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Was it because he had been talking for a while? Of course not.

He knew why he felt thirsty. That was because Kang Jin-Ho\'s name had finally entered their conversation.

“That man... is exceptionally competent,” said Lee Jung-Geol, finally admitting that one thing he didn\'t want to admit.

There was a huge difference between acknowledging an enemy and praising him. At the very least, not saying things like this when everyone wanted to steel their resolve should be a no-brainer.

However, Lee Jung-Geol had no choice but to say it. Without using this topic as the starting line, their discussion simply could not get started. He must dismantle any lingering dismissive attitude toward Kang Jin-Ho in these people\'s heads before moving on to the next part of his explanation.

“Many of you seem to overlook something. Kang Jin-Ho is definitely not an idiot, only good for his incredible strength.”

Director Jo smiled awkwardly. “Assembly Master, sir... Everyone here knows that already.”

“No, you do not!” Lee Jung-Geol replied, his expression stiff. “Kang Jin-Ho is far more meticulous than all of you have given him credit for!”

The expressions of the directors and elders became weird at that outburst.

“But, sir...”

“You need to trust me on this,” Lee Jung-Geol grimly muttered. He had learned his lesson by now.

Almost everyone who dared to slight Kang Jin-Ho was crushed to oblivion. And that applied to Lee Jung-Geol, too. He thought he could control or restrict Kang Jin-Ho despite knowing how strong this returner was. And his current situation was the end result.

Kang Jin-Ho seized every opening and cleanly took over the Martial Assembly, then installed a puppet named Bang Jin-Hun as his proxy to rule the organization.

“Tell me, everyone. How long do you think Kang Jin-Ho needed to take over the Martial Assembly, bring down the Yeongnam Group, then invite outsiders into our midst?”

“...!”

Everyone clamped their mouth shut.

“If it had been anyone else, they would still be mindlessly busy trying to stabilize the chaos racking the Yeongnam Group and the Martial Assembly. However...! Has anyone here heard about such a thing being a problem recently?"

Unsurprisingly, the room remained bathed in silence, leading Lee Jung-Geol to slowly nod.

“Everyone thought it\'s too radical. That he\'s moving too fast. That he\'s creating all these problems without thinking about the consequences... However, look at where we are now. I\'m sure some of you thought that something would give sooner or later, leading to a collapse of some kind. And that would\'ve given you an opening to regain your authority. Unfortunately for you... Let me say this loud and clear!” Lee Jung-Geol stopped talking there to incite the crowd\'s fervor even more. “...Something like that will never happen.”

“Mm...”

Sounds of several people sucking in deep breaths could be heard.

“Kang Jin-Ho is not an idiot. No, he\'s shockingly smart. On top of that, he even possesses the ability to assign the right people to the right places. It doesn\'t matter if he\'s that calculating or doing it out of instinct, as it still tells us he knows how to run an organization by correctly deploying talented people where they are required. We\'ve been waiting for the seeds of discord to bloom, yet the Martial Assembly has swiftly regained its stability. It\'s time to acknowledge this.”

Everyone in the room slowly nodded away.

“All those trying to oppose Kang Jin-Ho only paid attention to his martial prowess. They all thought someone ostensibly relying on his brute strength would not be able to endure if even stronger power squashed him. However, the sad truth is...!” Lee Jung-Geol nervously licked his lips. Even he couldn\'t bring himself to say this out loud. “No one here can exceed his depth of strength. However, I guarantee you this. Even if we somehow manage to overcome him in strength, Kang Jin-Ho will not go down. Why? Because he never needed to utilize every asset at his disposal until now. He fought his enemies by himself until now precisely because his calculations said it\'d be fine to do so. However, what if an enemy he can\'t deal with shows up? Kang Jin-Ho will unhesitantly unleash everything in his arsenal.”

“...Then, what should we do, sir?”

“We need to cut off his limbs,” said Lee Jung-Geol without hesitation as if there was no need to even think about his reply. “We must cut off his limbs in one sudden assault, then deploy everything we have to cut his head off next!”

“But, Assembly Master...!” Director Jo called out in a nervous-sounding voice. “We also know this. But the question is, how can we bring that idea to reality? You already said everyone is a comrade, that you\'ll tread this path with us. Together. In that case... Please give us a more concrete plan.”

