Chapter 84
Chapter 84
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: The Difference in Power (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Unlike last time, it felt somewhat easier. An SSS-grade was still an SSS-grade. Even without fully unleashing his power, Su-ho was sweeping through the Dead Zone with crimson chains and energy orbs.
'Right now, your crimson chains have the exact same power as mine did.'
Su-ho looked surprised at Jin Seong-hyeok's words.
'Really?'
'Yeah. It's completely yours now.'
Whether it was from holing up in the Hunter testing room to build his mental strength, or from constantly using the crimson chains and getting trained up that way—he wasn't sure—but Su-ho could feel it too.
The crimson chains blazing fiercely before his eyes, flaunting their might, were definitely different from before.
'Thank you.'
'For what?'
'...This is all thanks to you, hyung. Without you...!'
'Cha Su-ho.'
Jin Seong-hyeok clicked his tongue briefly and continued.
'It's not my power anymore. It's yours. I told you before— the moment it entered your body, it became your power.'
'...Hyung.'
'Looks like you've still got some of that pathetic side left.'
'No, I don't.'
Jin Seong-hyeok's hearty laugh rang out, sounding genuinely pleased.
'Finish off the rest.'
'That was my plan.'
Su-ho moved quickly. The other Hunters did the same. After wiping out every last Pubkil without leaving a single one behind, Su-ho let out a long sigh.
The Hunters, having taken down Sterion and the Pubkils, all looked pretty worn out. Su-ho was no exception—though his power reserves weren't depleted, he was physically exhausted.
"Looks like we've cleared about half. How about we call it a day and head back? Everyone seems beat."
At An Ji-young's words, Clark bristled and opened his mouth.
"The 1st Branch is weak! The 5th Branch can fight more!"
"Wish I had a mirror to show you."
An Ji-young muttered in disbelief, and Scarlett stepped in.
"Clark. You look pretty worn out too. We've wrapped up a good chunk of the sweep, so how about we head back today and come again tomorrow?"
"Fine."
Clark ground his teeth, glaring at the Hunters as he spoke.
"I'll stay and finish the sweep myself."
"Clark!"
"Meow."
Meow?
In an instant, everyone's gazes shifted toward the source of the sound.
A pure white Persian cat was approaching the Hunters and Helpers.
A cat?
With its snowy tail swishing playfully, the cat let out another coquettish meow.
"Meow."
Just as he thought it was cute, the cat meowed again.
"Meow."
It was right around then that he strangely found himself getting drawn into the sound.
'Cha Su-ho.'
Jin Seong-hyeok's voice seemed to echo, followed by a sharp beep-beep in his ear.
Flick. Su-ho's eyes snapped open.
Beep-beep, beep-beep. At the alarm blaring in his ear, Su-ho instinctively reached up and fumbled around. He paused when he grabbed the Helper-issue cellphone in his hand. Ever since becoming A-grade, Su-ho hadn't used a cellphone. His wristwatch handled everything.
But now, in Su-ho's hand was the cellphone he'd used back in his F-grade days. It was blaring a noisy alarm with incessant beeps.
Su-ho turned off the alarm and stared up at the ceiling.
What the...?
It was a familiar room. A ceiling that came into view at a glance. And a cramped single bed. Slowly turning his head, he saw another single bed next to it.
What...?
Su-ho bolted upright. The whole room came into view. It was split exactly in half, like a decalcomania. Two single beds, two wardrobes, two small desks.
Su-ho got out of bed. With an incredulous look, he scanned the room.
No way this is...
This was the room he'd used back when he was F-grade.
Why had he suddenly woken up here?
'Hyung.'
Su-ho called out to Jin Seong-hyeok, but there was no reply.
'Hyung! Jin Seong-hyeok!'
No response. From Jin Seong-hyeok, who always answered no matter what.
Clutching his head in confusion, Su-ho turned his gaze back to the bed he'd woken up in.
Ha.
He let out a disbelieving laugh.
No way—all of that was a dream? Becoming an A-grade Helper, becoming an SSS-grade Hunter?
As he shook his head, thinking it was ridiculous, the door burst open. There stood Team Leader Kang Hong-seok, someone he'd thought he'd never see again.
"You useless punk. Where've you been? Still lazing around in your room?"
It felt like someone had smacked him hard in the back of the head.
"I..."
"You good-for-nothing, sleeping so peacefully? As an F-grade waste, the least you could do is something since we let you tag along with the team!"
"...Sorry..."
He could barely get the words out. The dream had felt so real that he couldn't believe it. That this was the actual reality.
"Get your ass out here, now."
Su-ho watched Kang Hong-seok turn and leave, then finally slumped down.
Of course. A mad laugh escaped Su-ho's lips.
The house-guarding F-grade mutt. Reality hadn't changed. Kang Hong-seok was still his team leader, and he was still Cha Su-ho, the F-grade barely clinging to a spot in one of Center 1's teams in the 1st Branch.
"What an idiot."
He really felt like one. Dreaming something so stupid. As he clawed at his hair, his eyes caught a poster someone had stuck on the empty bed next to his.
A poster of Jin Seong-hyeok standing atop a monster.
