Chapter 12: Do You Think We’re a Joke? (3)
The atmosphere inside the room turned icy.
In particular, Black Hand, a man who lived on nothing but his pride, had his face twist into something vicious.
Maggot?
It was truly the most humiliating comparison he had ever heard in his life.
If Wang Gon was an old maggot, then that meant he himself was a young maggot.
Perhaps it would have been different if he were the sort of person who could laugh over drinks and joke, “Well, at least I was a young maggot.”
But Black Hand was the kind of man who crippled anyone who uttered even a single word that rubbed him the wrong way.
The killing intent radiating from Black Hand swept through the room with unmistakable purpose.
Everyone present understood.
Black Hand had decided to kill Baek Socheon.
Wang Gon had no need to get angry.
Black Hand would punish him in his place.
Not that he would listen even if someone tried to stop him, but Wang Gon had no desire to stop him anyway.
‘Arrest us? Maggots? This fucking lunatic!’
Fine.
Now that maggots had entered the conversation, there would have to be a corpse as well.
Unlike the rapidly escalating situation around him, Baek Socheon remained perfectly calm.
“If we don’t arrest these bastards now, I don’t think we’ll be leaving this place.”
No.
There was still another way.
He could immediately drop to his knees and beg for mercy.
If he did that, both he and Beon Saeng might survive.
But Baek Socheon would never do such a thing.
Save himself by sacrificing Baek Socheon?
Just because Baek Socheon had been a bit prickly?
Because he had shaken up Beon Saeng?
Because they had only known each other for a few days?
No matter what, he couldn’t let the man die.
But if he gave the order to arrest them…
Neither Black Hand nor Wang Gon would submit peacefully.
They would carry out the threats they had made earlier.
Lim Chung realised that his decision would determine not only his own life but Beon Saeng’s as well.
‘Get on your knees and beg. Beg them to spare Baek Socheon too.’
His reason sent the command to his body.
But his knees refused to obey.
No—
The command never even reached them.
His emotions intercepted it before it could.
They had been shouting at him all this time.
‘Never bow to these miserable bastards!’
Lim Chung looked at Baek Socheon.
‘You really are turning even my life upside down.’
Yet today’s events had undeniably started because of him.
These two had come here to save him.
Still looking at Baek Socheon, Lim Chung slowly nodded.
“Arrest them.”
At the same moment, his heart screamed.
‘This is insanity.’
Still pinned beneath Black Hand’s foot, Beon Saeng’s mouth fell open.
‘Ah… we’re all dead now!’
Even so, Beon Saeng placed his last hope in Baek Socheon.
‘Hyungnim, please save us! I’ve never even slept with a woman yet!’
He was already twenty-six years old.
If he confessed this secret, one he had never dared tell anyone, he somehow felt Baek Socheon would save him.
If they had been alone, he really would have shouted it aloud.
Baek Socheon stepped forward, about to say something to Wang Gon and Black Hand, then looked back at Lim Chung.
“Ah, what are their names?”
“The Divine Transformation Gang’s leader Wang Gon, and the martial artist Black Hand.”
Baek Socheon addressed the two of them in a loud, ringing voice.
“Wang Gon, leader of the Divine Transformation Gang. Black Hand, martial artist of the Divine Transformation Gang. I am placing you under arrest for assaulting, threatening, and attempting to bribe members of the Martial Alliance.”
Wang Gon looked back and forth between Lim Chung and Baek Socheon before slowly shaking his head.
“So there’s no helping it now. Fine. Sometimes assumptions do become reality.”
He turned toward Black Hand and gave a cold order.
“Let’s see what kind of maggots crawl out of that bastard’s body.”
It was an order to kill Baek Socheon first.
He wanted to kill all three of them.
But doing that would make cleaning up afterward far too troublesome.
There was a difference between killing one martial artist and killing even a Branch Leader.
First, he would kill Baek Socheon.
Then he would make the other two submit completely.
If he forced Lim Chung to stand by and cover up his comrade’s death, he could use that weakness to keep him as a slave for the rest of his life.
‘This actually works out better.’
Black Hand lifted his foot from Beon Saeng’s chest and walked toward Baek Socheon.
