Chapter 71

Woo-sung’s eyes narrowed sharply.

This was a place where special hunters gathered. It was not a place for a fool to step foot in.

“Can’t even grasp the situation.”

“Woo-sung-ah, it’s okay to take a break if you’re having a hard time.”

Kijun, mistaking Woo-sung’s halted movement for exhaustion, spoke kindly.

Woo-sung, about to deny it, hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

“Yes, I’ll take a short break. I’m sorry, seniors.”

“No, it’s okay. We brought you here to gain experience, and you’ve done well.”

“That’s right. We couldn’t get rid of it anyway. Go and watch from the side.”

“It’s your first time facing such a tough monster. Go rest.”

With the seniors’ words, Woo-sung nodded and stepped back, then slowly approached Seo Go-woon.

Up close, Seo Go-woon seemed to be evaluating something, nodding and muttering to himself.

His demeanor resembled that of hunters assessing their fight with a Kraken.

‘Who is he to judge? Does he think he’s something special because Guildmaster Shin Sooha and others take care of him? It’s all because of his brother.’

Envy boiled up within him. Despite the rumors of Seo Go-woon becoming more docile in his resolve to live as a hunter, to Woo-sung, Seo Go-woon seemed to be merely basking in unearned privilege.

It irked him to see Seo Go-woon standing confidently, despite not being a special hunter like himself and having a lower rank.

“Yeah, you need a good scolding.”

At best, a D-rank. How many monsters could he have possibly defeated? Facing a Kraken head-on would surely make his knees buckle in fear.

‘How can I make the Kraken notice this guy?’

Throwing debris from the ground wouldn’t be difficult.

But the chances of it bouncing off like before were high.

Moreover,

“He’ll come running at me foaming at the mouth if he hears I insulted his brother.”

Even if the Kraken did notice Seo Go-woon by chance, if Seo Taeju realized it was because of the debris Woo-sung threw, Seo Taeju wouldn’t stand by idly, just as Kijun said.

“What should I do?”

He knew there was no solution, but he couldn’t just let it be.

Now, just seeing Seo Go-woon’s face filled him with rage, and the words of Shin Sooha would involuntarily come to mind.

“Who received this crap?”

“This place wasn’t made for trash like this to come in, was it?”

‘It’s all because of this bastard.’

It was all Seo Go-woon’s fault that Shin Sooha couldn’t recognize his uniqueness, and that Seo Taeju cursed at him.

Grinding his teeth in anger, Woo-sung glared at Seo Go-woon.

Seo Go-woon aimed his magic gun at the Kraken.

“Is he planning to kill the Kraken with that?”

Woo-sung snickered. The Kraken was a beast that could deflect concrete.

A magic bullet would surely be deflected.

Moreover, how powerful could a shot fired by a D-rank hunter be?

Yet, Woo-sung suddenly felt uneasy at the sight of Seo Go-woon, motionless, aiming his gun.

The gun was pointed at the Kraken’s head.

‘If the bullet penetrates the Kraken’s head.’

Even though he thought it was impossible, Woo-sung unknowingly activated a skill.

His target was Seo Go-woon.

****

I sprang up and ran in the opposite direction.

Seeing a shadow cast over my head by a huge foot, I immediately rolled away.

“Ah, damn it.”

I knew my body was scraping against the debris on the ground, but I couldn’t stop rolling.

“Seo Go-woon!”

“Seo Go-woon-ssi!”

“Hyung!”

The desperate shouts of people couldn’t save me.

I narrowly avoided the Kraken’s leg as it grazed me and plunged into the ground.

“Wow, damn it.”

But there was no time to feel relieved.

“Do you have eyes on your feet?”

The foot that had hit the ground squirmed and rushed towards me.

I pulled a bomb item from my infinity pouch and threw it, then closed my eyes.

With a loud bang, the ground shook, and I felt pain in my back as if hit by debris.

“Ugh.”

As soon as the shaking stopped, I turned around and aimed my gun again.

Fortunately, I saw the Kraken’s leg returning to its body.

“Damn, damn it.”

Muttering Detective Kim’s words, now habitually used, I pulled out another bomb to prepare for battle.

The Kraken’s leg had retreated out of surprise, not because the attack was effective.

‘It’ll definitely come back.’

And just as I predicted, the Kraken’s leg was swiftly flying towards me again.

“Damn it! I was trying to attack its weak point.”

