Chapter 11

Ch. 11

Sword King, Taken 2

Cheol Myeongho, struck in the face by the club, swung his straight sword wildly in his confusion. However, to Dan Wooseong's eyes, it appeared to be crude swordsmanship. Therefore, the arm wielding the straight sword and his hair were simultaneously seized by Dan Wooseong.

Unlike when he had beaten the Twin Treasure Brothers, the lightning qi of the White Lightning Ten-Stage Art was immediately injected into Cheol Myeongho's body. As soon as Cheol Myeongho dropped his straight sword, he let out a crushing scream.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaah!"

The gatekeeper waiting outside the iron gate sighed and shook his head.

"My goodness, this will kill someone. Please go easy on him."

He naturally thought that Cheol Myeongho was assaulting the Great Young Master of the Galaxy Merchant Group.

Cheol Myeongho continued screaming as his body trembled violently.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaak!"

With a sizzling sound, the sound of burning came from Cheol Myeongho's hair. Cheol Myeongho felt pain as if he were engulfed in flames.

After Dan Wooseong withdrew his lightning qi, he grabbed Cheol Myeongho's wrist and pressed it against the desk with the back of his hand visible.

Cheol Myeongho was convulsing in a mentally confused state, enveloped by the lightning qi.

Dan Wooseong grabbed the short club on the desk and brought Cheol Myeongho's mind to sharp clarity.

Thwack!

"Kyaak!"

Cheol Myeongho's mind snapped to attention as his left pinky finger was crushed by the short club, feeling a different pain from the lightning qi.

Dan Wooseong spoke as if suggesting they have a conversation.

"Snap out of it."

Even while groaning, Cheol Myeongho looked at Dan Wooseong with murderous eyes. He wasn't called Venom Fox for nothing. As Cheol Myeongho panted heavily, once the pain subsided, he immediately responded.

"I'm snapped out of it. What?"

Truly a defiant tone.

Dan Wooseong nodded a few times while maintaining eye contact, then brought the club down again. After breaking each of the five fingers individually, he struck the back of the hand as well.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

"Kyaaaaaaaaaah!"

Cheol Myeongho's left hand was shattered to tatters. With tears streaming from both eyes, Cheol Myeongho said.

"Why are you doing this to me, you bastard... Why the hell are you doing this!"

Dan Wooseong wiped away Cheol Myeongho's tears with the tip of the club and responded.

"Why are you asking for reasons now? Between us... if you hit, you get hit back. Wasn't that the kind of relationship we had? Where is the key?"

Cheol Myeongho nodded as if he understood, then responded as if letting out a cry.

"Ah! That's right! But I still can't give you the key! Can't you ask for something else instead?"

Dan Wooseong finally released Cheol Myeongho's mangled left hand and made eye contact.

"Then first..."

"Yeah."

"Give me your right hand."

Only then did Cheol Myeongho's complexion harden as he clenched his teeth.

The two men glared at each other.

As their respective memories surfaced, old events flashed by.

Cheol Myeongho nodded several times. Since he had bullied and extorted money from many people, it wasn't strange at all for the Great Young Master to act this way.

Cheol Myeongho raised his trembling left hand and spoke calmly.

"Friend, let's just settle this with fifty thousand nyang. I need to make a living too. My left hand is already crippled, so cut me some slack. It's true that you got beaten by me a bit, but that was when we were kids. Hey, at least you don't have any crippled parts, right? You bastard, aren't you being too harsh on me all of a sudden?"

Dan Wooseong said.

"Myeongho, are you acting like this to me now because you think I probably can't bring myself to kill a person?"

The conversation between the two men still continued within the bounds of 'friendship'.

Cheol Myeongho nodded.

"You know me well. I'm saying this because I don't think you can kill a person. You're kind. Do you know what a frustrating pushover you used to be? Still, it's fortunate that you've changed to be more manly. Ah, you bastard. Congratulations. You've grown up a lot."

Cheol Myeongho spoke to the Twin Treasure Brothers who had regained consciousness.

"Hey, pay your respects. Serve him respectfully as your older brother from now on. Give him congratulations too. He's changed."

Surprisingly, the Twin Treasure Brothers looked at Dan Wooseong without much emotion and bowed their heads.

