Chapter 19: An Acquaintance Big Brother (2)
‘I’ll kill them.’
When he first started walking, Eddy hadn't planned on showing mercy to the opponent, regardless of who they were or why they had done this.
Rank 8, Razor Gideon, had been taken down.
Because the founding members of the Eddy Family were seven, Gideon hadn't made it into the executive position, but it was only natural to retaliate when a younger brother with skills comparable to theirs had met with misfortune.
However…….
‘But if it involves my parents, that's a different story.’
Bloody Eddy looked around.
They all had foolish faces, and more than half of them were collapsed on the ground.
His head started to ache.
At a time when the Travion Gang was actively expanding its influence, to be beaten so miserably by just one person…….
He didn't even look particularly formidable.
‘I don't sense the characteristic Gido (spirit/presence) of a strong guy…….’
Gido.
Meaning something similar to the vessel representing a person, their atmosphere, Eddy had felt a formidable Gido from all the strong individuals he had met so far.
Underboss Pale and Enforcer Ruben were like that, and although he hated to admit it, so were Travion and Quentin from the rival faction.
But… this guy…….
“……Is there any proof that the letter is from my father?”
His suspicion amplified.
However, the content was too important to simply dismiss.
Therefore, Eddy asked cautiously, and Harang nodded.
“He said you would naturally know by the handwriting and content. Shall I show you now?”
“No, not here……”
The boss, glancing around for a moment, fixed his gaze on one side.
It was the Ralph Gang's hideout, and for a dirty place where bums gathered, it looked the cleanest.
“Let's talk inside there.”
“I will follow.”
“No, it's fine. I'll talk alone, so here… snap those pathetic guys back to their senses. Quickly.”
“Yes, Boss!”
Enforcer Ruben answered energetically, and seeing that, Harang admired him.
“Wow, cool!”
“……?”
“Ah, the way the answer and action match perfectly has discipline, and that looks cool……”
“……”
“Was I not supposed to say that?”
“It’s not important right now. Hurry and follow. If it’s not my father’s letter……”
Hwaaaaak
As Eddy frowned, a dense energy radiated out, and not just an atmosphere but actual pressure pressed down on the opponent.
However, Harang was completely unaffected.
“There's no need to worry. The letter is real.”
“……”
“What's wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
The young man in beggar's attire approached with an extremely composed expression.
Eddy, gazing intently at him, frowned and entered the hideout tent, with Harang following.
His appearance as he entered, tilting his head, still looked blank, causing the flower of doubt to bloom in the hearts of Underboss Pale and the other executives.
“So, the one who beat you guys up… was that fellow?”
“……Y-yes, sir.”
“Not several people, but one?”
“Y-yes…”
“……”
“……”
“This won't do.”
Underboss Pale, shaking his head, spoke with gravity.
“It seems I’ve been too lenient lately. Look forward to it. What kind of training awaits from tomorrow. And… Ralph, was it?”
“Yes? Yes! Yessir! Y-you called me……”
“A vermin-like bastard who hangs out with beggar bastards dares to use the Eddy Family's name? You and Kennedy… you two had better prepare yourselves.”
The complexions of the two thugs, no, one thug and one delinquent (Yangachi), turned deathly pale.
* * *
While the Eddy Family's Underboss handled internal management, the two who entered Ralph's tent looked at each other in a strange atmosphere.
Eddy, with eyes half-mixed with suspicion and interest.
Harang, with eyes half-mixed with interest and dissatisfaction.
The fortunate thing was that the letter Harang brought was not fake, but real.
“I see. Father…”
Carter's letter contained nothing special.
Are you doing well, I am doing well. But it’s a bit lonely not having seen my son for a long time. Don’t exert yourself in dangerous work unnecessarily, come back home, let’s grow the shop together like before, and visit your mother’s grave…
It was truly a series of nags typical of a father that age, but it was poignant enough to tug at the heartstrings of Eddy, who hadn't visited his hometown once since stopping by seven years ago.
He gently closed his eyes.
The image of his father, which he thought would never fade, seemed blurrier than before. He could no longer recall his mother's face, and even her voice felt more distant than before.
He felt sad.
And he felt sorry.
What made him feel even sorrier was the fact that, despite all this, he was stuck in a situation where he couldn't leave his position.
‘…Let’s talk about that later.’
Eddy forcefully swallowed his tears.
For a thug, tears were like a weakness. Especially for him, the boss, who needed to maintain his dignity more strictly than anyone. He kept his eyes closed for a long while longer, controlling his emotions, and forced his thoughts away from his father towards other things.
Thus, when he finally opened his eyes, what faced him was a young man in shabby clothes.
Eddy, feeling his sadness completely vanish, asked him.
“Your name is Harang?”
“Yes. It’s Harang.”
“How do you know my father?”
“We don’t particularly know each other?”
“What?”
“I’m a customer who stopped by the shop ten days ago.”
“…Just one of the customers, and he asked you for a letter?”
“Not just any customer, but in return for getting a free meal…”
“What? Father gave you food for free? Does that even make sense?”
“Ah, I didn’t pay money, but I did take care of some thugs instead.”
“…Thugs?”
“Yes, thugs.”
“Why are thugs suddenly appearing here?”
“They can appear. From my experience, it seems like thugs are everywhere.”
Harang, wearing a puzzled expression, added a word.
“There are some right here, aren't there.”
“……”
“What’s wrong?”
“Are you talking about me right now?”
“I wasn't talking only about Mr. Eddy… I included people like Ralph, Iron Fist Kennedy, and Gideon too.”
“…You, unlike how you look, have quite the talent for angering others, don't you.”
