Chapter 595
Unlike when I first came, the way back was long and exhausting.
My body, crushed under fatigue, felt like it was soaked in water—heavy and sluggish. Sleep weighed on my eyelids, threatening to pull them shut.
‘I just want to collapse here.’
But I couldn’t.
I still had somewhere to be. And before that, I had to drive off the scavenging hyenas drawn by the scent of blood.
‘They sure gathered quickly.’
Staggering out of A-Zone, I scanned my surroundings through half-closed eyes.
The massive hall at the top floor, which I had passed through earlier. Now, it was filled with nearly two hundred Ares Guild members—each one watching me tensely.
And at the front of them, I spotted a familiar face. I sighed.
“Should’ve just killed him.”
Hearing my mutter, the middle-aged man standing at the front—Security Team Leader Go Sewon—answered calmly.
“Yeah, that might’ve been the better choice.”
Whether he’d received treatment while I was gone or had simply recovered, Go Sewon stood tall and unharmed. He looked down at the sword in his hand as he continued.
“It’s been over thirty years since I first picked up a sword. Started training even before I Awakened. When I became an A-rank Hunter, the former Vice Guild Leader gifted me this sword.”
That wasn’t surprising. I’d heard the stories from Team Leader Choi—how Lee Jeong-ryong had taken in war orphans after the Great Cataclysm and raised them as his personal guard based on their mana affinity.
This man had simply been one of them.
“So… you plan to avenge your master now?”
“…Avenge, huh.”
Go Sewon murmured the word lowly, then suddenly asked:
“Before that—tell me. Why did you spare me?”
After a brief moment of thought, I answered.
“Well… I figured someone should pick up the phone.”
“…What?”
“At least tell your family you’re working late. Or that you’re not coming back. My dad… he didn’t get to do either. I kept thinking he’d come home eventually… but he never did. Can’t even remember his voice anymore.”
Maybe it was the exhaustion talking. I found myself saying more than I needed to. Clicking my tongue, I glanced at Go Sewon, who stared quietly before speaking.
“And the Vice Guild Leader?”
I simply shrugged.
A fight where only one of us could survive. But I was the only one who came back.
With a complicated expression, Go Sewon muttered:
“Then he’s dead.”
“Go see for yourself. It’s quite a sight.”
Even before I finished speaking, murmurs of unrest spread among the Ares Guild members.
Several executives—clearly loyalists—gritted their teeth and barked at Go Sewon.
“What are you waiting for, Team Leader Go?!”
“You need to kill him now!”
“We’ve already told you—kill Jin Taekyung, and we’ll forget all about your leak of A-Zone’s location. The guild will reward you handsomely. You could even become the next Vice Guild Leader.”
Their voices were a mixture of rage and temptation.
As they urged Go Sewon to act, I rubbed my tired eyes and said:
“I’m exhausted. If you’re done talking, let’s get this over with.”
Go Sewon’s sharp gaze swept over my body.
“You look like you’d have a hard time standing, let alone fighting.”
“That’s my problem. Not yours.”
“…Fair enough.”
He murmured quietly—and in that moment, his hand shifted toward the hilt of his sword.
SLASH! SPLURT!
A streak of blood sprayed into the air as one of the executives fell to the ground, eyes wide in shock.
It was the very man who had tried to tempt him with the Vice Guild Leader position.
“What the hell—?!”
“What are you doing?!”
“Team Leader Go!”
As the other executives shouted in panic, Go Sewon calmly declared:
“Take them down. The fight’s over.”
The executives had too much to lose.
But the other guild members? Not so much.
They had no ties to Seok Go-jun, no reason to stick their necks out for this.
Especially not against someone who had just singlehandedly torn through the Ares Guild.
Clatter!
Weapons were drawn all around, responding immediately to Go Sewon’s command.
Realizing they had no chance of winning, the neutral faction executives let out groans and dropped their weapons.
Go Sewon turned to me and asked:
“That wrapped it up quickly enough for you?”
“You…”
I started to speak—but then nodded.
“Glad I let you live.”
“Thirty years… That’s how long I lived as a hunting dog. I think I’ve done enough.”
“Late redemption, is that it?”
“I don’t know. I’m not exactly a good man. But it doesn’t matter anymore. At some point, I just got tired.”
I wasn’t the only one who was exhausted.
Go Sewon looked around at the chaotic hall with tired eyes, then stepped aside.
“Go. No one will stop you.”
Without hesitation, I started walking. As I passed Go Sewon, I heard his quiet murmur:
“…Thanks. For the call.”
Just a few words—but they were enough.
I nodded slightly and passed through the gathered Ares Guild members.
Step. Step.
Dragging my weary body forward. There was one last person I had to see before the sun set.
—
I don’t remember how I got there.
Only fragments remain in my memory.
