It’s over.
Thud.
Baek Hanseong, the occupant of the Phoenix Chair, gave a bitter smile as he set down the report.
Submitted personally by the director of the NIS1, it contained a complete account of Choi Minwoo’s movements the day before: the press conference held immediately after the national funeral, and the mood inside Ares Guild during its emergency meeting.
I didn’t expect him to move this quickly.
Baek had already known the secret of Choi Minwoo’s birth. He simply hadn’t expected Minwoo to reveal it to everyone at such a perfect moment.
No. More accurately, he hadn’t expected Ares Guild’s executives to accept a new City Lord so easily.
That’s how much Cheon Taemin’s bloodline means to them.
Cheon Taemin was a hero who symbolized humanity itself. No matter how much filth the recent incidents had smeared across Ares Guild, the power of his name remained undiminished. No media outlet or celebrity dared touch a man they regarded as sacrosanct.
But that wasn’t the only reason Choi Minwoo had been able to build Peace Guild into what it was today and secure the support of Ares Guild’s executives.
Jin Taekyung.
Fearless, approachable, devoted. A young hero drawing closer, step by step, to Cheon Taemin’s once-unrivaled reputation.
As long as he stood beside Choi Minwoo, nothing could stop the two of them. Not even if the country’s most powerful politicians, chaebol2 corporations, and major Guilds joined forces.
“Mr. President.”
Baek looked up at his chief secretary’s voice.
“What is it?”
“The Guild Association is asking to see you.”
Just what he least wanted to hear.
Representing the country’s ten largest Guilds, the association had been watching Ares Guild for an opening ever since the Go Jun incident. They had cooperated so readily with the government not out of any desire for justice or a cleaner society, but to pick through the fallen castle’s ruins for treasure.
And they would have, if not for Choi Minwoo.
Minwoo was young, capable, and had legitimacy on his side. If he became Vice Guild Master, Ares Guild would rebuild. His and Jin Taekyung’s good reputations could wash the filth from its name.
Opposition from the Guild Association was only to be expected. The problem was that they wanted Baek to reward their contributions and repay their favors.
Baek Hanseong muttered bitterly, “Not one of them knows how to behave.”
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing. Put the matter of the Guild Association on hold for now.”
“Mr. President, I’m sorry to say this, but their requests have been coming in without pause…”
“I said put it on hold.”
The chief secretary flinched at his quiet voice, bowed, and left.
Once the door closed, Baek rubbed his tired eyes. One problem after another had worn him down, body and mind. He even found himself craving the cigarettes he had given up after his election.
But nicotine and tar weren’t what he needed. He needed a solution—a way to untangle the problems knotted together like the Gordian knot of myth.
And the quickest, surest place to find one wasn’t the Blue House.3
Is this really the only way?
With a heavy heart, Baek pressed the button beneath his chair. Barely ten seconds later, the security officers waiting in the next room hurried in and bowed.
“I was thinking of getting some fresh air. Would that be all right?”
The head of the Presidential Security Service answered calmly. “Of course, Mr. President. Do you have a destination in mind?”
A destination.
Baek looked out the window.
“Peace Guild. Let’s go to Peace Guild.”
I’d been wondering why the Guild was so quiet today. The moment I left the training room at Team Leader Choi’s summons and stepped inside, I found out.
“You’re here, Hunter Jin Taekyung.”
“…Why are you here again?”
Baek Hanseong gave my heartfelt question a weary smile.
“I’ve been asking myself the same thing. Still, it’s good to see you again after so long.”
“Sure.”
I wasn’t sure fifteen days counted as so long, but I pulled out a chair and sat down. Baek was turning a cigarette over in his fingers, so I added, “This is a no-smoking area.”
“I know. I quit a year ago.”
He rubbed at the dark circles beneath his eyes. “But lately… I’ve been wondering whether I should start again.”
He must have had a rough time. He looked ten years older than when I’d last seen him.
I gave him a sympathetic look and patted his shoulder.
“I get that, but I’m telling you, this is a no-smoking area.”
“…”
“So what brings you here?”
The question was a formality. The middle-aged man in front of me was the President. He wasn’t the guy from the neighborhood bakery, free to drop by whenever he liked. There weren’t many reasons for him to come in person, especially now.
