Chapter 299

“It looks like we can begin now.”

The Seoul Branch President finally gave the go-ahead more than ten minutes after the Peace Guild, led by Choi Minwoo, began protesting.

A Gate was a fierce battlefield where life and death could be decided in an instant. No one expected Jin Taekyung to survive after being left alone against a Named Monster commanding hundreds of Skeletons.

“Do you think he’s still alive?”

“It’s been exactly one hour and eight minutes. We’ll be lucky if we can recover his body.”

“Damn it. This isn’t a rescue operation. It’s a body-recovery operation.”

“Can they really do this? Every second matters, and they’re just dragging their feet.”

“What else can they do? This isn’t an ordinary A-rank Gate. A Named Monster appeared. If you look at it from the Association’s perspective, you can understand their position. If they rush in and cause a major disaster, it’s all over.”

Hunters preparing to enter and reporters filming the scene stood around talking in groups.

Some were furious about the delayed rescue operation. Others defended the Association’s decision.

But no one mentioned the possibility that Jin Taekyung had survived. There was no need to state the obvious.

“Still, the Peace Guild really got screwed.”

“Yeah. Jin Taekyung is already… Well, it’s unfortunate, but that’s how things turned out. And they openly raised hell with the Seoul Branch President in front of the cameras. The backlash is going to be brutal.”

“Exactly. That guy’s a political appointee, and he’s already ridiculously sensitive about the media.”

Choi Minwoo’s face hardened as he listened to the whispers around him.

Whatever repercussions the Peace Guild might suffer later?

He didn’t give a damn.

Who the hell says he’s dead?

He wanted to charge forward right then and there. He wanted to grab the idiots spouting that nonsense by the collar, then knock down the Association Hunters blocking his way.

The only reason he had waited this long was something Butler Kim had said while holding him back more than ten minutes earlier.

“Didn’t you say so yourself, Young Master? That you trusted Mr. Jin Taekyung more than you trusted yourself?”

Those words had forced him to rein in his anger.

It was true. Taekyung had always shown them miracles. He had always made the impossible possible. Today was simply another extension of that.

Choi Minwoo believed it.

He wanted to believe it.

Isn’t that right, Mr. Jin Taekyung?

He drew a deep breath and stepped forward. Around fifty Peace Guild members followed him, their faces filled with resolve.

“The Peace Guild will take the lead.”

The Seoul Branch President gave him a hostile look.

“That falls under my authority as the commander of this operation. Yet from the way you’re speaking, that sounded more like a notification than a request.”

“That’s correct.”

“What?”

“Would you like me to repeat myself? I said it was a notification.”

Before the Association President could respond, Choi Minwoo continued in an icy voice.

“I have no intention of delaying any longer, and no reason to keep talking to you. The Peace Guild will take the lead.”

“How dare you—!”

The Association President’s face flushed red enough to burst.

That was when a flat voice came from behind him.

“Let them.”

The Association President turned his head.

Go Jun, Lee Jungryong’s right-hand man and Head of Security, stood with his arms folded and his face expressionless.

“Team Leader Seok?”

“Please consider the feelings of the Peace Guild members who have lost a comrade they shared so many hardships with. The media will look favorably on it as well.”

“B-but there’s a Named Monster inside the Gate. If we put untested Hunters at the front, something unfortunate could happen…”

The Association President fell silent beneath Go Jun’s cold gaze.

For a moment, he had forgotten. The man before him was no mere team leader in the Ares Guild. He was Lee Jungryong’s Head of Security and right-hand man.

He had also forgotten that the “unfortunate incident” he feared was precisely what Go Jun wanted.

The Association President deliberated only briefly.

“Let the Peace Guild take the lead. Then, three minutes later, the Association and the Ares Guild will…”

But Choi Minwoo had already turned and begun walking toward the Gate.

The gazes of the Association President, Go Jun, and countless others clung to him, but he paid them no attention.

“Let’s go. We’re going to save Mr. Jin Taekyung.”

At Choi Minwoo’s quiet words, a roar thundered across the grounds, loud enough to make their ears ring.

