Boom! Boom! Boom!
Normally, 7 AM isn’t the time I wake up. Typically, people in the Central Plains wake up at dawn and sleep when the sun sets, but Sacheon City is a bustling metropolis, so mornings come late and nights stretch long. Most people start working around the modern equivalent of 9 AM.
I usually wake up around 8 AM, stretch a bit, have breakfast, and gear up for the day.
However, martial artists are peculiar believers in the idea that they need to absorb the essence of dawn to progress, so Outcasts aiming to elevate their skills get up between 4 and 6 AM, train for a couple of hours, and prepare for their requests of the day, unless they’re extremely exhausted from overexertion the previous day.
So, unless they ate something wrong, the Outcasts were knocking on my door while I was still in dreamland.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Wake up! The promised time is upon us; why are you dawdling?”
“Hey, you bastards! Who are you working for?”
“Oh dear, we are the judges. We must ensure a fair match!”
Those crazy Outcasts started banging on my door an hour before our scheduled time. I’m an Outcast, and Tang Do-gyeong is an outsider!
Dragging myself down like a cow being led to the slaughter, I found Tang Do-gyeong sitting there, sweaty from what looked like a vigorous training session.
What sweat?
Reading the confusion on my face, Tang Do-gyeong laughed and said,
“Hahaha! I arrived an hour early because I was so looking forward to our match!”
I just got chills. Did he come two hours early out of fear that I might run away? He had been lurking around the Outcast Inn since 5 AM, which felt a bit creepy.
“And that’s why I can see some Outcasts training, right?”
‘Outcasts’?
“I’ve only heard bad rumors about the Sacheon Outcasts, but the heat emanating from the training hall at this early hour rivals any sect!”
True, the Outcasts might be a bunch of irresponsible folks, but they’re incredibly eager when it comes to improving their skills.
“This Tang’s Descendant is thoroughly impressed after observing them! Their level of training is far beyond what can be achieved in just a day or two! How could I not be in awe? I bow my head in shame for having only believed the negative rumors!”
Yeah, we all know how those rumors go. The Outcasts train not at all and just drink until late at night—that kind of stuff. The horror stories surrounding the Sacheon Outcasts consist of nothing but bad news.
“Given such a stigma, it wouldn’t be surprising if their spirits were broken. Yet, seeing them quietly honing their martial arts inside the inn ignites a fire of righteous enthusiasm in my heart! So, I decided to warm up before our match!”
“…I see.”
That’s when it finally clicked as to why the Outcasts were pounding on my door at dawn.
A Peak Expert is a rare sight among the numerous sects in Sacheon City, with only three of them ever reaching that stage. Achieving peak prowess in your twenties is child’s play compared to the rest, where it feels like reaching for the stars. Throughout history, only three Outcasts have ever reached the pinnacle. Considering they gather talented Outcasts at the entrance to greatness, you can imagine how lofty that level truly is.
And now this Peak Expert is willing to demonstrate for them in the name of a match?!
Moreover, this Peak Expert is showering praise and recognition on the Outcasts?
Of course, the Outcasts want to be recognized. They gathered here because it’s the only place to improve their martial arts, and while it was their choice, the desire for recognition is deeply human.
Recognition is essential, but what’s equally important is who gives that recognition.
How fortunate that the one doing the recognizing is none other than Tang Do-gyeong—a true Righteous Faction representative, unsatisfied with the fake Righteousness of his long life, who’s touched the hearts of weary Outcasts!
It’s no wonder the Outcasts swarmed into my room, knocking loudly to present me!
I gazed around with feelings of betrayal.
You bastards, how can you offer up a comrade who’s been through thick and thin with you for seven years like this?
I shot them my best glare, but the Outcasts glared right back with menacing enthusiasm.
“What’s taking so long? Let’s get started already.”
“Can’t you see tang Dae-hyup is waiting!”
“What are you doing wasting tang Dae-hyup’s precious time!”
Is this what life’s like? Sure, I might’ve given the Outcasts a few gambling tips, but that won’t change the fact that I fed them coins. Yet here they were, conveniently forgetting all about that and dragging me into the spotlight.
“Hahaha, I’m fine! I just need some time to prepare.”
“Ah! We’re already past the appointed time! What’ve you been doing without preparing!”
