“Please don't look at me with those eyes, Mister Kang Jin-Ho. I'm not challenging you, you know? As I said before, I'm trying to survive here. I'm not stupid enough to think that you'll spare me after provoking you.” Choi Jin-Yeong coolly shrugged his shoulders. “Before that fateful day, I always thought of myself as a martial artist. But never did I think martial arts would have such a commanding grip over one's life and death. Yes, I've seen many people die. A quirk of being a part of this world and all that. But that is... Well, I'd say that's not in the domain of martial arts, but more in the criminal activity side of things.”

“Mm...” Bang Jin-Hun slowly nodded. He thought he could understand Choi Jin-Yeong's sentiments a lot better now.

“And that's when I felt something...” Choi Jin-Yeong sneaked another glance in Kang Jin-Ho's direction. When their eyes met, Choi Jin-Yeong couldn't deal with the pressure and hurriedly turned his head away. After fake-coughing to clear his throat, Choi Jin-Yeong continued to explain himself. “What I felt was this sense of deprivation, so to speak. It's like my life is no longer mine. How I managed to keep my head that day wasn't anything special, really. I lived because Mister Kang Jin-Ho here couldn't be bothered to swing his sword one more time. Other survivors will probably feel the same way as me. We survived because Mister Kang Jin-Ho couldn't be bothered to finish us off. But... If he was serious that day, none of...