“Please wait a moment.”

I had been invited by the Namyeonghui and came alone.

It wasn’t so much about coming alone, but the fact that I came personally was important. Although many of my subordinates wanted to accompany me, I knew more about the Namyeonghui than anyone else.

If my forces got involved, the only way to finish things would be by killing each and every one of them. The Namyeonghui is a tightly-knit faction, and their unity is their strength.

I had no particular interest in wiping out one of the Black Path factions, but I knew that dozens of my subordinates would be lost in the process. That was something I didn’t want.

So, here I was, meeting the Namyeonghui leader alone.

The large hall door opened, and one by one, the Namyeonghui’s executives came in and took their places at the long table where I sat.

Among them was Nam Yeon-pung.

Given how strict their rules were, none of the executives, including Nam Yeon-pung, made a sound as they entered the hall.

I looked at their faces before leaning back in my seat and taking a short nap.

“......”

Lately, I’d been sleeping a lot more because I had been spending most of the night practicing Qi circulation. It felt like I was scraping off the internal energy clinging to the Heavenly Pearl with my hands, and there was the exhaustion from reaching the level of Tu Gye, a state of inner cultivation. The fatigue was hitting me hard. I wasn’t worried about napping, though. My body reacts to threats faster than my mind can process them.

The discipline in this organization was so strict that even though I was dozing, no one raised their voice or clicked their tongues at me.

So, I took a short nap.

By the time I noticed the drool on the corner of my mouth, I heard someone’s voice.

“Is everyone here?”

“Yes.”

With my eyes still half-closed, I looked up to see the Namyeonghui leader, Nam Garak, walking toward me.

‘Ah, it’s that guy.’

Nam Garak sat in the seat of honor and asked his subordinates,

“Bring the Black Cat Pavilion leader here.”

Nam Garak, not noticing me sitting among the executives, gave the order. Then, one of the executives sitting to his left quietly spoke.

“Leader, he’s already here.”

“What?”

I wiped the drool off my thumb and met Nam Garak’s eyes. I intentionally widened my eyes, and it felt like I had a double eyelid for a moment.

Nam Garak furrowed his brow and asked me,

“The Black Cat Pavilion leader?”

I yawned and replied,

“That’s me.”

A brief silence fell in the hall.

Nam Garak looked at the faces of the executives before asking me again,

“Did you come alone?”

“I came alone.”

I nodded, then spoke to the attendant who was standing by.

“Get me some water. This is what happens when you don’t treat your guests well.”

The attendant bowed and answered,

“Understood.”

As the attendant realized he had made a mistake after seeing the executives’ reactions, he froze in place. Nam Yeon-pung stepped forward to ease the tension.

“It’s fine, just bring the water.”

“Yes, Master.”

Nam Garak, who had calmed down a bit, addressed his subordinates.

“You all stay standing.”

The executives all stood at once and moved away from the table, taking positions to surround the hall.

Nam Garak looked at me and introduced himself.

“I am Nam Garak of the Namyeonghui.”

I returned the introduction appropriately.

“I am Yi Zaha, the leader of the Black Cat Pavilion. From Ilyang County’s...”

I must have still been half asleep.

The attendant placed the glass of water down and personally filled it with water from the pitcher. I glanced at him before speaking.

“Is it poisoned?”

The attendant bowed his head and backed away.

“No, it’s not.”

I drank the water in one go and exhaled deeply. I was starting to wake up now.

“Phew...”

While I slapped my cheeks with both hands, Nam Garak asked,

“Did you nap here?”

I nodded and replied,

“It seems so.”

“What made you come alone? I’ve heard you have quite a few subordinates.”

“If you’re invited, it’s only natural to come. My subordinates would have been a hassle, so I came alone.”

Nam Garak smiled in disbelief.

“Hah.”

I looked at Nam Garak more carefully then.

He was quite young, likely in his late twenties or early thirties. He was handsome, but his eyes were sharp, and the overall aura around his face was intimidating—he looked like the kind of man who would frighten women.

If Donggo-saeng was the type to charge forward recklessly, this man had the aura of someone with a strong sense of responsibility. Men who’ve been in leadership positions from a young age often have this kind of vibe.

Nam Garak continued to observe me before asking,

“Why did you kill Gu Yang-bok?”

“I went to gamble in a martial arts competition, but it turned out to be a scam. They sent women with aphrodisiacs hidden in their hair ornaments and tried to trick me.”

