Chapter 593
Thwack!
With a dull thud, my punch slammed into Seok Go-jun’s chest.
Layered defensive magic shattered in an instant, and a portion of his reinforced full-body armor caved inward. Gritting his teeth, the bastard roared with fury.
“Jin Taekyung—!”
If he were an ordinary high-rank Hunter or even a top-level martial artist, that single punch would’ve left him gravely wounded and out of the fight.
But Seok Go-jun was different. Whether it was due to the magic stone or something else, even my [Internal Weighted Fist Technique] barely phased him.
‘S-rank Hunter. Or higher.’
Whatever the background may be, he was already a certified S-rank Hunter.
He had mastered what was called internal cultivation in Murim but referred to as mana cultivation in the modern world. On top of that, he had absorbed the power of an S-rank magic stone acquired from a named monster—his strength was immense.
“Die!”
KRAAAH! BOOOM!
The aura that once glowed crimson now gleamed like blood, erupting violently like an explosion.
The overwhelming pressure from his massive aura blade made my [White Flame Spear] tremble in my grip.
‘I haven’t been pushed this hard in a while.’
Whether it was the accumulated exhaustion from today’s battles or the sheer volume of mana Seok Go-jun had absorbed—I wasn’t sure.
But one thing was clear… the bastard had obtained power far beyond what I had anticipated.
Rumble. Crack!
Under the crushing weight pressing down from above, both my body and the floor began to sink. My legs were buried all the way to my ankles when Seok Go-jun bared his teeth in a grin.
“Starting to get it? Huh? Feeling like you’re finally fucked, aren’t you?”
A low, mirthful laugh spilled out.
Right now, Seok Go-jun was genuinely enjoying himself. Elated by the thought that he would finally avenge his master.
“From the day Master died, I killed you every night in my dreams. Over and over. I lived for this moment.”
I answered while searching for an opening in his stance.
“That explains why I feel so refreshed every morning. I thought it was just because I dreamt of a blue dragon dying every night.”
Whooosh!
As his blood-hued aura surged violently, I yanked out my deeply-buried foot and kicked upward.
CRACK!
My foot lashed out like a bolt of lightning, slamming into his shin. Seok Go-jun, just about to unleash his fury, sneered.
“Struggling now won’t change a thing. It’s too late. Wiping all of them out won’t even be difficult.”
“…What?”
I blinked, not quite grasping what he just said. Then, his low voice pierced into my ears again.
“You. That cursed Peace Guild. And your parents and sister waiting at home… Oh, your father’s already dead, right? Doesn’t matter.”
He grinned.
“Even if he were alive, he’d be following his son to the grave soon enough.”
“Did you enjoy being called a hero? Thought you could all live happily ever after? Bullshit. Kim Hwajong—the old man—was just the beginning.”
His breath was sticky and foul as it brushed against my face. Laughter, twisted and shrill, followed close behind.
“Next is you. Then Choi Minwoo. After that, I don’t care. I’ll kill every single person remotely connected to you. Maybe a monster wave to clean it all up. What do you think?”
The words kept echoing in my ears.
This bastard… what the hell did he just say?
Strange, really. The thing standing in front of me looked human—but all I heard from his mouth was barking.
There was a monster here wearing a man’s skin.
‘So you’re going to kill them all? My people?’
Suddenly, I felt nauseous.
It wasn’t just what he said. It was that I knew—if anyone could follow through with it, it was Seok Go-jun.
My stomach churned, and when I imagined the people I couldn’t live without, dead—I felt nothing. Emptiness.
‘Mom. Ha-yeon. Team Leader Choi. Uncle Jeok-jung. Song-song. Hyung Jin-ho…’
Familiar faces flashed through my mind. Even the old butler, who died atop a snowy mountain.
‘You’re going to kill them all… and you want to know how I feel?’
The next moment, my voice came out calm.
“Alright. Got it.”
“…What?”
“Go ahead. Try it.”
The smile at the corner of Seok Go-jun’s mouth faded as I gathered every ounce of strength in my body.
