Dodging Baek Cheol-soo's sudden strike, I grabbed Mujin tightly.
"Chief Jung, you bastard. I showed you mercy to save your daughter… and you dare betray me?"
Baek Cheol-soo glared at Jung Jin-soo, who stood beside me.
"Hah, you… So that's what it was. You used some kind of trick to change your face? No wonder your voice sounded like that brat's."
He ground his teeth, glancing back and forth between Jung Jin-soo and me.
It seemed he had pieced together the situation.
'Did he figure it out with just this much?'
As expected, he wasn't an easy opponent.
Just by looking at us, he was already close to the truth.
"Die!"
Baek Cheol-soo kicked off the ground again.
Swish!
It was another surprise attack, but my instincts had already anticipated it.
I easily dodged by leaping to the side.
"So, you're not completely useless, huh? At least tell me your name. Who the hell are you, brat?"
"I'm Lee Cheol of the Soongmuiga clan."
Baek Cheol-soo blinked for a moment before bursting into laughter, as if he couldn't believe it.
"Kuhaha! So you're telling me… I was played by some wet-behind-the-ears illegitimate son? Hahaha!"
Then, his laughter abruptly stopped.
"A delicate flower raised in a greenhouse… You think the world isn't scary just because you have noble blood?"
Baek Cheol-soo tossed his dagger in the air and caught it again, sneering.
His words made me scoff involuntarily.
'A greenhouse? Me, a flower?'
If Soongmuiga were a greenhouse, then the world would've ended several times over by now.
Well, it's not like he would know what my clan is really like.
"Enough talking. Come at me."
"Kuhaha, you arrogant brat! Looks like I'll be butchering someone again today!"
Whoosh!
Baek Cheol-soo kicked off the ground, rushing toward me.
I shoved Jung Jin-soo aside along with the case and swung Mujin.
Boom!
Aura clashed against aura.
I had intended to block it lightly, but the sheer pressure crushed down on my entire body.
Both Baek Cheol-soo and I were at the fifth rank.
However, even within the same rank, there were clear differences in mastery.
Baek Cheol-soo had trained in a proper martial sect, honing both magic and martial arts through years of real combat.
The gap in sheer martial prowess was undeniable.
Moreover, he had an advantage over me—his fully matured physique.
I was still growing, whereas his body had already reached its peak.
'But still!'
I had never once fought an opponent weaker than myself.
And I had always emerged victorious against those stronger than me.
Sssk!
Mujin instantly shifted into the form of a longsword, deflecting Baek Cheol-soo's dagger.
"Shit, a weapon that changes shape at will? So it really wasn't Baek Jeol, huh, Jung Jin-soo, you son of a—"
As Mujin's form suddenly changed, Baek Cheol-soo growled and shot a glare at Jung Jin-soo.
'You're getting distracted in the middle of a fight?'
I didn't miss the opening.
Krrk!
Dashing forward, I swung Mujin, slicing through Baek Cheol-soo's sleeve.
"You arrogant little bastard!"
Enraged, Baek Cheol-soo hurled his dagger.
His movements were far too agile for the leader of a band of vagrants.
'This is tough. But…'
Wooong!
My Mystic Eye read the flow.
My instincts sensed his every move.
Soongmuiga's tough physique could withstand even Baek Cheol-soo's massive frame.
I had already defeated my sixth sister, who was twice as fast as him.
Crash! Crack!
Each time Mujin and his dagger clashed, remnants of aura exploded, making the building tremble as if it were screaming.
I leaped outside, creating distance.
Baek Cheol-soo let out a roar and chased after me.
Even at a glance, it was clear that he was on the offensive.
But he couldn't afford to let his guard down.
'How the hell is this brat so strong?!'
It felt like going up against an immovable boulder.
He could understand that my magic power was similar to his, given that I was from a prestigious clan.
But the depth of my martial arts was far beyond what any "kid" should possess.
I dodged and parried every unorthodox strike his dagger unleashed, completely unscathed.
Gasp!
Swish!
And the moment there was even the slightest opening, an attack surged in without fail.
"Ugh!"
He barely twisted his waist to evade.
But once again, his clothes were torn. If he had been even a fraction slower, the blade would have pierced his flesh.
"Damn it!"
His fundamentals were not just solid—they were like an iron fortress.
On top of that, the unpredictable weapon that constantly changed form made it feel like he was fighting not one, but three or four opponents at once.
'I was planning to take down this bastard along with Jung Jin-su and then get out of here!'
In truth, Baek Cheol-su had some ties to the Kowloon Syndicate.
If he ran away now, he might just manage to keep his life, but he had already made up his mind—he wasn't leaving without slitting these two bastards' throats.
'I'll finish this quickly! You won't be able to dodge this!'
Thud!
Baek Cheol-su kicked the ground with a burst of aura-infused force.
Chunks of asphalt shattered and shot toward Lee Cheol's face like grains of sand.
"Tsk!"
Lee Cheol blocked the debris, but that wasn't Baek Cheol-su's real aim.
While Lee Cheol's vision was obstructed, a dagger hidden in Baek Cheol-su's left sleeve came into view.
Flash!
Execution Technique, First Form—Silent Forest Tiger Strike.
It was the same strike that had once severed his master's head. The very same finishing blow he had used countless times to silence arrogant wanderers in the underworld!
Slash!
Two daggers shot forward like the jaws of a pair of scissors.
And then—
'Fast!'
A strike far stronger and swifter than anything seen before!
Even with his Mystic Eye, dodging was impossible.
