Chapter 64
Chapter 64: I Decided To Become The Master (2)
"A physical conversation, you say?"
"Scared? Since you're a beginner, I'll go easy on you."
"Hmm."
I turned my gaze toward the wooden sword.
But he stopped me.
"Not the wooden sword—try hitting the sandbag instead. A beginner swinging a wooden sword will just get hurt."
Seong Chu-hyeon grabbed the sandbag.
A sandbag out of nowhere.
This won't be easy.
That bastard's eyes are blazing like he wants to devour me on the spot.
"Make a tight fist and give it a strong hit."
"Won't you give me gloves?"
"What kind of man needs gloves!"
"What about hand wrapping?"
"Aish! A beginner doesn't need any of that. Hurry up and make a fist."
"……"
I made a loose fist.
"Go ahead. With everything you've got! Hit it hard."
The corner of Seong Chu-hyeon's mouth curled up.
He's up to something.
The sandbag he was holding was for advanced practitioners.
Heavy and rock-hard beyond measure.
And he wanted someone who hadn't even warmed up to hit that sandbag with everything they had?
That was a perfect recipe for injury.
A sprained wrist, a stretched ligament—and at worst, it could even lead to a fracture.
……Well, fine then.
I'll make sure you suffer for it.
The dark intentions of Head Instructor Seong Chu-hyeon.
I could see right through them.
What a nasty bastard.
0%
There was no room for conscience—the speed bump of righteous discipline—to intervene.
Smiling inwardly, I pulled my right shoulder back slightly.
"Here I go."
"Alright!"
Bang!
I threw my fist forward.
And then Seong Chu-hyeon shoved the sandbag hard toward me!
Whoosh—!
With a slight spin too, trying to break my wrist!
I knew it!
My eyes flashed—
Krrr-BOOM—!
An impossible explosive crack rang out—the kind that had no business coming from a sandbag—and simultaneously, the iron chain anchoring the sandbag to the ceiling snapped clean off.
Head Instructor Seong Chu-hyeon flew backward along with the sandbag and slammed into the floor.
Thud! Thump.
"Ugh……!"
He lay there buried under the sandbag, gasping as though the air had been knocked clean out of him.
I had channeled the Flying Cotton Palm's secret technique into the strike—no doubt his five organs and six bowels were twisting in agony.
"Hey, Seong Chu-hyeon. Why are you lying down?"
"Ugh……"
Click.
I placed my right foot on top of the sandbag pinning Seong Chu-hyeon down.
"We're not done talking yet, are we?"
My shadow fell across his face.
Head Instructor Seong Chu-hyeon, still pinned under the sandbag, hurled curses at me.
"You…… You! You bastard!"
"Worthless trash."
Crush—!
I pressed down harder with my foot.
Seong Chu-hyeon's face flushed crimson.
I took out my phone and showed him the photo from the Muinhoe founding ceremony earlier.
"You know this person, don't you?"
The figure I pointed to.
The second of the two familiar faces.
The very one Na In-pil had identified as Kim Tae-yang's assailant.
Park Seon-su.
He was an all-around athlete.
He hadn't been one of the main five perpetrators, but his build and athletic instincts were considerable.
Even the five main ones couldn't afford to treat him carelessly.
And Park Seon-su had made Kim Tae-yang his plaything.
Seong Chu-hyeon, staring at the photo of Park Seon-su, clamped his mouth shut.
"Not answering?"
Crunch—.
"Ugh!"
"Who is he?"
"My…… Nephew."
Ah.
Family, was he? So he's his maternal uncle.
As expected.
Rotten bloodlines can't hide themselves.
【Kim Tae-yang urges you to knock out every last one of his teeth. +1 Happiness】
"Head Instructor!"
Just then, Im Ye-rin appeared.
I lifted my foot and moved the sandbag aside.
"Oh my. The sandbag just suddenly fell."
"Ugh!"
"Head Instructor, are you alright?"
Im Ye-rin quickly moved to support him.
Head Instructor Seong Chu-hyeon rose to his feet.
Still shaken from the impact, he swayed slightly as he spoke to me.
"……Are you a Climber?"
