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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: A Taste of Death
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SLAAAAAP—!
SLAAAAAP—!
SLAAAAAP—!
Kim Do-hoon felt his consciousness drifting away.
He couldn't comprehend what was happening to him.
‘What in the world is….’
A constant “Eeeeeee!” rang in his ears.
His cheek had gone from throbbing to completely numb….
And the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.
A weak groan escaped his slightly parted lips.
“Guh....”
His face was already battered beyond recognition, his teeth unable to withstand the impact and all knocked out, but….
“Stand up straight.”
“That's it, that's it.”
Kang-jun showed no sign of stopping his ‘one-sided assault’.
Kim Do-hoon, gasping for breath, stared intently into Kang-jun's eyes.
Beyond that gaze, which felt as cold and heavy as iron, pure killing intent surged.
‘I have to move….’
If I don't move, I'll die.
‘I have to resist….’
If I don't resist, I'll die.
‘I have to run….’
If I can't escape, I'll die.
“Ugh-!”
Kim Do-hoon used all his strength to shake off Kang-jun's hand, which was gripping his hair tightly.
Smack-!
Then, with unsteady steps, he began to stumble away from Kang-jun.
A moment later, he lost his balance and collapsed with a “thud!”
His face a mess of terror and madness, he began to crawl across the floor, desperately trying to get away.
“Ugh….”
It was like a drowning person, flailing their limbs frantically until their strength gave out.
Kang-jun, showing no emotional turmoil, followed Kim Do-hoon at a leisurely pace with an expressionless face.
Clomp, clomp.
Kim Do-hoon could hear the low, heavy sound of footsteps—clomp, clomp—steadily growing closer behind him.
To Kim Do-hoon, those footsteps sounded as eerie and ominous as those of the Grim Reaper himself.
The unpleasant powerlessness and dreadful fear of a mere creature encountering a predator at the top of the food chain.
For someone who had received an S-rank designation—the highest possible grade—upon his Awakening, it was an alien feeling he had never experienced before.
Kim Do-hoon turned his head to look at Kang-jun and began to shamelessly scoot backward from his seated position on the floor.
And yet, all he had suffered was a few slaps.
“D-don't come any closer….”
Just a few slaps had reduced him to this state of terror.
“Stay away—!”
Just as Kim Do-hoon screamed, veins bulging in his neck, the snipers who had become hosts for the bugs aimed their rifles at Kang-jun.
Kang-jun's cold gaze swept over the lifeless faces of the snipers.
“Bugs...?”
Kang-jun narrowed his eyes, spotting the bizarrely shaped ‘bugs’—each the size of a child's head—coiled atop their heads.
Muttering "Bugs, bugs..." repeatedly in a low voice, Kang-jun suddenly recalled something.
It was from a few days ago, the day he'd been arrested by Seol-i during a game of 'Cops and Robbers' and imprisoned in his underwear in 'jail' (the balcony).
That day, he had discovered a 'suspicious bug' containing a minuscule amount of mana and had immediately crushed it in his hand.
‘Was this bastard the one who sent the bug to my house?’
He had a mountain of questions for the man, but he was confident that with enough careful torment, he would eventually confess everything.
An indescribably viscous and ominous energy began to radiate from Kang-jun….
Whooooosh!
It soon formed a blackish mist reminiscent of a poison fog, completely blanketing the spacious rooftop.
“Are these corpses a gift?”
“What do you mean...”
“I'll make good use of them.”
Kang-jun finished with a short addendum.
“I don't particularly like getting my hands dirty.”
At that moment, a series of bizarre phenomena occurred.
The poison fog greedily swallowed the snipers….
Drip-.
Suddenly, dark red blood trickled from Kim Do-hoon's nose.
Feeling dizzy, he blinked stupidly.
‘W-what in the world is going on?’
A vast amount of mana had suddenly intervened and annihilated his parasites.
It was a staggering amount of mana, enough to bring the cosmos to mind.
His eyes trembled violently as he sensed the difference in their class….
From beyond the dark fog, an eerie noise began to sound.
“Kirrrrrk….”
“Kik….”
“Kirrrrrk….”
Finally, as the thick fog gradually lifted, several skeletons—monsters of the undead species—revealed themselves.
Weren't skeletons normally classified as the 'lowest rank' among the many types of undead monsters—laughably weak creatures?
But unfortunately, the group of skeletons standing before him now was on a completely different level from the ones in his memory.
They boasted skeletons so large they felt out of place, and their entire bodies were clad in black armor that looked sturdy at a glance.
Each clutched a sharp, gleaming sword, and a dark red light flickered constantly from within their empty eye sockets.
As was customary, the appearance of a summoned creature naturally reflected the caster's characteristics, including the 'quality' and 'quantity' of their mana….
