Chapter 195: A Gangster, Repenting? How Unsophisticated.

TL: FoodieMonster007

Gu Yasu, the leader of the Wild Beast Sect, watched his subordinates count silver. It was tribute they had collected from the marketplace.

A subordinate brought over a heavy wallet. "Three hundred taels."

"Our finances are going to be ruined because of one fucking idiot," Gu Yasu grumbled. "Where is that bastard Gongpae now?"

His right-hand man, Yang, stood beside him and answered. "He was released from the Murim Alliance Branch. He's probably off getting drunk somewhere."

"Tell him to come to me the moment he gets back."

"……"

The three hundred taels was a bribe for the Murim Alliance Branch Manager. The manager should have let the incident slide for his usual monthly payment, but he had demanded a full three hundred taels to release Gongpae.

Still, Gu Yasu couldn't just leave Gongpae to rot in prison. Gongpae was essential to the Wild Beast Sect. They needed a dog-like bastard like him to scare merchants into handing over their money obediently.

"What about the bitch who reported him? Did she run off?"

"Her mother is sick, so she won't be able to flee."

"They said she was pretty? Right. That must be why that bastard Gongpae got horny. Once things quiet down, sell her off to a distant brothel. We need to make back at least half the money we lost because of that bitch."

"Understood."

"And make sure that idiot Gongpae doesn't touch her."

"Understood. Oh, and the Jangdo Faction has invaded our territory again."

"Those bastards!"

The Jangdo Faction was a rival mafia sect from a neighboring area. They always clashed during turf wars.

"There's a rumor that they've recruited an expert."

"What kind of expert?"

"I don't know. They say he's an unknown expert. I suspect they're acting up because they're relying on him."

Just as Gu Yasu scoffed, a subordinate rushed in from outside. "We have intruders," he reported urgently.

At the word 'intruders', Gu Yasu immediately summoned someone. "Summon Martial Artist Cheon."

Gu Yasu could afford to scoff at the Jangdo Faction's new expert because of Martial Artist Cheon. Gu Yasu was the only one who knew Cheon's secret. Cheon was from the Demonic Cult.

An expert from the Demonic Cult, Cheon! He was the reason the Wild Beast Sect had grown so powerful.

When Gu Yasu and Yang went outside, the intruders were already walking across the training ground.

Gu Yasu flinched in surprise as he saw them approaching. "What the?"

There were two intruders, an incredibly muscular man and a slender young man. Their leisurely pace seemed more like a visit than an invasion. They were, of course, Geom Mugeuk and the Fist Demon.

Yang spoke quickly. "They seem to be the ones sent by the Jangdo Faction."

"The expert those bastards supposedly recruited?"

"Yes. Who else could it be?"

Gu Yasu nodded. In this region, only the Jangdo Faction would dare to attack them. "Where is Martial Artist Cheon?"

"He'll be out soon."

About twenty members of the Wild Beast Sect emerged from all sides, drawing their weapons. They surrounded the two men.

"Who are you and where are you from?" Gu Yasu demanded.

Geom Mugeuk looked around and remarked, "You've made a hell outside, but you're living quite well for yourselves in here."

The Wild Beast Sect's headquarters was a newly built estate. The building where Gu Yasu himself resided was especially luxurious, constructed with expensive materials.

"I asked who you are."

Normally, Gu Yasu would have ordered his men to kill them or make them kneel, but the words did not come.

It was because of the muscular man next to the youth. Gu Yasu had seen all sorts of nasty-looking bastards in the mafia, but he had never seen someone so terrifying.

Geom Mugeuk spoke to Gu Yasu. "Do you know why you keep asking who I am instead of why I'm here? It's because you've made a habit of first deciding whether this is a bastard you can kill or not."

After speaking, Geom Mugeuk strode toward Gu Yasu.

A startled Gu Yasu shouted to his subordinates. "Kill him!"

The members of the Wild Beast Sect rushed at Geom Mugeuk.

Geom Mugeuk dodged their attacks and threw punches.

THWACK. THWACK. To Gu Yasu's eyes, the blows looked light and powerless.

