Chapter 131
Chapter 131
Romantic, Isn’t It
“That’s not something you need to worry about. The money will be paid from somewhere else.”
A man with a tiger-like, imposing physique and sharp eyes stepped forward and spoke on behalf of the group. A standout among the crowd indeed. Despite the sheer number of people gathered here, a restrained aura flowed around him alone.
“Fighting Dog Baek Ga-on.”
“You know where that nickname came from, yet you still charged in here without fear?”
“It’s because we know that this many people gathered.”
As if to show how grandly they had prepared, the man spread both arms wide.
“More importantly, the money will be paid from somewhere else?”
Not ‘someone’ but ‘somewhere.’ It was a peculiar choice of words.
“You didn’t know? Ryungyeong placed a bounty on your head. Dead or alive. Five hundred million Pia to whoever brings you in first.”
Ga-on had, unintentionally, become involved in numerous conflicts with Ryungyeong. Of course, most of them had merely been indirect consequences. There were very few incidents that could be called direct confrontations.
If that was the case—
‘Was dealing with Rajinga the problem?’
Unauthorized Bajiquan and the body modified to support it. At a glance, he had looked close to a legitimate successor. Perhaps he had even been a rough gem that Ryungyeong had painstakingly polished. There was no point regretting it now, though.
“I can understand getting blinded by that much money, but if you pull out firearms here, you’re out.”
Though it was removed from the city center, this was still a place where law and order existed. It wasn’t somewhere figures from the underworld could run wild as they pleased. If even a single bullet were fired, patrol drones would descend on the area in swarms.
“You needn’t worry about that either. We agreed that the victor who defeats you in a one-on-one fight takes everything. Pure hand-to-hand combat. No reason for anyone else to take notice.”
“Ah, so that’s why....”
That explained why they had surrounded him and blocked all escape routes yet hadn’t approached. Even with so many people gathered, maintaining this level of control was no common sight. He couldn’t help but be impressed.
“How romantic.”
“Well, I doubt you’ll still be saying that after we clash.”
As the man stepped back, a dense murderous aura surged forward as though it had been waiting for its cue. The atmosphere felt as if everyone was about to rush him at once. No matter how strict the rules and boundaries, people could never completely abandon their instincts.
Standing before these beasts captivated by the law of the strong devouring the weak, Ga-on calmly asked,
“So who’s number one?”
“I am.”
The one who boldly stepped forward was a man with dreadlocks and a heavily enhanced body. The fact that both of his arms had been reinforced with steel made it abundantly clear what he placed his trust in.
So Ga-on decided to shatter that shallow confidence first.
“...Kgh, bleugh.”
A single explosive dash forward.
One straight punch.
It was more than enough to strip away the man’s crude nature, as flimsy as gold leaf.
The man stared blankly at his shattered arm before stumbling backward, and the crowd’s uproar erupted almost simultaneously.
Yet Ga-on paid no attention to their reaction.
“Next.”
He called for the next challenger.
***
Naturally, there was strategy even in the order of challengers.
Those intoxicated by their own abilities tended to prefer earlier numbers. First strike, first victory, so to speak. Since they were going to win anyway, why yield the opportunity to someone else?
Ironically, those consumed by such delusions were often the least steadfast. They had simply filled their fantasies with Slots and Units.
“Next, next. Contrary to what I heard, the turnover rate at this place is pretty low.”
The man whose body had swollen like a balloon was a prime example. After striking his chest and bursting it apart, Ga-on urged on the next person.
The order gradually moved toward the back.
The ones who had deliberately taken later positions to exploit his declining stamina finally began to emerge.
As expected, the overall level rose sharply, but none escaped the fate of ending up sprawled across the ground.
It only proved that they had learned nothing from the cards he had thrown away to gauge their abilities.
However, the final person to appear seemed somewhat different.
The very man who had stepped forward earlier as their representative and issued the warning.
“What’s your name?”
“Dae Gwanmu.”
“You came from Ryungyeong, didn’t you? No, perhaps I should say they sent you.”
“......”
Dae Gwanmu could not respond at all to the sudden remark that struck directly at the heart of the matter.
Unfortunately, that reaction itself was practically an answer, making it a question that never needed an answer in the first place.
Ryungyeong had spent five hundred million under the pretext of a bounty, but surely they had not set such an amount simply because they wanted to provide a warm meal for a pack of hyenas.
Without a doubt, it was an advance payment destined for Dae Gwanmu standing before him.
You could even call it a reward.
In any case—
“I don’t like how this whole thing assumes I’ll be the one kneeling.”
“I understand why you would resent being treated that way.”
If one failed to recognize the strength of a warrior who had displayed such valor, they were no different from a blind man—
“But what does not change, does not change.”
Yet if he retreated because of that, would he not be a cowardly fool?
If they were fighting in a city filled with all kinds of weapons, cover, and concealment, victory could not be guaranteed.
But this was an open field.
For Dae Gwanmu, whose specialty was close-quarters combat, there could be no better battleground.
Boom.
He merely stamped his foot, yet the ground trembled.
Everyone’s attention was drawn to the overwhelming presence that filled the area. Was there anyone here who didn’t know that Dae Gwanmu was the strongest among them?
Not a single person doubted that this confrontation favored Ga-on’s opponent.
It was then that a lightning-fast punch shot forth.
