I'll Say This Only Once
Kang Yeon stepped out of the inn. The man from earlier had reappeared, and this time he was making no secret of trying to draw him out.
I don't have to follow him…
Kang Yeon let out a sigh. Sooner or later, this was a confrontation he would have to face. Better to settle it now, perhaps, than let it fester.
The figure in black headed for the outskirts of West Lake. Kang Yeon kept a measured distance as he followed. The man knew he was being trailed—no, that had been the point from the start.
Before long, a ruined manor emerged from the shade of a deep forest. It had been abandoned for years, but the signs of recent occupation were plain.
Around us… about ten?
Kang Yeon's senses picked out the martial artists hidden nearby. Every one of them was at the Super-Peak Realm. For an ordinary sect, that was no small force.
A flick of black cloth—then the man glanced back and slipped into the ruined manor. Kang Yeon followed without hesitation. Where the figure in black had vanished, a stairwell led underground. Kang Yeon went down after him, and a space wider than expected opened before him.
"Hmm…"
The torchlit chamber below was more arsenal than cellar. Weapons of every kind lined the walls in neat ranks, and a map of the Central Plains hung on one side.
"Welcome, Mr. Kang Yeon."
A middle-aged man rose from a chair and bowed with formal courtesy. He was the same man in black Kang Yeon had been following only moments before.
"Or should I call you the Absolute Martial God?"
Kang Yeon answered evenly.
"Just Kang Yeon, please. Absolute Martial God is a name that already retired."
Once he was certain the man belonged to the New World Association, there was no point hiding the truth of who he was.
"Ah. And your original name—can you share that as well?"
"I forgot that name a long time ago."
"Hmm… I see. Then allow me to introduce myself."
The man straightened his spine.
"I'm Choi Min-seok, Combat Director of the New World Association. I came from Seoul in 2010. I used to be an ordinary gym owner."
Kang Yeon's eyes shifted by the barest fraction. So he was a modern man after all.
"How does a gym owner end up as an officer in an organization like this?"
Choi Min-seok gave a bitter smile.
"I was just as lost at first. One day I woke up in a world that made no sense. But I adapted. When I fused modern combat techniques with the martial arts of this place, the synergy was remarkable. Then I found others in the same situation, and they recognized me—for my ability."
At a gesture from Choi Min-seok, one of the weapons on the wall flew into his hand. Object Manipulation through internal energy. The technique alone marked him as a man of considerable power, and Kang Yeon's senses confirmed it: Choi Min-seok had reached the Transcendent Realm.
"And fifteen years later, I understand something clearly. This world is pure survival of the fittest. And we…"
Choi Min-seok stopped and looked Kang Yeon straight in the eye.
"We are preparing to conquer this world."
World conquest—the kind of line you only ever heard from modern villains. Kang Yeon asked in a calm voice,
"World conquest… what does that even mean?"
"If you have power, shouldn't you rule? And the people of this age are far too primitive. If we take control, we can guide Earth—and the generations that follow—toward something better."
"And your method is violence? Why force dominion that way? There must be other paths."
Choi Min-seok laughed loudly, but cold ambition ran through the sound.
"Other paths? Fifteen years taught me this: in this world, strength is the only truth. This is a savage age, is it not?"
He pointed to the map of the Central Plains. Broad stretches of it were marked in red.
"Modern strategy, tactics, organization… apply them to Murim and you become invincible. Look. Twenty-three martial sects already answer to us."
Kang Yeon studied the map. The marked regions were all strategic strongholds. Of course, it did not name which sects held them. The New World Association planned and executed with ruthless system.
"On the surface every one of those sects is independent. In practice, we control them. Their finances, personnel—even the transmission of their martial arts."
Choi Min-seok spoke with pride.
"And that number is only what we chose to take. If we'd wanted more, we could have brought far more sects under our hand."
"Murim isn't that easy to handle."
Modern knowledge might be more advanced, but Murim still produced extraordinary people of its own.
"Yes, that's true. But in the end, they all come under our rule. And that is entirely thanks to the Master's brilliance."
Choi Min-seok drew something from his robes—a small object that fit in the palm, carrying a strange current of energy that Kang Yeon could feel at once.
"This is a Sound Transmission Stone."
He set it on the table.
"Channel your internal energy into it with a unique wavelength, and—"
Hum. Hum.
The stone on the table began to glow. Choi Min-seok spoke with formal respect.
"Master. This is Choi Min-seok."
A cold, low voice rolled out of the stone.
"This is the Master. Why have you contacted me?"
"I've made contact with Mr. Kang Yeon. He's standing in front of me now."
Pleasure colored the voice that answered.
"Mr. Kang Yeon. A pleasure to meet you."
Even through the stone, an overwhelming presence pressed against the air. Whoever this was, he was no ordinary master. When Kang Yeon stayed silent, the voice continued.
