Chapter 124: When Heroes Rot

Son Seong-cheol stared at Park Ji-chan in a daze, a thought crossing his mind.

At least it’s a relief that he’s a bad person.

BOOM!

The instant that thought formed, the warehouse doors were blown open with savage force, as if they were about to shatter. The entire building shook like it had been hit by an earthquake.

“What the—?”

Startled, Park Ji-chan hurriedly turned around. The moment the doors burst open, a violent gale rushed in, sand and dust clouding their vision. He raised his arm to shield himself, but it was too late—dust had already poured into his eyes and mouth. He doubled over, coughing harshly.

“Cough, cough—! Kh, who the hell is it?!”

Still bound, Jung Joo-hoon fared no better, squeezing his eyes shut as he hacked relentlessly.

“What kind of crazy bastard—”

Assuming the ambush was carried out by one of his own men, Park Ji-chan spat out a curse in irritation.

“Are you talking about me? The crazy bastard?”

“…What?”

It was an unfamiliar voice—yet strangely familiar. Park Ji-chan lowered the arm that had been shielding his face. The floating dust settled below knee level, and a massive silhouette, at least a head taller than him, advanced with an intimidating presence.

“Long time no see.”

Park Ji-chan’s brow creased sharply. Standing before him was Park Soo-jin.

“…Why are you here?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing. Why are you here?”

For a while, the two simply stared at each other in silence. Park Ji-chan was openly displeased; Park Soo-jin looked bitter.

“We used to be on decent terms, didn’t we?”

“I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Running a dry hand over his face, Park Soo-jin spoke heavily.

“I suppose you wouldn’t. You don’t seem like the person I used to know anymore.”

At those words, Park Ji-chan flinched, his body twitching. But he quickly regained his composure, twisting his lips into a crooked smile.

“Well, I heard somewhere that you’ve got ties to this side of things. What—did you come to save this guy?”

Only then did Park Soo-jin’s gaze move to the two trembling figures behind him. The shock of Park Ji-chan’s presence had made him completely forget the safety of the two most important people.

He hurried over to check on them. Park Ji-chan retreated two steps back. Son Seong-cheol, a civilian, wasn’t worth worrying about—but Park Soo-jin was different.

He was someone who needed to be watched carefully. And he needed to contact the Association to figure out how the situation was unfolding. Grinding his teeth irritably, Park Ji-chan chewed the inside of his cheek.

“Hey, let’s keep some manners here. There are kidnapped victims present, you know.”

With his hands behind his back, Park Ji-chan adjusted his watch and sent an emergency signal to the Association. He couldn’t explain everything, but they’d at least realize something had gone wrong.

Since they themselves were up to no good, they’d probably send reinforcements in a hurry. That was Park Ji-chan’s vague assumption.

Then, suddenly, the guild members he’d stationed outside came to mind.

“By the way, you haven’t seen my guys outside, have you? It’s awfully quiet.”

He was pretty sure he’d told them to keep a proper lookout. His faint irritation shifted toward his guild members.

Park Soo-jin began untying the ropes binding Jung Joo-hoon.

Park Ji-chan didn’t stop him. It wouldn’t have been strange to clash immediately, but he couldn’t act rashly. The warehouse was thick with tension.

In truth, Park Soo-jin’s hands kept slipping with sweat as he loosened the ropes, but he forced himself to move calmly. He didn’t want to make Jung Joo-hoon or Son Seong-cheol more anxious—and he certainly didn’t want to give Park Ji-chan an opening.

Perhaps that effort paid off. No one noticed Park Soo-jin’s tension. In fact, Park Ji-chan took another step back.

He craned his neck to inspect the door Park Soo-jin had come through. It was so thoroughly wrecked that the doorframe was barely holding together.

There was no way his guild members had politely opened it for him. It had been forcibly broken open.

f*cking useless idiots.

Cursing them silently, Park Ji-chan glanced down at his watch again. He’d definitely sent an emergency signal—but there was still no response.

Jung Joo-hoon staggered upright. Son Seong-cheol supported him as he nearly collapsed, pressing him against a pillar. Park Soo-jin stood with his back to them, facing Park Ji-chan protectively.

“Ah… this is getting pretty boring, composition-wise.”

Park Ji-chan muttered with a hollow chuckle.

“It’s only going to get more boring from here.”

Park Soo-jin shot back, flicking his gaze toward the entrance.

“So you didn’t come alone after all?”

Their gazes crossed slowly. As if that were a signal, people began pouring in all at once.

“Ah, f*ck. I’m screwed.”

