Chapter 199: Royally Pissed
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 199: Royally Pissed
Still, I was grateful for her help, so I sent her a thankful glance, but Heuksan just scowled even more.
“Let’s go.”
Leaving her be, I called out to the dazed Shin Tae-hee, who belatedly snapped to his senses and followed us.
Even so, he kept glancing back at the fallen dimensional entity, clearly bothered by it.
From his perspective, it was a monster he might have had to risk his life to fight, yet to Heuksan, it wasn't even worthy of her attention.
He must have felt the immense difference in our levels, a sense of futility settling somewhere in his heart.
But truly, the matchup couldn't have been worse for him.
While Heuksan wasn't quite on the level of the Baeksan by my side, she possessed skills that placed her in the highest tier of returnees—enough that she would one day be able to declare herself the strongest.
The gap was simply too vast for him, someone who had just established himself as a hunter, to compare himself to her.
“Don’t worry,” I said, trying to console him.
“You’ll grow stronger in no time, Tae-hee.”
No returnee was strong from the very beginning.
Their power was the culmination of enduring their own hellish lives, forged and tempered time and time again.
That was a truth I had learned for certain after witnessing countless returnees.
Leaving the pensive Shin Tae-hee to his thoughts, I called out to Heuksan.
“Baeksan, this is Fantasy-164, Aklima.”
“What kind of place is it?”
While Heuksan scanned our surroundings, I explained based on the dimensional entity I had seen earlier.
“It’s a colossal biological collective. The entire dimension is a single organism, and everything else is a parasite living on it.”
“What a pain in the ass.”
“The erosion-type gate that’s active now is probably because Aklima is continuously flowing through the open dimension. It’s not a pleasant place. Just as the dimensional entities are parasites on Aklima, they gradually assimilate with it as they consume all of its byproducts.”
To put it another way, Aklima also treated the dimensional entities parasitizing it as prey.
And that meant any returnee who survived here would not have been influenced in a good way.
It was at that moment.
“Baeksan.”
“I know.”
The instant I called her name, a voice echoed from her direction.
Hearing it, I scanned our surroundings warily.
Shhhhrrrrrk—
A slow, unsettling slithering sound reached my ears.
Shin Tae-hee, who still thought I was a civilian, naturally stepped in front of me as I felt a sticky, jungle-like air descend upon us.
I knew one thing for sure.
The returnee who had come back this time was not at all pleased with the current situation.
This feeling was unmistakably hostility.
“It’s coming.”
The moment Heuksan spoke, the vines lying dormant on the ground shot up violently.
Pzzzzzt!
Simultaneously, sparks erupted from Heuksan, incinerating all the vines.
She cracked her knuckles, her expression deeply creased.
“Trying to hide its presence with this crap. Is that it?”
A scoff, as if looking at something pathetic, escaped her lips.
Because right now, not only I, but Heuksan too, could feel a presence that filled the entire space.
And then there was the power that had moved the vines just a moment ago.
“...This returnee knows how to control Aklima.”
And that meant this entire area was effectively their domain.
“Ah, is that so.”
But once again, Heuksan’s reaction was nonchalant.
“In that case.”
At the same time, red lightning began to surge around her.
“I’ll just smash Aklima, or whatever it’s called.”
As if offering a very simple solution, she slammed her hand on the ground as sparks exploded from her entire body.
KRRRA-G-G-G-G-G-G-G-G-BOOM!
In that instant, the entire area was engulfed in red lightning.
The green jungle covering the buildings was caught in Heuksan’s lightning and completely burned away.
As Shin Tae-hee’s jaw dropped at the astounding display of aura, I scanned the area.
Heuksan’s power had certainly cleared the surrounding jungle.
However, its recovery speed was anything but ordinary; new jungle was already growing to fill the burned-out sections.
Observing the situation, I said, “Aklima’s main body is beyond the dimension. A battle of output is pretty meaningless until the dimensional gate closes.”
“I can’t sense where that returnee bastard is.”
“That’s probably because they’re deeply assimilated with Aklima. We have no choice but to assimilate as well to find them.”
“Hah, what a pain.”
Heuksan blasted away the regenerating jungle once more and turned to me.
“Who’s going to do it?”
As she asked, urging a quick decision, Shin Tae-hee suddenly raised his head with a determined expression.
“I’ll do it.”
Seeing him raise his hand, Heuksan shot me a look as if her patience had finally reached its limit.
“Hey, Kang Ha-chan, how long are you going to let this rookie misunderstand…”
The moment she yelled at me.
Crack!
The road beneath our feet suddenly split apart.
My eyes met Heuksan’s, and in that same instant, a colossal green vine erupted from the fissure like a bursting dam.
“Kang Ha-chan!”
