Episode 9 - Backstab After Backstab
‘That’s right. There’s no other way.’
“If I get the certificate issued tomorrow, I’ll have to tell him then and show it to him….”
It was then.
“Yawn~ I slept well. Weren’t you bored while I was gone?”
“Ah, right. You were here too. You hadn’t come out in so long that I forgot about you for a moment.”
At Seojun’s words, Yeomra muttered as if feeling slighted.
“Even though I’m someone who gave you divine authority… You’re too much.”
“You’re not a person, you’re a spirit. And it’s because you keep sleeping all the time.”
“That can’t be helped.”
“Aah~ I don’t know about that. Anyway, it’s your fault.”
Yeomra clicked her tongue at his personality, then recalled Seojun’s slightly dark expression from moments ago and asked.
“By the way, what happened? Why was your expression so dark? Do you have worries?”
“It wasn’t that dark, but it’s true that something’s up.”
“What is it? Tell me. Who knows? I might solve it for you.”
“That would absolutely never happen. This is a problem I have to solve myself.”
“Tch. How boring. Then I have nothing to do, so I guess I’ll go back in and sleep.”
His firm refusal deflated her, and she returned to the sword.
“Yeah, you only need to be awake when I enter the Tower. Sleep tight for now.”
Since she was the only one who knew detailed information about each floor of the Tower, he didn’t particularly need her help right now.
“Ah! Come to think of it, I think I learned a skill as my Mukgi proficiency increased.”
Since he had to resolve matters as soon as possible, he began to examine the newly learned skill he had momentarily forgotten.
‘Status Window.’
[Assimilation (同化): Forcibly assimilates the user’s energy with the surrounding energy.]
“This is….”
Although the description was only a single line, Seojun had already grasped the essence of the Assimilation skill.
“The most important thing is that even if I openly use my demonic energy, opponents won’t notice—they’ll mistake it for ordinary mana.”
As a bonus, since it assimilated with the surrounding energy, detection techniques using mana could never detect Seojun.
“Hiya~ So this is what they mean by living off the fat of the land?”
I could open a raw bar and make a killing.
Life is sweet.
“But this damn seal won’t budge at all. Should I raise my level more?”
Since his level was still 36, it was a plausible assumption, but….
“I have to break this damn Thunderbolt Seal as soon as possible so I can live the easy life even more!!!”
He had gained one more reason to diligently raise his level.
***
Meanwhile, the Cheongeom Clan, which had only just now received news of Manho, was steeped in a heavy atmosphere.
“Butler Kim… Could you please explain what happened here?”
In front of Sin Geumho, who was barely holding back his anger, lay a crumpled newspaper.
-Breaking News! The Cheongeom Clan finally dispatches a family representative to the Borderland! The representative has been identified as Sin Manho, the son of Geumwang Construction Chairman.-
“Yes… Young Master Manho has been dispatched as the clan’s representative… to the Borderland.”
Geumho knew full well it wasn’t Butler Kim’s fault, but that didn’t matter right now.
“You think I’m asking because I really don’t know? Why! I’m asking why Manho was dispatched instead of Sin Seojun!”
Slamming his thick palm on the desk, Geumho immediately called the Association Chairman.
The person on the other end answered Geumho’s call with a smug voice.
“I heard the news. I never knew you were such a man of the world. To think you’d send your own son. Hehehe.”
“Hoo, there seems to have been some mistake. Please send Manho back to the clan immediately.”
At Geumho’s commanding tone, the Association Chairman replied as if it couldn’t be helped.
“Hm? Didn’t we agree that no matter who volunteered, in exchange for skipping the ‘procedures,’ we wouldn’t take them back? I believe our Association has shown considerable leniency here.”
“Chairman! Are you going to keep this up? I made myself clear. If he isn’t sent back within three days, I can’t guarantee what will happen on our clan’s end.”
At Geumho’s brazen audacity, the Association Chairman barely held back a burst of laughter as he answered.
“Hehe, if you’re so confident, go ahead.”
“What?”
“I said go ahead. I’m curious to see what you’ll do, you insolent little brat.”
Frozen momentarily by the Chairman’s sudden abusive language, Geumho exploded.
“Wh-What! Are you confident even after acting like this?!”
“You should know your limits when throwing your weight around relying solely on Sin Jonghak. Ahem. The Clan Head isn’t in good health as it is. Shouldn’t you restrain yourself? Hehehe.”
At the Chairman’s words, Sin Geumho was forced to freeze instantly.
