CHAPTER: Chapter 53
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“Training. From sunrise to sunset. Anyone who doesn't like it can pack their bags and leave now. I won't stop you.”
Uncheon’s chilly declaration cut through the heavy air of the Training Ground.
Just as the gang members were swallowing nervously and glancing at each other, a group of men in wretched condition appeared beyond the shattered main gate.
“Uh... uh? Young Master!”
The gang members cried out and ran forward.
The man who entered with their support, So Ryong, was a truly pitiful sight to behold.
His once-splendid white formal attire was in tatters, like a rag, and his neatly styled hair was a mess, matted with sweat and dust.
He looked as if he had been tormented by dozens of challengers, a haggard figure who had clearly suffered.
“G-Get out of my way, you bastards!”
So Ryong roughly shoved aside the gang members who were supporting him.
Then, he dragged his staggering body forward and crawled before Uncheon.
“Gang Leader... huff, huff... As you commanded... I have dealt with them all and returned.”
So Ryong wiped his split lip with his sleeve and deliberately tried to straighten his tattered clothes.
He bowed deeply in an exaggerated show of respect.
His posture was as deferential as that of a vassal who had served his lord for a long time.
“I, while taking the fists of dozens of men out there, felt it to my very bones. That a single kick from you, Gang Leader, is far... heavier than a hundred of their punches.”
“Mm. Good work.”
Then, with a playful exaggeration, So Ryong slyly positioned himself behind Uncheon, half a step away.
A position neither too close nor too far.
It was a masterful placement that, to anyone watching, proclaimed him as the ‘Gang Leader’s closest aide.’
It was then.
So Ryong’s eyes narrowed sharply.
In a corner of the Training Ground, some gang members who were trying to slip away caught So Ryong’s eye.
“Aha! Stop right there.”
The voice that had been feigning pain just moments before turned instantly cold.
So Ryong swiftly ran over, snatched the collar of a gang member trying to sneak away, and slammed him to the ground.
Crash!
“You... you clueless bastards!”
Whack! Thump!
“Agh! Young Master!”
“Stop! Please stop!”
“The Gang Leader told us to leave, so why are you doing this?”
So Ryong dragged them to the center of the Training Ground and threw them down.
Then, with a deliberately stern expression, he roared at the terrified gang members.
“All of you, snap out of it! Why have we been treated like street thugs all this time? Isn't it because we don't have a single proper martial art?”
So Ryong spread his hands towards Uncheon and delivered a fiery speech.
“But who is this man standing before us now? He is the rising dragon of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Gang Leader Uncheon! His arrival means that we, the dregs of the Black Dragon Gang, finally have a chance to learn ‘real martial arts’!”
The gang members’ eyes widened.
“You guys, can't you do the math? If you leave now, you're just third-rate thugs! But if you stay here?”
At So Ryong's instigation, the look in the gang members' eyes wavered.
“Listen carefully! When I go all out, I can handle dozens of challengers! But Gang Leader Uncheon is the one who sent me flying with a single blow.”
So Ryong didn't miss the opening and drove his point home.
“The reason I swore loyalty to the Gang Leader isn't just because of the Black Dragon Gang's rules... it's because I was captivated by his strength! The Gang Leader is not someone who will remain at a mere 100th rank on the Wind and Cloud Ranking! Don't regret this later!”
In the eyes of the gang members, who had only been thinking of escape, a glimmer of anticipation slowly began to form.
Uncheon, with his arms crossed, watched So Ryong skillfully set the stage and smirked.
‘...Having this guy around will make managing the gang members easier.’
Just then, So Ryong bowed deeply to Uncheon once more and shouted.
“Gang Leader! I've rounded up all this rabble. Now, please feel free to work them as you wish! I don't care if our bones break, just please make us into proper men!”
The Young Master, who until recently had reigned over the Black Dragon Gang, was now stepping up to elevate Uncheon's authority.
‘He looks just like a bear, but he acts like a fox.’
Uncheon knew that So Ryong's loyalty was based on ‘fear’ and ‘self-interest.’
Uncheon's gaze as he scanned the gang members was that of a ruthless tamer.
‘I must drill and forge this rabble, transform them so that they won't be pushed back even when facing the Demonic Cult's armed forces in the future. To do that...’
Since everyone was watching, the scene was perfect.
“Now that I am the Gang Leader, the Black Dragon Gang will be reborn not as street thugs or ruffians, but as a proper Jianghu sect.”
“...?”
Murmurs.
Doubt.
Despite Uncheon's declaration, the gang members' reaction was lukewarm.
Thugs who were rolling around in the marketplace until yesterday would be reborn as a Jianghu sect overnight?
It was only natural that it sounded like a pipe dream.
But Uncheon had no intention of persuading them with mere words.
He simply gestured to So Ryong with his chin.