“D-don't tell me he's a high-ranking Necromancer...?”
Unable to immediately accept the situation unfolding before him, Kim Do-hoon let out a series of dry, hollow laughs.
Weren't 'Necromancers' supposed to be magic-class Awakeners specializing in long-range combat?
How could a Necromancer possibly wield such overwhelming physical power?
How could he possess such outstanding physical abilities combined with a mana pool vast enough to evoke the cosmos?
Trickle-.
Having completely lost his will to fight because of the scene before him, he committed the disgraceful act of wetting himself without realizing it.
Only then did he realize he was facing an opponent with such an enormous gap in power that struggling to survive was utterly meaningless.
“Scared?”
*Nod*.
“You think it'd be better to just die, don't you?”
*Nod*.
“Unfortunately for you, I have no intention of letting you die peacefully.”
“Th-then...?”
“I'll keep reviving you until I get all the answers I want.”
His voice was low and gentle.
At the same time....
It was utterly eerie and menacing.
“Seeing is believing, after all.”
“Here, have a taste.”
After speaking, Kang-jun gave a short jerk of his chin, and one of the skeletons moved faster than the eye could follow….
Shunk-.
With a clean, flawless motion, it plunged its sword deep into Kim Do-hoon's abdomen, twisted it, and pulled it out.
“Huuhk….”
And so, before he could confess a single thing he knew, Kim Do-hoon met his first death.
It was only after Kim Do-hoon had died and been revived a dozen times that Kang-jun finally obtained all the information he wanted.
‘So, this Anti-Bureau Alliance or whatever is targeting Bong-gu….’
What if it became known that the rookie Hunter, hailed by the media as a new hero, had joined an infamous organization?
Not only would it cause a massive social uproar, but countless people would surely be gripped by immense anxiety.
‘No….’
What if Bong-gu had persistently refused their attempts to win him over, only to be brutally murdered by them in front of a large crowd?
What if it happened at the very statue meant to celebrate and commemorate peace, and there were scores of innocent victims?
Doubts about the competence and effectiveness of the 'Bureau' itself would likely have sprouted everywhere, spreading chaos.
“They're some crafty bastards….”
During the interrogation, Kang-jun had made a chilling resolve: he would kill every last one of them.
In the world his daughter would grow up in, scum like this had no place….
It was for a simple reason that could be called grand, or perhaps trivial.
Kang-jun's gaze fell upon the mangled corpse of Kim Do-hoon, sprawled limply at his feet.
Not only were its wrists and ankles severed, but its body was covered in hundreds of stab wounds, both shallow and deep.
These were the marks left from the process of killing and reviving him a dozen times to make him confess everything he knew.
However, it seemed someone had taken measures to prevent him from ever revealing the 'core information' related to their headquarters or leader.
‘Th-that person's identity is actually….’
Perhaps a powerful restriction spell had been cast, because the moment he tried to confess that information, his head had exploded.
Kang-jun clicked his tongue in disappointment and was just straightening his appearance, re-tightening his loosened necktie.
“Jugun, they've all been dealt with.”
Iriel, who had just arrived on the rooftop, spoke with the utmost respect. Kang-jun nodded and replied.
“Right, good work.”
He let out a sigh, “Hoo,” and then spoke.
“Let's head back.”
The award ceremony might already be over.
“Jugun, what about the cleanup...?”
After a moment's thought, Kang-jun scratched his head and answered.
“Eh, they'll figure it out.”
Then, as if nothing had happened, he added with a bright smile.
“Let's go. We should at least congratulate Bong-gu and take a few commemorative photos with him.”
***
Meanwhile.
Inside the COEX Convention Hall, the medal ceremony—the core event of the day—was in full swing.
The rising rookie Hunter, ‘Hyoja Kim Bong-gu,’ stood frozen stiff, his face tense….
“You've worked hard.”
Bureau Director Seo Do-cheol, wearing a benevolent smile, was busy personally pinning the medal on Kim Bong-gu's chest.
Clap clap clap clap clap clap—!
Clap clap clap clap clap clap—!
Clap clap clap clap clap clap—!
Just then, a man with a kind face sitting in the front row let out a low "Hmm" and spoke.
“Personally, he doesn't seem like the kind of talent worthy of being hailed as a 'new hero'….”
The man was Kang Seong-hyeon, ranked 5th among S-rank Hunters, known to the world by the epithet ‘Black Wolf’.
He was also the guild master of ‘Solitad,’ one of the most prestigious top-tier guilds.
At his words, a bald man with limbs as thick as logs and a hulking physique nodded and replied.
“I don't know much, but he looks pretty flimsy. Not a trace of 'manliness' to be found.”
