Chapter 233: Is There a Problem?

After Richard Han left, peace returned to < cafe Naru >.

But there was one person who found that peace bittersweet.

“Why did Shinhu leave without saying anything? We didn’t even get to throw him a farewell party....”

Kim Chanho stared gloomily out the window as though he had just sent a close friend far away. Kim Muhyuk gave him an incredulous look.

“You only knew him for a few days. What farewell party?”

“Does the amount of time matter? What matters are the memories we made drinking coffee together. That man and I really clicked....”

“Dad. You’re going to miss me this much when I leave the country too, right?”

Kim Chanho looked seriously at his son, who would soon be leaving for America, and nodded.

“Don’t forget to buy gifts for your mom and me, got it?”

“Seriously....”

“Oh, right! And if you happen to run into Richard Han, make sure you get his autograph for me!”

“....”

Frankly, Kim Muhyuk was relieved that Richard Han was gone.

That had nothing to do with how much he had felt and learned from observing the Strongest in the World up close.

It was like a ticking time bomb that had shown up every single day had finally moved somewhere far away.

“He really isn’t coming back now, right? Whew....”

Kim Bokja, who had spent the past several days wound tight with tension, finally breathed a sigh of relief as well.

But she wasn’t content with this brief return to peace.

Clenching her fists, she kept muttering under her breath.

“Just watch. I’m going to turn this place into an impregnable fortress no one can touch....”

The faint ghost fire burning in Kim Bokja’s eyes lingered for quite some time.

It seemed Richard Han’s visit had stirred something inside her.

Before leaving for America, Kim Muhyuk gathered the crew members and told them who Richard Han really was, along with the contents of the letter he had left behind.

As expected, everyone was stunned.

“Shinhu was Richard Han?”

“N-No way....”

Shin Kangheon and Han Jaechun could hardly believe that the man they had met had actually been the Strongest in the World.

Ironically, Choi Geon and Hwang Suksu, the two who had never met him, accepted the situation much faster.

“...Do not tell Chanho or Jiyeon. Nothing good will come of more people knowing, and it will only give them more to worry about.”

Hwang Suksu nodded at Choi Geon’s words and picked up where he left off.

As an underworld information broker, he gave an objective assessment based on the latest rumors and movements in the underworld martial world.

“For now, it looks like the Heavenly Demon Cult has pulled all of its forces out of Korea. And there’s been so much going on lately that they probably won’t be able to make another move for a while. So don’t worry too much, crew leader.”

Of course, there was no way to prepare for a natural disaster like Richard Han.

But something like that happening again was equally unlikely.

And Hwang Suksu wasn’t the only one. Everyone had figured out what Kim Muhyuk was worried about and added a few words of their own.

“I will ask the Martial Alliance Leader to keep an eye on things as well.”

“I’ll make the rounds every day and stop by to check on your parents, so quit worrying!”

“Starting today, I’ll quietly shadow the owners on their way to and from work and guard them.”

“I’ll borrow a ton of spellcraft tools from my master and set them up everywhere. Anyone who touches us dies by my hand.”

Peep!

If not for the crew members, Kim Muhyuk would have seriously considered canceling his trip to America.

“...Thanks, everyone.”

But because they were here, he could leave with peace of mind.

And this trip wasn’t just about watching the World’s Strongest Sparring Tournament in person and gaining new experiences abroad.

Bring the Heavenly Demon Cult into the open as quickly as possible. That’s the best thing I can do right now.

Kim Muhyuk wanted to fight Richard Han at the World’s Strongest Sparring Tournament someday.

But Richard didn’t have to be the Heavenly Demon Cult Leader when that day came.

In fact, if he wasn’t the Cult Leader, Kim felt like he could fight him with everything he had and nothing else hanging over him.

I’ll tear the Heavenly Demon Cult apart before you can become its leader.

The day before his departure, Kim Muhyuk also had one last lunch with the Azure Sky Sword Elder and Bu Yeonha.

“Hoho. It looks like the demonic qi has drained out nicely by now.”

The Azure Sky Sword Elder nodded as he examined Phantom Dream’s pitch-black blade.

Hummmm!

Ever since encountering Richard Han, Phantom Dream had become dramatically less talkative. Its spirit body hardly showed itself anymore, either.

“What’s gotten into that thing? Why is it suddenly behaving itself?”

Namcheon Sword’s spirit tilted his head in confusion.

Kim Muhyuk couldn’t exactly tell him about Richard Han, so he merely gave an awkward smile.

At that moment, Phantom Dream’s spirit timidly peeked out and spoke to the Namcheon Sword.

“...I saw someone insanely strong. If we’d clashed, I’m sure I would’ve broken....”

“What? Who are you talking about?”

“I don’t know. I couldn’t even see him clearly....”

Leaving the two sacred weapons to talk among themselves, Kim Muhyuk thanked the other two.

“Thank you for all your help.”

“Hoho. Take care of yourself over there.”

“You know every word and every action of yours reflects on the Korean martial world, right?”

They continued giving Kim Muhyuk advice right up until the end.

Kim answered with the pleasant smile the two of them had taught him.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be back safe and sound.”

*****

The day of departure.

Kim Muhyuk arrived at the airport early in the morning with his master.

“We’ll only be gone ten days. Why did she pack so much...?”

Choi Geon smiled as he opened the small suitcase Park Jiyeon had packed for him the day before, telling him to eat some Korean food whenever he started missing it.

Inside were instant rice, stir-fried kimchi, chili paste, and other essentials.

Kim Muhyuk watched enviously and grumbled.

“She didn’t pack anything for me.”

“You brat. Do you think I’m going to eat all this by myself?”

No one had come to see them off separately.

