Chapter 7
Debut Stage (1)
Scribble. Scribble.
Under a dim lamp, a middle-aged man was painstakingly carving a bone.
Contrary to what his thick, calloused fingers suggested, the blade touched and shaved the bone with infinite, immaculate precision. Soon, the smooth surface began transforming into scales of lifelike texture.
The carving man possessed a strong, angular jawline, and his eyes gleamed with an intensely sharp, focused light.
After devoting himself to the task for quite some time, the man suddenly paused to look at his creation.
Crush!
Without warning, he clenched his hand and shattered it to pieces.
As the bone dust scattered into the air, the man’s voice drifted out.
“How did it go?”
A young man in his mid-twenties, who had been sitting politely on his knees before him, spoke up cautiously.
“Public opinion is worsening due to Seung-jin’s blunder. The dominant response is that the Songgwang Guild must be held accountable.”
His name was Chae Mu-hyun. He was known to the world as the youngest brother of the Hegemon, Chae Mu-sik.
Chae Mu-sik, the Hegemon, questioned Chae Mu-hyun.
“And what of Seung-jin?” “They say his fractures can be healed, but he suffers from nightmares every night. Apparently, he screams the name Jeong Hyun-soo quite frequently.” “Tell them to use an Elixir.”
An Elixir was an item possessing the highest efficacy among all healing-type artifacts. It was an incredibly expensive commodity, and since even the Top Ten Guilds held very few in reserve, sellers could command any price they wished.
Ordering such an item to be deployed immediately—perhaps he was a father after all.
“Understood.”
As the youngest brother gave his assent, Chae Mu-sik asked his next question.
“How do you believe we should act from here?” “Unless there are explicit criminal charges, we must not let him stand at a photo line to defame Songgwang’s name. It would be wiser to send him to the South American or African branches, highlighting him as a responsible figure fighting on the front lines.” “Not bad. Tell them to send him to the Amazon.”
Africa and Central/South America had been underdeveloped even before the Gates appeared, but now, they had turned into literal hellscapes. Because they failed to clear the Gates or climb the Tower, those regions had essentially transformed into a living purgatory on Earth.
It was an order that went beyond mere demotion; it was practically a death sentence for the eldest son. Yet, not a single tremor of emotion registered on Chae Mu-hyun’s face.
“Since he was born as the eldest son and ultimately squandered the numerous opportunities he was given, he must now bear the consequences. Mu-hyun.” “Yes, Chairman.” “There is no one else here. Call me Father.” “Yes, Father.”
Astonishingly, Chae Mu-hyun was actually his first legitimate, biological son.
However, Chae Mu-sik, who had been eyeing the position of Guild Leader back then, kept that fact thoroughly hidden. With the help of the previous chairman, Chae Mu-sik succeeded in a political marriage with another member of the Top Ten Guilds, ultimately building the Songgwang Guild into what it was today.
“How do you think we should handle our relationship with Garam?”
The master of Songgwang continuously questioned his heirs. To Chae Mu-hyun, who had always been treated as an unacknowledged illegitimate child, these questions spelled opportunity.
Qualification.
That qualification encompassed one’s worldview, judgment, and martial prowess altogether.
And Chae Seung-jin had completely lost all trust this time. To the master of Songgwang, an eldest son who had even developed a mental sickness was no longer of any concern.
The same went for Chae Mu-hyun. The downfall of the heir was nothing but a golden opportunity for him.
“Garam’s underlying strength cannot be ignored. While they are certainly a target we must swallow up eventually, pushing them too hard right now when we’ve given them a justification will only cause a counter-effect.” “The timing to swallow Garam is being adjusted. But it is not right now.” “Naturally. If this escalates into an official dispute, it will become tedious in many ways, and the other Top Ten Guilds might try to exploit the rift.”
Chae Mu-sik stared at the son who was trying to seize the opportunity before him.
