Taehoo took a deep breath.
It was to act as if he was about to bring up a difficult topic.
He continued, making his words sound as painful as possible.
“I failed to kill my master, so I had to hide myself in the Black Market.”
“Kill your master?”
Jin Tae interrupted and asked again.
In the world of spies, stabbing your master in the back was the greatest taboo.
Because they always targeted others’ backs, there had to be enough trust among themselves to watch each other’s backs.
That was why Jin Tae couldn’t help but be sensitive about it. No matter how tempting the reward, he wasn’t foolish enough to swallow a poisoned apple.
“Why?”
In Taehoo’s mind, the background information on Joseph he’d received from the Nakhal flashed by.
“He… When I’d barely begun to speak, he killed my parents and raised me as a Dog of the Arena. Seven years… I’ve spent all that time sharpening my knife for revenge.”
He ground his teeth in anger several times throughout. Of course, this too was an act.
[Wow, after a few years as a spy, you end up acting better than most actors, huh?]
Even Ba’al, who was hard to please, was impressed by the performance. Jin Tae was bound to be fooled.
‘I’ve heard that those who lose big in the Arena replenish their ranks like that. If that’s true, it means they’re confident in their brainwashing….
If that’s real, then this kid in front of me endured seven years of torture and brainwashing, burning with revenge since he was just six.’
Interesting.
That was the emotion that surfaced in Jin Tae’s mind.
The flaw of being a dog that bites its master turned into the advantage of unbreakable resolve.
“What’s your name? And your master’s?”
“My name is Joseph. The guy’s called The Knife of the Arena. He seemed pretty infamous in there.”
“Right, there was definitely someone in the Arena with a twisted habit of giving out those religious names.”
Jin Tae nodded in satisfaction. Then he walked to a corner and brought over a bowl filled with something like porridge, untying Taehoo’s bound arms.
“Eat, and wait.”
Three days later.
Jin Tae brought The Knife of the Arena—the man who’d been like a pig dragged to slaughter—before Taehoo.
So, for the three days Jin Tae was gone,
Taehoo was given just enough food to stave off hunger.
Because his physical condition had changed completely from his previous life, even just three days left him feeling extremely weak.
His metabolism now far outstripped that of his former life.
‘When I get back, I need to train for fasting properly.’
Of course, even with the fatigue, he didn’t neglect what he had to do.
He used the time to predict Jin Tae’s next moves and prepare accordingly.
[Who knew all that seemingly useless info would come in handy like this…]
Ba’al commented, watching Taehoo skillfully use the information he’d demanded from Nakhal.
‘A spy should at least know a few people with solid alibis.’
Even in his previous life, he’d gotten out of a few scrapes this way. Even if it was only once, that was enough reason to always be prepared.
‘He’s probably gone to check if there really was a Joseph.’
There was only one obvious place Jin Tae would go. He’d likely gone to meet Kal.
Once he confirmed Taehoo’s story and the alibi checked out, Jin Tae’s next move would be clear.
‘He’ll try to win me over, first.’
There was only one thing to do that would both confirm Taehoo’s story and try to win his trust.
‘Bring Kal in front of me.’
The fact that Joseph had been in the Black Market, as Nakhal’s information had said, was pure chance,
But Taehoo’s preparedness turned it into an opportunity.
‘Since I’ve fooled him, I should milk this for all it’s worth.’
He pulled out the white powder from his ear again. This was from the opposite ear to the one that had contained the drug used to put Joseph to sleep.
“Let’s get ready.”
He grinned,
And, just as he expected, Kal was placed before his eyes.
Everything was ready. Kal was right in front of him.
Though the room was pitch black with not even the moon shining, Taehoo was certain.
If his prediction had been wrong, there wouldn’t be the presence of two people.
Screech, ssscrape.
The sound of something heavy dragging along the floor echoed several times,
Fwoosh!
Soon, a single candle was lit before his eyes.
With the flickering candle as paint, the shadows of three people filled the walls of the Solitary Cell.
Jin Tae stood directly in front of Taehoo, and in his hand, he gripped a man with plump flesh.
‘As I thought.’
Taehoo smiled inwardly, but outwardly widened his eyes as if caught completely off guard.
He was now face to face with his sworn enemy. He took a deep breath.
At the same time,
“You bastard!”
He screamed, almost like a shriek, and lunged at Kal.
Taehoo and Kal’s bodies tangled together, and Jin Tae intervened at just the right moment.
“Hey, hey. It’s not time for revenge yet.”
He easily subdued the struggling Taehoo and slapped Kal’s cheek repeatedly.
“Hmm… Ugh!”
Kal muttered incoherently, then suddenly jerked awake.
Of course, unable to support his own weight, he nearly toppled over again, but Jin Tae grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.
“You, you! Do you know who I am?! You think you’ll get away with this?!”
Kal shouted at Jin Tae, his jowls quivering.
“Pig. Now’s not the time for you to worry about me.”
“W-what… Pig…?”
His voice wasn’t exactly intimidating.
That’s why he could even open his mouth after being called a pig.
However, the killing intent behind Jin Tae’s low voice forced Kal to shut up.
