Chapter 173
“This can’t be real. This can’t be real. It’s an illusion!”
Jeong Ru-Han banged against the wall repeatedly. Burst vessels lingered like cloudy fireworks in his eyes, and his hair was sweaty and matted.
His father’s crimes against the guild master were exposed?
That was fine. Jeong Ru-Han could still maneuver. Really, all he’d done was manipulate Hae-Rin a little. And something like that was hard to pin down with evidence. As long as he put on a show and insisted his father had forced him to help, then Jeong Ru-Han was confident he could escape punishment.
His father signed a contract with a demon?
That... was shocking, but the situation was still salvageable. In fact, that was even better; his father’s winged, laser-shooting form was clearly powerful. So if his father could dominate the situation and kill all witnesses, then Jeong Ru-Han’s problems would disappear entirely.
Jeong Ru-Han pressed his cheek against the wall and moaned.
The problem, however, was that his father hadn’t dominated the situation. No, instead, Kang Jae-Hyeok was alive, the witnesses were alive, Park Chang-Cheon was alive, and his own father... was dead.
“How incompetent!” In the end, his useless father had done nothing right. “What if I am suspected of being a monster? What if I get blamed for my father’s sins? Fuck... Hmm!”
Jeong Ru-Han fell into another fit of curses, only to freeze suddenly, like a deer in headlights.
He could hear footsteps. The guild members searching the headquarters were closing in.
These bastards! Weren’t you people following my father just a few hours ago? Spineless pawns! Jeong Ru-Han heard a thump in the room several doors over and jumped. I-I can’t get caught.It won’t end well for me.
Jeong Ru-Han scurried into his final safe haven and covered his mouth with both hands.
He was afraid even the smallest breath could reveal his location, but that was mostly the influence of his fear. In reality, he had full confidence in his wardrobe, which held multiple layers of illusion magic and also had the effect of erasing mana, making it easier to avoid people’s senses and detection spells.
Sure enough—
Creak.
“He isn’t here either?”
The people who opened the door of the closet didn’t see Jeong Ru-Han sitting inside. They pulled out all the clothes, checked the empty interior, and left.
“Sigh... ”
A few hours after the people left, Jeong Ru-Han crawled out of the unassuming closet.
Seeing his family in a mess made him uncertain about his future, but he decided to be satisfied that he had survived.
Sneak sneak.
Jeong Ru-Han was creeping through the living room when someone said, “I always knew you were a rat.”
Jeong Ru-Han’s knees wobbled and he fell to the ground. With heavy steps, the speaker emerged from the dark corner of the room and approached Jeong Ru-Han.
“Did you really think hiding for a few hours before crawling out would work? Since when is Guardian’s surveillance so short-lived? I confirmed through CCTV that you were still inside the building.”
Jeong Ru-Han looked up when he realized the voice was quite familiar. Then his face lit up.
“G-Gu Suk-Jeong!”
Gu Suk-Jeong was the grandson of Gu Suk. The elder of the Gu family had long been at odds with the master of Guardian; not only that, Gu Suk-Jeong himself had attacked Kang Jae-Hyeok at Jeong Ru-Han’s request two months ago. Although it had ended in a failure, it showed Gu Suk-Jeong’s willingness to help.
“You really came to save me!” Jeong Ru-Han clambered over to Gu Suk-Jeong and clutched his sleeve. “W-where are we going? Do you have a car?”
“You really are stupid.” Gu Suk-Jeong sneered. “Do you really think I’d help you? Why should I? What do I have to gain from someone who’s lost everything?”
“W-what? G-Gu Suk-Jeong, please. You never know! If I gather the guild members loyal to my father, your grandfather could use their help to become the next master. Besides, there is an old bond between us!”
“Old bond? Haha! The guy who treated people like dogs and pigs is appealing to my sentiment? Ridiculous.”
Gu Suk-Jeong grabbed Jeong Ru-Han by the neck. The solid copper skin, which reminded him of wild horses, made Jeong Ru-Han realize how threatening this person was.
“In the first place, I didn’t help you last time because I liked you. I went to defeat Kang Jae-Hyeok to prove that Jeong Ru-Han is a loser for losing the young lady to a weakling.”
“Y-you...!”
“I also notice that you have a big misconception. Grandpa isn’t greedy for the position of master. Why would someone who has already retired from active duty go back to work again?”
“Don't make me laugh! Hasn’t your grandfather always argued with the master?”
“As an adult in the family, he just nagged the master a bit. It wasn’t an argument. For example, he advised not to trust Jeong Jae-Uk too much.”
“......?”
“My grandfather has always been like that. What, you thought Grandpa was scheming just because he gets a little loud when he disagrees with the matter? He’s nothing like that crocodile Jeong Jae-Uk. Granted, Grandpa was pretty mad that the guild master ignored all his warnings about the sub-master. But in any case, I’m glad it all worked out.”
“T-then what about you? Do you have no ambitions? If it continues like this, the next master will be Park Hae-Rin!”
“That’s her lot. What is the problem with that? Are you still greedy for other people’s positions after seeing what happened to your father?”
“W-whatever, just leave! Don’t come any closer!”
Jeong Ru-Han backed away while pointing to the door, but Gu Suk-Jeong followed Jeong Ru-Han with slow steps.
Jeong Ru-Han bumped into a table.
Gu Suk-Jeong smiled. He was happy to be in charge of dragging this arrogant brat to the slaughterhouse. “You look like a cornered rat. This situation suits your nature well.”
