Chapter 6

“I have no idea.”

“The Beggar’s Union is supposed to handle intelligence. You’re not even a newly inducted White-Tied member—you’re First Tie—and you don’t know who I am? How am I supposed to interpret that?”

“Well, I don’t know. Is there really anything to interpret...? Our branch leader isn’t here right now, so you’ll probably have to come back later.”

A soft smile formed at the corner of my lips.

I was about to speak again, but the voice of the First Tie by my ear made me stop.

“As you surely know, this is a branch of the Beggar’s Union. I can relay your message up the chain if you want, but you should just go back for today.”

I took a single step forward and spoke in a quiet voice.

“I’ll say this once. Listen carefully. Seol Unwi, branch master of the Snow Compression Branch, has business with Chu Uigye, the branch leader of the Beggar’s Union in Snow Compression. Go deliver the message. Now.”

The First Tie furrowed his brow.

“Man, what’s with you? I said he’s not here. Just go already.”

What kind of place is the Beggar’s Union?

Forget intelligence. That’s secondary. They're parasites, plain and simple.

A domain of the Beggar’s Union? Maybe that exists somewhere in this world—but not here in Snow Compression.

This bastard doesn’t know his place.

Doesn’t know who outranks him.

So drunk on some laughable sense of authority that he can’t even think straight. Continuing this conversation is a waste—of time and of mercy.

I raised my foot and kicked the First Tie hard in the left thigh.

Thud!

With a sharp sound, the First Tie cried ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) out and staggered backward. I immediately reached out with my left arm, grabbed him by the hair, and yanked his head forward.

“I’ll ask again. Is the branch leader inside?”

“...Y-Yes... he is...!”

“Then why did you say he wasn’t?”

“That’s, uh...”

“And your tone was disrespectful. Do I look like someone beneath you? ‘If you want, I can relay your message up’?”

I tightened my grip.

“You lowlife leeching off Snow Compression..."

“I-I’m a disciple of the Beggar’s Union!”

He cut me off, but I wasn’t particularly offended. Honestly.

“So?”

“...Attacking me is the same as attacking the Beggar’s Union!”

“And?”

“Snow Compression’s already in chaos. Do you really want to make enemies of the Beggar’s Union, too?! Let go already!”

He was desperate.

Everyone knows the Nine Great Sects.

And the Beggar’s Union is the last group to carry on that lineage.

Even after the Millennial Chaos wiped out their history and martial arts, they barely managed to survive and rebuild. Picking a fight with them would be outright insane.

Exactly.

Only someone completely insane would dare do it.

“The Beggar’s Union... I heard you.”

The First Tie’s face brightened, thinking I’d backed down at the name.

But my next words turned that hope to despair.

“I was just going to break an arm or two, but now I can’t let it go that easily.”

“...W-What?”

Turning something that should have been a slap into a life-or-death situation? That’s a talent in itself.

Using the name of the Beggar’s Union to threaten me? That I won’t let slide.

I extended my left arm and placed a hand on his shoulder. Then applied pressure.

Crunch!

“Gaaah!”

I wasn’t about to stop there. I threw him to the floor, stomped on his left arm, then stomped on both legs.

Crunch! Crack!

The sounds of bone snapping followed one after another, and the First Tie, who had been screaming at first, finally passed out.

Honestly, it was probably for the best.

I grabbed his hair and started walking.

A door appeared across the hall. I kicked it open and tossed the unconscious First Tie inside without a care.

The room exploded in commotion.

“Who... who are you?!”

“What the hell is this?!”

“This is the Beggar’s—!!”

I silently looked around the room. The shouting began to die down.

In the farthest corner, a man writing something on paper looked up and met my gaze. Three cords were tied around his waist.

That was the man: Chu Uigye, branch leader of the Beggar’s Union’s Snow Compression Branch.

He spoke.

“...What’s the branch master of Snow Compression doing here? And...”

His sentence trailed off as his eyes flicked to the First Tie sprawled on the floor, then he continued in a subdued tone.

“You turned one of our boys into a goddamn vegetable.”

That’s a bit of an exaggeration—I didn’t kill him.

Sure, I shattered his limbs. But I didn’t sever his life as a martial artist. I’ve broken enough bones to know exactly how to do it without causing permanent death.

Not that I had any intention of explaining myself to a bunch of beggars.

Without a word, I pulled out a chair in front of Chu Uigye and sat down.

“Chu Uigye.”

“...No matter who you are, even if you’re the branch master of Snow Compression, I am a Three-Tied officer of the Beggar’s Union. Show some resp—”

“If you talk down to me again, I’ll kill you.”

Chu Uigye stopped mid-sentence, furrowed his brow, but I didn’t care.

“I’ll kill not just you, but every last beggar in this building. Every parasite near Snow Compression, dead.”

“...Heh...”

“That First Tie? He was just dumb. That’s why I let it go with a few broken bones. But my patience ends here. Understood?”

Chu Uigye, who had been glaring at me with cold eyes, gave a strained laugh.

“I understand. It seems our branch master is very angry today. I’ve clearly committed a grave discourtesy. Please accept my apology.”

He even gave me a martial salute, which I ignored.

His eyes were still cold. That smile? Nothing but protocol.

I asked in a quiet voice.

“We found the ledgers in Yawoon Sang’s residence.”