The ruined Ares Guild headquarters, now surrounded by military forces. Combat drones filling the sky.
And amidst tight security, President Baek Hanseong, arriving personally—his face tense.
“Mr. Jin Taekyung, what in the world…”
He couldn’t finish his sentence.
In exchange for surrendering peacefully, I had made one request.
After some deliberation, President Baek agreed.
That’s how I was able to come here.
“Hey! You!”
“Ta-Taekyung!”
Through my blurred vision, familiar faces rushed toward me. I wanted to smile and wave—but my body wouldn’t respond.
As I stumbled, Song-song and Im Jeok-jung caught me quickly.
“Sorry. My legs gave out.”
“How are you joking in this situation—”
Song-song tried to scold me but stopped mid-sentence, biting her lip.
I turned to her, noticing her eyes turning red, and asked:
“My family… they’re not here, are they?”
“Are you insane?”
She snapped—but her voice cracked.
“We sent guild members. Got them out safely. Your mom was in the middle of cooking, didn’t even notice. Ha-yeon’s with her… pretending not to know anything.”
Relief washed over me.
If my mother had seen the news—if she knew what had happened—I couldn’t imagine how devastated she’d be.
Thankfully, Ha-yeon was there. She’d handle it. She was always more mature than me.
“And Team Leader Choi?”
“He’s alive. Still unconscious, though.”
“…Thank you. For taking care of all this.”
Song-song said nothing, just looked at me with conflicted eyes.
Next to her, Im Jeok-jung’s shoulders trembled.
“I’m sorry, Taekyung. I really am…”
What was he sorry for?
What made him so sad?
I wanted to say something—but my throat clenched shut.
I knew exactly how he felt.
The helplessness. The guilt. The emotions you can’t put into words.
Even Song-song turned away, quietly crying.
‘Damn it.’
I clenched my teeth and looked away from the rising heat in my eyes.
With effort, I managed to speak.
“And… Kim Hwajong?”
“He’s waiting.”
The answer didn’t come from them.
Turning my head, I saw a foreigner with blond hair standing before a door.
“You’ve come, vile human.”
The Skeleton King’s voice sounded distant.
Not because of him—but because of the sign above the door.
[Morgue]
Those three letters made my chest tighten.
I stood frozen. Like stone.
Then the Skeleton King opened the door.
And through the crack, I saw a body—covered in white cloth.
“To keep the dead waiting is discourteous, human.”
“Will you let him go like this?”
At those words, I stepped forward—leaving Song-song and Im Jeok-jung behind.
The door shut behind me.
In that cold room, only the two of us remained.
Rustle.
With trembling hands, I pulled back the cloth.
And finally… I saw him.
Kim Hwajong. The old butler. Wearing a faint smile in death.
It looked like he was dreaming a happy dream.
But I knew… it was a dream that would never end.
He’d never again greet us in a neatly pressed suit.
Never again offer coffee with a gentle smile.
He had said goodbye today—and now, it was our turn to let him go.
Drip. Drop.
Hot tears rolled down my cheeks.
My first tears today.
Tears that must never fall again.
‘I promise.’
Just like three years ago—I made a vow, even as regret filled my heart.
That I wouldn’t lose anyone like him again.
So please…
“Rest well.”
With a quiet, heartfelt whisper, I pulled something from my inventory.
Seok Go-jun’s severed head.
I placed it on the floor.
So that even in death, the monster would face what he had done.
So that Kim Hwajong could rest just a little easier.
It was the promise I had made—when I held his cold hand on that snow-covered mountain.
Squelch.
As if in agreement, Kim Hwajong’s face turned red in the fading light.
Through the window of the morgue, a purple sunset shone.
I stared at it—dazed—as my body lost strength.
‘Ah.’
This was the limit.
Both body and mind.
I slid down the wall, slumping to the floor.
Letting the overwhelming sleep take me, I thought—
‘Today… was a long day.’
Click.
With a quiet sound, the door creaked open.
A slender woman. A mountain-like man. A foreigner straight out of a fashion magazine.
The first thing they noticed was the head lying on the floor.
Then the peaceful face of the dead man.
And finally, the young man—asleep in exhaustion.
‘Jin Taekyung.’
In their eyes were emotions that could not be named.
What more could be said?
Today, he had fought desperately against disaster.
He had become a fugitive to bring justice for the innocent.
And now, there was only one thing left they could do.
‘Sleep well. Don’t worry about what comes next.’
The flames would spread far and wide. Where they would die out, no one could say.
But even if the world condemned him…
Even if the law branded him a criminal…
They would stand by Jin Taekyung’s side.
They would protect him.
‘Just as you did for us.’
Warm sunlight filled the morgue.
Someone’s long day had ended.
But for the three who remained…
Their work was only beginning.
(T/N: What a beautiful chapter. Rest in Peace Butler Kim. You will be missed.)