Sure enough, Baek gave a humorless little laugh.
“I think you both already know.”
Team Leader Choi spoke calmly. “The Guild Association’s opposition must be fierce.”
“It isn’t only the Guild Association. But the politicians and business leaders have chosen to stand back for now.”
“They’ll move once they see which way the scales tip.”
“Exactly. The Guild industry has the most at stake here.” Baek sighed. “As you know, they’re afraid of another Ares Guild.”
Ares Guild was an undisputed predator. In Korea especially, it had wielded overwhelming influence since its founding. Saying it held more power than the Blue House3 would hardly have been an exaggeration.
“The Guild Association won’t back down easily,” Baek continued. “An opportunity like this may never come again. They want to weaken Ares Guild through this incident and take some of its interests as their reward.”
“…”
“But then Team Leader Choi held a press conference and met with Ares Guild’s leadership…”
“That must put you in a difficult position.”
“Frankly, yes. They’ve been hounding me.”
I’d been listening in silence, but I cut in. “You can be more honest than that.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re worried too, aren’t you, Mr. President? About a second Ares Guild. No—about a second Lee Jungryong.”
“…!”
“Our Peace Guild is growing at a terrifying pace even as we speak. And now Ares Guild is going to bow before Team Leader Choi as well? If that happens, the game is completely over.”
A corporation’s strength came from its size and capital. A Guild’s came from its Hunters. By that measure, Peace Guild already had standing and fighting strength far beyond the country’s ten largest Guilds.
It had me and my overwhelming power. It had Team Leader Choi, Cheon Taemin’s only blood descendant.
And if we add Ares Guild to that?
Team Leader Choi would wield enormous power. He’d go from the only challenger capable of bringing Ares Guild down to a power no one could touch.
“Hmm.”
Baek let out a low hum. I snapped my fingers.
Tap. Fwoosh.
A flame of Samadhi True Fire flickered into being. Baek stared at it in surprise. When I nodded, he understood and put the cigarette between his lips.
Sizzle. Hoo.
White smoke poured out with his breath. Perhaps because it had been so long since he had smoked, he leaned back against the sofa and closed his eyes before suddenly removing the cigarette from his lips.
“Hunter Jin Taekyung is right. I’m more worried about a second Lee Jungryong than a second Ares Guild.”
Team Leader Choi brushed the smoke aside with one hand.
“That’s disappointing. I didn’t know you thought of me that way, Mr. President.”
“Anyone can change. Politics taught me that.”
“But you came here yourself today. You even postponed your meeting with the Guild Association.”
“…”
“Why?”
After a moment’s silence, Baek answered with difficulty.
“Because I wanted to believe the two of you were different.”
His subdued gaze rested on Team Leader Choi and me.
“What matters most isn’t how strong or sharp a weapon is. It’s who holds it.”
He had a point. A cheap box cutter from a stationery store was a weapon in a criminal’s hand. A magnificent sword made of Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron was a kitchen knife in a master chef’s.
And the Team Leader Choi I knew was capable and wise. He wasn’t the sort of man to swing a weapon carelessly just because it was in his hand.
“Then I can put your worries to rest,” Team Leader Choi said quietly.
Baek’s eyes lit up. “You mean…?”
“Trust me. I’ll use my influence and power fairly and justly, and I’ll hand over a share of the interests—enough to satisfy the Guild Association. If you like, I’ll put it in writing.”
“!”
“But now that I’ve given you the answer you wanted, I’d like a promise from you in return.”
Baek blinked at the unexpected offer, then leaned forward. “What is it?”
“I don’t want any more noise surrounding my actions from now on. Resolve the problem with the Guild Association, and stop the ongoing field investigation at Ares Guild headquarters.”
It was an alliance founded on trust, but it was a deal too. Baek was a seasoned politician. He nodded without much hesitation.
“If you keep your word, that won’t be difficult.”
“Then it’s settled. Nice and clean.”
As though they had planned it in advance, the two men rose from their seats at the same time and extended their hands.
Just as they were about to shake, Baek turned to me.
“Hunter Jin Taekyung. May I ask one last question?”
“Me? Sure.”
