Disciple of The Three Kings [EN]: Chapter 25

The Three Kings’ Disciple (26)

025

* * *

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

The loud music was deafening.

It was Arena, the biggest club in Gangnam and one of the most famous in Asia.

“So noisy.”

Lee Rowoon said, sounding annoyed.

“……!”

Silence immediately fell.

However, the other people inside the club were still dancing excitedly.

‘A Qi Membrane!’

Kim Eun-tae, the manager of Pier, a bar in Dongdaemun and one of the Black Market’s Seoul branches, was sweating profusely without realizing it.

A Qi Membrane.

It was a technique used by martial artists to create a barrier using their inner energy to block out noise.

A Qi Membrane wasn’t that unusual.

Of course, it was considered a high-level skill used by masters who had reached the Hwagyung stage [a high level of martial arts mastery], but he himself was a master of the Hwagyung stage when it came to martial arts.

However, as a merchant who dealt with information, he knew.

‘To move like that, completely avoiding people and creating a Qi Membrane only around him…’

That level of inner energy control was something that not just anyone could do.

The club was packed with people, yet those passing by didn’t feel any sense of incongruity.

‘Is he really the Blood Demon?’

The story was still hard to believe.

It felt like just yesterday that he had come to the Black Market and received a request, and now this man had reappeared as the Blood Demon and was on his way to meet the Black Market King.

“Haaahm.”

“…….”

Kim Eun-tae sweated again.

‘Does he not know who he’s going to meet?’

That tired face, as if he was bothered by everything.

The way he looked now was so different from how he was at Pier earlier that it was hard to imagine.

Moreover, he was now going to meet none other than the Black Market King.

‘The Black Market King.’

Who was he?

The king of the Black Market, who ruled the darkness of Asia and controlled half of the underworld.

There were only a handful of people who had ever heard his voice, and even fewer who had seen his face.

Even he, the branch manager of one of the Black Market’s branches, had never seen the Black Market King.

‘Is he not even nervous?’

Because he’s the Blood Demon?

If so, he was greatly mistaken.

The Black Market’s Seoul branch had maintained a close relationship with the Blood Cult for a long time under the Black Market King’s orders.

In the world of the righteous, the Blood Cult was portrayed as an evil group, a force of evil that could not be ignored, but in reality, Kim Eun-tae knew that they were a dying world.

Of course, he also knew about the Blood Demon.

‘The Blood Demon is definitely strong.’

But compared to the Black Market King….

‘He’s nothing.’

Kim Eun-tae couldn’t even imagine why the Black Market King was meeting this man in person.

Swoosh.

Some people blocked Kim Eun-tae and Lee Rowoon’s path.

“You cannot go any further.”

Men in well-tailored suits.

The aura they exuded was definitely not below Kim Eun-tae’s.

“It seems like this is as far as I go.”

“Well, see you next time.”

Kim Eun-tae bowed deeply to Lee Rowoon.

“Please follow me.”

The guards began to lead Lee Rowoon upstairs.

Glass stairs that were shining with dazzling lights and magic lamps.

“You can go up there.”

Guards stood on both sides of the stairs, packed tightly.

Each one of them was exuding the aura of a strong person that could not be ignored.

Tap, tap.

Lee Rowoon passed them and headed up the glass stairs without hesitation.

Then, at some point.

“…….”

The loud music that had been echoing outside the Qi Membrane stopped.

“Welcome.”

Even though he hadn’t crossed the door, the place had changed.

In front of the window with a view of the entire club, there was a luxurious sofa.

In the center, a handsome man wearing a suit that looked expensive at first glance was sitting.

He looked to be in his early twenties.

His tie inside his suit was disheveled, and his hair was wet.

“I am the Black Market King.”

That man, who could make countless women cry with just his gaze, was the Black Market King.

* * *

The Black Market King.

He was the master of the Black Market, which was located in the darkness of Asia.

According to rumors, his wealth was unimaginable, and his assets were said to be equivalent to a country’s budget for several years.

