Chapter 115
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Trap
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Peekaboo.
Su-hyeon just stared at the water tree sprouting up right in front of her eyes.
What...?
She was so shocked that her tears dried up in an instant.
"What do you think you're doing right now?!"
One of the elders shouted.
"Can't you see? I'm subduing a criminal."
In stark contrast, Carmen remained utterly calm.
She had just rendered a high-grade hunter combat-ineffective in the blink of an eye, yet not a single breath was out of place.
"A criminal?!"
"We'll file a formal complaint with the embassy!"
Despite the fierce protests, Carmen stood tall without a hint of intimidation.
"It's illegal for a hunter to restrain another hunter in this country, but it doesn't apply to someone like me with instructor or enforcement qualifications."
"That's not the point!"
As Carmen boldly held her ground, the participants on stage were busy calming their racing hearts.
"H-He didn't just die, right?"
"No way, I thought his head exploded for a second there..."
"Me too..."
When Carmen refused to back down, Jang Tae-won glared down at her with clear displeasure.
"Can you take responsibility for those words?"
Jang Tae-won's and Carmen's gazes clashed in the middle.
Just as the tension seemed about to boil over again...
"That's our line, old timer."
All eyes turned to the laid-back voice coming from the back.
The owner of the voice was a man lounging crookedly in the wide auditorium seats all by himself.
It was Jun-hyeok, who had come disguised with nothing more than a pair of sunglasses perched on his nose.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Too late to backpedal now. That bracelet the kid's wearing? It's a fake. Which means there's no way it could read her biometric data."
"!?"
At those words, Su-hyeon glanced down at her arm, her eyes still glistening with tear streaks.
Uh...
"...It's fake?"
But how was she supposed to tell?
To Su-hyeon, they all just looked like identical bracelets.
"Let me see. Hmm..."
"...Is this part a little different?"
"The lamp isn't lighting up?"
"W-Wait a second..."
In the end, people rushed over to inspect the bracelet.
The stage grew chaotic for a moment, but the interrogation continued.
"You jumped to conclusions calling her a monster and framed her with fake evidence. That's all out in the open now—it's been a setup from the start."
Jun-hyeok's tone was light, but it carried a razor-sharp edge that could slice flesh.
"You crossed the line big time. Why mess with the kid? Got your targets mixed up?"
'......'
Only then did Jang Tae-won grasp the situation.
The crowd's unusually subdued reaction from earlier.
Not even a single scream from the audience despite someone suffering a serious injury.
There had been a brief murmur when he mentioned the monster, but that was it.
The atmosphere hadn't frozen in shock, betrayal, or fear.
They had all been in on it from the beginning.
The reporters too.
"...You sly bastard."
Even his own colleagues, who had been sitting smugly, now scanned their surroundings as they realized something was off.
"How dare you try to corner us like this?!"
Jun-hyeok dug in his ear, annoyed by the elders' bluster.
"I gave you a chance. I watched till the end, but who crossed the line first?"
"Who gave who a chance...?"
"You think you'll get away with this?!"
"......"
Jang Tae-won's piercing gaze.
Jun-hyeok's murderous expression visible beyond his sunglasses.
"...This works out better anyway."
Jang Tae-won slowly rose to his feet.
"This sneaky crap never suited us from the start. We're the type who thrive in direct combat."
"Tae-won, you..."
Jang Tae-won looked around at his colleagues.
"You all know it too. Back down here, and we're done. We'll lose everything—the honor and power we've built our whole lives."
His words hardened the other elders' expressions.
They no longer had a choice.
"......Heh heh, guess I'll have to flex these old bones after all."
"Damn right. Can't just sit here and take it."
"You'll regret setting this trap in the mountains."
Cornered, the whining old men vanished, replaced by grizzled tigers rising to their feet.
"......So that's how you want to play it."
"Did you think we'd just roll over meekly?"
In response, the other hunters began slowly ramping up their auras.
"Give it up, seniors. It's already over."
Jun-hyeok sighed and took off his sunglasses.
"Last warning. Recovery gets harder with age."
"You S-rank hotshots think we're pushovers? Don't push your luck."
"Oh, really?"
Boom-
The moment Jang Tae-won slammed his cane down, the mana reactions from the younger hunters preparing to strike vanished in unison.
At the same time, a massive pillar of fire erupted from the audience seats.
It was An Jung-bong's fist strike.
"Kuh...!"
"Kyaaak!"
A massive brawl erupted among Korea's top-tier hunters in terms of raw power.
