Chapter 7
Sucker
"Pretty hefty, huh? Were you planning to go somewhere for a drink after this?"
"When did this even happen……?"
Dangun had a face that clearly couldn’t believe it.
Well, of course.
Not only had I mastered a technique that normally takes at least three months for others to learn, but I also displayed such skill that I could even plunder a master’s techniques.
Of course, no matter how much of a genius I am, it’s impossible to master the Shadow Technique to this level in such a short time.
In truth, this was a trick card with some sleight of hand mixed in.
「Little Lord! I followed your instructions exactly, so please show mercy—」
‘Alright. I’ll make an exception this time.’
「Thank you so much! I desire nothing but reincarnation, so please command me to do anything!」
With the Shadow Technique, I only approached Dangun. It was the phantom that brought the skill scroll. I had secretly implanted one of them into the scroll in advance.
Although my upper dantian wasn’t fully matured yet, so there was a limitation in performing physical techniques, this level was still a piece of cake.
But Dangun, having no way of knowing this, looked utterly confused.
“Could it be that you had already mastered the Shadow Technique—"
"I wasn’t even allowed to access the Martial Library, so how could I have learned it beforehand?"
"...Then how did this happen—"
“Maybe it’s because I’m more of a genius than Maeng Poong Knight, I guess.”
I took out exactly thirty silver coins from the scroll and returned the rest.
Thwack!
Dangun didn’t even think to take it. The skill scroll that had fallen to the floor was quite loose.
“Master, isn’t there anything else? This is too boring on its own.”
Dangun’s face twisted in frustration.
Meanwhile, I smiled.
Grin!
It was a monster catch.
* * *
Two hours later.
“This… can’t be……”
Dangun lay sprawled on the floor, completely pale.
Why, you ask?
Because just a moment ago, even his last remaining fortune had been completely emptied. Hehe.
Dangun really was a giving tree. Every time I scraped at him, he fell for it completely.
'Just one more round! Just one more, Young Master!!'
'Don’t have any money? Hah! Money’s no problem! Just wait here a moment! I’ll withdraw it from the bank right away!!'
'Hehehe! Look at that. No matter how much of a Young Master you are, even if it’s just the Chase Step, that’s one thing, but the Gale Technique is nearly impossible to pull off!'
'What? One more round? Hahaha! Listen here, Young Master. The Gale Technique is our proud unit’s signature move. So how could—Eh, tsk! Fine! Let’s do it!'
'...Huh? This isn’t right? How did I end up doing the Gale Twelve Spins—'
'Ah, nooo! AAAH!'
'Alright!' 'Please, please, just this money…! Mercy! Forgiveness! Pleeease!'
Every so often, I deliberately let him win and played the push-and-pull just enough, which made him fall even harder for it.
In the end, Dangun had all his resources completely drained.
I suspect he probably vomited up most of the techniques he had.
Even the old unit techniques of the legendary Gale Corps, which the Nine Dragon Faction boasted about, were all gone.
But this was only natural, if you think about it.
Even though I had never formally trained in martial arts in my past life, it wasn’t as if I lacked understanding entirely.
After all, masters were everywhere around me.
Especially my teacher, who often personally demonstrated swordsmanship training to me.
As a result, my discernment had reached an extremely high level. I could instantly see through the principles of most martial arts.
On top of that, over the past two months, I had been steadily training with the Poison Dragon Heart Technique and the Twelve Tiger Strikes, so I had a complete understanding of how to handle this body.
Even just adjusting those subtle differences allowed me to absorb martial arts like a sponge soaking up water.
Of course, I had only internalized them; my depth was still lacking, so I couldn’t use them in actual combat yet.
But that would come with a few more practice sessions.
Now, the atmosphere was ripe.
Shall I throw the final bait?
“It feels a bit wasteful to end the bet just like this.”
“……I have nothing more to offer.”
Seeing the dark circles under his eyes, he looked like a bona fide zombie.
“But you still have one left, don’t you?”
“One…?”
