Chapter 284

“I think that’s enough.”

It was completely unexpected.

The voice from behind me sent a chill through my mind, as though someone had dumped ice water over my head.

When did he get there?

I hadn’t sensed his presence. Even taking into account the fact that I had been in the middle of a fight, that should have been impossible.

If he had managed to evade my senses, which were at the very edge of Peak, then there was only one answer.

A Supreme Peak master.

I turned around slowly. Amid the rubble of the wall that had collapsed in the aftermath of the battle, a man was staring at me.

“Nice to meet you.”

He was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his early forties. He had bold features that looked as though they had been painted with a brush, and a solid build that even his clothes couldn’t conceal.

And…

He’s strong.

The moment I sensed the qi coiled within his body, my heart sank. At the same time, all the experience I had accumulated and my keenly honed senses whispered to me.

The middle-aged man before me was a Supreme Peak master I could not possibly handle in my current state.

“Young man, you’ve got good instincts. Better than I expected.”

The middle-aged man looked me over with interest, then suddenly tilted his head.

“Or is it because you know my face?”

“Both.”

The shock brought on by the middle-aged man’s appearance was immense.

I tried my best to look calm, but I couldn’t hide my cracking voice or trembling eyes.

“Well, it’s not as if my face has only been plastered around once or twice.”

The middle-aged man nodded as though it were nothing important, then strode forward.

He crossed the wrecked office and extended a hand for a handshake.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Jungryong.”

A short, simple introduction.

But the meaning and influence carried by the three syllables of Lee Jungryong’s name were neither short nor simple.

He was the kind of person who could use his face and name as identification anywhere in the world, not just in Korea.

The second-in-command of Ares Guild. And one of the two S-rank Hunters Korea possesses.

That was Lee Jungryong.

A powerful man who wielded absolute authority over Ares Guild in place of its Guild Master, the other S-rank Hunter.

Ares Guild was said to rank among the top five Guilds in the entire world. Their influence over Hunters was tremendous, to say nothing of politics and the economy.

People even said that Korea had two Blue Houses.

Why had such a major figure appeared here of all places, right now?

Fuck. It’s obvious.

Suddenly, the conversation I’d had with Park Tae Seop flashed through my mind.

Who is he? That bastard earlier only called him “that person.”

I can’t tell you. Even if I did, you’d only resent me later.

Why make such a big deal out of it? Is that person Asmodeus or something?

If you made him your enemy, it would be better if he were the Demon King. At least the whole world would fight alongside you.

The answer had already emerged in my mind.

If the “that person” Park Jihoon had mentioned was Lee Jungryong, and Ares Guild was behind this whole affair, then everything fit together perfectly.

This is turning into a real goddamn mess.

The unexpected appearance of such a major figure chilled my blood.

Unlike me, who had gone rigid, Lee Jungryong smiled gently and spoke.

“I’ve heard a great deal about you. You look much better in person than you do on television.”

“Thank you.”

“You don’t look happy to see me at all.”

“How could that be? You’re an S-rank Hunter recognized throughout the world.”

“It’s only a false reputation. I’m nowhere near the Guild Master. Anyway…”

With his characteristic smile, Lee Jungryong opened and closed his empty hand in the air.

“When are you planning to accept my handshake? I’m starting to feel embarrassed.”

As I listened to his good-natured smile and his soft words delivered like a joke, I thought:

This man has at least a hundred snakes in his stomach.

And I hated snakes.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t have a hand free right now.”

“Is that really a problem? Just put down whatever you’re holding and it’ll be easily resolved.”

“I can’t let go of an issue that needs to be resolved just to shake hands.”

I tightened my grip on the weapons in each of my hands.

Swish.

With a faint sound, thin lines of blood appeared across the throats of Park Tae Seop and Park Jihoon.

The two men had closed their eyes and pressed their lips tightly together the moment Lee Jungryong appeared. Even so, I could sense something like resolve from them.

“I understand the two of you are quite close. Why don’t you at least say hello?”

“Close? Me?”

Lee Jungryong let out a hearty laugh.

“I’ve known Guild Master Park since the Great Cataclysm, so we’re at least acquainted. Isn’t that right?”

Park Tae Seop, Guild Master of Myeongdong Guild, bit his lip and answered.

“It’s been a long time, Vice Guild Master Lee Jungryong.”

“Yes. It has. But what happened here?”

“There was an unpleasant incident… I’m sorry you had to see me in such a sorry state.”

“I don’t know what sort of misunderstanding there is, but these things can be settled through conversation. And who is that young man beside you?”

“He’s a member of my Guild. He’s been with us ever since he completed his training center course.”

Park Jihoon spoke in a trembling voice.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Park Jihoon from Team 1 of Myeongdong Guild.”

