Chapter 126
As laughter bloomed in the living room, Lee Seo-yun, meeting eyes with Lee Seong-jun, asked a question.
"But did you only buy things for us?"
Lee Seong-jun tilted his head.
"Is there someone else?"
"Who else? There's you, oppa."
"I don't really need anything."
In the past, he had enjoyed greater wealth and glory than the emperor in the Cheon continent.
Whatever he wanted, he could obtain, and he had even piled up mountains of gold and treasures.
He had felt momentary pleasure from it, but it was all just fleeting emotion.
In the end, what remained was emptiness and loneliness.
He had never felt an emotion that constantly warmed a corner of his heart like now.
Therefore, for Lee Seong-jun, true happiness and gift was this happy life with his family like now.
Of course, this was just Lee Seong-jun's personal stance.
Led by Lee Seo-yun with a determined expression, Lee Su-hyeok and Kim Ji-young also nodded their heads.
"This won't do. Let's go out right now."
"Yes, we should."
"At this hour? Where to?"
"Where else? To buy a gift for oppa."
At Lee Seo-yun's bold move, rarely seen, Lee Seong-jun scratched the back of his head and asked.
"Do we really have to go that far...?"
"Yes, we're all family, so it doesn't make sense for only oppa not to receive anything. No, it's unacceptable."
As it was the same emotion Lee Seong-jun felt when preparing gifts for his family, he could deeply empathize with how Lee Seo-yun felt.
Father, mother, and younger sister - they were precious beings who shared everyday life including happy and sad moments, empathized with each other's stories, comforted each other, and grew together.
They were all such a lovable family.
How could there be any discrimination?
Knowing this feeling, he couldn't refuse.
Moreover, Lee Seo-yun's gaze right now made it even harder to refuse.
'Apology and gratitude.'
It had only become more extensive through this gift, but it wasn't a suddenly arising emotion.
It was an emotion that had always existed in his sister Lee Seo-yun's gaze.
From moving to supporting her studies, she had just been accepting because it was what Lee Seong-jun and the family wanted, but her heart wasn't entirely at ease.
'...She must have wanted to repay somehow.'
It must be an emotion arising from valuing family so preciously like Lee Seong-jun himself, and wanting to be proud in front of family.
Because this heart was grateful and admirable, he wanted to lighten the burden Lee Seo-yun was carrying, even if just a little.
"Alright, let's go."
"Okay, I'll get ready and come out right away!"
"It's been a while since we had a family outing."
"Then I'll go to the garage and start the car."
The moment Lee Seong-jun nodded, the family immediately started moving in unison to prepare for the outing.
* * *
The family outing, being suddenly decided, didn't allow for much enjoyment due to time constraints.
However, the memories built together planted a great satisfaction in a corner of the heart as the biggest gift.
They had spent happy times with family that he had always wished for.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say a dream had come true, but paradoxically, because of that, he craved for more.
'...I'll live enjoying this happiness for a lifetime.'
If anyone in the world tries to shatter this happiness, he would take action without mercy.
To keep the firm resolutions made in his heart, he was going to accelerate his growth by heading to the gate early in the morning.
However, as thought earlier, he couldn't immediately accelerate his growth.
The reason was simple.
An unexpected visitor had come.
"I hope you had a peaceful long night!"
"Park Seon-woo?"
The blue tracksuit and clear eyes were exactly the same as the appearance he had seen a few months ago.
Of course, the attitude and atmosphere had changed significantly.
"I'm really sorry for coming unannounced like this, knowing that the master dislikes such forceful requests for meetings!"
It certainly wasn't a method he particularly liked.
But he could understand why this choice was made.
'Park Seon-woo has no way to contact me.'
As there was no other way but to come directly, he didn't feel displeased, and the purpose of the visit wasn't trivial either.
"You've excellently completed the task."
"It's all thanks to your teachings, master!"
"It doesn't seem to be just my teachings though."
"You recognized my state at a glance! As expected of you, master!"
Lee Seong-jun's eyes sparkled as he gazed at Park Seon-woo.
The information about the Thunder Cloud Fragrant Spirit Technique he had given through dream blood imprint was limited to 3 stars.
However, Park Seon-woo's current level in the Thunder Cloud Fragrant Spirit Technique was at 4 stars.
This meant he had reached 4 stars through self-study.
He knew that those born with the Thunder Spirit Devil Body had developed senses, but this result was beyond expectations.
'Effort, or talent?'
It didn't matter which.
What was important now was that Park Seon-woo was a treasure beyond what he had thought.
'Moreover, he didn't just barely break through the wall.'
The blue thunder energy gathered in his dantian represented that Park Seon-woo's Thunder Cloud Fragrant Spirit Technique had fully reached the realm of 4 stars.
'At this rate of growth...'
At the earliest in half a year, at the latest within a year, he could be used as a reliable force.
'Park Seon-woo... you were an even more incredible treasure than I thought.'
While Lee Seong-jun was feeling inwardly satisfied, Park Seon-woo was feeling equally, no, even more satisfied inwardly.
'Becoming the master's disciple was the best decision of my life!'
Even when he first met the master, Lee Seong-jun, he knew he was an extraordinary person.
The abilities he actually used were far beyond common sense.
'But to think that what I saw and experienced was just a tiny fraction...'
As he reached the realm of 4 stars in the Thunder Cloud Fragrant Spirit Technique through repeated training, equivalent to SS rank for hunters, he could vaguely feel the majesty of his master, Lee Seong-jun.
