Kang Jin-Ho might know the face and even remember the name, but he had never really talked to Park Yu-Min before. However, he still stuck his foot out to stop the latter from licking the floor, then directly addressed Choi Yeong-Su. "That's enough."

“Who the hell is this c*nt?” Choi Yeong-Su dumbfoundedly stared at Kang Jin-Su. Who the heck was this fearless bastard?

Kang Jin-Ho grabbed the back of Park Yu-Min's neck and pulled him up off the floor.

"Uh? Uh...?" The flustered Park Yu-Min staggered back up to his feet.

Kang Jin-Ho pointed at one of the desks. “Go back to your seat.”

Park Yu-Min stood there hesitating, his eyes nervously glancing at Choi Yeong-Su.

Choi Yeong-Su yelled, “Oi, cripple! Have you gone insane? You got up without my permission?!”

However, Kang Jin-Ho remained composed. "Just go already."

Park Yu-Min could only alternate his gaze between the two, unable to do anything but stand there in silence.

"What the f*ck? Hey, who the hell do you think you are, you c*nt?!" Choi Yeong-Su glared murderously at Kang Jin-Ho. However, the latter stared back at the bully, utterly unmoved.

It wasn't like the urge to help had taken over Kang Jin-Ho's judgment. The past him would've turned a blind eye to all this. But this didn't mean that he had suddenly developed idiotic thoughts of repentance or upholding justice.

Between Choi Yeong-Su the bully and Kang Jin-Ho the killer of thousands, who would come across as the true villain? Unless you're a total idiot, you would always say Kang Jin-Ho was the worse of the two. And, perhaps to prove that point, he chose to intervene not out of a sense of justice but because of his rising irritation level.

He just couldn't explain why he was getting so irritated. His mind knew that bullying in school was a regular occurrence, yet his heart couldn't let this one go. Besides, the trio was bullying Park Yu-Min as if it was a mere game at this stage. It reminded Kang Jin-Ho of some bastards in the past that tormented the dying just for fun.

“That's enough,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

Choi Yeong-Su growled menacingly. "Who the hell are you, and why are you standing up for that cripple? What, are you also a cripple like him, too?"

Kang Jin-Ho's brows quivered. Those words reminded him of the days when others called him a cripple. The car accident had left him paralyzed from the waist down, and whenever he went somewhere in his wheelchair, he would often hear people whispering behind his back. And that terrible curse must've followed him to his new Zhongyuan life, as yet another accident before his tenth birthday had left one of his legs limp. He had remained a cripple like that until he went through a total physical rebirth later in his life.

Was that why? Every single word coming out of Choi Yeong-Su's mouth triggered unpleasant memories in Kang Jin-Ho and rapidly soured his mood.

Kang Jin-Ho growled back. “I do not like repeating myself.”

“Huh... What the hell?” Choi Yeong-Su sounded flabbergasted.

Kang Jin-Ho ignored him and addressed Park Yu-Min next. “And you, go back to your seat.”

Park Yu-Min hurriedly shook his head. “I, I'm fine, Jin-Ho.”

“Don't make me repeat myself.”

“The f*ck? Hey, you c*nt...!” Choi Yeong-Su's open palm flew at Kang Jin-Ho's chin.

Grab!

But his hand was caught mid-air by Kang Jin-Ho before anyone else could figure out what happened.

Choi Yeong-Su was left flustered. “Huh?”

“...Hey.” Kang Jin-Ho cocked his brow and glared straight at Choi Yeong-Su. “Want to die today?”

He didn't say anything particularly noteworthy, considering that he was still a high schooler who was expected to be foul-mouthed all the time. But for some inexplicable reason, Choi Yeong-Su felt this deathly chill run down his spine. He felt like he was thrown inside a walk-in freezer the moment he looked into Kang Jin-Ho's eyes.

'What the f*ck?!'

Choi Yeong-Su began panicking. This inexplicable ominous foreboding was urgently warning him to stop provoking Kang Jin-Ho. However, his current position meant he could not back off even if he wanted to.

