Chapter 563

The voice, spat out like a curse, was full of humiliation and anger that hadn’t existed in the past.

Go Sewon quietly lowered his eyes, feeling his mind go cold.

‘It’s true. It’s just history now, but still.’

Lee Jeong-ryong’s influence had truly been overwhelming.

Even before he disappeared, if Cheon Taemin—who never cared much about worldly matters—was like an immortal sage above the clouds, then Lee Jeong-ryong ruled on earth with the status of a president or king.

Yeah. It really was like that back then… Politics, business, even the heads of giant guilds who had rapidly become a new power class, all bowed their heads to Lee Jeong-ryong.

He was a hero who achieved great feats by Cheon Taemin’s side, and as the sworn brother of the vanished savior, he was virtually entrusted with full authority like a pope.

‘Another Vatican.’ The people of Korea might call this 150-story skyscraper the second Blue House, but in reality, it was more like the Vatican where the pope lived.

Even those who cursed incompetent governments or lawmakers fell silent before the name Ares Guild.

It was something close to a sacred, inviolable realm.

But…

“This world! The entire world! Everything is changing, even now! We’ve entered a new era!”

Just like the president’s words on TV, shouted amidst endless applause, everything was changing.

When the giant called Lee Jeong-ryong fell, the shadow he cast began to fade.

And at the center of all these events was one person’s overwhelming presence.

“But, fellow citizens! The government, including myself, will do everything in our power to ensure your safety! Together with this young man sitting next to me! We will protect Korea from every threat, inside and out!”

President Baek Hanseong didn’t mention the young man’s name directly, but everyone knew it.

In the past few months, this young man in his late twenties had become one of the most famous people in human history.

“Waaaaah!”

“Jin Taekyung! Jin Taekyung!”

“Freaking Sibal Lord!”

The press conference hall erupted in the loudest cheers ever heard.

Jin Taekyung, who had been dozing off with his chin propped in one hand, suddenly snapped awake and began clapping wildly, staring at the president.

“That really was an amazing speech, Mr. President. Especially those last words, I was truly moved…”

“Actually, at the end, the President was talking about Hunter Jin Taekyung.”
“Ah, wait a moment. My stomach really feels funny. I think I’m getting motion sickness.”
“This is all being broadcast. Please, wipe the drool off your mouth first…?”
“Please, edit this. Please. Okay?”
“I told you several times before we started. It’s live.”
“Right. Damn, I’m screwed.”
“It’s live, Hunter Jin Taekyung. It’s live, really.”

The awkward, sweaty president in his forties and the young hero in his twenties were broadcast to the entire country.

It was a live TV blunder that would go down in Korean broadcast history, but no one would scold or criticize Jin Taekyung.

Even those caught on camera weren’t frowning, but instead were chanting his name with big smiles.

‘Jin Taekyung.’

And as Go Sewon watched the scene, he suddenly realized.

The reaction of the people around that young man on the hologram TV reminded him of a word he’d been thinking about earlier.

‘…Sacred and inviolable?’

Compared to the sun-like Cheon Taemin, Jin Taekyung was still only a torch.

But there was one thing he couldn’t deny.

Right now, Jin Taekyung was walking the same path as the man remembered as an immortal hero.

And perhaps, regardless of what Jin Taekyung wanted, the world around him was shaping him into a second Cheon Taemin.

“Jin Taekyung! We heard you handled all three mutated Gates on your own! Could you say a few words about that?”

“I wasn’t alone—there were two of us, actually…”

“Jin Taekyung! I’m Kim Jinmu from Mudang Daily!”

“I have a question about the latest mutated Gate!”

Journalists rushed up with microphones, cameras flashing without pause.

As Go Sewon listened to the flood of reporters’ questions, he suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu.

‘This… the flow feels off. It seems natural, but everything is being guided in a certain direction by someone’s hand.’

Then, as he heard the shout of a reporter he’d never heard before, a chill ran down his spine.

“I have a question about the third mutated Gate you subdued two days ago! According to information our paper received, that Gate was managed by a famous guild…”

‘This is it. This is what it was.’

