Chapter 70
Mother and younger sister, who had entered the Korean restaurant first, didn't ask much about the conversation between the two.
They acted as if nothing had happened, maintaining their usual demeanor.
Thanks to that, the somewhat gloomy atmosphere completely disappeared, and they were able to spend a happy time without much discomfort.
I thought we could end the day like that.
It certainly would have been so if not for the gaze I felt near our home on the way back.
'...Who is it?'
Given the recent increase in reporters tailing me, I would have lightly ignored it if it was an ordinary gaze.
But the energy my senses detected was definitely not that of an ordinary reporter.
'On par with Jo Sehyeok... no, even beyond that.'
It was someone with considerable skill, among the top in South Korea.
I needed to clearly determine their intentions.
"I just remembered I forgot to buy something at the convenience store. Would you mind going in first?"
"Should I go with you?"
"No, it'll be quicker if I go alone."
"Alright, be careful."
After briefly saying goodbye to his family, Seong-jun Lee turned around and started walking.
As soon as his family disappeared around a nearby corner, still laughing...
Whoosh!
Seong-jun's figure leaped into the air as if flying, lightly jumping over the nearby buildings.
Of course, he thought he would immediately confront the presence that had been watching him.
'...This is unexpected.'
The distance remained constant.
Even when he utilized his inner energy more rapidly to increase his speed further, the result still didn't change.
At the edge of his perception, he could see a large man about 2 meters tall moving his feet quickly.
'Not bad.'
Although he wasn't going all out, the man was showing movements fast enough not to be caught even by the speed of풍뢰보 (Wind Thunder Step), an advanced lightness skill.
'I wonder who it is?'
While curiosity struck him for a moment, there was no need to increase his speed to chase after the man.
The quickly moving presence had stopped at a dark middle school playground where no other presences could be felt nearby.
'...Is he deliberately luring me to a place with no people?'
Although he still didn't know the man's exact intentions, it was actually a favorable situation.
'There won't be any unnecessary commotion.'
As Seong-jun landed on the ground with a smile on his face, the large man looked him up and down with a sidelong glance.
"Your movement itself doesn't seem too bad..."
After pondering for a moment with his hand on his chin, the large man nodded and opened his mouth.
"I'm curious how skilled you are."
As soon as he finished speaking, the large man kicked off the ground with both legs and began to charge.
His footsteps were light yet without waste, resembling the movements of martial artists he had seen countless times in the Thousand Continents.
'A martial artist, huh...'
He knew there were martial artists who could use martial arts among the returnees, so he had expected to encounter one someday.
But actually seeing one with his own eyes like this gave him a strange feeling along with anticipation.
'...This should be interesting.'
What level would he be at?
What kind of martial arts had he learned?
The competitive spirit that could be called the instinct of a martial artist who reveres martial arts began to surge in one corner of his chest.
With a smile on his face, Seong-jun wrapped the blood energy surging from his lower abdomen throughout his whole body, and immediately raised both arms.
Babak-!
The large man's consecutively thrown punches clashed with Seong-jun's hands.
In the midst of the seemingly endless exchange of attacks and defenses.
At the moment a momentary gap appeared, Seong-jun clenched his outstretched hand into a fist and pierced through the large man.
However, the man's figure that had clearly been in front of him vanished like an illusion.
'Form Shifting...!'
The man who had narrowed the distance in an instant was slightly lowering his body, pushing an attack into Seong-jun's opening.
It was an unexpectedly quick movement, but not to the extent that he couldn't respond.
In fact, his widely spread ki sense was capturing the man's movements in detail.
'He's aiming for the right side of my chest.'
Seong-jun pulled his foot back to widen the distance from the man.
At the same time, he fully opened his left palm that had been hidden in a blind spot, concentrating his blood energy.
Wooong-!
The blood energy concentrated on Seong-jun's palm emitted a resonant sound, ready to explode at any moment, but it didn't actually explode.
The large man who immediately withdrew his attack quickly retreated backward, wrapping his whole body in blue energy. At the same time, the man's arms sliced through the air.
"Fierce Heaven Overturning, Phantom Evil Azure Break."
It was a ferocious martial art true to its name. In fact, every time the large man swung his arms, sharply formed energy rushed towards Seong-jun.
Seong-jun's eyes watching him began to turn red, and blood energy surged up from his whole body.
Crackle-!
The blood energy that spread out in an instant enveloped the energies shot by the large man, trapping them inside a circular ring.
'Celestial Flower Blood Dance, Blood Martial Myriad Phenomena, Blood Extreme Return.'
The energies caught in the mysteries of Blood Extreme Return began to move along the circular ring.
They moved from the right to the top, then to the left, reaching the bottom which could be called the floor, and finally headed towards the point that could be called the starting point of the ring.
Thus, they returned naturally like flowing water to the large man who had originally shot the blue energies.
