The Hero Has Returned

Chapter 8 - Justification for a Fight

The lanky guy looked down at me and spoke.

"First, I'll ask as a courtesy. Justification is pretty important to our side, you see."

The Confucian scholar of the Spring and Autumn period, Confucius, advocated for the Rectification of Names doctrine.

A king must be king-like.

A subject must be subject-like.

A father must be father-like.

......

Well, it continues on in that fashion.

It roughly meant that everyone should act in a way that befits their role.

According to the lanky guy's logic.

It meant, 'A gang must be gang-like.'

When I first encountered the Rectification of Names, I had scoffed.

Because my father was not at all father-like.

The lanky guy continued.

"As if destroying a perfectly good press wasn't enough, you even incited the workers? Wow, you're a real piece of work!"

It may seem like this thing called justification grants a plausible degree of legitimacy.

But in reality, if you hang it on your ear, it's an earring; if you hang it on your nose, it's a nose ring.

"Why'd you do it? I should at least~~ hear your reason. Not that it matters, since you're gonna get your ass beat anyway."

See?

Depending on the justification, doesn't violence sometimes become justice?

That's why I believe justification is no different from a lie.

It's more truthful to just be upfront about pursuing your own interests.

"Why, you ask?"

I lifted my chin and looked up at the lanky guy.

"Because the side dishes tasted like shit."

"What?"

The lanky guy's brow furrowed as he scowled.

If I had left the press as it was, someone else's hand would have been cut off, even if it wasn't Kkalkki's.

It might have even been my own hand.

But that was the real reason.

And I had no intention of telling this bastard what was on my mind.

"You guys probably wouldn't know, since you only stuff your faces with delivery food. Come try the cafeteria sometime. You'll be confused whether they're serving it to people or to dogs."

The lanky guy's reaction was one of sheer disbelief.

"That's your only reason?”

"Yeah. That's right."

One of the factory workers watching us went Pfft. and burst out laughing.

"We grind our asses off all morning, the least you could do~~ is feed us properly."

"Hear, hear!"

Kkalkki's voice came from behind me.

"A piece of a steel scrubber came out of the pork crap-let today! Are you tryin' to make me eat that and croak? That's just too much, I tell ya!"

The president hid behind the lanky guy and goaded him on.

"Look! Look at the disrespectful way those things are talking. They'll be very dangerous if you leave them be. Director-nim, please teach them a lesson!"

The lanky guy nodded.

"You're right, President Kim. Looks like we'll have to teach your employees just how scary the world is."

It wasn't that I was underestimating the gang's second-in-command out of sheer arrogance.

Though I acted nonchalant on the outside, I had been cautiously observing the bastard the entire time we were talking.

Habitual liars don't trust others easily.

Just as they are adept at deceiving others, they never let down their guard of suspicion.

It was the same for me.

I wasn't getting cocky just because I had Awakened.

The hero ability, .

What if this power was just mediocre?

Big Lava and Seo Gwang-pal.

What if it only worked because I was lucky enough to only run into weaklings?

I was curious.

Just how much could I solve with my own power?

There was no way to know by tearing apart an innocent press.

I too was an Awakened, but in terms of experience, I was sorely lacking.

I needed a standard to gauge my own capabilities.

And that standard is this lanky guy.

The lanky guy poked my chest.

"Hey, buddy. Seems you Awakened and now you're feelin' antsy. You keep that up and you'll learn the hard way. Back in my day, I went one-on-one with an A-rank Hunter and..."

He hasn't changed a bit. This bastard.

In my past life, too, he was always going on about 'back in my day~'.

It really hit home that I had regressed.

It feels like I'm rewatching a movie I saw a long time ago.

I had no way of knowing if this bastard had really fought and won against an A-rank Hunter.

But if that was true, it meant he was quite the skilled fighter when he was active.

However, that was also a story from 10 years ago.

His skills would have deteriorated considerably since then, so at best, wouldn't he only be on par with a B-rank Hunter now?

Seo Gwang-pal was a C-rank Hunter, so.

This is perfect.

Snatch.

I caught the lanky guy's fist as it poked my chest.

"If you're going to do it, let's do it quickly. There's less than 5 minutes of break time left. I'll go first."

I gently wrapped my hand around his fist.

"Hm?"

The lanky guy tilted his head.

"What do you think you're doing? I'm not into skinship with other guys..."

With , I applied enough force to crush his bones.

"Huk?!"

The lanky guy hurriedly pulled himself back, got his feet tangled, and fell over.

"......"

"......"

I looked down at the lanky guy who had fallen flat on his back all by himself.

My balance was the same.