"Ugh!"
He barely managed to block the dagger coming from the right.
As for the one stabbing from the left, he twisted his shoulder outward as much as he could to deflect it.
Swish!
But he couldn't evade completely.
A deep wound tore open on his shoulder, throwing his posture into disarray.
'Now!'
Baek Cheol-su's eyes gleamed with killing intent.
This was the perfect moment to sever that arrogant brat's life.
'Die!'
He gathered every ounce of aura within him and launched himself forward.
Even at the cost of internal injuries, he had drawn out his full strength, causing his aura to flare up like wildfire.
All of that power condensed into the two daggers in his hands.
There was no retreat.
His opponent could block either his head or his heart.
But with his balance broken, he wouldn't be able to stop both.
'Die!'
Lee Cheol's death was all but certain.
But Baek Cheol-su failed to realize—
That an eye capable of reading everything wouldn't be fooled by something as petty as a cloud of dust.
Even as his stance crumbled, a new weapon had already found its way into his grip.
"...!"
Black Night.
A pitch-black blade, as if forged from the very essence of darkness, revealed itself.
Baek Cheol-su's eyes widened in horror.
He hurriedly tried to retract his outstretched right hand.
But in an instant, Moo-jin had shifted into its whip form and coiled around Baek Cheol-su's wrist.
At that moment, as the left dagger grazed his temple and cut a few strands of hair—
Jung Jin-su let out an involuntary scream.
But I grinned in triumph and swung Black Night.
Moo-jin, First Form—Demon Severance.
A decisive killing move slashed diagonally from Baek Cheol-su's shoulder down to his abdomen.
"Guh…! Kugh…! Wh-what…?"
Squelch!
A gruesome sound echoed as blood drenched the front of his body.
"Guhh! Kaaargh!"
He let out a strangled cry and collapsed.
The slash had cut through his ribcage and even his organs.
He hadn't died instantly, but it was a fatal wound nonetheless.
"You… b-bastard…"
Baek Cheol-su gritted his teeth and cursed through the pain.
But there was no reason to listen to the last words of a lowly thug like him.
Swish!
I severed Baek Cheol-su's neck in one swift motion.
It was the moment when Baek Cheol-su, the butcher who would have made a name for himself in the underworld of South Korea, met his end.
"Hoo—"
I let out a deep breath.
Stagger!
My body wavered, perhaps from internal injuries in my legs.
Leaning on Heukya and Mujin like a cane, I steadied myself.
"Are… are you all right?"
Jeong Jin-su, who had been watching the battle from a distance, hurried over to support me.
I gave a slight nod and turned my gaze to Baek Cheol-su's severed head, which had rolled across the ground and come to a stop.
"Was this my first kill in this life?"
Yet, I felt nothing.
I had already experienced this before in my previous life, and I hadn't lived the kind of life where such things could still stir my emotions.
With a single exhale, I cleared my mind.
"..."
Jeong Jin-su stared at Baek Cheol-su's headless corpse.
It was the moment the villain who had ruined his life finally disappeared.
The overwhelming stench of blood and the pool of crimson spreading across the floor made him nauseous, but he forced himself to take in the sight of Baek Cheol-su's death before turning his gaze back to Lee Cheol.
"Just fifteen years old… Only a few years older than my daughter…"
Strong.
He didn't know much about martial prowess, but he knew Baek Cheol-su was no ordinary thug.
Jeong Jin-su now saw Lee Cheol in a new light.
Though their height difference meant he always looked down at the boy, at this moment, Lee Cheol seemed much larger than him.
"…Thank you."
Before he knew it, those words had slipped from his lips.
Lee Cheol waved his hand dismissively.
"No need. I only did it because I had something to gain."
"Then… what should I do now?"
"It's good to be eager, but first, finish dealing with this. And your daughter—take care of her first. Our deal starts there."
Jeong Jin-su's eyes glimmered.
This young boy before him was also someone who lived by the sword, but he was fundamentally different from Baek Cheol-su.
A gut feeling, almost a certainty.
If his daughter was cured, and if Lee Cheol contacted him again…
Then, he would devote himself to this boy.
Boom! Bang!
The underground market grew even more chaotic.
The Baekgol Clan was making its last desperate stand, signaling that it was time for Lee Cheol to leave.
"Can you escape in that condition? You must not be seen."
I silently nodded at Jeong Jin-su's words.
The Geumgeom Corps had the area surrounded, so escaping wouldn't be easy.
If my identity was revealed in the process, it would be a hassle.
It wouldn't matter if people knew I was involved, but dragging my seventh brother into this would be problematic.
"Don't worry. I'll get out of here when the time is right."
The Geumgeom Corps was formidable.
But I had my own tricks—stealth techniques, disguises.
And this wasn't some vast open field or perilous wasteland.
It was a rundown slum, yes, but still a city filled with buildings, offering plenty of places to hide.
There was always a way out.
"…There's an underground tunnel. It's a sewer, but big enough for a person to pass through. I'll guide you. Follow me."
Jeong Jin-su stood up.
I glanced at him briefly.
"Has he made up his mind?"
His eyes had changed.
He knew there was no turning back, and he was ready to uphold his promise.
But more than that, there was sincerity in his gaze.
I grinned.
A victory as solid as the stone tablet in my hands.
I had gained Jeong Jin-su, a man once renowned in history as the unparalleled strategist known as Seolgeom.
"Then, I'll leave it to you."
Following behind Jeong Jin-su, I disappeared into the underground market.
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