That’s why it’s no fun. (1)

“…Chung Myung?”

Yoon Jong’s voice brought Chung Myung back to reality. Slowly, as though frozen in place, Chung Myung turned around, his expression rigid, and glared fiercely at Ho Gamyeong again.

“You…….”

Chung Myung’s slightly parted lips closed firmly once more.

His expression was as frigid as if a bitter northern wind were about to blow. Yoon Jong knew it. That was the look Chung Myung only showed when he was truly angry.

However, Ho Gamyeong, standing before that frosty gaze, remained calm.

People tremble in fear because they have something to lose. Having let go of everything, Ho Gamyeong no longer had any reason to be afraid.

Even if the famous throughout the entire land Maehwa Geomgwi was unleashing his killing intent towards him.

“When was it?”

Chung Myung asked in a chilly voice. Ho Gamyeong let out a quiet laugh, tinged strangely with self-mockery.

“Are you asking about the point in time when I first planned all of this?”

Chung Myung glared at Ho Gamyeong without a word. Ho Gamyeong fell silent for a moment, then spoke.

“Hmm… when could it have been. It might have been just a moment ago, or perhaps it was from the very beginning. No, maybe it’s correct to say it was both.”

Ho Gamyeong’s gaze, fixed on Chung Myung, appeared empty. A fleeting smile seemed to cross his face, yet it carried not the slightest hint of mockery.

“But what meaning does it have now?”

Ho Gamyeong muttered. Chung Myung slowly closed his eyes. Ho Gamyeong was right. What is the point of arguing about such things now.

But he could not simply let it go without questioning it.

“The value of a life is relative. If necessary, it can be thrown away, and if necessary, it can be used as bait.”

Chung Myung had seen them. Those who cast aside their lives without regret. Even as they died like trampled ants, they did not carry even a trace of regret.

“But that only holds true when what they’re trying to accomplish is worth it.”

Chung Myung glared coldly at Ho Gamyeong and pressed him further.

“Answer me. Was this foolish act worth that much?”

“…”

“You, of all people, should know how stupid and fleeting the goal of seizing the world really is. And you must also realize just how dangerous someone can be when they’re blinded by greed, never thinking of what comes after.”

Ho Gamyeong’s gaze darkened. Chung Myung spoke.

“Even if one achieved that dream, wouldn’t one only be left with the fact that they held it in their hands for a moment? Was that wretched scheme really worth throwing your life away for?”

“…”

“What possible value is there in fulfilling that worthless desire?”

Ho Gamyeong’s eyes showed a strange glint.

‘Maehwa Geomgwi……’

He had always thought of him as someone difficult to understand. But he never imagined he would look at the world with such eyes.

Perhaps Ho Gamyeong himself never truly understood Maehwa Geomgwi after all.

Ho Gamyeong opened his mouth slowly.

“To some, life may be indeed about pursuing value.”

“…”

“But for others, life may be the process of paying a price for what they have already received.”

As he spoke, he found himself smiling involuntarily.

Price… A price. The choice of words felt somewhat absurd. What he had received from Jang Ilso could not be captured by such a lousy expression.

Jang Ilso had saved Ho Gamyeong’s life, helped him exact revenge, and fulfilled his yearning. He had also opened the path for Ho Gamyeong to move forward.

Even so, Ho Gamyeong spat out the word ‘price.’ Perhaps he, too, had been unable to accept everything about Jang Ilso.

‘Is it regret?’

If so, what is its source?

Ho Gamyeong did not know. No, he did not want to think about it. After all, it was meaningless.

“Paying the price for what one has received… I never lived with that idea in mind. I believed it wasn’t the case, certainly.”

It was meaningless, but even so, Ho Gamyeong continued with words that had lost their meaning.

There was never a sentimental urge to bare it all to someone just because this was the end. It was simply because right now, before his eyes, stood someone who might be the only person in all the world capable of understanding him.

“If I must… yes, if I absolutely have to give a reason…”

Ho Gamyeong’s gaze drifted into the distance. It was neither the sky nor the place where Jang Ilso resided. What he looked upon was the past he had once passed through. The day when everything burned, the place where someone had stood.

“…Because it was dazzling. At least, to me it was.”

That was all. Every other word would be a mere excuse. Therefore, he felt no regret. It was a path Ho Gamyeong had chosen himself.

Chung Myung silently glared at Ho Gamyeong.

Scrape.

Before long, the tip of his sword scraped against the ground.

He could neither affirm nor acknowledge it. No matter what words he might spout, in the end, Ho Gamyeong was nothing more than an evil bastard who had assisted Jang Ilso in slaughtering tens of thousands of lives. There was no reason to pity him, and even less value in doing so.

Nonetheless, it seemed Chung Myung spinned those words in his mind, as he slowly closed his eyes.

“Dazzling, huh…… I think I understand.”

It seemed as though a sneer might escape him, but at the same time, Chung Myung could understand. Because he, too, had felt that way.

Chung Myung had also wanted to pursue something blindly. The back of that great man who lived a life he could scarcely even dream of.

What Chung Myung had seen as greatness was brilliance in Ho Gamyeong’s eyes. That was the only difference.

Ho Gamyeong gave a faint smile.

“Is that so…”

The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Never once had he believed he could be understood by anyone. In fact, there were many times when even Ho Gamyeong himself could not understand who he was.

Yet in this moment, Ho Gamyeong unexpectedly hoped for Chung Myung’s understanding, and Chung Myung did understand him.

Life, and the connections formed within it, were truly absurd.

“That’s enough now. Thank you.”

Ho Gamyeong quietly bowed his head towards Chung Myung. He knew that even this brief conversation was only possible because Chung Myung had allowed it.

After all, Chung Myung likely wanted nothing more than to strike off his head and walk away this very moment.

