Chapter 131
Tae Sang-cheon shakes his head at Park Seon-woo's words, which convey determination beyond mere resolve.
"Tsk, you insist on making a foolish choice."
His skills were quite impressive, but not enough to stake one's life on.
Moreover, Park Seon-woo was Lee Seong-jun's disciple.
'He'll be able to clearly convey my intentions to Lee Seong-jun, which those worms failed to do.'
Just as Tae Sang-cheon's eyes flashed and he swung his hand...
Boom-!
Sparks scatter in midair, causing successive explosions.
Park Seon-woo, now a blue flash of light, moves swiftly to find an escape route, but he cannot evade the grasp of Tae Sang-cheon, who has reached the Manifestation Realm.
"Regret and despair over the foolish choice you've made."
The Flame Heaven Earth Explosion technique, based on the Flame Emperor Sky-Breaking Divine Technique, features widespread attacks that cause explosions in all directions - sky, earth, and the four cardinal points.
There's simply no space to escape.
"Die."
The moment Tae Sang-cheon's sentence is pronounced...
The sparks blooming in the air explode, engulfing Park Seon-woo's entire body.
Kaboom-!
Although he managed to protect himself with lightning power just before the explosion, there was no way he could fully block the flames composed of strong energy.
Tremendous internal injuries brought pain as if his organs were twisting, and red blood gushed from his mouth like a fountain.
"Cough..."
Step. Step.
Tae Sang-cheon, wearing a grim smile, slowly closes the distance.
"Urgh-!"
Park Seon-woo grimaces and tries to force his body up, but his body, already at its limit, refuses to move as he wishes.
"Your life is quite tenacious... but it seems this is the end."
Just as Tae Sang-cheon, now at close range, was about to reach out his hand.
Whoosh-!
Suddenly, darkness surges up and envelops the area.
"A martial artist and a sorcerer... An unexpected combination."
He had known for a while that uninvited outsiders were approaching.
However, given their clearly different natures, he didn't think they were on the same side, and thus had left them be.
This resulted in a somewhat bothersome 2-vs-1 situation, but it wasn't a problem.
'In the end, it's just one more fly added to the mix.'
Tae Sang-cheon, with a sneer, takes a step forward and raises a massive pillar of flame.
Bang-!
In just about a second, he succeeded in completely breaking through the darkness.
He had perfectly accomplished what he set out to do.
However, Tae Sang-cheon's face twisted more viciously than ever before.
Because the darkness hadn't been targeting his life in the first place.
"Damn that bastard!"
Park Seon-woo, who should have been sprawled on the ground, had vanished without a trace.
Hastily turning his head, he sees the sorcerer traversing the air while holding Park Seon-woo.
If he used all his strength, he could chase after them, but his position was unfavorable.
The direction the sorcerer was heading was towards the residential area where many people's eyes would be.
Getting entangled with the government and the Hunter Association before dealing with Lee Seong-jun would make things quite troublesome.
"Tsk, can't be helped."
Shaking his head, Tae Sang-cheon cleanly discarded any lingering regrets.
Although it was disappointing to let Park Seon-woo escape alive, the message had been sufficiently conveyed.
'It won't be long before Lee Seong-jun comes looking for me of his own accord.'
With a cold smile on his lips, Tae Sang-cheon savored the moment of glory that would soon come.
* * *
Park Seon-woo's expression was bitter as he lay on the bed in the hospital room.
"...I'm sorry."
He knew to some extent that Park had a stubborn nature.
But he didn't know he had such a foolish personality to apologize first in a situation where his own body was in bad shape.
Lee Seong-jun bit his lower lip and asked in a low voice.
"What exactly happened?"
He already knew from Bihyeong's story that Park Seon-woo had fought with Tae Sang-cheon.
However, he couldn't figure out the exact reason for the fight.
"I tracked down the guys targeting your father and found the meeting place with the client who ordered the attack... Tae Sang-cheon was there. Due to my lack of ability, I fell into the enemy's trap. I'm truly sorry."
Lee Seong-jun nodded silently.
The current situation made some sense.
'Probably... he finished his closed-door training, saw the devastated state of the Returnee Alliance, and investigated the background of the incident.'
And finally, he must have discovered that the person who destroyed the Returnee Alliance was himself, Lee Seong-jun.
When he destroyed the Returnee Alliance, he couldn't finish off Tae Sang-cheon because he couldn't pinpoint his exact location, and now it had come back as a later problem.
Thankfully, thanks to Park Seon-woo's efforts, there was no major damage, but he couldn't just sit still after receiving such a declaration of war.
"...I guess I'll have to settle this for good now."
As Lee Seong-jun, his expression hardened, was about to move, Park Seon-woo hurriedly spoke.
"It could be dangerous!"
"...?"
As Lee Seong-jun tilted his head slightly, Park Seon-woo carefully opened his mouth.
"I'm absolutely not doubting your skills, Master... but isn't there always a slim chance?"
Seeing Lee Seong-jun's calm expression, Park Seon-woo continued speaking in a composed voice.
"Tae Sang-cheon attacked me by manifesting energy in empty air. Moreover, he had reached the state of Perfect Energy Concealment where no energy leaks out externally... He's a master who has reached the Manifestation Realm, just like you, Master."
