TMGE 05

Skills were categorized into two distinct types. One could either acquire them through skill scrolls rewarded for clearing gates or climbing towers, or learn the techniques step-by-step through oral mnemonic secrets derived from those very scrolls.

Combat techniques refined and strengthened through this process served as the hallmark of the Top Ten Guilds. Among them, the Songkwang Guild was renowned for its fiercely powerful fist-and-foot martial arts.

Thump!

A surge of fighting spirit, seemingly on the verge of exploding, filled the hideout.

It was the overwhelming presence generated by the Heavenly Fist Raging Wave Mind Technique, the signature skill of Chae Mu-sik—the master of the Songkwang Guild, also known as the Hegemon.

Born as a mere skill and introduced into the Awakened world, these techniques had risen to an exceptionally high level, designated as martial arts much like those in old Wuxia novels.

Judging solely by his mastery of the Hegemon’s Raging Wave Qi, which had arguably built the Songkwang Guild into what it was today, Chae Seung-jin undeniably possessed natural talent.

Whoosh!

Chae Seung-jin’s fist tore through the air, rocketing straight toward Jung Hyun-soo.

‘He follows the Hegemon’s teachings faithfully.’

His personality was utterly trash and vile, but he had at least refrained from taking shortcuts when it came to mastering martial arts.

He was skilled enough to step onto a live battlefield or raid a gate right now and comfortably hold his own.

Fueled by that exact confidence, Chae Seung-jin yelled triumphantly alongside his thrusting fist.

“Kneel and beg this instant! If you do, I might show some leniency so that all of Garam won’t be shaken to its core—huh?”

Chae Seung-jin gasped, startled by Jung Hyun-soo suddenly popping up right under his nose.

In a situation where he clearly should have dodged or blocked, Jung Hyun-soo had instead dug deep into his inner space.

A subtly light sensation brushed past Chae Seung-jin’s fingertips. It meant that just a hair’s breadth before the fist could connect with his cheekbone, Jung Hyun-soo had deflected the strike like the wind.

Reflexively, Chae Seung-jin thrust his left fist upward.

It was a countermeasure akin to an uppercut.

Swish!

The destructive power packed into this short, snapping strike was incredibly fierce.

An instantaneous follow-up attack born purely of instinct. It was undeniably a solid move.

In response, Jung Hyun-soo drove his elbow straight down from above.

The Garam Guild was a guild that specialized in swordsmanship.

‘Dumbass.’

Yet, he dared to challenge the successor of Songkwang to bare-handed, close-quarters combat?

Not long ago, Chae Seung-jin had shattered a Stone Golem—famed for its sheer hardness—with a single punch.

Just as he anticipated an immediate head-on collision.

Flip!

‘Huh?’

Jung Hyun-soo’s elbow suddenly pivoted horizontally. It was the direction of harmony, the pride of the Illusionary Heaven True Qi. To someone who had reached the profound realm of the Tenth Stage, executing a sudden change in trajectory was a deceptive variation he could unfold with absolute ease, even in an untrained body.

Jung Hyun-soo’s elbow smashed directly into Chae Seung-jin’s cheekbone.

Crack!

“Argh!”

Chae Seung-jin screamed, stumbling backward.

The Hegemon’s power that had been circulating through his entire body disrupted completely. Furthermore, a searing pain, as if lava were boiling on his face, flared up.

Because of that, Chae Seung-jin’s fist missed Jung Hyun-soo by a wide margin, and…

Snap!

“K-Kaaah…?”

A sound that should never be heard echoed from his shoulder joint, followed by a wave of excruciating agony.

“M-My shoulder…?”

His shoulder, the most precious asset for someone practicing fist-and-foot arts, was grotesquely twisted.

Though his father had emphasized flexibility training since childhood, his arm was now bent in a direction impossible to achieve voluntarily.

Thud!

“Aaaaargh!”

Hit by Jung Hyun-soo’s subsequent shin strike, Chae Seung-jin rolled across the floor.

Even though it was a glaringly obvious attack, he couldn’t even react to it.

Looking at his knee joint, which had snapped outward following his arm, Chae Seung-jin’s mind went completely blank.

This place was the Cradle.

In an environment where cadets mingled and lived together, no one ever expected such a merciless display of skill that would completely cripple an opponent.

Wasn’t it common sense to stop after breaking a shoulder?

But his opponent was Jung Hyun-soo.

