The Northernmost Safe Zone, Near the Slum's Danger Zone
A black market was unfolding in the ghostly streets of the slum, which was thoroughly controlled and isolated from the outside world.
Outside that black market, a man was walking leisurely.
Around him, several warriors followed, and with every step he took, all the pests of the Baekgolpa gang that lunged toward him were swiftly dealt with.
Some of the warriors escorting the man began to report.
"All external movement has been completely restricted. Not even a single rat will escape."
"The jammer is functioning properly. All video surveillance has been cut off."
"We have also subdued all of Baekgolpa's forces within the slum."
The man receiving the report gave a slight nod with an expressionless face.
"Units 1 and 2, push straight into the outer wall. Sweep through quickly. Leave all items in place as evidence, and capture the people for interrogation. Move now."
Even as battles erupted everywhere, the man gave his orders in a calm tone, as if he were merely taking a stroll.
That man was none other than Lee Jae-hak, the seventh son of the Soongmu family.
And the warriors fighting under him were his elite force, the Geumgeomdan.
As soon as Lee Jae-hak's command was given, the warriors around him charged forward.
Thud! Crack! Boom!
It took only a matter of seconds to take control of the black market's outer walls, disable the magical defenses, and subdue the Baekgolpa warriors stationed throughout the area.
From the moment they entered the slum, it had taken them merely five minutes to breach the black market.
Masked customers of the black market were all bound, and not a single item on the stalls had been disturbed.
Walking down the now-cleared streets of the black market, Lee Jae-hak muttered his assessment indifferently.
"I expected the Kowloon Society to have a hand in this, but it seems they were just lowlifes after all."
The burly warrior beside him narrowed his eyes sharply.
"They must be insane. Wandering vagrants, daring to exploit the name of the Soongmu family. This is what happens when you reduce your external activities, young master. These kinds of fools start running rampant."
"That may be true. But… as expected, something feels off."
Lee Jae-hak looked around with a peculiar expression.
"What do you mean by that, sir?"
"Don't you think this whole thing stinks?"
"Stinks? What are you trying to say?"
"You know as well as I do. We hit Baekjeol, and we received two different pieces of intelligence about it."
The reason Lee Jae-hak was here stemmed from two reports caught in his information network.
One came from the president of a corporate partner. The other was information gathered independently by Geumgeomdan.
The corporate president's intelligence came from someone connected to Baekgolpa.
However, the information Geumgeomdan obtained felt unnatural.
"The corporate side's intel was expected, so it's not important. But the direction in which Geumgeomdan received its information is suspicious."
Though both pieces of information pointed to the same subject, the way Geumgeomdan received theirs felt too intentional.
"It's as if someone deliberately led you here, young master?"
"Exactly."
The warrior's eyes flared with anger.
"So you believe Kowloon Society set a trap?"
"I thought they might have broken the seal and stolen Baekjeol to lure me in. But the seal on Baekjeol is intact, and there's no sign of activity from the Kowloon Society."
That would mean the Baekgolpa gang orchestrated this themselves—which made no sense.
What kind of lunatic would deliberately strangle their own organization by spreading such information?
"Who could it be? What do they stand to gain? Who… Hmm?"
As Lee Jae-hak pondered, his eyes suddenly widened.
"No way… could it be him?"
Unconsciously, he let out a chuckle.
Thinking about it, there was only one person who could have done this. The way the whole operation was orchestrated—it was just like him.
"What is it, sir?"
The Geumgeomdan leader tilted his head.
"If they hadn't been caught, it wouldn't have mattered. But since they've been exposed, they'll have to pay a hefty price."
Ignoring the commander's puzzled gaze, Lee Jae-hak turned his eyes to the distance.
***
A few days earlier, inside the black market's warehouse with Jung Jin-soo…
I spoke to Jung Jin-soo, who was trembling in fear, lying face down on the ground.
"I have a proposal for you."
Jung Jin-soo was still shaking, but I continued, unfazed.
"I'm going to destroy the black market. And of course, Baek Cheol-soo has to be eliminated as well. For that, I plan to use my lord… no, my brother."
