“This bastard… what the hell is he saying…?”
Thud.
The man collapsed, his entire body trembling. To an outsider unaware of the situation, it might have looked like he was dancing.
“O-Oppa? What’s wrong with you all of a sudden…?”
The woman trailed off, her eyes widening. The man sitting on the floor, shaking uncontrollably, had nothing but the whites of his eyes showing.
And then came the stench.
It didn’t take long to realize where it was coming from. A suspicious liquid had pooled beneath the man, soaking the floor.
“…O-Oppa? Did you just piss yourself?”
The woman asked in disbelief. But unfortunately, the man was in no condition to answer.
Watching the scene unfold, Taeseong let out a sigh of relief.
‘At least he didn’t die.’
This was the first time he realized just how difficult it was to control his strength. He had only released a minuscule amount of energy, yet the man had fainted instantly. If he had made even the slightest mistake and released a bit more… the guy might have actually died.
‘Not that it would’ve mattered. Scum like them aren’t worth saving.’
“Oppa! Do something! Are you just gonna stand there and watch? You said you were the top dog in your twenties!”
The remaining man hesitated but eventually got up. His expression screamed reluctance, but his pride as a man wouldn’t let him back down in front of a woman.
With a roar, he charged.
“You son of a b—”
He didn’t even take two steps before crashing face-first into the floor.
Then came an awful sound.
Squelch. Squish.
If the first guy had pissed himself, this one… lost control of something worse.
Let’s leave it at that.
The grotesque sight made not only the woman but even Taeseong frown.
This was worse than a psychic attack. His stomach churned.
“What the…? Did he…? D-Did he just shit himself?”
Denial was natural.
But reality was cruel.
When the realization hit, the woman clung to the wall, dry-heaving.
“Uweeeek—!”
A disgusting mixture of piss, vomit, and feces filled the air.
Taeseong had originally come here for Yeo Gilsoo, but a quick glance around told him the man had fled long ago.
‘He’s got good instincts.’
At first, he had mistaken him for an average businessman. But the moment the first thug wet himself and passed out, Yeo Gilsoo had bolted.
That alone proved he had survived by making countless enemies.
Unfortunately, of all the people he could’ve pissed off, Yeo Gilsoo had chosen the absolute worst.
The woman, wiping her vomit-stained mouth, glared at Taeseong. Her mascara had smudged, leaving black streaks down her face.
“Y-Y-You! What the hell did you do to them?!”
“……”
“What the hell did you do to make them end up like that?!”
A dangerous impulse flickered in Taeseong’s mind.
‘Should I just kill her?’
He shook his head.
‘I’m not some psychotic murderer.’
Memories from his past surfaced.
As an Apostle of Taegorang, he had slaughtered and devoured countless beings.
But that was then.
He had no desire to live like that now.
Of course, compared to normal people, he placed little value on life. He could kill hundreds—thousands—of scumbags without feeling an ounce of guilt.
His way of thinking was simply too different from ordinary humans.
The weak get eaten. If you don’t want to die, get stronger.
That was the law Taeseong lived by.
Even so, he still clung to a shred of humanity and morality. The only reason he could maintain that was because of the values his parents and Sooah had placed in him.
If Lee Sooah didn’t exist in this world…
“Shut up.”
Taeseong released a faint burst of energy.
The woman foamed at the mouth and collapsed.
Since she was physically smaller, he used an even smaller fraction of energy than he had on the men.
Luckily, after a bit of practice, he was getting the hang of it.
He turned away and spotted a back door leading to the kitchen.
It was obvious what it was meant for.
“A little escape route, huh? How thorough.”
For a so-called chicken restaurant, they were awfully prepared for an emergency getaway.
Taeseong let out a dry chuckle and stepped through the back door, heading deeper into the alley.
Soon, several container boxes came into view.
Yeo Gilsoo’s presence was there.
For someone like Taeseong—who had long surpassed human limitations—detecting an ordinary person’s energy was easier than breathing.
As he walked toward his target, dozens of men emerged, blocking his path.
They all had identical tattoos, as if they had visited the same parlor.
Even their lines were the same, like they were reading off a script.
“Hey, you little shit. Do you even know where you are?”
“Listen, old man. If you don’t wanna get your ass beat, go home and have your wife make you dinner.”
“Hahaha!”
Scattered around were bottles of alcohol, cigarettes, and an ominous white powder.
Some of the men’s eyes were unfocused—clearly not in their right minds.
Taeseong spoke politely.
