The Hunting Dog of the Prestigious Family Has Returned Chapter 25

“Young Master. Please step back.”

Taewoong opened the armor plates on both arms.

Along with the sound of the power engine turning, his arms began turning red.

Vibrations making the surrounding air tremble.

He’d deployed the first-grade artificial body at maximum output.

“It will shake a lot.”

Along with those words, Taewoong who appeared before one of the executives’ eyes threw a straight punch without hesitation.

BOOM—!

The next moment, the body of the executive who’d taken a defensive stance burst out from the upper body.

The sight of the executive who’d never lost once in hand-to-hand combat becoming minced meat with his spine cleanly exposed.

Seeing that terrible scene where he died without even managing to scream, the color instantly drained from the other executives’ faces.

“A-aaagh?!”

“Damn it! Do it like we practiced! Somehow disperse his attention!”

Rat-tat-tat-tat—!

The stunned executives tried shooting the pistols they held, but not even a scratch appeared on Taewoong’s body.

The executives with artificial bodies tried to coordinate their efforts to defend against Taewoong’s fierce attack, but the opponent was a guard armed with first-grade artificial body over his entire body.

Heads burst with a single punch, shoulders grabbed in his grip were crushed as is, and legs that couldn’t dodge kicks soared into the sky.

Truly a human weapon.

Operating military-use items at maximum output—back-alley Sword Pact couldn’t possibly be a match.

“This dog-like…!”

Dokgo Seong who’d lost six executives in an instant widened his eyes.

Things had gone wrong.

No, it wasn’t just wrong.

That guard bastard was currently hesitating to protect Park Bokja, but if he seriously started attacking, he’d turn this place into a sea of blood in less than five minutes.

‘Then, conversely, take a hostage?’

He thought that for a moment, but Dokgo Seong immediately shook his head.

It was insane talk.

If he laid hands on Changwoon standing behind?

If by any chance even a small scratch appeared on that noble’s body?

The moment that happened, all his business establishments… no, the royal guard would rush into the entire underground district.

From then on, a few executives, a few dozen subordinates wouldn’t be the problem.

Everyone related to him. To put it simply, even family, relatives, acquaintances.

All of them would obviously be arrested through collective punishment and tortured.

Then there was one conclusion.

“Open the door! We’re escaping! Right now—!”

The conclusion he reached was escape.

‘Personnel waiting upstairs should still remain.’

He’d heard an intruder appeared on the first floor.

They said it was a phase power wielder.

But even so, it was just one person anyway.

The building height exceeded ten floors, and he’d spread subordinates throughout all those floors.

No matter how much of a phase power wielder, they couldn’t have already broken through that many people.

‘First escape. And after that, contact the customers to keep my lifeline attached.’

Having resolved that to himself, Dokgo Seong opened the door without hesitation.

“Urk?!”

The moment he opened the door, he let out a gasp and stepped back.

What had been waiting for him at the door was Changwoon’s other guard, Mooyoung.

And behind him, corpses of subordinates sliced like butcher shop meat were sprawled everywhere.

“Y-you killed them all?! This, this crazy bastard…!”

Swish—!

Before Dokgo Seong’s words could even finish, Mooyoung’s sword had already cut off both his arms.

Following that, where Mooyoung’s sword headed was Dokgo Seong’s waist.

When a flash of light passed through, Dokgo Seong with his lower body separated was sprawled on the floor struggling.

“Keu, keuuuu…!”

Thanks to his body enhanced with artificial body he’d preserved his life, but he could no longer move.

When the ringleader Dokgo Seong was neutralized, the executives also raised both hands while terrified.

The situation was over.

“Young Master! As you ordered, I eliminated everything trying to interfere with the Young Master’s business!”

“U-uh… right…”

At Mooyoung’s appearance shouting like that with sparkling eyes, Changwoon made an awkward smile.

‘Since they’re human trash beyond rehabilitation anyway, I said do whatever you want…’

But he didn’t expect him to really kill them all without a single survivor.

While being bewildered like that, Taewoong who’d stopped the artificial body approached Changwoon and whispered.

“That… Mooyoung fellow didn’t perform properly in the last mission, didn’t he? It seems he was anxious about that the whole time…”

“So he worked hard? So he made that mess?”

