Chapter 766
At some point, my life became one long struggle.
When I had no power, I fought in Gates for the happiness of my people, and after gaining power, I fought to protect them.
But… it was truly ironic.
That I, who had never retreated even in the face of death, was now backing down over mere words.
Whoosh.
The fiercely blazing blue-white flames subsided.
Without retreating even an inch, I slowly drew back the fist pressed against the sword blade.
“A wise choice.”
My stomach churned at the disgusting voice reaching my ears. I let my fist, trembling faintly with rage, hang loose.
No, I waited for the moment the air around us relaxed, then threw another punch.
Boom!
With another thunderous roar, a scorching gust swept through the area. At the same time, an angry shout burst out from behind me.
“How dare you!”
Swish, swish, swish!
And in that very instant, intense killing intent mixed with the sound of tearing air shot toward me.
“Enough.”
At that low voice, Huginn and dozens of other guards came to an abrupt stop.
Michael Silbert, who had silently signaled his subordinates with a calm look, opened his mouth.
“I clearly warned you.”
Creak. Crack.
Once again, fist and sword blade locked together, and the immense dark blue energy trembled faintly. I glared at him and replied.
“Yeah, you did.”
“So you intend to see this through to the end? Right here, right now?”
I gritted my teeth.
In my mind, I had already killed Michael Silbert dozens of times over. Broken his limbs, crushed his face, ripped out his heart and burst it open.
But this wasn’t Murim.
No, in any world, as long as I didn’t tear off the mask he was wearing, what I wanted to do would never be tolerated.
“If I meant to do that… I would’ve done it long ago.”
“You’re more reckless than I thought. And even more arrogant.”
“It’ll be disappointing if you think this is just arrogance.”
As Michael Silbert heard my reply and made a strange expression…
Sssk.
A thin line of blood appeared on his smooth neck, accompanied by a faint sound only audible from extremely close by.
The skin, unable to withstand the immense pressure that had surged up in an instant, split a beat too late.
“Huh.”
“This is my warning. Remember it.”
Michael Silbert calmly answered my voice, which came out as though I were spitting out each syllable.
“I suppose I should remove ‘arrogant’ from what I said earlier and add one more thing. You’re a far more interesting person than I thought.”
“You bastard…”
“And thank you for the warning. At least one thing is clear now.”
“What?”
“Jin. You can never kill me.”
And the dry voice that followed carried an unmistakable trace of laughter.
“Because… at some point, you’ve come to possess too much.”
Instantly, an unknown chill made every hair on my body stand on end.
Something sticky and unpleasant seemed to stretch out and seize my limbs.
Like being dragged into a deep swamp, that eerie sensation made me fling the sword blade away on reflex.
Crunch!
Two forces collided in an instant.
In the final flash of light, familiar faces flickered before my eyes, and before I could even process it, my body staggered and I drew rough breaths.
I didn’t want to admit it. I couldn’t admit it.
But at the same time… I had no choice but to admit it.
Michael Silbert.
Everything he had said was true.
The moment I severed the life of that bastard, who looked at me with a calm face as though he had no interest in the line of blood on his own neck, the lives of me and my people would be severed as well.
Just like the countless enemies I had defeated so far, they would burn in flames, turn to ash, and eventually vanish without a trace.
“Does your silence mean I can take it that my guess was correct?”
I said nothing, and Michael Silbert smiled.
“I look forward to working with you. I’ll contact you again soon.”
Whoosh.
I turned away without ever taking the hand he offered with that smile of assured victory.
That night in Munich, the moonlight never came.
Jin Taekyung left.
Huginn, who silently watched his retreating back disappear into the darkness, opened his mouth.
“Will that guy really cooperate willingly?”
Michael Silbert nodded.
“Without a doubt.”
“But Jin Taekyung’s recklessness is on another level. Hasn’t he always acted in ways that are impossible to predict?”
“Everyone has weaknesses. And he has a more fatal weakness than anyone.”
“A weakness? What kind?”
“Emotions. Jin Taekyung is more emotional than anyone.”
The calm voice continued.
“An opponent whose joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure are plain to see is easier to handle than the cruder sort. Wealth and honor can be regained once lost, but people are not like that.”
Michael Silbert looked at his private jet, practically shattered by the aftermath of the clash.
It was a custom-made piece worth tens of billions, fitted with every kind of cutting-edge facility and even magic, but he felt no particular emotion toward it. It was nothing more than a lump of scrap metal.
But people were different. A single life, a single existence, was different.
“Jin Taekyung… is a man with more to lose than I thought.”
Perhaps even more than me.
Michael Silbert forcibly swallowed the words lingering silently at the tip of his tongue.
He didn’t want to admit it.
He already possessed inexhaustible wealth and immense power.
If he gained control of the soon-to-be reborn World Hunter Federation, he would become the unrivaled king of this world.
And yet Jin Taekyung had more to lose than even someone like him.
‘That’s ridiculous.’
