, the leader of the Blood Flame Faction, galloped at full speed with his men.
“We don't know when those bastards from Nine Dragons Fortress will catch up! Faster! Hyah!”
At his cry, the five remaining members spurred their horses on even harder.
Im Go-san glanced at the member at the very back and ground his teeth.
*Gnash.*
'Damn bastard!'
All this trouble because of that one guy.
And what was he supposed to tell headquarters?
'I'll kill him the moment we reach headquarters.'
He forcefully suppressed his killing intent and replayed the recent events in his mind.
It wasn't supposed to get this complicated.
It should have been simple: hand over ten thousand nyang to the old man, sign the contract to take over the Jo Merchant Guild, and then kill him without anyone knowing.
The problem was that the man sent to kill the old Jo didn't finish him off at once.
He tried to threaten him to get the money back.
But the greedy old Jo resisted to the end, and the enraged subordinate drew his sword on him.
He must have struck a vital spot, because old Jo died right then and there.
In the midst of it all, people heard the scream and came running, and everything went wrong.
What should have been a quiet disposal, burying the body without a trace, was exposed to everyone.
Worse, because the Outer Hall warriors arrived within moments of the incident, they couldn't even erase the evidence.
Thanks to that, the Blood Flame Faction had no choice but to immediately withdraw from the Nine Dragons Fortress they had worked so hard to infiltrate.
It was only natural that Im Go-san, their leader, was furious.
The effort and money they had invested to infiltrate the fortress had been immense.
Even if they escaped now, he didn't know how headquarters would hold him accountable.
He sent a telepathic message to everyone except the one who had messed up.
[Number Three has sided with Nine Dragons Fortress and betrayed us. I will reveal this upon our arrival at headquarters, so all of you pretend you know nothing.]
At that, everyone's expressions grew grim.
They, too, had a rough idea of what had happened.
They knew that Number Three hadn't betrayed them.
The punishment for traitors is severe.
Not only the traitor but their entire family would be ruined.
But they had no choice.
If they didn't do this, they would be the ones to die.
*Thud, thud, thud, thud.*
Eleven riders shot forward like arrows.
A short while later.
*Hee-hee-hing.*
As they entered the mountain path, the horses began to collapse from exhaustion one by one.
They were fine steeds, but their stamina had been depleted after galloping for half a day straight.
Normally, they would have rested for a while before continuing, but there was no time now.
They didn't know when the pursuers from Nine Dragons Fortress might descend upon them.
Assessing the situation, Im Go-san shouted.
“Abandon the horses! We'll run using our movement arts!”
At his command, the members immediately dismounted and ran with all their might.
They ran like that for two hours.
Standing at the peak of Juryeong Mountain, Im Go-san looked back.
In the far distance, Nine Dragons Fortress looked like a tiny dot.
“Hoo...”
He caught his breath and thought about what to do next.
Having come this far, they had more or less shaken off their pursuers.
Once they crossed the mountain, they would reach a safe house they had prepared in advance. If they disguised themselves as a small merchant caravan there, they could surely escape.
The members who arrived a little later began to catch their breath, cautiously watching Im Go-san.
“The safe house isn't far now. We'll rest when we get there!”
They started moving again, running at full speed just as before.
By the time the sun had set and the moon had risen.
Im Go-san arrived at the safe house, completely exhausted.
“Gasp! Gasp!”
Although he had reached the peak realm, the forced march of nearly twenty hours had completely depleted his internal energy and stamina.
He was about to open the door to the safe house when he felt something was wrong and froze.
'Hm?'
The members he had expected to be right behind him were nowhere to be seen.
And then.
*Shweek.*
A thick nail shot toward his eye.
“......!”
If there had been no moonlight, or if he hadn't been a peak master, he would never have noticed it.
“Who's there!”
Im Go-san shouted, drawing his sword to strike the nail.
He didn't imbue it with internal energy, but it had more than enough power to deflect a mere long nail.
But.
*Crack.*
The nail pierced straight through his sword.
Without any resistance whatsoever.
*Thwack!*
“Kugh!”
The nail was mercilessly embedded in his right eye.
He raised a hand to grab the nail, but,
*Ssk.*
as if alive, the nail pulled itself out and flew back the way it came.
'S-Sword Control?'
Im Go-san, who had suspected it for a moment, soon shook his head.
He had seen a thread glinting in the moonlight.
He couldn't do anything about the eye he had already lost.
To survive, he had to remain calm.
With his remaining left eye, he calmly scanned his surroundings.
It was to prepare for the second attack, which could come from anywhere.
And then.
*Thud.*
The ground shook violently as a figure charged at him in an instant.
“You bastard!”
Filled with rage, Im Go-san unleashed a sword strike containing all the power he could muster.
*Pshhh.*
The tip of his sword split in an instant, filling the space before him.
A technique into which he poured everything he had.
Its perfection surprised even himself.
However.
*Rumble.*
The force erupting from his opponent's fist devoured all of his sword energy.
*BOOM!*
It then exploded, unleashing a storm of force.
“Kuhock!”
Im Go-san's body was sent flying backward. The area struck by the force turned crimson.
*Thump.*
His body slammed into the wall of the safe house.
The impact was so great he felt his soul might leave his body, but he mustered all his strength to force his eyes open.
Even if he were to die, he had to see who his opponent was.
*Step, step.*
The sound of slow, approaching footsteps pressed down on him.
“Cough.”
