Disciple of The Three Kings [EN]: Chapter 11

“Are you from the Cheon family or the Hyeol family?”

Kang Eun-ha’s eyes widened as if they would tear at Rowoon’s question.

“Wh, what…”

“Or are you a member of the Demonic Cult?”

“……!”

“You…”

Kang Eun-ha regained her composure and replied with her eyes lowered.

“Were you a cultist?”

Her attitude was markedly different from her earlier polite and cautious demeanor towards Rowoon, whom she had called a benefactor.

‘Is it because he asked if I’m a cultist, or…’

Is it because he thinks I’m a cultist?

Rowoon thought it was likely the latter.

‘She seems to be quite a big shot.’

If she were a cultist, it meant she could smooth over the situation or the favor he had done her.

In other words, she could suppress him with power.

Or perhaps it was just a habit from always being in a position of authority.

‘That means she holds a fairly high position in the Demonic Cult.’

Indeed.

*Swish! Swish!*

He could feel presences surrounding him and Kang Eun-ha.

Subtle yet dangerous energy.

It was similar to the energy of the Black Plum Blossoms of the Mount Hua Guild.

“Answer me. Are you a cultist?”

“Your attitude has changed a lot from before?”

“…….”

Kang Eun-ha seemed to take a deep breath and organize her thoughts.

Meanwhile, the presences drew closer, completely surrounding him.

“You should answer first. Are you from the Hyeol family or the Cheon…”

Rowoon’s question was cut short.

*Clang! Clang! Clang!*

The sound of weapons rang out in an instant.

The warriors clad in black were emitting killing intent towards Rowoon.

‘They’re all first-rate or peak level.’

These were definitely warriors comparable to the Black Plum Blossoms.

“How dare you speak such nonsense to our young lady!”

One of them, who seemed to have reached the peak, no, the extreme of the peak, stepped forward and spoke.

“Il-yeong! What are you doing!”

Kang Eun-ha called the man Il-yeong and stopped him.

“Young lady…!”

“He is our benefactor.”

“……!”

A benefactor, huh?

The only thing he had helped with was dealing with the peak martial artist, Cheol Dae-hyeop.

Even that was something Kang Eun-ha could have handled on her own.

‘This is fun.’

Kang Eun-ha was calling him a benefactor because he had saved her.

“I am from the Hyeol family.”

“Young lady!”

“Then, will the benefactor answer me now?”

Kang Eun-ha looked directly at Rowoon and said.

Having shown this much consideration, it meant she wanted him to step back.

“Well, let’s just say I’m a cultist.”

“Lower your swords.”

“Young lady…”

“Il-yeong!”

At Kang Eun-ha’s shout, the man called Il-yeong and the other black-clad figures finally sheathed their swords.

“You still haven’t heard what you wanted.”

Kang Eun-ha said to Rowoon.

“You promised to help with whatever I wanted, so tell me now, or…”

*Gulp.*

Kang Eun-ha swallowed, as if she had made up her mind.

“Will you come with us?”

As expected, this woman was quite perceptive.

Rowoon’s choice was obvious.

“I’ll go with you.”

* * *

In the back seat of a high-end sedan, where even the slightest tremor was absent.

Due to the limousine’s design, Rowoon and Kang Eun-ha were sitting facing each other.

Of course.

*Gleam.*

Next to them sat Il-yeong, his eyes warning that he wouldn’t let anything slide.

“Wait, it’s stuffy.”

Kang Eun-ha said, bringing her hand to her chin.

“Ah, young lady…!”

*Rip!*

The skin was torn away.

It was what was called a human skin mask.

It was a special technique of the Eun family that used artificial skin to replace one’s face.

Since it wasn’t an item imbued with magic, it was known for its excellent versatility.

Was this what it meant to ride in such a car? Depending on the grade, even the cheapest human skin mask cost hundreds of millions.

Kang Eun-ha pulled off the mask, revealing her true face.

Her skin was like white jade, her eyes shone like obsidian, and everything within her small face seemed to sparkle.

A cat-like face that was both innocent and strangely alluring.

“Beautiful.”

It was Rowoon’s honest assessment.

“Y, you…!”

“Thank you.”

