Chapter 24. Back Alley (3)
I'm screwed.
That was Choi Yoon-seo's honest thought.
Even he knew this was too much.
This lunatic seriously plans to walk into the Back Alley wearing an Association combat uniform!
He had never imagined Kim Si-hyeon would enter with the Association emblem openly displayed.
Even Special Division Director Park Min-ho wouldn't do something that insane.
Maybe a former Association President.
And on top of that...
“This is where I came out.”
Kim Si-hyeon was from the Back Alley.
Then he knows the rules even better than I do!
Come to think of it, the Back Alley hadn't always been called the Back Alley.
The name only appeared much later, after criminals gathered and its scale increased.
Then how old is this guy?!
According to Choi Yoon-seo's imagination, Kim Si-hyeon was definitely a legendary criminal.
One born here before the area was even called the Back Alley.
No wonder he talks like an old man despite looking like he's in his twenties!
Now Choi Yoon-seo understood how Kim Si-hyeon could have been imprisoned for so long.
Some criminal Hunters underwent illegal procedures and drank blood to maintain their youth.
Kim Si-hyeon had to be one of them.
He committed crimes from the early days of the Great Upheaval, then got imprisoned before terms like contribution distribution or Back Alley even existed!
The more he learned, the more terrified he became.
Kim Si-hyeon was a monster far beyond anything Choi Yoon-seo could handle.
He wanted to run immediately.
“We've reached the checkpoint.”
But he hid those thoughts and spoke carefully.
There was nothing he could do right now.
For now, he had to cooperate.
Kim Si-hyeon knew the Back Alley's rules and still chose to enter wearing an Association emblem.
A true outlaw.
Choi Yoon-seo was probably alive only because Kim Si-hyeon happened to be merciful.
The entrance to the Back Alley.
The Ganghwa Chojidae Bridge had been destroyed by the Back Alley, leaving Ganghwa Bridge as the only proper road into Ganghwa Island.
A checkpoint had been constructed there.
People armed with long swords, spears, bows, and rifles blocked passing cars and carried out inspections.
The sight was almost funny.
Criminals seriously conducting inspections on other criminals.
At the back of the checkpoint...
Checkpoint Chief Kim Kyung-il stood arrogantly and spat onto the ground while staring at the quiet bridge.
Not many customers lately.
Kim Kyung-il's main income came from visitors entering the Back Alley.
There was no official entrance fee.
Nor was he talking about the tolls and protection fees charged by guides.
It was more like a payment to save time.
Most visitors to the Back Alley were criminals coming to commit illegal acts.
Since this was technically a checkpoint, Kim Kyung-il could always find something wrong if he wanted.
That meant an inspection could last one or two hours.
Unless they paid to make the process much faster.
Of course, he needed visitors first.
Other than those Chilsung gang smugglers who came through earlier, today's earnings are terrible.
At least those people had paid generously.
When his shift ended, he planned to take one of his subordinates out for dinner.
The guy was simple enough to smile happily over pork belly.
A very cheap subordinate to maintain.
Would be nice to catch one more sucker before shift change.
Then an old car appeared in the distance.
Kim Kyung-il brightened and spoke to his subordinate.
“Let's do that one and then switch shifts. Pork belly and soju, okay?”
“If you're buying, sir, I'd be happy with dried jerky!”
“You bastard. You're officially one of my people.”
Kim Kyung-il slapped the man's shoulder, pleased to get one last customer.
Then...
“Huh?”
The subordinate recognized the old car.
“What? You know him?”
“You know that Baeksu Guild team leader? Choi Yoon-seo or something. Looks like he got kicked out now, though.”
“Ah, that small fry?”
Choi Yoon-seo had visited the Back Alley several times.
That was another reason suppressing the Back Alley was difficult.
Major Guild members and high-ranking officials sometimes visited privately because the Back Alley handled dirty work and held all kinds of useful connections.
But the reason Kim Kyung-il remembered a mere Baeksu team leader was simple.
“Forget pork belly. Tonight we're eating beef.”
“Woooo!”
That small fry was a sucker among suckers.
The first time, Kim Kyung-il only had to scare him a little.
Choi Yoon-seo trembled like a mouse in front of a cat and paid ten times the normal toll.
Later, after learning he'd been scammed, he came back to complain.
But what could he do?
He was only B-Rank.
Kim Kyung-il was A-Rank.
Kim Kyung-il simply frightened him more, took an even larger amount, and watched him run away.
In other words...
“The golden Goblin has returned.”
There was no way Kim Kyung-il could forget such an easy wallet.
He waited eagerly for Choi Yoon-seo's car to approach.
Then his subordinate tilted his head.
“But... he's not alone.”
“Huh?”
Choi Yoon-seo normally came alone.
Someone was sitting in the passenger seat this time.
“That silhouette looks strange... I'll check.”
The subordinate stepped forward.
Until then, Kim Kyung-il assumed the guy was thinking cleverly.
Take money first.
Then Kim Kyung-il could walk over, claim he never approved it, frighten them again, and collect a second payment.
“Choi Yoon-seo looks especially terrified today. Is he that scared of us?”
Kim Kyung-il laughed while looking at the car.
Even its wheels seemed to be trembling.
Then...
“Huh?”
The subordinate looked through the window.
He started trembling too.
Why is he shaking?
Then...
“Get out!”
The subordinate suddenly released mana and shouted.
Why is that idiot overdoing it? A little intimidation is enough.
They couldn't create too much noise.
Kim Kyung-il's little extortion scheme wasn't officially approved by the organizations controlling the districts.
If they discovered he'd been pocketing toll money himself, things would become troublesome.
He frowned and started walking over.
Both car doors opened.
Choi Yoon-seo stepped out.
That was fine.
The real problem was...
“C-Crazy.”
Another man stepped confidently out of the passenger seat.
The expensive combat suit he wore wasn't important.
As mentioned, Guild Masters and high-ranking officials visited the Back Alley often enough.
The reason Kim Kyung-il was horrified was...
“The Association! He's an Association Hunter!”
The Association emblem was clearly displayed on the man's suit.
“F-Fuck.”
Kim Kyung-il drew his sword.
“We're screwed.”
Of all times...
A major incident had happened during his shift.
I knew what places like the Back Alley were.
