Chapter 11: The Fist King Takes from the Poison Fox 2
The Fist King Takes from the Poison Fox 2
Episode 11: The Fist King Takes from the Poison Fox 2
Cheol Myung-ho, struck in the face by the club, swung his dagger wildly in panic. But to Dan Woo-sung, his blade-work looked crude and clumsy. In an instant, Dan seized both the wrist holding the dagger and Cheol Myung-ho's hair.
Unlike when he had struck the Double Report Brothers, Dan immediately channeled the lightning energy of his White Lightning Ten Stages technique into Cheol Myung-ho's body. The moment the dagger clattered to the floor, Cheol Myung-ho let out a scream as if his very flesh were being wrung out.
"GAAAAAAAH!"
Outside the iron door, the gatekeeper sighed and shook his head.
"Damn, he's gonna kill someone. Shouldn't he tone it down?"
Naturally, he assumed Cheol Myung-ho was the one beating up the Grand Prince of the Silver River Merchant Group.
Cheol Myung-ho trembled violently, his screams unrelenting.
"KAAAAAAAH!"
A sizzling sound followed as the stench of burning hair filled the air. Cheol Myung-ho felt as though his entire body were engulfed in flames.
Dan withdrew the lightning energy, then yanked Cheol Myung-ho's wrist and slammed it onto the desk, palm up.
Cheol Myung-ho convulsed, his mind hazy from the lightning's torment.
Dan picked up a short club from the desk and brought Cheol Myung-ho back to sharp awareness with a single strike.
THWACK!
"GAHK!"
Cheol Myung-ho's left pinky finger was crushed beneath the club, and the pain—different from the lightning—jolted him fully awake.
Dan spoke as if suggesting they finally have a proper conversation.
"Pull yourself together."
Even through his groans, Cheol Myung-ho glared at Dan with venomous eyes. Truly deserving of the nickname Poison Fox. Gasping for breath, he waited for the pain to subside before answering.
"I'm here. What?"
His tone was defiant.
Dan nodded slowly, maintaining eye contact, then brought the club down again. One by one, he shattered each of Cheol Myung-ho's fingers before finally smashing the back of his hand.
THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!
"GAAAAAAAH!"
Cheol Myung-ho's left hand was reduced to a mangled mess. Tears streamed down his face as he shouted.
"Why the hell are you doing this, you bastard?! What's your damn problem?!"
Dan wiped away Cheol Myung-ho's tears with the tip of the club and replied.
"Why ask for reasons now? Between us... you hit, you get hit back. Isn't that how it's always been? Where's the key?"
Cheol Myung-ho nodded as if he understood, then spat back through gritted teeth.
"Fine, that's fair! But I won't give you the key! Can't you ask for something else?"
Dan finally released Cheol Myung-ho's ruined left hand and locked eyes with him.
"Then first..."
"Yeah?"
"Give me your right hand."
Cheol Myung-ho's face stiffened, his jaw clenched tight.
The two men stared each other down.
Memories surfaced—old grudges, past humiliations.
Cheol Myung-ho nodded slowly. He had tormented and extorted plenty of people in his time, so it wasn't surprising the Grand Prince would come for him like this.
Holding up his trembling left hand, Cheol Myung-ho spoke calmly.
"Listen, friend. Let's call it even at fifty thousand nyang. I've got a living to make too. And my left hand's already crippled, so cut me some slack. Yeah, I roughed you up before, but that was back when we were kids. Look at you—you turned out fine, didn't you? You bastard, isn't this a bit much?"
Dan replied.
"Myung-ho, you think I won't kill you just because I can't bring myself to?"
Their exchange still remained within the bounds of "friendship."
Cheol Myung-ho nodded.
"You know me well. That's exactly why I'm saying this. You're too soft. Do you even realize what a pushover you used to be? Still, it's good you've grown a spine. Congrats, kid. You've come a long way."
He then turned to the Double Report Brothers, who had regained their senses.
"Hey, bow to him. From now on, treat him with respect. Congratulate him. He's changed."
Surprisingly, the twins bowed to Dan without hesitation.
"Congratulations, elder brother."
"Congratulations, elder brother. You've grown stronger."
Dan looked at them and said,
"Myung-bo, Jin-bo."
"Yes, elder brother."
"Once I swear brotherhood, it's for life. You good with that?"
The twins stared at Dan, then glanced at Cheol Myung-ho for permission. When Cheol Myung-ho nodded, they pledged their loyalty.
"Yes, we'll serve you as our elder brother from now on."
Dan smiled.
"Good. You two, wait outside."
Cheol Myung-ho sensed something was off, but he couldn't stop Dan's orders. The twins stood and silently exited the room.
Only then did Dan turn back to Cheol Myung-ho with an odd expression.
Cheol Myung-ho glanced at the iron door the twins had just passed through, then back at Dan. Finally, he understood Dan's true intent.
He cursed.
"You goddamn bastard!"
Truth was, even if Dan took every last coin from this gambling den, Cheol Myung-ho could still rebuild his empire as long as he had the twins. Only now did he realize the Grand Prince hadn't come for money—he'd come to take the Double Report Brothers. His most prized possessions—his loyal enforcers.
Dan spoke.
"Myung-ho, you exploited those naive boys for too long. That's no way to treat people. From now on, I'll take care of them properly."
Under the Fist King's guidance, the twins could become dozens—no, hundreds—of times stronger. They could join the merchant group's escort team or serve as personal bodyguards. Either way, it was a far better life than being Cheol Myung-ho's thugs.