“Your request to stop the investigation at Ares Guild headquarters… Is it connected to the visit at the special detention center the other day?”
“Ah.”
I’d figured a report would reach him. Sure enough.
My eyes met Team Leader Choi’s. I read his assent there and shrugged.
“Yes.”
“Huh. The investigators must have missed something.”
“Why? Going to send them back in?”
“I am curious what Go Se-won was hiding, but… if I were that stupid, I would never have made it this far.”
With that politician’s answer, Baek smiled and took Team Leader Choi’s hand.
“I hope we continue to get along.”
“I look forward to working with you, Mr. President.”
The newly formed super-Guild and the government had forged a firm partnership.
And the last obstacle between us and Ares Guild was gone.
“C-could you say that again?”
“Cheon. Tae as in Crown Prince, and Min. Cheon Taemin. That’s my maternal grandfather’s name.”
On the day of the joint national funeral for the victims, the reporters were wrapping up their coverage when a bombshell dropped on them.
They could hardly process it. Neither could anyone else, apart from the handful of people who had known in advance.
Cheon Taemin. The immortal hero shrouded in mystery for more than twenty years.
His only blood descendant, who had remained out of sight even as turmoil engulfed Ares Guild, had appeared before the cameras.
Naturally, media outlets in Korea and around the world erupted at once.
[Peace Guild Team Leader Choi Minwoo: “My Maternal Grandfather Is Cheon Taemin.”]
[Press Conference Stunned. Ten Seconds of Silence.]
[Foreign Media in Uproar: Who Is Choi, Descendant of a Living Legend?]
[Truth or Lie? Debate Erupts over Choi Minwoo’s Shocking Statement.]
[Peace Guild Spokesperson: “Choi Minwoo Confirmed as Peace Guild’s New Guild Master.”]
[Ares Guild Official: “Board Meeting Called Regarding Choi Minwoo. Appointment as New Vice Guild Master Likely.”]
[Peace Guild’s New Captain—and Ares Guild Comes Calling?]
[KakaoPage Web-Novel Reader Ttol*seu Comments on Chapter 599 of a Certain Novel: “Choi Minwoo’s a diehard Baek fan. I’ll go read the fun Gigant Rider instead.” Author’s Response: “?”]
All four of Korea’s major morning papers gave Choi Minwoo extensive coverage, as did the foreign press. Nonsense had even reached web-fiction platforms. That alone showed the scale of the uproar.
For a short while, people argued over whether his claim was true. Then Go Se-won, who knew Ares Guild’s inner workings better than anyone, and Magic Johnson spoke up.
[Former Head of Security Go Se-won: “Choi Minwoo’s Statement Is True. He Lost His Parents as a Child and Was Shut Out of Ares Guild for More Than Twenty Years.”]
[American Grand Mage Magic Johnson: “He Is Definitely Cheon Taemin’s Maternal Grandson. He Is Also a Very Capable and Charming Man Who Built Peace Guild into What It Is Today. By the Way, Where Is Kanghee Lee? Is He in the Shower?”]
[Former U.S. President Joseph Biden: “I Think So, If I Remember Right. Actually, I’m Not Sure.”]
[Prince Felix of the United Kingdom, on Hearing the News: “What The Fu*k…” Royal Household Requests Interview Be Stopped.]
The finishing touch was the Blue House’s3 announcement confirming Choi Minwoo’s identity and declaring its support, followed by the results of Ares Guild’s official board meeting the next day.
[Ares Guild Elects Choi Minwoo, Current Peace Guild Master, as New Vice Guild Master. “Board Vote Unanimous.”]
[Choi Minwoo: Young Power Broker Now at the Helm of Two Major Guilds.]
[Guild Association Offers “Sincere Congratulations,” Contrary to Experts’ Predictions of Opposition.]
[Immortal Hero Still Nowhere to Be Seen.]
[Overseas Reaction: “Where Is Slayer?”]
…
“Mr. Jin Taekyung?”
At the voice in my ear, I looked up from my phone. The face I’d seen in countless article photos was right in front of me.
Now Ares Guild’s new captain, welcomed with applause and cheers, Team Leader Choi regarded me calmly.
“What are you looking at?”
