By Zephyria 
You son of a bitch.
He had always looked down on Kwon Rae-i as the son of a concubine.
He had never even given him a brotherly glance.
He had kidnapped and tortured Han-seon, his closest aide, and had him killed in such a miserable state…!
“That’s not all. I’ll make sure you never lack for women in your life. This brother will guarantee your nightlife. You’re still young, but once you open your eyes, you’ll see paradise. I’ll carefully select beauties from all over the world and have them entertain you in groups…”
Tang! Taang!
The increasingly desperate begging was cut off by gunshots.
Kwon Hyeon-oh, with two bullets lodged in his shoulder, writhed like a worm as he collapsed onto the round table.
The spots where the bullets had struck were exactly the same as the area where Woo Tae-hwon had stabbed him with a knife.
“Keu-haaaack…!”
Kwon Hyeon-oh screamed and clutched his shoulder. The elders, their buttocks glued to their chairs, quietly averted their eyes as if they hadn’t seen his suffering. They knew that if they made even a peep, they would be next.
“Brother.”
Kwon Rae-i walked toward him.
Step by step, the faces of those covered in blood hardened as the sound of his footsteps grew closer. The red blood looked even more vivid against their pale, deathly faces.
“I’ve been thinking about it. I’ve decided now.”
Kwon Rae-i shoved the gun barrel into Kwon Hyeon-oh’s mouth, which was wide open from screaming.
“I should cut out this snake-like tongue first.”
His tongue was seared by the gun barrel, which had become hot from the continuous firing.
“Hi-heu, eu-heok!”
Kwon Hyeon-oh tried to push Kwon Rae-i away, but his strength was not enough. Kwon Rae-i pushed the gun barrel even deeper, stabbing the back of his throat. Kwon Hyeon-oh trembled with fear. His leg, which was hanging off the edge of the round table, trembled, and the side of his pants near his crotch began to get warm.
He wet himself, reeking of urine, and grabbed Kwon Rae-i’s arm.
His desire to live seemed to be suppressed by fear and was not functioning as it should.
“Hah-heu, heu-heu, keueu…”
He sobbed.
He was in a truly miserable state.
Half of his face, which had been caved in by Woo Tae-hwon, was covered in bandages, one of his ears was gone, he had gunshot wounds in his shoulder, and a hot gun was stuck in his throat. On top of that, he had wet himself.
Kwon Rae-i looked at him with merciless eyes, filled with contempt. He had no intention of forgiving him. Rather, this was just a taste of what was to come.
From now on, Kwon Hyeon-oh would be dragged to a suitable place and tortured day and night.
It had been a long time since he had traced back the factory where Han-seon had been tortured. He deserved to suffer the same fate there, or even worse.
Kwon Rae-i smiled eerily and pressed the gun barrel down, down, down.
His flawless, beautiful face and pale complexion were both mysterious and imposing. He seemed like an impossible, unreal being. If a creature from mythology were to appear in the world, it would probably look just like Kwon Rae-i.
With the gun barrel shoved deep into Kwon Hyeon-oh’s mouth, he raised his other hand high and began to punch him. Kwon Hyeon-oh was afraid that the trigger might be pulled, so he couldn’t resist and had no choice but to be beaten black and blue.
“Keuheok! Heup, keo, keoeok…!”
The leather-gloved fist visibly ruptured Kwon Hyeon-oh’s face.
The bandages were stained with blood, and his flesh was torn. The wounds that had barely healed all burst open, making him a gruesome sight to behold. The splattered blood stained the round table.
And even as they watched Kwon Hyeon-oh being beaten to a pulp, the three surviving elders of the Gyeongjeong Faction had no choice but to pretend they didn’t see.
Kwon Hyeon-oh was finished.
The ledger and the money were in Kwon Rae-i’s hands.
Moreover, even Woo Tae-hwon, whom they had put out a warrant for and searched so desperately for, was by Kwon Rae-i’s side.
‘So the youngest was the real deal.’
Kwon Rae-i didn’t even bat an eye as he destroyed a person. His cold, ruthless eyes gleamed like a sharp sword. That demeanor was reminiscent of Chairman Kwon Jung-il in his younger days.
‘How could no one have known about his existence until now?’
They had simply thought of him as an insignificant son of a concubine, weak and sickly, and therefore unremarkable. His appearance, due to his albinism, was striking, and he was somewhat beautiful, like his mother. He might be a flower in a greenhouse, but they never thought he was a beast who would bare his fangs.
