WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME NOVELS

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Former Supreme ◈

Chapter 7: If We Don't Protect Them (2)

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"You filed another complaint, didn't you?"

Jong Bae was the enforcer of the Great Righteous Sect. With flashy tattoos, blade scars scattered across his body, and a vicious expression, he was frightening just to look at. Yet Elder Go was not afraid.

"That's right, I did. You damn bastards! I'll keep filing them until the day I die."

No matter how hard he worked to earn money, the Great Righteous Sect took thirty percent of his earnings in the name of protection money. It had begun at ten percent, but by this year, it had tripled.

No merchant could bear such an amount. He was working himself to the bone just to feed those Great Righteous Sect bastards.

"Go ahead, then. Keep filing them."

Jong Bae smacked the back of Elder Go's head several times in an unpleasant manner.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

He was not trying to knock him down. It was mockery meant to humiliate him. Even so, the elderly Elder Go staggered.

"Go on and file it, you old bastard. Let's go file it together. Do it right in front of me!"

Smack! Smack!

The blows to the back of his head steadily grew stronger until Elder Go finally collapsed onto the ground.

Jong Bae raised his foot threateningly, as if he were about to stomp on Elder Go's head.

"Tch. It's not like I can just stomp your head in."

Elder Go sat there with his head bowed. He was hurt, wronged, and miserable.

He had endured until now, but he could not take it any longer. He did not have many days left to live anyway.

Before dying, he had decided to sacrifice himself for the merchants in the market and began filing complaints. The government offices had long been in league with the Black Society and could not do their jobs, so he had submitted his complaints to the Murim Alliance branch. Yet despite filing them again and again, there had still been no response.

Jong Bae crouched beside Elder Go and spoke as though coaxing him.

"Why are you acting like this at your age? Stop being so greedy for money and live quietly. Think of it as helping the younger generation."

"What? Greedy for money?"

Elder Go grabbed Jong Bae by the collar.

"You call that something to say? Is that something that should come out of your mouth?"

Jong Bae roughly shoved Elder Go away and rose to his feet.

"Listen, old man. File those things all day if you want. Do you think those branch bastards will even show their faces?"

"If the branch won't do it, I'll go directly to Alliance headquarters and file it there!"

"You damned old bastard! You won't listen when I'm asking nicely, huh? Want to die?"

"Then kill me. Kill me!"

"You think I can't? That's why you're acting like this."

Thud!

His merciless kick finally struck Elder Go in the face.

Elder Go was thrown backward and collapsed.

The others began smashing the shop's goods in earnest.

The nearby merchants anxiously stamped their feet, but they did not dare intervene against the murderous presence of the Great Righteous Sect men.

Then a shout rang out from the distance.

"You bastards! Stop it!"

The Great Righteous Sect men all turned toward the voice.

The person who came running was Beon Saeng.

Recognizing him, Jong Bae stepped forward with a grin.

"Well, well. Isn't this our Squad Leader Beon?"

Jong Bae approached and draped an arm around Beon Saeng's shoulders as if they were close.

"You look much better than the last time I saw you. Who's that greenhorn? A new subordinate? Oh, our Squad Leader Beon even has someone following him around now. Looking good."

"Take your hand off me."

"Why are you in such a bad mood today?"

"I said take your hand off me, you bastard."

Beon Saeng irritably shoved Jong Bae's hand away and helped Elder Go to his feet.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

But Elder Go was not fine. One eye would not even open, and blood streamed from the corner of his mouth.

As Beon Saeng tried to lead him away, the Great Righteous Sect men blocked their path.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Jong Bae was already irritated from being shoved away. Bluster was the lifeblood of Black Society members. They pretended to be skilled fighters, tough, and ruthless. That was especially true before subordinates who were constantly watching for a chance to take their place.

"Where else? I'm taking him to a physician."

"The old man doesn't look that badly hurt. Step aside. I'll have the boys wipe off his blood."

"I said move."

When polite words did not work, Jong Bae stepped closer and whispered in a phlegmy voice.

"If you don't want to be humiliated in front of everyone, quietly get lost."

No one else heard it, but Elder Go beside Beon Saeng did.

"I'm fine. Don't get yourself in trouble by stepping in for me."

He had said it for Beon Saeng's sake, but the words utterly shattered what remained of Beon Saeng's battered pride.

