Absolute Dominion

Chapter 13

Squeak.

Jeok Lee-Gun moved at the speed of lightning, retrieving the red blade embedded in the Sixth Evil’s heart.

The first to jump into the battle was the First Evil.

Swish, swoosh.

With the sound of two gusts of wind, the two figures brushed past each other.

The First Evil, having passed by Jeok Lee-Gun, couldn’t stop his momentum.

Thud!

The First Evil rolled on the ground with his chest split wide open–blood gushing out.

Swish, swoosh, swish.

Jeok Lee-Gun executed three successive slashes.

All three of the opponents who flew in after the First Evil brushed past Jeok Lee-Gun in the same manner, without leaving a scratch on him. They slid and sprawled across the yard.

The metallic smell of blood permeated the air–it was the blood of six of the Seven Evils.

The lone remaining Second Evil stepped back. Jeok Lee-Gun slowly approached him.

“Spare me.”

“Can you recall any good deeds from your lifetime?”

“….”

“None, right? You were too busy killing, raping, and robbing.”

“Please.”

“Perform one good deed now. For the sake of those who survived your vile actions.”

“What do you mean?”

“Die.”

Crunch.

Jeok Lee-Gun delivered a forceful kick to his chest. The Second Evil, having lost his will to fight, couldn’t deflect the blow.

The blow shattered his chest, and he was propelled into the building, crashing through the door.

Jeok Lee-Gun slowly stepped inside.

Another door could be seen far ahead.

Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!

Throwing weapons flew in from all directions.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Jeok Lee-Gun swung the red blade to deflect the projectiles.

The deflected weapons created four distinct screams.

The four men, who had been clinging to the walls on either side, were struck by their own weapons and collapsed.

Screech.

Jeok Lee-Gun slowly pushed the door open.

The room was bathed in a red glow.

Red lanterns adorned every corner, and a sweet fragrance, reminiscent of women’s perfume, wafted from all directions. It was a strangely intoxicating atmosphere.

Far ahead, an obese man was sitting on a throne.

He was exceedingly overweight. The throne he occupied was vast enough to accommodate three average-sized people side by side, yet he filled it entirely, as if even that space was insufficient. In one corner stood a hunchbacked man with long, flowing hair.

On either side of the man stood over ten women adorned in thin, translucent garments. They were all voluptuous and slender beauties.

Jeok Lee-Gun looked at the obese man in front of him and smirked.

“Quite the ambiance.”

The plump man spoke with a smile on his face.

“I was considering getting rid of those guys because they were too expensive for what they did. Thanks.”

“They likely weren’t as idle as their master.”

Though he mocked his obesity, the man seemed very accustomed to such jests.

“Hahaha! Try living like me for ten years, doing nothing but eating and playing. You’ll see a new world.”

“No thanks. The current world is interesting enough.”

The man chuckled, making his double chin wobble.

But the small eyes buried in his fat were not those of a fool.

“If you’ve come as a guest, state your name first.”

“Jeok Lee-Gun.”

“Jeok Lee-Gun?”

The man tilted his head and glanced at the hunchback in the corner. The hunchback shook his head. It was a gesture indicating he didn’t know—it seemed the hunchback acted as his brain.

“I have never heard of you, but you killed the Seven Evils with such ease?”

“The martial world is too narrow-minded, and no one pays attention to the bigger picture.”

The man nodded in agreement and asked.

“Then do you know who I am?”

“You are the Pig Emperor, the master of the Black Market, renowned as the greediest and heftiest master in the martial world.”

When Jeok Lee-Gun accurately identified him, the blubbery man, the Pig Emperor, asked in surprise.

“You came here knowing I was present?”

The Pig Emperor displayed a hint of surprise. Despite being aware of his presence, Jeok Lee-Gun had caused such a commotion? What was he relying on?

“I heard you came as a customer? That you came to purchase someone…”

Jeok Lee-Gun gave a nod of affirmation.

“Who is it that you are making such a fuss over?”

The Pig Emperor’s curiosity was piqued, and Jeok Lee-Gun calmly replied.

“The most expensive person in this room.”

The Pig Emperor, initially taken aback, soon erupted with laughter.

“Hahaha! Young friend, my body is worth more than you can afford.”

“How much?”

“Oh! Are you really going to buy me?”

Observing Jeok Lee-Gun’s earnest expression, the Pig Emperor contemplated for a moment.

“Five hundred thousand nyang.”

This was the price the Pig Emperor assigned to his own life.

In essence, he declared he would stake his life for five hundred thousand nyang.

For a standard commission, he was more than willing to get up for ten thousand nyang.

The profit from providing a ronin through the brokerage was only fifty nyang. Did that money go directly into his pocket? Of course not. After deducting the monthly wages of his subordinates and maintenance expenses, the amount that actually reached his hands was less than half. Furthermore, the Black Markets in the Central Plains were operating at a loss every single day.

