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“...Are you that happy, sir?” Lee Hyeon-Su frowned slightly and tried to bring Bang Jin-Hun back down to Earth but failed. Bang Jin-Hun\'s expression didn\'t want to straighten at all!

From Bang Jin-Hun\'s perspective, he wouldn\'t have a reason not to be happy, after all!

Bang Jin-Hun smirked at Lee Hyeon-Su. “Why don\'t we continue with the meeting first?”

“Yes, sir...”

Bang Jin-Hun fake-coughed and resumed making a serious face when Lee Hyeon-Su backed off. Unfortunately for him, though, it was too late by then. His authority as the Assembly Master had lost a bit of its sheen. However, no one here wanted to mention that in the open.

“According to your prediction, we can\'t avoid clashing with our neighbors,” said Bang Jin-Hun while staring at Kang Jin-Ho.

“Yes, there\'s no avoiding it,” Kang Jin-Ho nodded.

“In that case, we need to supplement our number of field agents.”

“...Field agents?”

“Yes,” Bang Jin-Hun responded as if he was stating the obvious. “We\'re in the information-is-king era. As proof, don\'t you all know how Korea is basically infested with spies from other countries...?”

Kang Jin-Ho silently glanced at Zhang Dajing since Vator\'s companion should hold the most accurate information on this topic. After all, he was an intelligence operative of the Crimson King\'s faction stationed in South Korea until a few days ago.

Zhang Dajing also coughed to clear his throat after noticing Kang Jin-Ho\'s silent gaze. Even if his allegiance had shifted, openly saying he used to be a spy working for someone else to monitor this country was still a bit awkward.

“My apologies for putting it this way, but...” Zhang Dajing coughed a few times again. “As far as the war for information is concerned, South Korea doesn\'t have much value.”

“Be more specific, please,” Kang Jin-Ho urged Zhang Dajing in a slightly impatient-sounding voice.

Zhang Dajing scratched his head. “It\'s as it sounds, sir. This country was viewed as not really worth the trouble.”

Others grew puzzled by that and tilted their heads. Zhang Dajing sighed and tried to explain himself. “The war for information is basically a battle to see how much information we acquire or lose to our enemies. But South Korea does not have the concept of stopping foreign agents from acquiring information. We\'ve never been threatened once by the Korean agents while doing our job in this country, you see?”

Kang Jin-Ho cocked his eyes and stared unimpressed at Bang Jin-Hun, prompting the Assembly Master to sneakily avoid meeting that gaze.

Lee Hyeon-Su quickly came to Bang Jin-Hun\'s assistance. “Mister Jin-Ho, you can\'t really blame us on this one.”

“Mm?”

“Well, we didn\'t need to wage a war of nerves of foreign spies, you see? Before our recent dramatic transformation, Korea was nothing more than East Asia\'s buffer zone. The interest in us from China and Japan is a fairly recent development.”

Everyone in the conference room slowly nodded, knowing Lee Hyeon-Su was right.

“That was why we didn\'t have a reason to stop foreign spies or dispatch our own to other countries. Let\'s be honest, everyone. The changes sweeping through South Korea right now are like a sudden tropical storm in the middle of a cold winter. Blaming us for not preparing for the storm ahead of time is kind of unfair.”

Even the weather bureau would\'ve protested the unfairness of it all, too!

Kang Jin-Ho nodded in acceptance. “I see. I get what you\'re saying. But the times have changed, and we need spies now.”

“I agree, Mister Jin-Ho. As long as I get the necessary budget, I\'ll proceed with establishing an intelligence department right away,” said Lee Hyeon-Su, then turned his head to stare at Zhang Dajing. “And a teaching assistant joined us at the perfect time, too.”

“Eh?” Zhang Dajing panicked slightly and urgently scanned his surroundings. “B-but... I\'m here to assist Sir Vator?”

“Sure, assist him,” Lee Hyeon-Su tutted. “However, lending assistance does not mean you\'re now his nanny, right? It\'s not like you\'ll stay by Sir Vator\'s side twenty-four hours a day, no?”

“...No, of course not.”

“Then, you will do your job during your off hours. And we just decided on what your job will be.”

Waves of flabbergast repeatedly washed over Zhang Dajing.