“You son of a b*tch...!”

It was all because there were over twenty pairs of eyes witnessing this event. Make that forty when all the new eyewitnesses crowding near the front and back doors of the classroom were counted. If Choi Yeong-Su backed off now, his reputation would be left in tatters. No one might be open about it, but it wouldn’t take a genius to guess that everyone would start mocking him behind his back.

"F*ck you, as*hole!" Choi Yeong-Su suddenly kicked Kang Jin-Ho's abdomen. Unfortunately for him, he made the worst choice possible.

Kang Jin-Ho didn't have any qi in him. His physical body was not the same as his gangho self, either. Regardless, he was still a martial artist who had experienced thousands of life-and-death battles.

An old gangho proverb said that cutting down three men with a sword would make you a beginner swordsman. By that yardstick, what would Kang Jin-Ho's rank be since countless people had died at his hands?

Unless Choi Yeong-Su was professionally trained in combat arts, he would never compare to Kang Jin-Ho... Even if his physical strength was several times higher!

Kang Jin-Ho easily avoided the kick to his abdomen, then accurately drove his knee into Choi Yeong-Su's gut.

"Keuk?!" Choi Yeong-Su urgently clutched his tummy as his neck craned, and the air escaped from his lungs. A single blow ended everything.

Kang Jin-Ho used his elbow to hit Choi Yeong-Su in the back. He initially wanted to hit the latter in the back of the head, but a slight mistake might lead to grave consequences, so he changed his target at the last second.

Choi Yeong-Su couldn't even scream as he toppled over on the spot. His lips must've burst open when he fell as blood began seeping into the dirty water on the floor.

“Yeong-Su?!”

“Hey, what have you done?! Son of a...!”

The two goons hurriedly helped the unconscious Choi Yeong-Su back to his feet. His clothes were already stained black by the dirty mop water while blood continued to trickle down his lips.

One of the goons growled, “You'll regret th...”

“Who said you can leave?” Kang Jin-Ho quietly muttered.

Choi Yeong-Su's goons flinched in alarm. “N-no, we were just...”

"Clean this mess." Kang Jin-Ho pointed at the floor. "You started it, so you finish it."

“...Got it.”

Kang Jin-Ho turned around to leave. Jeong In-Gyu rushed up to him and urgently whispered into his ear, “What have you done?!”

“What do you mean?”

"And since when did you learn how to fight like that?! Wait, that's not important right now. Why did you get involved just now?! Don't you know that Choi Yeong-Su's the grandson of the school's chief director?"

“I do know.”

“Then why?”

Kang Jin-Ho shrugged his shoulders. "No reason. He was becoming an eyesore."

“You have really lost your dang mind!” Jeong In-Gyu yelled in disbelief. However, their chat was suddenly interrupted by a quiet voice coming from behind them.

“Excuse me...”

Kang Jin-Ho glanced behind him and discovered the bullying victim, Park Yu-Min, standing there.

Park Yu-Min looked troubled and lost as he tried to say something. "T-thank you..."

Kang Jin-Ho curtly replied, “For what?”

“F-for helping me...”

"I was merely getting rid of the source of my irritation, that's all."

“Even so...”

"In my view, you're no better than him. Go away."

“....”

Park Yu-Min's head faltered pitifully as he trudged back to his desk. Kang Jin-Ho frowned while watching this scene unfold.

If you asked who was at fault between the bully and the bullied, the answer would always be the bully. However, did that automatically make the bullied a blameless victim? Every instance had its circumstances, and in this particular bullying case, Park Yu-Min wasn't completely innocent. If only he had resolved himself and tried to pounce on Choi Yeong-Su, things would not have escalated to this level.

Jeong In-Gyu sounded worried as he spoke, “Come on, dude. I'm telling you, this is no laughing matter. Even teachers in our school can't do anything to Choi Yeong-Su.”