The movement made full use of the joints in the wrist, elbow, and shoulder, making it resemble a whip more than a fist.
The essence of silent assassination.
At the moment he thought, is this over, that decisive strike was blocked.
—By a single index finger.
“How…?”
Dae Gwanmu’s face was dyed in shock as he stared at his unmoving fist. Wondering if he had been anesthetized, he checked his device, but found nothing wrong.
He hadn’t been hit by an electromagnetic pulse, nor poisoned, nor even hacked.
It was purely a difference in skill.
And at the foundation of that—
[Arhat Second Form Muwi Nature]
Rotation and reverse rotation, forward and reverse. A technique that used the harmony born from that process to force stillness upon the target.
Building an axis at the point where their fingers met, Ga-on restrained Dae Gwanmu and spoke,
“I’m not lenient toward those who come for my life, but if someone approaches first like a gentleman, that changes things. You seemed closer to the type who wanted to take me in alive.”
Then, with a light motion, he pushed with his index finger.
It looked like a simple gesture, but the force within it was impossible to resist.
In an instant, Dae Gwanmu was shoved back dozens of meters, sliding across the ground. He looked down at his body with a dazed expression. It felt as though he had been kicked with tremendous force, yet not a single bone was broken.
It was as if he had been possessed by a ghost.
From the moment Ga-on had been called a Fighting Dog, it had been expected that he would be skilled in combat, but this was beyond anything he had imagined.
‘It’s like looking at a grandmaster….’
However, that impression didn’t carry over to the onlookers.
To them, it had ended too easily, as if prearranged. Without knowing the context, it looked like nothing more than a poorly acted play.
“You staged this, didn’t you? Fuck, I knew it.”
“You were planning to let him live?”
“If you’re going to trick us, at least do it properly, you bastard.”
Criticism erupted from all sides. Since this alliance had been as fragile as glasswork to begin with, it collapsed into chaos in an instant.
“So where the hell is my money?!”
The more impatient ones could no longer hold back and began pulling out their firearms. The sound of weapons being cocked echoed through the area—
“You all seem rather restless. Causing a disturbance out on the streets even in this day and age. Don’t you think it’s a bit embarrassing for grown adults to behave like this?”
A gentle voice cut in.
A woman with her hair neatly tied back in a single strand wore a bright smile. Her elegant bearing stirred countless thoughts in those who looked at her, but in the end—
A single blooming lily.
That was the only way to describe her.
“And who the hell are you— guh.”
The man who placed a hand on her shoulder spun around and tumbled across the ground. The others met similar fates. The force they directed at her was returned to them as it was.
If the exchange between Ga-on and Dae Gwanmu had looked like a play, this was slapstick.
That was how naturally the woman disarmed her opponents. Like bamboo—flexible enough to bend, yet never breaking.
The first to recognize her was Dae Gwanmu.
“You are…?”
“If you recognize my face, then you should also know what to do next, right? Though I’m not sure if I can trust you with it.”
With her hands lightly clasped together, she spoke playfully. Her appearance was as graceful as a flower and the moon, yet Dae Gwanmu looked as though he had seen something he shouldn’t have.
“No, please leave it to me. I’ll disperse them immediately.”
After calming the surroundings, he vanished in the blink of an eye. It seemed he rushed around whispering something into people’s ears, which proved effective—but unfortunately, Ga-on couldn’t hear it.
Or more precisely, he didn’t have the leisure to focus on it.
The moment the woman appeared, what he felt wasn’t hostility or gratitude, but a sense of déjà vu.
It was the instinct of a martial artist honed over hundreds of years.
Not something that could be dismissed as mere coincidence.
“Have we met somewhere before?”
“Oh my, making a pass at me the moment we meet? That’s a bit much. It’s not that I dislike proactive men, but I prefer a bit more maturity. It’s a shame—if you were about twenty years older, I might have accepted.”
“I didn’t ask, and I’m not curious.”
***
Cafe, Velvet.
A small but charming interior. Worn tableware and chairs. It was the kind of shop commonly found on the outskirts of a district. A place sustained by local regulars.
Of course, it wasn’t somewhere Ga-on had any connection to. It was the woman who had recommended it.
Yes, that unidentified woman.
As he became newly aware of it, a faint scent of cherry blossoms drifted from across the table and tickled his nose. The fragrance seemed to gently wrap around his mind. Perhaps it even had a calming effect, as he felt oddly at ease.
“Please try it. The cake here is really delicious.”
Her tone was relaxed, unfitting for someone who had just subdued multiple grown men. Following her recommendation, Ga-on took a bite and let out a quiet exclamation.
It was worth the price it boldly demanded.
“This isn’t mass-produced.”
“It’s a recipe personally made by the Madam of this shop.”
He glanced toward the counter, but there was no one who looked like a Madam. Noticing his gaze, the woman explained,
“She passed away quite some time ago. Now an android replicates her cooking perfectly.”
“Ah, I see.”
He had heard that some places prospered that way these days.
“But the coffee…”
It was terrible.
“The owner makes that himself.”
“Why bother?”
“Perhaps it’s something he couldn’t change. I heard they ran this shop together since they were newlyweds. It was famous even back then. Delicious cake, terrible coffee.”
Now the wife was gone, and only the husband remained, running the place alone. Ga-on felt like he understood why the man had brought in an android.
“Isn’t it romantic?”