The severe recession was the root cause. In times like these, he had to do better, but the damned ronins’ accidents became more frequent. The cases of ronins betraying their masters, taking their lives, and then plundering their wealth had increased significantly.

Each time such an incident occurred, the number of customers visiting the Black Market plummeted sharply. It was a challenging time in many ways, and since he was known in the martial world for being an uncontrollable bundle of greed, there was no need to say more to understand the difficulty he was experiencing.

Jeok Lee-Gun’s lips curled into a smile.

“You’re quite expensive.”

The Pig Emperor laughed, and his flesh jiggled.

“Bring the liquor! Liquor!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the hunchbacked man grabbed a bottle and a glass from the side and hurried over to him. Waddling up to the platform, he poured liquor for the Pig Emperor.

The Pig Emperor kicked him mercilessly.

Struck by his heavy leg, the hunchbacked man tumbled across the floor.

The women erupted into laughter, while the hunchbacked man just giggled and shuffled back into his place.

“Insignificant worm.”

Suddenly, Jeok Lee-Gun asked.

“How much for that worm?”

For a fleeting moment, the Pig Emperor’s expression shifted subtly.

“That worm is not for sale. More liquor!”

Rather than keeping the bottle close, the Pig Emperor always received his drinks through the hunchbacked man. The hunchback grabbed the liquor once again and scurried towards the Pig Emperor. The hunchback poured another drink for him.

In return, the Pig Emperor yanked his hair back.

His face was unveiled. Contrary to the expectation that he would be an unsightly old man, his actual appearance was that of a middle-aged man with a surprisingly handsome face. However, his eyes were entirely glazed over, like those of an addict.

The Pig Emperor looked at him with a lecherous gaze.

“Even though he’s a worm, he’s quite useful.”

“Hehehe.”

The hunchbacked man laughed foolishly.

The Pig Emperor shook his hair and shoved him forward. The hunchbacked man tumbled across the floor once more. Jeok Lee-Gun observed him calmly.

“I like that worm.”

The Pig Emperor narrowed his eyes.

“You were searching for the most expensive body in this room, correct?”

“That’s right.”

“Then why the sudden change of heart?”

“I never changed my mind.”

“…?”

“The person I referred to as the most valuable in this room is that worm.”

The Pig Emperor was momentarily speechless. The notion was so absurd that he couldn’t even get angry.

A woman’s laughter erupted first.

The Pig Emperor, who had been glaring down at Jeok Lee-Gun with a frustrated face, suddenly laughed maniacally.

“Hahaha! Interesting, really interesting.”

“Is it so amusing to be worth less than a worm?”

Jeok Lee-Gun smirked.

The Pig Emperor’s rising anger manifested as loud laughter, which started to grow even louder.

“Shall I make the proposition more interesting?”

“I’m really looking forward to it.”

The Pig Emperor’s laughter ceased abruptly. Then Jeok Lee-Gun spoke with calm composure.

“A hundred thousand nyang.”

“What?”

The Pig Emperor was taken aback by the mention of such a vast sum. He hadn’t anticipated such a large amount being proposed.

“You’re going to buy that dirty, ugly guy for a hundred thousand nyang? Wow! That’s really impressive.”

The Pig Emperor, who had been admiring the amount, soon spoke with a chilling tone.

“But I won’t sell him.”

“Two hundred thousand nyang!”

Jeok Lee-Gun didn’t hesitate.

“…!”

“Isn’t that enough to buy a mere worm?”

At that moment, the Pig Emperor seriously considered it.

He had taken the hunchbacked man as his subordinate over a decade ago. He had made the hunchback, who performed odd jobs at the Black Market, his servant because he had discovered that he possessed a brilliant mind.

Though he lacked the ability to perform martial arts, the hunchback was exceptionally intelligent. He possessed a keen insight into identifying uninvited guests who occasionally visited, and his sporadic remarks contained profound philosophies of the martial world and human nature. Of course, he was gloomy, pessimistic, and spent most of his days in a daze, but he was a useful individual.

The Pig Emperor looked at Jeok Lee-Gun.

“You, you’re serious.”

“Of course.”

The Pig Emperor struggled to ignore the voice inside him urging him to sell the man.

“I won’t sell him for two hundred thousand nyang.”

“Three hundred thousand nyang!”

“What?”

The price tripled in an instant. At the same time, the Pig Emperor’s heart raced. Three hundred thousand nyang was no joke. It was so much money that he could operate the Black Market as a hobby instead.

‘Should I raise the price one more time?’

The Pig Emperor thought as he hesitated.

Jeok Lee-Gun smiled and turned away without a second thought.

“If you don’t want to, there’s nothing I can do.”

Jeok Lee-Gun, who had just escalated the price so audaciously, walked away briskly.

When he reached the door, the Pig Emperor shouted.

“Four hundred and ninety-nine thousand nyang!”

Jeok Lee-Gun’s steps came to a halt.

When Jeok Lee-Gun turned around, the Pig Emperor smiled.