At that, Chu Uigye’s face contorted.

Typical Three Tie—his ability to control his expression was abysmal. If he were at least a Four Tie, he might’ve kept his mask on.

In any case.

“There were some interesting names in those ledgers.”

“...Were there?”

“Chu Uigye. Over the past six years, you engaged in various dealings with Yawoon Sang and took fifty gold coins and a thousand silver.”

“...”

“I’m here to collect.”

“...There must be some kind of misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding?”

“Yes. Like the ‘misunderstanding’ where you shattered the limbs of our precious First Tie on your way in.”

I burst out laughing.

“You’ve got it all wrong.”

“...Excuse me?”

“That First Tie? He knew exactly who controls this region. And still pretended he didn’t know me.”

“...”

“He lied and said you weren’t inside, even though you were. And then he had the audacity to threaten me using the name of the Beggar’s Union.”

Apparently, he hadn’t realized it had gone that far—Chu Uigye’s face stiffened.

“Ordinarily, I would’ve killed him. But I let him off with just broken limbs. That was me showing mercy. You should be grateful for that mercy, don’t you think?”

“......”

“And since you’re part of an intelligence organization, you must know this already: when mercy is repeated, some fools start to mistake it for entitlement. So don’t expect anything more from me.”

Chu Uigye looked at me with frozen eyes.

Staring back at him, a thought suddenly came to me.

“Ah, I forgot to mention. If you deny that your name was in the ledger, I’m going to kill you.”

“...Hah...”

“And if you refuse to return the money, I’ll kill you anyway.”

“...You’re really out of control. I can’t understand how you’re acting like this even knowing who I am. I belong to the Beggar’s Union.”

I crossed one leg over the other.

“Understanding... That’s funny.”

“What is?”

“Isn’t this conversation right now happening between you and me?”

“......”

“Then why do you keep bringing up the Beggar’s Union like it means something?”

“...And you, Branch Master, aren’t you still enjoying the shine of the Everlasting Snow Palace’s legacy?”

“Legacy? That’s an amusing word choice. So you’ve known all along and still treated me like garbage?”

“......”

“The branch master’s alive and well, and yet you and that mutt conspired to make him a puppet while skimming a fortune in bribes. And now you have the nerve to feed me some pathetic excuse?”

The smile faded from my lips.

“Chu Uigye.”

“...Yes.”

“I won’t say it twice. Bring every single coin listed in the ledger.”

“And if I say no?”

I shook my head.

“You really like making me repeat myself. I told you what would happen if you refused. Don’t tell me you can’t pay.”

“I can’t.”

“You can’t, huh... Fine. Then I’ll collect it myself.”

“...What?”

There was no need for more words.

I kicked the table straight at him.

Bang!

With a crash, the table slammed into Chu Uigye’s solar plexus.

“Guh—!”

I shot my right fist toward him. In that instant, his eyes lit up.

Chu Uigye’s current cultivation realm: the first stage of the Four Realms of Refined Qi—Yang Radiance Appears.

As expected of a practitioner of Yang Radiance Appears, he sprang to his feet and reached out, grabbing my right fist.

“This bastard... The illegitimate brat’s lost his damn mind today.”

Yes. My right fist was caught.

No—that’s what I let him think.

I reached out with my left arm, grabbed his wrist, and spun my body.

Chu Uigye’s body lifted clean off the ground and crashed into the floor.

Boom!

Letting out a small groan from the pain in his back, Chu Uigye’s expression twisted in panic. Understandable—my knee was already driving down toward his face.

He quickly rolled to the side, dodging the blow.

How typical.

I don’t blame anyone for doing what they must to survive.

There’s no such thing as a good or bad technique when it’s a matter of living. That applies to me as well.

If it means killing the opponent, I’ll do anything.

He was only in the Three Realms of the Body, yet he thought he could wrap this up today. That confidence must’ve come from somewhere.

I pulled a dagger from my belt and charged forward. Chu Uigye had put some distance between us—but one of the beggars stood in my path.

I didn’t hesitate.

I drove the blade straight into the man’s throat.

Schlk—!

“Guh...!”

I twisted the dagger hard. With a crack, the nameless beggar let out his last breath.

“You bastard!!”

Chu Uigye screamed and ran toward me.

I ripped the dagger out and flung the corpse at him.

Again, Chu Uigye panicked. He dodged to the side—and when he turned his head back around—

My dagger was already flying toward his neck.

“N-No...!”

Schlk—!

I drove the blade into Chu Uigye’s throat and shoved it in deep.

Not a single inch off.

Right in front of the cervical vertebrae.

“You know, I really hate trash like you beggars.”

“Kh-hhk...”

“I’ve met countless bastards like you over the years. And most of them were just like you—leeches who didn’t even recognize the hand that fed them.”

I gripped the handle tighter.

“Etch this into your soul. In your next life, don’t bark if you’re not ready to bite.”

Without hesitation, I twisted the blade sideways.

Crack—!

Chu Uigye’s neck snapped.

As I looked down at his crumpled corpse, I found myself thinking—not quite enough.

The dagger I’d used was a cheap one anyway. I was going to toss it.

Might as well make good use of it.

I flipped my grip and stabbed the blade straight into Chu Uigye’s skull.

Thud—!