“Please, spare my life!”

Samsun helped the kneeling young man to his feet.

“This is making me very uncomfortable.”

“How can I repay suddenly when you demand the money now?”

Samsun sighed.

“I can’t help it, the order came down from the sect. You know how it is — people like us have no choice but to obey.”

“But I can’t sell the house. Where else would my parents live if I don’t have a home?”

The young man’s weakness was filial piety. Samsun kept pressing on that weak spot.

“You’ll have to take them to a relative’s place.”

“Which relative would welcome these old folks?”

Samsun sighed again.

“That’s why I told you not to borrow more money.”

The young man sighed along.

“I didn’t expect it to turn out like this.”

The young man, who had gone abroad to learn martial arts and then returned home, dreamed of opening a martial arts school in his hometown. He worked hard trying to earn money to realize that dream, when Samsun approached him offering to lend some money.

At first, of course, the young man was suspicious.

But there was nothing wrong with the IOU. And Samsun was very kind — treating him almost like an older brother.

He didn’t pressure him to borrow more money either. He even advised him not to take on too much debt at a young age and to borrow next time instead.

Then, when Samsun tried to lend the money to someone else, the young man panicked and eventually borrowed that day.

He bought an old manor and began renovating it into a martial arts school. But then accidents happened — workers got injured, causing construction delays and forcing him to borrow more for medical expenses. Later, building materials were stolen, so he had to borrow again.

Still, he managed to open the school and ran it steadily to repay the debts. But this time, a fire broke out in the nearly finished school.

The young man felt like the sky was falling down. And to make matters worse, Samsun came demanding repayment. He wanted the house where the young man’s parents lived to be sold.

“I will do anything, but I will never sell the house!”

“Do anything? What, murder? Don’t say nonsense.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’ll see what I can do with the sect. Talk to me.”

“Thank you, truly thank you.”

“Well then, see you again.”

After parting ways with the young man, a smile appeared on Samsun’s thin lips.

‘The time has finally come.’

Once the young man committed one crime, it would be over. The moment he dipped his toes into crime, they could exploit him for life. Especially a kind, naive young man who deeply cared for his parents — it was like a free meal.

Passion, dreams, hope, youth, family…

These bright and warm things were the bait that would lure young men into hell. Push them with their ambition! Dreams belong to the young! Hold onto hope! Think of your family! How could these fiery youths avoid such bait?

Samsun climbed into the waiting carriage, wearing a cold smile.

He asked his subordinate driving the carriage.

“Next?”

“A person trying to borrow money anew.”

“Who is it?”

“He’s the son of the leader of Jeonggwonmun”

It was a martial arts sect he had heard of.

You might wonder why a child of such a prestigious sect would need to borrow money, but from experience, it was always the other way around — those who actually needed money didn’t borrow, and those who didn’t need it did.

Samsun leaned his head on the carriage. It had been an incredibly busy time lately.

The Dark Business Realm was run by four sworn brothers, notorious for their evil deeds. When they started this operation, they abandoned their old names and took new ones: Ilsun, Isun, Samsun, and Sasun.

Ilsun, the founder of the Dark Business Realm, was cunning and ruthless. He had no sympathy for others from birth.

Suddenly, he acquired a large sum of money and proposed this venture. He never revealed where the money came from. Surely, there was a separate financier (錢主) backing this huge fund.

One thing was certain: since ruthless Ilsun had decided to make money, they would make a fortune.

To maintain secrecy, the number of subordinates was kept to a minimum and tasks were strictly divided.

Sasun led elite martial men and only moved when force was needed. If Sasun was the fist, Isun was the foot. Isun’s role was to find victims.

Ilsun decided how to use the prey. They made them commit all sorts of crimes — assaults, murders, stealing martial arts manuals from relatives or acquaintances. If a secret was about to leak, they disguised it as suicide and killed the victim.

While Ilsun was the head, Samsun acted as the mouth.

Samsun roamed around comforting and soothing the victims, telling them a better life would come if they endured a bit longer. Among the four, people joked that Samsun was the biggest bastard.

“We’ve arrived.”

The meeting place was a guesthouse.