At my words, Jung Jin-soo flinched.
Brother.
He knew exactly what that meant.
"Could it be the direct bloodline? But the seventh son… has a younger brother."
A younger brother who, in an unprecedented move, had recently entered the ranks of warriors at a staggering pace, making headlines.
The ninth son of the Soongmu family.
The youngest, yet an illegitimate child—Lee Cheol.
Even though it was an internal affair of the Soongmu family, rumors about Lee Cheol had spread far and wide.
But how could this be?
Lee Cheol was only fifteen years old.
However, what stood before him now was…
Click—
That was the moment.
The man who had introduced himself as Lee Cheol brought his hand to his face.
And when he lowered it again, in his grasp was an iron mask.
The face of the seasoned warrior, exuding an air of experience, had transformed into that of a sharp-featured, handsome young boy.
"It was real."
Jung Jin-soo swallowed hard, shaken by the revelation.
Looking down at him, I continued speaking.
"Whether you accept it or not, the facts won't change. The information has already reached my seventh brother, and the Golden Sword Squad will move."
My seventh brother is more of a businessman than a warrior, but even he carries the blood of the Soongmuiga family.
If someone had been impersonating him and causing trouble, he would never let it slide.
"And once my elder brother arrives, not only the White Bone Faction but also you won't be left unscathed. After all, you were the one overseeing the black market instead of Baek Cheol-soo. Do you really think they'd just let you go?"
There was only one possible future for an organization that had provoked Soongmuiga.
Especially since their actions had deviated from the accepted norms, the black market and the White Bone Faction would be erased from existence without a trace.
And in the midst of that process, there was no escaping the inevitable fate awaiting him.
Soongmuiga never showed mercy.
"I have to escape."
But even if he ran, could he truly escape from both the White Bone Faction and Soongmuiga?
No.
He was neither a warrior nor a magician—just an ordinary person.
"Should I reveal everything to Baek Cheol-soo… or try to establish a connection with Soongmuiga?"
Jung Jin-soo racked his brain in that brief moment.
And then—
As countless thoughts surged and dissipated in his mind, he realized something.
Lee Cheol had revealed his true self.
The fact that Lee Cheol had exposed his real face meant only one thing—
There were no choices left for him.
Gritting his teeth, Jung Jin-soo forced out his words, enunciating each syllable with difficulty.
"Why… why are you telling me this? You called it a proposal earlier, didn't you?"
Lee Cheol gave a faint smile.
And then he spoke.
"I'm contemplating whether to let you live."
"…!"
Jung Jin-soo's eyes widened in shock.
"What… what do you want from me?"
"Abandon Baek Cheol-soo and follow me. Work for me from now on."
Though it was phrased as a proposal, in truth, there was never an option.
Taking a deep breath, Jung Jin-soo tried to steady his trembling heart.
But his expression remained dark.
It was clear what was weighing on his mind.
"Can you promise me one thing?"
"Speak."
"Protect my daughter. No—heal her. If you do, I'll do as you ask. Even if it costs me my life."
Jung Jin-soo, instead of pleading for his own safety, set a condition—his daughter's well-being came first.
Seeing this, I smirked.
"You think you're in a position to make demands right now?"
"If you refuse, I'll go to Baek Cheol-soo this very moment and reveal everything. In the end, both the White Bone Faction and I will be doomed, but Baek Cheol-soo will do everything in his power to escape. Even Soongmuiga would need time to catch him."
Jung Jin-soo staggered to his feet, straightening his back.
"And while Baek Cheol-soo may be nothing more than a thug, he has an indomitable will. He will eventually be caught by Lee Jae-hak, but… considering your current circumstances, that would be a major nuisance for you."
At this moment, I was still in the middle of my warrior pilgrimage.
If Baek Cheol-soo sought revenge, he would undoubtedly interfere with my journey.
Jung Jin-soo had pinpointed that exact vulnerability.
"Now this is the Jung Jin-soo I know."
His eyes burned with determination.
