Chapter 12
Chapter 12
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Team 3 Leader Steps Up! (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Still, the branch members couldn't say anything to my face. After I had crushed the Dong-ro Branch's Fourth Altar Lord from the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union and his eleven men, not a single one of them had the guts to challenge me.
After hearing the branch members out, the Branch Master said only one thing.
“Everyone, be careful.”
Acting as if it had nothing to do with me, I ate in silence.
Just then, someone's shrill voice rang out.
“Hey! Ak Bi-ryong, was it? Things have gotten this bad, so if you have a mouth, why don't you say something?”
Dam Geum-hu, who was eating at the same table as me, scolded the man.
“Seo Seung-taek! That's the Team 3 Leader! Watch your mouth!”
Seo Seung-taek stood and respectfully clasped his hands toward me.
“Team 3 Leader! My apologies! Please forgive me!”
Without even looking at him, I continued to eat.
He said in a disgruntled tone.
“Bong Geun-san ended up like that because of you, Team 3 Leader! Did you really not know this would happen?”
*Clack!*
I set down my chopsticks, looked at Seo Seung-taek, and spoke calmly.
“If it were you, how would you have handled that situation?”
“Wh… what do you mean?”
“I'm asking what you would have done. The Fourth Altar Lord of the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union's Dong-ro Branch shows up with eleven of his men at the tavern run by the Team 2 Leader's wife. He threatens the Team 2 Leader, demanding a monthly tribute of fifty silver taels from now on. What would you do?”
“I…”
Seo Seung-taek was at a loss for words. He had never tried to put himself in such a situation.
For the first time since I emerged into the world after thirteen years, I was speaking a lot.
“Should I have tucked my tail between my legs and obediently promised to pay the tribute money?”
“That's not it, but…”
“Besides, wouldn't you see red if you saw some young punk talking down to the Team 2 Leader, sneering and spitting on the tavern floor?”
“…”
Seo Seung-taek's face turned beet red, and he could only mumble, unable to say anything.
I asked the Branch Master, who was drinking water.
“Branch Master, do you have any intention of paying tribute to the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union's Dong-ro Branch?”
“Unless I've gone mad, that will never happen.”
I looked around at the branch members.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“Still, shouldn't you have tried to resolve it peacefully with words?”
I looked at the branch member who had just spoken.
“Which team, and who are you?”
“Team 1, Pan Sang-rak.”
“Stand up.”
Pan Sang-rak hesitantly got to his feet.
“Pretend I'm the Fourth Altar Lord of the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union's Dong-ro Branch. Go on, try to resolve this peacefully with words.”
“…”
“If you can convince me, I will get on my knees and sincerely apologize for my mistake.”
Pan Sang-rak's face twisted. He wouldn't be able to convince me even if he died and came back to life.
Team 3 members Deung Bo, Yeon Cheong, and Dam Geum-hu smiled triumphantly, while the other branch members clicked their tongues, thinking Pan Sang-rak had dug his own grave.
A moment later, Pan Sang-rak realized his slip of the tongue and muttered.
“My apologies. I was short-sighted. That situation could not have been resolved with words.”
I looked around at the members of Team 1 and Team 2.
“Anything else to say?”
They were all struck dumb.
I quietly delivered a parting shot.
“When you don't know something, it's best to just stay quiet.”
* * *
This time, it was Seok Won-sang of Team 2.
He was attacked by unidentified assailants on his way home from work. They beat his head and upper body with a blunt weapon, leaving him in a coma.
The branch members said they understood that the incident where I beat down the Fourth Altar Lord of the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union's Dong-ro Branch and his eleven men was unavoidable.
But with two branch members having been unexpectedly attacked, the atmosphere in the Dong-ro Branch grew unsettled, and discontent and anxiety mounted.
Despite this, the Branch Master took no action and said nothing to me.
It was likely because, as the Branch Master, he lacked the ability to do anything else.
But I couldn't just stand by. Because it twisted my guts.
‘So they want to see this through to the end, do they?’