A subordinate pointed to a # Nоvеlight # young man sitting in a corner.

“That’s the borrower.”

Samsun walked toward him while the subordinate waited a short distance away.

Samsun joined the young man and greeted him warmly.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“It’s fine.”

The young man answered quietly. Usually, young men borrowing money were tense and stiff, but this one gave off a dark and depressed vibe rather than tension.

“What’s your name?”

“Jeongyang”

The one who introduced himself as Jeongyang was actually Geommuguk.

“I heard you’re the heir of Jeonggwonmun.”

Jeonggwonmun was a sect nearby. The youngest there was also Jeongyang.

Of course, this sect was managed by the Cheonma Shingyo faction under Tongcheongak. If someone actually investigated, they would find the son who looked like Geommuguk.

Like Seodopa used in the last Murim Alliance tournament, Jeonggwonmun was a fake sect made for such contingencies.

“Why does someone like you need money?”

Samsun asked, trying to probe.

Geommuguk replied with a question instead.

“I heard you lend money interest-free.”

“That’s right. Sinsunchae doesn’t charge interest.”

Geommuguk looked up at Samsun, showing a gloomy atmosphere unlike his usual demeanor.

He could act arrogant or like a nobleman of a prestigious family, but Gowol demanded he present himself in this way.

“How much can you lend?”

“How much do you need?”

“One hundred thousand nyang.”

Samsun was shocked. It was the first time someone asked to borrow 100,000 nyang at once.

“What do you need such a huge sum for?”

Geommuguk lowered his head and said nothing.

“Listen, it’s your business how you use the money, but 100,000 nyang is a lot. Don’t you think I should know where it’s going?”

Samsun thought to himself,

‘This feels bad.’

At that moment, just as he resolved not to lend, Geommuguk suddenly slammed his fist down onto the floor from his seat like a man who couldn’t contain his anger.

Though he didn’t hit directly, the floor of the guesthouse dented.

Samsun was startled. Even more so because the blow made no noise for nearby people to notice. His martial power was impressive for his age.

“That’s enough. Let’s forget this.”

Geommuguk tried to leave as if it was a waste of time, but Samsun stopped him.

“Wait! Why so hasty?”

Geommuguk seemed torn even now, unsure whether to borrow or not.

“Well, sit down first.”

Samsun held Geommuguk because of his skill.

‘He’s the one Ilsun is looking for!’

Ilsun had ordered to capture any high-level martial artist involved in the big deal.

“All right, I’ll lend you the money. It’s your business how you use it, so I won’t ask further.”

A slight smile flickered across Geommuguk’s face.

“Aren’t you going to say thank you for lending such a large sum?”

Geommuguk gave a barely audible reply.

“There’s no free lunch in this world. You’ll probably get something from me in return later.”

He stared at Samsun with eyes that said he wouldn’t be deceived.

Samsun had never met anyone like this before. It felt strange but strangely magnetic. A man who seemed destined to cause a big incident — which meant a big profit for them.

“All right! Write the IOU.”

Geommuguk examined the IOU carefully.

“There really is no repayment date, as I heard.”

“If you planned to make money, you’d invest it in the merchant guild. We’re investing in your youth.”

Geommuguk scoffed at the word “youth” and continued examining the IOU.

“Won’t this IOU’s content change if soaked in water?”

“If you’re that suspicious, check it yourself.”

Geommuguk splashed water and even brought a lamp to heat it. But the IOU didn’t change.

Samsun inwardly smirked.

‘So suspicious.’

Isn’t it hard to exploit suspicious people? No, they can be easier to manipulate because after their suspicion is overcome, they tend to believe with certainty. When you plan to deceive, personality is no problem.

After a long look at the IOU, Geommuguk nodded.

“If you give me the money, I’ll seal it.”

At Samsun’s command, the subordinate driving the carriage found the bill. After receiving the money, Geommuguk stamped the IOU.

“Then, see you again.”

Geommuguk left without looking back. Samsun ordered his subordinate.

“Send surveillance teams to check where he spends the money.”

“Understood.”

After the two left the guesthouse and rode away in the carriage, Geommuguk and Gowol were watching from an alley opposite the building.

