Chapter 30
Chapter 30.
The Traitor Is Among Us
In my past life, when I was young, I was learning martial arts from my father.
"Seon."
"Yes, Father."
"Do you think you can break this iron orb?"
The iron ball my father held out to me. It was incomparably hard.
"Can't I just smash it with brute force?"
"Like this?"
My father brought an iron hammer down onto the iron orb.
Clang!
But the iron orb only dented slightly—it didn't break.
"What if you keep hitting it?"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
My father struck it several more times, but it still wouldn't break.
"See? It doesn't work, does it?"
"You're right."
"But what about this?"
My father put his left hand behind his back and extended his right hand forward.
Hoooom—.
After drawing up his inner energy, he launched a palm strike and slammed it into the iron orb!
Thwack—!
The iron orb, struck by the Sichuan Tang Family's palm technique, the Flying Cotton Palm, shook quietly—then,
Boom!
It exploded from the inside.
Rat-tat-tat—! Shards of iron scattered in every direction.
My father raised his protective energy in front of me, shielding me from the flying fragments.
Then he turned to face me, shrugged, and clasped his hands behind his back.
I said,
"Come on, that's not fair!"
"W-what do you mean!"
"When you threw the palm strike you used inner energy, but when you hit it with the iron hammer you just used plain strength."
"……Did I get caught?"
My father smiled awkwardly.
"But I definitely understood what you meant!"
"Tell me."
"Flying Cotton Palm is a palm technique that destroys drifting cotton. In other words, it's a martial art that channels energy inside to shake the target to its core."
"And so?"
"That means even if you can block an attack from the outside—you cannot stop something from crumbling from within!"
"Well learned."
Swish.
My father stroked my head.
"Even if you have iron gates and iron walls, there's no stopping a fire that breaks out from inside. Remember this. When you become Family Head someday, you must respect and cherish those in the household. The direct line, the collateral line—even the servants."
"Yes! I will obey!"
I gave my father a fist-and-palm salute with spirited posture.
"Now, clean this up."
"What? You're the one who broke it!"
"Ahem! Telling the Family Head to clean up."
"Wow……. That's so mean!"
"Hahahahaha!!"
That day, the bright smile my father showed me—I still cannot forget it.
* * *
【Bonus Mission Success】
【Assassinate White Tiger Gate's Gate Master, Lightning Flash Seol Cheon-ho.】
—Mission (13th floor) deemed complete!
—Happiness Points +30,000!
—Treasure 'White Tiger Sword' will be awarded!
【Time taken to complete mission: 9 minutes 58 seconds】
【Overwhelming Completion (GOLD)!】
【13th floor of the Murim Tower turns golden.】
【The whole world takes notice of Korea's tower.】
Whooom—.
11th through 13th floor. I had cleared the tower in an instant.
A body drenched in blood…… My hands were trembling slightly.
A curse slipped out on its own.
"Damn it……. What the hell is this."
As I'd said before, I already knew it was White Tiger Gate.
But no matter how I thought about it, I couldn't see any connection between White Tiger Gate and me, the Poison Demon.
If anything, the conflict was between our Dang Family and White Tiger Gate.
After Blue Dragon Gate was swallowed by Dark Tortoise Pavilion, White Tiger Gate—which had already consumed Vermillion Bird Sect while that opening remained—then struck Dark Tortoise Pavilion.
In the end, White Tiger Gate unified all four factions of the Four Divine Gate. White Tiger Gate expanded its power and engaged in a territorial struggle with our Sacheondang Family in Chengdu.
That fight produced numerous casualties.
But.
"A common territorial struggle in the martial world."
If the tower intended to show me every sect that had had a conflict with the Sacheondang Family—and with me—100 floors wouldn't be enough. 300 floors wouldn't be either.
So why was the tower showing me White Tiger Gate again?
I had originally planned to clear one floor at a time with intervals in between, but my thinking changed.
A question lingered in my mind, and from 11th floor I headed straight to 12th floor.
I cleared them consecutively, but still couldn't figure it out.
"Seol Cheon-ho! Answer me—did you target our Sacheondang Family?"
"I did not!"
"Speak truthfully! Did you join hands with the Murim Alliance Leader or the Evil Path Alliance Leader?"
"I did not!"
On 13th floor as well, I interrogated White Tiger Gate Master Seol Cheon-ho—but it remained shrouded in fog.
Has my interrogation technique grown rusty?
It wasn't the pinnacle of a transcendent master like in my past life, but at this level Seol Cheon-ho should have talked—yet he never gave anything up until the end.
"I had the wrong target."
It wasn't Seol Cheon-ho.
I shifted my gaze around and found a clue.
It happened right in the middle of interrogating Seol Cheon-ho. I caught the eyes of White Tiger Gate's chief steward trembling wildly!
