The Mad Dog's Miscalculation
A few days later.
Jang Muhwi made his way to the Jangryong Merchant Group.
It was his first day after passing the examination for a mid-level clerk.
Trailing behind him, Ma Uiryong walked with a completely dejected air.
Plodding along with heavy steps.
His footsteps were so leaden it seemed as though thousand-pound weights had been chained to his legs.
Jang Muhwi glanced back at him.
“Is something bothering you? You don’t look well. You’ve been wearing that same expression for days now.”
“It’s nothing, Young Master.”
By now the words “Young Master” came naturally to Ma Uiryong’s lips.
Jang Muhwi came to a stop.
Before them rose a massive building.
It looked several times larger and more imposing than the main family hall of the Jang clan.
This was the administrative office where the Jangryong Merchant Group’s clerks carried out their duties.
Adjacent to the office stood a fairly large internal cafeteria.
It was used primarily by clerks and the laborers who assisted with odd jobs.
Next to it was a dining hall for outside guests, though nothing there was free.
In a place where hundreds of people came and went every day, free service simply did not exist.
While honored guests managed by the reception hall received proper treatment, ordinary merchants had to use the guest dining hall.
The same rule applied to servants brought along by the clerks.
Meals were provided only to the clerks themselves.
Jang Muhwi, on the verge of entering the office, patted Ma Uiryong on the shoulder.
“You’ve done well so far, so let’s finish this properly. If you need anything, feel free to buy it. There’s a resting area beside the guest dining hall, so you can rest there if you like.”
“Understood, Young Master.”
Ma Uiryong no longer even seemed to have the strength to get angry.
Leaving the despondent man behind, Jang Muhwi disappeared into the depths of the office.
Once Jang Muhwi was gone, Ma Uiryong let out a long sigh.
He had told him to buy whatever he needed, yet provided no money.
Ma Uiryong stared forlornly at his empty pouch.
He quietly crouched beneath the eaves of the guest dining hall.
At that moment, servants belonging to other clerks gathered in twos and threes and entered the dining hall.
Without realizing it, Ma Uiryong watched them with eyes full of envy.
Perhaps because it was the first day, they did not assign him anything particularly difficult.
In front of Jang Muhwi rose a mountain of thick account ledgers.
An account ledger was a bound collection of records attached to the main books.
Jang Muhwi was verifying whether the ledgers matched the supporting documents.
The current task was nothing more than simple sorting work.
The problem was the sheer overwhelming volume.
It would not be an exaggeration to say Jang Muhwi was buried alive in account books.
Once the workday began, everyone flipped pages and wielded their brushes with frantic speed.
Most of the newly appointed clerks were performing simple tasks just like him.
Hidden behind the densely stacked ledgers, Jang Muhwi let out a sigh.
“Hoo. It really is layer upon layer of mountains.”
To locate the traces he sought, he needed to win their trust as quickly as possible.
If he approached clumsily, they might take fright and flee.
Winning their trust had to come first.
In Jang Muhwi’s estimation, the clerks’ workplace was not limited to this single location.
As proof, one of those who had entered as a mid-level clerk was nowhere to be seen.
He was surely performing some other task elsewhere.
That was the place Jang Muhwi needed to reach.
He had already asked the Haomin Sect to prepare a way to earn trust, but they said it would take a little time.
What interested him was that even in this administrative office where he currently worked, the eyes of surveillance were formidable.
I need to earn at least some goodwill while I wait!
Buried in the mountain of ledgers, Jang Muhwi spun his thoughts rapidly.
It was then.
A voice reached his ears.
Listening carefully, he recognized it as one of the mid-level clerks who had passed the exam alongside him.
They were conversing in low voices.
They probably could not see him because of the towering stack of account books.
“What the hell is with that guy?”
“You’re telling me. Our answers were flawless. So how could he possibly surpass us?”
“They say promotion speed depends on the passing score. It’s a shame. But don’t worry. That fellow won’t last past today.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Just wait and see. Hehehe.”
The man laughed like a villain from a cheap drama.
Jang Muhwi committed their faces to memory through the gaps in the stacked ledgers.
They were definitely among those who had passed the mid-level clerk examination.
It seemed they were quite unhappy that Jang Muhwi had taken first place.
Come to think of it, whether in the murim or the merchant world, both places were equally infested with schemes.
“How adorable. I suppose I’m the lucky one?”
Jang Muhwi gave a small snort of laughter.
He was a man who had experienced every kind of battle, even death itself.
Fists, blades, or wits—he used whatever it took to crush his enemies.
And they thought they could drive him out here?
A hollow laugh escaped him.
That lasted only a moment. Jang Muhwi’s gaze shifted toward a particular spot.
It was the senior clerk’s desk.
Jang Muhwi quietly moved in that direction.
That afternoon, Ma Uiryong slipped into a thicket and lay down.
With not a single coin in his pocket, there was simply nothing else he could do.
Everything in this place revolved around money.
While dozing fitfully, Ma Uiryong had moved behind a large rock to avoid prying eyes.
He had not realized how comfortable it felt to remain unnoticed.
At first he had stayed beneath the eaves of the guest dining hall.
But every person who passed looked at him with pitying eyes.
Ma Uiryong had barely swallowed the curses that rose in his throat.
If they truly pitied him they could have tossed him a few coins, yet all they did was point fingers and cluck their tongues about empty sympathy.
While Ma Uiryong sat frowning, recalling the events of the morning, two servants walked past in the distance with grave expressions.
Ma Uiryong sharpened his ears.
Though they spoke in hushed voices, he had once been hailed as a promising expert.
When he focused and heightened his hearing, their conversation came through crystal clear.
