Gu Geon-yi almost covered Maria’s eyes with one hand. Maria, too, had witnessed all sorts of horrors on the battlefield, but the scene before her was truly gruesome beyond description. Scattered here and there were bones, scraps of clothing, and pieces of flesh.
Yoo Ji-won’s bizarre form looked as if muscles had been haphazardly created and stuck together. There was also an indescribably nauseating stench and the coppery smell of blood. Inside the abandoned building, the only ‘normal’ thing was Cheon Hae-seon, standing right before them.
“Cheon Hae-seon…!!”
“…Why are you people here…”
Cheon Hae-seon trailed off, a cynical smile forming on his lips.
“Then again, it’s only natural for you to look. Both the culprit and the victim are from the Glory Guild.”
His gaze shifted to a small metal object on the ground. A Glory Guild badge, half-stained with blood. Upon identifying the item, Gu Geon-yi’s and Maria’s faces stiffened.
“Don’t tell me the owner of that badge… was harmed by Yoo Ji-won?”
“He had just finished eating someone when I arrived. Then he spat that out.”
Eating?
Yoo Ji-won ate another person? Gu Geon-yi thought he must have misheard. But seeing Maria’s pale expression, he had no choice but to accept it.
No matter how much he had gone into a Rampage, for a person to eat another person… It felt suffocating.
“How did you find Yoo Ji-won?”
“I don’t think I have any obligation to tell you that.”
Gu Geon-yi felt anger welling up inside, but he couldn’t really argue. If Cheon Hae-seon belonged to the Glory Guild, he would naturally have to follow orders, but he was currently unaffiliated. To get the information he wanted, he had to be humble.
Fortunately, there was someone next to him who could be humble in his stead.
“Please, Hunter Cheon Hae-seon. We couldn’t find Yoo Ji-won with our planned search. We need to find clues as to why Hunter Yoo Ji-won went on a Rampage…”
Cheon Hae-seon was silent for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.
“…There was a smell.”
“A smell…?”
“I had business in Haenam District and came by, and I caught a scent. It was a strange smell, different from the stench of blood or Monster Poison.”
“…!”
At Cheon Hae-seon’s words, Gu Geon-yi felt as if he had received a second death sentence. If what the man said was true, then searching for Yoo Ji-won based on his Ether signature had been a complete wild goose chase.
“I didn’t smell anything like that in Haenam District… It seems only you were able to detect it, Hunter Cheon Hae-seon.”
Cheon Hae-seon didn’t respond to Maria’s words. He simply stroked the haze shimmering in his palm.
‘What’s that?’
Gu Geon-yi’s eyes widened at the change. He recognized the formless energy gathered in the man’s palm.
‘It wasn’t there when I saw him before…’
Gu Geon-yi was about to ask Cheon Hae-seon but clamped his mouth shut. Just like before, he figured the arrogant brat wouldn’t answer.
“His body was torn into several pieces, yet he reattached himself. I’m out of here now, so you handle it.”
No one in the world spoke to Gu Geon-yi like this. Gu Geon-yi was furious at his insolent attitude, but there was a more pressing matter at hand. Yoo Ji-won, having finished regenerating his body, was staggering to his feet.
Ssk.
“…!!”
Gu Geon-yi subconsciously drew up all the Ether in his body. There was one area where he held a clear advantage over Cheon Hae-seon. Namely, ‘combat experience’.
Cheon Hae-seon had been caught off guard, but to the battle-hardened S-rank Knight, Yoo Ji-won’s danger was clearly visible.
‘Wailing Wall.’
As Gu Geon-yi extended both hands forward, a transparent wave of Ether spread out to his left and right. Though nothing was visible to the naked eye, a dense defensive barrier had formed in front of him. An ultimate shield that no Monster had ever breached, one that hadn't even cracked during duels with world-class Hunters.
The so-called Wailing Wall.
Pakang.
Indeed, Gu Geon-yi’s insight was correct. No sooner had he taken his stance than Yoo Ji-won’s teeth crashed against the Wailing Wall.
Kiiik.
Since the barrier was transparent, Yoo Ji-won’s changed appearance was clearly visible. The sight of him, grotesquely naked with teeth like a vampire, slamming himself against the wall was enough to make any onlooker feel miserable.
