Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Aftermath (2)
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Formless blades aimed at his vitals. Yeom Jehyun halted just as he was about to step out of the building.
"How ridiculous. Weren't you the one begging me to leave?"
"That person has nothing to do with the fugitive. You'd just be wasting your time, so leave an innocent alone."
Yeom Jehyun glanced back briefly before turning away again. Jin Seohyun was no longer reflected in his eyes.
Yeom Jehyun took a step outside.
"Not your concern."
Watching the man's back as he left without a care for her threats, Jin Seohyun bit her lip. Only then did sighs of relief echo through the lobby after he vanished.
"Seohyun, you did well..."
One guild member approached to comfort her for her hard work but trailed off hastily.
Gulp. Coming face-to-face with Jin Seohyun up close, he swallowed dryly without realizing it.
Tatadak!
Jin Seohyun bolted out of the lobby at full speed. She had to stop that back growing farther from her by the second, drawing closer to the one she cherished.
She clenched the air, forming a dense barrier to trap Yeom Jehyun. But—
Crash!
"Don't interfere."
The barrier shattered futilely the moment it formed. The force field couldn't even slow him for an instant. His low voice was utterly indifferent, as if she meant nothing to him anymore.
She couldn't stop him. Couldn't halt him. At this rate, that man would reach Han Yujin.
Her mind knew better. Logically, Han Yujin wasn't in danger. Yeom Jehyun wasn't a criminal; he was an Association hunter. He wouldn't attack an innocent without cause.
Really?
What guarantee was there that Yeom Jehyun wouldn't suddenly snap? Could she be certain that psycho wouldn't burn someone alive on a whim?
If that happened. If she never saw Han Yujin again.
'No.'
She had to protect him, no matter what it took.
In that moment, something shifted within Jin Seohyun. A sensation she'd felt once before. Her magic power responding to her heart, moving as one.
Rumble—!
A hyper-dense force field slammed down on where Yeom Jehyun stood. An instantaneous attack generated with her will, too fast for any reaction. The massive shockwave reached her even from afar, whipping her hair.
Dust billowed thickly, obscuring the aftermath. Regaining her senses, Jin Seohyun paled in sudden fear—had she killed him?
The dust cloud slowly cleared, revealing a figure within.
Yeom Jehyun still stood there, unmoved. His clothes were slightly dirtied by the dust, but no signs of injury.
But there was a change. He'd stopped ignoring her, now staring straight at Jin Seohyun.
"I see."
Light began filling his previously indifferent eyes. He nodded slowly.
"So that's the path you've chosen."
For an instant, a chill ran down Jin Seohyun's spine. Paradoxically, she realized this was the first time his eyes had truly focused on her.
Her instincts screamed a warning. As she reflexively drew up her magic power, flames erupted from beneath Yeom Jehyun's feet, and his form vanished.
"Wha—"
No time to react. In a flash, he'd closed the distance and seized her by the collar. Jin Seohyun's feet dangled in the air.
Bang!
With an explosion, the world flipped. Her body defied gravity, soaring through the air. Yeom Jehyun treated her like luggage, cleaving through the sky in one breath.
Wind pressure tore at her body like it would rip her apart. As her mind grew hazy from the breathless speed...
Thud.
Her body was slammed onto the ground.
"Haa, haa..."
It had all happened in mere seconds. Clutching her dizzy head, Jin Seohyun looked up.
"This is..."
A familiar place. The outdoor training ground behind the guild building.
"Spacious enough. No worries about the aftermath."
The nonchalant voice came from behind. Turning, she saw Yeom Jehyun dusting off his hands.
Jin Seohyun gazed up at him with trembling eyes.
"What... do you want...?"
She understood his intent. Finish it here, away from prying eyes.
But Jin Seohyun couldn't clench her fist. Her will to fight had evaporated.
That exchange had already decided the victor. If he'd wanted, she wouldn't have been dragged here—she'd have been reduced to ashes on the spot.
An utterly hopeless gap.
Yeom Jehyun clicked his tongue at her expression.
"Don't whine like a child. Didn't you want to protect that man from me?"
He approached her frozen form and spat lowly.
"Listen well. The moment I leave here, I'll hunt him down."
Jin Seohyun's shaking pupils locked still. Her unfocused eyes fixed precisely on Yeom Jehyun.
"I'll burn out his eyes, sear his vocal cords. I'll leave him crawling on stumps. Once I'm done, I'll drag him to you. Watching him writhe like maggots should be quite the sight."
Seeing the fear fade from her eyes, he sneered viciously.
"Don't worry. I won't kill him by mistake. I'm pretty good at turning people into vegetables."
Snap. Something broke inside Jin Seohyun. Viscous killing intent blackened her eyes.
"...I'll kill you."
Her suppressed voice leaked out like a beast's growl. Only then did Yeom Jehyun curl his lips in satisfaction.
