"Wh-what?"

Cheon MyeongHo's eyes widened.

He looked at his axe in disbelief.

He began trembling.

This cant be happening.

This is something that wasn't supposed to happen.

Crushing an axe with his bare hands?

It wasn't like he was a green monster that appeared in movies or anything. It made no sense.

"Hiic!"

Cheon MyeongHo lifted his hand from the axe.

He lifted his right fist, and muscle grew in size as if it were about to explode.

He targeted KangWoo with his fist that was harder than steel.

Tap-

The same thing happened again.

KangWoo caught Cheon MyeongHo's punch with one hand.

Although the size difference was like comparing an adult's hands to a child's, Cheon MyeongHo's punch was easily caught.

Crack-

"AAAHHH!!"

Screams mixed with the sound of bones breaking spread.

KangWoo kicked Cheon MyeonHo's chest.

After using the Authority Power, his strength had become superior to a giant ogres. He kicked Cheon MyeongHo with his increased strength.

Paf-!

"Cough! Ugh! Coff! Coff!"

Cheon MyeongHo, who had fallen to the ground, began coughing blood.

You could see fear spread through his face.

"What are you doing?!" Kim YeongHoon shouted at him.

Cheon MyeongHo stood up while trembling.

"I-I'm sorry."

"Damn it... Who is that guy?"

Kim YeongHoon chewed his nails anxiously.

He didn't know who the rude person who had just appeared was.

But the only thing he knew was that, with only his and Cheon MyeongHo's strength, they wouldn't be able to win against him.

'There's no other way.'

Kim YeongHoon's eyes narrowed.

"Cheon MyeongHo, use demonic energy.

"..."

"What are you doing?! Use demonic energy!"

He angrily shouted at him.

Cheon MyeongHo's face trembled.

He stood up with a heavy expression on his face.

"Understood..."

Cheon MyeongHo's hand went to the left side of his chest where he could feel his heart beating. The demonic energy that was inside it began spreading through his body.

He was enveloped by dark and sticky energy.

"Ah, ahh."

Cheon MyeongHo's mouth opened wide.

His body's blood vessels sprouted hideously, and his skin became darker, a horn appeared on his forehead, and wings resembling bats appeared on his back.

Hell's energy that had started spreading from his heart had started to turn his body into a demons.

A strong desire to destroy rose from inside him.

The lust and desire devoured his reason.

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"GRRRR..."

He made a groan similar to an animals and flapped the wings that were on his back.

"Woah."

KangWoo's eyes shone.

A short exclamation left KangWoo's mouth after seeing Cheon MyeongHo's transformation.

'From everyone Ive seen to this point, he's the one that got closest to becoming a demon.'

He had seen many people who had accepted demonic energy, but no one had managed to get so close to becoming a demon.

'But'

KangWoo laughed.

Even if he had turned into a demon, the result wouldve been the same. KangWoo was about to do the sixth Awakening, and once he did that, his strength would get even closer to Chae YeonJoos.

He wouldn't be able to overcome that difference by becoming a demon.

"Kill that bastard!" Kim YeongHoon shouted.

The powerful strength he could feel from Cheon MyeongHo, who had turned into a demon, made him feel confidence!

'I always win in the end.'

It had always been like that.

To him, hardship and adversity were just things that made life more entertaining and less boring.

He was born a winner. And in reality, he had never lost even once.

'Bugs like you need to crawl just like the bugs you are.'

Kim YeongHoon smiled while looking at Kim ShiHoon and his partners.

"GRRAARR!"

As if he were agreeing with his thoughts, Cheon MyeongHo, who had finished transforming, let out a scream.

His chilling red eyes locked onto KangWoo.

He began flapping his wings, and Cheon MyeongHo flew toward KangWoo.

"Hahaha! You're dead now..."

Crack-!!

The sounds of bones cracking spread through the place.

Cheon MyeongHo bounced back after clashing with KangWoo.

It almost felt unrealistic seeing Cheon MyeongHo, who had turned into a monster, roll on the ground so easily.

"Huh...?"

Kim YeongHoon couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Clam-! Crack!

"AAARRRGGG!!"

One-sided violence ensued.

The unknown intruder named KangWoo leaped toward Cheon MyeongHo, who had bounced back.

He punched Cheon MyeongHo with his fists covered in dark-colored energy.

Every time he hit him, a sound that resembled an explosion could be heard.

It felt like the roles of demon and human had been reversed.

One couldn't help but feel sorry for Cheon MyeongHo, who had turned into a demon.

'What?'

Kim YeongHoon couldn't believe that Cheon MyeongHo was being one-sidedly beaten up.

"Who is that guy..."

Kim YeongHoon began trembling.

* * *

Fear engulfed his body.

He realized that something had gone wrong.

'Is he a ranker?'

Beating Cheon MyeongHo in such a one-sided way would be impossible unless you were as strong as his father or Chae YeonJoo.

Kim YeongHoon turned around with a pale face.

