Mercenary Black Mamba

Didn’t his master’s teacher also say that wasting food wasn’t ideal? Samedi took out a white handkerchief from his monk-in-training uniform. Food was better off clean. He spat on Quick-Fist’s neck several times and cleaned it with the handkerchief.

“Hehehe!”

He let out satisfactory laughter. His sharp canine teeth shone in the moonlight.

Boom—

“Kuagh!”

Samedi leaped just as he was about to tear into Quick-Fist’s neck. A bell sounded in his head. No, explosions went off.

Boom—

Boom—

Boom—

A row of explosions sounded in his head. A kind of pain, which seemed to tear his limbs apart, traveled down from his head to his toes.

“Kuuuuh!”

The sky and ground flipped over. Samedi drove his head straight into the ground and trembled. The explosions stopped, but the after-effects weren’t something to be laughed at either. His vision shook, and his teeth started chattering.

Xuanzang had placed the golden fillet on the head of Sun Wukong (Monkey King) and controlled it with the Tight-Fillet Spell. Monk Dae Woo had embedded a conditional golden fillet in Samedi’s head. Monk Dae Woo was slightly stronger. Poor Samedi was bound to live his life with a bomb in his head.

But it’s a waste…

Samedi, who regained his consciousness, lifted Quick-Fist again and licked his lips. It was too much of a waste to bury food that he’d just cleaned. The fragrant blood would flow down his throat just by him sinking his teeth into the body. Samedi smacked his lips over and over again.

“Ugh, what is this?”

Words started engraving in his head.

[Humans are still humans, even if they die. Don’t dream about consuming human blood. If you try one more time, your eyes will fall out, and you’ll be beaten until you turn to dust. Lastly, your head will explode. If you don’t believe me, you can go ahead and try.]

Every time a word was engraved, pain rushed in. It felt like his head was being hit with a hammer.

“Jotto, how is this a bit of pain!”

Samedi shook his head from side to side. That was 10 times more painful than getting 1,000s of pebbles thrown at him. There was no need to test it three times. It already felt like his head was about to explode.

You pitiful thing, you can’t produce red blood cells because your bone marrow is deformed. To live, you’ll have no choice but to consume blood. It can’t be helped. You must satisfy yourself with animal blood and not human blood. If you go against my words, you’ll feel a bit of pain.

The old man, who laughed like everything was good in the world, was actually a scary magician. His master used his hands and feet to beat him up, but the old man could hit him without physically touching him. What’s even scarier was the magic that had been hammering his head a while ago.

“Uh… Humans are scary!”

His limbs started hurting, and he was covered in cold sweats just by the thought of the pain that would cause his eyes to fall out and his teeth to chatter. He had no intention of testing the old man’s warning at all.

“Ugh, fine, this b*stard won’t taste that yummy anyway.”

Samedi gave up without hesitation. He threw the corpse aside and dug the ground with his hands. He had to hide the corpse before he got scolded. Like a crow’s foot, his left hand, which only had three fingers, dug rapidly into the ground. The rocks, which came into contact with his hand, shattered and bounced. His strength was comparable to a small crane fork.

A lantern light flashed past Samedi, who was busy working. It was Chicken feet and Bones, who arrived late. Samedi ignored them and concentrated on his work. He didn’t have the time to attend to meager weaklings.

“Wh…what is that?”

A large, dark-skinned figure was digging a hole in the dark mountains, and there was a human by the side. If one wasn’t bothered by such a sight, they wouldn’t be a human.

“It’s a big ghost,” Bones whispered.

“Yeah, as if it’s a ghost, you fool. Bones, shine the light again.”

The lantern light swept past Samedi, who was digging, and Quick-Fist.

“Oh, f***ing hell!” Chicken feet rubbed his eyes.

“See, he is a black man. Still, it’s weird. I’ve never seen a black man dressed like a monk before.”

“You stupid f***er, is the black guy the problem right now? Can’t you see Quick-Fist is lying there unconscious?”

Chicken feet slapped the back of Bones’ head because of his carefree remark.

“S**t, what should we do?”

“Idiot, hurry, turn off the light.”

Chicken feet and Bones stared blankly at each other. They couldn’t tell whether Quick-Fist was dead or not. They wanted to run over and check, but their feet didn’t move. They were completely intimidated by the man’s large build and the bizarre sight.

Rustle—

Driver Kim and Bullhead appeared, pushing their way through the bushes.

“Did you find the guy?”

“Shh!”

“Why’s this b*stard acting like that?”

“Aigo, bro, please, be quiet. We’re in trouble.”

“B*stard, what trouble can we possibly be in? Where did that guy flee to?” Bullhead shouted.

