Chapter 182 – The Authority of Predation (Part One)

*Shing!*

Hwang In-cheol drew his sword, and a startled Jo Nam-seok took a step back.

When he’d spoken to Il-hyeon, who had managed to contact him, there had been no mention of meeting Hwang In-cheol here.

He’d been told to deal with the attackers and then head straight for the facility to stop them, so he’d expected a few B-rank Awakened at most.

But a monster of a different caliber stood before him.

Hwang In-cheol was naturally far stronger than any ordinary operative, and escape was not an option.

Jo Nam-seok’s insides burned with anxiety. Without a word, Hwang In-cheol lunged at him.

*CLANG!*

Jo Nam-seok barely managed to block the strike, gritting his teeth.

But his opponent immediately pushed him back with a swift movement, creating an opening, and plunged the sword straight into his abdomen.

*Shunk!*

The blade slid smoothly through his stomach and emerged from the other side.

“Kuh…”

His face contorted in pain, Jo Nam-seok coughed up a spray of blood.

Gwen, stunned by the sudden turn of events before her, froze solid, unable to even scream.

She never dreamed he would be taken down so abruptly.

His death felt unreal.

As the sword was pulled out of his body, Jo Nam-seok slumped sideways, lifeless.

“Ah…”

Gwen stared blankly upward.

Hwang In-cheol turned his impassive gaze on her and slowly approached.

Red blood dripped from his sword. Frozen in place, Gwen couldn’t even think to run.

Hwang In-cheol raised his sword to take her life and swung down with all his might.

But in that very moment,

*Shunk!*

a gleaming blue blade pierced through Hwang In-cheol’s abdomen.

Hwang In-cheol, caught by the surprise attack, and Gwen, who witnessed it up close, both stared at the sword in shock.

“This is…”

“Ugh! This really hurts like hell.”

Jo Nam-seok, appearing behind Hwang In-cheol, shuddered.

Just moments ago, he had been swiftly defeated, but as it happened, Hwang In-cheol’s ability was ‘Body Restoration’.

He had quickly stolen and used the ability right before being struck, allowing him to easily ignore a mere piercing wound.

However, the pain of his abdomen being run through didn’t just disappear; in fact, it felt like the horror was amplified.

He’d gladly pass on being an Awakened if it meant having an ability like that.

Hwang In-cheol, held from behind, twisted his body violently, forcing himself off the impaled sword.

Then, he looked at Jo Nam-seok with intrigued eyes.

“What kind of trick was that?”

The typical reaction of an Awakened whose ability was stolen by an enemy was predictable.

To the Awakened, their abilities were more than just weapons; they were often seen as symbols of their identity.

So, when that was taken away, most would naturally become enraged and grit their teeth in fury.

But instead, a smile played on Hwang In-cheol’s lips.

As if he found pleasure in the unexpected.

*Sizzle!*

Hwang In-cheol’s body, which had been mangled from forcibly pulling himself off the deeply embedded sword, flickered like static and then returned to normal, leaving no trace of the wound.

Jo Nam-seok, having just experienced it himself, knew all too well that the process came with immense pain.

He shook his head, utterly appalled by Hwang In-cheol, who didn’t even blink.

“You’re a complete monster.”

“Haha, I don’t mind. Shall we see who wins?”

Hwang In-cheol gripped his sword and charged forward again.

For a moment, sharp swords clashed and parried, but Jo Nam-seok was inevitably pushed back.

Wounds began to appear on Jo Nam-seok’s body, and each time, he restored himself, his face twisting in agony.

But Hwang In-cheol didn’t let up.

“You crazy…!”

Ignoring the sword slicing across his own neck, Hwang In-cheol closed the distance and grappled with Jo Nam-seok.

With them locked in close quarters, the nature of the fight changed in an instant.

It became a messy brawl, with each stabbing the other, turning the surroundings into a sea of blood.

Since they both possessed the Body Restoration ability, the fight continued endlessly even in this situation.

However, the tide of battle was gradually turning.

It wasn’t a gap in ability or skill, but in mental fortitude.

As the original owner of the ability, Hwang In-cheol had endured this pain countless times while surviving the first cycle, but Jo Nam-seok had not.

The pain was so nauseating that he could no longer endure it by using the ability.

Just as Jo Nam-seok was about to give up,

the ground beneath where they were rolling bulged upward.

*BOOOOM!*

The sudden explosion threw Jo Nam-seok and Hwang In-cheol, who were tangled together, apart.

Once again, their battered bodies were restored. Interrupted, Hwang In-cheol pushed himself up with his sword, looking slightly annoyed.

But when he saw the person who appeared before them, the look of annoyance vanished from his face.

“Timjang-nim!”

“Il-hyeon?!”

Gwen and Jo Nam-seok also stared ahead, their eyes wide with surprise.

“Sorry I’m late, everyone.”

The familiar back and voice.

The one who had appeared was none other than their team leader, Il-hyeon.

