Mercenary Black Mamba

Samedi, who was in a better mood, hummed and dragged his hunt back up the mountain. His fast and offbeat humming was strangely addictive. Driver Kim's head swayed from left to right, hitting the trees and rocks while bobbing to the beat of Samedi's song.

Samedi was in a good mood because his job was done, but driver Kim, who was dragged by the ankle like a dog, was very much not. While he had avoided the worst because of his thickly-padded parka and waterproof cotton pants, he was in a horrible state. Even Jesus, who had climbed Calvary Hill, would have clicked his tongue. Feeling like his life was being threatened, driver Kim tried his best to wrap his hands around his head and curled his body.

"Damn b*stard, I'm not a pig!"

He shouted, but it felt like he was reading a book to a pipe. Samedi tortured driver Kim as far as the distance he had fled. There was no reason to hear out the man's complaints when he originally intended to torment him.

Rumble—

He broke out into a sprint. Driver Kim didn't have the opportunity to complain at all because he was being dragged at such a speed.

"Ugagagaga!"

Driver Kim's screams echoed in the still mountain.

Splat—

A sharp kitchen knife sliced the arteries. Yeon Soon, who had been waiting with a bowl in hand, rushed forward to receive the blood.

"Do you want me to peel off the skin for you?"

"Today's oppa's birthday. You can't see blood on your birthday. Deok San, you'll have to lend me a hand."

"Oh, yes, that's my specialty."

Sam Chul ajussi took out a pocket knife and sharpened it on a whetstone. Jin Soon and Yeon Soon took bowls of boiling water from the stove and poured it over the boar.

Sam Chul ajussi shaved off the boar's fur skillfully. Yeon Soon helped him by continuing to pour hot water. Once he finished shaving its fur, Sam Chul ajussi sliced the boar's stomach. Jin Soon collected the pouring intestines in a rubber basin and made her way to the water pipe.

Jin Soon and Yeon Soon rubbed and washed the intestines, got rid of any remaining dirt by flipping them around, and washed them once more. Sam Chul ajussi angled the limbs and sliced them off. Jin Soon separated the meat and marinated them in ginseng and onion sauce. The meat of wild animals gave off a smell when eaten right away. The three people moved in synchronization.

"Ho!" Mu Ssang exclaimed as he watched.

As expected of Jin Soon and her siblings. It was not easy for young women to pull apart a boar's head, and at the same time, removing and cleaning their intestines. Jin Soon could do anything since she had lost her father at a young age and had to help out around the farm and house.

Of course, he didn't intend to stop her. Like Hwa Ja, there were plenty of women who were born with rich parents and wasted their lives on drugs. Even though sweat was dripping down her face despite the cold weather, Jin Soon looked even more beautiful!

Looking back, work for men and women in this world was no different. In Chad, a 12-year-old girl walked around with a rifle in hand. Some mothers would also use their bats to steal the hyenas' catches. There was nothing one couldn't do when it came down to it. This land's grandmothers and mothers lived just like Jin Soon, rough yet focused.

"Yeon Soon, grab that end."

Jin Soon mixed the prepared soondae ingredients with blood and stuffed them into the intestines. She shook, compressed, and stuffed them once more. Then, they shook both ends to compress again. The stuffed soondae went straight into the boiling stove pot.

Korean ajummas in their 40s and 50s were superhumans. After steaming, cooking, frying, and boiling, a full table was prepared within an hour. Their loud laughter and chattering continued late into the night. Mu Ssang was happy. That was the world where people lived in. That was why people lived.

"Uh, how did that happen!"

Bullhead's group shuddered. Driver Kim, who was dragged along by his ankle, was in a terrible state. He barely looked like a human. His clothes were ragged, and his skin had turned red with tears all over—it was as though he had been immersed and pulled out of a pot of blood. They were in a much better state with their neatly broken bones.

"This is what happens if you run."

Bullhead shivered at Samedi's words. His plan to flee as soon as the opportunity arose disappeared instantly. Samedi tied driver Kim up with arrowroots tightly and threw him in the middle of the gang. He then headed to the raccoon den.

"Oi, come out now."

"N…no!"

Sang Chul had no intention of leaving even at the risk of death. The den was barely three meters long, but he was planning to stay there as long as he could. Goblins disappeared at dawn anyway.

"I won't hit you if you surrender yourself."

"Ugh… F***. Why's a goblin talking about surrendering? What has the world come to? I'm not leaving. I will never leave."

"Never? My master said there's no such thing as never in the world."

Samedi smirked and grabbed the rock that covered the den with his hands. It was a large rock, around one ton at least. He fixed his feet firmly on the ground and used his strength.

"Hmph!"

Craaaack—

Baang—

The rock was lifted, then thrown to the side.