“Should I call for backup?”
Gu Geon-yi shook his head at Maria’s words. If Yoo Ji-won couldn't break through the Wailing Wall he had just deployed, there was no need for backup. Besides, with an S-rank Knight and a healer already on the scene, who else could possibly help them?
“It’s fine. He may be fast, but this thing’s killing ability is…”
Jjeo-eok.
“?!”
Gu Geon-yi couldn’t even finish his sentence and had to stare ahead. To his astonishment, cracks had begun to form on the Wailing Wall, which even 8-star Monsters couldn’t penetrate.
‘How can this be…!!!’
Maria, too, stared at the scene with wide, startled eyes. She had accompanied Gu Geon-yi on numerous major dungeon raids, but she had never experienced anything like this. To think the Wailing Wall would crack from what seemed like ordinary teeth.
Maria narrowed her eyes and examined Yoo Ji-won’s teeth closely. Soon, she discovered something special.
‘What is that…?’
At a glance, it looked like he was biting his way through, but a faint liquid was seeping from the tips of his teeth. An unknown substance that appeared purplish. That substance was eroding the Wailing Wall, which was made of compressed Ether.
Chang!
With the sound of shattering glass, the Wailing Wall finally broke completely. Gu Geon-yi, having anticipated this to some extent, pulled back his right hand and threw a punch. A tremendous force that seemed capable of shattering a body with its sheer wind pressure.
But Yoo Ji-won’s movements were so fast that even Cheon Hae-seon’s Poison Step couldn't keep up. The creature twisted its body strangely to avoid Gu Geon-yi’s fist, then bit his right thigh.
Kwaak.
Just as with Cheon Hae-seon, its teeth couldn’t penetrate deep into his body. Gu Geon-yi’s trained physique was on par with Cheon Hae-seon’s Body Protection Aura. If anything, it was unfair that he suffered a larger wound than Cheon Hae-seon.
However, Gu Geon-yi was furious at the mere fact that he had been struck by Yoo Ji-won.
“You son of a bitch…”
Deob-sseok.
Grabbing Yoo Ji-won’s head, Gu Geon-yi lifted him up with his grip and hurled him towards the wall as if throwing a spear.
Kwagwang!
‘Damn, that’s rough.’
Cheon Hae-seon whistled inwardly. It was a good thing the building had no roof; otherwise, the entire abandoned structure would have collapsed. Gu Geon-yi took something out from his clothes.
At first glance, it looked like an ordinary rope, but its surface was thickly coated with a sticky Ether substance. It was probably a monster capturing device.
‘Will that be enough?’
Cheon Hae-seon silently watched Gu Geon-yi’s actions. In his estimation, capturing it alive was not the priority at this stage. Hadn’t even he, known as the King of Poisons, felt a slight dizziness?
No matter how strong an S-rank Hunter was, this was not a poison an ordinary Hunter could withstand.
Hwicheong.
As he took a step, Gu Geon-yi suddenly lost his balance. As if in disbelief of his own situation, he looked all over his body with his mouth agape. Before he knew it, purple veins had begun to appear on his face, and Maria, realizing the gravity of the situation, quickly approached him.
Syareureu….
“Uwek!”
Even as the healing progressed, Gu Geon-yi repeatedly vomited stomach acid onto the floor. This meant that even Maria’s healing was not working properly. Cheon Hae-seon could once again feel the potency of the poison Yoo Ji-won possessed.
He himself was one thing, but the creature’s poison was so vicious that even other S-rank Hunters were struggling against it. -Kiiik. Embedded in the wall, Yoo Ji-won made a metallic screech and planted his two feet on the ground.
Since he hadn’t died even when his body was torn to shreds, such a physical impact was likely nothing to him. But Gu Geon-yi was still in a state where even standing up was difficult. Maria, for her part, was in shock.
She wasn't one to be overconfident, but any abnormal condition she had encountered would quickly be neutralized by her healing. But now, she was struggling just to keep his condition from worsening. She activated her Healing Ability with all her might, but Gu Geon-yi’s condition showed little improvement.
In this situation, if Yoo Ji-won approached, they would surely suffer a fatal blow. Without realizing it, Maria turned her gaze toward Cheon Hae-seon. The man who had taken a step back, saying, ‘Let the Glory Guild handle it themselves,’ was now stretching out his clasped hands.
