Instead of heading into the busy streets, I chose to take the unofficially used roads and walk in the darkness.
The farther away we went, the quieter the sounds were. I was already walking into the trap so there was no need to rush in.
“Since he came because the Illusion Ghost Emperor was killed, he couldn’t be accompanied by a stronger warrior than him. Or is it possible for him to be stronger than them? Didn’t senior Sword Demon say things about how crazy they are?”
Pervert Demon, who is next to me, answers without thinking.
“How strong was he though? The old man?”
I think for a while and say,
“Well, Yukhap and I fought, and we were stronger. But he fought better than expected. Had experience.”
Pervert Demon stops walking and asks in a serious tone,
“Is the Illusion Ghost Emperor stronger than me?”
“He is strong. He had better internal qi. I mean, he is over 60 years old.”
“But how did you kill him? Together?”
“No.”
“Then?”
I sigh.
“Just move on. The strong guy doesn’t always win.”
“What nonsense.”
I can’t make sense about the fact that I killed people while peeing behind their backs. When I think about it now, I wonder if I was even in my right mind. Cause I was drinking a lot. The reason I wasn’t running right now includes the fact that I want to continue to drive out my drunkenness, and, of course, Pervert Demon is doing the same.
Pervert Demon says,
“You said that the sons of the Cult Leader would be rivals if the generations changed and competed for position to be the best in the world. Well, my peers said that there wouldn’t be that many skilled warriors even in the orthodox sects. And that is all. Master also expected that much.”
“What?”
“Only one will survive in the end. I think the same. For a tiger cub to be a king. Eating the other brother, biting the limbs, destroying the dantian… there will be just one left right? What significance is that? It means that it is advantageous to deal with them now.”
I say,
“You are all so happy to see them fighting.”
“You don’t know because you don’t have siblings, but half siblings aren’t good people like some might think. Especially the ones with money. Brothers aren’t as warm as you think. Like me.”
I nod.
“Since I was a kid, I have been a guy with nothing, so I can’t relate. But I know very well why those Demonic Cult bastards are like that.”
“Why?”
“Those who can kill their own siblings have no bounds.”
“That is right.”
“If those who don’t believe in self believe in only their Gods like the Demonic Cult, it is already a troubled sect. That is why they have a cult with the name Demon in it, instead of a normal one. All because of this.”
Actually, there are more evil deeds this cult did. However, I cannot tell him what hasn’t happened yet.
I ask Pervert Demon when the moon begins to appear.
“Shitty face, since we are fighting together, let me ask you a question.”
“Ask away.”
“How many people can you hit with your most powerful ice arts? If you had to rank it in terms of how many you could take down.”
After thinking for a while, he answers.
“Around 50 to 60… you?”
I reply exaggeratedly without much thought.
“70 for me.”
“Then I am 80.”
“Come to think of it, it is 90.”
“Enough now.”
While walking in the dark, I see a lantern ahead. After a while, a man appears with a lantern and says,
“Sect Leader? This way.”
I stop and stare at the lantern. The man says to me as he holds the lantern,
“I will guide you to where the great young lord is.”
“Nice. Let’s go.”
While holding the shoulder of the man holding the lantern, I say,
“If an assassination comes because of the lantern you are holding, you will die too. How does that feel?”
“Could that happen when I was sent to guide?”
“Do you know the minds of your superiors that well?”
The expression of the guy stiffens at my retort. I walk down the street with this guy next to me and become friends with this lit lantern.
“Where are you guiding me? Is there a base close by?”
“There is a secluded place, and he is waiting there for you.”
“Ah, your one?”
“No.”
“Let’s see who it is.”
I have a thought.
If the three young lords are trying to kill me with loads of troops, it will be actually easy to deal with them. It would mean many useless people, so it is easier to run too. However, if it is in a guesthouse with one or two warriors, it will be difficult.
Obviously the one waiting there would be a strong one.
