“Where I came from doesn’t matter.”

“……”

“What matters right now is that you don’t blink.”

The guy’s eyes were now bloodshot. When a tear rolled down his cheek, I warned him again.

“One of the Three Great Finger Flick Techniques of Jianghu.”

That’s right—I’m the guy who shows up at Woonwoo Society and ends up in a staring contest with the gatekeeper.

“You’re asking where I came from? That’s a long story. Sure, I came from my parents, but that’s not what you meant. You mean what region? No, probably not that either. I’m guessing you’re asking which faction I belong to—that’s a whole story in itself. So, you see—”

Having lost all patience, the gatekeeper swallowed hard and said,

“Please spare me.”

“Spare you?”

“Yes.”

“No. A duel is a duel, and a loss is a loss. A flick is a flick.”

Sensing that the match was about to end, I brought my thumb and forefinger to my lips and blew a hot breath between them.

Losing his composure, the man blurted out nonsense.

“I’ll pay the debt!”

“I don’t need it.”

The moment he blinked, I flicked his forehead with full force.

Thwack!

He flipped backward in the air and collapsed, knocked out cold.

“My win.”

Having defeated the gatekeeper, I followed the stone-paved path inside. The layout of the base gave off a slightly sinister vibe.

Perhaps because many of Master Su’s top attendants were away, the interior was more vacant than expected.

I paused briefly by a small pond to watch the fish. Tiny fish, the kind I didn’t know the names of, were darting around. Oddly enough, as I leaned in, they gathered at my feet as if begging for food.

The weak always end up begging for scraps in tight corners.

Suddenly, I thought about how Gwangseung had once searched for a fish as big as a great roc.

Maybe it was because his skill and ego were already as vast as that mythical bird, and he went on a journey to see what masters lurked beyond the great sea. After all, any big fish moving from the Western Regions to Zhejiang would be easy to spot.

Quickly losing interest, I looked around again.

The place was shaped like a manor estate—wide gardens, small buildings scattered here and there, storerooms, even an incinerator.

I approached the incinerator and asked the man standing with his back to me,

“What are you burning here?”

The big man was eating something off a small table. He looked me up and down before replying,

“Who are you?”

“I’m here to see Master Su.”

“He’s probably not here right now.”

I glanced at what the man was eating.

“Having a meal, huh?”

“Yes.”

“Is anyone else inside? The Vice Leader, maybe?”

“Only guests are here. The Vice Leader’s probably out.”

I nodded toward the large incinerator and asked again,

“What are you burning in there?”

“Bodies. What else would we burn?”

“You guys have bodies to burn?”

Chewing his meat with a sour look, the big man answered,

“If they don’t pay up, we burn ’em. I just do what I’m told.”

I stared at the guy scarfing down meat and sighed.

“Killing a guy while he’s eating… doesn’t sit right.”

He finally stopped moving his chopsticks and glared at me.

I pointed to the food he was eating.

“Go ahead and finish.”

I turned around, intending to check who the “guests” were. But just then, the man stood up and walked toward the incinerator.

When I turned back around, he had an axe in hand and was glaring at me.

“You’re not a guest, are you?”

He stepped closer, gripping the axe.

How many people had he killed to be able to decide so quickly that someone needed to die? Maybe his intelligence was a little low—he kept repeating himself as he swung the axe.

“You’re not a guest, are you!”

Judging by his form, he had enough external strength to cut through a dozen third-rate martial artists with brute force alone. I didn’t want to lay hands on his body, so I used the Wooden Chicken Finger Flick to hit him in the eye.

Thwack!

Just as he screamed, I kicked him in the gut and sent him flying—straight into the incinerator entrance. As he dropped the axe and tried to crawl out, gripping the sides of the opening, I rushed over and shoved him back in.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

He screamed from inside, but not a single person came to check.

I picked up the axe lying on the ground and made my way toward the main hall.

The closer I got, the louder the music grew from inside.

When I opened the door, I saw the hall was surprisingly spacious.

Despite my entrance, no one looked my way.

On stage, dancers in sheer clothes were performing an awkward routine, and below, various martial artists in mismatched outfits were watching.

Still holding the axe, I walked up to the stage.

Only then did the dancers scream and flee, and I became the new star of the show.

Setting the axe down beside me, I faced the audience.

Only the area around the stage was lit. The windows were covered, so the seating area was quite dark. As the music stopped, silence fell.

Looking around from the stage, I spoke.

“Someone turn on the lights.”

It was strange.

Not a single person ran. Instead, they were all drawing their weapons.

Why?

***

I sat cross-legged next to the bloodstained axe.

They must have thought I was someone from the Murim Alliance.

Since they all rushed at me with the intent to kill, I had no choice but to slaughter every last one of them. It took less than fifteen minutes.

I sat quietly with my bloody axe and pondered what kind of place the Woonwoo Society actually was. I hadn’t spoken to anyone, so I hadn’t learned a thing.

I didn’t feel like asking the dancers.

When I finally opened my eyes to ask someone, all I saw around me were corpses.

So I closed my eyes again.

I had no choice but to wait for the Vice Leader, who was said to be out, to return.

Whatever this place was, they’d all been decapitated by righteous Murim Alliance members, so it’s not like they’d been doing anything innocent.

As I sat there with my eyes closed, I listened.

I could hear people moving very quietly—not loud enough to reach the outer buildings.

I wasn’t at the level of an iron turtle or a great roc yet.

I focused on my sense of smell. At first, it was just blood—lots of it.

But then I picked out traces of perfume and powder amidst the gore.

There are plenty of dark faction types who use spray-type poison, so distinguishing smells like this is crucial.