“I’m so disappointed in you!”
My head was spinning from the avalanche of baseless accusations. Tang Do-gyeong tried to placate them with a cheerful smile, but this only inflamed the Outcasts even more.
“Fine…let’s gamble.”
The only way to silence the Outcasts was to dive straight into the contest. By 7 AM, I was already fried, tossing dice into my cup, preparing for the game.
Once the setup was ready, though, the bashing from the Outcasts ceased.
“This one here!”
Needless to say, where Tang Do-gyeong pointed had no dice.
“Oh…!”
“I thought that too!”
The atmosphere took a weird turn. I was an Outcast, and Tang Do-gyeong was the outsider, yet he was receiving tons of support from the audience while I felt like a pitiful challenger in an away game.
With every mistake Tang Do-gyeong made, the disappointed gasps from the Outcasts only grew louder.
As I watched the Outcasts tremble with their fists clenched or hitting their foreheads in despair, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
In their eagerness, the Outcasts acted like they were betting their money on this gambling game, which provided an enlightening moment about the absurdity of human nature.
Oh, how terrifyingly potent human virtue can be!
Tang Do-gyeong, having ascended to the Outcast chamber’s favor, practically controlled the Sacheon Outcasts at this point.
An hour went by, and Tang Do-gyeong soothed the complaining Outcasts like they were mourning a gambling loss.
“Tang Dae-hyup, I’ll be looking forward to our meeting tomorrow.”
“Of course, I’ll arrive at the same time as today; we can discuss it then.”
With many Outcasts seeing him off with respect, he walked out proudly, shoulders squared—he could easily be called the King of Outcasts.
“Senior, what’s all this commotion about in the morning… Haaaam.”
Looking more worn out than usual was Black Cat, who sat down across from me, possibly having had a rough night.
“What kind of chaos is this…”
I wanted to pour out my gripes about the situation to Black Cat, but I was too wiped out to even muster anger.
As I fumbled with my chopsticks, forcing down somen, Yu Sa-yeon, looking just as drained, took a seat nearby.
Tang Do-gyeong’s presence was already a source of concern for Yu Sa-yeon, and now seeing the Outcasts cozying up to him with mutual titles of “Dae-hyup” and “Outcast,” it’s no wonder she felt troubled. Yu Sa-yeon was just as beaten down as I was.
“You look tired too, I won’t prattle on. Any plans?”
“I did contact the Tang Clan.”
“I hope they send their elite, but I doubt they’ll dispatch that many Experts…”
Tang Do-gyeong is part of the Tang Clan. To bring him down without inflicting harm to him, we really need 3-5 Experts of equal level for the job as a condition not to injure each other.
It’s a tall order for the Tang Clan to gather five Peak Experts on short notice.
“Black Cat, can’t you think of anything?”
“Haaaa? I don’t have any bright ideas; even Senior Ho is at a loss, so what can I say?”
Desperate, I considered asking for help from Black Cat’s underworld connections. They seem to have some involvement with influential factions—maybe they could offer a way out?
But then again, relying on her connections might just result in me getting dragged down by debt. I don’t know her age, but she’s still young and deployed as a field agent, so she probably doesn’t have much leverage in power dynamics. If her faction tries to exploit me, she’d end up in trouble, and our arrangement could fall apart.
People prefer using intermediaries instead of visiting the Outcast Inn directly because just entering could damage their reputation and standing.
Even with the pretext of wanting the Blood Jade Plaque back, if this situation drags on, it’ll be hard for people to ignore Tang Do-gyeong associating openly with the Outcasts, which would deal a fatal blow to the Tang Clan’s honor.
A few more days of patience would mean the Tang Clan would handle Tang Do-gyeong on their own.
“I’m sorry, Innkeeper. Let’s just hold off for a few days.”
“Sigh… Ho Cheon-an, you treacherous bastard…”
Right, just a few more days. Surely, the Tang Clan will send someone to deal with him.
And then, three more days passed without any news from the Tang Clan, and Tang Do-gyeong said:
“Would it be okay for me to stay here at the Outcast Inn as an Outcast?”
Watching Yu Sa-yeon collapse in shock, I instinctively knew:
This was a problem I had to solve, no matter what.
