Chapter 4: You'll Be By My Side
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 4: You'll Be By My Side
After a struggle that included threats, blackmail, shouting, and a fair amount of cursing, I finally managed to get myself invited into Kim Bok-ja's workshop.
“Here, drink this, at least.”
I glanced at the suspicious black liquid Bok-ja had brought me, then subtly pushed it aside.
Her eyes narrowed at me, clearly dumbfounded.
“Didn’t you say we should talk over a cup of tea?”
“That’s just an expression. Do you really think I’d drink whatever you give me when we’ve just met, without knowing what’s in it?”
“Huh? It’s just coffee!”
Look at her, so brazen.
I’d noticed her sleight of hand when she pulled the drink from the fridge earlier, but I didn’t bother mentioning it. It was probably just Mountain Air Poison or some simple paralyzing agent.
It was her own survival strategy, honed from doing business with Unorthodox Faction martial artists who could turn hostile at any moment.
Of course, her tricks wouldn't work on me, who knew them all.
“...What kind of conversation can we have if you don’t even have a shred of trust in me?”
When I still refused to drink, Bok-ja couldn't quite hide her anxious expression. Her right hand, hidden beneath the table, fiddled with something. I knew it was a pistol.
Still as wary as ever.
Despite her flashy and unrestrained exterior, Bok-ja was far more timid than she appeared. She was the type to pull the trigger the moment she felt even slightly threatened.
It’d be better if she used Monstrous Beings. Is she not capable of that yet?
Just a few years from now, Kim Bok-ja would be a powerful Spellcaster, capable of commanding Monstrous Beings of intermediate rank or higher.
But right now, she seemed like a novice, lacking both skill and experience.
It’s actually better for me, since I’m the one asking for a favor.
I raised both my palms to show them, smiling kindly.
“Trust is built step by step. As you can see, I didn’t even bring a weapon.”
“I can’t stand your type.”
What did I even do to her?
I tilted my head, feigning an aggrieved expression, but Bok-ja remained stone-faced and questioned me.
“Where did you hear that name?”
“Kim Bok-ja?”
“...If you call me that one more time, there won’t be any more talking. I’ll kick you out right now.”
She still hated being called by her real name.
Later, when we became close, I’d call her by it casually, but even then, when she got serious like this, it was a sign to be careful.
I apologized readily.
“My apologies if I offended you. I happened to hear your real name from someone. I needed someone to perform a few procedures, and your name came up. They said you were the most skilled among the quacks they knew.”
“Who was it?”
I shrugged, not answering.
Because that person was me.
“It’s a bit hard to say. I wasn’t formally introduced, so I don’t want to get them cursed out for nothing, you know?”
“You weren’t even properly introduced, so do you think I’ll take the job?”
“Isn’t it just work you do to make a living anyway? I can pay you sufficiently.”
“...”
Bok-ja just glared at me for a moment, saying nothing.
She seemed to be trying to guess who had told me her name.
Of course, she wouldn't figure it out.
Go ahead, rack your brain all you want. Nothing’s coming out.
I had known her for well over ten years. There was almost nothing I didn't know about her personality, abilities, or even her relationships.
While very few people knew her real name, I also knew it wasn't some grand secret.
I desperately need her abilities right now.
Among the people with connections in the Underworld, she was the one with the most decent character and conscience.
Moreover, her skills surpassed most Spellcasters operating in the legitimate world. In my twenty years as a Vagrant, I’d seen few Spellcasters more skilled than Bok-ja.
If she had been born into a good family and received ample support... she would undoubtedly have become an incredible Spellcaster.
“...Well, if the money’s enough, there’s no reason not to take you as a client.”
Having seemingly reached that conclusion, Bok-ja nodded and asked me, “What kind of procedure do you need? An Artificial Dantian? Weapon enchantment? A Human Skin Mask? Or perhaps a talisman or a curse?”
Our Bok-ja certainly had many talents.
A smile played on my lips as I began the serious negotiation.
“Sorry, but I don’t have any money.”
“...Are you messing with me?”
Bok-ja’s eyes turned cold, as if she was about to kick me out.
Of course, if I were easily intimidated by that, I wouldn’t have come in the first place.
“Let’s make a different kind of deal instead. It won’t be a loss for you, I promise.”
In the Underworld, making acquaintances through mutually satisfying deals is the best way to make friends, rather than through suspicious favors.
That way, you can naturally expect future interactions, and as deals accumulate, trust slowly builds.
And if I can earn their favor with the first deal, that’s even better.
Though I had no money now, I had the ability to solve the problems Bok-ja was facing.
Judging by her displeased expression, it seemed I’d need a bit more persuasion to convince her of that fact.
