S Chapter 60

First, this isn’t something kids his age would have done. Regardless of whether there’s a grudge or not, the cost would be substantial. Even a Hanguk High School student couldn’t afford it without parental support. Therefore, it’s highly likely to be someone with a certain degree of financial means.

So what’s the motive? Who has the nerve to make such a gamble, knowing that the Hunter Association is already paying attention?

‘Goshinji?’

No. It wouldn’t be that guy. He doesn’t have that much guts.

‘Was it the human traffickers from last time?’

That wouldn’t be it either. Almost everyone involved is dead.

Who on earth? Why? The more he thought, the more questions accumulated.

“Jukyeong, can I eat them~?”

‘Not yet.’

Shin Jukyeong quickly replied to Eve’s urging, then stood up as if he had made a decision. He didn’t conceal his presence. He deliberately revealed himself.

Bang! He first drew attention with a careless movement.

“……?!”

“……!”

Both of their gazes converged. Shin Jukyeong sat down as if startled. It was a bit awkward, but thanks to the surrounding darkness, he managed to get away with it.

“Your terrible acting hasn’t gone anywhere, has it?”

Eve quickly retorted, laughing ‘haha’. It was already embarrassing, so he told her to be quiet. Shin Jukyeong, feigning fear, calmly stared at the approaching intruders. Unfortunately, their faces were covered by masks, making identification difficult.

‘Tsk, meticulous bastards.’

After clicking his tongue inwardly, he initiated his plan.

“You guys, who- Mmph!”

As he deliberately cried out, ‘Trash 1’ quickly approached and clapped a hand over his mouth. His movements were swift, which was good. If he had been left alone any longer, his ‘reading from a textbook’ level of acting would have been exposed. Struggling! Shin Jukyeong feigned resistance while observing his opponent.

Male. Height in the mid-170s. As for scent… nothing particular. The method of subduing was also classic. He had finished his rough assessment. To summarize, there were no distinct features. He seemed like a colorless, odorless person. Of course, for an assassin, that was a compliment. The less flashy and more understated, the fewer traces left behind.

‘In short, he’s skilled.’

They hired proper guys.

“Shhh.”

‘Trash 1’, holding Shin Jukyeong tightly, whispered into his ear. A sharp blade touched his neck. It was a silent threat to keep quiet.

‘Trash 2’ watched the situation calmly, then pulled out a thin silver needle from his pocket. Hmm. The weapon choice was clean and good. With that, they could strike a vital point without splattering blood. Shin Jukyeong made an indifferent assessment as he prepared for the upcoming attack.

But what was this? ‘Trash 2′ didn’t stab Shin Jukyeong but rather shifted direction. Where he headed was the bed where Yang U-dam lay.

“……?”

‘Why aren’t they killing him?’

Shin Jukyeong’s eyes grew cold. The men were clearly coordinating. Their breathing was steady, inhaling and exhaling regularly. This meant they hadn’t let their guard down.

Yet, contradictorily, there was no intent to kill, which was the most important thing. Specifically, no intent to kill Shin Jukyeong. No matter how much he tried to sense it, it was bland, empty. So, Shin Jukyeong was excluded from the hit list?

‘Strange.’

If it were him, he would have silenced the witness as soon as he found them. To prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.

An assassin leaving a witness alive carried a huge risk. The witness might unknowingly leak information. Moreover, erasing even the smallest trace was fundamental to assassination to avoid being caught. It shouldn’t be any different for them. Why were they being so quiet?

‘Perhaps they’re against unnecessary killing?’

No way. If so, they wouldn’t commit assassinations at all. What kind of smart fool, idiotic sage nonsense was that?

‘Or is there a reason why they need to keep me alive?’

Financial power to hire professionals. Someone who doesn’t care about the Hunter Association’s scrutiny. The reasons he thought of pointed to someone. Ah, this was troublesome…

‘I’m ending up suspecting people I don’t want to suspect.’

Shin Jukyeong clenched his fist. His stomach churned. It was because absurd hypotheses kept coming to mind.

‘……Surely, it can’t really be Father.’

From the depths of his heart, anxiety subtly reared its head. “Damn it,” he cursed, squeezing his eyes shut then opening them. No. Calm down. It couldn’t be Father. More than anything, there was no motive. Didn’t he know Father? If Yang U-dam had been a nuisance, Father would have dealt with him long ago. Trying to get rid of him in such a complicated situation made no sense.

‘……Enough. Stop.’

Even if it wasn’t him, they wouldn’t have killed them. Surely, that was it. Shin Jukyeong desperately tried to deceive himself and quell his anxiety. It was an unavoidable defense mechanism. The more he imagined the worst, the more he tormented himself.

“Jukyeong, calm down.”

‘I am calm.’

“No, right now—”

‘Eve.’

