Noel was someone who would believe whatever Chi-Hyun said, no matter how nonsensical it sounded.
“Someone to introduce?” But this time, she couldn’t help but question him. Chi-Hyun had said a bunch of things she couldn’t understand at all, and now he said he had someone to introduce to her.
“In a bit,” Chi-Hyun continued, “I need to prepare first. Then I will introduce the person to you at the right time.”
Noel tilted her head in confusion. But in the end, she answered, “I understand.” She didn’t know what Chi-Hyun meant, but she didn’t question him further. She believed Chi-Hyun had a reason for everything he did.
“Is there anything I could help with your preparation?”
Chi-Hyun smiled slightly. “I will request it if I need your help later on.”
* * *
Chi-Woo had disappeared after coming back to the capital with the rest of the rescue team; the Ru siblings weren’t the only ones who realized this fact.
“Hm…” After knocking on the door of Chi-Woo’s house, Zelit stood quietly for a while. This was his third time visiting today, and every time, the owner of the house was nowhere to be seen. It couldn’t have been a coincidence. Zelit wondered if something had happened to Chi-Woo when his condition wasn’t good.
“Excuse me.” Worried, Zelit decided to look inside. The door wasn’t locked, and after inviting himself in, Zelit surveyed his surroundings slowly. He thought nobody would be around, but it wasn’t so.
“You are…” There was a small transparent lump on the porch. Zelit hurriedly approached it. ‘Bag. No, did he call it a steam bun?’ Zelit didn’t remember the creature’s name well, but he remembered Chi-Woo carrying it with him everywhere. Perhaps this bun would know where Chi-Woo was.
“It’s been a while. Do you remember me?”
“Pyu…” The bun answered with no strength in its voice. It seemed completely down.
“I came here many times, but never once saw the owner of this house anywhere. I can’t seem to contact him, either.”
“…”
“Do you know where he is?” Zelit asked. In response, the bun made an X over its head.
“You don’t know, either…” It wasn’t the answer he wanted, but Zelit was satisfied that he could communicate with it.
“I’m just wondering if something happened to him. If you know anything, please tell me,” Zelit asked with little hope, but the bun responded strongly. It began to shudder like it was frightened. And Zelit’s eyes widened as the X over the bun’s head turned into an O.
“You know something? What happened?”
* * *
‘I should find a suitable place first…no, more importantly…’ Chi-Hyun was again deep in thought when he heard the door open. He thought it was Noel, but the footsteps belonged to someone else. Chi-Hyun looked up, and his forehead creased. The uninvited visitor, Zelit, did the same.
When Zelit asked what happened, the bun had made two human figures, miming one dragging away the other. It wasn’t difficult for Zelit to understand what that meant. Chi-Woo had been taken against his will. When Zelit asked who did it, the bun jumped off the porch and slipped forward. Zelit followed it until he was standing in front of someone he hadn’t expected in the slightest: the legend, Choi Chi-Hyun.
Zelit had never talked face-to-face with Chi-Hyun and only saw him from a distance.
“Who are you?” Chi-Hyun’s cold voice made Zelit regain his senses.
“I am…Zelit from the seventh recruits, sir.” Although Zelit usually addressed most people in their first meeting familiarly, Zelit was extra polite with Chi-Hyun. Chi-Hyun was a hero standing at the peak—someone Zelit had regarded as his superior, and the pressuring aura Chi-Hyun radiated naturally inspired respect in those around him.
“I don’t think we have made any plans to meet.”
“Do you know a hero named Chichibbong?” Zelit immediately got to the point.
Chi-Hyun didn’t answer. He seemed to flinch slightly.
“This is the friend Hero Chichibbong carried around with him.”
“…Ppyu!” The transparent bun brought attention to itself by jumping up and down. Zelit continued, “I went to look for him many times recently, but couldn’t find him. This one was alone in his house.”
The chills he couldn’t explain compelled Zelit to quickly add, “This one told me that Chichibbong was dragged away against his will.”
Chi-Hyun glanced toward the floor, and Zelit followed his gaze to the bun.
