Chapter 101

What the hell is this?

I was dumbfounded. Butler Kim’s appearance was unexpected, but that was nothing compared to the words he had directed at Im Chunsoo.

Chunsoo? You?

Did these two know each other?

Come to think of it, Butler Kim and Im Chunsoo had a lot in common. They were around the same age, and both had long careers as Hunters.

Now that I think about it, Butler Kim was active as a Hunter during the Great Cataclysm, too.

I had never heard it directly from him, but I had suspected as much. Looking back and forth between the two men, I carefully asked,

“Are you two close?”

Im Chunsoo’s pupils quivered.

When Im Chunsoo first received the report on the Peace Guild, he had doubted his own eyes.

There, in the photograph, was a face from his hazy memories—a face he had been certain he would never see again.

“Wh-who did you say this man was?”

“Peace Guild Master Kim Hwajong. He’s fifty-five years old and a B-rank Hunter.”

“Kim Hwajong? A B-rank Hunter?”

“Yes. Is something wrong?”

“No, no. He looks like someone I used to know. I mistook him for that person.”

That figures.

Im Chunsoo let out a sigh of relief.

The face did resemble him a little, but that was all. More importantly, hadn’t that man died over thirty years ago?

No matter how bizarre the world had become, the dead could not come back to life.

Even if that bastard had come back to life, he wouldn’t be rotting away in a place like this. I simply mistook him for some washed-up old B-rank Hunter.

That day, Im Chunsoo drank a glass of soju¹ for the first time in a long while and tried to shake off his uneasy feelings. It was an attempt to cast off the terrible memories that had clung to his ankles even after he turned fifty.

Damn. I’m this old, and I’m still like this.

Later, when he heard that Kim Hwajong’s information was protected by airtight security, he had even felt a chill run down his spine.

Could it be? No. There’s no way.

But then… why did ominous premonitions never turn out to be wrong?

“Rise up. Fire Wall.”

A quiet voice chanting a spell rang out, and a wall of fire surged upward.

Fwoosh! Fwoosh!

Blue flames burning at an extreme temperature vaporized the ice spikes, which were harder than steel, without leaving a trace.

And then—

“I’m glad I’m not too late. You too, Chunsoo.”

The moment he heard the voice he could never forget, not even in his dreams, Im Chunsoo remembered.

The terror of being under that man’s thumb.

The humiliation of rolling around on the ground just to survive.

Fuck… I’m screwed.

As he stood frozen like a stone, Jin Taekyung asked him,

“Are you two close?”

What? Close?

Im Chunsoo swallowed the torrent of curses rising from deep in his lungs and turned around.

There stood the man he had believed long dead.

“I-Instructor.”

Butler Kim smiled gently. It was the smile of a demon still deeply engraved in Im Chunsoo’s mind, even after all these years.

“Twenty-eighth Regiment, First Battalion, Second Company. Im Chunsoo. Yes, I recognized you the moment I saw you.”

The words resonated in his very soul.

Im Chunsoo’s hunched back straightened. His heels came together at a forty-five-degree angle, and his gaze turned fifteen degrees upward toward the front.

After a series of movements as fast as lightning, a thunderous shout burst out.

“Trainee Number One! Im! Chun! Soo!”

The mountain shook as he bellowed out his military identification for the first time in thirty years.

When Team Leader 1 reached the top of the mountain, he found grass splattered with blood in several places and the Security Team trussed up in magical ropes.

What a disgraceful sight.

Clicking his tongue inwardly, he drew his sword and cut them loose.

They had all shed some blood, but none of them appeared seriously injured. Jin Taekyung seemed to have shown them at least the bare minimum of consideration.

At this level, he’s either a top-tier B-rank… or an A-rank Hunter.

That was Team Leader 1’s assessment of Jin Taekyung’s strength.

For one man, the walk back down the mountain was sheer hell.

“Why did you do it? We might have been able to smooth over the surveillance, but what happened today could amount to attempted murder. Did you even consider the consequences before resorting to violence?”