"By all means, try."
Thud!
Something invisible struck where Yeom Jehyun stood. He rolled lightly across the ground, stood, and brushed off his knees. No solid hit.
A simple attack that barely registered compared to before. Yet, as he lifted his head, interest gleamed in his eyes.
Jin Seohyun extended her hand toward a training dummy. The sturdy alloy mass screamed grotesquely.
Screeech.
Invisible force crushed, twisted, and sharpened it. No trace of its original shape remained. Only razor-sharp metal blades woven from force fields targeted Yeom Jehyun.
Her disheveled bangs hid half her face. But her rigidly set mouth made her expression clear enough.
Too much for bare hands. Heat haze shimmered around Yeom Jehyun.
One spear shot forth. Its trajectory held no hesitation, aimed straight for his heart. He thrust out his boiling red left hand.
Sizzle!
A chilling sound erupted as the sharp metal met his palm.
Thud. The metal lump lost momentum and dropped. The spear tip that had touched his hand was already bluntly melted.
"Huh."
Yeom Jehyun exhaled softly while shaking his left hand. Meanwhile, over a dozen dummies screamed in unison.
"Cheon Seungsu would have a fit."
No reaction to his jab. Over ten makeshift weapons filled the air.
And Jin Seohyun gestured.
Steel rain poured down. Yeom Jehyun narrowed his eyes. Faced with blades swarming from all directions, he unleashed flames.
Kaboom—!
A massive explosion centered on Yeom Jehyun. Flames devoured the air like a starving beast, spreading instantly. The dozen spears vanished into the blast with a roar.
"Eugh!"
Jin Seohyun threw up her arms against the immense heatwave. Her hair whipped wildly in the blast.
The inferno cleared, revealing the devastation. Sand fused into glittering glass. Liquefied metal remnants plastered the ground, formless.
And striding from the hell's center, a man embodying fury. Yeom Jehyun muttered.
"...If he was that precious, you should've protected him no matter what."
His face twisted like a demon's. Yeom Jehyun halted.
Staring straight at Jin Seohyun, he pulled back his right arm. Crimson flames condensed over his clenched fist.
Vrrr—
The air vibrated as his lips moved.
'My turn now.'
Too late, and she'd die. Jin Seohyun desperately layered force field barriers. Her hyper-focused mind stretched instants into eternity.
One layer, two. As the barriers thickened, Yeom Jehyun's drawn-back arm snapped forward.
Fist extending, overwhelming heat followed. Flames tore through space, slamming into the translucent walls.
Crack!
The outer layer shattered helplessly. The next followed. Layer by layer, her defenses crumbled as the hellfire advanced.
And then, the final one.
She barely halted the inferno with a single barrier remaining.
"Kehuk!"
Jin Seohyun collapsed to her knees, coughing. Dark red blood stained her throat. Even without direct impact, the transmitted heat had done this.
She arduously lifted her head. Her fury-filled expression was gone. Yeom Jehyun, now indifferently calm again, gazed down silently before turning away.
He's leaving her. Heading to Han Yujin.
Yet she couldn't stop him. Even at S-rank, she remained powerless. All she could do was watch the precious slip away.
"I'll tell you everything. Please... just..."
Her desperate sob halted the man's steps.
The story that followed. Nothing grand, just something she'd hidden out of pride.
A colleague's sudden betrayal. The white paper envelope he tore, plunging her into the Endless Abyss.
But to Yeom Jehyun, it was different. He murmured quietly.
"You ran away."
Not a bad return on his "training fee."
As he nodded and turned, Jin Seohyun filled his eyes. Someone despairing in their own powerlessness.
Suddenly, Yeom Jehyun spoke.
"Reaching S-rank always draws attention."
Jin Seohyun looked up with hazy eyes.
"Inner growth triggers it. Moments of enlightenment are deeply personal, usually striking when alone. That's why S-rank awakening details aren't public."
"...What are you getting at?"
"The seventh S-rank has been born. And there's a 'witness' who saw the only process."
Yeom Jehyun's eyes curved narrowly.
"A mere D-rank, no less."
Color drained from Jin Seohyun's face in an instant.
Yeom Jehyun's voice no longer registered. With trembling hands, she fumbled out her smartphone and dialed a familiar number.
Ring, ring, ring.
Only dry tones dragged on.
[—Unable to connect. Please leave a message after the tone...]
The voice she longed for never came.
Her hand holding the phone drooped limply. Seeing it, Yeom Jehyun clicked his tongue.
"Plenty of desperate fools in the world. Weren't you too complacent?"
Jin Seohyun's mind went blank. This wasn't the time.
She staggered to her feet. The S-rank hunter before her was already irrelevant. Jin Seohyun stumbled toward somewhere.
Yeom Jehyun silently watched her precarious retreating back for a long while.