In search of a place where they could smoke and talk in peace, Kang Jin-Ho and his gang headed to the benches in front of the hospital.

Unfortunately, Vator and Wiggins were simply too eye-catching, and even Chang Min stood out like a sore thumb. Avoiding people's attention was impossible, in other words.

In the end, martial artists representing the top echelons of South Korea's martial society were unceremoniously chased back inside the hospital.

“Fuu-woo...”

Now finding himself on the hospital's rooftop, Kang Jin-Ho could leisurely smoke as much as he wanted. The roof of this particular hospital was not open to the public, but 'requesting' the hospital director was enough to get the keys to the rooftop access.

Rather than Kang Jin-Ho's influence doing its job, it seemed the hospital director wanted to stop the 'crisis' of Vator wandering around unchecked in front of the hospital.

'In any case. Isn't this a bit...'

Right now, everything seemed so peaceful. Calling this life 'ordinary' was wrong, though. Kang Jin-Ho couldn't help but notice how far he had strayed from his original goal of living an ordinary life. Whether that was a good thing or not remained to be seen.

The four reasons for his straying were standing right in front of his eyes, though! Namely, Vator, Wiggins, Chang Min and Lee Hyeon-Su!

In the competition of 'quirky personality', these men would be in contention for the top spot! What more could be said when Lee Hyeon-Su seemed comparatively mild-mannered and ordinary in this company?

Whether Kang Jin-Ho was unwilling or not, these people would become the central figure of the Korean Martial Assembly. In other words, whether he liked the idea or not... Kang Jin-Ho would have to lead the Assembly with these people by his side.

'I... I think I miss the good old days.'

Something about this situation was rousing a hint of sorrow in Kang Jin-Ho's heart. Still, now wasn't the right time to voice his dissatisfaction.

“Chang Min?”

“Yes, my liege!” Chang Min roared energetically while bowing his head.

“Where is everyone?”

Chang Min kept his bowed while replying. “They are currently resting in temporary lodging, my liege!”

Kang Jin-Ho silently shifted his attention over to Lee Hyeon-Su next.

As if he had been waiting for his turn, Lee Hyeon-Su promptly began his report. “For the time being, the new arrivals have been assigned temporary residences and trailers set up around the Assembly's HQ, as well as motel rooms.”

“Mm... We aren't dealing with a handful of people here, though. What about the authorities noticing our activities?”

“We've already... spoken to all the relevant government departments. The explanation we've prepared is that they are migrant laborers hired to look after the forest surrounding the HQ. And well, they kind of look like migrant laborers if I'm being honest.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. The demonic cultivators must've resembled rats drenched in rain. Or rats that finally finished drying their rain-drenched fur.

“Will it work, though?” Kang Jin-Ho asked again.

Lee Hyeon-Su tilted his head. “Which part, Assembly Master?”

“I meant getting the cooperation from the departments.”

“Oh, that. Of course it's difficult, sir.”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned. “I knew it...”

“Talking to folks higher up the food chain is easier, actually. We'll have a word with them soon enough, so you can rest easy, sir.”

“...Oh, I see.”

Kang Jin-Ho fake-coughed to clear his throat while thinking that... He might have underestimated the Assembly's power somewhat!

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Chang Min again. “I hope our people can behave themselves in the meantime…”

“Please do not worry, my liege,” said Chang Min in a determined tone. “My liege, you've given us this opportunity. You are our savior, our benefactor! If someone dares to act disrespectfully, I shall personally tear that fool's head off and set an example! I swear to you that I will never forgive anyone daring to challenge your authority! They must be ripped into thousands, no, millions of...!”

“...That's enough.”

“I shall obey, my liege!”

Kang Jin-Ho wordlessly massaged his face.

'We're supposed to be in the 21st century, okay? 21st century!'

Even though Chang Min was a part of the 21st century, why did he keep acting like a traveler from the distant past? No, that wasn't quite right. Chang Min was an expert at using smartphones and even recommended Kang Jin-Ho to become more familiar with modern technology. In that case, why...

Why couldn't he fix this anachronistic side of him?

'...I'm sure he'll gradually get better.'

That wasn't an educated guess but more like a fervent hope!

Kang Jin-Ho asked another question. “They can't stay like that forever, though. So, what's being done about their accommodation?”

Lee Hyeon-Su responded. “We're currently searching for a permanent solution, sir. To that end, we've already started the construction of a residential area by the foot of the mountain, which the Assembly owns.”

“Hmm. What about those with a family?”

“The residential area certainly won't be small, but the building won't have enough space for individual rooms. As such... We're planning to assign separate houses to those with family members. Those without will have to share rooms as if they are in an actual dormitory.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded in acceptance. It would’ve been better to figure out the number of unmarried demonic cultivators and assign them individual quarters, no matter how small the rooms might be. However, he couldn't demand something like that.

