Urban Vagabond: Reload

That was when the bandaged saber-wielder suddenly stepped forward.

And before anyone could stop him, he drew the saber strapped to his back and slammed it down into the floor with all his strength.

CRACK!

The floor shattered as the blade dug in deep.

A show of force, like he was trying to prove he belonged here.

But everyone just stared in stunned disbelief at the random property damage.

“Why all of a sudden...?”

“You...!”

“......”

It wasn’t just Hwang Suksu—Kim Bokja and Kim Muhyuk hadn’t expected that sudden move either.

Thankfully, Kim Muhyuk was quick on his feet and rushed out an excuse.

“This guy can’t stand anything that hurts his pride. I’d appreciate it if you watched what you say and do from now on.”

My fault?

Hwang Suksu looked at Kim Muhyuk with a sour expression.

If the other man hadn’t been his lifesaver, he would’ve snapped back, but he forced out a smile with sheer patience.

“Haha. Sorry. I wasn’t trying to ignore him... I guess Blue Wolves only recruit strange people into the crew?”

As he spoke, Hwang Suksu looked from Kim Muhyuk to Kim Bokja, then nodded like he’d convinced himself.

It was mildly unpleasant to be lumped together with that lunatic, but Kim Muhyuk nodded anyway and shot the bandaged saber-wielder a glance.

Idiot. I told you to stay quiet.

If Hwang Suksu hadn’t let Shin Kangheon’s over-the-top act slide, they could’ve ruined everything before even getting to the point.

Nod!

But Shin Kangheon must’ve read Kim Muhyuk’s look a completely different way, because he met his gaze boldly and nodded back.

I was pretty awesome, right?

Why did he feel like he could hear that stupid thought even without words?

Even after wrapping himself in bandages to hide his identity—and even sealing his mouth—Shin Kangheon was still Shin Kangheon.

Please. Be faithful to the role of a quiet, serious saber-wielder.

After warning Shin Kangheon with his eyes, Kim Muhyuk turned back to Hwang Suksu.

And in a perfectly calm voice, he said,

“Well, it’s not like you’re wrong. We aim for a small, elite team, so everyone’s a bit unusual.”

Nod, nod!

Like he loved the phrase small, elite team, the bandage-wrapped Shin Kangheon nodded his head hard.

And Kim Bokja, unable to take it anymore, calmly stepped on Shin Kangheon’s foot.

“Small talk ends here.”

Kim Muhyuk reset the mood and went straight into business.

“The information we want is Great Heaven Gate’s ‘backside’ operations. Location, scale—and if possible, how many masters they have.”

Before he even finished speaking, Hwang Suksu’s expression stiffened uncomfortably.

“Backside” was underworld slang for illegal operations.

That alone wasn’t shocking—but the sect name attached to it was the kind you didn’t mention lightly.

“...I think I just heard the sect name wrong.”

“Great Heaven Gate. At that scale, you’re the only source I can think of who’d know.”

It was an answer that crushed Hwang Suksu’s wishful thinking into dust.

Even in a perfectly soundproof room, Hwang Suksu lowered his voice.

“Normally I wouldn’t ask why, and I’d tell you without taking an information fee. But isn’t this job too big? Not just anywhere—Great Heaven Gate, when they’re on edge because of that recent incident... No, wait.”

As if the pieces clicked together and he realized something, Hwang Suksu trembled like he’d been struck by lightning.

His face went pale as he stared at the three of them.

“S-So don’t tell me the Great Heaven Gate terror incident from a while back... You aren’t connected to that, are you?”

“......”

“You’ve got to be kidding me! This is really bad for me. Great Heaven Gate isn’t some half-assed mid-tier sect—and you want me tangled up with them? I’ll pretend I never heard this, so just go. I’ll repay the life you saved some other way. Yeah?”

It was exactly the kind of answer you’d expect from Hwang Suksu—someone who put his own safety first.

But it wasn’t unexpected, so Kim Muhyuk replied in a relaxed voice.

“Is information on Great Heaven Gate more expensive than the price of the life I saved?”

