Soo-hyeok raised a bluish aura above his hand.
It was to emphasize his ability and the power he possessed.
Han Jung-hee scoffed at him for it, though.
"The stronger you are, the scarier the monsters you'll have to fight."
"Soo-hyeok, my son. Your mom isn't a fool."
"Uh…"
"Even if you say you'll be careful, things don't always go like in stories. Just heading north, it's a world swarming with monsters… and there are demons far stronger than humans. Isn't that right?"
Soo-hyeok was speechless, unable to continue.
He had to persuade Jung-hee, but his mind had gone completely blank.
She was right.
His mother was no fool.
Even though Soo-hyeok had become powerful, even a great awakener, she wasn't so naive as to just be happy about it.
She instantly sensed the risk and pierced through the weak point.
Soo-hyeok had no retort.
"So, I just want to ask you one thing."
Soo-hyeok looked at her, puzzled.
"You're not doing this because you're being forced to, right? Not because of money, or because of your lacking parents…"
"No! Absolutely not!"
His rebuttal burst out instantly.
From the start, it was something he had chosen himself.
Even if he hadn't become an awakener, he would've learned martial arts.
It was a strength worth learning—why waste it?
That's the mindset he had.
But when it came to doing it for money, he couldn't entirely deny it.
Soo-hyeok did need money.
Still, the comment about "lacking parents"—he couldn't tolerate that.
"Never. Absolutely not. I don't know how I was in the past, but… the person I am now…"
He trailed off.
In the past, before he was forcibly sent to the Hwan Continent—
Soo-hyeok couldn't say he had been a good son.
He was filled with resentment toward his family, especially his father, Yang Seung-bon.
Yet, he'd had no real will to change anything himself.
Only after being left alone in that harsh world of the Hwan Continent did he realize—
That all his dark emotions were nothing more than the tantrums of a child who had the luxury to feel them. He only came to understand it was possible because he had the love of parents protecting him from the world.
That's why he had wanted to return.
Because the burden left behind on Earth was too great, and because he had come to understand how precious it all was—he was determined to come back no matter what.
"You two… you're really precious to me."
Han Jung-hee silently looked at him.
"So please… don't say things like that. You know, I think our family is the best in the world. Sure, we didn't have much, but so what? We leaned on each other, and we pulled through. We were happy."
Hearing his desperate, slightly tearful words, Han Jung-hee slowly began to smile—her eyes and lips softening.
"My boy… you've grown up. When did you become this mature?"
She gently wrapped both her hands around Soo-hyeok's right hand.
Her touch, though rough from a hard life, was warm. And comforting.
Soo-hyeok involuntarily lifted his head, touched by the warmth.
"My son, my beloved son."
"Yes… Mom."
"As long as you're not forcing yourself or pushing too hard, it's okay. You're all grown up now, such a fine adult—I shouldn't interfere with the choices you make. That'd be going too far."
"I'll just think of it like my son is in a slightly dangerous army. Like Sooah said, watching TV these days… it doesn't look like something dangerous happens all that often."
"Yeah… yeah, nothing too dangerous will happen."
"I trust you. So if something tough comes up, it's not just the two of us anymore—tell Sooah, or even your father. That makes four of us, right? Like you said, family leans on each other."
"I will. I promise."
"Good. Son, as long as I'm happy, I like anything."
Carefully, Han Jung-hee stretched out her arms and embraced Soo-hyeok, gently stroking his back with her warm hands.
Within that cozy warmth, Soo-hyeok smiled.
He raised his arms and hugged his mother tightly in return.
"Yes. I'm happy enough. So now, our whole family… let's all be happy together."
It was a resolution.
A reaffirmation of the vow he'd always made.
"You're so dependable. My son. Truly dependable."
That day, for the first time in his life, Soo-hyeok heard the sound of Han Jeong-hee's voice slightly choked with emotion.
Of course, he pretended not to notice.
***
At that same time, while Soo-hyeok was spending a happy day after finishing his talk with Jeong-hee—
Vladimir arrived at the Baek family's mansion in Hannam-dong.
"I'm leaving tomorrow."
At his sudden declaration, Baek Chae-moon, who had acted as his butler during his stay in Korea, showed a startled expression.
"You said you were going to meet No-Name, didn't you?"
"I did."
"Ah…"
Baek Chae-moon let out a short sigh and closed his mouth.
If they'd met, they must have talked.
Vladimir held a special position even among Universal 8, with the authority to match.
Naturally, Baek Chae-moon had many questions, but he didn't ask.
With age had come wisdom.
He wasn't a child, and he didn't pry into everything out of curiosity.
"If I had to give my impression, it was amazing. Fantastic."
But Vladimir spoke up first.
