Chapter 35

〈Episode 36〉 The Mother Gets Pissed Because the Master Corrupted Her Son

“Shit! Why is this guy suddenly here!”

The main headquarters of Hwagcheon.

A place where no intruders are ever allowed under normal circumstances.

But there appeared an uninvited guest in hanbok.

“Hmm, so this is where the brat lives? Or did I hear it’s not here?”

Standing only as high as an adult man’s waist,

this small figure carried himself with hands behind his back and a light gait that contrasted sharply with his presence.

Even seeing this, the men couldn’t move.

Because they knew exactly what kind of monster stood before them.

“Tsk, these young ones nowadays. Either you’ve got manners or strength, or at least some guts if you lack both.”

Muttering words completely mismatched to his appearance,

Strong Hero Tae-jin Kim shook his head.

…

…

…

“Either get out of my way or fight. Pick one.”

The men exchanged glances.

Honestly, none of them thought they could win.

Hwagcheon was an organization where power equals justice.

In other words, all its members were highly sensitive to strength.

‘He’s strong…!’

Even the members of Hwagcheon couldn’t see the limits of the power their opponent possessed.

Just by walking, they could feel his overwhelming might.

Their knees felt like they might buckle from the sheer pressure and killing intent alone.

Monster.

There was no other word to describe him.

“Tch, the successor runs around causing trouble, but his subordinates are useless. Should I deal with them myself?”

At those words, the men prepared for battle.

No matter what, this was Hwagcheon.

They couldn’t just let an outsider roam freely without interference.

They had to buy time until at least a high-ranking officer arrived.

“Gulp!”

The man in front channeled his magic power.

Clumsy attacks wouldn’t work from the start.

He had to put everything into one decisive strike.

Just as he was about to spring forward—

“…Huh?”

Before he knew it, his body was floating in mid-air.

And the world seemed upside down.

Or rather, he himself was upside down.

“Too slow. Even flying isn’t your forte.”

-BOOM!!

The man’s body slammed into the ground in an instant.

He twitched but couldn’t get up.

The others watching gulped audibly.

They hadn’t even noticed Tae-jin approaching.

“I must say, I thought the successor being that good meant you guys would be somewhat decent too. Guess I was wrong.”

Saying that, Tae-jin grinned, showing his teeth.

The men involuntarily took a step back.

An unbearable humiliation for members of Hwagcheon.

But who could blame them when faced with such a terrifying beast?

“It’s not just a difference in rank…”

They couldn’t even tell what they’d been hit by.

Tae-jin brushed off some dust from his clothes.

For him, it was probably just that trivial.

“Hmph, good. At least you’re not running away. That deserves some credit. You should be at least this level if you’re supposed to serve the brat.”

With one step forward,

the massive pressure crushed their shoulders.

“Of course, hiding hostility despite seeing me… I can’t just let that slide!”

As Tae-jin moved to act,

everyone there thought it was over.

Until a woman suddenly jumped out from behind.

-SCHIIING!!!

The figure darted out and clashed with Tae-jin.

A massive shockwave rippled through the air.

It was so intense that some people were blown back.

Like a natural disaster, the moment stretched on for a few seconds.

Tae-jin slightly stepped back.

Looking at the woman who appeared before him, he smirked mockingly.

“Didn’t expect the leader of the organization to show up herself.”

“If I’m facing someone like Mr. Kim Tae-jin, I have to do at least that much.”

This woman was none other than the leader of Hwagcheon,

Seol-hwa Lee, also the mother of Yu-jin.

Her naturally icy gaze pierced straight at Tae-jin.

She was an enchanting woman.

Despite her black hanbok tightly wrapping her figure,

her stunning feminine charm and silhouette couldn’t be fully concealed.

Of course, no one present dared to entertain any lustful thoughts toward her.

“You knew this would happen, why didn’t you come sooner?”

“If you’d given us advance notice, we could’ve done that. But we can’t treat every uninvited guest as honored guests.”

A tense chill hung between the two.

On one side was a slender beauty in a black hanbok.

On the other, a tiny figure in white hanbok.

Their mere presence created a striking contrast.

“Well, fine. I came here to talk today.”

“After throwing one of my subordinates around, you sure talk smoothly.”

“I went easy on him. If I really wanted, this place would’ve been a mountain of corpses.”

Tae-jin wasn’t exaggerating.

If she’d truly wished it, the building itself would’ve flown apart.