Just as I was about to roll on the ground again to avoid the narrowing distance, my body suddenly shot up into the sky.

Then, I moved rapidly as if being sucked into somewhere.

‘What’s this? Did the Kraken have such an attack?’

In my panic, I flailed, but nothing seemed to restrain my body.

Then, my descent slowed.

And someone grabbed my waist, allowing my feet to touch the ground.

“Are you alright, Hunter Seo Go-woon?”

It was Shin Sooha.

He seemed to have used his psychokinesis to move me towards him, just like during the dungeon incident in the forest.

“Yes, thank you.”

“Damn it. This is why I told you to go home!”

“Seo Go-woon, you’re bleeding! Does it hurt a lot?”

“Does anyone have a potion?”

Why are all these people here? Aren’t they supposed to be fighting the Kraken?

Then, seeing Taeju pulling out a potion, I shouted loudly.

“Hey! It’s just a scratch! I don’t need it!”

No matter how rich they are, do they know how expensive potions are! This wound would heal with just saliva!

“Guildmaster Shin Sooha.”

At Taeju’s call, Shin Sooha hugged me, preventing me from moving.

What’s this? Is he restraining me now?

Taeju, looking displeased at Shin Sooha for a moment, opened the potion and poured it on my face and visible wounds.

“Damn it, what a waste!!”

“I’ll buy you a set. Please stay still.”

“See? The wealthy Guildmaster Shin Sooha will buy it. Just stay still.”

Since when did these two get along so well?

The wounded area began to tingle and itch as it healed.

“There’s a wound here too.”

Shin Sooha spun me around. Wow. Even though I’m an adult man, is it okay to spin me around like a child?

“Hyung, I’m going to tear the clothes a bit.”

“What?!”

Before I could even respond, the sound of fabric tearing filled the air.

“Ah, damn it. This is even worse.”

While my arms and face were just scratched, my back had bomb shrapnel embedded in it, so of course, it was worse!

“Hey, just leave it alone, it’ll heal on its own. Seriously!”

“It’s not a wound that can heal on its own! Since there’s shrapnel embedded, we can’t just pour potion on it. Does anyone have a healer with them?”

“Who would be crazy enough to bring a precious healer into a rift? I’ll just go to the hospital and get treated, so focus on the Kraken-“

“I’ll remove it.”

“Ugh.”

A sudden burning sensation on my back made me groan. What’s this? Why are they doing this all of a sudden?

With a crackling sound, either the potion was poured, or a cold sensation was felt on my back.

“Ugh.”

“The wound is deep, so even with a healing potion, it might hurt a bit. It’s healing now, so just bear with it a little.”

As Taeju said, the sharp pain quickly subsided, and a tickling sensation followed, perhaps as the flesh began to regenerate.

“If the treatment is done, please let go of me now.”

Shin Sooha looked at Taeju.

What’s this? I’m the one asking to be released, so why is he looking at Taeju?

“Yes, you’re all healed up now.”

Shin Sooha let go of me and took a step back. Then he stared at me intently. It wasn’t just Shin Sooha, but Michael, Lee Chaewon, and Taeju, who had been leading the treatment, did the same.

‘Damn it. I’m not a five-year-old kid. What’s the big deal with having some wounds?’

This Seo Go-woon, with his rather refined face, looked more like a hunter with a few scars. What’s with the fuss about treating wounds? Such a waste of potion. The potion that guy uses isn’t something you just buy from an item shop; it’s expensive.

Even if he made a lot of money from hair growth products, he, or rather Kim Hae-ah’s penny-pinching nature hasn’t disappeared.

“Where else are you hurt?”

As Taeju was about to pull out another potion, I smacked him on the back.

“Hey, you! Are you so rich that money rots away?! Didn’t I tell you not to use potions?!”

“Is money the issue right now? The injuries are what matter!”

This guy doesn’t know the value of money! How long does he plan to be a hunter? Does he think being a hunter is a lifetime career?

“Stop it already!”

“You need to be smacked more!”

I kept hitting Taeju on the back until my frustration subsided.

Breathing heavily from the non-stop smacking, I turned my head towards Michael and Lee Chaewon, and both of them flinched.

“Both of you. Is now really the time to be lounging around here?”

“It’s not that we were playing.”

“I was worried about Hunter Seo Go-woon.”

“What about Guildmaster Shin Sooha?”

Shin Sooha smiled brightly.

“I was about to join the fight.”

Good. At least you’re keeping your wits about you.

