Editor: Cherish
— Wha… what the… — Jong Myung Ho's pupils were dilated.
He was horrified as he slowly turned his eyes to the flattened axe lying on the ground, and his body began to shake.
It just couldn't have happened.
But it did, and it happened right in front of his eyes.
The guy had caught the metal axe with his bare hands and bent it.
He wasn't a green monster like in the movies, yet he was doing something unimaginable.
(Editor's Note: Likely referring to Hulk.)
Myung Ho raised his right fist. The muscles on his hand were visibly protruding.
He aimed his fist, strong as steel, at Kang Yu's face.
But it didn't change anything.
Kang Yu, with a calm expression on his face, stopped the fist approaching him.
Although Myung Ho was a big man, in this battle with Kang Yu, he looked more like a helpless little child.
Kang Yu pulled Myung Ho towards him with the hand he'd grabbed, and kicked his chest with force.
Using the Power of the Thousand, he left a dent on Myung Ho's chest, who was stronger than a giant orc.
— Ah…
The large man fell to the ground and threw up. And then again and again, until dark blood spilled out of his mouth.
It was clear from his face that he was terrified.
— What the hell are you doing?! — Yeong Hoon suddenly shouted.
Myung Ho, who couldn't stop his body from shaking, lifted himself from the ground.
— I'm… I'm sorry.
— Oh, this is bad… who is that?! — Yeong Hoon seemed troubled, and he started biting his nails nervously.
He didn't know anything about that impudent man who just showed up.
But one thing he was sure of was that this guy was strong, so strong that even Myung Ho couldn't beat him.
'There's no other way.' Yeong Ho squinted.
— Jong Myung Ho, use Magi.
The man was hesitant to obey.
— What are you doing?! Use the Magi! — Yeong Ho screamed again, nervous.
The muscles on Myung Ho's face slowly tensed up.
A heavy expression showed on his face.
— Understood…
He put his left hand over his heart. It's beating. He felt a ripple in his chest. The Magi hidden inside began to burst out.
His body was enveloped in dark and dense energy.
— Aah! — Myung Ho opened his mouth wide and his eyes turned red.
Changes began to take over his body as his veins expanded, and his skin started to turn black. Horns appeared on his forehead, and wings, like the wings of a bat, pierced through the skin on his back.
The Hellish energy spreading from his heart had turned his body into a demon.
At the same time, a desire to destroy everything around him grew.
The thoughts began to overwhelm his mind, as his body grew in size.
He let out a roar, more like a beast than a human. His spreading wings stretched behind his back.
— Oh-ho-ho! — Kang Yu's eyes shone and he sighed admiringly as he watched.
'Of all the people I've seen, he looks most like a demon.'
After returning to Earth, he had already met a couple of people who possessed Magi, but it was the first time he had seen someone who resembled a demon to this extent.
'However…' Kang Yu's smile was wide.
Even though his opponent had become a demon, nothing had changed. He was still about the same level as Kang Yu at 6th rank, or Young-ju.
Becoming a demon didn't give him any advantage at all.
— Come on, hurry up and kill that jerk! — Yeong Hoon shouted out.
A strong energy was coming out of Myung Ho's body.
It was pleasing Yeong Hoon's ego.
'In the end, it's ME who'll be the winner.'
Same as always.
He'd never had any difficulties or problems, and only enjoyed life.
He was born a winner and never felt the bitterness of defeat.
'I will never find myself on your shameful level,' Yeong Hoon thought, smiling as he looked at Si Hoon and his party.
— Ahhh! — As if agreeing with his thoughts, Myung Ho, who had finally completed his transformation, let out a wild roar.
His scary eyes, glowing red, looked at Kang Yu.
With a flap of the wings on his back, he flew towards Kang Yu with incredible speed.
— Ha-ha-ha! Your luck has run…
There was a clap.
Myung Ho was thrown back right when he neared Kang Yu.
Yeong Hoon couldn't believe his eyes; he thought it was an illusion.
— Аh…?
How could one person throw back a healthy monster?
— Ahhh! — A shivering howl sounded.
This man named Kang Yu had come out of nowhere and confidently walked towards Si Hoon, who had been thrown back by Myung Ho, as if he thought he was stronger than anyone.
The black energy emitted from Kang Yu's hands hit the demon lying on the ground.
With each of his hits, a sound like the clap of thunder followed.
It was as if the monster and the man had switched places.
'What the…?' Watching Myung Ho, whom he had high hopes of, get beaten like a street mutt, his mouth dropped wide open.
'Who is he…?' Yeong Hoon started shaking, and fear took over his body.
He finally realized that something was wrong.
'Is he someone at the top?'
If he wasn't at least on Chae Young-ju or his father's level, he couldn't be beating up Myung Ho, who was already using Magi, like this.
Yeong Hoon turned around, his face pale.
It doesn't matter if this guy is at the top or not. All that matters is that when Kang Yu is done with Myung Ho, he'll be the next target.
Yeong Hoon started running away, not bothering to look back.