“The Gale Dance.”
“!!”
Thud!
I placed the scroll, which was already heavy for me to hold, onto the floor and grinned.
“I’m betting all of this. How about it?”
“…But the Gale Dance is—”
Dangun fidgeted in his seat but couldn’t continue speaking easily.
And rightly so.
The Gale Dance was the very identity of the old Gale Corps.
In the Sajeon martial world, the Gale Corps was legendary.
They had broken the momentum of the long-standing rivals, the Cheongseong and Ami factions, and had crushed the advance of the Cheonma Shin Sect trying to step into the central plains.
Thanks to them, the Sajeon Faction was able to establish itself as the strongest power not just in Sajeon Province, but also in the western region of the central plains.
The Gale Dance was the ultimate technique that only members of the Gale Corps could master.
Once unleashed, it could generate a raging gale in all directions, tearing everything apart.
If you mixed poison into it, the surroundings would become limbs scattered everywhere, and if you added hidden techniques, total devastation would ensue.
Naturally, even the Sajeon Faction kept the Gale Dance under strict security, making it one of the few techniques that couldn’t be found even in the Cheonma Martial Codex.
I intended to get my hands on it.
“I know. Without the permission of the Dangata, one can’t just practice it.”
“But—”
“There’s an exception, isn’t there? For the direct subordinate of the Gale Corps Commander.”
“!!”
“Even if treated like a child being handed out, as long as you’re the eldest son of the branch master? That’s enough qualification.”
“…….”
Dangun bit his lips tightly.
Because there wasn’t a single wrong word in that statement.
Then his eyes sank deeply, becoming dark and heavy.
The image of him taking it all meekly like a sucker disappeared, and suddenly, a core member of the old Gale Corps, brimming with pride and fighting spirit, appeared.
Goooo-
My skin prickled.
It was impressive. I was a little surprised.
I had always only seen him in his lethargic, unmotivated state.
I wondered if he had been hiding this true side all along.
“The Gale Dance is no different from our lives.
No matter if you are a Young Master, I cannot allow you to treat it as mere gambling stakes.”
Well, quite the prideful one.
But there’s something he doesn’t know.
I’m an expert when it comes to talking my way around things.
“Do I really look like I’m treating it as gambling stakes?”
“Are you not?”
“No.”
“What—”
“How frustrating. Do you really think everything I’ve done so far, calling it gambling, was just simple betting?”
“?”
For the first time, a look of confusion appeared on Dangun’s face.
I pounded my chest in feigned exasperation and complained.
“I’m trying to convince you. That I have this much talent.”
“!”
“If I had simply said at first that I wanted to learn the Gale Dance, do you think you would have taught me? You probably would have just laughed.”
“!!”
“If I hadn’t provoked you like this, I wouldn’t have even gotten the chance. So forget all the previous bets, and just look at me, Tang Woon-hwi, properly.”
I now stared directly into Dangun’s seething gaze, putting the final period on my statement.
“Do I not seem worthy of inheriting the Gale Corps’ legacy?”
“!!!”
His agitation had escalated beyond mere anger into extreme fury.
「As I’ve always felt—」
「There’s no doubt that a demon hangs from the mouth of this little lord. Many disciples have had their lives ruined getting caught up in it. Truly, a devilish mouth—」
‘Wanna die?’
「S-sorry!」
「I-I will correct it!」
No matter what the phantoms babbled, I silently kept my eyes fixed on Dangun.
By now, his mind was probably a chaotic tangle of thoughts.
Using words that stirred up memories and showing him the capacity of the family head he’d never really seen in the Young Master before—it must have been utterly confusing for him.
The reason Dangun hadn’t involved himself in the succession disputes wasn’t because he lacked interest.
It was because there was no one worth supporting.
Judging by his loyalty to Tang hosan, targeting that point and giving him just enough satisfaction was enough to make him completely fall over.
The most important thing when baiting a sucker isn’t provocation. That doesn’t last long. Eventually, resistance builds.
