episode_0035

“Good Lord! Why is that person suddenly here?”

Black Heaven’s main headquarters.

Normally, a place that would not tolerate any intruders.

Yet, an uninvited guest in traditional Korean attire appeared there.

“Oh, is this where the kid lives? No, didn’t he say he doesn’t live here?”

A petite man, barely reaching the waist of an adult male.

Contrasting with his appearance were his light footsteps and casual demeanor.

Even upon seeing him, the men couldn’t move.

They knew who stood before them, a being akin to a monster.

“Tsk tsk. This is why young ones these days. If you lack manners, you should have strength, or at least some authority.”

Muttering words that didn’t match his appearance,

S-Class hero Kim Taejin lowered his head.

“Dodge it, or come at me. Choose one.”

The men shared glances.

Honestly, they didn’t think they could win.

In Black Heaven, power equated to justice.

In other words, all members were sensitive to power.

“So strong…!”

Even the Black Heaven members couldn’t see the end of the power their opponent possessed.

Just his walk exuded that intensity.

It felt like just his presence could crush knees with pressure alone.

A monster.

That’s the only way to describe him.

“Tsk, the so-called successor is well placed, but his subordinates are lacking. Should I handle it myself?”

At those words, the men took up combat stances.

Regardless, this was Black Heaven.

No outsider could be left unchecked.

They needed to buy time at least until a senior officer arrived.

“Ugh!”

A man in front gathered his magic power.

A feeble attack wouldn’t suffice from the start.

He had to bet everything on one strike.

The moment he kicked off,

“…Huh?”

Suddenly, his body was floating in mid-air.

Everything seemed upside down there.

No, it was his own self that had flipped.

“Slow, even in flying.”

-Kwahng!!

The man crashed to the ground in an instant.

He writhed but couldn’t rise.

Seeing this, the men swallowed hard.

They couldn’t believe what was happening before their eyes.

They couldn’t even notice Kim Taejin approaching.

“This is it. The successor seemed impressive, but now it seems they’re just a bunch of weaklings.”

Saying so, Kim Taejin laughed as he pulled out a sword.

Unconsciously, the men took a step back.

A humiliation unimaginable for a member of Black Heaven.

But who could blame them when facing such a beast?

“It’s not just a difference in level.”

They couldn’t even understand what they were up against.

This wasn’t even a predator’s hunt.

Dust clung to his clothes.

To Kim Taejin, that was merely a slight inconvenience.

“Hmm, good. I’ll commend you for not running away. Those who take in kids must do at least that much.”

One step.

Just by extending his foot, immense pressure weighed on their shoulders.

“Of course, not hiding enmity after looking at me won’t go unpunished!”

Kim Taejin tried to move.

It was over.

All the men there thought so.

Until a woman sprang out from behind.

-Zzzeong!!

In an instant, Inyeong leaped out and collided with Kim Taejin.

An enormous shockwave shook the air.

It was so intense that even people were thrown backward.

How many seconds passed in that moment akin to a natural disaster?

Kim Taejin slightly stepped back.

She looked at the woman who appeared before her and smiled slyly.

“I never expected the organization’s leader to come out personally.”

“If it’s Kim Taejin you’re facing, you should expect that much.”

The woman before her was none other than the leader of Black Heaven.

She was also Yujin’s mother, Lee Seolhwa.

Her uniquely cold gaze fixed on Kim Taejin.

Lee Seolhwa was a woman with a mysterious aura flowing around her.

Despite being tightly wrapped in a black hanbok, her beautiful femininity and figure were not entirely concealed.

Of course, no one present dared to harbor any lustful thoughts towards her.

“If you knew that, why didn’t you come sooner?”

“If you had given me a heads-up, I would have. We can’t treat uninvited guests as guests.”

A tense atmosphere lingered between them.

On one side, a slender beauty clad in a black hanbok.

On the other, a petite girl in a white hanbok.

Their mere presence created a stark contrast.

“Well, fine. I came here today to talk.”

“You speak well for someone who just got rid of one of my subordinates.”

“I went easy on him. If I had wanted to, this place would’ve been a graveyard.”

Kim Taejin’s words were not empty boasts.

If she had truly desired it, not just people, but even buildings would have been blown away.

“Speaking of graveyards, how’s that fungus doing?”

“Other than sharpening the knives of revenge against you, nothing has changed.”