“A bit disappointing. I knew he would be hard to deal with, but still.”
At those provocative words, Gu Geon-yi’s bloodshot eyes flashed. But unfortunately, that was the most he could react. If he lost focus on his Ether for even a moment, he would cough up blood, so Gu Geon-yi couldn't even retort to the young upstart.
“Let’s kill him.”
At Cheon Hae-seon’s words, Maria blinked her doe-like eyes. She thought he was going to offer to help with the healing, but it was the opposite. He wasn’t offering to heal Gu Geon-yi but was proposing to kill their opponent.
“He’s a creature that can recover even if you tear his body apart. We have no choice but to reduce him to dust. Capturing him alive would be more useful in many ways, but he’s not an opponent you can fight while holding back.”
Gu Geon-yi and Maria were left speechless. Tear his body apart?
Who? How?
To call it a joke, Cheon Hae-seon’s expression was far too serious.
‘Wait…’
Come to think of it, there were a few things she was curious about. How was Cheon Hae-seon able to confront Yoo Ji-won? He was an S-rank, but fundamentally a healer.
Unless one was a Knight or an Esper, fighting Yoo Ji-won one-on-one was no different from suicide. But he had clearly said that Yoo Ji-won had been shattered to pieces. Who on earth could have landed such a devastating attack on this threatening mutation?
Cheon Hae-seon. You?
It didn't take long to get the answer. Yoo Ji-won was leaping once again toward Cheon Hae-seon, who stood before Gu Geon-yi and Maria.
At first, I thought about using Phantom Strike. But I concluded that it wasn't a very good choice. A brief trick of the eye might let me deflect Yoo Ji-won's teeth, but if by some chance the attack was directed at the ‘burdens’ behind me, I wouldn't be able to do anything.
Does he still have any reason left in him? There's a high chance he does. The reaction he showed after seeing my face felt like a ‘hatred’ that went beyond simple instinct.
Even when he was sane, that bastard threw a fit out of his own inferiority complex. In any case, if he has some reason left, it will actually be easier to take him down.
Pat.
It’s a relief that his attack pattern is so simple. His movements, which I couldn't even see at first, are now quite familiar. Just like before, I extended my right arm to bait his attack.
Kwak.
And as expected, he bypassed my right arm and bit my side.
“Cheon…!!”
Maria, startled, let out a sound close to a scream. If I get poisoned after Gu Geon-yi, the situation will truly become helpless.
‘As expected.’
The creature did have a shred of reason left. If I beat him to the point of near death, maybe we could even talk. I also have a mountain of questions for him, but he has already crossed the line, and then some.
Jeo-beok.
With him latched onto my side, I take one step forward at a time. His body weight must be at least 200kg, but my physical level is high enough to handle it. The sight of me staggering along while dragging a large Monster was grotesque, even to myself.
In any case, having put a reasonable distance between myself and the two of them, I placed my palm on the creature’s head. -Kigik. I can hear a flustered sound coming from him. He must be wondering why the attack that brought down the great Gu Geon-yi has no effect on me.
You can find out the answer in hell. I raised my right palm and aimed it at him. Up close, I can't see his pupils.
His eyes, dyed black like an abyss, seem to be asking me. If you shoot Poison Flame in my direction, you won’t escape unscathed either. That’s what it seems to be saying.
In fact, if I blow his head off from this direction, the aftermath will spread to me. The problem is, the Poison Flame that is fatal to him does me no harm at all.
“Farewell.”
The haze rising from my palm instantly intensifies, spewing dark red flames forward.
Peong!!!!!!!!
To think that not being able to control my power would be this helpful. The Poison Flame I'd aimed at his head incinerated the entire area in front of me.
“…”
Half of my clothes were burned away, which couldn’t be helped, but my body was completely unharmed. Only Yoo Ji-won, whose entire body had turned to ash, bore all the damage. Except for the sharp, gleaming teeth embedded in my side, there was nothing left that could be called ‘Yoo Ji-won’.
A single blast of Poison Flame had reduced the rampaging Hunter to a pile of ashes.
“As I thought. It seems he can’t regenerate from just this.”
Gu Geon-yi and Maria watched with dumbfounded faces as he plucked the teeth out one by one.