“Are you guys also from this ‘Wang Axe Gang’ or whatever?”
“Goddamn it, man. Is our crew some kind of joke now? Every random dumbass knows our name?”
“Are we famous? Or do we just look like pushovers?”
“I didn’t want to know either. The two slabs of meat sitting in the chicken restaurant just kindly explained it to me.”
A man with a large scar on his face spun the axe in his hand and asked, “Chicken restaurant? Ah, you mean Yeo Gilsoo’s place? And by two slabs of meat, you mean the new recruits, right?”
“That seems to be the case, hyungnim.”
“Hey, old man. Where’d you leave those two and come here alone?”
“They should be covered in filth by now.”
“The hell are you saying, you crazy bastard?”
The man threw his axe straight at Taeseong’s head. Throwing an axe at someone after just a few words? This guy clearly had no hesitation about killing people.
Of course, to Taeseong, it was so slow it was almost mundane.
Thud.
Catching the axe midair, Taeseong muttered in a low voice, “Hmm… I wasn’t planning to kill anyone, but this counts as self-defense, right?”
“Heh, heh. Dressed up all nice in a black suit… what, did you watch some mov—”
Whoosh.
Squelch!
“…ie.”
Before he could finish his sentence, his skull split open, and he crumpled to the ground.
“H-hyungnim!”
“You son of a bitch!”
“What are you standing around for?! Get him!!”
They charged in, shouting lines so cliché that Taeseong wondered if they were the ones watching too many movies.
“Step aside.”
With just the slightest hint of killing intent, Taeseong sent dozens of men collapsing to the ground, writhing as if struck by an electric shock.
And it kept happening.
Whether word had spread or someone had managed to send a message, the so-called Wang Axe Gang members came swarming in like cockroaches.
Of course, none of them even got close before they, too, crumpled to the ground. Some, unfortunately, died instantly.
Taeseong had been trying to control his power, but he failed. It wasn’t intentional. Really.
Before long, two-thirds of the Wang Axe Gang had been rendered completely useless. If this had been a gang war, at least it wouldn’t have been so one-sided. But these guys were simply unlucky enough to be in Taeseong’s way.
Bang!
Kicking open the last container door, Taeseong walked inside, scanning the interior.
Wang Doki, the boss of the Wang Axe Gang, stared at him in shock. Next to him were his lieutenants, scantily clad women, and Yeo Gilsoo.
‘What the hell is a chicken shop owner doing mixed up with these guys?’
“Wh-who the hell are you?! What did you do to my men?!”
Taeseong sighed.
“Do you guys all go through some kind of training where you watch the same gangster movies?”
“……”
“You rude little shit! Hyungnim, I’ll bring you his head!”
“Go ahead.”
“I’m the enforcer, Kim Dok-woo!”
“I’m Lee Taeseong.”
Kim Dok-woo, towering over two meters tall, walked forward. His presence was at least somewhat more imposing than the others Taeseong had encountered so far. His muscles bulged with every movement, brimming with power.
“Impressive physique.”
“This is the result of my hard work.”
“Doesn’t look natural.”
At that, Kim Dok-woo erupted in rage and charged forward.
“I’m not a junkie! I’m all natural, damn it!!”
The fact that he reacted so aggressively only confirmed that he was a junkie.
Taeseong snapped his fingers.
A burst of air sent Kim Dok-woo’s massive frame crashing into the wall.
“……”
“……”
A heavy silence filled the room.
Unlike the fools outside, the so-called higher-ups at least had enough sense to hesitate before attacking.
“Uhm… could you tell us where you’re from?” one of the men cautiously asked.
Ignoring him, Taeseong turned his gaze to Yeo Gilsoo.
“Yeo Gilsoo.”
The terrified man barely managed to respond.
“Y-yes?”
“Do you know Lee Wangbok and Kim Yeongja?”
“I-I don’t know them.”
“You don’t, huh…”
Taeseong exhaled slowly before continuing.
“Park Ilhwan, second son of Ilseong Group. Still don’t know?”
The moment those words left his mouth, Yeo Gilsoo’s pupils shook violently.
“T-that was an accident! It was really an accident!”
“…So you do know.”
As Taeseong took a step forward, Wang Doki swiftly rose from his seat and swung his fist.
He struck the back of Yeo Gilsoo’s head with all his might.
The man collapsed instantly.
Wang Doki then dragged his limp body over to Taeseong’s feet and grinned.
“This bastard’s the reason you’re here, right? Hehe.”