“…I’m sorry.”

At Team Leader 1’s words, the Security Team Leader hung his head.

He had gone so far as to make a reckless show of force, only to have Jin Taekyung wipe the floor with them. Even if he had ten mouths, he would have had nothing to say.

“The Guild Master is deeply disappointed.”

“Th-then?”

“A written apology and a pay cut are a given. Be prepared for worse.”

“Are you talking about resignation?”

“That’s up to the Guild Master.”

“Team Leader, perhaps…”

“Let me tell you up front: don’t ask me for any favors. I don’t have any interest in taking the side of someone who smeared the name of the company I work for. And I have no intention of going against the Guild Master’s wishes.”

“…”

“Whew.”

Team Leader 1 let out an irritated sigh.

That was when a booming shout echoed from far away.

—Trainee Number One! Im! Chun! Soo!

“……”

“……”

What was that? Were they hearing things?

Team Leader 1 and even the Security Team members, who had all looked ready to die, jumped in surprise. The first to recover his composure was the Security Team Leader.

“Team Leader 1, I’m sorry to bring this up in this kind of atmosphere, but I think I just heard the Guild Master’s voice.”

Team Leader 1, who had been cleaning out his ears, opened his eyes wide.

“…You heard it too?”

“We heard it, too.”

“We couldn’t tell whether it was the Guild Master’s voice, though… I think we heard his name.”

“That was a person’s name? I thought it was just someone screaming.”

“Really? I thought it sounded like someone giving their name and rank.”

Team Leader 1’s face hardened as he listened to the Security Team whispering among themselves.

“Who just said that? What was that about giving a name and rank?”

To him, Im Chunsoo was a respected Senior as well as his superior.

He was a peerless Hunter who had been active since the Great Cataclysm—a war hero. And they were saying he had suddenly reported his military identification?

Team Leader 1 had never imagined such a thing. He couldn’t imagine it.

“Do you still have the leisure to spout this kind of nonsense? Do you think this is something people in their right minds would say?”

“S-sorry.”

“We must have misheard.”

“Get a grip, all of you. Understood?”

Team Leader 1 had just resumed walking after delivering the warning when it happened again.

—No, sirrrrr!

“……”

—I’ll correct it, sirrrr!

“……”

It was the soul-deep roar of a private second class.

A moment later, Team Leader 1’s tightly sealed mouth finally opened.

“From this moment on, we run at full speed. Move!”

“M-Move!”

Everyone gathered there was at least a C-rank Hunter. They were superhuman beings who had already far surpassed the limits of ordinary people.

They thundered downhill like runaway locomotives and reached the hiking-trail entrance in under five minutes.

“Slow as hell. You’re only getting here now?”

“Guild Master!”

“Keep it down. You’ll burst my eardrums.”

Team Leader 1 sighed in relief when he saw Im Chunsoo looking the same as ever.

“I thought something might have happened…”

“Something? Was there anything strange?”

“N-no, sir. But where did that Jin Taekyung bastard go?”

“I gave him a talking-to and sent him on his way. After speaking with him, I found out he was a better fellow than I expected. Why?”

“I thought he might have caused some kind of disturbance.”

“Oh, you mean the guy who was shouting earlier?”

“Yes, that’s right. But the voice sounded exactly…”

He couldn’t bring himself to finish.

Exactly like yours, Guild Master.

Im Chunsoo glared at him.

“Exactly like what?”

“Oh, it was nothing.”

“How bland. Some greenhorns were playing army down there, so I chased them away. Do colleges still have hazing culture these days?”

“Ah, I see.”

“What was it? I made them do some PT exercises for a while, and they looked ready to die.”

Team Leader 1 felt all his lingering suspicions disappear.

I must have been out of my mind. How dare I even think such a thing?

While he reflected deeply on his mistake, Im Chunsoo laid into the Security Team.

“Security Team Leader.”

“Y-yes, sir!”

“Well, look at that. You certainly know how to answer. After causing this mess, are you still a Team Leader just because you’re technically still a Team Leader?”

