The One Who Could Not Be Protected

"I can't get in touch with Team Leader Joo Hyung-seok."

Seong-min's gaze turned icy as he looked at the subordinate hunter from the Executive Division who had rushed into the office after a frantic knock.

"What did you just say?"

"Kkh!"

The moment Seong-min suddenly unleashed his killing intent, the subordinate hunter swallowed a groan and staggered. The murderous pressure of an A-Class hunter was more than someone who was only C-Class could bear.

"Hoo."

With a deep sigh, Seong-min drew back his killing intent. He realized that venting his anger now would solve nothing.

"Is Team Leader Joo Hyung-seok the only one you can't reach? What about the others?"

He was asking about the Executive Division hunters deployed for the unofficial guild war against Wraith Guild. Seong-min had expected an affirmative answer, but the subordinate's expression was grim.

"We can't reach any of them."

"All of them?"

"Yes... that's right."

The subordinate hunter nodded weakly. Seong-min could not hide the dumbfounded look on his face.

'We moved the second squad instead of the first because the client wanted the item secured, but this is a bit much...'

Frowning, he reviewed the information. According to the intelligence the Echo Guild's information division had gathered, Wraith Guild's Executive Division first squad was judged to be roughly on par with the Echo Guild's second-and-a-half squad. The Echo Guild was a guild on the verge of Silver promotion. Their Executive Division second squad was famous for being stronger than the first squads of most Bronze-tier guilds.

"You said Wraith Guild hired a mercenary this time, didn't you?"

"Yes. The information division reported it."

Unlike Wraith Guild, the Echo Guild's eyes and ears were spread everywhere.

"Find out who that mercenary bastard is. You can do that, can't you?"

"With our guild's intelligence network, we'll know soon enough. Don't worry."

Watching the subordinate hunter answer in a confident voice, Seong-min curved his lips into a vicious smile.

"We can't disappoint the one above us, can we? Handle it properly."

"Y-yes, sir!"

*

One unofficial guild war had earned him a massive 150 million won. He had risked his life, yes, but the reward was almost absurdly high. It didn't feel burdensome. In a way, it was nothing less than recognition of his own worth, and that made him happy.

'The kids will like this.'

He found himself smiling at the thought of buying gifts for the younger children at the orphanage. He had been abandoned there when he was little. He did not know the whereabouts of the blood family he had been born to, but he had grown up close to the people at the orphanage as though they were his real family.

Though exhausted, he stopped by his rented room, took a shower, changed clothes, and went to the supermarket. After buying a pile of toys and snacks that small children would like, he visited the orphanage where he had spent his childhood.

"Hyun-jun?"

When he opened the director's office door and stepped inside, a woman greeted him with a bright smile. She had softly waved brown hair that brushed her shoulders and cute dimples that made her especially memorable; seeing her, Hyun-jun let a faint smile form on his own lips.

"Where's the director?"

Her name ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was Han So-jin, and she had come from the same orphanage. She was also a C-Class recovery-type hunter.

"She's been feeling unwell lately, so I've been helping out."

"You must be busy with dungeon raids too..."

"It's fine. I do it because I want to."

So-jin spoke with a smile, but Hyun-jun knew very well how hard it was to help run the orphanage. It was a small place, with only about six children, but there was more work than one might expect.

"Don't overdo it."

"Thanks."

So-jin gave him a playful side glance.

"But what's that?"

Her eyes moved to the shopping bags in Hyun-jun's hands.

"Ah... I bought some gifts for the kids. Snacks and a few other things."

"Really? They'll all be happy. But our Hyun-jun didn't push himself, did he?"

"I'm fine. I even ranked up to C-Class this time, and the pay was generous."

"You've become a C-Class hunter? Our Hyun-jun really has grown up."

"I just got lucky."

As he answered and set the bags down beside So-jin, her expression suddenly turned serious.

"You..."

She had caught the faint smell of blood at the tip of his nose. He had showered, but he hadn't been able to wash it all away.

"Hyun-jun. You're not doing dangerous work, are you?"

Concern seeped through every word of her voice.

"I'm fine. Nothing will happen to you, noona."

He smiled, trying to ease her worry.

"Could you call the kids out to the yard?"

"Haa, all right."

So-jin shook her head and left the office. She had always been on Hyun-jun's side. Ever since they were children, she had indulged his childish complaints without complaint.

"Nothing will happen..."

Muttering to himself, he gathered up the toys and snacks and carried them out to the yard.

"It's Hyun-jun hyung!"

"Wow! A robot!"

The children were more interested in the toys than in Hyun-jun himself. Still, he was in a good mood. He didn't know how long it had been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠since he'd heard laughter so clear and bright. A smile naturally spread across his face. Then, while they were enjoying themselves, it happened.

The blessing manifested. Hashashin had warned him of something. Hyun-jun's smiling face froze in an instant.

"Hyun-jun?"

"Get down!"

He pulled a shield from his subspace pouch and planted himself in front of So-jin. At the same moment, a deafening roar thundered through the shield, and the impact vibrated up his arm. When he came to his senses, he could see black scorch marks spreading across the surface of the B-Class shield made from mana steel.

'This is bad.'

Even though he hadn't used Aura Shield, the fact that a B-Class shield had taken damage meant a hunter of at least equivalent rank, or higher, had been deployed.

"Carthago!"

He drew mana upward.

Carthago answered. Aura cloaked the shield.

"Sidenmiller!"

He drew mana upward again.

Sidenmiller joined him as well. Aura settled into the blade.

"I'll support you."

Only then did So-jin sense the ominous atmosphere and focus mana into both hands to protect the children. She was a recovery-type hunter, but still a C-Class hunter, so she ought to have at least some combat ability. Even so, he could not relax.