“I know that,” Kang Jin-Ho replied, fully aware of the annoying things that would soon knock on his doorstep. So what?

Knowing what was to come didn't make him regret anything. What was done was done—his personality meant shedding tears over spilled milk was just not his thing.

"I'll just weather the storm for a while." Kang Jin-Ho shook his head, having already stopped worrying about his consequences. The truth was, though, something else was making him worried instead.

While teaching Choi Yeong-Su a lesson, Kang Jin-Ho had nearly lost himself to a powerful urge to crack open the punk's skull with his elbow. Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor sleeping within must have been thirsty for bloodshed. Failing to suppress his bloodlust on time would have resulted in Choi Yeong-Su's death. After all, even an amateur could break the skull of an unprotected person.

Kang Jin-Ho felt quite crappy inside. He believed that he had fully returned to living an ordinary life, yet a part of him was still lingering in that other world. He managed to suppress the hidden urge before it could cause a problem this time, but would he be able to control himself if a real threat suddenly manifested before him?

Unfortunately, mulling over it right now wouldn't get him anywhere. Of course, this didn't mean that he shouldn't think about it, though...

Jeong In-Gyu urged on desperately. "Dude, I'm telling you, you shouldn't be relaxing like this."

“It's fine,” Kang Jin-Ho replied nonchalantly. However, his situation was a lot worse than he could have imagined.

***

“Who the hell do you think you are?!”

Kang Jin-Ho wordlessly stared at the teacher shouting and glaring at him.

This man was the dean of students, and his name was Gong Ik-Hyeon. He also had an unfortunate nickname of 'Bloody Mop,’ which he got from smacking around students until they bled, then forcing them to mop up all the blood splatters on the floor.

This 'teacher' was currently trying to bite Kang Jin-Ho's head off. “What do you think this school is, ah?! How dare you go around hitting people?! You think you're a thug, you f*cker?!”

“...”

“You piece of sh*t... Get on the floor, now. Sh*theads like you need to get smacked around.”

As a dean, disciplining students for fighting inside the school was par for the course. Even if that was true, Kang Jin-Ho just couldn't view Bloody Mop in a favorable light at all. That was all because this so-called teacher had conveniently omitted the part about Choi Yeong-Su tormenting Park Yu-Min.

Kang Jin-Ho cocked his head. “But sir. Choi Yeong-Su started it first by bullying Park Yu-Min.”

Gong Ik-Hyeon snidely retorted. “Really? Who said that?”

“The other students in the classroom.”

“Oh? Why don't you bring them here, then?”

Kang Jin-Ho silently arched his brow. But Gong Ik-Hyeon, also known as Bloody Mop continued with a sarcastic tone. “I'm telling you to bring your eyewitnesses here!”

"Please wait, then." Kang Jin-Ho got up to leave the guidance office.

Bloody Mop was taken aback. “H-hey, where do you think you're going?!”

“...?”

"Do you really think that someone will come to your defense just because you asked? Everyone in your class already told me that you attacked Choi Yeong-Su even though he was just minding his own business!"

Kang Jin-Ho quietly glared at Bloody Mop.

The teacher growled. “You dare glare at me?”

Kang Jin-Ho calmly asked, "Sir, you already know it, so what are you doing?"

“What are you talking about?”

“Don't you have a conscience, sir?”

“Hey, you piece of sh*t?! Are you trying to lecture me?! Get on the floor, now!”

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head. “I don't think so.”

"You dare resist me?!"

“If I'm at fault, I'll gladly get punished hundred times over. But I simply cannot see where I'm at fault this time, sir.”

"Hmph, this insane punk!" Bloody Mop also got up and grabbed Kang Jin-Ho's collar. "Punk, do you wanna know what it feels like to die?!"

Their glares collided in mid-air. However, Bloody Mop was the first to back off by sneakily turning his head away. Kang Jin-Ho's relentless glare seemed to have triggered his guilty conscience.