“If you save me today and I die tomorrow, what’s the point? Do I look like an easy mark?”

At Hwang Suksu’s stubborn rebuttal, Kim Muhyuk played the card he’d prepared.

“I can guarantee your safety. Because...”

Kim Muhyuk gestured like it was crucial information and leaned in. Hwang Suksu looked sour, but curiosity won out, and he tilted his ear toward him.

“Great Heaven Gate is going to be dismantled soon. Meaning—no matter how much you strip them before that, there won’t be any backlash.”

“...!”

Great Heaven Gate was tied to the incident during the license exam, and it had a close relationship with Sun and Moon Gate—who were suspected of having the Heavenly Demon Cult behind them.

That alone meant Great Heaven Gate’s fate was like a candle in the wind.

If even Sun and Moon Gate might go down, then the moment this gets exposed, something like Great Heaven Gate can only collapse into pieces.

Of course, Kim Muhyuk had no intention of telling Hwang Suksu that much yet.

He only gave him the implication that if he joined this job, he could grab a huge score.

Because once Hwang Suksu was completely in the same boat, Kim Muhyuk wouldn’t have to worry about getting stabbed in the back.

“Ha... This is driving me insane. It’s hard to call it nonsense when I’ve seen what I’ve seen with my own eyes...”

Hwang Suksu looked at Kim Muhyuk like he was staring at some unknown creature.

Even though all he could see was the goggles and mask.

After a brief moment of thought, Hwang Suksu let out a long sigh. Then, as if he’d made up his mind, he grinned.

“Can you let me in on this game too?”

A compulsive gambler.

Hwang Suksu valued self-preservation above anything, but when he had conviction, he also had the guts to bet big.

“Depends on what you deliver. You’re not going to just act like you did something with some worthless info, right?”

“Hahaha! Don’t worry! Give me one day and I’ll scrape the bottom clean!”

That was the moment Kim Muhyuk brought the owner of The Dark Den—one of the most connected sources in the underworld—onto their side.

“Now let’s talk while we eat something simple. I already know a few of Great Heaven Gate’s hidden backside operations. And among them, the primary revenue source is...”

After that, the three of them focused on what poured out of Hwang Suksu’s mouth.

*****

The next day.

The three arrived at a club in Gangnam.

Shin Kangheon looked up at the neon sign blinking in flashy pulses and swallowed hard.

“...This is my first time somewhere like this.”

“You look like you clock in at a club every day, but you’re secretly such a rookie?”

Kim Bokja snorted and teased Shin Kangheon, but in truth, she couldn’t fully hide her own nerves either—she kept flicking her eyes around.

That’s why kids...

Kim Muhyuk led the way with a casual expression.

In his past life, when money was tight, he’d worked as a guard here and there a few times.

The other two trailed behind him, shrinking as they followed along.

A guard who’d learned martial arts looked the three of them up and down, then nodded.

“Go on in.”

They followed the stairs down underground.

And moments later, glittering lights came into view—along with people dancing frantically beneath them.

“Wow...”

“Ugh.”

Shin Kangheon’s eyes widened at the sight of a new world, and Kim Bokja pinched her brows like she was disgusted.

As they stepped into the club, some people threw subtle, flirtatious looks their way.

“Let’s get something to drink first.”

After bringing them to the counter and ordering something decent, Kim Muhyuk slowly surveyed the area.

Guards with martial arts... five.

There were no masters worth worrying about, and most were only at the level of third-rate martial artists.

Among them, the only one who seemed second-rate was blocking a corridor leading somewhere.

“That way.”

When Kim Muhyuk set his glass down on the counter, Shin Kangheon and Kim Bokja’s expressions changed too. The chill settled into their faces as they stopped awkwardly scanning the room.

“As planned, I’ll move separately.”

Kim Bokja used spells to erase her presence. The men who’d been glancing at her blinked, then looked around in confusion before smacking their lips in disappointment.

Tap, tap.

Kim Bokja tapped the earbud in her ear with a finger.

“You know what to do if something happens, right?”

