Timeskip 1½ years later,
South Korea, Seoul.
Somewhere in between Seoul, a place filled with old houses with a Thatch roof near the alley. One of the house was lit between the night sky. Inside the house, were seated four people on the ground who would change the entire power balance of Korea, Charles Choi, James Lee, Goo Kim and Gun Park.
{Image}
Choi Dong Soo (Charles Choi), once the feared 'elite' second in command of the Gapryong Fist Gang, now presided on the ground, leaning at the wall like a hobo. The man known for his strategy in his old age.
Lee Ji-Hoon (James lee), one of the lunatic of three, and will also use the moniker DG in the future, sat across him. A rising genius and future legend of the 1st generation.
Park Jung-geon (Gun Park), one of the three lunatic, and the future legendary figure aka 'Genius of Training', sat straight besides James. The man who will help build the four major crew for Charles and be feared across the nation.
Kim Joon-goo (Goo Kim), also one of the three lunatic, and the sword wielder aka the 'Weapon Genius', sat at the side of Gun. The man known for his ability to turn any object into weapon.
.....
Charles slightly leaned forward and scanned the group of three. He was satisfied having recruited this genius for his plan.
He slightly knocked at the ground attracting the attention of three, before speaking. "Let's start our meeting."
He glanced at James and continued. "James. I've got assignment which is time sensitive."
"This will be suitable for your first action."
"Cheonliang," Charles said. "There's a man in the mountains, Seongji Yuk one of the king. He's living quiet now, but I want you to test him. See if he's a threat for our plan in Cheonliang..."
James nodded slightly, absorbing his name. "And?"
"And while you're at it." Charles replied. "there's a 'red paper' an old record, something that could ruin reputations if leaked. If it's there, retrieve it."
James nodded. "I'll go."
Charles turned his gaze to the others. "Gun and Goo. You two are heading Gangbu-"
Before he could even finish, Goo practically exploded in excitement. He leaned forward, gripping Gun by the shoulders and shaking him with unnecessary enthusiasm. "Gun! Did you hear that? It's our first mission from the president himself!"
"Motherf-."
Gun's expression twisted as veins popped across his forehead. He was already in a foul mood. Their last fight had ended in a draw, and the bruising between his eyes was a painful reminder of it. Now, Goo's chirpy tone was pushing him over the edge.
Charles at the front, was left speechless. He had simply planned to instruct them and quickly end this meeting. But now Goo's voice was bouncing off the alley walls and giving him second thoughts about everything.
Before Goo could ramble on, Gun quickly slapped on the back of his head. "Idiot. Let him finish."
"Ahem." Charles coughed slightly and continued. "Head towards Gangbuk and recruit Tom Lee. And test his fighting condition. If he passes then recruit him."
Gun nodded, while Goo beside him confidently puffed out his chest and spoke. "Don't worry, old man. We've got this."
James merely smiled at Goo's loud declaration, clearly amused. Charles didn't even bother reacting. He rose from his seat with a sigh, brushing off his old jacket.
"So. Let's end this here," he said. "Gun stays. You two wait outside."
The words barely left Charles' mouth before Goo practically bounced toward him. "Hey, you old man! Are you ignoring me!?"
Before his antics could go any further, James calmly stepped in, grabbing Goo by the collar.
Goo flailed slightly. "Let me go! I swear I'll chop this old man into sushi!"
James, still smiling, dragged him out of the small alley house.
"Just walk" he said flatly.
Their voices faded as the door shut behind them.
Inside, Charles turned towards Gun, his usual laid back air replaced by something serious. "While I've been away from Korea... some things have changed."
Gun folded his arm and leaned towards the wall. "Like what."
Charles continued. "He goes by, Crownless King. Park Ha-Joon... or should I say, Yamazaki Ha-Joon."
Gun's body shook slightly for a moment hearing a familiar name, but quickly steadied himself.
He smirked. "Is that so?"
.....
With that, the scene shift towards the Jeju island.
The view opened wide into thick greenery. A handheld camera shook slightly as a vlogger made his way through the dense jungle trail.
"This… this might be a bad idea," Soomin muttered to himself. He forced a chuckle and turned toward the lens. "But welcome back to Ark Adventures, guys. Today, we're diving deep into the restricted forest area of Jeju Island. And I mean really deep."
He panned the camera behind him, showing nothing but wild trees.
"Locals call this place cursed. Said to be off-limits due to wildlife dangers and… well, weird disappearances. But hey, that's never stopped us before, right?"
He tried to keep his tone upbeat, but as he ventured deeper, the entire forest atmosphere changed filled with blood scent.
A creeping chill rose in his chest. He stopped walking and looked around.
"Okay… that's weird," he whispered, lowering the camera slightly. "This forest was alive a moments ago."
But Soomin gritted his teeth and pushed forward, muttering to himself. "Come on, man. Don't be the horror cliché. Just a little further."
As the camera shifted to show the surrounding darkness, the stream chat came alive with its usual sarcasm:
@DaoistgBH9Y:"Bro's shaking like he's in a horror movie, turn around before Slenderman spawns."
@ActionLover: "LMFAO not Soomin speed running a panic attack."
@LoveVenerable: "Bold of you to assume you'll make it out to upload this, my guy."
Soomin squinted at the screen.
"Y'all are wild," he muttered, trying to laugh it off. Yet the more he tried to act brave, the more mocking words were spammed in his live chat.
The path narrowed, twisted, then opened into a small clearing. And there he saw it. A man surrounded by bunch of venomous snakes and animal.
The man was shirtless, body riddled with sword scars and animal bites. His height was unnatural, easily standing around 6'2" (188cm), a full two feet taller than Soomin himself.
And then his camera zoomed in.
The man sat by a pile of burning coals, chewing on the flesh of a venomous snake like it was regular meat. As the camera lens focused, a faint glow shimmered behind his right eye, with a vibrant green color.
The sheer weight of the moment sank in, leaving both Soomin and his live viewers in stunned silence.
The playful energy from earlier vanished, replaced by a creeping sense of dread which none of them could shake.
....
I'm back with new chapter. I feel like, I've gone a bit overboard with Goo's personality, What do ya'll think.
Oh and.. I did enjoy putting some of the viewers on this chapter... Haha.