Chapter 288

In the spacious backseat of the limousine, Lee Jung-ryong grasped Seok Go-jun’s arm, channeling his mana into him. Seok Go-jun, who had been limp moments before, began to stir as strength returned to his body.

With a faint groan, Seok Go-jun slowly opened his eyes. Lee Jung-ryong addressed him.

“Are you back with us?”

“…I apologize. I should have stalled for more time.”

Seok Go-jun bowed his head, his expression stiff with regret. His earlier attack on Jin Tae-kyung hadn’t been an impulsive decision. As Lee Jung-ryong’s disciple and the head of his security team, Seok Go-jun was known for his composure and restraint. What he did was on the orders of the master he deeply respected.

‘I need to see what that Jin Tae-kyung is truly capable of.’
‘What should I do?’
‘Buy as much time as possible. Draw out every bit of his strength.’
‘He’s always rubbed me the wrong way. I’ll finally get to teach him a lesson.’

He shouldn’t have spoken that last sentence. After all his bravado, he couldn’t even withstand a single blow. The shame of not being able to face Lee Jung-ryong weighed heavily on him.

“Since you’ve fought him firsthand, you must have felt it too. Tell me, without any exaggeration, what you think of his abilities.”

It didn’t take long for Seok Go-jun to respond.

“He’s strong.”

Jin Tae-kyung had charged into the Myeongdong Guild alone. They knew he wasn’t someone to be taken lightly. But Seok Go-jun hadn’t expected that after taking a direct hit from a mana-infused punch, Jin Tae-kyung would remain standing without even retreating a single step. He couldn’t believe that such an absurdly tough individual existed.

“I hit him square in the jaw, but it was harder than steel. I’ve never encountered anyone like him.”

He couldn’t understand how Jin Tae-kyung had remained unscathed without armor or any defensive magic.

The bigger issue was that Jin Tae-kyung wasn’t just tough.

“His strength, speed… They both surpassed mine.”

“And if you had gone all out from the start?”

After a brief hesitation, Seok Go-jun replied in a firm voice.

“…It would have been difficult.”

He recalled Jin Tae-kyung’s lightning-fast movements.

In a split second, his arm was bound, and his foot was driven deep into the ground. He quickly raised his arm to shield his face, but the powerful punch broke through his defense and struck him directly.

“I don’t know how, but Jin Tae-kyung has a wealth of combat experience. He’s on a completely different level from the average hunter who only fights monsters.”

“And?”

“Sorry?”

“Isn’t there something else you haven’t said?”

“I remember telling you to speak without holding back.”

Meeting Lee Jung-ryong’s gaze, Seok Go-jun realized that his master had been thinking the same thing as him.

“You had already guessed, didn’t you?”

“Yes. And today, that guess was confirmed.”

“Does that mean…”

Lee Jung-ryong’s voice lowered ominously.

“There’s no doubt. Jin Tae-kyung has mastered a Mana Cultivation Technique.”

Mana Cultivation Technique.

For the first time, Seok Go-jun’s steady eyes flickered with surprise. What Lee Jung-ryong had just said was truly shocking.

“A mere F-rank hunter has grown this powerful in just half a year. People talk about re-awakening or equipment miscalibration, but those are just ignorant ramblings.”

Seok Go-jun muttered under his breath.

“But how… The Mana Cultivation Technique is one of the most closely guarded secrets, isn’t it?”

“Secret? That’s a meaningless word. As long as someone knows it, it’s never a complete secret.”

“Could it be the work of Team Leader Choi Min-woo?”

Lee Jung-ryong shook his head.

“No. Min-woo never learned the Mana Cultivation Technique. And neither did Kim Hwa-jong, who’s been by his side since childhood.”

“Then no one knows… Unless you…”

Seok Go-jun abruptly fell silent, freezing as he realized what he had almost said. The moment he met Lee Jung-ryong’s darkened gaze, he understood he had crossed a line.

“I believe I’ve told you not to utter a word about my brother.”

“S-Sorry, I misspoke…”

Seok Go-jun’s voice trembled like a frightened bird. He had broken an unspoken rule in his shock over Jin Tae-kyung’s mastery of the Mana Cultivation Technique. Ares Guild Leader Cheon Tae-min was not a topic to be mentioned lightly.

*Thud!*

Seok Go-jun dropped to his knees, bowing his head deeply.

“Please forgive me, Deputy Guild Master.”

“Forgiveness? Everyone makes mistakes.”

“Stand up.”