Lee Jung-Geol scanned his audience and noticed how no one was avoiding his gaze anymore. As a matter of fact, bizarre anticipation and eagerness were burning fiercely in their eyes instead!

\'Hah. It seems the hunting dogs are getting antsy.\'

Lee Jung-Geol smirked softly. Since his own sentiments were pretty similar to these folks, he could understand their current attitude.

These people had been away from battle for far too long. It hadn\'t been all that long ago when they had to live an unforgiving life where they had to constantly stay on their tiptoes in fear of their enemies\' ambushes. To such people, peace was like constant mind-numbing boredom not even worth raising their pulse for.

They were probably afraid right now. Terrified by Kang Jin-Ho. However, their hearts must be beating faster. These old folks, already addicted to adrenaline, began baring their fangs after the \'narcotic\' released by their brains took over their senses.

...And it should be the same story for Lee Jung-Geol, too!

“Cutting off his limbs will be done by our side,” said Lee Jung-Geol.

The eyes of the directors and elders flickered ominously.

“Even if we all have taken a step away from active roles, we still wield sizable influence within the Martial Assembly. And most of those assigned to crucial positions within the Assembly are either your disciples or followers.”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Mobilizing them to paralyze the Assembly for a little while should not be difficult,” said Lee Jung-Geol.

“But, sir... Would Bang Jin-Hun\'s faction just sit back and idly watch all this happen?”

Lee Jung-Geol smirked meaningfully. “To an unruly child, discipline is always the answer. Those children need to be punished thoroughly. And the role of disciplinarian will fall upon you and I, everyone.”

Somewhat-excited expressions formed on the faces of the audience members.

\'How… unsurprising.\'

Lee Jung-Geol\'s smirk deepened. Kang Jin-Ho was a freak of nature. A peerless monster under the heavens. These directors and elders knew that opposing Kang Jin-Ho had to happen regardless of their feelings. Even then, none of them thought about personally doing something to him. However, that story didn\'t apply to Bang Jin-Hun.

The person they really hated was not Kang Jin-Ho, but Bang Jin-Hun. Other than reigning over the Assembly, Kang Jin-Ho didn\'t do anything else of note. On the other hand, Bang Jin-Hun was responsible for actively taking away all these old folks\' honor and authority.

Not too long ago, Bang Jin-Hun was a director like them. Or someone below their ranks. Yet, he dared to take over the Martial Assembly, their Assembly, and even forced them out, too! Who among these folks would not hold a grudge against him in that case!

So, the prospect of punishing Bang Jing-Hun with their own hands was greatly exciting to these old men.

“Then... What about Kang Jin-Ho, sir?”

Lee Jung-Geol\'s smirk took on an insidious tone. “I mentioned earlier that I\'d stop at nothing to get rid of Kang Jin-Ho. So... Let me be honest with you. Taking Kang Jin-Ho out with only our strength is impossible.”

“A-Assembly Master, sir! What do you mean by that?”

Why did Lee Jung-Geol say that when the discussion was going so well? The meeting venue became a little chaotic with that announcement, but Lee Jung-Geol only needed to raise his hand to calm the directors down. “Please, there is no need to fret. I didn\'t say we won\'t oppose him, after all. I\'m simply stating reality. If we\'re serious about confronting him, then yes, we certainly can. However, that decision will lead to far-too-great sacrifices from our side. What is the point of regaining our grip on power if most of us die in the process?”

“Mm...! Yes, you\'re right, sir.”

In less than a blink of an eye, a bond of sympathy was created among these men. As for Lee Jung-Geol... He held back a wry smile trying to break out on his lips.

\'Most of us, is it? Hah... Not one of you will survive!\'

Having the drive and possessing the ability were two disparate matters. If Lee Jung-Geol wanted to fight Kang Jin-Ho with only the men in this room, not even having one hundred lives would be enough to win. Those lives would be spent in the proverbial blink of an eye!

Lee Jung-Geol was definitely not an idealist. Realistically speaking, these old farts would not even count as a combat force. At the very least, when it came to actually fighting Kang Jin-Ho, that was!

Lee Jung-Geol continued to speak. “That is why we need more combat power.”

