Chapter 44

Episode 44

Jin Wei-baek was silent.

For some, it was only a moment. However, for Yoo-seong, it was a long time.

He watched the emotion on Wei-baek’s face. First, there was shock. It was as if he found the situation to be absurd.

Then, the old man’s expression turned to anger. Meanwhile, around the park, the people felt a change in the air.

“Why… suddenly, it feels chilly.”

“Isn’t it midsummer? It was almost steaming earlier, but now…”

Everyone walking around them felt it.

They thought it was due to the unstable weather. It was a rational explanation.

Average humans, who were like deer that have never faced a predator, could never imagine that one person’s anger could cause the chills. But when they finally faced a tiger, wasn’t it natural instinct to be afraid?

“You…” Jin Wei-baek growled in a low voice.

Yoo-seong was no different. Rather, the fear he felt was more severe. It was because he knew the true power of the monster he was facing.

However, he kept his composure and stood still.

“You are not running away…” Wei-baek observed.

“There is no reason to do that,” Yoo-seong replied.

With Auto-hunting turned on, he didn’t need to back down.

“No reason, huh? You disrespected me.”

Yoo-seong felt as if his life could be taken away at any instant, but Auto-hunting was not pushing him to run away. He decided to remind the old man of their agreement.

“I hope you haven’t forgotten our deal.”

The conditions were perfectly satisfied. Yoo-seong won. The Slot surprised Jin Wei-baek, but other factors led his attack to be successful.

First, there was no Aura in Yoo-seong’s hands. If he had placed even the slightest amount of power in that attack, he wouldn’t have been able to catch Wei-baek off-guard.

It was just a quick, simple snap of the wrist, only light enough to annoy a person.

However, it was a great blow to Jin Wei-baek’s pride.

“We haven’t begun yet…” Wei-baek whispered as Aura rose from his body.

The energy’s quantity and quality were overwhelming, as if it had the momentum to destroy everything around them.

To his surprise, Yoo-seong simply shrugged. “Would anything be different if I win again? It seems that you don’t intend to keep your part of the deal.”

The words struck the old man like needles to a balloon. The Aura that boiled around him dissolved completely. At the same time, the weather returned to normal.

“Uh… it’s hot again.”

“Is this the effects of climate change?”

People around the park resumed their lives without putting much thought into the strange occurrence. The sense of cold dread that filled the area disappeared in an instant.

Jin Wei-baek took his sunglasses from his shirt pocket and sighed as he put them on.

“Okay, I lost. After nearly twenty years, I almost used my Aura without thinking.”

The predator disappeared. Only a fashionable old man whose age could not be determined remained.

His tone has changed a little as he announced, “I, Jin Wei-baek, will allow you to use Pacheonma Geukki.”

Yoo-seong felt as if a stiff hand that clutched his throat has loosened. Cold sweat flowed through his back. He sighed in relief.

But Jin Wei-baek wasn’t done. There were questions on his mind that were still unanswered.

“The neck armor you hid… Take it out again.”

Yoo-seong didn’t move.

“What? Do you think I’ll steal it? Is that what you think?”

There was frustration in the old man’s voice.

Who does this kid think I am? I had been slapped on his cheek, and now I’m being treated like a thief?

Yoo-seong finally took out the neck armor from the Slot. It appeared instantly on his hands.

Jin Wei-baek stared at it for a moment. He still couldn’t figure it out. His curiosity boiled.

“What kind of Tech did you use?”

“I don’t have to tell you?”

“What?!”

“It wouldn’t be rude if I choose not to disclose my skills.”

The words incensed Jin Wei-baek further. He did not come all the way to Korea to be lectured on by a child.

‘Damn it,’ he thought. His curiosity would have to be unsatisfied this time.

He took out the medicine case from his pocket and lobbed it at Yoo-seong, who caught it effortlessly.

“It would be best if you kept the case closed until the time you have to use it. It will work best if it isn’t exposed to air,” he explained.

“What is it?”

A strange smile settled in the old man’s mouth. Payback time, he thought, with the playfulness of a child.

“I told you I would give this medicine case to you, but the terms of the bet don’t involve me explaining its use.”

Yoo-seong was stunned, and the old man’s smile only grew wider.

“It wouldn’t be rude if I choose not to disclose what I have. However, I promise you that this is harmless. Just take it.”

This old man is completely childish, Yoo-seong thought.

The tension between them from a while ago has gone away.

“Anyway, this is not the important part of our bet,” Yoo-seong said.

“What do you mean?”

“The main point of our bet is still unfinished.”

Jin Wei-baek’s expression was shocked. He had just permitted a foreigner to use Pacheonma Geukki!

On top of that, he had also given him that sweet medicine… it’s a very wasteful thing to do, even if his students won’t know about it.

What main point is this kid talking about?

“You have to keep your promise,” Yoo-seong insisted.

For him, the most important part of the bet was neither the martial arts nor the medicine.

“Apologize to my teacher and me.”

He grabbed Jin Wei-baek’s forearm to lead him.

Jin Wei-baek had barely accepted that Yoo-seong shook the composure he had held for a long time today. To apologize would be too much. It would be as if the world has turned upside-down for him.

Yoo-seong noticed Wei-baek’s movements, but it was too late for him to respond by pushing the button. No one would be able to blame him for his slow reaction.

He was against a two-century-old monster, who was trying his best to protect his self-esteem.

…

“Ugh.”

Yoo-seong jumped out of bed and immediately checked every part of his body.

After ensuring that he was unharmed, he checked the time.

It was six in the morning.

He had no memory of getting home. He sat on his bed, trying to remember what happened.

He remembered his encounter with Jin Wei-baek. After he grabbed the old man’s arm to take him to Sung-wook, his consciousness was cut off.

He scratched his head in frustration. That was when he saw a note on his desk.

The neck armor he used yesterday was on top of an A4 paper, serving as a paperweight.

Yoo-seong picked it up. The words were written in crooked Korean.

-It may be misunderstood, but I didn’t run away. Something that I had to deal with urgently came up, so I had to paralyze you and bring you home to attend to it. I had to prick you to release the blood flow once more. It would be in your favor. The process will improve the flow of your energy, and your body would be more comfortable.

Yoo-seong muttered as he read the note. He definitely felt refreshed, though.

-Take the medicine with you on the Dive. Good luck, and I’ll see you again.

Yoo-seong crumpled the note.

‘I didn’t run away.’

Yoo-seong was frustrated at the obvious lie, but it was not the time to worry about it.

He placed the medicine case into the Slot and immediately started stretching.

The Dive was only a few hours from now.