Chapter 555

He was a man with a towering, iron-like physique.
His face was as hard as stone, and his lips were tightly sealed.

And… there were his eyes.

A pair of bloodshot eyes.
Filled with unspeakable rage and sorrow, mixed with countless other emotions, his gaze alone sent a chill down one’s spine.

Even the Prime Minister of South Korea, a permanent member of the UN and a major power, was not exempt from that feeling.

‘What kind of gaze is this…’

The moment the man entered the room, his stare pierced like a blade, and the Prime Minister flinched slightly, forcing himself to calm his trembling heart.

Although the opponent was a Hunter with top-tier strength within the country, he himself was a veteran who had rolled through the political mud for sixty years.

There was no reason to be intimidated before even speaking.

‘Especially in a situation like this.’

Regaining some composure, the Prime Minister extended his hand.

“There you are, Mr. Seo Go-jun.”

The man—Seo Go-jun—stared at the hand without taking it, replying in a dry voice.

“It’s been a while, Prime Minister Jang.”

There was no respect for his elder, no courtesy toward his nation’s Prime Minister.
Wrinkles deepened across Prime Minister Jang’s forehead.

“…Huh. You seem more shaken than I expected. I understand how you must feel.”

“Understand?”

Seo Go-jun’s eyes flared even redder.
No one could truly understand what he was feeling right now.

Yet here this sly old raccoon was, daring to smile and spout such words.

Crack.

A sound of bones grinding emanated from his clenched fist.

Once known for being stoic and expressionless, Seo Go-jun had become a different man entirely after the death of the one he most respected and followed—Lee Jeong-ryong.

“Ahem.”

Of course, Prime Minister Jang noticed.
Looking nervously at Seo Go-jun’s clenched fist, he awkwardly sat down.

“It seems I misspoke. I apologize if I offended you.”

“…It’s fine. I lost my temper as well.”

Seo Go-jun forced down the fury boiling within him.

He was no longer the orphan of thirty years ago with nothing to lose.
He now had a mission to uphold what his master had left behind, and there was a mountain of tasks to complete.

“But… did you come alone, Prime Minister?”

Finally, the inevitable question came.
Forcing himself to stay calm, Prime Minister Jang answered,

“Yes.”

“And the President?”

“You already know where he is, don’t you?”

The Prime Minister glanced at the curtained window.

Though the special blackout curtains blocked the view, if they were pulled aside, the Blue House would be visible.

“His Excellency has urgent matters to attend to. He’ll come in three hours when the state funeral officially begins. I believe the message was delivered through his chief secretary…”

Prime Minister Jang trailed off, sensing the chilling change in Seo Go-jun’s gaze.

“That’s why I asked again. Because I can’t believe what I heard.”

“What?”

“Prime Minister Jang. No—”

Swoosh.

Leaning forward, Seo Go-jun’s bloodshot eyes reflected the old politician’s figure, and an icy voice flowed from his lips.

“Mr. Jang Taek-hwan.”

“Let’s stop wasting time and talk straight. Go back immediately and arrange a private meeting with the President. We have three hours until the funeral begins. I’ll give you one hour.”

“Y-you! How dare you—”

“Dare?”

Crack.

Prime Minister Jang’s eyes widened.

The crystal glass in Seo Go-jun’s hand crumbled into fine powder.

The tone in Seo Go-jun’s voice flipped sharply and pierced into his ears.

“Yes, dare. You shouldn’t be acting like this, forgetting who paved the golden road you walk.”

“You…!”

The old politician’s voice shook.

What Seo Go-jun said was true.
Throughout his decades-long political career, the name Ares Guild was an inescapable stain.

It was the Ares Guild that had cleared his filth, carried his heavy boxes into car trunks, and polished his path.

But…

“Th-that was Vice Guild Leader Lee Jeong-ryong! Not you!”

“Right. Everything was the Vice Guild Leader’s doing. No, my master’s doing.”

A dry smile touched Seo Go-jun’s lips.

“And now… it’s my responsibility.”

“…?”

“Don’t be mistaken. Even though he’s gone, Ares Guild still stands strong.”

Ares Guild was an impregnable fortress.

Built upon the foundation laid by Cheon Tae-min, the immortal hero and savior of humanity, and fortified by Lee Jeong-ryong into an unbreakable wall.

“There’s no place in Yeouido, no place in this country, where our hands do not reach.”

In a world ruled by capitalism, it was undeniable.

Even if giant guilds were never listed among Forbes’ top corporations, everyone knew the truth.

The vast power and wealth held by those great guilds.
Especially the influence of Ares Guild, second to none.

And…

That power would pass from the dead to the living.

“Did you really think the only thing he left me was his will?”

“W-what?”

Prime Minister Jang’s eyes widened.

According to intelligence from the National Intelligence Service, there was no will left by Lee Jeong-ryong.
There shouldn’t have been.

While clueless citizens may have speculated otherwise, he had firmly believed that information.

“Then… you—”

At that moment, Seo Go-jun’s eyes gleamed red.

“It’s better you address me as Vice Guild Leader.”

The old politician’s entire body trembled.

After a suffocating silence, Prime Minister Jang finally spoke in a powerless voice.

“Mr. Seo Go-jun—no, Vice Guild Leader Seo. The situation isn’t as simple as you think.”

The red in Seo Go-jun’s eyes gradually faded.
His voice remained dry, but now carried a subtle gentleness.

“I know. That’s why… Prime Minister, you’ll just have to work harder. Along with the others.”

“Hoo. That’s… not so simple. There are a lot of rumors, too.”

“Rumors?”