“Well done.”

Geommuguk put on the darkest, gloomiest expression as Gowol instructed.

“Checking the IOU was a good move.”

The water splash and heat test were Geommuguk’s impromptu decisions. He judged that a bad person wouldn’t make a fuss over an IOU inspection.

“Commander Go, wouldn’t it be better to catch and torture that guy to find out where the others are?”

Go shook his head at Geommuguk’s question.

“The mastermind is clever. If we mess with him, he’ll cut loose and disappear.”

“Then what now?”

“Use the hundred thousand nyang to buy one item.”

“What item?”

Gowol smiled, already having the plan.

“An item that will surprise them.”

Three days later, the subordinate returned and reported to Samsun.

“Jeongyang used the hundred thousand nyang to buy poison from a local shadow merchant.”

Shadow merchants were dealers banned by the Murim Alliance for selling forbidden weapons, medicines, and poisons.

“Poison? What kind?”

“Formless Deadly Poison.”

Samsun was shocked. Formless Deadly Poison was very expensive and hard to get.

“Can that be bought for a hundred thousand nyang?”

“He seems to have bought just enough for one use.”

“Who’s he planning to kill?”

The subordinate didn’t know. Samsun was perplexed. Though they’d lent money that had been used in all sorts of ways, never before had they encountered Formless Deadly Poison. That uneasy feeling he’d had earlier was probably because of this.

“This doesn’t feel right.”

Though Samsun hoped otherwise, the poison might be used against himself.

“How did he trade with the shadow merchant?”

“There’s a competent informant in the area. Seems he used that connection.”

“Damn! Tell him to meet again.”

“Yes.”

Samsun sighed. He truly enjoyed this work — seducing someone slowly to ruin. It gave him greater pleasure than sleeping with a woman. And even as the victim was dying, he relied only on Samsun.

Samsun thought there was no more destructive or visceral fun than this — except for occasional appearances by madmen like this one.

The next day, Samsun met Geommuguk again.

“Why did you ask to meet?”

Knowing about the poison purchase, Geommuguk looked even gloomier.

“Just one question.”

“What?”

“Where did you spend the hundred thousand nyang?”

Geommuguk frowned.

“Didn’t we agree not to ask?”

“That’s right. But strange rumors are circulating. Someone said Formless Deadly Poison was bought with that money.”

Geommuguk flinched. His reaction showed guilt without further interrogation.

“I didn’t.”

“Then show me the money or tell me where it was spent.”

Geommuguk remained silent.

Samsun soothed him in a gentle tone.

“The moment you bought that, we’re in the same boat. If you cause trouble with that poison, it’ll be our problem too. So tell me. If there’s anything I can help with, I will.”

“You can’t help.”

“Who are you trying to kill? If you use Formless Deadly Poison, the Murim Alliance will investigate. That’s a big problem. If you want to kill someone, better hire an assassin…”

Then an unimaginable name was mentioned.

“An assassin who can kill a powerful demon of the cult?”

“!”

Samsun was truly shocked. It was one of the rare moments he’d been this surprised.

“You don’t mean a demon of the cult, do you?”

“Why not? That bastard deserves to be torn apart.”

Samsun was momentarily at a loss for words. He felt they had chosen the wrong target.

‘Ah! This guy’s crazy. A truly crazy man.’

If they got mixed up with the cult, they would all be dead.

“Why do you want to kill that cult demon?”

“He touched my woman.”

“Why did that cult demon touch your woman?”

Geommuguk hesitated briefly but then revealed a family secret as if he had nothing to lose.

“Our Jeonggwonmun belongs to the cult. That demon was in charge there.”

Samsun almost screamed inside. They were already entangled with the cult. This madman was exposing such a serious secret so openly. But there was a reason his eyes were wild.

“Sometimes that demon came to our house and raped my fiancée. Damn it! My father knew but told me to endure.”

Geommuguk’s eyes blazed with anger as if he wouldn’t care about consequences.

“I will kill that demon.”

Samsun shared the same resolve. He quickly sent a message to a subordinate standing a little behind.

—Contact the immortals. We have to get rid of this madman first and get out fast.