I've Already Thought of a Solution
The cool night air wrapped itself around the Black Wind Association's headquarters.
Bang! Crash!
Inside, the fierce battle still raged. Every time Jang Mu-eon's Heavenly Thunder Sword clashed with the Am Yeong-do's jet-black blade, sparks of light burst into the air.
"Hah... hah... Just who the hell..."
Jang Mu-eon gasped for breath as he asked. Blood streaming from his shoulder was dyeing his clothes a deep red.
"Figured it out at last? The Black Wind Association was Blood Shadow Tower's toy from the very beginning."
The Am Yeong-do lifted his blade with a cold, mocking smile.
"It's over, Jang Mu-eon."
That was the exact moment.
"Stop."
A low, even voice rolled through the entire headquarters. Only two syllables, yet the pressure contained within them brought everything to a halt.
Wooooong—
An overwhelming aura spread as if the space itself were trembling. The Am Yeong-do's blade froze mid-air, and the surrounding Black Wind Association martial artists locked in place where they stood.
"Th-this is..."
For the first time, horror surfaced on the Am Yeong-do's face. His body refused to move, as if it had turned to stone.
Step. Step.
Quiet footsteps approached. The main gate of the headquarters opened on its own, and a single man walked in.
It was Kang Yeon.
Ordinary clothes. An unhurried gait.
Yet with every step he took, the air around him grew heavy and still.
He came to a stop in front of the Am Yeong-do. Then he reached out and casually pulled off the mask.
"Hmm."
Kang Yeon gently infused a thread of energy. The Am Yeong-do's face began to twist and warp. The elaborate human-skin mask peeled away, revealing the man's true face—narrow eyes, a sharp cast to his features, scars etched across his skin. Marks that spoke of a hard, brutal past.
"Jin Buk-hak of Blood Shadow Tower... the Seven Killing Star."
Kang Yeon spoke calmly.
The Am Yeong-do—no, Jin Buk-hak's eyes shook.
"How... how do you know me..."
"One of Blood Shadow Tower's high-ranking officers. One of the new Tower Lord's trusted men, or so I hear."
Kang Yeon had already locked every scrap of information Jin Mu-gyeong had given him about Blood Shadow Tower into his mind.
"You called Jang Mu-eon the bait, didn't you? You're the one who's been used from the start. Blood Shadow Tower used you as bait to find me."
Jin Buk-hak's pupils quivered violently.
"Y-you... don't tell me you're the... Absolute Martial God..."
The name slipped from someone's lips.
A name that had lived only in legend now stood before them as living reality.
"That's right. I am the Absolute Martial God."
The faces of the Black Wind Association martial artists who had followed the Am Yeong-do turned deathly pale.
"Good heavens."
"The Absolute Martial God...?"
Jin Buk-hak clenched his teeth and shouted.
"I'm the bait? So what of it! The Tower Lord's plan can no longer be stopped!"
Thud!
Kang Yeon's finger lightly struck Jin Buk-hak's dantian. In that instant, every scrap of internal energy scattered from Jin Buk-hak's body.
"Aaaargh!"
With a scream, Jin Buk-hak dropped to his knees. His body shook violently under the shock of a lifetime's martial power vanishing in a single breath.
"Guhh!"
Kang Yeon turned his gaze toward the other Black Wind Association martial artists. All of them belonged to Blood Shadow Tower or had followed the Am Yeong-do.
"And as for the rest of you..."
A brief silence fell.
Only the sound of the Black Wind Association men swallowing hard could be heard.
"Those who shared the Am Yeong-do's will... I'm sorry, but you'll have to die."
Aura poured from Kang Yeon's body and enveloped the martial artists. Then, with perfect precision, it took the lives of those who needed to be dealt with.
Thud.
All around, lifeless bodies toppled like cut sheaves of straw. Watching the scene, Jang Mu-eon's expression twisted roughly. Kang Yeon had snuffed out the lives of countless martial artists so easily, without a flicker of hesitation. In that moment, the Absolute Martial God stood fully revealed.
Kang Yeon looked at Jang Mu-eon once more.
Jang Mu-eon still had not recovered from the shock.
"Get up."
