The Hunting Dog of the Prestigious Family Has Returned Chapter 5

Clink.

The Andong Kim mansion on Hanseong’s highest layer.

Sitting in the parlor and setting down his teacup, Kim Hyunwoo sighed, recalling what had just happened.

“Phew…”

Trash completely pushed out of the succession structure after receiving a powerless judgment.

So he’d planned to show just a fragment of power to make him know his place.

But that bastard wasn’t frightened, nor did he bow his head.

Rather, he’d lost his composure, dancing to the bastard’s silver tongue, which made him feel utterly ashamed just thinking about it.

And of all people, showing such disgrace before his father…

‘Kim Changwoon… was he always like that?’

What came after anger was natural doubt.

The Kim Changwoon that Kim Hyunwoo knew was just a pitiful bastard struggling in his inferiority complex.

An idiot who kept making worthless efforts to somehow catch Father’s eye.

To somehow earn the family’s recognition.

For such a bastard to now act like an unleashed wild beast, provoking and grating on his nerves as the heir.

It was as if he’d become a different person overnight.

‘Moreover, more important than that… what he said to me.’

Kim Hyunwoo frowned, recalling what Kim Changwoon had said to him.

‘Isn’t that strange?’

‘Watching you, it seems… like you’re playing the role of the Andong Kim family head.’

Those words.

As if knowing all his thoughts, it was a phrase that struck the core.

‘Could this bastard… know?’

He briefly thought that, but soon shook his head.

That couldn’t be.

His ‘plan’ was known only to a very few among his closest confidants.

There was no possibility that an illegitimate bastard who’d barely exchanged words with him a few times would know it.

However…

‘Leaving him to do as he pleases won’t be good.’

As Kim Hyunwoo finished his thoughts and gestured, a warrior whose entire body was covered in machinery approached.

Artificial body emitting red light from various places and power cores attached to the joints.

First-grade artificial body prohibited from civilian distribution.

“Hocheol. What do you think?”

“Leaving Young Master Changwoon as is… would be dangerous.”

“But what can we do? Father told me not to act rashly.”

“I’m well aware. However…”

There are ways.

Trailing off, the guard Hocheol spoke in a lowered voice.

“…Oho.”

Guard Hocheol leaning in close and whispering in his ear.

The more he listened, the more Kim Hyunwoo’s expression, twisted with humiliation, gradually relaxed.

“Going to Hanseong’s lower levels to find a guard?”

“Yes. But that place is a lawless zone teeming with criminals and ronins… not a place for a noble’s son to casually enter.”

“If he enters such a place without proper guards… the possibility of an unavoidable ‘unfortunate incident’ would be very high.”

“Yes. And if such an ‘unfortunate incident’ occurs…”

The black visor covering Hocheol’s face.

The red light flowing from it narrowed slightly.

“Lord Kim Jungheon would be very heartbroken.”

“Ha! Haha! Hahaha—!”

Laughter burst out despite himself at Hocheol’s tasteless joke.

If that Changwoon bastard dies, what? Heartbroken?

That cold-hearted man?

Muttering that inwardly, Kim Hyunwoo nodded with a satisfied smile.

“Recruit suitable people. Skilled at their work, tight-lipped, dangerous bastards who wouldn’t be strange if they died anytime.”

“As you command.”

Bowing once, Hocheol’s form disappeared.

He’d activated optical camouflage to hide his appearance.

After his guard went outside for work.

“He said he’d bring in a guard on his own—it wasn’t entirely false.”

Kim Hyunwoo, examining the people around Changwoon, tilted his teacup with a deep smile.

“As he said, guards are indeed insufficient.”

---

“Hmm, hmmhmm.”

Speaking anew, I like money.

In this damned Joseon land, there was nothing money couldn’t buy.

What? There are values in the world money can’t buy?

The human spirit and emotions are noble things that can’t be converted to money?

No. That’s a lie.

Among those who pretended to be so noble, there wasn’t anyone who disliked that damned money.

“So.”

One week after causing that uproar with Kim Hyunwoo.

A vehicle climbing onto the elevated road heading to Hanseong’s lower levels.

Hearing my explanation, Taewoong opened his mouth with an incomprehensible expression.

“The reason you caused that uproar all day yesterday… was simply because of this money?”

“Hey, it’s not simple money.”

Looking at the numbers appearing in a corner of my vision, laughter flowed out unknowingly.

“Money in my personal account, not the family’s public account. Seed money I can use freely without the family’s surveillance network or anything. Don’t you know how important this is?”

“Yees…”

Whether he understood or not.

While speaking, the scenery reflected outside the window began changing gradually.

Buildings with the clean exterior characteristic of the highest layer gradually decreased, replaced by old buildings tangled messily with concrete and wires.

The sky where sunlight poured down had long since disappeared, and what illuminated the city were only streetlights emitting different colors and various neon signs.

This was Joseon’s largest industrial district and Joseon’s center where humans of all classes lived mixed together.

