Chapter 134: Being Drawn(4)
“You, how did you….”
My legs gave up as I tried to vocalize. It was as if all the side effects have overwhelmed me at once. Yoohyun’s arms took a hold of me, preventing me from plopping down… The little lizard was already taking on a human shape. It wasn’t a perfect human form. It was a shape forged in fire like Iryn or Ismuir.
“…Such a thing is possible too….”
– Maybe, I can credit it to the events in Hong Kong. However, it will be too burdensome to use it for a long time.
“Too burdensome? How so?”
– First, my real body will be defenseless….
“Are you crazy, Han Yoohyun! Go back in right now! You, you are in the middle of attacking an S-level dungeon!”
– Don’t worry. It’s safer to be inside where there are only Guild members than being outside. Besides, there are other two S-levels, too. Besides, Fiz and Park Yaerim will take good care of me because of you.
The little brother spoke nonchalantly, but my heart ached as my concerns grew. It was not easy to leave the spirit far behind, so it was made such that he would wake up if Eunhae was to respond while sleeping. Then there was the scar on the chest that should not be seen. I did hide it as soon as Yoohyun’s voice was heard though.
– A perfect fairy tale can only be maintained for less than thirty minutes or so. Iryn, too, will fall back to sleep. So, contact the leader of the Saesung Guild.
Yoonhyun spoke while watching Song Taewon who was dusting the fire off that might have caught onto his clothes.
“Sung Hyunjae should be inside the dungeon still?”
– He just came back this morning after having been in Hong Kong for work. It is the Eblin Hunter that went into the dungeon.
It was another one of Saesung’s S-level hunter that launched the attack, rather than Sung Hyunjae. Not sure what he has been up to, but it sounded like he was keeping Haeyeon informed as promised.
“Hm, as I have determined to stay away from Sung Hyunjae for about three days, it may be difficult for me to keep in touch…. Noah is also in the vicinity.”
– Noah Hunter is not enough. The leader Song Taewon is the one who has the most battle experience with S-level hunters in the country. Furthermore, being a man-to-man combat specialist, I don’t think he would even last three minutes being an auxiliary type.
Three minutes, that’s crazy. Still, I didn’t feel like encountering Sung Hyunjae at the moment. Swallowing my dry mouth, I looked at Song Taewon. Sudden chill went down my spine as our eyes met.
– Contact’em now.
Yoohyun said as he was forging a spear in fire. From his low toned voice, there was a glimmering sense of nervousness.
– Not sure what had happened, but it doesn’t look like things will just pass.
At the same time, Song Taewon began to move. As he was not using the teacher skill, his movements could not be easily detected, visually. There was only the thumping sound of the ground, and.
Kwang!
The rise of the fire wall when the fire spear penetrated the ground was what was only visible. In no time, Yoohyun who was next to me disappeared. I took out the cell phone as I felt the heat coming from the fire that was all around me. Truly, I really do not want to engage.
After a few rings, Sung Hyunjae answered the phone. His normal calm voice reached my ears in somewhat different fashion. I felt timid, just by talking on the phone, shit, should I just say that I dialed the wrong number.
“…If you have some time now, could you please come to the Dungeon Brake Territory. You don’t have to if you are too busy though.”
[Is the leader Song, alone, not enough? He would be able to easily take care of Lycan type, even if it was an S-level monster. I also heard that Noah who is an auxiliary type was there, too.]
The only things that came into my view were the fires and intermittently rising debris. At the moment, I felt that it would be impossible to process the information that was to be transmitted through a skill, but I thought that that wouldn’t be a bad thing. Wouldn’t it be better to be unconscious than to face Sung Hyunjae, clear minded with only a C-level fear resistance.
If I was to pretend to be dead, Song Taewon might just brush by me. He is not a bear. Did they say that one would be devoured and eaten by the bear if one was to play dead.
‘There is nothing else I can do anyway.’
I should just get a hold of myself before Sung Hyunjae was to arrive. First, I used the teacher skill towards Yoohyun, Iryn. Simultaneously, I felt heat rising in my body. It was almost like my mouth was drying up. With the L-level fear resistance, it would be like watching something burning from across the river, but right now, I felt like I was watching a great big fire of annihilation right before my eyes.
And Song Taewon.
‘…That was scary.’
Even if he was engulfed in fire, his eyes appeared ever colder.
