episode_0038

Only Cheong knew that Cheong had made up his mind.

So everyone just continued with their usual tasks.

The Taepyeong Inspection demanded once again the rightful compensation as protectors.

Manager Jang defended himself against the injustice.

But the unmanned workers of the Taepyeong Inspection were merely at the bottom of the organization. They had no authority to decide whether to receive protection fees or not.

In the end, Manager Jang reluctantly paid the protection fee.

It was a future that had already been decided long ago, so it was nothing out of the ordinary.

The unusual event occurred elsewhere.

In the Taepyeong Inspection, Third Manager Nam Kangjeong had been preoccupied with a woman since entering the tavern.

Ever since the former beauty queen Seo Sae had frowned, the absolute majority of Central Plains people had a strange sexual preference for frowning faces.

As an ordinary worker, Nam Kangjeong shared the same sexual preference as others.

The sight of a woman tilting her glass with a tired expression that seemed uncomfortable and weary of the world!

Moreover, she wasn’t even that beautiful, which made him more interested. How could he approach her?

If it weren’t for the serious business of the inspection, he would have rushed over to share his worries with her.

Just then, he saw the woman approaching him.

She even smiled gently!

Dream-like fantasies unfolded in Nam Kangjeong’s mind.

Nam Kangjeong should have looked at her hands rather than her face.

If he had, he would have remembered an old saying in the tavern that there were no proper teeth among those who approached with a bottle of alcohol.

The virtuous do not approach like this, and the woman approaching with a smile is definitely not in a virtuous state.

Unfortunately, Nam Kangjeong’s happy future plans ended in a physical clash between his head and the bottle of alcohol.

It was a showdown between a cheap self-defense and a skull.

The result was easily predictable by anyone.

Crash.

The shattered pieces of the bottle mixed with the scent of alcohol flew through the air.

Nam Kangjeong, who had spilled strong alcohol, staggered.

Not from being drunk, but from a proper blow to the head.

However, the unmanned worker at the end of this incident barely did not fall to the ground with the bottle.

The reason for using the expression “barely” is that people in the world are not idle enough to divide the world into three parts after all.

Nam Kangjeong yelled in frustration.

“What, what is this!”

“Disorderly conduct. Disturbance. And also, um, indecent behavior.”

Cheong clearly explained his actions.

Originally, the sword should have been drawn at this point, but Cheong’s appearance granted Nam Kangjeong a moment of patience.

“Soldier. Right now, the soldier is causing a great deal of rudeness to the disciple of the Taepyeong Inspection. Perhaps you haven’t drunk too much…”

“What? Why don’t you understand?”

Cheong tilted his head.

“I’m not picking a fight with the Taepyeong or whatever, I’m just causing a disturbance in the tavern.”

Nam Kangjeong pondered on how the two were different.

Cheong kindly provided the answer.

“You received protection money. Isn’t protection money the cost you receive for protecting the tavern from people causing trouble, disturbance, and indecent behavior?”

“…?”

Cheong pointed to himself with a slender finger.

“Here. Indecent.”

Cheong folded his finger and pushed it forward. Nam Kangjeong’s jaw slightly turned.

Then Cheong drew a semicircle with his fist on the opposite side.

Nam Kangjeong’s turned jaw was corrected.

It seemed like a bit more force had been put into the blow, causing it to turn significantly to the other side.

Nam Kangjeong, who had been hit on the jaw, staggered and fell, and Cheong, with a smirk, rolled up his sleeves.

“Now, let’s add some more disturbance. Are you just going to watch?”

That was the signal.

But he didn’t draw his sword in the end, not because of any factional reason.

It was because the trend of looking down on female workers in the Central Plains was not a one or two-day affair.

From the start, there was no way for the doorkeepers who collected water fees to stand out.

Cheong hit, pushed, and beat them.

Grabbing their wrists and pushing, the two fell down in a mess.

Kicking the opponent’s shin with his toe, Cheong grabbed him with both hands and rolled him on the ground.

“You guys are not ordinary! Everyone, draw your swords!”

Overcoming a momentary daze and regaining his senses, Nam Gangjeong shouted as he rushed forward.

But still, it was at a cute level.

Cheong was fighting without using any internal energy.

Because when he used internal energy, he didn’t just hit, he exploded.

But even without internal energy, Cheong was a formidable opponent.

With the accumulation of practiced martial arts and increasing stats, he was now a force to be reckoned with in the mid-levels with just his pure strength.

His base stats were already outstanding.

Cheong was able to withstand the early stages of the Central Plains, where sword fighting was a common occurrence, even without any knowledge and with the soft-heartedness of a modern person.

