"Alright! Now that the marriage is settled, it's time for the cutting ceremony!"

"Huh...!"

As Seo-jun unsheathed his sword and marched forward, Mr. Seong stumbled back in fear, tripping over his own feet and landing hard on his rear. Pale-faced, he frantically waved his hands.

"W-why are you doing this? You can't solve everything with brute force!"

"Look at this guy, suddenly trying to sound logical."

"I'm not just pretending to be logical; it's the truth, isn't it?"

"Wrong."

"What...?"

Seo-jun took a large step forward and bent down to look Mr. Seong directly in the eye.

"Let me give you some advice."

Through Seo-jun’s dark eyes, a faint golden aura began to flicker.

As their eyes met, Mr. Seong couldn’t move a single muscle, not even a finger. It was as if he were facing something indescribable, and his mind, wiped clean of all thought, could only focus on survival.

"In the martial world, strength is law, and the weak are sinners. Sometimes, just being weak is enough to invite injustice."

Each word etched itself into the blank slate that was Mr. Seong’s mind.

His body trembled uncontrollably as he stood there with his mouth agape.

"Heroes are praised for the same reason. They don't just survive in the world of the strong; they also consider the plight of the weak."

There was no resistance. He couldn’t oppose it.

The words now engraved in his mind became an absolute law, binding Mr. Seong's body in place.

"But I'm no hero. Do you understand? If you act stupidly, you’re dead."

Mr. Seong’s breath became ragged as the golden aura in Seo-jun’s eyes grew stronger. He felt his consciousness slipping away.

"Are you not going to answer me?"

"Guh..."

With a thud, Mr. Seong collapsed, his eyes rolling back into his head.

Seo-jun blinked in surprise, darting his eyes around.

"What the... I didn't even do anything."

He glanced back at Seong Ihyang and the man standing with her, who were slowly stepping away, hand in hand.

"I swear, I'm innocent..."

He truly felt wronged.

•  

The man introduced himself as Yang Chu-il. Not that it really mattered.

Seo-jun was simply satisfied that, through Seong Ihyang’s testimony, he had successfully proven himself to be an innocent citizen.

"So, you were just acting?" Yang Chu-il asked, still sounding somewhat uncertain.

"Didn’t it seem obvious? I don’t think I’m very good at acting."

"Well... um..."

Yang Chu-il hesitated, not knowing how to tell Seo-jun that he had appeared too much like a genuine madman for anyone to notice whether it was acting or not.

As Yang Chu-il stayed silent, Seo-jun stroked his chin.

"Maybe I’m more talented at acting than I thought."

Though it wasn’t true, Seong Ihyang nodded along anyway.

"Yes... Thank you. Honestly, I acted out of anger and impulse, but I’m still not sure... Will I really not be a burden to him?"

"Ihyang, what are you talking about? Of course not."

"Uncle..."

"Ihyang..."

Watching the two quickly drift into their own little world, Seo-jun clicked his tongue.

"Ugh, this is annoying."

Here he was, single, and these two were fawning over each other right in front of him.

Tsk tsk. Clicking his tongue again, Seo-jun picked up the unconscious Mr. Seong and tossed him into his house.

Before he let go, he subtly used his internal energy to mess with Seong’s body, ensuring that any time he tried to exert himself in the future, he'd be in for a rough time.

Originally, Seo-jun had considered cutting off a limb or two, but that felt like overkill. This way was more efficient.

If Seong Ihyang ever decided to fight him, she'd probably win now.

"Anyway, be careful around that guy. Who knows, he might snap and come after you with a knife."

"Unless he gets so scared he kills himself, I doubt he’ll try anything. But I’ll be careful," Yang Chu-il replied, nodding.

With that, Seo-jun stretched his arms and smiled.

"Well, Operation Matchmaking was a complete success!"

Now, the only remaining mission was to calm down the sulking Geum Chun-bong.

•  

Seo-jun returned to the old woman’s house and hopped over the fence, slipping into the room where Chun-bong was still fast asleep.

No matter how much of a napper she was, this was too long. He shook her gently to wake her up.

"Hey, Chun-bong. If you keep this up, you won’t be able to sleep tonight."

"Ugh... noisy... five more minutes..."

"Oh no! If you don’t wake up right now, I’ll just go ahead and get married."

Chun-bong’s eyes snapped open.

"Wha... what!?"

Her face flushed bright red as she flailed her arms.

"How could you! After everything...!"

"Hm. Seems like that got your attention."

"You bastard!"

After taking a few light punches, Seo-jun lifted her up and set her on his shoulders.

"Alright, Chun-bong. Want to go for a walk with your oppa?"

"...Where now?"

"The bandit hideout?"

"Do you ever go anywhere normal for a walk?"

With a deep sigh, Chun-bong grumbled, but Seo-jun knew she’d follow him anyway.

And so, with Chun-bong riding on his shoulders, he left the room.

•  

"Wow, no matter how many times I see it, it’s still impressive. Doesn’t it look like a work of art?"

Seo-jun stood admiring the frozen bandit camp.

When he’d unleashed his power earlier, the yin energy had covered the place so thoroughly that it hadn’t dissipated yet. The whole scene looked like something out of Pompeii, with frozen bandits standing around like statues.