After seating Elder Go in a chair behind him, Beon Saeng shouted at Jong Bae and the Great Righteous Sect men.

"You're all under arrest for assault and extortion. Throw down every weapon you're carrying and get on your knees."

Jong Bae and the Great Righteous Sect men all looked dumbfounded.

"What did you just say?"

"I said you're all under arrest. Drop your swords and kneel."

Jong Bae was not frightened at all. Instead, he walked up and threatened Beon Saeng.

"Squad Leader Beon, can you handle the consequences of this?"

"Can you handle me?"

Beon Saeng's fist slammed into Jong Bae's face.

Thud!

Jong Bae tumbled across the ground from the unexpected blow. Before he could even rise, he screamed.

"Kill that bastard!"

Having been beaten in front of his subordinates, he had nothing left to lose.

The Great Righteous Sect men drew their weapons at once.

Sparks flew in Beon Saeng's eyes.

"You bastards dare draw swords against a Murim Alliance martial artist?"

Drawing his own sword, Beon Saeng charged forward.

His first target was Jong Bae. He leaped into the air and savagely kicked Jong Bae in the face just as Jong Bae was getting up and drawing his sword.

Thud!

Jong Bae went sprawling again.

A large figure beside him swung a broadsword in a wide arc. Beon Saeng quickly dodged the wild downward strike and swung his sword.

Swish, slash.

Beon Saeng's blade cut across the man's thigh.

Splash!

Blood sprayed as the thigh split open. Having never suffered such a serious wound before, the large man screamed in shock.

There was a clear gap in skill. None of the Great Righteous Sect men present had properly learned martial arts. They had only attended martial arts schools for a few months, or at most one or two years.

Beon Saeng, on the other hand, had trained since childhood and was a formal martial artist who had joined the Murim Alliance.

Another man rushed in from the other side. The attacker thrust a sword with fairly decent form. This one had trained at a martial arts school for a year.

Clang!

Beon Saeng quickly and precisely knocked aside the man's sword. The moment the opponent staggered from the impact, Beon Saeng ruthlessly slashed the man's arm.

Splash!

"Aaah! It hurts! Aaaaaah!"

The man clutched his arm and screamed as if dying. Blood poured from the wound, and the man beside him went weak in the knees and sat down where he stood.

Even in the middle of this, Beon Saeng remembered that he could not kill them.

"You bastards! Won't you drop your swords? Drop them!"

Though his skill was superior, Beon Saeng was worked up as well. This was his first time actually cutting someone. How often could there have been real combat at a backwater branch like this? Even the Orthodox-Demonic War had passed this place by quietly.

"Watch your back!"

At someone's warning, Beon Saeng twisted aside. Jong Bae, who had been lying on the ground, had launched a surprise attack from behind. Beon Saeng barely evaded the sword, though blood spattered from his shoulder. Realizing he had nearly died, Beon Saeng lost control.

"You bastard!"

Beon Saeng charged at Jong Bae and thrust his sword.

Thrust!

His furious blade pierced Jong Bae's shoulder.

"Aaah!"

Clutching his bleeding shoulder, Jong Bae rolled across the ground. Beon Saeng pursued him relentlessly.

"You son of a bitch, I'll kill you!"

Swish.

Beon Saeng's sword flew toward Jong Bae's neck as he lay on the ground.

Tap.

The sword stopped just before Jong Bae's throat.

Baek Socheon had grabbed Beon Saeng's wrist and held him back. He had also been the one to warn Beon Saeng to watch his back.

"Don't misunderstand. I'm not stopping you because I don't want you to kill him. He tried to kill you from behind, so you can kill him."

Guided by Baek Socheon's grip on his wrist, Beon Saeng's sword lightly pierced Jong Bae's throat.

Thrust.

Blood trickled down from the shallow wound.

Instead, Beon Saeng stopped Baek Socheon from forcing the sword deeper into Jong Bae's throat.

Jong Bae begged in terror.

"P-please spare me! I'll live properly from now on."

Still holding Beon Saeng's wrist, Baek Socheon said, "Do you think he'll live properly? It's all lies. He'll probably try to get revenge later."

Beon Saeng's sword trembled with agitation. If he put in just a little more force, Jong Bae would die.

Each time the sword shook, blood trickled down Jong Bae's neck.

Baek Socheon released Beon Saeng's wrist.

