Chapter 32 – The Unextinguished Ember (Two)

Ray walked briskly with Philip toward the hotel entrance.

“They didn’t pull all their gang members out; they left people stationed in various places. Our movement toward the hotel must have reached Jepper and Lotsson’s ears immediately.”

In stark contrast to the highly agitated Philip, Ray remained calm.

“Right. I saw them on the way today. Kids hiding among the scrap heaps.”

“Huh…? Then why didn’t you capture them…?”

“On purpose. We’ll inevitably clash with those two gangs someday. It saves more time for them to come to me than for me to go looking for them.”

Carrying the money bag conspicuously over his shoulder while moving toward the hotel was also an intentional act to lure the enemy.

“Ray, you’re not wrong. But still, facing them after some preparation would be…”

Philip’s concern was logically sound.

Due to the unexpected incident at the duel arena, Jepper and Lotsson were likely seething with anger.

They almost lost their lives in the fire.

Simultaneously, they lost all the money they had.

Perhaps they might even claim the duel was invalid and demand their money back.

…No, they definitely would.

Considering the usual behavior Jepper and Lotsson had shown.

They would resort to violence without hesitation.

Perhaps a war could break out.

‘…Cedric’s subordinates don’t firmly recognize Ray as their Captain yet.’

The timing was bad.

If a war broke out, could they demonstrate proper unity?

They might immediately abandon us and join Jepper and Lotsson’s gangs.

‘Ray must be extremely exhausted too.’

Although he thought Ray probably had some plan…

“Philip.”

“Huh? Yeah.”

“That word earlier. What was it? About receiving returns on an investment.”

“Uh… dividend?”

“Right. That. We’ll receive a dividend today.”

Passing through the wide-open hotel doors, they could see the gangs of Jepper and Lotsson gathered outside.

“Finally crawling out, are you?”

The stout ‘Bruiser’ Jepper spat on the ground as he spoke.

“The rumor you were alive was true. I thought you’d be burned to a crisp without a chance to move.”

The exceptionally tall ‘Lanky’ Lotsson chimed in after Jepper.

Behind the two Captains stood boys holding pipes and clubs, exuding a menacing aura.

The number was roughly 80-90.

It was a level where they had brought all the combatants from both gangs.

Cedric’s gang, numbering only about 40-50, was watching nervously from a slight distance.

Jepper cracked his neck with a delinquent posture and drawled.

“I still don’t understand the situation, you know. Our hotelier bets his entire fortune on a Hunter. Cedric sets fire to his own hideout. And yet the people trapped inside are standing here perfectly fine.”

Crack!

Jepper, having straightened his neck, stared directly at Ray.

“Hunter. What do you think?”

“What else is there to think? It is what it looks like.”

Seeing Ray show no intimidation despite the numbers behind him, Jepper’s lips twitched.

“Here’s what I think. That we were tricked. Victory was decided from the start, right? The story about you spraining your ankle was a lie, and Philip is perfectly fine now too.”

Lotsson added to Jepper’s words.

“I’m of the same opinion. I even wonder if it wasn’t drugs they burned. To mess with our heads at the duel arena.”

Philip stifled a bitter laugh.

Maybe it was inevitable that not a single prediction would be off.

“Philip. I’m disappointed. We weren’t the type to screw each other over, were we? Damn it, right?”

However, the sheer momentum from the other side was so threatening that he unconsciously took a few steps back.

“I won’t drag this out. Give us our money back first. Don’t even think of making excuses that it burned. We have guys who clearly saw you with the money bag.”

“I have money to give. Philip, could you bring the bag? Put all the money we took out back in.”

“W-wait a sec. I’ll be right back.”

Philip hurriedly ran into the hotel.

“What’s this. You’re much more reasonable than I thought.”

“Right. Then we won’t have to embarrass each other needlessly.”

Jepper and Lotsson snickered.

They felt they had done well to gather all their combatants after all.

“Then again, the difference in numbers is just too big.”

“Look at those bastards hesitating. It was just Cedric who was strong, the others were nothing, right?”

Despite the blatant mockery, Cedric’s gang couldn’t say a word.

Jepper and Lotsson thought so.

Even if he didn’t show it, the Hunter must also be feeling the crisis.

“The bag is here!”

Philip returned.

When Ray opened the bag, gasps erupted from all around.

“Whoa. How much is all that?”

“We definitely bet a lot of money, didn’t we?”

Jepper and Lotsson raised their hands to quiet the murmuring.

“The total money we bet combined is 1.63 million Shillings.”

“That’s true for now, but…”

Glittering eyes.

Tongues licking parched lips.

Golden greed wobbled the massive frames within the two boys’ Vessels.

“I’ve changed my mind. There are kids injured by the fire, you see. I think we need additional compensation.”

Lotsson chimed in.

“Right. Injured kids are stuck in bed one after another. About 20 total? I think an extra 50,000 Shillings per person would be good.”

Of course, it was a lie.

Since they evacuated before the fire spread seriously, no one was seriously injured.

Ray didn’t answer and began counting money into a leather pouch.

“Huh? I don’t think there’s a need to transfer it?”

“Right. You could just hand over the whole bag as is─”

Whoosh───!

The leather pouch flew through the air and landed in Jepper’s hand.

Opening the pouch in surprise to check the amount, Jepper’s face instantly contorted.

“What’s this. The money is ridiculously low──.”

“That’s your entire dividend.”

“W-what?”

“Can’t your head work it out? The winner of the duel is me. The money bet on me was small, so the money you receive is equally small.”