One of the men said,
“Is that really true?”
“It is. One mistake from us and our masters could be thrown out.”
“Come on, what could we possibly do wrong?”
“Stealing goods, picking a fight with the wrong person—there are endless ways to cause trouble.”
“Hmm. Then I suppose I had better watch my step.”
“I’ve heard of several cases where a servant’s mistake got the master expelled on the spot. So be careful. Throw away this golden opportunity on a fit of temper and you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
They disappeared with somber faces.
Watching them leave, Ma Uiryong’s eyes began to shine.
The dejected man of the past few days was gone.
Color had returned to his face; he looked like an entirely different person.
In their conversation Ma Uiryong had glimpsed hope.
The conditions he had accepted upon coming here were that he must not reveal his true identity.
And that he must obey Jang Muhwi absolutely while acting as his servant.
The contract would end the moment Jang Muhwi left the merchant group.
But what if he caused an incident, just as those servants had described?
Jang Muhwi would be expelled and Ma Uiryong would regain his freedom.
The key was making everything look completely natural.
Ma Uiryong stood and brushed the dirt from his backside.
His steps as he emerged from behind the rock were lighter than they had been in days.
He had decided to exploit the very rules others feared to break.
“As long as my identity stays hidden. Just my identity…”
Ma Uiryong muttered the words to himself over and over.
As long as he kept the contract’s rules, there would be no problem.
From that moment on, Ma Uiryong began prowling the merchant group with gleaming eyes.
Yet everyone who met his gaze quickly stepped aside.
“Damn it…”
Once again, nothing went the way Ma Uiryong wanted.
The man trying to drive Jang Muhwi out was the mid-level clerk who had placed second.
His reason was simple: career advancement.
At the Jangryong Merchant Group everything operated on ability.
A talented clerk could rise to senior rank in the blink of an eye.
Continued excellence might even let him aim for the position of chief steward.
Failing that, reaching senior clerk here could serve as a stepping stone into the Murim Alliance.
Yet an irritating obstacle had suddenly appeared in his path.
If he was going to remove the man, sooner was better.
Once the newcomer settled in, expulsion would become far more difficult.
He summoned his servant.
“You remember what I told you earlier, yes?”
“Don’t worry, sir. Who do you think I am? I’m the one who got kicked out of the Su-gu Gate. Leave a matter like this to me.”
“Good. Pick a fight and make sure you get hit first.”
“No need to worry. I’ll take the first blow, then repay it with interest later.”
The giant standing before the clerk gave a sly grin.
He was the servant the clerk had brought with him.
Though called a servant, he was actually a former street thug.
He never hesitated to carry out any dirty work the clerk ordered.
Thanks to that, he received several times the pay of ordinary servants.
His job now was to provoke the other servant.
This was inside the Jangryong Merchant Group.
Eyes watched from every direction.
If the opponent struck first, the mission would be complete.
Afterward he simply needed to crush the rival’s spirit.
The giant patted his chest with satisfaction.
It was the extra payment the clerk had given him.
After leaving the clerk, the giant scanned his surroundings.
The person he needed to find was that tall, lanky servant.
All height and no substance; the man looked like he would topple with a single push.
Dealing with such small fry was child’s play for the giant.
With burning eyes he continued searching.
His master had promised double the advance payment if the matter was settled today.
Such chances were rare.
Then he spotted him.
The pale, lanky giant of a servant.
“There you are.”
The giant walked slowly toward his target.
Though the look in the man’s eyes had changed, he was still prey.
The giant observed him carefully as he approached.
His plan was simple.
First, ram him with a shoulder.
Then act indignant.
Of course it was crucial that only the opponent heard the provocation.
Before others could gather, he would injure himself and collapse.
It was a trick he had often used during his days as a thug.
As the opponent drew near, he subtly altered his path.
Like a sliding tackle, he drove his shoulder forward.
Thud!
The giant’s face instantly contorted.
It felt as if he had slammed into solid iron.
He told himself it was only his imagination.
He barely managed to open his mouth.
“Watch where you’re—”
But the words died in his throat.
The opponent’s eyes were anything but ordinary.
They were the eyes of a wolf deciding how best to butcher a rabbit.
Not the gaze of someone preparing for a fight, but of someone contemplating how to cook his meal.
There was no way a mere servant could possess such eyes.
Yet he could not retreat now.
The giant swung his own fist into his face.
Smack!
When people began to gather, the giant froze.
Then he cried out to the crowd.
“Please, someone help me!”
While everyone murmured in confusion, the giant tilted his head.
His body was slowly rising into the air.
When he looked down, the tall, lanky servant was holding him up with one hand.
In the next instant the giant was slammed into the ground.
Crash!
It was then that someone shouted.
“There’s a fight over here! Security warriors, come quickly and break it up!”
The owner of the voice was the clerk himself.
As the security warriors rushed over, the clerk smiled with satisfaction.
He had removed the thorn in his side in a single day.
Of course, there was one more person smiling.
It was Ma Uiryong.
He would now be legitimately expelled from the merchant group.
Since Jang Muhwi would be thrown out as well, the contract was as good as over.
Ma Uiryong barely suppressed his laughter.
While the security warriors ran over and began sorting out the situation, Jang Muhwi appeared from behind.
Ma Uiryong quickly put on his most remorseful expression.
“I’m sorry, Young Master. I was distracted for a moment and—”
“Not at all. You did well. This is all thanks to you.”
When Jang Muhwi smiled brightly, Ma Uiryong instinctively took a step back.
From that smile he sensed that something had gone terribly wrong.
It was then.
One of the security warriors handling the scene called out.
“Just as Clerk Jang said, the man is really here.”