ocean-life Chapter 50: Negotiations (1)
Chapter 50: Negotiations (1)
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
Chapter 50: Negotiations (1)
Splash—Splash—
A fishing boat, the kind commonly called a "Tongtongbae," rocked with every wave. A man aboard gazed eastward.
The land stretched across the horizon, shimmering in his vision.
"Damn it."
Kim Jaewoo, the former boss of the Red Spiders, muttered under his breath.
Rage boiled within him. If he followed his instincts, he would smash the boat to pieces.
At the peak of 6 Star, if he wanted to, he could pulverize the Tongtongbae with a single kick and return to land.
However...
'Madam... that damn bitch!'
There was no place left for him in Ground Zero.
"Boss, is it okay to run away... I mean, retreat like this?"
One of the two remaining executives emerged from below deck.
"Do you want to stay there and die?"
"N-no, sir."
"Choi Hyungtae, that bastard, and 150 dead Hunters! One hundred and fifty, not fifteen!"
Half of their Hunter force had been annihilated in the border region.
By the time the few survivors had informed him, Madam had already made her move.
"The rumors about the Human Hunter must have come from Madam, too."
"Could it really have been the Trait group?"
"It doesn't matter now. The problem is that we were played by that bitch."
The Red Spiders were able to control Ground Zero because of their overwhelming numbers. Even if Madam had the funds, there was a limit to the number of mercenaries she could mobilize at once.
But that advantage had vanished due to Choi Hyungtae's blunder.
"If we had stubbornly tried to defend our territory, it would have been a dog's death."
Even escaping Ground Zero didn't offer much comfort.
The Red Spider executives were all criminals. They had swaggered like kings in the lawless zone because they couldn't step into the legitimate world.
"Boss, but if we go down to Busan..."
"Hey, do you think Madam would just let us slip away?"
Madam's influence in the underworld was even greater than that of the Red Spiders. Kim Jaewoo's influence was limited to Ground Zero and its vicinity, but she had a much wider network.
"Busan? We'll be lucky if we don't get stabbed before we even leave Gyeonggi Province."
"So going to China was the best choice."
"You explain it to the others. I'm too tired to talk anymore."
"Yes, sir."
The executive retreated back into the boat.
Kim Jaewoo watched him with a look of disdain.
'That idiot, calling himself an executive.'
Kim Jaewoo wasn't happy about leaving Ground Zero either.
Giving up everything and crossing over to China?
If there had been any other way to survive, he wouldn't have joined hands with the Nine Dragons' Hall.
'Now I have no choice but to become their subordinate.'
His position was different from when he was the leader of the Red Spiders.
When the Red Spiders were powerful, they were at least nominally partners. But now, having fled to China in debt, he would have to submit to the Nine Dragons' Hall.
Were there other options?
The Nine Dragons' Hall wasn't a pushover organization that would simply watch the remnants of the Red Spiders scatter.
'What's done is done. All I can do is plan for the future.'
He would even lick their shoes if necessary.
If he proved his loyalty and worth to the Nine Dragons' Hall, an opportunity would eventually arise.
A day to plunge the knife of revenge into Madam.
'If they want to build a criminal network, they'll have to reach out to Korea eventually.'
When that time came, he would return to Ground Zero as the vanguard of the Nine Dragons' Hall.
Kim Jaewoo vowed revenge, gazing endlessly eastward until the land disappeared beyond the horizon, unaware that a necromancer had been behind the downfall of the Red Spiders.
* * *
The seemingly endless night came to an end.
As the sun rose above the horizon, the carnage of the previous night was revealed.
Dark red stains splattered across the ground.
All of it was blood spilled from the bodies of the Red Spider members.
"Congratulations, Madam."
A man in a suit offered a faint smile.
"I didn't expect to see you this early, Mr. Ji."
"Please call me Mr. Black. This is a professional relationship, isn't it?"
"I'll try, Mr. Ji."
The man's lips twitched slightly.
Though it was the name given to him by his parents, he didn't particularly like his real name.
Since becoming the leader of Black Market, he preferred to use the alias Mr. Black.
Very few people knew his true identity.
"What brings such a busy man to me so early in the morning?"
"I need to make a good impression, now that you've swallowed the Red Spiders' territory."