“You, the leader of the Black Cat Pavilion, went to gamble in a martial arts competition?”

I nodded.

“Some guy named Dongbang Yeon said he was good at fighting, so I went. His title was ‘King of Martial Arts Gambling,’ but in reality, his skills didn’t match the title.”

Nam Garak spoke.

“Gu Yang-bok confessed before he died that he had been paying tribute to the Namyeonghui.”

“Right.”

“And yet you killed him.”

I stared at Nam Garak with an indifferent expression.

“If it were you, would you have spared him?”

“……”

Nam Garak didn’t answer.

It seemed like he was going to scold me loudly and demand I pay tribute, but during the conversation, his expression changed multiple times.

Since Nam Garak hadn’t committed any crimes against me, I kept speaking respectfully, but with a tone that was more casual. I hadn’t even cursed at him, which felt surprising.

Nam Garak asked the executives,

“Did the leader really come alone?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

It almost sounded like he was questioning whether I was truly the Black Cat Pavilion leader.

The executives answered,

“Yes, he came alone.”

The executives looked uneasy, and it seemed that Nam Garak was also taken aback. This was probably the first time a faction leader had come alone after a conflict arose.

Nam Garak, seemingly at a loss for words, brought up the topic of money.

“I heard you took all of Gu Yang-bok’s wealth. What about the tribute money the Namyeonghui received?”

The moment I heard the mention of money, I got instantly upset.

“Are you a beggar? What are you asking me? Do you want me to pay tribute? Are you looking for a fight?”

Nam Garak’s face turned bright red.

Finally, one of the executives, unable to hold back, exploded and spoke up,

“Leader...”

Nam Garak cut him off with a finger.

“Silence.”

I asked Nam Garak,

“Leader Nam, did your subordinates report properly?”

“What report?”

“I called the entire Namyeonghui to the arena and fought them alone. Gu Yang-bok agreed to the martial arts gambling. The winner would take everything. A competition is a competition, and gambling is gambling. I won, so I took Gu Yang-bok’s wealth. Anyway, Gu Yang-bok earned all that wealth through gambling. Even if he comes back to life, he won’t be able to hold me accountable for the money.”

I also subtly hinted at the situation when I killed the former Black Cat Pavilion leader and his master, the Great Rakshasa.

“I killed the previous Black Cat Pavilion leader and his master, the Great Rakshasa, all by myself. That’s how I became the Black Cat Pavilion leader. Now you’re asking me about the tribute money? That’s a misplaced question.”

If he couldn’t understand this, there was nothing more I could say. I would have to stab the Flash Dagger into the table.

Nam Garak briefly responded.

“Fair point. Then, what is the reason you’re here?”

“I came because I was invited.”

The executives around the hall cleared their throats.

I scanned the room, then nodded.

As expected from the Namyeonghui, which had once thrown itself into a fight with the Ilwido River Crossing, everyone seemed courageous. I was willing to tolerate their cocky behavior to an extent. A man who can put his life on the line deserves respect.

Nam Garak must have summoned me either to kill me or recruit me, but the real reason I came was to observe him and his subordinates firsthand.

“I heard from my subordinates that the Namyeonghui rejected the request to join the mighty faction, the Pa Sword Society, and also refused an invitation from Nam Cheon-yeong. They’ve managed to maintain their independence well. I came to see what kind of people you are. But, if you keep rejecting the Pa Sword Society or Nam Cheon-yeong, I imagine you’ll have to deal with some bloodshed. What’s your plan for that?”

Actually, this wasn’t something my subordinates told me, it was my own speculation.

Anyway, the Ilwido River Crossing is a hitman organization, and someone must have hired them to kill the Namyeonghui leader. Of course, that caused a ripple effect in the Ilwido River Crossing, and now the Namyeonghui was wiped out. I had a suspicion that powerful Black Path figures like the Pa Sword Society and Nam Cheon-yeong had worked /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ together to deal with both groups. Especially since the Ilwido River Crossing charges extremely high fees for their services, most sects would go bankrupt if they hired them.

Nam Garak replied.

“We have no plan. I don’t plan to bow to the Pa Sword Society or Nam Cheon-yeong. If there’s blood to be shed, so be it.”

I nodded.

“Straightforward, huh?”

Since it was a phrase I often used, I didn’t expect much of a reaction. Regardless, a man who can stake his life must be respected for that alone.

