Chapter 280
Chapter 280
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 280
Chapter Title: Dog and Wolf (5)
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As Riak, drenched in blood, walked steadily forward, Oh-jin watched his back, his lips pressed into a firm line.
“……”
Logically, it would be best to play along with the hunters for now and use them as guides.
Of course, that would only prolong the children’s despair.
He could just rescue them after successfully infiltrating the kingdom.
That would be far more rational, more efficient.
However.
“‘Sometimes, you just can’t hold back,’ huh.”
Oh-jin let out a self-deprecating laugh and turned his head.
He saw the trembling girl, captive to the hunters, and the boy, bloodied and bruised, trying to protect her.
Could turning a blind eye to them in pursuit of a more immediate gain truly be called ‘efficient’?
“Tsk.”
The most rational and efficient path isn’t always the right one.
The world…
It wasn’t built so simply.
“Alright, alright.”
Oh-jin released his grip on Ha-eun’s shoulder and turned around.
Following Riak, he conjured blue lightning in both hands.
“Besides, holding back was starting to piss me off, too.”
Even for a con artist who lived by swindling others, he couldn’t just stand by and watch trash who captured children to sell them as slaves.
“Y-You bastards…!”
With their leader dead, the flustered hunters began to back away.
“D-Don’t come any closer! One more step and this brat is dead!”
“Aah!” cried the girl.
The hunter holding Riru pressed his sharp claws against her neck and shouted.
Oh-jin and Riak’s steps came to an abrupt halt.
“Th-That’s right. Stay right there.”
“If you take even one step, these brats are dead meat!”
Did they think the hostage tactic was working?
The hunter holding the boy also transformed one of his arms into that of a beast and yelled frantically.
Oh-jin and Riak, now stationary, exchanged glances.
“I’ll take the boy.”
“Okay.”
As if on cue, they shot forward at the same time.
Just before the terrified hunter could slice the girl’s neck with his claws.
*Bang!*
The wire shooter fired.
The rapidly launched wire wrapped around the hunter’s arm.
“Ugh! D-Dammit!”
The hunter twisted his body violently, trying to shake off the wire coiled around his arm.
His muscles bulged, and brown fur covered his entire body.
*Crrrack!*
An immense pressure transmitted through the wire.
Was this the power of a resident of the Demon Realm?
The beastfolk, having transformed into a half-beast form, displayed monstrous strength, enough to snap a wire reinforced with Sacred Stone powder with his bare hands.
However.
*Zzzzzzt!*
Blue lightning flowed through the wire.
“Graaaaaaaah!!”
The hunter who had tried to tear the wire off with his bare hands writhed, screaming in agony.
Oh-jin’s body was lifted into the air, pulled by the thrashing beastfolk’s strength as it convulsed.
“Die!”
The hunter barely withstood the electric shock and violently swung the arm bound by the wire.
Oh-jin was sent flying through the air like a can in a game of fire-swinging.
The hunter threw him towards a protruding rock.
“Damn, this bastard is strong.”
Oh-jin, soaring through the air, pulled by the beastfolk’s monstrous strength, smirked.
The beastfolk didn’t have Stigmas like the Awakened, but they possessed physical abilities that defied normal standards.
But still.
Is a battle really won by sheer strength alone?
*Ziiiiiing!*
The slack wire pulled taut.
Oh-jin’s body, which had been flying toward the sharp rock, was pulled by the wire, changing its course toward the hunter.
“Huh?”
The hunter’s eyes widened.
Before the hunter could react, Oh-jin used Lightning Step to dash through the air.
He drew Dantalion, in its folding knife form, from his waist and slammed it down into the hunter’s brow.
*Thwump!*
Blood gushed from the split-open forehead.
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
Riru, who had been held captive by the hunter, screamed as she looked up at the shower of blood.
Oh-jin pulled Riru by the waist, shielding her from the downpour.
The blood, which had shot up like a fountain, rained down on Oh-jin’s back.
“Ah… Th-Thank you.”
Riru bowed her head with a dazed expression.
As if to reassure the terrified girl, Oh-jin gently stroked her silver hair.
The girl flinched at the unfamiliar touch but soon blushed slightly and quietly accepted his gesture.
Did it work?
He could feel the girl’s pitifully trembling body begin to calm down a little.
‘Riak is…’
He turned his gaze toward Riak.
“Grrrrrrrrr!”
Riak swiped his claws as if tearing the air itself.
Flash Lightning.
A blade of blue lightning formed in the air, tracing the path of his claws.
With a sound of rending air, the lightning blade shot forward.
“Keuk!”
The hunter holding the boy twisted his body with a horrified expression.
The sharp blade narrowly missed him.
“Huff, huff!”
Just as the hunter, sweating profusely, breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he was safe.
*Clank.*
The thick iron chain binding the boy was cleanly severed and fell to the floor.
A blazing light erupted from the eyes of the boy, who had been beaten to a bloody pulp.
“Grrrrrr!”
“Aaaargh! Y-You damn little brat!”
The boy raked his claws across the face of the hunter holding him.
Though blood streamed from his face, the hunter swung a wild fist at the boy.
Just as the fist, covered in brown fur, was about to crush the boy’s head.
“Good job, kid.”
Riak, who had dashed forward with blinding speed, bit into the hunter’s neck as if snatching a fish and twisted.
