Level Up Machine

Chapter 4 Forced Liberation (1)

Nam Gi-tae.

He was once one of the most notorious gangsters in South Korea.

As a member of the largest gang in the country, the Chilseongpa, he used his unique charisma, ruthless brutality, and quick wit to secure a high-ranking position at a young age.

He was an elite in the world of organized crime.

Despite his immense natural strength and reflexes, which made him an excellent fighter, he had one fatal flaw: his extreme indulgence in women.

While other members occasionally involved themselves with the prostitutes they managed, which could be somewhat overlooked, Nam Gi-tae was never satisfied.

He constantly craved new and unattainable women.

This obsessive desire escalated to the point where it extended to ordinary women.

He even kidnapped the women he set his eyes on to fulfill his desires.

Naturally, he was eventually caught by the police, losing everything he had built in an instant.

In a country like Korea, with one of the highest rates of solving violent crimes globally, even someone with his influence within a powerful organization couldn’t escape justice.

Ultimately, his actions served as a lesson, reminding people that recklessly indulging in lust could ruin one’s life.

Gradually, he faded from public memory.

However, just when it seemed he was destined to rot in prison for life, an opportunity presented itself.

A rift opened before him, allowing him to step into a world governed by entirely different rules.

‘Of course, there’s no way I would end like that.’

Nam Gi-tae grinned and playfully swung the sword in his hand.

It was a weapon he obtained after killing a monster called an orc.

To him, this new world was nothing short of paradise.

The people around him were easily exploitable and docile, and there was no authority to interfere.

He gathered people who were fleeing from monsters and formed a simple organization.

It wasn’t a difficult task.

People, terrified by the monsters, wanted to band together and sought a leader to guide them.

Nam Gi-tae simply became the leader of these weak humans.

-Thud

“Gah! Ack!”

A dull thud and agonizing screams echoed through the forest.

Nam Gi-tae licked his lips as he looked at his subordinates.

His men were brutally beating a young man curled up on the ground.

After forming his organization, Nam Gi-tae encouraged his subordinates to use violence by hunting down other humans.

He aimed to break down their moral values and turn them into individuals who wouldn’t hesitate to wield violence.

His plan succeeded, and his subordinates became corrupted, not shying away from murder.

“St-stop it, you bastards!”

A man, tied with a rope made from tree roots, struggled violently.

The man tied with the rope was a companion of the man being beaten by the subordinates.

Nam Gi-tae roughly kicked the man’s head.

-Thud

“Don’t make so much noise. What if those pig bastards around here come swarming?”

He spoke with a twisted smile on his lips.

The tied man, tears streaming from his eyes, begged him.

“Please! Please stop! I’ll do anything you say!”

“Ah, then first, shut that noisy mouth of yours.”

Nam Gi-tae barely paid attention to the pleading man’s voice, taking a deep breath instead.

In his sight, over ten of his subordinates were surrounding a man, kicking him savagely, their eyes filled with madness.

He smiled with satisfaction.

‘At this rate, even three orcs wouldn’t be a problem.’

A group driven by madness was strong.

Even if their opponent was a monster, not a human, they could tear it to shreds.

When he first saw a monster called an orc, he doubted whether humans could deal with such creatures, but once they began hunting in earnest, he realized they weren’t as fearsome as he had thought.

The orcs were strong but slow and stupid.

If they fought by dispersing the orc’s attention with multiple attackers, they could handle them.

After killing the orcs and seizing their weapons, his subordinates became capable of handling orcs with just three or four of them together.

Fortunately, orcs usually roamed alone or in pairs, at most three together, so his subordinates could handle them.

As the desperation for survival eased, their twisted madness turned towards other humans.

They looted, killed, and violated.

Under Nam Gi-tae’s guidance, they were so thoroughly corrupted that there was no humanity left in them.

“Why… why are you doing this? We’re all humans…”

The tied man sobbed, tears streaming down his face.

Nam Gi-tae twisted his lips into a grin and slid his sword into the man’s mouth.

The man turned pale, trembling as the sharp blade entered his mouth.

“Because we are the same.”

Nam Gi-tae said this as he thrust the sword with force.

The man’s throat was pierced, and blood spurted in all directions.

“Gah!”

The man let out a final scream before dying.

Nam Gi-tae wiped the blood-stained sword on the ground and turned to his subordinates.

“Alright, that’s enough. Let’s head back now.”

No matter how many they were, the forest was dangerous at night.

For humans, who rely heavily on their sight, the pitch-black forest at night was nothing short of a disaster.

“Yes, boss!”

His subordinates responded crisply.

Their voices were disciplined and precise, a stark contrast to the madness with which they had just been beating a fellow human.