God, I’m about to go mad.

Bones wanted to show him what’s wrong by shining the light on the scene, but he didn’t dare to do so. His gall was already quivering, afraid that he might provoke the large black ghost.

“Brother, a black ghost has appeared.”

“What? B*stard, did you get spooked while digging the grave?”

“Look at your two o’clock, 20 meters ahead. Under that large rock.”

Bullhead and driver Kim turned to look in the direction where Chicken feet was pointing at.

“God, what is that?”

“What the hell?”

Driver Kim and Bullhead both shouted in fright. Quick-Fist was lying on his front under the moonlight, and a large black figure was digging the ground. Whoever he was, he was obviously planning to bury Quick-Fist.

“I can’t tell whether it’s a person or a ghost.”

“B*stard, did you get water in your eyes? There are no ghosts with shadows. That seems like a crazy man who left the American military.”

“Ah, a deserted Yankee black man! I see.”

Chicken feet and Bones both exclaimed once they observed the black ghost’s shadow. As expected, government officials were different somehow.

“Is Quick-Fist dead?”

“I think so. He intends to bury him, I think.”

“Damn, he’s really big. Let’s attack him.”

Bones was eager to fight after confirming that the man wasn’t a ghost.

“Wait, let’s attack all at once when he finishes his work,” Bullhead whispered.

Driver Kim felt like something was off. Every time he felt that—the annoying prickling sensation at the back of his head—something bad happened. He’d felt the same way when he got sick from receiving too many bribes.

“Damn, I must be cursed from messing with the wrong grave,” driver Kim mumbled.

The black man before him gave off an unusual aura. Perhaps, he was really a goblin.

The previous driver, Mr. Lee, had told him not to get too involved with Madam Jang. It was useless advice. Since when did an employee have the right to do whatever they wanted? He had to do whatever she asked and give her whatever she needed. Even white dogs survived on bones.

Damn, I knew this felt wrong from the beginning. I should leave now.

He wasn’t loyal to anyone anyway. Driver Kim distanced himself from the gang members. The former secret police employee and the three gang members who ruled over the market each had different thoughts as they glared at the grizzly who was still digging.

Samedi knew about the four b*stards hiding in the grass but didn’t care. No matter how fast those lousy humans ran, they were no faster than fleas. It would be advantageous if they ran at him, but if they fled, he only had to catch them.

The more urgent matter now was to get rid of the evidence. The image of his master’s fist faded in and out of his vision. His bones would crack, and his skin would tear with one hit. He’d completely given up on the idea of sparring against his master after getting beaten to a pulp for his excessive reliance on his physical defense.

A hole, which was sufficient enough to bury a person, appeared. Samedi kicked the corpse inside the hole. He pushed the soil over with his feet and stomped on the ground to make it flat.

“Hhhh…”

The Chil Sung market gang members let out a long groan simultaneously. Their friend, who used to eat with them, had disappeared without a trace. They’d handled all kinds of difficult work until now, but that was their first time witnessing someone catching a person like a chicken and burying the said person like a cat.

“Oi, chicken heads, did I make you wait too long?”

Samedi approached them with swagger. The Chil Sung market gang members, who realized he could overcome a heavyweight pro wrestler with his large build, felt their mouths drop open.

“Jotto, does a knife not work on a black man? Let’s play one round, you deserter.”

Bullhead pulled out a sashimi knife from his chest pocket. It was an authentic Honyaki knife. He had bought an ebony wood handle with a blade length of 330 millimeters and a sheath from the international market and paid 450,000 won, which was worth 10 islands[1] of rice. The tungsten alloy blade glistened in the moonlight. Fear melted away and courage surfaced.

“Of course, but you can only slice him up after I give him a solid blow on the head with my shovel.” Bones shook his shovel.

Driver Kim slowly took a shovel from another person’s hand and held it.

“Are you ready?”

“Ya!”

Everyone took up a weapon. Chicken feet grabbed a handaxe while Bones carried a large driver. Driver Kim raised his shovel.

“One, two, three, go!”

Bullhead and two of his aides leaped out.

F***, you guys do well.

Driver Kim hesitated and soon ran the other way.

“Thanks a lot, friends!”

A smile lingered on Samedi’s mouth. He could almost see the boar meat before his eyes. The meat that his master grilled over charcoal for him was always delicious. Sitting around would only leave him with fingers to suck on. He thanked the people for running at him instead of running away from him.

“Yaaa!”

Bones attacked his side with the driver from the right, and Bullhead attacked his neck with his sashimi knife from the left.

“Haa!”