“……!”

I wasn’t surprised by the way Lee Jungryong spoke down to Park Tae Seop despite looking at least ten years younger than him.

I was surprised by their shamelessness.

Everyone here knew that Lee Jungryong was the one who had given Park Jihoon his initial orders.

Yet the conversation between those three men meant only one thing.

The lizard’s tail.

An old lizard who had already prepared to cut off its tail smiled gently as he looked at me.

“See? That young man is a complete stranger to me. And I only exchange occasional greetings with Guild Master Park.”

I let out a hollow laugh and asked,

“By ‘exchanging greetings,’ do you mean secretly sending Black Hunters to cut off the arm of some innocent person?”

“Black Hunters? Stop it. Your delusions are getting out of hand. Anyway, regarding the matter involving Guild Master Park…”

He shook his head and continued.

“I think I may be able to offer a little help with that problem.”

“Help?”

“Yes, help. We have to resolve the problem, don’t we?”

My earlier thought had been only half right. The lizard wasn’t planning to cut off its tail yet. He wanted to clean up the mess.

Lee Jungryong and I stared at each other across the room. A bead of cold sweat that had formed at some point trickled down my neck.

This was both an offer and a warning: let these men go.

But…

“It’s a personal matter, so I don’t think that’ll be possible.”

Whether I stopped here or kept going was up to me.

I had already made my decision.

“Hmm? Ha ha.”

Lee Jungryong laughed aloud and looked at me with amusement.

“Young man, you’ve got quite a bit of grit. And plenty of spirit.”

“I do hear that fairly often.”

“What about being called arrogant?”

“I hear that even more.”

“Young men full of spirit are often misunderstood.”

“I think so too.”

“Yes. I’m glad to hear that, but…”

An unreadable light flashed in Lee Jungryong’s eyes.

“Don’t you think it’s time for you to change as well?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re a famous person known throughout the world, and you’re approaching thirty. I’m saying it would be better to avoid those sorts of misunderstandings.”

“Thank you for the advice, but I’m not planning to do that yet.”

“Why not?”

“Because the people who say things like that to me are always fucking idiots who’ve done nothing but pile on years. If a few neighborhood mutts are blocking the road, there’s no reason to run away.”

“It wouldn’t be pleasant to get bitten by a vicious dog.”

“No matter how vicious a dog is, it’s still a dog. No offense, but I consider myself at least a wolf.”

“A wolf… Then what would you do if it wasn’t a dog blocking the road, but a tiger?”

The corners of Lee Jungryong’s mouth curved gently upward.

He was the tiger.

A tiger blocking my path. A beast with teeth and claws capable of killing a wolf.

“I’d run. A wolf can’t beat a tiger.”

“That’s right.”

“But if I added a few details to the setup, I might be able to take it on.”

“Details?”

“Yes. For example…”

I continued slowly as I looked at Lee Jungryong.

“If that tiger were the one who seriously injured my friend. Something like that.”

He stared at me with a peculiar expression.

“It seems the wolf’s friend was badly hurt.”

“Both his legs were cut off. How could he not be? And he has young children.”

“That’s an awfully detailed setup.”

“I came up with it while thinking of a plausible setup. It’s just a setup, so don’t worry about it.”

“If that’s all it is.”

Lee Jungryong shrugged.

“Still, a wolf taking on a tiger for his friend… That’s quite loyal of him.”

“You’d know if you watched a documentary about wolves. They take loyalty very seriously.”

“But it would be reckless.”

“Why is that?”

“Because if you challenged a tiger, you’d die.”

I answered with a quiet laugh.

“You never know. Maybe a young, strong wolf could beat an old tiger.”

“……A tiger losing to a wolf? From the sound of it, that doesn’t seem like a very well-made documentary.”

“I enjoyed it. The part where every animal in the mountains came rushing over to feast on the tiger’s corpse after the wolf won was especially memorable.”

“……”

For the first time, the smile disappeared from Lee Jungryong’s face.

It was only natural. He had understood the meaning hidden in my words.

When I saw his face stiffen, I felt as though the formula I’d been fed as a baby had finally started to go down.

“You’re irritating. More than I expected.”

After a brief silence, he spoke again.

Lee Jungryong slowly withdrew the hand he had kept extended until then.

“What do you want?”

I answered without hesitation.

“An apology and compensation. And one person’s life.”

“His life?”

“Yes. I want one person’s life.”

Park Jihoon’s neck twitched.

A tremor traveled through the dagger pressed against his throat. Since Lee Jungryong’s appearance, he hadn’t made a single sound, but now he was trembling with fear of death.

“That’s not possible. I can’t allow it.”

“You’re not allowing anything. I’m making a demand.”