"You can kill him if you want. I only stopped you so it would be a decision you made. Don't kill people blindly when you're worked up. It looks like this is your first kill. You should let your reason have a say too."

Listening to Baek Socheon's calm advice, Beon Saeng's wildly agitated heart settled.

Only then did he see his surroundings.

Jong Bae stared up at him in terror, blood pouring from his shoulder.

The area was a sea of blood. Men cut by his sword lay scattered around, groaning, while the rest stood awkwardly with their swords drawn, too frightened to move. The bolder men who had come with Jong Bae were already down, so the others did not dare attack.

Beon Saeng let out a long breath.

"This is enough."

He slowly moved his sword away from Jong Bae's throat.

He wanted to kill every last one of them, but he was still a martial artist who followed the laws of the Murim Alliance.

Baek Socheon gave him a nod, then addressed the remaining men standing uneasily with swords in hand.

"Drop your swords and kneel where you are. One, two······."

Before he could count to three, the remaining men threw down their swords and fell to their knees.

Baek Socheon asked Beon Saeng, "Do you regret it?"

Beon Saeng looked around once more. Men lying down and screaming, men stopping the bleeding of those beside them, men kneeling with their heads lowered, and men who knelt but glared fiercely. If that bloody chaos had been all there was to see, he would have said he regretted it.

But beyond them, he saw the merchants.

They were happy. Their flushed faces held a liveliness he had never seen before.

After being tormented by these men every day, watching them receive a proper beating filled the merchants with such satisfaction that they looked ready to dance. They also felt hope that they might finally escape this abuse.

Elder Go came over with one eye open and wrapped a strip of white cloth around Beon Saeng's wounded shoulder.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, so wipe the blood off yourself. Your face is completely wrecked."

"Man, what does it matter if this old body, with nothing left but the grave, gets a little wrecked? Your body still has a long road ahead of it. It's worth far more."

Elder Go finished tying the bandage around the wound.

"······Thank you for helping."

At those words, something hot surged through Beon Saeng's chest.

'······No. I'm sorry for only helping you now.'

Beon Saeng's gaze fell to Elder Go's hands. Those thin, wrinkled hands wrapping his wound were exactly what he had tried to ignore for the past six years.

'Right. This is why I became a martial artist.'

Beon Saeng finally answered as he looked at Baek Socheon.

"I don't regret it."

Baek Socheon smiled faintly. It was only a brief snort of laughter, but it was the first smile he had shown since meeting Beon Saeng.

"Now you finally look like a Murim Alliance martial artist. Since you've started this, you should finish it properly too."

The word finish snapped Beon Saeng back to his senses.

'Right. This isn't over.'

Far from it, this was only the beginning.

Jong Bae was only the enforcer of the Great Righteous Sect. If they did not handle what came next properly, not only Beon Saeng but Elder Go and the merchants could suffer retaliation. The branch chief and the branch could also face trouble. Taejeong would naturally get involved, and the Mythic Gang might step in as well.

As those worries came rushing in, Beon Saeng's legs began to tremble belatedly.

This fight had started because of Baek Socheon.

It was not as though Baek Socheon had forced him to do it, but it had begun because of Baek Socheon all the same.

They had known each other for only a few days, yet Beon Saeng had eagerly jumped the gun and decided to call Baek Socheon his big brother. He had even promised to wipe out the Black Society without being asked. Today, he could have pretended not to see this and walked away if he truly wanted to avoid it, but he had rushed in. He had put on the whole performance by himself. It was a one-man spectacle.

A thought suddenly came to him.

It felt like going to confront a fraud while carrying both hands full of medicine packets, only to return burdened with even more expensive medicine.

‘Why did you do that?’

It would have been fine if someone else had said it. A part of him had already been saying the same thing.

But he was afraid Baek Socheon might say it. Afraid Baek Socheon would deny everything, even though it had all started because of him. Afraid that Baek Socheon was only a passing breeze in his life, while he alone was acting out some mad heroic drama in the middle of a storm.

Whether he knew about Beon Saeng's complicated feelings or not, Baek Socheon crouched beside the Great Righteous Sect men who were trying to stop the bleeding.

"Looks like it's your first time getting cut by a sword. It hurts a lot, doesn't it? It hurts more if I press here."

Press.

"Aaaaaaaargh!"

Footnotes:

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