The King's Humiliation

Cruelty.

"Gaaaaaaah!"

"Eee! Eeeeeeee!"

A wretched scream echoed, accompanied by a sound like someone straining their muscles. The room, bleached stark white by countless spotlights, was filled with men in suits and sunglasses, standing in two rows at attention. Beside them, several people were seen kneeling, bound and gagged.

In the very center, Shin Jin-seung was gripping a man’s mouth, tearing it apart with sheer brute force.

CRACK!

"Kaaaaaaah!"

The man’s jaw was ripped away, and he died instantly. Shin Jin-seung panted heavily for a moment, his breath ragged, before he spoke.

"Next."

At the cold decree, screams erupted from the kneeling captives.

"Hiiik! Hiiiiiik!"

"Please, spare me, Chairman!"

"Councilor! I'll do better! Councilor!"

Men who struggled to avoid being dragged were beaten by the suited men and hauled back. These men being dragged were, like those doing the dragging, originally security personnel. They were dragging their comrades of yesterday to the execution ground. While the suited men likely felt no loyalty, they were human; a part of them must have felt uneasy, but they were too busy trying to save their own skins to care.

"Follow us quietly."

"No! I don't want to! Damn it!!"

If they didn't carry out their work smoothly, they might be next. Driven by that thought, the men raised their clubs and struck the victims mercilessly. The next sacrifice was forced to its knees in front of Shin Jin-seung, and it suffered the same fate as the one before.

"Aaaaaaah!"

With the sound of tearing flesh, the second victim was finished.

"Huff. Huff."

Shin Jin-seung, panting with suppressed rage, was... perfectly fine. He didn't look injured in the slightest. Raeband, who had been watching in silence while struggling to endure the assimilation, felt a sense of bewilderment at the sudden change in scenery and the fact that Shin Jin-seung was completely unscathed.

But only for a moment. Above Shin Jin-seung’s head, the events that had transpired between him and Yeodre were replaying.

Shin Jin-seung believed himself to be a king, and therefore, he should never be injured. Yet, the fact that he was currently without a single scratch felt deeply humiliating. The voice of Yeodre, resurfacing in his mind:

'Aren't you being too careless?'

'......'

'I had such high expectations. I wondered what kind of preparations a villainous boss straight out of a comic book would make... But well, human work is bound to be sloppy somewhere. Still, this is a bit much.'

'......'

'What is it? You said you'd make me regret it right before your eyes. But now, just silence? Wow. Your reaction is so ordinary, it's disappointing.'

When Shin Jin-seung still didn't answer, Yeodre laughed and said:

'I'll let you live.'

'......'

'It wouldn't be hard to take you apart with this knife, but if I end it here, it's too boring.'

Tap.

The tip of the blade pressed against his solar plexus, making Shin Jin-seung’s breath hitch. He couldn't take his eyes off the knife.

'Prepare properly next time. Okay?'

'......'

Shin Jin-seung, still mesmerized by the blade, couldn't answer. And in that moment—

SLAP!

His head snapped to the side. He had been... hit. The reason he couldn't process that fact was that he had lived the life of an absolute ruler who had never been struck in his entire life.

'......'

'Okay?'

Still unable to recover from the shock, Shin Jin-seung answered blankly:

'O, okay...'

'Good.'

And Yeodre walked out the open door with confidence. 'Oh, I forgot to say goodbye.' Bowing his head, Yeodre had said, 'Sorry for causing a scene, old man.'

"Gggaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!"

His blood boiled. He couldn't regain his composure due to the humiliation and rage. He, a king, had been treated like that by a mere ruffian, a brat the age of his son?

'I, Shin Jin-seung?! I, who can kill an ordinary person easily with just brute force, was humiliated by a mere brat?! I, the King, Shin Jin-seung?!'

His rage only subsided after he had killed every single person who had been on guard duty the previous day. Panting, he wiped the blood splattered on his face with a handkerchief, let out a long breath, and finally returned to his usual expression. Taking a deep breath to stabilize himself, he began to walk.