Rumble—

Bang—

The rock rolled down the mountain slope.

Moonlight poured into the roofless den.

There was silence.

Sang Chul could only move his eyes around frantically. He couldn't tell whether it was reality or a dream. His tired eyes moved frantically from the open sky to Samedi.

"Kim Sang Chul, don't use the word 'never' so freely." Samedi smiled wickedly.

He wasn't really smiling. When his rough face creased, there was nothing more that looked like the devil. Sang Chul's soul left his body. He really was a goblin.

"I…I'm not one of them." Sang Chul waved his hands frantically.

"It doesn't matter. Master said that I must tie you guys up."

Samedi grabbed the back of Sang Chul's neck and lifted him off the ground.

"Aaaah, save me!" Sang Chul screamed as he swung in the air.

"I'm going to catch some pigs-"

Sang Chul was also tied up with arrowroots. However, he wasn't beaten up because he didn't run or protest. Samedi was quite a peaceful zombie. If Bullhead's gang hadn't attacked him, he wouldn't have beaten them up and shattered their bones.

Hm?

Samedi tilted his head. The place where he had buried the human looked a little awkward. He felt like something was lacking and that his master would notice it.

"I see!"

He slapped his forehead with his palm. His master had put up a large stone in the place of burial. Samedi grabbed a flat stone, raised it, and slammed it down on the grave.

"Wow!" the humans, who were tied up, exclaimed together.

It was impossible for a human to carry a rock the size of a car. He was only a human in appearance, but he had to be a ghost. Sang Chul immediately gave up. He'd basically come across a tiger while trying to avoid wolves.

"Oi, Mr. Black, you are a goblin, aren't you?" he asked out of the blue.

Before he died, he wanted to at least satisfy his curiosity.

"Goblin? I don't know that word."

"A goblin doesn't know a goblin? I'm a person from this village. A real goblin doesn't harm the people who live in the same village. Let's get along well."

"You live in this village?"

Samedi tilted his head. His master said this was his place of birth.

"Do you know my master?"

"Master? What kind of goblin crossing the Styx is that?"

Sang Chul was confused. He had never heard of goblins having a master. A goblin was talking like a goblin, which made it impossible to understand. The elders had said that only those with divine powers could understand goblins, and it seemed true.

"My master is wakil. He said this is his hometown."

"What? His hometown is Jipoon bridge village?"

"Jipoon Dari's in Africa."

Sang Chul couldn't possibly know about Jipoon Dari's construction in Ennedi. His head grew dizzier at the goblin's words. Goblins were really incomprehensible, after all.

"My master is there too. I need to go now." Samedi pointed at Ha Dong Daek's house, which was brightly lit.

"That's Ha Dong's… You? Hey, what's your master's name?"

"He's Sir Ddu-bai-buru-pa," Samedi answered in a serious tone.

Sang Chul didn't know what Ddu-bai-buru-pa was, but Mu Ssang came to his mind immediately. Only Mu Ssang was related to Ha Dong. He had always been special since his youth. It wasn't surprising if Mu Ssang was friends with the goblin.

"Does Ddu-bai-buru-pa have vertical and horizontal scars on his left cheek?"

"Uh, right. There are five scars on my master's cheek."

Samedi had regained his human nature but couldn't think about complex matters yet. He described what Mu Ssang looked like without hesitation. That was because Mu Ssang didn't warn him about concealing his identity. Fortunately, Sang Chul noticed there was more to the story.

"Hey, I'm your master's brother. Let me go," Sang Chul said, pleased.

Tears streamed down his face at the thought of surviving.

"That's a lie. My master doesn't get beaten up, doesn't run, and doesn't hide. Master's teacher is stronger than master. Master's brother should be stronger than master. You are not master's brother."

"Ah, f***. Damn."

It sounded ridiculous, but it sounded right too.

"Those b*stards are people who have done wrong to your master. I ended up like this trying to chase those b*stards away. So, I'm a good person."

"They have done wrong to master? That's impossible."

Samedi tilted his head. Those weak humans couldn't harm his master even if they came in like a swarm of ants.

"Hey, goblin, I'm your master's friend. I really need to meet him now."

Sang Chul was at the end of the rope.

"You were a brother, now you're a friend?"

"Ah, you, damn. I mean, sir, you're talking too much. You'll know once we get there, don't you think?"

Samedi was lost in thought. While he couldn't believe that such a weak person was his master's brother, he felt like the claim about their friendship was true.

"That's true. You guys wait here. Don't move."

Samedi lifted Sang Chul, placed him over his shoulder, and raced down the mountain. The gang members began talking as soon as Samedi disappeared.

"S***, we're f***ed. That countryside b*stard and that ghost seem to know each other." Driver Kim twisted and turned, trying to break free from arrowroots. He could be beaten to death if the grave's owner appeared.