Butler Kim, Im Kkeokjeong, Song Song, and around fifty Peace Guild members followed Choi Minwoo, cutting through the hundreds of Hunters like a current as they advanced toward the Gate.

That was when Butler Kim’s resonant shout rang out.

“All Peace Guild members, form an attack formation!”

Clack-clack-clack!

Armor and blades flashed in the sunlight as they moved. In an instant, the Peace Guild members formed a wedge and shot forward like a single arrow.

At their head, Choi Minwoo charged toward the magic field with a thunderous cry.

“Enter!”

Swoooosh!

Never before had the Gate’s magic felt so unpleasant.

Choi Minwoo opened his eyes, a sense of foreboding stirring deep in his chest.

His heart sank.

This is…

Scorched earth.

Was there any better way to describe the sight before him?

From the hill where the Gate entrance stood, they had a clear view of the trail below.

It was completely engulfed in flames.

Mr. Jin Taekyung.

The foreboding he had felt while passing through the Gate seemed to be slowly taking shape.

Im Kkeokjeong spoke from behind him, his voice trembling.

“Team Leader Choi. What if Taekyung…”

“Stop. We’re in the middle of an operation. Don’t jump to conclusions.”

But this time, even Team Leader Choi’s words failed to reassure them.

The situation before them looked that hopeless. Im Kkeokjeong wasn’t the only one shaken. Every member of the Peace Guild was in turmoil.

No. It can’t be.

Choi Minwoo bit down hard on his lip, steadying himself, then moved forward with heavy steps.

“We’ll continue our approach. Stay alert and keep advancing.”

They moved cautiously forward, prepared for monsters to appear at any moment.

But the closer they came to the trail, the deeper their despair grew.

“This can’t be…”

A mountain of shattered bones and weapons. Ash blanketing the blackened ground.

There was no trace of life anywhere in that place, where death and destruction reigned. Nor was there any sign of the one person they had so desperately hoped to find.

Dead? Him?

The same question flashed through everyone’s mind.

Those who had known Jin Taekyung the longest could only blink at the unbelievable sight.

Butler Kim’s words broke the suffocating silence like a doctor delivering his final verdict.

“According to the results of the detection magic… we found no movement or living creatures within a three-hundred-meter radius.”¹

Choi Minwoo’s eyelids trembled.

“You mean…”

“I’m sorry.”

His face devastated, Butler Kim extended a hand. Something rose into the air from the direction he indicated and slowly flew toward them.

“That’s…”

“Judging by the considerable magic I can sense from it, it appears to be a trace left by the Named Monster.”

A palm-sized metal fragment rested in Butler Kim’s hand.

Its black sheen remained undiminished despite the ash covering it. Several people sucked in sharp breaths when they saw the chilling skull emblem.

“The skull emblem! Th-that’s part of the armor the Named Monster was wearing!”

“That’s right! We saw it clearly.”

Then someone searching the area cried out.

“There’s a dagger here too! It isn’t the kind of equipment Skeletons use!”

“It belongs to Senior Jin Taekyung. It’s the one he used all the time.”

As shock settled over the group, Butler Kim spoke in a subdued voice.

“It appears he was oxidized along with every enemy, including the Named Monster…”

“……!”

The air around the trail seemed to crackle.

Now everything was certain. Jin Taekyung was dead. He had thrown away his own life, taking his enemies with him as companions on the road to the afterlife and leaving his comrades behind.

Im Kkeokjeong’s wail finally shattered the seemingly endless silence.

“Ghk. Nghh…”

A faint tremor began in his hands, climbed through his arms, shoulders, and back, then spread through his entire body. Tears poured from Im Kkeokjeong’s large eyes.

“Taekyung… Taekyung… Nghh!”

No one mocked him as his massive frame shook with sobs.

Their grief might differ in depth, but everyone there felt the same.

Grief over Jin Taekyung’s death. Guilt that they had been unable to fight alongside him. And the helplessness they felt toward themselves.

The Peace Guild members’ eyes grew red and bloodshot. Tears streamed down Butler Kim’s and Song Song’s cheeks.

Only one person did not cry.

Choi Minwoo.

He’s dead. Jin Taekyung is dead.

His dark eyes swept over the trail, where acrid smoke still curled into the air.