Shin Jin-seung stopped the suited men who tried to follow him with a wave of his hand and said:

"Clean up the mess."

They, the security personnel, not the 'cleaning crew'?? But no one dared to talk back. The smell of blood was too thick for that. And when he reached the entrance of the white room, Shin Jin-seung clapped his hands.

Whirrr. Click.

The walls on all sides opened, revealing machine guns. A few who were in the middle of cleaning up discovered them, but... even if they found them, there was nothing they could do.

RATATATATATA!

The suited men were shredded into rags in the storm of bullets. They couldn't even let out a long scream. Without even looking back, Shin Jin-seung muttered:

"Useless bastards until the end..."

What could people of the same ilk do, when they couldn't even catch a single high schooler who had broken in? Yeodre. He didn't know how that brat had infiltrated his room, but it would never happen again. The security, which was already at a level that would make one gasp, was strengthened even further. Moreover, the manpower to catch Yeodre was increased several times over the original plan. They scraped together personnel not just from Korea, but from all over the world. A force that satisfied both quality and quantity had gathered to kill a single brat.

Of course, Rachel couldn't be unaware of those movements. She would likely clash with the people he had called. It didn't matter. If they could just find Yeodre, they had done their job. Once he found him, he would rain missiles down on him.

"Just you wait, you brat."

Grinding his teeth, the place Shin Jin-seung headed to this time was a hospital. Not just any hospital, but a dark hospital named after himself. Shin-jin Hospital. He intended to see his daughter, who was recovering after a long time, and also see the useless piece of trash who had run his mouth as he pleased.

Hidden deep in the mountains, in the middle of a dense forest, this hospital had been thoroughly renovated so that it was not lacking or inconvenient in any way compared to a massive hospital in the city center. Arriving at the hospital, he first looked for Su-ryeon. But she was still in a situation where recovery was critical, so visitation was denied. Shin Jin-seung, who glared at the doctor in charge with cold eyes, said:

"Is that really true?"

"Y, yes, it is."

"...You. Do your job properly. If you don't, you'll be digested in my stomach."

The doctor trembled, and Shin Jin-seung soon laughed heartily.

"How is it? Isn't my joke usable?"

"A, ahahaha."

The doctor laughed. Shin Jin-seung, who decided to kill this dim-witted bastard once Su-ryeon woke up, headed to Shin Jin-pae’s room this time. A dark hallway. It wasn't dark because they turned off the lights at night; it was a building designed to be dark from the start. It was a natural measure since this place contained all sorts of things that shouldn't be seen by others. It even had numerous defense systems installed to prepare for intruders who might take advantage of the darkness. Of course, the building where Shin Jin-seung resided was designed the same way, with only a difference in lighting. Yeodre had broken through that place as if it were nothing.

Shin Jin-seung’s brow furrowed with displeasure. 'It's better to assume the location of this hospital has already been discovered.' He had already greatly strengthened the security of this hospital as well. If anyone entered this place without knowing, that day would be Yeodre’s funeral. Shin Jin-seung arrived in front of his son’s room and threw the door open without hesitation. The sharp smell of alcohol. Shin Jin-pae, who would normally have been staring at that damn smartphone, was lying helplessly, doing nothing, and staring blankly at Shin Jin-seung who had entered.

'So then, which part of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this son of a bitch should I cut off?'

Shin Jin-seung had no affection for his son, for his children. Affection for children? That kind of thing was unnecessary for a king. His love for Su-ryeon was not love for a child, but love for her as a woman. Paternal love did not exist for Shin Jin-seung. Especially for a trashy son of a bitch who had carelessly leaked major information by carrying around a phone with sensitive data and handing it over to the enemy, there was no affection to give.

"Hahaha."

Shin Jin-seung approached with a smiling face. His smiling face wasn't a pleasant one, but an expression that he was plotting something. Shin Jin-pae also knew that very well, and whenever he made this expression, he would tremble in fear. But now, Shin Jin-pae’s face was very calm. Why? Because he thought he wouldn't be touched if he was injured? Did he think this Shin Jin-seung was someone bound by common sense?