“I’m sorry!”

“Are the others keeping their mouths shut because they did such a good job? Do you want me to make my sword dance today?”

“We’re sorry, Guild Master!”

Team Leader 1 watched the scene with a pleased smile.

Every so often, there were people who spread the rumor that Im Chunsoo had a godawful personality. But after watching him up close, Team Leader 1 knew better. He was a charismatic superior and an outstanding Senior in life.

Guild Master. I’ll follow you forever.

As he gazed at Im Chunsoo’s back with boundless respect, Team Leader 1 suddenly cocked his head.

…But why is there dirt on the Guild Master’s back?

He must have scolded those kids rather intensely.

“We’ve arrived.”

At Butler Kim’s words, sitting in the passenger seat, I came to my senses with a start and looked around. Through the window, I could see the entrance to an apartment complex.

When did we get here?

“Th-thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

A smile appeared on his handsomely lined face. He looked like a middle-aged actor who had once ruled an era.

No, this man really did rule an era, too.

Until now, I had thought of him as nothing more than a Senior Hunter from a distant generation. But that meant I hadn’t understood Butler Kim at all.

He worked an A-rank mage like a dog—and Im Chunsoo, no less.

He had made a former war hero do a hundred sets of PT Exercise No. 8², then later kicked him in the shin with his dress shoe. Even now, the way he had calmly berated Im Chunsoo in that gentle voice sent chills down my spine.

“Trainee, who uses mana during PT exercises?”

Whack!

“Trainee Number One Im Chunsoo. S-sorry, sir.”

“Does it hurt? Now that you’ve gotten older, has your voice gotten quieter, too?”

“No, sirrrrr!”

“Attention. At ease. Attention. At ease.”

Snap-snap-snap-snap!

“On your backs. On your fronts. On your backs. On your backs.”

Gasp.

“Trainee, didn’t you hear this Instructor say on your backs? Get your head straight.”

“I’ll correct it, sirrrr!”

“And why are you bullying an innocent junior? Hasn’t this Instructor told you time and again that Seniors and juniors should help each other?”

“S-sorry, sir.”

“Repeat after me. Cherish your junior on the way down. Cherish your junior on the way up. One. Two.”

“Cherish my junior!”

“Trainee, I remember you’re Class 25. Am I right?”

“Trainee Number One Im Chunsoo. Yes, sir.”

“This Instructor is Class 3. If what happened today gets out or happens again, Classes 4 through 24 will assemble without exception.”

“……”

“Why aren’t you answering? Prepare for squat jumps.”

“P-prepare, sir…”

He worked him over, and over, and over again.

It was the kind of sight you couldn’t see even if you paid for it. If the Sangdong Guild members had witnessed it, the Guild might have had to close its doors that very day.

Who the hell is Butler Kim, really?

Being Class 3 at the Hunter Training Center meant he could line up every Guild Master in the country on a parade ground and beat every last one of them with a bat.

And he had been an Instructor, no less.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that nearly every mage from the early days of the Great Cataclysm had passed through his hands.

He’s at least A-rank as a mage, too.

I could tell just by watching Im Chunsoo take his punishment without daring to make a peep. Butler Kim surpassed him in both seniority and skill.

There was probably also an elemental advantage between ice and fire. You could say Butler Kim was the one who taught Im Chunsoo and raised him to his current position.

But…

Why was someone that accomplished working as a butler?

I stole a sidelong glance at Butler Kim, only for our eyes to meet.

“You seem to have a lot you want to ask.”

“To be honest, I do.”

My curiosity was killing me.

Seeing my thoughts written plainly across my face, Butler Kim curled up the corners of his mouth.

“It’s a long story.”

“That’s fine. I’m on vacation, so I have plenty of time.”

“Ah, then this is a good opportunity to hear your story as well, Mr. Jin. I already have more than one or two questions myself.”

“Now that I think about it, it’s already dinnertime. Tomorrow is the last day of my vacation, so I have to sign a real-estate contract, too. Hahaha.”

“……”