It felt as though Taekyung might be hiding somewhere even now, ready to spring out like a jack-in-the-box.

I thought you could survive anything.

His chest suddenly tightened.

He had not felt this way since losing his parents.

His grief swelled like a balloon, stretching taut, ready to burst at any moment.

Then a voice drifted over.

“My, what a gruesome sight.”

“Jin Taekyung is nowhere to be seen. It appears he really is dead.”

Choi Minwoo slowly turned around.

Hundreds of people had just entered the trail. At the head of the Association and the other Hunters participating in the rescue operation stood two men.

“It seems the rescue has failed. Wouldn’t you agree, Association President?”

“Indeed. Everything’s been reduced to ash. I wonder if we’ll even be able to find the body. More importantly, where is the Named Monster?”

“We’ll have to search thoroughly, but according to the detection magic, it appears all the problems you were concerned about have been resolved.”

At Go Jun’s words, the Association President’s heavily furrowed face broke into a broad smile.

“Oh, that’s welcome news. I thought we might have another casualty on our hands.”

“Your judgment allowed us to minimize our losses, Association President.”

“Nonsense. This was all thanks to the Ares Guild stepping forward. Once everything is settled, I’ll make absolutely certain that you receive a commendation plaque. Ha ha. It’ll be the first achievement of my term, so I’m thinking of holding a grand ceremony… Guild Master Lee Jungryong will attend, won’t he?”

“He’s not the Guild Master. He’s the Vice Guild Master.”

“Ah, of course. Goodness, I’ve become so forgetful with age.”

A dry smile touched the corner of Go Jun’s mouth.

“That happens. And if a commendation plaque is presented, the Vice Guild Master will be delighted to attend.”

“I’ll finally get to see him again. Please put in a good word for me, Team Leader Seok.”

“I’m sure he’ll be quite pleased if I simply report exactly what I’ve seen and heard.”

“Ha ha.”

The conversation between Go Jun and the Association President was a sharp needle—a needle capable of popping Choi Minwoo’s ballooning emotions.

“Shut your mouth.”

“……!”

Every sound died at once.

The Association President belatedly realized what he had heard, and his face twisted with rage. But Go Jun responded before he could.

“You’d do well to watch your mouth.”

“I told you to shut it.”

“Young man, you don’t know the meaning of manners. Don’t you agree, Team Leader Choi Minwoo of the Peace Guild?”

The words were barbed.

To Go Jun, Choi Minwoo was a kite with its string cut. The Ares Guild founded by his grandfather was already as good as Lee Jungryong’s. And now that Jin Taekyung, the troublesome figure they had been watching, was dead, there was no reason to hide his fangs any longer.

“I understand that you’re distraught over the death of a Guild member, but you need to calm down.”

Choi Minwoo ground out his reply.

“He could have survived if you bastards hadn’t stalled.”

“We did our best. The Association President’s judgment was correct as well. And…”

Go Jun continued in a cold, dry voice.

“You people bear some responsibility too. Don’t you agree?”

“……!”

“What were you doing while Jin Taekyung was dying? Leisurely reading the newspaper in your office? Or drinking at a bar in the middle of the day?”

Choi Minwoo bit his lip.

Everything Go Jun said was true.

Because he had trusted Jin Taekyung, he had set everything else aside and devoted himself to training.

But…

At least Choi Minwoo himself should not have done that.

Another needle flew at him as he struggled to speak.

“You killed Jin Taekyung. All of you did—you pathetic weaklings who forgot your duty.”

“……!”

Go Jun let out a short laugh.

“It’s too late for regrets. The dead don’t come back.”

Choi Minwoo clenched his fists until they felt ready to burst.

Then—

“What the fuck are you talking about, you motherfucking bastard?”

The voice was low but powerful, piercing every ear.

Those who did not recognize it stared around in confusion at the sudden profanity.

Those who did froze like statues.

No way…

Choi Minwoo slowly turned his head.

Far down the trail, someone was trudging toward them.

“You finished the whole forty-ninth-day memorial rite while I was off taking a piss, you fucking bastard.”²

Jin Taekyung hawked a wad of phlegm onto the ground.

“Square up, asshole.”