Book 26 Chapter 9

The giant King of the Southern Sea?

―You are the Pig King!

Click! Click! Click!

The man was sitting at a rosewood desk, clicking his abacus. His body was as stout as his thick fingers. Papers to be settled were piled high all over the desk, indicating how busy he was. Most of these documents were about today's sales and expenses. The Fifth Unit was currently under emergency alert. However, it was not a system to catch intruders, but for another reason.

"Tsk tsk, with the special emergency order issued, it's going to be hard to do business for a while."

The corpulent man clicked his tongue without ceasing his calculations.

"That's right. The unit members are complaining that not a single customer is coming."

"Of course. Everyone is on combat readiness due to the special emergency order. Everyone has to stay in their posts, so how can they come to buy anything? Tsk tsk."

The students of the Sky-Piercing Pavilion needed to be able to move around freely to secure customers, but in this emergency situation, not even a rat was scurrying about.

"No, no. If it continues like this, daily losses will approach five hundred silver taels. The losses will worsen as time goes on, and if it prolongs, we might have to close down the business."

"We must take special measures."

"Young man, what do you think is the most urgent matter right now?"

The stout man asked his adjutant.

"Wouldn't it be to lift this emergency order as soon as possible?"

"And to do that?"

"We'd have to catch the intruders, wouldn't we?"

"That's right, you got it. To minimize our unit's losses, we must catch those damned intruders as soon as possible."

Just then, the office door burst open, and a subordinate rushed across the main hall. He was a guard responsible for the security of the main hall and looked extremely urgent. He ran up and whispered something into the adjutant's ear. The adjutant's face stiffened slightly.

"What is it?"

The stout man asked, still without stopping his abacus beads.

"It is reported that two intruders have caused casualties. Some shops were also destroyed by the aftermath of the fight."

"Two people causing three casualties, that's a losing business."

Click, click.

The stout man muttered, rattling the abacus beads so hard that the desk shook.

"Have them submit the damage report by this evening."

"I've already instructed them to do so. And those two intruders you mentioned want to see you, Captain."

"Captain… Have them come in for now. I'll hear what they have to say. I have something to say to them as well."

After the subordinate returned to relay his words, the man sitting at the desk murmured quietly.

"I saved myself the trouble of searching for them."

* * *

Namgung Sansan frowned as she looked at the stout man sitting in the captain's office.

"What is that blubber? Is that really the captain of the Fifth Unit, who is called by the grand name of the King of the Southern Sea?"

"It seems so?"

"Doesn't he look weak?"

"It's bad to judge a person by their appearance, Sansan. So what if he's a bit weak? Instead, he seems good with numbers, doesn't he?"

"It looks like you're the one judging by appearance?"

Namgung Sansan retorted sullenly. Although it was telepathy, her emotions were clearly conveyed.

At that moment, the stout man's lips, which had been clicking his abacus, opened and words spilled out.

"Hmm, four shops damaged due to the rampage, three shopkeepers with high profit margins injured, and time lost due to an interview without any particular purpose, hmm…"

The man, who had been clicking his abacus beads, finally stopped and looked at Hyunwoon and Namgung Sansan with a displeased expression.

"How will you compensate?"

He blurted out. Namgung Sansan's eyes widened at the sudden question.

"What are you asking us to compensate for?"

"Of course, I'm talking about the damage you two have caused to our Fifth Unit."

"Damage? Aren't we the victims, having been extorted for money under the guise of tolls and forced to buy things with violence?"

The King of the Southern Sea was not listening to Namgung Sansan at all.

"Counting the four damaged shops, the medical expenses for the three injured, and the losses due to their absence, the damages amount to at least eight hundred and fifty silver taels."

"E-eight hundred and fifty taels? Does that make any sense? This is extortion!"

Namgung Sansan exclaimed with a look of disbelief.

"Consider yourself lucky it's not over a thousand silver taels. So, what will you do?"

"What do you mean, what will we do?"

"You have to pay for the damages, don't you? Are you planning to just get away with causing losses?"

He seemed to firmly believe that such an unreasonable thing could not happen. However, Namgung Sansan had no intention of letting it go.

"I don't have time for your absurd demands. We came here because of the wooden coffin that was moved here. Once we confirm what's inside, our business here is done. Now, where is that wooden coffin?"

"That is an item being kept under special commission. You must pay a separate fee to look inside."

"Is this also money?"

Namgung Sansan now looked completely fed up. These people were not right in the head.

"Of course, it is. Did you expect to see it for free? You must pay at least five hundred silver taels."

