Episode 83. Because I’m a Man, Part 1
“Please wait a moment.”
I came alone, by invitation, to meet the leader of Nammyung Society.
The fact that I came alone wasn’t important—what mattered was that I came personally. Many of my subordinates wanted to accompany me, but I knew Nammyung Society better than any of them did.
If our two forces clashed, I would have to kill every last one of them to end it properly. They were a tightly unified organization, bound from top to bottom.
Wiping out a dark-world faction doesn’t move me much—but it would cost me dozens of my own men. That was not something I wanted.
So I came alone to meet their leader.
When the doors of the grand hall opened, Nammyung’s officers began filing in one by one, taking seats along the long table where I sat waiting.
Among them was Nam Yeon-poong.
It was a disciplined organization. No one spoke a word—not even Nam Yeon-poong—once they entered.
I looked around at their faces and… dozed off in my seat.
“……”
Lately, I’ve been falling asleep often. That’s what happens when you spend nights tearing off bits of celestial energy stuck to your meridians—it’s like peeling off hardened resin with your bare hands. Having reached the realm of the Fighting Rooster too quickly, fatigue naturally followed. Still, I didn’t worry. My body reacts faster than my mind to any threat.
Their discipline was so strict that even when I fell asleep, no one dared to shout or click their tongues.
So, I took a short, pleasant nap.
Just as I felt drool gather at my lips, a voice called out, “Is everyone here?”
“Yes, Leader.”
I opened my eyes and saw Nam Ga-rak—the head of Nammyung Society—enter the hall.
So that’s him.
He sat at the head seat and said, “Bring in the leader of the Black Cat Clan.”
Apparently, he hadn’t noticed me sitting right there. Then one of the officers beside him spoke quietly, “Leader, he’s already here.”
“What?”
I wiped the corner of my mouth with my thumb and met his gaze, forcing my eyelids wide enough to feel my double eyelid forming.
Nam Ga-rak frowned. “Black Cat Chief?”
I yawned. “That’s me.”
A hush fell over the hall.
Nam Ga-rak glanced at his officers, then back at me. “You came alone?”
“That’s right.”
I nodded, then turned to a servant waiting by the wall. “Hey, bring me some water. Is this how you treat guests?”
The servant bowed quickly. “Yes, sir.”
Then, realizing his mistake from the officers’ faces, he froze in place. Nam Yeon-poong stepped in. “It’s fine. Bring it.”
“Yes, Deputy Leader.”
After that, Nam Ga-rak collected himself and said, “Everyone, stand.”
The officers immediately rose and stepped back, forming a loose ring around the hall.
Nam Ga-rak introduced himself. “I am Nam Ga-rak, leader of Nammyung Society.”
I replied in kind. “I’m I Ja-ha, leader of the Black Cat Clan, formerly of Il-yang County’s inn—”
Apparently, I wasn’t quite awake yet.
The servant placed a cup of water in front of me, then poured it carefully. I looked at him and asked, “No poison, right?”
He bowed again. “None, sir.”
I drained the cup in one gulp and exhaled deeply. The sleepiness finally lifted.
“Haa…”
As I slapped my cheeks lightly, Nam Ga-rak asked, “Did you fall asleep here?”
I nodded. “Seems so.”
“Why did you come alone? I heard you have quite a few subordinates.”
“When you’re invited, you go. Bringing a crowd just gets messy.”
Nam Ga-rak let out a short, incredulous laugh. “Ha.”
I finally took a good look at him. He was young—late twenties, maybe early thirties. Handsome, but with eyes too sharp and a face exuding a kind of cold ferocity that would make women uneasy. He looked like the type who carried the burden of leadership from an early age—men like that have a certain air about them.
He, too, studied me carefully before asking, “Why did you kill Gu Yang-bok?”
“He invited me to a gambling match—a duel of skill, so I went. Turned out it was a scam. Even hid aphrodisiacs in a woman’s hairpiece. Got caught.”
“The chief of Black Cat went gambling?”
I nodded. “Heard a man named Dong Bang-yeon was strong. They called him the King of the Duel Tables. His skill didn’t live up to the title.”
Nam Ga-rak said, “Before he died, Gu Yang-bok admitted he paid tribute to us.”
“He did.”
“And yet, you killed him.”
I looked at him evenly. “Would you have spared him?”
“……”
He couldn’t answer.
Maybe he’d planned to scold me and demand tribute, but as we spoke, his expression kept shifting.
In any case, he’d done me no wrong, so I remained polite—if speaking casually counts as polite. The fact that I hadn’t cursed yet was miraculous in itself.
Nam Ga-rak asked his officers, “He really came alone?”
It sounded like he was questioning whether I was even the real Black Cat Chief.
They answered, “Yes, sir.”
Both he and his men seemed unsettled. No leader of a rival force had ever walked into their hall alone before.
At last, Nam Ga-rak seemed at a loss and turned to the subject of money. “I hear you took all of Gu Yang-bok’s assets. What will you do about the tribute he owed us?”
The moment I heard “money,” my mood soured. “What, are you beggars? What do you want—me to pay tribute now? You want a war or what?”
His face flushed red.
One of the officers looked ready to speak, but Nam Ga-rak cut him off with a raised finger. “Silence.”
I said, “Leader Nam, did your men fail to report properly?”
“Report what?”
