Severing the Tenacious Bond
Fate is truly a fickle thing. And it is also stubbornly, infuriatingly persistent.
For Kim Jong-pil, the Kirin Guild had been exactly that.
It can’t be helped. That place occupies far too large a part of my life.
In his twenties, when he had competed with the Fighting King and the Rookie King, he was never the type to joke about having a good personality. Lee Shin had once called Ma Jang-dong a gorilla, and looking back, Kim Jong-pil of that era had been little different. Perhaps only a paper tiger in comparison?
The reason he had become refined enough to be called the gentleman of the league was entirely thanks to the Kirin Guild.
It began with a sense of responsibility.
For the guild members who had entered his circle, for the colleagues who followed his back, Kim Jong-pil had to weigh every single action with care. The humility and character that accumulated over time became the Kim Jong-pil of today. And because of the personality formed that way…
I was able to marry my wife.
Kim Jong-pil’s wife always said she had fallen for his gentle nature. Whenever she did, he would simply smile. There was no need to tell her about the foul-tempered brute he had been in his twenties.
In my thirties, I poured everything into growing the guild, getting married, and had no time to breathe.
In another sense, it would not be an exaggeration to say he had devoted the peak of his career as Sanwang into the growth of the Kirin Guild.
That was why Lee Shin would always pound his chest in frustration whenever he heard the story, lamenting what a waste it was. Yet Kim Jong-pil felt no regret whatsoever.
He had been true to himself and had nothing to be ashamed of.
Before he knew it, he had entered his forties.
His prime had passed, and the period of stagnation had arrived. It was the age when one had to train not to grow, but simply to avoid declining.
From then on, Kim Jong-pil focused his energy on helping those around him rather than on himself. He participated in his teammates’ training and shared every tip he had learned through experience. Even to juniors outside the team who came seeking advice, he gave freely. Im Cho-rong, now busy with her analyst work, had been one such case.
I raised so many of them.
Though she had faded somewhat these days, it was common knowledge that Flame Queen—once the youngest ranker and a prospect who represented Korea—had been the Mountain King’s creation.
Beyond her, nearly every hunter who had passed through or remained in Kirin had gone through Kim Jong-pil’s hands.
Thinking back on those days, a smile rose to his face at the sudden memory of a certain “disciple.”
I wonder if that child is recovering well.
The irony was that Kim Jong-pil’s goodwill had become the very reason he stood at odds with Han Jeong-do.
While Kim Jong-pil had accepted the stagnation period and turned his gaze outward, Han Jeong-do at the time could not accept his own decline and grew even more obsessed with preserving himself.
As time passed, Kim Jong-pil’s influence within the guild only grew, while Han Jeong-do’s—focused solely on his own maintenance—inevitably waned. For a man as prideful as Han Jeong-do, that was something he could not simply watch. What followed was the story everyone already knew.
The faction war. Han Jeong-do’s victory after winning over the rankers. Kim Jong-pil, driven out to Mt. Geumgang as if being chased away.
And there, he met that problematic man.
A young partner who truly understood him, the only one who could share his vision. No—a young friend.
Lee Shin.
Fate really is interesting.
The guild he had built by devoting his prime had abandoned him, yet the guild he encountered in the twilight of his life was leading him back to his peak once more. The fact that this impudent young brat understood him better than the longtime comrade with whom he had lifted countless trophies and enjoyed the longest stretch of glory.
And how tenacious it is.
Even so, even though that relationship had ended in a bad ending, Kim Jong-pil could not deny the Kirin Guild. His shining youth was recorded within it.
But Lee Shin had said this:
With so much still left to accomplish, why remain trapped in the past? There would be plenty of time for reminiscing after retirement.
Right now was the time to run together with him.
Therefore—
For no one else but himself.
Kim Jong-pil intended to sever this tenacious bond exactly as his young friend wished.
On the stage Lee Shin had prepared today.
Kim Jong-pil, still running, spoke.
“Vita.”
The miniature Vita manifested in the form of a deer, then melted into the distant sky according to her partner’s will.
Meanwhile, the plant stems continued whipping about like Kraken tentacles, driving the surrounding Dark Trolls before them.
“At this very moment, if we look at the Kirin Guild, they’re completely scattered—unlike the other guilds maintaining proper formations—and driving monsters ahead of them.”
“Without a main force, even the Mountain King should find herding difficult… and yet, since it’s the Mountain King, I have a feeling he’ll show us something special.”
“As expected of the Mountain King! I’m incredibly excited to see what he’ll reveal to us this time!!”
The moment Kim Jong-pil entered the zone the Kirin Guild was herding, stems erupted behind him.
The tentacles that rose like those of a Kraken crashed down in every direction in perfect sync with the downward sweep of Kim Jong-pil’s hands.
And there, caught in their path, were the hordes of trolls the Kirin raid team had been excitedly driving.
BOOM—! KWAANG—! KWAAAAANG—!
“Is he stealing them?!”
“A steal! The Mountain King is taking the aggro of the Dark Trolls the Kirin Guild had been herding!”
“That’s incredibly bold!!”
Herding was far more dangerous than it appeared.
Maintaining aggro while pulling monsters within a fixed range was extremely exhausting. A single mistake, a single allowed strike, and the driven monsters could swarm you, leading to a catastrophic accident.
That was why even the Kirin Guild—Korea’s premier elites—operated in teams of three when herding.
Yet Kim Jong-pil, already driving a massive pack of Dark Trolls himself, snatched the opposing team’s monsters without the slightest hesitation.
Soon the forest rang with the familiar voices of his old comrades.
“He stole the ones I was herding!”
“Over here too!!”
“Mountain King sighted! Everyone be careful!!”
