The Awakened Association was thrown into chaos.
“Where is Baek So-cheon?!”
“Explain yourself imdiately!”
Many powerful mbers of the association cried out in alarm over Baek So-cheon’s absence.
His strong rival and one of the three great leaders of the association, Seong Mu-gil, stord into the association president’s office.
“President! Is it true that the Planning and Coordination Director has resigned?”
The association president, Park Jae-ho, who was in his fifties, and a second-generation Awakened who fought to secure power for Awakened people, raised his head while narrowing his right eye, staring intently at the office panel with his cold left eye, which had a cross-shaped scar.
His years of hard work had earned him the respect of the Awakened community, and up until now, no one had dared to be rude to the president.
Seong Mu-gil had been one of those who had respected the president, up until he heard the rumor about Baek So-cheon’s resignation.
“It’s true.”
“I thought you two were enemies, but it seems you were on better terms than I expected.”
“Stop the nonsense! You know better than anyone that Baek So-cheon’s strength is undeniable, President. He is soone whose power is recognized by all.”
Though Baek So-cheon had been the subject of ridicule behind his back, with jokes about his unkempt beard and his “Zhuge Liang cosplay,” his skill was universally acknowledged.
As one of the three great leaders of the association, his strength and power matched the title of the association’s strongest.
Even when a Gate expedition went wrong and many A-class Awakened of the Ten Guilds perished, all the A-class Awakened under the association’s banner had survived, thanks to his leadership.
He had transford the Awakened Association, once just a joint treaty organization for the Ten Guilds, into an entity that stood on equal ground with them in terms of power and influence.
As the head of the association’s key departnts — strategic planning, coordination, and budgeting — Baek So-cheon had been the backbone of the entire organization, effectively controlling it behind the scenes.
Even Seong Mu-gil had to acknowledge that Baek So-cheon was an irreplaceable talent in every aspect.
“What will you do about the division of the Ten Guilds’ territories?”
“We’ll follow the plans he left behind.”
“There’s no way to implent the plans without him! At this rate, the association will be swept away first.”
Seong Mu-gil had been around even before Baek So-cheon joined the association.
Though Baek So-cheon had taken a significant portion of his power, Seong Mu-gil still rembered how much Baek So-cheon had elevated the association’s position.
“This is strange,”
The president’s left eye, which was always shut, now opened slightly wider, and the remaining eye grew even more intense.
A cold light glinted in his sharp gaze.
“Since when did you care about the survival of the association?”
“...Thirteen years is a long ti.”
“You’ve grown weak.”
“As for you, nothing has changed since thirteen years ago. That terrifying personality and your unreadable attitude are exactly the sa.”
Even his appearance had hardly changed.
While the world believed that Baek So-cheon had been lurking behind the president, acting as a shadowy figure,
in reality, it was the other way around.
“Anyway, if we can only get revenge on the Ten Guilds, that’s all that matters. Don’t forget the promise.”
Seong Mu-gil, who had been demoted after losing the power struggle and was now barely clinging to life in the Ten Guilds, nodded in agreent.
His unchanging grudge against the Ten Guilds was clear.
He was easy to read.
His grudge and his goal were both clear.
Baek So-cheon had also been easy to understand.
His grudge and his goal were obvious.
Or so he had thought.
But that was no longer the case.
“Hae Eung-eung.”
What had the ambitious man seen in this woman with such a laughable na?
Was she truly worth rejecting all the opportunities and power he had handed over?
Park Jae-ho’s left eye twitched.
‘...Now is not the ti to open this eye.’
This eye would be necessary for a further, distant future.
Park Jae-ho endured the temptation to reveal what was hidden.
‘Do not cross over. Do not invade. If you do, nothing will happen.’
Once again, the president closed his eyes.
Just like he had done for the past ten years.
“I hear you’re starting to enjoy training disciples these days.”
[They’re students who make teaching enjoyable.]
Hae Eung-eung readily agreed to Ujiwoo’s question.
As the guild expanded, there was no longer a need to collect the association’s public credits through miscellaneous duties.
Thanks to this, Ujiwoo, who had barely been able to step out of the office, was practically living in the training hall.
“Do you no longer do ga broadcasts?”
[There’s soone more interesting than gas now.]
Baek So-cheon.
The man who mastered the Dragon Fist from the Martial Arts Almanac.
He looked like he was from the sa hotown.
‘To think there was another survivor from that perilous world, besides . It’s quite a strange thing.’
She felt a sense of warmth.
She was very curious about how he had been in that world.
However, could it be that only one side would have the chance to ask questions?
Just as she was curious about him, he would probably start asking about her as well.
‘I had many enemies.’
