* * *"So, how have you been doingtely?"The Foreman asked me as he poured a drink. An old brand of soju that was hard to find filled the ss."It feels like I''m going to die from exhaustion."I answered, half sighing and halfining.Ever since Mignium had resurrected me, I hadn''t had a single day of peace. Fighting, killing... and I even fought a dragon recently."Just like when you first started learning the ropes of the janitor''s job huh?“"...<em>Eyyyy</em>, it''s not as bad as it was back then."I scratched the back of my head as I thought of the time when I was still a naive child, and everything was unfamiliar.Did they say that the cost of the equipment I broke back then exceeded the amount of sry James would earn over three months?Everyone in the Janitor Guild called me a walking disaster.Perhaps the Foreman was also reminiscing about those days, as he chuckled and took a sip of his drink. The pungent scent of diluted soju filled the air."Dung Beetle."The Foreman, who had emptied his ss, called out to me. His voice, always pleasant to hear, was like that of a pine tree."Yes, Chief.""If it''s too difficult, you can just quit."<em>Quit? With so many people left to kill, how can I just quit like that?</em>I blinked as I responded."...I haven''t even started yet.""That''s why it''s the perfect time to quit. You haven''t killed anyone famous yet, so you could stop here and start a new life with a new identity.""...""And suppose you kill someone, even if it''s not the president but a minister, what do you think the world will see you as?""...I’ll be seen as a terrorist who killed a minister, I suppose.""And will you be okay with that?"Would I be okay with that? For the first time, I raised my head and looked the Foreman straight in the eye.His eyes, wrinkled at the corners, were filled with concern as they met mine."If you fail, you''ll lose your life, and if you seed, you won''t have a future. You''ll live the rest of your life being chased. Is that really the kind of life you want to live?"Instead of replying, I picked up the bottle and walked towards the Foreman.As I quietly refilled his ss, words I hadn''t intended to say slipped out."...Then what should I do? Should I forgive them?"Though I hadn''t poured that much, the ss overflowed all of a sudden.Having nowhere else to go, the spilled liquor dripped down like tears."Should I justify it by saying the dead are already dead, and then cast aside all the remaining pain and resentment... And then what?""You should live the life we couldn''t.""...""Why not buy the supercar Chunsik always wished to drive? Opening the fried chicken store that James dreamed of wouldn''t be a bad idea either.""Chief.""Oh, and don’t be like Deokbae. You should date, get married... Wake up to see your wife''s face every morning, fall asleep looking at your children, live a peaceful life... Even experience the heartache of dealing with rebellious teenage kids."The life that the janitors dreamed of. I looked at the now full ss and replied."If you were the one who lived and I died... could you have lived that kind of life, Chief?"It was a brash question to ask.Did he not expect me to ask such a question? The Foreman fell silent for a moment, before smiling broadly as he answered."No, I wouldn''t be able to live like that. I would have… probably tried to nt bombs in the National Assembly and Gyeongmudae."“…”"Hey, hey. Is that how one looks at their elders?"The Foreman clicked his tongue and I let out a long sigh."Even though it’s been a while since I''ve seen you, you keep saying strange things instead of encouraging me.""Strange things, you say? You little rascal, every word I just said came straight from my heart.""...""But since that’s the type of person I am, I can''t just bring myself to tell you to give up on revenge now, can I?"The Foreman reached out and ced his hand on my shoulder. Amidst the familiar smell of alcohol, I could feel his rough palm."Dung Beetle... no, Yeomyeong.""Yes.""I will understand whatever choice you make. But…"As his palm brushed my face, my vision blurred, and the smell of alcohol faded away."We just want you to be happy."And before I could reply, the Foreman downed hisst drink.He had already emptied a whole bottle. I nced around, searching for another bottle, but I saw nothing.There was nothing but suffocating darkness enveloping us."Chief...?"I turned back to look at him, but only an empty ss remained where he had been sitting.It was only then that I realized…That I, Yeomyeong, the Dung Beetle of the Janitor Guild who had inherited the Foreman''s surname…Was waking up from a dream.


