Chapter 53

Chapter 53.

“Training. From sunrise to sunset. Any bastard who dislikes that can pack his things and leave immediately. I will not stop you.”

Uncheon’s cold declaration cut through the heavy air of the training ground.

Just as the gang members gulped dryly and only watched one another’s reactions, a group in a wretched state appeared beyond the smashed main gate.

“H-Huh? Young Gang Leader!”

The gang members screamed and rushed out.

The man they supported as he came in, Little Dragon, was truly a sight too miserable to look upon.

The splendid white ceremonial robes had become tattered rags, and his hair, which had been slicked back stiffly, was soaked in sweat and dust, leaving it a complete mess.

He looked as if he had suffered through hardships after being tormented by dozens of challengers.

“G-Get out of my way, you bastards!”

Little Dragon roughly shoved aside the gang members supporting him.

Then, dragging his staggering body along, he crawled before Uncheon.

“Gang Leader... Hah, hah... As you ordered... I dealt with all of them and returned.”

Little Dragon wiped the blood from the corner of his split mouth with his sleeve and deliberately straightened his tattered clothes with a composed air.

He bowed exaggeratedly and paid his respects.

It was a perfectly courteous posture, like that of a vassal who had served his lord for many years.

“I, Little Dragon, realized it deep in my bones while taking the fists of dozens of bastards outside. Compared to a hundred of their punches, one kick from you, Gang Leader, is far more... weighty.”

“Mm. You worked hard.”

Then Little Dragon laughed it off and quietly took his place half a step behind Uncheon.

It was neither too close nor too far.

It was a cleverly chosen position that made him look, to anyone watching, as if he had appointed himself the Gang Leader’s closest aide.

That was when it happened.

Little Dragon’s eyes narrowed sharply.

The gang members who had been watching for a chance to slip away in the corner of the training ground were caught by Little Dragon’s eyes.

“Ahem! Stop right there.”

The voice that had been whining until just moments ago instantly turned cold.

Little Dragon quickly ran over, grabbed the back of the neck of the gang member trying to sneak away, and slammed him to the ground.

CRASH!

“You... you tactless bastards!”

Smack! Thud!

“Ack! Young Gang Leader!”

“Stop! Please stop!”

“The Gang Leader told us to leave, so why are you doing this?”

Little Dragon dragged the bastards to the center of the training ground and threw them down.

Then, with a deliberately stern expression, he thundered at the frightened gang members.

“Everyone, come to your senses! Why have we been treated like street rabble all this time? Was it not because we did not have even a single proper martial art?”

Little Dragon spread both hands toward Uncheon and spoke passionately.

“And yet who is the man standing before us now? He is Gang Leader Uncheon, the rising dragon of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult! His arrival means that even we, the sewer-dwelling lives of the Black Dragon Gang, have finally been given the chance to learn ‘real martial arts’!”

The gang members’ eyes widened.

“Do you still not understand the calculation? If you leave now, you are just third-rate thugs! But if you remain here?”

At Little Dragon’s incitement, the gang members’ eyes wavered.

“Listen well! If I go all out, I can face dozens of challengers! And yet Gang Leader Uncheon is the one who sent me flying with a single strike.”

Little Dragon did not miss that gap and drove in the nail.

“The reason I pledged loyalty to the Gang Leader is not only because of the Black Dragon Gang’s rules... but because I was captivated by his strength! The Gang Leader is not someone who will remain at a mere one-hundredth rank on the Wind and Cloud Ranking! Do not regret it later!”

Expectation slowly began to settle in the eyes of the gang members, who had only been thinking of running away.

Uncheon stood with his arms crossed and gave a faint laugh as he watched Little Dragon arrange the stage rather convincingly.

‘...If I keep him around, managing the gang members will be convenient.’

At that moment, Little Dragon bent at the waist toward Uncheon once again and shouted.

“Gang Leader! I have caught all these rabble for you. Now please work them as hard as you like! Even if their bones break, please make them act like proper people!”

The Young Gang Leader, who had ruled over the Black Dragon Gang until not long ago, had stepped forward and raised his authority.

‘He looks exactly like a bear, but what he does is that of a fox.’

Uncheon knew that Little Dragon’s loyalty was based on “fear” and “practical benefit.”

Uncheon’s gaze as he looked over the gang members was that of a cold trainer.

‘I must drive and forge this rabble, transforming them so that one day, they will not be pushed back even if they clash with the Demonic Cult’s armed forces. To do that....’

Since everyone happened to be watching, the picture was good.

“Since I have become the Gang Leader, the Black Dragon Gang will be reborn not as street rabble or thugs, but as a martial faction of the martial world.”

“......?”

Murmuring.

Doubt.

Even at Uncheon’s declaration, the gang members’ reactions were lukewarm.

Thugs who had been rolling around the marketplace until yesterday were supposed to be reborn overnight as a martial faction of the martial world?