The King was dumbfounded and opened his mouth.

"My son."

"Did you get hit by something?"

Flinch.

Shin Jin-seung, who shuddered once, let out a roar, then thrust his face toward Shin Jin-pae and shouted:

"Hit?! Me?!"

"......"

"Answer me! My son! Do I, Shin Jin-seung, look like someone who would be hit by a mere brat..."

"You know he's not a brat."

"......"

Shin Jin-pae was still afraid of his father. But he was more afraid of Yeodre than his father. He understood. The man in front of him, a man with power that deserved to be called a king not just by self-proclamation but objectively, was cornered, and Shin Jin-pae sincerely understood that if this man died, that day would be his own funeral. This man might kill him at this very moment. That was scary. But he thought that might be better than meeting Yeodre again.

"Father. You are still underestimating him."

"......Uwahahahaha!"

He felt good. He had thought paternal love didn't exist. Is the growth of a child this joyful? Shin Jin-seung grabbed Shin Jin-pae’s head and grinned.

"Yes. My son. It seems you are right."

He was almost blinded by rage and made another mistake. From the start, even if it hadn't been Shin Jin-pae’s smartphone, that extraordinary bastard would have reached him somehow.

"I will listen to your advice and kill him with all my might."

Shin Jin-pae was relieved. A man who was the best even when careless had decided to kill Yeodre with all his might, having regained his vigilance. It couldn't be more reassuring.

"I will also bestow a mission upon you. Here. Take this."

A cell phone. Shin Jin-seung smiled at Shin Jin-pae, who took it hesitantly.

"From now on, I will use all my power to find him. A cornered rat might focus on you or me. So, listen to news about him in real-time, and if there's even a chance of danger, contact me. Do you understand?"

At the voice overflowing with paternal love for the first time, Shin Jin-pae hesitated before answering.

"I will keep that in mind."

"Yes, yes. My son."

A stroke filled with affection. It was quite funny. When he struggled to be recognized, he was never recognized even once. Even though he had acted with a rebellious attitude, he was recognized for the first time. That fact, rather than being joyful, only deepened his fear of Yeodre.

'That will end soon, too.'

Shin Jin-seung had stepped up with all his might. No matter how much of a monster he was, there was no way he wouldn't be caught.

"Bullshit."

It had already been several days, yet they still hadn't caught Yeodre. Shin Jin-pae gave a bitter smile. Because the eyes of Rachel or external forces were watching, Shin Jin-seung only used secret personnel directly connected to him rather than mobilizing all public power. In fact, that alone was a scale that was hard to imagine. Civil servants and ordinary people were being used under the name of duty without even realizing it, helping the mission to find Yeodre. That mission was successful. And at the same time, it was a failure.

A week had passed now. The number of times they had found Yeodre was 45. And the number of times they hadn't caught him was also 45. Every time he received a report, it was just funny. Moments where he thought, 'Wow, this is really the end.' For example, every time he heard a radio report that Yeodre had been surrounded by a unit armed with automatic rifles, he genuinely felt, 'This is the end now.' And every time, Yeodre wiped them all out as if it were a joke. Even though only elite forces had gathered, he had eliminated all those troops, and the number of dead subordinates was already close to two hundred. And that was even though all the dead were professional combatants who could only be trusted when looking at their careers.

'When I was sure I had caught him this time, greater damage occurred instead.'

Perhaps that was why Shin Jin-pae was worried about this radio report as well. It wasn't that there was no reward for driving him into a corner so far; they had found a place that looked like Yeodre’s hideout, and a radio report was flowing in that all troops were gathering. A tight encirclement from which he couldn't escape. Tonight, Yeodre would die. Originally, that should be the case, and he hoped it would be, but...

'How much damage will we take this time?'

Why? It didn't seem like Yeodre would be caught.

"I almost felt disappointed."

