Chapter 278
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Current re-published chapters (270 - 305)
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The once-beautiful two-story house had turned into a haunted ruin.
If the dozens of defensive barriers hadn’t absorbed some of the impact from the **Myeolyeom Shingwon** (Extinguishing Flame Divine Fist), the entire place would have been reduced to ashes.
Just then, I felt a presence approaching behind me, followed by a low voice in my ear.
“Jin Taekyung.”
Sitting on a half-burned sofa, I turned my head and responded.
“Yes.”
It was Chief Choi, Butler Kim, and Song-yi. The looks in their eyes were complex as they stared at me, probably because they had seen the horrific scene of corpses scattered throughout the garden. It wasn’t surprising.
And I probably didn’t look too good myself, covered in blood.
Song-yi asked cautiously, “Did you kill all of them?”
“Yeah.”
“But I spared the ones who surrendered,” I added softly. “For now.”
Though I was answering Song-yi, my words were also meant for Chief Choi and Butler Kim.
Chief Choi asked with a worried expression, “Are you hurt?”
“As you can see, I’m fine.”
“The survivors?”
“I’ve gathered them in one place.”
“Without any other measures?”
“Of course, I did something. Rest assured, they’re no different from breathing corpses for the next few hours.”
The “personal measure” I had taken was **Jeom-hyeol** (Pressure Point Striking). I had struck their **A-hyeol** (Pressure Points), **Ma-hyeol** (Numbness Points), and **Su-hyeol** (Vital Points), and then neatly packed the Black Hunters into a single room.
Although I had subdued them, I wasn’t some bloodthirsty killer who would slaughter those who surrendered. Besides, they might be useful later.
“Well done. But…” Chief Choi’s gaze drifted to someone lying at my feet. “Who’s that?”
“The owner of this house.”
I nudged the body with my foot, revealing the figure of a man in his 40s.
It was Lim Young-jun, the homeowner and leader of the Black Hunters. He was soaked in blood, making him look like a corpse, but he was very much alive and unscathed.
Butler Kim, inspecting him, muttered as if understanding, “He used potions. Repeatedly, it seems.”
“Yes.”
“Did you torture him?”
“You’re observant.”
“Back during the Great Cataclysm, it was a common practice. There were worse people than Black Hunters back then.”
The mention of torture made Song-yi’s face pale, but she sighed and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“You’ve had it rough.”
Feeling uneasy about it is natural. Even I, who am used to the ways of Murim, find it unsettling.
But Lim Young-jun was more tight-lipped than I expected, and no amount of threats would have made him talk.
“They’re not ordinary people. Someone had to do it.”
“If you hadn’t done it, I would have,” Chief Choi and Butler Kim both added, each in their own way.
They were right. Someone had to do it. With my hands already stained with blood, there was no reason to hesitate about torture.
I shook my head to clear my troubled thoughts and spoke.
“There’s no physical evidence. As soon as I infiltrated and the alarm magic went off, they deleted all the related data.”
“Everything?”
“Yes. There wasn’t even a computer in the house, and only two people, including Lim Young-jun, had cell phones. Those were burner phones with untraceable origins.”
I showed them the remains of the phones I had collected.
Even with my limited knowledge of such things, it was clear they were beyond recovery. The parts were all smashed, and the SD cards had been burned.
Chief Choi clicked his tongue softly as he looked at the remains.
“Thorough. With this level of preparation, there wouldn’t be any documents left either.”
“None.”
“What about the other Black Hunters?”
“Ten survived, but they all claim to know nothing. The one who acted as a deputy was killed by me. All of the people here were recruited and trained by Lim Young-jun.”
As far as I could tell, they operated in a strictly compartmentalized manner.
From identity laundering to payment, everything about the Black Hunters was managed through Lim Young-jun.
“It’s fortunate that Lim Young-jun is still alive. What did he say?”
“Well…”
I paused, recalling the desperate words he had shouted after enduring three rounds of **Bungeunchakgol** (Muscle Splitting, Bone Shattering).
‘M-Myeongdong Guild! It’s the Myeongdong Guild!’
It’s a large guild, ranking easily within the top 20 nationwide. And it’s the guild my old friend, Jihoon, recently rejoined.
After some consideration, I spoke again.
“Could you give me a moment?”
“…?”
“There’s something I need to check personally.”
Chief Choi, who had been watching me intently, nodded.
“Take your time. We’ll handle things here. Let us know what you find.”
“Thank you.”
“Let’s get started, then.”
At Chief Choi’s command, Butler Kim waved the staff he was using like a cane.
The tightly closed doors opened, and the ten **Jeom-hyeol** (Pressure Point Striking)-stricken Black Hunters floated into the air one by one, exiting the house.
Lim Young-jun, of course, was among them.
“Everyone, stand back.”
Butler Kim warned in a low voice as he began chanting.
Mana surged, and a massive flame engulfed the barely-standing two-story house.
The fire spread to the garden and would not stop until everything was obliterated.
*Whoosh!*
Thick clouds of smoke billowed up with the fire.
Yet the peace of the quiet rural village where the mansion stood remained unbroken.
The mansion, cloaked in magic that blocked all sight and sound, wouldn’t be discovered until much later.
“Will this be enough?” asked Chief Choi.
