Mercenary Black Mamba

Mu Ssang decided to leave them alone like this out of his great desire to screw them over, which is proving to be working out on its own.

These successful men needed less than two days to transform into complete Neanderthals who couldn't even form proper sentences. While animals can survive near-absolute zero temperatures, humans can barely endure 5℃ temperature. At this rate, even an 80-year old garbage collector would still be in better shape than this trio.

"Wuhahaw?!"

"Uh-uh-uh!"

Animal cries instead of human words were coming out of their mouths. The fear of darkness is one of a human's instinctive fears. Any human stuck in pitch-black darkness alone for some time wouldn't be able to preserve its humanity for long. Kim Dal-us and his companions were completely lost to the cold, hunger, thirst, and fear. As such, they couldn't help but treat the unknown man appearing before them now as their savior.

"Tsk, tsk... Totally out of it, eh." Mu Ssang tutted softly.

Once humans are stripped off any sign of civilization, they will become weak and frail. The sobbing noises coming from these middle-aged men were a a mix of desperation, relief, sadness, and happiness, that Mu Ssang could even feel a pang of pity towards them. It would be challenging to get a decent conversation out of them with their current state.

Mu Ssang called out to Kamdoong. "Hey, friend. Raise the temperature a bit!"

"Can't you just flip up the switch yourself?"

"I don't want to waste oil on them. Earn your keep!"

"You, Scrooge!"

Wuuuoong-

Kamdoong fired up the wide-range ELF, resulting to powerful air circulation. The principle of the rise and fall of temperature is simple. If the molecule activity is high, the temperature will then increase. Otherwise, the reverse will happen.

The basement's temperature rose in an instant.

Once their frozen bodies have thawed completely, the three men's eyes started to regain focus, and they hurriedly scanned the unfamiliar surroundings. Overall, the interior space seem to be around 100 pyeongs. (Just over 330 square meters.)

Besides the refrigeration units filling up one wall, the space was empty. After attempting but failing to gather more information to analyze their current situation, three pairs of eyes landed on Mu Ssang.

"Fut!" Mu Ssang chuckled softly to himself.

Those eyes were demanding answers. Now that their surrounding conditions have slightly improved, the old habits of the three men have started to resurface. A classic example of arrogant men who are used to ordering people around with just a point of their chins.

Kim Dal-su and his chums were angry at the man responsible without even knowing the severity of their situation.

"Where are we?" Kim Dal-su asked in a low voice.

Coming from living an elite, high society for the past couple of decades, his dignity has not wavered so easily. An ordinary civilian would've started to wonder why they were brought to this unfamiliar place to begin with, before wondering what they have done to deserve this.

"Fut. Aren't you curious about who I am?" Mu Ssang smirked.

"Who are you?"

"Do you remember, seven years ago, Jang Chi-soo provided you with fake evidence and testimonies against a mere high school student, and you imprisoned that kid for 205 days in a detention center. It was probably around the time before you rose to chief prosecutor."

"I don't remember. And I do not need to remember. But you! How dare you imprison a serving prosecutor this way?! Release me right this instant before you f*ck up your life even further!" Kim Dal-su roared out a chilling threat.

While Mu Ssang tilted his head at these ridiculous words, there was a sudden movement in the shadows by the basement corner. "Which lowly bastard dares to disturb my sweet nap time!"

Fwhoooosh-!

A liquid-like substance slammed viciously into Kim Dal-su.

Whoosh-

A small tornado swept across the basement.

"Aaah?!" The screaming Kim Dal-su was flung away, like a leaf caught in a storm. What struck him just now was a lump of air condensed by low-output ELF spread over a wide area.

"Hey, dude. You mustn't kill him!"

"He would've been dead already if he wasn't your slave, friend. I have tried to hold back since he is your property. Yawn~!" Kamdoong opened its mouth wide and yawned lazily. Spear-like fangs much longer than an adult's finger gleamed sharply in the light. The three men's clattering teeth and pathetic whimpering were starting to get on Kamdoong's nerves.

The three men noticed Kamdoong's presence, and their jaws fell immediately to the floor. A black panther is already much more intimidating than a Siberian tiger... but this, this had to be a monster in the shape of a black panther, since it could speak!

"Heuh, euuuuh?! A, a, ghost?!"

"It's, it's a monster!"

Kim Dal-su and his companions shuddered in fear after realizing that they had been sharing this space with a horrifying existence. Finally, Kim Dal-su crawled away to a far corner. Jang Chul-su and President Jo also slowly backed off, desperately trying not to set off that black monster again.