Shin Tae-hee threw himself at me, shielding my body as he pulled us out of the vine’s path.
My intention had been to simply reach out and erase it, but instead, I was unexpectedly forced to dodge. The moment my eyes met Baeksan’s on the far side of the chasm, the vine shot up and completely blocked our view.
The thick vine, reminiscent of Jack and the Beanstalk, continued to pour out, shattering the road and everything around it. It seemed even my ability wouldn't be of much use here.
The vines were sprouting faster than I could eliminate them.
Erasing them would be a waste of time.
“I’ll move on my own.”
Heuksan’s voice came from the other side.
I guess there’s no choice.
For now, we had to split up.
“Let’s fall back for now.”
With the giant vine still surging upwards, I said as much to Shin Tae-hee and began to retreat.
But even as we did, vines shot out from all directions, attacking us.
“Ugh!”
Shin Tae-hee swung his sword of fire, fighting back against the vines.
Fortunately, his ability was more than enough to handle them.
The elemental advantage was on his side.
Thanks to that, we reached a relatively safe location and leaned against the outer wall of a building, catching our breath.
“Hah, hooh… Are you hurt?” Shin Tae-hee asked, panting. I shook my head.
“What about you, Tae-hee? Are you okay?”
“Ah, yes.”
He answered, then glanced at the vines writhing outside the window.
Even for a hunter, this situation had to be frightening.
But the fact that he maintained a composed demeanor in front of me showed that he was a proper hunter in his own right.
“Excuse me, may I ask you one thing?”
Just then, Shin Tae-hee posed a question.
Here it comes.
It seemed he had finally realized I wasn't a civilian.
Feeling a pang of guilt for deceiving him, I prepared to answer.
“Yes, go ahead.”
“What is your relationship with Si-ho?”
“Excuse me?”
I blinked at his unexpected reply.
Why is he suddenly bringing up Si-ho?
I had been so sure he would ask about my abilities, but I never imagined he would ask about my relationship with Si-ho. I stared at him directly.
And in his eyes, I slowly began to notice one thing.
This guy is interested in Si-ho.
“I’m her boyfriend,” I said without a moment’s hesitation.
I have no room for rivals when it comes to my girl.
Hearing my words, Shin Tae-hee’s lips parted slightly.
His reaction screamed, How could you possibly be dating Si-ho?
Then, he let out a breath and spoke.
“Si-ho didn’t say you were her boyfriend.”
“She didn’t?”
I tilted my head at his words, then lightly touched my forehead.
Having spent so much time with Si-ho lately, I could guess what she would have said next.
She was probably going to say I was her husband, nine times out of ten.
I could now predict her actions to some extent.
She had a sly, fox-like side to her.
“But I’m no fool. Seeing how Si-ho acts, you must be her boyfriend, or perhaps something more.”
Shin Tae-hee didn’t press the point.
“I was just a little curious. I wondered what it was about someone that would make a person like Si-ho fall for them.”
Unfortunately, that was something I still didn't quite know myself.
“I thought Si-ho and I might be somewhat similar…”
“You’re not.”
I cut him off as he subtly tried to put himself on the same level as Si-ho.
Then, I offered him a smile.
“You can’t say you’re similar when you don’t even know what kind of life Si-ho has lived.”
Seeing my smile, Shin Tae-hee fell silent for a moment.
Then, he let out a dry laugh.
“Hunters have their own world. Although I only met Si-ho for the first time today, I believe I understand her world far better than any civilian would.”
This was a matter of pride.
Whether he liked Si-ho or not was secondary; his pride wouldn't let him back down in this situation.
Watching him, I slowly approached the windowsill.
“Is that so?”
“Wait!”
As soon as I neared the window, the vines turned their heads toward us. Shin Tae-hee, alarmed, tried to stop me.
But instead of letting him grab me, I was already stepping onto the windowsill.
“But what can you do?”
At that moment, red sparks began to crackle around my body.
Seeing it, Shin Tae-hee’s eyes widened. I gave him another smile.
“I’m not a civilian.”
My hand was already shooting forward.
Thump!
The vine that had shot up the moment it spotted us made contact with my palm.
Crack!
And that sound signified the vine’s annihilation.
Shatter!
The dust of the vine, which had cracked and broken apart, scattered in the air.
“For both our sakes, I was going to keep this hidden, but what a shame.”
With the scattering fragments of the vine behind me, I stepped down from the windowsill and pulled my wallet from my pocket.
“My introduction was late.”
As if it were made for this very moment, I took out my Hunter ID Card and handed it to him.
“I am Kang Ha-chan, an SS-rank hunter.”
Along with my polite introduction, I gave him a bright smile.
“And I’m the man who’s going to be Si-ho’s husband.”
Don’t touch my girl, you son of a bitch.