Chapter 57
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Gone
Everyone's eyes widened at Ha Mu-baek's sudden action.
One wrong move, and this place would be blown to smithereens.
The people remained tense for a moment.
It was quiet.
Nothing they had anticipated happened. Ha Mu-baek glanced at them pitifully before stepping through the split door.
"L-Let's go together."
Pavilion Lord Pang Do-yul was the first to regain his composure, and the others followed in his wake.
Passing through a narrow passage revealed a small room.
It was simple yet neatly arranged.
Designed for the clan head to focus comfortably on his books.
A small bookshelf stood on one side, holding a few secret manuals.
The desk was spotlessly clean, without a single item.
Ha Mu-baek carefully examined the room. The others who entered with him did the same.
Among them, Iron Chain Dog's gaze was the sharpest.
"Gone."
At his curt words, everyone nodded.
"Unless there's a secret space known only to the clan head, it's not here. Whew."
Everyone agreed with Iron Chain Dog's sigh-mingled remark. For experts of their caliber, scanning this small room took only an instant.
At that moment, Ha Mu-baek shook his head.
"It's not just simply not here. It was here, but now it's gone. That's the right way to put it."
All eyes turned to Ha Mu-baek.
Iron Chain Dog scanned the room once more. His gaze stopped at the bookshelf.
"I see..."
Iron Chain Dog understood why Ha Mu-baek had said that.
He walked over to the small bookshelf.
"Young Master. Was this room truly accessible only to the clan head?"
Pang Do-won nodded at Iron Chain Dog's question.
"Yes. This is my first time entering as well."
Iron Chain Dog tilted his head.
"Doesn't seem like it..."
"Why do you say that?"
Iron Chain Dog pointed to a spot on the bookshelf at Pang Do-won's question.
"Look here. There's an empty space exactly fitting for one book, and the bottom is clean."
The others' gazes held a hint of confusion—why was that significant?
"Check the other spots. Dust everywhere. Over the years, only this spot shows signs of a book being inserted and removed. No traces of frequent reading or storage, yet the book is missing? What else could it be but someone taking it?"
"Father must have secretly taken it..."
Iron Chain Dog shook his head, denying Pang Do-won's words.
"We've already searched everywhere else thoroughly."
"He handled it discreetly, so perhaps what he took was..."
"Nothing."
Ha Mu-baek said curtly.
After subduing him, they had already rifled through all his belongings.
They needed to find the Chaos Blood Destruction Art.
It wasn't there.
"Hmm..."
Worry settled on everyone's faces.
"For now, let's head out. We'll investigate this place more, just in case."
After getting Pang Do-won's permission, Iron Chain Dog summoned two Beggar Clan members to investigate. Two Pang Clan warriors joined them.
Guided by Pang Do-won, the group headed toward Pang Mu-ryang.
With things as they were, they had to learn the manual's whereabouts from him.
Pang Do-won was leading them to the Pang Clan's medical quarters.
It seemed they had taken him there first to treat his injuries.
Ha Mu-baek followed, scanning the surroundings. He extended his senses throughout the Pang Clan grounds.
Soon, he tilted his head.
Something that should have been there... wasn't.
Ha Mu-baek, who had been following, suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong?"
Pang Geo-yul, walking beside him, asked.
"Where is that bastard?"
Ha Mu-baek asked Pang Geo-yul.
"Who do you mean?"
"Pang Gun-ho."
Ha Mu-baek answered shortly.
He had personally beaten him senseless, so he knew his presence well.
Yet no matter how he searched the Pang Clan with his senses, he wasn't there.
Not even in that state.
At Ha Mu-baek's response, Pang Geo-yul turned away with a devastated expression.
"It's shameful to admit, but... he's probably at a brothel."
The answer came from Pang Do-won. Unable to lift his head, as it was his own son.
"That punk... He was always a hopeless wastrel, but after his face got ruined, it's gotten even worse. Whew. Once he could move, he holed up in the brothel and hasn't returned home. The last time I saw him was when Father left the main house."
Ha Mu-baek furrowed his brow. An ominous premonition stirred.
"Where is that brothel?"
Ha Mu-baek asked in a heavy voice. Pang Do-won's gaze shifted to a Pang Clan warrior walking with them.
"Great Sea Tower."
The warrior quickly replied.
He added that it was also called the North Capital's Number One Pleasure House.
"Let's check with Pang Mu-ryang first."
Ha Mu-baek quickened his pace. Pang Do-won hurriedly followed.
Even without knowing the medical quarters' location, Ha Mu-baek navigated flawlessly.
He had pinpointed Pang Mu-ryang's position with his senses.
Before the young master Pang Do-won, he flung open the medical quarters' door and strode in.
The physicians and servants inside startled at Ha Mu-baek's intrusion but quickly averted their eyes.
Overwhelmed by the murderous aura he exuded.
Ha Mu-baek headed straight for the bed where Pang Mu-ryang lay.
Two physicians attended him, doing their utmost to treat his wounds.
"Enjoying luxuries, are we?"
At Ha Mu-baek's words, Pang Mu-ryang's face twisted despite his closed eyes. A voice he could never forget, even before King Yama.