On the 11th and 12th floors, I had already killed him. It was only because I'd kept him alive on 13th floor to buy as much time as possible that I noticed.
Crack!
The moment I seized the chief steward, the man vomited blood and died.
Worried he would be tortured by me, he had taken poison and killed himself.
"Damn it!"
It was already too late. I quickly searched the chief steward's person.
But no clues turned up.
"There's definitely something here."
Trusting my instincts, I tore off every piece of his clothing and searched every inch—and then,
"Why is this…… Here of all places?"
From the chief steward's forearm, one of our Sacheondang Family's signature hidden weapons emerged!
‘Yama's Life-Chasing Threads!’
Impossibly thin to the eye, yet impossible to cut even with a treasured sword.
Channeling inner energy into the Yama's Life-Chasing Threads to execute the Thread-Piercing Lock Technique is a peerless hidden weapon art of the martial world.
If the pinnacle of Celestial Maiden Scattering Flowers is Flowers Filling the Sky Like Rain, then the end of the Thread-Piercing Lock Technique is the 'Yama's Invitation'.
True to its name—an invitation from the King of Hell—it's said to be nearly on par with Flowers Filling the Sky Like Rain, a secret technique passed down through the ages.
But regrettably, the Yama's Invitation had been lost long ago.
That was also the reason the collateral line had never managed to surpass our direct line.
And so those Yama's Life-Chasing Threads were transmitted only to—
"The collateral branch of the Dang Family……"
Having emerged from the tower, I held the Yama's Life-Chasing Threads in my hand and sank into deep thought.
"Why would a treasure of our Family's collateral branch be in White Tiger Gate……"
The collateral branch of our Dang Family.
Originally, before my father rose to become Family Head, there had been a power struggle between him and them over the headship.
The strongest would become Family Head.
After two days of dueling, my father claimed the position.
The Yama's Life-Chasing Threads were what I had seen during that duel.
The collateral branch was defeated, but my father embraced them.
He granted them considerable autonomy and even appointed the defeated among them as Elders.
My father's trust was immense.
Even at the final battle against the Murim Alliance's coalition forces, he entrusted the left flank to the collateral branch.
But in that final battle—
"The left flank never appeared on the battlefield."
Our Dang Family, with the left wing of the collateral branch broken, crumbled far more easily than expected.
After that I set out on the path of revenge—but I never went after the collateral branch.
There was no need.
The collateral branch's estate, which I visited after the final battle ended, had been razed to the ground.
They had all been killed by the Evil Path Alliance Leader.
The Yama's Life-Chasing Threads were nowhere to be found either.
I assumed the Alliance Leader had taken them.
Naturally, I hadn't even suspected it for a moment.
That the collateral branch—
……Might have betrayed us.
"Why did the Yama's Life-Chasing Threads turn up in White Tiger Gate? Why would the collateral branch give them to White Tiger Gate!"
A thought flashed through my mind, but I wanted nothing more than to erase it.
"No. It can't be!"
Surely there hadn't been a traitor inside our Sacheondang Family?
Our Dang Family was a great sect.
Great sects do not fall easily.
And yet—
[You cannot stop something from crumbling from within.]
The reason for our clan's annihilation being so swift—nothing was more certain than internal division.
The collateral branch, who had lost to my father and were forced to remain as the collateral line.
The Alliance Leader and the martial world had set their sights on our Dang Family, and—
"The collateral branch sold my father and me to seize power over the Dang Family."
But in the end, they were massacred by the Evil Path Alliance Leader, who had joined hands with the Murim Alliance Leader.
"So that's how the story connects."
Only a hidden weapon had turned up—but I was certain.
"Ugh……"
A mistake on my part.
Not Seol Cheon-ho—I should have properly interrogated the White Tiger Gate chief steward.
Since being reincarnated in this era, my razor-sharp senses seemed to have dulled somewhat.
I bit my lip until it bled.
"Damn it."
To enter again, I would have to wait another month.
Clunk—!
I tossed the newly acquired White Tiger Sword carelessly into my herb field.
【Treasure White Tiger Sword lv1: A treasured blade that can cut through iron.】
Creak! My mood was filthy.
Right now I wanted to kill dozens of people.
* * *
To soothe my frustrated heart, I'd gone out for a walk.
Breathing the night air, my head cleared a little.
I had my cap pulled low. I'm not sure how long I walked—but before I knew it, I had ended up back at the entertainment district where I'd met Min-jeong and the thugs.
Tring—.
Just then, a call came in.
It was Baekgyeong Department Store Food Business Division Manager Jeong Jang-hyeon.
"Sir, this is Jeong Jang-hyeon."
"Yes, Manager Jeong."
"There's no space available at the main branch, so would it be all right to open at one of our department store branches first and gradually expand from there?"
"That's fine."
"Ah, thank you. A spot opens up at a branch next month, and once construction is done I expect it'll take about two months."