* * *
“Captain! The Team 2 Leader is leaving work.”
Dam Geum-hu said, almost shouting, as he hurried into the Team 3 hall.
Of the people leaving work from the Dong-ro Branch, two had already been attacked on their way home.
So, I had predicted that the third target would be the Team 2 Leader, Hyeong In-geol, and had told Dam Geum-hu to let me know when he left.
The two branch members attacked so far were just a taste.
The real target of the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union's Dong-ro Branch was likely me. But since the tavern incident, I hadn't stepped foot outside the Dong-ro Branch.
It wasn't that I was afraid to go out; I just had no reason to.
In that case, my prediction was that the third target would be Hyeong In-geol, the person at the center of the tavern incident. After all, this whole affair started at the tavern run by his wife.
As I came out of my room, Deung Bo and Yeon Cheong, having heard Dam Geum-hu's shout, came out of their rooms as well.
“Team Leader, where are you going?”
“Team Leader, are you going to tail the Team 2 Leader?”
I didn't answer and walked out of the Team 3 hall.
Dam Geum-hu quickly followed.
“Captain, let's go together.”
Dam Geum-hu's constant use of 'Captain' was annoying, but I didn't say anything about it.
* * *
Dam Geum-hu and I trailed Hyeong In-geol, keeping a distance of about seventy or eighty feet.
The tavern run by Hyeong In-geol's wife was in the center of the county, so the streets were quite crowded.
It was around seven in the evening, so it was dark.
Unaware that I was tailing him, Hyeong In-geol walked on in silence, looking straight ahead.
I figured the attackers wouldn't care about the time or place. They were undoubtedly from the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union's Dong-ro Branch, so they would be bold.
But Hyeong In-geol wasn't attacked on his way to the tavern.
Seeing him enter the tavern safely, Dam Geum-hu and I turned to leave.
“Captain, could you have been wrong?”
Dam Geum-hu tilted his head.
“Maybe another branch member was attacked instead?”
Just then, I heard Hyeong In-geol's voice calling out to someone. It was a shout of 'Who's there?', but it went quiet immediately after.
“Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
When I asked Dam Geum-hu, he questioned me back with a puzzled look. That meant I was the only one who heard it.
If no one else heard it, it meant my body had already begun to react, allowing me to perceive sounds from far away.
As I ran quickly toward the tavern, Dam Geum-hu followed.
“Captain! What is it?”
“Is the Team 2 Leader's house attached to the tavern?”
“He lives in the inner quarters of the tavern.”
“Lead the way.”
As I ran, I heard Hyeong In-geol's furious muttering.
“What are you doing? Let my family go!”
The bastards were clearly holding his family hostage.
There was an alley next to the tavern, and further inside were the tavern's inner quarters—the house where Hyeong In-geol lived.
“The gate is locked!”
*Tap!*
As I ran down the alley, I pushed off the ground lightly with the tips of my toes.
*Whoosh!*
I easily vaulted over the eight-foot-high wall, revealing a cozy courtyard with a house beyond it.
*Fwoosh!*
I flew diagonally toward the house and burst in, smashing the door.
*CRASH!*
“Wha—!”
In the split second the door shattered and a scream erupted, I took in the entire scene inside.
Hyeong In-geol was standing with his back to the door. Further inside, three strangers had their swords drawn, holding his wife and two young children hostage.
Neither Hyeong In-geol nor the three strangers had ever expected someone to smash through the door and charge in.
Hyeong In-geol, standing with his back to the door, was sent sprawling to the floor when it shattered.
I drew the Fire Dragon Sword from my shoulder and rushed the three men.
*Shhhk!*
“Huh!”
“Ugh!”
The three startled men hastily raised their swords to block.
The Fire Dragon Sword moved like a flash of light, shattering their three swords and simultaneously striking down lightly on their right shoulders.
*CRACK!*
*CRUNCH!*
*SNAP!*
“Gah!”
“Ack!”
“Urk!”
Their shoulders broken, the three men collapsed. If I had swung with intent, their torsos would have been crushed or sliced clean through, killing them instantly.