Chicken feet hurled his body as though he was diving and slammed Samedi’s foot down with his ax. It was a fantastic triple combination attack created by those who used to seek fame but still matured over time.

Slap—

Crack—

Slap—

Crack—

The sound of impacts on the cheeks and bones cracking rang simultaneously. Samedi slapped away the driver and sashimi knife with both of his hands and slapped their cheeks with the back of his hands. At the same time, both of his feet landed on their calves. Both of his limbs played different parts.

Bullhead and Bones, who had attacked from the sides, collapsed just like that.

“Kwaaa!”

A distressing scream echoed. Human bones couldn’t withstand the shock of a hammer’s full swing. Both rolled on the ground, their gums shattered and their shins smashed. It was all thanks to Samedi, who managed to control his strength without making any mistake this time.

Chicken feet’s condition was worse. His handaxe, which he’d slammed down with all his might, bounced back as if it had hit a tire.

“Aaaagh!”

An electrifying scream exploded. There was no way that anyone’s joints could withstand two 45-degree rotations. His shoulder joints popped out, and the broken elbow bones protruded and tore his skin.

Bang—

The handaxe landed in between his legs.

“Hup!”

Chicken feet’s mouth instantly closed. There was no way that a gang member wouldn’t know what axes meant. It was a warning—his p*nis would be chopped off if he didn’t stop screaming. Samedi gently stepped on Chicken feet’s ankle with his boat-like foot.

Craaaack—

The sound of his ankle bones slowly shattering was disturbing.

“Uhhhhh!”

Chicken feet’s eyes grew wide as though they were about to pop out. He didn’t know what the monster would do if he shouted. Blood trickled down Chicken feet’s mouth, through his clenched teeth.

The three Chil Sung market gang member’s attacks ended in vain. In the first place, it was like they were slamming an egg on a rock. The physical difference between both sides was too great. Even if 30 Chil Sung market gang members had attacked, they would have been defeated in three minutes.

Wol Song San was famous for its arrowroots. Arrowroots covered the entire field above the fifth border. Samedi pulled out a bunch of arrowroots from the ground.

Riip—

The bunch of entangled arrowroots was pulled out entirely.

Samedi tied all three b*stards’ hands and feet with arrowroots. Although they weren’t in a state to flee, his master had told him to tie them up, and so he did.

“Quiet! I’ll cut it.”

Bullhead and Bones groaned when Samedi pointed at their lower regions with an ax in hand. Samedi did as he was taught by his master.

“Uhhh, Mr. Kim that damned b*stard!”

Bullhead gritted his teeth. Driver Kim’s betrayal infuriated him more than the black man before him.

“You stay put until I’m back. You understand?”

Whoosh—

The guy before them disappeared in a flash.

“Bro, what is that?”

“F**king b*stards, would I know? He’s not human for sure.”

“Do you think he’s really a ghost?”

“Sigh, I don’t know.”

Bullhead found everything annoying. His shins almost turned to dust. Once crippled, it was hard to survive in his line of work. For some reason, his sacrifice was greater than the amount received to dig out the grave.

“Jeon Du Hwan, that f***ing b*stard!” Bullhead cursed Jeon Du Hwan out all of a sudden.

Still, it wasn’t wrong. If it hadn’t been for the Samchung re-education camp, Bullhead would be living a peaceful life in Chil Sung market. However, his quality of life declined ever since they began arresting gang members if they so much as farted. Now, he was about to die from carrying out all kinds of dirty work while trying to survive. Even Chicken feet and Bones’ faces grew discouraged.

Driver Kim ran down Wol Song San like a madman. The three Chil Sung gang members’ brief shouts followed him from behind. He immediately knew when he saw him. That was an existence not to be provoked.

Driver Kim, who reached the fifth border, turned to look back.

“No!”

A black ghost jumped after him. No, it was flying toward him. It jumped over most trees that were of average height. It was everything like the hometown legend. Fear took over driver Kim.

“Uaaaa…”

He desperately rolled and jumped down the mountain since his life was on the line. His goal was the village’s first house with the lights still on. He was willing to enter jail if it meant he could avoid the black ghost.

“Egh!”

Driver Kim fell forward as his feet got caught in a bunch of arrowroots. As soon as he stood up, a tall shadow covered him.

Bang—

A black shadow descended from the sky. Driver Kim’s face creased.

A yellow liquid flowed down from between his legs. The sour smell of ammonia caused Samedi’s nose to twitch.

“Egh, you dirty!”

Samedi grabbed driver Kim’s ankle.

“I go to catch some pigs. Hang the rope on the nose. Pork belly chops are good, Jokbal is also good…”

[1] A traditional unit of measurement used by the people of the Korean peninsula.