Chapter 588
That day, the air in South Korea was heavy with anxiety.
The Monster Waves that broke out in Busan and Pyeongchang were successfully subdued, but not without significant casualties.
People going about an ordinary day were shaken by the shocking news and trembled with unease.
“Did you see the news, manager?”
“Of course I did. That’s why I ditched my work and came out here.”
“I can’t concentrate on anything. What if a Monster Wave breaks out near our house or the office…?”
“Hey, don’t jinx it. Come on, let’s just have a smoke.”
Office workers escaped their stifling buildings for a café, students headed home after classes, kids who just wanted to play longer, and parents anxiously dragging their children along.
It was an uneasy afternoon. People’s eyes filled with worry and anxiety were glued to smartphones streaming breaking news alerts.
– What you’re seeing is the destroyed Gwangan Bridge. Off the nearby coast is the body of Kraken, the named monster and cause of the Busan Monster Wave…
– The number of casualties confirmed so far is nearly four thousand. Rescue and recovery efforts are ongoing, and you can check the list of victims on the [Monster Disaster] app…
– I’m currently at Balwangsan in Pyeongchang. Although the Monster Wave ended with the death of the named monster Behemoth, some seven thousand citizens at nearby condos and ski resorts are still gripped by fear…
– There were 45 deaths in the Pyeongchang Monster Wave, with Peace Guild Master Kim Hwajong among the confirmed fatalities, causing widespread shock…
Every report was shocking, horrifying. On TV, cable, and internet news—the whole country was in an uproar.
People on the street swallowed dryly at the sight of the ruined bridge and fell silent at the image of a city awash in blood.
Disaster. There was no other word for it.
But the media didn’t just spotlight the devastation.
In fact, when talking about Monster Waves, there was a name that couldn’t be left out.
– This is an unprecedented crisis in post-Cataclysm Korea. Two Monster Waves broke out just hours apart, causing heavy casualties, but swift initial responses managed to quell the chaos quickly. And surprisingly, at the center of both operations was one man.
– The young hero who appeared like a comet, S-rank Hunter Jin Taekyung, who defeated two named monsters in a single day, has now vanished. Peace Guild has yet to release an official statement…
The hero who calmed the chaos and disappeared. Naturally, all eyes were drawn to that keyword.
As soon as the government announced that Jin Taekyung’s whereabouts were unknown, a flood of speculation appeared in every media outlet—within minutes.
Death, disappearance, or perhaps unconsciousness from the aftermath of battle.
Most of these rumors came from third-rate tabloids, but people wondered the same thing.
‘Did something really happen?’
A man with no reason to disappear had simply vanished. Not a word, not a sign.
When support forces arrived, the young hero was already gone, and Peace Guild said nothing.
As the news swept the country and spread abroad, the questions snowballed.
And eventually… that ever-growing snowball stopped in the skyscraper forest of Jongno.
Step.
No one knew when or how he appeared.
But people hurrying through the dense city, each with their own reasons, suddenly realized it.
The person filling their smartphone screens—a profile photo now appearing before their very eyes.
Red and blue.
Covered in the blood of both humans and monsters, each step he took left red and blue stains on the pavement.
A figure nearly 190 centimeters tall, perfectly built, walked slowly across the blood-soaked street.
“…Jin Taekyung?”
Someone’s dazed voice broke the sudden silence.
But instead of shouts or cheers, people simply stared at the young hero, approaching, phones in hand, but too stunned to even take pictures.
Maybe it was because, through the blood-matted hair, his eyes were so deeply sunken.
Step, step.
With each step, fatigue seemed to seep from his body. The white breath from his parted lips carried the sadness of someone who had lost something.
But one thing was clear. Everyone who filled the surrounding streets instinctively realized—
He should not be stopped.
Swish. Swish.
Hundreds of people parted to either side.
Carrying not a prophet’s staff from legend, but a white spear, the young man cut through the human sea formed for one person.
Those with blank eyes who watched his back soon followed after him.
No one knew why—but everyone seemed drawn along, as if hypnotized. Hundreds turned to thousands, and then to tens of thousands.
Soon, the swelling tide of humanity moved in step, as if under a spell.
And the march that began with one person finally stopped—when that one person also stopped.
Step.
With his final step, the young man suddenly looked up at the sky.
5 p.m. On a particularly cold, weary, and sorrowful January day, the sunset cast a reddish light over the city.
But not for him.
‘This is just the beginning.’
The sunset shining from the west was reflected in the tallest skyscraper.
And high atop it, huge letters caught his eye.
[ARES GUILD]
An unbreakable fortress, a lavish palace.
