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The team leader, wriggling on the ground, could hear footsteps. His gaze went past the ground and into the air. He could see Kang Hyuk looking down at him. Next to him stood his skeleton soldiers. They were glaring at the team leader without any movement. 

As Kang Hyuk’s gaze turned to the skeleton soldiers, the team leader screamed, “Aaaaagh!” The skeleton soldier standing behind him had stabbed him in the thigh. He had already fallen to the ground and let go of his gun in the process. Without his guns, he was no different than any other regular old man in his fifties. At the time of his return to Earth, he had a toned body and fighting skills, but his life of comfort had dulled his senses. 

Looking at the blood seeping from his thigh, the team leader said, “Do you even know what you’re doing right now?” 

“If you brought Hwang Kyuho to me, this wouldn’t even have happened,” replied Kang Hyuk. 

“Crazy bastard. What are you gonna do when you find him? You’re making a mistake. Don’t even think that the problem will be solved by just killing me,” he continued, “You’re gonna regret returning...” 

Pow! A skeleton soldier suddenly kicked the team leader’s face like a soccer ball. 

“Keu...heuk!” The team leader’s head snapped back. The back of his head hit the ground, and he struggled. 

To him, Kang Hyuk said, “It’d be good for you to listen to what I’m saying while getting beat up.” As soon as he was done speaking, the skeleton soldier that had stabbed the team leader and another came to the team leader’s side. And with a crack, one kicked the back of the team leader’s skull, and the other kicked him in the lower abdomen. The skeleton soldiers started to mercilessly beat up the team leader. 

“Keuk! Keheuk!” The only things coming out of the team leader’s mouth were moans and blood. His indolent body could not take the pain and was struggling. Every time he was hit, his body was painted with more blood. 

“Do you want to say where Hwang Kyuho is?” Kang Hyuk asked calmly. 

“...Heuk... Keheuk! Kek! Tch!” The team leader bared his bloody teeth at Kang Hyuk. “Hey, just kill me. You’re never gonna hear what you want from me. Kehehe!” He sneered towards Kang Hyuk. He was also a returner and had experienced many dangers and battles risking his life. He did not intend on selling out his guild member just because of a few knife stab wounds. 

“What a shame. I intend to hear what I want no matter what I have to do,” said Kang Hyuk. “I was just giving you a chance beforehand.” He looked to the skeleton soldiers standing across from him. They smoothly took out their bone blades. 

“Cough...” The team leader’s gaze shook, looking at the incineration plant’s ceiling that he had never really had a chance to look at before this day. All he could feel was extreme pain. He could not even sense where he had been stabbed and which bones were broken. Kang Hyuk’s head suddenly appeared in his vision. Their eyes met midair. 

“You’re going to tell me many things after death,” Kang Hyuk said. 

“I already know that you’re a necromancer, but even if you use my dead body, you’re not gonna learn anything you want to,” retorted the team leader. 

Kang Hyuk looked away. “Kill him.” 

A skeleton soldier’s bone blade crossed the air and into the team leader’s heart. 

“Keuk!” With a short scream, the light of life left the team leader’s eyes. When the bone blade was removed, blood from the hole in the heart flowed onto the ground. Simultaneously, Kang Hyuk could hear Desmond’s voice. 

“My Lord, you’ve collected all twenty-five souls in the area.” 

Kang Hyuk looked to the dead team leader and activated Gaze of the Deceased. The things the team leader had last seen before his end shortly passed through Kang Hyuk’s mind. At the same time, he could also hear the voices the team leader had heard last in pieces. Kang Hyuk checked the things the team leader has last seen using the Gaze of the Deceased. 

What, who is he? What? Kang Min’s older brother? It was the voice of the team leader on the phone. His voice could be heard in short snaps. 

Where’s Hwang Kyuho right now? You told him to come? Okay. The information was just what Kang Hyuk had wanted–that Goo Changwoo had sent Kang Hyuk to the incineration plant but summoned Hwang Kyuho to the club. It was evident from the team leader’s response that Hwang Kyuho was never even in the plant. He stopped Gaze of the Deceased and said to Oh Taeho, “We’re going there.” 

“Where? The club?” asked Oh Taeho, following Kang Hyuk. “Why the club? What are you gonna do there?” He was nervous. 

Having left the plant, Kang Hyuk opened the car door and responded, “You’ll see when we get there.” 

“What about the incineration plant?” asked Oh Taeho, entering the car. 

“What about it?” questioned Kang Hyuk. 

“You just killed all the incineration plant team members in there,” answered Oh Taeho. “The other teams will surely try to contact them, but if no one answers, they’ll be suspicious. If someone were to come and see...” 

“Then?” 

Oh Taeho was dismayed by Kang Hyuk’s response. He didn’t know where to start explaining and how. It felt like Kang Hyuk was not aware of the extent of his actions. The biggest problem was himself: until leaving the club, he had felt like he was being protected. He felt that it was safer to follow Kang Hyuk than to be harassed and beaten up by the sunbae hunters. However, once they arrived at the incineration plant, the situation changed. Had it not been for Kang Hyuk, Oh Taeho would have died. In the end, he lived, but the problem was now on. If someone was to attack the incineration plant leader of Gargoa Guild, it would not be easily passed over. Oh Taeho felt as if he were in the eye of a storm. 

“The guild will retaliate,” he said. 

Kang Hyuk looked at Oh Taeho. Having met his gaze, Oh Taeho looked to the front and said, “I-I’m just letting you know in case you get into danger. It doesn’t matter to me what you did.” Oh Taeho was looking to the front, but he could feel Kang Hyuk’s gaze stab into his cheek. As if to ask if that’s what Oh Taeho really thinks. 

