Chapter 67
Returnee Union Headquarters, Main Conference Room.
The monthly regular meeting of key executives was beginning there.
"Thank you all for attending despite your busy schedules. As the Chief of Staff, I will be presiding over this meeting on behalf of the Union Leader who has entered closed-door training. I may be lacking, but I ask for your cooperation," said Kim Giyeong, the Chief of Staff, after briefly greeting everyone. He then immediately began speaking.
"First, the first agenda item..."
As Kim Giyeong manipulated the remote in his hand, a hologram image appeared in the center of the conference room.
"Name, Lee Seongjun... Age 26, estimated to have lived in another world for 5 years from 2080 to 2085..."
Kim Giyeong's explanation about Lee Seongjun was interrupted by Choi Seungtae, one of the executives of the Returnee Union and the Martial Arts Master who led the martial artists.
"He's a monster who defeated Jo Sehyeok, an SS-rank villain, just 2 months after returning to Earth... Let's not waste time, who here hasn't investigated Lee Seongjun?"
Lee Seongjun - although his exact level couldn't be determined without directly observing his fights, it was certain he was no ordinary person.
This was inevitable because it had only been 2 months.
Although it was a considerable amount of time for returnees to achieve significant growth based on their past memories, it was far from enough time to gain the strength to defeat an SS-rank powerhouse, comparable to a supreme master in martial arts terms.
It wasn't for nothing that there were so few SS-rank Hunters and martial artists who had reached the supreme level.
To reach the level of supreme power requires at least several years, or tens of times longer for those less talented, or even several times longer for outstanding talents. Even for returnees with past experiences and memories, it was a level that could only be reached through harsh training and tempering.
Yet Lee Seongjun, who had only been back on Earth for 2 months, had defeated Jo Sehyeok, a powerhouse who had reached such an incredible level.
It meant he was an unbelievable monster.
Even an ordinary Hunter would have investigated in advance, but as mentioned earlier, Lee Seongjun was a returnee.
As an executive of the Returnee Union, it was impossible not to be interested.
No, it would be more accurate to say that one couldn't remain an executive of the Returnee Union if they didn't show interest.
In fact, all the executives gathered in the conference room were nodding in agreement with Choi Seungtae's words.
"In that case... I'll assume you all know and get straight to the point. As the Martial Arts Master said earlier, Lee Seongjun is truly a monster with an unbelievable growth rate."
Although the exact limit couldn't be known, just looking at his current growth rate, he was surpassing the speed of the Union Leader in the past.
It meant he could have power comparable to the one currently considered the strongest in the Returnee Union.
Of course, due to the nature of returnees, he could hit a wall of limitations and his growth could suddenly stop.
But just the fact that he defeated Jo Sehyeok, an SS-rank villain, meant he wasn't someone who could be left alone like this.
'No, if it weren't for the orders from the World Returnee Union...'
They would have acted immediately when Lee Seongjun started showing his prowess.
The situation had become quite complicated, and unlike usual, things had become quite troublesome, but fortunately, it wasn't irreversible yet.
"I think one of the executives here should contact returnee Lee Seongjun on behalf of our Returnee Union and make a definitive judgment. Do you all agree with this?"
The executives opened their mouths as if they had been waiting for Kim Giyeong's words.
"I agree."
"I agree too."
"I think we should not just make a simple judgment, but eliminate him on the spot if he's deemed dangerous."
Not only those executives who expressed agreement, but most of those gathered in the conference room were nodding.
Having anticipated this reaction, Kim Giyeong immediately continued with the next topic.
"Since more than half agree, we'll have one of the executives contact returnee Lee Seongjun. Now... let's select who will go as the representative."
As soon as Kim Giyeong finished speaking, the executives' eyes narrowed.
"As he's a martial artist, wouldn't it be right for me, Choi Seungtae, the Martial Arts Master, to step forward?"
"You took the last newcomer just because he was a martial artist, and now you want to take Lee Seongjun too? You're so shameless."
"Senior colleagues, don't you already have enough subordinates? This time, I hope you'll hand him over to our junior Knights division."
On the surface, all the executives belonged to the same Returnee Union.
But the internal reality was quite different.
Rather, each department of the Returnee Union could be said to be an independent organization with its own forces and power.
They were just temporarily joining forces to pursue greater benefits.
Naturally, great power comes from strength.
It meant that everyone couldn't help but covet Lee Seongjun, a powerful figure who had defeated Jo Sehyeok, an SS-rank villain.
"Knights, do you think we don't know that you've been secretly increasing your forces behind our backs?"
"Hmm... It's an effort to catch up with our seniors. But if you knew, you've been quite patient, haven't you? I thought with your temperament, you'd come rushing in with fiery anger right away. It seems you're not as hot-tempered as I thought."
"Hah... I showed mercy because you're juniors, and now you're trying to climb all the way to the top."
Without the Union Leader, who acted as a mediator and held the most powerful authority and strength in the Returnee Union, the executives began to openly display their auras and engage in a battle of nerves, unlike usual.
