The world flows swiftly by, easily forgetting the tragedies that once shook it to its core.

Perhaps people deliberately avert their eyes, unwilling to dismantle what overflowing sorrow has built.

Thus, tragedy always belongs to those who stood closest to it.

To those whose wounds run too deep to be easily forgotten like the rest.

For Ho-jong, Jun-ho was one such tragedy.

He was a man who must never be forgotten, and indeed, could never be.

—Hey, friend! Are you hurt!?”

Their first meeting was during the Millennium Shock.

It was an era when gates erupted across the globe and magical beasts tore down everything humanity had built.

—Okay! You look fine. Sorry to ask, but could you help me out!?”

Ho-jong met a man wreathed in a storm in front of a crumbling downtown district.

—W-what are you! Y-you’re not human…!”

—I’m human, man!”

How could anyone forget that man, smiling as he spoke?

—Anyway, help me move those people. While you’re at it, grab a baton and clear out the small ones!”

Smiling alone amidst that apocalyptic landscape, he looked both reckless and reassuring.

Because he never lost his smile, no matter the situation, it felt like they could brave even this ruined world as long as they were together.

It made one believe that everything would be alright.

It was a gentle charisma.

Because he was such a man, superhumans naturally began to gather around him.

That was when Ho-jong awakened, too.

—Brother… I think I got a weird power.”

—Ooh, are you becoming a superhero too!”

—What hero? Stop talking nonsense and let’s go test it. I heard one popped up in Pangyo.”

—What!? You should have told me that first!”

They didn’t know what gates were, nor how to stop them; they just ran with their own two feet.

Every time they saved even one more person, they felt a sense of fulfillment.

Eventually, a term emerged to define these superhumans.

Hunter. A huntsman.

However, Jun-ho insisted on being called something different.

—A hero. We use superpowers to save people, so we’re heroes!”

He said they had to become heroes.

Reckless yet thoughtful, he never doubted a better future and always looked ahead to the next step.

Possessing the power to rewrite society’s structure, he made a habit of saying that they, of all people, must be the furthest from material greed.

That belief proved right in every moment Ho-jong could remember.

—Chun Jun-ho! Chun Jun-ho! Chun Jun-ho!”

—Hah! Yes, everyone! Chun Jun-ho is right here!”

Hunters eventually became heroes, melting into society as idols of the citizens.

—They’ve developed a way to utilize Third gates in Europe! We can now prevent random gate generation!”

—Bring it in immediately! National budget? I’ll negotiate it, just get it done!!!”

The world was liberated from the threat of gates erupting at any moment.

—Keep watch from the Countermeasure Bureau. Not everyone will share my mindset.”

The public was protected from the desires of superhumans.

He was a man who only ever did what was right.

He never let go of his concerns for justice and righteousness, right until the very end.

—It’s fine without me.”

Those were his words on the day he left.

—Once I’m gone, things will be fine. For a while, quite a long time, they won’t cross the line.”

His departure for North Korea was a turning point.

Would the suppressed first-generation hunters of the Management Bureau finally explode and tear down society?

Or would Chun Jun-ho vanish, creating a path for their desires to flow?

The answer Jun-ho chose was the safety of the citizens.

Ho-jong tried to stop him.

That day, Ho-jong had never hated his stubbornness so much.

—I’m leaving it to the future, Ho-jong. Heroes fit for a new era will appear. I’m going, believing that it will definitely be so.”

He left knowing he would die.

And so, it concluded as a disappearance.

There was always the question of ‘Why.’

Why the most righteous man.

Why the man who should have been happier than anyone.

Why the man who deserved nothing but praise.

Over the past 15 years, Ho-jong imagined him suddenly returning one day, laughing as usual.

He pictured a scene where he would apologize for taking so long, oblivious as always, and suggest they grab a drink.

He knew it was an impossible dream.

That was why he had devoted so much time to revenge.

He hoped that the Korea his friend might return to wouldn’t be a land swayed by the greed of a few.