"Allow me to introduce myself. Thirty years have passed since I arrived here. I came from the Republic of Korea in 1990. I'll only say that I was a soldier. Rank and unit… well, what meaning would that have now?"
The Master pressed on.
"For a modern man dropped without warning into the Central Plains, survival is everything. And we must build a world for those who share our fate. Survival of the fittest—that is the only law. You know that better than anyone, Mr. Kang Yeon. You are the Absolute Martial God who conquered Murim itself."
Deep conviction filled the Master's voice.
"We have prepared for thirty years. We took modern military strategy and organizational expertise and applied them to this world. The result is the New World Association."
"Impressive."
Kang Yeon's assessment was cool and even.
"But why seek me out?"
"The time has come to unify the Central Plains. The Murim Alliance? The Demonic Cult? The Unorthodox Alliance? All of them are relics of a bygone age. We will forge a new order. If an absolute master like you joins us, the work becomes simple."
A note of urgency entered the Master's voice.
"Picture it. The strongest army this world has ever seen—modern military structure fused with Murim martial arts. Systematic training. Efficient command. Absolute force."
Choi Min-seok added,
"We've already introduced modern training systems. We analyze martial practice scientifically and optimize it. What takes an ordinary martial artist ten years, we achieve in three."
"And so?"
Kang Yeon's reaction remained lukewarm. The Master's voice continued from the stone.
"If you stand with us, we can pacify the Central Plains within a year. And…"
He paused, then went on.
"We can build a peaceful world. No more strife between sects. No more wars of Orthodox, Unorthodox, and Demonic. One unified realm."
For the first time, Kang Yeon showed a real reaction.
"Peace… an interesting word. Is peace imposed by force true peace?"
"It is the only way. History proves it. Qin Shi Huang, Genghis Khan, Alexander—all of them unified through force. And once they unified, the fighting stopped. I'm surprised to hear that from your mouth, Mr. Kang Yeon."
Kang Yeon shook his head.
"I have no such ambitions. I only want to cook in quiet and live my life. Everything I did as the Absolute Martial God was simply what needed doing."
A cold laugh drifted through the Sound Transmission Stone.
"So you'll use your power only for yourself? Think of the other modern people who opened their eyes in this strange land. Some of them have no power at all—nothing like yours. We have a duty to protect them."
"Is that what they want?"
The Master fell silent for a moment.
"No one refuses help."
"There may be people who don't want it."
Kang Yeon exhaled a long breath.
"In any case, I have no interest in the New World Association or the Return to Home Association. Leave me alone, and that will be enough."
"A pity. Then we have no choice but to become enemies."
The air turned cold. Kang Yeon saw Choi Min-seok's hand close quietly around a weapon.
"As you know, we already know everything about your family and your inn. Mr. Jo Hwan. Miss Jo Seol. Young Master Jo Un…"
For the first time, Kang Yeon's eyes went sharp.
"If you touch them, that will not be a wise choice."
"It isn't a threat. It's reality."
The Master's voice grew colder still.
"Absolute Martial God. You are certainly strong. But even you cannot be everywhere at once, can you? While you stand here, who knows what might happen at the inn…"
BOOM!
Kang Yeon's presence erupted. The entire underground chamber shook. Choi Min-seok dropped to his knees, and muffled groans rose from the martial artists hidden around them.
"I'll say this only once."
Kang Yeon's voice was calm, but the killing intent within it was absolute.
"Touching the people around me is not a wise choice. I may be retired, but if necessary…"
He stopped and looked down at Choi Min-seok.
"I can show you why they called me the Absolute Martial God."
Crack. Crack-crack.
Under the crushing weight of Kang Yeon's energy, the Sound Transmission Stone split with a sharp report. The connection to the Master broke.
"Good God… the stone…"
Sound Transmission Stones were famous for their unbreakable strength. This one had shattered under Kang Yeon's aura alone. Choi Min-seok could not hide his shock. Even as a master of the Transcendent Realm, he understood in that instant that before Kang Yeon he was nothing.
Absolute Martial God.
Only now did he grasp why the Master had worked so hard to recruit this man—and why, against his usual manner, he had kept his tone so carefully respectful. Kang Yeon spoke to Choi Min-seok.
"Tell the Master this for me. I want to live in peace. But if anyone interferes with that small wish, I will not stand idle."
As Kang Yeon climbed the stairs, Choi Min-seok finally dragged in a ragged breath. Cold sweat ran down his spine and told the full story of his terror. Outside, Kang Yeon looked up at the night sky. The stars shone in peaceful quiet, yet he could feel the first stirrings of a coming storm.
"Hah… so it comes to this after all…"
He had wanted peace, but the past would not stop following him. Kang Yeon quickened his pace—back to the inn, back to where his family waited. Whatever lay ahead worried him, but one thing was certain. Anyone who threatened what he meant to protect would find no mercy.
"No matter who they are."