"I will protect you."
Yu-Seong was taken aback by the unexpected guest’s first words. Looking at Bernard Yoo, Yu-Seong said, "I don't understand what you're saying..."
"I heard that you've become Mana-deficient..." Bernard Yoo explained.
"What?"
Bernard then stood up from his seat and knelt down. Before Yu-Seong could say anything, he let out a deep sigh and bowed his head. "I know that you didn't sacrifice yourself for me and it was a choice you made to protect yourself. But I can't deny the fact that the outcome might have been different if it wasn't for the injury I had inflicted on you."
"Wait, Bernard…?"
"Mana-deficient hunters live miserable lives. It is natural to feel helpless after losing the power they initially had. I even heard that some of them chose to end their own lives because it was easier that way. I just… I just want to show you that..."
"Stop. I bet it’s easier to just show you rather than say it." Choi Yu-Seong let out a deep sigh. He activated Wind Control and created an illusion.
Bernard Yoo, surprised at the illusion of Choi Yu-Seong splitting into two, widened his eyes. Meghan, who stood near him, also shook her head.
"I've never become Mana-deficient. I don't know how the rumor started, but as you can see, I'm in perfect health," said Yu-Seong.
"But, but surely during the villain’s attacks, you became stronger by explosively releasing your mana..." said Bernard Yoo.
"It was a medicine’s effects. It was for a single use only. And fortunately, it doesn't have serious side effects," replied Yu-Seong.
"A medicine’s effects?"
"Overgeared, medicine-buffs, skill-buffs, what… Isn't that a common thing?" asked Yu-Seong.
It was indeed a common thing. However, Bernard Yoo had not anticipated this situation at all. He couldn't hide his trembling gaze.
"...Seems like the Chairman was about to make a huge mistake, and Bernard stopped him," Meghan said, having grasped the situation faster than Bernard Yoo.
At first, Bernard Yoo was confused, so he simply shook his head. Then, finally understanding the situation, he laughed loudly and nodded. "I see. Because Grandfather Yoo thought that Choi Yu-Seong had become Mana-deficient, he was about to make a false announcement… If he had been careless, he would have made a big mistake."
Through the conversation between the two, Choi Yu-Seong was also able to guess the reason why Bernard Yoo had come to find him.
'Seems like Chairman Yoo heard that I had become Mana-deficient and tried to manipulate the outcome of the competition.'
And Bernard Yoo, who was not pleased with the conversation, had come to find Choi Yu-Seong. If this were the original novel's righteous Bernard Yoo, it would not have been a strange thing at all.
'He's a cool guy as expected.'
Bernard was one of the original novel’s characters that he liked while reading, so when Yu-Seong met Bernard’s gaze, he felt a strange sense of gratification. Then, he said, "Anyway, there’s no reason you have to protect me like that.”
"Agreed," Bernard replied. He stood up from where he had been kneeling.
Yu-Seong waved his hand lightly, watching Bernard's relieved expression. "Now if you are done here, you should go. I'm sure the reporters will be swarming you soon enough, now that they know you're awake."
The competition between the two men had been kept secret, but it had become known to the entire country due to the Demon King Worshipers’ attack. Needless to say, many people were now curious about the competition’s result.
Park Jin-Hwan and Kim Jin-Young also asked Yu-Seong if they could be the first to know the result, but Yu-Seong had told them that he would announce it only after Bernard had woken up.
It was finally time to do so.
However, Bernard, who Yu-Seong had thought would leave right away, remained in his seat. He sat across Yu-Seong and asked seriously, "Yu-Seong, we are friends, right?"
Yu-Seong's eyes widened at the sudden question.
'I mean, it's not like we've even seen each other that much… We’ve only seen each other twice.'
Even their first meeting had been a fight. However, it had been a fair fight and Yu-Seong had a good impression of Bernard. If there was anything to worry about, it was whether Bernard would want to become Kim Do-Jin's colleague or not. Although, those worries didn't last long.