How many hunters were inside? How many would he have to defeat to reach the one on the throne?
‘Hundreds? Thousands?’ It didn’t matter. Hundreds, thousands—no difference.
Under the reddened sky, Jin Taekyung muttered,
“Yeah, this is perfect weather for a beatdown.”
Fwoosh. Flame, like the sunset, coiled and soared up his arm. The crowd, entranced by the sight, gasped and stepped back.
“I’m here, you bastard.”
Whoooosh—KWAANG!
Unprecedented force shook the skyscraper.
RUMBLE!
A massive tremor shook the area as if an earthquake had hit.
Cracks ran through the marble floor, expensive artworks fell like rain.
Crack, smash!
That’s what I saw as soon as I entered the lobby.
The statue that just broke looked like a man… What was it called again? I couldn’t remember, so I turned to someone nearby.
“What was that statue just now? I remember it from an art textbook… Was it Rodin’s The Thinker?”
“Uh… Uh…”
A young man from the Ares Guild security team stammered, face frozen.
He looked so pitiful I changed the question.
“Then, what’s your personal opinion on today’s Monster Wave?”
“Wh-what?”
“Lucky for you—you’re just a clueless grunt.”
And that’s what saved this man’s life.
Swoosh!
A hidden blast of wind from my finger sealed his pressure point.
At the same time, a streak of light shot past his stiffening body.
KYAAAA! Crash!
An arrow—grazing my ear—shattered the door. A middle-aged man, probably an A-rank hunter, aimed his bow at me with a grim face.
And he wasn’t the only one pointing weapons my way.
Swish, swish.
Dozens of security personnel, and hundreds of hunters filling the lobby, all fixed their tense gazes on me. Their hands gripped flames and ice, blades and bows.
The security chief, a middle-aged hunter, spoke in a hard voice.
“Step back, Jin Taekyung.”
Step back? I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
“That’s a bit of a problem.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“There are lots of reasons. But even if I told you, would you believe me?”
“Jin Taekyung, you…!”
I stared blankly at the crowd filling the lobby.
Who should I kill? Who should I spare? Who among them is directly involved in what happened today?
It took all my strength to suppress the murderous intent rising like breath.
‘Don’t forget. I’m not a monster.’
If I killed everyone here, I’d become a monster. I wanted to remain human, even now.
At the very least, I hoped the innocent wouldn’t have to die for the crimes of their superiors.
That’s the path Kim Hwajong would have wanted.
“Let’s keep it simple, everyone.”
I met the hundreds of gazes and spoke in a single line.
“Call Seok Gojun.”
An invisible wave swept the lobby and hundreds of hunters.
I continued, my words ringing in the tense air.
“Right now.”
The security chief replied with a hard-set face.
“That’s going to be difficult.”
“Why?”
“We’ve been ordered to stop you—no matter what.”
“I see.”
“Whatever your business is, just go back now. Do you know how many hunters are in this building?”
“If there are this many in the lobby, there must be a thousand or more.”
“I guarantee, if you don’t leave now, within five minutes, everyone in this building will come after you.”
I answered calmly.
“I guarantee, if you don’t drop your weapons and run right now, within five minutes, not one of you will walk out of here in one piece.”
“So disappear. I don’t want to cripple innocent people.”
Wooosh!
A sudden wind swept through the lobby.
The security chief, overwhelmed by the powerful aura radiating from my whole body, clenched his teeth.
The polite tone he’d been trying to maintain was gone, blown away by the pressure.
“Why… Why go this far?”
“Because I’m a hunter.”
“What?”
“Seok Gojun, that bastard’s a monster. Hunters don’t need a reason to hunt monsters.”
Seok Gojun wouldn’t have bragged about what he did, so most of these people probably had no idea what I was talking about.
But one thing was clear—
If they stood in my way, it wouldn’t end well.
The security chief watched me with a complicated expression and muttered,
“Shit. Got me right in the soft spot.”
“Honest answer. So what’s your decision?”
That question wasn’t just for him.
A flicker of conflict crossed the eyes of the two hundred people surrounding me, their hands trembling as they gripped their weapons.
Then—
– Code Red. Code Red. All Ares Guild members, target…
The voice echoed throughout the skyscraper from huge speakers.
– Jin Taekyung.
The air trembled.
And in the next instant, I saw it. The conflict vanished from hundreds of eyes, replaced by a surge of power as countless beams of light burst from their hands, filling the lobby with a blinding flash.
KWAHHHHH!
Red, blue, and white.
I swung my blinding white spear straight into the flash.
Swooooosh!