Chapter 45
“Gah?!”
Had he finally come to his senses? As if snapping out of it, the man hurriedly scanned his surroundings. Maybe the neatly tidied space felt unfamiliar. Watching him roll his eyes this way and that, I slowly spoke up.
“You awake?”
At the sound of my voice, the swordsman immediately turned toward me. There I was, dressed in a blue robe, gazing at him leisurely. He could probably guess the situation well enough. He'd tried to kill a noble in the underground district, failed, gotten caught, and been dragged here.
“...Hah.”
Realizing his position, his face hardened coldly.
Clank—!
“What the—?!”
“Grrrrr—!”
The moment he tried to make his next move, a mechanical whir rang out, and his body froze in place. Blood dripped from his mouth. Tae-woong, waiting behind him, pried his jaws open, revealing blood gushing from his tongue.
“He tried to bite his tongue and kill himself. If the behavior control chip had activated a second later, he'd be dead right there.”
“Fucking gross. Tries to off himself the second he wakes up? This guy's completely insane.”
Shaking my head in disgust, I spoke.
“Won't even say a word before trying to die. Don't value your life or what?”
“Ptoo!”
Like it was repulsive, the swordsman spat in my direction. The blood-flecked spittle flew but sadly didn't reach me.
“I've got no attachment to living anyway. Killed about fifteen of you bastards this time around? Every last one a son of a bitch, so no regrets.”
Fully resigned now, he started sneering with a chilling grin.
“But yeah, one regret...”
His gaze shifted to Tae-woong, my hulking bodyguard standing behind me.
“That your guard back there stopped me from slitting your throat? Yeah, that stings a bit.”
Twisting his blood-smeared face, he yelled at Tae-woong.
“Hey, old man, that artificial body of yours was something else! Should've sucked off more of those noble asses! Might've made my limbs hurt less, huh? Heh heh heh...!”
Tae-woong's eyebrow twitched at the blatant provocation. A lifetime of guarding high nobles left him with no tolerance for this shit. I stepped forward, blocking his path.
He's got the guts to bite his own tongue for suicide, and from his talk, he knows how to use it too.
Smacking my lips as I eyed the glaring swordsman. From my past life's experience, this guy ranked high among swordsmen.
“Name's Min Jeong-hwan... fake, obviously? Age thirty-five. Level 2 fugitive. Fifteen murders, twenty arsons, three bomb attacks, hundreds of property damages... Your organization's got a bloody resume, huh?”
Reciting his profile from the Podocheong database, I sat down. Min Jeong-hwan snorted dismissively at me.
“Some snot-nosed brat playing police chief? Fuck off and just kill me.”
“This isn't an interrogation—it's a question. A guy who slaughters this many nobles doesn't take a single valuable off them. Watching you, I got curious.”
“I said kill me.”
Leaning back, I continued.
“So let's hear your story. Why kill nobles?”
“...And why the hell should I tell you?”
“Depending on what you say, I might let you go. Hell, I might even help your organization.”
“Fuck off.”
He let out a disbelieving chuckle, his face twisting.
“No matter what torture or filthy shit you pull, it won't work. Got nothing to tell you noble bastards, nothing to beg for my life with. Got it?”
“...”
“So quit wasting time and kill me! Kill me! Now—!”
Just when I thought he'd calmed, he was thrashing again to break the restraints. Even if I offered to let him live, he'd refuse and kick up a fuss. Well, a guy who'd rather die than bow to nobles—makes sense.
But at the same time, the smile creeping onto my lips grew thicker.
Finishing my thoughts, I tossed something from my pocket. Thud. It landed with a soft sound—a jade-green Andong Kim Clan token, gleaming softly. Min Jeong-hwan's eyes widened instantly.
“No way, Andong Kim Clan? Knew you were a noble, but bigger fish than I thought...!”
“Not that. Look closer.”
He stared at the token like what the hell, then his expression grew complicated. The color of the engraved letters. His gaze locked on my name, dyed yellow.
“...Illegitimate son?”
“Better than nothing, right?”
I smirked and said to him,
“Look here, I'm a worthless half-breed crawled out from lowborn scum.”
Stunned by my self-introduction, maybe?
“...Tch, figures the last one I touched was a half-noble.”
Min Jeong-hwan spat curses in a reluctant tone. One notable change: the thick hostility he'd shown before had softened considerably.
Soon as he learns I'm a bastard, the venom fades. Means he knows plenty about that world.
Lost in thought, I noticed him glancing at me reluctantly before speaking.
“With a guard like that, you're still in bed with the nobles, aren't you?”
“If I were, I'd have reported you to the main house the second I caught you. Andong Kim intel and royal guards would've cracked your skull open together, and you and your crew would've been strung up in the town square.”
He couldn't argue—it was spot on. If I'd wanted you dead or info extracted, I could've done it easy.
“And one more thing. You and your friends should actually be thanking me.”
“Th—thanking you? What the hell...!”
Min Jeong-hwan's sneer cut short.
“I'm the one who killed Jo Seong-hwan.”
My words dropped without warning, leaving him speechless for a while. But one thing: the way he looked at me had changed completely.
“So, how about it? Feel like talking now?”
Man, getting this guy to chat was a pain. Dealing with sword-swinging types is exhausting.
