Chapter 24 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Nameless Report (2)
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"Anyway, whenever there's something in front of you, you do that, so be careful."
And with that, the demolition contractor Mr. Park left behind those peculiar final words.
"If you see that guy called Go-oki, don't think about anything... ."
'What did he say again?'
It felt like he'd heard something important, but he couldn't recall it at all.
Rumble.
At that moment, with the sound of the wall crumbling, the Heavenly Demon—who had turned the kitchen wall into a ragged mess—crossed his arms.
"All right, demolition complete."
Kim Chanwon, who had been standing there with his mouth agape, wore a baffled expression.
"What kind of demolition is this? The wall's all uneven!"
Not only the tiles, but the Heavenly Demon had left massive fist marks all over the wall.
"How are you supposed to attach tiles to a wall that's this bumpy?"
"Disappointing."
"W-What?"
"Kim. Didn't you introduce yourself as a seasoned, experienced tile expert?"
"Yeah?"
The Heavenly Demon looked down at Kim Chanwon with a pitying expression.
"Is the surface for tiles always smooth? Always flat?"
"W-Well..."
"Sometimes it's bumpy, sometimes rough. In other words, creating the best results even in poor conditions—that's what makes a true craftsman, a master. Isn't that right?"
His eloquence flowed like a clear mountain stream, unexpected from his appearance.
He didn't seem like some lunatic who had turned a perfectly fine site into a disaster zone.
"That doesn't mean you have to make a flat, smooth wall bumpy on purpose!"
"Did I come here to learn the easy stuff? I came to learn your very best techniques, Kim."
Kim Chanwon's jaw dropped.
'What kind of shameless bastard...'
These were tiling skills he wouldn't teach even if people he knew shoved money at him and begged.
Yet this vicious-looking man was learning them for free and flipping his insides out.
'I won't teach him my techniques.'
As Kim Chanwon shook his head and opened his mouth, the Heavenly Demon—arms still crossed—spoke with a challenging glint in his eyes.
"Come on, Kim. Show me your very best techniques."
The Heavenly Demon's expression and tone were just like pressing the taunt button on a downed opponent in a fighting game.
His pride stung, Kim Chanwon trembled and nodded vigorously.
"Fine. I'll show you what a real tile craftsman is!"
He mixed mortar—cement and sand—in a large plastic tub and slapped it onto a tile.
Then he began attaching the tiles to the kitchen wall one by one with meticulous care.
The so-called "floating method," or direct adhesion, was the most advanced tiling technique.
Because it required adjusting the cement-sand-water ratio based on the wall's surface and tile characteristics, and leveling was extremely difficult.
Slap. Thud.
After much effort, Kim Chanwon neatly laid the kitchen tiles over the uneven wall.
"There, how's that?"
The Heavenly Demon gazed at the elegant white-toned tiles on the kitchen wall and nodded.
"Not bad."
It was an arrogant response, but Kim Chanwon's face brightened. He realized this gruff man had just given high praise.
"Heh heh heh, at my level, I'm the top in the country."
Wiping sweat from his forehead, Kim Chanwon shrugged proudly.
"Now watch me do the entryway tiles."
"I'll handle the demolition."
"No, no, no need for demolition!"
Kim Chanwon quickly blocked the Heavenly Demon's path and shook his head.
"You've learned the floating method, so now you need to learn overlay work, right?"
"I suppose."
"Yeah. What's the point of knowing just one method?"
Having barely convinced the Heavenly Demon, Kim Chanwon wiped the sweat from his brow.
This dark guy was like a walking bomb; it felt like he'd blow everything up if you took your eyes off him for a second.
"Okay, okay, first sweep it clean like this."
Grabbing a broom and dustpan, Kim Chanwon swept the dust off the entryway tiles.
Normally, you'd have the student do the grunt work, but Kim Chanwon had no such luxury.
"Okay, watch closely."
Kim Chanwon poured tile cement (floor tile adhesive) from its paper packaging into a bucket with water.
"You have to mix this well. No lumps."
He spread the well-mixed tile cement evenly over the existing tiles with a trowel and began attaching new tiles one by one.
"Easy work."
Watching the process, the Heavenly Demon stroked his chin.
