"Then. Let's proceed with this agenda as discussed."
"Yes. It was a productive conversation."
Hwang Won-jae smiled as he looked at the plump middle-aged man who accepted his handshake with slightly unfocused eyes.
"I'll arrange a separate eting soon."
"Hohoho. I'll be looking forward to it."
It was an incredibly simple and smooth negotiation.
He turned to his secretary and said in a low voice.
"Tell my brother that I've observed all requirents and there will be no need to worry in the future."
"Understood."
"Make sure to organize the details for your report."
"Yes."
"Then I'll be heading ho now."
"Are you returning to your residence?"
"Yes. Make sure there are no calls until tomorrow."
At those words from Hwang Won-jae.
"I'll keep that in mind."
The secretary's pupils beca hazy.
Two hours later.
Hwang Won-jae, wearing a theatrical mask covering his face, t with his comrades at his residence.
"Wow, no matter when I see it, this place is fucking luxurious."
"If there's any drink you want, help yourself."
"Heh. Can I open a bottle of whiskey?"
"Of course."
'Battle Maniac' Jang Su-il strode around his residence as if it were his own ho and picked up a bottle of whiskey.
"Not an ounce of class. I don't want to beco an adult like that."
A boy who was looking at Jang Su-il with contempt said.
"What? It's hard to hear you because you're so fucking tiny."
Jang Su-il sneered, looking down at the boy who was barely 165cm tall with narrow shoulders and a skinny fra.
"Motherfucker, you wanna go at it if you're pissed?"
The boy challenged him without being intimidated at all by Jang Su-il's physique, which was twice as broad and robust as his own.
"Bullshit. Go eat more of your school lunch and co back."
"My, such energetic spirits. How co you two always growl at each other whenever you et?"
Vampire Queen smoothly intervened between them with a seductive smile to diate.
"Hmm. If we're settled, everyone take a seat."
At Hwang Won-jae's words, the three Ma-in each occupied a large sofa.
"The reason I gathered you three is simple. To facilitate the conversation using your well-known reputations in the underworld."
"Give
a break. This isn't so childish ga. Do we really need to go this far just to disrupt so kids on a field trip?"
The small-frad boy grumbled.
"It's fucking hilarious that you of all people are saying that, you know?"
Jang Su-il snickered.
"Oh what the fuck ever, dipshit."
The boy imdiately gave him the middle finger.
"You little bastard, do you really want to die?"
"Kill
if you can, I dare you."
"Well, leaving those idiots to fight among themselves."
Vampire Queen crossed her legs the other way and asked.
"Is there a reason why we don't just go ourselves instead of bribing those guys?"
"You can think of it as similar to how the mafia subcontracts gangsters, or how the yakuza subcontracts hangure."
"Hmm."
"We don't need to put our na out there every ti. If we hide our connection to them and use those guys, it'll give the Execution Force a real headache. They'll have one more entity to be wary of."
"I get what you're saying."
Vampire Queen crossed her arms and leaned forward.
"So, are those babies reliable? I feel quite uneasy about it."
MK-1, a radical group composed of young Ma-in.
They had gained significant notoriety by committing random acts of terrorism and cri, ard with their own twisted ideology.
"I've heard of that na too."
Jang Su-il interjected.
"They say that young leader has quite the montum?"
"Oh my, really? What's his characteristic?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but they say he's disgustingly fast. Apparently, no one has properly seen him fight."
"Hah! What bullshit."
The boy scoffed.
"How fast could he possibly be?"
"No."
Hwang Won-jae shook his head.
"His speed is quite threatening. The details aren't known, but a few months ago during a terrorist attack, he killed an Execution Force team leader in an instant in one-on-one combat."
"Hmm."
"They say his hand speed is cruel enough to make observers nauseated."
"For example?"
Vampire Queen showed interest.
"Like his hobby is collecting the noses he personally cuts off humans."
"My, how unrefined."
The Queen shook her head gently.
"I suppose that's inevitable with street children?"
"Hmm. Having so kind of perversion like that is what makes a Ma-in."
Hwang Won-jae rose from his seat.