\'What the hell...? Did this place always operate like this?\'

Zhang Dajing used to be a field operative affiliated with the Crimson King\'s faction. But calling him a \'field operative\' was being generous since he was more of a spy than anything else. So, why were these people giving him such a weighty role in this organization? Weren\'t they scared about the possibility of Zhang Dajing doing something untoward in this place?

These men were much more impulsive and crazier than Zhang Dajing had bargained for. What was even more problematic was that no one here tried to oppose Lee Hyeon-Su\'s obviously insane opinion!

\'I get that this is a comparatively young leadership, but...!\'

Zhang Dajing had been a part of a team observing Kang Jin-Ho, so he had a pretty good understanding of the Martial Assembly\'s tendencies. Even then, this level of impulsiveness shocked him.

Before Zhang Dajing could say something to extricate himself from this strange situation, Vator raised his voice first. “Master!”

“Mm?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head.

“It seems there is something I must do here.”

“Like what?”

“Please select several individuals displaying tardy improvements in their internal arts. I shall teach them external arts instead!”

Kang Jin-Ho stared at Vator, his interest now genuinely piqued.

\'That\'s not a bad idea.\'

Humans were bound to rely on natural talents for many things. Even if the nurturing structure and guidance were good, martial artists with low talent in accumulating qi were bound to exist. Teaching them external arts could definitely enhance the Assembly\'s overall combat strength.

It was just that the external arts weren\'t Kang Jin-Ho\'s specialty, so he never considered trying it out until now. However...

\'I can trust Vator to do a good job.\'

No one in this world should boast a higher mastery over external arts than Vator.

“That means I can now properly contribute, doesn\'t it?” Wiggins suddenly butted in. “I was actually beginning to feel rather dissatisfied by how I could only transfer surface-level knowledge until now. With things like this, though, I might as well give it my all.”

“Mm...!” Kang Jin-Ho nodded, then glanced at Lee Hyeon-Su.

Lee Hyeon-Su contemplatively rubbed his chin. “Sounds like a great idea, actually. We have plenty of young martial artists who wish to become stronger but can\'t accept Mister Jin-Ho\'s way for some reason or the other, you see?”

“Hmm...”

“And those who failed Mister Jin-Ho\'s test can take up this new challenge as well.”

This was one of the biggest problems piling up in the Martial Assembly\'s corridors of late. Those who passed Kang Jin-Ho\'s strict test were given a chance to become so much stronger, but the rest could only look on enviously—or jealously—from afar.

Unsurprisingly, their dissatisfaction level was steadily rising. It was just that Kang Jin-Ho\'s overwhelming charisma had prevented them from expressing it openly. So, having such powerful warriors teaching the rest would benefit the Martial Assembly greatly.

“There\'s this one obstacle, though...” Lee Hyeon-Su groaned loudly. “The opposition will be even more vociferous than before. You can bet your farm that more than one or two older folks will lose their minds at the... \'loss\' of Martial Assembly\'s identity.”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “Just what is this identity thing you keep bringing up? Is there an instruction manual on what the Assembly is supposed to be?”

“...I\'m also not sure,” Lee Hyeon-Su casually shrugged his shoulders. “If I\'m to hazard a guess, they probably think the South Korean Martial Assembly must consist of home-grown martial arts.”

Kang Jin-Ho smirked derisively. “People who commute in Western business suits want to talk about tradition? They should start wearing traditional Korean dresses, then.”

Lee Hyeon-Su wryly smiled at that.

\'It\'s not about tradition but vested interests, you know...\'

Obviously, those opposing voices weren\'t worried about the Assembly\'s purity or tradition. No, they only cared about their own power within the organization. Kang Jin-Ho\'s entrance meant their authority and influence had eroded and waned by a great deal, but now, outsiders were brought in to shore up the Assembly\'s manpower? No wonder those old men\'s anxiety levels would shoot up to high heavens.

“Logically speaking, Mister Jin-Ho is right, but…” Lee Hyeon-Su sighed. “Since when did human beings start acting rationally? We need to consider the potentially extreme blowback from the opposing voices.”

The corners of Kang Jin-Ho\'s lips suspiciously curled up. “What will change even if they try to fight back?”

“...!”

“Let them do what they want.”