Even after carefully rising from his knees and taking his seat, Seok Go-jun couldn’t bring himself to look directly at Lee Jung-ryong. Over the years, Seok Go-jun had learned and seen much at Lee Jung-ryong’s side. To him, Lee Jung-ryong was a figure of both respect and fear.

The usually expressionless Seok Go-jun now had a subtle air of fear about him.

“Seok Go-jun.”

It was Lee Jung-ryong who broke the suffocating silence.

Seok Go-jun lowered his head even further.

“Yes, Deputy Guild Master. Please, go ahead.”

“Things will get very busy soon. If you keep speaking carelessly, you’ll make things difficult for me.”

“I will be extremely careful from now on.”

“From now on, keep a closer watch on the Peace Guild. See if there are any useful people among them.”

Seok Go-jun cautiously lifted his head.

“Are you planning to reinforce the security team?”

“Yes, we can’t keep going like this. We need to prepare for any possible situation.”

“Understood. I’ll implement it as soon as we return to the guild.”

“And… make sure you keep an eye on the executives, too, including those at the overseas branches.”

“I’ll handle it thoroughly.”

Lee Jung-ryong’s position within the Ares Guild was already solid. However, not everyone followed him blindly like Seok Go-jun. There were always those who harbored discontent, and they looked at Lee Jung-ryong’s actions with suspicion.

On the other hand, the security team was practically Lee Jung-ryong’s private army. With their immense salaries and training in the Mana Cultivation Technique, they pledged absolute loyalty to Lee Jung-ryong alone.

‘It’s been too peaceful for too long.’ Lee Jung-ryong turned his gaze to the window. Through the spotless glass, he could see the vast expanse of the Han River.

Thirty years ago, this river had been filled with the corpses of humans and monsters, but now it flowed clean and clear as if that history had never existed.

‘Brother. The world has changed so much.’

Lee Jung-ryong didn’t speak these thoughts aloud. Instead, his mind drifted back to the distant past. He recalled the burning cities, the dying people, and the monster hordes that swept across the land like a storm…

And the one person who shone like a beacon in that hellscape.

‘Stay behind me, and don’t take a single step forward.’

Lee Jung-ryong, who had been filled with cynicism toward the world, had been instantly captivated by that man when he first met him at the age of thirty. He regarded him as an elder brother, though they shared no blood, and always looked up to him with a mix of respect and fear.

Even now, past the age of sixty, those memories and emotions were vivid and alive within him.

Lee Jung-ryong was snapped out of his reverie by Seok Go-jun’s voice.

“We’ve arrived.”

At the same time, the limousine door slid open. Before them loomed a skyscraper that pierced the clouds, surrounded by a forest of other buildings that seemed to guard it like sentinels.

Dozens of hunters, who had been waiting, bowed deeply toward him. The emblems on their suits bore the insignia of the Ares Guild.

“Welcome, Deputy Guild Master Lee Jung-ryong!”

Their voices rang out in perfect unison, as precise as a knife.

With a faint smile, the man of power stepped onto the red carpet.

—

In a world where even elderly men and women watched iTube through wireless earphones, the internet was a marvel of 21st-century civilization, a collective repository of all knowledge and mysteries.

With just a few clicks and keystrokes, you could learn about events happening anywhere in the world as if you were holding them in the palm of your hand.

In such a world, the details of the most famous people among billions were, of course, easily accessible.

*Click. Tap, tap.*

‘Cheon Tae-min.’

The name appeared as soon as I typed the first few characters. In fact, it ranked higher in search results than “heaven.”

People were more interested in the person who had saved them from the brink of destruction than in the afterlife itself.

‘I’m no different.’

Muttering inwardly, I tapped the link labeled [Cheon Tae-min – Person Profile] with my thumb.

The face that had been engraved in my memory since elementary school filled the screen.

Thick eyebrows and chiseled features.

He looked like a Greek god reborn.

And…

“He really does look alike.”

“Yeah, they

look exactly alike.”

“Holy crap, they’re practically twins.”

I couldn’t help but agree—there was no denying the resemblance. It was as if the saying “blood doesn’t lie” had never been more true.

Even I, along with Im Jeok-jung and Song-Yi, stared open-mouthed as we glanced between the phone screen and Chief Choi.

“Ahem.”

Chief Choi finally cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence and bringing us back to our senses.

No, not quite. I wasn’t back to my senses at all.

‘What in the world is going on?’

This was turning into a spectacular mess, whether it was the martial world or the modern world. When Park Ji-hoon sucker-punched me and Lee Jung-ryong suddenly appeared, I was convinced nothing else could surprise me.

But this was shock and awe on another level.

‘Not the president’s grandson, but Cheon Tae-min’s grandson.’

