The road to the Triad was not easy.
After changing carriages twice and finally reaching the border, we could only get to Triad by riding a carriage operated by the organization there.
As much as I wanted to use flight magic or teleportation, it was said that doing so would leave a magical trace that could lead to problems later, so we had to endure this arduous journey.
After such a long trip, we finally arrived at the Triad.
“We have arrived.”
At the driver’s words, we woke up, packed our things, and got off the carriage.
Carefully helping the Master down, we finally set foot in Triad.
“This place is…”
“It’s my first time here too, Yuren’s disciple.”
The Master also mentioned it was his first visit to Triad.
I looked around the city known for its crime.
How peculiar could a city with this reputation be?
Contrary to my expectations, Triad was surprisingly ordinary.
“It’s more ordinary than I expected.”
I imagined Triad to be dark and filthy like the underground city Zaun from a legendary game.
But it wasn’t.
It was an unremarkable place filled with gray buildings made of worn bricks, resembling an old city on the outskirts of the Empire.
The waterless fountain gave a bleak impression, a clearly mafia-looking person was carefully exchanging bags in a café, and a group of loud thugs eating in a restaurant displayed snake tattoos on their faces—other than that, it looked like an ordinary city.
“It’s a Peace Zone, that’s why, Sora.”
“A Peace Zone? Jiren, no! Beor?”
“Even if it’s a city of crime organizations, nobody would come if there wasn’t a minimum level of safety. So, all organizations made a pact to keep this area free of incidents.”
I understood Beor’s explanation.
Without such a space, this journey would have been hard.
“Indeed… What happens if someone causes an incident here?”
“You either pay a huge compensation or lose all your fingers before dying.”
“F-fingers!?”
“Yeah, that’s how the organizations here execute their punishment.”
“Ugh… that’s brutal.”
Beor’s orange hair switched to a threatening black as he teased Sora like an uncle would his nephew.
With his pricked ears, Sora looked scared.
I spoke to Sora.
“So, are you scared, Sora?”
“No! I’m super excited! I want to go in quickly, Yuren-nim!!”
Sometimes I wonder what Sora would have done if he hadn’t become a game developer.
At least, I don’t think he would have held a typical office job.
As we talked, someone approached.
“Black Shadow, I am Shasha from the organization. I’ve been waiting for you.”
A young woman with brown hair and dark sunglasses looked like she belonged to a mafia.
The organization we struck a deal with hadn’t provided any details about a guide.
They simply said that someone would come when we arrived.
(“Black Shadow? What does that mean? Yuren’s disciple?”)
(“Ah! It must be our guise for this trip.”)
(“Black Shadow… ah! So that’s why they asked me to come with black hair, Yuren-hyung.”)
(“I’m always ready. Yuren-nim!”)
Is this person really our guide?
Starting off in such an interesting way, I thought I’d give her a nice tip at the end of the trip.
Clearing my throat, I began to act as Yuren, a member of the crime organization.
“Thanks for coming to greet us. Where are we discussing business?”
“Let’s do that at headquarters. The boss is waiting. I have a carriage ready over here.”
Following her lead, we headed to the carriage.
As we walked, I overheard Sora and Beor whispering behind us.
“Looks like we’ll meet the boss, huh?”
“Seems like it’s getting serious.”
I wanted to admire too, but I stayed quiet in case Shasha could hear us.
The Master followed me, and with her sunglasses on, she walked elegantly, her long black hair flowing, looking like an SSR grade girl agent from a previous life.
If it were my past life, I would definitely have summoned her.
“Please hand me your bags. I’ll carry them for you.”
“No, I’ll carry them myself, just in case.”
Once we reached the robust-looking carriage, we got in.
I was told to leave the bags in the trunk, but I heard advice that thieves might target them, so I decided to keep mine with me.
I was looking forward to what kind of journey awaited us as the carriage set off.
At that moment, Yuren’s party had departed, and Nevi, who had briefly gone to the restroom, was cursing the VIPs who hadn’t arrived yet.
“When the hell are these bastards arriving!? They said they’d departed from the village!!”
Little did she know, in her absence, they had come, and Shasha had taken them away, foreshadowing a big incident in Triad.
Oblivious, she lit up the last of her cigarettes in frustration.
*
Seeing the four figures with black hair get off the carriage, Shasha immediately recognized them as “Black Shadow.”
The rumors of black hair and the unusual magical energy they emitted, along with the heavy bags that looked like magical tools for work, made it clear that they were not just tourists in Triad but problem-solvers who had come for a job.
“Black Shadow, I am Shasha from the organization. I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Thanks for coming to greet us. Where are we discussing business?”
The man who appeared to be the leader of Black Shadow responded readily.
Shasha thought her assumptions were right and began to guide them to the carriage.
While moving, two of them talked amongst themselves, seemingly planning something.
Indeed, they were legendary problem-solvers.
Even during a short journey, they didn’t waste time and were already strategizing for the job. Shasha genuinely admired their professionalism.
Her thoughts were further confirmed as they boarded the carriage.
“It’s okay. I’ll carry it myself, just in case.”
Declining her offer to leave his bags in the trunk, the leader of Black Shadow insisted on carrying everything.
Shasha recalled that capable problem-solvers never just left their belongings to someone else.
These people were for real.
Feeling both respect and apprehension, she remembered the tales of how those who spoke carelessly to Black Shadow ended up losing their heads.
Then Shasha drove the carriage to take them to their boss’s waiting headquarters.
During the ride to the headquarters, located in the southwestern area managed by Sion, a woman from Black Shadow, appearing to be a filming enthusiast, took out a camera and began shooting the city like a tourist.
Dressing as a tourist to preempt suspicion—Shasha thought to herself that it was brilliant camouflage.
“This place really feels dangerous, doesn’t it, Yuren-nim?”
“Yeah, it’s completely different from the Peace Zone.”
Shasha was genuinely impressed by their acting skills.
About 20 minutes later, the carriage arrived at the hotel and headquarters of the Sion organization located in the center of the southwestern district.
“This place is?”
“This is the headquarters of our Sion organization. The boss is waiting inside.”
Leading the Black Shadow members, Shasha entered the hotel.
The organization’s members, notified in advance, quickly guided them through a secret passage to the boss’s room.
Upon arriving in an elegant room, a burly man with short gray hair and a torn mouth was waiting for Black Shadow.
Sion, the ruler and boss of the southwestern region of Triad, welcomed them.
“So, you are the Black Shadow? Nice to meet you. I’m the boss here, Sion. You’ve heard of me, right?”
“Thank you for the warm welcome, Mr. Sion.”
As they bore the reception of Sion, they took their seats.
At that moment, Irene sent a telepathic message to Yuren.
(‘Disciple, I’m hungry.’)
(‘Wow, it’s already that time. Just hold on a little longer, Master.’)
Looking at the time, Yuren noticed it was already mealtime.
To speed up the story, Yuren pressed the story fast-forward button.
“We don’t have much time, so let’s get straight to the point.”
“Hahaha! I love the professional attitude of getting right to business! You all should learn from this!”
“Yes!!! Boss!!”
Sion, who sat down heartily, laughed out loud and addressed his subordinates.
Yuren once again asked Sion.
“So, what is it that you want from us?”
As he extinguished his cigarette, Sion spoke as he lifted his torn mouth.
“If you are the legendary ones as rumored, then my request should be as easy as eating spaghetti dunked in olive oil. I’d like you to rob a bank for me.”
“A bank robbery?”
At that moment, Yuren remembered the black mask he had brought in his bag, and he could hear one of his bucket list items being checked off in his mind.