"Friend, didn't you say that humans will live longer the more they are cursed? Well, those bastards have been cursing you for the past two days, and it was quite a sight, I'll have you know." Kamdoong glanced at the humans, his eyes burning like lightning bolts, before returning to sleep.

"Empty curses are useless. However, allow me to demonstrate what a real curse is. Sa-de-ju-il-wol so-mi-ro-yok-cheon beom-she-gak-il-cheon myeong-il-so-cheon-gye abracadabra!" Mu Ssang raised his hands high, then chanted an unknown and incoherent jumble of a spell.

Duu-woong-

The resonance wave enveloped Jang Chul-su's face, compressed the air, and created a barrier.

Mu Ssang's go-to torture method is the All-Torture, which will break the victim's fingers, slice off his flesh, and create the sensation of a 'plastic bag' wrapped over the victim's head. The first two cause direct pain and optical terror, while the plastic bag method adds in the element of terror of your impending death.

"Euk?! W-what's going on here?!" Unable to breathe, Jang Chul-su began clawing at his face. But, no matter how he tried, he still couldn't breathe.

It felt like something was blocking his nose and mouth, but his hands couldn't find anything. His diaphragm spasmed uncontrollably while his oxygen-deprived brain started to go crazy.

"Kuwaaaahk!" Jang Chul-su thrashed about like a madman, his complexion turning deadly blue.

When a perfectly-fine person starts to suddenly claw at their face and throat, while thrashing about like this, others would inevitably assume that this person had gone insane... or has been cursed. The faces of both Kim Dal-su and President Jo started to lose all semblance of color.

"I'll just let you have a taste of it for now." Mu Ssang waved his hand.

Jang Chul-su went slack like a discarded tissue, his breathing came in heavy and laborious pants.

"Jang Chul-su, Vice Governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, age 55. 45th grandchild of the Jang family from Indong, the eldest son of Jang Kyeong-mo. Joined hands with Jang Pil-nyuh, Jang Gi-soo, and others to steal the Good Heart Textiles belonging to Bak In-bo, the husband of your fourth cousin. But when the struggle over the company's shares didn't go as you planned, you decided to scheme with Jang Pil-nyuh and the rest in poisoning Bak In-bo."

"However, your attempt failed. And now, you are schemed with Kim Dal-su and the others to plan a fake tax investigation in hopes to find any irregularities. Just now, you were talking about mobilizing the Cheongsaechi gang to murder Bak In-bo. Am I correct so far?"

"Euh-hurhk?!"

The face of Jang Chul-su, his breathing barely recovered, paled once more. Both Kim Dal-su and President Jo could only stare at Mu Ssang with horrified faces as they witness this spectacle.

"W-who are you!" Jang Chul-su cried out, his eyes starting to lose focus.

"I'm Bak In-bo's nephew and the true owner of the Good Heart Textiles." Mu Ssang readily revealed his identity.

"Keok?! Y-y-you are... Bak Mu Ssang?!" Jang Chul-su's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

This man was the bastard that his older cousin, Jang Pil-nyuh, tried so hard to kill, again and again, only to fail each time. That cousin was always known to be a nasty and driven b*tch. But even she had to admit her defeat to this guy, saying that Mu Ssang was more evil than a viper, and more brutal than a whale's tendons.

"Hoh? The Vice-Governor even knows my name? I must've become a bit of a celebrity, then!" Mu Ssang smirked deeply.

"M-Mister Bak, w-why don't we talk about this first?"

"Don't worry; I'll get back to you soon. Next up is Dear Chief Prosecutor Kim Dal-su!"

"Uh? Uuuh?!" Kim Dal-su's complexion quickly went pale. He couldn't even speak coherently after realizing the urgency of the situation. All he could do was wave his hands desperately.

"Oh, don't be like that. You and Jang Chul-su have been such good buddies in this life, so it's only right that you should accompany him to the Underworld, too."

Duu-woong-

The resonance wave was activated once more.

"Keeeh huk!"

Kim Dal-su's situation was no different from Jang Chul-su's. First, his eyes bulged out of their sockets; he began to tumble madly around on the floor while clutching his throat.

Before Kim Dal-su could die though, Mu Ssang released the blockage on his breathing.

"President Jo, you should also have a taste, right?"

"Uwaaah?!"