"That's highway robbery!"

"If you don't like it, you don't have to see it. And separately from that, you must pay the damages."

"What if we can't pay?"

Namgung Sansan retorted with a sharp voice. The King of the Southern Sea chuckled, his thick double chin shaking. Then, with a suddenly sinister and shameless gaze, he scanned Namgung Sansan's chest and gave a vulgar smile.

"What else can you do? Then you'll have to sell your bodies."

"What are you saying? Are you even a martial artist? Have some shame. Apologize to Miss Namgung at once!"

Hyunwoon, who could no longer tolerate it, shouted. He could not understand their mentality at all.

"Shame? What is that? Is it something to eat? Hey, what do they call an honest merchant in the industry?"

The stout man's tone suddenly changed. It was a tone that seemed to mock him.

"……"

"'A truly incompetent fellow.' That's what they call it. Shame, you know, you have to throw it away before you do business. If you can't, you can't survive in this business. Because you have to do illegal and fraudulent things every day? Do you think that's possible with a heart that has useless things like conscience or shame? That's why these pure scholars of the orthodox sects, tsk, tsk."

The King of the Southern Sea clicked his tongue as if pitying them. It implied that they wouldn't survive this harsh world with such weak thoughts, and that they would suffer a lot. However, Hyunwoon did not want to know the King of the Southern Sea's thoughts. The King of the Southern Sea was looking at Namgung Sansan with a lewd gaze.

"She's quite pretty. Her height is appropriate, her body is appropriate, though her chest is a bit small."

Namgung Sansan disliked this fat man, who treated women as objects to be evaluated, so much that she felt like grinding him into minced meat.

"Wh-who are you calling a washboard, you fatty!"

Namgung Sansan protested fiercely.

"No, I think the part you're protesting is a bit off… Besides, a washboard…"

However, Hyunwoon's words were not reaching Namgung Sansan's ears at all.

"Then, if it's small, you call it small, not big. A merchant must not lie when appraising goods."

The stout man sneered.

"My chest is appropriate! It's not that having a big chest is always good, like Instructor Yu. Men are stupid and think big is always good, but that's absolutely not true!"

The King of the Southern Sea did not agree with her assertion one bit.

"Haven't you heard the ancient adage passed down in this field, 'The bigger, the better' (大大益善)?"

"It's 'the more, the merrier' (多多益善)!"

"Still, thankfully, there's no need to worry. The world is wide, and tastes vary. From large breasts to small breasts, there are plenty of places to buy even if they are small."

Respecting diversity of taste can be considered a basic virtue of a merchant.

"To sell people, do you think that's normal? You're crazy."

However, the stout man was not someone who would be swayed by such moral criticism.

"I can sell anything. Humans are no exception. If you can put a price on everything, there's nothing you can't sell. And people, especially women, are actually one of the most sold items. No matter how they are sold. Whether it's daily rental or lifelong ownership."

Human trafficking and prostitution had been businesses for a very long time. So, for this man, it was nothing new.

"You heartless scoundrel! Don't you know what a pang of conscience is?"

"A pang of conscience? Is that something to eat? Munch munch."

The stout man's drooping cheeks did not move at all.

"Alright, fatty. Today, this young lady will give you a mental education. Clench your teeth tight. Let's test how soft and fluffy that blubber is."

Finally, Namgung Sansan lost her temper.

"She's a bit feisty. Hmm, she'll be quite a niche taste. But if her spirit is too broken, she loses her freshness. Well, not bad."

Crack, crack, crack!

Namgung Sansan's blood pressure exceeded its limit.

"Today will be a very bad day for you, so be prepared. I'll make sure those thick fingers can't click an abacus again."

Namgung Sansan gritted her teeth and said, glaring at Hyunwoon as if he were a threat.

"Don't interfere, Hyunwoon!"

Her terrifying gaze made even Hyunwoon flinch.

"Of course not. I don't want to do something so reckless."

Hyunwoon replied with a shrug.

It seemed that the stout man's fortune today was definitely 'Great Misfortune'.

Clang!

Namgung Sansan's sword was drawn from its sheath with a clear ringing sound.

"Our senior disciple said this: there's no point talking to rats and pigs. It's a waste of time to talk to those who don't understand."

"I'm not that fat! In the industry, they call it robust!"

The King of the Southern Sea shouted, his blubber shaking. He seemed to be quite sensitive about it.

