CRS Chapter 3

Thud-!

The boy who had been boasting about being the Cheonha Merchant Guild master’s son rolled on the ground from Eunho’s sudden punch.

“W-What the hell!”

It was a completely different reaction from before.

He used to be someone who would only clench his fists without doing anything, no matter what insults were thrown at him.

Eunho smiled brightly as he grabbed the fallen boy’s hair and started slamming his head into the ground.

Bang-! Bang-!

The boy’s forehead collided violently with the hard dirt floor.

“Stop…”

Bang-! Bang-!

Ah, how he had missed that sound.

Eunho’s rough hands didn’t stop.

Everyone thought they should intervene, but the atmosphere was so menacing that their thoughts remained just thoughts.

Rip-!

As the pounding continued, the boy’s forehead split open, and blood flowed profusely.

Steam was rising from the waistband of the boy whose forehead had been split.

“What? Is that all you’ve got?”

Eunho, still holding the unconscious boy’s hair, turned his gaze to the stout boy.

“Hup!”

The boy who made eye contact with Eunho unconsciously took a step back.

Although he was considered the leader among the academy kids, he was still just a boy barely over fifteen.

What boy wouldn’t be scared after seeing his friend’s head smashed into the ground dozens of times?

“Where are you going?”

The boy’s steps halted at Eunho’s low voice.

He looked terrified.

Ha, to think he had been bullied by such pathetic beings.

It was too pitiful and sad.

Right, I’ll properly avenge you. This is payback for the body.

“You’re not even worth killing. Just take your punishment for what you’ve done wrong.”

Eunho approached the boy with unwavering steps and grabbed his hair as well.

The boy was helplessly caught in Eunho’s grasp.

Bang-! Bang-! Rip-!

After that, he smashed the heads of the boys he recognized from his memories one by one into the ground.

Although it was a weak body, it had been fed natural energy for over fifteen days.

It should be at least first-rate by human martial artist standards. It was more than enough to beat up boys who hadn’t even learned martial arts.

Moreover, fighting was what Eunho was most confident in.

In his previous life, he had even been called the God of Battle at times, so what more needs to be said?

After fairly cracking open the heads of seven boys and girls in total, Eunho’s beating finally stopped.

The academy’s headmaster, who had belatedly heard the news and rushed out, shouted in alarm.

“You scoundrel! How dare you cause such a ruckus in this sacred place of learning!”

One might have been intimidated by the master’s angry shout, but unfortunately, the opponent was Eunho.

Eunho’s gaze turned cold as he faced the scholar.

“I was just punishing some bad kids.”

“What nonsense is that!”

“These bastards bullied ‘me’ for quite a long time. Why are you like this? You knew all along.”

“It was just friends playing around…”

“Not likely. You probably didn’t have the confidence to handle the pressure from Cheonha Merchant Guild if things got big.”

The corners of Eunho’s mouth curled up even more.

“Hey.”

“……”

The atmosphere around Eunho, who had returned after a year, had changed to become ferocious.

“Stop rolling your eyes. You’re probably thinking you can just expel me now that you have a good excuse, right?”

The headmaster’s wavering eyes fixed on Eunho.

‘This brat, his intentions are so obvious.’

“D-Don’t be unreasonable.”

“I’m in a really difficult position right now. You’re just as guilty of bullying ‘me’, you know? Because you pretended not to know when you did.”

Eunho turned his head to look at the children face-down on the ground.

“Should I beat you up too? Like that?”

But he soon shook his head.

“If I came back after beating up the headmaster when I was sent to the academy, my father, the ‘Cheonha Merchant Guild Master’, would be sad, right? Just expel me.”

What?

The headmaster was quite taken aback.

Not only did he turn the academy into a sea of blood, but now he’s intimidating him with those monstrous eyes, and now he’s telling him to expel him?

Is this some kind of scheme?

He couldn’t figure out what ulterior motives were behind this.

Moreover, with even the Cheonha Merchant Guild master being mentioned, he felt suffocated by every word Eunho spoke.

“Hey.”

The headmaster’s eyes snapped open at Eunho’s low voice.

“I told you not to roll your eyes. I’m getting more and more inclined to beat you up, so just expel me.”

In fact, if it weren’t for revenge, there would have been no reason to bother coming to the academy.

He was too busy consuming natural energy to waste time on this.

In the end, the headmaster had no choice but to follow Eunho’s words.

“T-Then don’t come back starting tomorrow.”

Seeing his awkward attitude, Eunho tilted his head and furrowed his brows again.

“Isn’t it a bit much to speak informally now that I’m no longer your student?”

Flinch.