“You, you──!”

Jepper and Lotsson’s faces flushed red and purple.

The other party never intended to comply with their demands from the start.

“If you want this money, try taking it by force.”

Ziiip──!

Ray pulled up the bag’s zipper.

“That’s the way of the street we all know.”

“You bastarddd──!!”

As the enemies stamped the ground, Ray threw the bag to Philip.

Thud!

“G-got it!”

Philip, who snatched the bag from the air, immediately ran into the hotel.

The anxiously waiting kids slammed the door shut the moment Philip got inside.

Screeeech───!! Bang─!!

A much louder impact than usual.

Confirming the door was firmly locked, Ray turned his gaze forward again.

“What are you doing! Move! Kill them all!”

“Screw the Contract! Wipe out the hotel bastards too!”

Jepper and Lotsson, having arrived right in front, were swinging metal pipes and wooden clubs.

Screeeech──!

Instantly, the boy’s perception of time slowed.

An utterly exhausted body and mind.

The approaching clubs and pipes.

From the duel arena to this place today, an indescribable number of things had happened.

He had also used Magic numerous times.

It wouldn’t be strange if he collapsed and fainted right then.

“……”

But he felt no sense of crisis.

He didn’t think he would lose either.

Because now, in his pocket, was the ring taken from Cedric’s finger.

Huum──

The ring, Attuned to his will, injected red Mana into the new owner’s Vessel.

The Mana began spreading throughout his body via blood vessels.

As he touched the traces of anger engraved in his heart, its speed exploded exponentially.

Expanding pupils.

Racing blood and twitching muscles.

High-quality Mana he had never experienced before.

Indeed, the Enhancement Magic crafted from it was fundamentally different in potency.

Twice the usual. No, three times.

At the very least, even more.

Feeling a thrill, he observed the incoming attacks with his greatly enhanced vision.

Normally, he would have definitely dodged.

But now, he felt no need to.

Thud!

Stepping and slightly twisting his body, Ray blocked the pipe and club with his shoulder.

Clang──!

Crunch──!

“Cr-crazy!”

“Da-damn it! What is this!”

The bent pipe and broken club.

The sensation of having struck a rock dumbfounded the two Captains.

Before they could recover from their shock, Ray’s attack continued.

Screeeech──!

Sensing danger, the two Captains immediately took defensive stances.

However, it was meaningless against Ray’s fist, which moved at a bizarre angle to exploit their openings.

“Guhk!”

“Keuhk!”

Thud! Thump!

Jepper and Lotsson, clutching their solar plexuses and collapsing, had their eyes rolled back and foam dribbling from their mouths.

“Can’t… guh… even… keuhk… talk.”

Jepper was losing consciousness amidst immense shock.

His strength was his much larger frame and the solid muscles hidden within his flesh.

It was why he could withstand even strong blows, even to the solar plexus, without flinching.

But the attack he just received was different.

It hurt unbearably, and he couldn’t breathe at all.

‘How can a single punch be like this…’

He had fully felt the Hunter’s strength at the duel arena but didn’t think he would lose.

That was a tremendous miscalculation.

The Hunter’s power was not all he had seen at the duel arena.

“Die! You bastarddd──!!”

“The opponent is exhausted! Keep attacking! Get on him!”

Even with their two Captains down, the combatants showed no sign of retreating.

A fight of 87 against 1.

They couldn’t even conceive of defeat.

Pipes and clubs incessantly flew toward Ray.

Clang──!

Crunch──!

But nothing worked.

Every attack either shattered,

bent, or was deflected.

Thanks to his skin, hardened like metal through enhancement, Ray felt no impact whatsoever.

“Grab him! Grab him, I said!”

“Do, do something! It’s just one guy!”

Ray, with a terrifying glint in his eyes, rampaged among the panicked enemies.

He paid no attention to defense, focusing solely on attack.

Under Ray’s fierce movements, the number of enemies standing on two legs rapidly decreased.

“Guh… hruk.”

“Kruhk. Gulp…”

What Ray was recalling now was the memory of that night.

The deaths of Niles and the children.

The thick smell of blood and the pouring rain.

And the intense rage and murderous intent he felt toward the Golem, the root cause of it all.

‘I’ll kill them.’

If he didn’t pour out this anger.

It felt like his body would explode into pieces.

Huum──!

The red Mana in the atmosphere also Resonated with the boy’s fury, beginning to be sucked toward his Vessel.

However, Ray’s movements didn’t stop for even a moment, and the Mana, chasing after Ray to settle into his Vessel, traced trajectories through the air like fluttering red threads.

Soon, the Mana arriving at the Vessel was immediately used to maintain and boost the enhancement, and the emptied Vessel rapidly refilled again and again.

Ray never grew tired.

As time passed, his movements only became more agile, and his hands grew more violent and cruel.

Crunch! Thwack!

Echoing sounds of impact and groans.

And bodies collapsing to the ground.

“Break down the door!”

Ray, who had been rampaging with bloodshot eyes, turned his head.

Some enemies had clung to the hotel and were straining to force the entrance door open.

Ray took a deep breath.

Stooooop─────!!

His voice, laden with Mana, boomed resonantly across the battlefield.

Some kids even covered their ears and crouched down.

Though he used the Magic instinctively without knowing the exact method, the effect was certain.

Because Cedric’s hesitant group, who had only been watching nervously, began rushing into the battlefield.

Waaahhh───!!

It was the moment the boys’ senses returned to reality.

And also the moment they clearly recognized who their new Captain was.