The Blood Fang gang exchanged bewildered looks, especially their leader, a man with a vicious face, who glanced around to check for any unexpected variables.
"What on earth is our young master relying on to act so recklessly?" There was no one around.
Not even Dmitri's soldiers, let alone ordinary residents, who had hurriedly retreated, leaving the area eerily empty.
Only two people stood facing the Blood Fang gang: Roman Dmitri and his servant, Hans.
"Young master, I understand you're a noble's son who doesn't know much about the world, but it's quite troublesome to show such an attitude towards us outside the city, especially when we bear the fang tattoos. We, too, live by our pride in this underworld. If we let such provocative words slide and just retreat, it would tarnish the reputation of the Blood Fang. Even if you are a member of the Dmitri family."
Swoosh.
The gang members behind him all drew their weapons.
With menacing glares, they were ready to attack at their leader's command.
Roman chuckled.
"This confirms it."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You're trash. If you dare to act like this in front of the land's owner, I don't even need to know your usual behavior."
"Trash? You son of a... Huh?!" The leader couldn't finish his curse.
His face turned red and purple as Roman suddenly charged at him, his pupils dilating in shock.
"Attack!"
"Eek!"
The Blood Fang gang rushed forward.
The leader, without hesitation, aimed his dagger at Roman's vital points, but Roman narrowly dodged the attack right in front of him.
His black hair fluttered in the wind as his sharp gaze met the leader's.
At that moment.
Thud!
"Gah, gurgle..."
The leader, impaled through the neck by a tree branch, foamed at the mouth.
The situation unfolded too quickly.
The Blood Fang gang, driven by malice, attacked Roman.
Hans, panicking, tried to help by picking up a large rock nearby, but it was unnecessary.
After dealing with the leader, Roman, with movements akin to a miracle, dodged all the attacks and systematically took down each member.
It was astonishing how he used a tree branch to deflect daggers, and with each strike, a hole was punctured in the gang members' vital points.
"Monster...!"
"Is this Roman Dmitri?"
The men were stunned.
Initially fighting for their lives, they were terrified as they watched their comrades fall helplessly.
But the tide had already turned.
One by one, the men fell.
As the last man tried to flee, Roman's fierce hand grabbed his hair.
Crack!
"Let go, let go!"
The man struggled.
Seeing his comrades scattered around, his face turned pale with fear.
Roman spoke.
"You have violated Dmitri's laws. Instead of reflecting on it, you tried to threaten me to cover up the situation. For a group to move forward correctly, it is necessary to uphold the law. I won't take your life, but I will use you as an example to show the terror of the law to others."
The man once called a demon.
In the martial world, Roman was the law.
Having lived his life as a leader, Roman knew what choices had to be made for the sake of the law, no matter how cruel.
Thud.
"Ugh."
Roman forced the man to his knees.
Then, tilting his head back, he pulled out the man's tongue with his other hand.
"For the crime of wagging your tongue, pay the corresponding price."
"Ugh... Ugh, ugh!"
The man struggled, but there was no escape.
Roman's fierce hand firmly restrained the man's body, and Roman picked up a fallen dagger, cleanly cutting off the man's tongue.
Blood splattered.
The man screamed in agony, his cries echoing around.
The villagers closed their eyes at the brutal scene, but Roman showed no change in expression as he neatly severed the tongue.
Thud.
The tongue fell to the ground.
The man lowered his head.
With a lost expression, tears streamed down his face as he desperately tried to stop the blood pouring from his mouth with his hands.
"My name is Roman Dmitri. If you're dissatisfied with the punishment I've dealt, you can come find me anytime."
The Heavenly Demon Sect.
In a world of survival of the fittest, all karma is repaid with blood.
Roman looked at Hans.
Hans, startled by the young master's unfamiliar demeanor, took a step back.
"Contact the guards. Report today's incident and have them send troops to clean up here."
"Ah, yes... Hic, sir."
Hans, hiccuping, checked the bodies once more, then hurriedly ran towards the castle with a pale face.
The overwhelming battle.
Yet, Roman's expression was grim.
'Such a trash body.'
Roman.
No, Baek Joong-hyuk.
In the martial world, he had reached the pinnacle.
Hundreds, thousands of martial artists had been slaughtered, unable to handle Baek Joong-hyuk alone, and when rivers of blood flowed, the Heavenly Demon Sect acknowledged him as the ruler of the martial world.
That he, with such a past, had to exchange blows with mere street thugs was unacceptable to Roman, who carried Baek Joong-hyuk's spirit.
