Nachal Bang Organization #8
"Hah! Hup!"
I swung my sword with full force, unfolding the initial forms of the Dae-ryu Geom-beop. At the same time, I circulated my heart art and body art to optimize every movement. Right now, I was deep in training under Namgung Serin's martial arts tutelage.
"That's a solid stance. Keep it up just like that."
"Yes, ma'am!"
I've been grinding hard in practice, and honing my skills through real battles too. My power's shooting up fast as a result—enough to earn praise from Serin. Best of all, I used to have no time for training because I was always out hustling for cash, but now I've got all the time in the world. Why do you think martial artists build factions? It's all so they can focus purely on cultivation. But training only feels right when you've got defenses to protect you and money in the bank. That's exactly where I'm at now.
"Good. That's enough for today."
"Haa... I'm beat."
Sweat poured off me from head to toe. Pushing my body to exhaustion felt amazing. This is the joy of martial arts training, right here.
"You did well, Geun-hyeop. I'm thrilled with how quickly you're picking it up."
"You're the one teaching me—I'd follow you to the grave if I had to."
"Such a devoted disciple."
Serin gave me that fond smile, then casually patted my ass. She leaned in close, whispering right in my ear.
"You worked so hard today, so as a reward... tonight, you can be on top."
"Gah...!"
This seductive vixen!
"I can't wait, Serin...!"
"Hee-hee, I'll be looking forward to it."
I'm gonna break this naughty woman's bad habits tonight!
"Anyway. How's the Nachal Bang running?"
"Eh, it's rolling along smoothly enough."
I grabbed the gourd Serin handed me and chugged the water down.
"Ahh."
The Nachal Bang's still in its early days, so there are a few squeaks here and there, but overall, it's going great. We're executing the original plan to a T. We've linked up with the low-tier merchants' guild, adjusted the fees, and signed official protection contracts. Nothing to be prouder of—this is straight-up righteous faction style. Worlds apart from those black path scum shaking people down. There's a huge difference between some thug robbing you blind and a legit contractor you signed with. Sure, our rates are cheaper than what the black path goons charged. Long-term contracts like this are a better deal anyway. And with this steady income stream, the Nachal Bang's capital is growing. That's let us onboard new recruits.
"People keep showing up begging to join the gang."
"That's fortunate."
Word of the Nachal Bang's rep has drawn all sorts—righteous hotheads, shady black path types. Common thread? Shady backgrounds all around. What can you do? Interviews it is. We screened out the obvious idiots and the ones with evil vibes leaking out their pores. Even after all that, we've still got enough applicants to bring on about twenty members. Can't do full background checks like in modern Korea—no way to verify every resume. We take their word for their pasts. Doesn't matter anyway. The key is whether they obey us. As long as they follow orders and get shit done, we're golden. Finding talent at the bottom of the Murim barrel ain't easy. With the new bodies and steady revenue, the organization's humming along. More manpower means we can protect our businesses properly now too. If any merchants under our wing get hit, Nachal Bang rides to the rescue—system's locked in. Galbi Jong's the genius who set that up. The guy's a wizard at this stuff. Without him, the gang wouldn't be spinning at all. He's basically the real power behind the throne. I'm more like the muscle captain. He handles all the admin, so I focus on managing the rank-and-file and my personal training. Jae Mi-son too. That's how sect leaders roll anyway—dump the paperwork on the steward and grind your martial arts.
"Galbi Jong's killing it, so yeah. Business has some hiccups, but it's progressing smoothly. Scale it up, and we'll rake in solid cash."
"Heh, is that so."
"Might look small-time to a Namgung family lady like you. But hey, it's just getting started."
"I don't think it's small at all. I was just born into the Namgung family—I didn't build it myself. So watching... a new organization like this take birth and grow? It's astonishing."
"Hah, you sure know how to talk pretty!"
That's my wife for ya!
"Speaking of which, Geun-hyeop. What about this?"
"Oh. That thing."
Serin pulled out the manual. The one from Geum Jeon Sal-gwi.
"Honestly, it's not a great sword art. The one noteworthy thing is how practical it is."