“About Hunter Jin Taekyung. No, that’s not who I’m talking about. Though he is somewhat related.”

At the mention of the name Jin Taekyung, Seo Go-jun’s eyes reacted immediately. Prime Minister Jang hurriedly explained.

“You already know, don’t you? That young team leader from the Peace Guild. His name was… Choi Minwoo, I believe.”

“…Continue.”

“Ever since Vice Guild Leader Lee Jeong-ryong passed, there’s been a lot of chatter. Even if someone is set to succeed, it’s undeniable that Ares Guild isn’t what it used to be.”

Lee Jeong-ryong was a symbol in himself.

A hero who stood alongside Cheon Tae-min and quelled the Great Cataclysm. One of the highest-ranked S-class Hunters worldwide.

His death didn’t mean Ares Guild would collapse overnight, but it was natural that the guild’s strength and influence were significantly diminished.

‘Damn it.’

Seo Go-jun knew this better than anyone.

The noise and rebellion spreading from within the guild, the attitude shown by Prime Minister Jang—something unimaginable in the past—were undeniable proof.

‘If only Master were still alive…’

The words lingered on his tongue but never escaped.

He could not afford to show any more weakness.
Resolute, he opened his mouth with a hardened face.

“Prime Minister Jang, you seem to have a lot of worries and free time.”

“What do you mean…”

“Handling Ares Guild’s matters is for Ares Guild. You should focus on your own duties.”

Prime Minister Jang tried to protest, but Seo Go-jun leaned back into the sofa and cut him off with a look.

“Fifty minutes left.”

“F-fifty minutes? What do you mean?”

“You had an hour. It’s been ten minutes. Now you have fifty. It seems you no longer have time to just sit here. Am I wrong?”

The meaning was clear:
Before the state funeral officially began, he had to arrange a private audience with the President.
No further excuses.

Trembling slightly, Prime Minister Jang stood up, but before he could leave, Seo Go-jun’s quiet voice stopped him.

“One more thing. The Guild Master… won’t be attending. Make sure no unnecessary rumors start.”

Having nothing more to say, Prime Minister Jang nodded weakly and left the secret room.

Click.
The sound of the door closing echoed loudly.

Seo Go-jun silently stared at the empty seat before slowly shifting his gaze to his left arm.

A black armband with two dark stripes.

As Lee Jeong-ryong had no blood relatives, Seo Go-jun had taken the role of chief mourner.

‘Master. Are you at peace there?’

He could barely remember his own parents’ faces, but Lee Jeong-ryong’s image burned painfully in his heart.

He would never forget his Master.
Nor the two names forever tied to him like a curse.

“…Jin Taekyung. Choi Minwoo.”

The one who killed his Master.
And the one trying to steal everything his Master built.

The voice seeping through his clenched teeth was burning hot, and his eyes flared redder than ever.

Trembling with rage, Seo Go-jun unconsciously reached for his neck.

Clink.

His fingers brushed against the cold metal of a necklace.

Seo Go-jun silently unclasped it and looked down at it.

‘Master.’

He knew.
This necklace wasn’t something that had belonged to Lee Jeong-ryong.
It wasn’t a keepsake left by him either.

But one thing was certain.

Of all the things in the ruins that had once been the Arch Lich’s lair, this was the only object that had survived intact.

It was a mere trinket, a worthless item.

Yet for Seo Go-jun, it was worth bribing the expedition leader with a fortune to obtain.

“…Hoo.”

Letting out a deep breath, Seo Go-jun rose from his seat.

He was the chief mourner of this grand funeral.

Outside the door, countless people waited to greet him.
He had to show the world—through the media and through countless greetings—who the new power behind Ares Guild was.

Clack.

When he opened the door, dozens of men and women lined the corridor bowed their heads in unison.

Each of them carried the fierce aura of an A-rank Hunter.
Even the smallest of their movements brimmed with restrained power.

These were Seo Go-jun’s new hands and feet.

“Let’s go.”

With Seo Go-jun’s quiet command, dozens of footsteps crossed the corridor.

The national funeral of Ares Guild’s former Vice Guild Leader Lee Jeong-ryong was grandly held over five days.

Media and dignitaries from all over the world gathered in South Korea.
Hundreds of thousands of citizens poured into the streets to pay their respects during the ceremony.

But not everyone mourned.

For those struggling just to survive another day, the death of someone far away didn’t mean much.

Splat!

“Kill it, stab it now!”
“Keep formation! Hey! Don’t break ranks, you idiot!”
Kieeek!

Inside a damp, dark cave.

Shrieks and screams echoed.
Weapons, dulled with mud to prevent reflection, moved without pause to sever the enemy’s throats.

Shush, thud!

“Sung-ha!”

“You bastards!”

Kirik!

The battle between Hunters and monsters was fierce and brutal.

Blood from both species—each dyed a different color—gushed and sprayed across the cave.

And at that very moment—

Rumble!

The ground shook.
Stalactites crashed down from the ceiling.

Powerful [Mana] erupted from somewhere, sweeping through the Gate’s interior.

The humans screamed.

“A mutated Gate!”

“This—this mana isn’t from a low-rank Gate! At least intermediate… No, maybe high-rank… or even beyond.”

‘This is…’

‘The end.’

As the word ‘death’ flashed through everyone’s minds, despair weighed down like a lead blanket.

And then—

“…Tch. Brings back memories.”

Someone muttered under their breath in the darkness.

* * * * * * *

(T/N: Im back! Lol, kidding. I had a free time so I’m trying to do some TL work. Mind you, we are still not on the regular upload schedule!)