“Learn to distinguish courage from recklessness. I’m a patient man, but I’m also quite fickle.”

“I’m a man lacking in basic decency, so I can’t rest until I repay at least what I received.”

“Your demand is excessive. Haven’t you already received more than enough compensation?”

“Who only collects the principal? I’m taking the interest too—and the compound interest.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Do you remember that documentary I mentioned earlier?”

“……!”

“Tiger hide or not, do you really think a wolf’s teeth won’t sink into it?”

Lee Jungryong’s gaze sank heavily as he looked at me.

In the strangely tranquil silence, his mouth slowly opened.

“You really don’t know how frightening a tiger can be.”

Whoosh!

Before he had even finished speaking, a palm wrapped in a red aura shot toward my chest.

Only five steps separated us. I made my decision in an instant.

White Flame. Unequip.

As White Flame was stored in my Inventory, I thrust out my freed right hand.

Disperse, compress, release.

The fire dragon that had been waiting impatiently to awaken transformed into blue flames and took shelter in my palm.

Flame Divine Palm with everything I had.

And then we collided.

BOOOOOOM!

The entire building shook as though an earthquake had struck, accompanied by a deafening roar that left my ears ringing.

I was the one who felt the impact most severely.

I staggered back three steps as if dancing, then spat out a mouthful of blood that surged up from deep within my lungs.

“Cough!”

Through the pale dust falling from the ceiling, I saw Lee Jungryong standing firmly in place.

“You…”

His eyes were filled with surprise. But I was just as surprised.

I had felt a method of manipulating qi that was impossible to experience in the modern world.

He’s different. He’s not an ordinary Hunter.

It had been only a single exchange.

But I knew.

Lee Jungryong’s strike had been close to the palm technique of a Supreme Peak master. He didn’t merely know how to wield his qi properly—he was capable of far more than that.

So this is an S-rank Hunter.

The power I had felt for that brief moment was comparable to that of the great demon, the Yin-Yang Twin Devils, whom I had encountered at Shaolin.

What kind of monster is this?

I hadn’t expected to have an experience like this in the modern world.

Lee Jungryong’s eyes were wide as he looked at me, swallowing blood while holding Park Jihoon in one hand and a dagger in the other.

“How could someone as young as you know that method…?”

That method?

He was probably referring to an internal energy cultivation technique in those terms.

I was about to answer, but instead I grinned, baring my bloodstained teeth.

“I’m taking what I demanded.”

At the same time, I drove the dagger into Park Jihoon’s chest.

Thud. Thud-thud-thud!

A scream burst from his mouth along with a spray of blood.

“Aaaaargh! Master!”

I’d wondered how this bastard knew about it. Now I saw—they were master and Disciple.

“Stop!”

Even as he shouted, Lee Jungryong couldn’t easily take a step forward.

That was because every time he did, I pressed the dagger right against Park Jihoon’s throat.

“Now, now. If you want to save your adorable Disciple, you’d better stay right there.”

“……!”

Thud. Squelch!

Without hesitation, I brought the dagger down again and again. I hacked at his upper body indiscriminately, avoiding his heart, then tore through the muscle of his thigh.

Slash!

I cut down along his calf and severed the tendons in his ankle. Then I straightened my back, which I had briefly bent, and slashed diagonally upward through his shoulder.

Slash, shraaak!

“Aaaaaaargh!”

It was a horrible scream.

Uncle Kkeokjeong must have screamed like this, too. He must have fainted and woken up several times from the unbearable pain, screaming each time.

And that wasn’t all. The wife who saw her husband return without both arms had her heart butchered as well.

“Save your screams. There’s still one more left.”

“……!”

Slash! Thud!

Park Jihoon’s body, now missing both arms, trembled violently.

“Ghk, guh…”

He must have screamed so much that his throat had gone completely hoarse. Strange sounds slipped from it.

I grabbed him by the hair. His neatly waxed hair was drenched in blood.

“P-please… save me…”

My blood was boiling more fiercely than ever, but the voice that escaped between my lips was colder than ice.

“Jihoon.”

“Please. I’m sorry…”

“I couldn’t say this back then because I had to move in a hurry.”

I looked into his bloodshot eyes and delivered a congratulatory message ten years past its expiration date.

“Congratulations on graduating, you fucking bastard.”

I threw him down with all my strength.

Thud.

Lee Jungryong picked up the sprawled man in his arms. His eyes burned fiercely.

“You bastard!”

“I left him alive. I can’t promise anything about his life as a Hunter, though.”

“Do you really want to die?”

“How about we take this a little further? Bring the whole building down and let half the people in Korea hear about what happened here. That doesn’t sound so bad to me.”

Lee Jungryong’s face twisted into a ghastly expression.