Since that was his very reason, the moment he finally ended his revenge could only feel hollow.

Fortunately, just as Ho-jong said, a hero to lead the next era appeared.

He thought that would be enough.

Yet this damn man kept circling back, forcing the question of ‘Why’ to surface once again.

Forcing him to swallow the indignation of why he had to end up like that.

Ppi—!

[Terminating training.]

The Association’s underground training room.

Ho-jong gasped for breath, his entire body drenched in sweat.

His bare upper body pulsed with vicious muscles that belied his age.

The smoke rising from his body showed just how much caloric energy had been expelled from him in an instant.

What he had accomplished with that power bordered on the miraculous.

The room was designed to withstand S-Rank firepower, yet equipment was broken all over, with red warning lights flashing.

“That’s going to cost a lot in repairs.”

Jung-woo spoke from behind him.

Ho-jong wiped his face with a towel without even turning his head.

“You can cover it with the money from your merchandise sales.”

“Does it work like that?”

“You know how much money hits your account from Royal Tea. I told you it sells insanely well.”

“Thanks to that, I’ve become the number one target of parental resentment.”

Jung-woo, having approached, said.

“How is your rehabilitation?”

“Smoothly. You have a misconception, Jung-woo. I’m still a proper A-Rank. I’m even in the middle of an S-Rank quest.”

“I know. You’re a scary one, Mr. Chairman.”

“I mean don’t worry.”

Ho-jong studied Jung-woo’s complexion.

A bitter smile was drawn across his clean, handsome face.

He recognized that expression.

Perhaps, if he recalled correctly, he must have looked like that the day Jun-ho left for the North.

Knowing that feeling, he spoke.

“I’m not going there to die. It’s about resolving what I started.”

“It wasn’t a knot you tied, Mr. Chairman.”

“Even so, it’s a knot only I can untie.”

He had to accept what he had to accept.

The hero who was like a brother had fallen and become evil.

The system told him that he had to be the one to take his life.

Without accepting that, he couldn’t move forward.

No matter how hard it was, if he truly cherished the man named Chun Jun-ho, letting him go was the right thing to do.

“I’ll come back alive. I have a lot to do. My second daughter is getting married soon. My grandkid is starting kindergarten next year. I promised to give my grandkid a lot of New Year’s money, so I can’t die.”

“You won’t overdo it, right?”

“I’ll only overdo it to the point of not dying.”

“You really make people worry.”

“I’m doing this because I know that feeling. It’s more bearable than you think.”

Jung-woo resembled Jun-ho.

Their personalities, looks, and auras were different, but they were alike in their refusal to compromise on what they believed was right.

A person who understood attachment.

That was how Ho-jong evaluated such people.

With someone like that around, shouldn’t he watch their back?

It wasn’t his time to die yet.

“Is the data analysis done?”

“Today. It took exactly 23 days.”

“Do you see a strategy?”

Jung-woo’s smile took on an even sadder hue.

Ho-jong could tell without hearing the answer.

“…You already found it.”

“His output values must have changed since becoming a magical beast, but the mechanism of his ability itself should remain the same.”

“Right.”

Ho-jong turned his head.

He walked out of the training room with slow steps.

“Let’s start preparing.”

The coldest winter was approaching.

One week remained until the subjugation.

It was time to put a period to a long, sorrowful brotherhood.

The week flew by in a flash.

The tactical supplies had already been transported to the front-line Base Camp.

Equipment setup surrounding Pyongyang was also complete.

Early in the morning, after dropping Se-gi off at daycare, Jung-woo conducted a final check in the living room.

Before him lay a magic stone radiating an enigmatic black light.

It was the Three-legged Crow’s magic stone, which had finally been processed yesterday.

The output of an S-Rank Champion’s magic stone was certainly not something to be taken lightly, but—

Ppok!

Sea Otter carefully placed it on the floor.

Jung-woo chuckled.

“Yeah, we can’t use this one.”

Sheer firepower wasn’t always the answer.

