Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Ambush
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"No, fuck!"
The curse that burst out reflexively didn't even finish before her hunter-honed super senses exploded outward like a shockwave.
Time slowed.
The retina-searing flash of headlights. Massive tires spinning ferociously as if devouring the asphalt. Even the twisted angle of the steel truck body, deliberately aimed to crush them flat.
Her brain synthesized all the info in 0.1 seconds and spat out the worst-case scenario.
'Ambush.'
Warning lights blared in her head. The truck's projected impact trajectory targeted the exact center between the passenger seat and rear seat, without a millimeter's margin for error.
And right there...
'Seha!'
Yuna's pupils shook like there was an earthquake. The image of the frail girl huddled in the back seat flashed vividly before her eyes.
The decision came in an instant.
There was only one best option.
"Hold on tight—!!"
Her scream-like shout echoed through the car.
Without a moment's hesitation, Yuna cranked the wheel hard to the left. Screeech! The tires shrieked against the asphalt.
Using the spin's momentum like a top, she twisted the car so the truck would hit the driver's seat instead of the rear.
It was the choice to shield the others, taking the full force head-on.
Yuna tensed every muscle in her body like steel. She gathered every drop of mana flowing through her veins, channeling it all into physical enhancement.
The oncoming mass of massive steel.
An unavoidable impact.
KABOOOOOM—!
With a deafening roar like the world collapsing, the dump truck crumpled her car like a sheet of paper.
The twisted mass of metal screeched as it bounced off the road into the pitch-black darkness without a single streetlamp.
"...Ngh."
A faint groan leaked from the wreckage of mangled steel. Yuna, barely clinging to consciousness, gasped ragged breaths.
Her brain rattled, her whole body throbbing like it'd been beaten, but she could still move. A hunter's body could withstand that much.
But her own condition wasn't what mattered now.
"Seha...!"
Trapped in the crushed driver's seat, she forced her body to twist. Thanks to absorbing the full impact, the rear seat space had miraculously held its shape.
"Hey! Park Seha! You alive? Say something!"
Her desperate shouts met only silence. Anxiety clenched her heart. Yuna desperately channeled mana into her eyes to pierce the darkness.
There, on the relatively intact rear seat, was a small huddled figure.
A face pale as snow. Violet eyes dilated wide with terror.
Seha was in full panic. As if she couldn't hear a thing, she just trembled like a leaf.
"Hoo..."
She's alive.
That fact alone let Yuna exhale in relief.
But it was too soon to relax.
Swish.
Faint presences emerged on the road outside, where darkness had settled.
"Ha."
Yuna kicked open the half-torn door and stepped out. She positioned herself using the crumpled car body as a shield, maximizing cover for the rear door where Seha hid.
"Park Seha. Can you hear me?"
She whispered in the calmest, lowest voice she could manage.
"......"
"Snap out of it. Listen close. Don't come out no matter what. Not until I say so. Got it?"
Seha's shoulders trembled faintly. She didn't even have the strength to reply.
Yuna didn't check further. She reached for the passenger side. Unlocking the compartment under the dashboard revealed the short sword sheath kept for emergencies.
Shing—
The cold steel gleamed chillingly in the moonlight.
At the same time, she pulled her smartphone from her pocket and hit the call button. Confirming the dial tone, she tossed it lit-screen-up onto the driver's floor before stepping out fully.
There was no time for more.
Those lurking in the shadows tightened their encirclement and revealed themselves.
One, two... five. All hunters seasoned in combat.
'One leader type, two skilled supporters, the rest backing them up...'
Alone, she might have had a shot. But now she had someone to protect behind her.
'Rush aggressively before they notice Seha in the car, thin their numbers?'
She shook her head immediately.
'No. If they sense even a tiny presence inside from that? A stray attack could...'
No choices. She had to hold this spot, whatever it took.
"Brought a whole crowd, huh."
"They paid top dollar. Should've just stayed quiet."
The man's voice dripped with mockery toward Yuna and naked greed for the bounty on her neck.