“I hear that the rookies raised by five of the Top Ten Guilds will soon take their first steps into the Tower.” “Do you intend to participate as well?” “If you grant me permission, I would like to try.” “Hyun.” “Yes, Father.” “Do you know why I carve every single day?”
Chae Mu-hyun held his tongue.
Suddenly, the chest of Chae Mu-sik, who sat across from his son, swelled up before bursting outward. An unhealed, deep scar cutting across his torso revealed itself.
“It is so I never forget. That Black Dragon. The monster that brought Songgwang to the brink of destruction and took your grandfather’s life. Keep these words engraved in your heart.”
Songgwang never forgets a grudge.
At Chae Mu-sik’s mention of the very drive they constantly craved, Chae Mu-hyun simply bowed his head deep in response.
Following Chae Gwang-seop’s departure, Jeong Hyun-soo was dragged into the Guild Leader’s office and wasn’t even given a chance to sit down.
“Explain yourself.” “…I saw that they were trying to use me to screw over Garam, so I simply played along with their tune and countered them.”
Staring at his son who answered so nonchalantly, Jeong Chul’s thoughts grew immensely complicated.
‘He has changed.’
His son was definitely different.
“…The words that leave a person’s mouth are nothing less than a mirror reflecting their soul.” “I apologize.”
It had become a habit.
It was a harsh manner of speaking picked up while living as a Black-listed wanted criminal in the absolute abyss of the hunter world, fighting tooth and nail just to survive in a ruined world. Even though he tried his best to filter his words, rough language occasionally slipped out unconsciously, and frankly, there wasn’t much he could do about it.
Though Jeong Chul pointed out his tone, he could glimpse a profound depth of calculation that the son of the past could never have possessed.
“A report just came in stating that all his limbs were broken and his spine was damaged. Why did you use such brutal methods when you could have stopped at a reasonable line?” “Isn’t that obvious? He brought up Hyun-ah, threatened us, and insulted Garam. Was I supposed to just sit back and take it?” “Unbelievable. Since when did you care so much?”
Having been called in as an involved party, Jeong Hyun-ah felt goosebumps break out across her skin at her brother’s words. Of course, catching Jeong Chul’s disapproving gaze, she tightly shut her mouth.
After giving his daughter a brief look of warning, Jeong Chul looked back at Jeong Hyun-soo.
“I am aware that you achieved sudden growth and became strong in a short period. However, even so, escalating an issue that could have been resolved within reasonable bounds is clearly problematic.” “What kind of problem? Isn’t it a given rule that when someone draws a blade against you, you must completely crush them so there are no future backlashes?” “If you had secured all the video footage from the start, there was no need to go that far. I am not asking you to be a saint. However, there was no reason to go to such lengths against the eldest son of Songgwang and the children of the mid-sized guilds who followed him.”
Jeong Hyun-soo had lived as a Black-listed criminal.
It was a brutal world where you died if you didn’t kill. Having grown accustomed to that life, Jeong Hyun-soo could not agree with Jeong Chul’s values. Yet, he didn’t argue back. Putting aside respect for his father, it ultimately came down to a difference in personal ideology.
It was true that his actions had caused trouble for the guild. Whether he had wrapped up the aftermath well or not, Jeong Chul, as the Guild Leader of Garam, had a specific direction he wanted the guild to maintain.
“Though things ended dramatically well this time, if anything like this happens again in the future, make sure to consult with your father. At the very least, if it concerns guild matters, it is only right that I, the Guild Leader, am informed. Is that not so?” “Yes, I understand.”
Jeong Hyun-soo replied surprisingly concisely. He knew well enough that when an issue arose, consultation was definitely necessary.
Seeing his son acquiesce so readily, Jeong Chul asked casually:
“How do you think things will play out now?” “Regarding what?” “You’re the one who caused the accident. Shouldn’t you at least provide a prediction?”
Jeong Hyun-soo smacked his lips lightly.