“I’m not interested in anything but money.”
“How about I take care of some troublesome matters for you?”
Bok-ja scoffed at my words.
“What do you think is the most troublesome thing for me right now? It’s you!”
She spoke curtly, but her hand under the table gripped the pistol tighter in tension. She was wary that I might suddenly turn into a troublemaker and cause a scene.
Such is the reality for Freelance Vagrants without backing.
I knew exactly what kind of trouble Kim Bok-ja was in at this time.
And even if she refused my offer, I intended to solve that problem for her anyway.
“You’ve been getting a lot of recruitment offers lately, and it’s been a headache, hasn’t it?”
“...!”
Her eyes widened in surprise. Then she glared at me with an even more wary expression.
I scratched my cheek and added, “Don’t look at me like that, I didn’t investigate you. It’s only natural for a skilled freelance Spellcaster whose reputation is spreading by word of mouth to receive recruitment offers, right?”
“...How did you know I was a freelancer?”
“There’s no organization insignia on your door, and no one came to check even when we were making a racket. More importantly...”
“Ah?!”
I took advantage of Bok-ja’s momentary lapse in attention, reached under the table, and snatched the pistol. In one swift motion, I disassembled it into its component parts and laid them on the table.
“If you’re pointing a pistol at a client under the table... well, it’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?”
It was a simple demonstration, just a hint of my skill.
“...”
Bok-ja, whose weapon had been taken in the blink of an eye, flinched and recoiled, then bit her lip and glared at me.
“Keep talking.”
I quickly reassembled the pistol, placed it back on the table, and said, “My guess is you’re getting recruitment offers from all over. Some of them have probably crossed the line. ‘Join our organization if you want to keep working in this business, or you won’t like what happens’... Though I’ve never seen those kinds of bastards last long.”
As far as I knew, Kim Bok-ja at this time was a novice who had only recently started performing procedures in the Underworld.
Her skills were good, but she lacked reliable backing, and she didn't yet have the ability or resourcefulness to survive alone in the Underworld.
Ultimately, she chose to join one of the organizations that had offered her recruitment.
...I should have resisted even with a knife to my throat. Do you know how miserable those bastards made me for ten years? Especially that bald son of a bitch, I should have killed him somehow.
Bok-ja would always lament that choice whenever she got drunk.
“You... what exactly are you? You look about my age, but your way of speaking and acting is like some worn-out Vagrant uncle...”
A friend who knows a lot about your future.
I couldn't say that, so I just looked at her with genuine sincerity.
“I’ll solve that problem for you. That’s my condition for the deal.”
After staring at me for a long time, Bok-ja slowly parted her lips.
“...What do you want?”
So, she’s finally willing to make a deal.
I had come intending to offer my services for free, out of old sentiment, but there was no reason to refuse payment if she offered it.
I asked for what I needed most right now.
“A Martial Suitability Test. And a Grade-Concealing Spell. Those two things are enough.”
As if realizing something from my request, Bok-ja scrutinized my face and asked with a hopeful expression, “Are you... a minor?”
“That’s right. My nineteenth birthday just passed recently.”
When I smiled faintly and nodded, Bok-ja inexplicably punched the air in frustration.
“Argh! From now on, you’re speaking formally to me!”
“...You don’t look much older than me, either.”
“Even so, it’s different from being underage! I was just suspecting you were some old geezer wearing a Human Skin Mask!”
“If you include mental age, I’m actually the one who should be spoken to formally.”
“Are you crazy?”
We bickered for a moment over the use of formal speech, but eventually agreed to speak informally to each other.
Kim Bok-ja, looking exasperated, sighed and asked, “So, why do you want to hide a Constitution Grade you haven’t even checked?”
“I think my Constitution is a bit unusual.”
According to Man Bak-ja, I was the first case of someone overcoming a Martial-unsuitable Constitution and creating a Dantian on their own.
I wanted to be simply happy about it, but reality wasn't that simple.
I didn't know what grade my Constitution would be if I were re-tested, but there was a high probability it wouldn't be ordinary.
If I’m judged to have a unique Constitution, it’ll attract too much attention.
I intended to refrain from any actions that might catch the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s eye until I had built up sufficient skill and reputation.
As the saying goes, "the protruding stone gets chiseled," and from experience, attracting attention from all over never led to anything good.
Unlike my Vagrant days, I now had a family to protect. I planned to eliminate as many variables as possible.
“Hah... What am I doing, dealing with an underage kid who doesn’t even know their own Constitution Grade...”
Kim Bok-ja looked utterly disillusioned after hearing my story, but she didn't back out of the deal.
