I Woke Up as the Villain

During Ji-Ho's prime, his nickname had been ‘Pungbaek,’ which meant the Lord of the Wind. There were two skills that had earned him such a nickname.

One was Wind Control, which Yu-Seong had also acquired. This technique allowed the player to move according to the flow of the wind, seemingly gliding through the air. It wasn't flashy, but it produced simple yet sharp movements. The second was the skill that Ji-Ho had just demonstrated.

‘Palm Gust Strike!’

One should not think of it as merely shooting wind with the palm of the hand. During Ji-Ho's prime, the force contained in the wind he could shoot forward had weighed over three tons. Moreover, it rode on the wind and had an incredibly fast speed.

‘In Ji-Ho hyung-nim's prime, it exceeded 150 meters per second…’

In other words, it was like a three-ton truck flying through the air at a speed of 500 kilometers per hour. It was also a move that didn’t end in a single burst.

‘Ji-Ho hyung-nim's Palm Gust Strike rapid-fire speed was very well known.’

He hadn’t been called 'Pungbaek', the Lord of the Wind, and the future strongest player of South Korea for nothing.

As if to prove it, Ji-Ho unleashed a Palm Gust Strike that caused the solid iron floor to cave in and shatter with a loud noise. Without pausing for a moment, he fired consecutive Palm Gust Strikes at Jin-Woo, who was swiftly dodging every strike, within the warehouse.

Ji-Ho even boldly approached Jin-Woo using Wind Control, hoping to settle the battle quickly.

‘Although its power is tremendous, it can’t possibly be as great as it was in his prime…’

Ji-Ho must have chosen this method because he couldn't fight for a long time. If Jin-Woo kept running away in this situation, buying time with the Fireball Projection skill he boasted about, there would be virtually no chance for Ji-Ho to win.

‘But…’

Jin-Woo would never have chosen such a method because he wanted to let Ji-Ho know that he had grown and was no longer a coward.

As Ji-Ho approached, Jin-Woo looked for an opportunity and rushed forward with a shout. "I won't go easy on you, hyung-nim!"

Then, with one hand, Jin-Woo created a large flame and swung it down from above.

Hwaak-! 

The wave of fire covered Ji-Ho, or at least, it appeared to be doing just that. Then, a sudden gust of wind split the wave of fire in two. From within it, Ji-Ho emerged and extended both hands at the same time.

"Hmph!" Jin-Woo, who had been waiting for this moment, let out a snort as he swept the floor with his foot.

With his kicking motion, the wall of fire rose high and reduced the power of Ji-Ho's Palm Gust Strike. In the meantime, Jin-Woo himself disappeared.

Missing Jin-Woo’s movements, both Yu-Seong and Ji-Ho were momentarily confused.

"It's no longer your time, hyung-nim," said Jin-Woo.

Using the explosion of flame from his feet, he suddenly appeared next to Ji-Ho before extending both hands forward.

"It's time to take a break now!" shouted Jin-Woo as the flames from his hands flashed and surged.

Upon being struck, Ji-Ho, who was floating in the air, blurred and disappeared.

‘A clone?’

Surprised, Jin-Woo swung one hand around and formed a wide flame defense shield. He was now on high alert as an attack could come from anywhere.

Suddenly, a voice came from above. Ji-Ho said, "Here, Jin-Woo."

Looking up, Jin-Woo saw Ji-Ho with a white energy swirling around him. The man was laughing as he shot a Palm Gust Strike.

‘Future foresight...! He was gauging my reaction.’

Jin-Woo crossed his arms in an X shape and conjured flames, activating all of his defensive skills. Suddenly, his mind was filled with a buzzing sensation and a cacophony of sound.

Bang-!

A deafening explosion followed, but Jin-Woo remained calm. He didn't have Future Foresight like Ji-Ho, but his battle experience had sharpened his senses.

‘At this point, hyung-nim would…’

Ji-Ho would have no choice but to approach Jin-Woo to conclude the battle. His Palm Gust Strike wasn't as powerful as before, so it couldn’t possibly knock Jin-Woo down from a distance.

In this case, Jin-Woo was absolutely right. There was a ripping sound on his left, followed by a dull energy. He spewed flames without even checking his surroundings, then saw Ji-Ho blurring and disappearing in the midst of the attack.

‘Another clone?’ 

Jin-Woo clicked his tongue and fired the flames as his senses led him. His eyebrows furrowed as he was once again fooled by the clone. He muttered irritably, "Acting like a fly and dragging things out for so long isn't my style, now just…!"

Just then, his mana circuit began to radiate intense heat throughout his body. The heat began at his toes and quickly spread, engulfing his body and causing his muscles to tense up.

Fwoosh-!

With a sudden burst, flames sent sparks flying in all directions. In his transformed state as the Flame Spirit Man, Jin-Woo didn't miss the sensation of the sparks making contact with something outside of him.

Pah-! 

In an instant, the flames flicked their tongues like a snake and swallowed Ji-Ho whole.

Caught off guard, Yu-Seong was startled. He knew that, this time, it wasn’t a clone. The fact that Ji-Ho didn't appear anywhere after being engulfed by the flames was proof of that. He exclaimed, "What the...!"

Just as Yu-Seong was about to rush out, Ji-Ho chuckled as the flames, which had risen ferociously, dissipated just as quickly. He then pinched Jin-Woo, who had transformed into a Flame Spirit Man, in the ribs.

This was close-range combat. No matter how powerful Jin-Woo was as an S-rank player, he had to be prepared to break a few ribs if he was hit by Ji-Ho's Palm Gust Strike.

"Why did you extinguish the flames?" asked Ji-Ho.

"...because there was no need to kill you," answered Jin-Woo.

Ji-Ho chuckled, tapping his own head with Jin-Woo's fist that had landed on his temple. He said, “And that’s why you were scared to swing this.”

