S Chapter 36

Ha! After letting out a battle cry, he vanishes like the wind. An absurd speed, tearing even the air. Endless afterimages are created with every movement. It was like a shadow clone technique.

Bang! Crash! Thump!

“……”

Won Chung-bae, who had been unleashing attacks, suddenly stopped moving.

‘That guy…’

Won Chung-bae slowly regulated his breathing. Peculiar. He was a very peculiar fellow. He hadn’t gone all out, but he hadn’t held back either. Naturally. Won Chung-bae was a man with strong pride in his abilities. Even if one called it arrogant, it was an undeniable fact. No Hunter would deny it.

From the beginning, the Hunter world was like that. A place where hierarchy was divided purely by the law of the jungle. And the one standing at the apex was Won Chung-bae. But for some unheard-of guy to be holding his own against Won Chung-bae? As if completely at ease?

‘Suspiciously seasoned skill.’

The opponent was unperturbed. He countered familiarly, deflecting attacks like flowing water. What was even funnier was that he stubbornly insisted on only defending.

‘Truly, it feels like I’m fighting a phantom.’

The enemy was blocking all attacks with minimal movement. But that was all. For some reason, he wasn’t counterattacking. Was he scared?

‘Well, he doesn’t seem scared. Hmm…’

Facing off against the mysterious Unregistered Hunter, Won Chung-bae realized three things.

First, the opponent was very strong. There was no need to scoff at what that meant. The ‘strong person’ Won Chung-bae spoke of had a different meaning. For him, the saying ‘the world is vast, and there are many strong people’ was just a laughable joke. Why? Because there were no strong people. The world was vast, but even if he searched with a burning gaze, he couldn’t find anyone truly strong.

Of course, his standards were also high. For example, even Bae Seong-du, ranked 2nd in the Association, was not a ‘strong person’ to Won Chung-bae. He was merely a junior who had grown well, a colleague who did his part.

But that Unregistered Hunter was different. That one was strong. He was a fellow predator, capable of baring his teeth and establishing hierarchy alongside him.

‘I want to see his true power… Tsk, tsk.’

Won Chung-bae felt an involuntary surge of fighting spirit.

And second. As mentioned earlier, the opponent was seasoned. This was something forged by experience, regardless of strength. Movement, agility, situational judgment, and so on. Everything briefly seen recalled a professional Hunter.

And the black smoke surrounding him. No matter how he looked at it, it wasn’t an ordinary object. The aura it emitted suggested it was one of the EX-rank or higher Ancient Artifacts, previously only spoken of in rumors.

‘And the third…’

Won Chung-bae clicked his tongue, ‘tsk, tsk.’ The sense of déjà vu he felt about the guy had finally resolved.

“You, you’re that guy. From Dreamland.”

Now he remembered. The monster who had instantly brought down the Association’s 2nd rank.

“Seriously! What grudge do you have against me, not only beating up that Seong-du but now messing with my grandson too?”

A strange gleam sparkled in Won Chung-bae’s eyes as he spoke. He was angry, yes, but separately, he was also greedy. He felt sorry for his grandson, but honestly, that was how he felt. The Unregistered Hunter’s power and infinite potential stimulated Won Chung-bae.

He was too good to kill like this. That’s right. He might be the future of the Hunter world, a future that might never come again. He wanted to possess him, even if he had to whine for it. As an educator who had nurtured many Hunters, he could be certain. This one was real. Won Chung-bae. He swore on his name. There was something about that guy.

‘I want to test the limits of how much he can grow.’

He felt an intense thrill after a very long time. No, exaggerating, he might even call it an exhilaration he had never felt in his entire life.

“Did you catch the Water Dragon too?”

“……”

“Tsk, tsk, an adult asks, and you don’t even answer. What a rude fellow.”

“……”

“Fine. I’ll let it slide if you don’t answer now. Instead, I’ll set a condition.”

Won Chung-bae stroked his chin and continued.

“Surrender. If you reveal your identity and apologize for your wrongs, I will not punish you.”

Won Chung-bae, known for his coldness towards criminals, promised not to punish him. This was a huge privilege. Of course, there might be some backlash from those around him, but Won Chung-bae was prepared to endure it all. That’s how appealing that Unregistered Hunter was.

‘Hahaha. He’ll be so tempted, his mouth will water, right?’

While waiting for an answer, the Unregistered Hunter finally moved. Shake, shake. He shook his head.

“Huh?”

As he made a bewildered sound, the other person vigorously shook his head more. Soon, Won Chung-bae’s eyes turned into tiny dots. A refusal? No way! He hastily asked again, unable to believe the reality.

“No way… I said I wouldn’t scold you, you rascal.”