"Listen, Pig King. Let me be clear. I have no intention of paying the damages. And I have no intention of paying the five hundred taels to see inside the wooden coffin. However, I will definitely see inside the wooden coffin. And I will also take back the hundred silver taels for the toll that was unfairly charged earlier. And as a bonus, I will inflict a terrible defeat upon you. Ri-ght. Now!"

At that moment, Namgung Sansan leaped towards the desk where the King of the Southern Sea was sitting.

Flash.

The sword light fell like lightning, as if intending to cut through the desk itself.

"Die, fatty!"

Clang!

Namgung Sansan's sword, which was about to cleave the stout man and the desk in two, was blocked by the iron abacus that the stout man thrust out. He had risen from his seat and was standing in front of the desk. His movement was incredibly fast, considering his massive physique.

"Oh, so you're a woman who can cause trouble. Do you know how much this rosewood desk costs? It's a special custom-made item from India, made of very expensive wood. It might be so expensive that selling your body wouldn't even cover its cost."

The stout man seemed more concerned about the safety of the desk than his own.

"Hmph, if that desk is so precious, I'll cut it in half for you. It'll make a perfect coffin."

Once again, Namgung Sansan's sword lunged towards the stout man. However, her sword tip suddenly bent an inch in front of his blubber and skillfully dodged his side, aiming for the desk behind him.

"Whoa, what are you doing!"

The King of the Southern Sea, who never expected her to aim for the desk instead of him, was flustered and swung a massive iron abacus, three times the size of a normal one, deflecting Namgung Sansan's sword. It was a very strenuous move, but he seemed to value the desk enough to endure it.

"Are you deaf, woman! I told you it's expensive!"

The King of the Southern Sea roared. Seeing this, a satisfied smile spread across Namgung Sansan's lips. Then, she said with a chuckle.

"Oh, you know it well. Because I know it well, I'm going to break it. What's the point of breaking something cheap?"

To inflict a psychological blow on such a money-grubbing fellow, a financial blow was more effective than a physical one. He wasn't going to listen to words anyway.

"How dare you try to deliberately break this rosewood desk! This precious thing. I will surely capture you and sell you for a high price."

"Hmph, that's something to talk about after you catch me. Who would be caught by a clumsy-looking fatty like you?"

Then, a confident smile appeared on the stout King of the Southern Sea's lips.

"Hahaha. Is that so? We'll see who's truly clumsy soon."

Thump!

Suddenly, the King of the Southern Sea's massive body lunged towards Namgung Sansan with incredible speed.

"This!"

Namgung Sansan had no choice but to retreat from the attack, which was unexpectedly unconventional and aggressive. It was doubtful if her blade would even penetrate his swirling blubber. The stout King of the Southern Sea bounced around Namgung Sansan like a ball, repeatedly attacking fiercely with his iron abacus.

'What is this fatty? He's surprisingly fast for his size!'

With his unconventional attack, which made it questionable if he was even using his feet, Namgung Sansan was quickly put on the defensive.

"Is this a ball? Bouncing around and attacking!"

Namgung Sansan shouted irritably.

"Do you know the 'Iron Calculation Seven Four Seven Style' (鐵算七四七式) from India, you damned woman? With a personality as bitchy as yours, how can you find a man?"

His words, rambling nonsensically as he bounced around, provoked Namgung Sansan.

"Don't worry! It's not something a Pig King like you needs to worry about. Then again, with that blubber, will you ever find a woman? Who would like a pig like you, who only cares about money?"

"Hahahaha! You still don't know the world. Don't worry. I'll just date a woman who only cares about money! Money is justice. There's nothing money can't buy. Whether it's a woman or love!"

Without pausing his words, the King of the Southern Sea continued to attack Namgung Sansan with his iron abacus, striking, and retreating.

"That's ridiculous. That's not love for you! It's love for money."

Namgung Sansan sneered and shouted.

"No, it's love! Love for money. That is love for me. Because I am money, and money is me. Didn't you even know that, hahahahaha!"

The barrage of iron abacus strikes became even more ferocious.

"Blubber is a woman's enemy! Die! I'll send you to enlightenment!"

The enraged King of the Southern Sea also shouted.

"Being fat is not a sin!"

Clang, clang, clang, clang!

Sparks flew as the iron abacus and the sword clashed. Due to the immense weight of his massive body combined with speed, the burden on Namgung Sansan's hands with each blow was enormous.

'I have to end this quickly!'

The longer this dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for Namgung Sansan. She needed to end the fight with the fastest and most powerful techniques. To do that, she needed to create an opening. But how?

