Chapter 19. Righteous Faction and Unorthodox Faction (2)
“That should be more or less settled, right?”
“……”
At Kang Yujin’s words, Seok Taejun remained silent for quite a while.
“You were scarier just now than the Ghosts on the Ghost Train, Kang Yujin.”
“I didn’t even kill them.”
“That doesn’t mean everything is fine as long as you don’t kill them.”
Seok Taejun sighed and looked around.
“Honestly, I’m more surprised that none of them died.”
Men who had been struck by Kang Yujin’s iron mace were lying all around them.
Their bodies were broken in several places, but somehow, every single one of them was still alive.
“There’s no need for unnecessary killing.”
“That’s what I’m saying. Just because you didn’t kill them doesn’t mean… Never mind.”
Seok Taejun sighed again.
“Judging by how these people kept talking about the Unorthodox Faction earlier, they must belong to the Righteous Faction.”
“Righteous Faction?”
“Yes. The groups that oppose Pandemonium and try to destroy it are called the Righteous Faction. On the other hand, groups that cooperate and interact with Pandemonium are called the Unorthodox Faction.”
Seok Taejun continued.
“The names were borrowed from the Righteous and Unorthodox factions that appear in martial arts novels.”
“……”
From Seok Taejun’s explanation alone, it sounded like the Righteous Faction consisted of good people while the Unorthodox Faction consisted of bad people.
However, these men had pointed their swords at them the instant they met and acted extremely overbearing.
Seeing that, it did not seem like belonging to the Righteous Faction automatically meant someone was absolutely good.
“Wait.”
“Why?”
Kang Yujin raised his head.
He stared out across the vast wasteland before speaking.
“Someone else is coming from that direction.”
He narrowed his eyes.
“This time, it’s only one person.”
“…!”
The approaching man looked to be in his late thirties.
He was tall and wore a long black coat.
His long jet-black hair fluttered behind him as he walked toward them.
Watching him cross the field, Kang Yujin was reminded of a black horse galloping across an open plain.
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t look so wary.”
The man raised both hands to his sides as soon as he approached.
“I was watching from a distance. I have no intention of picking a fight with you, so there’s no need to be cautious.”
“……”
“Let me introduce myself first.”
He smiled.
“My name is Ma Taesu. I’m the captain of the Second Unit of the Black Dragon Society operating in this region.”
The Black Dragon Society.
That was the group the men they had fought earlier had called an “Unorthodox Faction” with obvious hostility.
So this man who had just appeared was an officer of the Black Dragon Society?
“May I ask your name?”
“Kang Yujin. That one over there is Seok Taejun.”
“Are you affiliated with any organization?”
“We follow the Nameless One.”
“Hmm. I see.”
Ma Taesu simply nodded without questioning him any further.
“This area is under Pandemonium’s influence, so civilians and even ordinary Contractors rarely come near here.”
He glanced toward the fallen men.
“The only Contractors who usually move around this area are members of our Black Dragon Society and the White Knight Order.”
“White Knight Order?”
“The people lying on the ground right now.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Judging by the situation, you don’t seem connected to either the Black Dragon Society or the White Knight Order.”
Ma Taesu looked at Kang Yujin.
“How did you end up here?”
“We got caught up in a strange event and were dropped here.”
“I see. That must’ve been rough.”
Once again, Ma Taesu did not press for more details.
He simply nodded.
“As you already experienced, this is a dangerous place.”
His voice remained calm.
“If you wander around alone, there’s a good chance someone will attack you.”
“Seems that way.”
“Then let me make you an offer.”
Ma Taesu smiled gently.
“What if the Black Dragon Society guarantees your safety?”
He continued in a smooth voice.
“If you wander around carelessly, there’s a high chance you’ll be attacked by Pandemonium’s servants or members of the White Knight Order.”
“But if you receive the protection of the Black Dragon Society, we can prevent that from happening.”
“What’s the price?”
“I don’t plan on asking for anything.”
He shrugged with a smile.
“I’m offering this purely out of goodwill.”
Then he added,
“I’d only like an opportunity to have a conversation with you. I find the two of you interesting.”
“That much is easy enough.”
“Then may I take that as you accepting my offer?”
“Sure.”
“Thank you.”
Ma Taesu nodded before raising one hand and signaling behind him.
A group of people who had been waiting far in the distance began approaching.
“They’re my subordinates.”
Ma Taesu smiled.
“I thought you might become suspicious if a whole group suddenly approached at once.”
“You were right.”
“Our camp is nearby. I’ll guide you there.”
Ma Taesu spoke with a gentle smile.
Ma Taesu…
I watched Kang Yujin and Seok Taejun following Ma Taesu through the Observation Device and fell into thought.
He’s one of the officers of the Black Dragon Society, an organization that interacts with Pandemonium.
Among Contractors, there were factions that viewed Pandemonium positively.
They were commonly known as the “Unorthodox Faction.”
The Black Dragon Society was one of those groups.
Originally, it had been a subordinate organization of a massive Chinese faction.
However, it had since become independent and was now following its own path.
Ma Taesu was a Contractor belonging to the Black Dragon Society.
If I had to rank the important members of the organization, he would easily be among the top five.
He was intelligent, cunning, and ambitious.
And he valued talented people more than money.
I had met Ma Taesu before.
We had only spoken briefly, but even then, I could tell he was no ordinary person.
Right now, he was only one of the officers of the Black Dragon Society…
But I had once predicted that he would eventually become an influential figure who shook the entire Contractor society.
“Nameless-nim.”
At that moment, No. 49 appeared.
“You’ve probably already seen it, but Kang Yujin’s group followed Ma Taesu.”
“Yeah. I’m still watching.”
No. 49 came over and looked into the Observation Device beside me.
The screen showed Kang Yujin and Seok Taejun walking together with Ma Taesu and his subordinates.
They were heading toward the Black Dragon Society’s camp nearby.
“Nameless-nim, then…”
No. 49 looked at me.
“Does this mean everything is going according to your plan?”
“Of course.”
That was right.
Kang Yujin’s group meeting Ma Taesu had been completely intentional on my part.
“Honestly, I was pretty confused at first.”
No. 49 scratched his cheek.
“Kang Yujin’s group was supposed to head to the metropolitan area, but the Ghost Train dropped them right into Pandemonium territory.”
“I told you. This actually worked out better.”
Truthfully, I had not been very pleased with the idea of Kang Yujin’s group heading straight to the metropolitan area.
They had excellent potential.
However, as Contractors, they were still beginners.
It felt too early for them to step into the metropolitan area, which was the center of Korean Contractor society.
“I seriously thought you’d gone crazy for a moment, Nameless-nim.”
No. 49 sighed.
“They were dropped into Pandemonium territory, yet you said it was a good thing.”
“What did you just say?”
“Ow! B-But if you think about it normally, a beginner Contractor being dropped into Pandemonium territory is a huge problem!”
“Pandemonium itself actually isn’t that dangerous.”
I crossed my arms.
“The White Knight Order and the Black Dragon Society are more dangerous.”
“I still don’t really understand why you think that way…”
“You saw those White Knight Order bastards suddenly attack Kang Yujin, didn’t you?”
“Honestly, I think Kang Yujin also had something to do with provoking them…”