Geom Mugeuk was also good at dodging. He lightly evaded the attacks from all sides and landed a single blow on each man. One in the face. Another in the stomach. The attacks were fast, but Gu Yasu felt no power behind them.

He felt a sense of relief.

He's nothing special!

That thought came to him clearly. He felt the real problem was the muscular man standing by without joining the fight.

"Get up! Get up and attack together! Stab him in the back!"

But the subordinates who had collapsed after a single hit did not get up.

"Stop playing dead and get up! Those fucking idiots!"

Gu Yasu could understand. If they thought they had to fight the muscular man next, they would probably pretend to be unconscious too.

"Sigh. To think I trusted guys like these."

In that short time, all twenty-something men who had stepped forward had collapsed.

Yang kicked a subordinate who had fallen nearby. Geom Mugeuk simply let him. "Get up if you don't want to die!"

Losing consciousness from a light tap? Anyone could see he was faking it.

The man didn't move even when kicked. Feeling something was off, Yang examined the fallen subordinate more closely.

Yang flinched in shock. The subordinate was dead. He checked the one lying next to him. He was dead too. Yang could tell. All of his subordinates were dead.

Yang slowly looked up at Geom Mugeuk.

His eyes met Geom Mugeuk's. The indifferent gaze was cold and chilling.

He's a true expert!

Yang realized that if he said even one wrong word, he would die on the spot.

Geom Mugeuk had shown no mercy. He wanted to ensure no one would survive to harm Seok's family in revenge.

Just then, Cheon appeared. His hair was disheveled as if from a long night of drinking. His unshaven beard made him look haggard, and his belly had grown much bigger since he first joined the Wild Beast Sect. Still, Gu Yasu was fine with it. So far, Cheon had handled every enemy.

"Get rid of both of those bastards."

Cheon strode forward, ignoring the fallen members of the Wild Beast Sect. The skills of those ruffians were obvious anyway.

Cheon was an Iron Fist from the Eastern Fist Garrison. He had risen to the Green Fists but couldn't endure the harsh training and fled the Demonic Cult. He had been hiding out in the Wild Beast Sect ever since. All sorts of bastards had targeted Gu Yasu, but they had all died at Cheon's hands. In return, he received enough money for a life of pleasure. With the skills of a Green Fists member, he was as good as the Fist Demon in this third-rate mafia world.

WHOOSH.

Cheon's fist, aimed to smash Geom Mugeuk's head, stopped in mid-air.

The problem wasn't that his attack had been dodged so easily. The problem was Geom Mugeuk's next words.

"Aren't these the Green Fists martial arts?"

Cheon was shocked out of his wits. It was the first time anyone had recognized his martial arts.

Just then, Cheon's eyes finally focused on one person. The large man, who had been looking at the sky with his back turned, now turned his head.

The moment Cheon saw that face!

"Uwaaaaaaah!"

A scream erupted from Cheon's mouth. He was so shocked he thought his heart would explode. The hangover that had tormented him all day vanished instantly.

Gu Yasu, standing behind Cheon, couldn't see his face, but Yang could.

Cheon's face was contorted. Yang wondered if a human face could hold such deep despair and terror.

The Fist Demon spoke softly, as if to himself. "You used my martial arts to act as a fist for some mafia bastard?"

There was no emotion in the Fist Demon's words. The moment he finished speaking.

PWAK! CRACK!

Cheon struck his own crown and committed suicide. He knew. He couldn't run, and he couldn't be forgiven. He knew dying at the hands of the Fist Demon would be a far more painful death.

At that sight, Gu Yasu's mind went blank. He couldn't think at all. Such a strange thing was happening.

Geom Mugeuk walked past Yang. "Follow me."

"……"

Yang obeyed respectfully, as if Geom Mugeuk were his leader.

When Geom Mugeuk came right up to him, Gu Yasu came to his senses. There was only one thing he could rely on now. "Do you know who is behind us? There will be repercussions if you touch us."

"Who's behind you?"

"The Murim Alliance."

