Chapter 6: Recruitment Offer
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 6: Recruitment Offer
As soon as the fight ended, Hwang Suk-su took the Bald Giant's corpse to the kitchen. Just as he'd said earlier, it seemed he intended to harvest the organs.
‘Only the floor got a bit scratched; nothing much was broken.’
I was displeased that someone else was pocketing the side income while I did all the work, but my complaints naturally vanished when I heard that all the food and drink were free for the victor of the Life-and-Death Duel.
I ordered Dongpo Pork, my favorite dish at Amru, and several bottles of expensive liquor that I wouldn't even drink.
“The Dongpo Pork here is truly the best…”
The Dongpo Pork, personally prepared by Hwang Suk-su, melted softly in my mouth.
“This is good…”
The expensive liquor, meanwhile, was being sipped by Bok-ja beside me, who was already on her second bottle.
And so, we each enjoyed our meat and drinks, watching the boisterous interior of Amru.
“Hey! Give me my money, quick!”
“May all you bastards who won money drop dead!”
On one side, the Jeom So-is and customers were settling up the money from the betting duels.
There were guys lying to inflate their winnings and demand more, pickpockets who got caught and had their hands chopped off, and even those who clung to the winners, begging for a cut.
‘If you want to observe the lives of the Underworld's lowlifes, there's no better place than this.’
Occasionally, strangers would approach me and strike up a conversation.
“Hey, buddy! Your skills were amazing just now, weren't they?”
“You never take off those goggles, huh? Are you wanted or something?”
“Hey, handsome. From your jawline, you look pretty young... Wanna have a drink with me?”
I generously poured a drink for those who brought interesting information, and chased away the ones spouting useless nonsense.
“Get lost. Your filthy face makes me lose my appetite.”
Most of them came for a free drink, only to get cursed out by me and leave.
‘Being like this, it feels just like the old days.’
When I first started making a living as a Vagrant, I used to frequent Amru.
To pick up rumors and look for work.
And because this Dongpo Pork was truly delicious.
I stopped coming after Hwang Suk-su was found dead on the street, but...
That's all ancient history now.
“By the way, why have you been making that face since earlier?”
I nudged Bok-ja's arm, who was sitting next to me at the bar table.
It was my attempt at a friendly gesture, but Bok-ja flinched as if I'd touched something forbidden.
“M-me? What about me?”
Her stammering, serious expression made her even more suspicious.
Could it be that this kid didn't actually like drinking?
...No way. The first time I met her, she was crazy about alcohol.
‘What kind of storms could she have weathered in just a little over a year?’
In my previous life, I first met Bok-ja about a year and a few months from now.
That is, after my parents died in an accident, and I, having lost all will to live, was living a mess, then heard Man Bak-ja's words on YouTube and went to get an Artificial Dantian Procedure.
-Short on money? Then how about we take a kidney during the procedure? Or, if you have any valuable liquor at home, bring it. I'll give you a good price for it.
The Kim Bok-ja in my memories felt worn and jaded by the Underworld even back then, so her current rookie-like appearance next to me still felt unfamiliar.
“Your problem seems like it'll be resolved. Is there something else bothering you?”
“...Of course there's a problem. There always has been, and there still is. Whenever one thing seems to get resolved, a new one always pops up... Ha, life's a fucking bitch...”
“Why are you moping and whining while guzzling delicious liquor? Speak clearly.”
Bok-ja, who had been staring at me with a strange expression, sighed and scratched her head vigorously.
“Hey, honestly, isn't this a bit much?”
“...?”
“You should've told me beforehand, shouldn't you? What kind of organization you are, what the conditions are, you should've explained it in detail, shouldn't you?”
“...?”
“It's not that I particularly dislike it. Seeing your skills, you seem trustworthy, and I know it's hard to make a living in this world without connections. But this kind of approach is problematic.”
What the hell is she talking about?
Bok-ja began asking questions about her future life in the organization, and I listened with a bewildered expression until a thought belatedly struck me.
‘No way?’
Now that I thought about it, Bok-ja's attitude towards me had changed a bit since earlier.
She didn't dismiss me as a 'minor' or anything, and she seemed deep in thought throughout our drinking.
...It was probably after I came back from killing the Bald Giant.
“Are there any rules I absolutely have to follow? Honestly, I've lived a pretty free-spirited life, so I'm not confident I can stick to them...”
“Kim Bok-ja.”
When I called her full name in a quiet voice, Bok-ja flinched.
Her eyes were full of annoyance, but seeing that she didn't curse me out as her temper usually dictated, I was certain.
‘She actually thinks I'm going to make her join an organization.’
I checked once more to ensure no one nearby was eavesdropping on our conversation, then spoke in a slightly lower voice.
“There's no organization. It was just a hastily made-up excuse to keep other guys from bothering you.”
“...Really?”
Bok-ja looked at me with an expression that said, ‘Can I really believe this?’
I took the liquor bottle from Bok-ja's hand and poured it into an empty glass.
“And what kind of organization is a nineteen-year-old joining? Do you want to drive a nail into your parents' hearts?”
When I brought up her parents, Bok-ja made a doubtful face, but then, seeing my serious expression, she punched me hard in the side.
“Why are you only telling me now!”
Her finally unleashed temper was amusing, so I chuckled.
“Ha, to think I was intimidated by a minor who can't even properly drink alcohol...”
“I'm not not drinking. There's nothing worse for a Martial Artist than alcohol and tobacco.”
“Jeom So-i! Get me a cola! Or should I order you some milk?”
“Cut the crap. ...But do they even have milk here?”
“Ahahaha! You crazy bastard!”
And so, we finally began to chat a little more cheerfully.
I had no intention of creating an organization in the future either.
Because the Unorthodox Martial World of the Underworld was sickening.