While Kim Muhyuk and Shin Kangheon went deep inside the club to stir things up, she would move separately and gather information.

Shin Kangheon lightly cracked his neck left and right, then asked Kim Bokja,

“The ember?”

“I’ll keep it lit. Use it sparingly.”

FWOOSH—

A blue ghostflame—one that ordinary eyes couldn’t see—settled near Shin Kangheon’s heart.

Shin Kangheon lightly patted his warmed chest and grinned.

After confirming his teammates were ready, Kim Muhyuk said,

“Let’s start.”

Kim Bokja melted into the crowd, and Kim Muhyuk and Shin Kangheon walked up to the guard blocking the corridor.

“Hey, it’s our first time here.”

“...?”

“Can we get some indigestion medicine?”

The guard snorted and stepped aside.

Then he gave two people who looked much younger than him what he probably thought was friendly advice.

“If you overdo it, you won’t make it home tonight. If you don’t want to get recycled, keep it moderate.”

Leaving the guard’s meaningful laugh behind, the two walked down the winding corridor until they reached a deeper part of the club.

Huuuuuh—

Thick smoke hung in the air, and inside it, people’s giggles echoed.

Bodies sprawled across sofas and tables, eyes dull and unfocused like dead fish.

Clothes and jewelry that screamed luxury at a glance, and expensive whiskey bottles, were scattered everywhere.

“Morons.”

Shin Kangheon spat the curse under his breath.

Seeing Great Heaven Gate’s illegal operation in person made disgust surge up—veins stood out along his clenched fist.

—Drugs for rich kids are the basics. But the main thing is deeper inside.

Kim Muhyuk pushed further in, recalling what Hwang Suksu had told them.

As they cut through the haze, people who looked clear-headed started appearing.

Every one of them had a sinister gaze, with weapons hidden at their waist or inside their clothes.

—They sell doping drugs used by martial artists too. Not cheap stuff—real dangerous ones. You know what I mean, right? But that’s not the main thing either. The real thing is...

“Stop.”

A guard with a sturdy build and a cold face blocked them.

He radiated a strong presence—somewhere between second-rate and first-rate. There was disciplined precision in his gait, the mark of real training.

“I haven’t seen your faces before. Do you have an invitation?”

His tone was polite, but his attitude was overbearing.

From behind him, faint but unmistakable, came the smell of blood.

—It’s a butcher shop. A place where they traffic martial artists’ organs at high prices. Only VIPs can enter. What I’m really curious about is... where the hell do they source all of it?

Kim Muhyuk looked at the door behind the guard and asked,

“We don’t have an invitation. If we tell you the name of the person who invited us, can we go in?”

“...A nickname will do. If you have a card, I’ll verify it.”

Kim Muhyuk slipped a hand inside his clothes like he was searching for something.

At the same time, Shin Kangheon put a hand over his chest and tapped his fist against it like knocking. The ghostflame rippled, then slowly spread through his entire body.

“Ah. Looks like we didn’t bring it. You’ll have to come verify it in person.”

Kim Muhyuk smiled smoothly and pulled out a fist-sized potato from his pocket, offering it to the guard.

“Looks like you’re high.”

The guard’s eyebrow twitched. Killing intent flowed off him as he swung his hand—about to slap Kim Muhyuk across the face.

“An orthodox bastard—aren’t you ashamed?”

CRACK!

Shin Kangheon’s fist struck first in a sudden ambush, smashing into the guard’s face—while at the same time, Shin Kangheon ignited flames across his whole body.

FWOOSH!

Blue fire wrapped around him in an instant, and the human-skin mask he wore caught and burned away.

Inside it, his face appeared—wrapped tight in bandages everywhere except around his mouth.

“Filthy bastards. You’re all dead.”

At the same time, Kim Muhyuk drew up the Five Elements Divine Art and raised a pure white current of energy.

Staring past the door, Kim Muhyuk spoke in a cold tone.

“Seeing what kind of shit you’re doing, I won’t feel guilty beating you into the ground.”

Sssssss—

Ice and flames began to swallow the underground club.