“Oh, right. Do you happen to know the Hao Sect?”
The Hao Sect. It’s a sect that could be considered part of the demonic faction, formed by the lower strata of society such as Jeom So-i, courtesans, and coachmen.
They mostly deal with information, but I’m not entirely sure if that’s the case here. Do they even exist, to begin with?
Chun-bong nodded at my question.
“Yeah, why?”
“Well, I saw someone named Maewol practice martial arts, just wondering if there might be a connection.”
“What? Martial arts?”
Chun-bong widened her eyes in surprise, while I nodded.
“Yup.”
“Hmm… sounds suspicious. But just because someone like a courtesan learns martial arts doesn’t mean they’re all part of the Hao Sect.”
Apparently, around eighty percent could be linked to the Hao Sect, but the remaining twenty percent might not be.
It’s rare, but they might have learned it secretly on their own, or they could be part of some unknown secret organization.
“Really?”
“Yeah. So be careful. You never know when that woman might suddenly turn.”
“Haha, this oppa isn’t so weak as to get caught off guard by a second-rate.”
“Be careful.”
“Got it.”
When you’re told to be careful, you better be careful.
*
Two days passed by, and the day of the operation arrived.
Lying in my room, scratching my belly, I looked out the window.
“Ah…, time to head out soon. So bothersome.”
Why was I even planning to do this? Now that the day has come, I can’t bring myself to take a single step out of the house.
“I said we were doing this, didn’t I, dude!? Get up already!”
“Oh, mom! Just five more minutes!”
“Shut up!”
It took a few slaps from Chun-bong to finally drag me out of the house.
With the sun setting in the distance, it seemed like the right time to move. I leisurely made my way to the red-light district.
“So… where should I start?”
After a moment of thought, I headed towards the Red Moon Pavilion.
I had asked Maewol to gather the courtesans, but I didn’t inquire about how she’d do it, so I needed to check in.
“You have arrived?”
“Oh, yeah. So, what about the courtesans?”
“The young hero said he would go around the red-light district to gather them, so we’ve conveyed the message.”
“Ah, I see.”
I gave a nonchalant nod and glanced around the inside of Red Moon Pavilion.
“Shall we gather the courtesans here first, then?”
“Yes.”
With a gesture from Maewol, the men around her headed somewhere. About five minutes later, courtesans gathered on the first floor in a steady stream.
“Wow, there are a lot of them.”
“You really think this will work? I’m not so sure.”
Hearing only bits and pieces of the plan, Chun-bong furrowed her brow, clearly not too fond of the idea.
“I’m not expecting anything spectacular, just doing it for my own satisfaction.”
“As long as that’s all it is….”
“What does it matter? It’s all experience, isn’t it?”
Grinning, I led the courtesans out onto the street.
Naturally, we drew eyes.
A demon leading the way, followed by courtesans.
The unusual procession attracted the attention of courtesans, guests, and black-clad thugs alike as we moved down the street.
I opened the door of one brothel at the forefront.
“Long time no see, friends! Change of plans, instead of getting the courtesans in a week, we’ll do it today! Okay! Thanks!”
We’d already secured their cooperation, so there were no real clashes.
But what about the next brothel? That was still up in the air.
I went straight to the next brothel, opened the door, and walked in.
“Hey, friends! I’m here to take some courtesans!”
Through the open door, countless courtesans stared at the crazy guy who’d just barged in to take them away.
Recognizing me, a few of them exchanged glances.
“…Take them.”
“Really?”
“As long as you return them.”
Treating people like objects, huh.
Anyway, since they said I could take them, I gathered the courtesans and added them to the procession.
We visited every brothel in the red-light district in this manner.
I wondered if the guys I dealt with last time had warned the others? Surprisingly, with little resistance, I managed to gather most of the courtesans in one place.
“There’s a lot.”
It’s almost enough to fill the streets, even with a bit of exaggeration.
Are there usually this many courtesans? A sigh escaped me as I sprang up.
Whish-
Utilizing my Crossing the Yellow Dragon technique, I landed on a rooftop and looked down below.
Countless eyes were on me.
With the sun setting and the moonlight descending from the darkened sky, I lifted my head to see the full moon gazing down on us.
“The weather is just perfect.”
I cleared my throat and imbued my voice with internal energy as I shouted.
“Ladies and gentlemen! I have a proposition for you!”
The murmurs quieted. Everyone here was waiting for me to speak.
A strange exhilaration surged from my toes to my head.
Is this what it feels like to be a superstar…?
“We can all agree how wretched life in the back alleys is, and how practically every woman here has no choice but to sell herself to survive.”
Granted, not everyone does, but many do.
“I’m sure not all courtesans became courtesans of their own volition.”
Raising my arms high above my head.
With a mindset akin to a Hitler stirring the crowd, I resolved to present my struggle here loudly.
“So, I’m offering those women an opportunity. It’s not a grand opportunity, just for my self-satisfaction, so I can’t control what happens after. But surely there are a few of you who want to cast off your courtesan status, right?”
For those in a dire situation who want out by any means possible, that’s sufficient.
After all, I don’t have any obligation to rescue everyone here.
Even helping just those who desperately reach out, despite an unknown opportunity, is troublesome enough.
“So, I’m taking applicants. Come on! Hands up!”