“While advancing into our respective zones he said this. Since they’re heinous villains of all ages interfering with the Young Master’s business, he’d cut off all their necks and offer them…”

“Even so, isn’t that a bit too much? Look at him, even his eyes seem strange?”

It seemed counseling would be necessary.

Having muttered that, Changwoon slowly approached Dokgo Seong as if just remembering.

“S-save me! I’ll do anything…! So please…!”

Had he realized there was no hole to escape through?

When Dokgo Seong with only his upper body remaining trembled and pleaded, a chilling smile spread across Changwoon’s face.

“Don’t worry. We’ll keep you alive for a long, long time.”

Of course, you’ll soon be begging to be killed instead.

Having added that, Changwoon stopped all of Dokgo Seong’s artificial body except the life support device.

“What, what are you doing…!”

“Ah, ah. Hello?”

After gesturing to Park Bokja to clean up inside the building, Changwoon contacted somewhere.

And after some time passed.

“The entire building was plastered with corpses—was what you’re establishing in central not a casino but a slaughterhouse?”

Seeing the appearance of the one who’d come after receiving contact, Dokgo Seong’s face turned incomparably paler than before.

The half-mask he wore over his face.

It wasn’t used for disguise, but a mask made of real wood material.

“H-Hahoe…?”

This made no sense.

That who came in after receiving a noble’s contact was a traitor wanted for national treason?

Dokgo Seong’s head spun rapidly.

‘Kim Changwoon who has a close relationship with a Hahoe organization member established a casino in the central district.’

If so.

If his thoughts were correct, the true purpose of this casino Kim Changwoon built was…!

“T-treason?”

“Shhhp. Tsk tsk.”

When he muttered that word difficult even to put in his mouth, Changwoon with a deliberately solemn expression interjected.

“It’s not treason but revolution… tsk. Never mind.”

Further talk would only hurt my mouth.

Having muttered that momentarily, Dokgo Seong looked at Changwoon with a confused expression and asked again.

“Why… why on earth…?”

“Why am I doing revolution. That’s what you’re asking, right?”

Changwoon quietly approached Dokgo Seong and came close to his face.

“You know. Even I think it’s truly something I shouldn’t do.”

Changwoon sighed.

He could just settle quietly in Hanyang and enjoy the wealth and glory given from birth.

Exploit the commoners scattered everywhere, wield absolute power until death…

That would be so very happy.

But what could he do?

“This country has no answer, and meanwhile my life has even less answer.”

“…!”

“So that’s why I’m doing it.”

Changwoon narrowed his eyes and smiled at the corners of his mouth.

“Because if I don’t, I’ll die.”

---

‘Greetings, Young Master! I’m Dokgo Seong who does business in central Hanseong!’

The moment I saw Dokgo Seong’s face, memories from my past life I’d been living without remembering surfaced freshly.

After Taewoong that fellow died from Kim Hyunwoo’s attack, he was the one who’d approached me claiming to inform me of ‘work.’

A hyena-like bastard who approached to use my status that was neither noble nor ordinary person.

While working together with Dokgo Seong, I seriously began handling the aftermath for those noble bastards.

“Back then I thought it worked out well. I’d vowed to prostrate at Kim Hyunwoo’s feet and do whatever he told me… but there was nothing I, who didn’t have a shred of phase power, could do.”

I’d thought if I did even this dirty work to lend strength for the clan, those fellows would recognize me too.

Actually I was quite competent, and was quite famous even among nobles.

They said there was no talent like me for handling ‘unsavory matters.’

‘But not now.’

Now that I’d received a second life, I chose a different future from my past life.

I saved Seo Taewoong who was scheduled to die, and recruited Mooyoung who would have become a villain crazed with revenge.

I protected Yoo Arin who would become the seed of revolution, and succeeded in saving her father Yoo Sanghyeon and sending him to Hamgyeong Province.

Coming to this point, getting involved with human trash like that would have absolutely no benefit.

“Keuuu!”

Meanwhile, Park Bokja who’d been sprawled behind me slowly raised her body.

“You got up quickly? You should’ve fainted after getting beaten like that.”

“Fainting, that’s ridiculous talk.”

Park Bokja injecting nerve stabilizer with a pssht sound.

She forcibly grabbed her staggering body, then plopped down sitting on her office desk.

“I may look like this, but I’m a bitch who rolled around in back alleys for decades. This much is nothing.”

