No wonder there were so many cars outside.
The house was packed.
From the entrance all the way to the top of the staircase, the place was crammed with men who practically screamed, Yeah, we're gangsters. So what? Tight shirts, arms and legs covered in gaudy tattoos—every single one of them turned to stare at Jin-hyuk.
So this is their style.
He'd wondered how they planned to make him give up.
Now he had a pretty good idea.
Anyone else would've been intimidated senseless by the sight.
But Jin-hyuk wasn't just anyone.
"Hello," he said casually, and started up the stairs.
"'Hello,' my ass. This bastard still doesn't get the situation."
He ignored the jeers.
Not because he hadn't heard them.
First, this was exactly what he'd expected. Second, his mood right now was impossibly light.
The Black Dragon's scale he'd been worried about not finding?
He'd found it.
"Wow, you're young and already successful. How old are you?"
"Heard you made bank off crypto. Mind sharing some? We're dirt poor here."
The taunts came nonstop, but no one actually made a move. Apparently they'd been told not to touch him.
At the top of the stairs lay a lush green garden.
If they'd just get rid of that hideous shipping container, it would be perfect.
"Oh! Mr. Yoo Jin-hyuk, you're here?"
At a table in the center of the garden sat three familiar faces.
Lee Geum-sook, Ji Cheol-ju, and Kim Cheol-woo—the same people from the real estate office yesterday.
They were having tea like they owned the place.
"We were just having a cup. You don't mind, right?"
"Even if you do, we're not stopping."
Lee Geum-sook and Kim Cheol-woo grinned at each other.
Yesterday's friendly smiles were long gone.
Of course they were.
They'd already caught the fish.
Jin-hyuk clenched his fist.
Not because of them.
But because he remembered the scammer from middle school who'd tricked him out of his items.
That bastard had been friendly too—right up until he'd asked Jin-hyuk to drop his items and sucked them up with a magnet bug.
Son of a bitch.
He headed for the front door.
"You know you've already paid the full amount, right? No backing out now."
Lee Geum-sook and Kim Cheol-woo kept sneering. Ji Cheol-ju, on the other hand, stayed silent.
Is it really him?
He'd checked the CCTV and the SNS footage.
Still, he couldn't be certain.
Could that mild-looking guy really be the one who'd done that in broad daylight?
How is that psycho so sure?
Ryu Seung-kwon had declared, without hesitation, that Yoo Jin-hyuk was the culprit.
Either he really was the culprit.
Or Ryu just needed someone—anyone—to vent his rage on.
Damn it. Either way, this is bad.
There was a reason Ji Cheol-ju hadn't dared treat Jin-hyuk carelessly.
The baseball bat the man in the black cap had used—it wasn't ordinary.
It felt like it was reinforced with military-grade steel. Absurdly sturdy. Heavy too. Yet he'd swung it effortlessly.
Most of the men they'd brought today were Players, sure—but low-level, nothing special.
If Yoo Jin-hyuk and the man in the black cap were the same person, things could turn ugly.
Where the hell is that psycho?
Ji Cheol-ju checked his watch.
Despite being under house arrest by his father, Ryu Seung-kwon had insisted on coming personally.
As long as Ryu arrived, it wouldn't matter whether this guy was the black cap or not.
Ryu might be insane, but his strength was undeniable.
No matter how capable the black cap was, he wouldn't stand a chance.
"You done talking? I'm going inside."
Jin-hyuk opened the door.
The smell hit him immediately.
God. Feet.
The shoe rack was crammed with leather shoes and sneakers, reeking like something had died.
Air purification costs: 500 million won.
The interior was worse.
Dozens of shirtless thugs were sprawled all over the place.
Some were even smoking.
When Carmella smoked her pipe, it didn't smell like this. This was unbearable.
Nicotine and tar had soaked into everything.
That's another billion.
He looked toward one pig of a man with his feet propped up on the wall.
On the wall.
Wallpaper replacement: 3 billion.
"What the hell you looking at?"
"Easy, man. The kid's about to piss himself."
Jin-hyuk ignored them and walked further in.
Clink.
He shut his eyes briefly.
Now they were eating too?
Five billion more.
He heard water running from the bathroom. He threw the door open.
Another pig was washing his hands in the sink.
Water bill: 10 billion.
Then he saw it.
Filth splattered around the toilet.
His stomach churned.
One hundred billion.
"What? Gotta take a dump? Should wipe that seat first. And buy some towels—nowhere to dry my hands."
The pig walked over and wiped his wet hands on Jin-hyuk's clothes.
Jin-hyuk calmly set down the bag he'd been carrying.
Inspection complete.
"Three hundred billion in total."
"What? The hell are you talking about?"
"You got three hundred billion?"
"If we had that, would we be—"
BOOM!
A deafening crash shook the house.
The pig slammed into the bathroom wall, eyes rolled back.
"If you don't have money, you can pay with your body. Wall repair: ten billion more."
Running a hand through his hair, Jin-hyuk stepped into the living room.
Moments ago it had been filled with laughter and mockery.
Now it was dead silent.
