“What a crazy bastard!”
“Kill him!”
“Kwhaaaar!”
The disciples of the Il-do Sect, having seen blood, began to rush in excitedly. But I could see right through them. They were not warriors intoxicated by blood; they were no different from the scum I had killed until now.
As evidence, they rushed in as if to fight, but their movements were oddly sluggish. There was a fear buried deep within them that they could die if they charged in first.
I could see it all.
“Uwaaaah!”
I screamed in agony at what I was witnessing.
“How sad it is…! The fact that I have to kill you all!”
I activated my special ability. If the enemy is gripped by fear, it’s only natural to amplify that fear. They would surely be even more terrified if they recognized me.
“Wh-wha?!”
“That’s…!”
“The Screaming Dagger!”
As expected, the ones who recognized me momentarily froze. It seemed the name Screaming Dagger had resonated among the black-hearted folks, as those who had never seen me before were now trembling in fear.
—Chahk!
Galbijong, with his clear eyes, looked at me and grinned.
“Let’s go!”
Our one-sided assault began.
“Kwaaaah!”
“Huip!”
“I’ll kill every last one of you! As cruelly as possible!”
The three of us formed a formation, advancing to eliminate the hesitant enemies from our advantageous position.
—Chwaak!
“Kuhak!”
With their skills, it was impossible for them to block my practical sword strikes. One fell easily, followed by Jaemi Son, who deflected an opponent’s sword from the side and stabbed him with a lethal thrust.
“You are nothing but sacrifices for the Screaming Dagger!”
Galbijong also pierced the enemies without hesitation, roaring loudly. He may not be a master, but his boldness and lack of hesitation were quite commendable.
The three of us coordinated pretty well, and I felt great satisfaction in that fact. Me, Jaemi Son, and Galbijong. Three people who seemed utterly mismatched, but perhaps we synergized better than anyone else?
“R-run away!”
“Ahhhhh!”
In an instant, the warriors of the Il-do Sect began to fall, and soon after, escapees began to emerge. The terrified ones were fleeing.
And just then.
“These damn bastards!”
A stronger-looking guy appeared and stabbed a fleeing guy in the stomach.
“Kuhhh…!”
“How dare you run away!”
But why do these bastards love killing each other so much? I mean, in modern warfare, deserters are often executed. But do these lowly black-hearted scum think they’ll fall in line just because their boss established some discipline?
I don’t think so.
That’s something only trained soldiers can manage. You can’t expect such discipline from mere thugs.
“Shut it! Just fuck off!”
“Run, you bastard!”
“Save me!”
“Uwaaaah!”
As expected, when the boss appeared and killed one guy, the others seemed to feel hopeless and fled.
“Huh…?”
The Lord of the Il-do Sect expressed confusion as he performed a self-stun. Look at that! Did he really think these lowly black-hearted thugs would risk their lives to fight? Only soldiers prepared to kill will win in battles like this.
“Now’s the time!”
Anyway, let’s kill him while that idiot is off guard!
“Kwaaaah!”
As the three of us charged together.
“Wh-wha?!”
The Lord of the Il-do Sect stepped back.
“The Screaming Dagger! Why are you…!”
“Because I’m interested in your business!!”
“What?!”
“How dare you consume everything the Assassin’s Room has built?! You’re dead, bastard!”
“Wait!”
—Pah!
As if to signal us to stop, the Lord of the Il-do Sect shouted loudly and spread his palm. But in a life-or-death battle, there’s no need for conversation. There’s no mercy in combat. Judgement is futile.
It’s just about killing and being killed.
I unleashed the Flowing Stream Sword Technique, striking down with great power.
“Huip…!”
Instinctively, the Lord of the Il-do Sect rallied himself and barely managed to block my strike with difficulty, but there were three of us.
—Chwaak!
Jaemi Son and Galbijong darted in from both sides to stab him.
“Kuhhh…!”
