Please Take My Son

"Listen, friend. Going there really is a waste of time…"

Dokgo Man chattered away as he trailed after Do-ha, who kept walking without so much as a glance back.

"Why do you keep following me?"

"Huh?"

Dokgo Man, who had been babbling nonstop on his own, finally snapped back to reality.

Wait. Why was he tagging along?

"There's leftover food back at the restaurant. Why trail after me yapping instead of eating it?"

"This guy looking at me like I'm some beggar."

"You are a beggar."

"Hmph. Not all beggars are the same!"

"What, you putting on airs because you're a Hall Master?"

"P-putting on airs?! Wow… you're the only person in the world who'd treat a Hall Master like that!"

"You're just a beggar with extra knots."

"The knots are a rank system—"

"What does a white-clad novice fresh into the Beggars' Sect do?"

"Beg?"

"What does a three-knot Branch Master do?"

"…Beg."

"And you, with your five knots, steal other people's food. Doesn't that make you worse? Those guys just beg. You go full thief."

"…"

Dokgo Man clamped his mouth shut. The man had a point, but as a Hall Master he couldn't exactly admit it out loud.

Do-ha kept walking. Far ahead, a lavish compound came into view, and he gave a small nod.

The Jegal Clan hasn't changed a bit.

It looked even more extravagant than the last few times he'd visited.

"Listen. I know you're the suspicious type, but… they really did seal the gates."

"That's why I'm going to open them."

Do-ha came to a stop in front of the Jegal Clan's main gate. With the compound sealed, even the usual guard warriors were nowhere to be seen.

"If you're that desperate, I could put in a request with the Jegal Clan for you…"

Do-ha ignored him and lifted his leg.

Request? To hell with a request.

Why take the long way around when a good kick would open the door just fine?

KWAANG!

"Hiiiek?!"

The great doors went flying into the distance, and Dokgo Man nearly jumped out of his skin.

He hadn't been joking about kicking the door open?!

What kind of lunatic was this…?

Wait.

Unorthodox sect…?

Or worse—the Demonic Cult?

Judging by the behavior, he certainly looked the unorthodox type…

While Dokgo Man was still turning over possibilities, warriors began pouring out from inside the compound.

Hmm. Formations inside…

The moment Do-ha tried to take a step forward, Dokgo Man lunged and grabbed his arm.

"Have you lost your mind?! Are you actually trying to die?!"

"I won't die. Let go."

"The whole compound is carpeted with formation arrays! Walk in unprepared and you won't come out alive!"

"…"

Do-ha looked at Dokgo Man and almost laughed.

If he'd actually been from the Demonic Cult or the Blood Cult, what did this man think he was doing, fretting over him like this?

He seemed like a softhearted sort. How had someone like that climbed all the way to Hall Master? Reaching that seat usually took a fair amount of cunning and ruthlessness.

"Kicking the door open was one thing, but—"

"I get it. Let go."

"Ah—right."

Dokgo Man nodded and released his grip. The instant the hand left his arm, Do-ha started walking again.

"Ugh, seriously!"

The moment Do-ha crossed the threshold, the Qimen Formation installed at the entrance roared to life.

Natural elements. Iron machinery. Even a formation powered by pure qi.

Most clans struggled to set up even one. The Jegal Clan had layered three of them at the front gate alone.

"Well. This much is only proper for the Jegal Clan."

The ground around Do-ha caved in with a deep, grinding roar—everything except the patch of earth beneath his feet. At the same time, every formation array in the vicinity shattered to pieces.

"If force can't break through, then you simply lack force. There's a saying for that, too."

"…"

As every formation inside the compound went up in smoke, Dokgo Man's face turned paper-white.

No doubt about it now.

This man was unorthodox.

No—beyond unorthodox. Demonic Cult.

Nothing else explained this kind of reckless ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rampage.

But how did he just do that…?

Dokgo Man tilted his head. One single step, and the entire area had been pulverized.

He was no weakling himself. Not fully matured yet, but still at the entry stage of Super-Peak.

And yet he couldn't even begin to gauge ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this stranger's strength.

"Who the hell—"

"That's right. Who the hell, indeed!"

"…"

An elder emerged from within the compound, shouting—only to fall silent at Do-ha's retort.

Is this man insane…?

"You don't actually think you'll walk away alive after something like this, do you?"

"Who knows. We'll see."

Do-ha took another step.

He'd meant to be careful, given the old acquaintance—but these people had laid down far too many formations.

This has to be a pain for them to walk through, too.

Every formation had a counter-method. Entrances and exits existed. But as long as the arrays remained active, even the people who built them had to enter through the proper gate and leave through the proper exit.

What a ridiculous inconvenience.

Another step—and another formation flared to life.

"Aargh!"

Do-ha scowled at the newly triggered array.

Enough. This was too annoying.

He turned his head and swept his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gaze across the surroundings.

Where the formations are laid…

Others might not see it, but he knew the telltale signatures of every formation type—Qimen, mechanical, it made no difference.

Found them all.

Lightning crashed down onto every formation site in a chain of searing bolts.

He left the people of the clan untouched. Old ties still counted for something. Formations could be rebuilt; killing people crossed a line he wasn't willing to cross. As he'd said—he and the Jegal Clan went back a long way.

"Stand aside."

At last, the clan head himself walked out from within.

Jegal Myeong.

