Chapter 43: Joo Hyemin is a Witch

On a night when Taehoo sneezed, as if about to catch a cold.

The skyscrapers piercing the night sky were magnificent.

“Hmm… the youngest of the Nam Clan, huh.”

On the rooftop garden of the Joo Family skyscraper in Yeouido.

Before the Gate appeared and even now, it had been a city of the wealthy, a safe zone where monsters had never appeared even once.

The woman twisted her long black hair with her fingers in that priceless land’s skyscraper.

Her eyes were fixed on the photo displayed on her phone.

Skin without a single wrinkle, lips tinted red, and black pupils that seemed to swallow even the moonlight.

Her beauty looked like it had just blossomed in her early twenties.

But hidden within was a seventy-year-old cunning snake.

The head of Korea’s Fifth Clan, the Joo Family: Joo Hyemin.

Thanks to her unaging appearance, the world called her a witch.

A 1.5 Generation Hunter who had started late but pushed her clan’s rank up to fifth in Korea through sheer grit.

Thanks to Hyemin’s outstanding ability, the current Joo Family wielded power strong enough to dominate the political sphere.

On top of that, their military might was among the top in Korea.

If the Nam Clan ruled Korea through overwhelming force, this side leaned more toward flexibility.

“I thought all the bloodline except Namjin had been broken.”

It was an evaluation of the Nam Clan only she could make.

Hyemin’s hand skimmed over Taehoo’s face on the phone.

“They were all men lacking flexibility.”

She spoke while lightly running her tongue over her lips, making it impossible to tell what exactly she was evaluating.

The Hunter who had just reported on Taehoo swallowed dryly.

“Maybe it’s worth a check. Bring the twins.”

The order was brief.

“It’s getting a bit cold.”

Hyemin draped her coat over the back of the kneeling Hunter.

The Hunter shivered as if overwhelmed with gratitude but soon composed himself and disappeared.

Not long after, two boys appeared before Joo Hyemin.

The twins of the Joo Family.

Hyemin showed the photo on her phone to the twins and continued.

“I’ll prepare a good place, so go check this child out.”

“The Nam Clan won’t just stand still, though…?”

Hyemin placed her index finger on the lips of the twin who had spoken.

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

With those words, a white hand spread over the twins’ faces.

And when Hyemin’s hand returned to its place, the twins’ faces had become completely different people.

It was “Reversal,” one of the Joo Family’s skills.

It was also one of the secrets to Joo Hyemin’s eternal youth.

“Let the kids evaluate for themselves. Whether this child can stand with our Joo Family against the world or not.”

“Yes, yes!”

Hyemin smiled brightly once, then left the garden, leaving the twins behind.

The Korean clans had begun to take an interest in Taehoo, the youngest of the Nam Clan.

Morning came after the night passed.

Taehoo awoke buried in his blankets, feeling a comfort he hadn’t felt in a long time.

‘Ah, I don’t want to get up.’

For thirty minutes, he stayed lying down with that feeling as he opened his eyes.

The regret over the skills gained from the Catalog quickly faded in that warmth.

Of course, the fact that the skills he had obtained so far were excellent also helped ease his frustrations.

In fact, after trying [Eye of the Swordsman] just before falling asleep the previous day, the only noticeable effect was a slight improvement in eyesight, with no other benefits.

It was simply,

‘Right now, it’s nice to be basking in this pouring sunlight…’

Just as he was about to think that, a shadow fell over his head.

“Have you woken up?”

It was Nachal. Taehoo sighed deeply.

“Why are you insisting on playing the role of my secretary?”

“I came along with you, so I might as well do both.”

Nachal smiled slyly.

When did this guy become so cheeky? He definitely wasn’t like this back on Ganghwa Island.

Taehoo got up with the realization that this man was indeed a universe unto himself.

Though he said “might as well,” there must have been a reason for visiting so early in the morning.

Taehoo sat on the edge of the bed as if inviting him to speak.

“You’re perceptive, I like that.”

After a short pause, he continued.

“You need to go to your office.”

Not the breakfast table, but the office.

And the fact that Nachal was sent meant they were going to discuss something not yet disclosed to the clan.

‘What could it be?’

He had guessed there was something when summoned not to the Sanctuary but to the clan.

He hadn’t expected to dive straight into the main point so quickly, though.

“Understood.”

With Taehoo’s response, Nachal left, and Taehoo quickly got ready as well.

With each step toward the office, he pieced together the puzzle.

‘Something concerning me that requires the clan’s strength or consultation.’

There weren’t many possibilities.

If his work on Ganghwa Island was highly evaluated, this might be the reward.

But would that alone be enough to bring Namjin down from the Sanctuary to the main family?

He wasn’t sure.

[Well, that old man is crazy about training and practice, so maybe it’s just that.]

Ba’al offered a simple thought.

Arriving at Namgoong’s office, curiosity grew.

In the office, all the family members except Taehoo and Jiho sat in their seats, with Namjin at the head.

It gave off a sinister vibe as if they had finished all their meetings before Taehoo arrived.

‘What the hell is this?’

Soon Jiho entered the office.

“You weren’t called.”

“Father, I did call him. He should know our family matters too.”

Namgoong questioned for a moment, and Jiuk spoke up.

“Well, you’re right. It doesn’t matter.”

Namgoong didn’t say anything further. With everyone seated, the meeting began.