“This should suffice. Even if we don’t do it, they’ll make sure this place is erased from existence.”
People vanished, and the house burned down overnight, but that would be the end of it.
The villagers would gossip about it for a while, but no problems would arise.
That’s how things work when monsters with power and influence are involved.
I had only one thing on my mind.
[Park Jihoon, Garam Middle School Classmate]
Which side was the owner of this number saved on my phone?
The dawn was still barely breaking as Park Jihoon dressed and left his house.
A limousine chauffeur in uniform was waiting for him at the entrance.
“Good morning, sir.”
“What’s going on? Why so early?”
“I’m not sure. I was just instructed by the Guild Master to bring you over.”
Well, what could a mere driver know?
Clicking his tongue softly, Park Jihoon got into the car. The roads were quiet, likely because it was still early morning.
After a while, the smoothly cruising limousine stopped in a secluded area in Hannam-dong, where high-end apartments and villas were clustered.
A massive mansion. One of the guards patrolling along the stone wall ran over and bowed to Park Jihoon.
“They’re waiting inside.”
After passing through the iron gate, reminiscent of a European noble’s estate, and crossing a garden larger than a playground, Park Jihoon finally met the person who had summoned him.
“Have you had breakfast?”
The man was in his 50s, with graying hair.
Despite his age, his build was impressive, and through the white gown, one could see his well-developed chest muscles.
Park Jihoon bowed his head and replied, “Not yet, sir.”
“Then come and eat. The beef radish soup turned out great this morning.”
It was barely six in the morning. Having breakfast right after waking up wasn’t exactly appealing.
But without a word, Park Jihoon thanked him and picked up the spoon.
“Aren’t you eating, Guild Master?”
“I’ve already eaten. Don’t worry about me; just enjoy your meal.”
The Guild Master casually answered, unfolding a newspaper. It was today’s morning paper.
On the front page was a photo of an older man in a suit, bowing his head solemnly.
“Guild Master Park Taeseop of the Myeongdong Guild visits the memorial of the late Hunter Jeong Hyunwoo. ‘Only sorrow remains, my deepest apologies to the bereaved families.’”
Only then did Park Jihoon realize why he had been summoned.
‘The old man is pissed.’
The man, who looked exactly like the one in the color photo, asked without taking his eyes off the newspaper, “How do I look? Did the picture come out well?”
“Yes, you look good as always.”
“That’s your problem. No matter what you say, it always sounds insincere.”
“I’m being honest.”
The immediate response made the Guild Master, Park Taeseop, raise his eyebrows.
A sign that his patience had worn thin.
“Why did you kill Jeong Hyunwoo?”
It had come.
Park Jihoon quietly set down his spoon and answered.
“He got suspicious.”
“Then you should have just shut him up.”
“That’s what the Myeongdong Guild is supposed to do. My role is to snap the necks of those who get suspicious before they start talking.”
“Without my permission?”
“Do I need your permission?”
*Bang!*
Park Taeseop slammed his fist on the table. With a cracking sound, the table broke, sending glass and food flying everywhere.
“Guild Master!”
The guards who had rushed in were met with a cold shout.
“Get out! Don’t take another step in here until I give the order!”
The guards hesitated for a moment, then bowed and left.
Park Jihoon calmly took out a handkerchief and wiped the soup splattered on his face.
“Too bad. It was delicious.”
“You insolent brat…”
“No matter how much we stink, adding a little more doesn’t make a difference.”
“I built this guild with my blood and sweat. And you kill a guild member without saying a word?”
“Now, now, Guild Master.”
Park Jihoon’s smooth, unlined brow furrowed slightly.
The handkerchief in his hand dropped onto the shattered remains of the table.
“So, what should I have done?”
“What?”
“Don’t you realize how troublesome it would be if someone started talking? If this blows up, it’ll burn down everything, not just your little house. I stepped in because it would spread to our side too.”
“Even so, you—”
“And I’d appreciate it if you spoke accurately. A war hero who fought in the Great Cataclysm, shedding blood and sweat? I acknowledge that. But claiming the Myeongdong Guild as your own is a bit…”
Park Jihoon chuckled and got up from his seat.
“Thanks for breakfast. Even though I barely got a few bites.”
As Park Taeseop trembled with anger, he spoke.
“Sit down.”
“If you have more to say, do it over the phone. If you keep this up, I might start losing respect for you.”
“I said, sit down.”
The air around them trembled violently.
Myeongdong Guild Master Park Taeseop was a hero of the Great Cataclysm and one of the top-ranked Hunters in the country.
But Park Jihoon knew that he wouldn’t dare lay a hand on him.
“See you next time.”
Just as he bowed respectfully and turned to leave, Park Taeseop’s voice stopped him.
“Because of your actions, everything is about to go up in flames. Didn’t you know that?”
“What do you mean? I made sure there wouldn’t be any backlash from the Jeong Hyunwoo incident.”
“Black Hunters. They recently targeted a D-rank Hunter from the Peace Guild, didn’t they?”
Park Jihoon’s face hardened.
He instinctively realized that something serious had happened.
“What… What’s going on? What happened?”
At that moment, Park Jihoon’s phone, tucked inside his coat pocket, began to vibrate.
As if in a trance, he took out his phone and stared at the name filling the screen.
[Jin Taekyung]
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