Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 70

Weapon-Devouring Bastard 70

I used the car to get to the road, passed the sign, and entered the nest according to the established method.

The wanderers’ reactions were definitely different compared to when I first visited in disguise and when I visited with Baek Cheol-soo’s guidance.

Everyone held their breath and stopped what they were doing to avoid being noticed.

Even the wanderers who were fighting while intoxicated with drugs or alcohol stopped their actions.

“All items entering the black market are here. Please come in.”

The warehouse was vast and enormous.

It was also heavily guarded to the point where even seasoned thieves wouldn’t dare to try, and all sorts of magical security devices were installed.

‘Quite impressive for wanderers.’

It was also my first time entering a warehouse where items for the black market were stored.

The warehouse had a total of two floors.

A countless number of items were piled up in layers.

“I will guide you personally. What would you like to see first?”

Baek Cheol-soo said with a confident smile.

I shook my head.

“You’re fine. Now that I see it, this guy seems to know the practical matters better.”

I gestured towards Jeong Jin-soo with a flick of my chin.

Baek Cheol-soo’s face contorted.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Do I have to say it twice?”

Baek Cheol-soo, who had been watching my eyes carefully, forced a smile.

“I don’t like things being complicated. One person is enough.”

“…Yes, then. I understand. Chief Jeong, please take good care of him.”

Baek Cheol-soo bowed his head with a somewhat stiff expression.

Jeong Jin-soo, flustered by Baek Cheol-soo’s reaction, stepped forward in front of me.

I began to look around the warehouse with Jeong Jin-soo’s guidance.

“Then, I will explain the items in the warehouse. First, this way…”

Each floor was divided into sections.

The lighting was bright, but the atmosphere was dark due to the sections being filled with items.

Wooong!

I activated my Magic Eye and quickly scanned the surroundings.

‘There were things like this.’

The warehouse had all sorts of things, from drugs in plastic bags to various other items.

Items that were impossible to bring into the country and those classified as prohibited herbs were also frequently seen. There were also monster byproducts and prototype potions.

‘There are relics too. Is that… really genuine? Sculptures, famous paintings… there are a lot of artworks too.’

They didn’t mean much to me, but there were many items that would be quite attractive to the black market’s customers.

“This area is where magical herbs and elixirs are located.”

These were somewhat high-quality items.

There’s nothing better than elixirs to sell to the wealthy.

Even if one doesn’t practice magic, they show abilities dozens of times greater than most tonics [medicinal drinks].

“Besides these, is there a place here that stores ancient documents or secret manuals?”

“Yes? Ah, yes. Of course.”

Soon, I was guided to a room with humidity control devices.

There were several bookshelves set up there.

‘Magic books, martial arts books… there are quite a few.’

It was difficult to read those written in medieval languages, but I wasn’t completely unable to decipher them.

Through steady study, I was able to interpret some ancient texts.

“Is there anything besides paper? Like stone tablets or monuments.”

“It’s on the second floor. Would you like to see it?”

I moved upstairs following Jeong Jin-soo’s guidance.

And finally, in a place full of old materials, I was able to find what I was looking for.

‘Found it.’

It was an old stone tablet.

The end was corroded and crumbling, and the contents were related to astronomy.

The movements of constellations and the patterns of the sun and moon were intricately engraved.

‘To be able to find this at this point in time.’

Even if you combined all the items in this warehouse, they wouldn’t be worth as much as this one.

I wanted to take it right away, but now wasn’t the time. If things go as planned, I’ll be able to get it right away.

I put down the monument and turned around.

‘What is it?’

As soon as I turned around, a familiar energy brushed against my Magic Eye.

I knew which beings emitted such energy.

And those beings shouldn’t be here.

I slowly headed to a secluded area on the second floor.

And.

“Could it be a spirit animal…?”

A fox with blue fur was trapped in an iron cage.

-Kkiing……

I don’t know the exact name.

But it was definitely different from ordinary beasts and possessed the unique energy of a spirit animal, different from monsters.

“…The president personally hunted it in the north. It’s a baby white snow fox.”

Seeing that made my heart turn cold.

A spirit animal is literally a creature with spiritual power. The place where a spirit animal settles is spiritually balanced by the spirit animal’s presence.

If that spirit animal disappears from that place, it will be filled with disaster and misfortune.

It’s like humans cutting off the flow of a river or overturning a mountain for convenience. In fact, it was the same as destroying the ecosystem near that area.

“Are you crazy?”

“I’m sorry.”

“…It’s okay.”

The deeper I went into the warehouse, the more I frowned.

The first floor was nothing.

