Chapter 21
“Urgh, please be more gentle, Madam Choi!”
“Don’t move, Ho-Geun. You’ll widen your wounds.”
“Are you okay, Hwa-Yeon unnie?”
“I’m fine, so go check on Na Seong-Tae. His shield was destroyed.”
Jun and his teammates were taking a break after performing maintenance following the battle. Ho-Geun’s shoulder was slightly cut, and Seong-Tae was sorrowfully staring at his broken shield. However, their attention couldn’t help but be focused on the center of the field where Seong-Hwi, whom they called the murderer, Shin Jun, and Carlos, kneeling under restraint by Hee-Gyeong’s leather whip, were.
“So you got caught on purpose, Card?” Jun asked.
“Yeah. I was about to be carried to their base, but you messed everything up.”
Jun stared at Seong-Hwi dumbfoundedly, and Seong-Hwi stared back at Jun in displeasure.
Seong-Hwi reprimanded, “Why did you even show yourself to them? Are you stupid? What were you thinking?”
“You said there were only a hundred Teleport Rocks. If that was the truth... I thought we would have to fight against other humans sooner or later. But you’re right. I was stupid.”
Jun glanced at Hwa-Yeon, who had been taken hostage. She was touching her hair, which was slightly ripped off.
Seong-Hwi smirked and remarked, “That was good judgment. You can’t do anything in this world by dodging your problems. However, you acted poorly.”
“What?”
“Judge like a mountain, act like fire. That’s my motto. You judged correctly, but you were too careful. You should have attacked them as soon as you found them.”
“But we weren’t fully ready.”
“Neither were they.”
“Okay. This might sound like an excuse, but we’ve only faced Bodies. This was our first time facing off against other people.”
“Well, this guy also seemed to have a detection skill,” Seong-Hwi added. Carlos lowered his head as Seong-Hwi stared at him. Seong-Hwi turned to Jun and continued, “But your next judgment wasn’t bad. You were going to rescue me and formulate a new plan, right? Even trail them, perhaps. Using... that girl.”
Seong-Hwi stared at Ha Rin, who was holding the Yorkshire Terrier, Chocho.
Whine! Whine! Chocho whimpered in fear and burrowed into Rin’s embrace.
Jun sighed and mumbled, “There’s nothing you don’t know.”
“That’s true. I also know my plan was ruined by that brat over there,” Seong-Hwi said as he pointed with his chin.
Jun looked back and saw Seung-Jun scolding Do-Hyun and Min-Jae trying to break the quarrel.
Seong-Hwi smirked and asked, “What’s wrong? Was it so hurtful to be called a coward, and that your tears and rage were lies?”
“No, it’s just... I didn’t want to let those murderers get away.”
“Keke, I’m a murderer too.”
“You’re—”
“Let’s not argue about there being good and bad kinds of murder. It’s a boring topic.”
Jun remained silent. He was about to claim Card was different and that he put in at least the minimum amount of effort to help the people of District 8, but he stopped once he saw Card’s pitch-black eyes. The silence continued for a few seconds.
“Huuu. You’re right. I ended up acting emotionally because of what Do-Hyun said. Because of that, Hwa-Yeon was taken hostage. I’m a terrible leader,” Jun blamed himself as he bit his lip.
His teammate was almost killed because of his incorrect judgment.
Jun added, “The people of District 8 were all killed... probably by these men. Do-Hyun was showered with love by the elderly there, so... he was especially shocked by the massacre.”
“So?”
“If I negotiated with them, I thought something precious in Do-Hyun—I don’t know what it would be, but I was worried it would break.”
Seong-Hwi laughed, “Hahaha!”
He could relate to Jun reproaching himself. As he had thought, he and Jun were similar. They were logical but became emotional at crucial moments. Borrowing his clanswoman Lina Ahn’s words, he was a romantic pragmatist.
No wonder he caught my interest. Seong-Hwi thought. Just then, he thought of an idea. Should I... raise him?
Seong-Hwi would not create Clan Calasanz like he had in his past life. Even if he did, it would be in another form. The objective of Clan Calasanz had been to expand the rights of the majority of the human race. He still considered the objective important, but decided to change how he did it after experiencing the few defeating the many.
If I want to become as strong as the Ten Lords and Fiends, I don’t have the leeway to care for others. I’ll have my hands full caring for even a few. In that case, why not raise someone who’ll take my place?
“I shouldn’t have become a leader. Someone who can think more logically should take my place,” Jun mentioned.
He’s going through the same dilemma as I once had. Seong-Hwi was fascinated as he stared at Jun. Was this kind of guy killed by Kim Min-Su in my past life? Destiny sure is a strange thing.
Seong-Hwi mentioned, “Stop moping around and search the corpses. You killed the one with the shield, so do whatever you want with him.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m telling you to loot their items. You never know, I might reward you for your troubles.”
“Oh... what will you do?”