'He must have scanned my body with his inner force... but I didn't feel any sensation at all.'
This meant he was perfectly modulating his qi to the point where it couldn't even be perceived.
Theoretically, it wasn't impossible.
If one could move qi quickly, stealthily, and delicately enough to be undetectable, it would be natural for the other party not to notice.
But it was definitely not as easy as the theory suggested.
Even in the combat videos of top-ranked players he had watched for training, he hadn't seen such perfect qi modulation.
'This means the master has power that can overwhelm even the top-ranked players.'
One might ask how he could overwhelm top-ranked players just with superior qi modulation ability.
But that's something only non-hunters or non-martial artists would say.
Having overwhelming modulation ability meant being able to achieve efficiency several times, or even tens of times higher than normal qi handling.
This meant that even when using the same martial art, the amount of inner force consumed would be less, and the destructive power would be much stronger.
Moreover, he could handle higher-level martial arts as well.
The realm of martial arts that the master, Lee Seong-jun, had reached was comparable even to the Guardians, who were called the world's overlords.
'...Considering the growth trend he's shown so far, he might advance to an even higher realm!'
The more he thought about it, the more certain he became.
'The master is destined to become the world's number one. No, an absolute being.'
As reverence filled Park Seon-woo's eyes, Lee Seong-jun also finished his assessment of Park Seon-woo and nodded.
"This level seems sufficient to prove your ability."
Even just excellently completing the task would have been a passing grade, but his character was also truly satisfactory.
Clearly, despite gaining strong power through the Thunder Cloud Fragrant Spirit Technique, Park Seon-woo's eyes were full of purity, just like when they first met.
There wasn't a trace of unnecessary greed.
They were purely the eyes of a martial artist craving strong martial arts.
He was the best person to employ as a reliable subordinate who could be fully trusted with one's back.
"As promised, I'll pass on the martial art to you."
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
"No need to thank me, I'll be receiving an appropriate price."
Through the Korean Hunter Association, Phoenix, White Tiger, Cosmos, and finally the Infinity Guild, he had gained vast forces and considerable strength.
However, Lee Seong-jun, who had conquered an entire continent, wasn't going to be satisfied with just this much.
No, from the beginning, the more reliable forces, the better.
'Especially for the protection of my family, I need to assign someone I can completely trust.'
Although Biformed was using various techniques to protect them, if by any chance they were attacked simultaneously, it would inevitably become troublesome.
Therefore, he needed a dedicated escort to take charge of his parents' fixed commute route.
And Park Seon-woo had come at just the right time.
It was no exaggeration to say that a windfall had come.
Moreover, Park Seon-woo's own will was firm.
"I'll pay any price I can for this!"
In fact, this could be considered a natural result.
The charm of strength, martial arts, captivates people and drives them mad.
In other words, from the moment Park Seon-woo first learned the Thunder Cloud Fragrant Spirit Technique and stepped onto the path of martial arts, he became someone who couldn't escape from Lee Seong-jun.
Therefore, Lee Seong-jun could easily list his desired conditions.
* * *
Being fascinated by the power of the Thunder Cloud Fragrant Spirit Technique, he was prepared to accept to some extent even if it was somewhat against his beliefs, and had steeled his resolve.
However, the conditions proposed by his master, Lee Seong-jun, were so simple that his earlier resolve seemed unnecessary.
'Just dedicated escort duty and joining the Infinity Guild...'
The first condition, dedicated escort duty, was actually not even necessary to put forward as a condition.
As it wasn't something that violated social laws or morals, he would have followed it just with a normal order.
The second condition, joining the guild, was even simpler.
No, it was rather what he had been hoping for.
As there was no reason to refuse, he immediately accepted the conditions and was able to receive the Thunder Cloud Fragrant Spirit Technique.
"Thank you, I will strive even harder not to bring shame to your honor, master!"
"No need to worry about my honor, just make sure to strictly keep the contract."
"Yes! I will definitely keep it even if it costs me my life!"
"And for future contacts, use the number I just gave you, and I'll reply as quickly as possible."
"Understood! Then please go in!"
Lee Seong-jun waved his hand lightly towards Park Seon-woo, who was repeatedly bowing his head in gratitude, and turned around to take steps.
Thump. Thump.
It was when he was heading towards the gate, which could be called his original destination.
Buzz-
Lee Seong-jun tilted his head at the vibration sound of the smartphone in his pocket.
This was because there were very few people who knew his phone number.
If anyone knew, it would only be his closest aides or family.
However, as he had just left home, there was no reason for his family to contact him.
'Who could it be?'
Curiosity piqued, Lee Seong-jun immediately checked the screen of his smartphone.
[Ko Tae-hyun, Vice President - Someone who wants to meet Hunter Lee Seong-jun has come to the association. If you have time, I'd appreciate a phone call.]
His curiosity grew even more than before checking the screen.
This was because if it were an ordinary meeting, Ko Tae-hyun wouldn't have contacted him like this.
'It must be a quite important meeting in some sense.'
Lee Seong-jun, his eyes shining, immediately pressed the call button.
"Hello?"
-Fortunately, you haven't entered the gate yet.
As his curiosity amplified at the voice filled with relief, Ko Tae-hyun opened his mouth again and revealed the identity of the person requesting the meeting.
-Sir Jazan says he has a spirit medicine he wants to sell to you, Lee Seong-jun.