Despite his words, Park Ji-chan smiled faintly, as if amused.

“I didn’t expect you to be alone either.”

Faced with the overwhelming numbers, Park Soo-jin shrugged. Park Ji-chan snorted softly.

“Ah… it’s just that you’re the type who hates getting blood on your hands.”

“Seems you don’t realize you’re already wallowing in filth.”

As if agreeing, Park Ji-chan hummed thoughtfully. He didn’t take a combat stance. If anything, he looked like he’d already lost the will to fight.

Instead, he moved to carry out the mission he hadn’t finished—not out of loyalty to the Association, but out of sheer spite.

“The way things are going, I can’t let this end like this.”

Muttering to himself, he turned toward the two still leaning against the pillar. His half-lidded eyes sharpened instantly, like a venomous snake’s.

“…So that trash is him?”

At Park Soo-jin’s request, Lee Hye-rin of Helios—who had infiltrated together with him—asked quietly. She, too, knew Park Ji-chan well as the head of the Jedoh Guild.

In fact, there was no one here who didn’t know Park Ji-chan. His reputation and past exploits were common knowledge among them.

“That’s a pretty rude thing to say. It hurts a trash’s feelings.”

“…Ha.”

Lee Hye-rin’s eyes were stained with betrayal and hatred. She, too, had once idolized him—admired the heroic way he fought for the greater good, once vowing to become a hunter just like him.

Shin Yoon-jae, who knew that, gently patted her shoulder.

“You knew he’d been acting strange for years now.”

“This is on a whole different level from that…!”

For years, rumors had circulated about Park Ji-chan. Most said he wasn’t what he used to be. Considering the average age of hunters, that wasn’t particularly strange. His individual performance had declined, but the Jedoh Guild was still thriving.

“Oh, sure. I heard all that—how I’m not what I used to be, how I’ve gotten weaker. It’s true. That’s why I ended up like this.”

Park Ji-chan smiled. There was no emotion in it, making it eerily unsettling. Someone shuddered and muttered a curse under their breath.

“How do you think it feels to lose the ability you’ve had your whole life overnight, you foolish awakened ones?”

Spreading his arms like a performer on stage, Park Ji-chan continued.

“What, bullshit—”

“You can’t even imagine it, right? You’ve lived your whole lives like that. But f*ck, it’s worse than you think. You know what happens? You just become a cripple. And only then do you realize—ah, people never liked me. They liked my ability. Without it, I’m a worthless piece of trash.”

Heavy sighs escaped from all around at his vulgar rant. Park Ji-chan glared at each of them in turn.

“God, this is why I hate dealers with overinflated egos.”

Someone sneered from behind. Pushing through the crowd was Chae Min-jung.

“If you lose your ability, then train your skills. Don’t be so pathetic.”

“…Chae Min-jung?”

“Wow, you’ve gotten old and ugly. This is why people should age gracefully.”

She lifted one hand and waved casually. Cracks spread across Park Ji-chan’s expression. Though they’d known each other since childhood, unlike the others, Chae Min-jung felt no sense of betrayal.

“That’s exactly why I never joined Jedoh. Someone like you running the guild—what a joke. It’s not a cult, you know.”

She waved her hand through the air as if commenting on a drama.

“Our guild leader isn’t like that. Though honestly, I like our vice-guild leader more.”

“……”

“He’s got zero offensive skills, charges in holding nothing but a knife—and he’s f*cking amazing. You get that, old man?”

“……”

“I’ve heard enough of your self-justifying confession. See you on the front page tomorrow morning.”

What she pulled out of thin air was a camera. Click. The shutter echoed hollowly. Snapping back to reality, Park Ji-chan’s face twisted violently.

Like a demon, he suddenly pulled a syringe from his pocket and stabbed it into his arm.

At the same time, a raging storm erupted around him. Razor-sharp wind surged forward, threatening to slice Chae Min-jung apart.

In that instant, shimmering water surged up from below, forming a barrier. The moment the wind struck, water droplets exploded in all directions. Lee Won-jae erased the scattered water from the air and yanked Chae Min-jung toward him.

“Are you okay?”

His hand gripping her shoulder trembled violently. Seeing Park Ji-chan’s attack up close, the hunters’ bodies stiffened with tension.

“Weren’t you saying I got weaker? That I’m not what I used to be? Then why are you all so scared?”

Taunting them, Park Ji-chan dismissed the raging wind with a flick of his hand. The silence that followed the chaos felt even heavier.

“Ah, right. There was a rule about hunters not harming people, wasn’t there?”

His pitch-black eyes clearly confessed to a history of murder.

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