Unlike the floating method of slathering mortar on tiles and sticking them to the wall, this adhesive overlay seemed quite straightforward.
"It's just like spreading white clay and sticking tiles to the floor."
"Easy to say. You have to spread it evenly."
"Good. I'll handle the rest."
"You're going to do it yourself?"
As Kim Chanwon started to nod, Jang Chaewon's warning flashed in his mind.
"Just teach him the method, the method only. Absolutely do not let him do the work!"
'Yeah, he demolished the wall without a word earlier...'
Jang Chaewon wasn't one to spout nonsense.
Plus, if the Heavenly Demon botched it, he'd have to reorder tiles, and he couldn't afford to fix it right away.
"No work for you!"
As the Heavenly Demon reached for a tile, Kim Chanwon frantically waved his hands.
"Just watch today."
"Don't worry."
"Hey, I said just watch today! How's a beginner supposed to lay tiles?"
"I can do it."
The Heavenly Demon looked down at Kim Chanwon with a proud expression.
"I am the Heavenly Demon."
"Yeah, well, no work."
Despite Kim Chanwon's protests, the Heavenly Demon had already snatched a tile.
His movements were so fast that Kim Chanwon only caught a blurry afterimage.
"Hey, no!"
Kim Chanwon desperately thrust out his right hand.
At the same time, a fierce gust poured out, and the tile slipped from the Heavenly Demon's grasp, floating in the air.
"Void Grasping?"
The Heavenly Demon's eyes flashed.
He'd known from the aura that this was no ordinary old man, but a master capable of such powerful Void Grasping?
"Well, well, it's been a while."
With a nostalgic expression, the Heavenly Demon extended his right hand and circulated his inner energy.
Hum.
As if steel was ringing from his palm, the tile—which had been drifting toward Kim Chanwon—halted in midair.
"In the past, those righteous old fogies would always shove wine cups at me with Void Grasping."
"What are you talking about?"
"Old men like that only have their inner energy to boast about."
Baring his fangs in a grin, crimson Blood Flame Radiance surged from the Heavenly Demon's pupils.
"Even if my inner energy is depleted, I'm not one to back down from a challenge like this."
"What the hell are you saying? Put down the tile!"
Flustered, Kim Chanwon unleashed an even stronger gust.
Whoosh.
As the wind intensified, the tile shifted back toward Kim Chanwon.
"No chance, old timer."
Thick crimson light flowed from the Heavenly Demon's eyes. Simultaneously, the tile flew back toward his hand.
"I have never once lost a Void Grasping duel."
The Heavenly Demon's words were like a provocation button flipping his insides. He didn't know what it meant, but it perfectly scratched Kim Chanwon's pride.
"This body of mine hasn't lost to anyone in 60 years of tile work either!"
Roaring, white light flashed in Kim Chanwon's eyes.
Whirrrrr.
A storm-like wind poured from his outstretched hand. The floating tile began spinning like a pinwheel, scattering cement dust and shards everywhere.
"Heavenly Demon Supremacy!"
Rumble rumble rumble.
As the Heavenly Demon's aura clashed with Kim Chanwon's wind, the entire apartment shook like there was an earthquake.
"Urgh."
Squeezing out every last drop of strength, Kim Chanwon poured forth his wind.
Crack crack crack. Pop!
The spinning tile finally shattered into powder, scattering everywhere.
Pitapat.
As the massive tile exploded into mist, the shaking forces plaguing the apartment vanished like a lie.
"Not bad."
Withdrawing his Heavenly Demon Supremacy, the Heavenly Demon nodded at the scattered powder.
"To match me, even when I used only an eighth of my Heavenly Demon Supremacy."
"Hmph, this body's never lost at tile work to anyone."
"Good."
His eyes deepening, the Heavenly Demon nodded.
"Kim, I acknowledge you as a tile expert qualified to teach me."
What they'd just done had nothing to do with tile work, but the Heavenly Demon nodded faintly.
"Looking forward to more."
For some reason, Kim Chanwon felt a swell of pride.
He knew that earning praise and recognition from someone like the Heavenly Demon was no small feat.
"Leave it to me anytime!"
"Good. It's late, so let's continue next time, old timer."
