Chapter 592
Hoooo—
A red mist bloomed with every exhale.
It was a breath so long and slow that one could mistake him for not breathing at all. A secret breathing technique he had learned from his master long ago.
‘I’ve always been watching you.’
‘You’ve been watching me?’
Nearly thirty years had passed, yet Seok Go-jun could not forget that day.
It was the day he first dreamed of something—after losing his parents, being abandoned by relatives, and wandering through orphanages.
‘The other kids you stay with are exceptional, but you… you’re different. Truly special.’
The Great Cataclysm left behind not only death and peace. It also gave rise to a staggering number of war orphans—and Seok Go-jun was one of them.
Just another among many war orphans. He, too, would have been raised like a chicken in a coop, only to be released into society.
But by meeting his master, Lee Jeong-ryong, he had become someone special.
That was the greatest reason he now waited alone in the abandoned A-Zone for someone he knew would soon arrive.
He couldn’t flee from his master’s enemy—not from the space where his master once resided.
“…Jin Taekyung.”
With a chilling voice, Seok Go-jun slowly opened his tightly shut eyes.
A gleaming red glow burned in his gaze as he instinctively reached for his neck.
Clink. His fingers touched the cold surface of metal.
This cheap necklace—whose original owner was long unknown—had become the most precious relic left to him by his master.
Simply because it was the only thing that had maintained its form after everything else had turned to ashes.
‘Are you watching, Master?’
Seok Go-jun clenched his fist. Reddish energy shimmered over the veins bulging beneath his skin like a heat haze.
Just two months ago, he had been mercilessly crushed by Jin Taekyung—but things were different now.
Seok Go-jun had managed to overcome his fear, thanks to a hatred even greater and a newfound power.
‘I will kill him. With these hands, today.’
Was it an illusion? Or a coincidence?
At that moment, the black gem embedded in his necklace began to emit an eerie light.
RUMBLE—
A massive tremor shook the space.
Its meaning was clear. This space, one that couldn’t even be perceived by unauthorized beings, had finally accepted an intruder.
Countless layers of spells and barriers, untouched since the zone’s creation, were now collapsing.
He’s here.
Muttering to himself, Seok Go-jun slowly unfolded his legs and stood. His top-grade magical armor responded to his will and surged upward, wrapping around his body.
Shing—
The transformation began and ended in an instant.
By the time Seok Go-jun, clad in jet-black armor, stood upright on both legs, a bluish-white flame flickered like ghost fire at the end of the dark corridor.
No, it wasn’t a flame—it was a man’s glowing eyes.
“Jin Taekyung…!”
He uttered the name with seething hatred, and its owner willingly responded.
“Yeah. So this is where you were.”
Unlike his blazing gaze, his voice was calm.
But Seok Go-jun could feel it clearly. The spark hidden within. The unlit wick that had waited for only this moment to ignite.
And then—
“…Thank you.”
Fwoosh—
The flame finally erupted. His molten voice boiled the dark corridor like lava.
“Thank you… for staying.”
Unprecedented power crushed the space.
Rumble!
There was no more waiting.
Within the trembling world, two figures surged like beams of light, tearing across the corridor toward one another.
The instant blue and red met—
Fwoooom! BOOOOM!
A blinding flash. A thunderclap that split the air. Light and sound devoured the world.
—
The most important thing when facing an enemy is composure. When reason wavers, the heart is disturbed. And when the heart is disturbed, the hands and feet falter.
So maintaining calm is the surest way to achieve victory.
This was a universal law—whether in the modern world or Murim—and I had always lived by it.
But…
“Jin Taekyung.”
The moment I heard that voice filled with hatred. The instant I saw that fucking face emerge clearly from the dark corridor—I understood.
That reason was powerless in the face of uncontrollable rage.
That once a flame ignites, it can no longer be contained.
“…Thank you.”
The corners of my eyes burned. My heart, which hadn’t wavered even once while breaking through this 120-floor skyscraper and over a thousand enemies, now surged violently.
I thought of the old butler lying collapsed against a snowy rock and continued.
“…for staying until now.”
There wasn’t a shred of falsehood in those words. I was genuinely grateful to Seok Go-jun.
Because he hadn’t run. Because he’d stayed.
Now I could personally crush his throat with my own hands.
RUMBLE—
My Dantian, drained from constant exertion, was half-empty—but it was enough. A massive wave burst out from me and shook the entire A-Zone.
In this moment, I could forget all the fatigue, all the heavy limbs from battle.
‘Kill him.’
With that single thought, I stepped forward.
[Path of Scorching Flame]. Flames bloomed at my feet as I dashed across the floor. Fire lit up the darkness that engulfed the corridor.
And at its end—a figure streaked across the corridor like a beam of light.
‘Seok Go-jun.’
Through the slit of his tightly clenched jaw and between the narrow visor of his helmet, his red eyes glowed.
The instant a flash sparked from his waist, I leveled my spear.
Fwoooosh! BOOM!
A deafening roar. Two different-colored auras collided.