"I see."
He spoke cautiously.
"Um, sir……. Are you feeling unwell by any chance? Your voice sounds off……."
"I'm not."
"I see. Then I'll speak with you again next time."
Manager Jeong Jang-hyeon seemed to have something more to say.
"It's all right, Manager Jeong. Go ahead."
"I'm mentioning this just in case. That 'Handsome Bungeoppang' went viral on social media, as you know. They say those who rise by public opinion can also fall by it……."
He hesitated a little, then opened up.
He was speaking indirectly, but I understood what he meant.
Not to cause any trouble, no matter what.
"I know."
"Yes, yes……. I'm sorry for bringing this up. Of course, getting caught up in unpleasant matters isn't always something one can control……."
"I'll be careful."
"Thank you, sir."
Click—.
Manager Jeong Jang-hyeon's tone had been exceedingly polite.
When I checked the time on my phone, midnight had long since come and gone.
Should I head back?
Mother might be worrying.
I was thinking about hailing a cab, but there wasn't one in the alley.
No cabs in a red-light district at midnight?
Just as I thought that was strange—
Crash—!
From the alley, one of the shops was smashed apart, and a great commotion rang out.
"Where the hell is that guy!"
Thwack!
Men in dark suits were beating someone.
"I-I don't remember!"
"What? Let me help you remember."
Thud! Thud!
The sound of solid beatings.
But the one being hit looked oddly familiar.
Who is it?
Ah!
"That thug's lackey from Ace Song Bar!"
It was that guy. His hand, which I had poked holes through with a ballpoint pen, was in a cast.
I spared his life and this is what he's doing—getting beaten up over there?
"Tell us the truth. Who is it? Who killed Boss Yang?"
"It was me!"
The thug's lackey answered, his face covered in blood.
"Don't lie. There's a witness who saw a man and a girl that day!"
"I-I really don't. I can't remember. I'm sure it was me!"
"This guy still won't—"
"Aaaah!"
Thwack! Thud!
The beating continued, and the lackey crawled along the floor.
"They're looking for me."
The thug's lackey couldn't remember me because of the Gu Poison command I had planted.
It seemed, however, that there was a witness who had seen me and Min-jeong entering the bar that night.
Well, this works out nicely.
I'd been wanting to beat someone up anyway.
Crack, crack!
I was rolling my shoulders and about to step forward—
[Those who rise by public opinion can also fall by it……]
The warning from Manager Jeong Jang-hyeon to be absolutely careful came to mind.
……Tch.
Consider yourselves lucky.
It was at that moment.
"There! I think that's the person!"
A woman from one of the entertainment district bars pointed at me.
She was a witness who had seen me.
A leopard-print top.
Her lipstick was smeared, tear stains on her cheeks, hair completely disheveled.
"Hey, you there!"
The thugs pointed me out.
This is getting annoying.
I quickened my pace. No cabs in sight.
Of course—with this kind of chaos stirred up, not a single cab was around.
"Stop right there!"
To make matters worse, dark-suited thugs came walking out from the very alley I was trying to duck into.
It seemed they had already spread out across the streets before I even arrived.
I rummaged through my pockets for the Dark Moon Mask, but nothing came to hand.
Damn, I left everything in the herb field when I came out of the tower.
With no choice, I pulled the face mask from my pocket and put it on.
Will this do?
Swish.
With my cap and face mask pulled down tight, I looked around—and other thugs were smashing all the store CCTVs in the alley with baseball bats.
Crack! Bang.
……Oh? They're saving me the trouble.
Are they on my side by any chance?
The thugs surrounded me.
"Is it you?"
"……."
The men looked me up and down and said,
"Come with us. You reckless little punk."
"Where to."
"Somewhere quiet."
Works for me.
Surrounded by the thugs, I was led into a game arcade in the entertainment district.
Swish—.
As soon as I entered, the thugs drew the arcade's blinds.
To block the view from outside.
In the center of the arcade, their boss sat imposingly on a sofa.
The boss, legs spread wide, thumping an aluminum bat against the floor with a thud, thud.
He had pomade-slicked hair that gleamed under the lights.
Not even glancing my way, putting on airs with his eyes fixed on the floor—the boss slowly opened his mouth with gravitas.
"You're here?"
His voice was deliberately lowered, his charisma no ordinary thing.
He slowly raised his head.
And the moment our eyes met—
"Urk!"
Pshh—!
His nose began to bleed!
"Wait? You?"
It was Kang I-deuk, in whom I had planted the Gu Poison.
[Hand Jeoksapa over to Executive Manager Kang I-deuk, and all Jeoksapa members shall follow Kang I-deuk's orders. That is all.]
The message I had sent when disposing of Park Jeok-sa.
Kang I-deuk, who had become the new boss of Jeoksapa.
True to his name, he had gotten an enormous lucky break.
