Toji groaned in disappointment but received a playful kiss over the phone before the call ended. He tossed the phone onto the bed and glanced at the clock.
"Oh shit, I'm late for school."
Quickly, he jumped out of bed, took a fast shower, and threw on the first clothes he could find: an oversized white T-shirt, black cargo pants, and white sneakers. Waving off the driver, he grabbed the keys to the Range Rover himself and drove off toward school.
On the way, something strange happened. He noticed a middle-aged man running beside the car, matching its speed. Toji's eyebrows raised in surprise. The man suddenly jumped in front of him, forcing him to slam on the brakes. Panting, the man and his companions approached the car.
"We need your car," the man demanded.
Toji chuckled sarcastically. "No way."
The burly guy, wearing a T-shirt that read "I Love My Daughter" with bullets slung over his shoulders, reached to grab Toji by the arm to throw him out. But before he could, Toji caught the man's hand mid-motion, stopping him in his tracks. The man's eyes widened in shock.
This man was no ordinary thug—he was a sergeant in the military, Mr. Jincheol Park, known as the *Incarnation of War*, who had been deployed in war zones from Somalia to Afghanistan.
War Record
- Three battles in the West Asian War
- Twelve battles in the Middle East Civil War
- Seven battles in the Iraqi Conflict
- Three battles during airstrikes in Palestine
- Annihilation of the Pakistani terrorist organization: Operation Indira
- Rescue mission to save PKO civilians
- Annihilation of radical militants, LSS
- Strike defense mission at Zeri Strip and protection of civilians
- Operation "Naking" in Zeri Strip
- Guerrilla mission at the borders of Lebanon
- Twenty battles in the Somali Civil War
Yet, standing in front of Toji, he felt oddly outclassed.
Unbeknownst to them, Toji had lived an even more ruthless life in his previous incarnation as a cold-blooded assassin—the *Sorcerer Killer*. From orchestrating genocides to committing war crimes, he'd done it all, making even Hitler look innocent.
For the first time since reincarnating, Toji was genuinely surprised. The three men standing before him were the strongest he had met in this new life. But despite their strength, Toji wasn't in the mood for a fight. All he wanted was peace, to be left alone. Yet, as always, even when Toji tries to avoid trouble, trouble always finds him.
Toji sat behind the wheel, deadpan, as the suited man beside him cut in, his voice desperate. "Please help us. My daughter's been kidnapped."
Toji's gaze remained emotionless as he glanced sideways, sighing inwardly. What a drag, he thought. He could drive off, but that would definitely end in a fight—and judging by the intensity of the man's eyes, this wasn't going to be easy to shake off. Annoyed, he said, "Alright, get in. I'll drop you guys off, but that's it."
With that, Toji sped down the road, breaking just about every traffic rule known to man. The guy sitting beside him, the one in the weird T-shirt, tried to make conversation.
"You look tough, young man. Ever thought of joining the military?"
Toji shot him a deadpan look. "No," he replied, thinking *all I want is to just chill, be certified lazy, and relax.
The man smirked. "You look quite mature for your age." There was something about him that gave off a sleazy vibe, almost like a pimp. Toji narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Yeah," Toji muttered, brushing off the comment.
As he glanced in the rearview mirror, Toji noticed the peculiar group sitting in the back: one in a Taekwondo uniform, another in a suit, and the third in military pants with a T-shirt emblazoned with a picture of a young girl saying I Love My Daughter, bullets draped across his shoulders like some twisted bandolier. What is this, some kind of fancy dress party? he thought.
But then he recognized the guy in the suit—the same man whose daughter he had accidentally saved from bullies a while back. What the hell have I gotten myself into? Toji rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.
Suddenly, the man in the suit shouted, "That car! Pull up next to it!" Toji maneuvered the Range Rover with practiced ease, pulling up alongside a car that was speeding away.
Before Toji could react, the men with him kicked the door off and leaped into the other vehicle in a flurry of action.
"What the hell?!" Toji shouted. "This is exactly why I don't give lifts to old farts!"
The man in the Taekwondo uniform leaned over, his face inches from Toji's ear, his expression darkening with a fake smile. "You lack respect for your elders, young man."
"Respect my ass," Toji grumbled, unfazed. "You tried to hijack my car moments ago."
The burly guy, still clutching his bullets like they were fashion accessories, chimed in from beside. "Join my team, and I'll buy you a more expensive one."
Before Toji could retort, the situation escalated. The car the others had jumped into collided with another vehicle, resulting in a massive explosion. Moments later, Mr. Kim—the man in the suit—jumped back into Toji's Range Rover, his daughter in his arms, both of them shaken but alive.
Toji sighed deeply. What the hell is it with these people and violence? He rubbed his temple again, but things only got worse. Four trucks suddenly surrounded them, boxing them in. A large truck pulled up ahead, its back doors swinging open ominously. Toji's car was rammed from behind, sending them careening into the back of the truck. The doors slammed shut with a loud bang.
"What the fuck is this?" Toji demanded, glancing at the others as they sat in the confined space of the truck. The little girl, terrified, curled up in her father's arms, trembling as the chaos around them escalated.
Toji exhaled slowly, mentally preparing himself. So much for a peaceful day.
The burly man beside him suddenly started laughing. "Pfff... kids these days. You sure know how to make people laugh."
Toji's annoyance only grew, but the others remained wary. Soon, the men in gas masks activated a device, releasing a thick cloud of gas into the truck. Mr. Kim, still holding Minji tightly, shouted through the fog, "Listen carefully! We may fall asleep first, but I will protect you." His voice grew faint as he, the burly man, and the others fell unconscious, one by one.
But Toji remained unfazed. His immunity to poisons—and his abnormal ability to hold his breath for two hours without breaking a sweat—kept him conscious and alert. He sat quietly for five minutes, watching as the men in black suits started to assume their victory.
Their section chief, a man named Han, barked orders. "Inject them with the drugs. Make it look like a car accident—natural deaths. I'll handle the media." His voice was filled with confidence, but that confidence shattered when he heard a cold, annoyed voice near his ear.
"Handle what?"
Toji stood behind him, unimpressed and clearly not affected by the gas. His gaze was sharp, a flicker of dark intent in his eyes. Chief Han's eyes widened in shock as he spun around, his face paling.
At that moment, the others in Toji's car, except for Minji, began to stir, shaking off the effects of the gas. The burly man chuckled, standing up and effortlessly lifting two of the black-suited men by their necks. "Well, well. That's impressive for a teenager," he said, grinning at Toji. "I'll make sure you join my team."
Toji rolled his eyes, clearly not in the mood for any more theatrics. "Not interested."
In a swift, almost instinctive move, Mr. Kim, the guy in the suit, reversed the car, the sudden acceleration sending them crashing through the back of the truck. The other four trucks that had been following collided with each other in the chaos, creating a massive wreck.
Now free from the trap, Mr. Kim, still holding Minji tightly, drove as Toji stood calmly beside Mr. Han, who was beyond surprised. The burly man and the taekwondo guy flanked Toji on either side, their expressions unreadable but clearly annoyed.
The situation had escalated, but Toji, in his cold and calm manner, seemed completely in control of the chaos swirling around him.