“Pyuuuu…!” The bun was showing hostility to Chi-Hyun. There was intent behind its action.
‘Why…?’ Zelit wondered and thought he knew the reason. Considering Chi-Woo’s achievements, Zelit believed there was almost no hero who could capture and beat Chi-Woo physically. But if the one who had forcefully taken Chi-Woo was the legend, it explained things.
“Don’t ask me. I don’t know about it,” Chy-Hyun said and looked away.
‘He’s pretending not to know,’ Zelit thought. Chi-Hyun could be telling the truth, but if he wasn’t…
“…Is that so?” Zelit quietly breathed in. “Well, excuse my rudeness, sir. I will take my leave now.” Before he turned fully around, Zelit stopped and asked, “Oh, but now that I am here, may I ask you to introduce me to the heroes from the Celestial Realm’s twelve lights?”
“?”
“Since Chichibbong is gone, I plan to tell them the situation and ask for their help in finding him. This is quite the important matter to me.”
It was unexpected that Zelit would bring up other families in front of Chi-Hyun, but Zelit had his reasons. He didn’t have evidence, but he thought there was a high chance the culprit was Chi-Hyun. The bun wouldn’t have acted in such a manner otherwise. Chi-Hyun’s motives were unknown, but to Zelit, the important part wasn’t finding out why Chi-Hyun kidnapped Chi-Woo, but whether or not Chi-Woo was alive.
However, Zelit was also painfully aware that he was in no position to do anything against Chi-Hyun. Thus, he brought up people completely unrelated to this matter. It was a well-known secret that the rest of the twelve families were desperate to take down the Choi family. This was obvious from the fact that the families had immediately sent their members when the situation on Liber improved. If Liber, which had reached its worst state, recovered under the Choi leadership, the rest of the twelve families knew that the distance between them and the Choi family would only increase; thus, they had sent some of their own. This way, the eighth recruits’ involvement would seem like a turning point for humanity on Liber.
Where humans gathered, a hierarchical society formed. And even when there were only seven recruit teams on Liber, Zelit believed humanity would form a strong centralized system around Choi Chi-Hyun and based their future on it. There was Chichibbong, but the man seemed to have a strong aversion to standing out and no desire for authority. However, things changed with the entrance of five heroes from the twelve families of the Celestial Realm: Ho Lactea, Afrilith, Nahla, Mariaju, and Eustitia—each of them was powerful and formidable in their own right.
Zelit was sure these heroes weren’t happy with Chi-Hyun’s reign. They were adjusting to life on this planet currently, but it seemed inevitable that they would start forming their own factions once they were ready. With that in mind, Zelit wondered what would happen if he gave them information that could harm Chi-Hyun’s reputation. After all, this incident concerned a hero who had achieved far from trivial feats; one of the most important heroes in the capital had been kidnapped suddenly.
Hearing this news, many would spring to action like rabid dogs. They would try to exaggerate and publicize the incident in any way possible to chip away Chi-Hyun’s reputation. And in the future, whenever Chi-Hyun tried to establish more authority, this incident would come back to haunt him again. Of course, Chi-Hyun might remain unfazed all the same. He was a legend after all. But it would definitely become bothersome for him.
In this manner, Zelit was making a very political threat and taking the gamble of his lifetime. He wondered how the legend would react now. Would he continue to feign ignorance, or try to kill him? Zelit focused all his attention on Chi-Hyun’s response.
“…I’m quite busy these days,” Chi-Hyun said after a pause, “I won’t have time to introduce you to anyone right now.”
Chi-Hyun still insisted on feigning ignorance. ‘Fine. I suppose you are trying to play with public opinions here,’ Zelit thought. ‘Let’s go at it. I will show you how persistent I can be.’
“I’m sure you are, sir. I understand. I will look for them on my own then,” Zelit murmured and was about to turn around when Chi-Hyun spoke up to grab his attention again.
“And your name is?”
“My name is Zelit.”
“The highest danger level you’ve worked on?”
“Stellar system, sir,” Zelit answered hesitantly, wondering why Chi-Hyun was asking him such a question.
