Utter Annihilation (1)
To be honest, I'm a merchant, not a philanthropist.
And merchants never make losing deals.
The favor I'm doing for Man-suk the official candidate right now is all to make him fully my man.
The headmaster of Hyeonghwa Academy and Man-suk's teacher had said he knew the trick to passing.
That meant he had the connections.
Being smart was one thing; having the right connections was another.
I'd learned that for sure in my previous life.
People with connections always outperformed the merely intelligent ones and climbed higher.
And Man-suk had picked up exactly what I wanted without me spelling it out.
"Then let's talk seriously."
"Yes."
This wasn't the place for that conversation.
"Is there somewhere quiet we can speak?"
Yun-byeok the official candidate, standing nearby, spoke up at my question.
"There's a teahouse around here that's nice and quiet."
"That'll do."
I asked Palgap and the Seo-u warrior to look after the startled innkeeper and her kids, then headed to the nearby teahouse.
It was quiet, just as he'd said.
"Truth be told, the tea here... isn't great. But the owner also owns the building, so..."
I could guess the story.
"Still, it's quiet and secluded, so I come here whenever I need to talk things over. My father uses it too."
"If I may ask, what does Director Chun do?"
"He owns a fair number of ships."
"I see."
In other words, he was like the lord of the manor.
If someone like that patronized the place, it had to be perfect for discreet talks.
We ordered some tea, which arrived shortly.
I took a sip.
Ugh!
Yun-byeok wasn't kidding—it was terrible.
But I hadn't come here to drink tea, so no matter.
"Man-suk."
"Yes."
"Our Eunhae Merchant Group's scholarship system covers the recipients themselves. But then I realized—if their family's struggling, what's the point of helping just one person?"
I looked at Man-suk.
"So I'm thinking of adding family support."
"Family support...?"
"Not just your tuition and living expenses, but a house for your family and their living costs too."
I continued.
"We'll rent the house your aunt and siblings are in now. And provide thirty nyang of silver a year for living expenses."
"And in return, you pledge your loyalty?"
"Exactly. All this comes with your full loyalty to me."
Of course, the scholarships had already made plenty of candidates friendly toward Eunhae.
But sometimes I needed more—true loyalty, unconditional help. That's when I learned about Man-suk's situation.
It was a mutual deal, filling each other's needs.
"First, pass the exam. Climb as high as you can."
I went on.
"What do you say? Can you do it?"
"It's not that hard."
Confidence shone on his face.
We hashed out the details. Ongoing support after he took office could look like bribery.
So we'd provide generously until then—a bit of sleight of hand.
With everything settled, we headed back to his uncle's house—no, my house now.
"Woo-ree-ree-rel!"
"Hahaha!"
"Kya-ra-ra!"
Palgap was playing with the kids, and damn if he wasn't versatile.
They were laughing like they'd never cried, all over him.
Only Man-suk's aunt and the older kids looked uneasy.
"You're back?"
The Seo-u warrior bowed to me.
"Any issues?"
"No, nothing out of the ordinary."
I nodded and told Man-suk,
"Explain the situation to your aunt."
He went to her and laid it all out.
"So we can keep living here."
"Does that mean I can stay too?"
"Of course, Aunt."
"You saved us, child!"
Man-suk said,
"No, Aunt. How could I forget the grace you've shown me and my siblings? You're no different from my mother. I'll honor you as such from now on."
"Thank you. Truly."
His uncle had agreed to take in the siblings, but she'd borne the real burden.
Cooking, laundry, childcare—it was all on her.
And she'd done it without a single complaint, they said.
Now she was getting her reward.
"Aunt, where's Uncle right now?"
"I don't know exactly. He said he found work and left yesterday..."
"I'll look for him."
"We'll help."
As the talk turned that way, Yun-byeok raised his hand.
"I'll go see my father first."
"Do that."
I left the house with Man-suk to track down his uncle.
It was a small coastal village, so it wasn't hard to find word of him.
We followed the leads to a spot where a sweat-soaked man was mending nets.
"Uncle!"
"Huh? M-Man-suk?"
"What are you doing here?"
"W-well... the ship's about to sail, so I was getting ready."
Then a burly guy nearby yelled,
"We're busy—quit the nagging!"
He spotted me and flinched.
"Wh-who are you?"
Probably my clothes. That's why appearances mattered.