Prompting them to follow suit, I lifted my hand, filling the red-light district with a sudden hush.
No one raised their hand.
“Oh man, this is embarrassing.”
I chuckled, jumping down from the roof.
I grabbed a woman by the scruff and leaped back up to the roof.
“You jerk…! What are you planning to do to me now…!”
It was the woman I met on the first day. I still didn’t know her name.
After setting her down on the roof, I asked her.
“Your name?”
“…Why do you want to know?”
“Wouldn’t it be quicker to ask what I’d do if you don’t tell me?”
“…Churyeong.”
Churyeong. After more than a year, I finally knew her name.
Not that I was really curious.
“You’re in, for sure.”
“What? Why do you decide…”
“Ssh.”
I pressed an acupoint to put Churyeong to sleep.
Thump-, she collapsed on the roof, asleep.
“Alright, any more volunteers?”
Still, none of the courtesans reacted.
Just as I was smacking my lips and about to wrap it up, a courtesan raised her hand.
“M-may I?”
She was a shabby-looking woman. Her body covered in scars and one eye seemed cloudy, as if it had lost vision.
I nodded.
“Of course.”
“Hey, girl. Can you handle this?”
Was it some manager from her brothel? A burly fellow glared at the woman like he wanted to kill her.
I swiftly jumped off the roof and landed in front of him.
“Silence, please!”
Doom!
The man, now quiet, had his head smashed into the ground.
Leaving behind the guy with his head buried in the dirt, I grabbed the woman by the scruff and jumped back up to the roof.
“So, that’s two. Any more? This isn’t an everyday opportunity.”
“P-please take me too!”
That’s three.
Gathering the occasional raised hands, we wound up with six women in total.
“I guess that’s about it.”
No more courtesans raised their hands.
As I counted in my head, Chun-bong joined me on the roof and asked.
“Are you aiming to be a chivalrous hero?”
“A hero? Nah. Sounds cool but I think it’s too tough to actually do.”
“Right. Not every weak person is a good person. It’s a world where even if you save someone drowning, they might demand your valuables.”
“That’s just an arrogant guy. Then you’d have to kick him back into the water.”
Chun-bong shot me a wry smile at that.
“Whoever taught you did a pretty good job. Don’t become a naive sucker of a hero.”
A hero. It may sound romantic, but pursuing romance itself is never easy.
“Then I’ll just be a half-hero.”
“Just being like that makes you top hundred material in the martial world.”
“What. Is the moral average of these guys really that low?”
I clicked my tongue at the martial world’s ethics, looking over the volunteering courtesans.
None were in good shape since they volunteered without any promises.
“Should we head to Qinghua Sect now?”
I’d already secured a promise from the head of the Qinghua Sect.
I asked to take a few volunteering courtesans and requested them to provide jobs as maids or servants.
Actually, I was worried what would happen if dozens volunteered….
Far from dozens, we only had five, excluding Churyeong.
“And now… huh?”
Suddenly, a commotion echoed from far off. The cries and shouts weren’t good signs.
Black-clad thugs?
If so, I was ready to give them a beating, but upon stretching my neck to look, I saw something strange.
“No way.”
Just then, someone dashed in with a speed to make Usain Bolt jealous, yelling.
“M-monster…! A monster has appeared…!”
“A-a monster!?”
“Run, everyone! It’s a monster!”
The gathered crowd scattered in confusion. I raised an eyebrow.
A monster?
I cast a puzzled look at Chun-bong, who was frowning.
“A monster here? This is bad. It’s been happening constantly for years now.”
“What, wait a minute. Monster? What’s that all about?”
“What? What’s there to explain? You don’t know about monsters?”
Since when do monsters show up in martial arts? At this rate, we’ll see American traditional gun-based martial arts?
“I don’t know…”
“You really don’t know? How can you not…?”
Chun-bong pouted and gestured toward the noise origin.
“Go take a look then. It’s probably not some big monster.”
“Should I?”
I glanced at the courtesans staring at me and chuckled awkwardly.
“Uh… just a sec, I’ll be right back, okay?”
“A-aren’t you going to put us down first…?”
By the time the courtesan spoke, I’d already darted off into the distance.
“Ah, ahh…!”
The courtesan fussed, sinking back on the spot.
*
Arriving at the commotion by rooftop, I called out.
“Monster! Where’s that punk hiding!”
This isn’t martial arts…! Angry but determined, I searched for the monster.
I swore it was somewhere nearby, but it vanished from view.
Boom!
Had it heard me? The monster boldly emerged, destroying a building.
“There you are.”
I spotted the monster, eyes gleaming.
The creature was entirely covered in a black, chitinous carapace, walking on two legs. With a large tail at its rear and a snout lined with razor-sharp teeth.
“Wow… it’s a real monster.”
I scratched my head, and following me, Chun-bong widened her eyes.
“Armored Demon! How on earth did such a thing get here!”
“Is it a big deal?”
“See that armor? I heard it even deflects sword auras.”
“Deflects aura? That tough?”
“More so than tough, think of it like a kind of protective inner energy….”
Chun-bong gulped.
But who am I? None other than MUGONG master Seo-jun.
“Deflects sword aura? This punk. You’ve got the makings of a great punching bag.”
Looks like I’ll be testing my strength well today.
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