“Articles about you. Should I still call you Team Leader Choi? Or Guild Master now? Maybe Vice Guild Master? You’ve got a foot in each Guild. It’s confusing.”
“Whatever you’re comfortable with.”
“Hmm. How about Minwoo?”
“Ah… Guild Master Choi Minwoo would be fine.”
“That feels awkward. I’ll stick with Team Leader.”
Given his position and the people watching, Guild Master would have been the proper title. But he couldn’t refuse my suggestion. It was a hundred times better than Minwoo.
“…All right.”
Still looking uneasy, Team Leader Choi surveyed our surroundings.
The vast, devastated space had deliberately been left unrepaired for the investigation. We were in Area A, inside Ares Guild headquarters.
Though “formerly hidden” would be more accurate now.
I crossed the familiar hallway. I’d fought the mutated Go Jun here, and wreckage littered everywhere I looked and stepped.
Damn, it’s huge.
This wasn’t an orchard, but by my rough estimate, the place covered well over a thousand pyeong4—more than thirty-five thousand square feet.
And Team Leader Choi and I had to comb through it.
Well, not just the two of us. Our third member wasn’t human.
“Come out, you bastard.”
Swoosh.
A human-shaped creature that wasn’t human emerged from my Inventory.
“Are my eyes playing tricks on me? I could’ve sworn you said you’d take me to a club. You promised drinking games with beautiful women.”
The Skeleton King looked aggrieved. I answered with complete confidence.
“We’re playing treasure hunt here.”
“…”
“Find it fast and I’ll really take you to a club. I swear on Hyuk Mujin’s balls.”
“You despicable human. I’ll trust you one last time. But who is Hyuk Mujin, and why do you keep wagering his balls?”
I casually ignored the Skeleton King’s question and gestured toward Team Leader Choi.
“You take that side. I’ll take this one. Bones can handle way over there.”
“The area you’ve assigned me seems rather large.”
“Team Leader, you’re hurting my feelings. If you don’t like it, quit. Is he our grandfather? He’s your grandfather.”
“That settles it. Understood.”
With the work divided, we got moving.
Three hours later, we met up again, all wearing grim expressions.
“Fuuuck… I can’t do this shit.”
“For some reason, the mana detector isn’t working. And it’s the genuine luxury model I bought at a Sotheby’s auction.”
“Human. Treasure hunt is boring as hell.”
Knowing how meticulous Lee Jungryong was, I’d expected the secret area to be hard to find. I hadn’t expected this.
No wonder the government investigators had come away empty-handed.
There isn’t even a reaction in the office. Could the information have been wrong?
But Go Se-won knew more about Ares Guild’s secrets than anyone left alive. With Lee Jungryong, Song Cheonwoo, and Go Jun dead, trusting him was our only…
“Huh?”
A thought flashed through my mind, and my eyes widened.
Team Leader Choi stopped thumping the mana detector with his fist. He and the Skeleton King both looked at me.
“What is it?”
“Oh. Did you remember a club with a great crowd?”
“No, wait. I think I know where to look.”
I quickly traced my memories of Area A: the fight with Go Jun, my first victory, and then…
When I came back, he was running away.
By then Go Jun had changed into a horrible mixture of human and monster. He’d definitely been fleeing.
The question was where he’d been going.
That’s the place. There’s something there I didn’t find.
Tap—whoosh!
I launched myself forward without another thought. Team Leader Choi and the Skeleton King hurried after me as I shot ahead like the wind.
We’d searched the place several times already, but this time was different.
Swoosh.
A dead-end hallway. Several rooms.
I slowed and leaned close against the wall, heightening my Qi Sense. A System chime sounded, and a blue circle spread outward from me.
It swept the hallway and every room, but no notification appeared to tell me I’d found anything.
Fwoooooosh.
The System determined the range of my Qi Sense. I could perceive only what lay within it.
But was that really all?
Farther. Wider.
I steadied my breathing. The sounds around me receded, and internal energy rose from my dantian, lending strength to my Qi Sense.
And then, at the moment my Middle Dantian finally responded—
Fwoooooosh!
The blue circle, which had stopped expanding, surged outward. Beyond the space I could see, toward another space hidden from sight.
At the edge of its reach came the notification I’d been waiting for.
Ding.
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