Time for the weaklings to scram.
Crack-
"Everyone, head to the emergency exit now."
Carmen said as she punched away incoming debris.
"...! Run, everyone!"
"Thank you...!"
Ga-eun scooped up Su-hyeon and bolted with the crowd.
Rumble...
"...B-Be careful!"
Su-hyeon, tucked under Ga-eun's arm, yelled back at Carmen.
Carmen's lips seemed to curl up slightly—or maybe it was just her imagination.
Boom-
Su-hyeon squeezed her eyes shut at the deafening explosion and flash of light.
"Grab them before they escape! Especially that brat—she's Camellia Guild's weak point!"
The council-affiliated hunters who had tagged along for "escort" pointed and shouted.
Clad head to toe in cutting-edge gear like city guards, they looked like combat robots.
Boom-
"Wh-What...!"
But they were blocked from even reaching the stage by Carmen dropping from the sky.
"Relying on fun toys, huh...!"
Still, it was one unarmed woman against them. Victory seemed distant.
"Don't tense up! We're A-rank too!"
"Oh? Same A-rank?"
Carmen bared her teeth in a feral grin.
But contrary to Carmen's expectations, they suddenly started complaining in unison.
"M-My exosuit...?"
"Joints feel stiff...?"
"Amplifier's not responding!"
"......Tch, pointless tricks."
Carmen clicked her tongue and glanced toward where Ye-rin must be lurking.
As if to say there was no time for chit-chat.
"Making good use of her."
"Hurry and ditch the exosuits!"
"W-Wait...!"
Thud...
Like the sound of a massive knuckle rap on the head?
Su-hyeon yelled as the building shook.
"Ga-eun, put me down...! I can run!"
"No, stay like this for now. It's too chaotic!"
They were hunters, after all— the participants evacuated in orderly fashion.
Some even seemed tempted to stay and watch the once-in-a-lifetime fight.
Of course, no one actually did, valuing their lives.
"This way!"
The leader spotted the emergency exit and shouted.
Clunk-
"Wh-What?"
But those who went through froze in place.
People were sprawled everywhere.
All dressed as instructors or staff.
"What the hell...?"
"N-Now, now, everyone, no pushing. Follow the guide slowly~."
A drowsy voice rang out.
A Yankee-style beauty was lazily waving a glow baton with zero enthusiasm.
Even her nails had cute nail art.
"Brüel...? No, wait...?"
As Ga-eun muttered uncertainly, Su-hyeon—still tucked under her arm—craned her neck back toward her own butt and looked.
"It's her!"
"R-Really?"
"Yeah. Didn't know she could talk like that, though."
Momentum slowed briefly, so Ga-eun adjusted to carry Su-hyeon properly.
Throughout the corridors, people in purple hoodies and caps like Brüel's were clearing away the fallen bodies.
"Th-Those guys...?"
"Yeees~ Safety management part-timers~. This way, everyone."
"O-Okay..."
People eyed them suspiciously but picked up speed following the directions. Straight ahead led outside anyway—no detours possible.
Everyone passed by Brüel, and as Su-hyeon and her friends reached the rear...
"You need to go fight, not leave."
"Kek-"
Haneul made a weird noise as her nape was suddenly grabbed.
"Wh-Why...? Why me, sis...?"
Ga-eun asked in panic, but Brüel wordlessly hurled Haneul back into the auditorium and shut the door.
"Uwaaa-"
Clang, thud.
"Seemed like you needed hands."
"......?"
"She'll be fine. Go on ahead."
"R-Right!"
Snapping to attention at Brüel's words, Ga-eun dashed down the corridor again.
Su-hyeon's eyes peeked over her shoulder at Brüel.
As Ga-eun's group receded into the distance, one of the bodies near her twitched.
Smack-smack-
A few light taps with the custom-made magic glow baton, and amazingly, it stilled.
Neat trick.
The fight inside raged fiercely.
But Jun-hyeok remained sprawled in the front row, legs propped up.
Clang-clang, sizzle... Boom!
A hunter clashing swords with an old man whose hands had morphed like insect limbs flew past nearby.
Ugh, that metallic screech. What is this, some mecha anime?
In the corner, Seo Na-rin was barely dodging An Jung-bong's attacks.
Bad matchup. And the skill gap's obvious.
Should I help later? But she'll just snap at me again...
Lee Cheol-min, mid-battle, landed near Jun-hyeok by chance.
He swatted away an incoming ice spear with his hardened body and yelled irritably.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing not fighting, you bastard! Kuh..."