The so-called teacher grunted unhappily. “F*ck me. What bullsh*t is this?”

The office door was flung open just then, and Kang Jin-Ho's homeroom teacher walked into the guidance office. "Teacher Gong, what's going on here?"

“This punk here apparently beat up his fellow student, Choi Yeong-Su.”

“...Is that true? Jin-Ho really did that?”

"Yes, sir. That boy, Yeong-Su, is in the hospital right now. I heard that this punk started punching someone who’s minding his own business."

The homeroom teacher, Kim Seong-Ju, shifted his attention to Kang Jin-Ho. "Is that true, Jin-Ho?"

“No, sir.”

“Then explain what happened.”

“Choi Yeong-Su was tormenting Park Yu-Min, so I stopped him.”

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho continued to speak in a composed voice. “I'll gladly face my punishment for hitting Choi Yeong-Su if he is also punished for bullying Park Yu-Min. However, I will not acknowledge the incorrect version of events where I've supposedly hit him for no reason.”

Kim Seong-Ju looked back at Bloody Mop. “Dean, you heard him.”

"But Teacher Kim, the other kids told me that it was this punk who started swinging his fists out of the blue!"

That 'testimony' finally helped Kim Seong-Ju realize that Gong Ik-Hyeon was trying to imply something. The homeroom teacher had finally figured out the current situation. "I see. For the time being... Let me take Jin-Ho back to class."

“But Teacher Kim!”

"I'm his homeroom teacher. Regardless of what happens later, isn't talking to me first the correct course of action, Teacher Gong? Why did you bypass me and do whatever you want, sir? What you have done is on the verge of abuse of authority, Teacher Gong."

“Our principal is furious right now! Teacher Kim, why are you being unreasonable like this?!”

"Don't worry, I'll take responsibility. That's why I'd like to have a private chat with the boy elsewhere."

“Argh, words are not getting through to you! Listen here, Teacher Kim Seong-Ju!”

The homeroom teacher remained utterly resolute. One could sense his unwillingness to sit by and watch a student getting the short end of the stick. Just as the two men exchanged heated words, the office door opened wide, and two more men stepped inside.

“We're here, Chief Director.”

The new entrants were the principal of the school and the chief director of the foundation. The two teachers quickly stopped arguing and bowed their heads toward their superiors.

The chief director pointed at Kang Jin-Ho. “Is this the student in question?”

“Yes, sir.”

The old man proceeded to roar at Kang Jin-Ho in a sharp, clear voice. “Did you hurt my Yeong-Su today?!”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. "Yes, I did."

“Why?!”

“Yeong-Su was bullying another kid, that's why, sir.”

"Is that so? If you're speaking the truth, then... Yeong-Su should be punished accordingly."

“E-excuse me, sir?” The dean was taken aback by that unexpected response and hurriedly looked at the chief director. He knew that this old man wouldn't say such things, so what was going on here?

The chief director continued. "If you're telling us the truth, boy, then Yeong-Su is indeed at fault. I operate an education foundation, so for my own grandson to bully another kid? He definitely deserves some ass-kicking. Why are you so surprised to hear that, Teacher Gong?"

The principal hurriedly butted in. “C-Chief Director, I'm sure that's not what happened! Even if this boy is telling the truth, he still assaulted another student, and he...”

"Principal, are you trying to make me look like a fool in front of everyone?"

“...”

The principal kept bowing his head apologetically. Even a blind person could see that this situation was heading in a strange direction.

The chief director looked at the teachers. “Did you call his parents over?”

“Yes, sir. We've contacted his parents.”

"Well, we will continue this discussion once his parents arrive. We are supposed to be adults here, so why are we mistreating a kid like this! I came here as a parent, so let's forget about our job titles for a second, and talk like civilized people, shall we?"

“Yes, sir.”

A period of awkward silence ensued. Eventually, Kang Jin-Ho's parents arrived at the school.

“Hello. I'm Jin-Ho's father, Kang Yu-Hwan.”