“…”

‘Cast a Barrier.’

Shin Jukyeong placed his hand over the hand of the man covering his mouth. Then, he slowly raised his head and met the man’s gaze. At that moment, a chilling wind blew through the hospital room. Shaaak—it sounded like an angry snake. Soon, even the moonlight illuminating the room vanished. Complete darkness had arrived.

As the man holding Shin Jukyeong looked around in panic, smoke began to rise from the floor. And then, a strange voice echoed.

“Hello?”

It didn’t take long for the unwelcome intruders’ heads to fall to the floor.

“Try not to eat anything that’s gone bad.”

“It’s a bit tart, though.”

Crunch, crunch.

Thanks to that, he didn’t need to clean up separately, which was convenient. Shin Jukyeong, telling her not to overeat to avoid a stomach ache, headed towards Yang U-dam.

He was still sound asleep. His face showed no sign of even knowing there had been a commotion. Shin Jukyeong was quite pleased with that. He hoped that Yang U-dam would continue to enjoy peace, knowing nothing, like this.

‘But…’

Click, click, click! The sound of him picking at a hangnail was particularly distracting. As if it represented the anxiety Shin Jukyeong felt. Click, click, click, even as flesh was torn and blood droplets beaded, Shin Jukyeong didn’t stop.

‘What if something like today happens again?’

‘What if I’m not there?’

‘I killed them too quickly.’

‘Who is the client?’

‘Should I kill all suspicious individuals?’

‘Even thinking about it again, I was too hasty.’

‘If this continues…’

“……yeong!”

“If this continues, U-dam will die—”

“Jukyeong!”

He flinched. At Eve’s loud shout, Shin Jukyeong finally snapped out of it.

“Breathe!!”

What? Before he could ask again, his head spun. Gasp, gasp! He couldn’t calm down, as if he was hyperventilating. Damn it, Shin Jukyeong frowned deeply and cupped his hands together. It was a substitute for a plastic bag.

“Haa, haa…”

As he finally caught his breath and found stability, exhaustion rapidly washed over him.

“Haa…”

Shin Jukyeong was speechless. What just happened…? To think that not only his body but even his mind had become so weak. This was not a good sign. What would he do if he was swayed by every little thing?

“Shit…”

He roughly ran his hand through his hair, then stopped. No. Don’t act emotionally. Shin Jukyeong.

‘Being controlled by emotions is foolish.’

Especially negative emotions should not be expressed. You must calmly suppress them. If your actions become aggressive, you lose control over yourself. The reason humans have reason is to prevent such misfortunes. Didn’t his Master teach him that uncontrollable anger corrodes one’s life?

‘U-dam is fine, and nothing happened to us.’

He pressed his eyelids with the back of his hand, then exhaled a long breath. One, two, three… After counting exactly 10 seconds, he slowly lowered his hand. His expression was as blunt as ever. No impatience or anxiety was visible. He had calmed the surging waves in his mind.

‘But thanks to this, I realized there’s no time to spare.’

That’s right. There was still an unresolved incident. Shin Jukyeong had learned nothing about the client who attacked Yang U-dam. This meant the danger continued. What on earth did they want, to attack a child who hadn’t even fully bloomed his ability?

‘Out of fear?’

Currently, there was only one thing he could surmise. They were afraid of Yang U-dam’s Ability Manifestation. Did they want to prevent him from becoming a Hunter? Who?

‘Hmm… It all comes back to the question of ‘who’ in the end.’

Shin Jukyeong let out a scoffing laugh at the endless loop. That’s enough. It doesn’t matter who the opponent is. He just needs to track them down to the end and find out.

‘How dare they try to kill my younger brother; they will pay the price.’

I’ll make you regret ever being born. You bastard.

‘But before that.’

Shin Jukyeong gazed down at Yang U-dam. To be honest, he was lucky today. He happened to be there.

If the misfortune he just experienced reappeared in a different form, it could lead to a terrible end. The world was by no means easy. Yang U-dam, a fledgling, needed to learn how to protect himself. For that, a quick awakening was necessary.

‘Eve.’

“Yes~?”

‘This won’t do. Let’s finish it today.’

“Eek!”

‘Don’t worry. I’ll do it.’

Shin Jukyeong knelt on one knee and lowered his posture.

By then, a faint dawn was breaking outside the window. Through the slightly open gap, the clear, crisp scent unique to dawn entered. Though he should have been tired, Shin Jukyeong’s mind was unusually sharper than ever.

“U-dam.”

He carefully cupped Yang U-dam’s sleeping cheeks with both hands. He hadn’t wanted to go this far, but this was the fastest way. “I’m sorry,” Shin Jukyeong muttered softly, then lowered his head. It would be very unpleasant, but just this once.

‘It’s just emergency first aid.’