The Meaning of Generational Change
All the women, including me, had gathered in front of the house. Though it was "in front of the house," Kang A-jin's place was deep in the mountains, offering a vast, open view of the landscape. I'd warped here a few times, but I hadn't really taken in the geography before.
That's why no one can find it.
It wasn't abroad, and judging by the terrain and altitude, it had to be somewhere in Gangwon Province. This wasn't the kind of spot where normal people built homes. Especially not a massive structure spanning multiple above- and below-ground floors like this one.
What we were all staring at was the empty spot where Kang A-jin had vanished. She'd said she was going to fetch Jo Dong-geun and disappeared. I'd worried it might be dangerous for her to go alone, but her utterly calm expression made me think it was just my imagination. She'd been the one to devise the plan for dealing with him anyway, and no one knew him better than she did.
While the other women wore anxious expressions tinged with unease, Valentina and Lisa were off to the side, preparing something. Valentina had several dolls floating in the air, and Lisa had some kind of scroll hovering—clearly setting up sorcery. I hadn't asked for details, but it was probably to counter Jo Dong-geun, who would show up any minute now.
I was used to seeing Valentina use sorcery by now, but this was my first time watching Lisa do it. The scroll floated up as she chanted, words scribbling across it in real time. Each line glowed sequentially, infused with power.
The world of sorcery was vast and profound. The talismans Kang A-jin used, Valentina's dolls, Lisa's scrolls—they were all mediums tailored to the user. According to Kang A-jin, you chose tools that were easiest to visualize and most familiar. Typically, you inherited your master's implements, but as your sorcery affinity grew, you discovered ones that suited you even better.
My own sorcery affinity wasn't high, and I didn't particularly crave a specific medium, so I'd gone with talismans like Kang A-jin.
"He's coming!"
Kim Eun-bi shouted from behind.
About ten minutes after Kang A-jin vanished, the air above the spot where she'd driven off began to ripple. Her familiar car burst through first. Then came the SUV that followed...
No prizes for guessing who was inside. I swallowed hard.
Kang A-jin stepped out of her car first. As usual, it rolled itself into the garage. A tense silence fell.
The car carrying Jo Dong-geun. A man's silhouette was visible in the driver's seat—one far larger than average. An ominous aura poured out from the vehicle itself.
I couldn't help but wonder if this was really the right approach. Kang A-jin had described him as having lost most of his power, but the Jo Dong-geun I saw looked plenty strong. I'd never met him before, so comparison was tough, but he hadn't risen to Korea's top spot for nothing.
Rumble...
The ground trembled.
Vroom! Vroom!
The engine of Jo Dong-geun's car roared viciously. The wheels spun in place, kicking up gravel.
"What the—? He's gonna charge straight at us?"
Kim Eun-bi's voice was incredulous, but Kang A-jin replied calmly.
"No, he won't."
She'd already floated talismans into the air. They unfurled in a long chain, linking together to form a barrier.
Boom!!!
A thunderous explosion rocked the mountains as the car detonated.
"Huh?"
The shattered fragments flew but were all blocked by the defensive barrier Kang A-jin had set up beforehand.
What the hell is this lunatic doing?
It was baffling. He had to know blowing up the car wouldn't harm everyone here.
So then...
"Gaaahhh!!!"
His bellow echoed deafeningly. Jo Dong-geun emerged from the wreckage, skin charred from burns, clothes torn, body riddled with shards and glass. He looked every inch the madman.
The aura pouring from him was unnatural—pure insanity incarnate.
His near-feral appearance silenced us all. It revealed just how much rage he'd been stewing in these past few days. As Kang A-jin had said, Jo A-young had been essential to him.
"A-young..."
He feigned a sorrowful expression and extended a hand.
"Why are you over there? Do you know how long your oppa's been searching for you? You're being tricked right now. Come here to me, quick..."
Chills ran down my spine. The jig was up—he had to know his lies were exposed. Jo A-young hadn't been kidnapped; she'd chosen to be with us of her own free will. She wasn't bound or mind-controlled.
"Shut up..."
Jo A-young muttered. I turned to her—her face was twisted in anguish, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"You murderer! Monster! Do you even know what you've done!?"
Her fury was justified. Jo Dong-geun was a beast in human skin. He'd deceived her into thinking he was her brother, won her trust, killed her adoptive parents, and brought her to Korea. Without us, she'd have lived her whole life in ignorance.
Korea's top hunter would have kept her by his side, growing ever stronger, his influence expanding endlessly. Even if she'd learned the truth, who could have told her?
Jo Dong-geun froze at her reaction. He withdrew his hand and let out a long sigh.
"Hoo..."
Dropping the fake sadness, he smirked.
"No dice, huh? I treated a worthless bitch like you well, and this is how you repay me—with betrayal? You'll never see the light of day again."
It was chilling. To think Korea's future had been in the hands of a monster like this.
"I thought Korea would be different, but it's all the same."
Valentina chimed in with her usual cheerful tone, mismatched to the mood.
"Lisa!"
She called to Lisa beside her, who replied, "Yes!"
The sorcery they'd been preparing activated. The dolls swelled massively, beams shooting from their eyes. The spells on Lisa's scroll blazed with light. The two forces merged and lanced straight at Jo Dong-geun.
"What the—?"
He had no time to prepare and took it head-on. Their sorcery seemed to lack physical impact. He glanced down at the purple beam striking his chest, confusion mounting.
"What is this crap? You joking?"
He was Korea's unrivaled top hunter, after all. He'd lived long and proud. Even having lost Jo A-young and much of his power, his arrogance remained.
It radiated off him.
"What's that muttering, you rude jerk?"
Valentina snorted and poured more power into the spell. Lisa impassively funneled in her mana.
"Huh? Wha—?"
Jo Dong-geun's massive frame floated up into the air. That wasn't all—the beam that hit his chest expanded, soon dwarfing his body.
"What did you do to me!?"
He couldn't resist at all, trapped in their sorcery.
Of course not. I knew this. Valentina was Kang A-jin—Korea's top sorceress's master. Lisa was a first-rate sorceress and hunter harboring the mana of nineteen souls.
This was no spell he could shrug off after their long preparation.
But...
I still didn't grasp what it was meant to do. Surely more than just levitating him.
As he flailed with "Uh, uh" noises, space tore open behind him. Like a drain in midair, his huge body began getting sucked in—ass first, then torso and legs, arms and head.
Jo Dong-geun vanished, but the hole that swallowed him lingered.
Valentina said brightly,
"Honey!"
"Yeah?"
I answered reflexively to the pet name, hating myself for it. But she'd clearly called for me.
"How about fighting Jo Dong-geun yourself?"
"Huh? What do you..."
"Go in there, and it'll be just the two of you. No interruptions—a pure one-on-one."
"What're you saying?"
What kind of plot twist was this? I'd figured we could take him if we all teamed up. But Valentina was saying something I hadn't expected.
"That's what makes it meaningful. The meaning of a generational shift."