"What you did to me yesterday was nothing serious?"
Han Joon-seong gestured vaguely at his chest, his arms, his face — where the injuries had been. "You nearly killed me. You knocked me unconscious. You almost broke my tooth."
Choi Yuna took a sip of her coffee, calm and composed.
"You beat up my men. Minors. Some of them had their teeth broken from your punches. I lost control a little in that fight."
Han Joon-seong stared at her. "You lost control? Throwing a knife at my face was 'losing control'?"
She met his gaze evenly, not backing down. "I was holding back. The knives were meant to test you, not kill you. But when I heard the sound of my subordinates' teeth breaking, when I saw you beating them down one by one... I got a little irritated. I wanted to pay you back a little. Besides, you seem to have recovered well already — impressive recovery speed, by the way."
He crossed his arms. "Why do you have minors in your crew anyway?"
Choi Yuna's expression softened slightly. "They're people from Galsaek-pa territory who were wronged by them too. I'm recruiting them to serve my cause. Those boys really want a chance at getting back at their abusers."
Han Joon-seong considered her words. 'So she's not just some villain. She's been building an army of people who were hurt by the gangs. That's... actually smart.'
He paused, processing. Up above, Ervin floated close to Choi Yuna's face, staring at her from inches away. She couldn't see him, of course. He scratched his imaginary chin, thinking.
'So from what I understand, this woman isn't the villain of the story. She's actually trying to take down the three gangs... Honestly, that's not a bad idea. I don't like these gangsters anyway.'
He thought about the possibilities. If she succeeded — if the three gangs were dismantled — there might be a power vacuum. And in that empty space, he could step in and take control of what was left. There was a good chance he could do that.
He looked at her. "So in summary, what you need right now to continue your plan is personnel?"
Choi Yuna nodded. "It would be very helpful if we had more people to assist us."
The moment she said that, Ervin remembered the store. The Character File option. 'If she needs people... maybe if I buy another character, I could help her accomplish this goal faster.'
He crossed his imaginary arms again, considering. He didn't have any current missions to focus on, honestly. He wasn't sure what the best option was. But the offer wasn't bad. Not bad at all.
Han Joon-seong looked at Choi Yuna and spoke:
"Alright. I accept your offer."
Choi Yuna's face lit up. "Really? Thank you! Thank you so much! It will be great to work with you."
Han Joon-seong held up a hand. "But what exactly do you want me to do?"
Choi Yuna leaned forward. "There's not much to it, honestly. You need to continue working for the Juhwang-pa and climb the ranks until you become an executive."
Han Joon-seong raised an eyebrow. "Didn't it take you years to become an executive? You want me to wait five years for your plan to start?"
Choi Yuna smiled. "I don't think it will take that long."
"Why not?"
"Because you far exceeded my expectations in terms of strength. Honestly, I haven't been knocked out by an opponent in about three years. The last time someone managed to put me down in a disadvantaged fight like that, I was still an aspirant — fighting against two other people who wanted to become executives of the Galsaek-pa. You alone managed what two aspirants barely accomplished together."
She paused, letting the words sink in. "I think with luck, in less than a year, you should be able to reach executive status in the Juhwang-pa."
Han Joon-seong absorbed the information. 'Less than a year. That's... doable.'
Ervin, from above, was already running through the plan in his head. Get close to the Juhwang-pa. Find the vault where they keep the money they launder for the other two gangs. Burn it all. Simple on paper. The problem was everything that came before that.
He didn't know what he needed to do to climb the ranks. He would have to figure it out as he went.
"Alright," Han Joon-seong said. "I'll find a way to reach executive status so you can start your plan."
Choi Yuna nodded, clearly pleased. "Thank you. I'll have Lee Hye-jin send you my number. We can stay in touch."
---
The conversation wound down after that. They ordered food, ate quietly, and exchanged a few more pleasantries. When they were finished, Han Joon-seong stood up.
"Alright. Since we're done here, I have something important to do. I'll contact you if anything comes up."
Choi Yuna nodded. "Of course. I'll be waiting."