Kang Yeon extended a hand, and a warm current of energy wrapped around Jang Mu-eon's body. The wound on his shoulder began to close at once.
"You've saved me again. I don't know if I'm the kind of man who deserves this."
"You were deceived, that's all. It wasn't only your fault."
Kang Yeon glanced around. The remaining Black Wind Association martial artists stood trembling with fear. Those left were men who had known nothing and simply followed the Am Yeong-do's words.
"The same goes for all of you. So stop being so afraid."
Jang Mu-eon dropped to his knees, tears falling.
"I'm sorry... I was a fool..."
"Stand up. There's no need to kneel."
Kang Yeon pulled Jang Mu-eon to his feet.
"What will you do now?"
Jang Mu-eon clenched his fists tight.
"I will dissolve the Black Wind Association."
Kang Yeon cast a sidelong glance at the martial artists.
"And them?"
Jang Mu-eon looked back at his men. Yeong-ho, Cheol-san, and Myeong-wol—now free—were all watching him.
"Guild Leader, we will stay with you to the end."
"I feel the same."
"You're not thinking of casting us aside, are you?"
Jang Mu-eon spoke heavily.
"But... if you follow me, there will be no safety from now on."
Blood Shadow Tower would never leave Jang Mu-eon alone. They would surely lower the blade of death over such an easy target.
"We don't care!"
"If we scatter, we'll only die all the sooner."
"Isn't that right, everyone?"
One by one, the other Black Wind Association martial artists nodded.
"We will stay with you to the end as well."
"We will never forget the grace of being taken in."
Watching Jang Mu-eon and his subordinates, Kang Yeon gave a crooked little smile.
"I like the look of that. Good decision."
Just as Jang Mu-eon expected, Blood Shadow Tower would hunt them down one by one without fail. Apart from Jang Mu-eon himself, these men had no real connection to Kang Yeon—but letting them die pointlessly still sat poorly with him.
"Hmm..."
Kang Yeon thought for a moment, then offered a solution.
"For now, staying near me will actually be safer. Any chance you'd consider helping out at our inn?"
At the unexpected proposal, Jang Mu-eon's eyes flew wide.
"U-us...?"
Kang Yeon nodded.
"That's right. The Black Wind Association. There's not much for you to do right this second, but..."
In that moment, a brilliant idea struck him.
"Ah. I just thought of something for you to do. How about my offer?"
Even after hearing the proposal, Jang Mu-eon and his men still looked thoroughly bewildered.
"What? Not keen because it's not swinging swords—it's cleaning the inn and running errands?"
Kang Yeon's joke finally cracked the tension; a few of the subordinates let out quiet snorts of laughter. Jang Mu-eon answered in a hurry.
"No, sir! If we can be of help, we will gladly..."
"Good. All of you here, come to the inn at first light tomorrow. I'll have work ready for you."
Kang Yeon turned and waved a hand over his shoulder.
"Oh, and no need to bring weapons. You'll scare the customers."
When Kang Yeon returned to the West Lake Number One Inn, his family greeted him with worried faces.
"Oppa! Are you okay? You're not hurt anywhere?"
Jo Seol rushed over to check him over.
"Of course I'm fine. I just went and had a little talk."
"Just a talk?"
Jo Un looked unconvinced.
"Yeah, a simple conversation. Oh, and starting tomorrow we'll have some people coming to help with the work."
"Who?"
"The Black Wind Association kids. They decided to live decently from now on."
The family wore blank, stunned expressions. Jo Un looked especially shocked.
"Wait... the Black Wind Association I know?"
Jin Mu-gyeong chuckled softly over his tea.
"That's Yeon for you. Still got that knack for turning enemies into allies."
"It was nothing special."
Kang Yeon headed for the kitchen as he spoke.
"I'm starving. Think I'll whip up a late-night snack. Anyone want some?"
"Me! Me!"
Jo Seol raised her hand and followed after him.
The next morning.
"Welcome!"
When the inn door opened, Jo Seol's bright greeting rang out.
"Ah... good morning."
Jang Mu-eon greeted them awkwardly, several subordinates in tow. In the rough hands of martial artists were not swords, but dishcloths and brooms.