*Crack!*
The hunter, his neck broken, collapsed to the ground.
“I-Insane!”
A wave of agitation spread through the hunters at the sight of Oh-jin and Riak rescuing the hostages in the blink of an eye.
After exchanging glances, they turned and began to flee without a word.
“Where do you think you’re going, you sons of bitches!”
Ha-eun pulled a cigarette from her pocket and brandished it like a wand.
A wall of fire erupted, surrounding the area.
“Ugh!”
“Wh-Where did this fire come from…?”
The hunters stumbled back, the pain of their fur singeing.
“I’ll take care of the rest.”
Isabella approached the hunters with a leisurely stride.
Their escape route blocked, the hunters bared their sharp teeth at the slowly approaching Isabella.
There were five hunters left.
Tearing a single, seemingly delicate woman to shreds shouldn’t take long.
The hunters, having transformed into their half-beast forms, charged at Isabella simultaneously.
Isabella leisurely drew her nail across her palm.
*Drip, drip.*
Beads of blood fell to the ground.
Just as the hunters, who had charged at terrifying speed, surrounded Isabella.
“Die.”
A quiet command.
The drops of blood on the ground swelled tens, hundreds of times over, creating thin Blood Threads.
Like an untangling ball of yarn, the Blood Threads shot out in all directions.
“Keoheok, keok!”
“Kereuk!”
The bodies of the hunters touched by the Blood Threads were sliced into cube-like pieces.
Inhaling the thick scent of blood that billowed up, Isabella licked her lips as if savoring the taste.
“…Hey, that expression of yours is seriously scary.”
“Oh my. What do you mean, sis?”
Isabella’s expression changed as she feigned innocence.
Ha-eun let out a hollow laugh and turned toward Oh-jin and Riak.
“There aren’t any others around, right?”
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
Oh-jin nodded and undid the chains binding the trembling girl.
“Riru!”
“L-Leo!”
The boy, freed from his chains, rushed over to Riru.
“A-Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?!”
“Y-Yeah. I’m okay.”
Riru nodded slightly, held in Leo’s embrace.
Leo, who had let out a sigh of relief seeing Riru without a single drop of blood on her, suddenly spun around and glared at Oh-jin’s party.
“Wh-Who are you people?!”
His eyes were filled with wariness.
Leo bared his teeth fiercely and glared at Oh-jin.
To be precise, at the black fur covering his ears and tail.
“Why did the Black Mane Tribe save us?”
His voice was laced with a murderous intent.
Even though Oh-jin’s party had saved their lives, to Leo, who had always been tormented by other tribes, they were just another target of suspicion.
“B-Brother. But they saved us…”
“Stay quiet, Riru. They’re from the Black Mane Tribe. We don’t know what they’re plotting!”
The boy stood in front of Riru protectively, taking a fighting stance.
Oh-jin let out a short sigh and narrowed his eyes.
‘Feels like the fur color is making them even more wary.’
The disguise he’d worn to blend into beastfolk society was now working against him.
After a moment of thought, Oh-jin took off the fake ears he was wearing.
“No need to be so guarded. We’re not from the Black Mane Tribe.”
“……?!”
Leo’s eyes widened, his jaw dropping.
“H-H-Humans?”
“That’s right.”
“Eek! B-Brother!”
“Wh-Why are the demons from beyond the veil here?!”
Leo and Riru stumbled backward as if having a seizure.
“Huh?”
Oh-jin tilted his head, confused by their even more violent reaction than when they thought he was from the Black Mane Tribe.
“What do you mean, ‘demons from beyond the veil’…?”
“I-It’s true! The demons from the black veil beyond the Sea of Trees Forest!”
Leo shouted, his voice clearly filled with terror.
“I-I heard it from the chief! He said humans are beings to be even more cautious of than the Black Mane Tribe!”
“Hmm.”
He had thought they wouldn’t be too wary of humans, but it seemed he had been too naive.
“Don’t be so scared.”
Isabella spoke in a gentle voice, like a mother soothing a crying child.
“If we meant you harm, why would we have saved you?”
Isabella slowly approached the children, offering a logical explanation.
The gentle aura emanating from her momentarily eased the expressions on Leo and Riru’s faces.
Leo, whose expression had gone slack as if drugged, suddenly shook his head.
“Th-That’s!”
“We are not bad people, so don’t be afraid.”
Isabella reached Leo and gently stroked his cheek.
“D-Don’t touch me!”
Leo slapped her hand away and glared at her fiercely.
Undeterred, Isabella once again took hold of Leo’s head and gently pulled him into an embrace.
“You were so scared, weren’t you?”
Isabella whispered in a comforting voice as she held Leo.
The murderous intent radiating from Leo quickly subsided under her gentle hand stroking his back.
“Y-You think I’ll fall for that…”
*Squish.*
An unbelievably soft sensation pressed against both of Leo’s cheeks.
Perhaps because he was a beastfolk—or rather, precisely because he was a beastfolk—his primal male instincts kicked in more intensely.
Leo’s lips curled into a grin, his expression melting at the soft pressure against his cheeks.
“F-Fall for… Heungh.”
“……”
The boy unwittingly burrowed deeper into Isabella’s embrace.
“Brother… you’re pathetic.”
Riru stared at Leo with eyes full of contempt.