When Kim Taejin mentioned “fungus,” he was referring to one of the three S-class heroes under Heukcheon.

It was absurd to call an S-class hero a fungus, but Kim Taejin’s power made it plausible.

“So, why did an S-class hero who used to brawl in others’ organizations end up at Heukcheon?”

“It’s about…no, it’s related to Yujin.”

“Yujin?”

For the first time, a hint of emotion flickered in Seolhwa’s eyes.

She realized an unexpected word had slipped out.

“What, did you really not know I sent him to you?”

“I was aware. I thought he wouldn’t last a day.”

That was an honest sentiment.

Those who knew about the relationship between Heukcheon and Kim Taejin would likely have thought the same.

“When you said he’d last a week, I was puzzled. But I suppose he didn’t meet your expectations.”

“Still, he’s your son; it’s a biased evaluation.”

“He’s the leader of Heukcheon before being your mother.”

As if displeased, Kim Taejin clicked his tongue.

This was the nature of Heukcheon.

Influence, friendship, even blood ties were meaningless in the face of power.

Only the strong mattered in their pursuit of justice.

That was Heukcheon’s top priority.

“Well, then, it’s better this way.”

“Better? How so?”

“I took him in as my disciple.”

For the first time, Seolhwa’s expression changed.

She gazed at Kim Taejin with a cold, hardened face.

“…What are you thinking?”

“No ulterior motives. I simply liked the kid.”

And that was the truth.

Initially, Kim Taejin had only intended to drive Yujin away.

But Yujin turned out to be more than expected.

Not only talented but also possessing excellent character.

To the point where Kim Taejin wanted to teach him regardless of Heukcheon.

“You can’t even kill your successor after meeting him. I dislike seeing such talent wasted.”

“I don’t think a mere week will change much.”

“But what if he learns the Cheongong Divine Fist?”

-Kwoong!

As Kim Taejin finished speaking, the air around them crackled.

The source was the aura emanating from Seolhwa.

The usually icy woman was displaying anger for the first time.

“How dare you…teach that to Heukcheon’s successor?”

“I didn’t teach him; he learned it on his own.”

The leader of Heukcheon had another name.

He was known as Cheonma (天魔), the Heavenly Demon.

Although somewhat distorted in the modern era without the martial world,

among heroes, the meaning behind that name remained singular.

Overwhelming strength.

One reason the leader of Heukcheon was powerful was due to inheriting the Cheonma’s martial arts.

The Cheonma’s Divine Fist.

It was a technique passed down exclusively to the leader of Heukcheon.

In response, what Kim Taejin developed was the true identity of the Cheongong Divine Fist.

“Heroes, heroes everywhere, yet none in sight. Our organization doesn’t leave you alone because of lack of strength.”

“I know. But if that happens, I’ll have to stick with the Hero Association ‘unavoidably.’ Wouldn’t you guys dislike that too?”

The Hero Association is literally a group that organizes and operates heroes.

At the same time, it is also the only organization that stands against the Black Heaven.

Although Kim Tae-jin personally dislikes it and keeps his distance,

If the Black Heaven sincerely attacks, he has no choice but to join forces with them.

Lee Seol-hwa, who had been eyeing Kim Tae-jin for a moment, took a breath.

“…I need to think a lot about this matter.”

“Hmm, seems like your son is precious after all, contrary to what you said?”

“Don’t misunderstand. It’s just because the child is recognized by the predecessor as the successor. There are no personal feelings involved.”

“Yeah, yeah. That must be it.”

This was a kind of declaration of war.

– Your successor has become my disciple. What are you going to do now?

It was nothing more than a provocation.

There will probably be movements even within the Black Heaven.

That’s what Kim Tae-jin is aiming for.

‘Not everyone will support the kid like Park Secretary did. Before that, there is a need to weed out appropriately.’

To achieve great things, you must first eliminate internal enemies.

That’s how you turn the Black Heaven into a better organization.

Kim Tae-jin’s expectations of Yujin were so high.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave. Pass on my regards to the kid.”

In an instant, Kim Tae-jin’s figure disappeared.

Lee Seol-hwa, who was staring into the empty space, turned around.

“Gather the executives immediately.”

“Yes!”

The successor of the Black Heaven has become Kim Tae-jin’s disciple.

How will the executives accept this? This was all something Yujin would have to handle.