novelraw Chapter 26 : I am Not a Psychopath (3)
Chapter 26 : I am Not a Psychopath (3)
Chapter 26 - I am Not a Psychopath (3)
A bolt of lightning struck inside Jin Sobang's head.
He had no choice. It was the scene of a thunderbolt out of a clear sky.
“First, the repair estimate for this place you completely trashed is...”
The details Lee Taebaek rattled off became a bolt from the blue, violently shaking Jin Sobang's mind. The more he listened, the more his jowls trembled.
“It looks like it'll cost around 300 million.”
Lee Taebaek knew he was quoting an exorbitant price. He wasn't building a new shop, just repairing a run-down one; there was no way it could cost that much.
Right, he knew.
“Get it ready.”
He just intended to know.
“In cash. Cold, hard cash.”
“What are you talking about! You're telling me to cough up 300 million to fix up a cocktail bar that's worse than a tiny back room! And what's this about cash!”
“Because I don't have a bank account yet. Ah, since we're on the subject, get me a terminal activated too. No, do it.”
Unable to listen any further, Jin Sobang writhed in agony.
“Uwaaaaaaah!”
If Jin Sobang had been alone, he would have stormed out of this ridiculous situation. Whatever it took.
“Quiet.”
But he was with Seopung-gae.
“Have some dignity.”
“...I'm sorry, Elder.”
“Tsk.”
Seopung-gae averted his gaze.
“Alright, Lee Taebaek. Say everything you have to say. I'll at least hear you out.”
Then he gave a yellowed smile.
Is that a sneer, or a smile?
Whatever it is, I have nothing to be ashamed of.
“The nuance there is that you'll only hear me out.”
“Language is, by its nature, up to the listener's interpretation.”
“...Great Warrior, that bastard is openly disrespecting you, Elder.”
Jin Sobang whispered to Seopung-gae.
“Sobang, are you a stubborn old boomer?”
“Sir?”
“I'm telling you to stay quiet.”
“Ah, yes......”
Jin Sobang scratched his cheek and turned his head.
“Young Warrior.”
“Lee Taebaek.”
“My friend.”
“Lee Taebaek.”
“......”
“Not Young Warrior.”
“......”
“Not friend.”
“......”
“It's Lee Taebaek.”
A blue vein popped on Jin Sobang's forehead.
“Lee Taebaek or Taebaek Mountain, whatever! Your demands are too excessive! 300 million? Three hundred millioooooon?”
“350 million. Plus another 20. 370 million.”
“What a daylight robber! Oh, Heavenly Venerate! Please look down upon me!”
Lee Taebaek stared into the distance and cleaned his ear.
The one in the desperate position was the fat old guy.
L-Look at him. Even while making a scene, he's sneakily checking the old man's reaction.
'A pathetic gaze, begging for help.'
As long as Seopung-gae didn't step in, all Jin Sobang could do was worry. The Beggar of the Arts himself, of all people, was telling him to listen quietly.
What can you do?
There was no way to know the old man's intentions, but the gaze he sent Lee Taebaek was, in itself, favorable.
'Let's use this opportunity.'
The method was simple.
Raise his head.
Meet his gaze.
“320 million.”
And put his foot down.
“Wh-What...!”
“Talking back? 350 million.”
“Is there no end to this robbery!”
“Is the one who secretly enters someone's house at night, throws punches, and scatters dirt a robber, or am I the robber?”
“I told you I'd apologize for that!”
“And I'm telling you I'll accept that apology in cash.”
It was something from about ten years ago.
A few small business owners had given alms to the Beggars' Sect with a purpose. Under the pretext of asking them to be a fence to protect the owners from gangs.
They were the Beggars' Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects and One Union. If the Beggars' Sect put their mind to it, the gangs would be wiped from the lower districts.
However, the prevailing custom of the Beggars' Sect was to not step onto the front lines. At least, that's how it was in the Central Plains.
Some of the beggars who had been denouncing the foundation of the sect succumbed to the mammonism of Lake City.
'They got a taste of money.'
Certain beggars accumulated protection money. They began to save, an act that had been implicitly forbidden.
— How can a beggar save money!
An uproar occurred among the fundamentalists of the Beggars' Sect.
However, the beggars who had tasted money had already formed a faction. They had even changed their name to the Clean Clothes Faction.
They left first, before any unnecessary conflict could arise.
Thanks to that, they could still be grouped together as the Beggars' Sect.
But the torn relationship seemed far from being mended.
This was the secret story of how the Beggars' Sect split in two.
…The reason for this long-winded speech.