"Ho ho. I wonder if you truly intend to make a good impression."
A cold air flowed between them.
Old Man Jeon pointed towards the inner part of the pub.
A private room accessible only to VIP members.
Yoojin nodded and placed his hand on the tightly shut iron door.
【I don't think you can open it with your strength alone.】
“You idiot. This isn't a door you open with strength.”
Rumble—!
The iron door slid back with a heavy sound.
【What the...? Did you eat some miracle elixir or something while I wasn't looking?】
“Don't be ridiculous.”
He was still keeping the Inseolsam he'd received from Seongcheon Corporation, unable to consume it yet.
There was no need to give it to Fafnir anymore.
While it would be right for Yoojin to take it...
‘If I eat that now, my heart will freeze and I'll die.’
It was the ultimate elixir for those who wielded otherworldly magic power, like Necromancers.
It was the same for Yoojin, but he wasn't ready to fully accept that power.
‘At least 4 Star. And I need to improve my physical abilities before I can even try.’
Fortunately, thanks to the effects of Life Drain, his physical abilities were growing stronger day by day.
The day would come soon when he could consume the Inseolsam.
Stopping his thoughts, Yoojin stopped Fafnir, who was following behind him.
“Fafnir, wait outside.”
【Hmm. If that's an order, I have to follow it.】
If he took his subordinate into the private room, who knows what kind of insults Madam would hurl at him.
Glancing at Fafnir standing in front of the iron door, he went inside.
‘Quadruple? No, a quintuple barrier.’
Soundproofing, anti-eavesdropping, anti-clairvoyance, magic resistance, and shock absorption.
The private room within the pub was filled with magic circles installed to protect the secrets of its guests.
“You've arrived.”
“I came as you asked. Who is that?”
The man in the suit stood up and immediately offered a business card.
“If it's Black Market, you must be from the underground auction house.”
“You're well-informed. It seems you're familiar with Ground Zero.”
“Enough with the probing. Mr. Black.”
Wow. To meet that gentleman here.
The owner of Black Market, Mr. Black.
He looked much younger than Yoojin remembered, so he didn't recognize him right away. But after observing his tone of voice and demeanor, Yoojin soon recalled him.
When Yoojin glanced at Madam with a questioning look, she didn't avoid his gaze and winked.
‘She's as ambitious as ever.’
The share of the Red Spider he had demanded as a reward for the request.
One of the three organizations that controlled the flow of Ground Zero had collapsed.
And with the leaders of the remaining two groups gathered in one place, the stage was perfectly set.
‘Madam said she would support me, but this is more than enough.’
Yoojin knew the man in front of him well.
He was someone he had interacted with frequently during his previous life, when he was building Necropolis.
The location of Necropolis was Gaesung.
Because it was close to Ground Zero, he knew a fair bit about the man.
“No need to beat around the bush. You know what I want.”
“You're talking about the Red Spider's territory and shares.”
“I'm not saying I'll take it all. I'll just take the Black Herb farm and the North Korean business.”
At Yoojin's shameless words, the man let out a hearty laugh.
“Haha. You're an interesting one.”
“This is the first time I've realized I have a talent for making people laugh.”
“Would you mind telling me why our Black Market should support you?”
“I took care of 150 Hunters, including Choi Hyungtae.”
The man didn't bat an eye.
He had investigated the situation after being persuaded by Madam, so he had anticipated this to some extent.
“Are you demanding a share for bringing down the Red Spider?”
“You understand well.”
“That's something you can demand from Madam. But it has nothing to do with Black Market.”
The man's eyes quickly scanned Yoojin's entire body.
‘The Hunter who wiped out half of the Red Spider. It's safe to assume he's a 6 Star.’
A nameless powerhouse who suddenly appeared.
He was a suitable person to fill the void left by the Red Spider's collapse.
However, he couldn't just hand over the Red Spider's shares to someone whose origins were unknown.
‘I'll grant some of his demands to keep him tied to Ground Zero.’
Just as he finished his calculations and was suppressing a smile...
“I'll eradicate the Human Hunters and open the path to Gaesung for you.”
“What?”
“Wouldn't this be a decent deal for you too?”
At Yoojin's nonchalant tone, the man's eyebrows twitched subtly.
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]