Chapter 32  

Hearing the words ‘sibling’ and ‘father,’ the man who bowed felt his gaze falter.

“Don’t worry too much. It’s not the time to be concerned.” The man with closed eyes then tilted his face toward the distant sky. There was simply no way he could actually see something high in the air, but he seemingly stared at the sky for quite a long time. The tips of the man’s closed eyelashes trembled. He murmured, “However…the sibling that has arrived is an unexpected one.”

“Did you see it?” Baek Chul gulped nervously. His master was a man who could see and feel many things even with his eyes closed.

“He is a pitiful child. Of all the siblings...”

“Then what should I do about the test?”

“For the first hurdle, do as you wish, Captain Baek. As for the second one… Let’s wait and see for a few days. I will make a decision later.”

Baek Chul pondered because it had been a long time since the man had looked this confused. However, Baek Chul did not express his feelings. He simply bowed and slowly stepped back. “I will do anything you say, sir.”

Left alone once again, the man swept down his long hair and remained in his chair. He lowered his head with a profound expression. “Choi Yu-Seong, the ninth…”

The man’s troublesome young brother had many rumors surrounding him. The young boy had grown up and arrived at this place. Choi Woo-Jae’s intention was clear, but it only deepened the man’s agony.

‘Of all the siblings, you are the first to come here.’?

The man sighed. He felt his heart softening, but he could not change his decision. In the future he saw, only an outrageous and inevitable consequence would follow the wrong choice.

“How could fate be so cruel...?” Choi Ji-Ho sighed once more. He was the first child of the Comet group’s Choi family, the one who was once called Korea’s greatest New Divinity 10 years ago.

***

Choi Yu-Seong and his party did not climb the hill hastily. Rather, they climbed the hill as carefully as possible, thinking that there could be some danger or traps lying in wait. Only after an hour-long climb did they manage to find Choi Ji-Ho’s hanok mansion.

“Who knew there was a house in a place like this,” Jin Do-Yoon commented with a surprised look.

“It’s a bit disappointing, but… First of all, we are certain that the Chairman has directed us to this destination, right?” Jin Yu-Ri was talking while she looked around. Then, she suddenly stretched her hand and pulled out a whip that was condensed with energy.

At that moment, a black figure suddenly appeared from thin air in front of the party. Yu-Ri’s whip flew as if dancing and Jin Do-Yoon instinctively sent his fist rushing forward, trying to hit the figure.

Baek Chul, the man who grabbed Yu-Ri’s whip with his left hand and Do-Yoon’s wrist with his right, smiled. He praised, “You have pretty good skills and senses.”

Choi Yu-Seong narrowed his eyes. ‘He blocked Do-Yoon and Yu-Ri’s joint attack effortlessly. Who is he?’?

Although neither of the siblings had shown their full power, theirs had been a surprise attack. However, Baek Chul had stopped the two’s attacks quite easily. For such a thing to be possible, he needed to be incredibly strong.

“He is an S-rank hunter.”

Baek Chul nodded gently at Yu-Seong’s small self-talk, then shook off both hands. Yu-Ri’s whip bounced and flew into the air, and Do-Yoon was greatly pushed back.

“My master did not give me any specific instructions, but to enter this house, you have to prove your worth. I’d say that I am the gatekeeper. Just so you know, the two of you passed. But the other one…” Baek Chul’s gaze turned to Yu-Seong, who was standing still and silently watching him. When Yu-Seong stepped forward with a faint smile, Baek Chul addressed the siblings. “You two can stay there.”

When Do-Yoon and Yu-Ri naturally tried to follow, Yu-Seong stopped them.

“Are you trying to show off your skills?”

“Technically, yes,” said Yu-Seong. He laughed gently and slowly approached Baek Chul.

“As a warning, my standards are quite harsh. It means that at least you should be as good as the two people in the back,” said Baek Chul with a smile. “…” Yu-Seong stepped near Baek Chul without saying anything.

‘One more step.’?

As if a line had been drawn, Yu-Seong was convinced that Baek Chul would strike if he crossed a certain line. To be exact, Yu-Seong even thought that he might die if he crossed the line, so he stopped right at the edge of that supposed line.

“Likewise, you also have a good sense. It hasn’t been long since you became a hunter, right?”

“Yes,” said Yu-Seong.

“You are confident. I like your attitude. As a special case, if you avoid my attack just once, I will open up the path.”

“Does that mean I, who is only an E-rank, have to avoid the fist of an S-rank hunter once?”

“If you are not confident, you can turn your back and go home now.”

“How could I be…?” Yu-Seong smiled gently and stepped forward, crossing the line. He placed his toes slightly forward. Just the mere imagination of entering the arbitrary space made him feel an intense pressure, causing goosebumps all over his body.

But Yu-Seong did not hesitate for long. ‘I’m going in.’?As soon as he stepped forward, something split the air with an explosive sound.

Yu-Seong thought it would probably be Baek Chul’s fist, which in fact tore through the air and grazed his ear. His cochlea ached from the intense sound. All of that happened in a flash.

Baek Cheol stopped his fist right next to Choi Yu-Seong’s face and burst into laughter. “You had no intention of avoiding my attack from the beginning.”

“Likewise, you had no intention of attacking me from the beginning.”

“Hmm…”

“I could tell from your eyes and your energy.”

Yu-Seong did have that speculation, but his courage mostly came from the conclusion he had come to in his mind.

‘It’s too unreasonable…to have my father's gift in a place where I can’t even get into unless an S-rank hunter recognizes my fighting ability.’?