“Y-You may leave.”

Only then did Eunho turn around with a satisfied smile.

***

“That’s how it happened.”

Eunho calmly explained what had occurred at the academy.

Of course, he excluded the part about intimidating the headmaster.

There were kids who had bullied him for a long time, and he beat them up. Quite severely.

As the story progressed, Ha Jinwi’s expression changed moment by moment before he finally burst into hearty laughter.

“Hahaha! My son, you did well. I feel so satisfied! Don’t worry. There are plenty of other academies…”

“No, I’m done with academies.”

“Huh? Why?”

“I think I’m a bit shy around strangers.”

Eunho’s expression was serious.

Ha Jinwi and Jang Gwan-pyeong’s faces crumpled.

A shy person beats up all the kids and comes back?

Just as they were about to argue…

“Then I’ll be going now.”

Eunho quickly left the room after a brief farewell.

The two remaining men exchanged glances.

Judging by their eye movements, they seemed to be thinking various thoughts.

“What do you think?”

“I think the same as you, sir.”

“Right. It seems his body has definitely fully recovered.”

“Indeed, a man should at least learn enough martial arts to protect himself.”

Both men’s faces were brimming with joy.

It feels like he just woke up yesterday, and now he’s even ready for martial arts!

“Chief Steward! Bring that person here immediately!”

Ha Jinwi spoke with an excited voice.

“I’ll send the fastest carriage in Cheonha Merchant Guild!”

The Chief Steward was equally excited.

***

Meals were a kind of battle and always intense.

His chopsticks were like a master’s sword.

His fierce hand movements seemed to be heading towards the stir-fried bok choy, but then suddenly veered towards the dong po pork.

It was a skilled movement that cleverly mixed feints and real attacks.

His pupils, focused solely on the target, showed a high level of concentration.

A large, juicy piece of dong po pork was sucked into Eunho’s mouth in an instant.

Yes, this is the taste.

Eunho, his mouth full and chewing vigorously, finally looked around.

What’s this?

Ha Jinwi, the master of Cheonha Merchant Guild, and Chief Steward Jang Gwan-pyeong.

They hadn’t even picked up their chopsticks, instead drawing large arcs with their eyes.

Eunho’s brows furrowed.

“What is it?”

What? What’s so good? Let me know too.

“Hm? It’s nothing. Haha, just watching you eat is enough to make this father feel full.”

“Master, it’s the same for me. I feel like I might get indigestion at this rate. Hahaha.”

They’ve gone mad.

Eunho’s brows furrowed even more.

Forget it. Humans are just disgustingly prone to laughter.

In fact, Ha Jinwi and Jang Gwan-pyeong weren’t particularly prone to laughter.

How could the faces of those bearing important responsibilities in a massive organization always be bright?

It was just the fact that Eunho had awakened that made them laugh.

Just as Eunho was about to start using his chopsticks again…

“Eunho.”

“Yes. What is it?”

Come on, if you have something to say, say it quickly.

“What do you think is most important for a man?”

Eunho’s brows furrowed again at this sudden philosophical question, but he soon gave it serious thought.

In fact, although he was satisfied with his peaceful daily life after reincarnation, he couldn’t shake off a feeling of emptiness.

“Money?”

“Huh?”

“Isn’t it money? The reason why you, Father, are respected by countless people is also because of that, right?”

“Uahaha! As expected, that’s the insight of my son. Yes, money is important! Then, what’s the next most important thing?”

Eunho slightly furrowed his brows as if finding it ridiculous.

Why ask such an obvious thing?

“The power to protect that money, right?”

The eyes of the two men watching Eunho narrowed.

This was a child born into Cheonha Merchant Guild and raised without worries all his life.

It wasn’t something that should come from the mouth of a child who had grown up without want, never having anything taken from him.

He had definitely changed.

But there was a more important main point remaining.

“You’ve given quite a close answer. To be precise, you need the power to protect yourself. Even if everything is taken away, as long as your body is intact, you can start over.”

Ha Jinwi’s expression, which had been grinning all along, became quite serious.

Seeing this, the corners of Eunho’s mouth twitched imperceptibly.

I know what you’re going to say.

“Are you saying I should learn martial arts?”

“You’re quick-witted. Yes. Just because you were born and raised in a merchant house doesn’t mean martial arts are completely unnecessary…”

“I suppose so.”

“…Don’t you need to think about it more?”

“What’s there to think about? Actually, I’ve already resolved everything I needed to, so I was wondering what to do next.”

The Chief Steward interjected in their conversation.

“When you say things to resolve, what do you mean?”

“There were such things. I’m a teenager with many secrets I can’t talk about yet, so please understand.”