Numerous tycoons and Asian power players had desperately wanted to meet him in person, but it was said that only a handful of them had actually met the Black Market King.

In the past, Lee Rowoon was someone who could never have met him.

“It’s quite a nice drink, would you like some?”

He was offering a glass of alcohol to Lee Rowoon.

“No thanks. It won’t even get me drunk.”

“Haha. If that’s the case.”

Snap.

As he snapped his fingers, the bottles and glasses that had been on the table disappeared.

The Black Market King.

He looked at Lee Rowoon with gentle eyes and said.

“The Blood Demon wanted to see me.”

He didn’t look like the one who ruled half of the darkness of Asia.

“If it’s a request from the Blood Demon, I should gladly accept it.”

“I heard you’ve been helping the Blood Cult?”

“It’s just repaying the favor of our predecessors. You know what the world of the righteous is like.”

The righteous martial artists.

They valued favors and grudges.

They repaid favors and avenged their enemies.

“That’s a funny thing to say.”

Lee Rowoon laughed as if he found it amusing.

“You guys repay favors over several generations?”

“Aren’t we people too?”

“It must be because there’s a benefit.”

The Black Market King smiled without answering.

“The replacement of the Blood Demon, that was quite useful information. There were many strange things, but now the puzzle pieces are falling into place.”

The Black Market King continued to speak.

“Is Kang Han-cheol in charge of the Blood Cult?”

“Are there any more rats left?”

The Black Market King shook his head.

“That’s impossible. Didn’t Elder Oh die?”

“That bastard, he was a rat.”

“Well, we call each other friends who exchange necessary information.”

Lee Rowoon laughed again as if he found it amusing.

“Kang Eunha has taken over all the authority of the outside world and is expanding her power by establishing the Eunha Guild. It was an unprecedented personnel decision to give all the authority to her, a young girl who is also a priestess. So, what does she want….”

The Black Market King’s eyes deepened.

“Change.”

“…….”

“The people of the Blood Cult have been stagnant and rotten for a long time, and they are just fools who can’t even adapt to the changing times.”

“You’re not afraid to say anything in front of the Blood Demon.”

“If you want change, Kang Han-cheol, who has gained experience and insight in the outside world, is suitable to lead the Blood Cult. If he hadn’t taken over the Blood Cult, Kang Eunha wouldn’t have been able to take over all the authority of the outside world.”

Lee Rowoon looked at the Black Market King.

“Then, let me ask you this.”

The Black Market King’s eyes changed.

It was as if the desire he had been hiding was now surging.

“Can I assume that the Blood Demon and the Blood Cult Leader can coexist?”

The Black Market King.

His reputation was not in vain.

The information he had about the Blood Cult was deeper than he had thought.

“Are you….”

He seemed to flinch.

“Are you the real Blood Demon?”

Real.

He knew that he wasn’t talking about the position of the Blood Demon.

The existence that the Blood Cult members had been hoping for and waiting for.

‘The Blood Demon God.’

That was what the Black Market King was asking about.

“Maybe.”

Lee Rowoon smiled at him.

“Isn’t it the Black Market’s principle that information requires a price?”

The Black Market King’s eyes curved like a crescent moon.

“That’s right. I have many questions for you, Lee Rowoon.”

This bastard.

Lee Rowoon looked at the Black Market King.

He realized that the name he had just said was not the name Lee Rowoon that the Black Market had sold to Kang Eunha.

‘Me.’

He was talking about Lee Rowoon, the player.

After two rebirths, almost nothing of Lee Rowoon’s former self remained.

No, even if it did, his aura and feeling had changed so much that it would be impossible to recognize him.

Yet, he knew.

“Kim Shin-hong, the raid leader of the Hwasan Guild, died at the monster corpse processing site.”

“…….”

“He went there after hearing that the slave he cared about, Lee Rowoon, had died. That day, most of the slaves of Hwasan were freed.”

