Chapter 587
Air. Time.
It felt like everything had stopped. That’s how it was for the master of A-Zone, the most secret area within the Ares Guild headquarters in Jongno, Seoul.
‘How…?’
That was the only question echoing in his mind.
Seok Gojun stared at the hologram TV on the wall, his face rigid, forgetting that Go Sewon was beside him.
Live broadcasts from dozens of unmanned drones sent by the government and the media were playing across the screen.
– What you are seeing is Balwangsan, near Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, where a Monster Wave has occurred. And…
The voice of the nine o’clock news anchor, usually calm and composed, now came through agitated and barely seen on screen.
– Citizens, do you see this? That is the corpse of the named monster, Behemoth! Around it, survivors are being evacuated by rescue helicopters from the disaster…
Seok Gojun’s eyelids twitched.
The mutilated corpse of the beast, the survivors, and the voices of the Peace Guild members and anchor explaining the situation only fueled his rage.
Crash!
The latest-model hologram TV—replaced more than ten times in the past month—was smashed to dust.
But Seok Gojun didn’t care at all.
When Choi Minwoo, wearing an oxygen mask, appeared on screen being carried away, everything else became meaningless.
‘He survived. Choi Minwoo.’
That fact weighed heavily on him.
To Seok Gojun, Choi Minwoo was someone who deserved to die—someone he *had* to kill.
That’s why he’d set the trap.
He lured Jin Taekyung to Busan and used Song Cheon-woo to set up a scenario where both sides would be destroyed.
But…
‘Where did it go wrong?’
Red light flickered in Seok Gojun’s eyes. In his hand, two unpurified S-rank magic stones rubbed together endlessly.
Crack. Crack.
What did I miss?
Crack. Crack.
He’d thought it was perfect. No—maybe it really *was* perfect.
If there was only one flaw in his flawless plan, it was that someone *more* than perfect stood on the other side.
‘Jin Taekyung.’
It was him. All the media were blocked by Behemoth’s mana barrier, so details were unclear, but it could only have been him.
The man who had killed his master, Lee Jeongryong—a man as close to a living god as one could be—had once again foiled his plans.
Despite all the inescapable traps. Even so, again!
Crack-crack-crack!
Instead of a scream, a hideous grinding sound filled the office.
Suppressing his surging anger, Seok Gojun managed to squeeze out his voice.
“Song Cheon-woo… What about Song Cheon-woo?”
When there was no answer, thunderous rage erupted.
“I asked what happened!”
“Team Leader Go! Go Sewon!”
The chief of security, Go Sewon, who had been silently watching his superior’s rage, answered in a dry tone.
“His name is not on any list of survivors or casualties we’ve received.”
“What about the gate access logs?”
“Same. In fact, it appears the Peace Guild, which owns that gate, deliberately avoided leaving any trace.”
“Yeah, that’s what I expected. Choi Minwoo, if nothing else, is extremely cautious. Right? Don’t you think so?”
“…Yes.”
The upside to secrecy is that no secrets ever escape.
Seok Gojun ran a hand through his hair, then took a swig straight from the whiskey bottle in front of him and muttered,
“Fine. Even if things got screwed up, it can’t be helped. If Song Cheon-woo uses a stand-in for an alibi, or if not, if he’s framed as a lone culprit, that’ll do. There’s no trace left in Busan, so there’s nothing to worry about. Right?”
“But Deputy Guild Master, the Pyeongchang incident is too big to pin on Song Cheon-woo alone. According to information we obtained, Kim Hwajong, even if only nominally, the Peace Guild Master, is dead, and Song Cheon-woo is clearly Ares personnel—”
“Team Leader Go.”
Suddenly, Go Sewon felt an icy chill sweep over him. His frozen expression was reflected in the red eyes of Seok Gojun.
“Then make that big incident a small one.”
“Deputy Guild Master…”
“It doesn’t matter if it’s billions or trillions. Bribe the prosecutors, blackmail the old men in the National Assembly, grab the necks of the ones with cameras and mics. Isn’t that your job?”
Go Sewon’s pupils trembled. The malice and pressure from one person weighed on him like a mountain.
‘How…’
It was beyond shock—it was horror. How could someone change, become so corrupted, in just a few months?
And what was this overwhelming force pressing down on him now?
As Go Sewon stared in disbelief, Song Cheon-woo’s words from a few days earlier echoed in his mind.
‘The line between human and monster. Seok Gojun… has already become a monster.’
That’s right. Seok Gojun—his superior—had already become a monster.
Using near-religious loyalty, he sent his subordinates to their deaths, twice causing Monster Waves that killed thousands, tens of thousands—maybe even hundreds of thousands.
All for the sake of eliminating his enemy.
‘A monster who’s forgotten the bare minimum of what it means to be human.’
As Go Sewon struggled to hide his turmoil, Seok Gojun spoke again.
“Handle it. Choi Minwoo survived, but at least Song Cheon-woo is dead. As long as we get past this, we’re fine.”
Calm had returned to Seok Gojun’s voice—it was chilling.