One of the few Black-rated wanted criminals in the entire world. Furthermore, the Dark King, who had unified and ruled over that very underworld, had never once overlooked an opponent who challenged him.

Kill or be killed.

Jung Hyun-soo knew all too well that showing mercy in this world did not mean it would be returned as goodwill.

“Y-You insane bastard! While under suspension… you do this to my shoulder and knee? You’re going to be kicked out of the Cradle… and my father won’t forgive Garam either!”

The moment he spat out his spiteful threats, Jung Hyun-soo’s foot pulled back forcefully once again.

Chae Seung-jin’s eyes widened in horror.

Crunch!

“…!”

This time, he couldn’t even shriek. Jung Hyun-soo’s toes had driven straight into Chae Seung-jin’s mouth.

“Gag! Kah-gaah!”

Chae Seung-jin began to convulse.

The eyes of Jung Hyun-soo, who was currently trampling him underfoot, were terrifyingly murderous.

“Weren’t you already setting a trap to strike Garam anyway? It’s quite hilarious for the side that declared war to act like this.”

Jung Hyun-soo slowly pulled his foot back.

Clatter!

His broken front teeth spilled onto the floor.

“You… huff…” “If you schemed to swallow Garam whole, you should have anticipated this kind of variable. What will you do now? Ah, I need to ask that guy over there, should I wake him up for you?”

Jung Hyun-soo continued speaking in a calm, quiet, almost soothing tone.

“Since your father is going to retaliate against Garam anyway, it shouldn’t matter what happens here, right?”

Contrary to his gentle demeanor, the content of his words was infinitely chilling.

It implied that since they had already reached a point of no return with Garam, it wouldn’t matter if Chae Seung-jin died right here.

“Right. That would be better. Since we’ve already crossed the Rubicon, isn’t it a virtue of the battlefield to take the head of the vanguard?”

A smile played on Jung Hyun-soo’s lips.

In a way, he possessed a handsome appearance capable of making quite a few women cry, but given the current situation, nothing could be more terrifying.

“To begin with, I have no intention of living under the same sky as Songkwang.”

Jung Hyun-soo picked up the chair that sat at the head of the table, where Chae Seung-jin always used to sit.

Memories of Chae Seung-jin sitting in that very chair, venting about his grievances from his past life, flashed through his mind.

Recalling those memories, Jung Hyun-soo slammed the chair down.

Baaaaang!

Those watching the scene could only freeze with stiff faces, while Jung Hyun-soo calmly walked out of the hideout.

Jung Hyun-ah barely managed to pull herself together and followed after Jung Hyun-soo.

Pushing through the crowd of cadets who had gathered after hearing the commotion, she found Jung Hyun-soo at the end of the path she had made.

“Are you insane?!” “I’m not asking you to believe me. But I promise you this. I will handle and clean this up perfectly.” “How can you even say that…!” “I’m not running away. I’ll take care of some business and come right back, so wait for me.”

Only one person originally knew the location of the original, unedited video footage.

Chae Seung-jin himself.

But now, Jung Hyun-soo knew the location of the original as well. Of course, he wasn’t going to retrieve it himself.

A war with Songkwang was inevitable, and to launch a counteroffensive, Jung Hyun-soo intended to mobilize the power of the underworld.

‘It’s an easy battle if I just do a simple information trade.’

While destroying the Songkwang Guild completely right now was impossible, his goal was to find a business partner who could handle the counterstrike against the board Chae Seung-jin had set up.

In a bustling district not too far from the Cradle.

Jung Hyun-soo stepped inside a traditional Korean restaurant located there.

“Um… I’m sorry, but we aren’t open for business yet.” “A basic table setting with braised short ribs. For the cut, beef short ribs please, and skip the boiled beef slice. For the braised dish, make it braised hairtail fish…” “Excuse me?” “For the stew, rich soybean paste stew. Naturally, serve it with hot stone pot rice, and for dessert, I’d like cinnamon punch.” “Do you have company coming?” “The moon is lonely, so I hope to have a friend who will listen to my lamentations.”

It was still broad daylight.

However, the moment Jung Hyun-soo finished speaking, the employee immediately drew all the blinds and locked the door.

As if expecting this, Jung Hyun-soo walked over to the most secluded corner seat and sat down.

The employee’s eyes flashed with an unusual sharpness.

“Who are you?”

Deep down, Jung Hyun-soo felt a pang of nostalgia. While they hadn’t been close friends, it was a face he had seen coming and going.