If the boss allowed their head to chase after their ideals instead of reality, their subordinates doing the actual administrative work would be plunged into merciless hell. To prevent such a catastrophe, a boss like him must know how to compromise with reality.

“How far along are we on that?” Kang Jin-Ho curiously asked.

“We're still at the starting stage, sir. However, since we aren't going to sell these lodgings, we should be able to... bypass certain things. And that should help us complete this project as quickly as possible.”

“Mm...”

Kang Jin-Ho decided right there and then to lump this operation on Lee Hyeon-Su's capable shoulders. What choice did he have when he knew next to nothing about these sorts of things?

Although, he was still curious about one thing.

“Who'll do the construction, though?”

“It'll be Jaegyeong, sir,” said Lee Hyeon-Su. “We can always count on Gyu-Min to take good care of us.”

“...Who?”

“Gyu-Min, Assembly Master.”

“...Who are you talking about?”

“Jo Gyu-Min, sir. You know. Chief Secretary Jo.”

Kang Jin-Ho dazedly stared at Lee Hyeon-Su. Since when did Lee Hyeon-Su and Jo Gyu-Min grow close enough to be on a first-name basis?

Lee Hyeon-Su seemed to notice Kang Jin-Ho's question from the latter's expression and smiled like a wily fox. “Fufufu...! Men have ways to communicate with each other, sir. We've come to a mutual understanding recently.”

“...” Kang Jin-Ho briefly blinked his eyes while thinking,

'Sure, you guys do what you want.'

He dismissively waved his hand to indicate he didn't want to hear about it anymore, then pointed at Chang Min. “Explain to Chang Min later.”

“Understood, sir.”

As this report was done in Korean, Chang Min didn't seem to have understood anything. While thinking about how to solve this problem as soon as possible, Kang Jin-Ho moved on to the next topic. “Did we encounter any issues while entering Korea?”

Lee Hyeon-Su nodded. “Unfortunately, we couldn't completely avoid being seen. However, it should be fine since we've already stopped the articles from going online. Even if rumors persist... Well, it'd morph into an urban legend about Chinese gangsters trying to smuggle in a group of people in the middle of the night or something.”

“Mm?” Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow. “Don't you think that's being a little too careless?”

“The real problem will be someone publishing an article and triggering an official investigation. All the witness testimonies until then will be treated as nothing more than 'hearsay'. Since our country is blessed with many, many hearsays... People will forget about us soon enough.”

“Huh. What if someone was filming it on their phone?”

Lee Hyeon-Su shrugged his shoulders. “Well, the poor illegal immigrants will get rounded up and deported, I'd assume.”

“...”

That sounded like Kang Jin-Ho and his group, were greatly inconveniencing some people, but... Since illegal immigrants were being sent back home, wasn't this somewhat patriotic in a way? No? Maybe?

Kang Jin-Ho couldn't decide what was what on this particular matter, so he promptly wiped it out of his mind altogether. Besides, Kang Jin-Ho couldn't do much about it if a problem decided to rear its head later, anyway.

Kang Jin-Ho sucked in a deep breath, then continued with the briefing. “Okay. What about China, though?”

Lee Hyeon-Su narrowed his eyes a little. “They aren't doing anything.”

“What's your opinion?”

Although that question sounded rather vague, Lee Hyeon-Su already knew what Kang Jin-Ho wanted to know. “Sir. In my opinion, they will try to contact us soon.”

“Contact us? Really?”

“Yes. They don't have many options available, after all.” Lee Hyeon-Su stopped talking there to collect himself first. “Bringing demonic cultivators to South Korea wasn't our biggest achievement this time. No, it was demonstrating to the Crimson King's faction that we're not pushovers.”

Technically, they had demonstrated that Kang Jin-Ho, not the Martial Assembly, was no pushover. But Lee Hyeon-Su chose not to point that out.

It wasn't for Kang Jin-Ho's sake, though. He did it for the others present here.

“Since you managed to slip out of the belly of the beast, they can only choose between two options now,” said Lee Hyeon-Su. “One is to invade South Korea and try to kill you without giving two sh*ts about creating diplomatic problems or exposing themselves to the public.”

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow. “Can they succeed?”

“Absolutely not,” Lee Hyeon-Su firmly shook his head. “That's because other parties exist to dissuade them. Namely, the rest of the Three Kings and their factions. The moment the Crimson King sets out to Korea... Those factions will instantly pounce on the Crimson King's territory like packs of hyenas. That will leave the Crimson King with nothing. The only reward for going so far will be your elimination and the control of this country. Which isn't much, to be honest.”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned a little. “Calling that not much is a bit…”

“What Korea has to offer is pocket change compared to the Crimson King's territory, sir. That's the reality of the situation.”

“Fine. Continue.”

