Absolute Dominion

Chapter- 12

The place he had arrived at was a lumberyard.

Historically, large-scale lumberyards were situated near rivers. This was because transporting felled trees via waterways was far more efficient than overland transport.

This particular lumberyard was small-scale. It served as a site where trees were cut down and supplied as materials to nearby carpentry shops or workshops, or sold as construction materials at building sites.

Jeok Lee-Gun entered slowly.

Two men stood guard at the entrance, a small campfire flickering beside them.

Jeok Lee-Gun spoke in a soft tone.

“I am here to purchase ironwood.”

The man scrutinized Jeok Lee-Gun’s appearance. His expression revealed his inner thought that Jeok Lee-Gun looked too young to be here.

Jeok Lee-Gun took out two silver coins from his pocket and tossed them to the two men.

The men stepped aside without a word.

“150 steps to the left, 20 steps to the right, then 130 steps to the left again.”

Jeok Lee-Gun walked past and followed the directions provided by the man.

The path was dark and foreboding, with logs piled up like a maze.

Soon, Jeok Lee-Gun reached his destination. An open space lay before a single-story building.

Around a large bonfire in the center, about twenty men sat in groups of three or five. They were all warriors, armed with weapons and bearing fierce expressions.

The faint sound of women’s laughter emanated from within the building.

Jeok Lee-Gun glanced at the men before turning towards the building.

One of the large men in the group looked at Jeok Lee-Gun and grinned.

“The world has certainly changed. Even youngsters are coming and going to these kinds of places.”

Jeok Lee-Gun looked young and innocent, and that was enough to invite trouble from these vagrants.

When Jeok Lee-Gun walked in as if he hadn’t heard, the man’s expression grew fierce. He slowly stood up.

“Do you even know where you are?”

Jeok Lee-Gun stopped and replied.

“The Black Market.”

As Jeok Lee-Gun had mentioned, this place was a haven for vagrants, known as the Black Market. It was a venue where one could either hire a ronin or become one to seek employment. The Black Market charged a commission on both the ronin and the contractors for their brokerage services.

Given that ronin were typically unruly and many had criminal backgrounds, the Black Markets in the Central Plains operated in secrecy. This particular Black Market was the Hubei branch and it was disguised as a lumberyard.

They were all ronin. Patrons who frequented the Black Market predominantly did so during the late-night hours when the area was less populated, thus the Black Market’s peak business hours were just beginning.

The man rose to his feet and walked over slowly, a sneer forming on his lips.

“How should I slice up this stinking brat?”

Jeok Lee-Gun issued a cold warning.

“If you call me a brat one more time, you’ll die.”

But if this bastard was the type to heed warnings, he wouldn’t have picked a fight in the first place.

Suddenly.

The man grabbed Jeok Lee-Gun’s collar.

“I’m Gwang Woo. I’m known as the crazy bull who has torn apart thirty-nine brats like you who didn’t listen.”

Jeok Lee-Gun’s eyes turned icy.

“Is killing people something to be proud of?”

At that moment.

Smack!

Jeok Lee-Gun’s fist connected with Gwang Woo’s face.

There was no time for him to evade.

Without even a chance to scream, the man tumbled to the ground several times and collapsed, breaking the bonfire.

His face was so battered that it was unrecognizable. He didn’t move, possibly dead.

The flames from the bonfire spread to his body. He still remained motionless. He had died the moment he was struck. Someone cursed repeatedly and extinguished the fire with a thick cloth.

Everyone’s expressions turned grim.

Jeok Lee-Gun spoke softly as he turned away.

“Let’s count him as the fortieth person I’ve saved.”

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Simultaneously, four men who had been with Gwang Woo stood up.

Jeok Lee-Gun halted once again and slowly turned around.

“Is there anything else you want to brag about?”

The men cautiously encircled Jeok Lee-Gun.

The man in the center, who was chewing on jerky, wore a fierce expression.

“We accompanied him for those thirty-nine times. The fortieth would have been with us too.”

Jeok Lee-Gun smirked.

“Thanks.”

When the man asked what he meant, Jeok Lee-Gun coldly replied.

“Because now I have a reason to kill you.”

The man shouted in anger.

“Cut him up!”

With that command, the four men charged simultaneously.

Swish!

Jeok Lee-Gun deftly evaded the first sword that flew towards him.

Swoosh!