The Lord of the Il-do Sect fell, spewing blood.
“You’re foolish! The Screaming Dagger has destroyed the Assassin’s Room, and now you think you could have all that profit for yourself! You can consider your life as interest!”
“Kek, kek… Did you think you could eat someone else’s meal without repercussions?”
Galbijong and Jaemi Son both chimed in.
“…”
I looked down at the dying man.
Tears streamed down.
“This is what living in the black world means. That’s why I despise it. Lord of the Il-do Sect… I really feel sad to have killed you. So let me at least send you off with my tears.”
“Kuh, ugh… What nonsense, ugh…”
A futile end.
For someone who ruled over the fears of lowly merchants, his death was pitiful. He seemed to have skills comparable to that of the Assassin’s Room’s Mipyeong, so he was not a match for me.
“Two, two…!”
“What’s up with this guy?”
Did he have a strong sense of loyalty?
He was marked for elimination.
I aimed at the charging guy, quickly stabbing to hold him back and then kicked him in the chest.
—Puhp!
“Kek!”
With a stab that concluded his posture, his life ended.
I didn’t even use my aura.
Stepping on his corpse, I roared.
“This place is now under the control of our Dagger Sect!!! Anyone wanting to resist, come forward!!! I’ll turn you into corpses!!!”
“Ah…!”
As I shouted with blood dripping from my sword, some guys gaped in shock.
“Come out! I’ll kill you with tears in my eyes! You there!”
“Ugh! Not me!”
“Me neither!”
“Everyone get down, now! Before I kill all of you!”
“Ahhhh!”
I yelled and barked orders until all the Il-do Sect warriors on the scene knelt and prostrated themselves.
“Get down now!”
“Kek, you’d better if you don’t want to die.”
With that added threat, they had no choice.
They all prostrated to the ground.
This was how I completely subdued the Il-do Sect.
With zero casualties.
“Heh heh heh, that was easy.”
“It wasn’t that different from the Assassin’s Room…” Jaemi Son remarked with satisfaction.
“From now on, this place is no longer the Il-do Sect; it’s the Dagger Sect!”
I officially declared it.
This building is now our property.
—Clap Clap Clap!
Galbijong clapped his hands brightly with a shining smile.
“Ha ha ha! That was wonderful, Screaming Dagger! Truly impressive skill and rhetoric! I never imagined we could so easily subdue and take over the Il-do Sect…! Partnering with you was the luckiest choice of my life!”
Indeed.
This whole affair had proceeded quite smoothly and simply.
We easily swept aside the black-hearted thugs and seized their wealth and businesses!
Power!
The strength acquired through training martial arts and honing my skills in battles!
Simply wielding it has brought me immense profit…!
And this is far from the end. I will continue to grow my power and influence to obtain even more.
“Whoa…!”
Memories of when I killed one of the duo, Chang Sam and Oh Su-man, resurfaced, overflowing with emotions. To survive in this Martial World, one needs power. Only with power can one live like a human.
That truth was proven at this very moment!
“Whooo!”
Tears streamed down my face.
Tremors, anger, and countless indescribable emotions mixed together and burst forth in tears. Why am I crying right now?
Because I dirtied my hands?
I just killed all the people related to the Il-do Sect, not out of any personal grudge, but merely for being competitors. Purely for my own gain.
Until now, I had only killed those with whom I held a grudge. Compared to that, this is an utterly radical change.
In murder, whether there’s a grudge or not is a crucial matter.
But does the presence or absence of a grudge truly determine the weight of the killing? Can the act of murder be justified merely by the presence or absence of a grudge?
I believe it can!
No, that’s correct. Killing out of a grudge is light, while killing without a grudge is heavy. It’s an obvious statement. There’s an unbridgeable chasm between killing an enemy and committing random pleasure murder!
Thus, having performed such acts, I am a sinner.
Killing for gain is not much different from pleasure murder. I have decided to accept that. This tingling sensation in my chest. It’s like the spearhead of guilt digging into my heart.