“Stellar system. You must at least be able to do the basics.” Chi-Hyun let out a long breath and pushed the sheet of paper in his hand towards Zelit. “A delegation from the Cassiubia League will be coming here soon.” He crossed his arms and continued, “The discussion will probably be centered around the godly territory created recently…” He looked at Zelit and spoke with a softer tone. “I’ve got my hands on it, but I’m a bit busy. If possible, I’d like a hero like you to help me.” Chi-Hyun suddenly made an offer, and Zelit narrowed his eyes.
He understood the underlying message—instead of threatening him with murder or playing ignorant, Chi-Hyun decided to appease him. He was telling Zelit that he’d share some of the spoils, so he should just back down and get over this matter.
‘He really is the culprit,’ Zelit thought. Chi-Hyun’s offer was not bad. If what he said was true, it would have a significant impact on Liber’s future trajectory. Zelit could probably earn a lot of merits by producing positive results in the meeting. Above all, it was a golden opportunity to work under the legend. However, Zelit didn’t even need to think about the offer.
“Thank you, but finding him is more important to me.” Zelit wasn’t going to accept any offer Chi-Hyun made.
“Why?” Chi-Hyun tilted his head. “Is there a specific reason why you want to find him so badly?”
“…”
Chi-Hyun added, “You don’t seem to be the altruistic type.”
Chi-Hyun hit right on the mark. Zelit was not a generous or kind hero; he had a strong individualistic tendency and was extremely calculative. However, he also knew when to repay a favor and when to not back down.
“…After the seventh recruits barely survived and began to settle down in the fortress…there was a time when I put everyone in danger.” Zelit was talking about the time he sent Chi-Woo to the Evelaya Volcano despite opposition from numerous people.
“Even though I’m ashamed to say this as a hero, I felt hopeless and fell into despair. Our circumstances seemed hopeless, and I was scared and frightened by everything.” He had gone through extreme situations one after another, and being the cause of something this disastrous was the last straw. The helplessness he felt at that time dominated his already weakened mind and body. “I’ve completely given up and lived with no hope…but someone helped me get back up.” Chi-Woo had reached out to him, and Zelit found hope again while holding Chi-Woo’s hand.
“I haven’t forgotten how grateful I was at that time.” True to his words, Zelit remembered the help he got from Chi-Woo when he was at his lowest like yesterday, so he would not abandon Chi-Woo no matter how attractive the offer was—just as Chi-Woo hadn’t given up on him.
“I see.” Surprisingly, Chi-Hyun showed no signs of anger or annoyance. Instead, he seemed surprised and slightly pleased if Zelit hadn’t seen wrong. “Then, there’s nothing I can do.”
Zelit began to feel confused.
Chi-Hyun said, “Actually, he’s finishing a task I assigned him.”
“A task?”
“I can’t tell you about it since it’s top secret.”
“Are you going to—”
“But I’ll tell him to message you later on.”
Zelit, who had no intentions to back down, swallowed his words and shut his mouth after hearing Chi-Hyun’s response. A hero’s device could only be operated by themselves. If he received a message from Chi-Woo, Zelit could take it as proof that he was fine. But just in case, Zelit said, “I think I’ll have to see him myself at least once.”
“I’ll pass that message to him.” Chi-Hyun nodded, and Zelit had no more to say since Chi-Hyun was being more agreeable than he expected.
In the end, Zelit said, “…I’ll trust your reputation.” Then he gave Chi-Hyun a small bow before turning to leave the palace.
Zelit fell deep into thought, ‘I can’t figure him out.’ He didn’t know the exact reason why, but he felt as if he was being fooled. However, he couldn’t figure out what exactly was triggering his suspicion. Chi-Hyun wasn’t someone he could deal with alone in the first place. He needed help. Since Chi-Hyun had taken a step back—or appeared to, at least—Zelit couldn’t use his trump card right away. Then who should he consult with? A person immediately came to mind, and Zelit hurried his steps.
* * *
On the same day, Chi-Hyun toured the nearby hills outside the capital. He was looking for a place where people didn’t often go and was a sufficient distance away from the city.