“I’m telling you because I think I’ll die. I know now that you’re a necromancer,” Oh Taeho said. “Those skeleton soldiers were monsters that I’ve never seen before, so you must be safe. But the same can’t be said for myself. Once Gargoa Guild finds out about what happened at the incineration plant, they’ll come for me. Goo Changwoo saw me follow you after all.” 

Oh Taeho thought that it would’ve been better to just have taken the bullying at the club. After Kang Min’s death, being bullied was just a daily activity for him. But having followed Kang Hyuk into this mess, the situation at hand was a whole other dimension of trouble. 

Noona could be in danger, he thought. Oh Taeho wanted to resolve the issue as much as he could. 

“What is it that you want to say?” asked Kang Hyuk. 

“Well... Since you control the dead, the bodies in there...” stammered Oh Taeho. 

“Get rid of them?” asked Kang Hyuk. 

“No, not that, but more like... Wouldn’t it be better to not leave any evidence?” 

“I don’t care about the garbage in there. I already have my subordinates.” 

“Then for me...” Oh Taeho froze after meeting Kang Hyuk’s eyes. “I apologize. I was out of line. About the work you do...” 

“Do you know about the Charnel House Sect?” asked Kang Hyuk. 

“Huh?” 

Kang Hyuk had heard about the Charnel House Sect while going through the team leader’s memories using the Gaze of the Deceased. He could hear the team leader’s voice. 

Just tell the Charnel House Sect to send Hwang Kyuho and to go into hiding for a while. 

“How do you know about the Charnel House Sect?” questioned Oh Taeho. 

“I saw something about them in my brother’s file from the Association,” replied Kang Hyuk. 

“Ah, the Charnel House Sect is a criminal organization,” explained Oh Taeho. “They were the biggest gang  in the nation. They awakened and continued with their criminal activity. Guild master Kang Min had taken care of a lot of the criminal business related to them, so they had hostile relations.” 

It is said that when dungeons first appeared on Earth and monsters appeared, people called it a cataclysmic change. Once time passed and most of humanity was comprised of metahumans and returners, no one used the term “cataclysmic change” anymore. Humans had adjusted, and they used their abilities to commit bigger and worse crimes than before. 

“My brother went around killing the Charnel House Sect members?” Kang Hyuk asked. 

“Ah, he didn’t really go around just killing them. There were a lot of non-ability user victims of the Charnel House Sect’s crimes. There were a lot of metahuman victims too, and most lost due to gap in power. They’d come find Guild Master.” 

This was something Kang Hyuk never knew about Kang Min. He ordered, “Go on.” 

Oh Taeho was a bit afraid but answered, “Here? It’s a very long story. They’re such an infamous garbage gang...” 

“Is there a reason not to talk about it here?” asked Kang Hyuk. 

“Not really, but if someone were to come here and see this car...” 

Kang Hyuk replied as if to comfort him, “I’ll kill them. For you.” 

“Okay... Huh?” 

“I’ll do my job, so you do yours. Tell me about the Charnel House Sect.” 

Oh Taeho began to explain what he knew about the gang. 

***

At Goo Changwoo’s club office, Hwang Kyuho and Goo Changwoo were having a conversation. 

“Hwang Kyuho, who were you blabbering your mouth to about Kang Min’s death?” asked Goo Changwoo. 

“What are you talking about? I’m not that kind of person.” replied Hwang Kyuho. 

“Then why does the returner bastard of the brother act like he knows about the real reason behind Kang Min’s death?!” shouted Goo Changwoo, getting up with a cigarette in his mouth. 

“How would I know?” retorted Hwang Kyuho. “And he’s probably just misunderstanding. You know that I got rid of all the evidence after Kang Min died. What evidence would there be left to be suspicious about?” 

“Haa, that’s why I feel so off about it, you bastard.” 

Hwang Kyuho sneered and responded, “Haha! Over this little issue? If you feel off about it, we can just get rid of the source of the feeling. Kang Min’s brother, no, you said his name was Kang Hyuk, right? Where’s the bastard? I’ll get some members together and get rid of him. For you.” 

Goo Changwoo looked at Hwang Kyuho as if Hwang Kyuho were pitiable. He asked the hunters snickering in the back, “Is it funny? What the fuck are you laughing for?” 

“I’m sorry, boss.” 

“You follow me, Kyuho. We’re gonna have to stay with the Charnel House bastards for a bit.” 

“Huh? Why? You know I don’t like those bastards,” whined Hwang Kyuho. 

“Do as I say if you don’t want to die.” 

Hwang Kyuho pressed a button on a wall in the back of the office, and a hidden door opened. 

“Follow me,” ordered Goo Changwoo. 

“I’ll go if the girls in the Charnel House Sect are hot.” 

“Are you for real right now?” 

Hwang Kyuho finally got up quickly. “I’m sorry, sir. It was a joke.” 

“I’ll be back in a bit, so keep your eyes out for anyone suspicious and don’t take your damn eyes off the camera. Got it?” 

“Yes, sir!” 

Hwang Kyuho and Goo Changwoo disappeared through the door. The buzzcut hunter looked to the monitor screen while sitting on Goo Changwoo’s desk. 

“Ugh, today’s job is to play guard dog again.” 

As his gaze turned again to the security camera screen, he said, “Huh? What’s that?” 

“What?” The other hunters gathered around, and the buzzcut hunter got up. 

“The guild master’s brother’s here.” 

“What? I thought he went to the incineration plant?”

“He should be gone by now. Did he go and then come back?” 

“What do we do? Changwoo’s not here anymore.” 

The buzzcut hunter glared at Kang Hyuk and Oh Taeho in the monitor. They could be seen walking towards the office on multiple screens. 

“Call him. We’ll take care of them meanwhile.”