Especially when the subjugation target was an attribute user like today.

Using a Flame Heat System ability could worsen the threat to their own side due to attribute compatibility.

What followed was the final check.

‘Can we catch him?’

He reviewed the tactical plan.

It was a meditation with his eyes closed.

He verified every element: the prepared equipment, the enemy’s habits, the environment.

He didn’t want to leave even a sliver of anxiety.

And so, he reached a conclusion once again.

‘90%.’

It was a figure accounting for environmental factors.

It was also the highest probability Jung-woo could achieve in the preparatory phase.

A too-well-known ability, too much aptitude data.

With such thorough preparation, he could pull the probability up to 100% depending on field variables.

The moment that certainty solidified again, Jung-woo spoke.

“Let’s go.”

Ppok!

Sea Otter slammed the Trickster’s magic stone into the ground.

After the scenery flickered, the place Jung-woo stood was the front-line Base Camp before Pyongyang.

“You’re here too, Jung-woo.”

Ho-jong said.

Black military uniform, bulletproof gear, headsets for communication.

It looked like a standard operational uniform, but it was easy to tell it wasn’t.

All of it was magical beast equipment.

Beside him gathered all of Seoul’s S-Ranks participating in the operation.

Even Soon-ae joined them.

Jung-woo looked up at the sky.

“It’s raining.”

Raindrops fell steadily from the sky.

It was a cool autumn rain, unaccompanied by windstorms.

The moment the cold drops patted his cheek, a bitter laugh escaped him.

“…Perfect. Even the weather.”

The raindrops indicated.

That the success rate of the subjugation needed an upward adjustment to 95%.

The front-line Base Camp, the operation’s starting point, was assembled with only personnel participating in the subjugation.

Since it was a private subjugation, related information could not be allowed to spread further.

“Let’s go.”

At Ho-jong’s command, the Retona departed for Pyongyang.

The vehicles forming the convoy scattered to their respective positions.

As with the previous Three-legged Crow subjugation, it was to provide support fire from outside the area.

The temperature was 1 degree Celsius.

It was warm for a late November sunrise.

However, the sky was gloomy, and the subjugation team’s atmosphere was solemn.

There were no cheers to boost morale, no encouragement that they could win.

It was a place unfit for such things.

Everyone living as a hunter owed a debt to Chun Jun-ho.

Before that, everyone living in this era owed a debt to Chun Jun-ho.

Therefore, today, which buried his tragedy in secrecy, was an atmosphere better described as a funeral.

[Entering Pyongyang.]

After getting out of the car and running along the main road, the fallen brother was visible in the distance.

A black aura wrapped around him like a storm.

Amidst the unfamiliarity, Ho-jong could spot a fragment of familiarity.

[Activating filter.]

Jjijijijik—!

When Jung-woo’s stuffed animal was summoned, noise overlaid Jun-ho’s body.

He had hoped until the very end that it wouldn’t be so.

Like Soon-ae, if he had simply become a form of demonification unaffected by the filter, he wanted to hold onto hope.

But it was a futile dream.

Ppyobyobyong!

Jun-ho turned into a stuffed animal.

It was a black full-body mask stuffed animal reminiscent of a hero from a children’s sentai show.

Jun-ho, now a stuffed animal, rose from his throne.

Truly, even in this moment, he was just like himself.

[…Prepare for battle.]

The unavoidable moment had arrived.

【Promotion Quest [Executioner] is being completed.】

【The most severe judgment does not discriminate. Put your brother on the judgment seat. [1/1]】

【Proceeding with promotion.】

The system declared.

【[Aptitude: Executioner (S)] is manifesting.】

【[Skill: Taboo Code] is evolving to S-Rank.】

Now, do the deed.

Feeling the immense mana enveloping his body, Ho-jong gripped a combat knife in a reverse hold.

Jung-woo spoke in a low voice.

[S-Rank Champion, Identification Name: Hero.]

Kugugugugung—!

[Beginning subjugation.]

The earth trembled.