Chapter 433. To Hell With It (7)

The group meeting struck the Seven Stars members like a sudden storm, and right afterward, the organization saw a change more pronounced than ever. In summary, one could say that they had strengthened their surveillance around the Demon Empire’s zone. The intensity of the surveillance was on another level than before. If the Seven Stars had acted like mediators in the past, now, they were all judges and punishers. No, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that they were fanatics who didn’t permit any action that went against Chi-Woo’s will.

They didn’t stop at verbal warnings and often resorted to force to carry out Chi-Woo’s will. It didn’t matter who they were dealing with; there were no exceptions. And because the Seven Stars were going so strong in this matter, many of the organizations antagonizing the Demon Empire were stunned. They thought the Seven Stars would back down a bit after the legend publicly revealed his stance. But instead of cowering in face of it, they were pushing their intentions greater than before.

“What? What’s with Seven Stars?”

“Yeah. I’m sure they know what the legend said. If they are still acting like that despite knowing that…”

“Wouldn’t it mean that they want to go against the legend? It really is surprising.”

“Hm. I don’t know. Even if it’s Seven Stars, could they match the legend…”

The topic that was all the rage these days reached its height of interest. Everyone was interested in the fight between Seven Stars and the legend over the authority on Shalyh. Most thought it was impressive that Seven Stars had risen high enough to battle the legend, but that was all. No one believed that the legend would lose. Despite that, one thing was clear: the incidents that had been slowly increasing in the Demon Empire’s zone dropped back to 0 again. People began to realize that the Seven Stars truly meant the warning they had given before.

And news of this soon reached the official residence. “Rumors have it that young master called all the members of the Seven Stars and was very angry…”

“Angry my ass,” Chi-Hyun smiled thinly after hearing Noel’s report. “I bet all he did was bark a bit. If that guy had really gotten angry, Seven Stars would’ve flipped upside down—not figuratively but literally.”

Noel looked curiously at Chi-Hyun. “Then…my Lord, have you ever seen young master get truly angry?”

“Of course I did. That guy is my family after all.”

“How was he?”

“Well…” Chi-Hyun swallowed what he was about to say. He recalled the times when his brother couldn’t accept his destiny and resented the whole world and everything inside for it. The Chi-Woo at that time was dangerous enough to explode at the slightest tap; so dangerous that it even gave him the chills.

While waiting for Chi-Hyun’s response, Noel tilted her head in confusion. Chi-Hyun was suddenly trembling slightly.

“Noel.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You know the general assembly addressing Shalyh residents that will be happening soon?”

“Yes.”

“Are you willing to speak on my behalf? I will write you a script, and you can just read it out loud.”

“…Excuse me?”

***

Chi-Woo sat alone in his office and couldn’t wipe off the smile on his face. After calling everyone and getting angry at them, the Seven Stars members’ attitude changed 180 degrees. Eshnunna visited the natives she had spoken to before on the very day of the meeting and let them know her position. From the sound of it, it seemed like she had thrown her previous reputation out of the window and made a great fuss, demanding to know who had distorted her words.

Hawa also sharpened her sword. After waiting all night, she suddenly ambushed, beat up, and chased away everyone attacking the Demon Empire’s survivors as soon as the battle arena opened. And she didn’t stop there, but instead wandered around the Demon Empire’s zone and solved all sorts of problems there. She worked day and night with bloodshot eyes to correct the misunderstanding that her past action had caused. Soon, word spread that Seven Stars had released a hunting dog.

The two of them weren’t the only ones making a change. All the team members changed their attitude. They collaborated and decided on their shifts so that surveillance inside the Demon Empire’s zone would never have a gap. Even Yeriel, who didn’t have to do outside activities, felt compelled to participate without being told to do so. And after seeing all his members work in unison to carry out his command, Chi-Woo was happy, but also couldn’t help but feel a sense of bitterness too.

They should’ve done this from the beginning. Why couldn’t they have listened when he was speaking nicely? These people would do well as long as they set their minds to it. Why did he have to get angry to make them act…? Chi-Woo pondered deeply about the difference in the way he addressed them. What was the exact difference between the first and second meetings that would produce such drastically different results? Chi-Woo was still contemplating this matter when he heard knocks on the door. The door opened, and Emmanuel came in.

“I apologize for visiting you so late at night, sir. I’m here to give my daily patrol report…” Now, his members did things without even being told to. After finishing his report, Emmanuel was a bit taken aback; Chi-Woo was staring intently at him without saying anything. He thought perhaps he had made a mistake, but that didn’t seem to be the case. He recalled what had happened to Eshnunna and Hawa not long ago and stood anxiously.

“Emmanuel,” Chi-Woo finally said. “There’s something I’m curious about.”

“Yes, please ask away, sir.”

“Do you remember when we first met?”

“Our first meeting… Do you mean the time at the official residence?”

“Yes, yes.” Chi-Woo nodded. “When we first met, our relationship was not like it is now.”

“Ahahaha…that’s….”

“Then, your attitude instantly changed after I revealed my family name.”

The awkward smile on Emmanuel’s face immediately disappeared. “Yes, that was how it was, sir.”

Chi-Woo had actually asked this question before, but the person he was speaking to at that time was Emmanuel from the future, not the present.

“Why did you do that?”

“Sorry?”

“What made you change?”

“Um, well…”

***

After Emmanuel left, Chi-Woo remained in his seat. He sat there all night even past his bedtime.

