A Debt Paid in Blood
Before his regression, Jeok-un had entered Sadocheon exactly five years from now, when he was twenty-four.
It was a time when he had earned the moniker One-Eyed Blade Demon after surviving countless battlefields as a rogue warrior, and when he had gathered subordinates who followed him as they would their own lives.
As the war intensified, the leadership of Sadocheon highly evaluated Jeok-un and recruited his entire band.
They made an unprecedented move, immediately promoting Jeok-un—who had been nothing more than the leader of a rogue band—to vice-squad leader.
It was only natural that his subordinates were assigned under him.
Up to this point, everything was fine.
But the problem was the leader of the Ten Heavens Squad to which Jeok-un was assigned—his direct superior.
It was none other than this vermin, No Hwang-gu.
Both then and now, No Hwang-gu was merely at the peak of the first-class realm.
While the peak of the first-class realm was not a low stage, considering Heukpaeseong had given him full support, it was no exaggeration to say he was a waste of investment.
That was likely why he was wasting his days acting as the chief manager of a gambling house.
Had his older brother, No Hwang-mun, not risen to the position of division leader back then and exerted his influence, No Hwang-gu would never have dreamed of becoming a squad leader.
Yes, even that was tolerable.
Jeok-un had seen the corruption of the world too many times to count.
But the real problem arose afterward.
At the time, the war between Sadocheon and Heukpaeseong—the so-called War of the Black and Evil—was in full swing.
In that situation, like the absolute trash he was, No Hwang-gu repeatedly pushed Jeok-un and his subordinates to the brink of death.
As they say, an incompetent ally is more dangerous than the enemy. In the mere six months under No Hwang-gu's command, Jeok-un had lost more men than he had during five years in the bloody battlefields.
I realized it too late. That No Hwang-mun, the root of all evil, was using Heukpaeseong to drive us to our deaths.
Even in the Unorthodox faction, where all sorts of human scum gathered, the No brothers were irredeemable parasites.
They colluded with Heukpaeseong, selling out Sadocheon's classified information and their own comrades.
For years, they accumulated wealth by selling drugs—a practice strictly forbidden in Sadocheon.
And it all started right here, in this gambling house.
They had slowly distributed the drug-laced liquor that Jeok-un had just drunk, starting from the gambling den, eventually turning the entire city of Changsha into a drug den within a few years.
In short, the trash standing before him...
...was a cancer that had to be excised from Sadocheon immediately.
"Die!"
Wroooom!
At that moment, No Hwang-gu unleashed his energy with all his might.
Along with a low, vibrating hum, a murderous aura settled heavily over the area.
No Hwang-gu's internal energy was quite substantial for someone merely at the peak of the first-class realm.
This was because his brother, who doted on him to an absurd degree, had provided him with a generous supply of spiritual elixirs.
But what good does that do? A talentless bastard who slacks off on his training will always have pathetic combat skills.
In truth, he was nothing but a hollow shell.
Swish!
Huh?!
Jeok-un evaded the attack with incredibly light footwork.
Then, with movements like a sudden gale, he thrust out his right hand.
It was an arm made of flesh, bone, muscle, joints, and ligaments, yet...
...its movement was like a living serpent, and its force was reminiscent of a cracking whip.
What?!
No Hwang-gu could not help but panic.
Even though he had channeled all the energy in his dantian, he could barely track the movement with his eyes.
Yet, this was merely the ordinary Lesser Heavenly Star Art.
He had not even activated the Overlord's Divine Energy or Tam-rang.
Even this is too good for trash like him.
Watching No Hwang-gu flail, Jeok-un stepped through the cardinal directions, instantly penetrating the man's defenses.
In a single move and a single step, Jeok-un entered No Hwang-gu's blind spot.
"Urgh...!"
In an instant, he seized No Hwang-gu's windpipe.
No Hwang-gu groaned as his throat was crushed in a vice grip.
Whoosh!
Without hesitation, Jeok-un lifted him high by the neck and slammed him down onto the table.
Crash!
The table shattered as if struck by an explosive talisman, and gold coins rained down in all directions.
In the center of the wreckage, No Hwang-gu twitched on the floor before going completely limp.
He had lost consciousness entirely.
"..."
"Wh-What?"
No Hwang-gu was defeated?
He was a martial artist at the peak of the first-class realm...
Perhaps because no one had imagined No Hwang-gu would fall so helplessly, a heavy silence descended upon the room.
The silence born from the gap between common sense and reality did not last long.
No, it could not last.
"What are you all doing?! Save the branch manager, quickly!"
At the Ghost Blade's shout, enemies suddenly poured out from all directions.
"Quite a few rats were hiding here."
While Jeok-un merely wore a relaxed sneer, the subordinates who rushed forward turned pale upon seeing No Hwang-gu's state.
What if No Hwang-gu died like this?
The mere thought sent shivers down their spines.
No Hwang-gu's older brother, No Hwang-mun, doted on his younger brother to an extreme degree.
He would undoubtedly use all his power as the leader of the Ten Heavens Squad to hunt down not only the one who laid a hand on his brother, but also execute them for failing to protect him.
Therefore, they had only one way to survive.
They had to present this bastard's corpse.
"Attack him all at once!"
Following the Ghost Blade's command, the subordinates lunged simultaneously.
"Aaaah!"
"Die!"
Though some among them were stronger than their master, No Hwang-gu...
*Boom!*
"Urgh...!"
...to Jeok-un, dealing with them was easier than twisting a child's wrist.
The first subordinate to charge collapsed instantly from a simple straight punch.