Lee Hyeon-Su nodded. “That leaves them with one other option. And that is to... acknowledge our territory. As compensation, they probably will ask us not to stab them in the back. They will most likely suggest a truce between our groups. A temporary halt to hostilities, if you will.”

“Hmm...” Kang Jin-Ho rubbed his chin while glancing at Vator next. “What do you think? How will the Crimson King respond?”

“I'm not sure, master,” said Vator.

“No idea whatsoever?”

Vator nodded slowly. “The Crimson King is a king. He's always been a king as far as I can remember. However, I've never seen a wounded king before. If you had slipped through his grasp via a clever trick or sheer luck, guessing how he'd have reacted won't be difficult for me. However, that's impossible now.”

“Let's say I did escape that way. What then?”

“The Crimson King would've probably guffawed and acknowledged you. He would've praised you for escaping from his grasp.”

“Mm...” Kang Jin-Ho nodded in acceptance. Considering how arrogant the Crimson King seemed back then, that sounded plausible. However, the current Crimson King wouldn't have any of his previous arrogant streak left after what he went through.

...Which meant predicting his next move was almost impossible.

“Hmm...” Kang Jin-Ho stubbed his cigarette out. “Lee Hyeon-Su?”

“Yes, Assembly Master.”

“Step up the monitoring of the situation in China.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We need to be prepared for all eventualities. Regardless of what they try next!”

“Understood,” Lee Hyeon-Su solemnly nodded.

“Vator. You assist Lee Hyeon-Su in this matter.”

Vator tilted his head, slightly puzzled. “Me?”

Kang Jin-Ho firmly nodded. “You know the Crimson King and his faction better than anyone here. Your knowledge will definitely help us.”

“Mm, I see. Leave it to me, master.”

Next, Kang Jin-Ho shifted his attention to Chang Min. “It sounds like everyone will have to wait for a while. Your job is to keep everyone pacified and nip any potential problems in the buds until things settle down some more.”

“Please leave it to me and rest easy, my liege!”

“Finally, Wiggins?”

Wiggins nodded while standing tall. “Yes, my lord.”

“Things in the Assembly will be chaotic for a while. Bang Jin-Hun will do his best, while Lee Hyeon-Su will be around to lend a hand, but... We will still need someone to act as the stabilizing core of everything.”

“Mm. Don't worry, my lord. I've already been performing that role. But I'll be more diligent from now on.”

“Mm.” Kang Jin-Ho nodded, then stopped leaning against the wall.

Lee Hyeon-Su tilted his head. “Assembly Master, what will you do now?”

Kang Jin-Ho shrugged his shoulders. “I'm going home.”

“Sorry?”

“I said, I'm going home.”

“...”

***

“I'm home,” Kang Jin-Ho announced his arrival at the entrance of the Kang family residence. And then...!

“Hey, you heartless idiooooooot!”

Emotions usually fed off one another, didn't they? For instance, love and hatred were two sides of the same coin. Just one line separated the two extreme ends of the emotional scale. So, the extreme rage of his little sister could also be a display of her love toward her big br...

Kang Eun-Yeong made a straight beeline toward the entrance, then performed a splendid drop kick to Kang Jin-Ho's side.

Since the weighty pain from his side directly led Kang Jin-Ho to think his little sister had grown into a fine young woman, he obviously was not a sane-minded man!

Kang Eun-Yeong continued to berate her older brother. “You! Is your phone a paperweight?! Why did you turn your phone off after reaching China?! Ah? Why! We couldn't even reach you for the last several days! How dare you crawl back into this house after what you did!”

Yes, this was love. Love between siblings.

Even though Kang Jin-Ho could feel gorilla-like strength from Kang Eun-Yeong's fists pounding his chest, he had no doubt this was love between family members. He was sure of it, even if her occasional kicks to his legs made him wonder if Kang Eun-Yeong's true calling wasn't an idol but an MMA fighter instead!

“Jin-Ho! My son!?” Kang Jin-Ho's mother also rushed out to 'welcome' her son home.

Kang Jin-Ho couldn't help but smile warmly at the sight of his mother. It felt like he hadn't seen either of them in a million years.

It sure was wonderful to have a home to return to after a long journey.

“Did you actually lose your mind, you idiot?!”

...And it was also wonderful to have a mother to welcome him back. Even if she was berating him to the point of spittle flying out of her mouth!

“How can a grown-up man get more immature with age?! Aigoo, my son! You sure have thick skin, don't you! Thick skin, I say!”

“...”

“Since you're home and all... I suppose you'd want to stuff your face with food now!”

Kang Jin-Ho gently smiled back at his family members.

Aha. So this is what the love/hate thing is like. Love and hate, eh...

Kang Jin-Ho stepped into the house and slowly sucked in the air inside. Finally.

He was finally home.

Finally...