Unlike Il-yeong, who looked ready to pounce, Kang Eun-ha smiled faintly and said.

“Is that your real face, benefactor?”

Rowoon nodded, taking off his hood.

“Your name is… Rowoon, right? Is that your real name too?”

Il-yeong flinched slightly at the name Rowoon.

*Nod.*

“Yes.”

“Then…”

“You asked and I answered, so it’s my turn to ask.”

Kang Eun-ha nodded.

“Was the reason you were with Ahn Min-hong’s party to recruit cultists?”

Kang Eun-ha had saved Ahn Min-hong’s party at the gate.

However, instead of returning to their parents, Ahn Min-hong and the others were dragged away by the man called Il-yeong and his group.

Was it to get a ransom in place of Kim Cheol-ho? But seeing the luxury limousine, he shook his head.

Then what kind of connection did she have that made her try to save Ahn Min-hong and his group?

‘No.’

Ahn Min-hong and the others didn’t seem to know that Kang Eun-ha was this skilled.

They probably didn’t know her real face without the mask either.

Then there were only a few things to consider.

‘Kang Eun-ha hid her identity and approached Ahn Min-hong’s group.’

And during the process of building a relationship, Ahn Min-hong was tricked by Kim Cheol-ho and fell into a trap.

Kang Eun-ha.

‘Saved Ahn Min-hong’s group for her original purpose.’

That purpose was to recruit cultists.

“That’s right.”

Kang Eun-ha admitted honestly.

“Originally, I was going to build a relationship with them and slowly recruit them, but thanks to Kim Cheol-ho, things got a bit more violent.”

“Do you brainwash them and send them back?”

“It’s similar. If they join us without any complaints, we’ll just put a restriction on them, but if they refuse… there’s nothing we can do. But isn’t that better than dying?”

Rowoon nodded.

Even if you roll around in a pile of dog poop, it’s better than being dead.

Of course, dying might be better than rolling around in a corpse disposal site.

“Since they were the children of nouveau riche, the tribute must be considerable.”

“That’s true, but what they ultimately want is…”

Kang Eun-ha’s eyes gleamed.

“A guild.”

That was the reason why the nouveau riche poured all sorts of support into their children who had become players.

To raise them as players and have them join a famous guild, or to create a new guild.

“We can help them create a guild. Of course, in return, they have to pay us tribute. Isn’t that what the association does too?”

That was true.

They receive a price for saving those who were about to die, and they also give them what they want.

The problem was that if they were caught, they would be annihilated.

He had no intention of criticizing them.

‘The world has become such a place.’

Survival of the fittest.

In the midst of the world’s invasion, the laws of the world had long since changed.

“It’s my turn. What kind of martial arts do you use?”

“That’s a rather aggressive question.”

Asking about martial arts was more rude than asking about one’s level.

“I’ve practically revealed the secrets of my cult. Isn’t it okay to ask about the benefactor’s secrets?”

*Smirk.*

“I can’t use martial arts right now.”

“That…”

Disbelief filled Kang Eun-ha’s eyes.

“You crushed the head of a peak martial artist, but you can’t use martial arts?”

“It’s similar to a finger flick. Do you consider that martial arts?”

Kang Eun-ha closed her mouth.

The finger flick was a technique of gathering energy in one’s finger and shooting it out.

Any martial artist above the peak level could do it, even if the level was different.

“What’s the rumor going around in the Black Market? If it was a coincidence that you approached Ahn Min-hong separately, something doesn’t add up.”

“Are you talking about a special request?”

Rowoon nodded.

“The rumors aren’t wrong. Cultists sometimes take on requests from the Black Market to gain experience.”

“Kidnapping and murder?”

“No! It’s hunting red players or ronin.”

That was it.

The Demonic Cultists would deliberately participate in Black Market requests to eliminate criminals and gain experience, just like Rowoon had done.

“And to recruit cultists.”

“That’s right.”

It was Kang Eun-ha’s turn again.

“Benefactor… no, you.”

Kang Eun-ha’s eyes were shining.

“Are you the colleague killer, Rowoon?”

It was that moment.

*Flash!*

Rowoon’s half-closed eyes emitted a deep red light.

“Ugh!”

“Ugh!”