Come to think of it, Jeoksapa was in Ace Song Bar's ledger, wasn't it?
It all roughly fit together.
Blood streaming down the boss's nose. It was as if someone had turned on a tap.
"Guhhh!"
Kang I-deuk looked nearly on the verge of collapse. His breath was hitching, hitching.
The Gu Poison command I had planted in Kang I-deuk was: 'You have never seen me. You cannot remember me. You cannot harm me in any way.'
A situation directly in conflict with that command had unfolded.
He was probably experiencing the agony of his brain burning up.
"Oh my. He'll die like that."
Thud.
The man trembled and collapsed, crawling away from me as if trying to flee.
"Hey! Kang I-deuk."
When I called his name—
"Gurgh—."
He fainted on the spot.
Wow……. This guy really is lucky.
Fainting saved him from death.
"B-Boss!"
Kang I-deuk's underlings grabbed him and shook him—but he didn't budge an inch.
The underlings turned their heads and looked at me.
Their boss had taken one look at me, foamed at the mouth, and collapsed.
It was natural that they sensed 'something is wrong' and instinctively shrank back.
"……."
I released my killing aura.
"Hah—!"
Those with good energy sense instantly went pale, and even those without it began to edge backward.
Step.
I took one step toward the thugs.
"Aren't you coming in?"
"……."
They flinched.
Grin—.
"Then I'll come to you."
* * *
The next morning, having thoroughly beaten the lot of them—
The morning news was on.
[Early this morning, a large brawl broke out in an entertainment district, leaving shops damaged. Critically injured men were rushed to the emergency room and were reportedly repeating the words 'I'm sorry' over and over as they were loaded into the ambulance—]
What followed in the news was footage shot on a mobile phone.
A man wearing a face mask, surrounded by numerous thugs, entered a game arcade—then came back out alone a short while later.
And stretched out with a long, satisfying stretch.
Looking remarkably refreshed somehow.
His face was pixelated, and with both cap and face mask on he was unrecognizable—but,
"Huh?"
Mother, watching the news, slowly turned her head and looked at me with puzzled eyes.
"That……looks like the exact same outfit you wore yesterday?"
"Come on, it's different."
"It matches, though? The cap too."
Mother glanced at my cap sitting on the dining table.
"No, it doesn't. The color's lighter there."
"That's because of the pixelation."
"It's completely different. That one's light pink, mine's deep pink."
"Is it? Well, I suppose you wouldn't……."
Mother tilted her head and went into the kitchen.
"Don't watch this stuff. Come on! Fake news!"
Click.
I turned off the TV.
I trembled my way into my room and clutched my head.
Sigh—.
Who on earth recorded that?
Ding-dong!
A message came in.
Baekgyeong Department Store Food Business Division Manager Jeong Jang-hyeon.
—Have you seen this?
It was a link to a news video.
The exact news from just moments ago.
"Oh no. I've been caught."
A call came through immediately after.
I hesitated briefly over whether to answer, then pressed the call button.
"Hell—"
"Sir! It's you, isn't it?"
"What? I don't know what you—"
"It's a match! Those clothes! The outfit I saw before!"
Aah, had I worn the outfit Min-jeong picked out for too long?
I resented the broadcast station.
They could have pixelated it a bit more thoroughly.
[Those who rise by public opinion can also fall by it……]
I braced myself for the fierce scolding that was about to follow from Manager Jeong Jang-hyeon.
'Are you trying to ruin your business!'
'You want a reputation as a gangster?!'
Ugh. Damn.
But imagine my surprise—
"This is a stroke of luck! A jackpot!"
……Huh?
"The public reaction is fantastic!"
W-what?
"Did you see the interviews? The merchants are singing praises, calling whoever did it a 'Young Hero' for taking down the mob!"
I quickly opened the news link and checked the latter part.
The woman in the leopard-print top shouted in excitement.
[Those thugs—do you have any idea how much they terrorized us merchants! That day too, they smashed up all the shop merchandise, stole our money, even destroyed the CCTVs—and then suddenly that Young Hero appeared out of nowhere!]
Behind her, the merchants were chanting in unison.
[Young Hero! Young Hero!]
Then the anchor's closing remarks.
[In this world that grows harder day by day, knowing there are hidden heroes makes our world still worth living in. This has been your anchor—]
Through the receiver came Manager Jeong Jang-hyeon's excited voice.
"Don't hide your identity—go public with it! Our PR team will move right away! I'll talk to the police department and see about getting you a Brave Citizen Award!"
"Aah."
"Let's settle on the chocolate brand name while we're at it! Hero Chocolate! Oh my goodness! With the business poised for success, to have a marketing opportunity like this……"
【The local merchants rejoice at the birth of the Young Hero. +3,000 Happiness】
Aah.
A man like me……
In my past life, the public enemy of the martial world.
In this life, a hero.