"A work of art? Are you insane?" Chun-bong scoffed.

"Hey, that’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?"

"No, really. I think something’s seriously wrong with your brain."

"Ugh."

Feigning shock, Seo-jun made his way into the camp, looking around.

"Let’s see... Is there anything useful here?"

"Who knows?"

Chun-bong jumped off Seo-jun’s shoulders and began rummaging through the camp as well.

Despite being a bandit hideout, it looked more like a small village nestled in the mountains.

Surprisingly, for a group of bandits, the place was well-furnished.

"Oh, this must’ve been the leader’s quarters."

Seo-jun kicked open the door of the largest building and peeked inside, immediately grimacing.

"Wow... Did this guy ever clean?"

It was a mess. Despite being frozen, there was still a nasty odor lingering in the air that made him uncomfortable just standing there.

"Ugh... Do all men live like this?" Chun-bong muttered, covering her nose.

"Hey! Chun-bong, that’s a pretty sexist comment. Be careful with that kind of talk!"

"Shut up."

Chun-bong snorted and, with one hand still covering her nose, drew her sword and began searching through the place.

Seo-jun joined in, sifting through the junk and garbage.

"Oh, what’s this?"

Among the trash, they found a few silver coins and other trinkets. But one item in particular stood out.

"Let me see."

Opening a small pouch, Chun-bong clicked her tongue.

"Looks like Georyeong Shindan."

"A divine pill? Is it any good?"

"Most people call it Georyeong Japdan because it’s trash."

"What."

Then why call it a divine pill? That name’s misleading.

"That’s just how the Green Forest guys are. They call their martial arts Georyeong Divine Art, but it’s trash. Their martial arts are just crap."

"Sounds like they’re a bit full of themselves."

"But the leader is actually at a pretty high level."

"What."

If the leader’s that strong, isn’t it technically a divine art?

As Seo-jun blinked in surprise, Chun-bong smirked.

"The leader is the odd one out. If he had joined a proper sect, he’d be famous by now. I don’t know why he chose the Green Forest with that kind of talent."

"Oh..."

"Don’t 'oh' me! He’s a bastard, through and through."

As Seo-jun gently stroked her head, Chun-bong flinched and squealed, clearly enjoying it.

"Eek! Stop it!"

"Aww, you’re adorable."

"Stop calling me that!"

"Aw, our Chun-bong is so cute!"

"Ugh...!"

Watching her squirm, Seo-jun laughed and casually popped one of the Georyeong Shindan into his mouth.

"Why are you eating that!?"

"Time for a quick test."

"Are you out of your mind!? Spit it out right now! That thing makes your internal energy go berserk, you idiot!"

Her face going pale, Chun-bong lunged at Seo-jun, but it was already too late. He had swallowed the pill.

"Spit it out! Spit it out, now!"

She clenched her fist, clearly intending to punch him in the stomach to force it out.

Panicking, Seo-jun waved his hands.

"Wait! I’m fine, seriously! Just give me a second!"

Though Chun-bong stomped her feet in frustration, Seo-jun remained calm.

He could feel the disgusting taste of the pill as it went down his throat, and soon his body began to buzz with a strange sensation as the pill’s energy stirred within him.

‘So, this is how it works.’

His internal energy became rough and unrefined. While the pill did increase his energy, as Chun-bong had warned, it was more of a stimulant that caused the energy to run wild.

Closing his eyes, Seo-jun carefully observed the flow of energy inside him.

The berserk energy and the heat rising in his body felt like they were mixed with some kind of drug, making his mind feel slightly euphoric.

"Whoo..."

Exhaling slowly, Seo-jun expelled the pill’s effects from his body and nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright, I’ve got it now. I understand the level of the Georyeong Shindan."

"You’re... okay?"

Chun-bong, standing on her tiptoes, inspected Seo-jun’s face.

Seo-jun smiled and pinched her cheeks.

"Of course. It’s not great, but it’s not useless either."

It wasn’t some kind of miracle pill, but it did what Chun-bong said—it made internal energy go berserk. In simple terms, it acted as a temporary power boost by exploding one’s latent potential, though it would likely leave the user bedridden for days afterward.

"I shall name this martial art Georyeong Shin-gong."

"...What did you just say?"

"It’s a martial art that bursts one’s latent power beyond their limits."

In short, it was an overdrive technique—pushing beyond one’s limits but paying the price for it.

However, that wasn’t the part that caught Chun-bong’s attention.

"Georyeong Shin-gong is already the name of those Green Forest bastards’ technique!"

"No, no, think about it. The Green Forest guys are criminals we’re going to deal with anyway, right?"

"And?"

"So, if I take them all down, wouldn’t that make me the original creator of Georyeong Shin-gong?"

"And you think people would be okay with you using a name like that?"

"I’m not going to shout ‘Georyeong Shin-gong!’ every time I use it, so who cares?"

Chun-bong tilted her head in thought.

"Is that... true?"

"Of course it is."

"That kind of makes sense?"

"Right?"

It was settled, then.

From now on, this technique would be called Georyeong Shin-gong.