Chapter 28: Legend (2)
Harang is eccentric.
Sometimes he even seems foolish.
Right now was exactly like that.
A normal person would never have thought of visiting the gang boss directly for an amicable agreement.
This was Harang's unique disposition, something that couldn't be dismissed merely as lacking common sense.
However, even such a Harang was quite perceptive when it came to matters directly related to his survival.
It was the same when he arrived at Travion's mansion with the help of the gambling house manager.
The aura of death emanating from within the gate, the damp killing intent.
Sensing it, he drew out more energy than usual, focusing on activating his senses.
Wooooong……
What is the most important part of the 4th stage of the six Aura concepts, Awakening of the Senses?
It is sight and hearing.
It's natural.
Everyone follows objects and things with their eyes, and supplements areas outside their vision with their ears.
In combat, touch, taste, and smell were senses of lower priority.
But Harang was different.
Swoooosh
He inhaled the scent of the night through his nose.
Hooooo
He tasted the night with his mouth.
In that moment, Harang recognized that he had become slightly closer to the darkness.
Goosebumps rose on his skin, then disappeared.
The young man's skin, having understood the darkness, prepared itself to assimilate with the darkness at any moment.
Harang, having prepared this far, vigorously opened the Travion family's gate and started the conversation.
Unfortunately, it didn't go well.
Along with Travion's command, numerous Bolts raining down came into his sight, and into his ears.
That's right.
To Harang's five senses, already infinitely close to the darkness, those things shot from the dark places felt as clear as stars in the night sky.
Pyupyupyupyupyuk-
Dadadadadadadang-!
Dozens of bolts shot strongly.
Harang deflected all of them with his sword, without exception, not a single one missed.
It wasn't even that they passed through his torso.
His swordsmanship, deflecting only the heads of the bolts in all directions, was nothing short of godlike.
“This is crazy!”
“Shoot! Shoot more!”
Of course, the Travion Gang wasn't such a foolish group as to just stand there marveling at this.
Loading, aiming, firing were done in an instant.
They had no choice.
As if encountering an incomprehensible phenomenon, deep fear lingered in their eyes, so the only way to forget it was to focus on what they were doing.
However, Harang, who had deflected all thirty bolts pouring down in a single breath, was unlikely to be hit by crossbow attacks fired at different timings.
No, in the first place, there was no reason to even stand in the same spot and receive their attacks.
Fwoooosh-!
“……!”
“Huk!”
“Heok!”
Harang strongly scattered his energy.
The last of the six Aura concepts, Manifestation.
This technique is primarily used when drawing out an Aura Sword, but it is also useful for instilling pressure on the opponent by dispersing it in particle form like now.
The so-called 'overwhelmed by presence' mostly refers to such situations, and the Travion Gang members exposed to Harang's fog-like Aura were unable to regain their senses due to the intense shock.
‘Now.’
At that moment, Harang suppressed his presence.
As the manifested Aura subsided in an instant, his form assimilated into the night.
Before opening the gate, he had hidden his presence through the night air he had fully taken in; moving after using such stealth techniques combined with the preceding intense impression makes the opponent mistakenly think he disappeared in an instant.
Just like now.
“Huk!”
“What! He suddenly disappeared?”
“Where is he! Dammit……!”
“Turn on the lights! It’s dark!”
“Ah, earlier you said shooting in the dark would make it impossible to dodge……”
“Shut up, the situation is different now, so turn on the lights! Hurry!”
It was utter chaos.
They might have thought the darkness was advantageous to them, but for the Godoks, darkness is warmer and more familiar than a mother's embrace.
In other words, this fight was poorly designed from the start.
Of course, the act of coming to their senses now and lighting the torches was commendable, but…….
Flarre-!
“……!”
“……!”
“……!”
The scene revealed after the lights were turned on was enough to shock everyone.
The black-haired young man was holding a sword to the neck of the organization's boss, Travion.
“Wha…… Wait! Calm down and let’s talk, talk.”
“I was the one who suggested talking.”
“S-sorry! I’ll be honest. I didn’t know you were this strong!”
“You’re very honest. But right now, I don’t feel like talking anymore.”
“M-money! I’ll give you money! If not money, then anything else, whatever you want……!”
“There isn’t really anything. If you have nothing more to say, may I kill you now?”
Harang also spoke his honest feelings.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
This was the principle Harang continued to uphold even after leaving the village, with the only exception being Daereon, who had ambushed him.
However, Daereon was kept alive only because there was a possibility of obtaining some information from him; he desired nothing from Travion.
Perhaps sensing his sentiment?
Travion’s expression turned venomous.
Threats flowed from his mouth, which had been speaking of appeasement until now.
“Damn it! Hey! Even if you kill me, do you think you can escape safely through this many people? It’s different from before! You’re right in the middle of us now, and it’s not dark like before! There’s nowhere to run……!”
Rough words continuously poured from his mouth.
However, contrary to the content, his tone was utterly desperate.
Pleading was mixed within the intimidation, and the thought that this was how a gangster begged made Harang feel slightly amused.
Of course, that was all.
Thinking there was no need to listen further, Harang moved his sword.
Slice-
Thump! Degururururu……
Travion’s cleanly severed head rolled on the floor.
Thus, one of the two giants who ruled Marzen's underworld had completely retired.
“……!”
“……!”
“……!”
At Harang's decisive action, all Travion Gang members were rendered speechless.
