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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Lee Seong-joon, who had been observing his family’s faces, tilted his head.
“Do you know where Seo-yoon went?”
“She said she was going to the restroom a while ago…”
He remembered it clearly.
The problem was that over ten minutes had passed.
‘Did something happen?’
Since there hadn’t been any commotion, he wasn’t overly worried.
As the entire floor was dedicated to high-end luxury brands, the security was impeccable.
B-rank Hunters were stationed around the stores.
Of course, he wasn’t simply relying on the department store’s security.
He had confirmed that one of the Enforcement Division officers assigned to his family’s protection had followed Lee Seo-yoon when she left, so he could relax.
However, it was certainly a strange situation.
“I’ll go look for her. Will you wait here?”
“Alright, it is taking a long time.”
Lee Seong-joon nodded towards the Enforcement Division officers hidden nearby, giving them a signal, and then he started walking.
“Where is the restroom?”
“If you go out from here and to the end of the right wall, you’ll find it.”
As he followed the employee’s directions, he saw the restroom sign in less than two minutes.
At that moment, Lee Seo-yoon’s voice reached his ears.
“…Why do you always do this to me?”
Her voice was low and subdued, a stark contrast to the cheerful and happy voice he had heard just moments ago.
“You don’t know? Fuck, just looking at you makes me sick. You’re like a bug.”
A high-pitched voice followed, grating on his ears.
Lee Seong-joon’s pace naturally quickened at the curse-laden words.
Turning a corner, he saw two women and one man surrounding Lee Seo-yoon in a corner.
Just as Lee Seong-joon’s brow furrowed at the obviously hostile atmosphere,
“I bet her mom and dad are bugs too, right?”
“Can’t you tell just by looking at them, forcing themselves to raise a kid without any money? They probably just popped her out thoughtlessly like cockroaches.”
Lee Seo-yoon’s face flushed red.
“Take back what you just said and apologize.”
She could tolerate being picked on for no reason to a certain extent.
But she absolutely couldn’t stand them insulting her precious family, her parents.
Lee Seo-yoon’s eyes blazed with fury, but the two women surrounding her just scoffed.
“What? Apologize? Where does a beggar like you get off, bitch!”
The hand of the woman in the center, who was pressuring Lee Seo-yoon, rose high.
Lee Seong-joon, having grasped the situation from their conversation, immediately used Wind and Thunder Steps, closing the distance with lightning speed.
And then, he grabbed the hand that was about to strike Lee Seo-yoon’s face.
“Wh-What the?!”
As the surprised woman screamed and turned her head,
Lee Seong-joon’s low voice rang out.
“Apologize. From what I overheard, it seems you crossed the line.”
Despite the blatant display of anger, the woman’s face, as she looked at Lee Seong-joon, was clearly flustered.
However, that moment was fleeting; she quickly regained her composure and even showed defiance.
“And who are you to interfere in our business?”
The woman asked in a casual tone.
Lee Seong-joon’s gaze shifted to Lee Seo-yoon, who was silently looking at him.
‘What’s wrong?’
Lee Seo-yoon cautiously shook her head, giving him a signal.
As siblings who had lived together for decades, there was no way Lee Seong-joon wouldn’t understand the meaning of that signal.
But paradoxically, because they were family, he couldn’t accept that signal.
“I’m Seo-yoon’s older brother.”
“No!”
Lee Seo-yoon shouted urgently at Lee Seong-joon’s self-introduction.
At the same time, the woman who had been pressuring Lee Seo-yoon frowned.
“Lee Seo-yoon’s brother?”
As Lee Seong-joon nodded in response, Lee Seo-yoon shouted again.
“I can handle this myself, so just go!”
“You think I can just walk away after seeing my family almost get hit? Especially after they insulted our family?”
As Lee Seong-joon’s cold gaze turned towards the woman, the man who had been watching from behind stepped forward.
“I understand you’re Lee Seo-yoon’s brother, but this is a matter between women, so why don’t you let them handle it themselves?”
Lee Seong-joon’s gaze naturally shifted to the man.
“Who are you?”
“You don’t need to know. Just go before you embarrass yourself in front of your sister.”
Following the man’s words, Lee Seo-yoon tugged at his sleeve.
“Just go. I’ll explain later.”
“Your sister is smarter than you. Go while you still have some face left, before you get beaten and cry in front of her.”
As the man with a grim expression walked forward and clenched his fist, his hand transformed into stone.
He was undoubtedly a Hunter, an Awakened with a unique ability.
The man was exuding confidence, overestimating his own power.
But that was a clear mistake.
Since he had requested discreet protection from the Enforcement Division officers, they were forced to remain passive in disputes between ordinary people.
However, if a Hunter intervened, like now, the situation would change.
Indeed, as if waiting for this moment, the Enforcement Division officer who had been hiding and observing began to prepare to move.
He seemed ready to intervene if the man resorted to violence.
However, Lee Seong-joon didn’t want to reveal his secret protection in a situation like this.
-I’ll handle it.
The Enforcement Division officer, upon receiving Lee Seong-joon’s telepathic message, flinched and then retracted his aura.