Yu-Seong didn't want to live in constant anxiety that he couldn't even become friends with the person he liked.
" Mm, I don't dislike you," replied Yu-Seong.
"Can I take that to mean we're friends?"
"We've been speaking informally to each other since you came to my house."
In fact, that wasn't awkward. When he thought about it, was there anything special about being friends? Bernard smiled brightly at Yu-Seong’s acceptance and said confidently, "Then help me hide."
Bernard showed a cool smile that was no different from a trademark. Then, he nodded vigorously at Yu-Seong.
"What...?"
"My grandfather is really angry at me right now. I'll be in trouble if I get caught. I'll book a flight to the U.S. tomorrow, so please hide me until then. I can announce the competition results there, right? Please, friend?"
Yu-Seong looked as if he had been hit by something. Meanwhile, Bernard leaned forward as if to kneel in front of Yu-Seong again.
"Please, don't do that. We're friends, there's no need to kneel."
"So are you going to let me stay for the night? You have plenty of empty rooms anyway. Meghan and I would need one each," said Bernard.
"Dude, you truly have thick skin,” said Yu-Seong to Bernard.
Choi Yu-Seong was surprised by the request, so he shifted his gaze to Meghan, who was standing behind Bernard. She was a cat-like beauty.
"Please," said Meghan. She also bowed her head toward Choi Yu-Seong.
The two of them were so similar, it was almost as if they were a ridiculous pair of teacher and student.
Choi Yu-Seong eventually had no choice but to lean his head back on the sofa and accept. He said, "Fine. But you guys are leaving right away tomorrow. I’ll feel pressured by your grandfather otherwise."
"Of course. Then tonight is a beer party to celebrate our friendship!"
"...Weren't you just discharged from the hospital? Your condition..."
"There's no problem at all."
Even if Yu-Seong had tried to stop him, Bernard wouldn't listen. Yu-Seong sighed again and nodded as if to say ‘do as you please.’
Jin Yu-Ri, who was standing behind Choi Yu-Seong with a similar expression, took out Choi Yu-Seong's cell phone that she had been keeping. The phone rang again with a short vibration. After checking the caller id, she said to Choi Yu-Seong, "It's the chairman.”
It was a call from Choi Woo-Jae.
***
The party was pushed back. Choi Yu-Seong received the call from Choi Woo-Jae and immediately left the house. He headed towards the grand mansion in Yeonhui-dong.
"You've become much more handsome lately, young master. You look good.”
"Thank you, nanny. How are you doing?"
"I’m doing well. Thank you for caring about me... Hehe, please come in. The chairman is waiting for you."
As always, when Yu-Seong came to the main house, his nanny welcomed him with a warm smile. As soon as he entered the house, he felt a heavy atmosphere. The mood was naturally heavy due to Choi Woo-Jae's preference for dark wallpaper and heavy materials, but from Choi Yu-Seong's perspective, this atmosphere didn't seem particularly out of place.
'It's kind of cool... If I think about it, wearing a coat over my battle suit might even be helpful with my Stylish skill. Like a main character in a game.'
If he had the new custom-made battle suit that was just produced, it wouldn't be impossible for him to use Pharaoh’s Caprice to form a somewhat special coat material.
'Spear, coat, and if there’s even a gun... It might look cool. '
The Stylish skills’ effects would be greatly enhanced, and it would also likely be a great help in increasing the number of views on Yu-Seong’s new NewTube videos. In reality, the videos had higher views when the fights were more spectacular rather than an efficient battle with minimal moves.
Since the number of subscribers steadily increased and the income from NewTube was expected to be promising, it would be good for Yu-Seong to equip himself with skills that would allow him to use a gun.
With these thoughts in mind, Choi Yu-Seong's eyes sparkled.
'Should I ask Jenny?'