‘This seems good enough.’ Finding a place he liked, Chi-Hyun carefully investigated it, but then he suddenly sighed.
Someone had been getting on his nerves since he left the capital by stalking and walking circles around him. Chi-Hyun turned around and glared at the figure. The man finally revealed himself.
“Why are you following me?”
“Is Teacher here?” the person replied with another question.
“Teacher?” Chi-Hyun frowned.
“I’m talking about Sir Chichibbong.” The young man was no other than Ru Amuh.
The Zealot-head hero must have talked. Chi-Hyun clicked his tongue and said, “Someone already came to me for the same matter today. I told him to wait a little bit.”
“Yes, I’ve heard.” Ru Amuh smiled. “But I must see him right now.”
“…Go back,” Chi-Hyun said with narrowed eyes. Then his expression stiffened, and he started turning around.
Clang! Ru Amuh had unsheathed his sword in response.
Chi-Hyun shouted, “Ha! You want to fight me?”
While Chi-Hyun still had his back towards him, Ru Amuh replied with a calm voice, “Since you won’t answer my question, I have no choice but to get it out of you—with a different method.”
Chi-Hyun found Ru Amuh’s confidence ridiculous; he wanted to show off his skills? With him as the opponent? A silence fell between them, and soon, a strong wind blew. Chi-Hyun turned around fully at the same time. A series of clashes erupted; in a matter of seconds, countless attacks were exchanged between them. Then the gale died down just as suddenly as it came, and a sword suddenly spun through the air before burying into the ground—the sword Chi-Woo gifted Ru Amuh. Chi-Hyun had Ru Amuh by the neck. In an instant, their fight came to a conclusion with Ru Amuh’s defeat. However, Ru Amuh looked calm, and Chi-Hyun looked at Ru Amuh with a slightly surprised expression.
“…Pretty good,” Chi-Hyun said with sincerity. As someone with exceptional talent, Chi-Hyun could tell by exchanging a few blows with Ru Amuh that while the Zealot-head was pretty skilled, Ru Amuh was the real deal. His was not an ordinary talent, but an exceptional one. It was to the extent that Chi-Hyun felt like taking Ru Amuh under his wings and teaching him.
“Kill me.”
But most of all, he was pleased by Ru Amuh’s attitude. He liked that Ru Amuh seemed willing to do anything for his brother. Not only did Ru Amuh express that will with words, but he also proved it in action while risking death. Even though he failed as a hero, he passed as a suitable companion to stay by his brother’s side.
“For real…there’s that guy, now this…” Chi-Hyun grumbled, but he was pleased. He had been worried about recruiting people to help and take Chi-Woo’s side, but his concerns were unnecessary. Regardless of his intentions, his younger brother was already doing well on his own. Chi-Hyun thought Chi-Woo would probably be fine with this man alone for the time being. That left him with only one problem to take care of.
‘Take out the iron while it’s hot. I’ll have to do this right now.’ He needed to properly fix this place to make a space for just him and Chi-Woo. ‘It’s been a while since I’ve used so much of my power.’ After organizing his thoughts, Chi-Hyun said, “Go back.” He let go of Ru Amuh’s neck. “Wait a day—no, half a day. You’ll see him when you wake up.” Chi-Hyun thought Ru Amuh would understand and back down by now.
However, there was one aspect he overlooked; Ru Amuh’s trust in Chi-Woo was close to 100 percent. Like how parents saw red when someone harmed their child, a grown-up child would react the same when someone hurt their parents.
“I sincerely apologize, but…” Ru Amuh quickly withdrew, and when he reached out his hand, the sword buried in the ground flew into his hand. “I must absolutely meet Teacher at all costs.” Although he knew he would never beat Chi-Hyun even if he died and resurrected a hundred times, Ru Amuh got into fighting position, and his eyes quietly burned with conviction.
Meeting Ru Amuh’s gaze, Chi-Hyun laughed and gave him a toothy grin. “Then it can’t be helped. I have no choice but to force you to wait.”
They looked at each other for a moment, and soon after, a stellar new talent and a legendary hero clashed violently.