As a survivor, it was impossible for him not to know the infamous Hae Eung-eung, who had gained notoriety for her ruthless behavior.
She had killed so many people, and anyone with connections to them might co seeking revenge. It was possible that he might be frightened.
Having settled all past debts and returned, she didn’t want to be caught up in them again.
‘I’m sure he’s thinking the sa thing.’
She didn’t need to say it out loud.
This delicate silence was, after all, a mutual consideration for each other.
That was why Hae Eung-eung liked this silence.
It felt like she had a secret friend that no one else knew about.
Ujiwoo, not liking this, tried to shift her attention elsewhere.
“Is that Dragon Fist the one he’s particularly skilled at?”
[He’s at an elite level. I would even give him a high score by my standards.]
“Then why not make him a teacher? You can’t keep teaching all the students on your own. The number of students has increased, after all.”
This was a valid point.
The reason Hae Eung-eung couldn’t focus on gas anymore was because Baek So-cheon had a stake in it. The remaining share was held by the increasing number of students.
“The Yin-Yang Five Elents Countering Dragon Fist, you want to pass it on to soone else?”
[You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I’m only asking because I need a teacher.]
“It’s not that I don’t want to. But my Yin-Yang Five Elents Countering Dragon Fist is so difficult to learn that not just anyone can easily learn it.”
[Are there prerequisites?]
“It requires high intelligence, an Awakened rank of C or higher, or at least an interdiate level of mastery.”
Hae Eung-eung couldn’t hide her disappointnt.
She had found an interesting martial art after a long ti, and she had hoped other students could learn it, but the conditions were so stringent that finding soone who could actually learn it would be quite a challenge.
“By the way, does Dragon Fist translate to Mantis Fist in Korean?”
“Are you interested in learning, Ujiwoo?”
“No, not at all. I definitely wouldn’t be able to learn it. But I know soone who might be able to.”
Ujiwoo scratched his head as he spoke.
“Isn’t Kyungseok’s codena Mantis Human? And the martial art is called Mantis Fist.”
[He’s pretty sharp.]
“His Awakened rank is C, too.”
Hae Eung-eung nodded automatically.
This was a martial art for Kyungseok.
“His rank is low, but I’ve heard his na a few tis. I see. Let’s et him and decide.”
Learning martial arts depends more on the will of the teacher than the student’s own will.
Unlike the knowledge in modern schools or academies that can be easily learned by paying money,
martial arts in the martial world can only be passed on if the teacher accepts the student.
‘The opportunity has been given, now it’s up to Kyungseok to seize it.’
The light suggestion sparked by Ujiwoo’s coaxing.
Everyone assud that if Kyungseok was given the opportunity to learn, he would gladly accept it.
But they had forgotten.
How many things was Kyungseok already doing?
“Excellent. After eting and talking with you, I can see that you et all the requirents. I’ll pass on the Yin-Yang Five Elents Countering Dragon Fist to you.”
Baek So-cheon, far from being malicious, was doing this out of goodwill.
Ujiwoo, too, was simply trying to look out for his comrade.
And Hae Eung-eung, having followed Kyungseok for a long ti, wanted to pass on a good martial art to him, so she sent him to et Baek So-cheon.
‘How could I refuse this?’
Suddenly, a B-class Awakened appeared, using gestures to release glowing energy, smashing walls with punches and causing a stir.
It was hard to refuse, especially since he had been recomnded by both the guild master and Ujiwoo.
“Well, what do you think? Can you do it?”
“I think I can, but…”
“Then practice for two hours every day.”
How many hours of free ti were there, aside from sleeping?
Just two hours.
Kyungseok smiled brightly.
“I’m a bit busy with my schedule…”
“Then you should work faster.”
“Well, I would love to, but it’s the business…”
“You were once the Planning and Coordination Director at the Awakened Association. If you want to, you’ll find ti. Is your business busier than the association’s?”
“Excuse ?! The Planning and Coordination Director, you an Baek So-cheon, the one who’s called one of the three great leaders of the association?”
“Now that you know, you shouldn’t talk nonsense.”
Kyungseok squeezed his eyes shut.
‘Looks like I won’t be able to enjoy my hobby of burning benches in space anymore!’
With too much work and too little ti to spare, Kyungseok found his brain constantly overloaded after work.
He had originally used his after-work hours to relax and destress with his hobby, but now, that ti too was taken over by training.
Where’s the Bench Villain today?
Who?
The bench villain in the stratosphere
Watching was so much fun
It feels weird not seeing the bench on fire at this ti
Agreed
On that day, in the silent swordsman’s cosmic atmosphere, the Bench Villain who had bought countless benches to burn in the stratosphere had disappeared without a trace.
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