Wiggins spoke in Lee Hyeon-Su\'s place. “Growing pains always accompany any form of progress. It\'s inevitable, really. Especially more so when the progress is so sudden and swift. It\'s bound to invite vocal opposition and trigger natural selection. Even so, history always favored those who chose progress. You\'ll naturally be left behind in the flow of history if you fear opposition and remain stagnant.”

“Yes, I agree with the Englishman,” Vator also raised his voice while nodding weightily away. “A new day brings forth a new opportunity to improve. In the pursuit of martial arts, one must continue forging ahead. Effort is important to progress, but effort alone sometimes isn\'t enough to guarantee progress. Sometimes... You will hit a wall that cannot be overcome with your current methods. In that situation, you must be ready to discard your everything and start from the beginning. Even if that involves the painful process of finding what\'s lacking in you by observing people stronger than you. Without going through that process, you will not achieve any progress.”

While he spoke, the intense look in Vator\'s eyes seemed to say that even organizations were the same in this regard. And now was the moment of truth for this particular organization.

As if it was the most obvious thing to do, everyone\'s gaze focused on Bang Jin-Hun next. He released a long sigh, then addressed everyone. “Yes, staying still and unmoving will stagnate us. I have no problem with the direction we must progress in. However, this will be tough for me to handle alone, so I must ask all of you to lend me your strength.”

“Mm…” Kang Jin-Ho nodded slightly.

“There\'s something I\'d like to confirm first, Mister Jin-Ho,” said Bang Jin-Hun as his expression stiffened. He stared straight at Kang Jin-Ho and asked, “Please clear up something for us. What is that you wish exactly? Is it to prevent invasion? Or to... conquer?”

“...”

“After we become strong enough to bring our enemies to their knees, what will you do when... Nobody attacks us? Will you pursue peace? Or invade them, instead?”

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes. “Is that important right now?”

“Yes. Very much so,” Bang Jin-Hun resolutely nodded, flames of passion burning in his eyes. “Knowing what our goal is absolutely crucial, Mister Jin-Ho. I\'d even say it\'s more important than anything else. Knowing what we must do will help with accurately mapping out our paths. And that will also help us shorten the distance as much as possible.”

Kang Jin-Ho couldn\'t immediately speak his mind. The truth was... He still hadn\'t decided on that part yet. No, that was a lie. He hadn\'t even thought about it until now.

“Mister Jin-Ho, please make that decision as soon as possible. You\'re no longer in the position to make important decisions on the whim of the moment. You must recognize your position in the organization and establish the long-term goal for us. Then, we will do our best to arrive at that destination.”

Kang Jin-Ho wordlessly stared at Bang Jin-Hun, but the Assembly Master didn\'t avoid holding that stare this time. The two men\'s gazes silently entangled in the air.

“...I hear what you\'re saying. I\'ll make the decision as soon as possible,” Kang Jin-Ho nodded slightly.

Clap!

That was when Lee Hyeon-Su suddenly clapped. After ably changing the conference room\'s mood, he addressed everyone. “Then, let\'s summarize the contents of this meeting. First of all, we shall set up an intelligence department to monitor other countries. Then, I shall search for those who meet the criteria stipulated by our new directors, Mister Vator and Mister Wiggins.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. Bang Jin-Hun rested his chin on his hands while sucking in a deep breath.

\'Things are changing at a break-neck pace...\'

When he looked back, it hadn\'t been all that long since Kang Jin-Ho had devoured the Yeongnam Group. But the Martial Assembly was already experiencing a sea change so abrupt that it could be called the proverbial lightning bolt out of the blue. And it was Bang Jin-Hun\'s job to become the weight that firmly anchored this storm to the ground.

\'Well, you only live once, right?\'

So, he should tread this path with his head held high. Even though no one knew whether this transformation would herald their destruction or bring about unprecedented glory.

Bang Jin-Hun glanced at Kang Jin-Ho, who was silently pondering something, and smiled quietly without even realizing it.

One thing seemed certain at this point. He might not know what this transformation would bring, but... But he shouldn\'t get bored for a while. Simply throwing himself into the rapid torrents of this turbulent sea should ensure that his days would be busy beyond his wildest expectations!

“Well, now that our meeting is concluded... Let\'s go get something good to eat, shall we?”

Bang Jin-Hun got up first... While feeling the heavy weight of his responsibilities pressing down on his shoulders.