“I heard you disappeared. I guess you weren’t running away after all?”

Hwang In-cheol said.

For over a week, he had not only kept his whereabouts hidden from everyone but had also never been caught in Eclipse’s surveillance network.

He never expected their first encounter to be in a place like this.

*Shing!*

Il-hyeon silently drew the sword from his waist.

And in an instant, he swung it.

*Slice!*

An invisible, formless sword energy shot out.

Before Hwang In-cheol could even react, the sword energy gouged out nearly half of his neck.

Blood poured from the severed nape of his neck, and Hwang In-cheol’s eyes momentarily lost focus.

By now, the Body Restoration ability should have already activated and returned him to normal.

But his wound didn’t heal in the slightest.

“Wh-why…”

*Thud!*

Unable to finish his words, Hwang In-cheol collapsed to the floor.

And his cold corpse did not move.

“What in the world…”

Gwen and Jo Nam-seok, who had witnessed the scene up close, stared blankly at Il-hyeon as he sheathed his sword.

***

*Click, clack.*

The sound of high heels echoed down the quiet hallway.

“…”

Hwayeon, who had been walking silently, suddenly stopped in her tracks.

This was the vicinity of Hwang In-cheol’s last known location before he went silent, and where an unidentified, immense energy had appeared.

Then, someone appeared behind her.

“So it was you after all.”

Hwayeon said, turning around.

And in that direction, just as she’d expected, stood Il-hyeon.

With all her pieces in place, the only high-ranking Awakened who could move freely and whose location was unknown was Kang Il-hyeon.

She hadn’t expected him to take down Hwang In-cheol without a scratch, but outwardly, he didn’t look much different.

Il-hyeon, who had already drawn his sword, spoke first.

“I heard we were comrades in another world.”

“Did the old man tell you? That’s right. I didn’t experience it myself, but I clearly read the memories… We were quite close. Though things have turned out like this now.”

Hwayeon chuckled and shrugged. The memory of when he first met her came back to Il-hyeon.

Of course, back then, he could never have imagined something like this would happen, or that their relationship would become this.

“…That doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Il-hyeon, I won’t make the same mistake as last time.”

This time, Hwayeon drew her sword.

With this incident, the plan she had been preparing for eight years was entering its final stage. She could no longer stand by and watch Il-hyeon run rampant.

If he wouldn’t listen to reason, her only option was to forcefully subdue him and make him join.

Stomping her foot hard, Hwayeon closed the distance in an instant.

*CLANG!*

The two swords collided with immense force, distorting the air around them.

They had only exchanged a single blow, but both could instinctively feel that things were different from before.

However, Hwayeon sensed that this fight would be over quickly.

There were no summoned creatures around Il-hyeon.

Given Il-hyeon’s characteristic of having low innate resistance to abilities, he could be easily subdued with a mental interference power. His only defense was sharing senses with his summons.

Without needing to drag things out, Hwayeon looked straight into Il-hyeon’s eyes and tried to invade his mind to seize control in one fell swoop.

But contrary to her expectations, her ability didn’t work at all.

*‘How…?’*

A bewildered Hwayeon hesitated for a moment.

Il-hyeon was clearly not linked to any of his summons right now.

Yet her mental control was simply blocked, as if by some invisible barrier.

Before the puzzled Hwayeon could come up with a proper answer,

Il-hyeon, who had been clashing swords with her, vanished without a trace.

“This is…!”

Hwayeon pulled back her sword, which had cut through empty air due to inertia, and quickly turned around.

But it was already too late.

Il-hyeon, appearing from behind, had swung his sword, and it was already right in front of her. Before she could fully turn, a powerful impact struck her.

*KABOOM!*

Sent flying a good distance, Hwayeon dragged her feet on the ground to barely regain her balance.

But the protective function of her Defensive Coat flickered precariously.

*‘A spatial transport ability…?’*

Il-hyeon’s sudden disappearance just now was not simply a matter of high speed.

It was a realm that couldn’t be explained without an ability related to spatial transport.

But she knew for a fact that Il-hyeon was supposed to have only three abilities: Transformation, Summoning, and Predation.

There was no way he could use a spatial transport ability…

Just as she was thinking that,

*Fwoosh!*

Il-hyeon closed the distance in an instant.

A small ring formed as his speed surged—it was undoubtedly the ‘Instant Acceleration’ ability.

Faced with such frightening speed, Hwayeon hastily moved to dodge.

As she did, the path of the sword that missed her was instantly covered in crackling frost.

An ability likely related to cold.

Now, with all these never-before-seen abilities pouring out,

“Don’t tell me…”

Hwayeon’s eyes narrowed as she grasped the situation.

Il-hyeon readjusted his stance, holding his sword ready.

“Are you finally ready to take this a little more seriously?”

“…It seems I’ll have to.”

The past week.

Il-hyeon hadn’t just been hunting monsters and absorbing their cores.

What he had returned with, after his predation, was the abilities themselves.