Beast Hunt
Thud! Boom!
Seong Ye-han gripped Park Eun-hyeon's neck tightly and slammed him into the ground again and again. Each impact sent the piled-up snow exploding outward, and the bare earth beneath soon cracked with jagged fissures. The frozen winter ground, hard as iron, couldn't withstand the force—it split open like a summer rice paddy, as if screaming in agony from the wounds carved into it.
"S...!" Thud! "Kaa...!" Boom!
Ignoring the bastard's attempts to speak, Seong Ye-han kept swinging relentlessly. Park Eun-hyeon struggled to resist amid the onslaught, but his feeble efforts felt less than a fly's buzz to Seong Ye-han. The guy kept clawing at his arm, digging in his fingers—fingers that could pierce metal armor like it was nothing. But that was it.
Seong Ye-han caught a faint glint of gold shining through the gaps in his armor and stopped paying attention to the man's desperate flailing. Inwardly, he sent a small thanks to Ha Yeon-ah, who had blessed him even in that moment.
Thud! Boom!
Truth be told, Seong Ye-han could snap the neck in his grasp or rip it clean off at any second. But he held back. Behind him lay two fallen figures. Their wounds weren't enough to knock out A-rank or S-rank hunters at a glance. A hunter's superhuman physique included not just strength and flexibility, but innate recovery too. Even if Ha Yeon-ah was an extreme glass cannon among S-ranks, that was only relative to other S-ranks—her physical stats were still top-tier. The fact that both were still out cold meant this bastard had pulled some trick.
"L...!" Boom! "ea... kugh!" BOOM!
Showing any weakness might let the guy try something. Better to seize total control first. Demonstrate the overwhelming gap in power. Etch into his body the reality that one wrong move could end his life.
After pounding Park Eun-hyeon into the earth a few more times until he was a bloody pulp barely clinging to consciousness, Seong Ye-han finally stopped.
"Grrrgh—"
Seong Ye-han smirked at the man spewing bloody froth from his mouth, trembling uncontrollably. He dropped him to the ground and swung his fist at the bastard's right leg.
Crack! "Kaaaaagh..."
A sound like something shattering echoed with Park Eun-hyeon's agonized groan. Even for a hunter, without proper treatment, he'd limp on that leg for life. Only then did Seong Ye-han pull a recovery potion from his inventory and trickle a bit into the man's mouth.
"Hahk... huff..."
Park Eun-hyeon gasped raggedly. Light returned to his dazed eyes.
"Talk."
Seong Ye-han opened his mouth like a mobster in the movies threatening a pitiful victim.
"And choose."
As those unyielding black eyes bored into him, Park Eun-hyeon shuddered involuntarily. With one leg shattered, escape was impossible—even in death.
"Die like this. Or spill everything and maybe save your skin."
Park Eun-hyeon felt a terror unlike any in his life from Seong Ye-han's flat, emotionless words.
The long-awaited raid had ended. The tiger hunt brought unexpected heavy losses—but even greater gains. Injuries to A-rank hunter Park I-rae and S-rank hunter Ha Yeon-ah, plus deaths among soldiers and other hunters. The achievements: successful tiger hunt and the slaying of S-rank outlaw Park Eun-hyeon.
The world reeled at the confirmation of rumors—an S-rank among the vicious outlaws, specialized in PvP and assassination. Public fury erupted at the government for hiding such a critical security threat, but it quickly subsided into sighs of relief now that the danger was gone.
Anyway.
Seong Ye-han had coerced Park Eun-hyeon into confessing: the "poison" wasn't some chemical or new substance, but purely the man's own ability. Hardly a revelation—the bastard spilled it all willingly.
He'd planned to use the two as hostages to find a way out, but it hadn't worked on Seong Ye-han. If Park I-rae and Ha Yeon-ah had fallen to a hunter's special ability, there was no reason for him to play along. He'd even reversed the trickiest mental powers. Sure, the "cure" was a bit absurd, but better than letting an S-rank outlaw assassin live and cause future headaches.