Starting with the spirit animal, the second floor was full of all sorts of dangerous materials.

‘That’s poison. This is… a military magic bullet. And this side is… is that a black magician’s artifact? Were they storing even these things?’

Jeong Jin-soo, watching my reaction, continued to explain one by one.

‘I was worried that history would change because of me…’

There was no need to worry about that.

Rather, it would be better to destroy it right now.

“Are these weapons here distributed to every black market?”

“No. The items on the second floor are usually only released when an order comes in.”

I nodded.

If items of this level were always available on the market, neither the family nor the government would have left it alone.

“Let’s go back now. I don’t feel like seeing any more.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Jeong Jin-soo bowed his head deeply and led me.

Jeong Jin-soo didn’t seem to want to stay on the second floor for long, as his pace was fast.

I found the location of the stone tablet and saw the warehouse, so my business here was almost over.

Now, one important thing remains.

“Lastly, there are a few things I want to ask you.”

Jeong Jin-soo closed his mouth with a flinch at those words.

“Yes, please speak.”

“Are you left-handed by any chance?”

“Yes?”

Jeong Jin-soo’s eyes widened for a moment, then he hurriedly managed his expression and nodded.

“Yes, I am left-handed. But why…”

“You’re working with wanderers, but it seems you haven’t even learned simple self-defense martial arts. Is there any reason for that?”

“That’s… I have a chronic illness. So I can’t learn magic.”

Being left-handed and having a chronic illness.

‘It’s certain.’

The suspicion that had arisen because his facial features were different disappeared.

This man was definitely that Jeong Jin-soo.

“You have a chronic illness, so why are you under Baek Cheol-soo? You’re not someone who belongs here. Is there a special reason for following him?”

Jeong Jin-soo, who had been keeping his mouth shut, stopped walking.

“I won’t tell anyone, so tell me.”

Jeong Jin-soo, who seemed to be contemplating for a long time, opened his mouth with a reluctant voice at my gaze.

“I told you about my unique constitution.”

I nodded.

“I have a daughter. But… that disease was passed on to my daughter in a bad way.”

After that, it was a predictable story that didn’t suit the name of Seolgeom [Sword Demon] Jeong Jin-soo.

A frail daughter with a rare disease, an incurable disease, not enough money, and no medicine to be found.

It was an illegal drug in the country, so he couldn’t get it, but in the meantime, he learned about the existence of the black market through the chairman of a company he was serving.

“And I made a deal with Baek Cheol-soo. I received a promise that he would supply the medicine and even lend me money.”

At first, he was only helping with money laundering or speculation.

Then, he was collared with that as an excuse.

His daughter and his career.

Jeong Jin-soo, who had both caught, could not escape from Baek Cheol-soo.

‘That Jeong Jin-soo was so easily deceived.’

It was a story that no one would believe.

Having heard that far, I could predict the rest of this story that had not yet happened.

“Was that why you were preparing to betray him?”

“Yes?”

“You were already preparing to betray Baek Cheol-soo.”

“Wh, what do you mean…!”

Jeong Jin-soo’s eyes widened as if they would tear.

“The ledger and the list are too blatant. It’s more detailed than necessary. Even if Baek Cheol-soo is a cunning person, he wouldn’t have ordered you to do that much.”

“Th, that’s just because I wanted to be thorough with the parts you mentioned…”

“Don’t make excuses. You couldn’t have prepared those records if you hadn’t prepared in advance. Then why did you bother to document and keep the contents that had already been disposed of and the time had passed?”

“…”

Jeong Jin-soo’s eyes trembled greatly.

“You were thinking of stabbing him in the back if necessary. That’s why you prepared everything in writing.”

In the world before the regression.

I, who couldn’t learn magic, naturally did administrative work, not martial arts, until I escaped from the Soongmoo Lee family.

Ordinary ledgers can be read by anyone who has studied accounting a little, just by looking at the numbers.

The problem was that the documents Jeong Jin-soo brought were beyond that level.

‘He must have betrayed them around the time the Soongmoo Lee family wiped out the White Bone Clan.’

Perhaps at that time, he thought that the Soongmoo Lee family would completely erase the White Bone Clan.

However, the Soongmoo Lee family did not bother to completely erase the White Bone Clan. Because they needed an organization to control the nest.

Naturally, there would have been retaliation against Jeong Jin-soo, and Jeong Jin-soo may have gone over to the Third Brother through revenge or some kind of deal.

“I, I’m sorry! Pl, please don’t tell President Baek about that! My daughter…!”

Jeong Jin-soo immediately prostrated himself and began to beg.

I’m in a dilemma.