It was likely because the bastard had sensed something was off and dodged.

Tsk. How disappointing.

A miss like this happened because I'm still not used to handling my ability.

The lanky guy stammered.

"You... you. Who the hell are you?"

Kkalkki let out a cheer.

"Yes! Get him, Cap'n! That bastard hit me in the head fuckin' hard in the bathroom before for blockin' his way. The rotten bastard!"

On the other hand, the gang members were clearly flustered.

"H-Hyungnim!"

"Are you alright?"

"Let go! You bastards!"

The lanky guy irritably shook off his subordinates' hands.

"Hoo. Hoo-oo."

Then he took a deep breath and panted.

However, he didn't get agitated like Seo Gwang-pal.

He looked me up and down, steadying his breathing.

So, he didn't just get old for nothing.

There was something that came from his years of experience.

The proof of that was.

"I guess you're not just some riffraff."

His gaze sharpened, and the atmosphere changed.

As he entered a full combat stance, I had the illusion that the air was freezing over.

The onlookers held their breath and swallowed dryly.

This is where it gets real.

The lanky guy straightened his back and took a step closer.

"As expected, you're young, so you're very strong. Looks like you Awakened as a Power-type."

Was it my imagination, or did the lanky guy's form distort like a piece of taffy?

"For a Change-type like me, the matchup might be disadvantageous. To be honest, I'm not that strong."

With each step he took, the lanky guy's limbs rippled like a heat haze.

That was not a natural phenomenon.

It was definitely a special ability that used mana.

Dragging this out any longer wouldn't do me any good.

One-Hit Kill.

At present, that was my greatest strength.

The lanky guy came right up to my face.

"Go on, try and hit me again."

I threw a punch without hesitation.

Whoosh.

With the sound of a fist cutting through the air, the lanky guy disappeared.

"Over here."

A voice came from behind me.

'He's fas—'

"Hyaah!"

As soon as I turned around, the bastard kicked me in the side.

I instinctively blocked with my elbow.

With a powerful impact, my body was sent flying sideways.

"Keuk."

I stopped only after tumbling more than twice across the ground, covered in dust.

Small, sharp pebbles stuck to my skin, and one became embedded in my cheek.

My body ached and stung all over.

It all happened in an instant.

'If that bastard hadn't shouted before he attacked, I wouldn't have even been able to block it properly.'

The lanky guy, holding one leg up in a kicking stance, spoke.

"I went easy on you on purpose. It's no fun if it ends in one go, right? What was that about 5 minutes? I'll torment you until you're begging me to save you."

The area around my elbow throbbed.

If the lanky guy hadn't held back, the bone would have broken.

Therefore, it was a close call.

Walking a tightrope on the line of death, I could now see where I stood.

possessed formidable power.

Looking at the ability itself, it was on a level that overwhelmed that lanky guy.

However, as the proverb goes, even a string of priceless pearls is useless until it's strung.

No matter how outstanding the performance of my fist was, if I couldn't land a hit, it was useless.

If I couldn't see through the bastard's speed and strange ability, the outcome of the fight was as clear as day.

'How do I close the gap?'

Lying on the ground, I switched the blue window.

[[ Hero Skill Shop ]]

1. Super Kid Series.

1)

: 1 million won per use.

2)

: 5 million won per day.

Step two.

It was time to move on to the next one.

I clicked on the grayed-out text, 2) .

BEEP!

A phrase appeared along with a warning sound.

[ Conditions have not been met ]

Damn it. Then tell me what the conditions are.

"Cap'n!"

Kkalkki's worried voice was directed at me.

The other factory workers also faltered, looking terrified.

If I were to lose here, what would happen next was painfully obvious.

They would come to the 4th Factory whenever they felt like it, raise hell, and harass the employees.

Protection fees, union dues, severance pay, and so on.

They would surely tear even more money from our salaries.

I couldn't bear to see my colleagues suffer that fate.

Isn't there some way?

[ Conditions have not been met ]

As I stared intently at the phrase, I saw something engraved in small letters below it.

[ 4/5 ]

It was a number I hadn't noticed at first.

Racking my memory, I think it had been increasing little by little since I arrived here from my morning commute.

Four out of five times.

Just one more, and the count of five will be filled.

'Don't tell me.’

I dusted myself off and got up.

The lanky guy clapped his hands once.

"Whoa, what a real man!"

I had a vague idea of what the condition was.

It would have been nice to test it out leisurely, but I suppose I have no choice but to apply it in a real fight immediately.

The plan was simple.

First, shut up and attack.

I rushed at the lanky guy, throwing a one-two with both hands.