Central Hanseong, the ‘communal living district.’

“Taewoong.”

About thirty minutes remained until arrival at the destination.

Looking at Hanseong’s scenery becoming increasingly shabby moment by moment, I spoke in a casual tone.

“I’m a human born from an affair with a commoner, and the only element the family could expect from me was phase power.”

Of course, that content was absolutely not something to just pass over.

Taewoong, whose face stiffened at my sudden words, turned to look at me.

“Young Master. That’s…”

“The Andong Kim clan, Joseon’s greatest phase-wielder family. Since I inherited that blood, they expected me to have comparable phase power.”

“…”

“But now it’s certain I’m powerless. What does this mean?”

“That’s…”

Looking at Taewoong, unable to continue his words, I chuckled.

“It means the last bastion I had as a member of the power clans has disappeared.”

I continued speaking.

“Now our family won’t expect anything from me. All the privileges I enjoyed as a member of the power clans will disappear. The family elders who already looked at me unfavorably will try to erase me from the family somehow.”

“…”

“And Father… no. Lord Kim Jungheon won’t restrain them at all.”

Taewoong didn’t answer.

He probably couldn’t find appropriate words.

It didn’t matter.

I posed the question I’d held back for a long time to Taewoong.

“In this situation, continuing to be my guard won’t help your career at all. You know that well, don’t you?”

Rather the opposite.

You should quit being my guard as soon as possible for your life to work out somehow.

But…

“So why are you still here?”

“Young Master…”

Wouldn’t it be a much better judgment to just turn off your concern for me, a hat without strings, and leave to find your life?

When I asked that, Taewoong slowly shook his head.

“From the day you were first born, my duty has been to protect your safety, Young Master.”

“When the family that gave you that duty doesn’t want me?”

“Such things aren’t important.”

A body marked with scars and wounds.

The menacing mechanical body covering it.

Illuminating those, Taewoong spoke to me with a clear voice.

“To me, you are someone I must serve dedicating my entire life, Young Master. Abandoning such a person because of the family’s internal power structure is unacceptable.”

“…Huh.”

I let out a hollow laugh as if absurd.

My guard, Seo Taewoong.

As expected, this guy hasn’t changed.

‘The tutor isn’t coming? Then your free time increased. Congratulations.’

‘The servants handling meals quit… we’ll be eating out after a long time. I know a good restaurant. Come this way.’

‘A new school? Then you’ll need new clothes. I’ll accompany you, Young Master. To make new friends… there will be much to prepare.’

A guard who’d attended me to the very end, saying it was affection from watching me since childhood, even after I’d fallen to rock bottom.

Powerless.

The family’s shame.

Caring for me from the day I started being called that.

Doing all sorts of things to play the unfamiliar role of a father.

And at the end of that…

‘You must… you must live strong. Young Master.’

‘Survive. If you survive, someday, you too will have an opportunity…’

Like a son who departed first.

An idiot who discarded his life like old shoes for one reason too trivial to even speak of.

That was my guard, Seo Taewoong.

“…Right. I understand. Then.”

You foolish bastard.

Finishing my thoughts, I reached out and pulled the bundle beside me into my arms.

“Let’s try surviving this time.”

“Yes?”

The next moment.

A missile struck the roof of the car Taewoong and I were riding in.

Krrrboooom—!

With a roar, flames and smoke filled my vision.

Vehicles used by noble families were special specifications with blast-proofing.

The double and triple layered defensive armor blocked the explosion, but the vehicle unable to withstand the impact kept rolling on the ground.

“Young Master!”

The moment of attack, Taewoong, catching my body, immediately operated his artificial body at maximum output.

Red light burst from the artificial body manufactured for military use.

Krrrbooom—!

The next moment, with an explosion, one side of the vehicle burst out.

He’d struck and burst through the composite armor plate that could block missiles head-on with his bare hands.

The moment I escaped through the hole Taewoong made.

Rat-tat-tat-boom—!

Three consecutive missiles flew in and turned the vehicle into ashes.

“Are you hurt!?”

“Above!”

At my shouting voice without a hint of panic, Taewoong immediately looked up.

A silhouette covered entirely in machinery was bringing down a sword from above him.

Claaang—!

Taewoong crossed his arms and blocked the descending sword.

“Krgh?!”

Tremendous force bursting from a body enhanced with artificial body.

But Taewoong didn’t lose either, swinging his arm and sending the assailant flying far away.

Krrrash—!

With an explosion, the assailant flew far away.

The mechanical arm that had swung toward Taewoong was shredded, but as if it was nothing, he removed both his arms.

“Lost a whole set from the start. This puts me in the red, doesn’t it?”

“Don’t worry. They said they’d expense everything if we just succeed.”

“Ooh, big spenders are nice after all. Right?”

Click. Click.

The assailant replacing arms pulled from a drone that approached from behind.

Starting with that one, unidentified assailants appeared one by one around the burning car.

“Third-grade artificial bodies and military support drones. Not simple bandits. Moreover…”

Taewoong, seeing their faces, gradually narrowed his brow.