“So Ryong, come here.”
“Yes! Gang Leader! Just give the order!”
So Ryong scurried over like a tail-wagging dog and bowed his head.
Uncheon scanned his body from top to bottom.
His muscles were massive, but the flow of his energy was murky.
“The Black Dragon Gang's secret art, the Black Dragon's Adamant Body. Let's see you perform it.”
“Ah, of course I'll show you! This is the pride of our gang!”
With a shout, So Ryong ripped off his shirt.
“Hup.”
Crrrack, his muscles swelled and his skin turned a dark red.
It exuded the aura of a fairly heavy External Art, but Uncheon clicked his tongue without mercy.
“Tsk... It's just an empty shell.”
Uncheon's criticism hit the mark.
So Ryong's shoulders slumped noticeably.
“An External Art without the support of Internal Energy will eventually hit a limit. You must know this. What happened to the Heart Method that pairs with the Black Dragon's Adamant Body?”
“H-How did you know that? Actually, the secret manual my father left behind was severely damaged, so I couldn't learn it...”
So Ryong took out an old booklet from his robes, one stained with blood and sweat, its characters blurred.
It was an object steeped in longing for his father and the regrets of a martial artist.
“Bring it here.”
“H-Here it is.”
The manual was badly damaged, just as So Ryong had said.
‘Is this... blood?’
It was stained with someone's blood, making the characters difficult to read.
“You... studied this on your own?”
“Yes. I managed to internalize the External Arts in my youth... but I couldn't learn the Heart Method. Is there... any way?”
So Ryong's voice grew thick with emotion.
Even this fellow, whom he had thought to be nothing but a snob, had his own story.
Uncheon nodded.
“It's not that there's no way.”
“I-Is that really true? The characters are all blurred... I didn't even dare to hope that anyone could read the manual!”
“However... you must choose between two options. Will you preserve the manual's form, or will you inherit its meaning?”
It was an unexpected question.
The last trace of his missing father.
The manual itself was important, but what was truly important was the content within it.
So Ryong thought for a moment, then quickly came to a decision.
“...I will inherit its meaning!”
“In that case, step back.”
A cool, chilling energy rose from Uncheon's palm.
Wooooong—.
The Supreme Ice Heart Art.
As his hand touched it, a white frost began to form over the dark red bloodstains covering the manual.
‘Freeze the blood... and peel it away from the paper.’
The bloodstains, now a thin layer of ice, flaked off the paper with a light flick, flick sound.
In that fleeting moment, the hidden ink characters revealed themselves.
Uncheon's eyes moved rapidly, flipping through the pages.
As if determined not to miss a single character.
But the old paper could not possibly withstand Uncheon's tyrannical cold energy.
Crumple.
“Uh... uh... G-Gang Leader! No!”
With So Ryong's scream, the secret manual crumbled into a handful of dust.
A fleeting moment.
The goal of inheriting its meaning had also become impossible.
Thinking he had completely lost his father's manual, So Ryong cried out and clawed at the ground.
“My father's manual...!”
But Uncheon calmly brushed off the ash and said.
“A man shouldn't be sniveling... I've already committed all the verses to memory.”
“What? I-Is that possible? In such a short time...?”
“Bring me paper.”
When So Ryong hurriedly brought paper, Uncheon began to write down the verses without hesitation.
“Here, these are the verses from the manual, restored exactly as they were written. It's yours.”
So Ryong accepted it with trembling hands.
From the paper, where the ink had not yet dried, he could feel both the traces of his father and a new hope.
“I-Is this for real? Th-Thank you!”
So Ryong repeatedly nodded his head, his expression one of disbelief.
But Uncheon's brush did not stop.
He quickly began writing something on a new sheet of paper.
“However... the original Heart Method had its limits in handling the tyrannical nature of the Black Dragon's Adamant Body. If you had learned it as it was, you would have suffered Qi Deviation nine times out of ten.”
“No way...! Th-Then my father?!”
So Ryong's eyes widened.
The reason his father's eyes had suddenly clouded over and he had disappeared.
He had never once imagined it was because of a problem with the manual itself.
Uncheon handed him another completed manual.
“You'll realize it when you compare the verses of the two manuals yourself. This is the 'Black Dragon's Dynamic Art,' which I've reinforced by adding the principles of Heaven and Earth to the original verses. If you train it alongside the Black Dragon's Adamant Body, you should see considerable achievement.”
If the External and Internal Arts were harmonized, it was a superior martial art that could even aim for the Peak level.
“G-Gang Leader...!”
“The speed at which you accumulate Internal Energy will be slow, but the foundation will be solid, and there will be no Qi Deviation. If you don't want to live and die a street thug, engrave this into your very bones.”
Hearing those words, So Ryong slammed his head to the ground without hesitation.