“H-How do you… know that…?”
“I’ll forgive your rudeness today. Don’t ever call me about this matter again. And…”
“….”
“I’ll only tolerate your rotten attitude until today.”
Click.
“Damn it!! Where did the information leak?!”
‘There shouldn’t be many within the clan who know the Clan Head’s condition…’
No matter how much he pondered the source of the Chairman’s information, no answer came, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it now.
“Now’s not the time for this. I need to go to Sin Seojun right now. He definitely did something to Manho. Butler Kim! Prepare the car immediately.”
Geumho usually refrained from casual speech to avoid seeming low-class, but this wasn’t the time to worry about that.
It was then.
“Chairman! Young Master Manho is currently in the Borderland….”
A subordinate delivering the news too late caused Geumho’s barely contained rage to finally explode, and he grabbed the man by the collar.
“I already know! You bastard. You should’ve checked beforehand before it came to this! You vermin.”
“T-There’s additional information regarding that.”
“If it’s nothing important, you’d better prepare yourself for today.”
Snarling at his subordinate, Geumho roughly released the collar.
“Do you remember the female secretary who served Young Master Manho?”
Racking his memory at the employee’s question, Geumho recalled even her name and answered.
“Ah, her name was Yoon Da-bin? But why her?”
“They say she joined hands with Sin Seojun and trapped Young Master Manho.”
“What? Why would she all of a sudden? And it makes no sense that Manho would fall just because one woman betrayed him, you bastard!”
Having no words to respond, the employee could only hang his head.
“….”
“And most importantly, how do you know that?”
“It’s… thanks to the principal of the academy Sin Seojun attended.”
“Tell me exactly what he said. Don’t leave out a single word.”
At Geumho’s demand, the employee recalled the phone call and began imitating the principal’s tone.
“Ahem. I succeeded in separating Seojun from Miss Sua as Young Master Manho ordered. Then, shortly after, I received a text from the female secretary’s number saying the plan succeeded as scheduled, so please take care of the cleanup. After feeling relieved, I saw today’s newspaper and contacted you like this.”
Having successfully mimicked the principal’s voice, the employee continued with a proud heart.
“That’s what he said. So I tracked all the movements of the vehicle the Cheongeom Clan used and obtained CCTV footage from around that location.”
“Footage? What’s in it?”
“It captured her driving with unconscious Young Master Manho from the Jeonju branch of the Association.”
From the report, Geumho began piecing together how the secretary had betrayed Manho.
“So did that woman feed sleeping pills to Manho and the guild members?”
“Isn’t that likely? There’s no other way to explain the current situation.”
“It bothers me why she would suddenly betray us, but it does make sense. I need to go see Sin Seojun myself.”
Just then, the door opened and Butler Kim, who had just left, re-entered.
“Chairman, your car is ready.”
With the butler’s words, Geumho boarded the large sedan.
The grand picture Seojun had planned began to unfold.
***
“Ah… What a brilliant figure this is.”
“It’s not something to fuss over. Ahem.”
Seojun and Sua were on their way back after receiving their Awakener certificates at the Association’s Jeonju branch.
“I’m hungry. What should we eat?”
“Hmm. Shall we have a bowl of gukbap?”
“You want to die? Pick up on the hint while I’m being nice.”
“Hey, I’m joking! Then shall we have pasta?”
He had barely survived a life-threatening crisis without even finishing his revenge.
“Hmm. Shall we? Then lead the way~.”
Staring at Sua as she arrogantly lifted her chin and gave orders, Seojun had no choice but to guide her to a pasta restaurant famous as a local hotspot.
Shortly after.
After his date with Sua, Seojun was able to return home.
“She said she’d be very late today, but she still isn’t back yet.”
Checking just in case, Seojun confirmed that Ayeong wasn’t home.
Lying on his bed, he took out the certificate he had received earlier and examined it.
“Level 36 and a C-rank Awakener… At C-rank, I can enter 3-star dungeons and C-rank Gates.”
It wasn’t yet an achievement satisfactory to Seojun’s eyes, but he decided to be content for now.
“I’ll have to run around without rest for the time being.”
To substitute for Gates, which were hard to find outside the Borderland, Seojun turned on his smartphone to reserve a dungeon he could enter anytime.
“Hmm. There aren’t as many 3-star dungeons as I thought. It’ll be hard to monopolize them.”
Since there were few 3-star dungeons for solo use, there was a high probability of other parties being present.