It was not about how difficult it was for Yu-Seong to show the performance of Yu-Ri or Do-Yoon, because that would be an impossibility. Of course, going beyond his limits could have been Choi Woo-Jae’s test. Woo-Jae was so eccentric and unique in personality that that would have been within the realm of possibility. However, even so, Yu-Seong thought it did not matter.

‘After all, if this guy is Father’s person, he would never kill me.’?

Coming to that simple conclusion, Yu-Seong was able to move beyond the line even though his heart was frightened by the possible fatality.

“Even so, crossing the Death Line is not an easy task. It is not something that can be done with strength and wisdom. It can be done only with the heart, a courageous one.”

Baek Chul called the line that Yu-Seong had felt threatened by the Death Line. It was certainly a plausible name. If Baek Chul had really made up his mind, Yu-Seong would have died the moment he crossed that line.

‘Honestly. When the fist passed by, I went weak at the knees and I almost fell over.’?

Fortunately, Yu-Seong was able to withstand it by flexing his thighs with his strong willpower.

“My greetings are late, I am Baek Chul. I am currently managing this mansion. Please forgive me for daring to judge a descendant of a great family. Well, I have to say that I am very impressed.” Baek Chul bowed deeply, looking at the upright Yu-Seong.

Yu-Ri and Do-Yoon breathed a sigh of relief, but Yu-Seong was greatly shocked by the revelation.

Baek Chul was a man not yet known to the public. He was originally one of the secret guards directly under Choi Woo-Jae. Only about five people in the entire Comet Group knew about him. However, the Baek Chul that Yu-Seong remembered was slightly different from the one standing before him. ‘Baek Chul??Baek Chul, the Lion King?’?

Baek Chul was the strongest of the physical-reinforcement type hunters. He later became Kim Do-Jin’s colleague and took charge as the party’s vanguard… Yu-Seong knew how Kim Do-Jin became colleagues with Baek Chul.

Yu-Seong turned his gaze to the hanok-style mansion’s tightly shut doors. “Then this is Ji-Ho hyung-nim‘s hideaway…?”

Baek Chul, who was bowing his head, could not hide his inner feelings of surprise at Yu-Seong’s small self-talk.

‘Is it just his gut feeling? Or did he have any information related to me?’?

Yu-Seong had realized who the mansion’s owner was without Baek Chul’s direct input, but he had appeared completely ignorant until Baek Chul had given his name.

Baek Chul couldn’t tell whether it was Yu-Seong’s sixth sense or intelligence, but it was not an ability that could be ignored.

‘It is said that a dog is not born to a tiger… He is indeed my master’s younger brother!’?

Naturally, Baek Chul’s lips rose into a smile. In addition, goosebumps crawled up his back.

***

Based on the original novel – [Modern Master Returns] – Kim Do-Jin would meet Choi Ji-Ho about three years from now, after climbing an unnamed mountain on the outskirts of Seoul. Choi Ji-Ho knew the truth that Kim Do-Jin was the one to kill Choi Woo-Jae, but he did not blame him much for that. It was described in the novel that forgiveness was possible because Choi Ji-Ho had stepped down from the frontline anyway and had gone into hiding, training his mind like a hermit. However, it was obviously an episode with many things that were hard to understand.

Naturally, Choi Yu-Seong thought a little differently now. ‘There must have been a specific reason.’

Just as it was with Choi Woo-Jae, the characters of this world were quite colorful and rich, unlike the original novel. So would Choi Ji-Ho have forgiven Kim Do-Jin without reason?

‘Perhaps Choi Ji-Ho knew that Kim Do-Jin was a warrior who would save the world.’

One of Choi Ji-Ho’s abilities that were showcased in the novel was his ability to predict the future, and Choi Yu-Seong thought it was likely that this was the case. Regardless, it was most important that Choi Ji-Ho ordered Baek Chul to follow Kim Do-Jin in the episode.

Baek Chul had been somewhat reluctant, but he obeyed Choi Ji-Ho’s orders. He cleared dungeons together with Kim Do-Jin and developed respect and a sense of comradery with the man as they prevented disasters together. Afterward, Baek Chul faced one of the demons’ commanders in the final act of chapter 1 and sacrificed himself to allow Kim Do-Jin to stab the heart of one of the seven demon kings. Therefore, Choi Yu-Seong knew that Baek Chul was fit to be called one of the strongest physical-reinforcement players.

And now, Baek Chul was guiding Yu-Seong into the mansion. There were other people in black clothes who followed them, but they were all sent away. Baek Chul personally wanted to bring Choi Yu-Seong, whom he found brilliant and courageous, around. He commented, “I was really surprised. You possess both courage and wisdom. I can’t believe you noticed with but a few clues after looking around that the mansion belonged to the master…”

“You can’t really call it wisdom. It was just a gut feeling. Even when he was in Seoul, he was famous for being a free spirit. I just assumed it wouldn’t be strange if he had settled down in a place like this.”

“Haha… Of course, we can leave it at that.” Baek Chul simply nodded with a meaningful expression after hearing Choi Yu-Seong’s excuse.

‘It’s just like what I read in the original novel.?Baek Chul, this guy is very insistent once he gets hooked on something.’

It was very unexpected and contrary to Baek Chul’s appearance, but Choi Yu-Seong decided to not point out such misunderstandings any longer.

‘Anyway, there’s no harm in getting in the good books of Baek Chul, the Lion King.’

And in fact, Baek Chul’s impression of Choi Yu-Seong was growing even greater in the silence that the two shared.