#66 Time to Earn Our Keep.
A colossal full moon hung in the sky. Tonight's moon was especially brilliant and enormous. The heavens were perfectly clear, without a single cloud. Its light bathed the city, illuminating a lone figure sprinting across the rooftop of a towering skyscraper.
Tap-tap.
It was Phantom.
She had just raided a southern gang's warehouse tonight.
'Things have been weird lately.'
The tails and trackers who usually dogged her every step had dwindled to less than half today.
'Something going on?'
With all the chaos she'd stirred up, being hunted was just part of her daily routine.
Wrapped in that uneasy feeling, her gaze suddenly sharpened.
Whoosh—
In an instant, she spotted a man standing atop a distant building.
'Ghost...!'
Ghost—Napa's fixer and an SS-rank Awakener—was more than she could handle.
'No wonder it felt too easy.'
Skreech!
She skidded to a halt right there.
Swoooosh—
A refreshing wind whipped across the high-rise rooftop, tousling her hair.
'Huh?'
But something was off about Ghost's outfit. Normally, he was wrapped head to toe in white bandages. Tonight, though, he wore a pitch-black suit covering him completely, even up to his nose. He stood motionless, staring straight at her.
Suddenly.
Whoosh—
Ghost was right in front of her.
She frantically drew the dagger from her waist, but he remained unarmed, just watching her.
"......"
"......"
The atmosphere felt bizarre, so she cautiously spoke up.
"What... do you want?"
"Nothing in particular."
Ghost replied. The hostility was gone from his voice.
"Master gave me an order."
"An order...?"
"As of tonight, Napa is dropping your bounty."
"......!"
Ghost stepped aside slightly after saying that. She edged past, keeping her eyes locked on him.
"Go."
With that, he turned and vanished like a shot.
* * *
"Pardon?"
Go Je-hun tilted his head, repeating himself. The Big Boss before him didn't seem like the one he knew.
"Clear all the unpaid subcontractor debts."
"Pardon?"
Something had changed. Had the man been swapped out? Even his usual cold, sharp tone carried a newfound ease.
"It'll add up to a hefty sum if we settle everything."
"Yeah, it will..."
His face looked strangely relieved. He tilted his head slightly, sunglasses perched as always.
"Settle it all. And..."
Big Boss added,
"Drop the bounty on Phantom too."
"......What happened in the Demon Realm?"
Go Je-hun asked out of genuine concern. Big Boss stared blankly at him, then smiled faintly and shook his head.
"Nothing."
"......"
"Just..."
Big Boss glanced out the high-rise window at the glittering city below. The way he looked at it was different now. He thought of the man who had transcended humanity. What did the world look like through his eyes? What value did things like money or fame hold for him?
Curiosity about Kang-ho welled up in him.
—He probably prefers they change from the top down. He could force it all with raw power, but he's content to watch.
He knows not everything can be solved by force. That's a lesson only those who've seen such worlds truly grasp.
Big Boss's creed was simple: people had to earn their keep.
"Earn your keep..."
Flinch!
Go Je-hun swallowed hard in surprise.
"Earn your keep... earn your keep..."
Big Boss chuckled, repeating it.
'Exactly.'
He knew what Choi Kang-ho had done in the past. The man had saved this country. And now, he'd saved Big Boss and Ghost. In a single moment, he'd lifted the curse that had haunted them their whole lives, like it was nothing.
'Time to earn my keep.'
It was his turn now. Staring vacantly at the city, he spoke again.
"Pull out all the overdue payments... the ones we buried... distribute them properly. There'll be a ton."
"......You're serious?"
The backlog of unpaid debts, shady dealings straddling legal lines—it amounted to an astronomical sum. Enough to shake the guild to its core.
But Big Boss nodded at Go Je-hun's question.
"Dead serious."
He muttered, dazed.
"No more of that from now on."
He thought,
'Choi Kang-ho...'
What must it be like to live in his world? A realm beyond imagination.
'Me too.'
He wanted to take just one step closer to Kang-ho's world, even if only a single stride. Heat surged through him for the first time in ages.
. . . . . .
That very Choi Kang-ho was locked in a fierce battle right now.
"Seol-a, come here."
At Kang-ho's call, Seol-a perked up from the bed, glancing around. She spotted him and wagged her tail—she loved looking at Kang-ho. But her eyes narrowed the moment she saw what he held.
A towel. Straight to bath-time hell.
"No."
Seol-a's face was resolute from the morning. Her communication skills had improved markedly. Her vocabulary hadn't caught up as fast—listening was fine, but speaking was trickier.
"Won't you take this if I give it to you, Seol-a?"
