Chapter 20
That night, Jageun had a dream.
Perhaps it was sleep paralysis from battle fatigue.
'Stop. Please... I'm begging you... I'll do anything. I won't run away again. If you want me to kill, I'll kill. If you want me to die, I'll die.'
His weaker self pleaded.
'How pitiful, Jageun. You have no choice in this matter.'
The other replied.
The knife glinted.
Its blade touched the slender nape of his neck—
a place Jageun knew all too well...
'I told you to STOP! You fucking bastard!!!'
His scream was meaningless.
Wishes and hopes were nothing but hollow words.
This world belongs to those with power.
CRASH!
Jageun woke from the nightmare and violently slammed his fist down on the bedside table, shattering it to pieces.
"Haa... haa..."
Sweat-drenched bangs clung to his forehead.
Droplets ran down his jawline, soaking the sheets.
'How long has it been since I last dreamed...?'
Jageun grimaced.
These were memories from long ago—events from before he became a Raider.
'My body really is affecting me. This pathetic wreck of flesh...'
Body and mind were interconnected.
Even an iron will would weaken when housed in such a worthless vessel.
The human spirit was surprisingly dependent—
no matter how strong, it remained shackled to its physical form.
'But I'm different from those weaklings. I'm Shin Jageun.'
He wiped his lips with his hand.
Pulling his knees to his chest, Jageun's sharp eyes gleamed in the darkness.
GRIND.
He gritted his teeth.
Lately, unfamiliar thoughts and emotions kept surfacing—
feeble sentiments he'd thought long eroded away.
'Useless impurities on my path...'
Restlessness took hold.
'I need to grow stronger faster. Only solid power can sustain an unbreakable will.'
Jageun rose and headed to the kitchen.
"Zzz... Mmm... So good... Chicken... Boss, let's order one more... Hnngh..."
Big Bo mumbled in his sleep on the living room sofa. Jageun shook his head while drinking water.
"Comfortable little shit."
He spent the remaining night smoking hand-rolled cigarettes.
At dawn, he immediately headed for the Black Tiger Raid Team's headquarters.
The Black Tiger office buzzed with chaos.
Two men at its entrance had caused the uproar.
"He actually came."
"Is he insane?"
"No way he's seriously trying to join us?"
Black Tiger members muttered, dressed in suits resembling gangster attire. Tiger emblems adorned their lapels and buttons.
In Baekje City, the Black Tiger Raid Team commanded respect—flashing their insignia guaranteed they wouldn’t be ignored.
"Boss, they're here," a member reported upstairs.
"Wait. Don’t provoke them yet," ordered Kim Chunsik from his fourth-floor window.
'So he really came. Does he genuinely intend to take over the Black Tiger Raid Team? Turn us into a guild within a year?'
None of it made sense—especially given Jageun’s erratic history.
'But he did subdue our second squad and reserves single-handedly. That much is undeniable. Had he wished it, our entire organization would’ve been decimated.'
Kim Chunsik craved a cigarette. As soon as he picked one up, a subordinate rushed forward with a lighter.
CLICK.
The flame caught.
'Six years as a Raider...'
Kim Chunsik – Knight – Level 68.
He’d hit his limit long ago.
A-rank dungeons remained unconquerable.
A year prior, half his team had died attempting one.
The Black Tigers had nearly collapsed altogether.
The gap between B-rank and A-rank dungeons was that vast.
Their greatest achievement? Clearing B-ranks.
'Am I satisfied with just B-ranks? Is this pitiful ambition all I have?'
He shook his head decisively.
'Time to gamble everything!'
With a nod to waiting subordinates: "Let them in!"
The command rippled downstairs instantly.
The guards at the entrance addressed Jageun: "Come in. The Boss is waiting for you."
THUD!
Jageun kicked one guard’s shin hard enough to make him grimace and clutch his leg—but restrained by orders, none retaliated.
"You pigs better address me properly from now on."
Jageun strode past, hands stuffed in pockets.
'They’re practically dying to kill me,' he mused upon entering.
Jageun smirked, sensing the murderous intent around him.
