Chapter 24 (1/2)

Baek Seoin and Choi Hyuk’s plans were similar yet different.

Unlike Baek Seoin who only thought to increase their fame, Choi Hyuk was also thinking about ‘reducing the numbers’.

[Supplies will reduce significantly every 10 days.]

Soon, it would be the 10th day.

‘People will kill and be killed anyways.’

Choi Hyuk only thought to that point. To him, the lives of the group of gangsters and people who cooperated with them weren’t anything special.

If Baek Seoin expected to quickly infiltrate and a.s.sa.s.sinate, Choi Hyuk was expecting an all-out war.

“Hey. Where are your comrades?”

When they saw the KTT building, the steps of the grandpas of the Alliance of Comrades in Arms slowed. They were a bit nervous as they had yet to see their comrades. However, Choi Hyuk didn’t even look back. Instead, Baek Seoin turned around and explained.

“Don’t worry and just spectate from a distance. Don’t go anywhere.”

Then he followed Choi Hyuk while waving his arms. The grandpas who were left behind were dumbfounded. Did that mean that there would be more comrades or not?

The grandpas discussed amongst themselves.

“What do we do?”

“… Don’t tell me… they are young’uns who don’t even value their lives? They didn’t look that way…”

He didn’t care.

Choi Hyuk confidently approached the front of the building. Baek Seoin caught up to him and whispered.

“Are we not going to sneak in?”

Choi Hyuk didn’t say a word as he turned around and looked at him with a dumb expression. As if he was saying, ‘Sneak in? Why would I do that?’ Baek Seoin became slightly uneasy.

“If we just fight them outright, it becomes hard to distinguish between friend or foe.”

“Friend or foe? There are only two of us.”

“No. Not that. It’s not good to just kill people who are forced to cooperate with the gangsters.”

“Cooperators… are they any different from the gangsters?”

At Choi Hyuk’s question, Baek Seoin was at a loss for words.

Choi Hyuk gazed at Baek Seoin’s face and nodded.

“I don’t kill people who aren’t cooperators.”

“…”

Baek Seoin closed his mouth.

If they used Choi Hyuk’s method and just pushed forward, civilians wouldn’t know what was happening and would oppose Choi Hyuk. Baek Seoin didn’t think that killing those people was right.

‘However…’

There wasn’t a suitable reply. ‘Were cooperators really without guilt?’

That was a long-time worry of Baek Seoin.

For example,

To live, to support their family, were people who cooperated with the j.a.panese Empire without guilt.

There were businessmen who would sell out their fellow Koreans and send them to coal mines or sell them as comfort women. There were even landowners who offered bribes to the j.a.panese Empire and overworked their farmers under their protection. Did they have sins? Then what about the people who used their parents’ hard earned money and had no other job except working as a public official of the j.a.panese Empire?

If there was a difference in limits and it varied on their circ.u.mstances, just what standards did he need to have?

‘I did it to live.’ ‘Everyone else does it as well.’ How far could these excuses be used? Then what about the people who couldn’t even do ‘what everyone else was doing’ and starved to death?

A head-aching worry. Baek Seoin would always trouble over this but he could never find an answer.

However, Choi Hyuk was different.

“Baek hyung. I’m telling you this just in case you’ve misunderstood something.”

Choi Hyuk didn’t look back and said.

“What we are doing isn’t kindness. We’re doing it because we need to and because there just so happens to be a group who picked a fight.”

“Ah…”

Baek Seoin lowered his head.

‘… I was too soft.’

He inwardly engraved the word ‘revenge’ into his heart once again. As soon as he did so, many things became simpler.

Perseverance. Eating bitter bile and sleeping on rough straws.

That was what revenge was. You weren’t supposed to forget your rage. You had to grow your malice before goodwill.

Those who lowered their heads because they were scared of the gangsters wouldn’t really be of much help when fighting the Wyvern of Destruction.

In a situation where supplies were insufficient and people were fighting amongst each other, it would be difficult to unite everyone. It was better to reduce the numbers when they had the chance.

So… As long as their opposing groups had numbers, they would wipe them out.

More than what they thought.

‘It will be a b.l.o.o.d.y battle…’

Baek Seoin ground his teeth. His face stiffened and he followed behind Choi Hyuk.

As soon as they approached the KTT building, 5 guards who were lying in ambush jumped out.

Among them, only one wore armor and just by looking at his figure and his hair, it was obvious he was a gangster.

He asked.

“Why are you here?”

Choi Hyuk replied.

“To hunt gangsters.”

An absurd reply. It was even childish. However, in this situation, being simple was more effective.

As soon as Choi Hyuk spoke, he watched his opponents with his Eyes of Distinction. He read his opponents’ reactions.

‘One red (killing intent), 2 black (ill will) and 1 white (goodwill).’

“What… This f…”

Slice!

The armor wearing gangster emitted a red light. Just as he was about to spout a four-letter word, his head was sliced off with Choi Hyuk’s blade. Blood spurted out like a geyser.

“… Uackkk!”

There was one person who reacted late that attempted to run away.

“Hiiiiek!”

Another who sporadically swung his sword.

Slas.h.!.+

The body of the man, who attempted to attack him, split in two along with his sword.

Piiiiiii!

An escapee blew a whistle. Piiiii! Piiiii! People who were watching this scene through a window inside the building blew their whistles as well.

Choi Hyuk looked at the last remaining person.

The man who looked to be in his thirties was the only person who emitted a white light. Currently, faint traces of black were mixed into the white light. It seemed he was wary of him.

When Choi Hyuk lifted his sword and looked at him, he trembled before asking.

“You… you’re here to hunt gangsters?”

“…”

“I want to join!”

Only then did Choi Hyuk finally nod his head.

There were about 1,300 people who chose the KTT building as their a.s.sembly area. Among them, 500 were gangsters while 800 were normal people. It seemed like all the gangsters near here had gathered.

Although gangsters had many problems with the law and morals, as they were experienced fighters, they were quite courageous even when fighting monsters. A world where you become stronger as you live. This actually made them more pa.s.sive.

Not too many days had pa.s.sed when the gangsters became the king of this place. And then, they revealed their true nature. If there was a woman that caught their eye, they would rape her and they would even beat people to death when they were drunk.

Tyrants.

However, they weren’t fools. They didn’t only resort to violence. They treated people who cooperated with them nicely and even gave them chances to get stronger by taking them out for reconnaissance. During this time, they murdered people and even gifted them the women they kidnapped to slowly turn them into ‘accomplices’.

Now, the only normal people left in this a.s.sembly area were those who were the same as the gangsters and those who looked the other way and only cared about their own safety. Those who weren’t either died resisting them or risked their lives and went out to find a new a.s.sembly area.

Choi Hyuk didn’t know everyone’s circ.u.mstances.

And honestly, he didn’t need to know. He was only after numbers anyways.

Choi Hyuk shouted at the gathering people.

“As the gangsters here attempted to kill me, I am just here for payback. Those who aren’t part of this, screw off!”

To the people who ran over here after hearing the guards outside had died couldn’t help but find all this sudden.