“I…!”

Before Jin-Woo could speak up, Ji-Ho continued speaking. "What's the big deal if you're a little scared? I was scared too, thinking that I might have really died just now."

"If you are scared, why did you even come out and fight? You're in such a bad physical state!"

"I know, hehe. Cough, cough-!"

As Ji-Ho spat blood and fell to the ground, Jin-Woo quickly caught him and grumbled with a deep frown. He cried out, "Choi Yu-Seong!"

Even before the urgent shout, Yu-Seong had already approached with a wheelchair. He swiftly picked up Ji-Ho, summoning his Green Wind Spirit Cat.

"What is this...?" asked Ji-Ho, surprised.

"It's mainly used for treating external injuries, but it's also useful for internal injuries. For now, let this guy poke and prod at you," replied Yu-Seong.

"Hehe... What a cute skill," chuckled Ji-Ho. Looking back at Jin-Woo, he said, "Everyone faces their fears when fighting, and sometimes even despair. But don't we all keep moving forward regardless?"

"What are you trying to say?" asked Jin-Woo.

"Even if you went easy on me, your level is comparable with the level I had during my prime. You've grown very well, Jin-Woo. Excellent job."

At that moment, Jin-Woo's eyes flushed red and his expression distorted. He complained, "Do you still see me as a kid?"

"Jin-Woo, I've never seen you as a kid, to begin with," answered Ji-Ho.

"But why…!"

"Because I see you as a younger brother," said Ji-Ho.

“...?!”

"We have different mothers. Not just you, but most of us siblings are like that. But we have the same father and use the same surname."

As the effects of the Green Wind Spirit Cat's treatment gradually showed, Ji-Ho's complexion improved slightly and he continued speaking. "Jin-Woo, hyung can pretend to be a little more mature for his younger brother, right? I know it may seem childish to you, but conversely, the younger brother can also rely on his hyung a little bit. That's not a bad thing."

In fact, that was just how people lived.

Taking a deep breath, Ji-Ho leaned back on the wheelchair with his shoulders. "My turn ends here. In the end, we each make our own decisions. But Jin-Woo, know that you don't need to be scared anymore or demoralize yourself. You are my younger brother and a great adult…in the past, present, and future. "

"Just because of those words, do you think I’ll…" Jin-Woo's tearful cheeks quivered as he spoke through gritted teeth.

Yu-Seong calmly watched as he pushed Ji-Ho's wheelchair and created some distance between them.

There was a brief silence. After what might have been a long time, Jin-Woo raised his head and said, "There is no obligation for me to accept you, even if Father and hyung have approved of you."

“Well, that goes without saying…" said Yu-Seong.

After all, wasn't the current situation a result of that? However, something had changed. Jin-Woo's momentum seemed different. If his anger toward Yu-Seong had filled him up before, he was now much colder, calm and collected.

"Take up your weapon, Choi Yu-Seong. Let's test your qualifications," Jin-Woo said firmly, shedding light on the meaning of his words.

'If I win this battle…' 

Jin-Woo, who had conserved his full war power, would then stand beside Yu-Seong.

The problem was that Yu-Seong wasn't as confident in his ability to win as he had initially thought.

'His gaze has changed too much.' 

Emotions such as anger, self-importance, and ego-driven confusion had largely been resolved in a short period of time. To be precise, Jin-Woo may not have completely gotten rid of these emotions, but he had succeeded in suppressing them at least for the time being.

Right now, Jin-Woo was facing Yu-Seong with full determination. As Yu-Seong had already learned from his experience with Young-Hoon, opponents with such determination could not be easily defeated. However, that didn't mean Yu-Seong was going to give up.

‘I can’t give up.’

Excluding Min-Seok, who had reluctantly surrendered, Yu-Seong would finally gain the recognition of another sibling who had previously opposed him. Perhaps another precious person would appear by his side.

"I'll do my best, hyung-nim," said Yu-Seong with determination in his eyes.

Unlike the beginning, he was now recognizing Jin-Woo as his family. Even though his gaze toward Jin-Woo was different from before, there was still some hesitation in it.

"Come on, Choi Yu-Seong," said Jin-Woo.

The clash of power between the two brothers resonated once again.

***

In front of the logistics warehouse, Jin-Woo's subordinates waited, listening to the sounds of fighting inside. When they saw the figure emerging from the warehouse, their eyes widened in surprise. "Choi Yu-Seong!"

Although his skin was burnt, clothes were tattered, and hair was disheveled, he had no visible major injuries. Yu-Seong still had plenty of strength left as he walked. What could this mean?

"No way… Choi Yu-Seong, did you...defeat Jin-Woo young master?"

Yu-Seong smiled and nodded. "I won. It wasn't easy, but I did it.”

“What about Jin… Jin-Woo young master?”

Just before Jin-Woo's subordinates could express their surprise and anger, they heard a somewhat exhausted voice from inside the warehouse. It was Jin-Woo’s.

"I’m fine. Just let him go."

"Young master!"

Jin-Woo’s shocked subordinates were about to rush inside, but Yu-Seong held them back with one hand. He said, "We're having a family reunion inside after a long time, so it's not very polite to disturb us.”

Only later did the subordinates realize that Ji-Ho, who had entered the warehouse with Yu-Seong, was not with him when he emerged. Their eyes widened in shock. As they had been with Jin-Woo since Ji-Ho and Jin-Woo were close to each other, they understood the situation all too well.

"Well then, I'll be leaving. Take care of these two. See you soon." With a wave of his hand, Yu-Seong walked through the crowd and made his way to his parked car. His lips were curved into a bright smile.

‘Thank you, Ji-Ho hyung-nim.’

He was grateful for all he had gained from this unexpected day.

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