Jenny was one of the hunters who used guns. Maybe her gun might be able to deal damage to monsters, since it used mana.
'I'll ask her tomorrow.'
While distracted by the many thoughts in his head, Choi Yu-Seong entered Choi Woo-Jae's study. He walked down the dark hallway. As always, the study was full of a woody scent.
Choi Woo-Jae was sitting by the window. He glanced at Choi Yu-Seong and gestured toward the empty sofa. "Sit down.”
Yu-Seong moved quietly to sit on the sofa. Only then did Choi Woo-Jae toss a stack of documents toward him. Despite the documents being thrown from a distance, the papers landed perfectly in front of Choi Yu-Seong without a single crease.
Yu-Seong was not too surprised by that move. Choi Woo-Jae, an S-ranked hunter and the leader of the Comet Group, was capable of such accuracy.
It was only after looking at the documents that Choi Yu-Seong expressed surprise. He said, "The M&A report for Cheon-Ji Ironworks?"
Cheon-Ji Ironworks was a subsidiary of the Cheon-Ji Group. It was known for its high profits and sales. If the automobile industry was the heart of a person, then ironworks was at least a person’s legs. Choi Woo-Jae and the Comet Group were planning to easily acquire and merge with Cheon-Ji Ironworks.
"Take a look at that," said Woo-Jae.
Yu-Seong quickly flipped through the documents and swallowed hard. The contents of the documents included the faces of people affiliated with the Cheon-Ji Group Board of Directors.
'Geez, it's hard to find someone who doesn't have some dirt on them, but why are there so many of them here?'
Tax evasion, embezzlement, and illegal gambling were the norm. It was difficult to find someone who didn't engage in these activities, and there were also many people who had committed horrible acts such as extortion and murder. In reality, it was as if these corporate individuals were no different from gangsters.
'But why is this report on a merger and acquisition?'
As Yu-Seong quickly flipped through the documents, a question arose in his mind.
"The best way to fight war is through surprise attacks, not head-on battles. You have to strike your opponent when they least expect it and secure your victory. It's a very useful surprise attack to shake up the enemy's generals."
Choi Yu-Seong jerked his head up. He muttered, "Then this list of crimes is...?"
"We'll have to blow off steam. When the announcement of your match with Bernard Yoo is made, and Chairman Yoo is distracted trying to cover it up, we'll strike. I’ve already had talks with the media and government."
It was like sharpening a blade to chop off the Cheon-Ji Group's leg. Choi Woo-Jae had finished preparing money and forging connections to cut it off with a single stroke. His calm, quiet eyes seemed to burn with hot flames.
'He's excited.'
Feeling a chill run down his spine, Cho Yu-Seong realized something else. Although Choi Woo-Jae didn't yet know the outcome of the match between him and Bernard Yoo, he had already prepared a definite outcome. It was hard to predict how much money, time, and people Woo-Jae had manipulated and spent since he had even persuaded the media and political circles.
"Father, then if I lost...?"
"Then the responsibility would be all yours," said Woo-Jae.
Thud.
The burning in Choi Woo-Jae's eyes was frightening. It was a surprise attack, but he had truly bet everything on this match. If he were to fail, he had even planned to use his own son, Choi Yu-Seong, whom he held dear, as a sacrifice.
"You're surprised. But at least I wouldn't have killed you like the other guys. You just wouldn't have been able to set foot in Korea again."
Choi Yu-Seong smiled awkwardly at Woo-Jae’s dismal words. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead. It was the first time he realized how scary those words could be, even though Woo-Jae had said he wouldn’t kill him.
“So, did you win?”
“...Of course, I won.” Yu-Seong smiled bitterly.
“Of course you won. You burnt yourself out so much that you became Mana-deficient... It's a pity, really. That's why I showed you the strategy plan,” said Woo-Jae.
“What...?”
Choi Woo-Jae must be having the same misunderstanding that Bernard Yoo had.