Chapter 594

CRACK!

With a chilling tear of flesh, a familiar sensation transmitted through my fingertips—a feeling I’d experienced hundreds, no, thousands of times. The sensation of cutting through flesh, breaking bone.

It was a feeling I had grown used to over time. And maybe, that in itself was the saddest part of all.

Getting used to something like this meant I had taken countless lives with my own hands.

But at least this time—it was different. As I stared at the dying man, there was not even a hint of bitterness in my heart.

“Hrgh… Guh!”

His dying breath escaped like air from a punctured lung, and the man collapsed to his knees.

Thud.

The blood-red glow that had once been so frightening faded from his eyes, and his entire body trembled before the death that loomed before him.

Or maybe… maybe what Seok Go-jun feared wasn’t death itself—but me, the one who had brought it to him.

“J-Jin Taekyung…”

His weak voice and pleading gaze meant nothing to me. I felt no pity.

He wasn’t a human anymore. He was a monster.

Just like the Peace Guild members and I had lost Kim Hwajong today, thousands of unnamed victims had lost their families and friends because of him.

Compared to his crimes, this death almost felt too easy. Too merciful.

“Cough… I… I can’t die like th—”

I looked down at the trembling, broken creature with cold eyes.

“Die. A waste of oxygen like you doesn’t deserve to breathe.”

I had no interest in listening to a sob story or letting him say any final words. Without hesitation, I yanked [White Flame] from his chest.

SPURT!

With the transparent spear ripped free, the blood that hadn’t yet evaporated sprayed out like a fountain.

His gaze, staring blankly at me with a hole in his chest the size of a fist, slowly lost its light.

SPLASH.

That was the end.

With his face buried in a pool of his own blood, his wide-open eyes stared blankly as his body finally went still.

There was no more breath. No more life. Only the corpse of a monster.

And as I stared at the lifeless body, it hit me.

‘It’s over.’

The loyal disciple of Lee Jeong-ryong. The de facto leader of the Ares Guild. A man who orchestrated two monster waves and slaughtered thousands, including Kim Hwajong and more than twenty Peace Guild members—he had died by my hand.

‘It’s really… finally over.’

But why did it feel so hollow?

I had gotten my revenge. I should’ve felt vindicated. But instead, it felt like the hole in his chest had opened up inside me.

Because I knew that those who had left would never return.

‘Are you still cold? Still lost in the dark?’

I asked a question that could never reach anyone and turned around.

Dragging my exhausted, aching body—each step heavy with fatigue—I walked through the scorched, ruined corridor.

Step by step, faces and memories flooded my mind.

I saw Gwangandaegyo collapsing. Heard screams of terror. In a car’s rearview mirror, I saw an old photo of a family. I remembered a promise made long ago with someone I missed dearly.

‘Once Ha-yeon’s a little older, and when you’re in middle school, we’ll go back to the sea together. Okay?’

‘Really?’

‘Of course. Pinky promise.’

But today—that promise, the place deep in my heart where it was buried—had crumbled.

Innocent lives had been lost. Monsters spread like a plague. I gave everything I had, but I still couldn’t save enough.

My steps faltered. My mind felt just as dizzy as my legs.

And in that fog of confusion, a warm voice echoed in my head.

‘It wasn’t your fault.’
‘You did everything you could.’

The silver-haired old butler, who comforted me even in his final moments, had gone on a journey from which he would never return.

I didn’t know if the place he arrived in was dark or bright. Cold or warm. I could only hope.

That it was brighter. That he was warmer.

And that he truly believed my final lie—that the person he wanted to see most had come to say goodbye.

Step.

No deed is without consequence. I believed someone had to pay the price. That wrongdoing should be punished.

So I came here. Broke through the gates of the palace no one could touch. Took down the fortress no one could breach.

I fought. And fought. And fought again.

Then finally, I killed the monster wearing a human mask.

And now that it was over… suddenly, my chest felt empty. And a single question surfaced in my mind.

‘Now what?’

I thought that once Seok Go-jun—the root of it all—was dead, the rage in me would fade. That maybe I’d laugh out loud in relief.

But no.

I could tear open craters with a single gesture, but I couldn’t fill the hole inside my heart.

It was the same three years ago. And again now.

‘Damn it.’

A bitter taste filled my mouth.

In the end, the ones who remained were left to bear all the wounds.

And for a moment, I wondered if maybe I had let Seok Go-jun die too easily.

Step.

I suddenly froze.

A creeping sense of wrongness crawled up my spine. An unnatural chill slithered up along my back.

‘What… is this feeling?’

Was it the exhaustion? Or the swirling thoughts in my mind? Everything felt hazy—like I was walking through fog.

But after standing there in silence for a while… I realized what had been bothering me.

‘Seok Go-jun should be dead. So then… why hasn’t the system message appeared?’

I had driven a spear through his chest. Burned his insides. I saw with my own eyes when he stopped breathing, when his heart stopped beating.

“…Don’t tell me.”

I muttered and turned around.

Darkness hung unusually thick in the corridor, twisted by the aftermath of the battle.

—

The system is absolute. And immediate.

The fatigue and mental haze that followed my victory made me miss the signs—but I knew better than anyone how the system worked.

So when I saw the pool of blood where Seok Go-jun had fallen now empty—I wasn’t shocked.

‘He’s alive. Seok Go-jun is still alive.’

That much, at least, was certain.

What I didn’t understand… was how.

There were only two of us in A-Zone. He had clearly died.