He did not use any profound martial arts.
It would be a waste against such trash.
He simply struck quickly and directly.
*Swish!*
His next targets were the two men aiming for his flanks.
Jeok-un twisted his body slightly while extending both arms.
"Huh?!"
He grabbed both of them by their collars and pulled them in.
As energy swirled like a vortex through Jeok-un's arms...
*Crash!*
...the two men collided in midair like human gongs, losing consciousness instantly as they crumpled to the floor.
"?!"
Bewildered by Jeok-un's unbelievable physical flexibility, panic flashed across another enemy's face. The man swung his sword in terror, but...
*Whoosh!*
*Crack!*
Jeok-un stomped his foot, naturally pivoting to shatter the man's jaw with a clean strike.
Since he used his elbow instead of his fist, the man's jawbone shattered completely, knocking him out cold.
The Ghost Blade screamed from behind.
"A-Aim for his blind spots! You idiots!"
Do you think they aren't trying to?
Jeok-un chuckled inwardly but did not bother to reply.
He was only grateful that the rabble was coming at him all at once.
"Now, it's my turn to come to you!"
Jeok-un charged, his eyes gleaming like a wild beast's.
Like falling leaves in an autumn wind.
The enemies fell one after another, scattered like dry leaves swept away by a gale.
And finally...
"Gah...!"
*Thud.*
The last subordinate collapsed onto the cold floor, drawing his final breath.
More than a dozen martial artists lay strewn across the room in various gruesome states.
"H-Hieeeek!"
Only the Ghost Blade remained standing.
Staring at Jeok-un, the man was wetting his pants in sheer terror.
Looking down at the pathetic display with disgust, Jeok-un muttered to himself.
"Well, I suppose I need at least one messenger."
Just then, the unconscious No Hwang-gu groaned and began to wake.
"Ugh... Wh-What is this...?"
No Hwang-gu instinctively scanned his surroundings to assess the situation.
"H-Hieeeek!"
Soon, his eyes fell upon his subordinates, all lying with shattered limbs or crushed skulls, and Jeok-un standing proudly amidst the carnage.
*Step. Step.*
Jeok-un slowly walked toward him.
"A-Aaah! Stay back! Stay away!"
As Jeok-un approached, No Hwang-gu scrambled backward, screaming in desperation.
"I-If you touch me, my brother won't let you live! Heukpaeseong will hunt you down and kill you!"
To No Hwang-gu, this was his trump card, but to Jeok-un, it was a laughable threat.
"Don't worry."
"What?"
"I'll be sending both your brother and Heukpaeseong right after you soon enough."
"...!"
*Shhh!*
A ferocious energy surged around Jeok-un's fist as he finished speaking.
His fist, stained red with the blood of the subordinates, looked terrifyingly lethal.
No Hwang-gu stared in disbelief, a chilling dread gripping his entire body.
Th-This guy... is for real...!
Throughout his life in the Unorthodox faction, No Hwang-gu had encountered all kinds of people.
Most of them were trash full of empty bluster, but No Hwang-gu could feel it instinctively.
This man was different from them.
The Jeok-un standing before him wasn't bluffing; he was a genuine madman.
Whether it was his brother...
...or Heukpaeseong...
...the consequences did not cross his mind at all.
He truly intended to slaughter him without mercy.
If he stayed like this, he would die.
"Aaaah!"
Driven by the primal fear of death, No Hwang-gu lunged at Jeok-un, reflexively swinging his sickle.
*Grab!*
But Jeok-un didn't even dodge. He caught the sickle barehanded.
*Clang!*
And shattered it instantly.
"...!"
His cherished weapon, forged from hundred-refined steel, broke like a rotten scarecrow.
How could this be?
Unable to believe his eyes, No Hwang-gu's mouth fell open.
*Crack!*
"Gack!"
Jeok-un's fist slammed directly into his open mouth.
*Boom!*
Like a frog struck by a stone, No Hwang-gu flew across the room and crashed into a corner of the gambling den.
Jeok-un approached with heavy, deliberate steps.
N-No.
Was it the survival instinct warning him that staying down meant death?
Despite taking the full force of Jeok-un's punch, No Hwang-gu did not lose consciousness.
He knew that if he didn't beg for his life right now, he would truly be killed.
He opened his mouth to beg for mercy, but...
"Ugh, ughhh...!"
...no coherent words came out.
*Clatter!*
With every attempt to speak, his teeth fell out like grains of rice during harvest.
The single blow from Jeok-un had shattered his teeth completely.
Only two or three remained in his gums, and even those were loose and broken.
It hurts...!
It hurt.
It hurt far too much.
It was an excruciating pain he had never experienced in his life.
The fear of death slowly tightened around his heart.
Overwhelmed by panic, No Hwang-gu burst into tears.
Yet, remembering that his survival depended entirely on Jeok-un...
"Pl-Please... sp-spare...!"
He crawled miserably across the floor, begging Jeok-un, but Jeok-un's eyes remained cold.
"I-I'm glad..."
"*Cough!* Since you are safe, Leader..."
Memories from before his regression flashed through his mind.
They were the faces of his subordinates who had died in his arms because of the No brothers.
As those memories resurfaced, any trace of hesitation or guilt vanished.
This bastard had already begun distributing drugs through the gambling house.
Had Jeok-un not been here, he would have undoubtedly brought about the exact same future.
He decided to execute his primary rule without exception.
Irredeemable trash shall not be left alive.
*Swish!*
*Thud!*
"Aaargh!"
With a sharp tear of the wind, Jeok-un's fist pierced straight into the man's heart.