They looked at Nam Gi-tae with blind trust, grateful for both their escape from the monsters and the pleasure he had taught them to take in crushing others.

“B-Boss!”

It was then that a subordinate, who had been sent to scout, came running back breathlessly.

Nam Gi-tae frowned and asked,

“What is it? Did you see any of those pig bastards?”

“No, sir!”

The subordinate replied with a mix of excitement and urgency.

“You know that model woman?”

“Ah, Seo Ara?”

Nam Gi-tae’s eyes sparkled as he pictured a woman in his mind.

She had an overwhelming appearance, a slender body, and an air of cold and haughty elegance that made her seem untouchable.

She was exactly his type. In fact, very few men wouldn’t be drawn to a beauty like hers.

“I found her down by the stream!”

“What did you say?”

Nam Gi-tae stood up abruptly at his subordinate’s words. His eyes gleamed with twisted excitement.

Nam Gi-tae, who was already obsessed with women, found Seo Ara to be an irresistibly tempting prey.

When they had initially fled from the orc horde, he had seen her fall as she was pushed by the people around her.

He didn’t think she could have survived, but it seemed she had gotten lucky.

“How many people were with her?”

Nam Gi-tae asked, his voice filled with anticipation.

There was no way a regular person could survive in this horrific forest for over two weeks alone.

Nam Gi-tae was sure she must be with a group.

“There were two others. One was a middle-aged man who looked quite dumb, and the other was a guy in his mid-to-late twenties.”

“Only two… She must have been swaying her hips a lot.”

Nam Gi-tae assumed the two men were with Seo Ara because they were after her body.

Otherwise, there would be no reason to keep a non-combatant woman around.

“Heh. How about you take this opportunity to have a taste of her?”

The subordinate, who had brought the news, suggested with a lewd smile.

Nam Gi-tae had a habit of allowing his subordinates to enjoy the women he captured after he was done with them.

“Kehehe. Sounds good.”

It was a proposal Nam Gi-tae had no reason to refuse.

Nam Gi-tae stood up with a sly smile on his lips.

With only two people, there was no need for an ambush.

He spoke to his subordinates in a suggestive tone.

“Anyone here who wants to turn back like a eunuch?”

“Hahaha! Let’s go, boss!”

His subordinates burst into laughter, cheering as if to mock the very idea.

Their eyes were filled with thick greed.

Nam Gi-tae drew his crude sword and headed towards the stream, following his subordinate’s lead.

***

“Ugh, come to think of it, I haven’t washed once since coming here.”

On their way back to their hideout after fetching water from the stream, Gil-soo spoke with a frustrated voice.

Yeong-sik gave a bitter smile at his words.

“There’s no time to spare for washing.”

Though they could make time to wash if they forced it, Yeong-sik didn’t see the point.

To wash, they would have to undress and get into the stream, which would make it difficult to respond if they were ambushed.

Their strategy relied on spotting orcs first, using bait for ambushes.

If they were ambushed instead, it could be very dangerous.

In their current situation, they had to be content with simple face washing.

Ara looked disappointed at Yeong-sik’s firm tone.

Due to her profession, she usually maintained her body cleanliness, and not being able to properly wash for over two weeks was unbearably disgusting.

Especially since Yeong-sik had them sprinkle dirt on their bodies to avoid detection by the orcs, making her feel even filthier.

“Huuu…”

A deep sigh naturally escaped from Ara’s lips.

But she couldn’t be greedy in this situation. Nothing was worth more than her life.

-Rustle.

At that moment, Yeong-sik heard the sound of bushes rustling.

The sound wasn’t coming from just one place. It surrounded them.

Yeong-sik’s expression hardened.

“There’s someone around us.”

He spoke in a tense voice.

The rustling sounds grew louder.

“Well, well, it really is Seo Ara. Lucky day.”

A rough-looking man emerged from the bushes.

It was Nam Gi-tae, who had come to ‘hunt’ them.

He whistled as he looked Seo Ara up and down.

She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

“Mr. Gil-soo. Get ready to fight.”

Gil-soo looked at the unexpected visitors, his face hardening.

He quickly understood why these people, not monsters, surrounded them with such a murderous aura from Nam Gi-tae’s few words.

“Oh, why so hostile? Let’s talk this out like civilized people.”

“Put down the sword in your hand first.”

Yeong-sik said sharply, eyeing the sword in Nam Gi-tae’s hand.

Nam Gi-tae chuckled.

“Hahaha. You don’t seem to be bad at assessing the situation. How about it? Join me. Don’t worry, I’m quite generous. I’ll even let you have a taste of her, just like now.”

Yeong-sik didn’t respond to his blatant words but instead surveyed their surroundings.

They were surrounded by at least ten people.

It was the worst situation Yeong-sik had faced since waking up.