As I nodded, Taeju grabbed my shoulder.

“Alright, you’ve done enough, so let’s just go home now.”

“Shut up.”

“Go home!”

Has this guy not been hit enough? Who is he to be yelling?

When I sharply turned my head, Taeju flinched and stepped back.

“Cut it out. I’m really pissed off right now.”

“Sigh.”

I brushed back my disheveled hair and checked on the Kraken.

In the short time the four of us were out, many hunters were injured by the Kraken.

Moreover, the Kraken, seizing the opportunity, was attacking the hunters with renewed vigor.

“First, let’s deal with the Kraken.”

“No, if you go, you’ll be caught.”

“Didn’t I tell you to shut it?”

“Ah, come on!”

“Shut up. Say one more word and I’m leaving the guild.”

Taeju glared at me with dissatisfaction.

Damn it. Look at that glare. We’ll see about this at home.

“Do you have a plan in mind?”

“Guildmaster Shin Sooha, are you deliberately not using your skills?”

For the first time, Shin Sooha looked troubled.

“I’ve been observing from over there, and it seemed like everyone was reluctant to use their skills. Hunter Lee Chaewon didn’t use hers at all.”

Lee Chaewon nodded in agreement.

“My skill isn’t for attack, so there’s no need to use it.”

“What is it then?”

“It’s spatial movement.”

Spatial movement? Isn’t that an ability that’s not even mentioned in novels?

“Why ask about skills?”

“Because it’s worth asking. Hey, what’s this spatial movement?”

“It’s exactly as it sounds—moving from one space to another. You know teleportation, right? It’s similar, but Lee Chaewon’s spatial movement compresses space to move to the desired location, like this.”

Taeju brought his distant hands together abruptly. The skill that sounded complex was instantly understood.

“And what about Guildmaster Shin Sooha and you?”

“Um, well, it’s because of Salt?”

Salt? What kind of nonsense is that?

Salt isn’t affected by skills, and Shin Sooha also thinks Salt just a regular pet?

As I frowned again, Taeju hesitated.

‘Contamination.’

Contamination? What does contamination have to do with skills? Ah! Could it be that using skills to defeat monsters accelerates contamination? Or does existing contamination accelerate when skills are used?

‘Either way, it’s better not to use them.’

I nodded in agreement.

But it’s one thing for Taeju to catch on about the acceleration of contamination because I informed him, whether it’s contamination or purification, but Shin Sooha, that guy, doesn’t know anything and is instinctively not using his skills.

‘A fearsome person.’

I felt it when I saw him attacking the Kraken, but he truly is an extraordinary person.

“Now that your curiosity is satisfied, let’s head to a safe area-“

“Ssh!”

I pointed at Taeju with my finger, a warning sign. Taeju, understanding the warning, sighed again.

Why does he always have to be so rebellious when he knows he can’t win?

“Alright. Here’s the plan. Michael and Taeju, go and catch the Kraken’s attention. Make sure it can’t look behind. And Lee Chaewon, as soon as they catch its attention, please use your spatial movement to transport Guildmaster Shin Sooha and me to the Kraken’s backside.”

“The backside?”

Those who knew where I had drawn the Kraken’s attention before made complex expressions.

“And Guildmaster Shin Sooha, please lift me up when I tell you to.”

“Okay.”

Since the Kraken would be trying to protect its weak spot, thinking it’s exposed, I needed to be as close to that spot as possible.

“Hyung, what exactly are you planning to do?”

“What do you mean? I’m trying to catch that bastard.”

What they all don’t know is that the Kraken’s body becomes more like steel over time.

An hour has already passed, so there was no more time to dally.

‘If it weren’t for that earlier.’

It wasn’t just standing still that made me trip over something, nor was it the recoil from firing the magic bullet.

‘It’s definitely a skill.’

The only things that can push me in an empty space are either a ghost or a skill.

Since ghosts don’t exist, that leaves only a skill.

“Hyung, what are you thinking about?”

“What are you doing? Aren’t we going? Hurry up.”

“Do we really have to stay here?”

“Damn it. This is the last time. If you say ‘let’s go’ one more time, I don’t care if you’re my brother or what, you’re done!”

“Ah, damn it.”

“Hey, damn it?! DAMN IT?!”

Feeling the tension between us, Michael hurriedly dragged Taeju towards the front of the Kraken.

‘The one who used a skill on me. You’re done for once you’re caught.’