Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Simultaneous Incidents (14)
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Hunting Dogs.
They were a private army nurtured by the Ye-il Group away from the public eye—a cleanup crew and hit squad that handled the group's dirty work.
Most of them were superhumans, but they were the rejects who hadn't been born with powers suited for combat.
To put it harshly.
However, by pumping their bodies full of illegal drugs and enhancements, then equipping them with state-of-the-art gear tailored for battle, they could draw out more fighting prowess than their innate talents allowed.
Of course, the cost was that most of them lost their minds and became little more than slaves.
But their combat effectiveness was undeniably top-notch.
Twenty of these Hunting Dogs charged in unison.
-Chak.
Leading the way against the oncoming enemies was Ryu Tae-hyun. Radiating the brilliant glow of his talisman, a ferocious grin spread across his face as he raised both fists, crouching low like he was ready to spring forward at any moment.
-Swish.
But Seol A-hyun cut in front of him. As Ryu Tae-hyun shot her a look that said What are you thinking?, she turned her head slightly and spoke to him.
"Hold position for now. Remember the plan we set before going in?"
With that, Seol A-hyun shot forward. Straight toward the densest cluster of Hunting Dogs.
-Kwaaaaang!!
The next instant, a massive explosion rocked the entire warehouse.
Seol A-hyun hadn't done anything fancy. She'd simply charged the enemies and stomped the floor with all her might.
A simple foot stomp.
If she had to give it a flashy name, maybe True Step.
The kick aimed at the ground hadn't even directly struck the enemies.
But could anyone really dismiss an S-Rank superhuman's foot stomp as "not an attack"?
"Guhk!"
"Kuhk?!"
The powerful vibrations rattled the Hunting Dogs' bodies. Dozens of concrete shards embedded into their flesh.
-Click! Chak! Chak!
But they were superhumans, after all—they wouldn't go down to mere rock fragments. The Hunting Dogs, who had lost their footing from Seol A-hyun's True Step, quickly regained their balance and drew their weapons.
Some drew swords. Others axes. Some guns. And a few wielded bizarre armaments straight out of a sci-fi flick.
Every weapon they brandished was the pinnacle of humanity's technology and effort, honed over decades of battling monsters.
However.
The moment they showed even the slightest opening against an S-Rank superhuman who could tear monsters apart with her bare hands, their defeat was sealed.
"First one."
-Thud-kwaang!
A heavy impact rang out.
One Hunting Dog's waist bent in a V-shape as he flew back and slammed into the wall.
But there was more than one enemy.
-Shweeeeek!
-Whirrik!
-Bang! Taang!
The next moment, weapons assailed Seol A-hyun from every direction—front, back, left, right. Sword blades, spear tips, axe edges, and bullets all bore down mercilessly to rip her apart.
-Slash! Stab! Kwa-jik! Splatter!
A sharp blade sliced Seol A-hyun's throat. A spear tip pierced her chest. A heavy axe crushed her bones. And an armor-piercing round bigger than a finger tore open her abdomen.
...I saw it.
...That was the future one second ahead, confirmed by her precognition.
And exactly one second later, as the attacks flew in along the precise path she'd foreseen, her hands whipped out in a blur.
-Pabababat!
She deflected the sword blade. Parried the spear tip. Kicked up to shatter the axe. Dodged the bullet. As all the attacks dissolved into nothing in an instant, everyone froze in shock—except Seol A-hyun, who wore a relaxed smile.
"...Two."
-Thud-kwaang!
Another explosion echoed, sending one more Hunting Dog flying through the air.
-Chaeng! Chaeang! Kaang!
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the fray from Seol A-hyun.
Ahn Su-ho, Ji Ye-won, and Ryu Tae-hyun were battling the remaining Hunting Dogs who hadn't gone after her.
-Roarrrrr!
"Kuhk!"
Ahn Su-ho ducked urgently as fierce flames erupted. Then, a massive club wreathed in lightning swung up from below.
Can't dodge this one!
He tried to block the club with his sword, but the angle was wrong. In the end, he took the blow on his arm.
-Pajijijik!
Blue electricity crackled, illuminating fluorescent hexagonal panels on the sleeve of Ahn Su-ho's coat. They were defensive modules coated onto the Defensive Coat's exterior.
But the next instant, the glowing panels turned gray and went dark. A single blow had exhausted the sleeve's defenses.
"...Shit."
Gripping his throbbing arm, Ahn Su-ho swung his sword. But the motion was sluggish and slow.
