Forgive Your Enemy (1)
The memory ended there.
In truth, he didn't even need to watch it.
Gwangho's throat was torn out and he died, Jeonghyeon wailed in grief, and the tower was cleared belatedly. Jeonghyeon wanted to kill Jeonghu, but Solgaleh's fierce opposition—insisting that killing fellow humans was absolutely forbidden—forced him to let the bastard go. Jeonghu never appeared before Jeonghyeon again.
Whether he'd died somewhere alone or croaked as an ordinary hunter, it wasn't Jeonghyeon's concern. He'd forgotten it in his memories too.
Forgotten him so thoroughly that even his face faded away.
Then, by chance, Jeonghyeon—freshly returned from beyond the gate—spotted him on a massive outdoor billboard advertising items for hunters.
The scrawny kid he'd thought was short had straightened his shoulders, revealing his full height. The weak-looking face had been styled into something pretty and delicate, like a parasitic orchid. Still looked like a total pushover to Jeonghyeon's eyes, though. The fucker had become a celebrity.
'That son of a bitch. Items for the top hunters? Bullshit. You had a hunter die right in front of you.'
Jeonghyeon wanted to track him down right then and deal with him somehow. If he couldn't do it himself, he'd put out a hit through those trash hunters who did anything for cash.
But he gave up on that too.
It wouldn't bring Gwangho back. By that point, Jeonghyeon had already lost too many comrades long ago. Rage was pointless. Had he learned helplessness?
Having watched the full memory, Jeonghyeon returned to reality and let out a deep sigh. Sitting haphazardly on the grass, his hand looked especially forlorn.
His body had grown young again, but the Jeonghyeon inside had aged through countless hours and events.
The scars on the back of his hand from fighting the Demon King's archdukes seemed to overlay themselves onto it.
"Gwangho hyung…."
A short-lived existence that had taught him so much. The one who'd given Jeonghyeon his first brutal lesson in losing a comrade.
He had to dominate the Jeonghu who'd led to that death.
By the time he'd finished reading the memory, night had fallen. Seoul's murky sky, devoid of even a single star tonight, felt oppressively heavy.
***
When morning broke, Jeonghyeon lay on his bedroll.
"You're awake, sir."
Philip, just back from his morning workout, greeted him as his eyes fluttered open.
The guy's bare torso looked like some kind of ape.
"I was already in a shit mood, and now it's worse."
"That's harsh! I carried you in from outside where you were dozing!"
"Hmph. I wasn't sleeping."
"You were snoring…."
No sooner had Philip finished than Jeonghyeon bolted upright. Reflexively, Philip thought he was about to get hit and curled up his massive frame.
"N-no, sir! I'm sorry!"
"What're you doing? Let's go. Got somewhere to be."
"Huh?"
He wasn't mad at him? Philip felt awkwardly sheepish.
Shaking off his fatigue, Jeonghyeon sprang up as if nothing had happened and started gearing up to leave.
At the commotion, Nus poked his head out from the inventory, where he'd been quiet.
"What's this? Over your tantrum already? Where to now, the tower? A dungeon? Making more mana stone weapons?"
Jeonghyeon ignored Nus's question, continuing his preparations like he was possessed.
"Uh…. You okay, sir?"
Only when Philip asked cautiously did Jeonghyeon finally look at him.
"…."
"…."
Nus snapped irritably at Jeonghyeon's blank stare.
"What? Lost in thought again? Hey, human! Hey!"
"Philip."
"Y-yeah?"
Philip asked awkwardly, and Jeonghyeon replied with deadpan eyes.
"Didn't you want an Epic Weapon made from a mana stone weapon?"
"Well…. Yeah, who'd turn that down?"
Philip scratched his head like it was obvious.
"Gonna have to give it to someone else instead of your mace. That doesn't bug you?"
"Sure, it's a shame. A waste."
"Then why aren't you bitching about it? Most people would be pissed or sulking by now."
"This is more than enough!"
Philip pulled out Soul of the Mountain from his belt to show it off.
Then he holstered it again with a faint smile.
"…I'd be lying if I said otherwise, but another chance'll come someday, right? I'm already grateful you changed my life. And hey, if the gauntlet's owner ends up as your right-hand man…. Maybe I can repay you somewhere down the line?"
Jeonghyeon was genuinely surprised by Philip's words.
'You… changed my life. That's enough for me. I'll… end here. But you, go all the way.'
Gwangho's dying gasps echoed in his mind.
"No wonder I hated that hulking monster body of yours."
"Huh?! Outta nowhere? Why?"
"Reminds me of someone."
"Oh ho. Another appreciator of muscular aesthetics?"
"Don't make me ask seriously. It's annoying."
As Jeonghyeon and Philip bickered, Melani emerged from deeper inside, rubbing her eyes.
"Nngh…. All good now?"
Melani kept her distance from Jeonghyeon, still looking apologetic.
"Yeah. Hell, I'm thankful you made it at all. Hit me up if you need anything else."
"Cool. Actually, got something to tell you."
Melani pointed to one of the messy blueprints on her research table.
Jeonghyeon and Philip leaned in, but it was all incomprehensible jargon.
"Whoa. I can read numbers, but not this. What is it?"
"Same."
Melani chuckled at that.
