WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME NOVELS

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Former Supreme ◈

Chapter 12: Do You Think We're a Joke? (3)

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The atmosphere in the room turned icy.

Black Hand's face twisted viciously. Pride was everything to him.

Maggots? It was such a humiliating comparison that he would never forget it for the rest of his life.

If Wang Gon was an old maggot, that meant he was a young maggot.

If he were the sort to laugh heartily over drinks and joke, "At least I was a young maggot," that would be one thing. But Black Hand was the kind of person who would skewer someone over a single offensive slip of the tongue.

Black Hand's killing intent, clear in its purpose, swept through the room. Everyone present understood. Black Hand had decided to kill Baek Socheon.

Wang Gon had no need to get angry. Black Hand would punish Baek Socheon for him. Black Hand would not listen even if Wang Gon tried to stop him, and Wang Gon had no desire to stop him anyway.

'An arrest? Maggots? This crazy bastard!'

Fine. Since maggots had come up already, they would need a corpse too.

Despite the urgency of the situation, Baek Socheon remained calm.

"If we don't arrest them now, I don't think we'll be able to leave this place."

No, there was still a way.

Im Chung could get on his knees and beg for mercy. Then he and Beon Saeng might survive. But Baek Socheon would not.

Would he let Baek Socheon die so that he could live?

They had known each other for only a few days. Baek Socheon had been abrasive and shaken Beon Saeng to his core. Even so, Im Chung could not let him die.

But what if he gave the arrest order?

Black Hand and Wang Gon would never submit peacefully. They would carry out the threats they had made earlier.

Im Chung understood that his decision would determine not only his own life, but Beon Saeng's as well.

'Get on your knees and beg. Beg them to spare Baek Socheon too.'

His reason sent the command to his body.

Yet his knees refused to obey. No, the command had not even reached them. His emotions had intercepted it and stopped it. They had been shouting at him for some time now.

'Never bow to these fucking bastards!'

Im Chung looked at Baek Socheon.

'You really are turning even my life upside down.'

Still, today's events had clearly begun because of him. These two had come to save him.

After staring at Baek Socheon, Im Chung slowly nodded.

"Arrest them."

At the same time, his heart screamed.

'This is insane.'

Beon Saeng, still pinned beneath Black Hand's foot, gaped.

'Ah, we're all going to die now!'

Even so, Beon Saeng placed his last hope in Baek Socheon.

'Big Brother, please save us! I haven't even slept with a woman yet!'

He was already twenty-six years old. He had never dared tell anyone that secret, but he somehow felt that if he revealed it, Baek Socheon would save him. If they had been alone, he truly would have shouted it aloud.

Baek Socheon stepped forward to say something to Wang Gon and Black Hand, then looked back at Im Chung.

"Ah, what are their names?"

"That is Wang Gon, Hall Leader of the Mythic Gang, and Black Hand, one of its martial artists."

Baek Socheon addressed the two in a clear voice.

"Wang Gon, Hall Leader of the Mythic Gang. Black Hand, martial artist of the Mythic Gang. You are under arrest for assaulting, threatening, and bribing martial artists of the Murim Alliance."

Wang Gon looked between Im Chung and Baek Socheon, then shook his head.

"It can't be helped now. Yes, sometimes assumptions become reality."

Wang Gon gave Black Hand a cold order.

"Let's see what kind of maggots come out of that bastard's body."

It was an order to kill Baek Socheon first.

He wanted to kill all three, but cleaning up afterward would be difficult. Killing one martial artist was different from killing the branch chief as well.

He intended to kill Baek Socheon first, then make the other two submit completely. If he made them stand by and cover up their comrade's death, he could use it as leverage to control Im Chung like a slave for the rest of his life.

'This works out even better.'

Black Hand removed his foot from Beon Saeng's chest and approached Baek Socheon.

Stopping several steps away, Black Hand pointed his sword at him.

"I'll start with your arms and legs. Tell me, where should I cut first?"

Rather than being intimidated, Baek Socheon added another charge.

"Assault, threats, bribery, and attempted murder."

"Attempted murder? What should we do? I think you'll have to charge me with murder, not attempted murder."

Baek Socheon grinned at Black Hand's mockery.

"Unfortunately, it's attempted murder."

"Crazy bastard!"

Black Hand suddenly closed the distance and thrust his sword forward.

Whoosh.

It was fast and precise, carrying a clear intent to kill. It was a complete attack in every sense.

As it swept toward Baek Socheon in an instant, Im Chung shouted.

"No!"

The moment he cried out, Im Chung regretted it.

'What have I done?'

Had he not known Black Hand was this skilled? He had known. Wang Gon had acted like that because he trusted Black Hand. He must have been briefly bewitched by something. Just as Beon Saeng had been, he too must have been drawn in by Baek Socheon for a moment. He should have begged somehow and made sure all three of them survived.

Thud!

A crisp impact rang through the room.

Baek Socheon and Black Hand stood pressed close together.

"Ah!"

Im Chung, Beon Saeng, and Wang Gon all cried out at once as they saw what had happened. Two were cries of joy, while one was a gasp of horror.

Black Hand's missed sword extended past Baek Socheon's twisted torso, while Baek Socheon's elbow had landed squarely in Black Hand's face.

For a moment, the two remained frozen as if time had stopped.

Clang.

Black Hand's sword hit the floor first.

Thump.

Then Black Hand toppled backward, stiff as a statue, his nose completely shattered.

It had taken only one move.

Baek Socheon had subdued him with pure external martial arts, without even using internal energy.

Everyone watched without breathing. No one had imagined Black Hand would be defeated in a single move.