A president’s term lasts five years, but Cheon Tae-min’s legacy has no end. The achievements and fame associated with his name would be passed down for generations, immortalized forever.

He saved all of humanity by driving a sword into the Demon King’s heart—what more needs to be said?

A hero born from humanity. The greatest hunter in the world, recognized by all.

‘He’s unparalleled. That’s what he is.’

Chief Choi was the sole grandson of *that* Cheon Tae-min.

He had only one daughter and no other known relatives, so he was likely the only heir.

The heir of Cheon Tae-min. Just thinking about it gave me chills.

With a trembling voice, I spoke up.

“Chief Choi.”

“Yes, what is it?”

Chief Choi responded immediately, as if he had been waiting for the awkward silence to break.

“May I ask you something, if it’s not too much trouble?”

“Of course, go ahead.”

“Can I still call you ‘Chief Choi’ from now on?”

“What?”

Chief Choi asked in disbelief.

“What else were you thinking of calling me?”

“Min-woo. Brother Min-woo.”

“I’ll pass.”

“I’ve got one more.”

“Don’t say it. I don’t want to hear it.”

“Please adopt me. I’ll call you Dad. I promise to be a good son.”

Chief Choi’s face turned bright red.

If I were actually his son, he’d probably disown me.

Finally, he let out a long sigh.

“…This isn’t the time for jokes.”

“I wasn’t joking. I meant it.”

“Jin Tae-kyung!”

Chief Choi’s voice became grave as he continued.

“I already told you everything about my situation.”

“Yeah, you told us. We all heard it, including me.”

Im Jeok-jung and Song-Yi nodded in agreement.

An hour ago, after Lee Jung-ryong had left, we were still in shock when Chief Choi revealed everything.

His true identity and all the events that had led up to this point, including the reasons why it had to be this way.

“Lee Jung-ryong is a highly ambitious man. He’s always seen me as an obstacle and has kept me under constant surveillance. The reason he had me bouncing between overseas branches was to keep me away from headquarters.”

Chief Choi had been surrounded by prying eyes. He was given insignificant positions where he couldn’t make a mark, and even those posts were changed annually. It was more like exile than an overseas assignment.

“And Cheon Tae-min… No, the Guild Master of Ares just stood by and watched?”

“As I said, my grandfather is…”

Chief Choi bit his lip.

“He’s an extraordinary person. I only have childhood memories of him, but he doesn’t think like an ordinary person.”

Butler Kim, who had been standing silently, added his own thoughts.

“He was like that in the past, and he’s still the same. I’ve served the elder for a long time, but I’ve never once been able to grasp his true intentions.”

Could this be the dark side of the hero that no one knew about?

Chief Choi sighed before continuing.

“Even after I resigned and left the Ares Guild, they continued to monitor me. When I later established the Peace Guild… it was difficult even to recruit a single mid-level hunter.”

It was then that I learned something new: Im Jeok-jung and I weren’t the first members of the Peace Guild.

A few high-ranking hunters had joined earlier, but they suddenly received lucrative contract offers and left. Some even vanished without a trace right before signing a contract.

‘That was probably Lee Jung-ryong’s doing.’

No matter how much money you have, a guild is nothing without hunters.

With the Ares Guild tightening its grip from all sides, Chief Choi began looking for talent at the hunter offices. That’s when he found me and Im Jeok-jung.

Fortunately, this time, there was no pressure.

‘Two low-ranking hunters wouldn’t have seemed like a big deal to them.’

But that was a miscalculation on the Ares Guild’s part.

No one would have imagined that an F-rank hunter, who was only good enough to be a porter, would cause such a stir.

“It’s the same with this incident. When I heard that you met Lee Jung-ryong, I felt it was all because of me.”

“And so?”

“What?”

I scratched the back of my head.

“So what exactly do you want to say, Chief? You haven’t said it yet.”

“The power gap between us and the Ares Guild is too vast to fight against.”

“Everyone knows that.”

“There will be more incidents like this in the future.”

“Explain. Be clear.”

Chief Choi clenched his teeth.

“I will terminate your contracts. If you sever ties with the Peace Guild, the Ares Guild won’t bother you anymore.”

His voice shook with emotion as he closed his eyes and clenched his fists.

I watched him for a moment before responding.

“No thanks.”

“What?”

“I said no.”

“This is about survival. We’re weak, so we should back down before we get hurt even more. Isn’t that what you’re saying?”

“Jin Tae-kyung.”

“Well, that’s simple then.”

I looked Chief Choi directly in the eyes and spoke slowly and deliberately.