The Ragged Prodigy
Ping Lei stood before the guild house.
His unkempt beard clung in ragged patches beneath deeply sunken cheeks, and the corners of his eyes trembled with exhaustion.
But what stood out most were his eyes. They burned fiercer than ever, honed to a razor’s edge.
“Not bad,” I said.
“Is that a compliment?”
“Yeah. I mean it.”
“To think I’d be praised for something like this… heh.”
Ping Lei gave a bitter smile.
“Must’ve been rough making it all the way to Korea.”
“I nearly died three times.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
“Twice, then.”
I finally nodded.
“Do you have any idea how much trouble I went through to get here?”
“You’d have to tell me the story for me to know.”
Apparently nursing quite a grudge, Ping Lei launched into a detailed account of his journey into Korea.
“After paying back all the investment money as a penalty fee, I headed for the harbor.”
“Why the harbor?”
“If I’d gone to the airport, the Nine Dragons Syndicate would’ve caught me immediately.”
Fortunately, the syndicate hadn’t realized right away that he was trying to reach Korea. They assumed it was interference from a rival guild and focused on keeping the other Chinese guilds in check while blocking any contact between Ping Lei and the Gold Moon, the source of the funds.
“I smuggled myself into Korea aboard a fishing boat.”
“I’ve seen that in plenty of movies.”
“The feeling is completely different when you’re the one doing it.”
“I’ll pass.”
Ping Lei shot me a resentful glare.
Hey, why should I have to suffer through that too?
“Anyway, welcome to Korea.”
“I threw everything away to follow you, Guild Master.”
“Don’t worry. You kept your promise, so I’ll keep mine.”
I’d already burned a hundred million dollars just to recruit him. Since I’d made the investment, it was only right to squeeze every drop of profit out of it.
“Before that, there’s one thing you need to do.”
“What is it?”
“Go wash up first. Seriously.”
I pinched my nose shut.
Whether he’d come straight here after smuggling himself in or not, the stench of the sea mixed with stale grime assaulted my nostrils.
After a minor commotion, I introduced Ping Lei to Shin Junseok as well.
“I’d heard the rumors about the promising talent of the Nine Dragons Syndicate.”
“The Fist Saint of Korea. Your spar with the Guild Master left a very deep impression.”
Ping Lei offered a respectful fist salute.
Why does it feel like he respects my senior more than me?
“You think too highly of me, young friend. I’m not all that impressive.”
“Others might not know, but I do. I know that the Fist Saint can modify his techniques in real time.”
“You have a keen eye! Hahaha!”
The two men exchanged warm pleasantries.
“Ahem.”
When I cleared my throat, their gazes turned toward me.
“Senior, among the martial arts you showed me last time, there was one called the Heavenly Flower Staff Technique, wasn’t there?”
“The Heavenly Flower Staff Technique… I still have it.”
“Give it to this guy. I’ll pay whatever price you ask.”
Ping Lei flinched in surprise.
“A staff technique, you say?”
“I told you I’d introduce you to a Constellation.”
The Monkey King. The Great Sage Equal to Heaven. The Constellation known by many divine names—Sun Wukong.
He wasn’t a Divine King, but in terms of sheer fame alone, he was a powerhouse that surpassed even S-rank Constellations.
“Ping Lei, what comes to mind when you hear Sun Wukong?”
“Clones and the Ruyi Jingu Bang, obviously.”
“Exactly. That answer’s good enough, isn’t it?”
“……Are you serious?”
“Yes. If you want to win Sun Wukong’s favor, staff techniques are essential.”
In the future, a Chinese player who became famous for the same Clone ability as Ping Lei had managed to contract with Sun Wukong precisely because he’d learned staff techniques.
Even if Ping Lei switched from dual swords to the staff, there was no guarantee he’d secure Sun Wukong as his backer. Still, if the monkey didn’t bite, I was confident I could connect them through other means.
Conveniently, the kid hadn’t contracted with Seth yet, either.