"Did you give the manual to Pang Gun-ho?"
Ha Mu-baek's cold voice made Pang Do-won, who had hurried after him, freeze in shock.
Pang Mu-ryang's eyes snapped wide open.
"W-What nonsense..."
Pang Mu-ryang's voice trembled faintly.
"The manual wasn't in your secret room."
"T-That..."
Pang Mu-ryang's pupils shook violently. With Ha Mu-baek sealing his dantian, the madness art's influence had nearly vanished.
Thus, he could now make clear-headed judgments.
"P-Please stop that child! I beg you!!"
Arms severed, Pang Mu-ryang propped himself up on the bed using only his abs, pleading desperately with Ha Mu-baek.
From his reaction, Ha Mu-baek knew he hadn't intentionally handed the manual to Pang Gun-ho.
Regaining his senses, Pang Mu-ryang realized how dangerous the Chaos Flowing River Art was and would never let his grandson learn it.
"Father! What do you mean?!"
Pang Do-won asked in alarm.
"T-That child knows where the key to that room is. I took him there often when he was young..."
Pang Do-won's face paled.
A room even he couldn't enter... That child had been inside.
But more importantly, that child might have the cursed madness art manual.
"Great Sea Tower's location?"
Ha Mu-baek turned to the warrior who had mentioned it earlier.
"Uh, w-well, th-that is..."
The warrior panicked momentarily, unable to grasp the situation.
Ha Mu-baek grabbed his nape and leaped into the air.
Unleashing his full lightness skill, he became the wind itself.
"Heh heh heh. Revenge. Those damn bitches... Heh heh heh."
Pang Gun-ho, staring into the distance, let out mad cackles.
One side of his face a mangled, gooey mess.
He could barely open his eyes. Nose completely collapsed, jaw shattered so he couldn't open his mouth properly.
They had turned him into this monster, so revenge was only natural.
Grandfather said he would handle it, but Pang Gun-ho wanted to tear those bitches apart with his own hands.
"To do that, I need to get stronger. Strong enough that bastard means nothing..."
The problem was that chewable bastard was insanely strong.
Strong enough to toy with Pang Do-woong, the current Pang Clan's top expert, like a child.
Pang Clan martial arts wouldn't cut it.
Then, a childhood memory flashed.
6 or 7 years ago.
The clan head's secret room in the Pang Clan annex.
Grandfather had said he was training a world-shaking divine art there.
If he achieved great success, he might become the world's best.
And then, he would pass it to Pang Gun-ho.
How cool Grandfather had looked saying that as a child.
Grandfather was his idol.
"Right... World-shaking divine art... Heh heh heh."
It was meant for him anyway. What harm in taking it early?
Pang Gun-ho headed straight to the annex, found the key in its hiding spot, and entered the clan head's secret chamber.
No need to rummage the shelf.
Only one book gleamed with handling marks.
"Chaos Flowing River... Sounds impressive. Heh heh heh. Wait, you Ha bitches. I'll rip you apart and chew you up soon."
Tucking the manual in his bosom, Pang Gun-ho left the main house.
He headed to his regular pleasure house, Great Sea Tower.
Too many annoyances at home.
Holed up in Great Sea Tower's VIP room, he embraced courtesans when aroused, studied the manual otherwise.
The more he learned, the more amazing it was.
And easy, too.
A world-shaking art this simple?
No, that's why it was world-shaking.
In no time, despite short practice, he reached the third stage.
Mood lifted naturally.
He hadn't tried before, but clearly, he was a martial arts genius.
Around then, rumors from the courtesans: Grandfather defeated, captured, heading to Pang Clan.
Pang Gun-ho frowned.
He didn't care how the girls knew such secrets.
Just annoyed at potential trouble.
"Can't stay. Time to leave."
His pockets were flush.
Grandfather let him draw as much as needed, pockets never empty.
There was a limit, but he'd never hit it.
Even restocking money was easy.
Young master couldn't interfere, so even Father couldn't stop him.
Thus, lounging in Great Sea Tower's VIP room.
Deciding to leave, one annoyance: two clan warriors tailing him as escorts.
Monitors, nothing more.
Unthinkable before, but with Chaos Flowing River, different.
Deep night.
He slit their throats easily.
Then left Great Sea Tower.
The day before Ha Mu-baek arrived at the Pang Clan.
In front of Great Sea Tower's main gate.
Ha Mu-baek set down the warrior he had dragged by the nape and stared at the tower for a moment before muttering hollowly.
"Gone..."
"Hah... Hah... Hah..."
Finally on solid ground, the warrior gasped, face ashen white.
What lightness skill was this?
Hearing he had shattered three hundred Pang elites' dantians, it made sense.
Fighting such a monster—what had the clan head been thinking?
As that doubt arose.
"Wait up a bit. Why so fast..."
Iron Chain Dog arrived.
As expected of one of the Beggar Clan's swiftest three.
"How is it?"
Iron Chain Dog asked Ha Mu-baek after catching his breath.
"Gone."
At the short reply, Iron Chain Dog looked troubled.
"But seems we have business here."
Ha Mu-baek strode toward Great Sea Tower's main gate.