“A one-on-one talk with this guy.”
Seong-Hwi stared at the tied-up Carlos and smiled. Carlos shook as his teeth clacked. Jun nodded and turned around. Just then, Seong-Hwi was reminded of something.
He said, “Oh, and let’s decide on a signal.”
“A signal?”
“Yeah, since you might mess up my plans again later.”
“Who could have thought you got yourself caught on purpose in that situation?”
“That’s why I want to decide on a signal. Hmm, let’s see. Okay. If I call you my friend, it means use your discretion.”
“Friend? Why?”
“You said we’re the same age, right? But we can never be friends.”
They were technically not the same age since this was Seong-Hwi’s second life. It was just a personal joke only Seong-Hwi could understand, but Jun’s expression stiffened as he understood it differently.
“Okay,” Jun said hesitantly and walked back to his teammates.
“He’s an interesting guy,” Seong-Hwi said with a smile. He looked down at Carlos and said, “It’ll get interesting for you too soon.”
***
Before Seong-Hwi’s return, he knew a human traitor named Peter Geraghty, a Californian Black Human who sold fellow humans to vampires alive. Seong-Hwi remembered tracking him down for months to kill him after finding out he had sold over ten thousand humans to the vampires.
He had thought, If I catch you, I’ll cut you ten thousand times before I kill you!
One day, he discovered Peter Geraghty in one of his hideouts. Seong-Hwi’s comrades suggested he hand Peter over to the Union to pay for his crimes, but due to past experiences, Seong-Hwi did not trust large organizations like the Union. In exchange, he tortured Peter with his blade to stay true to his pledge. He cut Peter for each life he sold. The price was so cheap that he worried he would seem like a swindling tradesman.
He started with a longsword. Although Peter was quite a large white man, he was almost instantly covered in slash wounds. Seong-Hwi continuously poured water on Peter from the Ace of Cups because he couldn’t have him die before the ten thousand cuts.
Once the longsword was no longer viable, he used a shortsword, then a knife, and finally, a razor blade. His comrades, who were enraged alongside Seong-Hwi and said Peter deserved it, soon felt sorry for him. They even told Seong-Hwi it was enough, but he did not stop.
Black Humans commit crimes because they think they won’t get caught. We need to show them an example of what will happen when they get caught and what the price for the crimes will be.
With that, Seong-Hwi completed the ten thousand cuts. Peter begged countless times for Seong-Hwi to kill him, but he could not die. He did not even bleed much because the Ace of Cups immediately closed the wound once the cut was made. All that remained were ten thousand reddish wounds, and Peter spent every single second feeling intense pain. Skilled Japanese chefs could make sashimi out of a living fish—Peter Geraghty had become the fish.
Some pointed fingers at Seong-Hwi for being too cruel, and others shed tears of gratitude, thanking him for punishing the demon who sold their family members. Seeing the stark difference in responses, Seong-Hwi couldn’t help but laugh at the human ability to sympathize.
Peter Geraghty’s execution was made final by the Union, and the humans who came to watch his death saw the state he was in. He looked as if he were covered in scales like the merfolk due to the ten thousand cuts. Peter died in relief after hearing that he was sentenced to death.
This incident sent waves throughout the Mirror World, causing a reduction of Black Human activities due to fear of Seong-Hwi. His torture method also became as famous as his name. Due to the tortured individual's countless shiny wounds, it came to be known as the ten thousand scales.
***
“I-I’ll talk. I’ll tell you everything. M-my name is Carlos. I’m from the El Salvadoran gang Chedbell. Our gang took over District 10 and absorbed a portion of the people from Districts 9 and 8. We’re preparing for a war against District 1 and—mmrp!”
Carlos said everything he could think of as Seong-Hwi approached him, but Seong-Hwi shut Carlos’s mouth and shook his head.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t trust confessions that aren’t accompanied by pain. People tend to sneak in lies if their body feels comfortable.”
“Mmrp! Mmmrp!”
“I could use the Majestic Sceptre, but I’d rather not waste my mana and Destiny Force on you.”
Seong-Hwi used his powerful grip strength to dislocate Carlos’s jaw so that he couldn’t bite his tongue. After all, having no tongue would make it difficult to understand what he was saying.
[Activating Unique Skill: Symbol Embodiment.]
[Ace of Cups]
A beautiful blue cup appeared in midair. Seong-Hwi pulled out a canteen bottle from his backpack and picked up Carlos’s sword.
He approached Carlos and mumbled, “Let’s see... There were forty-three bodies in District 8, if I’m remembering correctly?”
***
“URRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHH!”
Muffled screams could be heard endlessly. If one closed their eyes and listened, it sounded like screams from people on a roller coaster.
Ho-Geun asked, “Jun. You said that Card isn’t a villain, right? Do you still think so?”
Jun couldn’t answer him. He stared at Seong-Hwi torturing Carlos in the middle of the field. He couldn’t feel any malice, bloodlust, or objective from Seong-Hwi—it simply seemed like he was doing it out of necessity.