Having finished speaking, Park Bokja took out a cigarette and put it in her mouth.

“Unexpected. I knew about funding the orphanage, but I didn’t know you were that sincere.”

“As that bastard said, I went senile in my old age.”

I asked as if passing by without concern. The proprietress lit the cigarette in her mouth and deeply inhaled.

“It’s a completely useless whim.”

“Whim.”

I chewed over the words Dokgo Seong had said to Park Bokja.

‘We lived killing to our hearts’ content, stealing to our hearts’ content.’

‘But now you’ll make it as if that never happened? Live as if nothing happened, try to become a good person? You think that’s possible? Huh?’

It wasn’t wrong.

Both that woman and me.

Such a thing couldn’t be possible.

By the time the cigarette in Park Bokja’s mouth had almost disappeared.

“There’s one Catholic in the outskirts of the lowest level black market.”

At the single phrase spoken quietly, Park Bokja looked toward me.

“The priest there says if you pray and repent, he’ll forgive you no matter what sin you committed.”

“…”

“If you’re interested, go try praying.”

Having muttered that, I came outside the office.

The city center where not a single ray of sunlight entered.

Looking at the cityscape filled with artificial lighting, I muttered.

“Even so, you’re much better than me.”

It truly was so.

This stupid illegitimate bastard from who knows where.

Only after the grim reaper cut off his neck did he realize this.

---

Central residential district.

Unlike the lower district areas I’d seen until now, this place had a relatively clean appearance.

Not old neon signs but well-maintained signboards.

Refined advertising phrases and occasionally visible hologram images.

Though not at the level of nobles throwing money on the streets, it meant this was where people who could live somewhat decently gathered.

Slurrp. Slurp.

While watching that while eating cup ramen in one corner of a convenience store, a man who’d sat beside me abruptly opened his mouth.

“Analysis results came out. Without even needing to tear open his head, there was backup data inside the artificial body.”

“You’re saying he directly extracted and inserted his own memory data?”

“He probably planned to use it for blackmail if necessary.”

Having exchanged that while turning my gaze, I saw a clean-looking man in his twenties.

Imae mask.

Seeing the same face I’d seen in my past life, it seemed he hadn’t done any particular disguise.

“Illegal deals nobles conducted, evidence of buying and selling people for entertainment purposes… among them are quite a few missing persons in the police database.”

“Well, it would be.”

Most of the work I’d done in my past life was originally work handled by underworld types including Dokgo Seong.

“Let me ask one thing in place of Dokgo Seong’s head price. What will you do with this information?”

“Well. Should I take it to the Royal Investigative Bureau and poke them this time?”

When I asked jokingly, Imae mask shook his head as if to say don’t talk nonsense.

“Memory extraction materials aren’t adopted as evidence unless they came from the Royal Investigative Bureau. Even if you give it, they’ll obviously reject it saying it’s AI-manipulated footage.”

Imae mask continued speaking.

“Killing Dokgo Seong was good work, but simultaneously dangerous work. You know that, right?”

“I know. That it’s no different from poking a beehive.”

Evidence could be destroyed, but just having their shame exposed to someone else was sufficient.

The noble high officials who’d dealt with Dokgo Seong.

Among them, ‘Jo Seonghwan,’ the Pungyang Jo clan’s successor, would react especially sensitively.

It was obvious he’d ceaselessly harass my business establishment before long with inspections, investigations, whatever.

“If you know, that means you’ve also prepared countermeasures.”

“I have. Countermeasures.”

Hearing Imae mask’s question, I answered while picking up frozen dumplings I’d spun in the microwave.

“Since I’ve poked the beehive anyway, I plan to burn it to the roots.”

“How?”

“I need to make things big enough that they won’t even care about someone like me.”

“…What?”

Having heard my words, Imae mask asked back as if asking what I meant.

“To do that, first. I need to go to the person who’d buy the Pungyang Jo clan’s weakness most expensively.”

“Who, exactly, is that?”

“Who else could it be.”

The eternal nemesis of the Pungyang Jo clan family. And the rival of that family’s successor, the esteemed Young Master ‘Jo Seonghwan.’

“The Andong Kim clan’s successor, Kim Hyunwoo.”

Having gulped down cup ramen broth, I answered while twisting my lips as if finding myself ridiculous.

“I need to tattle to my big brother.”