Cheol Myung-ho asked coldly,
"...What the hell are you doing? Just take the money, you lunatic. Kill me if you want. My hand's ruined, and without the twins, I might as well walk into the streets and get beaten to death."
Dan replied as if ready to start again.
"Since when does the Poison Fox whine? Figure that out yourself. Now give me your right hand."
Cheol Myung-ho clenched his jaw and blinked. Even if it killed him, he wouldn't surrender his right hand. So Dan picked up the club and began beating him mercilessly.
He had misjudged this man—severely.
After shattering Cheol Myung-ho's shoulder, ribs, wrist, and finally his right hand, Dan stood and shoved the desk aside with his left hand.
Grabbing Cheol Myung-ho by the collar, Dan hurled him to the ground. Cheol Myung-ho snarled.
"...Just kill me!"
Dan paused mid-swing and looked down at him.
"You want to die?"
Cheol Myung-ho glared back with burning eyes.
"Kill me, you bastard."
Dan nodded.
"Alright. You've suffered enough."
Seizing Cheol Myung-ho's hair, Dan brought the club down. A sickening CRACK split his forehead open. Dan raised the club again.
After the first blow, Cheol Myung-ho realized Dan truly meant to kill him. And Dan was prepared to beat him to death.
THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!
Between strikes, Cheol Myung-ho muttered something. Dan leaned in.
"Can't hear you..."
Drenched in blood, Cheol Myung-ho gasped out his last words before passing out.
"The key... Myung-bo has it..."
Dan pressed his ear closer.
"...You want me to kill you?"
"No... spare me."
Dan tossed the club aside and glared at Cheol Myung-ho.
"Myung-ho, is that how you beg for your life?"
Cheol Myung-ho spat back.
"What, you want me to talk politely between friends?"
The distance between the "friendship" of ordinary scoundrels and Cheol Myung-ho's version was impossible to measure. Even Dan couldn't tell. The sheer audacity of the Poison Fox made him laugh—a deep, breathless chuckle.
Seeing Dan laugh, Cheol Myung-ho bared his bloodstained teeth and joined in, as if proving he was the ultimate bottom-feeder who wouldn't break.
Truly, he was a peerless bastard.
Finally softening his tone, Cheol Myung-ho begged for his life.
"Spare me? This Poison Fox admits defeat."
Dan glanced at the door.
"Double Report, open up."
With a CLANG, the door swung open. The twins and the startled gatekeeper entered. The gatekeeper muttered at the sight of Cheol Myung-ho's bloodied form.
"What the hell happened here...?"
Dan addressed the twins.
"Cheol Myung-ho will declare his defeat. Listen closely."
Yook Myung-bo, unusually hesitant, asked Cheol Myung-ho:
"Elder brother... did you lose?"
Yook Jin-bo echoed.
"Did you really lose?"
Despite witnessing the beating firsthand, they still sought confirmation from Cheol Myung-ho himself.
Such was the loyalty of slaves to their master—and Cheol Myung-ho was a master among bastards.
Cheol Myung-ho looked at the twins—the brothers he had treated like dogs. He had believed only he could control them, but now, strangely, he felt they might be better off under the Grand Prince's command.
Sighing, he answered their question.
"Yeah, I lost. From now on, treat Jin-eon as your elder brother."
Tears welled in Cheol Myung-ho's eyes. Losing the twins felt more humiliating than losing his money.
The twins exchanged glances before replying.
"Understood."
"Thank you... for everything until now."
Their cold response startled Cheol Myung-ho.
Dan ordered them:
"Empty the safe and pile everything on the desk. And you—"
He turned to the gatekeeper, Fatty, who stiffened.
"Yes?"
"Carry Myung-ho to a physician."
"I don't have money for—"
"Isn't that money on the floor?"
The burly man groaned as he bent to pick up the scattered coins. Dan added:
"Lose some weight, you oaf."
"Yes, sir."
Cheol Myung-ho staggered to his feet, leaning against the wall before addressing Dan.
"Who needs carrying? I can walk. But aren't you gonna give me severance pay?"
Even among bastards, this was a statement worthy of the strongest under heaven.
Dan snorted.
"Get lost, you bastard. The Poison Fox wouldn't stash all his money in one place. After the physician, shut this den down. If I come back and find you still operating, I'll burn it to the ground."
"Heartless bastard. What happened to you?"
Cheol Myung-ho sighed and let the gatekeeper support him as he limped out—unyielding to the very end. Despite the brutal beating, he refused to appear pathetic. That, too, was a skill.
Dan crossed his arms and observed the twins. Without a word, one opened the safe while the other righted the desk and tidied the room. They worked silently, diligently. Then, as if sharing a thought, they stopped and looked at Dan.
In unison, they spoke.
"Elder brother."
Dan responded.
"What?"
Yook Myung-bo said,
"Thank you... for sparing him."
Yook Jin-bo echoed.
"Thank you for sparing him."
Dan stared at them, momentarily stunned, before nodding slowly.
They weren't slaves. They hadn't served Cheol Myung-ho out of fear. They were simply men of unyielding loyalty—like tempered steel.
And even they had expressions. Their faces twisted subtly as they met Dan's gaze before returning to their tasks in silence.
Dan thought, perhaps, that fleeting look had been a smile.
Even the man once called the Fist King couldn't always read people's hearts.
It was harder than mastering martial arts.