“...But, sir? We don\'t have any other remaining outside forces to call upon.”

The Martial Assembly had already unified South Korean martial society. That meant every faction in this country was more or less aligned with the Assembly. Of course, there should be some individuals who resented the Assembly and maintained their independence to choose how they continued their inheritance. However, did those people have a reason to assist Lee Jung-Geol? No, not really.

“That is why... I\'d like to introduce someone to you. Maybe... Some of you might be happy to see this person again.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Lee Jung-Geol didn\'t respond to the puzzled queries and turned his head to look at the exit. That prompted the door to slowly open.

“...Heok?!”

“W-what? How can he be here?”

“Goodness me!”

Everyone in this room had experienced all sorts of things in their life. Not much could faze or shock them at this point. But the revelation of the figure behind the open doorway was still more than enough to throw the directors and elders into a frenzy akin to seeing a terrifying specter!

There was a large wheelchair. And a small child was sitting on it.

On second inspection, though, it was clear this individual was not a child. Definitely not. He only looked small because he had no limbs.

Indeed, the man riding the wheelchair was as old as many of the directors and elders in this room! And every single person here knew exactly who this person was.

“H-how, how is Kim Seok-Il even here...?!”

Yes, it was none other than Kim Seok-Il! The former chairman of the Yeongnam Group had finally revealed himself.

Whiiiiirrr...

The expressionless Kim Seok-Il operated his motorized wheelchair and entered the room. The silence enveloping this venue was so spookily still that the sounds of the wheels turning were deafening.

“C-chairman!”

The Yeongnam Group\'s directors stared at Kim Seok-Il, their eyes half-filled with fear and awe.

“You were alive, sir!”

“We, we all thought you died...”

Kim Seok-Il casually scanned the crowd before smirking deeply. “Yes, I\'m back from death. And you all look like you\'ve seen a ghost.”

“...”

No one here was good enough of an actor to hide their fluster. After that fateful night when the Yeongnam Group was crushed, Kim Seok-Il disappeared without a trace. That left everyone speculating about his grisly death. But now... He reappeared before them, all healthy and the like!

Of course, the idea of \'healthy\' didn\'t exactly suit someone without arms and legs!

“Chairman, your body...”

Kim Seok-Il\'s expression became melancholic. “I was captured by that bastard, so it\'s a miracle to be still alive. Yes, it\'s a miracle…”

When he said \'that bastard\', Kim Seok-Il\'s facial muscles twitched and spasmed. Was it because of his rage? No. That was... fear.

The old men in this room felt chills run down their spines. Kim Seok-Il must be battling unmentionable terror whenever his mind wandered toward the topic of... Kang Jin-Ho! And then...

If they somehow failed this time, their fate would be no different from Kim Seok-Il\'s. When that realization dawned on them, this powerful fear washed over them, and they wanted to flee from this place.

“However, there is no need to worry so much,” Kim Seok-Il leisurely addressed the crowd as if he could read everyone\'s mind. “Why do you think I\'m here despite my pathetic state? That\'s because I\'m now confident about killing that bastard.”

“Confident...?”

“That\'s right!” Kim Seok-Il gritted his teeth. “I... Let me tell you something. I wanted to die. I really, truly wanted to die. None of you will understand what it feels like for a martial artist to lose his cultivation. That is even worse than death! I\'ve considered biting my tongue dozens of times in a day.”

Some turned their heads away, unable to look Kim Seok-Il in the face. But that was how horrifying Kim Seok-Il\'s words were.

Would any of them still carry on if they were in Kim Seok-Il\'s shoes? No one could reply with absolute certainty.

“However, this one thing kept me going all this time. It\'s to kill that bastard! To get my revenge! So... I kept a low profile to bide my time. For this one chance, and one chance only!” Kim Seok-Il growled like a wounded beast as tears of blood trickled out of his eyes. “And now, our preparations are complete. I... I will kill Kang Jin-Ho! I will kill him, I will sink my teeth into his throat, and I will... I will drink his blood! So... So, I shall now share with all of you what the plan is.”

As the elders and directors listened to Kim Seok-Il\'s bone-chilling words, they instinctively realized something. This was the moment of no return. From this moment on...

No one would be allowed to escape.