Having witnessed the fate of the two men, President Jo's complexion turned blue even before it happened. Unfortunately for him though, it did not prevent the 'plastic bag' curse over his head.

"Kim Dal-su, age 48. A chief prosecutor assigned to Daegu's Eastern Branch Criminal Department. During your first year, your first post was at Daegu District Prosecutor's Office, Andong Branch. The second year, Daegu Western Branch. The third year, Daegu Eastern Branch."

"According to rumors, you're the classic example of a sponsor prosecutor. Using a borrowed name, you actually own several real estates throughout the country, amounting to a value of around one billion Won. During your time at the Western Branch, you were in charge of Bak Mu Ssang's rape and assault case. As a result, you received a hefty bribe from Jang Pil-nyuh, under the conditions of issuing a guilty verdict."

"But, when you saw that the case would end with a probation ruling, you abused the regulations set for prisoners awaiting judgment, and imprisoned Bak Mu Ssang illegally. Am I correct so far?"

"I don't have any personal vendetta against you. I simply did my job as a prosecutor to get a conviction, that's all. If someone's guilty about this, then it's Sergeant Jang Chi-soo who tampered with the investigation. Even the money I received from Jang Pil-nyuh was nothing but small change. If you end this right now, I'll overlook everything that happened. I'll even give you one of my buildings." Kim Dal-su tried to plead his case while his face remained a mess of tears and snot.

Mu Ssang wordlessly glared at Kim Dal-su. This punk seemed to have lost sense of reality after being in a powerful position for too long.

"What a corrupt bastard you are. Even if you work diligently and honestly your entire life, it would have still been a challenge to manage to buy a house. And yet you bastards own ten apartments and three buildings. Let me ask you something. Isn't your wealth made out of bribes from corrupted businessmen like him? Is it not the result of stealing from the blood, sweat, and tears of helpless commoners? I feel disgusted just talking to you."

Mu Ssang growled at Kim Dal-su, then shifted his glare over to President Jo, whose body was spread out on the floor. Blood seeped from his face after he clawed it with his own hands. His bulging stomach resembling a toad rose and fell like a pair of bellows.

"Jo Sam-han, the president of Sin-gu Construction. Well known for being a big fish among the sponsors,and the Cheongsaechi gang's boss. A truly unlucky businessman who finds himself in this nightmare simply because you decided to mingle with Kim Dal-su and Jang Chul-su. Indeed, you're one unlucky son of a b*tch. Hehehe!"

"Uwah?!" Jo Sam-han cried out like a wounded beast.

Just as Mu Ssang said, Jo Sam-han had never even met Mu Ssang until today! So if he were guilty of something, then it would be for entertaining this f*cking duo of Kim Dal-su and Jang Chul-su in Gaomi.

A sudden bolt of lightning flashed out of the blue! Jo Sam-han has never felt this aggrieved in his entire life.

"Y-you might have bad blood with Prosecutor Kim and Vice-Governor Jang, but I don't even know who you are. In fact, this is our first time meeting each other. So please let me go."

"It's a crime to mingle with criminals." Mu Ssang cut him off curtly.

"M-Mister Bak, we live in a country governed by laws and regulations. You can't do this. If you think I'm guilty of something, take me to a court of the law." Despite his trembling figure, Kim Dal-su managed to squeeze out what he wanted to say.

"Shut up!"

Mu Ssang's voice was low and heavy, yet the basement still rumbled ominously. Kim Dal-su and the rest writhed from the intense pain in their eardrums. They soon realized that this man before them was specialized in primal violence.

"Kim Dal-su. You told me seven years ago that one's guilt was not decided by truth, but by a prosecutor. I shall return those words right back at you now. Whether or not you are guilty, the Angel of Death, the invincible Eastern Swordsman, will decide upon on it. And that would be me."

Mu Ssang then tossed a small notebook and a ball pen to each man.

"From this moment on, you shall write down all the crimes you have committed so far, while following the five Ws and one H. (What, Why, Who, When, Where and How.) Particularly, list down all the bribes you've received so far and the current status of your wealth - you shall not leave out one banknote and not one single pyeong in your testimonies."

"But before you begin, I shall tell you one more thing about myself. I am Dubaiburupa, who lords over all specters under the heavens. It's up to you whether you believe me or not, but regardless, you will suffer the kind of pain of having your entire nervous system ripped out and your four limbs crushed, while stuck in an eternal limbo of life and death. You will submit your homework in two hours."