"See? When you use a big technique, the opening inevitably becomes bigger. I told you not to use big techniques arbitrarily, but you rush in out of temper, and that's what happens. You need to fix your temper, which charges forward like a wild boar when you lose your cool. Otherwise, it will become your downfall and self-destruction. Why don't you become a bit more demure? You won't get a boyfriend like that?"

The words that Senior Disciple had told her suddenly came to Namgung Sansan's mind. He had said that while sitting on her back, which was buried in the ground. It was right after she had used a powerful secret technique against Senior Disciple out of anger and been counterattacked. She still couldn't forget the humiliating taste of dirt and the bitter taste of defeat mixed with tears from that time.

'Hmph, even so, to sit on a grown woman's back!'

Senior Disciple had done something truly outrageous. But thanks to that, the lesson from that time was seared into her mind. And that lesson resurfaced at this very moment. Namgung Sansan calmed her excitement and became a bit more rational. If she couldn't control this rising temper, she would suffer the same fate as that time. Back then, she had merely been forced face-down on the ground, but if she lost this time, she might be sold off to some unknown place and subjected to all sorts of unspeakable things—a so-called 'crisis for a pure maiden'.

The massive iron abacus swept towards Namgung Sansan's vital points like a storm. This time, instead of confronting it head-on out of temper, she dodged using her footwork. The more she dodged, the more intense the offensive became. But Namgung Sansan remained unfazed.

"Hahaha! What are you doing, woman? You can't move, can you? How do you like the taste of my 'Iron Calculation Seven Four Seven Style' (鐵算七四七式)? Scary, isn't it? You can't move, right? Then become a docile commodity!"

"……"

Instead of replying, Namgung Sansan's eyes gleamed sharply. The fatty's spirit was soaring. Soaring spirits often lead to self-indulgence.

"Last one! Iron Calculation Seven Four Seven Style Secret Technique, Financial Chaos, National Bankruptcy!"

The abacus beads on the iron abacus began to tremble with terrifying speed, and the large iron abacus poured towards Namgung Sansan like waves crashing on a beach. From Namgung Sansan's observation, this blubber was exerting all his strength. With the momentum that nothing could stop him.

'Now!'

This was the moment Namgung Sansan had deliberately induced and waited for.

"Hmph, go die clutching the money you love so much, you fatty!"

Thunderclap Sword Technique (雷電劍法) Swift Style (迅速式)

Ultimate Technique (奧義)

Lightning Strike and Shadow Cut (雷光斬影)

With almost all preparatory movements removed, the fastest executable technique shot out from Namgung Sansan's sword tip.

Innumerable sword lights flew towards the King of the Southern Sea like arrows of lightning. The swift sword, so fast it could cut through shadows, precisely penetrated the vital point of the Iron Abacus Fatty King of the Southern Sea's most ferocious technique, 'Financial Chaos, National Bankruptcy', just before its greatest power was unleashed.

As with any high-powered technique, once activated, it cannot be stopped. Just like a snowball rolling down a mountain cannot be stopped. For the King of the Southern Sea, who was already being carried away by his own technique, it was impossible to stop the current technique mid-activation and counter Namgung Sansan's sword energy that precisely exploited the opening. The King of the Southern Sea, unable to react agilely, was inevitably pierced by Namgung Sansan's lightning.

Crackle!

The iron abacus held by the King of the Southern Sea shattered. At the same time, the 'Financial Chaos' technique, the ultimate secret of this greedy fatty, disintegrated mid-course.

Shatter, shatter, shatter!

And a few lingering strands of lightning struck the King of the Southern Sea. While he avoided a fatal blow, he was not unharmed. The King of the Southern Sea was now effectively incapacitated.

"I won!"

With a triumphant smile, Namgung Sansan was about to deliver the final blow when,

Swish!

A streak of light flew towards Namgung Sansan's back at a terrifying speed as she was about to strike down her sword. Without even knowing what it was, Namgung Sansan instinctively raised her sword to block the flash.

Clang!

Crack!

Her sword, which had blocked the flash, broke with utter futility.

The flash that broke her sword did not slow down and embedded itself in Namgung Sansan's shoulder.

"Aargh!"

With a scream, her body was sent flying.

"Sansan!"

Hyunwoon, who had been watching with relief, assured of victory, also let out a scream.

Whoosh!

Namgung Sansan's body flew through the air. As if pushed aside by a great force. Namgung Sansan's body, miraculously floating, drew a parabola and fell towards the hard bluestone floor, headfirst.

"Sansan!"