His heart stopped. He stopped breathing. No high-grade potion could’ve revived him.

‘So how…?’

I followed the traces he left behind.

A-Zone was a labyrinth known only to a few, but following the trail of blood that led in a single direction wasn’t difficult.

I moved quickly, gathering information.

‘No accomplices. No time to cover his tracks.’

The desperation in his path was clear. I could practically see him dragging himself forward, face down and crawling like an animal.

And then…

He stood.

Right here—two footprints, soaked in blood, were pressed deep into the floor. Countless bloody handprints marked the walls.

What had happened here?

Why had he struggled like this?

Soon, I found my answer.

‘That’s…’

Blood.

Not human blood. Not the bright red of a man’s veins—but monster blood, tinged blue.

That alone was enough to explain everything.

I stared at the monster blood clinging to my fingers, then flung my body forward.

Swoosh!

Wind rushed past. The stench of blood and something far fouler filled the air.

Even through the exhaustion, I could feel it—someone was near.

And as I stepped into another corridor…

I saw him.

But what stood before me was no longer the man I had once known.

“Seok Go-jun.”

The name slipped quietly from my lips.

And the ‘monster’ that had been staggering forward turned to face me.

“Grrk… Kugh…”

His metallic, raspy voice didn’t even matter.

His body, now over four meters tall, was grotesque. His swollen limbs, stretched to monstrous proportions, looked like a patchwork of different species stitched together.

Only his face—half-covered in scales—retained anything remotely human. And even then, only his glowing red eyes remained intact.

“Jin… Taekyung… Grrrk.”

A mixture of fear and hatred burned in his gaze as he looked at me.

I stared at him from head to toe and spoke with disgust.

“You really wanted to live that badly? Even if it meant becoming a monster?”

“S-shut up. This… this isn’t what I wanted—”

CRACK! SNAP!

It happened instantly.

Before he could finish speaking, his right arm snapped backward as if pulled by an invisible hand. Blue blood spurted from the joint.

“GRAAAAAH!”

His scream was filled with agony.

And then, his grotesque body began changing again.

Thick troll-like skin sealed itself shut. Shattered joints snapped back together like puzzle pieces.

“Hah… huff…”

Even with the pain, he gasped for breath.

Watching that, I understood how he had made it this far.

“Troll. Right?”

At those words, his eyelids twitched violently.

That was all the answer I needed.

Trolls—the monsters known for overwhelming regenerative power.

The named monster whose magic stone he absorbed must’ve been a powerful troll.

And…

‘That wasn’t the only S-rank magic stone he absorbed.’

Just from looking at him, it was obvious.

The bloated physique, rapid regeneration—those were traits of a troll.

But the scales, the leathery skin? Traces of something else entirely.

Mutation. The result of conflicting sources of [Demonic Energy].

Unlike mana, [Demonic Energy] is dark and corrupted. It drives humans to madness.

And this bastard had absorbed two S-rank magic stones filled with it. Of course it backfired.

“Grrrk… I could’ve become even stronger… but you… you ruined it…”

I cut him off coldly.

“You wouldn’t have become stronger. You would’ve just become a bigger monster. Look at yourself. You’re worse than a beast. You’re no longer Hunter, or human. You’re just a freak. That’s what you are.”

Step.

I walked forward. His eyes, wide in fear, watched me.

“Don’t come closer. Grrrk! Stay away!”

“That’s a problem. You see a monster, and you kill it.”

“No… no, this can’t—!”

His eyes, blood-red, now brimmed with fear.

He knew.

He knew that in this state—his body already on the verge of collapse—he couldn’t fight me.

CRACK!

So when he turned and ran, I wasn’t surprised. I simply flipped my grip on [White Flame] and hurled it.

Screeeeech! BOOM!

A streak of flame burst forth, tearing through his legs and pinning him to the ground.

He screamed and flailed as the stumps of his legs started regenerating.

But I didn’t stand by and watch.

“Go on. Regenerate. Do it while you still can.”

Thud!

I stomped on his back, grabbed his thick arms, and pulled.

CRACK! SNAP!

With his legs gone and now his arms ripped off, Seok Go-jun howled in agony.

But I didn’t blink. I didn’t stop.

SLASH! STAB!

I tore [White Flame] from the ground and stabbed it over and over.

I seared the wounds with [Flame God Palm], ripped them open again. Again. And again.

Normally, I wouldn’t do something this cruel.

But right now—I didn’t hesitate.

CRUNCH!

Regeneration. Destruction. Regeneration. Destruction.

Eventually, even Seok Go-jun couldn’t withstand it.

“STOOOOP! PLEASE!”

His voice, hoarse and broken, screamed as the red in his eyes faded.

And then… even his monstrous regeneration stopped entirely.

“P-please… kill me…”

“I was planning to.”

To make sure he never returned again. With certainty.

I looked straight into his eyes.

“Wherever you go—heaven, hell—wait for me there. I’ll kill you all over again.”

That was it.

Those were the last words Seok Go-jun would ever hear.

‘This is the end.’

I didn’t wait for his reply. Without the slightest hesitation—I brought down the transparent spear.

SLASH! Thud!

With a clean slice, his head rolled across the ground.

This was the end—not of a hero like Chun Tae-min, or a great man like Lee Jeong-ryong—but of a monster.

Ding—

With that familiar chime ringing in my ear, I picked up Seok Go-jun’s blood-soaked head from the pool of blood.

Then slowly, staggering, I crossed the space—now a void where only I remained.

I was tired.