Ho Gamyeong spoke as a small gesture of gratitude.

“Ryeonju is no longer who he used to be. I’ve sensed it for some time now. I don’t know why, but it’s as though something has been chasing him, twisting him from within.”

Watching Jang Ilso, Ho Gamyeong had, at some point, foreseen an end like this. Of course, he never imagined it would take this exact form.

Ho Gamyeong looked intently at Chung Myung.

“But to my eyes… you appear the same way.”

At these words, Chung Myung’s gaze grew heavy.

“Finding that answer is your burden, I suppose. Let this be the end now. I’m tired.”

Ho Gamyeong finished speaking.

Chung Myung quietly looked at him. Standing before him was a man exhausted beyond measure.

Just a single human being, struggling not to lose his composure until the very last moment. He was the foe who had relentlessly tormented Cheonumaeng and driven them to the corner, and a hateful enemy whom Chung Myung had wished to tear apart even in his dreams.

Yet the emotion overwhelming Chung Myung at this moment was not anger, at least.

Step.

Chung Myung took a step towards Ho Gamyeong. One step, then another. The distance between them closed, neither quickly nor slowly.

Everyone watched without even daring to breathe properly.

It was the same for Ho Gamyeong. He faced Chung Myung, who was drawing near, without turning away. This was the price of his deeds, and the end he had chosen.

Chung Myung stopped at close range and spoke coldly.

“No matter what nonsense you spew, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re a dog-like bastard. So…”

Crunch.

Finally, with a chilling sound, the gleaming white blade pierced Ho Gamyeong’s chest.

Immediately, the sword that lodged itself in his heart brought a vicious sense of alienation and dizzying pain. Ho Gamyeong’s blood began to cool.

Ho Gamyeong, though staggering, did not let out even a single groan as he looked down at the sword embedded in his heart. When he lifted his head, his eyes met Chung Myung’s. That bone-chilling gaze, leaving not even the slightest margin of mercy, was indeed characteristic of Maehwa Geomgwi.

“The only place left for you is hell.”

The voice, spitting out the words, burrowed into Ho Gamyeong’s ears.

“So go and wait. One day I’ll be coming too.”

From Ho Gamyeong’s parted lips, bright red blood trickled. At the same time, the sword impaled in his heart twisted. Blood began to surge from the wound.

“I will kill you again then.”

Ho Gamyeong tried to smile. But due to the horrifying pain and his already dulled senses, his smile amounted to little more than a brief twitch of his muscles.

“You really… don’t… know your place.”

“…”

“If it’s the place where you’ll end up… then it wouldn’t be hell… would it.”

As strength left him, Ho Gamyeong’s knees buckled.

Thud.

Falling to both knees, he mustered what was left of his energy, tilting his head back. Within his grotesquely distorted vision, the ashen sky came into view.

‘So similar.’

Just like the sky that day.

His consciousness blurred, and an endless coldness swept over him like a wave, devouring him whole. The world grew steadily darker.

As he sank into the darkness, the last thing Ho Gamyeong saw was… a moment from the past – Jang Ilso smiling brightly as he spoke of his dreams.

It was a time that had been nothing but dazzling.

A faint laugh escaped Ho Gamyeong’s lips. Even in his final moment, this was what he beheld.

How foolish.

“Ryeonju…”

His head, which had been tilted back, slowly drooped forward. Kneeling with his head bowed, Ho Gamyeong’s last breath quietly faded away.

Finally, as Ho Gamyeong’s breath ceased, Chung Myung looked down at him blankly.

He was the commander of Maninbang and also the military advisor under Jang Ilso.

He was likewise the second-in-command of Sapaeryeon.

But such simple labels alone could never fully define this man.

Yet his end was more pitiful than anything. Almost enough to make one refuse to believe it.

This fact sparked an inexplicable fury within Chung Myung.

Chung Myung bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.

Even though he was an enemy, Ho Gamyeong was not someone who should have died this way. At least not so pathetically, discarded like some worthless pawn.

No matter the purpose, if one is human… or at least wears the guise of a human, they should never discard someone who has devoted their entire life to following them in such a manner.

“Chung Myung-ah.”

Hearing someone call his name, Chung Myung turned around.

And Yoon Jong, who had called out to him, involuntarily stepped back. It was because of the chill in his Sajil’s gaze, unlike anything he had seen before.

“Sahyeong.”

“…Chung Myung. Are you all right?”

A hint of doubt flickered in Yoon Jong’s eyes. Chung Myung looked more perilous than ever.

“We have to go.”

“…Go? Where?”

“Where that bastard is.”

Chung Myung looked past Yoon Jong. Understanding immediately from that look alone, Yoon Jong exclaimed,

“Jang Ilso?”

Chung Myung nodded. Without realizing it, Yoon Jong clenched his fists.

“That bastard…”

“We have to kill him.”

“…”

“Let’s go, Sahyeong. To end this hell.”

Yoon Jong ended up simply nodding without any other words.

Chung Myung immediately kicked off from the ground. Yoon Jong tried to do the same but then halted and turned around.

He saw Ho Gamyeong’s corpse, now cold as ice. Yoon Jong let out a faint sigh and recited a brief Taoist prayer.

“Let’s go.”

Only then did Yoon Jong and the other disciples of Hwasan run off in the direction from which they had come, following Chung Myung.

After they departed, Ho Gamyeong’s body remained alone on the empty field. Touched by a passing wind, it swayed briefly before toppling onto its side.

Thud.

The fallen body was immersed in a thick silence.

Drip. Drop.

Raindrops began to fall one by one on his cooling body. The rain grew fiercer, as though it would wash the entire world away.

In the downpour, Ho Gamyeong’s face was rinsed clean. With blood and dirt washed away, his features, strangely enough, appeared somewhat serene.