Kim Jong-pil found those near-screams rather pleasant. It felt like a bit of petty revenge. He wondered if it was unbecoming for a man of his age, but when he considered it a playful gift from his rejuvenated body, he found it quite delightful.
In the blink of an eye, using his spirits and plants, Kim Jong-pil stole every last Dark Troll the Kirin raid team had been driving.
And when the final stem slammed down on the last group of Dark Trolls—
Two men recognized each other through the pale cloud of rising dust.
“Kim Jong-pil…!”
“Jeong-do.”
Kim Jong-pil and Han Jeong-do.
The Mountain King and the Ten Thousand King.
Two legends, finally standing face to face.
Han Jeong-do looked at Kim Jong-pil in shock. How are you here—?!
Kim Jong-pil simply smiled back at him. You all managed it. Did you think I couldn’t?
Kim Jong-pil came to a stop, scraping the ground. Then, as if showing off to his old friend, he slammed both palms downward toward the earth.
The golden laurel wreath settled upon his head.
A jade-green wave spread like an aurora, swallowing everything around him.
Whiiiiing—!
The ground turned into a swamp.
Grass roots hid themselves.
Trees vanished from sight.
And the moment the entire area transformed into wetlands, an existence appeared, elegantly strolling through the empty air.
It was Vita.
Vita looked down at the humans beneath her, then shone her majestic antlers.
In that instant—
RUMBLE!!
The World Tree burst through the swamp. Along with it, house-sized stumps rose and slammed down onto the ground.
What was peculiar was that the stumps were hollow like pipes.
Standing atop the soaring World Tree, Kim Jong-pil looked down and spoke softly.
“…?!”
Kim Jong-pil, wearing the golden laurel wreath, smiled at his former comrades. At that moment, glowing eyes appeared from within the hollow stumps.
The monsters Kim Jong-pil had originally been herding.
The monsters stolen from the Kirin raid team.
And even the Dark Trolls Vita had kidnapped while roaming the forest.
A short while later, the area was completely submerged beneath a black wave of pouring Dark Trolls.
Meanwhile, while Kim Jong-pil single-handedly turned the field upside down, the Mir raid team was silent as a grave.
Amid that silence came the sound of snoring.
Zzzzz…….
Indeed.
The entire Mir raid team was currently fast asleep.
No matter how theoretically infinite their stamina was thanks to Seo Ye-na, humans still needed sleep for both mental and physiological reasons.
So they had decided to rest during the precious time Kim Jong-pil had bought them. Some leaned their heads against the walls, others simply lay on the ground with an whatever attitude, while a few had properly crawled into sleeping bags.
Amid the chaotic sprawl of completely knocked-out bodies, only two people remained awake.
Yu Ri-ra, perched on a tree branch, and Baek Yeon-woo, sitting with his back against a stump.
“Yeonu, Yeonu. You should sleep soon too.”
“I’m fine. What about you, sis? I’ll take the night watch, so get some rest.”
“Wow, listen to how sweet you sound. You’re kind on top of being handsome?”
In truth, a night watch was unnecessary. The top-grade surveillance equipment Lee Shin had prepared was installed in double and triple layers. No matter how deeply asleep they were, the moment an alarm sounded, the entire raid team would snap into combat readiness instantly.
Both of them knew this, yet they still chose to remain awake.
Why? Because of the one person who had yet to return.
“I wonder when our grandpa is coming back.”
“Yeah… He said he’d only give them a proper warning and return.”
“Still, it’s surprising for you, Yeonu. I get why I’d wait since I’m close with grandpa, but weren’t you pretty distant with him?”
While everyone had received teachings from the Mountain King, Yu Ri-ra in particular had been practically raised by him. Ever since her days in the third division league, he had supported her like a guardian.
That was why it was well-known within the raid team that Yu Ri-ra followed Kim Jong-pil with special devotion.
Baek Yeon-woo, however, was the unexpected one. It was difficult to imagine any point of contact between him and Kim Jong-pil.
Baek Yeon-woo shrugged.
“We’re family. Why wouldn’t I? Besides, I’m close with the captain too. We go to the bathhouse together.”
“Ohhh?? Really??”
“Of course.”
Of course, given Baek Yeon-woo’s personality, he had never been the first to approach warmly. He had simply ended up tagging along because of his friend Park Su-bin.
What had truly deepened their bond was something he had heard from his mother one day.
“Didn’t you know? The Mountain King captain visits with the madam once a week without fail. He asks if there’s anything you need, takes care of things, and talks about you. He always praises how much you’ve grown and how your concentration has improved lately. Why are you embarrassed? Mom thinks that’s really wonderful.”
Learning that the man had been looking after his mother in place of her quiet son had moved Baek Yeon-woo deeply.
“Hehe, so you too.”
“…Pardon?”
“He visits our house too. He meets with my dad from time to time.”
In training and raids he was a strict teacher and a blade-sharp captain, but to their raid team he was a warmer grandfather than anyone else. That was Kim Jong-pil.
How could they not follow him?
It was then. The two, who had been chatting softly, stopped speaking at the same moment. They both turned to look toward the far side of the forest.
“Did you feel that?”
“Yes.”
Let’s go.
Yu Ri-ra vanished in a crackle of lightning.
Baek Yeon-woo shot forward like a beam of light.
The pair cut across the forest. When they spotted the figure in the distance, Yu Ri-ra leaped and climbed onto his back. Baek Yeon-woo smiled faintly and straightened.
“Grandpa~!”
“Welcome back, Captain.”
Kim Jong-pil, who had been wearing a complicated expression, let out a soft “Oh my” as he carried Yu Ri-ra on his back. He stroked Baek Yeon-woo’s head after the young man straightened up, then broke into a bright smile.
“I’m back.”