Il-yeong, who was trying to move quickly, stopped as if he had broken down and held his breath, and Kang Eun-ha was the same.

‘This can’t be.’

Who were they?

They were peak martial artists.

Moreover, they were at the extreme of the peak! They were on the verge of reaching the transcendent level, and if they were players, they would be around level 79.

But now…

*Tremble, tremble.*

They couldn’t even move or open their mouths due to the killing intent Rowoon was emitting.

One second, two seconds.

A strongman like Rowoon would have had more than enough time to cut off Il-yeong and Kang Eun-ha’s heads.

“Hmm.”

But soon, Rowoon withdrew his killing intent.

“Looks like we’ve arrived.”

It was because the limousine had stopped.

* * *

*Pfft.*

Rowoon let out a chuckle.

It wasn’t because Kang Eun-ha had led him to a strange place.

Rather, she had led him to his intended destination.

[Kangha Group]

The Kangha Group Building.

It was a massive group that wielded considerable influence not only in South Korea but throughout Asia.

The funny thing was that this was the destination.

The place Kang Eun-ha was heading to together was supposed to be related to the Blood Cult.

‘Is it true that you see as much as you know?’

He never imagined that the Kangha Group would not only be related to the extreme terrorist Demonic Cult but also to the Blood Cult.

“A, are you going to go in?”

Kang Eun-ha, who had finally completely recovered from the aftereffects of the killing intent, asked cautiously.

“If I say I’m not going, will you just let me go?”

Rowoon said, looking at the warriors disguised as escorts.

“If you want to go, you’ll go.”

“Then you’ll keep chasing me to the end. If that’s the case…”

*Smirk.*

“Do I have to be chased by the Blood Cult after the Mount Hua Guild?”

“……!”

Rowoon’s words were also an answer to Kang Eun-ha’s question.

‘The colleague killer, Rowoon.’

He had said that he was sentenced to forced labor at the Mount Hua Guild’s monster corpse disposal site for that crime.

“Would it be less of a chase if I kidnapped you?”

“……!”

Kang Eun-ha, as well as Il-yeong and the other escorts, trembled and brought their hands to their waists.

They were ready to pull out the hidden knives and attack Rowoon at any moment.

“Just kidding.”

“You shouldn’t make jokes like that… here.”

Kang Eun-ha said, letting out a breath.

“I know you’re strong. But it’s different here. In fact, I’m… doing something that’s no different from gambling.”

“…….”

“I hope you make a wise decision. After that, I will definitely keep my promise.”

A wise decision, huh?

Rowoon liked Kang Eun-ha even more.

She was trying to keep her first promise without betraying him until the end.

“How long are you going to stand there?”

“Ha. Really… do you not know anything? Or do you have other ideas?”

Kang Eun-ha said, starting to walk ahead.

The main gate, where ordinary office workers passed through dozens of times a day.

But now, not a single hair of a person could be seen, not even in the lobby.

*Whirr.*

Rowoon, Kang Eun-ha, and Il-yeong stepped into the revolving door.

Finally, when the revolving door had turned halfway.

-Young lady-!

A loud shout that shook the entire building echoed.

“What on earth are you thinking!”

*Thump! Thump! Thump!*

A large, elderly man was running across the lobby.

“Grandfather!”

Kang Eun-ha greeted him happily.

‘Kang Han-cheol.’

It was Kang Han-cheol, the chairman of the Kangha Group, whom Rowoon had seen in the media in the past.

And he was also.

‘The guild master of the Kangha Guild.’

He was an S-rank ranker and a master of the Hwagyung realm [a high level of martial arts mastery].

*Thump!*

Kang Han-cheol stopped in front of Rowoon and Kang Eun-ha.

His cold gaze seemed to scan Rowoon’s body in an instant.

“Oh! Is it you! Our young lady’s benefactor!”

Contrary to expectations, Kang Han-cheol was very welcoming and reached out his hand to Rowoon.

But his face changed in an instant.

“What is your purpose in coming to the Blood Cult?”

The killing intent that could be felt even though he was smiling.

It wasn’t just Kang Han-cheol.

*Gooooooo.*

From all around the lobby, hundreds of presences were now targeting only one person.

*Smirk.*

They were glaring at Rowoon.