"Older brother, congratulations."

"Older brother, congratulations. You've become strong."

Dan Wooseong looked at the Twin Treasure Brothers and said.

"Myeongbo, Jinbo."

"Yes, older brother."

"Once I form a sworn brotherhood, it's eternal brotherhood. Is that okay?"

The Twin Treasure Brothers looked at Dan Wooseong quietly, then looked at Cheol Myeongho as if seeking permission. When Cheol Myeongho nodded, the Twin Treasure Brothers made a promise to Dan Wooseong.

"Yes, we will also serve you as our older brother from now on."

Dan Wooseong smiled and responded.

"Then that's settled. You two go outside."

Cheol Myeongho sensed something was going strangely, but he couldn't stop Dan Wooseong's command. The Twin Treasure Brothers stood up and went outside without a word.

Only then did Dan Wooseong look at Cheol Myeongho with a strange expression.

Cheol Myeongho looked at the iron gate the Twin Treasure Brothers had exited through, then checked Dan Wooseong's expression again. Only then did he grasp Dan Wooseong's intention.

Cheol Myeongho hurled curses at Dan Wooseong.

"Hey, you bastard!"

In fact, even if all the money from this gambling den were taken, as long as he had the Twin Treasure Brothers with him, he could establish himself anywhere. Only then did Cheol Myeongho realize that the Great Young Master had come not for money, but to take the Twin Treasure Brothers. His mental slaves who were more precious than money.

Dan Wooseong said.

"Myeongho, you've done well exploiting those naive kids. People shouldn't act like that. From now on, I'll teach them well and keep them with me."

The Twin Treasure Brothers were ones who could become dozens, even hundreds of times stronger than now if guided by the Sword King. They could be put in a guard brigade or kept as personal guards. They would live much better lives than doing bad deeds under Cheol Myeongho.

Cheol Myeongho asked in a cold tone.

"...What the hell are you doing? Just take all the money. You crazy bastard. Just kill me then. My hands are already crippled, and without the Twin Treasure Brothers, where am I supposed to go except to get beaten to death?"

Dan Wooseong spoke as if to start again.

"Why is Venom Fox whining? Handle that yourself, just stick out your right hand."

Cheol Myeongho kept his mouth tightly shut and blinked. He had an attitude of not giving up his right hand even if he died. Then Dan Wooseong began beating Cheol Myeongho with the club.

He had misjudged the person completely.

After crushing Cheol Myeongho's shoulder blade, ribs, wrist, and right hand, Dan Wooseong stood up and roughly pushed the desk aside with his left hand.

When Dan Wooseong grabbed Cheol Myeongho by the collar and threw him to the floor, Cheol Myeongho cried out.

"...Just, kill me!"

Dan Wooseong stopped his downward motion and looked at Cheol Myeongho.

"Kill you?"

Cheol Myeongho responded with blazing eyes.

"Kill me, you bastard."

Dan Wooseong nodded.

"Alright, you've suffered a lot."

Dan Wooseong grabbed Cheol Myeongho's hair and brought the club down. As his forehead split with a thwack sound, he raised the club with the same motion.

After being hit once in the head, Cheol Myeongho thought Dan Wooseong would really kill him. Indeed, Dan Wooseong intended to beat him to death like this.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

As Cheol Myeongho muttered something while being beaten, Dan Wooseong responded.

"I can't hear you well..."

Just before losing consciousness with his face covered in blood, Cheol Myeongho said.

"The key, I said Myeongbo has it..."

Dan Wooseong brought his ear close and said.

"...You're asking me to kill you?"

"No, I'm asking you to spare me."

Dan Wooseong threw down the club and glared at Cheol Myeongho.

"Myeongho, is that how someone who's asking to be spared talks?"

Cheol Myeongho said.

"What the hell, should I use honorifics between friends?"

How far was the distance between the 'friendship' spoken by the Four Heavenly Kings of Ragamuffins and the 'friendship' spoken by Cheol Myeongho? Even Dan Wooseong couldn't know. At Venom Fox's endless audacity, Dan Wooseong laughed as if wind had entered his lungs.