Whoosh. Whoosh.

As expected, my fists only hit the empty air.

The withdrawal notification didn't sound.

It was likely because I hadn't landed a valid hit.

"Ooh! So close! Almost got me!"

The lanky guy dodged skillfully with exaggerated movements.

"Lookin' at your form, seems you learned some boxing somewhere. I used to go to a gym back in the day, too. One! Two!"

The lanky guy threw jabs in the openings.

He only used one hand, but his speed was so fast that I couldn't even tell where the punches were coming from.

The fierce blows landed squarely on my face.

My lip split open, and sparks flashed in my vision.

TH-TH-TH-THUD!!!

It was a one-sided beating.

My mind grew hazy and I wanted to collapse, but I grit my teeth and endured.

The area around my eyes swelled up, and blood from my split lip dripped onto the dusty ground.

"St-Stop it! You rotten bastard!"

Kkalkki tried to jump in, but the other factory workers held him back.

"St-Stay put!"

"It's dangerous if you jump in, too!"

However, in my narrow field of vision, I caught the foreman moving.

He quietly gripped the monkey wrench hanging from his hip.

"That's right. It's one-on-one, so we hold back for now. But, the moment Yong-gi falls, we all jump in."

My face was a swollen, bloody mess, but a smirk escaped my lips.

Who was it that said he would never join the fight to protect himself?

The lanky guy's lips curled upwards.

"Heh heh. You're laughing? You're a much crazier bastard than I expected."

His afterimage blurred, and his voice echoed from all around.

"Your name's Choi Yong-gi, right? I like your guts. You interested in joining our organization?"

A battered wreck, I coughed up a glob of bloody phlegm and raised my guard.

"Go tell your mother to join."

I had finally confirmed my position.

The spot I had been luring him to while taking his attacks head-on.

It was right under the shade of a wisteria trellis, where purple petals drooped.

I raised my fist.

"I told you it's useless."

The lanky guy dodged the attack with ease.

It didn't matter.

My target wasn't him in the first place.

My fist, with mana concentrated in it, slammed into a pillar under the wisteria.

CRACK.

Ding.

– Withdrawal: 1,000,000 won.

One of the four-sided pillars broke, and the wisteria rest area came crashing down.

Simultaneously.

Ding.

[ Conditions have been met ]

[5/5]

I did it.

Using the acquired skill five times.

That was the condition to purchase the next hero ability.

As soon as the notification sounded, I reached out and clicked on what I wanted.

Ding.

[ Purchase complete ]

[ Activating ]

[ Awakened's Balance ]

: ₩1,068,565,998

My balance, now down by a total of 6 million won.

At the same time, mana spread to every corner of my body.

A sensation just like stepping into a bathtub filled with hot water.

Something is embracing me.

If I were held in the warm embrace of a gentle mother, wouldn't it feel like this?

I lowered both hands from my guard.

A completely defenseless state.

The lanky guy, covered in wisteria vines, irritably swatted the branches away.

"Are you giving up? What kind of stupid stunt is this?"

As the leaves covered his entire body, the lanky guy's shimmering form became clear.

I quickly grabbed the bastard by the collar.

"Caught you."

The lanky guy was startled for a moment but quickly regained his composure.

"So what if you caught me? Does that change anything? I told you, didn't I? I'm gonna bust your jaw!"

The lanky guy displayed his specialty, his speed, and in the blink of an eye, planted his fist on my chin.

Tink.

However,

The bastard's fist slipped off.

No, to be precise, it bounced off.

Super Kid's .

According to the comic's lore, it's an ability where unconsciously flowing energy protects the hero.

The aura covering the entire body blocks physical damage and displays a transcendent defensive power.

It was an ability I had only seen in the story.

But when applied in reality, it displayed a cheat-like effect.

"...What? Why is it suddenly like this?"

The lanky guy didn't seem to understand the sudden change.

With his collar still in my hand, I slowly raised my other fist.

Kekeke.

I grinned, my mouth full of blood.

In an instant, the emotion called 'fear' filled the lanky guy's eyes.

That's right. From your perspective, this must be no different from a horror movie.

The cornered lanky guy thrashed about, unleashing a reckless barrage of attacks.

"Y-You!! FUCK!!!!"

RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!!!!

It was a more furious assault than before, but every hit glanced off my body.

"Hey, telephone pole."

I spoke calmly from within the eye of the storm.

"You talk too much. That's the reason you're getting your ass beat."

I aimed for the lanky guy's face as if it were a target and slammed my fist into it.

With a thwack!.

The lanky guy, mingling with the purple wisteria flowers, fell flat on his back.