Stopping a few paces away, he levelled his sword at him.
“I’ll start with your arms and legs. Tell me—which one should I cut off first?”
Instead of showing fear, Baek Socheon calmly added another charge.
“Assault, threats, bribery… and now attempted murder.”
“Attempted murder? That’s unfortunate. It won’t be an attempt. It’ll be murder.”
Baek Socheon grinned at Black Hand’s mockery.
“Unfortunately for you, it’ll remain an attempt.”
“You crazy bastard!”
Black Hand instantly closed the distance and thrust his sword.
Whoosh.
It was fast.
Precise.
And filled with unmistakable killing intent.
A perfect attack in every respect.
As it reached Baek Socheon in an instant—
“No!”
Lim Chung cried out.
The moment he shouted, regret washed over him.
‘What have I done?’
Had he forgotten how strong Black Hand was?
No.
He knew.
Black Hand’s strength was exactly why Wang Gon had acted so arrogantly.
He must have been bewitched for a moment.
Just like Beon Saeng.
He too must have been momentarily bewitched by Baek Socheon.
They should have begged somehow and all survived together.
Thud!
A crisp, heavy impact echoed through the room.
Baek Socheon and Black Hand stood pressed close together.
“Ah!”
Lim Chung, Beon Saeng, and Wang Gon all cried out at the same time after seeing what had happened.
For two of them, it was a shout of joy.
For the other, it was one of horrified disbelief.
Black Hand’s sword had missed, extending past Baek Socheon’s twisted torso.
Baek Socheon’s elbow had struck Black Hand squarely in the face.
The two remained frozen as though time itself had stopped.
Clang.
Black Hand’s sword hit the floor first.
Thud.
A moment later, with his nose completely shattered, Black Hand toppled backward stiffly like a stone statue.
A single move.
Baek Socheon had subdued him with nothing but pure external strength, without using any Internal Energy.
Everyone stared in silence.
Not one person had imagined Black Hand would be defeated in a single move.
Everyone had been so focused on the outcome that no one noticed the training wrist weights fastened around Baek Socheon’s wrists.
Even while wearing those heavy restraints, he had dodged Black Hand’s attack and knocked him unconscious with a single blow.
Beon Saeng hurried over to check on him.
“He’s not dead, is he?”
Fortunately, Black Hand was still alive.
Though, if Beon Saeng were being honest, he wished the bastard had died.
If they killed a martial artist of the Divine Transformation Gang, the gang’s headquarters would undoubtedly seek revenge.
Killing someone and officially arresting them were entirely different matters.
Fearing Black Hand might regain consciousness, Beon Saeng quickly sealed his Internal Energy.
Wang Gon stood there half out of his mind.
He had never imagined Black Hand would be subdued in a single move.
‘What… what is this?’
Baek Socheon slowly walked toward him.
Wang Gon instinctively backed away.
Though he was the leader, Black Hand’s martial arts were far superior to his own.
If Black Hand had been defeated, there was no point in him even trying.
To begin with, he had never possessed talent for martial arts.
He had always believed it was better to spend that time learning schemes and manipulation instead.
“Stay back! Come any closer and I’ll kill you!”
He deliberately shouted loudly.
But none of his subordinates came.
Wang Gon regretted arranging to meet Lim Chung here.
He had expected a confidential conversation, so he had chosen the most secluded guest hall and intentionally kept everyone except Black Hand far away.
Then again…
Even if they had been here, they would have been useless against someone who knocked Black Hand down in a single blow.
“If you lay a hand on me, headquarters won’t let this go! You know that much, don’t you?”
“Of course they won’t let it go. The question is whether they’ll replace the leader who caused all the trouble first.”
For a moment, Wang Gon’s heart nearly stopped.
Baek Socheon had spoken casually.
Yet he had described Wang Gon’s future with frightening accuracy.
The Divine Transformation Gang Leader was the sort of man who would quietly replace a troublesome leader rather than stir up trouble over a subordinate’s death.
Wang Gon shouted again.
“Even if the Divine Transformation Gang doesn’t move, I can call in every connection I have! You’ll all be finished!”