Inner virtue was great, but people judged the surface first.
"From the Eunhae Merchant Group."
"Eunhae? Wait—the fleet owner?"
"Yes."
His attitude shifted to deference.
"Heh, what brings you to our humble spot?"
"I know someone here. Mind if we talk?"
"O-of course."
So we spoke with Man-suk's uncle.
His name was Man-jin.
"Uncle, Aunt's worried sick."
"I feel terrible for her. I was a fool—blinded by temptation..."
He sighed deeply, seeming to regret his mistakes.
"Oh, I forgot to mention... somehow, I can provide for your siblings now. No need to worry."
"Uncle..."
"I won't be home for a month or so. Tell your aunt that."
Man-suk shook his head.
"Uncle, that house isn't yours anymore."
"W-well... the ownership changed, sure..."
His uncle's face soured.
Something was off.
This was a man reflecting on his errors, even boarding a ship to fix things.
Would he really be this calm knowing his family was about to be evicted?
And boldly claiming he could support the kids? Definitely suspicious.
I asked,
"Did someone say you could keep living in the house?"
"Y-yes. In exchange for working the ship, they said they wouldn't touch the house or belongings..."
"No!"
Man-suk shouted in horror.
"When I got to your house, it was already trashed! Thugs had wrecked everything—Aunt, the cousins, my siblings were about to be thrown out!"
"What?"
"If not for the young division leader here..."
I smiled and replied,
"Anyway, the house is mine now."
"..."
"And I've cleared all your debts. No reason to work here."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Why show me such grace?"
He was wary now, after his rough lesson.
"Man-suk here will pay the price."
"..."
He was speechless.
I turned to the burly overseer.
"I've paid off the debtor's obligations. So why's he still working here?"
The Seo-u warrior let out a chill aura from behind.
"Eek! W-wait a moment!"
He sent a man off, then returned with a fawning grin after the report.
"Heh, must've been a mix-up. Go on, be my guest."
So I took Man-suk's uncle back to the house.
Something was definitely fishy.
Falling for gambling bait, then believing he could stay in the lost house while shipping out...
What if?
I asked Man-jin,
"About that gambling den."
"Yes? Oh, right..."
"Was it always there?"
"Not sure, but... they say it popped up three or four months ago."
"Lots of people losing money there?"
"Heard it from folks working there—quite a few. Even friends of mine."
"And those friends egged you on to gamble?"
He nodded.
We got back, and soon Man-jin was on his knees, begging his wife tearfully.
Meanwhile, I told the Jin-yu warrior,
"Looks like shady forces are involved."
"I think so too."
That nauseating vibe earlier.
Definitely black path energy.
Not unusual for gambling rings to have underworld ties.
But this was a plain fishing village—no crowds, no rich folk.
They wanted something else.
Probably... people.
Debt slavery via gambling was common enough to fly under the radar.
"I'll investigate."
"Please do."
.
.
.
That night.
The Jin-yu warrior's report confirmed my suspicions.
"...Four months ago, a gang set up the gambling house, racking up debts for many. Their methods suggest rigged games by an organized group."
"As I thought."
"About one-fifth of the village's able-bodied men are in debt, slated to ship out in half a month."
How predictably villainous.
Once they sailed, they'd never return.
The ship would "sink," they'd be declared dead, and families forced to sell themselves to pay up.
What happened to the village then? Obvious.
But wasn't gambling illegal?
With things this bad, why hadn't the local magistrate stepped in?
I'd look into that later—first, handle this.
Man-suk and his family were safe, so I could wash my hands and leave.
But problems might arise later.
If the Emperor heard and asked, "You really missed this?"
It was too blatant to play dumb.
Losing his trust... ugh, don't even think it.
Beyond that, reasons piled up, but the biggest? I was still nosy with a conscience.
Though getting spotlighted wasn't ideal...
Then an idea hit.
Ah, perfect.
Just then, a familiar presence approached Man-suk's house.
I turned—Yun-byeok.
"Back from your father's already?"
He nodded, but his face was grim.
"Something wrong?"
"The gambling house's damage is worse than I thought."
He explained.
"Father said many workers from our fleet's ships have been ruined by it."
"Not just Man-suk's uncle, then."
"Yes."
He nodded.
"He reported it to the magistrate, but no action."
So that's it?
Blackmail? Bribes?
"Father looked into it himself... Pirates seem involved."