Grrrrrrk—
The spear that had been pushed down by his immense pressure finally held its ground. My bent knee began to straighten.
In that moment, at least, I forgot all exhaustion. Even though my muscles screamed from the lingering backlash of [One Strike], I ignored the pain.
Layered atop pain and fatigue, my rage dulled everything.
My [Eight Extraordinary Meridians] and hundreds of pressure points roared like molten lava.
And from between my clenched lips came a voice like fire.
“You shouldn’t have said that.”
“Especially not about my people.”
I had always known he was capable of such things.
But imagining it was nothing like hearing it with my own ears.
“Don’t you agree, you inhuman bastard?”
Seok Go-jun was a monster. Whether he was born that way or I made him into one—didn’t matter anymore.
He had to die for my people to live. They had to live… for me to survive.
Grrrrr—
I pulled my foot free from the ground. My knees straightened.
I put force into my waist and arms, and the spear that had been suppressed by the aura blade began to rise again.
Slowly. But surely.
“You… how are you…!”
The moment Seok Go-jun’s eyes widened—I whispered silently to myself.
‘Open Inventory. Store [White Flame].’
Pop.
It happened in an instant.
The blue-white flame and my spear disappeared, and with it—the balance of the clash crumbled. The blood-colored energy plummeted straight down.
Whoooosh! SLASH!
The terrifying force tore through space—but I was already gone.
Dozens of my hairs, cut by the blade’s pressure, scattered behind me.
And ahead of Seok Go-jun’s startled gaze—my fist, shrouded in blue-white [Calamity Flame], had already pierced deep into his chest.
‘[Flame Extinguishing Divine Fist]’
The world slowed down. The heat warped the air around us. Just like the expression twisting on Seok Go-jun’s face.
“N—”
Too late.
With no answer, I slammed my fist forward.
FWOOM! BOOM!
His unfinished cry was swallowed in a thunderous blast.
My fist, burning like a comet, crashed into his solar plexus.
Then, chasing his body as it was flung away like a cannonball—I launched myself forward.
Fssshhhh!
The wind shrieked past my ears.
In less than the blink of an eye, I closed the distance, overtook him, and with both hands clasped like a hammer—I struck down at the place where he would land.
BOOM! CRAAACK!
A direct hit to his torso. The already-weakened armor, unable to withstand [Scorching Yang Energy’s] heat, melted instantly.
His body slammed into the ground, ripping apart the floor. Blood sprayed like a fountain from his mouth.
‘Nooo一’
Just as I was about to slam my fist into his head—I was drenched in blood.
The world turned red.
In that moment—my instincts screamed.
‘Danger!’
It wasn’t a mistake.
This was all part of a calculated counterattack.
I kicked the ground and leapt backward. But even as I moved, a streak of blood-colored energy lashed out toward me.
Slish! SLASH!
Searing pain flared at my side.
I moved fast—but Seok Go-jun’s aura, surging from the sword he had never let go of, was too vast to fully avoid.
Drip. Drip drip.
I wiped the blood streaming from my side as I staunched the wound.
Through my now-clear vision, I saw Seok Go-jun, now helmetless, charging again.
“You bastard!”
SWOOSH!
The crimson aura erupting from his sword tore through the air.
I dodged with the narrowest margin and flung my arms wide.
A spell known only to me.
‘Open Inventory. Summon.’
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Blades appeared in my hands—ones that hadn’t existed a moment ago—and I hurled them instantly.
Beams of light soared toward him. In a rush, Seok Go-jun raised his sword horizontally to shield himself.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Four daggers ricocheted off and embedded in the walls and ceiling. At that moment, I redirected my internal energy to my lower body.
Flames flared beneath my feet.
‘[Path of Scorching Flame]—Fire Burst!’
Whoooosh!
I shot toward Seok Go-jun like a blazing flame.
Seeing me charge without a weapon, he shouted.
“I’ll kill you!”
His crimson eyes glowed in the dark.