"Mana circuit efficiency stats. You don't really need to get it. Anyway, it runs fine on monster cores and mana stones, but doesn't need the cores."
"Oh?"
"Plus, those manticores parts you brought were a huge help. Send any rare stuff my way ASAP from now on."
"Leave it to me. I'll haul as much as you want."
Mana stone weapons weren't one-and-done anyway. No issue there. He had no use for extras.
Staring intently at his inventory as he thought that, Jeonghyeon made Nus squirm.
"What the fuck, asshole! Look at all I've done for you!!"
"…."
"No more mana stones for me?! You ungrateful piece of shit! Without me, you'd be dead before getting your mana stone weapon, you prick!!"
"…."
Jeonghyeon just stared silently, his eyes gleaming with something manic. Nus finally retreated deeper into the inventory, grumbling.
"Fine, you bastard! I won't eat any! Hmph! Call me when you need me, you incompetent ingrate!"
Good. That was settled.
Jeonghyeon promptly sealed the inventory. Nus raged from inside, but whatever.
"Thanks. We'll keep researching with the leftovers. Stockpile mana stones as you go."
"Got it. Keep fighting the good fight. We got somewhere to be."
Jeonghyeon grabbed his inventory and gear, heading for the tent flap. Melani watched wistfully, bummed her chat buddies were bailing.
"Hey, where you headed, anyway?"
Jeonghyeon turned back with a rare grin.
"To recruit a new subordinate."
***
They'd set out, but….
"Where the hell is this guy, anyway?"
Jeonghyeon was just as lost.
Even racking his brain through the past didn't help.
When he and Gwangho tackled the 20th floor, Gwangho's best was 29th—barely, with heavy comrade losses.
They'd recruited one more for the party.
And that's when they met Jo Jeonghu.
Not the most trustworthy mercenary type, but an A-rank awakener of the storm dragon Mirtus. With Gwangho's 29-floor experience, they figured it was doable. The result? Total disaster.
"Hey, Nus."
After pondering, Jeonghyeon opened his inventory abruptly.
"What, asshole!"
Nus sniped back pissily, but Jeonghyeon pressed on.
"Best way to track someone down?"
"What bullshit is this? Fuck off!"
Nus stretched out, slamming the inventory shut.
"Fucking sulky bitch. What about you, Philip?"
Philip, used to Jeonghyeon's blunt jabs, pondered seriously without complaint. Max trust made it possible, apparently.
"Probably…. Ask a big guild."
"Can we handle that?"
The only guild they had ties to was Kingdom. Would Serin let them off easy if they showed up?
Philip shuddered, bad memories surfacing.
"Ugh. No way."
"Other options?"
Jeonghyeon had pissed off Serin too. If her loyalty spiked and she challenged him to a duel, shit would hit the fan.
"Hunter Association or a private investigator?"
'Private eye, huh.'
Would throwing money guarantee results? And the Association was useless now—it'd be years before the guy hit 29 floors.
"Fuck. This is a pain."
No choice but legwork, then.
"Head to the Western District first."
"Why there? It's dangerous."
Philip, who knew random trivia despite looking like a low-rank scrub, rattled it off.
'Thought he was clueless since he hadn't climbed the tower early on.'
Ignored the big stuff, but maxed effort on what he could. Useful as hell—good thing he was on board.
Seoul's West Side wasn't home to fancy guilds or comfy living. Its claim to fame? Underground fight pits, gambling, hunter black markets. A den of every crime imaginable.
"No reason for a guy like me to go. You got business?"
"Yeah, looking for someone."
Philip's eyes went wide at Jeonghyeon's words.
"Whoa…. Straight outta a noir flick! Crush the crime syndicates, use their intel net to find the guy!"
Philip seemed kinda hyped.
But Jeonghyeon's reason was simpler.
'That's where I met the bastard.'
Jeonghyeon and Philip boarded the subway to the West.
In the empty train rattling through dark tunnels, lit sporadically by lamps, Philip—still fantasizing noir—asked eagerly.
"So, who're we finding?"
"Jo Jeonghu. Awakener blessed by storm dragon Mirtus."
Not a name he wanted to say aloud, so Jeonghyeon kept it vague.
Didn't wanna get too chummy anyway.
"Mirtus! Figures. Gauntlets? Nothing beats a storm dragon."
"Where the hell do you get all this dragon knowledge?"
"Haha! Thanks."
Thinks it's a compliment, huh.
"Mirtus is the dragon of madness, right? Grows stronger the longer the fight! Unbeatable 1v1 against any other awakener! Man…. If I hadn't gotten Uldran…."
—What?
Uldran's voice cut in abruptly from where he'd been silent.
Philip sensed something and shifted to combat stance.
"…Almost said that~!"
"Lunatic."
But would he even be at the West branch? What if not?
As Jeonghyeon fretted, an old man wedged in front.
"Haha! Looking for a Jo in the West? Easy peasy."
"Pardon?"
"Outsider, huh? You wouldn't know."
The old man grinned meaningfully, but his eyes—shadowed by his cap—weren't ordinary.
'At least an awakener.'
"Heard the West is crawling with crime syndicates?"
"Yeah."
"Then you know the 'Jo family' runs 'em all?"
"…?"
Amused by Jeonghyeon's reaction, the old man added,
"Their youngest is 'Jo Jeonghu.' Mirtus's awakener."