'I have to protect them...'

Grinding his teeth, he poured mana into the shield and sword. In truth, he was the only combatant here. He had to face a massive threat alone.

'Please, lend me strength...'

He sent a desperate prayer toward the unseen, silently begging that the enemy numbers be small.

"He was an Aura user? So the intelligence report saying he was at least B-Class was true."

"Seems that way. At first I thought Intelligence had gone crazy, but maybe not."

The wind had been crushed without mercy, and his prayer had been ignored. The number of hunters who emerged through the veil of stealth was...

'You're bringing twenty people to catch one C-Class hunter? These insane bastards...'

On top of that, about half of them appeared to be B-Class hunters. At a glance, it was a perfect assault unit, with combat, magic, support, and recovery all evenly represented.

"C-Class hunter Kang Hyun-jun. We've already figured out everything about you."

Hyun-jun did not answer. He saw no need to.

"I don't know what happened, but it looks like you suddenly got your hands on some power and thought you'd make money off it. You picked the wrong side. You don't know who we're backed by, do you?"

"Quit acting pathetic and come here. I'll kill ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you all."

"Oh? So you cut down one of our guild teams and now you can't even see what's in front of you? They were second squad. We're first squad. We'll make you regret this..."

"Why's your tongue so long? Shut up and come at me!"

As Hyun-jun barked back, the hunter who seemed to be the team leader shook his head once and raised a hand. It was the signal to attack. Hyun-jun drew a dagger and threw it. It sank into the ground at the midpoint between him and the Echo Guild's Executive Division hunters.

"This is the gate to hell. Step over it, and you won't come back alive."

"What the hell are you talking about? Kill him."

They ignored the warning. Then he had no choice but to kill them.

"Fireball!"

"Wind Cutter!"

Right after the attack magic came the combat hunters advancing. Hyun-jun blocked the spell attacks with his shield and burst forward like a bullet.

"W-what the..."

Bang!

"Kuhk!"

With a heavy impact, the hunter at the front was smashed into the road. He had been hit by a shield strike. The shock was strong enough to crack the cement road. Naturally, the hunter who took that blow was in no condition to remain standing. His bones had been shattered throughout his body, leaving him unable to move even a finger.

"I-is he crazy!"

One strike had taken down a first-squad Executive Division hunter. It was not something anyone could dismiss lightly. The other hunters hastily widened the distance between them and Hyun-jun, only for a massive fireball to arc above their heads.

"You sons of bitches!"

The moment they realized Hyun-jun was not an easy opponent, they viciously turned their attack toward So-jin and the children behind him.

'Too late!'

It was too late to run there. Then what should he do? After a brief struggle, he made a hard decision. He would give up the shield.

"Haaat!"

With a shout, he hurled the shield with all his strength, intercepting the fireball.

"Not bad! But now you don't have a shield!"

It had been a trap. He knew it, but he couldn't avoid it. Biting his lip hard enough to draw blood, he swallowed the frustration. He had lost the advantage of Carthago, but Sidenmiller was still with him.

"He's lost his shield. Go kill him."

"Get him!"

The instant the team leader gave the order, the hunters lunged at him like a pack of starving hyenas. Hyun-jun unleashed the advanced sword arts he had learned from Sidenmiller. They were high-level combat techniques, but the enemy was skilled too, and there were too many of them.

"Kraaah!"

"Kuh-huhk!"

Hunters cut down by Aura Blade collapsed, coughing up blood. Half of the hunters deployed in the attack had fallen onto the cold cement, but Hyun-jun's condition was dire as well.

"H-heal!"

He could feel So-jin's heal touch his body. But the wounds were too deep to be treated by the mana of a C-Class recovery hunter.

"P-please... pleaseeee!"

Faint white light bloomed, but when Hyun-jun's injuries refused to heal easily, So-jin screamed in near-pleading anguish and forced more mana out of herself. It was useless.

"Cough!"

Even as she vomited blood from mana overload, even as her hands shook violently, So-jin never stopped pouring heal onto Hyun-jun. Feeling the warmth that wrapped around his body, Hyun-jun scattered a cold gaze over the battlefield.

'Eleven left...?'

They were all strong. He couldn't see a way to win.

"Ripppperrrrr!"

He dragged together every last scrap of mana he had left. This was his final chance.

Thud.

"K-khk?"

"What is this!"

"It's over."

For a single instant, the released killing intent paralyzed the hunters' bodies. In that opening, Hyun-jun plunged into their formation and swung his sword.

"Kraaah!"

Three heads flew off.

But that was all.

"Kill him!"

"Wind Cutter!"

The blade of wind scraped his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠side, and red blood splashed out. The sword thrust out by the team leader drove into his abdomen. The axe swung by another hunter carved through his thigh.

"Kuh... kuhk..."

His vision blurred.

He fell to the ground.

Cold. There was no strength left in his body.

'I have to protect them...'

What came out of his mouth was not a voice, only dark, blood-red fluid.

"Heal! Heal!"

So-jin's voice pierced through his fading consciousness. She was pouring heal onto the fallen Hyun-jun without pause. Her face had gone pale, and blood continued to run from the corner of her mouth, but she did not care. She cast heal with nothing but the single-minded thought that she had to save Hyun-jun, yet his consciousness kept slipping away.

Protect him no matter what.

A voice.

Fight. Protect the people you cherish. Do not make regret.

But there was no strength left in his body.

I will give you strength.

Those words were the last thing he heard before his consciousness broke away. When he came to his senses again, he was in a dream. Before him stood a wooden door stained dark with blood. In the center, a line of writing had been carved. He could read it again this time.