'The flow of energy is a mess.
The amount of energy in my body is pitiful.'
It was the worst.
Though there were traces of martial training, by Roman's standards, it was as good as nothing.
'To start anew with such a body.
The only saving grace is that I have the experience of honing martial arts as Baek Joong-hyuk.
If I train in the right direction from the start, even under the worst conditions, I can achieve meaningful results.'
Various thoughts crossed his mind.
First, he needed to gather information quickly and proceed with the Bone and Marrow Transformation to rebuild his body's foundation.
At that moment.
"Young master, thank you sincerely for helping me."
It was the boy who had been beaten.
Though limping, he bowed deeply, showing proper respect.
A pitiful sight.
But Roman's voice was cold.
"I didn't help you out of pity. I executed punishment because the Blood Fang gang violated Dmitri's laws, and you are not exempt from that responsibility. So, explain your situation truthfully. If I detect any lies, your tongue won't be spared either."
"... Understood."
The boy's expression calmed.
He had quite the backbone.
It was impressive that he didn't even groan while being beaten, clearly not an ordinary boy.
"As you know, Blood Fang is a group that lends money and charges high interest. My parents borrowed money from Blood Fang to rent land, and if the crops were harvested normally, they could have repaid the debt. But Blood Fang deliberately sabotaged the farming. At first, I didn't know why they did it, but I later found out they were after my sister. Young master, we are wronged. Though we are not a wealthy family, we have never harmed others. There is not a single lie in my words, so please save us from this pit of evil."
The boy bowed deeply.
His words were logical, and his voice showed no hesitation as he explained the situation.
Roman showed interest.
Though the boy's face was dark and his body thin and frail, his eyes shone with intelligence.
'One of the Four Heavenly Kings, the Mad Demon, was found in such a humble environment.
Back then, the Mad Demon was just an insignificant boy, but he later became the most reliable ally.
Somehow, this boy reminds me of him.'
"What is your name?"
"... Kevin."
"Kevin. I will remember your name. And within a few days, this matter will be properly resolved through the correct process."
"Gasp! Thank you! Thank you so much!"
The boy named Kevin expressed his gratitude repeatedly.
Roman smiled faintly.
A new life.
A new connection.
Already, his heart was racing.
After roughly sorting out the situation, Roman, with Hans's help, dressed in formal attire.
It was almost time for Lawrence's daughter to arrive.
It was a meeting with a typical noble's daughter, and he couldn't meet her in clothes stained with blood and dirt.
While changing clothes, Roman learned about the engagement story between the two families through Hans.
"To be honest, this marriage is a strategic alliance based on mutual interests. The Lawrence family has recently been in several wars with neighboring territories, and their financial situation is very poor. So, to solve their financial problems, they proposed a strategic marriage to our Dmitri family. The good thing is that you, young master, actively supported this marriage. The Lawrence family's daughter is renowned for her beauty in the area, and you fell for her at first sight."
The picture was clear.
Two families.
Lawrence needed money, and Dmitri needed a solid background to establish themselves as a noble family.
It was a mutually beneficial deal.
The only issue was that Lawrence wanted Dmitri's second son, but Roman Dmitri actively expressed his desire for the marriage, leading to its arrangement.
And today was the day the two would meet for the first time.
Roman had only seen Lawrence's daughter from a distance at a noble party, and they had never spoken directly.
'Marriage.'
In truth, Roman had no interest in it.
Though he was going along with the flow of his current reality, he was ready to overturn this marriage at any time.
'Marriage is something that should happen when both hearts align.
In the process of forming a lifelong bond, the background of the family and other conditional factors are not important.
I need to find a way to annul this marriage when the opportunity arises.'
The other party's background.
The daughter's beauty.
Such things were unimportant to Roman.
But absurdly, the problem was quickly resolved.
That afternoon.
As scheduled, Lawrence's daughter visited Dmitri.
"I am Flora Lawrence."
As rumored, she was a beautiful woman.
Her long, golden hair cascading down to her waist was so luxurious it elicited admiration, and every feature of her face was flawless.
A typical beauty.
Especially her calm, lake-like eyes that seemed to draw you in at first glance.
It was clear why Roman Dmitri had pushed for this marriage.
With just her appearance alone, she was already a woman of considerable value.
Flora suggested they walk alone.
And when they reached a quiet space with no one around, her expression turned cold.
"I wish our marriage could be as if it never happened."
Annulment.
That was the reason Flora Lawrence had visited Dmitri territory.