“I gathered the entire Narak Society at the arena and faced them alone. Gu Yang-bok agreed—it was a duel, winner takes all. A bet’s a bet. I won, so the fortune is mine. Besides, he earned that money through gambling anyway. Even if he rose from the grave, he couldn’t challenge me on that.”
I added, “I also killed the previous Black Cat Chief and his master, Great Nalachal, single-handedly. That’s how I became chief. And you’re asking what I’ll do with the tribute? That’s a strange question.”
If he still didn’t get it after that, I’d have to stick my Flash Dagger into the table.
Nam Ga-rak said shortly, “Fair enough. Then why are you here?”
“You invited me, so I came.”
Several officers cleared their throats.
I looked around at them. They were all sharp-eyed and steady, the kind of men who’d follow their leader to the death—just as they once did when Nammyung fought Ilwi Dogang to the bitter end. I could respect men like that. Those who risk their lives deserve it.
Nam Ga-rak probably wanted to either kill me or recruit me. I, on the other hand, came simply to see what kind of man he was.
“I’ve heard your Society rejected offers to join the Overlord Sword Alliance and the Southern Sun Federation. You’ve kept your independence. I wanted to see what kind of men could manage that. But if you keep turning them down, sooner or later blood will be spilled. What’s your plan for that?”
That wasn’t actually from my subordinates—it was my own deduction. Ilwi Dogang was a guild of assassins; someone must have hired them to kill the previous Nammyung leader. Perhaps the Overlord Sword Alliance or Southern Sun Federation orchestrated the whole affair—both assassins and target destroyed in one stroke. Especially since Ilwi Dogang’s contracts cost a fortune.
Nam Ga-rak said, “There is no plan. We won’t bow to them. If blood must be spilled, so be it.”
I nodded. “Straightforward.”
They didn’t react. Guess that phrase was mine alone. Still, a man who walks straight deserves respect for that alone.
I said, “Listen, Leader Nam. Just as not all those in the righteous world are truly righteous, not all in the dark world are trash like Gu Yang-bok. I deal with men by their worth. If the Sword Alliance or the Southern Sun harasses you, I can help.”
“……”
He blinked in surprise, then burst out laughing. His officers followed with awkward chuckles.
After a while, Nam Ga-rak said, “Then you expect me to pay tribute?”
“No need. I don’t take tribute from my own subordinates, nor from the Black Line, nor from artisans or merchants. Even Gu Yang-bok’s wealth, I divided among my people—those who wanted to farm, I funded farms. Those who wanted to trade, I sent off with coin. Those who wanted to learn crafts or smithing, I paid their masters. Only the lost ones remain with me. I barely killed half a dozen of Gu Yang-bok’s men. The rest are finding their own paths now that the gambling dens are gone.”
I was telling him I wasn’t like other dark leaders, but he seemed genuinely baffled by my words.
“You used another man’s money for that?”
“He’d have wasted it anyway. If even one man finds his purpose, that’s better. I don’t pity fools, but when a man sets a goal, I’ll back him. I only asked them one thing: when I call for help one day, gather again under the name Hao Sect.”
And so, I’d ended up explaining Hao Sect too.
“Then you’re the leader of Hao Sect?” he asked.
“More or less.”
I stood. “If you want war, so be it. If you want to join us, that’s fine too. Whatever you choose, I’ll respect it. But don’t demand tribute, don’t threaten me, and don’t harass my men. And I’d better not hear that Nammyung is bullying merchants or civilians. If I do, that’s war. Hao Sect doesn’t tolerate that. No one’s explained it before, so I came to do it myself.”
Nam Ga-rak listened silently as I stared him down. “Think it over and give me your answer.”
I glanced at the officers, then turned toward the exit. Nam Ga-rak called after me, “Hey, Hao Sect Master.”
“What?”
“I can’t decide without seeing your skill.”
I turned and smiled. “Leader Nam, don’t get cocky just because you’ve got men around you. Can you even see my skill?”
“……”
I pointed at his officers. “I can line up everyone in this hall by strength just by looking at them.”
Since reaching the realm of the Fighting Rooster, I’d become sensitive to others’ qi presence—the flow of internal energy that reveals not only strength, but temperament, physique, and even the completeness of one’s martial form. It’s like reading a man’s fortune through his face.
Nam Ga-rak asked, “Then, aside from yourself, who here looks the strongest?”
I answered without hesitation. “You.”
He stood. “Then let’s fight. One-on-one, before we talk further.”
Ah, finally—a duel. My favorite kind of meeting.
He spoke evenly, “If you lose, Hao Sect will fall under Nammyung’s banner. I thought you were mad when you fell asleep here, but after speaking, I see you’re a man of your word. Will you accept the wager?”
“If you lose—”
He glanced at his men, smirking. “As if that’s possible.”
I laughed. “Hahahaha.”
His officers finally joined in with loud laughter. I laughed with them all and replied, “Unbelievable. I’m speechless. A millstone with no handle—utterly dumbfounding. Ridiculous, absurd, unbelievable!”
“……”
“So ridiculous it’s giving me chills.”
Nam Ga-rak’s smile vanished. “Enough.”
I mimicked his stern expression, furrowing my brow into a perfect 八 shape. “…Unbelievable.”
A man who insists on winning even in wordplay. A man unfit to ever become a hero. A man who dozed off just to twist the rhythm of a negotiation. A man who walked in alone and somehow turned a meeting into a duel.
Unbelievable, yes—but that’s me.