    * * *As soon as he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Kim Mansoo''s face, full of dirt and sweat. The moment he saw Yeomyeong’s eyes open, he shouted in surprise."Yeomyeong! Are you awake?"Ah, Yeomyeong finally came to his senses and took a deep breath. His stalled mind started working again as his parched lungs sucked in oxygen."...The Dragon? What happened to the Dragon?""It’s not dead yet. It’s still knocked out, though."As Kim Mansoo said this, he gently raised Yeomyeong’s upper body, Allowing him to see the Dragon lying across the valley.Despite having lost its wings, legs, and even its eyes, the Dragon was still breathing. Its life force was incredibly tenacious."Don’t worry about it. The military will be able to deal with it once they arrive."While Kim Mansoo tried to reassure Yeomyeong, the other mercenaries gathered around them.None of them looked in good shape, especially Captain Kwon, who had severe burns and blisters all over his body, likely from facing the Dragon''s breath directly."How’s Yeomyeong’s condition? Does he need to be evacuated immediately?"Of course, it was nothingpared to Yeomyeong, who had taken the brunt of the breath head-on."...I guess I’m somewhat okay.""Somewhat?"Captain Kwon looked incredulous upon hearing his response. Yeomyeong''s condition was serious enough to leave any doctor shocked."It’ll take me about… 10 minutes(?) to recover."He could recover from severe injuries like this in just 10 minutes?All the mercenaries looked at Yeomyeong in disbelief. But Yeomyeong began to heal rapidly, as if backing his words.The burns, which were difficult to cure, started healing in real-time, and new skin grew. Seeing this, Captain Kwon sighed in relief."Well, that’s a relief. At least we won’t be losing the hero who saved Manchuria in this ce."The hero who saved Manchuria—It was a somewhat cringeworthy expression, but none of those gathered here seemed to think it was inurate.Without Yeomyeong... Manchuria would have undoubtedly been destroyed.Yet, despite achieving such a feat, Yeomyeong’s expression wasn’t bright."It’s not over yet. There’s still..."Just as he was about to give them an exnation, someone fell from the sky.<em>Thump!</em>Cloaked in dark red mana like a mantle over their tattered winter coat, Maranded amidst Yeomyeong and the mercenaries."Hello?"A smile spread across their androgynous face. The mercenaries tensed up, but they didn’t disy their hostility immediately.Partly because they had just teamed-up to fight against the dragon, but mainly because of the vast difference in strength.Things might have been different if they were all in perfect condition, but right now, there was no guarantee that they would emerge victorious in a fight against him.Of course, the mercenaries’ thoughts didn’t matter to Mara. They only looked at Yeomyeong and spoke."Cheon Yeomyeong, you remember our agreement, right?""...Yes, I remember.""As promised, I’ll be taking the dragon’s neidan no, its heart."The dragon’s heart? Captain Kwon subtly raised his eyebrows but didn’t take any further action.…Because Yeomyeong nodded as if it was only natural."Fine, the heart is yours. Take it."But Mara didn’t fly to the dragon immediately. Instead, they alternated their nces between the dragon and Yeomyeong before letting out a smallugh."I’m surprised that you’re giving it up so easily. Was the fight with the dragon more difficult than you expected?""...I’m just keeping my promise.""A promise, huh..."Mara trailed off as they began to gather their mana, causing all the mercenaries to stand up abruptly."But as I recall, we also agreed to postpone our fight. Remember?"Immediately, something shed in Mara''s hand. In sync with the sh of light, mes erupted from Captain Kwon''s hand, who was standing at the front.<em>Boom!!</em>A shockwave,parable to that of a bomb sting, erupted as the mes and palm st collided."Block them!"The mercenary closest to Mara threw a dagger at them as the shockwave hit him. And the next instant, Mara used their index and middle fingers to catch the dagger with ease.With a slight flick of their wrist, they sent the dagger flying back to its owner. The dagger, that shot forward like a bolt of lightning, sliced through the mercenary’s shoulder.One down.Mara didn’t stop there. They shot palm st at another mercenary who was raising his rifle.Both the rifle and the mercenary’s shoulder were destroyed simultaneously, and the mercenary was sent flying.Now, only two remained.As they prepared their next attack, Kwon Mongjoo charged in. The Captain’s fiery attack, with mes bursting from his entire body, was impressive, but that was all.Mara swiftly twisted their body to avoid the attack. Then, they immediately threw a punch at Captain Kwon''s face as he lost his bnce.Teeth broke, and blood sttered, but Captain Kwon did not retreat. Instead, as if intending to incinerate himself, he intensified the mes enveloping him and clung to Mara."Are you trying to self-destruct?"Mara sneered at his desperate attempt and took a step back. Then, they spread their palm and unleashed a palm st from a distance beyond the mes’ reach.First, they shattered both of Captain Kwon’s knees, then broke his shoulders, and finally crushed his ribs.And just like that, Captain Kwon Mongjoo copsed to the ground in less than ten seconds.To be precise, it took them less than a minute to defeat all four elite members of the Sonjuk Mercenary Group.Mara bobbed his head towards Kim Mansoo, who stood between him and Yeomyeong."How should I kill you?"Kim Mansoo did not reply. He simply gripped hisst remaining hatchet tightly and red at Mara."I like that look in your eyes, you bastard. Alright, I’ll gouge your eyes."Mara spread their fingers and prepared tounch another palm st. As they gathered mana and were about tounch their attack...!!Something pierced their chest. Blood spurted from the gaping wound in their chest btedly.Mara finally turned around. A white hand holding a revolver appeared in space that was empty just moments ago."Saintess... you fucking bitch...""Sorry, I have this condition where I just shoot any fucking bastard Ie across."A provocation so crude that it was hard to believe that it came from the mouth of a Saintess.Mara fired off a palm st sporadically, but the Saintess disappeared behind her Invisibility Cloak again."Saintess! Do you think I can''t kill you just because you''re hiding behind that damn cloak?"Mara clutched their bleeding chest and shouted. Although the bullet missed their heart by a fine margin, even this level of injury was too much for their frail body to withstand.It was a crisis as dire as facing the dragon. The sense of ease that had filled their mind was reced by cold, clear thoughts.<em>It’s impossible to find the Saintess right away. I need to kill Yeomyeong first. If he manages to recover, my chances will be...</em>Just as they turned their head while thinking of Yeomyeong, Yeomyeong suddenly stood up.The sight of him being unable to move a single finger disappeared like a mirage; and now, in his hand was the blue dagger that unleashed the Comet Sword."What?"He said it would take him ten minutes to recover...As the thought crossed Mara''s mind, a blue light shed from Yeomyeong''s hand.A cold blue dagger pierced through their throat.And that was thest sensation Mara ever felt.