As the effectiveness of the skill has disappeared by two folds, the range of pillaging has been narrowed. Yet, as if he was equipped with fire resistance items, not much of injuries due to burning, even within the flaming fire, could be seen.
But it wasn’t like there wasn’t any. One of his shoulders had a deep spiked wound, perhaps, from the direct impact of the fire spear.
Kwwadduck, the foot that pounded the ground kicked off a piece of the asphalt in to the air. The flame that was going to burn Song Taewon has melted down the black mass.
Through it all, an edge of the hand engulfed with the black shadow split Han Yoohyun’s chest. As it wasn’t real flesh, no blood spewed out. There probably was no pain, either. It could be said that Yoohyun’s very body was, itself, a skill. Split widely, the fire did not easily recover its form, and being in a plight, he cringed his red eye brows.
‘At this rate, I wouldn’t last ten minutes, let alone thirty minutes.’
On top of not having the original body, there wasn’t any equipment, nor could skills be used effectively. As a result, only the simple fire power was being used, causing greater loss of stamina. On top of that, Song Taewon’s skill was scraping off small bits at a time.
Well, if nothing works, I will just faint.
I again used the teacher skill against Song Taewon. My vision became blurry. I was breathing a bit faster, but it wasn’t to the point of losing my consciousness.
‘Song Taewon, you do not reject it, though.’
Why. Although I felt curious, I still unilaterally transmitted Song Taewon’s senses to Yoohyun. Immediately after that, Yoohyun barely dodged Song Taewon’s kicks, and powerfully swung his arm. Like iron mace, the fire chunks pounded on Song Taewon.
Being on the direct receiving end of it, he flew back and did a somersault in the air. Song Taewon threw a powerful kick to the external wall of the ill fated building.
Kwarrrrrhh-
The wall cracked and a great big hole was punctured in it. In the midst of the fluttering concrete dust, flame of fire rose up and the heat sensor has activated the sprinklers. Water and fire coming together caused strong rise of vapor. The two men collided once again in the midst of it.
That building, it looks like it will collapse today.
As the powers of the two men shook the area, I just plopped down as I felt nauseated like being sea sick.
I wanted to lose my consciousness before Sung Hyunjae’s arrival, but I suppose I was tougher than I expected. I should really play dead-
– Hyung!
Yoonhyun shouted right then. I, too, felt an ominous feeling. Damn it.
Kwaaaang.
The earth shook. Shit. Before I was able to get up, something resembling a gigantic mole appeared out of the ground by crushing the sidewalk blocks into pieces. The monsters must have appeared, whether it was the 1st storey or the 2nd storey. I had briefly forgotten that I was the monster’s gastro-venture.
– Keeeaaah!
The mole screamed that it looks delicious as it looked at me. Just before the bastard extended its front paw out towards me.
Pang!
A black fire, appearing to bend in order to engulf it, blew up the dark skull. It was followed by a flying dagger, piercing through the head of another bastard that appeared behind me. The mole with a big punctured head, which was falling towards my direction, was pulled to the side by the wire that coiled around it.
Kwang
I felt a little dumbfounded by the falling monster which has avoided me to the side. Gosh, leader Song, you just told me that you were going to crush me or destroy me or something, and you really did it.
‘Though it sure sounds like you.’
– Hyung, are you all right?
Yoohyun quickly came over to my side, and again engulfed the mole that was sprouting out. It’s not like I’ve seen the monsters only once or twice before, I was just a bit nervous. However, I didn’t think I could get up. Besides, the ground was still shaking…. They would need to do a major repair project around here.
“Since they are underground type, Noah Hunter must be having a difficult time stopping them without poison.”
He said with some sense of surprise. You know it well. The S-level Lycanthrope has become a mess.
“That leader Song is the problem. As long as I was higher than an F-level, I was told that my life wasn’t supposed to be threatened, but Sung Hyunjae was wrong this time.”
[My item must have been very attractive.]
“If you don’t want to see only the remnants of the item’s debris then you should jump over here within 10 minutes.”
I didn’t think that Song Taewon was really going to kill me, though. Wouldn’t he just break my arms and legs, so that I remain still and calm. Perhaps, it was because the degradation of the fear resistance, I felt one of my legs beginning to throb, just from thinking about it.
I like both of my legs intact, so if you could please take it easy.