A life of taking others' lives for money, worrying about being stabbed in the back at any moment, and being ruthlessly discarded like a consumable once useless.
Not that all Orthodox Faction Members are clean, of course, but unlike my last life, this time I wanted to live in the light.
“...You should also earn enough and then get out. The longer you wait, the harder it is to escape.”
“Don't mess with me. A kid younger than me is talking like an old man.”
Anyway, Bok-ja's face relaxed completely, seemingly reassured by my explanation.
Though it might also be because she was quite drunk.
“You know, you were like a completely different person earlier. Do you know how surprised I was to see you kill someone like a bug? Honestly, it kinda scared me...”
“Was I?”
At Bok-ja's grumbling, red-faced words, I scratched above my goggles with a finger.
‘I'll have to be more careful from now on. After all, I'm going to be an Orthodox Faction Member in this life.’
I'd been quiet for the past few days, living with my parents, but with the change in environment, my Vagrant-era personality seemed to have resurfaced.
We chatted for a bit longer about various things.
We'd eaten enough, and I was thinking of getting up soon.
“If you're done eating, let's get the bill and head back.”
“Already? There's still liquor left...”
It was as I grabbed the back of Bok-ja's neck, who was clinging to the remaining liquor, unable to let go, and stood up.
“Leaving?”
“...”
At the unfamiliar voice from behind me, I froze in place.
My hand instinctively went to the hilt of my sword.
As I slowly turned my head, an unfamiliar man approached, holding a glass and smiling.
“Did I perhaps startle you?”
He was tall enough to meet my eye level. His eyes were sunken, and his appearance was gaunt.
He wore a neat shirt, unsuited for Amru, and looked like a bespectacled scholar who had never been in a fight.
But the moment I saw the roaring red tiger revealed beneath his rolled-up sleeve, my guard shot up.
‘Blood Tiger Gang...’
An organization with fewer than thirty members, they were a rare sight in the Unorthodox Faction, where numbers equated to power.
However, no organization could afford to disregard the Blood Tiger Gang just because of their small numbers.
Because each and every one of them was a ‘true Martial Arts Practitioner’ who had mastered proper martial arts.
That's why, despite their small size, their name was always mentioned when discussing the top ten dark factions in Seoul.
‘A big shot was hiding in this humble place.’
I hadn't expected to encounter a Blood Tiger Gang member in Amru.
And in my experience, anyone with ‘Blood’ (血) in their organization name or alias was always a lunatic. Nothing good ever came from getting involved with them.
“You noticed right away, so you're not a rookie, I see? Sometimes, even when I show this, I get ignored.”
The man casually blocked my path and introduced himself.
“I am O-ho of the Blood Tiger Gang. It's childish, but introducing myself this way is our organization's rule.”
“Do you have business with me?”
As far as I knew, the number preceding ‘Tiger’ (虎) indicated rank within the organization.
In other words, he was one of the top five strongest individuals in the Blood Tiger Gang.
‘Could I win if I fought this guy?’
Even with 20 years of experience living by the blade as a Vagrant, it seemed difficult now.
I hadn't even acquired a proper Internal Energy Cultivation Method yet, and my body wasn't fully developed.
The opponent was a true Unorthodox Faction Martial Arts Practitioner, incomparable to the riff-raff.
But even so...
‘This could be interesting.’
Meeting a proper opponent, I couldn't help but feel my body itching for a fight.
Even though my face was hidden by my goggles, O-ho seemed to have discerned that fact from my slightest reaction.
“Haha. My neck feels ticklish.”
O-ho, smiling, stared at me with an intrigued gaze, as if trying to pierce through my goggles.
“I'm getting more and more curious about what's behind those goggles. How can I get a look?”
“I'll think about it if you take off your pants first.”
“...What?”
O-ho, who had been dumbfounded for a moment by my reply, burst into roaring laughter. Tears even welled up in the corners of his eyes.
“Hahahaha! I suppose that'll be difficult. That's only allowed for the ladies here, you see.”
O-ho playfully tapped his belt and then asked again in a slightly calmer voice.
“Still, you can tell me your organization's name, right? We need to know who took Red Rabbit, whom we've been eyeing, so I have something to tell my boss.”
O-ho smiled faintly, as if he wouldn't move until he got an answer.
‘What do I do?’
Bok-ja whispered from behind me. I gave a slight nod to reassure her.
“Our organization is...”
The surroundings were still boisterous and loud, but I could feel many people waiting for my answer.
After all, everyone would be curious about which organization had taken the freelance spellcaster, whom many had been covetously eyeing.
I pondered for a moment, then blurted out a word that flashed into my mind.
“It's the Blue Pouch.”
“...Azure Wolf?”
Instead of kindly correcting his pronunciation, I generously offered him information he might be curious about.
“It's a crew made up of a select few, just like your Blood Tiger Gang. We're still new, so honestly, there aren't many of us.”
I mixed truth and lies in appropriate measure.
It was new because I'd just made it up, and with only Bok-ja and me, it was indeed a select few.
“That reminds me of the old days. The Blood Tiger Gang also started with just five members.”
Surprisingly, O-ho nodded, seemingly believing me. Perhaps because we both aimed for a select few, I even glimpsed a hint of goodwill in his eyes, which had grown somewhat sentimental.
Of course, I wasn't naive enough to think things would resolve easily.
‘He'll probably threaten me or make an offer to take Bok-ja. In the worst case...’
Just then, O-ho pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to me.
“Have you ever thought about joining the Blood Tiger Gang?”
“...What?”
“It's a recruitment offer, plain and simple. I saw you fight earlier, and you have talent. You're hiding your face, but you also seem quite young.”
The opponent, smiling faintly, had his gaze fixed on me, not Bok-ja.