"Shut up and come at me."
Yuna leveled her sword tip at the enemies and growled low.
No sooner had she spoken than the three skilled ones up front kicked off the ground and charged.
One straight on, two from left and right flanks—a perfect coordinated assault on her blind spots.
Clang! Clang-clang!
Sharp metal clashes rang out in the darkness.
Yuna's sword whipped around like a dance, blocking all three simultaneous strikes.
But the situation was grim.
'Damn it, can't stray from the car...!'
The enemies' goal was clear: pin her here and grind her down.
The other two circling the perimeter cut off her retreat, slowly closing the net.
Yuna fought with all she had, yet never took a single step from the car.
Even dodgable attacks she parried with minimal motion, desperately guarding the rear seat where Seha hid.
Then.
"Hold up!"
The leader-type man pouring on the assault suddenly halted and fell back. Bewilderment flickered in his eyes.
'Why's she fighting so passively?'
The skill she'd shown so far. At that level, two scrubs should've been headless already. But she just hovered around the wrecked car in pure defense.
Like she was protecting something.
A suspicion flashed through his mind.
'No way...'
His gaze shifted to Choi Yuna's back—to the rear seat of the car crushed beyond recognition.
"Ha..."
A mocking scoff escaped him soon after.
"Potions. You didn't make them yourself, huh."
His voice carried the certainty of a puzzle solved.
"The real one's hiding in there, right?"
He bellowed at his comrades.
"Target change! Deal with the woman later! Secure the real deal in the car first!"
The moment the order dropped, one from the perimeter and one battling Yuna bolted for the car where Seha hid.
The remaining three pressed Yuna even harder to tie her feet.
"You bastards... get lost!"
Choi Yuna's face hardened coldly.
The instant she lunged to slash the two heading for the car, the man who'd given the order sneered and blocked her path.
His sword met hers head-on.
Clang!
"Where you going!"
He didn't release the blade. Instead, he leaned his full weight to pin her sword down.
A tense blade lock. Steel ground against steel with a screech.
He had no intent to win—just buy a few seconds.
Realizing his game, desperation shook Yuna's eyes.
This wouldn't cut it.
Yuna abandoned the struggle, twisting her sword just enough to slip from under his.
Slash!
The deflected blade bit deep into her shoulder.
"Ngh...!"
Flesh tearing, bone vibrating in agony. In exchange, Yuna broke free of his pressure.
Swallowing the pain, she leaped once and pierced the heart of the man charging the car.
Splurt!
"Gahk...!"
But.
"No!"
In that brief moment Yuna's feet were tied by the fierce exchange, the other one didn't miss his chance.
His hand reached the already-twisted car door.
Clang-clang!
The sharp metallic sounds from outside.
The ringing in her ears gradually faded.
Her shock-numbed thoughts settled with the cool night air after the crash.
"...Hoo."
Her mind filled with one thought.
I have to survive. And help Yuna.
'What I can do right now...'
I reached out with trembling hands and carefully laid out the potions I had.
The red Recovery Potion, the pale jade Curse Dissolution Potion.
And the ominous gray liquid in the glass vial I'd brought just in case.
'Anti-Regeneration Curse.'
It only hindered regeneration—no direct lethality. But most hunters couldn't distinguish mana poison from curses.
If I could use that to create a gap of one second—no, even half...
Right then.
Clunk!
The man Yuna couldn't block forced open the impact-twisted rear door.
"Found you."
He spotted me and grinned viciously. His eyes mixed contempt and greed.
"This kid's the target? What a jo—"
The instant his hand shot out roughly for my collar.
Splash—
I hurled the gray liquid from the vial straight at his face without hesitation.
"Gah! W-What the...!"
"B-Blinding poison, you fuck...!"
The reflexive shout burst out.
He couldn't help but flinch at the ominous mana coating his face.
And in the hunters' world, a split-second opening meant death.
Like a flash.
Slash—
Yuna's bloodied sword severed his neck.