[If I must speak to you honestly…the family name ‘Choi’ was enough to change my mind and heart. Fame is not given for free and for no reason, especially at the Celestial Realm where heroes like us gather.]

[The Celestial Realm is a place where existences who are judged special enough to save a world in an era are gathered. But some are always better than the others. And even those ‘better’ heroes are divided by ranks. There will be stronger heroes, even stronger heroes than them, and heroes much stronger than them all.]

[In that sense, the Twelve Celestial Lights are the true victors who have won this endless battle for the title of the strongest over an immeasurable length of time. They are the peak of power. And among these twelve families, the Choi family stands at the top. They are the first family among the Celestial Lights.]

[Thus, I have to admit that I couldn’t help but see you in a different light after realizing that you were a member of such a family. That’s the power that prestige holds. The prestige alone comes with so much power, so it’s needless to say what would happen if one is able to prove that they can live up to their name.]

[That’s the reason I decided to follow you instead of the legend on Liber.]

Emmanuel spoke frankly and plainly, and Chi-Woo got a sense of what he meant. Most people would be surprised when somebody revealed that they were descended from a great historical figure. No, it wasn’t necessary to even go that far. When a famous sports player married and had a child, fans often placed their own expectations on the child and hoped the child would grow up to become a great sports player like their father or mother. This was even more so in the Celestial Realm, which placed great emphasis on bloodlines.

‘Yes, that’s why…’ Chi-Woo’s unwavering eyes slowly closed.

[A master is not someone that persuades and makes others understand their decisions; rather, they draw out obedience and make people follow them.]

[It’s the same for justification. It’s an excuse or reason to carry out an action, but it’s not just limited to moral principles that one must follow. Name or status alone could be reason enough so that others would have no choice but to understand and concede your point; a justification that they have to accept even if they don’t like it.]

This was what Eval Sevaru had told him.

[You are, well, how do I say it? You’re not aware of this, but you tend to put people into very clear-cut groups. I’m not saying that your personality is bad, and it doesn’t matter if we were on Earth. But where you and I stand now is Liber. Don’t look down on the egos of heroes.]

He remembered what his brother had told him.

[Being genuine also depends on the circumstances. Just bowing down isn’t the answer. There are people who you should do that to and those you shouldn’t.]

Philip’s words also passed through his mind.

“…” Chi-Woo had remained silent when Philip gave him this advice, but he actually knew what they meant and what they expected of him from the beginning. Chi-Woo had been made aware by Eval as well, yet Chi-Woo didn’t carry out Eval’s advice for one reason: he didn’t want to cross the line he had maintained until now. It was his selfishness, and in the end, all he gained were the lines he had set in place.

If he wanted to grab something out of reach from within his line, there were only two choices he could make. He needed to go out of the line himself to grab it, or ask somebody else to do the task for him and return to the space inside his line. However, he couldn’t expect the latter this time. What he wanted right now was too immense and enormous for him to rashly ask anyone to grab it for him. And the only person capable of grabbing it was acting against his will and manipulating from behind the scenes to push Chi-Woo out of his line.

[You can acknowledge your incompetence and quietly back down, or you could fight me head-on and accomplish what you want with your own hands, whoever stands in your way.]

His brother had said this to him. The gods told him the same thing. Among the conditions they gave, there were two that had been unclear to him. Chi-Woo hadn’t known what they meant at first, but as time passed, he naturally began to understand them. The answer came to him after the current events. Like his brother, the gods were all pushing him to change.

Chi-Woo really disliked this situation where he was forced to make one choice. He didn’t want to make a decision, but right now, he had only one option. His mood soured the more he thought about it. He didn’t want to experience something like this ever again. Then, what did he need to do to prevent something similar from happening in the future? There was no need for Chi-Woo to contemplate any longer. The answer was already given to him. All he had to do was make the decision.

By the time Chi-Woo thought up to this point, the darkness that enveloped the office room had mostly cleared up. The night passed, and dawn came. Bright sunlight seeped in from the window and reflected off Chi-Woo. Then, the office door opened. Eval came to clean the room and was surprised to see Chi-Woo. He didn’t expect Chi-Woo to spend the whole night in the office alone.

“What…did you not sleep, sir…?” Eval said and gave Chi-Woo a pitying look, assuming Chi-Woo must have stayed up because of deep concerns.

“Eval.”

“Yes?”

“Tell the official residence that Seven Stars will participate in the general assembly that’ll be held soon.”

Eval’s eyes turned wide at the sudden command.

“You want me to pass on the message to the official residence…?”

“Yes, officially, after taking the proper procedures.”

A new glint appeared in Eval’s flustered eyes. Chi-Woo’s mood was different from yesterday's. His worried face looked settled now, while his eyes no longer wavered. It seemed he had organized everything in his head and heart and came to a conclusion. It was like the time when the war against the coalition army became a certain future, and they were making their way outside. Chi-Woo’s gaze had shone with his determination to win at all costs. Knowing that Chi-Woo had made up his mind, Eval politely bowed.

“…I understand, boss.” Eval left the office, and Chi-Woo smiled wide enough to reveal his teeth.

“Don’t think of me…as your brother…I see, that was what he meant.” Chi-Woo understood exactly what Chi-Hyun meant then. Fine. Let it be. His mind was made up. Human natives? The Celestial Realm’s heroes? Or the Cassiubia League? He would make no exception. Even if he had to force them to obey his will, he would not let anyone push him to do anything from now on. Of course, this included the legend and even the gods who looked down on everything from above. This was what he would do as the absolute ‘Master’.