The bald man was Go Du-yeol, ranked 6th among S-rank Hunters, with the epithet ‘Iron Man’.
Like Kang Seong-hyeon, he belonged to the ‘Solitad’ guild and held the position of vice guild master, the second-in-command.
As the two were exchanging their private assessments of Kim Bong-gu, they suddenly pulled out their phones as if on cue….
As soon as they read the incoming text messages, they exchanged a glance and quickly exited the convention hall.
[ Multiple corpses, presumed to be 'Murderers' from the Anti-Bureau Alliance, have been discovered on the building's rooftop and in the basement aquarium. One of the bodies is believed to be the executive-level 'Torture Technician Lee Hui-ji'... ]
The two men, who had hurriedly left the convention hall, soon set foot on the building's rooftop….
And at the gruesome sight that began to unfold before them, they couldn't help but frown.
Among the corpses scattered everywhere, they had discovered one body that was particularly mutilated.
“Horrifying...”
Not only were its hands and feet severed, but its entire body was brutally hacked to pieces, and there was nothing left above the neck.
The only saving grace was….
That through a tear in the corpse's shirt, the tattoo symbolizing membership in the Anti-Bureau Alliance was faintly visible.
“Who in the world…?”
Dozens of Murderers from the Anti-Bureau Alliance, as well as a key executive with the power of an S-rank Hunter, had been taken down.
And it had all been done so covertly that even they hadn't noticed, by someone whose identity was a complete mystery.
They couldn't tell if this person was friend or foe, so they could neither rejoice nor give in to anxiety.
Kang-jun, arriving late to the convention hall, looked around, scanning the situation.
A quick glance revealed that the people who had been sitting in the audience were now streaming out of the hall like an ebbing tide.
Bong-gu, meanwhile, was surrounded by a group of people in the distance, busy chatting.
“Looks like we're a little late.”
“Yes, it would seem so.”
“He looks busy. Let's wait a bit.”
Kang-jun began to watch the clueless, grinning Kim Bong-gu with eyes full of pity.
‘You idiot. You're in big trouble….’
It was pathetic to see him so excited, oblivious to the fact that a massive criminal organization called the Anti-Bureau Alliance was after his life.
‘Bong-gu, Bong-gu, this is no time for you to be laughing and chatting so carefree….’
But then again, it wasn't like he could stand by Bong-gu's side 24/7 and act as his bodyguard, was it?
It wouldn't be surprising if he were kidnapped and subjected to threats accompanied by horrific torture at any moment.
‘Come to think of it, it feels like poor Bong-gu got screwed over because of me….’
The fact that Bong-gu was unintentionally hailed as a rookie Hunter, and that he had become a target for those sinister Alliance bastards as a result….
When he thought about it carefully, the obvious thought that ‘this all happened because of me’ began to creep into his mind.
Of course, that didn't mean he felt any particular ‘guilt’ as he looked at Bong-gu.
‘That's just his fate.’
Still, he had no intention of standing by and doing nothing.
Things would be inconvenient in many ways without Bong-gu….
And more importantly, he had grown quite fond of him in a short time.
He planned to help him at least enough to be able to protect himself.
‘Starting tomorrow, I'll have to really put him through the wringer….’
The training would be relentlessly grueling, enough to kill him, and he might even face near-death situations several times….
‘But that's still much better than actually dying.’
Meanwhile, Bong-gu, completely oblivious to what Kang-jun was thinking, was approaching with a bright, cheerful face.
“You two, did I make you wait long?”
“No….”
“As a thank you, dinner's on me tonight!”
Kang-jun muttered, “Alright,” and then added.
“They say a ghost that died on a full stomach looks better, right?”
“Hyung-nim, if you're angry because you had to wait long….”
“No, the saying just popped into my head….”
Kang-jun trailed off vaguely and started to lead the way out of the convention hall, muttering to himself again in a low voice.
“Bong-gu, if you suddenly die, I'll take responsibility and bring you back for old times' sake.”
“For instance?”
“Well, I personally think a Dullahan would suit you well.”
He couldn't fathom why his hyung-nim was suddenly saying such things, but….
‘Of all the undead, why a Dullahan…?’
As Bong-gu looked at him, as if asking for a reason, Iriel suddenly interjected with an answer.
“That's obviously because your face is ugly.”
“Huh?”
“Since ancient times, Jugun has always revived the ugly as Dullahans.”
Bong-gu, who had heard the uncomfortable truth without any mental preparation, groaned blankly and made a vow to himself.
It was better to live with an ugly face than to be a headless monster, so he would survive, scrabbling and clawing like a cockroach.
In any case….
The eventful memorial and medal ceremony schedule concluded rather safely(?).