Four assailants attacked us.

And they all wore black Hahoe masks made of carbon fiber.

In this nation of Joseon, if they went around with that appearance…

“Could it be… Hahoe?”

“…”

Even hearing the name made one’s brow furrow naturally.

Hahoe.

A terrorist organization that assassinated members of power clan families and conducted sabotage operations against their subsidiary companies.

Priority zero criminal group for execution, having killed numerous phase-wielders from power clan families.

“Kim Changwoon. Seed of the heinous power clans eating away at Joseon!”

“Receive the people’s fury. I’ll turn you into ground meat right here.”

Formulaic assault.

Formulaic structure.

Those pointing guns while spouting formulaic lines.

Watching that sight, a hollow laugh came out naturally.

‘As expected.’

Hahoe? Impossible.

These guys weren’t something that fearsome.

Those leech-like bastards targeting me would be when I started gaining notoriety as the power clans’ lackey.

But right now I was just a fifteen-year-old greenhorn.

The real Hahoe probably didn’t even know of my existence.

And decisively, those haphazard equipment and utterly frivolous behavior.

These guys weren’t a grand organization like Hahoe.

‘In my previous life I was too rushed and it was just speculation, but… this confirms it.’

These things were just fakes borrowing the terrorist name Hahoe.

In reality, they were assassins the family dispatched to kill me.

“I’ll buy time. Escape to the main house somehow.”

Unable to guess that far, Taewoong who’d approached me spoke.

“I already sent a rescue signal to the main house. If you run along the road, you’ll encounter the main house’s guards…”

“No.”

Those bastards won’t come.

Saying that definitively, I looked around and spoke.

“An Andong Kim vehicle was hit by a missile, rolled on the road, and exploded. Before the rescue signal, emergency alerts should be ringing throughout the stationed Five Military Commands, and before that, the family’s emergency deployment protocol should activate.”

But here right now?

Not even the sound of a common siren.

Pointing out that fact, Taewoong’s eyes widened too.

“Then this is…”

“It’s what you’re thinking.”

Hearing my words, Taewoong clenched his teeth.

He too realized it.

This wasn’t a Hahoe assault but an assassination instigated by the power clans.

No matter how many rescue requests we sent, they wouldn’t come.

‘Kim Hyunwoo. It was worth provoking that crazy bastard.’

Assailants wearing Hahoe masks.

The burning car.

And even Taewoong blocking before me.

Exactly the same as the scene remaining in my memory.

An assault that originally should have occurred about five more years from now.

And in that assault, I…

‘Guard Seo Taewoong. I’ll lose my only ally.’

“I can’t suppress all of them alone! Run now!”

Just as my thoughts were continuing.

Taewoong, turning toward me, shouted with an urgent voice.

“The hideout’s location…!”

“Hey. Old man.”

But the moment Taewoong, who’d been on guard all along, looked my way.

“You should play with me, where are you looking away?”

The assassin didn’t miss that gap, and reaching right before him, he extended his arm toward Taewoong without delay.

“Krgh?!”

Clank—!

The assailant’s arm split to both sides, revealing a blue-white blade.

A monomolecular cutter flying in making a scream-like sound.

‘Fast!’

The moment Taewoong, instinctively knowing he couldn’t dodge, raised one arm.

Clang—!

Sparks flew and the bastard’s sword path flying horizontally twisted.

“?!”

Receiving unexpected interference, the assassin who felt déjà vu stepped back a few paces.

What twisted his sword path was a single arrow.

Though not enough to pierce the armor plate of the artificial body, the important thing wasn’t the arrow’s power.

Screech. Screeech.

Where the arrow struck was inside the mechanical arm opened vertically.

Because it accurately hit the power unit operating the monomolecular cutter.

“What, is this…?”

“Hit the inside of the swinging arm… accurately? With an arrow, not a gun?”

Shooting difficult even with precision guidance systems.

The startled assassin’s gaze wasn’t toward Taewoong but toward me standing behind him.

What I held was a compound bow with antique decorations carved on it.

The item I’d asked Taewoong to obtain before riding the car here.

“Phew.”

Seeing the startled expression, inexplicable satisfaction filled my chest.

Powerless. Trash. Burden.

I’d been called that my entire life, but.

I may look like this, but I wasn’t completely without talent.

“Good bow.”

I spoke with a satisfied voice, then nocked the next arrow to the string.

The assailants watching me.

Taewoong who’d been guarding me.

All of them were watching me with wide eyes.

“Young… Master…?”

“You obviously can’t block them alone. But you see.”

I drew the bowstring, looking at the assassin bastards trying to join from behind.

Drawing a military bowstring with an untrained body made my arm feel like it would fall off.

The hand gripping the string had skin torn with blood flowing steadily.

Nevertheless, my mood right now was so good.

“There’s two of us.”

Because I had a weapon now.

This time, unlike then.

I wouldn’t helplessly flee leaving my guard behind.