What kind of life did he have on Earth to do things like that so nonchalantly? Is he a mercenary or something?
Jun’s teammates stared at Seong-Hwi as if he were a madman, but Jun thought more logically after being taught a lesson from their battle against the mestizo men.
He mentioned, “I wonder if that blue cup is a skill? It’s healing the man’s wounds. No one on our team has a healing skill. We only rely on our quickened recovery speed from the Health stat.”
“Jun! That’s not what’s important right now.”
“Then what is? Are we supposed to sympathize with that man? All I can see is that blue cup. Our team’s chances of survival will increase several times over if we have that.”
“You—” Ho-Geun stared intently at Jun, noticing his sudden shift in attitude. “Are you perhaps... thinking it’s your fault that Hwa-Yeon almost died?”
Jun did not answer.
“You idiot! How is that your fault?! The fault lies in all of us!”
“I’m the one who gave the orders.”
Ho-Geun grabbed Jun by the collar and said, “You listen to me very carefully. It’s not because you’re a good commander that I respect you and trust your orders.”
“Then why do you trust me? I know how hard you work for my authority, Ho-Geun ahjussi. Since you’re the strongest in our team, we’d be better off having you as our leader—”
“Don’t be such a damn weakling! Don’t tell me you forgot our promise. You said we would go to the Mirror World together and that you’d help me find my family. You’re the one who reached out to grab my hand first! Keep your damn promise!”
Jun couldn’t say anything. Just then, Seong-Hwi approached them after making the forty-three cuts.
He wiped off the blood from the sword and asked, “What? Having a sudden falling out? A weird team you’ve got here.”
“Are you done?” Jun asked.
“I guess so. Have you looted all the items? Then let’s listen together. Our amigo would probably rather die than lie now.”
***
“I-It wasn’t just me. Sniff. Please forgive me. The boss... he ordered us to do it. He said... we needed to get stronger and that we should revive the Chedbell gang in that place called the Mirror World. Sniff. I-I only killed two people to fill my quota that day.”
Everyone listened to Carlos’s confession. From what he had said, he was from District 10 and had taken over the district with his fellow Chedbell gang members. Their boss killed one of the people who was causing trouble, and saw that it gave him a hundred Karma. He then gained superhuman powers after opening one stat cube, which started the Chedbell gang’s human hunting.
“You could’ve just killed Black Dogs or Bodies if you wanted Karma! Why did you kill the grandmas and grandpas?!” Do-Hyun shouted at Carlos in tears.
“T-the Black Dogs only gave twenty Karma at most. They were hard to kill, and the amount of Karma they gave lessened over time. C-compared to that, killing humans always gave a fixed amount of Karma,” Carlos replied as he glanced at Seong-Hwi as if looking for understanding.
Ho-Geun asked in disbelief, “So, you accepted a few Nepalese from District 9 into your gang, and... even a few people from District 8?”
“Y-yes. They said they were Korean. They were Asian... exactly like you. They were the ones who fed us the information.”
Jun remarked, “Some of the people who left the safe zone must’ve joined the Chedbell gang.”
“Those bastards! How could they?!”
“They must’ve wanted to become stronger, I guess. You get one hundred Karma just by killing one person. That’s one stat cube per kill,” Seung-Jun said.
“Kim Seung-Jun! Why the hell are you calculating that?!” Seong-Tae shouted.
“The math isn’t even difficult enough to warrant a calculation!”
“Both of you, quiet!” Ho-Geun shouted. He asked Carlos, “So, your boss went to a different district, right?”
Carlos nodded. He stared at Seong-Hwi and desperately begged, “I-I know the general location he’s at. I-if you let me live, I’ll take you to him. He should have gathered roughly a hundred people, but it’ll be alright as long as I take you. I-I have the boss’s trust.”
Seong-Hwi smiled widely. “A hundred, huh? That’s great, but one more thing. There were a few corpses of women at the center of District 8’s safe zone. Did you do that?”
“W-what? I-I don’t know what you mean. I-I’d bet the boss knows about it. He was the one who gave all the orders, after all,” Carlos stuttered, trying to hide his panic as he blamed everything on his boss.
“I see.”
Seong-Hwi stabbed Carlos in the heart.
“Kurgh!”
Carlos’s eyes widened in disbelief, and he stopped breathing after some convulsions.
[You hunted an individual with Murderer Karma.]
[325 Karma obtained.]
...
Seong-Hwi looked down at Carlos’s corpse and mumbled in relief, “I was worried you were feeling remorse.”
The people he despised the most were those who threw others under the bus, only for themselves to take the easy path. They stole others’ destinies instead of trying to grasp their own. Sadly, it was the norm for many ordinary people.
***
Enter through the narrow gate.
For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction,
and many enter through it.
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life,
and only a few find it.
Matthew 7:13,14