He fixed his gaze on my abdomen beneath the loose hoodie.
He seemed to think I was wearing an Artificial Dantian.
"Coward. Do you walk around with that thing on all the time?"
Even for Climbers, wearing an Artificial Dantian outside in public wasn't standard practice.
Judging entirely by his own level, aren't we.
I didn't react and turned toward Im Ye-rin instead.
"Ye-rin. Let's go."
"Huh?"
"I can't stay here."
"What? Why so suddenly?"
Head Instructor Seong Chu-hyeon called out in a mocking tone.
"That's right, get lost! Ye-rin, come over here."
"Head Instructor……"
Im Ye-rin looked utterly confused.
And her face betrayed unease at the thought of being left alone in the gym with the head instructor.
"I said let's go, Ye-rin."
"Son of a—! Who do you think you are, making a scene?!"
Hmm, he was putting on quite a bold front.
Did I hit him too lightly?
He's certainly built tough, being an ex-athlete.
"Head Instructor, why are you suddenly cursing……"
"Hey! Im Ye-rin. Are you not going to join Muinhoe or what?"
"Well, about that……"
"You know Muinhoe is merging with Red Dragon Gate, right? Don't you know that it's nearly impossible these days for a fresh Climber to get direct membership in one of the Three Great Sects?!"
"……"
Im Ye-rin looked flustered.
I shook my head and said to her,
"What a joke. Who cares about some little initiation."
"Tae-yang……"
"Is that why you let that man knead your backside?"
"No, that's not it."
"Live however you want then. I'm leaving."
I shoved my hands into my pockets and walked out.
Behind me, Seong Chu-hyeon called out.
"We'll meet again! Kim Tae-yang!"
A smirk escaped me.
You'll be seeing me soon enough.
I headed toward the parking lot, and Im Ye-rin came trotting after me.
"Tae-yang, about what happened just now……"
"Forget it. Let's drop it."
"Hey, Kim Tae-yang! Can't you tell I came out with my bag? You were right about Muinhoe and Red Dragon Gate and all of it!"
She patted her duffle bag as she spoke.
Meaning she had left for good.
"……Let's go. I'll drive you."
"I have my car today. Mom's car."
"Alright. Then."
"Hey, Kim Tae-yang! Did something happen? Why are you suddenly acting like this?"
She stepped in front of me to block my path.
"You were acting strange earlier too! What did the head instructor mean by what he said to you? Calling you a Climber."
"……"
"I didn't mishear that, did I? Tae-yang, were you a Climber too?"
Uncharacteristically, my anger wasn't settling down.
That meant Kim Tae-yang's feelings were bleeding through.
I decided to say what I had been holding back.
"Im Ye-rin."
"Yeah?"
"Why did you bring me here?"
"What do you mean?"
She tilted her head.
I showed her the phone photo.
The photo of Head Instructor Seong Chu-hyeon and Park Seon-su together.
Im Ye-rin asked, seeming not to understand.
"What about this?"
"What about this? Can't you see Park Seon-su in there?"
When I pointed at Park Seon-su and raised my voice, Im Ye-rin's eyes went wide and she covered her mouth.
"Oh! I'm so sorry."
I observed her reaction.
Im Ye-rin grabbed my arm and apologized.
"I'm sorry. I truly didn't know. Sorry……"
"You said you were joining Muinhoe. And you couldn't see this photo?"
"No. I really didn't know. I mean it!"
No sense of deception came from her.
If it was an act, she could have been an actress.
But I couldn't trust her.
The gym she had insisted on dragging me to.
And it just happened to be the gym belonging to the assailant's maternal uncle.
She said she brought me here to let me train, but both the situation and the timing were strange.
Wasn't this too perfectly convenient to call a coincidence?
I wanted to dose her with Gu Poison right then and there.
【Kim Tae-yang says Im Ye-rin truly wouldn't have known. +1 Happiness】
This foolish Kim Tae-yang.
You want to believe her that badly?
Im Ye-rin bit her lip and lowered her head.
"Sorry……. I really didn't know. Please believe me."