A tremendous rebound sent blade waves slashing in all directions.
Through the clashing weapons, I saw his crimson eyes.
And then, his voice pierced my ears.
“Not much, after all. Right?”
My eyes widened before I even realized it. His feet—which should have been blown away—remained planted firmly on the ground.
And that wasn’t the only thing I hadn’t expected.
Creak. Crrrack.
An immense pressure climbed up my spear. An overwhelming aura—so intense it wouldn’t have been strange for it to burst—wrapped around his sword and swirled like a storm.
Slowly, but steadily, it swelled and crushed down on my spear.
‘What is this…?’
This was the first time. The first time I had ever encountered such overwhelming aura. No—such a monstrous [Aura Blade].
As I stood frozen, my eyes wide, Seok Go-jun’s gaze shimmered with joy.
“You should’ve used that dumb brain of yours. Thought about why I stayed behind.”
Before I could speak, the [Aura Blade] engulfing his sword exploded outward, ballooning in size.
CRRRK! KRAAAANG!
An eardrum-piercing shockwave, a blazing impact that swept my entire body—I was hurled backward as a red flash filled my vision.
Before I could even register the fierce wind whistling past my ears, my back struck a wall made of reinforced marble.
KRA-KRACK!
The layered defensive spells around the wall shattered, and the entire structure collapsed inward. I crashed dead center into the wall, forming a crater large enough to fit several people.
Blinking, I saw Seok Go-jun charging at me with bared teeth.
“I’ll kill you.”
His movements were faster than his words. A crimson arc followed the path of his sword as it slashed diagonally through the air.
And in the next instant—a crescent-shaped [Aura Blade] flew across dozens of meters and reached my face.
SLICE! KRAAAAAH!
It was a hair’s breadth difference.
Instinctively moving my aching body, I avoided the blow and looked at the space the Aura Blade had ravaged.
‘If I had blocked that head-on?’
It wasn’t hard to find the answer.
Right now, I was more exhausted than I realized.
I had borne the brunt of [One Strike] while suppressing two monster waves, and after breaking into the Ares Guild, I had to hold back and avoid killing most of my opponents.
If I had taken that attack head-on in this state…
It would not have ended well.
“Jin Taekyung. Jin Taekyung. Jin Taekyung.”
Seok Go-jun chanted my name like a lullaby as he smiled and spoke.
“That face… Worth seeing. You’re no hero. Just a rat. You’ll cry and beg for your life before you die.”
I stared at him blankly as he approached in that annoyingly cheerful tone—then a thought flashed across my mind, and I suddenly spoke.
“Hey, are you on something?”
“…What?”
“No, wait. Not ‘something.’ Should I say it’s [Magic Stones] instead?”
That moment—his smile stiffened slightly.
I didn’t need to hear his answer.
The look on his face was enough. That was all the confirmation I needed.
“…Ha.”
A small, bitter laugh escaped me.
As the rage clouding my mind and body faded, I could finally see reality clearly.
‘Yeah. Of course.’
Rapid growth. Incredible progress.
Words like those are just expressions—they’re meaningless in the face of martial power.
True strength must be forged through relentless training and combat.
Even with the system on my side, I couldn’t grow this fast. And if we were talking about Seok Go-jun—then it was even more impossible.
There was only one answer from the beginning.
“You juiced up. You fucking clown.”
I couldn’t hold it in any longer—I laughed out loud.
Not out of amusement, but disgust. Because he had given up being human and chosen to become a monster. It was so pathetic, I couldn’t stop laughing.
“Fuck, I’ve seen some dumb fucks, but you take the cake. Couldn’t take me on fair and square, so you downed [S-rank Magic Stones] like candy? You should’ve just gone to Magic Johnson. That guy would’ve waved his wand and made you feel real special.”
Seok Go-jun’s face stiffened in humiliation. His already red eyes darkened further.
“That fucking mouth—”
“Shut it and listen, you piece of shit.”
As I rose, rubble and marble pieces fell off me.
Cracking my stiff neck, I continued, staring him down.
“What? After a few flashy monster waves with S-rank stones, you thought you were a god? Felt the thrill of killing with just a flick of your fingers? Don’t kid yourself, dumbass. You’re no god. At best, you’re a named monster who serves a constellation. A fucking background character.” (T/N: The trashtalk is on! )
“SHUT UP!”
“Blow me. Should I title your story? ‘Seok Go-jun Downs an S-Rank Magic Stone.’”
“JINTAEKYYYYYEEEEENG—!!”
KRAAAAAA!
A gale erupted with a colossal blast of aura.
But I stared calmly at the absurdly bloated power swelling before me.
“What, you dumb bastard?”
There had never been any fear.
In fact, knowing the truth just made everything easier.
He was no longer human—just a monster.
And he had to die here. Today. By my hand.
For the old butler who fell into darkness, never to return.
For the people and Hunters who died during the monster wave.
And…
For myself—for the me who raged against this damned reality.
“You. Need. To die.”
Grinding those words through my teeth, I shot forward toward him.