Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Guardian Awakening
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Hyungbin was kicked by the thug and punched in the face. His legs trembled, and his teeth rattled.
“Get that hand off!”
But to protect Yesl, he forced strength into his legs, hoisted up his collapsing body, and lunged at the thug.
However, Hyungbin, who had only just reached E-Rank, was no match for him. The opponent was at least C-Rank Hunter level, and he hadn’t even drawn the knife from his waist yet.
The thug easily leaped back, dodging Hyungbin’s attack, and swung a fist.
“Heal!”
“Urgh!”
Hyungbin received Yesl’s heal and kept pressing the attack. He had undergone Jiseok’s training and been stabbed by swords countless times. Even though the man was far stronger, he could withstand punches with heals.
“Huh? She’s a healer? She’ll fetch an even higher price then.”
Realizing their intent, Hyungbin charged even more relentlessly.
“Hyungbin!”
“Yesl! Run away!”
“You think that’s gonna happen?”
Four of the man’s accomplices blocked Yesl’s escape route.
Hyungbin grew anxious. Besides this overwhelmingly strong man, there were four more thugs just watching. If only he’d brought a weapon. He cursed himself for mindlessly bringing Yesl out this far in unfamiliar territory.
“Argh!”
Even as he got beaten, Hyungbin couldn’t give up and kept hurling himself at the thug.
“This feels like a bullfight or something.”
The man leisurely backed away and smashed his fist into Hyungbin’s jaw.
Thud.
Yesl’s protective barrier blocked the thug’s fist. Without her staff, it couldn’t produce much power, but it was enough to stop a bare fist.
The thug, who hadn’t expected his fist to be blocked by the barrier, stumbled.
“Guh!”
The man, who had rammed his chest into Hyungbin’s shoulder, exhaled sharply.
“Boss!”
Two of the four blocking the rear cut off Hyungbin.
“Yesl! Run!”
Hyungbin shouted, but Yesl couldn’t flee. Two more thugs still surrounded her, and besides, she had no intention of abandoning Hyungbin.
“Ha… These bastards…”
The man who’d taken a chest hit from Hyungbin brushed himself off, drew the machete from his waist, and slashed diagonally at Hyungbin.
The barrier cast without a staff shattered like thin glass, and Hyungbin’s chest was sliced open longways.
Slash!
Blood sprayed from the deep gash in his chest.
“I said we could do this the nice way, but you just had to make me spill blood.”
Yesl hurriedly tried to cast a heal.
“Fuck, you guys just gonna watch? Grab her!”
At his words, the two men who’d blocked Yesl grabbed her from behind and pinned her to the ground.
“Let… let me go!”
Yesl screamed.
Hyungbin, his chest slashed and kneeling, had lost too much blood for any strength to enter his body.
“Yesl…”
He despised his own weakness.
He didn’t need to be as strong as Jiseok. Why wasn’t he at least as strong as any other average hunter? He’d tried not to dwell on it usually, but now it tormented him. The god who’d awakened him like this. And himself, for not trying harder from the start.
“Please…”
In his fading consciousness, Hyungbin thought only one thing. He didn’t care what happened to him. He just wanted to protect Yesl.
Ding.
A translucent status window appeared.
“Huh?”
[Your job has changed from Warrior to Guardian.]
“Gua… rdian?”
Hyungbin had no idea what was happening.
At that moment, the wound on his chest healed rapidly. Looking back, he saw Yesl with her face pressed into the sand but arm extended, casting a heal. However, the heal’s potency was incomparable to before.
And a power he’d never felt surged from deep within his body. A feeling like he could do anything. As if the heavy weights that had been dragging him down, making him feeble, had suddenly fallen away.
[Target to protect exists. Strength greatly increases.]
[Target to protect exists. Agility greatly increases.]
[Target to protect exists. Vitality greatly increases.]
“Come on.”
The thug swung the blunt side of the machete down at Hyungbin’s head.
Clack.
“Huh?”
Hyungbin stood before the blade could fall and grabbed it.
Then he punched the thug in the face.
The thug twisted his waist back to dodge the sudden fist, but he couldn’t fully evade it. He took the hit and flew backward.
Hyungbin, now twice as fast as before, charged at the thugs pinning Yesl.
“Huh?? Wha-what??”
The two startled thugs, eyes wide, reacted too slowly.
Hyungbin grew massive mid-charge and smashed them away with two punches.
“Yesl!”
He lifted Yesl like a princess and ran.
“Fuck, getting hit by a punk like that sucks…”
The thug Hyungbin had first struck rose. No matter how much stronger Hyungbin had gotten, it wasn’t enough to bridge the rank gap.
He pulled a gun from his pocket and fired at the fleeing pair.
Not bullets—round, thick grenades flew out.
“Shield!”
The grenade hit Yesl’s shield and exploded, spreading white powder everywhere.
The sudden powder made them hold their breath, but traces entered their eyes and noses. And that was enough.