‘Should I use teacher skill or something.’
Song Taewon said as he squeezed and crushed the neck of the mole. In no time, there only remained a long line of burn marks from the forehead to the right eye. Even a random person would feel the pain from just looking at it, yet he did not even blink.
“Han Yoojin.”
The vein bulged hand pulled out the spine, and he threw it against another mole where it got lodged in the mole’s eye. Simultaneously, a the mole’s scream came as Taewon’s leg spiked down on the mole.
Yoohyun leered at him who was approaching me. Although he had a ferocious attitude, the spirit fire has already been weakened for the most part.
“This way. I’ll protect you.”
A hand, covered with blood and torn flesh, extended out to me. He appeared to have gone mad from the fact that those words seemed sincere.
Yoohyun cringed by holding me halfway.
– Really, did something happen, hyung. The leader Song appeared to have tried to remove the wrist band, and you now say that you will protect me?
“…Did we ever discuss anything about life, before.”
I interjected even after my life has become a mess by telling him to stop trying to do a twisted break dancing and just help my cause. Come to think of it, I should just let it go by admitting that Song Taewon had the right to pull out my tongue at least once, for change.
Still, there was a nice vibe during our first meeting, Song Taewon’s car was demolished and my neck was squeezed…. Hm, perhaps, not that much difference from today. Certainly, a person should have at least a small spoonful of fear in their hearts. Otherwise, this type of things could happen.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t want to go now because I am in fear of Song Taewon.”
“Normally, I get scared at moments like this too. However, I reckon that it will be better than being eaten by the monsters.”
Song Taewon tried to coax me as if he has found me in the middle of a disaster.
“How would I know which would be better. It’s possible that the monster’s stomach could be more comforting than being captured by you.”
“If you’d just follow my instructions quietly, nothing will happen.”
What I have said came back to me. All the while, the moles kept coming out of the ground. They formed a pack at a distance away from the fire.
– …I’ll come out as quickly as I can.
Having become quite blurry, Yoohyun looked down on me with a concern.
“No need to. It’s fine.”
Yoohyun’s body size shrunk. Having returned to the shape of Iryn, the lizard, he absorbed into my shoulder like a tattoo.
Song Taewon came towards me by walking on the messed up road. Not even having the strength to stand up, I looked up at the man that stood before me. I felt chilly, although it was a summer night. To say it honestly, I shuddered.
“I’m a scared ordinary person. Please be kind to me.”
“I’ll certainly do that if you choose to remain that way.”
“You mean drink beers together, make small talks over the phone, and things like that?”
“Not during business hours.”
“Do you normally stay friendly with your neighbors like that?”
“I’m not a person who others can easily be friendly towards.”
“I, too, won’t be able to remain friendly should I feel fear.”
Song Taewon lowered his back. He then lightly picked me up.
“So, you are not going to call me anymore.”
“I am. And I will continue to do the things that you do not like. No matter what, you will continue to do the same anyway even if I wouldn’t like it. However, since I’m close to an S-level, please go soft on me.”
Tang-
A piece of the sidewalk block was kicked in the place of a reply. The head of the mole that was slowly approaching has been demolished.
Those bastards were the kind that could easily breach the blockades and cause wreak havoc in the city. However, they were all just looking at me.
At this rate, the essential option to minimize the dungeon brake damage would get added.
“I’m not sure how to talk to Han Yoojin still. I reckon that it may be better to get rid of him right here, right now.”
His calm voice gave me more goose bumps. As I tried to choose the words in the midst of ever so rising fear.
Kwaang-!
There was a sound of thunder. There came a light that was bright enough to hurt my eyes as the pack of the moles was swept away. The monstrous screams of the bastards were continually being absorbed by the thunder.
It was truly in an instant that the pack of the monsters changed into a pile of dead bodies. As a bonus, along with them, a villa and two buildings were unfortunately blown up like that of a popcorn packaging.
“Leader Song.”
Sung Hyunjae easily jumped over the road that has been cracked open as if there had been an earthquake. There was a smile in the eyes that were focused in this direction.
“You should return the lost items that you find to the rightful owner. Can a government worker claim an award for returning lost and found items? My item is very precious and expensive.”
You can really make a big score. Sung Hyunjae spoke in a way to hurt one’s feeling, as he always did. At this moment, I thought that Song Taewon and I were having a similar feeling.