Once again, I had used one-tenth of my power. Against these demonic bastards from the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union's Dong-ro Branch, there was no need to use any more than that.
I sealed the acupoints on the fallen men to immobilize them and keep them silent. Such things were basic knowledge to me.
Hyeong In-geol, who had fallen amidst the shattered door fragments, shot back to his feet.
“Ak Bi-ryong!”
Just then, Dam Geum-hu, having scrambled over the wall, entered and gaped at the scene inside.
“Captain!”
“Look after the wife and children.”
“Yes, sir!”
Dam Geum-hu took the wife and children to the next room and then returned.
Hyeong In-geol, though shocked, spoke with a joyful expression.
“How did you know to come?”
Dam Geum-hu answered for me.
“The Captain predicted those bastards would attack you today, so we tailed you!”
“Ah! Is that so?”
Hyeong In-geol grasped my hand with both of his and bowed his head.
“Team 3 Leader! Thank you so much!”
I looked at the three men sitting there, groaning in pain.
“These bastards, are they from the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union's Dong-ro Branch?”
“Captain! I recognize their faces! They're definitely from the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union's Dong-ro Branch!”
“That's right. I know them too.”
In that case, there was no reason for me to deal with them myself.
* * *
The next morning, the Dong-ro Branch was in an uproar over what had happened the previous night.
Every branch member except me rushed to the warehouse.
In the warehouse were the three men who had threatened Hyeong In-geol by taking his family hostage the night before. All three were imprisoned, their right shoulders broken and their vital points sealed.
“Branch Master! These bastards!”
Hyeong In-geol, in an excited voice, explained last night's events, spittle flying from his mouth.
The branch members who heard the explanation erupted in anger.
“Branch Master! Let's kill these bastards!”
“Let's get revenge!”
* * *
The Branch Master's name was An Do-pil.
While waiting for me to arrive after being summoned, An Do-pil spoke with Hyeong In-geol.
“Did you see the Team 3 Leader fight with your own eyes?”
“I saw it, but not clearly.”
“How so?”
“Like I said before, the Team 3 Leader smashed through the door and burst in. I was knocked over, and by the time I got up, it was already over.”
“Hmm! Incredible.”
“The Team 3 Leader is at least two levels above us.”
An Do-pil tilted his head.
“The Team 3 Leader carries a Martial Alliance Bronze Plaque. I don't understand how he can be so powerful.”
There are five types of Martial Alliance Plaques. From the lowest, they are Bronze, Steel, Silver, Gold, and Jade, and are given according to one's status.
To reiterate, the Martial Alliance Bronze Plaque signifies a 'Grunt,' the lowest-ranking warrior in the Martial Alliance.
“Hmm! By the way, did you notice that the Dong-ro Branch's Second Altar Lord was among those three?”
Hyeong In-geol flinched in surprise.
“The Second Altar Lord? You mean Wi Geun-seong?”
“Yes. Wi Geun-seong.”
“Isn't Wi Geun-seong the younger brother of the Dong-ro Regional Master, Wi Heun-chang?”
“He's the fourth and youngest of the sworn brothers.”
“Wi Geun-seong was among the three the Team 3 Leader brought in?”
“That's right.”
*Step.*
Having heard their entire conversation from outside, I entered.
“Have a seat.”
An Do-pil and Hyeong In-geol found it difficult to treat me casually, for though my rank was lower than theirs, my martial skill was far superior.
An Do-pil asked.
“What did you intend to do with them when you brought them here?”
“Should I have killed them instead of bringing them here?”
As I replied bluntly, An Do-pil waved his hand.
“That's not it. I was just asking if you had a reason for bringing them here.”
An Do-pil and Hyeong In-geol seemed to regard me as someone they couldn't handle.
They were asking me, their subordinate, what to do with the three men I had gone to the trouble of capturing.
“I only captured the men who attacked the Team 2 Leader's home. How to deal with them is for the Branch Master to decide.”
“Well, yes, but…”