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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: How to Borrow Money
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In the back alleys of Seochang.
Deep within a gloomy alley, where the sun never reached even during the day, nestled between tall tavern buildings, was the Unro Gambling Den, the largest in all of Seochang.
It was a massive establishment where one could bet on dominoes, dice, cockfights, dogfights, and even the brawls of underworld thugs.
Despite it being broad daylight, the place was teeming with people.
Hazy tobacco smoke and the stench of liquor filled the air, and the excited shouts of the crowd were incessant.
"Quite large."
"It's the biggest gambling den in Seochang."
"A place of this scale wouldn't be run by a mere underworld gang. Do they have a backer?"
At Mujin's words, Masok quickly spoke up.
"That's why we should turn back now! This is no place for you, Young Master!"
"And what kind of place is this?"
At the rough voice, Masok and Mujin turned to see a man a full head taller than them looking down.
The man, who had a long, diagonal scar across his face, glared at them with narrow eyes, making Masok jump in fright.
"Eek! N-no, that's not what I meant…"
"Are you one of Banghobang's men?"
At Mujin's question, the man's gaze shifted to him.
"If you're here to gamble, cut the useless chatter and play quietly."
As the man turned to leave, Mujin spoke.
"I asked if you're a Banghobang thug."
"..."
The man turned back, his narrow eyes turning vicious as Mujin continued.
"I have something to say to your boss. Take me to him."
-Whoosh!
Instead of a reply, the man swung his fist.
Startled, Masok covered his head and crouched down, while Mujin easily dodged the punch by simply turning his body to the side.
He didn't just dodge; his extended fist struck the man squarely in the armpit.
-Thwack!
-Thud, thud.
"That tickles."
The man feigned brushing off his armpit and cracked his neck from side to side as he looked at Mujin.
-Crack! Crack!
"I don't know who sent you to start trouble, but…"
"What's going on!"
Just then, another man rushed over. The scarred man stepped back slightly and bowed his head.
"Boss. It's nothing, this guy was just causing a scene in the establishment…"
The slender man who had arrived glanced at Mujin before speaking.
"You're scaring the customers. Handle it quietly."
"What brings you here?"
At the man's question, Mujin repeated himself with an annoyed expression.
"I said I want to see the head of Banghobang."
The corner of the man's eye twitched.
"For what reason?"
"To borrow some money."
"Ah, a customer. In that case, there's no need to see the gang leader. Follow me."
The man finished speaking and led the way.
Mujin and Masok followed him, with the large man trailing behind them.
As he walked, the slender man gave a few subtle nods, and several menacing-looking men began to trail them discreetly.
-Clank!
He opened the door to a warehouse-like room, revealing a torch-lit space with stairs leading down to a basement.
"Young Master…"
Masok grabbed Mujin's sleeve and shook his head.
But with the man behind them pressing forward, they had no choice but to descend into the basement.
"You've spent quite a bit of money on this place."
As they walked down the basement corridor, the man in front nodded.
"Up ahead is a fighting pit where rough men battle. It can hold up to several hundred people, and even the high-ranking lords of Seochang visit from time to time. This is no place for a madman from the failing Yeomhwa Family to set foot in."
At the man's words, Mujin smiled.
"So you know me?"
"How could I not know the madman from the family that owes Banghobang the most?"
The man blocked the corridor, turning around to face Mujin with a smile.
"I heard you beat our collector to a pulp in the market the other day."
"I did. He was crying and begging for his life, so I spared him out of pity. You could say he owes me his life."
"I heard you don't know the first thing about martial arts, yet you still act tough just because you're from a martial family."
As he finished speaking, the man gestured with his eyes, and a man clenching his fists approached Mujin from behind.
"Stay down."
At Mujin's words, Masok quietly ducked.
"Don't kill him. We wouldn't want to anger our client."
At that, the man who was about to throw a punch grinned and grabbed Mujin by the lapels.
"I'll slam you to the ground."
Just as he was about to throw Mujin onto the narrow corridor floor, Mujin took a step forward and pulled on his opponent's elbow with both hands.
At the same time, he slightly lowered his upper body.
-Crack!
"Guh!"
The man who had grabbed his lapels let out a groan as his wrist snapped cleanly.
"Weren't you going to slam me? Why are you on the ground?"
Mujin squeezed the man's broken wrist, and the fallen man screamed, unable to get up.
"Aaargh!"
"Tsk, tsk. For a man who lives by the sword, you're so fragile."
-Crunch!
Mujin brought his knee down on the man's throat.
The man fell backward, his body trembling, unable to rise.
"What are you doing?! Get him!"
The man blocking the path scowled as he watched one of his subordinates go down in an instant and shouted.
The five men who had followed them in rushed toward Mujin in a line.
'This rotten body isn't suited for a battle of strength.'
Mujin dodged the first man's punch by diving into his guard, then drove the crown of his head into his opponent's face.