They thought they had seen all sorts of rough things living in the harsh underworld, but this was the first time they saw someone act without any thought for the consequences.
Not only did he personally come because an assassin was sent after him, and alone at that.
He struck off the boss' head, surrounded by dozens of subordinates, without any hesitation.
That wasn't all.
‘Why on earth…….’
‘Isn't he running away?’
He, the young man named Harang, watching them like a death god assimilated into the darkness…… still showed no intention of leaving, gazing at them while deeply pondering something.
It was baffling.
If it were them, if they were that guy, the moment they committed the act, they would flee without looking back and live until the incident quieted down, but why on earth wasn't that guy running away?
What was even harder to understand was their own attitude towards such a person.
That's right.
Among the people gathered here.
Among the more than thirty members of the Travion Gang armed with blades and blunt weapons, none could bring themselves to attack the young man.
It was as if this situation.
It was a scene where Harang alone was surrounding thirty gangsters.
‘……Can't win.’
Bruno, the former rank 3 who had newly risen to become the Travion Family's right-hand man, shivered violently.
This wouldn't work.
He knew without even fighting.
Skill wasn't the issue.
The caliber of that young man, who seized control of the atmosphere even when facing numerous strong men, far transcended the capabilities of everyone gathered here.
‘If we stay like this…….’
We’ll be killed!
Bruno felt a fear akin to facing a wolf, no, a lion, that had charged into a flock of sheep.
His hesitation was short.
Thump!
Collapsing to the floor and kneeling, he shouted loudly.
“I will pledge my loyalty from now on, Boss!”
“Eh?”
Harang showed a bewildered expression.
However, this wasn't the end.
“……I pledge my loyalty!”
“I pledge my loyalty!”
“I pledge my loyalty!”
“I pledge my loyalty!”
Those who felt similar emotions to Bruno.
To be precise, everyone gathered at Travion's mansion pledged loyalty to Harang.
They had no choice.
It was the first time they had seen it.
Someone entering the rival faction's gang and personally taking the boss' head.
Showing not a shred of hesitation in the process.
Was that all?
He never retreated.
Far from retreating, he stood proudly, exuding the aura of a tiger, with eyes wondering how best to cook the remaining ones.
This spirit.
This skill.
An unprecedented figure, never seen before and never to be seen again…… worthy of becoming a legend in the gangster world!
Entering under such a figure wouldn't be too shameful—that was the thought of the former Travion Gang members.
“We will serve you as our Boss, Boss Harang!”
“Boss Harang!”
“Boss Harang!”
“……”
Of course, Harang, at the center of this incident, couldn't help but be dumbfounded.
The reason he didn't leave?
It was nothing special.
It was just that his mind was a bit complicated, wondering if these guys too might target him later, and if troublesome things might arise because of that.
Since Harang thought that even Travion had sent an assassin for revenge for his cherished subordinate Quentin, he was contemplating how to conclude things in some form, thinking it would be quite annoying if these guys also harassed him for the same reason.
‘But, I become the boss of the organization like this?’
Without consent?
Just as they pleased?
Is this…… right?
While thinking such thoughts, the back suddenly became noisy.
Then, Harang's complexion brightened.
Beings he could communicate with.
He thought Eddy and Pale had followed him, leading their group.
‘Yes. Those two would know what to do in this situation. Come to think of it, I need to deal with the aftermath of killing Travion, they’ll handle that too.’
He nodded his head.
It was truly fortunate.
For him, who had very little experience other than killing people, the help of the two was desperately needed.
They weren't idiots like the Iron Fist Bloody Fist brothers, so they would surely give appropriate advice on how to overcome this situation.
Surely, he thought so…….
Thump
Thump
“……Boss!”
“Boss Harang!”
“……Boss Eddy? Mr. Pale? Why are you suddenly doing this?”
Harang’s pupils trembled.
A faint tremor could be felt in his voice, as if facing a completely unexpected situation.
Of course, regardless of that, the situation continued to escalate.
The entire gang brought by Eddy and Pale knelt down with thuds.
Harang was speechless and blank, but Eddy spoke up, representing them.
“We heard the story, Boss! Not only did you risk your life against the Expert Mid-level assassin sent to assassinate me, but you also raided Travion's den alone for this younger brother! Furthermore, not content with taking Travion's head, you even swayed his subordinates to join your forces……!”
“……”
“Boss, the three virtues of a gangster I believe in are loyalty, skill, and Gao. This Eddy, in my entire life of using fists, I have never seen anyone more suited to be a gangster than you, Boss. Boss, you are……”
Various other stories continued to flow after that, but Harang couldn't hear them properly.
What was important was that Eddy and the entire gang acknowledged him as their Boss.
And that the former Travion Gang had also decided to serve him as their Boss.
“Boss! Congratulations!”
“Congratulations on unifying the two forces of Marzen!”
“Congratulations, Boss!”
“Boss!”
“Boss!”
“……”
Harang silently lowered his posture.
And a moment later, with a very faint sound of 'shushuk,' Harang vanished.
“Huh, what? Boss?”
“Boss! Boss Harang!”
“Where did you go, Boss!”
Ignoring the calls of 'Boss' coming from behind, Harang quickly moved back to his lodging.
And he tried to sleep.
‘Won’t it quiet down on its own after a few days?’
A week passed like that.
Harang was still the biggest Boss of Marzen's back alleys.