I made a suggestion to Nam Garak.

“Listen, Nam Garak, not everyone in the Black Path is a trash like Gu Yang-bok. Just like not everyone in the White Path is upright. I judge my opponents by their worth. If the Pa Sword Society or Nam Cheon-yeong harasses you, I can help.”

“……”

For a moment, Nam Garak looked confused before bursting out into laughter, and the waiting executives snickered as well.

After laughing for a while, Nam Garak said,

“So, you want me to pay tribute?”

“There’s no need for that. I don’t take tribute from the Black Cat Pavilion, Black Line, Teacher Su, the Death God, or the subordinates of Ilyang County. I’ve already distributed most of Gu Yang-bok’s wealth to my subordinates. Those who want to farm are getting support for farming, and those who want to do business, I told them to go ahead. I’ve even supported those who want to learn woodworking or metalworking. The only ones still sticking to me are the ones who don’t know what to do. Honestly, I didn’t kill many of Gu Yang-bok’s subordinates. I think I only killed five or six. The rest are probably looking for their way after the gambling den was destroyed.”

I was trying to explain to him that the Black Path wasn’t what he thought it was, but it seemed like Nam Garak couldn’t quite grasp that.

“You’re using someone else’s money for that?”

“It’s money that was useless even if Gu Yang-bok kept it. If even one person can find something they want to do with it, that’s better. I’m not someone who sympathizes with fools, but if a man has a purpose and wants to try something, I’ll support him. I’ve asked just one thing of them. Whenever I need help, they should gather under the name Haomun.”

Somehow, I ended up explaining Haomun.

Nam Garak asked,

“Was your true identity the leader of Haomun all along?”

“Something like that.”

I stood up from my seat.

“If you want to wage war against me, go ahead. If you want to join Haomun, that’s fine too. Whether you’re an enemy or an ally, whatever you choose, I will respect you. But don’t ask me for tribute, don’t threaten me, and don’t harass my subordinates. And don’t let me hear that the Namyeonghui is harassing merchants or people who haven’t learned martial arts. If I hear that, it will be war. Haomun is that kind of group. I’m here to explain this because there’s never been a group like that before.”

I spoke directly to Nam Garak, who was listening with wide eyes.

“Think about it and give me your answer.”

I scanned the executives before walking toward the entrance of the hall. Just as I was about to leave, Nam Garak called me back.

“Hey, Haomun leader.”

“What?”

“You’ll have to show your skills for me to make a decision, right?”

I turned around, looked at Nam Garak, and smiled.

“Nam Garak, don’t get cocky just because you have a few subordinates. Can you even see my skill?”

“……”

I pointed at the executives with my finger and spoke to Nam Garak.

“I can line up everyone here by their skill level. I can tell just by looking.”

Having reached the level of Tu Gye, I had become more sensitive to feeling the energy flow of others.

Qi refers to the general energy circulating in a person’s body, and when martial artists talk about it, they often analyze it along with the person’s atmosphere, temperament, and physical development. In other words, just like how a physiognomist predicts a person’s character or fate, martial artists can gauge an opponent’s skill by their Qi.

Nam Garak asked,

“Excluding you, who seems the strongest here?”

It was a simple question, so I responded right away.

“You.”

Nam Garak stood up.

“Then let’s test it, and then we’ll continue our conversation. One-on-one.”

Ah, finally, a one-on-one, my favorite kind of fight.

Nam Garak spoke in a calm tone.

“If you lose, the entire Haomun force will be under Namyeonghui. I thought you were a madman from your snoozing, but after talking to you, I changed my mind. You’re a man who keeps his word. Will you accept a duel under these terms?”

“If you lose.”

Nam Garak looked around at his subordinates, his brows furrowed in disbelief.

“Is that even possible? Ridiculous.”

“Hahaha.”

Only then did the subordinates start laughing. I laughed with them as I responded,

“Ridiculous. I’m speechless. It’s absurd. There’s no handle on the millstone. It’s utterly nonsensical.”

“……”

“Completely absurd, and it sends chills down my spine.”

The laughter faded from Nam Garak’s face, and he spoke in a stern tone.

“Enough.”

I mimicked his expression and furrowed my brows.

“……Ridiculous.”

A man who always has to win in verbal battles, a man who has no business becoming a swordsman, a man who deliberately naps to steer the mood of discussions, a man who barged in alone and turned it into a one-on-one duel—that’s me.