The 350mm thick metal door made of titanium alloy slammed shut in front of the trio's eyes. And just like that, what remains are the dazed looks of three middle-aged men, a horrifying monster, and the echoes of an inconceivably scary threat.

*

Exactly two hours later, Mu Ssang returned to the basement along with Gim Geuk-do. The latter was stunned by the existence of this underground facility, but managed not to show it on his face. His master was definitely an unparalleled and unmatched existence in this world. It shouldn't have been a surprise to him that Mu Ssang would own such a facility.

Mu Ssang only took one glance at the testimonies compiled by the three men before tossing them aside. Unsurprisingly, villains were cut from a different cloth. Even after finding themselves in a scary situation where their life was being threatened, these three men still tried to justify their actions in any way possible.

"Looks like you didn't take my warning seriously."

Zzziiing-

One side of the walls suddenly opened up wide.

"Hoo!" Gim Geuk-do inadvertently let out a gasp, while Kim Dal-su and the other stared in shock, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

The exposed recess in the wall was filled to the brim with grenade launchers and an antitank gun, numerous machine guns, assault rifles, pistols, and other various firearms. That wasn't all. There were whips that seem too big even for a person to wield, a Kukri blade scary enough to send shivers down your spine at the sight of it, and other weapons could also be found alongside the firearms.

"J-just who are you?!" Kim Dal-su barely managed to squeeze out his question. What he was witnessing is an unprecedented and utterly unimaginable situation in the whole of South Korea.

"The Angel of Death!"

A soul-chilling reply came his way. A cold, uncaring tone caused the temperature in the basement to drop. Gim Geuk-do shuddered involuntarily. This was the true face of his master, not the man who would lovingly humor a little girl's bad behavior, not the man who would put on an apron and attempt to cook, even as Lady Jin-soon was scolding him from the side...

"How unfortunate. I wasn't planning to cripple a trio of old men, but now..." Mu Ssang raised his hand. A dark-red club 1.5m long that was earlier hanging on the wall flew out and landed on his waiting hand.

Whoosh, whoosh-!

The club tore through the air. Gim Geuk-do stared at Kim Dal-su and the others with eyes full of sympathy. Was this the Soul-Returning Pain Administration? Soon, the dark-red club designed to 'bring back the scattering soul,' the Soul Returning Club, was about to make its appearance.

Gim Geuk-do was reminded again of how he almost got slapped to death by that thing.

The complexions of Kim Dal-su and the others turned pale-white with fright. Memories of the horrifying pain from two hours ago flooded their brains. The pain they were about to experience should be just as bad, if not worse. And while the law is far away, the club was right in front of their eyes. They should at least try to survive this first and foremost.

"I, I'll write again!"

"I'll be more thorough this time!"

"I'm sorry, I made a mistake. Please don't hurt me!"

Kim Dal-su and the others pleaded desperately with Mu Ssang, their real, undisguised faces finally revealed.

This childish behavior disgusted Mu Ssang so much that he immediately started swearing. "It's too late for that. This is made from the sinews of a dinosaur that used to roam the Earth 150 million years ago. Consider it an honor!"

Craaack-! Riiiip-!

"Kuwaaaahk!"

"No! Don't kill me!"

The entire basement shook from the wretched screams and the rhythmic hitting noises unique to the All-Torture technique. The Soul-Returning Pain Administration reinforced one's physique, but the All-Torture tore apart one's body into pieces. The external injuries may seem like reddish bruises on the outside, but the technique injured bones, muscles, and even internal organs.

In just three minutes, Kim Dal-su and his friends vomited blood and sagged onto the floor like a trio of corpses.

"Geuk-do!"

"Yes, my master!"

Gim Geuk-do inadvertently mouthed the word, 'master,' even though he was already warned not to use it. But this is because he has yet to recover from the shock of witnessing the Soul-Returning Pain Administration carried out by this completely different beast.

"Hey, dude, do you think we're still living in the Joseon era?"

"Ah, my apologies, big brother!"

"What I showed you was Higashi Honganji's All-Torture technique."

"I've heard about it before, big brother. And it certainly is merciless, isn't it..." Gim Geuk-do replied, shuddering.

"I'll teach you when I have the time. In any case, inside that fridge are combat rations and drinking water. Use your massaging technique to loosen their bodies. And once they come to, give them something to eat. And bring their properly-written testimonies to me in four hours."

"Yes, sir. As long as I don't kill them, that should be fine?"