“I’ll have to endure for now. Once I hit level 50, I can go to the Borderland and grow to my heart’s content.”
Seojun spoke words that would startle others without a care in the world.
Then, lying on his bed, Seojun glanced at the clock on the wall and muttered.
“More importantly, I think it’s about time the clan made a move, but are they still far off?”
Having read today’s newspaper, Seojun imagined the clan in an uproar by now and began to smile.
“Will the pig come, or will the fox~? Well, it doesn’t matter if both come. Hehe.”
As he was indulging in such idle thoughts—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
“Sin Ayeong! Sin Seojun! Open the door right now! I’ve already confirmed you’re inside. Don’t even think about running.”
“Geumho, calm down first. I’ll take care of everything.”
Hearing the two men’s voices outside the door, Seojun raised his upper body and beamed.
“Bingo! Both of them came.”
It was time to punish the two animals who had dared to look down on humans.
Ding-a-ling.
Eyes brimming with ecstasy, Seojun opened the door without hesitation.
Opening the door, he could see Hajun and Geumho with dark expressions.
“What’s the point of having a doorbell if you’re going to bang on the door like that? Don’t act like uneducated brutes. It’s embarrassing.”
“Y-You! Sin Seojun! Did you really send our Manho to the Borderland?!”
Whether because he was furious, the fat on his chin quivered even while he stood still—the pig, no, Geumho. Seojun sneered and replied.
“Didn’t you already investigate everything? And how stupid are you to think I’d meekly let myself be manipulated according to your intentions?”
“You, who cowardly used sleeping pills, are this shameless?!”
Staring pitifully at Geumho, who had misunderstood something, Seojun shook his head.
“Aren’t you the shameless ones for trying to kidnap your cute, young nephew?”
“Th-that… Follow us to the parking lot for now. Too many eyes here.”
The moment he finished speaking, Geumho grabbed Seojun’s wrist and dragged him along.
Seojun could have resisted easily enough, but he decided not to for the sake of later amusement.
As if they had planned to bring him here from the start, construction signs were placed around the parking lot to prevent people from approaching.
“Sin Seojun. I’m warning you for the last time. Go to the Borderland and bring back our Manho while I’m being nice. If you obey me quietly, I won’t bother you anymore.”
He had lowered his voice, thinking he was making a threat, but his memories of his past life wouldn’t allow him to fear such petty threats.
“After everything you’ve done, you’re telling me to stop? And the reason I sent Manho was so he could lose some weight before he got irreversibly fat like you. Shouldn’t you be thanking me instead?”
“Sin Seojun. I don’t know what you’re relying on to act so brazenly, but I can’t guarantee what I’ll do to you if you don’t bring Manho back. Is that fine with you?”
At Geumho’s absurd bluff, Seojun couldn’t hold back the laughter that burst out.
“Pfft! Go ahead and do your worst with all that confidence you have. At best, you’ll threaten the people around me like a thug. Right?”
With the conversation going nowhere, the frustrated Hajun cut in.
“Geumho, calm down and leave this to me. I’ll handle Seojun.”
Hajun pushed Geumho back and approached Seojun.
Trying to act dignified for his younger brother’s sake, Hajun was nothing but laughable, unlike when they had met before.
“Seojun, what do you want? If you just go to the Borderland and come back, I’ll grant you anything.”
“What I want? Hmm… Your lives?”
Perhaps displeased by Seojun’s absurd demand, he began mixing in some threats.
“You had no intention of talking from the start. Do you not know we could drag you by force right now?”
“Haha. I got it. Calm down for a second. If you just listen to what I want, I’ll go quietly. Is that good?”
As the conversation progressed, Hajun’s furrowed expression began to relax.
“I knew it. Tell me what you really want.”
“It’s not just one thing, but several. Is that okay?”
“Yes. I understand, so hurry up and tell me.”
To Hajun, who even took out a notepad to write down the demands, Seojun began stating his conditions.
“First, 20 billion won, Unique-grade armor and shoes, and… about three top-grade mana stones?”
“I understand the money and equipment, but mana stones too? Wouldn’t asking for more money be more realistic?”
Whether he actually intended to provide them or not, Hajun was engaging actively in the conversation; Seojun replied coldly.
“You don’t need to know the reason. So can you give them?”
“Hmm. Then wait two hours. I’ll give you everything today. Send me your account number by text.”
“You seem to be in quite a hurry. I wouldn’t mind if you took your time, though?”
“Don’t pretend you didn’t receive it.”