Just as Lee Seong-joon turned his head with a satisfied expression,
“Hey, can’t you understand what I’m saying? Get lost.”
The man’s expression overflowed with confidence, thinking that Lee Seong-joon’s momentary pause due to sending the telepathic message was a sign of fear.
“…Trash birds of a feather flock together.”
“What? Trash? Oppa, did you hear what this asshole said?”
“You messed up. Our Jong-ha oppa is a B+ rank Hunter!”
Kim Jong-ha, emboldened by the women’s words, put on a ferocious expression, creating a heavy atmosphere.
“This crazy bastard must be delusional. Do you really want to die?”
“Stop it! This has nothing to do with my brother!”
The frantic Lee Seo-yoon quickly moved to block Lee Seong-joon.
He understood why his sister, Lee Seo-yoon, was acting so desperately.
It typically took a year and a half to become a B+ rank Hunter.
Although he had shown tremendous speed by reaching B-rank in less than a month since he started working as a Hunter, she probably judged that he was still no match for a B+ rank Hunter.
Of course, that was Lee Seo-yoon’s misconception.
“It’s okay, don’t worry.”
Lee Seong-joon smiled reassuringly, passed Lee Seo-yoon, and approached Kim Jong-ha, who was standing with his shoulders squared, and said quietly,
“If you’re so confident, come at me.”
“This bastard, he’s really crazy!”
With a furious yell, Kim Jong-ha swung his fist at Lee Seong-joon.
It was a light punch, but it possessed enough power to knock out an ordinary adult male in one hit, so a relaxed smile appeared on Kim Jong-ha’s lips, confident of victory.
But at that moment,
Lee Seong-joon’s figure, which had clearly been in front of him, dissipated.
“Huh? Dodging?”
Judging by his movements, his opponent was also a Hunter, but it didn’t matter much.
It had been nine years since Kim Jong-ha started working as a Hunter.
Although he hadn’t reached A-rank due to his limited talent, he had worked for a considerable amount of time and knew most Hunters.
If he were a skilled Hunter worth mentioning, or even just a B+ rank or higher, he would have recognized him the moment he saw his face.
However, the man in front of him, Lee Seong-joon, was a face he had never seen before.
‘If I go all out, there’s no way I can lose.’
Therefore, Kim Jong-ha swung his fist with all his might, his face full of confidence.
Whoosh-!
Unlike before, his fist was so fast that it made a loud whooshing sound.
However, despite Kim Jong-ha’s efforts, the result was the same as before.
His fist just cut through the empty air, without any feeling of impact.
‘…Missed again?’
His fists repeatedly cut through the air. Just as a shadow fell over Kim Jong-ha’s face as he realized something was wrong,
Lee Seong-joon’s figure in front of him disappeared from his sight once again.
‘Where?’
As Kim Jong-ha’s panicked gaze darted around,
“What are you doing?”
Lee Seong-joon’s voice came from behind him.
At the same time, a sharp pain shot through his ankle, and the world spun around him.
Thump-!
“Ugh-!”
As Kim Jong-ha groaned and lifted his head,
Lee Seong-joon, who had approached him, placed his clenched fist right in front of the center of his chest.
Tap.
There was no immediate impact, but as it was a vital point, the threat was clear.
“Y-You bastard…”
Kim Jong-ha tried to curse and bluff, but he couldn’t finish his sentence.
An intangible energy emanating from Lee Seong-joon was taking shape and tightening around Kim Jong-ha’s neck.
It wasn’t a physical force.
Nor was it a unique ability possessed by Awakened.
It was his presence itself.
The presence etched into the soul of the Blood Demon and Demon God, who had once ruled the vast land of the Thousand Continents, was being unleashed.
“I’ll warn you once, and only once. Don’t try to act tough in front of women, and act your age.”
Along with Lee Seong-joon’s low voice, an irresistible, overwhelming pressure tightened around Kim Jong-ha’s throat.
Normally, he would have backed down, pretending to be defeated.
But he couldn’t back down now.
“Oppa, what are you doing!”
“Stop playing around and get serious!”
His girlfriend, Park Hyun-joo, and her friend, Kim Ah-ra, were watching right next to him.
If he were to be defeated by this unknown Hunter, he would lose all face as a boyfriend and an older brother.
“This bastard, who does he think he is?!”
Kim Jong-ha yelled and swung his fist wildly, trying to struggle, but naturally, it was a futile effort.
“You ignored my last warning.”
The paused fist moved towards Kim Jong-ha’s chest.
The fist, extended as naturally as flowing water, contained the essence of One-Inch Punch.
Thump-!
In the blink of an eye,
“Gaaaaah-!”
Kim Jong-ha, sprawled on the floor, rolled his eyes back, and white foam spilled from his mouth.
The match was over.
“Now that this is taken care of…”
As Lee Seong-joon, who had subdued the B-rank Hunter Kim Jong-ha with a single blow, turned his head, Park Hyun-joo and Kim Ah-ra, who had always been so arrogant, flinched.
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