And then, an overwhelming force burst from his entire body.
KRAAAAH!
It was a storm—inescapable, suffocating mist.
He wasn’t exhausted. No—he was growing stronger, unleashing even more power.
But I didn’t stop.
I pushed through the chaotic, corrupted mana.
And he, too, charged through the mist toward me.
Crackling—!
A massive aura blade, two meters long, sliced through space.
As I twisted and dodged, the pressure from the sword grazed my skin—cutting and bleeding with every brush.
But it didn’t matter. As long as I didn’t fall.
If I could defeat him and bring justice for Kim Hwajong—if I could protect those who remained—
SLASH!
A fiery pain sliced across my chest.
My clothes and armor had long since been destroyed in battle. A fine red line traced across my exposed chest, glowing with blood.
SPLASH!
Blood spurted from the gash. The wound was shallow, but the corrupted energy seeping into it made my vision spin.
I forced my stance upright and kicked off the ground again.
BOOM!
At the end of the trail of light, the monster who abandoned humanity awaited me.
“Jin Taekyung—!”
Seok Go-jun screamed as he charged, sword raised high. His blade, wrapped in corrupted aura, had turned into a dark crimson.
The closer he came, the more I could feel it—this sticky, vile sensation.
That was no longer [Mana].
That cursed energy… the world had another name for it.
‘Demonic Energy (Malyuk).’
The moment those two characters flashed in my mind—I knew I had to use everything I had.
Me and Seok Go-jun. Seok Go-jun and me.
Our distance had shrunk to the point where one could kill the other.
I could see the rage in his eyes, smell the foulness in his breath.
And—
At almost the same time, we both thrust our arms forward.
SHHHK!
In a world slowed to a crawl, the wind parted, and space warped.
As Seok Go-jun’s sword pierced toward my chest, a faint triumph lit up his face.
Victory.
That’s what his eyes seemed to say.
Unlike me, he had a weapon. A longer range. Corrupted demonic energy—of course he thought he had won.
But he was wrong.
‘Open Inventory. Summon.’
Thought was faster than light. And the system answered without hesitation.
My beloved weapon—shining pure white—appeared as if it had always been there.
The transparent spear, now wreathed in blue-white [Calamity Flame], met his blade.
FWOOSH!
The blazing heat scorched the air as it surged forward.
Though my strike came after his, it passed through his corrupted aura blade and reached its target first—with unnatural speed.
SPLURCH!
A chilling tearing sound—followed by the stench of burning flesh.
Seok Go-jun’s wide eyes no longer held any joy.
Only terror and pain.
Staring at the spear piercing his chest, he gasped.
“What… is this…”
I answered calmly.
“[Late Strike, First Hit]. You’d never understand—your strength came from magic stones.”
Every battle has a flow.
If you can see it and predict it, even a delayed start can arrive first.
Through my training and experience, I had mastered that flow.
Seok Go-jun, however, had only chased greater power.
That was what determined the outcome of this battle.
“Idiot. Ever wonder why your master never offered you a magic stone? Think with that rock you call a head.”
My voice, laced with disgust and rage, made his trembling eyes quake in resignation.
Then, the sword he had dropped now suddenly surged upward—like a bolt of lightning.
SHIING!
It happened in a flash.
A much smaller, dimmer aura gathered at the blade’s tip and drove straight for my heart.
But a split-second sooner—I gave another silent command.
‘Open Inventory. Summon.’
CLANG!
An armor piece—formed from condensed, destructive force—blocked his attack.
His wide eyes now reflected my armor’s soft red glow.
[Fire Dragon Armor].
“W-what is this…”
“What do you think, dumbass? Life insurance.”
I hadn’t used the armor, even after storming all the way to the top floor and getting wounded—because I saved it for a moment like this.
And my gamble had paid off perfectly.
“You… what are you…”
I looked into his eyes—no longer human, but monstrous.
Then, I thrust the spear deeper into Seok Go-jun’s chest.
CRAAACK!