“Taehoo, we’re planning to hold your Coming-of-Age Ceremony sooner.”

Namjin dropped a bombshell.

“Coming-of-Age Ceremony?”

Taehoo instinctively questioned.

Seeing his reaction, Namjin smiled inwardly.

Since Taehoo rarely showed surprise, this was amusing to witness.

Outwardly, Taehoo showed no change in expression, sitting solemnly with folded arms.

‘So this was the purpose. It fits.’

But Taehoo wasn’t just stunned.

This was about himself and required the clan’s consent.

Once the answer came, things became clear.

In his previous life, he had never experienced a Coming-of-Age Ceremony, so it hadn’t occurred to him.

[Coming-of-Age Ceremony? What’s that?]

He explained the basics to Ba’al, who was curious.

[Oh, so now you get to enter dungeons too?]

Yeah, it seemed the situation was heading that way.

Just seeing Jiuk and Gyeonghwan’s silence was enough to know the conversation was over.

‘It probably wasn’t something to celebrate.’

Taehoo looked at Jiuk and Gyeonghwan, especially lingering on Jiuk.

-My disciple has returned.

The day before, Jiuk’s expression had subtly changed when he heard Namjin’s words.

For Taehoo, observing people was as natural as breathing.

‘Knowing Namjin’s personality, he probably wasn’t easy to persuade. There might be some scheme.’

A plausible hypothesis.

“Becoming Grandfather’s disciple? I was curious about the youngest’s level myself, so that’s good.”

Jiuk added words to support the suspicion.

As Taehoo was about to follow up with a cautious remark, Jiho suddenly jumped up.

“Why, why only him?! What about me?”

The words were innocent and naive.

Though he had grown strong enough to rival low-grade Hunters, he still hadn’t grasped the mood.

Jiho wasn’t the type to read the room anyway.

He surely understood the meaning of the Coming-of-Age Ceremony but was just flustered at Taehoo moving ahead of him.

At that moment, Jiuk spoke as if he had been waiting.

“Well, it might be unfair for only one to hold the Coming-of-Age first. Aren’t they twins?”

He deliberately emphasized the word twins.

Look at that.

Since he went that far, it was clear he wanted something at this meeting.

‘It definitely looks like they want Jiho to go to the Coming-of-Age Ceremony with me.’

Then what would Jiuk gain by sending both?

It was certainly more advantageous not to send his own younger siblings at all.

Jiuk couldn’t be unaware of that.

‘Is he planning to kill his siblings all at once?’

Taehoo’s gaze darkened.

Jiuk was the one who, in his previous life, had at least spoken to him once without ridicule.

‘Maybe that was because I was no threat to him.’

Even Jiho, who had scolded him the most, felt more comfortable now.

Irony.

Taehoo’s eyes turned to Namjin sitting in the main seat.

Namjin watched the power struggle with interest.

His look asked if Taehoo could handle this kind of fight.

Moreover, he seemed proud to have given the kid a gift.

By revealing to the clan that Taehoo was his disciple and having him hold the Coming-of-Age first, he thought it was a present.

[A Dungeon Clear as a gift?]

Ba’al added in a voice that seemed to be holding back laughter.

‘How much does this old man want to push me? Setting up a stage like this but sitting out?’

Taehoo was definitely considering overturning the game.

It had been his thought since first stepping in yesterday. But he hadn’t expected the pace to move so fast.

He hadn’t thought Namjin would step forward to help or that Namjin would set the whole stage and then back away.

‘He hated stepping forward in the Sanctuary, but now he’s even trying to write the script?’

Then at least he’d pour some ink on that script, Taehoo thought,

“Coming-of-Age Ceremony, can I say what I want instead of Grandfather?”

He added the words immediately.

Namjin coughed lightly.

Was it that he wanted something more? Or that this grandson was about to dart off somewhere else?

Taehoo felt it was the latter.

“All right, say it then.”

After Namjin took over the clan, he had been the most proactive, revealing Taehoo as his disciple and shaking things up.

Now he probably thought it was enough to just watch.

But,

‘If that’s the case, I’ll shake the game up for real.’

Taehoo planned to disrupt the stage once more.

“The Grandfather’s Sword you promised to teach me… I think now’s the time.”

A silence fell over the office.

‘The Grandfather’s Sword? Is Father planning to pass down his skill to the youngest?’

‘Could it be that he’s going to pass down Namjin’s sword? I must… must kill him now!’

‘What’s that noise?’

Real-time sparks flew inside Namgoong and Jiuk’s minds.

Taehoo’s words were on a different wavelength than merely becoming Namjin’s disciple.

Namgoong knew his father’s training method best.

Becoming a disciple meant receiving training under the Asura in the Sanctuary.

Namgoong had gone through the same process but hadn’t gained a single piece of Namjin’s skill.

Yet now, Taehoo’s words implied Namjin was going to teach him that skill.

The shaken board tilted toward Taehoo’s intention.

“Learning even one takes at least a year. Isn’t training after the Coming-of-Age enough?”

Namjin ignored their outcry and said to Taehoo,

“One takes three months. Three months is enough.”

A confident answer.

That should be fine, right?

Taehoo smiled slightly, asking with his expression.

“You’re quite something…”

Despite the negativity, the corners of his mouth twitched upward.

“Good.”

Permission was granted.

“Father!”

“Grandfather!”

Namgoong and Jiuk shouted one after another.