“They say that birds of a feather flock together.” Heo Myeong-Hwi laughed in anger. “One threatens my life, while the other insults me... I am your S-class elder. You little idiots really have no manners and no sense.” His sneer deepened as he spat out his cigar and crushed it under his feet. “I expected nothing more from an uneducated orphan.” Heo Myeong-Hwi had naturally investigated all the students accompanying Kang Jae-Hyeok to the World Tree Outskirts. With the Association’s network, it had taken but a word to have Do-Jin’s and the others’ files on his desk. “Who is an orphan? Jae-Hyeok’s father is alive and well!” Do-Jin shouted. “Who? That would be you. How amusing. Baek Do-Jin, a second-year student of Lion’s Castle, actually needs me to repeat myself.” Heo Myeong-Hwi laughed, his belly and chin fat shaking like waves. Elder Gu Suk narrowed his eyes. “Is it good to win an argument with a child? In the first place, have you no shame? It was you who provoked their words.” “And what about you?” Heo Myeong-Hwi tilted his head at Elder Gu Suk. “Speaking of age, I am young enough to be your son. So why are you arguing with me? You talk of shame, but you even remember what it is? You’ve retired from duty and nannied kids for so long. I think you’ve forgotten.” “Your words are too much!” Gu Suk-Jeong growled. His muscles twitched under his bronze skin. Naturally, Heo Myeong-Hwi didn’t even blink. “Gu Suk-Jeong. You care for your grandfather deeply. Are you so moved that he passed his name down to you? How innocent. The only reason that old man, who is half in the grave, gave you his name is so that he can take advantage of your future fame. That isn’t love.” “It would be great if I could engrave my grandfather’s name into history. You may as well stop talking; trying to drive a wedge between us is pointless.” Gu Suk-Jeong’s calm response moved Guardian’s players. They had been intimidated by the sudden appearance of the Association members, but they regained their senses then and criticized Heo Myeong-Hwi. “Well said, Gu Suk-Jeong!” “Yes! How much longer is that man going to cling to word games?” “Fine, if that is your wish, I will put an end to talking.” Heo Myeong-Hwi’s eyes narrowed. “Kids, you entered an S-grade gate with your measly levels. I’m sure the brave men of Guardian suffered much protecting you. Men! Guide everyone to the hospital.” Before the players could understand the situation, they were surrounded by the Association players. “Come on, we’ll help you.” “We have an ambulance ready.” The Association players spoke of support and aid, but their methods were forceful. They broke arms, chopped necks, and punched bellies as they dragged the Guardian players away. Elder Guk Suk’s eyes widened as he shouted. “Heo Myeong-Hwi! You’ve crossed the line!” For the most part, Elder Gu Suk had always stepped back and practiced tolerance since retiring from active duty. But even if his temper had mellowed with age, he still had his bottom line. The Elder’s expression turned thunderous. “We are Guardian! Rain or shine, Guardian has always been Korea’s greatest shield! The Association should be taking the lead in respecting us. But you!? You dare use force against us!?” “To be exact, the country’s greatest shield was Master Park Chang-Cheon. Not just other guilds but the Association, too, relied on him for most expeditions. Gu Suk, don’t get me wrong, I also respect him for his contributions. But the past is the past, and the future is the future.” Heo Myeong-Hwi paused, kicking and breaking a struggling player’s ankle. The player was swiftly apprehended and thrown into an ambulance. Heo Myeong-Hwi continued. “Look around. Times have changed. Master Park Chang-Cheon is on the verge of death. Without him, is Guardian still Guardian? Not long ago, even Jeong Jae-Uk died. Was he a demon? Hmm. How can I believe that?” “The events behind Jeong Jae-Uk’s death are complicated. But with the Association’s intelligence network, you should know our claims are true.” “Whether it is true or not doesn’t matter. The real question is how Jeong Jae-Uk became a demon; Elder Gu Suk, what tricks did you play behind the scenes?” “With Park Chang-Cheon and Jeong Jae-Uk gone, you are the only one left fit to become the guildmaster—at least, until that little girl becomes an adult. Of course, you would have laid the foundation for your grandson by then.” Elder Gu Suk laughed in disbelief. “Only someone as unscrupulous as you could dream up such an outrageous charge.” “The investigation will soon reveal who is truly unscrupulous.” “Do you think we will comply with an arrest without a warrant?” “It isn’t an arrest. We are just taking you to the hospital out of concern. We can have a small chat there.” Before they knew it, more than half the Guardian Guild members had been put in ambulances. Having just returned from a high-level expedition, they were in no condition to resist the elite Association members. “How do you plan to deal with the consequences?” Elder Gu Suk trembled as he gritted his teeth. The scarf around his neck fluttered under his surging mana. A strange light appeared in Heo Myeong-Hwi’s eyes. “What consequences? Once it’s all said and done, the consequences will be on Guardian and that Kang family brat. I have reason to suspect that the two of you conspired to take over Guardian.” “That’s outrageous and you know it! You have no basis for that!” “No basis, you say? But how can that be when the two of you are standing here together? Ah, maybe the role of Kang Jae-Hyeok is to seduce Park Chang-Cheon’s daughter with his face? I see, I see, that way, you could control her more easily in the future.” “Why don’t you actually do something instead of just yelling? You are the one who told me not to play word games, but all you’ve done is argue with me.” Elder Gu Suk wanted to slap Heo Myeong-Hwi that instant. However, he’d long retired from active duty. Elder Gu Suk’s strength wasn’t what it had once been in his old age, not to mention the curse he was currently suffering. Therefore, not only would he be swiftly overpowered were he to attack, but doing so would provide Myeong-Hwi with another layer of excuse to use force. Heo Myeong-Hwi knew Elder Gu Suk wouldn’t be able to act. A fact confirmed by the way Elder Gu Suk’s mana fizzled not long after releasing his aura. This old bastard.He grew up without even being qualified to challenge the thunder tribulation. Heo Myeong-Hwi swore he would never be that pathetic. He would definitely earn the right to challenge the thunder tribulation in his prime, overcome it, and reach the status of a National Treasure one day soon. Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩 Yes, he would stand at the pinnacle of South Korea. And in his later years, he would establish a new aristocratic family to replace the fallen Kang family. “There is nothing wrong with what I am saying, so you don’t even have the will to resist. Men, restrain Elder Gu Suk quickly... No, take him to the hospital.” The Association members responded vigorously and approached Elder Gu Suk. “You crazy bastards! Get lost!” Gu Suk-Jeong charged forward and broke through the Association’s men, clearing a path for Elder Gu Suk. Now wasn’t the time to hesitate. It was clear that Heo Myeong-Hwi was carrying out an illegal arrest, so the priority was to escape first. Once their safety was secured, they had plenty of routes to formally protest the Association. “A Crusher. It is truly worthy of its name.” As Gu Suk-Jeong rampaged like a bull and blew away some of his subordinates, Heo Myeong-Hwi sighed in admiration before taking out an old jade stone and using his Rune Skill. The jade stone glowed gold and began spinning rapidly in front of Heo Myeong-Hwi’s chest. Eventually, it stopped, revealing alien-like characters inscribed on its face. “Target designation. Resistance. Accuracy.” Heo Myeong-Hwi chanted, and the jade shot off at terrifying speed. A hole appeared in Gu Suk-Jeong’s chest. Gu Suk-Jeong staggered to a halt and coughed. Blood spattered the floor. Why wasn’t it reflected? Gu Suk-Jeong couldn’t understand. He should have been invincible, deflecting anything that touched him, even bullets. Inherent to the Crusher Profession was the Fury Skill, granting him Charging, a potent protective and physical buff that grew stronger the deeper he penetrated enemy lines. So long as he didn’t stop, neither would the buff. Yet just now, a jade had pierced him at the peak of his momentum. Heo Myeong-Hwi smiled. “Curious? It’s because I drew the runic character for resistance.” The jade stone flew out of Gu Suk-Jeong’s chest in a spray of blood and returned to Heo Myeong-Hwi, floating quietly by his side. “Elder Gu Suk, will you only follow obediently once your grandson is half crippled? Cooperate, and I will ensure your grandson goes home safely.” “Oh, you don’t want to? I see.” The jade stone started to spin. Elder Gu Suk was startled and prepared to surrender. Suddenly, Hae-Rin drew her sword and stepped between Gu Suk-Jeong and Heo Myeong-Hwi. “I won’t allow you to bully Guardian.” From Gu Suk-Jeong’s kneeling position, Hae-Rin’s back looked much larger than usual. On the other hand, Heo Myeong-Hwi looked Hae-Rin up and down in disdain. She was just a small and fragile girl. Her stepping forward only showed her ignorance. “Young Lady, you clearly don’t understand the situation. Don’t you realize that you are the one in need of help right now?” How long are you going to keep spouting baseless accusations?Elder and Jae-Hyeok didn’t bully Father and me... If you don’t release the Guardian members right away, Guardian will acknowledge the Association as an enemy from here out... Hae-Rin wanted to say many things, but she kept her mouth shut. The Jeongs had trapped her with words, but never again. Hae-Rin narrowed her eyes. What was the use of words anyway? Since this person aimed to hurt her close ones, she only needed to respond with her sword. “Your eyes are cheeky. It’s said people become like the company they keep. This must be the effect of that Kang kid. It’s a pity for Park Chang-Cheon’s daughter to have been led astray. Today, I will save you on behalf of your father.” The jade stone floating by Heo Myeong-Hwi whirred to life and shot forward. He was there under the pretext of protecting Park Hae-Rin, so Heo Myeong-Hwi couldn’t harm her. But that was fine. Crippling Gu Suk-Jeong was the best lesson he could give the Elder. Regret it deeply, Gu Suk.Due to your hesitation, your grandson... Heo Myeong-Hwi’s eyes suddenly went wide. Not just him, everyone present stared at Hae-Rin in surprise. Twirling her blade, Hae-Rin had intercepted the flying jade stone. She dispelled the stone’s terrible speed with every clash, knocking it back and resetting its momentum. Da-Hee felt like she was dreaming. She recognized Hae-Rin’s sword technique. She recognized it because it was hers! Meanwhile, Hae-Rin flowed along a river of memories and feelings, surrendering her heart and sword to the experience. Heo Myeong-Hwi was right: people were shaped by the company they kept. A part of Da-Hee remained within her, just as a part of her remained within Da-Hee. As Hae-Rin channeled Link, that part of Da-Hee’s spirit burned brightly in her heart. Of course, it was impossible for Hae-Rin to resist an S-class powerhouse for long. “Halt!” Heo Myeong-Hwi recovered from his shock and replaced the characters on the jade stone with a wave of his hand. The stone’s speed slowed but its power increased, shattering Hae-Rin’s sword on the next exchange. “Pay the price for your arrogance.” Hae-Rin staggered, and the jade shot at her knees. “This is punishment—” Suddenly, Jae-Hyeok appeared using Do-Jin’s Flash Steps and drew his sword. A red crescent parted the jade stone before reaching Heo Myeong-Hwi some distance away and carving a long line across his chest.