“So, while we’re talking about corpses… How’s that mold doing?”

“Other than sharpening his blade for revenge against you, he’s no different from before.”

By “mold,” Tae-jin referred to one of the three Firm-level heroes affiliated with Hwagcheon.

Calling a Firm-level hero “mold” was absurd,

but Tae-jin’s power and influence made it possible.

“So, why has a Firm-level hero who caused chaos in another organization decided to visit Hwagcheon?”

“The brat… no, it’s related to Yu-jin.”

“Yu-jin?”

A spark of interest flickered in Seol-hwa’s eyes for the first time.

Apparently, it was a word she hadn’t expected to hear.

“What? You didn’t even know he came to me?”

“I was aware. I just thought he wouldn’t last a day.”

That was likely her honest opinion.

Anyone familiar with the relationship between Hwagcheon and Tae-jin would’ve thought the same.

“When he managed to survive a week, I was surprised, but I didn’t think he’d be someone you’d approve of.”

“He’s still your son though, right? Be fair.”

“Before anything, I’m the leader of Hwagcheon.”

Tae-jin clicked her tongue, clearly displeased.

This was Hwagcheon after all.

Connections, friendships, bloodlines—none of it mattered in the face of strength.

Only the powerful defined justice.

Here, only the strongest ruled.

“That said, this works out well.”

“Works out well?”

“I accepted that kid as my disciple.”

For the first time, Seol-hwa’s expression changed.

She looked at Tae-jin with a cold, rigid face.

“What are you thinking?”

“No hidden agenda. Just that the kid caught my eye.”

It was the truth.

Initially, Tae-jin had only intended to drive Yu-jin away.

But the boy turned out to be better than expected.

Not only talented, but with excellent character.

She even wanted to teach him regardless of his ties to Hwagcheon.

“You’re always worried about failing to kill your successor anyway. I just didn’t want to see such talent wasted.”

“A week isn’t enough to change anything.”

“But what if he learned Heavenly Piercing Divine Authority?”

-KOOOONG!

As Tae-jin finished speaking, the surrounding air crackled ominously.

The cause? The killing intent radiating from Seol-hwa.

For the first time, the usually ice-cold woman revealed her anger.

“Dare you…teach that to Hwagcheon’s successor?”

“To be fair, he sort of learned it on his own.”

The leader of Hwagcheon had another name:

Heavenly Demon (天魔).

Though somewhat distorted in modern times after martial arts faded,

the meaning of that title among heroes remained singular:

Overwhelming power.

And the reason the leader of Hwagcheon was so strong was because she inherited the Heavenly Demon’s martial arts.

Heavenly Demon Fist.

It was a secret technique passed down exclusively to the leaders of Hwagcheon.

And in response, Tae-jin developed what became known as Heavenly Piercing Divine Authority.

“Are you blind to anything beyond ‘hero’? We leave you alone not because you’re weak.”

“I know. But if things escalate, I’ll ‘unavoidably’ have to join the Hero Association. And you don’t want that, do you?”

The Hero Association was literally an organization that gathered and managed heroes.

It was also the only group opposing Hwagcheon.

While Tae-jin personally avoided them due to dislike,

if Hwagcheon attacked seriously, she’d have no choice but to ally with them.

After glaring at Tae-jin for a moment, Seol-hwa retracted her killing intent.

“…This will require a lot of thought.”

“Hmm, seems like the kid is precious after all, contrary to what you said earlier?”

“Don’t misunderstand. It’s only because the child has been acknowledged as the rightful successor by the ancestors. There’s no personal attachment.”

“Yeah, yeah. Sure.”

This was practically a declaration of war.

-Your successor is now my disciple. What are you going to do about it?

Such provocation would surely stir movements within Hwagcheon.

And that was exactly what Tae-jin aimed for.

‘Not everyone will support the brat like Secretary Park. Need to weed out the obstacles appropriately.’

To achieve greater goals, internal enemies must be dealt with first.

Transforming Hwagcheon into a better organization—that’s the expectation Tae-jin placed on Yu-jin.

“Well, I’ll take my leave then. Give the kid my regards.”

In an instant, Tae-jin disappeared.

Seol-hwa turned around, staring silently at the empty space for a moment before speaking.

“Gather the executives immediately.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Hwagcheon’s successor had become Tae-jin’s disciple.

How would the executives react to this development?

That burden fell entirely on Yu-jin.

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