“Alright, fine. But you solve my problem first, and then I’ll grant your conditions.”
Since that was my intention from the start, I readily nodded and stood up.
“Then let’s go solve it right now.”
“...Right now? How do you know where they are?”
“It’s obvious where punks like them would be. They’re probably getting drunk or high at the Hidden Tower.”
“Honestly, tell me. You’re not underage, are you?”
Ignoring Bok-ja’s words, I pulled out the mask I’d brought and put it on. It covered my nose, mouth, and chin below my eyes.
As I prepared to take action, Bok-ja seemed to tense up, swallowing hard as she asked, “What do I do?”
“Lend me any knife. And...”
I slowly looked around Bok-ja’s workshop.
All sorts of equipment were scattered about in a distracting mess.
Among them, I spotted a pair of red goggles.
Bok-ja often wore them when performing procedures because she disliked getting blood splattered on her.
“These will do.”
I chuckled, picked them up, and put them on.
Alright, transformation complete.
I turned back to Bok-ja, wearing both the mask and the goggles.
“Let’s go. You just need to nod beside me.”
“...This is insane.”
The Hidden Tower, concealed beneath Namdaemun Market.
It was a bar whose location ordinary people couldn't find, a place where Unorthodox Faction members and Vagrants traded Underworld goods and information.
It was quite large, easily accommodating over a hundred people, and even when it wasn't crowded, dozens were always present.
Creak...
Whenever someone opened the Hidden Tower’s door and entered, everyone habitually glanced over.
However, most would quickly lose interest and turn their heads back, but the reaction now was a little different.
“...Hmm?”
“Isn’t that Rerae?”
A red-haired woman and a man with his face covered by goggles and a mask had just entered the Hidden Tower.
A few who recognized the woman stood up.
She was a freelance Spellcaster whose exceptional skills had recently been spreading by word of mouth.
In other words, whoever managed to recruit her into their organization would be the winner.
“Well, well, well, look who it is!”
The booming voice made those who were about to approach her flinch.
A Bald Giant, covered in tattoos, pushed his rivals aside and strode forward.
“Oh, my! What brings our cute little rabbit to this humble bar? Ah, did you come to finalize our contract, sweetheart?”
Red Rabbit. Or Rerae for short.
Kim Bok-ja was active in the Underworld under that alias.
The giant, who had seized the initiative in speaking with her, glared around with bloodshot eyes.
Most avoided his gaze or clicked their tongues before sitting back down.
The giant, having fended off his rivals, grinned triumphantly and grabbed Kim Bok-ja’s arm.
“Come this way. I’ll buy you a drink. But who’s this next to you? Your boyfriend?”
The giant scrutinized me with a wary gaze.
I, too, was assessing the opponent, who must have been at least two meters tall.
This must be that bald guy Bok-ja mentioned...
I grabbed the giant’s arm, which was holding Bok-ja’s, and said, “Let go of her.”
“Ha! Got some guts, don’t you, friend?”
The man laughed dismissively, looking down at me, but he didn’t release her arm.
However, my next words made his expression harden.
“I already recruited this woman. So, if you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it if you’d scram so we can talk.”
“...What did you say?”
Not only the giant in front of me, but also the onlookers, and even Bok-ja, stared at me with surprised eyes.
Are you crazy?
Bok-ja’s eyes seemed to say, but she kept her mouth shut, remembering my advice.
“Hey. Is this bullshit true?”
“...What if it is?”
The giant glared fiercely at Bok-ja, as if he were a nightmare come to life, and Bok-ja glared back, unwilling to be intimidated.
“Fuck. Do you think we’re a joke? Even if you sign with this nobody, in the end...”
The giant, whose veins were bulging as he threatened Bok-ja, suddenly contorted his face in pain.
“Ugh...!”
“I told you to let go of her hand.”
He was trying to put more force into the hand gripping Bok-ja’s arm, so I had applied force to the arm I was holding first.
“You, you bastard! L-let go of me!”
The pain, as if his arm was being torn off, made his grip loosen involuntarily.
Only after Bok-ja, freed from his grasp, moved behind me, did I subtly push his arm and release him.
The giant staggered back a few steps, then, unable to bear the belated shame, drew his knife.
“You... I’ll kill you!”
The drawn knife had dried, dark red blood caked on it, from who knew when.
Ugh, if you’re going to use it, at least take proper care of it.
Since he had drawn his knife first, I also drew mine in self-defense.
“Let me tell everyone here.”
I swept my gaze across the Vagrants and Unorthodox Faction members gathered in the Hidden Tower, issuing a warning.
“As of today, Rerae belongs to our organization. Watch closely what happens if you mess with her, and then go spread the word.”