'Good. Without this level of grit, you wouldn’t last long. A pig wallowing in defeatism like Big Bo is all we need.'
Big Bo was trembling violently.
The fierce Black Tiger members scowled at Big Bo with twisted expressions.
“Big Bo, why you shaking? Those punks were just small fries who couldn’t even take you down. Have some confidence, man. Even ten of those losers combined wouldn’t match half of you.”
Jageun patted Big Bo’s back as if demanding his attention.
“P-please stop, Captain. They’re looking at me like they want to kill me.”
Big Bo’s lips quivered uncontrollably.
Jageun chuckled darkly as he ascended the stairs.
Black Tiger members waited on every floor.
‘As I noticed yesterday, they’re not bad for a raid team. Their discipline is tight too. What this team lacks is connections and experience.’
‘Rising through pure effort’ only happens in shounen manga.
Reality is far more cruel.
Effort barely affects life outcomes.
‘Current A-rank dungeons would’ve been S-rank in my era. S-rank dungeons are a different beast. Teams without connections or veterans must pay in blood to gain experience.’
Raider society has persisted for nearly a century.
Rotten to the core—stagnant as a swamp.
Factions, connections, bribes, and flattery often matter more than dungeon-clearing prowess.
‘The Black Tiger raid team doesn’t play those games. There’s a limit to self-made success.’
Jageun grinned bitterly.
But Shin Jageun was different.
‘…But if you become strong enough to ignore all disadvantages, that’s all that matters.’
Shin Jageun had reached the pinnacle of raider society while making countless enemies.
Even when hated and cursed, he never stopped.
His overwhelming strength forced even rivals to acknowledge the ‘Flame Dragon.’
Creak.
Jageun opened the fourth-floor office door.
Kim Chunsik waited inside.
“You’re here,” Kim Chunsik said.
Ptui!
Jageun spat on the floor.
“I told you to use honorifics with me, didn’t I? Chunsik?”
Veins bulged on Kim Chunsik’s forehead.
“You’ve grown arrogant after gaining some leverage… Even if it means facing the Paragon Paladins’ punishment, I could end you here.”
“Heh. Pathetic bluffing.”
Jageun slumped into a chair. He pointed at a dazed Black Tiger member with an unlit cigarette.
“Light it.”
Kim Chunsik nodded at the member.
The member reluctantly approached with a lighter.
Ssss—
Jageun inhaled deeply before exhaling with satisfaction.
“Here’s the deal: Submit to me. The Black Tiger raid team falls under my command. Officially, I’ll join as a member with you as boss. But from now on, the team follows my orders and reports to me. Do this, and I’ll elevate you to guild status within a year.”
Jageun’s eyes cracked open lazily. He tilted his head back, smoke streaming from his nostrils. His insolent gaze locked onto Kim Chunsik.
“You think I’d believe that bullshit and serve you?” Kim Chunsik said bluntly.
Jageun scratched his cheek thoughtfully.
“No. Of course you’d dismiss it as nonsense. But you must believe me, Kim Chunsik. Because it’s Shin Jageun making this offer. When others spout shit, it’s nonsense—but when I speak, it becomes truth. Follow me with that mindset.”
Kim Chunsik’s pupils wavered. Jageun’s tone held no jest.
‘Where does such arrogance come from? Is he insane? Did we truly lose to this madman?’
Jageun stared into his eyes, sensing the turmoil.
‘You’re ambitious, Kim Chunsik. Built this team alone, no connections. That takes tenacity. The promise of guild status would tempt you, even if false.’
Jageun understood men like him—moderately capable, sufficiently ambitious.
‘But your kind exists to be used and discarded by those above.’
Jageun bared his teeth in a grin.
‘Being slightly exceptional means nothing. You must be overwhelmingly superior.’
Kim Chunsik rose quietly.
“Make me believe you, Shin Jageun.”
Jageun answered instantly, as if waiting.
“I’ll clear an A-rank dungeon in a month. If you lend me the Black Tiger team.”
“Impossible. Failure means casualties. I’ll lend our reserves. Clear a B-rank dungeon with them in a month.”
“I don’t need a month. Two weeks will do.”