They were so focused on the outcome that none of them noticed the heavy training bracers around Baek Socheon's wrists.

Even while wearing those weights, Baek Socheon had avoided Black Hand's attack and knocked him down with one blow.

Beon Saeng rushed over to examine Black Hand.

"He's not dead, right?"

Fortunately, Black Hand was not dead. Beon Saeng wished the bastard had died, but killing a martial artist of the Mythic Gang would bring retaliation from its headquarters. Killing someone and officially arresting them were entirely different matters.

Worried Black Hand might wake up, Beon Saeng quickly sealed his internal energy.

Wang Gon was half out of his mind, having never imagined Black Hand would be subdued in one move.

'What is this?'

Baek Socheon slowly walked toward him.

Wang Gon backed away. He might have been a Hall Leader, but Black Hand was several levels above him in martial skill. If Black Hand had been beaten, there was no point in him trying to fight.

He had never possessed much talent for martial arts to begin with, so he had decided it was better to spend his time learning schemes and manipulation instead.

"Stay back! If you come any closer, I'll kill you!"

He raised his voice on purpose, but none of his subordinates came.

Wang Gon regretted meeting Im Chung here.

Expecting a private conversation, he had chosen the most secluded reception room and deliberately sent all his subordinates except Black Hand far away.

Then again, even if he had brought them, they would have been useless when Black Hand had gone down in one blow.

"If you touch me, the main branch won't let this slide! You know that, don't you?"

"Of course they won't let it slide. Won't they replace the Hall Leader who caused the trouble first?"

Wang Gon's heart dropped.

Baek Socheon had said it casually, but he had described Wang Gon's future with perfect accuracy.

The Mythic Gang Leader was the kind of person who would quietly replace a Hall Leader rather than cause trouble to avenge a subordinate.

Wang Gon shouted again.

"Even if the Mythic Gang doesn't act, I'll call in every connection I have, and you'll all be finished!"

"Connections... Connections are nice. But what can you do? Assault, threats, bribery, and attempted murder against martial artists of the Murim Alliance. You'll probably spend thirty years in the martial prison."

"Thirty years!"

At that realistic number, Wang Gon's face twitched.

"Will you even be alive by then? Connections? Do you really think you have connections willing to stand against the Murim Alliance to save you? I imagine all you have around you is a pile of shit fit for maggots."

Wang Gon could not deny it. There was no one he wanted to protect badly enough to stand against the Murim Alliance himself. If he was like that, others would be no different.

A terrible reality he had never considered came crashing over him like a massive tidal wave. His head spun, and in the end, he fell back on the very words he had shouted first.

"Don't be ridiculous! I'm Hall Leader Wang of the Mythic Gang! The Mythic Gang!"

"Hey, Hall Leader Wang."

Hall Leader Wang flinched at Baek Socheon's cold gaze.

"You've played king out in the sticks for so long that you think the Murim Alliance is a joke, don't you?"

The words were calm, yet they frightened him more than a vicious threat to kill him.

It was likely because of that gaze, as if Baek Socheon were looking down at an insect. Wang Gon knew that emotion better than anyone. It was the look he wore when facing the weak. The look before crushing someone beneath his feet.

"You heard the rumor that Taejeong is dead, right? People I hit tend to have strangely bad luck afterward. Let's see how lucky Hall Leader Wang is."

"Ugh... Stay away. You bastard! Stay..."

Crack!

Baek Socheon's fist struck him squarely in the face. Wang Gon, already half senseless, could not avoid the blow.

Wang Gon's head snapped violently to the side, broken teeth flying with it.

As his head turned sideways, his body spun in the same direction before he fell spread-eagled.

Thump.

Baek Socheon dragged his fallen body over and laid him before Im Chung. He was unconscious, his face a complete mess.

"As ordered, I arrested the two of them."

Only silence filled the room.

Im Chung and Beon Saeng felt as though they were dreaming at the sight of something so unreal.

"You..."

Im Chung could not think of what to say.

He was grateful, but also resentful. What had come upon them now was far greater than the arrest of the Great Righteous Sect or Taejeong's death.

They had arrested the Mythic Gang's southern Hall Leader and his right-hand man.

It would not end simply because they took these two into custody.

Wang Gon would use every excuse, pretext, and trick he could to escape this incident. The Mythic Gang itself might make a serious move as well.

Im Chung, on the other hand, was a branch chief in the middle of nowhere with no backing. He had no idea whether this could even be cleaned up.

Whether Baek Socheon understood his worries or not, he said to Im Chung,

"Coming here alone in your anger was very foolish, but you did well not to take the bribe."

After saying only what he wanted to say, Baek Socheon walked out first.

Watching him leave, Beon Saeng spoke cautiously.

"Branch Chief, do you want to become his sworn younger brother too? We need one more person if we're going to swear brotherhood..."

"You crazy bastard."

"That's right, I'm crazy. How else am I supposed to endure this situation without going crazy?"

Im Chung sighed as he looked down at the unconscious Wang Gon and Black Hand.

Still, deep down, he felt relieved about one thing.

What Baek Socheon had said to Wang Gon was something Im Chung had wanted to say every time he saw Wang Gon or Black Hand treating them with such utter contempt.

- You've played king out in the sticks for so long that you think the Murim Alliance is a joke, don't you?

When Baek Socheon said it, it felt as though something lodged in Im Chung's chest had suddenly burst free.

Despite the mountain of trouble waiting ahead, that was why he did not feel so bad at that moment.

Im Chung looked down at the fallen Wang Gon.

'Fine, perhaps I am a joke. But the Murim Alliance has never been one.'

Footnotes:

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