Now he had to assess the situation.
“W-what do you want? Money? If someone hired you for this, I-I’ll pay double whatever they offered!”
The words came easily to him, having made so many enemies in his life.
“Hmm, double…”
Jin Tae snorted and twirled a dagger in his hand.
The dagger danced in his palm.
That only heightened Kal’s fear. As the one who’d raised the Dogs of the Arena, he could judge Jin Tae’s skill at a glance.
“If double’s not enough, then triple… no, quadruple!”
“You pig bastard, you think this is some gambling den where you just raise the stakes? Not that it’s such a bad offer for me…”
Kal stared at Jin Tae’s mouth, waiting for his answer.
He didn’t even care about being called a pig anymore.
All that mattered was Jin Tae’s reply. But what Jin Tae said next was unexpected.
“How about meeting my client first?”
Kal never even wondered why he’d been brought here.
He’d done far too many things to deserve death.
Still, he was desperately curious about who had orchestrated this.
And for an assassin to show him his client? It was absurd.
‘Does this mean if I pay more, he’ll give me the client’s head instead?’
So Kal interpreted Jin Tae’s words however he wished.
“Fine! Show me! And if you give me his head, I’ll pay ten times the fee!”
He didn’t even know the amount, yet he blurted out multiples as easily as he jiggled his fat.
‘He must’ve fattened himself on the marrow of countless children.’
There was more than enough reason to kill him.
“Yelling like that in this tiny room hurts my ears. Lower your voice. Now, let’s turn that neck around, shall we?”
Jin Tae forcibly twisted Kal’s neck to face Taehoo.
“Here, my client.”
Soon, the eyes buried in Kal’s fat opened wide as if they’d split.
“You, you! You bastard, it was you?!”
Though it was surely his first time seeing Taehoo, Kal attacked him as if he recognized him.
The reason was simple.
In Kal’s eyes, Taehoo looked like Joseph.
It was because of the hallucinogen Taehoo had applied when he attacked him.
“Ahahaha! That’s the reaction! Perfect, absolutely perfect!”
Jin Tae burst out laughing in satisfaction.
Bringing Kal here was both to win Taehoo over and to erase any lingering doubts.
Just from the pig’s reaction, Taehoo’s innocence was all but proven.
Jin Tae tossed a dagger to Taehoo.
It was different from the one given to the real Joseph.
“Here, kid. A present for you. End your revenge here.”
“W-what are you saying!”
Taehoo accepted the dagger. He didn’t say another word.
The man before him was trash who more than deserved to die.
‘It should have been your revenge. Sorry.’
He sent a brief word of consolation to Joseph, who was likely in Nakhal’s hands.
At the same time,
Thud!
He plunged the blade into Kal’s throat as Kal kept screaming.
“Guh… guh!”
Kal let out a dying gasp, his throat pierced straight through. Blood bubbled at his neck, and soon his massive body collapsed across the Solitary Cell.
“Your skill is as clean as ever. I like it.”
Jin Tae checked Kal’s corpse and grinned in satisfaction.
He no longer bothered to hide his feelings.
“What do you want?”
“Shouldn’t you be a bit more polite to the one who let you have your revenge?”
“…What is it?”
Taehoo hurriedly corrected himself, and even that pleased Jin Tae.
‘He must’ve only learned rough ways to speak. Heh. This is the biggest catch I’ve ever made in the Black Market.’
He was so pleased, he couldn’t help but laugh inside.
“Serve me as your master, the one who granted you revenge. And…”
Jin Tae put on a playful smile, as if about to share a secret.
“I’ll be your family from now on.”
He meant the Belial House.
“And when the time comes, I’ll put Supernatural Power in your hands.”
It was an admission that he possessed the holy artifact.
[Hoho, that’s a full-fledged recruitment, huh?]
Ba’al laughed, and Taehoo smiled inwardly too.
Of course, outwardly, he wore the eyes of one looking at a savior.
“An unfortunate family, a life at the bottom. Your short life has probably been full of such things. Opportunities to escape that don’t come often. Now, answer quickly. My patience isn’t that long.”
Jin Tae was certain Taehoo would accept his offer.
Taehoo, instead of jumping at it, pretended to hesitate a moment.
If he needed to act quickly, he would; but if there was something to consider, he’d move cautiously.
It was to give the impression he was careful and prudent.
[Seeing this… maybe becoming a stray dog again is your shortcut to success?]
Ba’al spoke as if for Taehoo to hear.
His eyebrow nearly twitched, but he held it in. These days, even the nonsense came in many varieties.
Did Ba’al just want to tease him with pointless chatter?
Pushing aside the stray thought,
“If you mean Supernatural Power… could it be…”
“It’s exactly what you think. I plan to make the kids I bring here members of my house. That’s it.”
“And what comes after that?”
You’ll find out if you follow me. That was quickly added.
‘Is this all I can get out of him now?’
Taehoo didn’t ask any more.
He even showed a bit more hesitation before finally accepting Jin Tae’s offer.
He became the first member of the Belial House.
Planning for the future before a corpse still bleeding out on the floor.
The future ahead of Taehoo was now clearer than ever.
It was nothing but ruin.