While they were curious about what needed to be resolved, they liked his straightforward answer.

“Well, that’s good. Then let’s start by forming your danjeon soon.”

“Why don’t we just do it right after we finish eating?”

It was a drive that felt not just cool, but almost chilling.

Originally, Eunho had never been one to postpone things that needed to be done.

As it seemed all matters were concluded, the battle on the dining table resumed, and the faces of the two men who had achieved their intended goal bloomed even more brightly than before.

***

Eunho sat cross-legged with Ha Jinwi and Jang Gwan-pyeong standing reverently on his left and right.

It looked as if they were standing guard.

“Forming the danjeon is not a difficult task, so let’s start before that person arrives.”

“That person?”

“Yes. I’ve called someone to teach you martial arts. That person is like a master to your father.”

He felt a bit excited.

Given Cheonha Merchant Guild’s financial power, they would probably bring in the headmaster of some famous martial arts school.

“Close your eyes and do as I say.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t answer.”

“Yes.”

Ha Jinwi’s expression crumpled.

“I said don’t answer, son?”

“……”

Now that there was no answer, it strangely made him angry.

His son was truly excellent at the art of provoking people.

“First, we need to open the first blocked meridian.”

Eunho slowly began to move his energy according to his father’s words.

“It’s not a difficult task, but rushing won’t do any good, so slowly tap on the blocked meridian.”

Huh? It’s already open?

As Eunho frowned, Ha Jinwi, seeing this, carefully continued.

“Then next…”

Something is strange.

All the meridians his father said needed to be opened are already open.

“Especially this Miaohui point is important for later when penetrating the Ren Vessel, so…”

That’s not the important thing. They’re all already open.

“Fath…”

“Shh. I told you not to speak.”

Ha Jinwi was more serious than ever before.

Although it wasn’t a difficult task, there was no harm in being careful when manipulating energy.

“Now finally, starting from the left abdomen, through the middle danjeon at the solar plexus, and then passing through the right waist…”

He slowly moved the energy.

Tssss-

Along with a sound like something burning, white steam leaked out above Eunho’s head.

Ugh, shit.

He almost cursed out loud.

Easy, you said? No pain, you said? Bull crap. It’s incredibly hot.

Jang Gwan-pyeong, who had been standing guard in a sword-drawing stance without a sword, opened his eyes wide.

“Um… My lord. Doesn’t this seem a bit strange?”

Ha Jinwi’s eyes also began to waver slightly.

But the goal was right in front of them.

“Finally, if you blow energy between the Guanyuan (Navel) and Mingmen (Life-Gate) points, the danjeon will be properly formed.”

Despite the pain of his entire body burning, Eunho moved the energy.

He had already started, and if he stopped here, he felt like he might fall into qi deviation.

He slowly tapped the energy between the Guanyuan and Mingmen points, about three inches below the navel.

His lower abdomen swelled up as if it would burst at any moment.

“Urgh.”

Something violently surged up his esophagus.

He tried to hold it in. Whatever it was, he’d try to hold it in for now…

Can’t hold it. Shit!

“Bleeurgh!”

Unable to hold it in any longer, Eunho started vomiting, and dark, congealed blood poured out of his mouth.

Ha Jinwi and Jang Gwan-pyeong were alarmed and put their hands on Eunho’s shoulders, but.

“Ugh.”

It felt like their hands would burn.

Eunho’s body was like a ball of fire.

“How can this be…!”

Eunho’s vomiting showed no signs of stopping and repeated several times.

Ah… so this is how a thousand years of merit crumbles.

There wasn’t a single part of his body that had any strength left.

And so, Eunho’s body collapsed lifelessly.

Ha Jinwi, who had hurriedly picked up the unconscious Eunho, shouted.

“Doctor! Call a doctor immediately!”

Tears that looked like they would fall at any moment began to well up in Ha Jinwi’s eyes.

He had made a mistake.

He thought his son had fully recovered.

Right… there had been more than one or two strange things…

***

The expression of the doctor taking Eunho’s pulse was not good.

As if he had seen something he shouldn’t have.

Ha Jinwi, who had been watching from the side, shouted with a tearful voice.

“Hey! Say something!”

Jang Gwan-pyeong’s shoulders, with his head bowed low, were quietly shaking, and the floor was damp.

The doctor with a troubled expression looked at the two men and carefully opened his mouth.

“This is…”

“W-What is it!”

If his son were to die again like this…

He wouldn’t have the courage to face his wife even in death.

“It’s too much.”

“Huh…?”

What’s too much? Yes, my sins are this great.

“The internal energy… it’s too much.”