The conference room was filled with a sharp atmosphere where a fight could break out at any moment.
At that time, a man with solid and thick muscles, standing at what looked to be about 2 meters tall, raised his hand.
"...I'll go."
The executives, who had been busy asserting their own opinions, all closed their mouths and shifted their gazes.
The executives' gazes directed at the man were full of bewilderment.
But that emotion was merely on the surface.
Deep inside, latent fear and dread began to rise.
The aura of an absolute being, as commonly described.
No, an even more fundamental and fierce, wild aura was flowing from around the man.
Of course, the Returnee Union executives, who had considerable skills of their own, weren't simply overwhelmed by the aura.
'Battle Demon, Baek Mujin...'
As his title suggests, Baek Mujin is a martial artist who lives solely for fighting and combat.
Naturally, the martial arts that Baek Mujin had accumulated were also top-notch.
His publicly known rank was as high as SS+, making him one of the most powerful individuals in South Korea.
In the Returnee Union, where strong power equates to authority, it could be said that there was no one who could refuse Baek Mujin's words except for the Union Leader.
In fact, Baek Mujin's position was that of Vice Union Leader, meaning he held the second most powerful authority within the Returnee Union.
Therefore, normally, the executives would have immediately nodded and expressed agreement.
But now, what occupied the executives' minds was a question.
'Baek Mujin is stepping forward himself...?'
Originally, Baek Mujin didn't care about anything except fighting strong opponents.
He was a person who hadn't been interested in expanding his own forces or coveting power.
No, he wouldn't even keep anyone under his command if it interfered with combat.
Now, such a Baek Mujin was suddenly wanting to meet Lee Seongjun.
'Why so suddenly?'
At first, it was a bit incomprehensible due to its suddenness, but as it wasn't such a difficult question, they could quickly figure out the reason by racking their brains.
'...Lee Seongjun defeated SS-rank villain Jo Sehyeok alone.'
Baek Mujin revered martial arts and desired to fight strong opponents.
The reason why the solitary Baek Mujin was affiliated with the Returnee Union in the first place was to finish the unresolved fight with the Union Leader from the past.
In other words, the sudden appearance of a strong figure like Lee Seongjun must be quite interesting and attractive from Baek Mujin's perspective.
'Lee Seongjun... It's regrettable, but it can't be helped.'
Baek Mujin was a person with an eccentric temperament that even the Union Leader couldn't control.
They could intuitively sense that if they expressed opposing opinions out of unnecessary greed, the conversation would definitely not flow in a good direction.
'In the worst case... he might immediately resort to force.'
With the Union Leader, who could act as a mediator, in closed-door training, if a conflict were to occur with Baek Mujin, who could be called the strongest in the Returnee Union right now?
They didn't need to see the result to know.
Although the returnee Lee Seongjun was tempting, he wasn't worth exchanging for their own safety.
"I, Choi Seungtae, and the Martial Arts Division respect the opinion of Battle Demon Baek Mujin."
"Indeed, it's reassuring to have Battle Demon step forward."
Having quickly thought it through and finished all calculations, the executives immediately began to nod and express agreement with Baek Mujin's opinion.
* * *
At that time, inside Lee Seongjun's house.
On a leisurely weekend afternoon, he would normally have been resting peacefully, but today was a bit different for Lee Seongjun.
Sitting on the sofa in the living room, he kept rolling his eyes, looking around.
"..."
This was inevitable because although they had managed to stay safe without any incidents, from the perspective of his family, who could be considered ordinary people, the sudden attack by villains must have been quite a shock.
Though they tried to act as if nothing had happened, maintaining calm expressions, they couldn't fool Lee Seongjun's eyes, which had lived with them for decades.
The faces of his family members, who usually spent their days with bright expressions, now had a small shadow unlike usual.
'They must all be anxious.'
Understanding their feelings completely, it pained Lee Seongjun's heart even more, as someone who wished for his family's happiness.
Of course, that didn't mean he would blame himself and push himself into a pit of despair.
To be precise, he shouldn't do that.
'Everything happened because of me.'
He needed to take responsibility, overcome this situation, and lighten the mood.
As Lee Seongjun nodded, organizing his thoughts and about to speak in the brightest voice he could muster:
"Son..."
His mother, Kim Jiyeong, cautiously asked a question.
"Are you really okay?"
Meeting Kim Jiyeong's eyes full of worry, Lee Seongjun responded with the brightest smile he could manage.
"Of course, from now on, I'll take responsibility and make sure villains don't even dare to come near."
He wasn't just boasting to ease his family's worries.
In reality, he was firmly controlling the underworld through Yoon Giseong.
It meant he would absolutely prevent attacks by villains like this from happening again.
"It's true, I can promise you."
Confident in his own plans, Lee Seongjun spoke in a bold voice.
However, the question Kim Jiyeong had asked earlier was completely different from what Lee Seongjun had been thinking.
"...Just hearing our son say that is reassuring, but Mom is asking if our son is really okay."