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?

Were the two of them acquainted?

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

Come to think of 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 trembled.

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

The face in the photograph was one that remained in his hazy memories—a face he had been certain he would never see again.

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 there some problem?

No, no. He resembles someone I used to know, so 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 an old B-rank Hunter.

That day, Im Chunsoo drank a glass of soju 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 controlled by that man.

The humiliation of rolling around on the ground 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 stream of curses rising from the depths of his lungs and turned around.

A man he had believed had died long ago was standing there.

“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 knew the moment I saw you.”

It was the resonance of the soul.

Im Chunsoo’s hunched back straightened. His feet snapped 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 from his throat.

“Trainee Number One! Im! Chun! Soo!”

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

What Team Leader 1 found after climbing up the mountain was grass splattered with blood in several places and the Security Team bound tightly with magical ropes.

What a sight.

Clicking his tongue inwardly, he drew his sword and cut through the ropes.

Everyone had lost some blood, but none of them appeared to have suffered serious injuries. 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 how strong Jin Taekyung appeared to Team Leader 1.

For one person, the walk back down the mountain was a hellish experience.

“Why did you do that? We might have been able to overlook the surveillance, but what happened today could amount to attempted murder. Did you start this after thinking about what would happen afterward?”

“I’m… sorry.”

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

They had gone so far as to use force, only to be thoroughly trounced by Jin Taekyung. Even if he had ten mouths, he would have had nothing to say.

“The Guild Master is deeply disappointed.”

“Th-then?”

“A written report and a pay cut are a given. Prepare yourself for anything beyond that, too.”

“Are you talking about resignation?”

“That depends on 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.”

It was then that Team Leader 1 let out an irritated sigh.

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.

“Did you hear it too?”

“We heard it, too.”

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

“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 and superior.

Im Chunsoo was an unrivaled Hunter who had been active since the Great Cataclysm and a war hero—and they were saying he had suddenly given his name and rank?

Team Leader 1 had never imagined such a thing. He couldn’t even 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 heard it wrong.”

“Everyone, get a hold of yourselves. Understood?”

After issuing his warning, Team Leader 1 started walking again.

That was when it happened.

—No, sirrrrr!

“……”

—I’ll correct it, sirrrr!

“……”

Those were the shouts of a private second class filled with the very essence of his soul.

It took a while before Team Leader 1’s tightly sealed mouth finally opened.

“From now on, we’re running 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 raced forward like runaway locomotives and reached the entrance to the hiking trail in less than five minutes.

“You’re slow as hell. Took you long enough?”

“Guild Master!”

“Keep your voice down. You’ll burst my eardrums.”

Seeing Im Chunsoo looking the same as always, Team Leader 1 let out a sigh of relief.

“I was worried something might have happened…”

“Something happened? 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 was wondering if he had caused some kind of disturbance.”

“Ah, are you talking about the man shouting earlier?”

“Yes, that’s right. But his voice sounded just like…”

He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence.

Just like the Guild Master’s.

Im Chunsoo glared at him.

“Just like what?”

“Oh, it was nothing.”

“What a bland bunch. 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 the suspicions he had been harboring vanish completely.

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

While he was deeply repenting to himself, Im Chunsoo was tearing into the Security Team.

“Security Team Leader.”

“Y-yes, sir!”

“Oh, you can answer properly. After causing this mess, are you still a Team Leader just because you’re technically still a Team Leader?”

“I’m sorry, Guild Master!”

“Are the others keeping their mouths shut because they did such a good job? Do I need 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 Team Leader 1 gazed at Im Chunsoo’s back with boundless respect, he suddenly tilted 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, 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 entire 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 made an A-rank mage—and Im Chunsoo, no less—run around like a dog.

He had made a former war hero do a hundred sets of PT Exercise No. 8, 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 me say on your backs? Get your head straight.

I’ll correct it, sirrrr!

And why are you bullying an innocent junior? Haven’t I repeatedly emphasized that seniors and juniors should help each other?

S-sorry, sir.

Repeat after me. Sitting down, cherish your junior; standing up, cherish him. One. Two.

Cherish my junior!

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

Trainee Number One Im Chunsoo. Yes, sir.

I’m 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 kept working him over, then working him over some more.

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.

What on earth is Butler Kim’s real identity?

If someone was Class 3 at the Hunter Training Center, they 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 would not be an exaggeration to say that every mage from the early days of the Great Cataclysm had passed through his hands.

His ability as a mage is at least A-rank, 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 was sneaking a sidelong glance at Butler Kim when our eyes met.

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

“To be honest, I do.”

I was too curious to stand it any longer.

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.”

“……”