Baffled by Hajun’s compliance, Geumho asked in protest.
“Brother! Why should we listen to that bastard’s demands!”
Normally, Geumho would have thought carefully first, but he was so desperate to bring Manho back that he didn’t even try to guess Hajun’s intentions.
Hajun whispered into Geumho’s ear so Seojun couldn’t hear.
“That Seojun bastard seems to be up to something. Look at his face. Isn’t he too relaxed for the situation? I think it’s best to resolve this as amicably as possible, just in case. So calm down and cooperate a little.”
At Hajun’s concern, Geumho was able to quickly come to his senses.
“I-I got a bit excited. I’m sorry.”
Showing a bored expression at their conversation, Seojun yawned and headed home.
“If there’s nothing else to see, I’ll be at home. Bring the stuff when it arrives. And this time, don’t bang on the door—ring the doorbell.”
“Don’t even dream of running. We’ll be watching right here. Geumho, let’s wait in the car for a bit.”
“Yes, Brother.”
Only after confirming Seojun had definitely gone inside did Hajun get into the car.
***
Two hours later.
Ding-dong!
“You arrived right on time. Come in for now.”
Hajun and Geumho entered the house carrying large bags.
“I want to see the goods first.”
“Here, Unique-grade armor and shoes, and three top-grade mana stones as requested, right? I already sent the money to your account.”
Opening a bag half his size, he looked at the equipment inside and the appraisal certificates proving their authenticity, smiling with satisfaction.
‘The armor raises stamina and strength by 8, and the shoes raise agility by 10. Well, this much is usable.’
Seojun equipped the armor and shoes right there on the spot.
He didn’t strictly need the equipment, but the reason he asked was that wandering around dungeons holding only a sword was too conspicuous.
‘Might as well get armor and shoes while I’m at it, right?’
“If the mana stones are this good, they really are top-grade. Good work.”
“I don’t know why you need them, but I won’t ask. More importantly, you must keep your promise now, right?”
Urged by their continued prodding, Seojun stood up and asked a sudden question.
“Okay, I got it. Stop hurrying me. But is it really going to be resolved just because I go? I don’t think the Association will acknowledge it.”
“That’s my problem to handle, so don’t worry about it. Let’s go already!”
With both hands grabbed by Geumho and Hajun, the restrained Seojun left the house and got into their car.
When Seojun obediently followed their wishes, a triumphant Hajun relaxed and reverted to his true nature, beginning to ridicule Seojun.
“But I thought you had something up your sleeve. Was it all just for money? As expected, what would a guy like you know how to do? Tch.”
“That’s right. Seojun. You just need to sacrifice yourself for us. That suits your life. Accept reality and live humbly.”
Letting their outrageous words toward a nephew go in one ear and out the other, Seojun did not forget to mock them as he asked their destination.
“Wow~ How have you endured having such dirty personalities until now? The world would be shocked if they knew. Right? And this doesn’t seem like we’re heading to Jeonju; where are we going?”
Intoxicated by the sense of victory, Hajun even told Seojun what he hadn’t asked.
“Obviously, we’re going to Jeju Island where the Borderland is. We’d be turned away at the Association branch. Once we arrive, you just need to go to the Borderland in Manho’s place. Easy, right?”
“Hmm… Easy. So simple it’s funny, just like you two.”
Their faces hardened rapidly at the mockery, and as if they had decided to relieve their accumulated stress right then, they placed their hands on Seojun’s shoulders.
“Ah! And. I didn’t tell you, Sin Seojun, but we’ve decided to personally teach our insolent nephew some manners on the way to Jeju Island. Of course, we also plan to take back the weapon we gave you.”
“I’ll give you a quick crash course. You cocky nephew.”
Even at the sight of Geumho twisting his thick hands and stretching his arms, Seojun only laughed, not losing his composure.
“Ah, right! Uncles, I also forgot to tell you something. Can I say it?”
“I thought you were just cocky, but you have no tact either. Fine. Go ahead and blabber.”
Staring pitifully at Geumho, who put on an expression as if bestowing mercy, Seojun already had a Mukgi in his hand.
“I actually lied about going to the Borderland, you bastards.”
The moment he finished speaking, the bladed Mukgi in his hand swung toward Geumho’s wrist.
Slash!
“And you said you’d take back the weapon you gave me?”
Didn’t anyone teach you that liars get their hands cut off?
It was the moment Seojun’s first revenge began, having gifted them mockery until the very end.