“I do tend to unintentionally get on people’s nerves. But…”
Jjororok
Gulp
Harang, moistening his throat with the kettle on Ralph's table, continued with an indifferent expression.
“This time, it was somewhat intentional.”
“…Huh. Why?”
“Because you’re thugs.”
That's right.
Harang, who held no prejudice against any profession, made an exception for thugs.
It was only natural. A group that intimidates opponents through violence and threats to gain profit. No different from the village. How could he possibly like such beings?
Therefore, he was extremely disappointed after learning Eddy's identity.
Mr. Carter, who made such delicious food.
The existence Mr. Carter worried about and cared for so much that his eyes welled up with tears.
‘Such a precious existence is a thug?’
Since it was someone else's business, he hadn't intended to interfere deeply, but honestly speaking, it was the most irritating thing since he came to the outside world.
However, that was merely Harang's perspective.
For Eddy, who was insulted out of the blue, it was like being slapped on the cheek while walking down the street.
“…You don’t seem to have much experience with society.”
Eddy said, frowning.
He had no intention of harming the opponent. After all, wasn't he someone who had done his father a favor?
Even though he had roughed up several of his family's subordinates in the process, his extremely filial self could overlook it this far. Actually, he had considered roughing him up a little, but he also let it go because the guy looked so weak it was hard to believe how he could have caused such trouble.
“Not much, no.”
“Right, you look exactly like that. So you only know that thugs are bad people, but you don't seem to know well that getting involved with them is troublesome.”
“It wasn’t particularly troublesome, though.”
“What?”
“The ones who had trouble were your subordinates. For me, rather than troublesome, it was a bit tiring. All I needed to do was deliver the letter to Mr. Eddy, but they kept saying they knew a Boss, someone ranked 38th, 31st, 25th, saying I wouldn’t be able to lift a finger when they arrived… It took some effort to get up to Mr. Eddy.”
“……”
“Mr. Eddy?”
“This won’t do.”
Woooooong-!
What is the characteristic of a thug?
It's that they prioritize using fists over words.
Why is that?
Because fists are easier than words, and digging a little deeper into this… it's similar to saying they use violence because they aren't good at talking.
That's right.
Eddy had lost the verbal argument with Harang.
He had proven his lack of eloquence, becoming angered by the rhetoric of a novice who had likely only been in society for about a month.
However, it was fine.
Just as if your head is bad, your body just has to suffer a bit more.
If words don't work well, you just make up for it with force.
‘I guess I need to show him the harsh reality of the organization. This novice bastard, doesn't even know to fear thugs…’
Of course, he wasn't actually going to clench his fists and punch his head, or pull out a tool and poke a hole in his abdomen. Such actions didn't suit the dignity and prestige of a boss who needed to maintain a heavy presence.
Therefore, what Eddy chose was to emit his presence through Aura.
Wooooooooong-!
The vibration intensified.
Because the Aura sleeping within Eddy's body began to boil.
Surprisingly, he was an ‘Expert’ who had reached the stage where he could ‘manifest’ the energy within his body externally, a formidable master skilled enough to obtain a ‘Silver Plate’ from the Mercenary Brokerage if only he had a noble to vouch for his skills.
He was indeed a vessel capable of contending for supremacy in the city's back alleys, and the owner of a ferocious energy potent enough to make ordinary people wet themselves upon encounter.
That's right.
It certainly should have been that way.
Surely, a novice like this should have goosebumps all over just from meeting his eyes, should lose control of his bowels and bladder, and be thoroughly humiliated, but…….
“……?”
“……?”
“……?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Uh, that’s…”
“Is your stomach hurting somewhere?”
It wasn't like that.
On the contrary, his condition was optimal. Thanks to meticulously taking care of his body due to the escalating provocations and threats from the Travion Gang recently.
Of course, he couldn't say this outright.
‘What on earth kind of guy is this?’
Bewilderment, and perplexity.
However, the emotion that bloomed last was strong denial.
That's right. Eddy absolutely couldn't believe that a wild kid like this would be unaffected, and solidified his thoughts towards the idea that he must be forcing a calm facade.
If so, there was only one thing to do.
Emit his energy stronger, more powerfully.
Thus, break that fellow's poker face, and somehow show the dignity of the Eddy Family Boss…….
It was when his thoughts had reached this point.
Kwaang!
Clatter clatter clatter-!
“……”
“……”
One person rolled roughly into the tent.
Looking closely, it was Ralph. Seeing him foaming at the mouth and unconscious, Eddy quickly exited the tent.
“……!”
And then, he realized.
The Travion Gang's Underboss, Quentin.
He realized the bastard had led his subordinates in a surprise attack.
“These bastards aren't even enough to chew on!”
Woong
His Aura boiled intensely.
Jiiiiiing-!
A grayish-white energy formed thinly on the surface of his knuckles, like a coating.
It was ‘Hardening (Gyeonghwa)’, one of the basic concepts of Aura utilization, a technique that made objects or body parts harder.
‘The energy waste is still too severe to use in real combat… Calm down. This much is enough!’
Kang kang!
Teoong-!
After striking his two fists together audibly, he kicked the ground hard and leaped into the battlefield. If he had his way, he wanted to shatter Quentin's jaw right now, but saving his subordinates who were out of their minds was the priority. His body moved faster than anyone else's across the battlefield.
A brutal and extremely dangerous atmosphere enveloped the city's back alleys.
Of course.
Crunch
That atmosphere didn't apply to Harang at all.
Biting into a cookie found in Ralph's hideout, the black-haired young man muttered cheerfully.
“Whoever wins, wins.”