When Dan Wooseong laughed, Cheol Myeongho also laughed along, showing his blood-stained teeth as if to demonstrate the perfected form of a formidable bottom-dweller.

He was truly a remarkable venom fox in many ways.

Only then did Cheol Myeongho beg for his life in a somewhat softened tone.

"Please spare me? This Venom Fox has lost."

Dan Wooseong looked toward the door and said.

"Ssangbo, open the door."

With a clang, as the door opened, Ssangbo and the startled gatekeeper entered. The gatekeeper looked at the blood-covered Cheol Myeongho and muttered.

"No, older brother, what is this..."

Dan Wooseong looked at Ssangbo and said.

"Cheol Myeongho is declaring victory or defeat. Listen directly."

Yuk Myeongbo asked Cheol Myeongho with a rarely seen confused expression.

"Older brother, did you lose?"

Yuk Jinbo asked the same question.

"Did you really lose?"

Despite having watched him get thoroughly beaten until now, they were specifically asking Cheol Myeongho about victory or defeat.

He was that kind of venom fox, and they were the slaves of such a venom fox.

Cheol Myeongho looked at Yuk Myeongbo and Yuk Jinbo, whom he had used like slaves. These were brothers who had lived like dogs under him. He believed only he could handle these two people, but somehow that wasn't the case now. Somehow, in one corner of his heart, he thought it would be better for them to go under the Great Young Master who was much stronger than himself.

Cheol Myeongho sighed and answered Ssangbo's question.

"Yeah, I lost. From now on, serve Jin-eon as your older brother."

Tears welled up in Cheol Myeongho's eyes. He felt more humiliated than when his money was taken.

Yuk Myeongbo and Yuk Jinbo looked at each other, then responded to Cheol Myeongho.

"Yes, understood."

"We've been greatly indebted to you."

When the Twin Treasure Brothers spoke coldly, Cheol Myeongho looked at the two with surprised eyes.

Dan Wooseong said to the Twin Treasure Brothers.

"Take everything from the safe and put it on the desk. And you."

Dan Wooseong looked at the fat gatekeeper. The fat man responded in surprise.

"Yes."

"Carry Myeongho to a physician."

"I don't have money though?"

"Isn't what's on the floor money?"

As the big man groaned while picking up money with his heavy body, Dan Wooseong said again.

"Lose some weight, you bastard."

"Yes."

Cheol Myeongho stood up, staggered, leaned against the wall, and said to Dan Wooseong.

"Why would I be carried? I can walk alone. But aren't you going to give me severance pay?"

It was a statement worthy of being called the venom fox among venom foxes, no, the world's greatest venom fox.

When Cheol Myeongho asked with a serious expression, Dan Wooseong responded.

"Get lost, you bastard. There's no way Venom Fox would have buried money only in this place. After you go to the physician, clean up the gambling den too. If you come back and are operating here next time, I'll burn it down."

"You heartless bastard, why did you change like this?"

Cheol Myeongho sighed and went outside with the support of the fat gatekeeper. It was a sight befitting Venom Fox to the end. Even after being treated so harshly, not looking servile was also a skill if it could be called one.

Dan Wooseong looked at the Twin Treasure Brothers with his arms crossed. The Twin Treasure Brothers silently had one person open the safe while the other straightened the desk and tidied the room. They were ones who truly did what they were told silently. Then the two looked at each other, simultaneously stopped what they were doing, and looked at Dan Wooseong.

Yuk Myeongbo and Yuk Jinbo simultaneously said to Dan Wooseong.

"Older brother."

Dan Wooseong responded.

"What."

Yuk Myeongbo said.

"Thank you for sparing Myeongho."

Yuk Jinbo said the same.

"Thank you for sparing him."

Dan Wooseong also looked at the two with great surprise, then slowly nodded.

These were neither slaves, nor were they under Cheol Myeongho because they feared him. They were simply people like solid and heavy steel.

Even such Yuk Myeongbo and Yuk Jinbo had expressions. They made eye contact with Dan Wooseong with strange expressions that changed like something stirring, then began working silently again.

Dan Wooseong thought that expression was probably them smiling.

Even for the man called Sword King, accurately knowing people's inner thoughts was a difficult task.

It was more difficult than martial arts.

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