While sitting there with my eyes closed, random thoughts came and went.

First off, the dancers were terrible.

Probably only learned to dance recently.

Meaning—they weren’t professional dancers.

And the guys who got axed all looked like they had money.

As for why they attacked me on sight—I came to a conclusion. If they were really dark faction members, some of them would have questioned me, or tried to run, or at least paused to assess the situation.

That meant most of the audience was likely composed of martial artists from wealthy families.

And rich folks hanging around with the dark path isn’t exactly rare.

It’s pretty common.

The dark path will do anything if the money’s good, and the rich get weirder the longer they have no idea where to spend it. And in the cracks between those extremes, the ones who suffer and die are always the honest folks just trying to earn a living.

That’s why I slaughtered so many righteous folks in my past life, too.

Because I never set a moral boundary, I was able to climb the ladder of martial merit faster than anyone. To the point they had to cast a net over the whole world to stop me.

Even after coming back to the past, some things just have to repeat.

But that’s fine.

Because I’m still getting stronger.

Just then, I heard multiple footsteps—and opened my eyes.

***

The main hall doors opened again, and the ones who’d been running the show earlier peeked in, frantic and pale. Maybe it was because their organization ran on strict discipline—the small fry all kept their mouths tightly shut while the Vice Leader addressed me.

“Who the hell are you?”

His subordinates drew back the curtain, letting light into the room.

The Vice Leader was fairly composed. It showed in his expression—calm, even—and he wasn’t as old as I’d expected. When I said nothing in response, he stepped up to the stage and looked up at me.

“Which dark faction are you from? You think you can handle our leader?”

He didn’t seem like someone I’d have a very interesting conversation with, so I replied casually.

“I came to collect a debt.”

“A debt, huh? What kind of debt makes you do all this…?”

“How much can you offer?”

He hesitated for a moment, then said something surprising.

“How about three hundred gold coins?”

“Funny enough, that’s exactly what the Heukseon Post Master said I was owed.”

The Vice Leader smirked.

“Ah, so you owe Heukseon Post? Then take the three hundred from me and settle it clean. Their debt collectors are no less relentless than ours.”

“No need to pay it.”

“Why not?”

I made a vague hand gesture, miming the moment I crushed the Heukseon Post Master’s skull.

“With a Lang’a Staff, maybe four times? Once blood and flesh start flying, debt collection becomes pretty irrelevant. He probably wouldn’t even remember who he lent the money to. If you guys also owed Heukseon Post, you should be thanking me.”

The Vice Leader fell silent. I couldn’t read his thoughts, so I gave him a gentle warning.

“Don’t run. If you do, I’ll ignore your men and come straight for you. And don’t order your subordinates to attack me first, either. I’ll skip all of them and kill only you.”

“Then what do you want me to do? Go fetch the money?”

“Don’t bother. Judging by how empty it is here, I assume your troops are elsewhere. If you go to get the gold, reinforcements might pour in. Just stay here. Let’s have a moment of reflection together. We’ll mourn the dead and contemplate how we got here. We weren’t born as villains, were [N O V E L I G H T] we? So how did it come to this?”

Just then, the front door of the main hall burst open again. Armed men entered silently.

Despite the arrival of dozens more, the Vice Leader’s expression didn’t change.

I looked at him sharply and said,

“You don’t want to talk with me? Is this how you’re going to act?”

He suddenly puckered his lips and let out a long sigh. Then he raised his hand, as if about to give the order to attack—but instead, he spoke to his men.

“All of you, leave.”

At his wordless gesture, they all filed out. The Vice Leader looked exhausted, as if he’d just fought a full-on battle in a matter of seconds, and said to me,

“They’re gone. So calm down, tell me what you want, and let’s talk this through from start to finish. I’m willing to cooperate. I’m even willing to betray. I’ll kneel, I’ll beg for my life—whatever it takes. Let’s just start with words.”

I nodded and replied.

“Kneel.”

The Vice Leader stepped up to the edge of the stage and knelt down.

***

The Vice Leader of Woonwoo Society clasped his hands and prayed silently.

He was now certain of it.

He’d gotten caught up with a complete lunatic.

You could tell just by talking to him. But once he saw those eyes, there was no doubt left. And the condition of the corpses confirmed everything. When people are killed with an axe, it’s usually arms or legs that get chopped. But most of the bodies here had their skulls split clean down the middle.

Just from that alone, he could tell this madman’s strength.

The Vice Leader spoke, thinking only of surviving this moment.

“Whatever you want, just name it… Luckily, our Society Leader is away right now, so you can say whatever you like. I know you’re probably not interested in money or women, but please—just tell me what it is you want.”

***

I answered the kneeling Vice Leader’s question.

“When is Master Su coming back?”

“Probably late tonight.”

“You think you can kill him?”

“Not alone, of course. But if I move with my direct subordinates at the same time—we can. Poison, hidden weapons, a coordinated ambush. And he’ll be drunk tonight, so it should be easier than usual. We can do it. I can kill him… Just believe me. If I fail, you can kill me then. You’re planning to kill him anyway, right? So just wipe us all out if it doesn’t work.”

“Traitor.”

I stood up with the axe in hand and approached him. I half-expected him to make a move, but he didn’t budge an inch.

With my left hand, I gently patted his head. Then I shifted my grip on the axe, holding it shorter.

“They say Master Su is as strong as the Great Rakshasa. You sure you can handle him?”

“That’s only if it’s a proper one-on—”

I brought the axe down, splitting his skull clean in half.

Thinking about it, the entire Woonwoo Society was so rotten there weren’t many worth keeping alive anyway.

Another corpse was added to the stage—a traitor who bullied the weak and groveled before the strong.