She flipped it open and said,
"Looks like Geum Jeon Sal-gwi customized it for himself through real fights. But it wasn't based on any high-grade art to begin with, and as an assassin, he only picked targets he could definitely kill... so that 'practicality' is pretty limited."
This art's some basic sword technique Geum Jeon Sal-gwi modded to fit him. Simple name: Geum Jeon Do Beop. Sounds like total dogshit just from the title.
"How's it stack up against something like Sam-jae Sword Art?"
"Better than that."
"Sweet."
I've had an idea brewing since I first saw this manual.
"Thinking of teaching it to the crew."
To beef up the Nachal Bang, the grunts need to get stronger too. We hired 'em after interviews, but they're all just third-rate sword-and-spear scrubs. The kind that'd get diced by some Amto-bang nobody. The Mun Do! guys are the same. The only real martial artists in the Nachal Bang are us founding members. So we'll teach 'em this low-tier crap bit by bit—keep 'em loyal and boost our combat power. It's Geum Jeon Sal-gwi's old art, after all. Lowlifes will drool over it. Promote the ones who master it, throw 'em perks, and motivation skyrockets.
"They'll bust their asses harder to learn it."
"Not a bad idea. But then you'd need to master the Geum Jeon Do Beop first, Geun-hyeop. You okay with that?"
"No problem. Teach me, Serin."
"Milking your master for all she's worth."
Serin grumbled, but when I wrapped my arm around her waist, she melted right away.
"Fine, whatever."
"Heh heh heh, gotta pamper you extra cute tonight, huh?"
"Hah. Such an insolent man. Well, I'll allow it this once."
"Hell yeah!"
Utter bliss!
"Mun Do! Greeting you, sir!"
"Yeah, yeah."
I clocked into Nachal Bang HQ, and the earliest birds—the Mun Do! crew—snapped salutes. Love how obedient these fuckers are. Who cares if they're ex-Il Do-mun thugs? Loyalty like that? You're in.
Alright, maybe teach the Geum Jeon Do Beop to the Mun Do! guys first? As I mulled it over, they finished up and headed off, yapping at the other members.
"One more time... don't sweat anything weird I say about Grand Hero Jeol-gyu Nachal. Unless you wanna die."
"Y-yes, sir."
What the hell's this guy's deal? Embarrassed about the Mun Do! name? Act like you hate it all you want.
"Heh heh heh."
I ducked into the main shack. Kinda shabby, but this is Nachal Bang headquarters.
"Ah! You're here!"
"Kuk kuk... arrived, have we."
Inside, Galbi Jong and Jae Mi-son welcomed me. Galbi Jong's swamped with work, and Jae Mi-son's weirdly into the admin grind now.
"Galbi Jong. Everything running smooth?"
"Of course! Check out this protection fee haul!"
"Oho."
The cash pile's growing nice.
"It's going well for now. But protection rackets have limits, in my view. Not that many low-tier merchants out there."
"Fair point. Still gotta scrape the bottom of the barrel."
Plenty of unaffiliated low-tier merchants left. They're not under our wing. After we smashed the black path, they figure they don't need to pay—chi's good enough, thanks to us. Freeloaders. But we're righteous. Can't force 'em.
"Limits are clear, though. We need to expand the business. Perfect timing too—tons of ronin flooding into the Nachal Bang."
"True that."
"Manpower turns straight to money. And as a martial force, our options are endless."
No way.
"Planning to snag some big Dahoebang gigs?"
"Exactly. Nachal Bang's rep is spreading. People trust us more than random ronin for the tricky stuff."
Jobs too iffy for lone wolves, but needing some reliability. Galbi Jong wants to pivot into that to kickstart expansion.
"Smart play, Galbi Jong."
"And there's one more thing..."
"What else?"
"Gambling den."
Oh, right! The old black path spot.
"Thought of that too. With the black path gone, there's a gambling drought. Good folk are suffering withdrawal pangs. We gotta reopen ASAP."
Brilliant. Heal the masses and print money. Win-win.
"Let's fire it up quick as we can. But Galbi Jong, since we're reopening, let's do it right."
"Right, how?"
"Righteous faction style!"
Our casino's gonna have trust and faith! That's what makes it a righteous gambling den!