“I can’t sell him for more than myself.”

The Pig Emperor drank his liquor. His anxiety after making the final move was evident.

“Do you really have that much money though?”

Jeok Lee-Gun’s eyes narrowed. He gave the Pig Emperor an intense gaze that seemed to penetrate his mind, then followed it up with an enigmatic smile.

Jeok Lee-Gun responded with a cheerful tone.

“Very well. I’ll buy him for that amount.”

Everyone, including the Pig Emperor and the surrounding women, was shocked. No matter how useful he was, five hundred thousand nyang was a huge sum. Five hundred thousand nyang? For that filthy, unsightly hunchback?

The hunchback himself stood there, utterly bewildered.

Jeok Lee-Gun placed the leather pouch he was carrying on the ground. All eyes were fixated on it. When he opened the pouch, it revealed stacks of promissory notes.

Jeok Lee-Gun took out the notes and threw them on the floor.

“One hundred thousand nyang, two hundred thousand nyang, three hundred thousand nyang…”

The Pig Emperor’s eyes kept growing wider.

The notes piled up on the floor.

Eventually, exactly five hundred thousand nyang in promissory notes piled up on the floor.

“The extra one thousand nyang is a bonus.”

The Pig Emperor’s gaze did not linger on the promissory notes scattered on the floor. His attention remained fixed on the bulging leather pouch. Even with a rough estimate, it seemed there were two to three million nyang still inside. No, he speculated there might be even more.

The Pig Emperor’s eyes began to burn with greed.

He spoke in an excited tone.

“What if I raise the price?”

“That would be disappointing.”

Jeok Lee-Gun smirked.

“What if I kill you and take all the money?”

“That would be even more disappointing.”

The Pig Emperor glared at Jeok Lee-Gun as if to pierce him.

He had traversed the martial world for countless years, yet it was the first time he had encountered someone who evoked such a unique feeling.

However, this was not a matter to dwell upon.

With that money, he could buy all the beauties in the martial world to serve him. It was a fortune that would allow him to indulge in the most exquisite and delectable cuisine for the remainder of his days. Just thinking about what he could do with that money would make him happy for a month. With that money…

“You’ll be disappointed.”

As the Pig Emperor raised his hand to give a signal, the ceiling parted, and a man plummeted down.

He was a man who gave off an aura as sharp as that of a famous sword.

He silently glared at Jeok Lee-Gun. He appeared capable of thrusting a sword into his neck in the blink of an eye.

“You use the Quick Sword Technique, right?”

The man’s eyes slightly trembled as he realized his martial arts had been identified at a glance.

Jeok Lee-Gun calmly spoke.

“I’ve learned two methods to counter the Quick Sword Technique.”

Jeok Lee-Gun looked so composed that the man hesitated to draw his sword.

He was also intrigued by what the methods to counter the Quick Sword Technique would be.

“The technique I inherited from my father is an orthodox method. Do not focus on the sword, but rather sense the opponent’s energy and react accordingly. It is challenging to master and even more difficult to apply in actual combat, but once you become accustomed to it, victory is almost always assured. The second technique I learned from my mother…”

Jeok Lee-Gun slowly extended his hand. The man standing in front of him sensed no killing intent in his actions.

Jeok Lee-Gun lightly twisted his hand.

It was a subtle movement, but the outcome was anything but subtle.

Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pak!

The space where the man stood distorted completely.

Sreung! Swae-ae-ae-aeng!

The man’s sword was drawn a step too late. It was fast enough for the Pig Emperor to deem him a trump card.

However, the space was already dominated by the invisible force radiating from Jeok Lee-Gun.

Zziiiiiik, Jjaeng!

The sword of the man attempting to unleash his own sword energy, was shattered into fragments.

It wasn’t just the sword that shattered.

The hand gripping the broken sword twisted as if being wrung out like a wet cloth.

“Kkaaaah!”

The man screamed in agony, clutching his mangled hand.

Pook.

The red blade that Jeok Lee-Gun was still holding, stabbed through the air and pierced his chest. The man fell silent and collapsed.

“Kill them before they can draw their sword. This is my mother’s method.”

Jeok Lee-Gun declared coldly while glaring at the Pig Emperor.

When the man was defeated in an instant, the Pig Emperor was surprised and flustered. Moreover, even he couldn’t fully understand the move Jeok Lee-Gun had just used. Nevertheless, he did not tremble in fear. It seemed that the man using the Quick Sword Technique was not the last line of defense.

Jeok Lee-Gun smirked as his eyes wandered over to the sensual figures standing beside the Pig Emperor, their bare skin clearly visible.

“Ah–you’re really striking at my weak spot.”

The women began to laugh.

“Hohohohohoho!”

It was not a natural laugh. It was a seductive laugh, filled with an enchanting energy that stirred a man’s heart. The sweet fragrance lingering around the room intensified, and the red glow from the surrounding lanterns deepened.