— Hah… hah… — It was getting harder to breathe.
The way out of the gate seemed too far away.
'Need… father… must contact father!'
That's what Yeong Hoon always did — he always ran to his father.
Even in this situation, Dad could take care of it, and then victory will be handed to him.
He pulled out a machine from his pocket resembling a marble, allowing him to call straight from the gate.
He focused on turning it on.
At that moment, someone hit him, and he fell to the ground.
— Oh, you… — Yeong Hoon turned pale as he gripped the machine tightly.
The man named Kang Yu was looking down at him with a smile, a crazed thrill in his eyes.
— Not so fast. Where do you think you're going?
— You… who are you?!
— So boring, why is everyone asking me the same question? — Kang Yu sat down, looking indifferent as Yeong Hoon fell. — Give it to me. —
— Wha… what?
— Weren't you going to contact Kim Jae Hyun? — Kang Yu said, pointing at the transparent marble in his hands.
Yeong Hoon gave him the machine with trembling hands.
When Kang Yu took it, he set up the connection.
After a few beeps, the voice he had been waiting for could be heard from the other side.
— What is it? — A rude voice spat out.
When Kang Yu heard it, he smiled.
— Are you Kim Jae Hyun?
— Who is this…?
— Hmm… What if I told you that I'm the person who took your son hostage?
There's a pause.
But through the silence, he heard Kim Jae Hyun's breathing grow heavy.
'I think he's in shock.'
If he wasn't, Kang Yu would be very surprised.
After all, no father would be able to remain calm if he heard that his precious child was taken hostage.
— Fa… Father! That… that thing!
Kang Yu hit Yeong Hoon in the stomach with force.
He curled into a ball like an onion and made a groaning noise.
(Editor's Note: why an onion, author…)
— Sit quietly.
Kang Yu used the Power of Shackles to make a metal chain and wrapped it around a guy.
Bound in chains, he looked more like an insect doll.
— Untie me, you jerk! — Yeong Hoon shouted, wiggling from side to side.
— Ha, so naughty. Acting like a teenager. — Kang Yu, again, hit the man desperately trying to get out.
Along with the dull sound of the punch, there was blood flowing from his mouth.
— That's enough.
— 'That's enough?' So you really are worried about your son.
— What do you want? — Kim Jae Hyun asked rudely.
It seems their negotiation will end quite quickly.
Unlike Yeong Hoon who refused to give Kang Yu the desired information, Kim Jae Hyun was getting straight to business. He smiled, satisfied.
— If you want to find your son, come to the Level C Gate at Maokdong Station right away.
— Surely you'll tell me to come alone?
— Ha-ha-ha! — Kang Yu laughed a little when he heard a question like that. — If I tell you to come alone, will you come alone? I don't think so. —
No response. Kang Yu continued:
— I know people like you very well. Don't ask too many questions and just come.
This kind of statement was the same as saying he could take the whole army with him.
When Kim Jae Hyun heard this answer, he laughed:
— Are you out of your mind?
— Are you worried about me? In that case, you can come alone.
— I'll make you feel sorry for looking down on me…
— Yes, yes. I'm looking forward to it. — Kang Yu was nonchalant, playfully lifting Yeong Hoon's leg. — If you don't come within 20 minutes, I'll chop off your son's hand and if another 20 minutes pass, I'll chop off the other one… and so on. —
— Hh… — Even in the man's breath, you could hear undisguised hatred. — You're a government unit and yet you're torturing a man, not just anyone, but my son. Do you think you'll be able to return to duty after this? —
— What? The government?
Apparently, like Myung Ho, he seems to believe that Kang Yu is part of the Hwaran Squad.
Kang Yu laughed, continuing with a cold smile:
— But I don't belong to any unit.
— You… you're alone?
— Yes, I'm not with anyone.
— You're crazy.
The man didn't appreciate the joke about not having a life partner and reacted seriously. This situation wasn't funny to him. He could never have imagined someone coming to the gate to kidnap a big guild's son.
— Do you have any idea who I am? — Kim Jae Hyun asked, his voice full of hatred.
He was CEO of the world-famous Mir Electronics company and Commander of one of Korea's five largest guilds.
Simply put, he doesn't just have money.
Even the government has no right to interfere with the affairs of his guild.
Even ignoring his financial background, he was still one of the strongest Players, on par with Baek Kang Hyun and Chae Young-ju.
Money, privilege, strength.
In each criteria, he was at the top of everything.
So, even if Kang Yu were a World Ranker, there's no way he would do such a crazy thing alone, against someone so powerful.
— Ha-ha-ha! — Kang Yu was laughing.
He clutched Yeong Hoon's leg even harder while yelling.
— Do you know me?
The father didn't answer anything.
— You don't know, do you?
With the sound of breaking bones, Yeong Hoon's leg twisted at an incredible angle.
Burnt with agonizing pain, the guy cried.
Kang Yu, who was watching this calmly, smiled in cold blood.
His smile was more like a devil's smile than a man's.
— If you don't know, we should get to know each other.