The Black Market King’s voice rose as if he found it amusing.

“Then, someone came to the Black Market’s branch and made a request using the password from five years ago. Did you know that? The Black Market’s passwords are different for every ten people, and we keep a record of who took which password.”

The Black Market King had a satisfied smile on his face, as if he had cornered Lee Rowoon.

“Is all of this just a coincidence, Lee Rowoon?”

“Maybe. What do you think?”

Lee Rowoon’s eyes looked at the Black Market King.

“You’re more….”

The Black Market King straightened his body and said.

“More interesting than I thought.”

The Black Market King was certain.

“You did it on purpose.”

“Yeah.”

Lee Rowoon said as if he wasn’t hiding anything important.

“I needed to get some attention to meet the Black Market King. For a while, the Black Market King is a burden to me. It would be dangerous to mess with the Black Market King with something trivial.”

“For a while….”

Clap!

The Black Market King clapped his hands.

“Hahahahahahahaha!”

A laugh that could be called a roar filled the room.

“Good! Good! This is going to be a very good deal.”

The Black Market King, who had changed his expression, looked at Lee Rowoon with eyes that were gleaming with desire and said.

“What do you want?”

* * *

The Black Market King.

He was the strongman of the world who ruled half of the darkness of Asia.

Even the heads of the council couldn’t meet him if they wanted to, and even the president would have a hard time sending a message to the Black Market King.

Such an existence was bowing his head in reverence, just like the Blood Cult members did to Lee Rowoon.

Anyone who saw this scene would be shocked.

Even the head of the council wouldn’t receive such respect from the Black Market King.

Moreover.

“Grant him everything he wants.”

If they knew that the target was a kid who was less than half the size of the Black Market King, they would be even more incredulous.

“I will obey your command.”

“How was he?”

A kid, whose gender was unknown, said to the Black Market King.

“That man. The Blood Demon.”

“I understand why you were interested in him. He is an exceptional human. I couldn’t figure out how he, a player, gained the power of a martial artist and became the Blood Demon.”

The kid quietly listened to the Black Market King’s voice.

“Moreover, I couldn’t even read his inner energy. I don’t know if he’s really the legendary Blood Demon God….”

Who was the Black Market King?

He was someone who could confidently say that he was among the top thirty strongest people in Asia.

Yet, he couldn’t read Lee Rowoon’s inner energy.

“I couldn’t see what was in his eyes, and his confident attitude was flawless.”

The Black Market King continued to speak without raising his head.

“The original Lee Rowoon was not like that. Five years of slavery, there are many parts that are insufficient to explain it. I thought maybe it was Hwasan’s doing….”

The Black Market King quietly raised his head.

“Hwasan doesn’t even know about Lee Rowoon’s existence, and they haven’t had any success in creating a dantian [energy center] for a player.”

The kid nodded.

The Black Market King said to the kid with a trembling voice.

“What did you see, Master?”

He knew he shouldn’t say such a thing.

But the Black Market King couldn’t resist his curiosity.

‘The Blood Cult.’

Why was his master still interested in that dying world?

Why did he keep helping the Blood Cult?

Why did he move himself to see the Blood Demon?

“A human?”

The Black Market King had said.

The Blood Demon was an exceptional human.

But the kid said.

“He’s a monster.”

Shudder.

The kid quietly closed his eyes, suppressing his trembling hands.

The Black Market King, who divided the darkness of Asia, and his master.

‘The current leader of the Haomun, Ha Jin.’

That was her identity.

The only ruler who truly controlled the Black Market.

What she saw in Lee Rowoon was a fear that was beyond words.

‘Finally….’

She said, not even paying attention to the Black Market King.

“Has he come?”

“…….”

The Black Market King couldn’t dare to ask anything.

The unknown energy that was felt from Ha Jin made him feel that if he opened his mouth, he would not be forgiven.

“We need to invest in the Blood Cult. You move directly.”

“I….”

The Black Market King said with a trembling voice.

“I will obey.”