"Shut up, you traitor."

Splat—

Bullhead glared and spat at driver Kim. Cold yellowish saliva landed on driver Kim's forehead. Driver Kim had never been treated like that before.

"You've no respect for your elders. Do you want to die?"

"Respect? You f***ing traitor b*stard, I've never respected a senior like you. Tui!"

All he could do while being tied up was swear and spit. Chicken feet and Bones joined in. Swears and the sound of spitting grew louder in the dark mountain. The half-moon which hung in the sky looked down at the four dirty humans.

Ou Soon carried the tray with the soondae soup and soondae and carefully kneeled down next to Mu Ssang.

"Eat well, oppa."

"Aigo, Ou Soon, you've grown up! You can marry someone now."

Mu Ssang had overheard Ou Soon getting scolded through the stereo but didn't show it. Ha Dong Daek had her rules. Jin Soon was really amazing. She'd transformed her rude sister instantly. Mu Ssang, who was just about to put his spoon in the soondae soup, flinched.

Hm! Samedi?

He could sense Samedi rushing down the mountain like he was flying. He slowly stood up.

"Oppa, where are you going?"

"Mm, the bathroom!"

Wol Song San was visible from outside the gates. He could see Samedi jumping down the mountain while carrying something.

"Did that brat catch another boar?"

Whoosh—

Bang—

Samedi jumped over the stream flowing behind Ha Dong's house.

"Wakil, I've carried out your orders. They're all tied up."

"Good job, but what is that?"

Mu Ssang's gaze was fixed on Samedi's shoulder.

"He insisted that he's wakil's brother. His name is Kim Sang Chul."

"What, Kim Sang Chul?"

Surprised, Mu Ssang immediately got a hold of Sang Chul.

"Ugh… Mu Ssang," Sang Chul mumbled.

Sang Chul, who suffered from a knife injury, shook like a boat tied to a dock on Samedi's shoulder. His body was aching everywhere and his soul almost reached the gates of hell. Although his round face was covered in blood, it was clearly Sang Chul.

"Huh! It really is brother Sang Chul. Why are you like this? You even got stabbed by a knife."

Samedi's dark face grew pale. That weak human was really the master's brother!

"Mu Ssang, what is that dark-skinned goblin?"

"Goblin? Kekeke!"

He supposed Samedi could be perceived as a goblin if he came across him at night in the mountains.

"Is he a human?"

"Aha, you've bled out too much. You're losing your mind, aren't you? Hyung, snap back to reality."

Slap—

Slap—

Sang Chul, whose cheeks were slapped, screamed indignantly.

"Aigooo! You brat, are you planning to kill me? Call an ambulance instead!"

"You were stabbed by a toothpick, why would you go to a hospital? There's a good quack doctor and a competent nurse here, so don't worry."

Mu Ssang lifted Sang Chul and entered the main room.

"Wa…wait, we're in trouble. Some gang members…"

"Let's treat you first. There's nothing more important than treating you right now, hyung."

"Aigo, this brat's giving me the feels," Sang Chul smiled. Even if he didn't mean it, it was nice to hear.

"Ya ya, but that's not it. Some gang members were taking apart Old Jin Bo's grave."

"They were digging out my father's grave? Why're you telling me that now?"

Mu Ssang's eyes emanated blue light.

"Brat, get mad after you give me the chance to speak. So, those b*stards were taking apart Old Jin Bo's grave when…"

"So they weren't able to take father's remains?"

"Mm, they got into a fight with me before they could."

"Okay. Hyung, you're more important than my dead father."

Jin Soon, who was called over by Samedi, was surprised by Sang Chul's state.

"That looks a lot like Sang Chul oppa! How did this happen?"

"Jin Soon you b****, what do you f***ing mean by looks a lot like, I'm not a lookalike! It's really me!" Sang Chul shouted.

"Oh, he's the real deal? It seems like you're not too bad off since you can shout."

Jin Soon didn't even blink. Mu Ssang took out the emergency kit from his backpack. He injected atropine into Sang Chul's thigh and pulled out the knife from his shoulder. He controlled the blood from flowing out by pressing on his veins with his resonance waves. Jin Soon had graduated from nursing school. She sterilized the wound skillfully and wrapped it with bandages. She gave him a tetanus vaccine and antibiotics and treated the minor wounds with ointment and some more plasters.

"You suffered a little scratch. Why's a man whining about that?"

Mu Ssang slapped Sang Chul's shoulder and quickly disappeared into Wol Song San.

Whoosh—

He'd pretended to be brave because he didn't want to appear greedy. However, his insides had already turned into coal. Samedi followed Mu Ssang like a shadow.

"Is Mu Ssang also a goblin?"

Sang Chul looked up and stared blankly at Wol Song San.