Did seeing that make him dream it? A dream where he inherited Jin Seong-hyeok's power and became an SSS-grade Hunter.
Ha.
In despair, he raised his hand. He stared at his palm. He'd definitely created an energy orb from this hand.
Crackle—
Yeah, like this.
Crackle-crackle—
Huh? Su-ho's eyes widened. Rolling in his palm, spitting sparks, was none other than an energy orb.
What the hell!
'Looks like you've finally realized.'
'...Hyung?'
'Yeah, it's me.'
'You're really Jin Seong-hyeok, right?'
'Yes.'
A sigh of relief burst from Su-ho's mouth, and tears streamed from his eyes. It felt like he'd plummeted to the depths of hell only to be pulled back up.
'Crying?'
'Isn't this too much? I thought... I thought it was a dream. A real dream...'
'I wanted to see it once. What you fear the most.'
See what he feared?
'What... do you mean?'
'It's a hallucination.'
A hallucination?
'That cat bastard.'
At the words "cat bastard," an "Ah" slipped from Su-ho's mouth.
'You mean that last white cat we saw in the Dead Zone? The cute one?'
'I doubt you'd call it cute if you saw it again for real.'
'What do you mean?'
'You'll see soon enough. That cat's name is Catcher. It lures Hunters and Helpers into hallucinations, then eats them.'
Lures them into hallucinations and eats them?
'So everyone's under a hallucination right now?'
'Probably. It tears them apart when they're wallowing in the deepest despair.'
'That's the worst.'
'We should get out of here first.'
'Got it. But how do we break out of the hallucination?'
'Hm. Well.'
Well?
'You don't know?!'
'I've never been caught in one. But everyone I've saved says the same thing. They saw horrific hallucinations.'
In Jin Seong-hyeok's eyes, the Catcher's true form had been visible from the start—a grotesque cat monster with sunken eyes and drooling maw, shambling around.
Naturally, he'd incinerated it with flame chains on sight, so no hallucination for him.
'So is there a way to break out?'
'No clue.'
No clue? Just as Su-ho thought they'd be trapped until the cat devoured them, he snapped his head up.
'You said Catcher tears them apart when they're deepest in despair?'
'Yeah. From what I know, it enjoys watching them sob and writhe in it.'
'Let's get out of this room first.'
'Get out?'
He'd already shaken off the despair, so Su-ho had one thing to do.
'We need to get out of here fast. And while we're at it, settle some scores from the unfair treatment.'
Unfair treatment? Jin Seong-hyeok, not grasping Su-ho's meaning at first, soon understood.
The place Su-ho headed to so familiarly was none other than his old team office from his F-grade days.
They'd been bustling about, but froze when they spotted Su-ho. Then, as if they'd been waiting, they opened fire on him.
"Look who finally dragged his useless ass out."
"Still don't get it. Why does the Center keep an F-grade waste around who can't even go on support missions?"
"The house-guarding mutt can't even guard the house properly, but we can't just ditch him."
Before, he would've kept his mouth shut and walked past without a word. But not now.
He wasn't F-grade anymore. And this was a hallucination.
"Shut up, seriously."
Everyone froze at Su-ho's words.
"What'd you say, you little shit?"
"Has the F-grade lost his mind? Need to beat some sense into him."
It was the guy who always itched to devour Su-ho on sight. He strode over and smashed a fist into Su-ho's face.
Thwack—
Huh? Doesn't hurt at all?
"Wait—"
Su-ho let out a hollow laugh at the guy's flustered look. And for good reason. After becoming a Hunter, he'd trained like a maniac, had regeneration abilities, and got pierced by monsters constantly— a mere punch to the face wasn't going to hurt.
"You hit me once."
Su-ho grinned and continued.
"So now it's your turn."
Thud—!!
Crash-tumble— Su-ho chuckled dryly at the guy flying backward. Jin Seong-hyeok, who'd been watching, asked Su-ho.
'This is what you meant by settling the unfair treatment?'
'Yeah. Feels damn good.'
'Satisfied with just that? It's a hallucination—beat 'em more.'
'Should I?'
But he had to stop here. The goal was to get out fast.
'If we don't feel the despair we're supposed to, won't Catcher think something's off?'
'Probably.'
'So it'll poke around since it's weird.'
'Yeah. Might plant a worse hallucination. Or get mad that it's not going its way and try to kill us first.'
'I hope that's how it goes.'
'What?'
At Jin Seong-hyeok's puzzled reaction, Su-ho smiled and said.
'Hyung, the flame chains are great at instinctively sensing their master's danger, right?'
'Yeah. I set them up to move on my will from the start.'
That explained it. The flame chains often moved like they had a mind of their own.
Especially when he was in danger.
'Good thing, then. That I can use the flame chains technique.'
Suddenly, heat flared around his body.
Whoosh—
Both Su-ho and Jin Seong-hyeok knew exactly what that heat was, so they burst into laughter simultaneously.
'If there's danger...'
Jin Seong-hyeok started, and Su-ho finished.
'...the flame chains will save us.'
With those words, the scene before Su-ho's eyes shifted in an instant. And just as he'd thought, Su-ho smiled at the sight.
The flame chains were constricting the Catcher, which had its jaws wide open above him, trying to devour him.