"Until some other time, Miss Lee Hye-jin." He smiled at Lee Hye-jin warmly.
Then Han Joon-seong turned and walked out of the café.
---
Ervin directed Han Joon-seong toward the gym. The bus ride was long, but eventually, he arrived at Ascent Athletic Club. Through the front doors, he noticed Seok-ju wasn't at the reception desk. He worked morning shifts, and it was already afternoon. Another trainer was covering for him.
Han Joon-seong walked past the front desk, nodding casually to the staff. "Good afternoon."
He made his way up to the floor where the gym kept its training equipment — punching bags, focus mitts, and other combat gear. The floor was quieter than the main workout areas, with only a few people scattered around. He spotted a heavy bag in the corner and walked toward it.
He spoke briefly with the instructor on duty, explaining he wanted to test something. The instructor nodded and left him to it.
Han Joon-seong approached the bag, rolling his shoulders. He took a breath and settled into the Muay Thai stance.
The moment he did, a notification appeared in his vision:
[Muay Thai (Lvl. 1) — Activated.]
Suddenly, the world shifted.
Everything went black and white. Shades of gray replaced the colors of the gym — the walls, the floor, the equipment. But there were patches of red, glowing and pulsing, scattered across the heavy bag before him. His mind immediately understood: these were weak points. Places to strike for maximum effect.
But the strange vision was only in Han Joon-seong's eyes. Ervin, from above, saw the world in normal color, completely unchanged.
Ervin blinked in confusion. 'So this is only for him. Interesting.'
Han Joon-seong moved. He stepped forward and threw a low kick at the bag.
*THWACK!*
The impact was explosive. The bag flew backward, swinging wildly on its chain, then rebounded with a heavy thud. A ripple of displaced air spread outward.
Ervin's eyes widened. 'What?! I didn't even hit that hard!'
He commanded Han Joon-seong to step back, then throw a straight punch. Again, the bag absorbed the blow — but the impact was much stronger than a normal punch. The bag swung violently, its chain groaning under the force.
Ervin looked at his hands, confused. 'The strikes are considerably stronger...'
He stepped out of the Muay Thai stance and threw a normal punch. The bag barely moved. The impact was average at best.
He stepped back into the stance. Another punch. *BOOM.*
'Huh. The difference is massive.'
He spent the next two hours experimenting. Alternating between normal strikes and Muay Thai strikes. Punches, kicks, elbows, knees. He threw shin kicks, axe kicks, and spinning strikes. Each time he entered the Muay Thai stance, the power was amplified.
As he trained, people in the gym began to notice. They stopped what they were doing and watched from a distance. A few whispered among themselves, mouths open, eyes wide.
A man who looked like a boxer walked into the area and stopped dead in his tracks.
"What the hell is that?"
Another voice chimed in, low and impressed. "We have a professional Muay Thai fighter here?"
A woman nearby turned to her friend. "Is there some kind of championship happening nearby?"
Han Joon-seong ignored them all. He kept striking the bag with fast, precise, and relentless strikes — punches, kicks, elbows, knees. The bag shook violently with each blow, the chain screaming in protest. After a particularly brutal combination, Han Joon-seong pulled his fist back and threw a straight punch with all his weight behind it.
*BOOM!*
The bag tore from its chains and flew across the room, landing on the floor with a heavy thud.
The gym fell silent.
Ervin stared at the fallen bag, a grin spreading across his face.
After two hours of training, he had a solid understanding of how Muay Thai worked. When he entered the stance, the skill activated and gave him a boost to Strength and Endurance. Not much, but significant. It was like having +1 Strength and +1 Endurance, but only for combat purposes. It wouldn't help him lift a weight or break down a wall, but it would certainly help him throw a devastating punch or withstand a counterattack.
'What could the other fighting styles do? Does Boxing give +2 Strength? Does Taekwondo boost Speed and Vigor? Do they stack? Could I combine them somehow?'
He filed the questions away for later. For now, he was satisfied. The purchase had been worth it.