Like a man who had staked everything, he was making his final bet.
"Fine. Healing your daughter won't be difficult. But let me correct one thing."
I locked eyes with Jung Jin-soo.
"Even if you tell the truth, Soongmuiga won't take long to track down Baek Cheol-soo. The difference is whether he gets caught immediately or manages to survive a few more hours on the run."
"...."
Jung Jin-soo pursed his lips tightly.
"Well, either way, it's fine. I was planning to take care of your family's situation anyway. And if you follow my orders, you'll be able to walk away unscathed even after the White Bone Faction is wiped out."
Jung Jin-soo's gaze darkened.
"What do you want me to do?"
I gave him a few instructions.
Make sure the information flows to the seventh elder brother. Also, tell Baek Cheol-su that I am undoubtedly under the seventh elder brother's command.
This order was also a final test for Jeong Jin-su.
I didn't completely trust Jeong Jin-su.
He could betray me and reveal the truth to Baek Cheol-su, or he might not follow the instructions exactly.
Or he might try to find another way out based on his own judgment.
That's why, as a safeguard, I leaked information to the Geumgeomdan.
* * *
And now.
Jeong Jin-su did not betray me.
On the contrary, he executed my instructions more discreetly and precisely than I had expected.
Jeong Jin-su successfully blinded and deafened Baek Cheol-su, while the seventh elder brother led the Geumgeomdan in taking control of the black market.
With trembling but determined eyes, Jeong Jin-su approached me.
"You didn't betray me, after all."
"You must have had several contingency plans. If I had betrayed you, did I have any way to survive?"
No, there wasn't. I had already cut off all escape routes.
"You'll hear about it on the way."
As I left the chaotic black market, I listened to Jeong Jin-su speak.
"All the items you ordered are here."
Jeong Jin-su pulled out documents and a USB from his inner pocket and handed them to me.
"Baek Cheol-su preferred tangible assets over storing slush funds in separate accounts. The gold bars he converted into physical assets are stored in a vault in Seoul. The cryptocurrency accounts are saved on this USB."
I took the documents and USB.
Then, I entered a building not far from the auction house—one that the Geumgeomdan had not yet infiltrated.
Inside, a special case was waiting.
I entered the correct passcode and opened the case, revealing the stone tablet I had instructed to be retrieved in advance.
Using my Ma-an, I examined it and confirmed it was genuine.
Jeong Jin-su had secured it properly.
"Did you prepare the documents?"
"Yes."
Jeong Jin-su tightly gripped his briefcase.
Now, he answered without hesitation. There was no trace of emotional turmoil or weakness that he had shown before.
"Keep them safe. They'll be your lifeline. Just like the letter I gave you."
The escape route I had prepared for Jeong Jin-su was to use the information he had gathered.
He would take those documents directly to the seventh elder brother.
With that undeniable evidence, the seventh elder brother would clean up the black market and everyone involved, using their weaknesses to his advantage.
'I just hope he'll be lenient.'
I had proposed a deal that I believed was reasonable, so the seventh elder brother would likely accept it.
If he didn't… well, I had other plans for that.
"You must keep the letter with you. Otherwise, they might think you just turned yourself in to save your own skin."
"You don't have to worry."
I nodded and locked eyes with Jeong Jin-su.
"Then I'll be on my way. If Geumgeomdan's warriors show up to search this place…"
Just as I was about to pick up the special case and leave—
Shuaaak!
A presence sliced through the air.
And then—
Kwaaaang!
With a deafening crash, the building's wall exploded as a massive man burst in.
"Khehehe! You frauds… you dare try to take down the great Baek Cheol-su?"
Baek Cheol-su.
Clutching a dagger radiating with Aura, he glared at me, emanating a murderous intent.
I put down the case and faced him.
"Give up. You're finished anyway."
"Yeah, maybe so. But…"
Kwa-gagagaga!
Aura crackled like lightning across Baek Cheol-su's entire body.
"I won't go down alone. I'll tear you both to shreds."
Baek Cheol-su lunged forward like a beast, slashing his dagger.
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