"Like you, you an?"
"Of course. Now then, let's depart. Put on your masks."
"Do we really need to wear these cumberso things?"
Hwang Won-jae replied to the boy's question.
"There's no need to show our bare faces unnecessarily."
"Keh, you just like wearing that mask, don't you?"
At Jang Su-il's jeering, Hwang Won-jae grotesquely split his mouth to his ears.
"I won't deny it."
A theatrical mask covering the forehead and eyes, made from tanned facial skin of Execution Force mbers.
Wearing it had been Hwang Won-jae's long-standing perverse hobby.
"But they say those fuckers can't control themselves properly. What if they get arrogant and stuff? I feel like I might want to kill them."
Hwang Won-jae answered the boy's question simply.
"You can take off a few heads as an example."
??????°??☆????°??????
MK-1's secret hideout.
"Well, I understand your proposal, but..."
The leader, Chu Jinhong, who had gathered all his mbers to attend, acted casual in front of the four Ma-in sitting before him.
"This is a bit dangerous. Thanks to you folks, the academy's security must be extrely tight, and you want us to attack it again and tear it up?"
"You should have been told that just one class is going separately to an island for a field trip."
"Ah, I know that too. But isn't this too much risk for us?"
"I didn't know MK-1 was so safety-conscious."
Hwang Won-jae's eyes, cold and emotionless behind the mask, stared at Chu Jinhong.
"Hehe, why are you being like this? We're not amateurs, and scratching like that won't get you anywhere."
"Then what do you want?"
"Double the money."
He put his feet up on the table and revealed his yellowed teeth with a grin.
"You folks have a lot of money, right? The rumors are quite widespread. Hey, you guys have heard too, right?"
"Yes!"
"Heard it!"
"Right? Even our cute atheads all know."
"Wahahahaha!"
"So, shall we renegotiate?"
Chu Jinhong gestured with his chin toward the Ma-in standing around them like a surrounding wall.
"Or you could get your heads cut off right here."
"Kahahaha!"
"That works too, Leader!"
"Hey, let's talk separately with that sister there!"
"Wahahahaha!"
Vampire Queen sighed as she looked around at the low-rank Ma-in laughing raucously.
"Aiyoo. I knew this would happen."
"Bottom-feeding petty thugs are all the sa."
Jang Su-il, who had been sitting with his mountain-like muscles quivering and a face about to explode, smirked.
"What the fuck did you say?"
"This baldie wants to die!"
"You all know, right? I dislike such undignified and frivolous children."
Vampire Queen's voice turned cold.
Deng-gang!
Suddenly, the neck of the man who had been teasing the Queen with the loudest voice flew into the air.
"!?"
Pueok!
Then Jang Su-il grabbed and burst the heads of the Ma-in standing to his left and right, one in each hand.
"Fucking hell!"
"Take these bastards down!"
Only then did the MK-1 mbers realize the situation and try to draw their weapons or activate their characteristics.
"You stay out of this."
Hwang Won-jae said quietly to the boy.
"Aw, why!"
"Because they might all die if you make a mistake."
"Why not just kill them all?"
"Enough."
"Tch."
As the boy pouted and sat back down, Hwang Won-jae muttered with an almost languid face as he closed his eyes.
"Kneel."
No sooner had his words fallen than.
Kung! Kuuung!
All MK-1 mbers except Chu Jinhong knelt on the floor with such force that it seed their kneecaps would shatter.
"Wh-what is this?"
"Fuck! That bastard did sothing!"
"Silence."
Hwang Won-jae brought his index finger to his lips.
"...!"
With that, no one could open their mouths.
'Fuck! What the hell is this guy? What kind of ability is this?'
Chu Jinhong, frozen in his casual posture, sweated in fear without even being able to roll his eyes.
"I dislike those without dignity."
Hwang Won-jae spoke calmly.
"Without dignity, one cannot be called human. I do not recognize such low beings as my kind."
He looked around at the mbers with cold eyes.
Pook!
Exactly one-quarter of the dozens of organization mbers committed suicide by stabbing their own necks with the weapons they were holding.