With a flash of realization, Go Sewon hurriedly reached for the remote. But someone else’s hand was even faster.

Crunch!

Seok Gojun smashed the remote and the coffee table, his eyes blazing red.

“I told you to leave it.”

“But Vice Guild Master…”

“I won’t say it again.”

Blood vessels burst in his superior’s eyes. His next words were chilling.

“Stay still. If you want to live.”

“Hup…!”

Without realizing it, Go Sewon froze and slumped back onto the sofa.

Meanwhile, the exact situation he feared was unfolding on the hologram TV.

“That’s right. It was a Gate managed by Ares Guild. Technically, it was leased permanently. But as everyone knows, that’s basically the same as ownership.”

It was an open secret that giant guilds monopolized Gates.

But Jin Taekyung, on a live national broadcast from the Blue House, not only brought up their dirty secrets, he took it even further.

“The details? The Mana level kept rising, but the rescue team never came.”

Reporters, sensing prey, leapt in.

Many of them had once taken Ares Guild’s dirty money—but money always moves for a bigger payday.

“Wait, wait a moment. Are you saying the rescue team never arrived, no matter how long you waited?”

Jin Taekyung nodded.

“Yes. Even after fifteen minutes from the initial report, they didn’t show. In that time, the Mana level kept rising, and the Gate mutated.”

“Then, does that mean if the rescue team had arrived on time, the mutation could have been prevented?”

“Well, I can’t say with 100% certainty, but if they’d sent in just a single A-rank Hunter for early deployment, they probably could have resolved it internally.”

“Unlike other mutated Gates, I understand the guild responsible for this one has immense manpower and capital. Why do you think they failed to dispatch a rescue team in time?”

“The reason… well.”

Jin Taekyung thought for a moment, then casually replied.

“I guess things have been a bit chaotic in that household lately. Should I say CEO? Management’s changed, and there’s been a lot of confusion.”

Crack!

Go Sewon heard something shatter nearby and closed his eyes.

‘It’s over.’

A giant guild with massive manpower and capital. A change in management.

Just those two key phrases were more than enough. Even without looking it up online, anyone could figure it out.

Even if the exact name hadn’t been stated…

“It was a serious mistake, but what can you do? I happened to be there, so fortunately, there were no casualties. Personally, I’m relieved. Also, I’d like to once again offer my deepest condolences for the deceased.”

“An excellent answer, Hunter Jin Taekyung. I have no doubt the departed would also be grateful and proud.”

Damn it. Go Sewon muttered a quiet curse to himself as he opened his eyes.

On TV, the youngest president in Korean history was finishing things off, microphone in hand.

“Though we managed to resolve this without casualties, our government will be launching a thorough investigation. The guild’s negligence is, as president of Korea, and also as a citizen, extremely regrettable. But the wishes and spirit of the heroic deceased will be fully carried on by Hunter Jin Taekyung…”

The president didn’t finish his sentence. Or, to be precise, Go Sewon couldn’t hear the rest.

U—?

The instant he instinctively took a defensive stance, an overwhelming burst of Mana shot out like a ray of light, shredding the hologram TV and everything around it.

KWA-GWA-GWA-GWANG!

The layered protective spell cast by ten high-level mages was shattered, along with bulletproof glass and everything else, which crumbled to dust.

At the center of the destruction was Seok Gojun, eyes bloodshot.

“How dare you! How dare you! How dare—!”

Bang! Bang! KAANG!

Everything has its limits.

And just now, that last remark had ignited all the fury Seok Gojun had barely managed to suppress since becoming Vice Guild Master.

“I’ll kill him! I’ll kill him for sure!!”

KWAANG!

Seok Gojun was the true successor to Lee Jeong-ryong, but anyone who saw today’s press conference would think otherwise.

They’d believe Jin Taekyung was the new hero—the only one to inherit the will of the still-absent Cheon Taemin and the recently deceased Lee Jeong-ryong.

“Jin Taekyung! Jin Taekyung!”

As Seok Gojun screamed his name, utterly losing his reason, Go Sewon’s eyes sank deep.