It didn't matter if he was a ranker or not, the important thing was that, after Cheon MyeongHo, he would become the next target.

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Without looking back, he began running away.

"Oof! Oof!"

His breathing got heavier.

The road toward the gates entrance felt too long.

'I... I must contact father!'

Just like he always did in times of trouble, he tried to contact his father.

He was sure that Kim JaeHyun would be able to solve the issue and bring him victory.

He took a crystal from his pocketit was a device that allowed you to make calls from inside the gates.

Right when he was about to activate it

Paf-!

"Cough!"

After being hit, he rolled to the ground.

"Y-you...!"

His face pale, he looked at the person who had made him fall to the ground.

The person named KangWoo looked at him with a smile on his face.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Wh-who are you!"

"Why do you all say the same thing in situations like this?"

KangWoo squatted next to Kim YeongHoon and looked at him, disappointed.

"Give it to me."

"Wh-what...?"

"You were trying to contact Kim JaeHyun, right?" KangWoo said while pointing toward the crystal with his finger.

YeongHoon gave it to KangWoo with trembling hands.

After a few beeps, KangWoo finally heard the voice he was waiting for.

[What happened?]

It was a hard and low-pitched voice.

KangWoo's smile deepened after hearing Kim JaeHyun's voice.

"Are you Kim JaeHyun?"

[Who are you?]

"Hmm... Will you understand the situation if I say I have your son as a hostage?"

[...]

There was a heavy silence.

KangWoo realized that, even though he wasn't saying anything, Kim JaeHyun's breath had gotten rougher.

'He seems quite surprised.'

It would be weird if he were calm in that situation.

There probably wasn't any dad who could remain calm after hearing that his son had been taken as a hostage.

"F-father! T, this damn guy dared to...!"

Paf-!

"Cough!"

KangWoo kicked Kim YeongHoon, who was trying to grab the crystal, in the stomach.

His body curved in a C shape, and he moaned in pain.

"You stay there."

KangWoo used the Authority of Restraint and created chains made of demonic energy to restrain Kim YeongHoon from moving.

Kim YeongHoon, whose body had been tied up like a chrysalis, moved his body as if he was having a seizure and screamed.

"Let me go, you bastard!!"

"Oof, you don't listen. Huh? Are you going through a rebellious phase?"

KangWoo kicked Kim YeongHoon's head.

With a dull thudding sound, blood flew out of Kim YeongHoon's mouth.

[Stop.]

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"Even someone like you worries about his son, huh?"

[What do you want?] Kim JaeHyun asked in an angry voice.

It seemed like he'd quickly understood the situation.

KangWoo smiled in satisfaction after seeing that one could actually talk with Kim JaeHyun.

"If you want to save your son, come to the Mok-dong C-rank gate right now."

[You clearly want me to come alone... Right?]

"Hahaha!"

KangWoo laughed at his question.

"If I asked you to come alone, would you actually come by yourself?"

[...]

"I know guys like you very well, so don't think too deeply and come as you like."

He was saying that he could bring as much help as he wished.

Kim JaeHyun smirked after hearing his words.

[Are you out of your mind?]

"Are you being considerate of me? Then why don't you come by yourself?"

[I'll make you regret those words...]

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be waiting for you."

KangWoo put his feet on Kim YeongHoon's right leg.

"If you don't come within 20 minutes, I'll begin crushing your son's limbs one by one, so take that into consideration."

[Oof...]

You could feel the indignation in Kim JaeHyun's voice.

[Can someone who belongs to an organization that works for the government handle the repercussion of torturing someone? And my son on top of that?]

"Huh? Government?"

It seemed that, just like Cheon MyeongHo had, JaeHyun thought that he was part of the Hwarang Squad.

KangWoo smirked.

"I'm not part of any organization that works for the government."

[Don't tell me... Are you alone?]

"Yes. I'm still single."

[You're crazy.]

Kim JaeHyun thought that KangWoo's joking replies were serious.

He thought that he really had done something so crazy 'alone.'

[Did you do this while knowing who I am?] Kim JaeHyun angrily asked.

He was the CEO of Mir Electronics, a multinational business. On top of that, he was the leader of one of Korea's top five guilds.

It wasn't that he only had money

He also had such authority that not even government officials could easily touch him.

On top of that, just like Baek KangHyun and Chae YeonJoo, he was one of Korea's most powerful players.

Money, authority, strength

He was on top of everything.

Even a world ranker wouldn't dare to do something like KangWoo was doing.

"Hahaha!"

KangWoo laughed and even stepped even harder on Kim YeongHoon's right ankle. Kim YeongHoon screamed in pain.

"What about you? Do you know who I am?"

[...]

"You don't. Right?"

Crack-

With the sound of bones breaking, Kim YeongHoon's ankle twisted at a weird angle.

Kim YeongHoon wriggled in pain.

KangWoo smiled while looking at him.

It was a creepy smile that resembled a demons.

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"If you don't know, you need to be beaten up."