Dre said in a calm voice. Seeing that his clothes were clean even in this situation, he must be keeping himself clean properly. The place where he was standing was a familiar location. It was the very building where Shin Jin-seung resided. Dre, who had arrived here after shaking off the troops that had gone to his hideout to catch him, grumbled about how easy it was, then met two men.

"Crazy bastard."

"Fucking brat."

The two men standing in front of Dre. One was Kang Gu-jin, Kang Gu-han’s father. The other man was Dog Mask. Dog Mask was holding a saw-toothed dagger that looked ominous just by looking at it, and Kang Gu-jin was silently putting on brass knuckles.

"?"

Dre had an expression of 'There are guns, so what the hell is that?' Kang Gu-jin asked, unbothered by that expression.

"How many did you kill to get here?"

The security personnel of this building were all equipped with expensive firearms. They were elite troops in their own right. The reason he expressed it as 'in their own right' was because the real elites Kang Gu-jin cherished had already been killed by Yeodre’s hands long ago. Dre thought for a moment at Kang Gu-jin’s murderous question and answered.

"I think I killed a few dozen... Anyway, I almost felt disappointed. When you all swarmed to the dummy hideout, I thought, 'Wow, the level is really low~', but I guess it was a trap after all."

Having all troops charge toward the dummy hideout was Shin Jin-seung’s fake. It was a move to make Dre, who thought he had shaken off the troops, face the two people standing in front of him. However, Yeodre was very calm. Kang Gu-jin said with a straight face:

"Looking at your expression and attitude, it seems you roughly anticipated this situation too."

"I have a vivid imagination."

"Really? Then just get beaten to death first."

Kang Gu-jin jumped in at once, and the speed was so far beyond imagination that Dre opened his eyes wide. He had thrust the barrel of his gun forward, but the sturdy firearm snapped under the punch.

"Whoa."

The moment Dre turned his body in a panic, he leaped. Zap. A flash of light flickered where Dre’s Achilles tendon had been a moment ago.

"Rat-like bastard."

Dog Mask clicked his tongue and looked for another opportunity. Through this one exchange, he knew. These guys were on a different level than the trash until now. Dre silently pulled the automatic rifle he had strapped to his back to the front, aimed at the two, and fired. Dog Mask, who avoided all that shooting with dizzying movements and closed the distance, thrust his dagger, and Dre swung the thick iron club he had strapped to his waist. The clash of the dagger and the club. CRACK! It wasn't just that the blade went out; the knife shattered into pieces.

Narrowing his eyes to prevent fragments from getting into them, Dog Mask threw all the weapons he had into the air. 'Catch one of these and kill Yeodre.' He lunged at him with a dagger he had pulled from his pocket to ensure he couldn't do anything else. Seeing him try to block it reflexively with the iron club, he smiled in triumph. Dog Mask lunged at him with the dagger, confident that he could kill Yeodre by catching the weapons scattered dizzyingly in the air with his free hand. Which weapon would be good? Should he split his head in one blow with a sword, crush him with a blunt weapon, or inflict pain for a long time with a whip...

BOOM!

"Gaaack?!"

What was held in Dre’s hand was a mace. Dre’s eyes had clearly been watching Dog Mask’s dagger. In other words, it meant he had caught the weapons flying dizzyingly in the air without even properly looking at them and plunged them into his shoulder...

'Damn it. Does that make any sense!'

It's easy to say, but how many masters can do that in a life-or-death crisis? Until now, all those who acted like masters couldn't avoid this. Dog Mask staggered and collapsed, feeling disbelief at the situation he was in. At that moment, Dre felt a fist flying from the side, and as soon as he raised his arm to guard, he was sent flying.

BOOM.

"Ugh."

Dre, who was sent flying, hit the wall and slid down. Kang Gu-jin glared at Dog Mask, who was gagging and drooling, with eyes of pity, as if he hadn't expected anything from him in the first place.

"Ugh..."

He approached Dre, who was barely standing up, and took a fighting stance. He kicked away the iron club Dre hadn't let go of even while being sent flying, and plunged his fist into Dre’s solar plexus in the gap.