That said, I am not the type to come all the way here and run away, if I come all the way here and then run, the young lord would harass my Low-Down Sect.
After a while, we go into this messy place with a sign labeled Heavenly Ruler Guest House. The place has a thick smell of blood, as if they were slaughtering themselves.
Young lord was there on the second floor of the inn, looking down at us.
“Welcome in.”
When I look around I’m able to spot three warriors, and no more who catch my eye. The great young lord looks at the two of us and says,
“Master, a guest has arrived.”
I hear subtle footsteps in the kitchen and see a man in his 30s coming out while wiping his hands with an apron cloth. It was the owner of this guest house, dressed in ordinary clothes, and hair shiny as if he oiled it.
‘Hmm….’
As soon as I see the owner, I recognize the guy as the butcher, Baekga. Also known as the Great Chef.
A true warrior who has risen through the ranks of the strong which is what I was hoping for. That is because, out of the young lord and Baekga, the Chef would be the strongest.
In any case, this guest house and this man being here meant that the food was made with human flesh, and the reason why they were here is to catch healthy humans and use them as human meat.
Another title for this rare evil man was Great Chef, so there were many different times when he was running a bar and inn. It was a funny situation.
The butcher asks us,
“Guests, what would you like to eat?”
I answer while sitting at the table.
“Give me alcohol. That’s all.”
When I sit at the table and look at Baekga, he laughs and says,
“The snacks here are delicious.”
I have nothing to say so I sigh and ask the young lord.
“Bring me a drink. Why did you lure me here?”
While Baekga goes into the kitchen, the young lord says,
“I asked a man who is quite infamous in this place to kill, and he said he would have to see for himself to make a decision.”
“I see.”
I look at the Pervert Demon. As soon as he saw the chef, he seemed to get nervous, which is unusual. And only his eyes were darting around.
In any case, it is right for the guy to be nervous.
The Murim working is quite young. This is because warriors belonging to the Five Evils are prosperous enough to receive requests from the sons of the Demonic Cult.
So Baekga is a person who later becomes a part of the Five Evils.
Of course, it wasn’t yet known whether the Five Evils were properly listed on the achievements of the Murim or not. Very few people even knew that this man was a member of Five Evils.
Of course, I knew all the Five Evils so I could recognize them immediately. Pervert Demon too seemed to notice the atmosphere around this person.
Pervert Demon mumbles.
“We should have come with master. Aren’t you too proud?”
“Didn’t you already know?”
“Now what do we do? Shall we retreat?”
I say looking at Pervert Demon,
“Well, I have always been confident in my light footwork. You know what to do.”
“This bastard….”
Baekga, the butcher who came out of the kitchen with a drink, approaches and puts it on the table.
“I am sorry, but this is the only drink we have. And two guests do not leave the guest house without my permission.”
Baekga, walks with his back to us and then sits a little further away looking at the young lord.
“So, it is these two? You asked me to kill one, so why did you bring two?”
To which young lord laughs and says,
“It doesn’t matter if you kill just one more. Sounds good?”
“Tell me the conditions.”
He ignores us and begins to negotiate with the guy again.
“If you take on this task then I will give you a thousand coins. I will station an outside group. You will be free to act and not take orders or do anything for the Cult. Like today, if you take care of the person I am talking about from time to time, I will continue to pay you a lot of money. Of course, I have no intention of solving it with martial arts alone. If you want martial arts, I will bring you books, I will even use my own connections to bring you food ingredients which are rare to find. I hear you are a chef…. Shouldn’t you be at a level to entrust yourself with a job to a master who is hard to get?”
Baekga looks at us and smiles.
“… right. Who is the Low-Down Sect Leader?”
I point straight to Pervert Demon and say,
“This way.”
To which he sighs.
“… phew. I am-”
I cut off his words.
“Shut up. Low-Down Sect Leader. You bad man.”