Ping Lei agonized for a moment before finally speaking.
“Fine. Since I’ve already decided to trust the Guild Master, I’ll do it.”
He squeezed his eyes shut.
Man, if I asked him to cosign a loan, he’d probably stamp the papers without hesitation.
“Good. Senior?”
“Give me a moment.”
Shin Junseok returned with the martial arts manual. Ping Lei accepted the booklet with great care and immediately flipped to the first page.
Whoosh—
The moment he turned the final page, the booklet crumbled into dust.
“How is it?”
“I’ve grasped the essentials. Mastering it will take time, though.”
“The fastest way to make it part of your body is through sparring.”
I lightly shook out my wrists and ankles.
Doubt flickered across Ping Lei’s face.
“What are you doing?”
“Helping with your training. You already have all the theory in your head.”
I tossed him a staff from the corner of the training ground. Ping Lei looked visibly flustered.
“Wait, even so—”
“Learning through your body is the quickest way.”
I grinned.
I’d go easy on him, so he didn’t need to worry too much.
The ancient staff art of Sun Wukong. A technique that transforms the user’s will into countless blooming flowers of destruction.
* * *
Zhang Wufei, Guild Master of the Nine Dragons Syndicate, furrowed his brow.
“He was spotted in Korea?”
“Yes, Boss.”
“This is absurd.”
Zhang Wufei let out a dry, hollow laugh.
Though the sound echoed through the room, the air in the office grew even heavier.
His voice dropped.
“Pathetic.”
Wufei’s eyes, cold as a serpent’s, swept across the guild executives.
Zhang Wufei’s signature technique. A merciless grip that drags the victim forward and crushes the life from them.
“Who was it that claimed the one who offered Ping Lei a chance to defect was the Four Gods Guild or the Zhonghua Guild?”
“It was me, Boss.”
“I don’t understand why you’re still holding your head so high.”
The executive was yanked forward by Zhang Wufei’s hand. When he tightened his grip, the veins on the man’s neck bulged as though they might burst.
“Kuh, kuhuk! Boss!”
“If your head is slow, your actions should at least be fast. What use is someone so sluggish?”
“Kuuuurk…”
The executive groaned, his face turning crimson. It was obvious he would die if left like this, yet no one dared intervene.
Dozens had already disappeared for displeasing Zhang Wufei. When the tyrant of the Nine Dragons flew into a rage, no one could touch him.
Just before the man lost consciousness, Zhang Wufei finally loosened his grip.
The executive collapsed with a thud and clung to his superior’s shoe, begging.
“S-spare me, Boss! Please show mercy!”
“Recite that analysis from before.”
“Pardon?”
“I don’t give second chances.”
When Zhang Wufei pressed down with his foot, the sobbing executive began to speak.
“This incident began when Ping Lei declared his withdrawal from the guild after paying a hundred million dollars.”
“That’s right.”
“That shameless, brazen traitor…”
“Skip the commentary.”
“Yes! We judged that the traitor could not have gathered such a sum on his own and immediately traced the source of the funds.”
“And where did it lead?”
“It was the Gold Moon. Therefore, we concluded that the source was the Four Gods Guild.”
The Four Gods was the guild second only to the Nine Dragons Syndicate. Their spheres of activity didn’t overlap, so they avoided direct conflict, but it was inevitable that the slowly expanding Four Gods would eventually clash with the Nine Dragons, which carried the prestige of being China’s number one guild.
Zhang Wufei tilted his head.
The executives flinched, but he was too deep in thought to notice their reactions.
It was the correct judgment.
Even after reflecting on the situation, there had been no mistake in his choices—aside from the excessive investment made to elevate the guild’s rookie by using the Korean newcomer as a sacrifice.
No. That is precisely why it was the right decision.
No matter how promising Ping Lei was, China was a nation of 1.4 billion people constantly producing new players. Although the Babel Tower imposed penalties on invitation issuance for populous countries, the sheer numbers rendered such restrictions nearly meaningless.