"Ugh...!"

Extremely fast. A speed that even Dre, who had become very accustomed to fighting, was astonished by.

"I was originally going to be a professional mixed martial artist."

Kang Gu-jin continued to pummel Dre while speaking. "But well, I had committed too many accidents. In the end, I couldn't become a pro and ended up acting as a gang boss, but I have no regrets. Rather, I'm satisfied."

Since he became a gang boss and met Shin Jin-seung and was successful, it was actually a good thing. Under his power, he fully unleashed his suppressed violent instincts and crushed and trampled his enemies. "You know that guy who was called a former world champion? He suddenly disappeared, right? We kidnapped him, and he fought me after I said I'd let him ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠go if he won. I won. As a commemoration, I tore him to death myself." How fun it was to see a man who was self-proclaimed as the world’s strongest crying like a pathetic sight. Also, he didn't know how proud he was that he had objectively become the world’s strongest. He possessed techniques and strength superior to any man. And he was a true killing machine equipped with the predatory instincts that beasts would have. "Now. How is it? Does it hurt?"

BOOM!

A low kick. This must have broken his leg bone. He could end it at once by striking his face, but he didn't do so to see this guy struggle more. He saw Dre staggering, but rather than feeling thrilled, rage welled up. He knew the reason well. It was because he hadn't yet repaid as much as his son had suffered. "Our son... how dare you make my precious son like that?"

"...Bullshit. You were bragging about yourself, and suddenly what? Do you even know what that bastard did..."

"Fuck off."

WHAM!

Ah. He couldn't hold back and punched him in the face. Kang Gu-jin clicked his tongue, punched the staggering Yeodre’s jaw, and was sure it was over. Even so, he didn't stop the pummelling. Dre managed to avoid the fist he had thrown with the intention of breaking his shoulder. He didn't know if he had avoided it or if it had missed by luck while staggering, but that fist shattered the concrete wall. "It’s you lower-class people who should take it quietly if my son says he’ll do it, you fucker. Where are you crawling up?" Whether his son was assaulting, raping, killing, or doing whatever, it was a lovely act to Kang Gu-jin. How dare you interfere with that? "What’s wrong with assault? He’s a pure child who hasn't even started torture yet, you fucking bastard. I’ll torture you terribly soon."

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Kang Gu-jin pushed Dre against the wall and pummeled him mercilessly. He didn't even have the strength to block anymore and was just being hit in vain. The punching that destroyed the concrete wall was focused solely on destroying the human body. And...

"Stop... it..."

When a cowardly moan came from Dre, Kang Gu-jin felt ecstasy. Yes. This is it, this is it. He felt the greatest pleasure when idiots who mistook themselves for being strong realized their place and became cowardly. Shin Jin-seung, whom he recognized as the only one above him. Kang Gu-jin loved this moment so much that it was his long-held dream to hear such a scream from him someday.

"Stop... it."

"Stop? Stop what? Huh? Huh?"

A flurry of blows thrown with the feeling of barking more cowardly. Kang Gu-jin was sure he had won.

The clan members who saw Director Shin Jin-pae moving urgently asked suspiciously:

"Still, the Gold Taeyang Clan has thousands of members. I don't think you need to worry too much about being out of contact for a day."

In fact, it was an abnormal situation that a force of thousands couldn't be contacted. But because they had sometimes deliberately cut off contact to prioritize their own desires, they thought there was nothing to worry about. Also, even if things went terribly wrong, there was the King of Succubi and the King of Incubus. But Shin Jin-pae was different. Even if the King of Succubi appeared, he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could never be careless. 'That guy is most dangerous when you think you've caught him.' Recalling all sorts of experiences, Shin Jin-pae shuddered. Hadn't he not known that even those men, who he once thought were the strongest in the world, would be treated so miserably? Shin Jin-pae prayed earnestly that the situation would be at a level that could be handled.

Kang Gu-jin pummeled Dre, who told him to stop, again and again. For a minute.