“No fucking way!”
I'd laid it all out to Min Jeong-hwan kneeling before me. Exposing Pungyang Jo Clan's experiments. Ripping open a rift right in the heart of Hanseong. And finally, maneuvering Kim Hyun-woo into killing Jo Seong-hwan.
“All those incidents... you—no, you orchestrated them?”
He didn't buy it at first, of course. But when I shoved the Choraeng ital from my pocket in his face—straight from Hwae—he had to accept it.
“Unbelievable. The whole Pungyang Jo Clan crumbling, thousands of petty nobles dropping like flies... all thanks to one guy—you!”
“Not alone. Couldn't have done shit without Hwae's backup.”
True enough. Take Jo Seong-hwan's capture: prepping rutting monsters, swapping cargo through tight security, buying time till Kim Hyun-woo showed. I planned it, but Hwae handled the execution.
“In other words, I can scheme, but lack the muscle to pull it off. Worst case, use Hwae like this time...”
Recalling that noble-masked guy I'd met, I shook my head.
“Not my style.”
Not a bad option. Big ideals to change Joseon, solid intel, skilled operatives. Great to keep using.
But that noble mask. Meeting that sly fox made it clear: borrow their hands once, twice, and eventually...
In this life, I'd end up Hwae's dog.
Thud.
Finishing my thoughts, I closed the file folder. Allies with shared goals and common enemies. That was the line with Hwae.
With my foot in Sedao Clan territory, blind trust was impossible.
“That's why I need an organization now.”
One with independent firepower, intel network, funding. A massive force moving for me alone.
“That's your reason for recruiting me?”
“Glad you're quick on the uptake.”
I'd exploit this Sihwa chaos to gather as many who follow my orders. And first on the list: this guy in front of me.
“Why us?”
Hostility down, Min Jeong-hwan asked cautiously.
“Not to brag, but guys better with blades than us...”
“Sure, you're tough. Hire one merc company, get a truckload like you.”
His head drooped, pride stung, but facts are facts. Joseon's ancient tradition: blow all your cash 'educating' your kids. Talented folks litter the streets.
“But when push comes to shove, all that 'skill' and 'talent'... doesn't matter much.”
“What?”
I glanced at the artificial bodies around.
“Everyone's got neural interfaces, swapping bodies for cybernetics. Skill? Talent? Money fixes it all.”
Physical prowess? Shove an artificial spine in any scrub, get athlete-level reflexes. Grade 2 full-body? Leaping buildings. Who cares about natural build?
Brains? Easier. Swap neural interface for new, upload data. Add combat AI module? Instant swordmaster rivaling Cheok Jun-kyung, strategist outdoing Yi Sun-sin.
Sure, costs a fortune.
“Unless you're one of those aura-gene freaks or once-a-century genius... everyone's about the same.”
So, I wasn't scouting talent.
“I need crazy bastards.”
Crazy for the cause, ideology, grudges. Limbs blown off? Family held hostage? Don't blink—charge for your goal.
That's who I wanted.
You'd think they were insane.
I'd thought it dozens of times. No answer but killing, yet they wouldn't die easy. Exhausting to block.
Imagine wielding them as limbs—how smooth sailing?
“I'm gathering people to smash Sedao Clans. Mercs bought with cash? Useless. Nobles stuff their accounts, they stab us in the back.”
“...!”
“Betray for money, power. Nice guys? Families threatened. Total shitshow.”
Lessons from my past life. But this guy before me? No such worries.
I pointed at Min Jeong-hwan's chest.
“Guys like you, with something burning inside. Lunatics who'd torch their own body for it. That's what I need.”
Give them a shot, and I'd become one too.
I shoved the contract in his trembling eyes.
“So tell your crew.”
“Tell them what?”
“If you become my blade, I'll give Salban-gae the chance to slaughter every noble in Joseon.”
The terms boiled down simple: Kill who I point out. No one else.
Min Jeong-hwan's lips twisted.
“One question. If we refuse?”
“Kill you all. Your friends too.”
I shrugged.
“What can ya do? If even a whisper leaks, it's treason for me.”
“Yeah, right! Heh heh...!”
His solo cackle faded.
“Fine. I'll beg for my life. But!”
Kneeling properly, Min Jeong-hwan spoke.
“In exchange for signing, promise one thing.”
Gruff voice, eyes blazing hate. The mad dog's gaze from my past life fixed on me.
“Yeohung Min Clan head, Min Seung-chan.”
“...”
“Let me kill that bastard myself.”
“Write his name in the special clause.”
His resolve drew a laugh. Who'd think I'd command a guy with eyes like that?
“Survive under me, and he's yours.”
Contract sealed. Salban-gae now my tool to kill nobles on command.
Gazing fondly at my new blade, satisfaction swelled—until.
Beep.
“Hm?”
A short signal from the Choraeng ital in my pocket. Video data from the image talisman. Visual interface popped the feed: familiar sight.
“...This idiot.”
My casino on Hanseong's 1st Layer. A gang of swordsmen prowling around. Seemed ordinary at a glance. But the man at the center, glaring everywhere—drew a scoff.
“Tracked me all the way here, huh?”
Pungyang Jo's manager from Busan, who'd worked with me: Gu Jeong-hyuk.