What's the point of hiding it. There's no good way to dress it up.
Rationalization. It's an excuse to extort money from a beggar.
When you get down to it, the Clean Clothes Faction is the Beggars' Sect in name only. They have a lot of money. They're incredibly rich.
The reason they reside in the lower districts is simply because this is where their income comes from.
If his opponent were Seopung-gae of the Arts Faction, he would feel guilty, but against the Clean Clothes Faction, it's a different story.
I'll bleed them dry.
Down to the marrow.
“Does it make any sense to extort money from a beggar of the Sect! It's literally like taking the liver out of a beggar...!”
“If a beggar these days is someone who wears silk clothes and has cybernetic prosthetics, then what am I, who starved for three days because I had no money? A bastard worse than a beggar?”
Lee Taebaek dismissed Jin Sobang's argument.
“Hmph!”
Seopung-gae openly laughed, his shoulders shaking. Jin Sobang gave an awkward cough.
“Y-You know that's not what I meant...”
Jin Sobang said, changing his tone.
“I don't.”
“...My apologies.”
“I'll accept that apology in cash.”
“Did you have a grudge against money in a past life?”
“Yep.”
I was exploited by a black company.
“A-Anyway, I'm sorry. The fact that I used a killing move without realizing it, I'm sorry for that as well. I'm sincere. In short, I'm not adding all these words just because of the money.”
“So you can't pay for the medical bills or the repair costs? The prestigious Beggars' Sect of the Nine Great Sects? What's this, there's no Unorthodox Faction here. This behavior right now is exactly that of a gang.”
“Ah, no… is there a need to say it like that, Young Warrior… no, Lee Taebaek.”
“Slipping in 'Young Warrior' so smoothly. Hey, mister. Who's the one acting like a 'young warrior' here? You're from the Clean Clothes Faction, so what's with the beggar cosplay? You guys are rich, aren't you? Unlike that old man over there.”
Lee Taebaek shifted his gaze. The old beggar was looking at him with an amused expression.
Seopung-gae. The beggar he had met by chance on the street. His gaze went to the man's waist.
Six rope knots. The symbol of a supreme master, one of the top ten among all the beggars in Lake City.
And that same Seopung-gae was carefully observing Lee Taebaek while maintaining [Presence Concealment].
[Presence Concealment] is a supreme technique of superhumans that can only be activated when all stats exceed 30.
'No wonder this talkative Branch Master is so flustered.'
Jin Sobang was a top-tier powerhouse.
“Your tongue is way too long. Wasn't the way of the martial world to have a heavy mouth and light hands?”
“Gnnnnn.”
Let's set aside the light impression given by his appearance.
The reason he was able to fight on even terms with Jin Sobang for a short time was because Jin Sobang had intentionally excluded killing moves.
Even though he was holding back, he had pushed Lee Taebaek onto the defensive with an offensive that felt like it surpassed the drugged-up Haiyen.
'If I had used [Nerf] and [Buff]...'
Let's be honest, Lee Taebaek.
If Jin Sobang had come at him to kill from the start, his defeat would have been as clear as day.
'Three days ago, too.'
If that pipe-smoking mage had been serious, Lee Taebaek would have turned to ash on the spot.
He was only able to seize victory by inducing carelessness. If you want to call that skill too, then I have nothing to say.
He had to accept that there was a severe gap in their power.
Admit it. You've survived so far through tricks and sheer luck.
Was there any guarantee that luck would stay on his side forever? No.
That's true even if he were receiving the world's favor. A petty mindset will drastically shorten one's lifespan.
Self-objectification is not something to be ashamed of. Periodically break down your pride. Maintain your calm and an unshakable heart.
To sum it up, Jin Sobang's cybernetic prosthesis was one thing, but the man himself was just strong.
Because skill and experience are realms that cannot be replaced even by advanced machinery.
That's why he's the branch master in charge of an entire district.
'And the Beggar of the Arts is the one who commands a dozen of these branch masters.'
He had to extort money from those two.
It was a sudden quest that Lee Taebaek had voluntarily set for himself.
'I put the landlord in the hospital and completely trashed her belongings. I'll cut off the source that could create a superior-inferior power dynamic.'
His plan was to save face as a boarder and, while he was at it, earn some living expenses.
'The fact that I couldn't overcome my desire to fight and was about to just start stabbing is my own little secret.’
To be honest, the reward Lee Taebaek truly wanted wasn't money. Money was just a means, not the ultimate goal.
'The final target of extortion is Seopung-gae of the Arts Faction.'