"St...op."

"......"

Kang Gu-jin felt a sense of incongruity. '...Uh.' Something was wrong. By now, shouldn't blood be gushing out, and shouldn't red flesh be visible? At the very least, all the bones in his body should be broken so he couldn't stand, but he was still standing on his own power. He had also struck his jaw several times. How could he move? '...Uh. It’s strange.' At that moment:

"Stop it, you idiot."

A clear voice and the instincts of a beast that had been honed. Kang Gu-jin, who felt he was going to die, jumped back, and a flash of light cut through the spot where he had been a moment ago. In Dre’s hand was a shard of a broken sword he didn't know when he had picked up. If he had stayed still, his throat would have been slit. Kang Gu-jin broke into a cold sweat and felt an even greater sense of incongruity. ‘How can he move?’ He should have thoroughly destroyed him already... How many people had he killed? 'I know all too well where and how much to attack to make a person a cripple.' Even if he were a sturdy guy, he should have died ten times by now. But how is he still ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠standing? And on top of that, moving so perfectly fine? And what is that expression? As if he were deeply disappointed...

At that moment, Dre shouted:

"Stop it, you idiot! You said you were the best fighter in the world!!"

"...What?"

A sobbing that sounded genuinely disappointed. "I had such high expectations! It’s one thing to disappoint me, damn it! You’re no different from that elephant mask guy. You fucking bastard!"

"......"

He didn't understand. If he hadn't understood that guy’s emotions until now, now he didn't understand the physical part. That guy. Is he human? At that moment, Dog Mask, who he thought had collapsed, crept up behind Dre. In his hand was a sharp dagger. Kang Gu-jin also acknowledged that guy’s stealth. If he just ended his life like this...

BOOM!

Dog Mask, who was struck in the face at a speed he couldn't even see, staggered, fell forward, and slammed his face into the floor. In the blink of an eye, as the fragments of the broken mask flew, Yeodre was right in front of Kang Gu-jin.

"Uh..."

Slash.

"Ah."

His shoulder was slashed. He couldn't move. Sssssss. A spray of blood erupted, and the pain came late. "Gaaaaaack...!"

BOOM!

A low kick. A leg packed with muscles that could even block the low kicks of professional mixed martial artists, even the top ones, was crushed, and Kang Gu-jin collapsed. "Gaaaaaack!"

"Why are you screaming already?"

Not stopping there, Dre grabbed that leg and plunged the sword shard deep into it and pulled. "Aack! Aaaaaaaack!" A fist swung reflexively. BOOM! Dre kept slashing while taking that hit without even avoiding it. "Ugh! Gaaaaaaaack!" While struggling, he kept throwing punches, but Yeodre didn't stop. Kang Gu-jin was strong. So, he had never been hit one-sidedly like this even once. The fear that was slowly rising in his chest ate away at him. Before he knew it, the punching stopped, and only the eerie sound of slashing his legs echoed. "Gggghhh...!!" Only after one leg was slashed to the point where he could never walk again did the slashing stop, and Kang Gu-jin suddenly realized the liquid flowing down his cheek. It was tears.

"You son of a... Gack!"

The sword shard plunged deep into the punch he had thrown in rage. The scream he was about to let out was cut off by the fist that flew into his face, and Kang Gu-jin’s teeth flew into the air. "Gack. Ugh." He kicked Dre’s stomach hard with his one remaining good leg. BOOM. Dre, who was sent flying, collapsed on the floor. Kang Gu-jin tried to get up in the gap, but his slashed right leg was in so much pain that he couldn't move at all. He crawled and looked for a usable weapon. The thought of tormenting and killing him with his own body had long since disappeared. 'A weapon that can end that guy’s life... a, weapon...!'

"Here."

"...!"

When did he get up? When did he approach? He had clearly kicked him far away, but at the whispering voice that approached in an instant, Kang Gu-jin froze.

"Let’s continue, old man."

"......"