Suddenly, the guy gives up making excuses at my act and giggles. I poured myself the alcohol which was brought. Then, while holding out a drink to Pervert Demon, I say,
“Sect Leader, one glass?”
“You have it alone.”
In the end, I drank alone and hastily spit it out on the ground.
“Spit! This fucked… what is this taste?”
I glare at Baekga who is looking at me with an absurd expression, so I ask again.
“Master, why does this taste like this? Why bother selling alcohol? Did you mix stagnant water into this? Or poop? Even if you mix water it won’t work. You must have sold shit instead of alcohol. No wonder you look like a moron. Ugh! Fucking! Spit!….”
Baekga glares at me with scary eyes.
“….”
I say, twirling my fingers near my temple,
“Since you drink this, the wires in your head are a mess and so you strive for human flesh to eat. This brat. There are so many delicious things in the world, but you want to eat the sick human meat?”
Pervert Demon next to me hits the table.
“Stop. I will die even if he doesn’t accept the request.”
I reply with a polite tone.
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
Pervert Demon sighs and looks at the Butcher.
“Great Chef.”
Surprisingly, he too seemed to know the identity of this man. So, Butcher laughs and says,
“A younger kid knows me?”
Pervert Demon replies,
“I recognized you because master had mentioned you from time to time. The clothes and atmosphere are the same as I heard.”
“Your master is?”
“Sword Demon.”
“Ah….”
The Butcher shakes his shoulders and laughs, and then looks at the three warriors.
“Young lord, are you asking me to get chased by Sword Demon? Isn’t this something worth more than just a thousand coins? I will be raising the cost.”
This made the young lord narrow his eyes.
“Are you afraid of Sword Demon?”
The butcher replies,
“You are the son of the Cult Leader who had never bled in life, and he is a man infamous before you were even born. You want to make this happen with just a thousand coins?”
Young lord’s subordinates intervene.
“What disrespect is this towards the young lord?”
Butcher asks young lord,
“Can I kill him?”
To which the young lord shakes his head.
“Hold back.”
In an instant, the guy swings his left hand and the subordinate who interrupted flies back to the wall and passes out right away.
Young lord looks down at the Butcher and says,
“Senior Baekga, isn’t the offer to your benefit? You are accustomed to killing people, and if you get caught, then you will be chased by Im So-baek. To be honest, I am in a situation where I need more warriors. Be it that I succeed or fail in the future, it won’t be a loss to you just because you often receive financial support from us.”
I answer instead of the Butcher,
“Oh my, you people cannot work. Your father will love that. Didn’t you ask a man who eats human flesh to kill? If your father hears this, you will die. How did Demonic Cult fall this far? I came to see the skills of the Cult Leader’s son, but I get a butcher being put on me instead?”
Young lord points his hand at me and asks the Butcher.
“See that? He is one to do this. But, that man there is the disciple of Sword Demon, and he is the Low-Down Sect leader.”
Baekga looks at me and laughs.
“Right. You are Low-Down Sect Leader.”
I point my finger at him.
“Illusion Ghost Emperor died at my hand while relaxing like you. But before that, I have something to offer.”
Butcher answers with a look of anticipation.
“Something being?”
I say pointing to the young lord,
“If you kill the son of the Cult Leader in my place, you will get a thousand coins. 100 more too.”
As soon as I say it….
The young lord, Pervert Demon, and the Butcher all sigh at the same time. It wasn’t likely that the situation would change with 100 coins, but I felt excited like I was in a gambling den. This is why people get addicted to gambling.
I look at the young lord with expectant eyes.
“Will you take it? Speak.”
With a determined face Baekga said,
“First of all, I will cut off the arms of the Low-Down Sect Leader. He is a funny guy so there is no need to kill him right away. I mean, he seems to have a lot of money. How does that sound?”
Young lord speaks with a satisfied look.
“Good.”
I also nod and say,
“Confirmed.”
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