“Connections…”
Baek Socheon nodded.
“Connections are nice. But what a shame. Assaulting, threatening, bribing, and attempting to murder members of the Martial Alliance. You’ll probably spend thirty years locked away in Thunder Prison.”
“Thirty years!”
That realistic number made Wang Gon’s face twitch violently.
“Will you even still be alive by then? Connections? Do you really think you have connections willing to stand against the Martial Alliance just to save you? I reckon the only thing gathered around you is a pile of shit fit for a maggot.”
Wang Gon couldn’t deny it.
There wasn’t a single person he himself would protect if it meant opposing the Martial Alliance.
If that was true of him, it would be true of everyone else.
A horrifying reality he had never once considered crashed over him like a tidal wave.
His head spun.
In the end, he fell back on the same thing he had shouted from the beginning.
“Don’t be ridiculous! I’m Leader Wang of the Divine Transformation Gang! The Divine Transformation Gang!”
“Hey, Leader Wang.”
Baek Socheon’s cold gaze made Wang Gon flinch.
“You’ve been playing king out in the countryside for so long that you’ve started looking down on the Martial Alliance, haven’t you?”
His voice was calm.
Yet it was far more terrifying than any savage death threat.
Perhaps it was because of those eyes.
Eyes that looked down on him as though he were an insect.
Wang Gon recognised that expression better than anyone.
It was the same look he wore whenever he looked at the weak.
The look he gave just before crushing them beneath his feet.
“You heard Taejeong died, didn’t you? People I beat up seem to have particularly bad luck afterward. Let’s see just how lucky our Leader Wang really is.”
“Ugh… Stay away. You bastard! Stay—”
Smack!
Baek Socheon’s fist drove squarely into his face.
Half out of his senses already, Wang Gon couldn’t avoid that single punch.
His head snapped violently to the side, broken teeth flying through the air.
His entire body spun with the motion before he collapsed spread-eagled onto the floor.
Thud.
Baek Socheon dragged his limp body across the floor and dropped it before Lim Chung.
Wang Gon had already lost consciousness, his face a complete mess.
“As ordered, I’ve arrested both of them.”
Silence filled the room.
Lim Chung and Beon Saeng felt as though they were dreaming.
“You…”
Lim Chung couldn’t find the words.
He was grateful.
And yet, at the same time, resentful.
What now awaited them dwarfed the capture of the Taejeong Sect or even Taejeong’s death.
They had arrested the man in charge of the Divine Transformation Gang’s southern region and his right-hand man.
And that was only the beginning.
Wang Gon would use every excuse, every trick, every scheme to escape responsibility.
The Divine Transformation Gang itself might even intervene.
Meanwhile, he was nothing more than a Branch Leader from some rural backwater with no backing whatsoever.
He had no idea whether this disaster could even be cleaned up.
Whether Baek Socheon understood his thoughts or not, he simply said,
“It was incredibly foolish to come here alone in a fit of anger. But refusing the bribe—that was well done.”
Having said only what he wanted to say, Baek Socheon turned and walked out first.
Watching his back, Beon Saeng cautiously spoke.
“Branch Leader, would you like to become my sworn brother too? We need one more person for our oath of brotherhood…”
“You lunatic.”
“You’re right. I’ve gone mad. How else is anyone supposed to survive a situation like this without going crazy?”
Looking down at the unconscious Wang Gon and Black Hand, Lim Chung let out a long sigh.
Still…
Deep inside, one thing felt strangely satisfying.
What Baek Socheon had said to Wang Gon earlier—
It was something Lim Chung himself had always wanted to say whenever he looked at Wang Gon and Black Hand, who had treated them with utter contempt.
—You’ve been playing king out in the countryside for so long that you’ve started looking down on the Martial Alliance, haven’t you?
The moment those words were spoken, it felt as though something long lodged in his chest had finally burst free.
That was why, despite the mountain of problems waiting for him, he didn’t feel all that bad right now.
Lim Chung looked down at the unconscious Wang Gon.
‘Fine. Maybe I was the one who looked pathetic. But I never once thought the Martial Alliance was something to laugh at.’
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