In any case, in this situation at least, he was confident.
Isn't there an ability that shows its true worth especially at times like this? The one that allows him to briefly stand on equal footing with a superhuman.
[Buffing the caster's Spirit stat.]
A sharp glint swirled in Lee Taebaek's pupils.
“I admit my fault, but! The amount of money...!”
Jin Sobang shouted in a heated tone, extending his index finger.
Thwack.
Lee Taebaek's palm blocked his fingertip like a wall.
[Nerfing the opponent's Spirit stat.]
Immediately, a change came over Jin Sobang.
Jin Sobang, who until a moment ago had been passionately arguing, had his face bleached white like a patient given a terminal diagnosis.
“Uh, uh...”
Jin Sobang looked like he would fall into a panic at the slightest touch.
Lee Taebaek's arrogant face created a contrasting effect.
“350 million.”
“Th-That's...”
Now, in this moment.
From Jin Sobang's perspective, it looked as if a ghastly blue fire was blooming in Lee Taebaek's eyes.
'The effect is insane.'
There were three reasons for lowering only his Spirit stat instead of weakening all his stats.
First, he didn't want to expose the full ability of [Nerf] to a non-lethal target.
This was a city where it wouldn't be strange for today's ally to appear as tomorrow's enemy.
Second, even if he lowered all of Jin Sobang's stats, Seopung-gae was right next to him.
It was impossible to know how Seopung-gae would react if Jin Sobang suddenly slammed his forehead on the floor.
But one thing was for sure, it wouldn't be good.
Lastly, he wanted to test if restrictions also worked on [Nerf]. This was the biggest reason.
He wanted to prove the hypothesis that if he only lowered one stat, the effect would be greater.
“I won't say it twice.”
Even as he said it, he got goosebumps.
'The quality of this line...'
When will I get used to this?
Maybe I never will.
Could this also be the effect of concentrating the 'buff two stats' effect onto a single stat?
So I was already using restrictions without realizing it.
Embarrassment aside, the impact was significant.
Jin Sobang, who had been so defiant, tucked his tail at a single word.
“I-I-I'll give it to you......”
Lee Taebaek nodded nonchalantly, but inwardly, he smiled.
The money was one thing, but he was finally getting a feel for how to use [Buff] and [Nerf].
“I won't take the 50 million, so just stick to the original 300 million.”
“Ah, understood......!”
Jin Sobang bowed his head repeatedly, as if in absolute obedience.
Stockholm Syndrome. It refers to the psychological state where the weak obey the strong in an extreme situation.
After applying a restriction to [Nerf] and [Buff], if you use them in conjunction on the single stat of Spirit, things become unbelievably easy.
Nice. I should try using it on other abilities too.
“Well now, the more I see, the stranger it gets.”
Seopung-gae, who had been maintaining a neutral stance, finally let out a dry laugh.
“To think he's this skilled at [Presence Concealment].”
Uh… that's not it?
“The moment you revealed your aura, the Branch Master started trembling like this. You've truly mastered Presence Concealment.”
“......”
“I thought something was strange earlier, too. Hah, right. Thinking of it that way, it makes sense. The one holding back wasn't the Branch Master, but you, Young Warrior—no, Lee Taebaek.”
The snowball of misunderstanding keeps rolling. It seems he's also interpreting Lee Taebaek's way of speaking as the leisurely confidence of the strong.
Even with his Spirit buffed, it was hard to hide his bewilderment. He took a moment to think about how to act.
Swoosh.
He raised his head and met his gaze.
Just like a moment ago.
“As expected, you're sharp.”
However, the situation and his feelings were the opposite.
......
◈ Main Patch
• Your level is still insufficient to learn 「Presence Concealment」, but by increasing the proportional value, you have acquired 「Presence Concealment (Temporary)」.
• The 「Agility」 proportional value has increased (+7.9%). The effect of 「Stealth」 greatly increases.
• The 「Magic」 proportional value has increased (4.0%). Your understanding of 「Restriction」 increases.
• The 「Faith」 proportional value has increased (+6.5%). Your 「Self-Confidence」 greatly increases.
• The 「Spirit」 proportional value has increased (+5.8%). The effects of 「Concepts」 are amplified.
• The synergy between 「Assassin's Swordsmanship (Beginner)」 and 「Presence Concealment (Temporary)」 has been activated.
• Upgraded to 「Assassin's Swordsmanship (Intermediate)」!
◇ Miscellaneous Patch
• Acquired 「Concept: Daylight Robber (True)」.
〉〉 Auto-saving…….
〉〉Applying patch