It was only natural that it sounded like an empty dream.

However, Uncheon had no intention of persuading them with words.

He merely gestured at Little Dragon with his chin.

“Little Dragon, come closer.”

“Yes! Gang Leader! Just give the order!”

Little Dragon came trotting over like a dog wagging its tail and bowed his head.

Uncheon looked him up and down.

His muscles were enlarged, but the flow of his energy was muddy.

“Black Iron Steel Body, which is said to be the secret inheritance of the Black Dragon Gang. Show it to me.”

“Ah, of course I will show you! This is the pride of this gang!”

With a shout, Little Dragon tore off his upper garment.

“Hup.”

Crunch. His muscles swelled, and his skin turned a dark red-black.

It gave off the force of a fairly heavy external art, but Uncheon clicked his tongue without mercy.

“Tsk... It is only a shell.”

Uncheon’s criticism struck the heart of the matter.

Little Dragon’s shoulders visibly drooped.

“An external art not supported by inner arts will eventually reach its limit. You must know that too. What happened to the heart art paired with Black Iron Steel Body?”

“H-How did you know that? The truth is, the secret manual my father left behind was badly damaged, so I could not learn it....”

Little Dragon took an old booklet from his bosom, its letters blurred by blood and sweat.

It was an object steeped in longing for his father and the resentment of a martial artist.

“Bring it here.”

“H-Here it is.”

As Little Dragon said, the secret manual was severely damaged.

‘Is this... blood?’

It was stained by someone’s blood, making the characters difficult to read.

“Did you... study this alone?”

“Yes. At least the external art was ingrained into my body when I was young, but... I could not learn the heart art. Is there... any way?”

Little Dragon’s voice grew damp.

Even this bastard, whom Uncheon had thought was only a materialistic fool, had his own story.

Uncheon nodded.

“It is not entirely impossible.”

“Is... is that true? The writing is all smudged, so I never even expected anyone to be able to read the secret manual!”

“However... you must choose between two things. Will you preserve the form of the secret manual, or will you inherit its meaning?”

It was an unexpected question.

The final trace of his missing father.

The secret manual itself was important, but what truly mattered was the content contained within it.

Little Dragon thought for a moment, then soon came to a conclusion.

“...I will inherit its meaning!”

“Then step back.”

Cool cold energy rose from Uncheon’s palm.

Wooooong—.

Limitless Iceheart Formula.

When his hand touched it, white frost began to form over the dark red bloodstains covering the secret manual.

‘Freeze the blood... and separate it from the paper.’

The bloodstains, turned into thin ice, fell away from the paper with soft taps.

In that fleeting moment, the ink characters that had been hidden revealed themselves.

Uncheon’s eyes moved quickly as he turned the pages.

His momentum suggested he would not miss even a single character.

However, there was no way the old paper could withstand Uncheon’s tyrannical cold energy.

Rustle.

“Uh... uh... G-Gang Leader! No!”

Along with Little Dragon’s scream, the secret manual crumbled into a handful of ash.

A fleeting instant.

Even the goal of inheriting its meaning had become impossible to achieve.

Thinking that he had completely lost his father’s secret manual, Little Dragon screamed in anguish and clawed at the ground.

“Father’s secret manual...!”

But Uncheon calmly brushed off the ash and said.

“Do not bawl like a child... I have already put the entire formula into my head.”

“What? Is... is that possible? In such a short time...?”

“Bring paper.”

When Little Dragon hurriedly found paper and brought it over, Uncheon wrote down the formula without pause.

“Now, this is the formula restored exactly as it was written in the secret manual. It is yours.”

Little Dragon accepted it with trembling hands.

From the paper, where the ink had not yet dried, he felt both his father’s trace and new hope at the same time.

“Is... is that really true? Th-Thank you!”

Little Dragon nodded repeatedly with an expression of disbelief.

But Uncheon’s brush did not stop.

He quickly wrote something on a new sheet of paper.

“However... the original heart method had limitations when it came to bearing the tyrannical nature of Black Iron Steel Body. If you had learned it as it was, there is a high chance you would have suffered Qi Deviation.”

“Do you mean...! Is... is that why Father?!”

Little Dragon’s eyes widened.

The reason his father’s eyes had suddenly grown clouded and he had gone missing.

He had never imagined in the slightest that it might have been because of a problem with the secret manual itself.

Uncheon handed over another completed secret manual.

“When you compare the formulas of the two secret manuals yourself, you will understand. This is Black Dragon Dynamic Art, reinforced by adding the profundities of Heaven and Earth to the original formula. If you learn it together with Black Iron Steel Body, you should achieve something worthwhile.”

If the external art and inner arts harmonized, it was a higher martial art that could even allow one to aim for the Peak Realm.

“G-Gang Leader...!”

“The speed at which you accumulate inner arts will be slow, but its roots will be firm, so there will be no Qi Deviation. If you do not want to live and die as street rabble, engrave it into your bones.”