"Does the entire Murim Alliance belong to you?"

"The Branch Manager here is backing me. If you touch me, he won't stand by idly."

Geom Mugeuk turned to Yang. "You can bring the Branch Manager here, can't you?"

Yang hesitated, as if it were not an easy task.

"Just bring him here, and you'll be the new leader of the Wild Beast Sect."

"I'll bring him, no matter what it takes."

Yang ran off without hesitation. Gu Yasu glared daggers at his back. "Damned bastard."

He never thought he would be betrayed so easily. He was his right-hand man, after all.

After Yang left, Geom Mugeuk said, "No need to be so angry. My offer to make him the leader was a lie."

Just as Gu Yasu's expression relaxed slightly, Geom Mugeuk continued.

"It's not like you've only been in the mafia for a day or two. You know everyone's going to die, right?"

Gu Yasu's expression hardened again. He sensed that he was included in the 'everyone' Geom Mugeuk had mentioned.

"Please spare me."

Geom Mugeuk said to him, "If you hand over the evidence of the bribes you gave the Branch Manager."

Gu Yasu's eyes darted around.

"If you don't have it, then just die."

The moment Geom Mugeuk clenched his fist, Gu Yasu shouted, "I have it! It's in the safe."

Geom Mugeuk had him lead the way. Gu Yasu's hands trembled as he opened the safe. What am I doing right now? The thought struck him, and a belated sense of fear washed over him. The fact that Cheon, whom he had trusted so much, had committed suicide was a huge blow.

"Here it is." He took a ledger out of the safe. It recorded the bribes given to the Murim Alliance Branch Manager and all the corruption the Branch Manager had committed.

"You, go move the bodies somewhere out of sight."

Gu Yasu walked toward the bodies.

This is my chance!

He decided to look for an opportunity to escape, but he found the inner arts in his qi center had been suppressed at some point, rendering them unusable.

When on earth did that happen?

With no other choice, Gu Yasu moved the bodies. Trying to move twenty-something corpses without his inner arts made him sweat profusely. This work felt like death to a man who had never lifted a finger.

After strenuously moving all the bodies, Gu Yasu returned to Geom Mugeuk. "I've moved them all."

"It's hard, isn't it? Feeling helpless?"

"…Yes."

"The people who have suffered at your hands probably felt a hundred, a thousand times worse. Individually, you're all pathetic, but you run around in a pack like dogs, scaring people, stealing, beating, and killing them."

"I'll turn over a new leaf from now on."

"A gangster, repenting? How unsophisticated. Keep doing bad things. Just do them at the place I'll introduce you to. There will be plenty of colleagues, so it should be fine."

"Where is that?"

"Here."

Geom Mugeuk's fist flew at him.

Second Fist, the Thunder Asura.

PAPAPAPAPAPAPAK!

Dozens of lightning-fast punches struck him. He died, turned into a bloody pulp, without even a chance to scream.

Geom Mugeuk tossed his corpse into the warehouse with the other bodies. He attached no meaning to the bastard's death.

A short while later, the Murim Alliance Branch Manager, Baek Chu, arrived. "What's with this smell of blood? You bastards, didn't I tell you to stop killing so many people?"

Baek Chu entered while nagging Yang. He must have frequented the place, as he acted as comfortable as if he were in his own home.

"What's so important that you had to call a busy person all the way out here?" He flinched upon seeing Geom Mugeuk and the Fist Demon. "Who are they?"

"They are the new martial artists we've recruited," Yang replied nonchalantly.

Baek Chu looked surprised. "Where did you find a guy with a build like that? He'd earn his keep just by standing there, but where did your master go?"

Yang answered calmly. "It seems he has stepped away for a moment."

Just then, Geom Mugeuk spoke to Baek Chu. "How could you just release someone who assaulted and raped a girl?"

Baek Chu glanced at Yang with a look that said, What's this? Do they not know who I am because they're new? Didn't you train them properly?

However, Yang just watched the situation silently. Seeing Yang's unusual reaction, Baek Chu sensed that something was wrong.