His body felt heavy. There was nothing physically wrong with him—it was just that he hadn't activated Morning Star's Breath. But for Ahn Su-ho, who always fought with the artifact's buffs, it was a massive difference.
Ahn Su-ho's combat skills had been honed not through formal training, but in the heat of real battles.
And he'd fought most of those with Morning Star's Breath active. Naturally, his techniques and instincts were calibrated to his artifact-enhanced physical abilities.
Right now, his sharpened senses outpaced his unenhanced body.
Never thought I'd end up whining about my body not keeping up at my age...!
At least it wasn't all bad—only Ahn Su-ho was on the defensive out of the three. Ji Ye-won was holding her own against the Hunting Dogs coming at her, and Ryu Tae-hyun was steadily taking them down one by one, even while facing multiple foes.
"Ahn Su-ho! Over there!"
Ji Ye-won called out to him urgently.
Ahn Su-ho's gaze followed her pointing finger. It pointed at K, who was slipping toward the warehouse entrance while keeping an eye on the group surrounded by Hunting Dogs. Kang Ha-neul was naturally still slung over her shoulder.
"Ryu Tae-hyun!"
"Got it, hyung!"
Go block K. Ahn Su-ho shouted the order.
-Grab.
But the next moment, instead of charging K, Ryu Tae-hyun grabbed Ahn Su-ho's collar tight.
"What the hell are you—"
"Throwing you, hyung!"
"Wait a sec!"
Right after, Ryu Tae-hyun swung Ahn Su-ho's body toward the entrance and hurled him.
What the hell is this guy doing all of a sudden?!
Ahn Su-ho couldn't hide his bewilderment. If one of the enemies tried to flee with Kang Ha-neul, Ryu Tae-hyun would chase them—that had been the plan before entering the warehouse.
This is the best play given the situation.
But in Ryu Tae-hyun's mind, there were far too many enemies.
The foes they'd expected to number six had ballooned to twenty-one. Sure, Seol A-hyun was handling ten on her own, but that left eleven. To deal with them, Ryu Tae-hyun had to stay put.
Ji Ye-won and Ahn Su-ho alone couldn't handle it.
So this was the optimal move. That's what Ryu Tae-hyun thought.
Yeah, I get it.
Ahn Su-ho pieced it together mid-flight. He landed near the warehouse entrance, beyond the Hunting Dogs, and locked eyes with K, who had already slipped outside.
"Block him!"
K shouted shortly upon spotting Ahn Su-ho. The Hunting Dogs who heard her turned from Ryu Tae-hyun and Ji Ye-won, lunging toward Ahn Su-ho.
"Not on my watch!"
Ryu Tae-hyun intercepted them. Ji Ye-won stood beside him, drawing her honed dagger.
The two guarded the entrance with their backs to it, protecting Ahn Su-ho.
Facing the Hunting Dogs who hesitated mid-charge, Ryu Tae-hyun and Ji Ye-won conveyed silently with their backs.
Go.
Save Kang Ha-neul.
Ahn Su-ho nodded curtly and gave chase after K, who was fleeing into the distance.
There was exactly one hour left until his Morning Star's Breath stock replenished.
***
Abandoned textile factory. The forested foothills of Bukhansan behind it. K fled into the mountains with Kang Ha-neul slung over her shoulder.
And Ahn Su-ho pursued her closely.
"Huk! Heuk! Huk!"
His breathing grew ragged. Even for a superhuman, sprinting up a pitch-black mountain path at night burned through stamina like crazy.
But K was in the same boat.
Especially with the extra weight of Kang Ha-neul on her back—her consumption was equal to or worse than Ahn Su-ho's.
They roughly traversed the unmarked mountain terrain for about twenty minutes.
"...Hoo."
Finally, K halted in a small clearing.
Running forever like this won't cut it.
She'd hoped to avoid fighting if possible, but there was no choice. She set the still-unconscious Kang Ha-neul—drugged with a potent anesthetic—down on the ground and turned.
-Pung!
A sudden mass of black smoke slammed into her jaw.
"Kuhk?!"
The ambush sent K staggering back. Ahn Su-ho seized the opening and charged with full force.
Too late to counter. Gotta dodge first...!
K evaded the punch Ahn Su-ho threw with all his might. But he wasn't aiming for her. His foot hooked the fallen Kang Ha-neul and scraped across the ground with the same momentum.
"Ha-neul!"
A desperate call. But no response. Despite Ahn Su-ho's cry, Kang Ha-neul didn't stir, her eyes closed as if she were dead.