"Oh, you're early. First, put these on."
Kang Yeon held out aprons.
"Pardon?"
"If you work without aprons, your clothes will get filthy."
Kang Yeon personally tied an apron around the flustered Jang Mu-eon. The sight of the Black Wind Association's fearsome Guild Leader wearing a flower-patterned apron was more than a little ridiculous.
"Pwahahaha!"
Jo Un was the first to lose the battle against laughter.
"Sorry, I'm sorry. But seriously... pwahaha!"
"Oppa!! Laughing like that is rude!"
Jo Seol scolded him, yet she was struggling not to laugh herself. Strangely enough, Jang Mu-eon did not mind. A warm feeling settled in a corner of his chest instead.
"All right, shall we start by learning how to trim vegetables?"
Jo Hwan began teaching with fatherly warmth.
"Hold the knife like this... no, if you grip it that hard you'll tire out right away."
He patiently explained to Jang Mu-eon, who was clutching the kitchen knife the way he would a sword. As time passed, the awkward atmosphere gradually loosened. The Black Wind Association martial artists learned the work clumsily but earnestly.
"Hand-pulled noodles coming out!"
"Table cleared!"
"Do you need more dishes?"
By noon the inn was packed once more.
"Huh? Isn't that the Black Wind Association Guild Leader?"
"Why is he working as a waiter here...?"
Customers whispered among themselves, but Jang Mu-eon simply kept working in silence. Then a small child spilled food everywhere.
"Waaah! Mama!"
"Oh dear, this child..."
Seeing the flustered mother, Jang Mu-eon stepped forward.
"I'll clean that up for you. It's no trouble."
With a gentle smile, he cleaned with practiced ease. He seemed an entirely different man from the one who had radiated killing intent only yesterday.
"Thank you so much."
"Not at all. It's our job."
When business closed for the evening, Jang Mu-eon and his subordinates were completely exhausted.
"This is harder than swinging a sword all day..."
One of the men said, rubbing his lower back.
"But... strangely enough, I feel good."
Jang Mu-eon spoke quietly.
"Watching people leave after eating so happily... it felt somehow rewarding."
Kang Yeon came out of the kitchen and approached them.
"Good work. Pretty solid for a first day."
"Thank you."
Jang Mu-eon bowed deeply.
"And... I truly am sorry. I was a fool..."
"That's enough. The past is the past. No more apologies from now on."
Kang Yeon smiled gently.
"Instead, from here on out you fill people up instead of cutting them down. How does that sound?"
"Yes, sir!"
Jang Mu-eon and his men answered with full strength.
That night, a small celebration was held in the rear courtyard of the West Lake Number One Inn.
"Well then—here's to your first day on the job!"
Jo Hwan raised his cup.
"Cheers!"
Everyone clinked their cups together. The former Black Wind Association men wore expressions that were both awkward and genuinely happy.
"Wow, this food is incredible!"
"That's the privilege of working at the inn. We get to eat cooking like this every day."
Nang Hyeon declared proudly.
In the warm, lively atmosphere, Kang Yeon quietly lifted his eyes to the night sky. It was a peaceful night, stars glittering overhead.
This must be what happiness feels like.
A day of choosing forgiveness and reconciliation over vengeance and hatred.
Another small miracle had taken place at the West Lake Number One Inn.
Jin Mu-gyeong stepped up beside him and spoke quietly.
"Blood Shadow Tower won't sit still."
"I know. But..."
Kang Yeon smiled as he looked at his family and their new comrades.
"Having something to protect can be a strength, not a weakness."
"True... you're right about that."
Jin Mu-gyeong nodded as he took in the warm scene. After draining his cup, Kang Yeon said,
"By the way, looking at today, the inn's got way too many people now."
"It does. At this rate I wonder if we'll end up with more waiters than customers."
Kang Yeon grinned.
"That's why I've already thought of a solution."
"What is it?"
At Jin Mu-gyeong's curiosity, Kang Yeon answered.
"We've got surplus hands, so we send them outside."
"Outside?"
"Yeah. The inn's too small, so there's a way to handle the customers who are waiting."
Kang Yeon turned his gaze toward the east.