Bang Jin-Hun freaked out and hurriedly retreated from the spot. Why wouldn't he do that when Wiggins standing next to him suddenly began emitting bright light?
‘What the hell?! It’s not like he’s the Ultr*man or something, so why!’[1]
Why was everyone Bang Jin-Hun knew so abnormal!?
It was impossible to tell whether Kang Jin-Ho and Vator up ahead were humans or monsters at this point. And then, Wiggins, who looked like a fairly average person on the surface, began doing weird things as well!
For a perfectly “normal” and “mundane” martial artist like Bang Jin-Hun, this environment was simply too cruel and unforgiving!
‘Bloody hell. Maybe I should’ve stayed back in the Assembly, eating tangerines or something...?’
Bang Jin-Hun groaned softly under his breath.
Of course he had the justification to accompany Kang Jin-Ho on this trip. After all, wasn't this a battle between the Japanese and the Korean Martial Assembly?
Although it was a bit too arrogant to claim that the Martial Assembly represented every South Korean, the real target of the Japanese wasn’t South Korea itself, anyway. No, they were aiming for the Assembly’s destruction.
In that case, the Martial Assembly should be the one fighting them back. It should be their right. Leaving the fighting to the outsiders would be too humiliating for the Assembly, now wouldn't it!
‘I can never allow that!’
The unfortunate truth was that Bang Jin-Hun was the only person here with deep roots in the Martial Assembly.
Technically speaking, Vator and Wiggins were closer to mercenaries. Even though they were guiding the younger generation of the Assembly's martial artists and were in the middle of successful integration with the organization, more time was still needed for everyone to truly see those two men as their own.
Kang Jin-Ho was no different, either. He couldn’t really be called the “homegrown” hero as he joined the Assembly after reaching a certain level of strength outside.
Of course, Bang Jin-Hun wasn't the type to give a damn about stuff like that. He certainly had no thoughts of introducing a class system in the 21st century. And he certainly was not some stuck-up idiot who thought people's identities decided what they could or could not do. The thing was, though...
The Martial Assembly's younger generations had been with the organization since they were little kids. What would they think after witnessing the “outsiders” coming in and pulling off all these incredible feats?
Wouldn't they think that all the time they had spent within the organization was... in vain?
Bang Jin-Hun couldn’t stand back and watch that happen.
Those people had been trying their best up until now. And Bang Jin-Hun would do everything in his power to ensure they didn't doubt themselves.
Even if those who lived their entire lives within the Assembly couldn't become the organization's main force, at the very least, they shouldn't feel like they had been shut out and forgotten.
But why would Bang Jin-Hun go this far for them?
‘It’s pride, man. Pride!’
Men must be proud. That was Bang Jin-Hun’s motivation!
He wasn't trying to criticize those who had come to accept the limitation of their strength and tried to find a more pragmatic approach to their lives. After all, that was one of the many alternative ways to move on with one's life.
However, shouldn’t he provide a dependable shoulder, a shelter to hide from the storm, to those who didn’t want to live like that? This was the reason why Bang Jin-Hun vociferously argued for his inclusion in this trip.
So far, so good. Unfortunately...
‘Blooming hell...! In that case, what about me?! Where’s my dependable shoulder, dammit!’
Bang Jin-Hun wanted to cry right about now. Giving his disciples and young kids of the Assembly a source of pride was all good and well, but the trials and tribulations Bang Jin-Hun had to go through to achieve that goal were simply too arduous. First of all...
‘Gee whiz! Why are my allies more terrifying than my enemies?!’
This wasn’t Bang Jin-Hun’s first time witnessing Kang Jin-Ho’s rampage. And he certainly knew how bone-chillingly scary Kang Jin-Ho could be, too. However, how should he put this kindly...?
‘How?! How is it possible that that dude has gotten even worse than before?!’
The current Kang Jin-Ho was practically a different creature altogether from the old Kang Jin-Ho that Bang Jin-Hun first interacted with. Back then, Kang Jin-Ho was as sharp as a razor blade even during mundane daily activities. But he had mellowed out considerably these days.
Sure, he was very mellow to his family and friends even back then. These days, though? It felt like the range of mellowness had expanded to include a lot more people. As an example...
In the past, when Lee Jung-Geol was in charge of the Assembly, no one pointed out the oddness of his behavior if he did something illogical or not entirely above board. Bang Jin-Hun was probably the only person willing to take Lee Jung-Geol to task over such matters.
However, what about Kang Jin-Ho now?
Everyone and their uncle lost their minds. Not just Bang Jin-Hun but also Vator and Wiggins voiced their strong objections if Kang Jin-Ho did something illogical. The same went for Lee Hyeon-Su, too. And, didn't Lee Hyeon-Ju raise her voice recently, too?
If one thought about it for a minute, one would have to agree that it was a massive transformation. Of course Bang Jin-Hun understood that this transformation was only possible because Kang Jin-Ho was very open to the opinions and ideas of other people.
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