He hadn’t eliminated his external enemy, but with his internal enemy gone, he had achieved half-success.
Now, with the fake Song Cheon-woo retiring and disappearing, everything would be over.
No rumor or accusation could bring down the Ares Guild.
“Thirty years. Thirty damn years. Politics, business, prosecution, media… all of them grew under Ares’s shadow.”
Crack. Crack.
Cheon Tae-min had built the foundation, but after he lost consciousness, Lee Jeongryong had put up the pillars and the roof.
The young politicians Ares sponsored had become prime ministers, ruling party leaders, opposition powerhouses. The same was true in business, prosecution, and media.
Some of the astronomical funds earned from gates—the diamond mines—were spread everywhere as black money, and those seeds had grown into a dense forest, shielding Ares like a fortress.
Seok Gojun knew this better than anyone.
Among what he inherited from his master were records crammed with every kind of corruption and weakness.
“Even if everyone points fingers at us, the world itself protects us.”
He’d forgotten, in his impatience and anger, just how much power he actually had.
And in that moment, as Seok Gojun’s confidence returned, a deep smile formed on his lips.
“You’re wrong.”
“What?”
Go Sewon stared straight at the monster before him—his superior—with an indescribable expression.
“Not the old politicians, the prosecutors general, or the media conglomerates raised under Ares’s name will protect you, Deputy Guild Master.”
“Team Leader Go, you—”
“It’s partly true. Ares won’t fall to mere accusations or blame. But even if the world is on your side, there’s one person you can’t stop.”
For an instant, Seok Gojun’s body froze.
The urge to grab his security chief by the collar for his insolence was long gone.
It was the name of one person that struck his mind.
‘Jin Taekyung.’
Sensing what his superior was thinking, Go Sewon continued in a subdued tone.
“Have you forgotten? The man you put your faith in—the one who built this world—was defeated by whose hand?”
“…!”
A shock like being struck in the back of the head made Seok Gojun clench his jaw.
Unfortunately, the bastard in front of him was telling the truth.
‘Master…’
Yes. Lee Jeongryong. The master of Ares, the king of South Korea in all but name, was also killed by Jin Taekyung.
The whole world was his, yet not a soul could protect Lee Jeongryong.
A boiling voice escaped Seok Gojun’s clenched teeth.
“Team Leader Go… you bastard.”
“I only said what needed to be said.”
“Shut up.”
“If that’s your order, I’ll obey. But please don’t ignore what I said.”
“I told you. Shut your mouth.”
CRACK!
A massive energy erupted from Seok Gojun, shaking the office like an earthquake.
The overwhelming power turned Go Sewon’s face pale, but it was nothing compared to the disgust he felt.
‘Monster.’
Reading the emotion in Go Sewon’s eyes, Seok Gojun bared his teeth.
“Team Leader Go, have you lost your mind? Are you insane?”
“I only made you chief because you were competent. Wearing a title that doesn’t suit you must have made the world look different, huh?”
Seok Gojun laughed angrily and went on.
“You’re a coward and a worm, Go. You hide behind words like ‘loyal advice,’ but you’re more afraid of Jin Taekyung than of my master or me.”
“…That’s not true.”
“It’s too late for denial. Let’s be honest—yeah, that bastard Jin Taekyung is strong. But how long do you think he’ll stay above me? Huh?”
Crack. Crack!
“It’s only a matter of time. As long as I’ve decided to kill him, I’ll find a way. You understand? I’ll kill him—doesn’t matter if it’s Sichuan or Seoul, no one will notice, just like with my master. Until then, the world is on my side. No one can touch me until I leave this castle first. You idiot.”
His voice mixed with glee for vengeance and a kind of madness. Go Sewon stared silently into those murky eyes, then suddenly spoke.
“One year. That’s a long time.”
“What?”
“Whatever plan you’ve come up with… Jin Taekyung won’t wait that long.”
“Oh? You think he’ll barge in here right now?”
“Yes.”
At that, Seok Gojun burst out laughing. His face twisted with mirth as he roared, then abruptly went cold.
“You idiot. This is the Ares Guild. The Blue House is ahead if you fall forward, and the National Assembly is behind. Do you really think that bastard would be crazy enough to make the whole world his enemy?”
“I heard someone once caused a Monster Wave on purpose. You don’t think Jin Taekyung could do something crazier?”
“…And, Deputy Guild Master.”
Go Sewon found himself smirking, recalling all he’d learned from investigating and monitoring Jin Taekyung’s every move.
“Jin Taekyung is insane. Didn’t you know?”
“You son of a—”
At that moment—
RUMBLE!
The Ares Guild HQ. The hundred-story skyscraper shook to its core.
Beyond the dying echoes of the tremor, Go Sewon’s voice stabbed at Seok Gojun’s ear.
“Looks like facing that madman will be my final assignment. Thank you for everything, Deputy Guild Master. If I survive, I’ll submit my resignation properly.”
With those words, filled with both gratitude and human loathing, Go Sewon bowed deeply and flung open the tightly closed office door.
The wailing of emergency sirens rang out, waking the entire Ares Guild.