The Flame Emperor was experiencing one of the first genuinely bad moods since arriving on Earth.
Coming to the Lower Realm after so long, a new world, new customs, new culture—everything was a feast for the eyes.
Even running into Corrupted Hunters in this world was entertaining.
Dealing with those bastards was just another form of amusement.
But this? This was someone claiming to be a divine immortal.
A brat who had barely taken his first steps in swordsmanship, calling himself a Sword Immortal?
That wasn’t just an insult to the Flame Emperor—it was an insult to every swordsman who walked the path of the blade.
The Mad Demon didn’t look too pleased either.
She was always grinning and laughing, but if you looked closely, there was a strange edge to her smile.
She too had mastered various martial arts, and among them was the sword.
Hearing some lacking swordsman claim the title of Sword Immortal didn’t sit well with her either.
“Please, Master. This man deserves your respect.”
Lee Tae-sung stepped between them.
He then told them about Cheon Jun—everything he had experienced that day.
How incredible a swordsman he was.
How he had reached this level, and what kind of mindset he carried.
“Hm. Is that so.”
After hearing the full story, even the Flame Emperor nodded.
It was worth acknowledging.
To develop his own martial arts and reach the Peak Realm on Earth, a land that could be called a wasteland when it came to martial arts.
That was the mark of a true grandmaster.
But if he admitted all that now, it would seem like he had been bullying the man without cause.
So he didn’t overdo it.
“Well. Not bad. Keep working hard like you have been. I’ll let you keep using that title.”
The Flame Emperor released the pressure that had been binding Cheon Jun and patted his shoulders.
“……”
Cheon Jun was dumbfounded.
Here he was, having a proper spar, and suddenly all this?
‘This is… my house…!’
He had gotten angry over a break-in and nearly ended up in serious trouble.
Lee Tae-sung glanced at Cheon Jun and added one more word.
“Master.”
“What.”
“Since you misunderstood, you should apologize to Cheon Jun-nim as well.”
“I told him to work hard. That should be enough. And letting him keep his title is more than enough of an apology.”
“Please, just give him some advice instead.”
For Cheon Jun, who had come this far entirely through self-study, the Flame Emperor’s advice would be a tremendous help.
“Well… a few words here and there isn’t difficult.”
The Flame Emperor spoke as if he couldn’t be bothered, but his eyes were sparkling.
After hearing the story, he realized how extraordinary Cheon Jun’s talent was.
At that level, he wanted to offer whatever help he could.
“Show me your sword technique. I’ll take a look.”
“……”
“Cheon Jun-nim. Trust me and give it a try.”
“…I don’t know what’s going on here. But since you’re asking, I’ll do it.”
Cheon Jun was angry at what this thug was demanding, but he held it in for Lee Tae-sung’s sake.
This was the first kindred spirit he had ever met, after all.
He then displayed the swordsmanship he had shown during their spar.
“You made all this yourself? Not bad. The momentum is alive.”
The Flame Emperor grew even more interested in Cheon Jun’s swordsmanship than before.
“But it’s too straightforward. If you’re fighting someone far weaker, maybe. But against anyone even close to your level, you’ll find yourself with too few options.”
“!”
“Don’t strike like that. Pull your strength back more as you extend. Your follow-ups will come much easier.”
“Hah…!”
With each piece of advice from the Flame Emperor, Cheon Jun was stunned.
The sword techniques he had racked his brain over for years were transforming dramatically from just a few offhand remarks.
He could feel himself growing and improving in real time.
“Even so, your swordsmanship still lacks compared to your realm. Keep training. Keep striving to improve yourself without end.”
“Th…thank you!”
Cheon Jun’s face lit up with gratitude at this unexpected fortune.
Lee Tae-sung smiled.
He had been caught off guard by the Flame Emperor’s sudden arrival, but this actually turned out well.
Then a question occurred to him.
“By the way, Master, what brings you here?”
“Ah….”
The Flame Emperor flinched as the thought suddenly returned.
He had been so absorbed in Cheon Jun that he momentarily forgot.
He quickly looked at the Mad Demon, but she averted her gaze, pretending not to notice.
‘You traitor!’
‘Little girl knows nothing.’
The Flame Emperor sighed.
To be fair, the fault was his.
The responsibility was his to bear.
“Well, you see…”
The Flame Emperor explained what had happened in Korea.
How he had used his free time to hunt Corrupted Hunters.
How he had found a bastard trying to do bad things on Jeju Island.
“I did it with good intentions, alright! If Korea got noisy, it wouldn’t benefit me either! But that bastard kept grating on my nerves, going on about being the strongest flame and all that. I just wanted to show that stupid fool what real fire was, and then… well…”
“And then what?”
“Ahem. I burned Hallasan a little. It’s apparently an important mountain… sorry.”
“What? No, wait….”
He didn’t just start a forest fire—he burned down Hallasan?
“…It wasn’t just ‘a little,’ was it?”
“Uh… well… I suppose it depends on how you measure it.”
The Flame Emperor scratched his eyebrow sheepishly.
Looking at him, it was obvious.
The fact that he had come all the way here meant he had definitely burned a lot.
“Haah. Let’s go see how much damage was done first, then talk.”