'...!'
'Cra-crazy bastard!'
The pupils of the Ma-in watching the scene while frozen like statues were tinged with terror.
Dulduldul.
Leader Chu Jinhong couldn't move even a finger as he silently trembled.
"I have taken my due for the rudeness."
Hwang Won-jae, who had turned the vicious Ma-in that had terrorized the world into mice before a cat, looked down at the leader.
"Now let's start the conversation again."
"......"
"But first, put down that foot."
Sssureuk.
As if possessed, his foot automatically went down under the table.
"Hmm. Good. I'll let you speak."
"Heok! Heuuuk!"
There was no trace of the earlier swagger in Chu Jinhong, who was gasping for breath while his entire body remained stiff like a wax doll.
"Y-you people. With such power, why would you need us..."
"A foolish question."
Hwang Won-jae dismissed it.
"Do you really want to know the reason?"
"...No."
"What's important now is whether you can perform my request or not."
"I-I can!"
"Of course you should."
Hwang Won-jae placed a briefcase full of cash on the table.
"The balance will be paid upon success."
After finishing his announcent, he stood up.
"For the next transaction, I advise you to learn minimal etiquette. I only overlook others' rudeness when it cos to my comrades."
"...I'll keep that in mind."
"Let's go."
"Seriously. They just won't listen unless you use force, I swear."
The boy giggled and slapped the frozen mber's cheek.
"Still, you guys are lucky. If you'd tried to act tough just a bit more, you'd all be dead."
"...!"
"Just do what you're told well. You're adults, right?"
Thump, thump.
All MK-1 mbers had to remain frozen until the sound of their footsteps disappeared, with no one daring to open their mouth...
??????°??☆????°??????
"Damn it."
Recently, Hong In-hyeon had been feeling anxious.
Having ranked 4th upon entering, he was in a position closely following the top three who were called ace-level.
He even had ambitions to hone his skills over the three years and ultimately surpass them all to take the top spot.
'The only one who bothered
was that guy Jeong Su-hyeon.'
He didn't think anyone else could beat him.
But what about now?
Jeong Su-hyeon, whom he had considered soone to leave behind, had already surpassed him and was catching up with Seo Jun-seong, achieving the feat of ranking 1st in the midterm exams and getting an estimated B- rank, becoming the most talked-about person in this year's class.
What was even more frustrating was that Su-hyeon's achievent was exactly what Hong In-hyeon had aspired to.
'Damn it.'
When Hong In-hyeon felt suffocated, he would often co up to the dormitory rooftop and mindlessly feel the mountain breeze.
The cool, strong wind characteristic of high altitude.
He felt like flying away sowhere on that wind even now.
'It's suffocating.'
The feeling of falling behind, the feeling of stagnation.
It was an unfamiliar feeling he had never experienced before.
'Choi Mina and Kim A-yun being on the sa level as .'
He had no complaints about that judgnt itself.
In reality, the combat power of Choi Mina, who poured out powerful attack magic like a one-person army, and Kim A-yun, who roasted a Ma-in with an intense one-hit-kill lightning attack, would be difficult even for him to easily defeat.
'That's the problem, damn it.'
He, who had been 4th with a very narrow margin from the leading group, was now overtaken by Jeong Su-hyeon and was in a position to worry about being caught up by Choi Mina and Kim A-yun.
'I can understand Choi Mina. She's consistently shown flashes of brilliance.'
But how could one explain Kim A-yun's sudden power-up?
'That girl, really, until just recently she was very immature and timid.'
He and Kim A-yun were both elental awakened ones guided by Instructor Jeong Ju-hui.
But he had never once thought of Kim A-yun as a competitor.
'Her characteristic utilization was too immature, and her personality itself lacked both spirit and perseverance.'
Therefore.
'Jeong Su-hyeon did sothing to her.'
He was insanely curious about what magic Su-hyeon had worked.
"Argh. Damn it."
After scratching his head vigorously, he finally resolved.
'Yeah, this is no ti to hang onto my crappy pride.'
He simply wanted to beco stronger.
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