Sin.
Murder.
Merit.
I accept all of it.
That is what it means to be a martial artist.
—Gooh.
My internal energy, nestled in my lower dantian, moves calmly. At this moment, I realized my understanding of my body had deepened. Right, aura is something that resides within my body. It’s a power that I can use whenever I want!
—Pah!
I sense a profound feeling. A world ablaze in violet. The chaos of existence. That is my body… Yes. That’s right. For a moment, I thought I saw my aunt’s figure, but it quickly vanished. I am no longer a child. I can’t keep living thinking about my aunt forever.
I stood upright and felt an eerie presence. Something dark and chaotic. Yet for me, a martial artist, it’s not a place that would overly displease me. If this is the place I am meant to be, I can live here without any protests.
“Ah.”
Accepting that, I felt like I understood a little about handling aura…
“Screaming Dagger?”
I snapped back to reality at Galbijong’s voice.
I had stood there tearfully and silently for maybe just a few seconds. To onlookers, it would seem like I was grieving over this tragedy, lost in thought.
“Ah, Galbijong. You did well. Your skills were quite impressive.”
“Too kind! You were the amazing one!”
“Heh heh heh… Right. Jaemi Son, you also did a lot. Your handling of the lethal thrust has improved significantly.”
“Hehe, this time it was easier. With three of us, it felt even more stable. We seem to mesh well together, Galbijong.”
“I appreciate you saying that! Fighting alongside you makes me feel strangely stable!”
Galbijong smiled brightly while praising us.
Indeed, we would likely blend well together.
“Anyway, with this, the name of our Dagger Sect will spread widely. Of course, the ensuing chaos is to be expected… but we have to bear it. There’s no time to rest. Kim Geunhyeop. Look at those who are still prostrating here.”
“We’ll have to utilize them.”
“Whoa! That was exactly what I wanted to say!”
These black-hearted thugs are likely to backstab us, so it’s right to eliminate them, but right now they have value.
“We need to investigate the businesses the Il-do Sect was running, using these guys. That’s how we’ll take over and manage things perfectly.”
“That’s right, Galbijong.”
“Can I take charge of this? I’d like to show off my skills. To put it simply, I’m curious to see how far I can go. This is my first time, as I’ve never been given permission from the Black-thematic Martial Arts Group, but I’m confident.”
With bright eyes, he proposed.
“You’re quite the capable man.”
From the way he speaks, he seems like irredeemable trash, but I’m finding this man more likable the more I see him. He’s a martial artist I can acknowledge.
“Understood, Galbijong. I entrust this matter to you.”
“Thank you! I’ll inform you as soon as I have things organized!”
Galbijong approached the prostrated thugs and shouted.
“From now on, we’re conducting a business investigation! If you act rebellious or are evasive, I’ll kill you, so remember that!”
“I-I’ll tell you everything!”
“P-please, just spare my life!”
I’m curious about how far that guy can go.
Even so, to manage a business like this requires a capable administrator. Galbijong also knew that he wanted to test whether he had such administrative skills.
If he has such talents, then the growth potential of the Dagger Sect will increase immensely.
Like how Liu Bei sought to govern the world with Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, perhaps Jaemi Son and Galbijong could be such people.
“Heh… This is more impressive than I thought. There aren’t many martial artists that can act this coherently.”
“Right? I agree.”
Jaemi Son nodded at my comment.
“Wasn’t he with the Black-thematic Martial Arts Group? Is that what he’s affiliated with…?”
“Yeah. But they say that’s merely a title and that they’re the lowest of the low in their sect. Honestly, it doesn’t seem like there’s a strong connection to the Sect Master.”
“A useless sect, then… that makes sense. They probably let go of such a talent. That’s the limit of the Black-thematic Martial Arts Group.”
Jaemi Son spoke, his eyes shining brightly.
It seems he’s also acknowledged Galbijong.
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