“…Please don’t be too angry, my disciple. I’m scared.”
“Little girl thinks about a hundred years of exile from the Lower Realm sounds about right~”
The Mad Demon giggled and chimed in, earning a glare from the Flame Emperor.
Her butting in from the side was even more irritating.
Lee Tae-sung sighed.
He needed to go check the situation first.
“Cheon Jun-nim. Something urgent came up, so I’ll take my leave.”
“Ah, yes. Right. Thank you. This meeting has been a major turning point in my life.”
Cheon Jun, who had been spacing out while processing the sword techniques, grabbed both of Lee Tae-sung’s hands.
“Whenever you’re in China, contact me. No matter what happens, I’ll come see you. And if you run into any trouble, tell me right away. I’ll fly over on my private jet.”
“Just hearing that is reassuring.”
“Next time, let’s continue our spar. I won’t go down as easily as this time.”
Lee Tae-sung felt it too.
Next time they crossed swords, it wouldn’t end so simply.
He would see a much more grown Cheon Jun.
“Any time. I’ll be waiting. Ah, and do you know about the Dream World?”
“You mean the game? I’ve heard of it since it’s famous. Never tried it since I’ve been busy.”
“Give it a shot. It’ll help.”
If someone was at Cheon Jun’s level, there were ways to utilize the Dream World like Lee Tae-sung did.
Not just as a game where you spam skills and hunt monsters to level up, but as a place to practice swordsmanship directly and grow through sparring against the strong beings within the Dream World.
Plus, there, you could go all out without worrying about your life.
“Hmm… I never once thought about trying one of those games, but since it’s your word, I’ll give it a shot.”
“Yes. Let me know when you do.”
If they met again in the future, they could continue as good allies.
With that, Lee Tae-sung parted ways with Cheon Jun.
*
On the way back, he only contacted Jang Xuan to say he was leaving, and moved quickly.
If he announced his departure, the Chinese government might throw him a farewell banquet, and he wanted to avoid that, so he moved fast.
The completion ceremony was done, he had confirmed the factory was running well, and the first contract was finalized.
The remaining matters could be handled by the managers.
He flew straight to Jeju Island on the private jet.
As soon as he arrived, he took the helicopter he had arranged in advance through the Hunter Association and headed for Hallasan.
“Of….”
“……”
“Oof. It’s just as bad seeing it again~”
It was as if someone had punched a hole in the middle of Hallasan—a massive gaping crater.
The Flame Emperor squeezed his eyes shut as if he couldn’t bear to look, while the Mad Demon alone pointed and laughed.
At least the Flame Emperor had come to his senses later and dispersed the flames to keep them from spreading, but the area that had already burned looked to be at least 1 kilometer in radius.
“B-but still! I caught the bad guy!”
The Flame Emperor shouted, trying to make some kind of appeal.
“Let’s head down first.”
He brought the helicopter to the center of the burned mountainside.
After landing, he spotted a single unconscious person on the ground.
The Corrupted Hunter, Shim Gyu-seok.
The Flame Emperor had performed simple Acupoint Sealing before leaving for China, and the man had remained there, unable to wake up ever since.
But Lee Tae-sung glanced at him and lost interest.
That wasn’t what mattered right now.
“It’s all burned.”
“……”
“Hallasan is a UNESCO World Heritage site…”
“B-but I caught the villain!”
“If people find out I’m the one who burned this, I’ll become the nation’s top villain.”
“……”
The Flame Emperor started to say something else in his defense, then shut his mouth.
“Let’s call Hakseon-nim and ask. Maybe he knows a way to restore the mountain.”
“Y-yeah! That’s a great idea!”
The Flame Emperor clapped his hands in approval.
If it was Hakseon, who knew everything about everything, he might know how to regrow plants quickly in a place like this.
“I’ll go fetch Hakseon! He said he’d be at some research institute. I’ve been there before, so—”
“Did someone call for me?”
A voice came from behind.
Hakseon stood there with his hands clasped behind his back, robes fluttering.
Lee Tae-sung muttered in surprise.
“Hakseon-nim? How are you here…?”
“I felt those two moving with great urgency, so I wondered what had happened and came to check.”
The Flame Emperor and the Mad Demon had rushed to China at full speed using Lightfoot Technique through the skies.
Feeling the intense waves of energy, Hakseon had followed their trail here to see what was going on.
Hakseon looked at the Flame Emperor with cold eyes.
‘I knew it. Even in the Lower Realm, he’s running around starting fires like an arsonist.’
“That thunderstruck fool was always causing trouble. Seems he hasn’t kicked the habit even after Ascension.”
“We must discipline him thoroughly this time~”
The Mad Demon nodded vigorously from the side.
Lee Tae-sung had warned them firmly before giving out free time this time.
If they caused any trouble, he would never let it slide.
There were too many Ascendants around Lee Tae-sung.
If one were to be removed, he’d have to rely on the other Ascendants more, and naturally, their roles and importance would grow.
That was the quick calculation Hakseon and the Mad Demon made as they ganged up on the Flame Emperor.
“Y-you bastards….”
The Flame Emperor was sweating cold under this life-threatening situation.