【Kim Tae-yang says she poses no threat to us anyway. +1 Happiness】
True. She may pose no threat, but she could still be a nuisance.
【Kim Tae-yang asks you to go along with his opinion just this once. +1 Happiness】
Go along with it? What's in it for me?
【Kim Tae-yang swears he will repay the favor without fail. +1 Happiness】
I let out another long sigh.
Fine. If that's how you feel about it…… I'll go along with you this once.
But in return, I'll need to keep Im Ye-rin close and watch her.
"Im Ye-rin."
"Yeah?"
"You were rejected by Goryeo Sword Sect, weren't you?"
"That's right……. But how did you know?"
"Tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock. Try going back to Goryeo Sword Sect."
"What?"
"Just go when I tell you to go. Otherwise we'll never see each other again."
Click.
I got in the car, started the engine, and drove off.
In the rearview mirror, I could see Im Ye-rin slumping her duffle bag down.
I immediately called the youngest of the Choi brothers.
"Jae-hwa."
"Yes sir! Senior, what is it. At this hour."
"I'll be sending a Climber over to Goryeo Sword Sect tomorrow morning. Is direct initiation possible as a special recruit?"
"Normally it wouldn't be, but if it's your word, Senior, it has to happen right away. With the authority of an Elder."
"Thank you. I'll send them in the morning. I'll message you the name and photo."
"Yes sir! By the way, why are you sending someone so suddenly?"
"It's someone I know. Please assign someone to train them. And also……. Please keep a close eye on what they're up to."
"Heh heh heh. Understood."
Choi Jae-hwa answered in a tone that said he understood perfectly what was meant.
* * *
The following day, in front of the Goryeo Sword Sect building.
Im Ye-rin was hesitating at the front gate.
'I came out as Tae-yang said, at any rate.'
She had no idea what it was about.
What she was supposed to do there, or who she was supposed to meet.
'Am I just supposed to go in?'
At the front gate, guards who appeared to be Climbers were standing watch.
She summoned her courage and approached.
"What brings you here?"
"Ah…… Well, I was told to come……"
"Are you Im Ye-rin?"
"Huh? Ah…… Yes."
"This way, please."
The guard immediately escorted her inside.
'How do they know my name?'
Im Ye-rin had no idea what was going on, but decided to follow along for now.
She took the elevator, and when it opened, she was on the 13th floor.
'Isn't this where I took the initiation test last time?'
The very place where she had been eliminated.
It carried unpleasant memories.
'I feel kind of small just being here.'
She shuffled hesitantly into the office.
"Please sit here and wait."
"Yes."
"May I bring you coffee? Or tea?"
"Ah, no thank you."
"Water, then?"
"Yes, thank you."
The treatment she was receiving was markedly different from when she had come for the initiation test last time.
Goryeo Sword Sect was a sect that had achieved rapid growth ever since reaching the Red Rank at Demon Wind Manor.
It was ranked second behind Changbai Sect, but in recent times, word that Gukmubon was providing full backing had it steadily closing the gap with Changbai Sect.
And because support for lower-tier Climbers was well-structured, it had even claimed the top spot as the number one sect that new Climbers most wanted to join.
A short while later, a young woman in a smart suit entered the office.
Quite a beauty.
"Im Ye-rin?"
"Yes."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Section Manager Hyeon Ji-in."
"Ah…… Yes. Nice to meet you."
On the lapel of the young woman's suit was the emblem badge of Goryeo Sword Sect.
And the young woman named Section Manager Hyeon was also a familiar face.
One of the Goryeo Sword Sect evaluators who had assessed her during the initiation test last time.
But Section Manager Hyeon seemed not to remember Im Ye-rin.
She said,
"I heard you have talent."
"Huh? Ah…… You flatter me."
"Is this your first time at our Goryeo Sword Sect?"
"I came once before…… last time. I took the test too."
"Is that right? When was that?"
"Three months ago."
"I see? I'm sorry. With a face like yours, you'd think I'd remember."
"You were the one who evaluated me that time, Section Manager Hyeon."
"Ah. Heh heh heh."
Section Manager Hyeon let out a slightly flustered laugh and held out a document.