My original plan was to get what I needed and leave.

But I came face to face with an unexpected person.

Not just an ordinary person, but the man who was called the Third Brother’s brain.

‘He’s a dangerous person.’

If it flows according to the original history, he was someone who had to be dealt with unconditionally right now.

‘Then…’

I quietly looked down at the prostrated Jeong Jin-soo.

* * *

Baek Cheol-soo put a cigarette in his mouth and frowned.

Baek Cheol-soo thought about the man and Jeong Jin-soo who had entered the warehouse and clicked his tongue.

‘He’s only going to take Chief Jeong?’

It was an unpleasant feeling.

The feeling that he was constantly looking down on him, and the fact that he only took Jeong Jin-soo even though he was there.

‘He came into my warehouse, even though he’s a warrior from the Soongmoo Lee family, this is…’

Baek Cheol-soo, who was smoking like that, suddenly shone his eyes.

‘Could it be that he’s only taking Jeong Jin-soo and planning to abandon me?’

That’s what he thought.

The person who came looking for him as Lee Jae-hak’s subordinate wanted the black market run by the White Bone Clan, not the White Bone Clan.

‘…Tsk.’

But soon he dismissed the thought.

There’s no way that could be.

The reason why the black market could become like this was because he had instructed it, and Jeong Jin-soo had only done what he was told.

“Um, Big Brother. Hehe, are you in a bad mood?”

At that time, a subordinate guarding the warehouse approached with a smile.

Baek Cheol-soo’s expression contorted at the tactless behavior.

Ppak-!

Baek Cheol-soo kicked the subordinate’s abdomen with Aura [magical energy].

The subordinate flew away, crashed to the ground, wriggled, and then slumped down.

“I told you to change the title first. Hey, you there.”

Baek Cheol-soo dusted off his knees and looked to the side.

“Ye, yes! Big Brother, no, President!”

“Get rid of that bastard, and let me know when Chief Jeong and the guest come out. Got it?”

“Yes, yes!”

Baek Cheol-soo flicked his cigarette and turned around.

‘I don’t like it.’

The sudden visit of the Soongmoo Lee family guy, the lifeline called Lee Jae-hak, and the fact that he had to pay attention to a scholar like Jeong Jin-soo.

Baek Cheol-soo moved his steps with an unpleasant expression.

* * *

Already two days had passed since the guest from Soongmoo Lee family had returned.

Baek Cheol-soo summoned Jeong Jin-soo with a stiff expression.

Jeong Jin-soo became nervous as soon as he entered Baek Cheol-soo’s office.

Baek Cheol-soo’s expressionless eyes gleamed. Jeong Jin-soo knew better than anyone that Baek Cheol-soo was dangerous at times like that.

Jeong Jin-soo shrank as much as possible and bowed his head.

“Yes, President. Did you call for me?”

“Did you find out what I told you to find out?”

Jeong Jin-soo swallowed hard.

There were two things Baek Cheol-soo had told him to find out.

The authenticity of the Magic Spear.

The identity of the man who came from the Soongmoo Lee family.

Jeong Jin-soo carefully opened his mouth.

“The Magic Spear was not properly appraised because it was sealed. However, according to the appraiser, if it is sealed to the point where it even deceives machines, it must be the real thing.”

“Then does that mean he’s Lee Jae-hak’s subordinate?”

“That’s…”

Jeong Jin-soo stammered.

Baek Cheol-soo’s brow narrowed.

“What is it?”

“Th, the, I couldn’t find a way to find out because I didn’t have a line with the Soongmoo Lee family. I asked the guests, but I only heard that the Seventh Young Master of the Soongmoo Lee family is expanding his business.”

“Expanding his business? Then isn’t that right?”

“Young Master Lee Jae-hak has always expanded his business quickly. So…”

“Ha.”

Baek Cheol-soo’s eyes flashed with murderous intent.

“It seems Chief Jeong has lost a lot of his senses.”

“…!”

Jeong Jin-soo’s body trembled.

“In the end, that means you didn’t find out anything? I don’t like raising useless people. Is the work that Jeong Jin-soo you have found out now something that only you can do?”

The title changed from Chief Jeong to Jeong Jin-soo.

A haze-like energy began to emanate from Baek Cheol-soo’s body.

The momentum of a martial artist who has mastered magic is like a weapon to ordinary people.

Baek Cheol-soo smiled bitterly and said.

“Will your daughter be okay? It’s almost time for her medicine to run out, right?”

Jeong Jin-soo’s eyes wavered.

“I have… something to say.”

Jeong Jin-soo closed his eyes tightly and slowly opened his mouth.