Grrr-
Bang-
A bearded werewolf charged, forcing him to dodge hastily.
"Hmm..."
Who even knows who's the monster here anymore?
A chair shattered right in front of him, but Jun-hyeok kept his vacation-like pose.
Reporters evacuated.
Participants evacuated.
Rats mostly dealt with.
The situation was more unfavorable than expected.
They had more numbers, but the power gap was wider than anticipated.
"Struggling because of all that accumulated mana?"
Jun-hyeok muttered, and a voice came from even higher up.
"Can you really afford to act so relaxed?"
It was Jang Tae-won, who had already retired several hunters.
"Whoa, grampses are tougher than I thought."
"Regretting it now?"
His ability absorbed all energy reactions from mana within a certain range.
A battlefield swarming with powerhouses like this was his perfect stage.
Jun-hyeok didn't answer—instead, he fired back a question.
"Why suspect her? Did you really think she was a monster?"
No matter how he thought about it, it didn't add up.
Given his personality, he might've been annoying, but not gone this far off the rails.
"Hmph, I knew she wasn't a monster. If she were, she couldn't resist my ability."
"......Right."
Maybe back then?
When Su-hyeon grew those plants and turned everything upside down.
Seeing his power fail might've planted the seed of doubt.
Of course, that alone didn't explain everything...
"Eh, close enough for now."
"Since you brought it up, what is she? Not human, not monster."
"......"
Jun-hyeok recalled Su-hyeon's panicked face for a split second.
Hope she's not too shaken.
"A friend."
"......"
Interpreting the silence as refusal to answer, Jang Tae-won narrowed his eyes.
"...Ugh, let's wrap this up! This is getting tiring!"
Whoosh!
As Jun-hyeok stretched, a shockwave swept through his seat row.
"Yes. Keep underestimating me till the end."
Jang Tae-won muttered after swinging his cane to blast the area.
"......"
He focused his senses without letting his guard down, trying to detect presence amid the dust.
But nothing.
'......Overestimated him?'
Makes sense. That attack gathered energy from dozens of top hunters.
No way he'd walk away unscathed.
Didn't expect no body left behind, though.
"How disappointing."
His colleagues were mostly dominating.
The outcome was obvious.
As he planted his cane to join elsewhere...
"...This is the old generation's problem."
Jun-hyeok's voice came from right beside him.
"What...?"
"Plenty of experience and power... but that's the poison. Thinking what you've seen is the only truth..."
Bang!
Another cane swing tore Jun-hyeok's chest open entirely.
"...Tendency. Man, you're quick-tempered."
Behind the mangled torso loomed the wrecked audience seats.
And Jun-hyeok's body rewinding like time itself.
Or rather, with his insides packed with blue lightning, was it even human?
Thud.
This time aiming for the jaw, but it got caught.
"...What are you?"
Jang Tae-won's eyes widened impossibly.
Jun-hyeok just shrugged silently.
Typical reaction to something beyond comprehension.
"......Now I get it. Even hunters on our level get lumped as A-rank, so why separate S-rank."
"Not embarrassed saying you're on another dimension yourself?"
"When it's true, why be embarrassed."
"......"
Jang Tae-won muttered in exasperation.
"......Heh heh, we were fighting a natural disaster in human form."
The lightning in human shape murmured.
"Too late for regrets now."
Crackle-crackle-
Sparks flew from Jun-hyeok's body gripping the cane tip.
Rumble-
"...Huh?"
Outside the camp, Su-hyeon craned her neck and scanned the building.
Thick black smoke billowing from it.
All windows dark—no lights on.
Maybe off since it's daytime.
"What's wrong?"
"Felt something weird just now."
Earthquake...? No, a wave?
Some indescribable feeling for a split second.
Apparently hit Ga-eun differently.
"Weird!? You okay?"
"No, I'm fine. Calm down."
Su-hyeon pushed away the hands probing her belly and armpits.
"Ga-eun unni! What about Haneul unni?"
So-yeon, who had exited first, approached them.
In the open lot, some participants were taking roll call.
Nearby, reporters and non-combat staff had evacuated ahead.
"Uh, yeah? Now that you mention it, where...?"
Ga-eun glanced at Su-hyeon just in case.
Shake shake.
Su-hyeon vigorously shook her head as their eyes met.
How should I know?
"...Why? Where'd Haneul unni go...?"
"Uh, um..."
The two averted So-yeon's gaze without a word.
"N-No way...?"
So-yeon's eyes trembled slightly.