Baek Chu answered calmly. "Ah, that case. I released him because there was insufficient evidence."

"The girl's entire body was a wreck, and Gongpae went around bragging about it to the other mafia bastards. What do you mean, insufficient evidence? You didn't even investigate, did you?"

Baek Chu was seething with anger, but given the atmosphere, he couldn't retort.

"Would you have just released him if it had happened to your family?"

At the mention of his family, Baek Chu's face hardened instantly. "This bastard, I've been letting it slide, but…"

"Does talking about your family upset you? Are they so precious to you, while other people's families are just disgusting relatives who deserve to suffer?"

In that moment, Baek Chu considered drawing his sword, but he held back.

I'll throw you all in jail later.

Getting out of this situation was the priority. Baek Chu smiled and spoke pleasantly. "Please understand. The main alliance has its laws."

"Laws for whom? You? The Wild Beast Sect? Who, exactly?"

Baek Chu took a step back from Geom Mugeuk's cold aura. "I don't know who you are, but I am a Murim Alliance Branch Manager. If you touch me, you'll become a public enemy of the murim!"

"That won't happen. I know someone in the Murim Alliance, so I'm going to report your crimes and the situation here via messenger pigeon."

"To whom?"

"There's a high-ranking person up there. The one who wanted to make me his son-in-law."

What kind of bullshit is this? Baek Chu thought, but he held his tongue. "My crimes? Do you have any proof?"

Geom Mugeuk took out the ledger from the Wild Beast Sect. "You've taken a lot of bribes from the Wild Beast Sect. You even had them kill people for your own interests."

"What are you talking about? I've never done such a thing."

"Do you think you can just deny it? Those bastards kept meticulous records."

Baek Chu's expression stiffened. "That bastard is framing me!"

"I don't think so. He wasn't in a position to lie."

Baek Chu knew he had to get that ledger, no matter what. Getting rid of these guys would come after. "How much will it take? How much for that ledger…"

WHOOOOOOSH.

SLAM!

Baek Chu vanished from before his eyes. He flew and slammed into a distant wall, his entire body shattered. He died instantly.

Now left alone, Yang cautiously watched the situation. "Then, from now on, I'll be the leader of the Wild Beast Sect…"

WHOOOOOSH!

SLAM!

Yang also vanished from sight. He flew to the opposite side and rolled on the ground, a bloody pulp.

The Fist Demon had sent the two men flying. He had sent them to the next world with a single punch.

"Let's go." The Fist Demon's gaze seemed to ask why Geom Mugeuk was bothering to talk with such trash.

"I was going to ask for about a million taels for the ledger."

"Stop with the nonsense."

"Just a moment." Geom Mugeuk buried the ledger in a corner of the courtyard.

If he reported that it was buried there, the investigator sent by the Chairman would take care of it. He also planned to add a note in the messenger pigeon asking them to take good care of Seok's family.

Watching Geom Mugeuk, the Fist Demon commented, "You're quite meticulous."

"You have to be meticulous when helping people. It's good to help others, but if you don't finish the job properly because it's a hassle, the person who suffers is the one who received the help. I get to feel good, but they're the one who suffers the consequences. That wouldn't be right, would it?"

Unexpected words came from the Fist Demon's mouth. "I don't think you should become the Heavenly Demon."

"Why is that?"

"The Heavenly Demon has to deal with so many people. How could you endure it with a mindset like this? If you try to take care of everything so meticulously, you'll go mad first."

"Now that you mention it, that makes sense. I understand. Instead of the Heavenly Demon, I'll just be the Fist Demon's disciple."

The Fist Demon stared at Geom Mugeuk silently for a moment, then gave a faint smile. "That was the best attempt so far."

"You were almost convinced. What a shame."

Geom Mugeuk and the Fist Demon walked out of the estate side by side. Just as when they entered, the Fist Demon's back filled the entire entrance as they left.

Fortunately, the Fist Demon wasn't saying they should return to the Cult. His gaze asked where they were going next.

Geom Mugeuk smiled and said, "This time, it's a place the Fist Demon will enjoy even more than I will."