Kim Choon-sik—the current Korea branch manager of the Blood Alliance, who would eventually become its master in the future and whom he had encountered at underworld assemblies—was now treating him like a complete stranger. It truly made him feel like he had regressed in time.

“You should know just by looking.”

Instead of voicing his nostalgia, he asserted his identity since his face was reasonably well-known. Kim Choon-sik didn’t deny it either.

“I am aware that you are the eldest son of the Garam Guild. But surely you…” “Are you wondering how I know the secret contact method of the Blood Alliance?”

The Blood Alliance was an information guild existing in the underworld. They bought, sold, and distributed any and all information, even that which was strictly forbidden by law. They were a group that even the Association struggled to root out, causing them immense headaches.

They always bought information. Of course, they were equally famous for their business model of ruthlessly retaliating against false information.

Jung Hyun-soo had attempted a secret contact to secure a private meeting with the branch manager of such an alliance.

“That is correct.” “How disappointing. Since when did the Blood Alliance start asking the party involved about such things? Ah, well, I suppose personal lapses in competence happen from time to time.”

Jung Hyun-soo continuously needled Kim Choon-sik’s capability. If he wanted to find out, he should act like an information guild—either by paying a price or by tracing the path through which the information had leaked to Jung Hyun-soo using his own skills.

Naturally, Kim Choon-sik, who undoubtedly thought very highly of himself at this point in time, felt inwardly triggered.

“…You are not an easy person to deal with.” “Let’s get straight to business.” “Speak.”

Though incredibly suspicious, the branch manager had no authority to refuse Jung Hyun-soo, who had approached using a VIP-level protocol according to the guild’s regulations.

“I will hand over the current location of Edward Parington.”

The branch manager could not conceal his internal shock.

“Did you say Edward Parington?” “Why do you keep engaging in useless psychological warfare? We both know that the British Royal Family is currently secretly hunting for Edward Parington as the prime suspect who stole their lost treasure.” “No, that’s…”

Jung Hyun-soo abruptly stood up from his seat.

“This won’t do. I should head over to the Haoman instead.”

The Haoman was an information guild established in China, drawing inspiration from Wuxia novels.

Faced with Jung Hyun-soo’s unyielding stance to take his business to their fiercest competitor, the branch manager quickly rolled his brain.

“Oh, come now, why are you acting like this? It’s not that I don’t believe you. What is it that you want…?” “I want you to retrieve the data hidden in the villa of Chae Seung-jin, the successor of the Songkwang Guild, and leak it when I desire.”

The branch manager calculated the ledger in his head. Of course, it didn’t take him long.

Even by reputation, Chae Seung-jin was known to have a vile temperament, and the profit margin of this deal definitely checked out.

While messing with the successor of one of Korea’s Top Ten Guilds carried risks, capturing Edward Parington—who was tied to the British Royal Family’s heirloom—ahead of their competitors offered an undeniable merit.

“His location is an A-rank dungeon that appeared in the Amazon. It’s a dungeon where a Lich spawns, and there’s a secret passage connected through the 32nd floor of the Tower. Tracking him down using Dark Mana detection shouldn’t be difficult. I expect the matter to be processed the moment you verify it.”

It was incredibly detailed information. It was as if he were a person who had personally witnessed Edward Parington entering that place.

It was hard to believe. However, for precaution’s sake, it was thoroughly worth verifying. If he let it slip out of suspicion and the Haoman secured it only for it to be proven true, Kim Choon-sik would suffer a truly fatal blunder.

“Do not worry. If the information you provided is accurate, we will ensure the matter is handled flawlessly.” “I hope this turns out to be a good trade.” “I trust your information is reliable. Keep in mind that false information demands a heavy price.” “Of course.”

In truth, the Blood Alliance’s work was highly reliable.

The moment he stepped outside—having successfully arranged for the retrieval of the original villa data, which Chae Seung-jin had gathered to gain acknowledgment from the Songkwang Guild Master, through his information trade with the Blood Alliance.

“Young Master.”

Large men dressed in suits instantly surrounded Jung Hyun-soo.

To him, they were truly nostalgic faces.

“Oh…!”

The Hunters of the Garam Guild.

But entirely separate from his joy of seeing them, they immediately closed in on Jung Hyun-soo’s perimeter and grabbed him from both sides.

“Let’s go. The Guild Master ordered us to bring you in.”