Jeok Lee-Gun spun his body, approaching the man’s side, his palm grazing the swordsman’s ribs.

Crack.

The sound of bones breaking followed in succession. The man foamed at the mouth and collapsed on the spot.

The man’s sword spun through the air and landed in Jeok Lee-Gun’s hand.

Thud!

Jeok Lee-Gun mercilessly stabbed the sword into the foot of the man charging from behind.

“Argh!”

The man whose foot was stabbed collapsed on the spot.

Jeok Lee-Gun stepped on the man’s shoulder and vaulted into the air.

Crunch.

The man’s shoulder shattered as he was slammed into the ground.

Jeok Lee-Gun twisted his body mid-air.

Thud!

The jaw of the man charging at Jeok Lee-Gun was destroyed by a powerful kick. The man spun through the air like a windmill before collapsing.

The final attacker hesitated momentarily, and before he could swing his sword, Jeok Lee-Gun twisted his arm.

Crack.

The arm twisted grotesquely as it rotated backward.

Jeok Lee-Gun lightly rammed into the man who was screaming that he was going to die.

Boom!

With a tremendous impact, the man’s body was propelled through the air.

Crash.

The pile of logs in the corner toppled over.

The four men were taken down in an instant. None of them moved.

A heavy silence enveloped the place.

No one dared to meet Jeok Lee-Gun’s gaze.

“Do you know what’s scary about kids? They don’t know when to stop.”

Jeok Lee-Gun’s eyes flickered in the bonfire’s glow.

The men retreated in fear.

“But you know, kids eventually stop when they meet a good person. They are easily moved as much as they act out. The ones who don’t know when to stop are adults. Adults who have lost their sense of wonder.”

Clang.

The door of the building behind them was swung open in a rough manner.

Seven men emerged, brandishing red blades that seemed like they would start dripping with blood at any moment.

The man in the center shouted loudly, his voice cutting through the open space.

“Which fearless bastard is causing a ruckus?”

His booming voice echoed throughout the place.

Jeok Lee-Gun shouted without turning around.

“It’s me, you son of a bitch!”

Whoosh!

Jeok Lee-Gun’s voice became a force that started shaking the surroundings, and even the foundation of the building started to tremble.

The seven men flinched and stepped back. One of the weaker ronin who had heard his voice collapsed on the spot.

Sss.

A wave of killing intent surged from Jeok Lee-Gun’s body.

Jeok Lee-Gun fixed his gaze on the ronin and spoke in a low, menacing tone.

“If you don’t want to die, get lost!”

The ronin retreated hastily and fled.

Jeok Lee-Gun turned around slowly.

Then he smiled at the seven men.

“I’m afraid today’s business ends here.”

The seven men were formidable masters of the unorthodox path, infamously known as the Red Blade Seven Evils. Just the sight of their seven red blades was enough to send chills down the spine of anyone who witnessed them. They were sworn brothers, who became notorious for their cruelty and ruthlessness in the martial world ten years ago.

The seven brothers sensed that Jeok Lee-Gun was no ordinary opponent.

Of course, they weren’t intimidated enough to retreat. Taking down a few ronin was a trivial task for them as well.

The issue lay in the unwavering confidence in Jeok Lee-Gun’s provocative gaze.

Their leader, the First Evil, asked calmly.

“Who are you?”

“Before those men picked a fight, I was just a customer.”

“And now?”

“Now, I’m a special customer.”

The First Evil’s eyes narrowed. He was no ordinary guy.

“Who did you come to buy?”

“It’s not a matter to discuss with a dog tied to the gate.”

The expressions of the Seven Evils turned fierce.

The most hot-tempered among them, the Fifth Evil, attempted to charge forward, but the First Evil raised his hand to stop him.

“You’ve got guts.”

Jeok Lee-Gun didn’t respond. Instead, he shouted loudly.

“Hey, owner–! Let’s see your face! Stop sending out the dogs!”

His loud voice echoed.

There was no response from inside the building. Instead, the First Evil took a step forward with his blade lowered diagonally.

The remaining six moved in unison. At a glance, it was evident they had mastered a formidable joint attack technique.

Jeok Lee-Gun spoke calmly.

“This moment is very important to me. It’s the day I take my first step towards the future I envisioned. So I have to move with determination.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

The scar on the Fifth Evil’s lips twisted.

In contrast, Jeok Lee-Gun remained composed.

