“Ahhh!”
“Ohhhhhh!”
Not just the Gang Leader, but other lowlifes also ran away with their souls in the air. The Gang Leader muttered something as he watched, but there’s no way those fleeing cowards are coming back.
“Leader!!! Don’t run away!!! You turned me into the Psychopath Crazy Murderer!!! Right!!!”
“Ahhhh! No, please save me!”
I tried my best to act like the deranged killer known as the Psychopath Murderer, shouting like a madman. The Gang Leader, completely pale now, started trembling and begging for his life.
It was so funny that I almost burst out laughing, but I had to keep up the act until the end. It was all about overwhelming this coward.
—Swish!
I drew out the Heavenly Thunder Sword and lifted it high.
“Tell me the truth quickly!!!”
“I did it! It was me! Please spare my life!”
“Is that so?”
I immediately sheathed the sword.
“Ah…?”
“Don’t change other people’s nicknames indiscriminately. It feels bad.”
As I spoke calmly while wiping away my tears, he looked bewildered. Taking advantage of this, I swiftly asked about the Galbi Sect.
“Anyway, I want to know about the information regarding the recently arrived rogue martial artists.”
“Ah, ahhh… that guy.”
“Did you tell him about me?”
“Y-Yes.”
So it was this guy after all.
I asked various things about the Galbi Sect like that, and it turned out to be more useful than I thought. These lowlifes really know the underground info well.
“Good. Leader. We’ll be seeing each other more often from now on, so if you keep causing trouble, I might just cry. Got it?”
“Ah, I understand.”
“Behave from now on. Cooperate with me. Don’t leak information about me indiscriminately. Do you understand? Answer!”
“Uaaah! Yes, I understand!”
Good response.
I’m planning to unite the black-clad martial artists in this area. For that, I need the cooperation of the lowlifes.
Now that I’ve broken his spirit, he’ll likely answer my questions well. Actually, should I just use them as my subordinates? The Leader of the lowlifes is nothing more than a petty thug collecting money from beggars.
If I organize and pressure them, they’ll quickly submit.
“You answered well! Now answer me again! Where’s the Galbi Sect right now?”
“T-They said they were staying at some inn! I’ll recall the exact location, just give me a moment…!”
In the end, the Gang Leader couldn’t withstand my pressure interview and answered all my questions. It seems the Galbi Sect is staying at the Baeyeon Inn, so I guess I can just head over there.
I immediately moved in that direction.
* * *
“Wow, Psychopath Killer! You’re here!”
The bright-eyed Galbi Sect greeted me.
“Yeah… Galbi Sect. I’ve come after some serious thoughts about your proposal.”
“Really!”
At my words, his eyes turned as big and clear as those of characters from 90’s cartoons. That sparkling gaze… How in the world is he doing rogue work with those eyes?
With eyes like that, he should be in the most righteous and sensitive sect among the righteous.
No, wait. On the contrary. There’s no way someone with such crazed eyes could belong to a righteous sect. He fits only in a place filled with fierce and reckless people.
“Galbi Sect. You said you’d build a base here for the mission, right?”
“That’s right!”
“What you mean is… if a room is built, it becomes part of your Black-themed Martial Arts Group?”
“For now, that’s the case.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“What…?”
That can’t be allowed.
I need to cut ties with the Black-themed Martial Arts Group.
“Galbi Sect. The proposal to build a force here is intriguing. I like it. To sweep away all those who don’t listen and become the leader sounds like a solid idea. Hehehe.”
I continued speaking while laughing like a cruel gang leader.
“It seems you’ve got some thoughts, huh.”
“Yes. However, I’m not fond of the Black-themed Martial Arts Group.”
“…”
The Galbi Sect seemed nervous and closed his mouth.
His eyes were still clear.
“We’re the ones building the rooms and making moves. The Black-themed Martial Arts Group hasn’t done anything at all in this process. So why should we give them any benefits?”
“That’s…”
“I found out you came here all alone, Galbi Sect. In other words, the Black-themed Martial Arts Group didn’t provide any support for this. Am I right?”
“U-uh?”
At my words, Galbi Sect scratched his head, as if he was puzzled.
“Now that I think about it, yes. I just received a mission, but I didn’t receive any support at all. The request for travel expenses was rejected, and… so I had to spend quite a bit of my own money to get here.”
What? Is that for real? Did they send you on a business trip without giving you anything?
Surprisingly, this could be considered average among rogues. Technically, you could say that lending the name of the Black-themed Martial Arts Group was the travel expense, but that’s just a load of nonsense.
“You got nothing? Huh, that’s hilarious. The guys from the Black-themed Martial Arts Group are definitely not doing anything.”
“…”
“I’m not giving them anything. Galbi Sect, choose. Will you side with the Black-themed Martial Arts Group and oppose me, or will you skip them and quietly create our base?”
“Does that mean… you want me to leave the Black-themed Martial Arts Group?”
Suspicion rose in Galbi Sect’s clear eyes.
“That’s not what I’m saying. I just think it doesn’t make sense to give benefits to the Black-themed Martial Arts Group that has no stake in this. It’s sad, enough to make me want to cry.”
“…”
Galbi Sect fell into thought.
Then he looked at me.
“Hahaha!”
Laughter.
“Hahaha! I see! It seems my eyes haven’t deceived me, Psychopath Killer!”