To restore and even improve his father's damaged manual in an instant.
Thud!
He slammed his head to the ground once more.
“I will pledge my loyalty even if my bones are ground to dust! I will never forget this kindness for the rest of my life!”
So Ryong was sincere.
‘This man is the real deal! Serving the Gang Leader was the best choice of my life!’
Uncheon confirmed the madness in So Ryong's eyes and nodded.
“Good. You will master this Black Dragon's Dynamic Art and pass it on to the gang members.”
“You can count on me! I will definitely master the Black Dragon's Dynamic Art and rebuild the Black Dragon Gang!”
The flames of determination blazed in So Ryong's eyes.
‘The atmosphere has changed. I can leave the training of the gang members to him.’
Just as So Ryong was about to return to his spot, Uncheon stopped him.
“See to it. Oh, and one more thing.”
So Ryong’s shoulders flinched.
“Looking at the ledgers, I see a lot of holes...”
Uncheon’s gaze was chilling.
He had already seen right through So Ryong’s schemes.
“You made a pretty penny from the gambling tables, didn’t you? I’ll be using all of those profits for the Black Dragon Gang’s operating expenses. Bring it to me now, while I’m asking nicely.”
“H-Heeik?! How did you...!”
The color drained from So Ryong’s face.
Uncheon smirked and drove the final nail in.
“If you try to hide even a little, I’ll tear up the manual I just wrote for you. Keep that in mind.”
“...Y-Yes, sir! I’ll bring it right away! I won’t leave a single coin behind!”
So Ryong ran off with a tearful expression.
Martial arts, and the Gang Leader’s intelligence network, were far more terrifying than money.
But his retreating figure was strangely light.
He was now penniless, but he held a far greater treasure in his heart: hope.
“And what will the rest of you do?”
Uncheon had just demonstrated his unbelievable prowess multiple times right before their eyes.
From the moment he broke down the main gate and sent the gang members flying.
The martial duel with So Ryong.
And the miraculous feat he had shown just a moment ago.
Even the Young Master was pledging such loyalty; there was no reason for them not to follow.
“We pledge our loyalty!”
“We will follow the Gang Leader!”
A strange fervor spread through the gang members in an instant.
Thanks to this infectious zeal, Uncheon seized control of the Black Dragon Gang in a flash.
“Good. Not a single one will leave? I have confirmed your resolve. Then... starting tomorrow, everyone will begin training. Today... you will clean and repair this trashed Black Dragon Gang headquarters.”
A moment later, So Ryong, who had returned panting with all his emergency funds and profits, cautiously raised his hand.
He had established discipline among the gang members and had even been granted the Black Dragon's Dynamic Art. He believed the position of second-in-command was his for the taking.
‘Now I need to make the hierarchy clear.’
So Ryong glanced around furtively and opened his mouth.
“Um... Gang Leader, I have a question.”
His gaze was fixed on a woman who had been watching the entire spectacle with great interest, her arms crossed, by Uncheon’s side from the very beginning.
“What is it?”
“That... beautiful woman next to you, Gang Leader, who is she? Could she be... the Mistress of the House?”
At those words, Uncheon’s brow furrowed slightly.
But before Uncheon could speak, Yayul Hui took a step forward.
“Beautiful, you say? You’ve got a good eye. But unfortunately for you, I’m no Mistress of the House.”
“Uh, uhh...?”
“...She is a retainer of this gang. She was also my peer at the Demonic Academy. When I am absent, you are to consider her my deputy.”
Uncheon added nonchalantly.
‘Which means...?’
In that instant, So Ryong’s expression twisted strangely.
The expectation he had just solidified—that he was the unshakable second-in-command after receiving the ‘Black Dragon's Dynamic Art’—had shattered in a single breath.
‘Not the mistress, just a mere retainer! A newcomer is ranked higher than me? If I am not the second-in-command, then who is...!’
So Ryong tried to hide his sense of injustice, but he couldn’t fool Yayul Hui’s eyes.
Her eyes narrowed like a wildcat’s, emitting a sharp glint.
“You. Why are you looking at me like that? You can’t accept it, is that it?”
“N-No, ma’am! How could I dare question the Gang Leader’s decision...!”
“A man should speak up if he has a complaint. Right now, you’re thinking, ‘Is that wench stronger than me?’ aren’t you?”
Yayul Hui was used to such gazes.
The looks of doubt she had received her entire life, from her family and from outsiders.
Yayul Hui slowly gripped the hilt of her saber.
In that fleeting moment, a chilling wind swept across the Training Ground.
The aura of the gale.
The air that touched So Ryong’s skin was as sharp as a blade.
“How about a martial duel? If you win, I’ll serve under you.”
Author |
Chusang (秋霜)
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Samyang C&C Inc.
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Editorial Department
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