Chapter 144: Shaolin (2)

Lee Taebaek was suddenly gripped by anxiety at the thought that he might end up transferring careers to become a monk.

He didn’t have much pride in his looks, but it was still a face that made everyone who saw it click their tongues in admiration.

If he took this divine pill, his lush black hair might end up shaved bald like a monk’s. A chill ran down his spine.

And so, Lee Taebaek treated the divine pill like a sacred relic, cherishing it without ever putting it to his lips.

…To be honest, he had licked it a few times with his tongue. Of course, there was no effect whatsoever. Even vitamins had to be swallowed whole to work, so a divine pill was even less likely to do anything from just a taste. It would probably take a full week of energy circulation in his dantian to barely digest it.

“But swallowing the divine pill right away would make meeting the Shaolin folks feel too iffy…”

He recalled what Team Leader Seo had told him. Among the orthodox sects with their Taoist leanings, Shaolin had an especially strong moderate disposition.

This was Lake City, where Mount Hua and Wudang indulged freely in liquor, meat, and women.

Only Shaolin steadfastly clung to their identity. Sure, they had merged with the Emei Sect(?), but compared to how other sects had changed, that hardly counted as a shift.

Anyway.

‘Those stuck-up baldies.’

They had handed over a divine pill to Lee Taebaek, someone with zero connection to them.

“What the hell is going on here?”

Were they seriously planning to hand over an entire sect to him? He had no ties to Shaolin—not even in his past life had he ever set foot in a temple. The more he thought about it, the more distraught Lee Taebaek became.

Click.

Whenever that happened, he immediately pulled out the box to check on the pill. It was the color of shit, but it somehow looked utterly lovable.

‘Makes my mouth water.’

This wasn’t just any pill—it was a divine pill. The “divine” here meant divine, as in god-level. No further embellishments came to mind; it was simply a treasure beyond measure.

The nutritional effects had been verified multiple times already. Consuming this? The gains would be beyond calculation.

‘Even without any tricks.’

He felt like he could go toe-to-toe with the Seven Dignitaries head-on. Ah, holding back might just make him burst.

Thud.

Lee Taebaek closed the wooden box with lingering reluctance, then sat cross-legged on the hospital bed. It was time to settle his inner turmoil.

After the battle with the Art Master.

An unprecedented surge of intense energy had clashed within his body. It felt like magma was racing through his veins instead of blood. The heat boiled so fiercely that even in summer, his breath steamed.

Something had clearly gone seriously wrong with his body. But Lee Taebaek knew full well what it was.

This was the true reward of his self-sacrificial resolve.

‘Jasbi said that while I was out cold, three of the Three Calamities had latched onto my body.’

Art Master, Great Existence, Poison Master. They were a far cry from Nightingale. They had only aligned briefly for the goal of “saving Lee Taebaek.”

Jasbi didn’t know the details, so there were no elaborations. But the key point was that this was the ripple effect of those three pooling their efforts.

‘My Faith stat has skyrocketed to insane levels.’

Faith had spiked especially dramatically, but all his miscellaneous stats had shot up steeply too.

As far as he could guess, the [Curse] that had been rampaging wildly in his gut had finally been digested. The fight with the Art Master must have been intense enough for that. Who could have known it would purify even the Heavenly Demon’s curse?

Lee Taebaek brushed off the medical staff’s flattery and left the hospital. He squinted briefly at the first proper sunlight in a while.

In one corner, at the designated smoking area, a woman was hesitantly glancing his way. She stood out even more with her cold prosthetic body clutching a bouquet. It was Team Leader Seong Hayun.

Their eyes met. Seong Hayun quickly averted hers. Lee Taebaek chuckled softly and walked toward her.

“I was a bit miffed you didn’t come visit even once, Team Leader.”

“…You.”

Instead, Seong Hayun bit her lower lip as if she were the aggrieved one.

“If you shake that hard while holding the bouquet, the petals will all fall off.”

“…Hah… Fine. You’re the type who was always like that—impossible to pin down. But there’s a line to everything…”

“I think the exclamations are enough now. How about we sit and talk?”

“…Whatever.”

The two claimed a bench. When Lee Taebaek reached for the bouquet, Seong Hayun pouted. She flung it behind her and dusted off her hands.

“Petty section chief.”

“I got promoted this time—to section chief. So from now on, Seong Hayun Sect… Wait, no. Just call me by name.”