Yesl and Hyungbin collapsed to the ground. Even as he fell, Hyungbin twisted to cushion Yesl.
No strength entered his body. His body, which had ached everywhere from incomplete heals, didn’t hurt at all. Not only was there no pain, but a cloud-like comfort enveloped him.
Hyungbin found that comfort unpleasant. He needed to get up.
“Yesl… Yesl…”
Hyungbin, sprawled on the ground, called to Yesl beside him. Her eyes were unfocused, with no response.
Then worry for Yesl vanished from Hyungbin’s mind, and all thoughts faded. It felt like floating on an empty lake.
“You little shit, you made us work for it. Load ’em in the car.”
The thugs pulled cloths from around their necks to use as masks against the powder. They loaded the two into the car and left.
* * *
“Ugh… Water…”
Sanghun emerged looking like a zombie.
“Tsk tsk… You always like this?”
“Hyung, you didn’t get drunk?”
“Ah, the dwarf liquor got me a bit.”
“There’s booze strong enough to get you drunk, Hyung?”
“Yeah. Tried it in Tellus. Melted my guts.”
“…That’s booze?”
“Hunter sir, have you seen our boss?”
Sihwan came out with a messy face and asked.
“Not in his room?”
“No.”
“Oppa, Yesl unnie’s gone too.”
“They went out together yesterday and haven’t come back?”
“Oh, the two of them went out?”
Sihwan asked excitedly.
Everyone laughed and chatted about the couple’s fast progress as they ate breakfast. They’d hoped for Western food, but the Mexican seafood soup was so similar to spicy stew that they used it to sober up.
Yesl and Hyungbin were adults, so no one worried. But after one or two hours with no contact, concern began to grow.
“Oppa, there’s no way they wouldn’t contact us by now, right?”
“Hyung, neither’s picking up their phones.”
“We need to go look. You all stick together, don’t scatter. And contact Pablo.”
I headed out alone to search for the two. Time had passed, but the private beach-like area had few people, so footprints were sporadically visible.
Following them, I saw signs of combat and bloodstains.
And a suspicious smell. I scooped up some white powder from the ground with sand and sniffed. My nose stung, and my nerves numbed. Poison.
I followed the continuing footprints.
The two had been dragged away by five thugs and loaded into a car.
They’d gone to the road, but no further traces.
“Damn it…”
I returned to the resort.
“I’m gonna scout farther out for traces. You all stay here quietly, keep watch. Stay alert.”
“What happened?”
“Someone kidnapped them.”
“What? Hyungnim and Yesl? Why?”
Sihwan jumped up in shock.
“I don’t know yet. So stay cautious for now.”
I warned them again and headed into the city alone.
I didn’t know about before, but Cancun’s streets now felt post-apocalyptic. Whether from lack of will or money, over half the buildings were crumbling.
Crowds of people lay on the streets, high on drugs.
Even on the rough pavement, their faces were serene.
A few shops were open, but more like street stalls. The owners were all armed. No power to protect your goods, no business here.
“How much?”
I pointed at the jerky on a stall.
“Ten dollars.”
The stall owner eyed me and said.
Ten bucks for shriveled mystery meat? Insane price. Probably varies by customer.
I pulled out my wallet and handed over ten dollars. Deliberately slow, showing it was stuffed.
The street went quiet instantly. I’d already drawn eyes as an outsider, but opening the wallet ignited greed.
I chewed the mystery meat while walking around. Surprisingly salty, not bad.
Like the Pied Piper, people followed behind.
Then, as I deliberately entered a narrow alley, a knife flew from behind.
The blade, aimed to sever my spine, naturally couldn’t pierce my skin.
I wanted to blow his head off in my mood, but the robber trying to kill me was just a ten-year-old boy. The small dagger’s hilt looked too big in his hand.
I flicked his forehead with my middle finger.
Lightly, but he tumbled back and passed out.
Even a kid stabbing someone expects consequences.
I kept patrolling the streets.
Seeing me block the kid’s knife barehanded and drop him with one finger, the followers mostly scattered.
“Wallet.”
As I entered another alley, a gang surrounded me. Four in front, three behind.
Two in front had life force beyond civilians. Hunters.
I stared silently.
“Wallet!”
The hunter-looking one approached. He held a machete. The non-hunters were geared with assault rifles, grenades, and vests. State’s collapsed, alright—gang punks armed like that in broad daylight.
“My friends got kidnapped. Where’re the guys around here who’d do that?”
“…..Hahaha.”
Ignoring him and saying my piece, he laughed at his crew, who joined in.
Then he swung the machete hard. It stopped before touching my neck.
“Wallet.”
“Got any suspects?”
“You blind to this knife?”
I reached out, snatched the knife, and hurled it at the wall.
Boom!
It buried into the wall, kicking up dust. From snatch to throw, under 0.1 seconds—no one reacted.
Knife vanishing from his hand, explosion behind—he gauged my strength, the gap between us.
He said nothing, sweat pouring, eyes down.
“So, where are those guys?”