"Right. Practice hard in the meantime."
"Got it."
Nodding calmly, the Heavenly Demon stepped out the front door.
Was it because he'd unleashed yokai power he hadn't used before? Or because he'd earned praise from that iron-willed man?
Watching the Heavenly Demon's departing figure, Kim Chanwon felt an inexplicable euphoria.
"Thanks to that weirdo, I got to flex my yokai power after so long. Heh heh..."
Chuckling emptily, Kim Chanwon suddenly widened his eyes.
The clash of powerful forces hadn't just destroyed the stacked tiles for the job—it had smashed every prefabricated fixture in the apartment.
"If you see that Go-oki guy, don't think about anything... just get out of the site. No, just run!"
"Huh? Why?"
"The moment you get tangled with him, that day's work is guaranteed ruined. Remember that!"
Only then did Kim Chanwon recall the demolition contractor Mr. Park's final words.
"Oh no..."
Staring at the wrecked interior, Kim Chanwon clutched his thinning hair and collapsed to the floor.
* * *
"What? Reorder tiles?"
Jang Chaewon, who had been silently listening on the phone, gaped.
"Sorry. My bad for asking you to do that... I'll put in the reorder for tiles. I'll pay extra labor fees too."
From the phone came strange responses like, 'No, it's my fault for forgetting Mr. Park's words,' or 'At least I got his acknowledgment, right?'
"You've worked hard. Yes, yes. Thank you."
Hanging up, Jang Chaewon stared blankly at the 'Master Kim Chanwon' label on her phone screen.
"He says teaching that guy ended up smashing all the tiles? Just reorder the tiles. I'll finish the site myself."
"Don't be too hard on him. That guy... doesn't seem to mean any harm."
As she mulled over Kim Chanwon's words from the call,
Ding-a-ling.
With the chime of the wind bell, a sleeveless figure with thick arms strode into the store. It was the Heavenly Demon.
"Y-You're here?"
"I'm here."
"Did you learn tile work well?"
The Heavenly Demon nodded calmly.
"Contrary to appearances, he has considerable inner energy. Well worth the boasting."
It was an absurd response that no one who'd just come from learning tile work would say.
Jang Chaewon massaged her twitching eye corner and forced a smile.
"Tiling's tough, huh?"
"Not tough at all."
Crossing his arms, the Heavenly Demon spoke with proud confidence.
"A bit more practice, and I too will be able to do tile work."
"That's weird."
Sighing as she looked at the Heavenly Demon.
"Master Kim said he tried to stop you from working and all the tiles on site got smashed?"
"Ah, no big deal."
"No big deal? We have to reorder tiles for over 30 pyeong?"
"Things like that happen when using Void Grasping."
-Since he views all his actions as correct, he rarely empathizes with others' feelings and feels no pangs of conscience.
Suddenly recalling the report Nameless had written, Jang Chaewon gaped.
'Spot on.'
"That Kim fellow. Unlike his mild looks, he's quite stubborn and prideful."
"Huh?"
"He resisted my Heavenly Demon Supremacy right up to the brink of his veins bursting. It's been ages since I saw someone who hates losing that much."
-He takes interest in people who enter his sight and observes them deeply.
'Spot on.'
"With skills like that, I should treat him accordingly."
-He despises the weak and favors the strong.
"If I learn more tiling from him, I can handle various quests. That should make it easier for me to regain my inner energy."
-All choices and decisions are based solely on maximizing his own benefit.
"Nanobots. How... how far did you see ahead?"
"What are you suddenly on about?"
"Nothing. Ahem, feels like I have a bit of a cold."
As Jang Chaewon brushed it off, the Heavenly Demon gave her a pitiful look.
"No one gets a summer cold, not even dogs. Meaning even dogs beware of summer colds."
"What nonsense is that?"
"It was advice to take care of your health."
"That's advice?"
"Yes."
The way he said it made her want to cut him down right there.
"Ugh."
Suppressing her rising anger, Jang Chaewon let out a deep sigh.
'No. I decided to watch a little longer.'
Recalling Nameless's note about 'Suspicious Dark Ghost,' Jang Chaewon forced another smile.
"Yeah, good work today."
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