Hyunwoon screamed and deployed the Wudang Secret Technique, 'Cloud Riding Technique', running to catch her body before it was slammed onto the stone floor. Hyunwoon, who had barely caught her just before her head hit the stone floor, suffered scratches and tears all over his body as he practically threw himself onto the floor to catch her. But he didn't care and embraced her.

"Kkrrk!"

Her back burned as if scalded. But it wasn't the time to worry about such things. Hyunwoon gritted his teeth and endured the pain of his skin being torn. Then, using the momentum of sliding on the floor, he got up again. At the same time, he drew his sword and took a defensive stance, aiming towards the direction from which the unidentified flash had come.

"Who are you! Who would do such a thing?"

A man stood there, wearing a refreshing welcoming smile.

Ting!

With a clear sound, coins were tossed up and down repeatedly. He was playing with a coin, flicking it up with his thumb.

"This can't be… Why are you…"

The young man, standing with a cheerful smile, was the young man in white robes, Jeon Hon, who had guided them here.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Jeon Hon did not answer the shout. Instead, with hesitant steps, he strode towards the office desk and sat on the chair without any hesitation. It was the same desk that the fatty had desperately protected, calling it expensive.

Then, the stout man, who had been flattened by Namgung Sansan, suddenly stood up, sweat pouring down his face, and quickly ran towards him. Instead of shouting, "How dare you sit in my seat!", he grovelingly nodded his head repeatedly.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I have caused great damage to the unit. I am truly ashamed."

Hyunwoon was surprised by his words.

'Why is someone as high-ranking as the King of the Southern Sea trembling before this gatekeeper youth?'

"Surely it's not 'Jeon Hon' you?!"

The stout man's face turned paler and paler with fear, and he finally knelt before him, bowing his head deeply. The stout man's body trembled.

"Tsk tsk, how can I entrust the proxy duty to someone who handles things so incompletely?"

He tossed a remark in a condescending tone.

The stout man, trembling like an aspen tree all over his body, replied,

"I-I'm sorry, Captain."

Hyunwoon was startled by those words.

"C-Captain?!!"

Wasn't this King of the Southern Sea not this vulgar stout man? Only then did Jeon Hon turn to Hyunwoon and say with a friendly smile,

"Ah, my formal introduction was late. I am Jeon Hon, the King of the Southern Sea, who oversees the Merchant Unit of the Fifth Unit."

The blatant condescension… The polite welcoming attitude he had shown to the two of them earlier was nowhere to be seen.

And before Hyunwoon could say anything, he cast a cold gaze back at the stout man. The stout man was still rubbing his hands together and nodding.

"As you know, I don't like people who fail. Especially losers who fail at things they shouldn't fail at. At the most crucial moment, they mess things up. And that failure always incurs significant financial losses to those around them."

His tone was more measured than expected, but the stout man's complexion grew even more dismal.

"P-please give me another chance. Then I will surely be perfect…"

However, Jeon Hon shook his head resolutely. As if it were not worth a second thought.

"No, you can never be perfect again. You failed to carry out the task I entrusted to you. You incurred losses. And as you know, in our unit, you are responsible for the damage you cause. You know that, right?"

"Of-of course."

That was the absolute, immutable iron rule of the Merchant Unit.

"To lead people, one must always maintain composure. But you fell too easily for the provocation of that woman, Namgung Sansan. Indulging in lust is forbidden for a merchant. If you cannot control your desires, you will eventually suffer great damage. But you could not control your instincts. As you already know, I have no need for those who lack self-control."

A merciless judgment was passed.

"P-please, just once…"

The stout man pleaded. He looked like he was about to burst into tears. However, this cold young merchant did not even bat an eyebrow. And then he declared,

"You're fired!"

Thud, at that moment, the stout man's body collapsed.

'Fired!'

This was a language that only worked in the Fifth Unit, and its meaning was eternal expulsion from this unit. Expelled members became unaffiliated, but there were virtually no units that would accept students who were discharged. Not being able to properly engage in activities as a unit member meant being branded as a failure or incompetent.

For the Macheon Pavilion disciple who did not belong to any of the Twelve Great Macheon Units, the only option left was to leave the Macheon Pavilion.

This was no different from a 'Permanent Expulsion Order'. For the stout man, it was like a death sentence.

However, decisions were not overturned.

"Drag him away."

Then, three other unit members rushed forward and dragged the stout man away. He pitifully cried out, "Just one more time!", but Jeon Hon did not budge.

The real King of the Southern Sea added one more word as he turned towards Hyunwoon, who was slightly dazed by the shock of the unexpected situation.

"I will buy your lives."

Ting!

Once again, the coin in his hand was tossed into the air, then fell.