Shake, shake.

“Is seeing your face just once that unpleasant?”

This time, nod, nod.

“Now, think carefully! There won’t be another chance. Hmm?”

A resolute hand-X.

Rumble! He was rejected. Even after quite miserably pleading, he was rejected. He had outright kicked away Won Chung-bae’s wooing. That, that, that audacious fellow!

“Right… Do young people nowadays ever listen to an old man…”

Won Chung-bae hung his head low. But that was only for a moment. Soon, he pitifully asked again, like a dog trying to read the room.

‘Seriously, no?’

But the opponent was resolute.

‘Yup, no.’

After that, both were exhausted by the repetitive back-and-forth. They glared at each other with displeased looks.

“You rascal, why are you so stubborn!”

The other person pointed a finger at Won Chung-bae, meaning “You too?”

“I’m the rascal! Ugh! How dare you try to be equal to an adult!”

Even with Won Chung-bae pleading “Listen to me, pleaseee~” and acting cute, the opponent remained firm.

‘This isn’t easy.’

Just as Won Chung-bae clicked his tongue in disappointment, other Hunters also arrived at the scene.

“Chairman!”

“Hey there… You’ve worked hard. Don’t interfere here, and please handle the situation below first. My grandson is down there, so pay him some attention…”

Won Chung-bae spoke, his gaze fixed solely on the Unregistered Hunter. His sharp demeanor showed he couldn’t take his eyes off him for a second. At that, the other Hunters also gulped. What on earth was that guy, for the Chairman to be so on edge about him?!

“You’re the one who threw away the chance, runt.”

Won Chung-bae cracked his neck and smiled.

“I’ll capture you alive.”

‘Crazy old man. So strong…’

Jukyeong cursed Won Chung-bae, utterly fed up. It was understandable. He was already half-destroyed before the real fight even began.

The Chairman was more tenacious than imaginable. Especially for Jukyeong, who had to protect his younger brother and worry about various things, it was quite difficult. There was no stalker like this stalker. He had wondered who Won Go-yu’s stubbornness resembled, and it turned out to be a spitting image of his grandfather.

“Eve is so hungryyyy.”

‘Just bear with it a little longer.’

“I can’t take it anymoreee…”

‘I’ll let you eat your fill when we get home.’

He sighed, comforting Eve. The problem was using too much of Eve’s power while shaking off the Chairman. How much more lifespan would be ripped away? He dreaded the aftermath. If he were thirty, it wouldn’t have been a problem, but now was different. He predicted he’d have to pretend to be dead and recuperate for about two days. Damn it.

“Hey.”

Just then, a rough voice called out to the frustrated Jukyeong.

“……”

As Jukyeong turned around, he saw his younger brother, U-dam, standing askew. In the middle of an empty forest, only the two of them gazed at each other.

‘Ugh… I’m screwed.’

An all-time chilly atmosphere. Enough to make him wonder if he’d arrived at the South Pole.

‘This is awkwardly deadly.’

He stiffened and silently clicked his tongue. This level of chilling air was unprecedented, save for that one time in the past when he had burst into a newlywed’s home for a safety evacuation and made eye contact with a junior who was… evolving by fusion.

Oh, right. I’ll take this opportunity to apologize. I was truly sorry that day. It’s a sensitive matter, so I can’t reveal personal information… Roughly speaking, it was Young-mo, an AB-type dog-year, living in XX-dong, belonging to the Dungeon Detection Department. Your hyung, your senior, was in a bit of a hurry. Still, if you really want to argue, wasn’t the negligence 50:50? He subtly tried to push the blame.

‘If you had locked the door properly, wouldn’t I have been spared that ocular terrorism?’

Oh. Am I not apologizing? What’s a man doing nitpicking so much, it makes him look cheap.

“Are you deaf?”

As he was bickering with his junior in his imagination, a rough remark brought him back to his senses. It was U-dam.

“Can’t you hear me?”

A barrage of scolding followed. It was understandable. From his younger brother’s perspective, he was nothing more than a kidnapper right now, so that level of sharpness was justified. No, more than justified, it was incredibly courteous. Not throwing punches or spitting was a mercy. If the situation were reversed, he would have immediately kicked him in the solar plexus.

No, not the solar plexus. He would’ve slit his throat. Instantly, slice! In that sense, it was a relief the kid was mild-mannered.

If past Jukyeongs heard this, they would collectively erupt in a riot of complaints. However, Shin Jukyeong, a possessor of (younger brother-limited) innocent charm, had completely forgotten the atrocities Yang U-dam (18 years old, prone to many complaints about society) had committed! This was the ultimate fate of a severe brother complex.