Kim Chanho and Park Jiyeon had gone to work at the café as usual, and the crew members had simply sent messages telling them to have a safe trip.

“Let us go.”

“Yes.”

After checking their luggage and passing through security, the two boarded their flight.

As they settled into the business-class seats provided by the Martial Alliance, Choi Geon asked Kim Muhyuk a question.

“Disciple. Are you nervous?”

“...A little. We’re going to a country where experts from all over the global martial world are gathering.”

For Kim Muhyuk, this was his first trip abroad in this life.

Choi Geon said he had never traveled this far before either.

“I hear the World’s Strongest Sparring Tournament held in America is the most spectacular festival in the world.”

This was the time when renowned experts from across the globe converged on a single place.

Not just Richard Han, but peerless masters of worldwide renown would gather there and compete to determine who truly stood above the rest.

Any martial artist would have been excited by a trip like this.

Even Kim Muhyuk, who had other plans in mind, couldn’t help feeling the same way.

“Heh heh. I find myself excited as well.”

Choi Geon smiled happily.

But what excited him was quite different from what excited his disciple.

“I wonder how many truly dreadful villains live in America....”

“Master. You do know you can’t just go around beating the hell out of bad guys in another country, right? That’s illegal.”

“Only if they catch you.”

“Well... that’s true.”

Fourteen hours later, the master and disciple—perfectly in sync as ever—landed at an airport in New York.

“Good grief. This place is madness.”

The sheer crowds they encountered the moment they entered the airport left both of them staring.

Even the dedicated gate for licensed martial artists had a considerable line.

Apparently, martial artists from all over had arrived at once to watch the World’s Strongest Sparring Tournament.

But the crowds weren’t what truly surprised them.

“...Can you feel it?”

At his master’s serious question, Kim Muhyuk nodded and swept his gaze around the area.

“More than fifty pinnacle experts... and three supreme masters?”

“Four. The last one is hiding their presence from a distance. Not bad.”

In Korean terms, it was as though two of the Eight Great Sects had been assigned to airport security alone.

It was enough force to stall even a peerless master attempting a terrorist attack—and perhaps even subdue one outright.

Even allowing for the fact that security had been specially reinforced ahead of the World’s Strongest Sparring Tournament, the sheer scale was on another level from Korea.

Kim Muhyuk couldn’t help but marvel.

Complex spell formations everywhere... I can even feel anomalies under someone’s control. No wonder America is the strongest country in the world.

The two waited for about an hour before going through immigration.

American immigration screening was notoriously strict, but once they stated their affiliations and purpose for entering the country, they were cleared more easily than expected.

The moment they passed through the immigration gate, a group approached them as though they had been waiting.

They were martial artists of various races sent by the World Martial Alliance to receive Choi Geon.

Every last one of them was a formidable expert.

“Excuse me. Are you Choi Geon, the martial artist from Korea?”

A Black woman wearing a translator earpiece stepped forward.

Choi Geon put on the translator he had brought with him and answered.

“That’s right. I am Choi Geon.”

“I’m Grace Taylor, team leader with the World Martial Alliance Peacekeeping Unit. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The two shook hands.

Unlike in the East, the English-speaking West had no tradition of greeting one another with the clasped-hands martial salute.

Grace gave Choi Geon a gentle smile before asking for his cooperation.

“Peerless masters pose a threat comparable to tactical weapons. As such, we’ll need to place certain restraints on you. Do you consent to the procedure?”

Apparently, Choi Geon had been briefed on the process beforehand, because he simply held out his wrists.

“Do as you please.”

A moment later, a pair of specialized cuffs several times thicker than a Black Restraint Band had been fastened around both wrists.

But Grace wasn’t finished.

She held out a pill.

“...What is this now?”

“Qi-dispersing poison. It will interfere with your ability to use internal energy for approximately two hours.”

“Tsk, tsk. Such a lack of trust....”

“It’s part of the official Black Restraint Band suitability assessment procedure. We ask for your understanding.”

In the end, Choi Geon nodded with a displeased expression and swallowed the pill Grace had given him.

Gulp.

After confirming that he had swallowed it, Grace smiled.

“Until we reach World Martial Alliance headquarters, we’ll be responsible for your escort.”

Only then did she turn her attention to Kim Muhyuk standing behind Choi Geon.

“And the gentleman behind you is...?”

“My disciple.”

Kim Muhyuk, who had been waiting for his turn, stepped forward.

The smile he had practiced right up until the day before departure.

The innocent, good-natured look in his eyes.

The top-of-the-line suit completing the ensemble.

He put on the perfect performance of an orthodox martial artist and greeted her courteously.

“My name is Kim Muhyuk. I’m still new to the martial world. I’ve heard much of the World Martial Alliance’s reputation, and it’s a great honor to finally visit in person.”

Even by his own assessment, it was a flawless introduction.

This was the first step toward building connections with major figures in the global martial world and establishing a favorable image.

“Kim Muhyuk? Are you perhaps...”

“Yes?”

Grace suddenly flinched.

She pulled out her phone, called someone, and hurriedly confirmed something.

Her expression hardened.

“Yes. It is you. I’m sorry, but we’ll need to restrain you as well.”

“...What?”

At the unexpected, forceful demand, all the effort Kim Muhyuk had put into maintaining Orthodox Mode vanished in an instant.

His kindly opened eyes narrowed.

One corner of his mouth dipped.

His head tilted slightly to one side.

The change was all the more dramatic because only seconds ago, he had looked like the very picture of a perfect orthodox martial artist.

Dramatic enough that the World Martial Alliance martial artists all drew their weapons at once.

SHNK! SHNK! SHNK! SHNK!

Kim Muhyuk looked around at the dozen or so blades suddenly pointed his way.

His expression turned cold.

“...Is there a problem?”