Whoosh-!
Along with the sound of fierce wind, the large man's eyes shook briefly at the energies slicing through the air.
"Hup-!"
The large man who swallowed empty air immediately moved his hands and feet to deflect the incoming energies.
There was urgency in his movements to receive the energies, as if it was an unexpected attack.
However, he perfectly received all the attacks he had shot.
'He's definitely not an opponent to be taken lightly.'
Just looking at the movements visible to the eye, in terms of realm alone, the man before him could be said to be a step above.
Moreover, his combat experience didn't seem bad either.
Of course, that didn't mean he was thinking about defeat.
Rather, Seong-jun's eyes were looking at victory.
He could be confident that his experience and memories as the one called the Demon God, Seong-jun Lee, would be able to bridge this gap.
With his eyes shining, Seong-jun wrapped a fierce gale around his whole body and stepped forward without hesitation.
'Wind Thunder Step, Cutting Grass, Extreme Line Rush.'
Whoosh-!
As Seong-jun narrowed the distance with the man in an instant, a smile appeared on his face.
'At this distance...'
Even if the man before him was an unexpectedly skilled expert, he wouldn't be able to avoid the attack.
In fact, the man's eyes, which had always shown composure, were now as round as the full moon.
"...?!"
Confirming that sight, Seong-jun took a deep breath and freely unleashed the blood energy he had stored up.
'This will end it.'
As the seductively red color spread out and the power of Asura was gathering in Seong-jun's right arm, it happened.
The man's figure that had clearly been in front of him disappeared in an instant.
It was similar to the earlier Form Shifting but clearly different.
The man's movements couldn't be detected even by the widely spread ki sense.
It felt as if the man's very existence had vanished like smoke.
'Is this... a skill?'
It was surprising, but there was no need to be flustered.
If he came within the area of effect he had spread out, he could sufficiently prepare for the man's movements.
As Seong-jun narrowed his eyes and prepared to receive the man's follow-up attack, it was then.
"Not bad! Not bad at all!"
Not far away, the large man was showing a hearty laugh with his white teeth exposed.
"Hahaha! It's been a while since I had such an enjoyable fight, but let's stop here for today... it seems too regrettable to end it like this."
Although it was a somewhat questionable situation, there was no need to be flustered.
'...There was no killing intent from the beginning.'
None of the attacks the large man had unleashed were life-threatening ones aimed at taking his life.
Rather than attacks meant for victory or to defeat an enemy, they were light attacks as if testing something.
However, the very fact of being attacked was not a pleasant thing, so Seong-jun frowned and asked a question.
"What are you trying to do?"
"Nice to meet you, I'm Baek Mujin of the Returnee Alliance."
It was a somewhat unfamiliar name, but just from the exchange they had just had, he could infer that Baek Mujin's position would be quite high.
'At least an executive level...'
Of course, what was important now was not Baek Mujin's position.
"Returnee Alliance... I thought those arrogant bastards would send some riffraff, but they sent someone quite skilled."
Baek Mujin burst out laughing at Seong-jun's attitude which showed not even a bit of hesitation.
"Hahaha! Someone quite skilled? You dare speak such words to the great Baek Mujin! Do you have a death wish?!"
There was an intense aura in his booming voice, but there was no way Seong-jun would back down from just this.
"If you're so confident, try it. But..."
Shooting a cold gaze at Baek Mujin, Seong-jun spoke in a low voice.
"You'll pay an equal price when that time comes."
A satisfied smile appeared on Baek Mujin's face at Seong-jun's audacious attitude that was not just composed but even reversing the pressure.
"Hahaha! You're 10 no 100 times more interesting than those executives who only flap their gums! I'll acknowledge it! You have both the guts and skill to speak to me like that, you're a true strong one!"
Desire that could be called madness began to surge in Baek Mujin's eyes as he gazed at Seong-jun.
"I'll give you 1 year, exactly 1 year. I'll make sure no one from the Returnee Alliance lays a hand on you, so take your time to grow comfortably. Then I'll look forward to the day we meet again!"
Having said what he wanted to say so forcefully, Baek Mujin kicked off the ground and flew away, disappearing without any lingering attachment.
"..."
Although it could be called a very sudden situation, Seong-jun's expression was utterly calm.
'What an eccentric.'
He could be certain because he had encountered such people several times in the Thousand Continents as well.
With his willful personality and unpredictable behavior.
Baek Mujin was a person who perfectly fit the term eccentric.
'Considering the conversation we just had, it doesn't seem like he'll threaten my family or aim for my life right away, but...'
Given the nature of an eccentric, he had no intention of simply leaving it alone since it was impossible to know which way he might jump.
'I'll have to ask the association to investigate thoroughly.'
Having organized his thoughts about the person called Baek Mujin in his mind and recalled what he needed to do himself, Seong-jun took out the smartphone he had put in his pocket.