“I’m saying that even those I would normally spare will die today. So just step aside while I’m being nice. In this martial world, if you can’t recognize people properly, you have no right to complain even if you die. Take a good look while you have the chance.”

This time, the Sixth Evil stepped forward. He demonstrated that he was the second most hot-tempered among the Seven Evils.

“Brother, I’ve never seen a man with such a loose tongue wield a heavy sword.”

The Third Evil and the Fourth Evil nodded in agreement.

Jeok Lee-Gun’s appearance added weight to their conviction. He looked only about sixteen or seventeen, with a rather innocent face.

Jeok Lee-Gun sighed lightly.

“I know. People like you never understand when spoken to nicely.”

“Then see how well this blade can pierce!”

With a shout, the Fifth Evil lunged at him.

The Fifth Evil closed the distance in an instant, bringing his red blade down upon Jeok Lee-Gun’s head. The attack was accelerated as he flew down from the stairs leading to the entrance of the building.

Whoosh!

The sound of the wind echoed. The sound the brothers expected didn’t come., and instead, a despairing sound was heard.

Crack.

The Fifth Evil, whose neck was held by Jeok Lee-Gun’s hand, was trembling all over. His neck bone was already half dislocated.

“Brother!”

The Sixth Evil flew in next. He moved with even greater speed and force, targeting Jeok Lee-Gun’s left shoulder, opposite to the side where the Fifth Evil was held.

This time, they heard the sound they expected.

Slice.

But the sound didn’t come from the target of their expectation.

The Fifth Evil, who had a long gash on his back, collapsed lifelessly.

The Sixth Evil’s eyes widened in shock.

He wasn’t foolish enough to mistakenly cut down his own brother. He had confidently charged in.

But in the end, he was indeed a fool. He hadn’t anticipated that Jeok Lee-Gun would use the Fifth Evil as a human shield, and that too, with such speed.

“If you have to split something among only six people, you’ll get a bit more, right?”

The Sixth Evil’s eyes blazed with fury. He had fallen right into Jeok Lee-Gun’s provocation.

“You bastard, die!”

At the same time, the First Evil shouted.

“No!”

Thud!

With a chilling sound, the Sixth Evil’s body stopped dead in its tracks.

A red blade was embedded in the Sixth Evil’s heart, the same one that had been in the Fifth Evil’s hand.

After uttering a few unintelligible words, the Sixth Evil collapsed.

Jeok Lee-Gun spoke coldly.

“It seems you two didn’t get along well.”

He then cast a chilling gaze upon the five men still standing.

The expressions of the remaining five turned serious.

Their opponent’s martial prowess was formidable. Even if the Seven Evils had attacked in unison, they still couldn’t guarantee victory.

Jeok Lee-Gun’s eyes narrowed.

“I’ve heard about you bastards. You don’t discriminate between kids, adults, or women. Do you know who devours filth like you? Heroes? Not a chance. Those that are good-natured can’t catch you. Why? Because you’re evil. You cry and beg for forgiveness while looking for hidden weapons, and if forgiven, you’ll stab them in the back. Villains like you must be consumed by even worse fiends. Like me.”

Jeok Lee-Gun smiled sinisterly.

Perhaps it was due to the chilling cruelty emanating from his smile–the First Evil’s heart began to pound.

‘This guy is really dangerous!’

His survival instinct began to plead, ‘Run away now!’

But if they ran away now, they could no longer live as the Red Blade Seven Evils. Those who hadn’t experienced it firsthand wouldn’t understand why they fled from that gaze. Rumors would spread that they were defeated by a mere teenager. Everything they had built would crumble. Even third-rate thugs would look down on them. That’s the way of the martial world.

Jeok Lee-Gun spoke calmly.

“You still have a chance.”

Then he shouted towards the building.

“If you don’t come out right now, I’ll kill them all!”

The sound of women’s laughter came from the building. The laughter amidst the corpses made the atmosphere eerie.

“Are you really not coming out?”

Jeok Lee-Gun sighed.

“Did you know? You guys are being treated like disposable items?”

The First Evil clenched his teeth.

The red blade in his grasp trembled.

Jeok Lee-Gun stepped aside.

“Just go. I’ll allow it.”

Jeok Lee-Gun seemed sincere.

The First Evil hesitated for a moment. The fact that he even considered it made him feel even more frustrated and resentful.

“Damn it!”

With the First Evil’s charge, the remaining four men leaped forward.