"...It's a special anesthetic used for superhuman surgeries. Without the antidote, she won't wake up no matter what—not till tomorrow."
Ahn Su-ho's eyes widened in fury at K.
"Scary glare you've got there. No need to worry— that researcher said no side effects."
"You little... "
"What, pissed 'cause your girlfriend's in that state?"
"What?"
Ahn Su-ho furrowed his brow. K snickered.
"We investigated everyone around Kang Ha-neul. You're Ahn Su-ho, right? Word is you're pretty tight with that girl. Stephanie said she tried hitting on you to mess with you—how'd that go? Already hooked up? Wait, you didn't figure out who she was mid-fuck, did you? Puhahat!"
"...So you've finished investigating me, huh?"
Ahn Su-ho responded to K's taunt with a voice thick with rage. The talisman on his finger blazed fiercely.
Anger flooded his mind. It soon turned to pure killing intent, aimed at the hitwoman before him.
The same raw murderous urge he'd felt toward Stephanie before.
As K flinched at the blatant emotion, black smoke began gathering in Ahn Su-ho's grip.
-Whooooooo!
K hesitated at the ominous surge of smoke, blacker than the shadowed forest. Then Ahn Su-ho thrust his hand forward and murmured lowly.
"Did your investigation cover this?"
The next instant, a torrent of black sludge erupted from his hand.
-Thud-kwaaaaaaaaang!!!!!!
The black tidal wave engulfed the forest.
Deafening roars echoed everywhere. Thick trees snapped, the dirt-and-rock ground upheaved, and storms raged in all directions. Ahn Su-ho turned his back, cradling Kang Ha-neul to shield her from the whipping winds.
As the storm died and the smoke cleared, the forest lay devastated like it had taken a bombing run.
K, who had been standing there moments ago, was nowhere in sight.
"... "
But Ahn Su-ho didn't let his guard down.
A full-liberation talisman strike. Its power had once pulverized even Dawn Legion killers chasing Ji Ye-won without leaving a trace. Still, he couldn't afford carelessness. No corpse didn't mean certain death.
-Whoooo.
In the silent forest, an untimely cold night breeze brushed his ear.
One second. Two. Three.
Ten. Twenty. Thirty.
Finally, one minute.
Waiting for an enemy who never appeared, Ahn Su-ho sharpened his senses further. Not a hint of complacency.
Five long minutes passed in heavy tension.
Just as Ahn Su-ho wondered if that single blow had really finished her, a twig snapped nearby.
"!!"
Ahn Su-ho whipped his hand toward the sound. The talisman flared as black smoke swirled, ready to fire.
But.
"Hyung!"
From the forest perpendicular to the devastated area—not K, but Ryu Tae-hyun emerged. He was rushing toward Ahn Su-ho desperately.
"Ryu Tae-hyun...?"
"You okay, hyung?! Hurt anywhere?"
Ryu Tae-hyun reached Ahn Su-ho and scanned the surroundings warily.
"How'd you get here...?"
"I climbed the mountain looking for you, saw that smoke explosion a bit ago, and followed! Ha-neul okay? What about the enemy?"
"Ha-neul's fine. The enemy... probably took her down."
"Probably...?"
Ryu Tae-hyun frowned at the vague answer, nodding as he surveyed the ruined forest—like he'd roughly grasped the situation.
"How's the warehouse?"
"Should be wrapped up by now. We took down most of 'em, left Seol A-hyun with the rest, and me and that girl came out to find you."
"Good. That's a relief."
"Let's move Ha-neul down first. You good to carry her, hyung? Or should I?"
"I'll take her. Not really hurt or anything... ka... "
That instant. A sense of wrongness flooded Ahn Su-ho's mind.
Huh?
Ahn Su-ho looked at Ryu Tae-hyun. He was alternating worried glances between Ahn Su-ho and Kang Ha-neul. Nothing off about it.
However.
...Why's he using formal speech again?
They'd dropped formalities given the circumstances—maybe he'd forgotten in the chaos and slipped back. It was plausible enough.
But Ahn Su-ho's battle-honed senses didn't miss the subtle shift.
"Hyung?"
Ryu Tae-hyun called out, puzzled. Just as Ahn Su-ho opened his mouth to ask Why the formal speech again?, Ryu Tae-hyun scratched his head sheepishly.
"Did I mess up or something?"
"What?"
-Pook!
The next moment, the blade Ryu Tae-hyun thrust pierced Ahn Su-ho's abdomen.