*Drip.*
Coughing up blood, Im Go-san looked up to see his opponent's face.
“A young brat like you... how...”
A youthful face that looked barely over twenty.
He curled his lips and muttered.
“Let's see, how much do you have?”
* * *
I caught up to them around the hour of the Rooster (6 p.m.), when the sun was beginning to set.
But I didn't attack them right away.
'Looks like they're heading to a safe house.'
These were the guys who'd spent ten thousand nyang to buy the Jo Merchant Guild.
I couldn't even imagine how much money would be in their safe house.
So for the time being, I continued to tail them.
And as they ran over Juryeong Mountain, I eliminated them one by one.
*Thwack!*
*Thud.*
With the nail I received from the Righteous Path Alliance.
The method was simple.
Following Jeok Il's advice, I just had to tie a Celestial Silkworm Thread to the end of the nail and throw it at the enemy's vital points.
But there was something I had overlooked.
'The power is incredible. I'm glad I listened to Brother Jeok.'
The effectiveness of the Ten-Thousand-Year Black Iron.
When I threw it after imbuing it with my internal energy, it displayed unbelievable speed and power.
Thanks to that, I was able to achieve my goal with ease.
When did I get the Celestial Silkworm Thread, you ask?
I bought it from the Red Dragon Hall. Three hundred silver nyang for a fifty-meter strand.
It felt like a waste, but I immediately bought it when I heard I could sell it for the same price after using it.
'My life is more important than money, after all.'
As a melee dealer, if I could also perform ranged attacks, wouldn't my chances of survival increase?
It was just throwing a nail, so I didn't need any amazing assassination techniques. The basic martial arts I learned at the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion were enough.
And now, having subdued them all.
“Kekeke.”
My heart filled with anticipation, I opened the door of the thatched hut.
Inside were carts piled with various clothes and salt. They were probably for a disguise.
“Where could it be...”
There's no way this is all.
They must have hidden the important stuff.
Nothing can escape the eyes of Jin Mujeon, the martial world's detective.
Isn't the size of the hut from the outside different from the space inside?
Sure enough.
*Tap, tap. Thud.*
When I tapped the walls with my fist, one section made a different sound.
*Crack.*
I immediately tore down the wall and found an iron safe, about the size of a child's torso.
“This is it.”
*Crack.*
I ripped off the entire handle area of the locked safe.
“What the?”
I could see the inside was filled with nothing but white paper.
'Th-this can't be.'
Hoping they might be bank notes, I rummaged through them several times, but there was no money.
It was just full of papers with incomprehensible codes written on them.
*BANG!*
Annoyance surged, and I kicked the safe. The dented safe rolled away.
Of course...
When have I ever gotten free money in my life...
As I was stewing in my anger, I heard a groan from outside.
“Ugh...”
Right. There's still a chance.
There must be some funds left somewhere.
I rushed out and grabbed the bastard by the collar.
“Where's the money?”
“Krk.”
*SLAP. Clatter.*
“I asked where the money is, you son of a bitch.”
I slapped his cheek, and a couple of his molars shot out like bullets.
“Grrrgh.”
The shock must have been great, as the man writhed in pain, but he didn't open his mouth.
He must have incredible loyalty to his organization.
Since it's come to this, I have no choice.
I'll have to make him sing by stabbing him under the fingernails with the Black Iron nail.
...or so I thought, but upon closer inspection, something was strange.
The man's face was gradually turning dark. Just like a dying person.
Seeing that, I realized my mistake.
*Thump.*
“Ugh-ack...”
That was it. In my haste, I had been choking him.
How could he talk like this?
When I loosened my grip, the man collapsed, gasping for air. He leaned against the hut and glared at me.
“......What do you want?”
“Your operational funds. If you could invest ten thousand nyang in the Jo Merchant Guild, you must have at least a few thousand left, right?”
“Kekeke, sorry, but we've spent all the money.”
Agh, for fuck's sake. Just my luck.
I took out the nail from my robes and pressed it to his forehead.
The man's eyes trembled as he asked.
“Huh? What are you doing?”
“What do you think? I'm going to kill you.”
“B-but why? Don't you need to get information out of me?!”
“It'll just be a pain to listen to. Why bother?”
*Press. Drip.*
As I spoke, I pressed harder, and the tip of the nail dug into his forehead, drawing blood.
“W-wait!”
“Ugh, what?”
“I-I'll tell you anything. Please, spare me.”
“I'd rather just kill you here and rest. It's past quitting time, who cares about information.”
It's not like it'll make me any money.
The man said, his eyes filled with terror.
“Do you know where we're from?!”
“Who else but the Ten Demon Alliance would send spies into Nine Dragons Fortress?”
“Gasp!”
“So, let's get this over with.”
The man struggled, and I grabbed his head, saying,
“Tsk, tsk. It'll hurt more if you keep moving. Stay still, and I'll make it quick.”
*Steam...*
“Kheheuk.”
A warm liquid began to flow from the man's eyes and his lower body.
“Aish, and I didn't even get enough to cover the cost of my shoes...”
“P-please, spare me. I'll do anything you say.”
“How can I trust a dog from the Ten Demon Alliance?”
I ignored him and was about to apply more pressure when,
“Right! You said you wanted money?! The Jo Merchant Guild, I'll give you the Jo Merchant Guild! The paperwork is already done, so I can hand it over whenever! *Sob*.”
...Stop.
An interesting offer had been made.
“Really?”