“Is there even a reason for this to escalate into a major issue for the guild? They will dismiss it as an individual’s rogue behavior, and we will accept their apology and walk away with a reasonable profit. Won’t it just end with us taking over a few profitable Gates, including some of Songgwang’s Gate raid priority rights?” “Do you truly believe it will end there?” “…The official resolution is entirely separate from personal grudges, human will, and greed.”
He meant that while the incident would be smoothed over publicly, Songgwang would never forget it, and this event proved they were explicitly targeting Garam.
Frankly, it was a shockingly accurate insight.
For a son who used to shut himself in his room, lamenting his lack of talent, envying his younger sister, and wasting his youth hugging photos of girls, this conclusion was incredibly realistic. It was flawless.
“Understood. You may leave for today. You too, Hyun-ah.” “Yes.”
As the siblings turned to leave, Jeong Chul added one last remark to their retreating backs.
“Continue to protect your sister well in the future.” “Ugh, what?”
Jeong Hyun-ah flinched in disgust, while Jeong Hyun-soo maintained a blunt expression.
“She should still protect her own body herself. Keep training hard. Don’t be disheartened by punks like Chae Seung-jin.” “Ah, what are you even talking about?! You wanna go?!”
The night deepened.
In the corridor leading away from the Guild Leader’s office back toward the residence, Jeong Hyun-ah stared at her brother, who was walking ahead of her with a blunt, unrefined stride.
“Thanks anyway.”
Jeong Hyun-soo stopped in his tracks and turned his head.
“For what?” “For helping out, regardless of how it happened.” “I merely cleaned up a mess I caused.” “But how did you even pull that off?”
Though he had explained it briefly to their father, Jeong Hyun-ah was intensely curious about how he had managed to secure that video footage.
“It was nothing special. I just took the original file from his villa and handed it over to the media.” “No, I’m asking how that’s even possible.”
Jeong Hyun-soo was someone recognized by their father to have reached the 7th Stage of the Hwancheon True Qi. However, achieving that level of martial prowess was entirely different from acquiring the item, suppressing the influence of the Songgwang Guild, and landing a perfect counter-blow in a media war, wasn’t it?
“Reporters live on money and scoops. Is Songgwang the only Top Ten Guild? Garam is a Top Ten Guild too. Since they wagged their tails first this time, the reporters will soon flock to our PR department asking for feed, and we just have to pay them.” “Wow… What are you, a member of the Strategic Planning Department?” “You need to learn a bit about these things too.” “What?” “If you’re the heir, you need to pay attention to management as well.”
Jeong Hyun-ah’s face went slightly blank.
For the longest time, Jeong Hyun-soo had shown deep-seated inferiority toward her as she forged ahead. Wasn’t the root of that anger ultimately his burning desire to become the heir of Garam?
“…Me?” “Yeah, you. So once the Cradle practical exam is over, focus on management classes as well. And obviously, grit your teeth and train hard. Losing to other Top Ten Guilds after learning the Five King Martial Arts is acceptable only this once.”
With that, he turned around cynically and walked away briskly.
“Did he… eat something wrong?”
As Jeong Hyun-soo disappeared from view, the image of him effortlessly obliterating Chae Seung-jin and his lackeys flashed through Jeong Hyun-ah’s mind. It was a sight she could have never anticipated.
She had thought he had just committed a reckless act using pure brute force, but that wasn’t the case. Jeong Hyun-soo had handled the situation flawlessly, saved Garam, and even squeezed out benefits from Songgwang.
Instead of heading to her bedroom, Jeong Hyun-ah changed direction and walked toward her private training room.
Right then, she noticed the lights flipping on in another training room nearby. It was Jeong Hyun-soo’s private training room, a place where the lights had never turned on after sunset.
‘I can’t lose either.’
Spurred by a sudden, inexplicable competitive fire, Jeong Hyun-ah stepped up to her squat rack and began adding heavy plates to the empty barbell.