"I spoke too harshly, didn't I? I'm sorry. Still, you were the best among those until now. That elephant mask guy was only strong in power, but his fighting was terrible. You’re much better. Of course."

That guy is not terrible. He is a master of grappling. He was a veteran who had participated in all sorts of wars and survived. "He did try to strangle me or something, but when I gouged out his eyes, he immediately begged me to spare him. They’ve raped and killed so many people themselves. Isn't that pathetic? You won't be like that, right?"

"......Ugh."

Dre, who looked up, was still perfectly fine. He was looking down at Kang Gu-jin with eyes full of anticipation. "You said you were like a beast, like a wild animal, like a predator, right? Everyone said you would be the strongest in the world."

"Ugh, ah..."

"So stop playing around and get up. I’m getting angry, okay?"

"Gaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!"

Fear. The emotion he had forgotten until now burst out like a dam breaking. Crawling turned from looking for a weapon into trying to escape. This is no longer a fight. It is a clear trampling.

"Ah, damn it."

Dre grumbled. "It’s not fun."

Dre stepped hard on the back of Kang Gu-jin, who was crawling. CRACK.

"Gaaaaaack!!"

"Since you’re good at fighting, old man. If I keep hitting you, an awakening event will happen, right?"

A moment later. The sound of mincing meat and the terrible screams of a middle-aged man echoed for a while.

Shin Jin-seung waited for the two, Dog Mask and Kang Gu-jin, in his room with a joyful heart. They were the best in terms of martial power among those the King knew. Soon, they would kill that brat or drag him in front of the King. Even if the two were defeated, this building had facilities that were several times stronger than before. It turned out that the reason Dre could infiltrate this room last time was that he had taken the eyeballs of the masked men and used iris recognition to come and go freely. Shin Jin-seung, while reflecting on his mistake, had made it so that the security key only worked with his own iris. There were inconveniences such as the movement routes of his subordinates and various accidents, but it was something he had to endure.

"It’s about time..."

Even if not Dog Mask, he didn't think Kang Gu-jin would lose. He was a true beast and the best fighter. Even that brat who didn't seem human wouldn't be able to handle him. 'Kill him.' If Dre was dragged into this room without dying, he would repay him dozens of times over for the humiliation he had received. He would carve regret into everything related to him, not just him. Shin Jin-seung looked at the lovely dildo placed on the table. Ah. What kind of scream would that guy let out?

BOOM!

Suddenly, the door opened violently. What? Kang Gu-jin? His authority was quite powerful, but the authority to just walk into his room...

The King felt displeasure and then stopped. What entered was a man covered in blood. Yeodre...

"Haa... gack?"

Before he could even swallow his breath, something sharp plunged into his chest. Immediately after.

ZZZZZZZT.

"Gugugugugu."

Shin Jin-seung, paralyzed by electricity, collapsed with a thud. "I’m sorry, old man. There’s something I have to do, and it’s a bit troublesome if you run away in the meantime. Could you just faint for a moment?" Yeodre apologized repeatedly, asking him to wait just a little bit. 'N, no... if I faint...!' Hearing that relaxed voice, Shin Jin-seung’s vision went black.

"My dear?"

I came to my senses at Inris’s call. Old memories are always enjoyable.

"First, fuck the contract."

"Hmm."

Inris laughed calmly. It was a laugh that came from absolute composure. Everyone was like that. Whether it was a person in power I knew or a strong person, they were all like that at first. Later... well. I’m curious how this one will be. "If you want to make a contract, why don't you try beating me up first?"

"Hahaha."

Inris laughed heartily, then returned to his initial relaxed smile, with only the corners of his mouth turned up. "You are impudent."

WHOOSH!

Immediately after, the world changed. I froze at the nonsensical phenomenon. Confusion? Fear? Neither. Because it was the first time I had seen an enemy exert power on this scale, my heart pounded as if I were seeing a new boss in a game. Yes. I’m looking forward to it. Now. How strong is this guy? And. Does this guy have any backbone-. I’m looking forward to it endlessly.