As Cheong weaved through the swords, picking out the painful spots to strike, he suddenly noticed the man falling in front of him.

Oh? Can I do that too? Can I be a badass?

Brief moments of long-lasting humiliation flashed by.

An indebtedness that he couldn’t repay to his master.

Allowing his disciple to repay that debt.

And so, it was when Cheong clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white.

“Stop! Stop!”

Nam Gangjeong, who had taken quite a beating, waved his hands desperately.

His eyes were already swollen and bruised.

“Please forgive us for our lack of skill. We have realized our shortcomings, so please allow us to retreat.”

It wasn’t that they had any skill, they just flailed around.

But still, the guy who pretended to have internal energy didn’t look too worse for wear.

“What’s this? This is the Taepyeong Inspection, oh, I remembered it. It’s easy. Anyway, aren’t you guys protecting the company? Are you just going to retreat like this?”

“As I already said.”

“Fine.”

Cheong interrupted Nam Gangjeong.

“I spared your lives, so leave the sword here and go. I need to gain something too.”

At Cheong’s words, the Taepyeong Inspection officers hesitated and looked at each other.

But it was Nam Gangjeong who stepped forward as the leader.

“Soldier, the life of the Black Gatekeeper is at stake.”

“Fine. I’m a sword master too, you know? Shall we have a good old sword fight with our lives on the line?”

Cheong pointed to the table where the Moonlight Sword (No. 8) was quietly leaning.

Seeing the Moonlight Sword, the officers finally dropped their swords.

The sight of the Taepyeong Inspection officers leaving with slumped shoulders was truly pitiful.

“Phew.”

It was fun. But. This. Hurts.

As soon as the game ended, the pain and various uncomfortable sensations overwhelmed Cheong, causing his expression to distort.

It even felt a bit damp and sticky.

Is this how all women live in the world? Seriously!

It’s so frustrating that I couldn’t pull off the ultimate move, it’s heartbreaking.

As Cheong searched for alcohol, he suddenly realized.

My alcohol…

“Here’s your drink…”

“Excuse me, sir.”

Instead of the waitress, the owner himself appeared.

The round bottle in his hand exuded a luxurious aura from the packaging.

Cheong waved his hand.

“Oh, you don’t have to thank me.”

“It’s not that. Please take this. That.”

The owner hesitated, unable to continue his words.

It was clear what he couldn’t say.

He probably wanted Cheong to leave now.

“Listen, sir. If I leave now, will you be safe? Those bastards will come back with their mothers. If I’m not here, you’ll have to deal with them. Isn’t that right? You’ve been in business for a day or two.”

It was a fact that Cheong had learned through his experiences.

The youngsters belonging to the Murim Bangpa faction always ran away and called for their mothers or someone equivalent.

When Cheong was at the bottom of society, he had no choice but to run away.

But now? Me. A master. A tremendous master.

However, a master in a very bad condition.

“I’ll take care of everything here, so give me some alcohol. Ugh, annoying. Damn.”

Cheong’s annoyance overflowed.

The boss Kim put down the alcohol with a disgusted face and quickly disappeared into the kitchen or a similar place.

Cheong removed the oil-soaked cloth from Dongi.

As soon as he opened it, a strong scent of alcohol hit him.

Although Dongi was as small as a child’s head, when he became a master, he could pour a drop into a small glass the size of five beans without spilling a drop.

After drinking like that, it was at a level where you couldn’t tell if it was alcohol or medicine.

So I liked it.

After drinking several glasses in a row without any side dishes, an old beggar approached and spoke.

“Hey, young man.”

“What? I’m not buying. Go away.”

Cheong bluntly raised his arm.

“Hehe, even young men can be harsh.”

“Grandpa. I have a lot of bad memories with beggars. Shouldn’t you be thankful that I show respect even when I’m harsh?”

“Hehe…”

“Or maybe I should attack the old man directly.”

Cheong asked older people like this.

Here, older people didn’t mean elderly people.

It referred to people whose age couldn’t be hidden, people who didn’t have many days left.

“Cough, cough.”

The old man coughed.

And he subtly felt his waist.

It seemed like he was asking Cheong to look at something.

When Cheong glanced, his clothes were very shabby, but there was a sturdy new rope tied around his waist.

Cheong knew these beggars.

They were very strong beggars.

Even in ancient China, there were beggars who had learned martial arts, and they walked around with ropes tied around their waists like that.

As usual, Cheong’s knowledge was experienced through his body.

And as usual, Cheong’s knowledge was limited.

But now, Cheong was a master.

Beggars may be strong, but they are still beggars. I’m not afraid.