Spending a hundred million dollars to acquire Ping Lei?
It would be nothing more than throwing down a gauntlet at the Nine Dragons Syndicate.
That was why Zhang Wufei had shown mercy. Had the executive’s analysis been wrong and caused this mess, he would have snapped the man’s neck the instant he dragged him forward with the Black Hand.
“Continue.”
“We spread surveillance networks over the Four Gods and Zhonghua Guilds. We also monitored airports out of concern he might flee to the United States.”
“Yet he appeared in Korea.”
“Y-yes.”
“Let me ask you one thing, Lou Xun. Do you believe Ping Lei is a talent worth burning a hundred million dollars on?”
“We have not yet properly recouped the invested amount. It will take more time.”
“Then why is it Yeokcheon—not the Four Gods, not Zhonghua, not even the Gold Moon?”
The office sank into silence once more. It was a situation none of the executives could comprehend. Zhang Wufei felt the same.
“Knowing full well that the Nine Dragons Syndicate stands behind him, they poured every dollar received from the Gold Moon into recruiting Ping Lei.”
A twisted laugh shattered the silence.
There’s no way.
Zhang Wufei immediately rejected his own words. Even if Yu Jinho was an unprecedented rookie, he was nowhere near the level of the Nine Dragons Syndicate. Zhang Wufei himself was China’s top ranker, and the guild possessed hundreds of formidable players. Considering how much player guilds had risen in status since the first Great Erosion, it was practically equivalent to making an entire country an enemy.
There is someone behind this board.
That was Zhang Wufei’s conclusion.
“Stand up, Lou Xun.”
“Thank you, Boss!”
“I will overlook your mistake only once.”
A chilling killing intent flashed in Zhang Wufei’s eyes.
As the atmosphere eased, the other executives began to speak.
“Boss, I believe we should make an example of Yeokcheon.”
“To throw his lot in with a mere small-nation guild. What an idiot that Ping Lei is!”
“How about deploying hitmen during one of Yeokcheon’s gate raids?”
The Nine Dragons Syndicate operated in both the legal and illegal worlds. Even in another country, crushing a single small guild was well within their power.
Zhang Wufei clicked his tongue.
“That way we cannot catch the mastermind.”
“The mastermind, sir?”
“This incident is a direct challenge to the Nine Dragons Syndicate.”
Zhang Wufei shared the thoughts he had organized in his mind with the executives.
“Indeed!”
“As expected of you, Boss.”
“There’s no way a small-nation guild would dare challenge the Nine Dragons head-on unless they’ve lost their minds!”
The executives marveled at Zhang Wufei’s insight. Their minds, which had frozen upon encountering a situation beyond common sense, felt as though they had awakened thanks to his words.
“For the time being, we will leave the Yeokcheon Guild untouched.”
The hero of the Spice Islands system. The existence that caused an uproar every time he challenged a promotion match. Touching Jinho while he was riding such a powerful upward trend would be too burdensome.
“However, Boss, won’t this incident generate unfavorable rumors?”
“To advance two steps, one must sometimes retreat one step.”
“Understood!”
“That said, simply leaving Yeokcheon alone would not preserve our dignity.”
Strength flowed into Zhang Wufei’s hand.
Crack!
The armrest shattered into pieces. The face of the executive whose neck had been grabbed earlier turned deathly pale.
“There is a saying: use one barbarian to control another.”
“As expected of you, Boss.”
“We simply need to secretly support a guild that will compete with the rising Yeokcheon!”
The executives immediately understood his meaning.
“I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“Understood!”
At Zhang Wufei’s gesture, the executives filed out of the office in unison.
The room fell into heavy silence.
The owner of the room recalled the true culprit behind this incident with coldly sunken eyes.
The one pulling the strings is obvious.
He had cleverly hidden his traces this time, but the same luck would not visit him again.
Zhang Wufei swallowed his fury while imagining the moment of his revenge.