-Thwack!
"Gack!"
With a broken nose and shattered front teeth, the large man was sent flying backward.
The force of Mujin's headbutt, combined with the man's own forward momentum, had doubled the impact.
Another large man leaped over his fallen comrade and charged.
This time, Mujin kicked his opponent's knee to unbalance him and then thrust his fist into the man's throat, felling him in one blow.
-Pow!
-Thud!
-Crack!
Having taken down all five in an instant, Mujin turned around and clicked his tongue.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Your leader must have a headache, running his underworld business with thugs like these."
'He's a seasoned fighter.'
It wasn't that he was strong because he was from a martial family.
The man, who had made a living in the underworld, could tell at a glance that his opponent had defeated his men not with martial arts, but with pure fighting skill.
"They called you a madman. I see you're not the gentle kind."
With those words, the last man standing pulled a dagger from his robes.
In the underworld of Seochang, he had survived this long with this single blade.
This was not his first or second time stabbing someone.
Seeing the man draw his blade and angle his body behind it, Mujin smiled.
"Oh? Looks like you didn't pull that out just for show."
As he spoke, Mujin pulled a wooden chopstick from his sleeve.
He had secretly pocketed it earlier, sensing his lack of strength during his brief exchange with the first man.
Seeing Mujin confront him with a wooden chopstick, the man's brow furrowed.
"You crazy bastard. With that piece of junk!"
The man rushed forward, stabbing quickly with his dagger.
Mujin effortlessly dodged the thrusts aimed at his face, wrist, and shoulder.
He moved just enough to avoid the strikes before closing the distance again, a look of utter composure on his face.
"Hmph!"
-Swish! Swish!
When stabbing failed, the man switched to a reverse grip and began to slash.
But Mujin easily evaded those attacks as well, simply by taking a step back.
-Stab!
Dodging a wide slash aimed at his torso, Mujin's chopstick plunged into his opponent's wrist.
"Kuh!"
-Clang.
The dagger fell from his hand, its sound echoing through the corridor.
-Stab. Stab. Stab.
Mujin pulled the chopstick out and swiftly struck the man's shoulders and thigh.
"Gah!"
Red flowers bloomed on his clothes as blood began to spread and seep through the fabric.
"What does it matter if it's a knife or a chopstick? Either is good enough to kill a man."
At Mujin's words, the man staggered back, glaring at him.
"You… Are you prepared to handle the consequences of this…"
-Stab!
Without waiting for the man to finish, Mujin rushed forward and stabbed both of his thighs again, deeper this time.
-Thump.
The man fell to his knees, finally looking up at Mujin with fear in his eyes.
"I didn't come here to listen to threats. It would be in your best interest to say what I want to hear. Understood?"
"The likes of the Yeomhwa Family!"
-Stab, stab, stab!
Mujin's hands moved with a playful expression, like a child torturing an insect to death.
A scream tore from the man's throat as the chopstick pierced his trapezius muscle.
"Kraaaagh! You son of a…"
-Stab!
"Aaaargh! Stop! I get it, so just stop!"
-Stab, stab, stab.
"Aaaaaaaargh!"
"Oops. I stabbed the same spot again. That must have hurt."
"Hah… Hah… W-what do you want? I'll do anything, so please, just stop… Please stop."
Finally hearing the words he wanted, Mujin tossed the blood-stained chopstick to the floor.
"Like I said before. Money. I'm here to borrow some more."
"H-how much…"
"Hmm… How much does my family owe you now?"
"About three hundred gold pieces…"
"Then lend me another fifty gold pieces."
"F-fifty gold pieces is!"
As his voice rose, Mujin reached for the chopstick again, and the man quickly continued.
"Thirty! Thirty gold pieces! If we empty the den's safe right now, we'll have about thirty! Collection day was just a few days ago, so I swear there's nothing more! Please, believe me!"
"Tsk. Well, I suppose I'll have to take what I can get. A borrower can't be a chooser."
Though his attitude was far from that of a debtor, the man didn't dare say a word.
For now, Mujin had only struck non-lethal spots, but he knew all too well.
Ever since Mujin had picked up the chopstick again, he had been staring at his heart.
"Dong-seok! Hey! How long are you going to lie there!"
At the man's shout, the man with the crushed nose, who had been feigning unconsciousness, shot up.
"Go upstairs and empty out all the gold from the safe!"
"While you're at it, bring all the silver too."
At Mujin's added comment, the large man scrambled upstairs.
"Y-Young Master… What if that man brings back his friends? We should run…"
"Then I'll just use this."
Mujin picked up the dagger the man had dropped.
"I-I swear that won't happen! I swear it!"
At the man's words, Mujin nodded.
"Then shall we have a little chat while we wait for the money?"
The man swallowed hard at Mujin's words, spoken with a smile as he held the dagger that glinted in the torchlight.