Still, while he'd done what was necessary with I-rae, he felt a twinge of guilt toward Ha Yeon-ah. He pushed down the nagging conscience for now. Truth be told, he'd considered that she might detoxify Park Eun-hyeon's poison herself—her powers weren't being actively suppressed anymore, so she could recover faster than expected.
Regardless, Seong Ye-han came to visit the two in the hospital. Naturally, they were in Korea's top facility. Crowds gathered outside, holding white flowers and praying for their recovery.
"Hm..."
The endless line showed just how much Ha Yeon-ah had built as a hunter. She might be a weirdo to him, but her frequent medical missions proved she was a good person, all things considered.
Seong Ye-han watched the flower-filled procession for a moment before heading inside.
Hospitals were always bright and clean. The faint antiseptic scent hung in the air amid people moving for their own reasons, yet it never felt chaotic.
Unlike the crowds outside, the interior felt orderly. Seong Ye-han headed to the rooms he'd been told about. Family only under normal rules, but as a fellow survivor from the battlefield—and the one who'd carried them out after playing a key role—he got access without issue. The hospital staff had pointed him right to the VIP singles.
Ha Yeon-ah was VVIP material, no question. Park I-rae, a young A-rank prodigy injured fighting an S-rank outlaw, deserved it too.
Entering Park I-rae's room, Seong Ye-han took in the spacious, warm basic-toned space. I-rae lay on the bed, still unconscious. Her side wound had healed without a scar thanks to top treatment, but she hadn't woken. Only a few days had passed—maybe expected.
Swish.
Seong Ye-han gently brushed aside her messy hair. He'd never imagined seeing her like this.
"If I'd known..."
He'd slept with her after their first night but hadn't applied Heroine Hunter yet. If he'd registered her as a sub-heroine sooner, he'd know her status clearly...
Feeling deep regret, Seong Ye-han sighed. That's why he resolved: awkward or not, he'd perform the healing ritual tonight.
***
Ha Yeon-ah was trapped in horrific darkness. Park Eun-hyeon's ability was a powerful curse—pure malice that gnawed at body and mind until destruction. Incompatible with her holy light, like water and oil, fire and water. Having it injected felt like war raging inside her.
The silver lining: unlike her persistent golden sun, the enemy's darkness was fading over time.
If no variables... a bit more, and she'd recover enough to wake, even if not fully healed.
From that, Ha Yeon-ah knew one thing.
'That man won, then.'
The man she'd pinned her hopes on as she blacked out: Seong Ye-han. A beast like any other, but he got the job done.
She upgraded his trust rating in her mind—from -50 to -20. Anyone who knew her would be shocked. Her sister Ha Yeon-u would push him as her fated match.
Whatever others thought, Ha Yeon-ah pushed harder to expel the darkness. She clearly remembered Park I-rae, who'd shielded her and taken the blade first.
She could handle this filth with her own power, but I-rae was physical-type—she needed special treatment ASAP.
Twinkle.
Reaching the threshold, Ha Yeon-ah opened her eyes. Unfamiliar ceiling, but definitely a hospital. She scanned with mana for Park I-rae.
Feeling her nearby—plus another—she ripped off the medical devices and rushed to I-rae's room.
Tap-tap-tap!
Her urgent footsteps echoed in the quiet night corridor. She flung open the blocking door.
Slide.
The VIP door opened smoothly, silently. Dim nightlight illuminated the room.
Letting her see everything clearly.
"Th... th-this...!"
"W-wait. Hold on...!"
Pretty I-rae lying asleep on the bed. And beside her, Seong Ye-han—shirtless, fumbling with his belt buckle, frozen staring at her.
"You crazy perverted beast bastard!!!!"
The quiet hospital erupted with a woman's furious shout and a man's scream.