It meant Baek Chae-moon was allowed to know.
Or perhaps, needed to know.
Baek Chae-moon immediately listened closely.
"He's a remarkable one. Makes you want to love this little country even more."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. Baek Chae-moon, you know what? I fought him today. And I lost."
".?!"
Baek Chae-moon's eyes widened—rare emotion showing on his aging face.
His trembling wrinkles conveyed his feelings more than words.
Soon, Baek Chae-moon bowed his head with a soft groan.
"I'm sorry."
"No, I said it to surprise you. Even if it was just a clone."
"I never thought I'd lose—not to Baek Mu-hak, but to someone else entirely. Damn, that guy… he's intense."
"Baek Chae-moon."
"Yes?"
"I like him. I want to work with him—no matter what it takes."
Vladimir's tongue lightly licked his red lips.
"So, let's leave him alone for a while. I don't even feel like fighting."
"You get what I mean, right?"
"The Family Head…"
"When he finishes his training and comes out, tell him to wait quietly. Don't provoke No-Name. If someone does…"
After a brief pause, Vladimir wiped the corner of his lips with his index finger and said:
"Let him know I'll take it as a challenge."
"…Understood."
"I'll pass the word to the others myself, so don't worry about it."
"Yes, sir."
"The Aztec side will prepare the flight in advance. Just get me to the airport."
"I'll arrange that."
"Well, I think that covers everything…"
Vladimir waved his hand as if done and turned toward the vast mansion. But suddenly recalling something, he clapped his hands and looked back at Baek Chae-moon.
"Oh right, almost forgot something important. Book me an interview before I fly out tomorrow."
"I'll take care of it."
"Then, good work. I'll sleep in until morning. Being out in the sun all day was exhausting, and thanks to everything falling apart, even my clone's melting like ice cream. Ugh… see you tomorrow."
With only those parting words, Vladimir disappeared into the mansion, which was heavily draped in black-out curtains.
"No-Name, huh…"
Left alone, Baek Chae-moon smacked his lips as thoughts tangled in his mind.
"I thought he'd just be a passing breeze… but it turns out he was a typhoon. I wanted to spend my remaining years quietly."
And from experience, typhoons always leave a mark somewhere as they pass.
It looked like No-Name—Yang Soo-hyeok—would be the same.
"Sigh…"
A deep breath escaped him, but what could he do?
He was just an employee.
Rather than waste energy on worries he couldn't do anything about, doing his best from where he stood—that was the wisdom Baek Chae-moon had gained through many years.
"An interview, huh… I'll have to contact the broadcasting folks."
His steps began to quicken.
***
Before leaving Korea, Vladimir requested an interview.
As a high-profile figure who drew attention just by existing, nearly every media outlet was eager to get a spot.
The interview itself wasn't long.
It was more like a casual personal monologue than anything formal.
Yet no one who heard it complained.
On the contrary, some were so startled they pulled out their phones mid-interview to move faster than the competition.
"Yeah, so… right, it was yesterday morning, Vladimir…"
"Wait, wait—he's talking again."
"Hey! Why'd you take so long to pick up? You crazy?!"
The interview setting quickly became chaotic.
"I'd like to visit Korea again in the future."
Vladimir finished the interview with that statement, his eyes amused by the chaos he'd caused, then promptly left the venue.
No reporters followed him to the airport. Everyone's hands were too busy.
Their mouths, too.
"Vladimir met No-Name!"
"There's talk of a new Universal 9!"
That very afternoon, South Korea was in an uproar.
***
As always, the internet was the fastest.
[Vladimir had contact with No-Name yesterday morning! Regarding the meeting, Vladimir said…]
The headline appeared in bold on the front page of the country's top portal site.
There wasn't much a reporter needed to do.
Just quoting Vladimir's interview was more than enough to go viral.
"No-Name is more impressive than any awakener I've ever met. He has outstanding insight, wisdom, and courage.
I've finally met someone I can truly say I respect. I want him to be part of 'Universal' moving forward.
I was honestly shocked. Korea is a small country. It's not even heavily populated. And yet, such a talent…"
Once again, "No-Name" and "Vladimir" dominated the search rankings on every portal site.
There was no need to guess how people felt reading the news.
No-Name was already being written into Korea's legend.
Now that Russia's strongest had officially acknowledged him, there was no longer room for doubt—even on the global stage.
***
L Is this real? Are we really getting another Universal member from Korea?
■ Korea, 50 million people. Insane.
■ I'm actually feeling patriotic for once.
L No-Name is the only one we can count on now.
L Not just a legend, a living legend.
L Fan club's about to hit 1.5 million, right? Yeah, I'm joining. Guy's on another level.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]