Unlike Park Seon-woo, whose face was shadowed deeply, Lee Seong-jun's expression showed not a trace of agitation.
'Him reaching the Manifestation Realm is unexpected, but... it's not beyond the range I anticipated.'
He wouldn't have picked a fight without any chance of winning in the first place.
Not only the subjugation of Rajaka but also the solo conquest of the Red Gate, his achievements over time were openly available on the internet.
While his exact abilities might not be known, it was easy to infer that he was a formidable expert.
Nevertheless, Tae Sang-cheon was boldly challenging him to a fight.
It was easy to infer that he had achieved tremendous growth through closed-door training.
Of course, this was from Lee Seong-jun's perspective.
"Moreover... since you don't know Tae Sang-cheon's exact location, wouldn't it be better to move with support from the Association or masters from other guilds rather than acting independently?"
Park Seon-woo's voice carried a sense of desperation.
The might of Tae Sang-cheon that he had directly faced was etched in his mind, creating a feeling of fear.
Because of this, Lee Seong-jun could understand Park Seon-woo's concerns, but that made it all the more impossible to forgive Tae Sang-cheon.
'How dare he harm what's mine...'
It had been an absolute rule and personal conviction that he never tolerated since the days of the Thousand Continents.
'Blood demands blood.'
He would show Tae Sang-cheon exactly who he had messed with and what he had done.
"I can handle everything, so there's no need to worry."
"But...!"
Park Seon-woo tried to say something, but couldn't manage it.
Blood energy condensed in the air had struck his acupoint.
Naturally, Park Seon-woo's eyes slowly closed, and his body collapsed.
Thud.
Towards Park Seon-woo who had fallen onto his chest, Lee Seong-jun declared in a low voice.
"I'll make sure to exact payment for the blood you've shed... so you just rest easy without any worries."
Having said his piece, Lee Seong-jun carefully laid Park Seon-woo's body, which was leaning against him, onto the bed.
Right after that.
Lee Seong-jun stepped out of the hospital room without hesitation, his eyes filled with anger colder than midwinter ice.
* * *
Korean Hunter Association Headquarters, Vice President's Office.
Cho Kang-hyeon, the team leader of Lee Seong-jun's Returnee Management Team, was giving his usual work report to Ko Tae-hyeon.
"There were no particular unusual occurrences today either. If I had to point out one difference, it's that after finishing gate hunting, instead of heading home, he went straight to visit a hunter named Park Seon-woo in the hospital."
"Park Seon-woo? I don't think that name was among Lee Seong-jun Hunter's acquaintances before..."
As Ko Tae-hyeon furrowed his brow, trying to recall, Cho Kang-hyeon immediately spoke up.
"He's a recently acquainted individual, an A+ rank hunter."
"Is that so? Hmm..."
Given his tremendous fame and rise as a global star, it was only natural for his social circle to expand.
Therefore, a single hospital visit could be considered nothing special.
But today, it couldn't be so easily dismissed.
'Surely... a few hours ago, there was a report of a pillar of flame, presumed to be from a hunter's ability, shooting up into the sky from an abandoned construction site.'
The investigation revealed that various parts of the construction site were severely damaged by flames and explosions, with traces of intense battle remaining here and there.
'There aren't many hunters in Korea who can wield flame abilities capable of damaging an entire building.'
At most, there were only two: Lee Ye-rin or Tae Sang-cheon.
While there were two candidates, he had been in conversation with Lee Ye-rin at the estimated time of the incident, leaving only one: Tae Sang-cheon.
'Could it be... that Tae Sang-cheon has finished his closed-door training and emerged?'
It could be dismissed as a vague speculation, but the news of Lee Seong-jun Hunter's sudden hospital visit he had just heard kept nagging at him.
'If Tae Sang-cheon, enraged by the destruction of the Returnee Alliance, attacked Park Seon-woo, who is close to Lee Seong-jun Hunter, and he went to comfort and check on him...'
Having observed Lee Seong-jun Hunter's actions closely for a considerable time, he could quickly predict what would happen next.
'He definitely won't sit still.'
He will surely seek revenge against Tae Sang-cheon.
Of course, this was just a personal speculation.
Without clear evidence, he couldn't mobilize the personnel of the Hunter Association, a public authority.
But he had no intention of just sitting back and watching.
'...I'll have to borrow individual power for now.'
Ko Tae-hyeon picks up the smartphone on his desk and sends a message to Yoon Min-su.
Usually, he could expect a reply in a few hours at the earliest, or after a few days at the latest. This was inevitable because Yoon Min-su was a person whose pride matched his skills.
Therefore, he wasn't suitable for urgently borrowing strength, but when it came to matters related to Lee Seong-jun Hunter, his attitude changed dramatically.
It meant he would respond quickly in no time.
Indeed, just about a minute after sending the message, the smartphone was vibrating.
'I knew it, but... the response is beyond what I expected.'
Ko Tae-hyeon let out a hollow laugh as he pressed the call button, and Yoon Min-su's urgent voice came through the receiver.
-Is everything written in the message true?