Kang-ho dangled the jerky in his left hand.
"!"
An exclamation mark popped over Seol-a's head. That jerky was something else entirely. Most of Kang-ho's food was utterly tasteless, but this was the exception.
"If our Seol-a doesn't want it, guess I'll eat it myself."
"Good!"
Seol-a rushed forward, tongue out a bit, tail swishing happily. Kang-ho scooped her up under his arm as she pounced.
"Get ready."
"Yes, sir!"
King, face grim with determination, hurried to the bathroom. Seol-a finally realized she'd been tricked and let out a heartbroken wail.
"Kiiing!"
Ignoring her whimpers, Kang-ho carried her to the tub.
"Kuuuing!"
She thrashed, tail stiffening. Her growing frame and strength meant nothing against him. He dunked her unceremoniously into the water.
"Kuuuiiing!"
Seol-a wailed like she was dying. Bath time was her ultimate nemesis.
King stifled a laugh as he lathered shampoo into her lush mane.
"Eup! Eup!"
She flailed like water was lethal.
Once done, Kang-ho carried the sopping Seol-a back, wrapped her in a huge fluffy towel, and blow-dried her fur with a magic stone-powered dryer. Fluffy as new.
Her hair was a nightmare—three men's worth, thick and long enough to sweep floors like a broom if left alone. Best to wrap it up like a scarf.
Seol-a peeked up at Kang-ho, head lowered. Her big eyes brimmed with resentment and betrayal.
"Meeer."
Kang-ho clamped his mouth shut. His nose twitched suppressing laughter.
Click!
King snapped photos of the towel-burrito Seol-a from every angle, cackling.
Creeeak—
Then the door opened, and Theo entered. He'd been pushing his training hard lately, recovering about a fifth of his prime strength.
Seol-a bolted to him. With Kang-ho and King thoroughly untrusted, Theo was the household heavyweight.
Grabbing his pant leg, she pointed accusingly at Kang-ho, sniffling.
[What's wrong with our baby?]
Theo scooped her up, cradling her as he eyed Kang-ho.
[Bath time?]
Kang-ho nodded wearily, and Theo clicked his tongue.
[Idiots. You don't know how to handle a kid at all.]
"......"
Theo stroked her head gently.
[Our Seol-a isn't scared of baths, right? She doesn't do that stuff?]
Seol-a buried her face in his chest, then popped her head up.
[Our Seol-a can't handle that. Scary, yeah?]
Seol-a hesitated.
"No?"
Then she shot back like it was nonsense. He'd piqued her fighting spirit.
"I can."
[Really? That's weird. You were just refusing. Baths are for brave kids only, you know?]
"No?"
Seol-a bristled her tail indignantly. To prove her bravery, she leaped from Theo's arms and dashed to the bathroom.
—I can!
She yelled defiantly, ready for round two.
—I'm brave!
"......"
"......"
Kang-ho and King exchanged glances.
"He's good at this, boss."
"......Yeah."
[Heh. Brains over brawn, or you suffer.]
Theo smirked arrogantly, plopping into a chair.
"Anyway."
King spoke up.
"Murasame was a key player in Japan's Warring States era. If their top five are all dead, Japan's gotta be in an uproar, right?"
"Probably."
Kang-ho scratched his brow.
Now, all eyes turned to the sword on the table.
"This blade's the issue."
Indeed. It was Kido Murasame—the sword once wielded by the Murasame Guild's master, Sword Demon.
* * *
"This steel..."
Smith let out a low groan. The metal composing Kido Murasame was unlike anything he'd seen.
"I have no clue what it's made of."
He narrowed his eyes, gripping the sword.
"Tough and flexible... hard yet sharp. It's reminiscent of..."
Kang-ho, listening quietly, cut in.
"The stuff from the Constellation's gauntlets, right?"
"Exactly."
Smith nodded.
Which meant—
"This has to be from that veiled blacksmith too."
"Hmm..."
Kang-ho pondered.
"Out of everything I've seen, this has the highest mana burst potential. Nothing like it exists on the Mu continent, at least. It's almost like..."
Smith murmured, entranced by the blade.
"If there were a god of smithing, this is what they'd forge. But... it's a dangerous one. Depending on the wielder, it could be a holy sword or a demon blade."
Kang-ho smiled wryly.
Right. This sword could house a soul like Benja's. The stronger the soul, the mightier the blade.
"Seems that way."
Soon, Smith shook his head and gestured to the back.
"Compared to this, it might seem humble, but it's the finest piece from my forge in ages."
Kang-ho's commission was complete. Smith carefully brought out what looked like simple garb.