Michael Silbert, grumbling inwardly, patted Huginn on the shoulder.
“No need to worry. In a few days, everything will conclude successfully.”
“I hope so too, but…”
Trailing off, Huginn kept his eyes fixed on the retreating figure that was no longer visible.
“I’m not sure letting him go like this was the right choice. Part of me feels uneasy, as if we’ve made an irreversible mistake.”
“No need for that. We had no real choice either.”
“What do you mean by th…”
Crash!
An unfamiliar sound swallowed the words he had been about to continue.
The next moment, reflected in Huginn’s eyes as he turned around, was the figure of his superior holding only a sword hilt.
“Guild Master!”
Michael Silbert shook his head at Huginn, who called out urgently, and muttered with a strange look in his eyes as he gazed at the shattered fragments of the sword at his feet.
“Well now…”
Just two clashes.
And that had been enough to shatter the treasured sword, forged from the finest materials and magic, into pieces.
If it hadn’t been for the powerful aura wrapped around the blade, it probably wouldn’t have held its form even until now.
‘As expected, he’s a more interesting man than I thought.’
He had a rough grasp of Jin Taekyung’s strength.
From the moment the young man first began to stand out, Odin Guild’s eyes and ears had been fixed on him, and with every report that came in, Michael Silbert had been forced to revise his evaluation of that Eastern youth.
From a mere scouting target to a next-generation S-rank Hunter with considerable potential.
And… before he knew it, to the greatest obstacle standing in his way.
‘I thought there would be no one left now except Cheon Tae-min.’
That was how it was supposed to be. That was how it should have been.
But today, a calculation that should have had no margin of error at all had gone completely awry.
‘Jin Taekyung.’
Michael Silbert raised his head and looked at the darkness that had swallowed a single man.
From the top of his head to the soles of his feet, that youth had not even lived half the life he had. And recalling once again the immense power crouching within him, he thought,
‘What if I had gone all out?’
But not long after, a soft laugh escaped him.
A pointless thought. The reason he could stand where he was now was precisely because he had never gone all out against any enemy he had faced.
Those who go all out win battles, but in the end, those who win wars are the ones who hide their strength.
And Michael Silbert wanted to win the war. Not the battle, but the war.
He had lived aiming for domination, not mere survival, and now only the final step toward the throne remained.
‘Everything is right in front of me. There’s no need to rush.’
At least for today.
Michael Silbert, swallowing the words lingering on his tongue, suddenly raised his head and looked at the sky.
The Munich night sky reflected in his gray eyes was shining more brightly than ever, unlike the one seen by the man who had been looking at that same sky only moments before.
‘Yes, at least for today.’
Crunch. Pfft.
In his tightly clenched fist, the incredibly hard sword hilt turned into fine powder and scattered into the wind.
Michael Silbert was not careless enough to leave an obstacle that had once blocked his path standing in the same place.
Even after all the talking was over, the spacious suite remained filled with heavy air and silence.
‘It can’t be helped, I guess.’
===
I muttered inwardly as I looked at the stiff expressions on Team Leader Choi Minwoo and Skeleton King’s faces.
It was a reaction I had expected.
No one could stay calm when their own head was on fire. Given the circumstances, it would’ve been the same even if they weren’t human but monsters.
“Damn it all.”
Skeleton King was the first to break the silence. Muttering a small curse, he opened his mouth with a complicated expression.
“Treacherous human. So what happens now?”
Ugh…
Under normal circumstances, I would’ve made a joke, but given how serious things were this time, even I couldn’t answer easily.
Skeleton King was probably in turmoil too.
He had to be filled with confusion over his identity being exposed and fear over what would happen to him from here on.
And as I stood there unable to bring myself to speak, only moving my lips because of those thoughts, Skeleton King opened his mouth in a serious voice.
“If it’s really that hard to say, then just tell me one thing.”
“Go ahead.”
“Am I permanently banned from entering the club now?”
For a moment, I just blinked, unable to understand what he’d said, and by the time my mind caught up, White Flame’s spear tip was already piercing his chest.
Crunch. Squish.
“Ah! Aaah! It was a joke! A joke!”
“Die. Just die…”
“Please spare me! My ribs! My ribs are cracked!”
“You bastard with less sense than those Ming Dynasty-era ribs…”
“Mr. Jin Taekyung! Mr. Jin Taekyung! You mustn’t!”
I had definitely seen red for a moment.
After briefly experiencing soul separation from sheer rage, I barely regained my senses thanks to Team Leader Choi Minwoo’s intervention.
The sight of that bastard clutching his chest and trying to shove his ribs back into place nearly made my vision go white again, but I endured it with the superhuman mental fortitude befitting a peak master.
‘Damn it, I’m about to suffer Qi Deviation.’
If I had watched that spectacle for ten more minutes, my [Energy Points] would’ve tangled up and I would’ve either died or been crippled. Michael Silbert would’ve gladly recruited Skeleton King as his new right-hand man.
But fortunately, a visitor arrived one step before Qi Deviation did.