After hearing those words, Little Dragon slammed his head to the ground without hesitation.

To think Uncheon had restored his father’s damaged secret manual in an instant and even reinforced it.

THUD!

He slammed his head against the ground once again.

“I, Little Dragon, will offer my loyalty even if my bones are ground to dust! I will never forget this grace for as long as I live!”

Little Dragon was sincere.

‘This man is real! Serving the Gang Leader was the best choice of my life!’

Uncheon confirmed the madness in Little Dragon’s eyes and nodded.

“Good. Learn this Black Dragon Dynamic Art and pass it on to the gang members.”

“Needless to say! I will surely master Black Dragon Dynamic Art and rebuild the Black Dragon Gang!”

The flames of will burned fiercely in Little Dragon’s eyes.

‘The atmosphere has changed. I can leave the gang members’ training to that bastard.’

As Little Dragon tried to return to his place, Uncheon stopped him.

“Do so. Ah, and one more thing.”

At that instant, Little Dragon’s shoulders flinched.

“When I looked over the ledgers, there were many empty spots....”

Uncheon’s gaze was cold.

He had already seen through Little Dragon’s scheming completely.

“You made a fairly tidy profit from the gambling table, did you not? I will use all of those profits as operating funds for the Black Dragon Gang. Bring them immediately while I am still asking nicely.”

“H-Hiiik?! How did you know that...!”

Little Dragon’s face turned pale.

Uncheon smiled faintly and drove in the nail.

“If you skim even a little off the top, I will tear apart the formula I just wrote for you. Keep that in mind.”

“...U-Understood! I will bring it immediately! I will not leave behind even a single coin!”

Little Dragon ran off in a flurry with a tearful face.

Martial arts, and the Gang Leader’s intelligence network, were far more frightening than money.

However, his retreating back was strangely light.

Though he had become penniless, he now carried in his heart a greater treasure called hope.

“What will you do?”

Uncheon had now shown unbelievable might before their eyes several times.

From the moment he first broke down the main gate and sent the gang members flying.

The sparring match with Little Dragon.

And even the miraculous skill he had displayed moments ago.

Since even the Young Gang Leader was showing such loyalty, there was no reason not to follow.

“We will be loyal!”

“We will follow you, Gang Leader!”

A strange heat spread through the gang members in an instant.

Thanks to that contagious heat, Uncheon seized control of the Black Dragon Gang in no time.

“Good. Not a single one of you will leave? I have confirmed your resolve. Then... starting tomorrow, everyone will begin training at once. Today... clean and repair this mess of a Black Dragon Gang.”

A short while later, Little Dragon came hurrying back with all of the emergency funds and profits, then cautiously raised his hand.

Now that the gang members’ discipline had been established and he had even bestowed Black Dragon Dynamic Art, Little Dragon considered the position of second-in-command as good as his.

‘I need to make the hierarchy clear now.’

Little Dragon quietly watched Uncheon’s reaction and opened his mouth.

“Um... Gang Leader, I have one question.”

His gaze had been fixed for a while on the woman standing beside Uncheon with her arms crossed, watching the whole scene with great interest.

“What is it?”

“That... who exactly is the beauty beside you, Gang Leader? Could she perhaps be... the lady of this gang?”

At those words, Uncheon’s brow furrowed slightly.

But before Uncheon could open his mouth, Yayul Hui stepped forward.

“A beauty, huh? You have good eyes. Unfortunately, I am not anything like the lady of this gang.”

“Uh, uhh...?”

“...She is this gang’s guest retainer. She is also my classmate from the Demonic Martial Hall. When I am absent, regard her as my proxy.”

Uncheon added indifferently.

‘Which means...?’

At that moment, Little Dragon’s expression twisted subtly.

The expectation he had held moments ago, after receiving Black Dragon Dynamic Art and convincing himself he was the unshakable second-in-command, collapsed at once.

‘She is not even the lady of the gang, just a guest retainer! A stone that rolled in from outside is above me? If I, Little Dragon, am not the second-in-command, then who is...!’

Little Dragon tried in his own way to hide his aggrieved expression, but he could not deceive Yayul Hui’s eyes.

Yayul Hui’s eyes narrowed like a wildcat’s and shone with a fierce light.

“You. Why are you looking at me like that? Are you saying you cannot accept it?”

“N-No! How could I dare question the Gang Leader’s decision...!”

“If a man has a complaint, he should say it. Right now, you are wondering, ‘Is that woman stronger than me?’ are you not?”

Yayul Hui was familiar with that gaze.

The doubtful gaze she had received all her life from her family and from the outside world.

Yayul Hui slowly gripped the hilt of her saber.

In that fleeting instant, a cold wind swept across the entire training ground.

It was the force of Mad Wind.

The air touching Little Dragon’s skin was as sharp as a blade.

“Shall we have a sparring match? If you win, I will place myself beneath you.”