"Dammit!"
Jeong Ru-Han decided that there was no hope and made his last move. He armed himself with his treasured shield and employed the shield technique he’d learned from his father.
However, Gu Suk-Jeong was a Crusher.
Blocking a Crusher? Good luck.
Gu Suk-Jeong grabbed the sides of Jeong Ru-Han’s shield and raised it along with Jeong Ru-Han high, before slamming down.
Gu Suk-Jeong peeled the shield from the ground, revealing Jeong Ru-Han spread flat in the center of a small crater. His eyes swam, clearly concussed.
“Let’s go to the Council of Elders. We’ll decide what to do with you there.”
Gu Suk-Jeong lifted Jeong Ru-Han by the collar, eliciting duck noises from Jeong Ru-Han as he struggled to breathe.
“The decision has already been made,” a third voice interrupted.
Jeong Ru-Han’s cloudy eyes focused and widened. Gu Suk-Jeong’s brow tightened as he turned around. I sensed nothing. Who is it? Has he been there from the beginning?
Gu Suk-Jeong saw it then: a youth with pupils like twin voids and with long hair so dark that seemed to unspool from the shadows.
“Kang Jae-Hyeok...”
The Yaksha’s son.
Let alone Jeong Ru-Han, even Gu Suk-Jeong’s expression wasn’t good.
He had experienced Jae-Hyeok’s strength firsthand. And in just a few short months, Jae-Hyeok became several times stronger and even battled an S-class powerhouse.
Jae-Hyeok was the same age as Jeong Ru-Han, yet their achievements, abilities, and temperaments were worlds apart. Jae-Hyeok didn’t even seem human.
“Uh... uwaah... ”
Jeong Ru-Han shrank behind Gu Suk-Jeong in terror.
On the other hand, Gu Suk-Jeong relaxed. He was a member of Guardian, and it seemed the guild and the Kang family would ally. “What do you mean ‘a decision has been made’? Did the master leave everything to you before he fell unconscious?”
“No need,” Jae-Hyeok said while drawing his sword. “This is a Kang family matter. It’s not something for outsiders to comment on.”
‘You still call a half-dead corpse your father.’
‘How dare a crazy bastard attack my dad?Do you think my dad is useless like yours?’
Jeong Ru-Han had insulted his father, the master of the Kang family. Even if Jae-Hyeok had lost against Jeong Jae-Uk today, he would’ve made Jeong Ru-Han his companion to the Underworld before he died.
“A matter of the Kang family? Can you explain what that means? I am here on behalf of the Council of Elders, so—”
“Stop.”
An old voice interrupted Gu Suk-Jeong.
“Let the young master do as he wants.”
“Grandpa.” Gu Suk-Jeong’s attention snapped to the door, where an old man wearing a thick winter scarf stood. It was Elder Gu Suk, one of Guardian’s five elders.
“But Grandpa... this is an internal matter of the guild...”
“In the end, what did we really do when Jeong Jae-Uk was playing his tricks? Nothing, that’s what. It is ridiculous for us to get involved now. Since it was Young Master Kang who solved this problem. It’s no longer an internal guild matter.”
“...I understand.”
The moment Gu Suk-Jeong backed away, Jeong Ru-Han fell to his knees and clutched Jae-Hyeok’s pant leg while dipping his head repeatedly.
“J-Jae-Hyeok! Spare me just this once! We are still fellow students! There is no need for you to be harsh!”
The boy who had just lost his father was now on his knees and begging his father’s killer... It was a sight that would make everyone feel uncomfortable. Not just Gu Suk-Jeong, but even Gu Suk felt a bit of pity for Jeong Ru-Han.
Perhaps due to this, Elder Gu Suk was even more curious. What will you do, Boy? What justification are you going to give, and how far will you go to punish that child?
The Yaksha’s son was lucky enough to have his father’s blood and excellent fighting talent, but he was still a young boy. He would likely hesitate to punish Jeong Ru-Han.
Elder Gu Suk stared intently at Jae-Hyeok’s back.
If Guardian allied with the Kang family, a competition for dominance would ensue. For Guardian to win that competition, he needed to understand Jae-Hyeok’s limits, and now was the perfect opportunity.
Jae-Hyeok sighed. “You’ve repeatedly insulted the master of the Kang family, which warrants a cost worse than death. But you are still young, so I’ll be lenient.”
As expected...
The corners of Elder Gu Suk’s mouth curled. Jae-Hyeok’s soft words and talk of leniency said it all: in the end, he still had the meek heart of a kid. Guardian will be in the lead in the future.
There was a thump followed by Gu Suk-Jeong gasping.
Pulled from his thoughts, Elder Gu-Suk looked to his grandson before following the direction of his grandson’s wide eyes.
“What?”
Elder Gu-Suk’s mouth fell open. Jeong Ru-Han’s decapitated head stared back at him, relief still etched on his bloodless face.
“There. Painless. Be thankful I have a tolerant heart.”
Jae-Hyeok flicked and re-sheathed his sword, his demeanor casual.
Nothing in Jae-Hyeok’s eyes gave away that he’d just beheaded someone in one stroke. Had Elder Gu-Suk not seen it, he wouldn’t have believed it himself.
I’m... reassured yet afraid.
Elder Gu Suk chuckled.
I fear Guardian will suffer for a while... But the gains will be huge once this boy climbs to the top. Of that, I’m now sure.
The Elder Gu Suk’s old heart filled with anticipation.