But if you can captivate both their heart and body, they’ll hand over everything, from the money in their pockets to the deeds to their house. That was exactly Dangun’s situation.
Moreover, pulling Dangun over to my side wasn’t simply about claiming the Gale Dance.
Aside from the visit of the Shadow Sect, how many petty disputes would Namgung Sanyeong stir up for me in the future?
In that case, I needed an umbrella too.
At the very least, I needed an umbrella strong enough to protect me within the Nine Dragon Faction.
Dangun was just the beginning.
I planned to gradually extend my influence across the entire old Gale Corps, starting with him.
By now, Namgung Sanyeong and Tang Yuchang were probably patting themselves on the back, thinking their scheme was brilliant.
Soon, they would find out.
The trap they set would soon seize their own necks.
“…….”
Dangun was silent for a moment, then let out a sigh.
“………I had heard that the Young Master had changed recently, but this isn’t just a change—it’s as if the person has been completely replaced.”
Sometimes, an empty silence conveys more than a hundred words.
“Have you been hiding yourself from the world all this time?”
“Well, perhaps.”
“So you’ve been holding back while the Lady Matron monitored you, and now that the Shadow Sect is about to visit, you plan to reveal your true self—such is your thought, I see.”
After laying just enough groundwork, Dangun was now simultaneously beating the drum and the gong all on his own.
“Very well. I shall show you the Gale Dance. After all, I’ve already demonstrated it to Miss Il and Third Young Master, so showing it to you poses no problem.”
Chut chut chut—
The aura emanating from Dangun mixed with the wind, starting to create a whirling vortex.
“However, the Gale Dance is something that even the other two prodigies here did not dare attempt. Do not think to challenge it recklessly.”
Dangun now assumed a proper stance with full etiquette.
In his eyes, filled with respect, there was also a clear goodwill toward me.
“Then, shall we change the terms of the bet?”
“The terms…?”
Dangun was flustered by the mention of a bet just as the atmosphere had reached its peak.
“You said it’s hard to master it in one go. Honestly, I don’t think even I could fully master the Gale Dance… So, if I manage to learn it within today, you buy me a drink. If I fail, I’ll pay the cost. How about that?”
“A drink, you say. Very well!”
A smile soon appeared at the corner of his mouth.
And then.
Kwarrrr!
The gale completely enveloped the White Hall.
* * *
‘No matter how much of a genius the Young Master is, this will be tough.’
Dangun was thoroughly enjoying this very moment.
Back when I was first sent out from Jeongpunggak under the Lady Matron’s orders, I was just thinking of killing time.
‘Wanna bet?’
‘Scared?’
What began as a light provocation had now become fun.
‘Do I not seem worthy of inheriting the Gale Corps’ legacy?’
That particular line struck Dangun with incredible force.
‘The Gale Corps’ legacy… After disbanding the Gale Corps, did I even have the time to think about something like that?’
The Grand Master seemed to have become a completely different person after establishing the Nine Dragon Faction.
Whereas before, he had always burned with ambition and drive, making even those around him’s hearts race,
now he was simply a calm lion, silently carrying out only what was given.
Because he seemed to lack any real ambition, quite a few members had left the Grand Master’s side over the past twenty years, and now only a few trusted aides remained.
But in Tang Woon-hwi’s words about inheriting the Gale Corps’ legacy, for the first time, I saw a shadow of the old Grand Master.
‘I just hope he’s not only spouting flattering words.’
If someone were to ask whether my heart would lean toward Woon-hwi in the succession disputes, in which the Grand Master had never favored anyone, I would say that I would never choose anyone until the Grand Master made his intentions known.
That had been the promise among the old members: never to favor anyone until the Grand Master showed his will.
But if someone asked whether it seemed like I might gain a good drinking companion, I could definitely smile and answer affirmatively.
It seemed that way, indeed.
……But shortly after.
“I lost again! Lost again! Damn it!”
Dangun chewed on his handkerchief, cursing his own delusion.
Chronicles of the Reincarnated Demon God
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