Every eye was on him.
Question marks practically painted on their faces.
What just happened?
He didn't wait for them to process it.
He walked over and kicked the pig who'd had his feet on the wall.
The man flew straight through the veranda window.
The shattering glass snapped everyone back to reality.
"K-Kill him!"
"Get him!"
Dozens of thugs charged.
Jin-hyuk didn't even look at them.
Instead, he inhaled slowly and closed his eyes.
Not ideal test subjects for a first run—but they'd have to do.
"You crazy bastard!"
Massive fists and weapons swung toward him.
He sensed them with his Killing Intent—but didn't dodge.
He waited.
Until they stepped into range.
And the moment they did—
BOOM!
One man was slammed into the floor with a single palm strike.
Shouldn't close my eyes in the Tower.
Killing Intent's range scaled with the level of Goblin Killing Fist.
Right now, at Basic Grade Level 1, the detection range was pitifully small.
He had to react in a split second.
If he were facing someone stronger—like Kalik of the Three Evils from the 13th floor—it might be cutting it close.
But against these slow pigs?
More than enough.
Whoosh!
He deflected a weapon and lightly pressed a finger to a thug's forehead.
"…?"
It didn't look like much.
But a heartbeat later—
Crack!
The man was blasted across the room.
One-Inch Punch.
The technique Renya had used to shatter a boulder on the mountain peak.
How long had it been?
Jin-hyuk opened his eyes.
No one was charging anymore.
They were either sprawled across the floor or backing away in fear.
He wasn't letting them escape.
In a blink, he grabbed one by the hair.
"Crawl out. It's my house."
One by one, he tossed them over the veranda.
Even the groaning ones weren't spared.
He nudged them out with his foot if he had to.
"Hm."
When he was done, he dusted off his hands.
Finally.
Now it felt like his house.
Repairs would be needed—but that would be paid for with their money.
He turned and walked onto the veranda.
For some reason, the three were standing now.
"Why are you up? Keep drinking your coffee."
Of course that was impossible.
A flying thug had crash-landed on their table.
W-What the hell…
Cold sweat trickled down Ji Cheol-ju's back.
Things had seemed too easy.
"What the hell is this bastard doing?! Hey! Get up here!"
More men rushed up the stairs—
BOOM!
—and were immediately crushed.
"Ji, Director Ji, do something!"
"What are you doing? Smash him already!"
Ji Cheol-ju shot Lee Geum-sook and Kim Cheol-woo a glare.
These old fools—did they have eyes or not?
He wanted to rip them out.
"Shut up," he growled.
"What? You're talking to me like that?"
"Shut your mouth before I cave your face in."
He clenched his teeth.
He'd been in this line of work long enough to know.
Yoo Jin-hyuk was beyond their level.
They had to stall.
Until Ryu Seung-kwon arrived.
"Wait," Ji Cheol-ju said, clearing the thugs off a chair and setting the table upright before sitting down.
"Come sit. No need to stand."
Jin-hyuk crooked a finger.
The three exchanged glances.
Ji Cheol-ju sat first.
Jin-hyuk looked at him like he was ridiculous.
He pointed at the floor with his chin.
After a cough, Ji Cheol-ju got down and sat on the ground.
Smack!
Jin-hyuk's palm struck his face.
"Kh—!"
Teeth scattered across the floor.
"Living the good life, huh? Sit properly."
Trembling, Ji Cheol-ju dropped to his knees.
Lee Geum-sook and Kim Cheol-woo followed instantly.
Ji Cheol-ju was at least a 30th-floor Player. That's why he survived that slap.
If they'd taken it, their necks would've snapped.
"Hand me your phones. Unlock them."
They obeyed instantly.
Jin-hyuk opened their banking apps and linked all accounts.
Their balances displayed clearly.
"You've got plenty of money. You saw the state of my house, right? I'll be taking repair costs."
Their eyes bulged.
You're the one who destroyed it, you lunatic!
But none of them dared say it.
They were too old to lose their teeth.
Jin-hyuk hesitated at the transfer screen.
How much was it again?
He'd forgotten while beating the pigs.
He glanced at their faces.
Then casually pressed "Transfer All."
All of it?
They flinched—but didn't dare stop him.
He even forced face recognition one by one.
"Phew."
When the transfer completed, his chest felt lighter.
Nice.
Hundreds of billions in one go.
"Why'd you have to push it this far? I was going to let you leave quietly."
He wasn't lying.
He'd bought a 15-billion-won house for 5 billion.
He had some conscience.
He'd only planned to ask Carmella to scare them into running.
That was before he saw what they'd done to the place.
"Karma," he muttered.
BOOM!
The mansion's front gate shot into the sky.
He'd left it unlocked.
And they still smashed it.
He'd have to charge that guy too.
"You black-capped bastard!!!"
Ji Cheol-ju's face lit up.
He never thought he'd be happy to see that madman.
Either way—
It was over now.
----------
T/N:
Just for being a free member, you'll get 5 advanced chapters every week!
Access 35 chapters in advance on my Patreon:[email protected]//towerup