He'd expected an intruder from the thunderous noise, but the power he'd just felt was far beyond anything his household could handle.

"Who are you? With strength like that, there's no way I wouldn't know you…"

"Yeah. You're right. You do know me."

"?"

"Long time no see, Gal-myeong."

"???"

At the sound of that mangled nickname, Jegal Myeong's face twisted into something complicated.

In this entire world, only one person called him by neither surname nor given name like that.

"You've gotten old. See? Now you look exactly like Jegal Hwi. You used to insist you didn't take after your father…"

Do-ha pointed at Jegal Myeong's face and burst out laughing.

The previous clan head, Jegal Hwi, had looked exactly like that—sharp-tongued and stubborn as a mule.

"Th-that's impossible… Abso—"

"Shh."

As Jegal Myeong started to blurt something out, Do-ha pressed a finger to his own lips.

He trusted Jegal Myeong. He did not trust the Jegal Clan. If even one agent of the Demon God Cult was hiding among them, his identity would be exposed.

"Let's talk inside."

And just like that, Do-ha walked into the Jegal Clan as if he owned the place.

Hot tea poured into a cup with a soft trickle.

"It's just been steeped. Please, drink."

"Thanks."

Do-ha infused the steaming tea with cold qi, turning it into iced tea on the spot.

In weather this hot, why did people insist on serving scalding tea…?

"What about me?"

Dokgo Man pointed at himself the moment he saw only Do-ha had been given a cup. Why the special treatment for this guy and the cold shoulder for him?!

"And this beggar is…"

"Why are you even sitting here?"

"Haha, well, in case you turned out to be from the unorthodox path, I figured I'd better stick around. Someone has to talk you down if things go south, right?"

"Ugh, the mouth on this one… Give him tea too. You two are going to be working together from now on."

"?"

Jegal Myeong tilted his head at that. Judging by the qi, the man was a Moorim martial artist—Beggars' Sect, most likely. Why would he need to get along with a Beggars' Sect disciple?

"He's a Hall Master."

"Ah, come on! That's the kind of thing you're supposed to keep under wraps!"

"Pardon? Th-this man is a Hall Master…?"

At the words "Hall Master," Jegal Myeong's eyes shifted slightly. Not a Branch Master—a Hall Master. That was a considerably high seat. He'd heard rumors that the previous Hall Master had died recently; so a new one had already risen.

"A pleasure. I am Jegal Myeong."

"Ah—I'm Dokgo Man, Hall Master."

Jegal Myeong offered a martial salute, and Dokgo Man returned it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠smoothly. For all the beggar talk, in moments like this he looked every bit the Moorim man.

"Be that as it may… are you truly the one I think you are?"

"Ah, right. Still got the magic up, huh?"

Do-ha flicked his fingers, and the illusion magic dissolved.

"Huh? That wasn't your real face?"

Dokgo Man's expression went blank with shock. They'd been together this whole time, and he hadn't noticed a single thing about any illusion magic.

"With observational skills like that, how do you plan on being a Hall Master?"

"You look young… friend, how old are you?"

Dokgo Man narrowed his eyes at Do-ha's face. Thirty at the absolute most. He himself was past forty—forty-three, to be exact.

"His Absolute One is over seventy years of age."

"Wh-what?! Don't tell me… Rejuvenation?"

"It's not that, exactly… ah, forget it."

Do-ha shook his head mid-explanation. Spelling everything out for this beggar felt ridiculous.

"Wait… just now, you said Absolute One…"

Dokgo Man's pupils began to tremble violently.

Absolute One—did that mean the one he knew? He'd never met the man in person, but he knew that presence better than almost anyone. As someone who dealt in information, he held far more knowledge about the Absolute One than most.

"Come to think of it, the appearance matches the intel exactly…"

"You're only realizing that now? Seriously, with eyes like those, how did you become Hall Master? Maybe you should go find a job that actually suits you."

"Argh, come on…"

Dokgo Man, still shaking from the shock, finally pulled himself together and snapped back. A man was allowed to blank out a little when hit with something like that.

"I am truly glad you are alive."

"Came close to dying, yeah."

"But… what brings you here?"

Jegal Myeong fixed Do-ha with a steady look. They had history, yes—but coldly speaking, Do-ha wouldn't have come all this way just to see him. Especially not while demolishing every formation in the compound. With the Beggars' Sect Hall Master in tow, he would already know the clan had sealed its gates. Coming anyway meant he had a reason.

"I came to ask a difficult favor."

"A difficult favor…?"

"Jegal Seo-wol."

"…"

"Mind if I take the kid with me? Ah—nothing weird. I just want to hire him…"

In that instant, Jegal Myeong—who had worn a blank face the entire time—bit down on his lip and dropped to his knees.

"W-wait, you don't have to refuse that hard—"

"Do-ha-nim! Please… please take that child away."

"…Huh?"

As Jegal Myeong slammed his forehead to the floor, Do-ha's face went blank with confusion.

Ah.

So he wasn't begging him not to take the boy.

He was begging him to take the boy away?

…Just how much of a little hellion has he become that his own father is pleading with me to take him?

For a moment, Do-ha almost regretted coming at all.

Still—hellion or not—he planned to take the boy either way.

A few good beatings and he'll snap back to the way he used to be.

Even a gem only starts to shine after you've hammered and cut it into shape.