No, Kwon Rae-i was more than just a fierce beast…
‘The Chairman’s blood…’
Anyone would be overwhelmed when they saw someone who transcended the ordinary. People often referred to this as a difference in class. And they often compared reverence and respect to this.
‘The manifestation of a dragon.’
Like the expression “a dragon rises from a ditch.” This was the highest form of praise.
Thwack, thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Kwon Rae-i’s cruel punishment continued for quite some time afterward. It didn’t stop even after Kwon Hyeon-oh lost consciousness.
That was enough time for Woo Tae-hwon to gather all the ledgers and money bags, for Jeon Ho-chang to clean up all of Kwon Hyeon-oh’s underlings who were left upstairs, and for them to storm into the underground casino.
Eventually, Jeon Ho-chang, followed by Jeun Faction members wielding blunt weapons, poured into this private room. The elders of the Gyeongjeong Faction, who had witnessed their arrival, had no choice but to declare their complete surrender.
They had realized that Kwon Rae-i had the Jeun Faction backing him.
‘Is this how an era comes to an end?’
In the midst of the upheaval, the old and senile drank from the cup of defeat.
They had been so confident that they still had the vigor of their prime, that they were more than capable of dealing with the young princes of the Gyeongjeong Faction. They had believed that their years of experience, the assets they had accumulated over the years, and the hidden cards they each held in their hands would be enough.
But the reality was this.
The old dragon dies, and the young dragon ascends.
Finally, the ruler of the sky changes.
Because that is the flow of nature, the monster that is the change of the times.
Thud!
Kwon Rae-i continued to beat the unconscious Kwon Hyeon-oh for quite some time even after Jeon Ho-chang and the Jeun Faction members had all arrived. Even though he was covered in blood and his face was unrecognizable.
It was only when Kwon Rae-i was being looked at with fear or awe by not only the elders of the Gyeongjeong Faction but also the members of the Jeun Faction that the one-sided assault finally stopped. It was the result of a delicate adjustment, so that Kwon Hyeon-oh wouldn’t die.
“…Hoo.”
Kwon Rae-i threw away the blood-soaked gloves without hesitation and raised his head.
His pistol was still stuck in Kwon Hyeon-oh’s throat, but no one dared to reach out and take the pistol from Kwon Hyeon-oh, who was sprawled out in the center of the round table.
Kwon Rae-i took off both gloves and wiped his face with the back of his clean hand. The blood that had splattered on his face smeared red as it was wiped away.
“Ho-chang-ah. The elders are leaving. Escort them with the utmost care.”
“Ah, th-that… Yes.”
“Even a child would know that they shouldn’t do anything foolish since the ledger is in my hands. If they try to leave the country, go into hiding, or run away in the middle of the night, I’ll find them and kill them.”
Kwon Rae-i smiled, his eyes narrowing. His pale blue-gray eyes shone like clean glass beads.
“Besides, well, you’re all knowledgeable enough to know that you shouldn’t forget to make your monthly payments on time. You’ve probably been secretly pocketing a lot of money, so I’ll be receiving five times the existing tribute for the time being.”
“…Tribute? Does that mean the funds that go to the Gyeongjeong Faction?”
“Yes, the operating funds for the KJ Sponsorship Foundation. Do you still think I’m just a concubine’s son who doesn’t know anything?”
“Ahem. Hmm…”
“Since three of you will have to split the share of five people, the existing tribute will increase by about 8.3 times per person. Well, I’ll round it down and consider it 8 times per person.”
“8 times? That, that much…”
“Can’t pay? Then you die.”
Kwon Rae-i signaled to Jeon Ho-chang as if there was nothing more to say. The gesture of waving his hand seemed as if he was chasing away annoying flies.
Jeon Ho-chang, understanding the instructions, called the Jeun Faction members and had them take the elders out of the room.
The elders, who were out of their minds, all had their legs give out and were dragged away like prisoners tied with ropes.
Now, all that was left in the room were two corpses and one bloodied mess who was unconscious.
“…”
“…”
In the chilling air and thick stench of blood, the hot energy of the Jeun Faction members could be felt. Their operation had been a great success, and it couldn’t have been more perfect. They had not only won their first victory in the war against the Gyeongjeong Faction, but they had also achieved everything they had wanted.
A great victory, indeed! A great victory!
The silence that had been going on subsided, and a subtly excited atmosphere began to rise.
Everyone was exhausted from the fierce battle, but they seemed to be happy with the greater sense of accomplishment and elation. Even Jeon Ho-chang was like that. A subtle smile was drawn on his face as he gathered the ledgers and money bags.
But, right then.