What is he talking about?
“Since it’ll be hard for the Black-themed Martial Arts Group to reach here anyway, are you saying we’ll create our base first, grow our forces, and monopolize the profits?”
I quietly nodded.
“If the Black-themed Martial Arts Group demands tribute, we can just ignore it! After all, they won’t be able to reach here, and we’ve already settled in, making it absolutely favorable for us!”
“Exactly.”
“Now that I think about it, there was no need to cling to the Black-themed Martial Arts Group at all! You are indeed a wise rogue!”
I don’t really understand what he realized, but he definitely looks pleased.
“Psychopath Killer, I have a great ambition. Taking on this mission was to prove my abilities and create a stepping stone to rise higher.”
He’s an ambitious guy.
“But if this goes well, I won’t actually need the Black-themed Martial Arts Group. In fact, they’d be more of a hindrance. If this success happens, I intend to sever ties with the Black-themed Martial Arts Group. It’s ridiculous that they’re trying to profit without doing anything.”
Very positive remarks.
Maybe with those clear eyes, he’s also discerning? Of course, whether he genuinely believes this remains to be seen. What’s certain is that he’s revealed his stance to me.
“Alright. Then I will join forces with you. Galbi Sect.”
“Thank you!”
—Pshhh!
Galbi Sect extended his hand, and I shook it.
“My name is Kim Geunhyeop… remember it, Galbi Sect.”
“Feel free to call me that! I’ll do the same!”
“Hehehe, sure.”
He’s charming and sociable.
From what I’ve observed, Galbi Sect has ambition, drive, and a good sense of discernment. Plus, he has a good personality, so he seems like a solid companion.
Of course, I can’t completely trust him since we’ve only met a couple of times.
However, it’s often hard to hide one’s true nature. Especially for a lowly rogue.
Perhaps this demeanor is an act. But that’s a far-fetched assumption. Could someone with such acting skills really be at the bottom of the rogue hierarchy? And using that skill to deceive someone like the Psychopath Killer?
It doesn’t make sense.
Moreover, this guy possesses a bizarre side. For instance, when he offered me flowers as a proposal to win me over. That can’t be masked as an act. That was his true intention.
If we build a trust relationship, he might become a friend like Jaemi Son.
“Then let’s form a base now! I’d like to decide on a name, so please share your thoughts!”
“Nachal Bang (라刹幇).”
“Nachal Bang!”
“I think our base’s name should be Nachal Bang. Normally, I’d tuck in your nickname too, but… you didn’t reveal your nickname.”
“That’s true. Understood! Our base will be called Nachal Bang!”
Thus, the base was formed.
“Then Kim Geunhyeop! Let’s introduce An Hwi Sang Sal!”
“What?”
Wait, who the hell is An Hwi Sang Sal?
Not An Hwi Sang Hyup!
Why does this guy keep changing nicknames? Is it really the fault of the lowlife gang leader? There’s a lot going on with the Psychopath Killer and An Hwi Sang Sal.
“An Hwi Sang Hyup… do you know about him?”
“I researched that too. I heard he’s a ruthless assassin using deadly weapons. He enjoys creating holes in people’s bodies for no particular reason. A respectable rogue.”
Galbi Sect was babbling with sparkling eyes.
This guy seems to have a decent personality, but his speech suggests otherwise. Building a trust relationship with him seems quite challenging.
“Even the bottom-tier lowlifes know about him. If we join forces with someone like him, we could definitely crush the morale of our enemies.”
I’ve decided.
Let’s introduce him to Jaemi Son as well.
“Alright. Introduce him to me.”
“Oh…!”
But why does this guy react so enthusiastically? Even just this gets rid of my worries about starving.
“Before that, there are two others.”
“What? Who are they?”
“Show yourselves.”
—Swish.
From the other side, the hiding masters appeared. Their outfits were camouflage, but they were already notorious in the marketplace. They would find out eventually, so revealing them was not a problem.
“Who are those female warriors?”
“You’ve probably heard some rumors? About how I love flowers.”
“What does that mean…?”
“Martial Arts History, the Jade Flower Sword and the Fiery Lotus. They are my beloved.”
“Whaaat…!”
Galbi Sect’s mouth dropped open.
Serin and Hayoung nodded at him, simply greeting him with their heads.
“…Is that really true?”
“If you know just a bit of the rumors, you’d know.”
“…”
—Sweat dripped down from his forehead. Well, it’s understandable to be nervous after seeing masters.
“Let’s do our best moving forward, Galbi Sect. They will be a great help in establishing our base.”
“I understand… please take good care of me.”
Galbi Sect bowed and greeted, and we headed off to find Jaemi Son. With Jaemi Son included, we started with exactly five members in our crew.
Now I feel secure.
Four out of five key figures are my close friends and beloveds. This way, Galbi Sect can’t scheme anything against us. I might negotiate with him, but ultimately, Nachal Bang will operate according to my wishes.
Anyway.
Though a bit late, it’s time to introduce my beloveds to my friend, Jaemi Son. I never expected it would turn out like this, but a good introduction is still a good introduction.
He’ll definitely become a key member of Nachal Bang, so I’ll introduce them this time.
“Jaemi Son!”
“Ah… Hmm?”
Jaemi Son stopped in his tracks, looking at me as he strolled down.
“Let’s have a talk!”
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