"Please read it over and sign."
"Huh?"
Im Ye-rin read through the document.
A Goryeo Sword Sect Initiation Oath.
"An—an Initiation Oath?"
"Yes."
"Not even an application form, but an oath?"
"Yes."
"If I sign this, I become a member of Goryeo Sword Sect?"
"Of course."
"Ha……"
Im Ye-rin's mouth dropped open in disbelief.
Section Manager Hyeon asked,
"Are you not going to sign? It's a great opportunity."
"Ah, no. It's such a great opportunity that I'm just……"
Without even reading through it, Im Ye-rin signed immediately.
"Well done. Congratulations. From this moment, Im Ye-rin is a member of our Goryeo Sword Sect. We'll make sure to support your tower climbing fully, so let's see how far you can go."
"Thank you……"
"When you step out, another staff member will guide you regarding the training room, support supplies, medicinal elixirs, and your training program."
"Me—medicinal elixirs?"
"Yes. You'll also be issued a separate phone, so please use that for communication."
Section Manager Hyeon gathered the documents and stood up.
Im Ye-rin called out to her.
"Ah, excuse me."
"Is there something else you'd like to ask?"
"I just don't understand why you're initiating me so suddenly."
Section Manager Hyeon smiled and replied.
"Orders came down from above. Heh heh. Ah! That said, no one here will call you a backdoor hire, so don't worry. Looking out for fellow disciples and junior members—that's the kind of sect Goryeo Sword Sect is."
"From above? Wh—who?"
"Someone very high up."
Someone very high up?
It made no sense.
Goryeo Sword Sect was a place that wielded enough power to look down on corporate chairmen and politicians—and even within that, someone high up.
"How high……?"
"Quite high."
'Didn't Head Instructor Seong Chu-hyeon say he was guaranteed a position as a Section Chief in Red Dragon Gate?'
"A Section…… Chief level?"
Section Manager Hyeon shook her head and held up her index finger, pointing upward.
"Higher."
"Then…… a, a Gate Master?"
Section Manager Hyeon walked out of the office with a smile.
"Higherrrr—."
Im Ye-rin sat there with a blank expression before murmuring softly to herself.
'Kim Tae-yang. Just who exactly are you?'
The expression on her face as she thought of him was strangely hard to read.
* * *
Ding dong!
— Senior, Im Ye-rin's initiation into Goryeo Sword Sect is complete.
— Thank you.
— The phone issued to Im Ye-rin is a twin phone. Calls made and received, location tracking—all of it works. I've sent you the phone by courier, Senior.
— Noted.
【Kim Tae-yang asks if you really had to go this far. +1 Happiness】
Hey, do you think I'm doing this for my own enjoyment?
This is all for your revenge.
That said, I got your friend initiated into Goryeo Sword Sect. The least you could do is say thank you.
【Kim Tae-yang says well aren't you just great. +1 Happiness】
Pff.
Kim Tae-yang, you like Im Ye-rin, don't you?
【Kim Tae-yang asks what on earth you're talking about. +1 Happiness】
Getting all flustered seeing an old classmate after so long?
【Kim Tae-yang says he has no feelings left outside of revenge. +1 Happiness】
How funny.
This hopeless romantic.
【Kim Tae-yang says now that you know about Head Instructor Seong Chu-hyeon and Park Seon-su, what's the next plan? +1 Happiness】
"Seong Chu-hyeon's Muinhoe. Muinhoe had agreed to merge with Red Dragon Gate."
Red Dragon Gate.
They kept clashing with me alongside the Happy Loan Office and Jeoksapa.
"These demonic path bastards keep sniffing around."
Leaving them alone was getting more and more irritating.
Should I crush them.
……No.
It was about time I needed a power base of my own as well.
For the sake of climbing the tower too, it was time to start building up the strength of other Climbers.
"I'll swallow them whole."
Red Dragon Gate.
And I turned the plan for Seong Chu-hyeon and Park Seon-su over in my mind.
Kim Tae-yang's reaction came flying back.
【Kim Tae-yang gives you a thumbs up and says you're truly a genius at the worst possible things. +1,000 Happiness】