Seong Hayun astutely realized Lee Taebaek was no longer part of Security Team 1. Executive Director Ryu Subaek’s sudden and arbitrary staffing decisions. The inevitable outcome was him seizing power for himself.

Ryu Subaek had effectively achieved that goal. Parting ways with Lee Taebaek had been predetermined. Still, she asked just in case.

“No thoughts on staying with Team 1?”

“Regardless of what I want, Executive Director Ryu would find me burdensome.”

“The executive director would?”

“Why do you think there’s a saying like ‘kill the dog after it’s chased away the rabbits’?”

Lee Taebaek gazed into the distance as he continued.

“Dogs get boiled once they’re no longer useful, but humans get dragged to the pot when they know too much.”

“…The executive director knows where to draw the line.”

“Yeah. He knows where to draw the line.”

She had to concede that point. Ryu Subaek could have simply shut his mouth and cut ties coldly. That was standard megacorp procedure.

Instead, Ryu Subaek had promised Lee Taebaek compensation. Even knowing it was a ploy to claim the reward later when Ryu Subaek’s star was rising, Lee Taebaek hadn’t bowed his head greedily.

The promise of commensurate rewards for his efforts wasn’t a lie.

‘He’s a person of principle.’

But we have to judge that principle differently.

“Only insofar as he’s a ‘member of the Daesung family’.”

“……”

“Executive Director Ryu is a megacorp man at the end of the day. If he decides I’m more liability than asset, he’ll eliminate me without hesitation. Better to part on good terms when we’re both satisfied. That way, he’ll grant my requests without loose ends. Sure, there’d be a nondisclosure clause, but that’s no big deal.”

“…A Resistance fighter who’s awfully clued in on megacorp dynamics.”

“I used to work for a black company, you see—”

Lee Taebaek flinched.

“Seong Hayun Team… no, Section Chief. You……”

“Don’t ask that corny question about how I figured out you’re Resistance.”

She shrugged nonchalantly.

“Truth be told, I had my suspicions. Stick around security long enough, and you get a rough sense of each organization’s vibe.”

“……”

“You reeked of Resistance. That signature ‘rebel streak’. Come on, Lee Taebaek—everyone knows your rebel streak. You talk down to me, your section chief.”

It was down to his Concept. Though Lee Taebaek himself had no idea…

“The clincher was the evidence. I spotted One-Man Thousand Kills Kang Hyeonseong when I came to the hospital recently. Tailed him, and sure enough, he went into your room.”

“Careless bastard.”

Lee Taebaek grumbled as he let go of the Para Blade. Seong Hayun laughed.

“One-Man Thousand Kills hid pretty well, all things considered. I’m just sharp on that front because of security.”

If Section Chief Seong Hayun deemed him a threat, personal ties aside…

‘She’d snitch.’

Sometimes, city survival rules needed to be primitive. Like now.

“Don’t be too hostile. I’m no match for you anyway. And this isn’t a threat.”

“I won’t take it personally.”

“You won’t?”

The frozen air thawed with warmth again. Around then, Seong Hayun stood first and extended her hand.

“It was fun in all sorts of ways, Employee Lee Taebaek. I wish you luck on whatever path you take next.”

“You too, Section Chief Seong.”

He shook it and replied. Adding the honorific actually made Seong Hayun look awkwardly embarrassed.

She fidgeted awkwardly before suddenly asking about his future plans.

“Resistance won’t sit idle. Who’s next on the hit list? Daesung seems luckily off your radar.”

“Mm……”

Lee Taebaek let out a groan. It wasn’t so much dodging at farewell time as… it was embarrassing.

A sudden silence. Lee Taebaek sighed and spoke.

“Thinking of doing a temple stay.”

“…A temple?”

Seong Hayun’s expression twisted oddly.

Damn. That was exactly why he hadn’t wanted to say it.

The moment he was discharged, he headed straight for the Lilith Order.

There were two reasons.

First, to see Red Hare after so long apart. While at Daesung, he had left the bike with one of the Order’s priestesses.

She had sent occasional updates, which only made Lee Taebaek ache to see it in person even more.

Second, preparations for heading to Shaolin.

‘Laykuns’ Shaolin is quite different from the classic version.’

It was an organization steeped in religious fervor. They had tried adding unique flavors, but hit some snags in the process. In any case.

He visited the Lilith Order for some preliminary research.

But…

The Lilith Order he returned to after two months was a bit—no, a lot, quite significantly—changed.

He was staring at the banner when the doors to the Lilith Order swung open.