Chapter 32 – Memory Tattoo

With eасh word Kаnemitsu spоkе, thе fасеs of the surrоunding guild members grеw рalе.

Тhеу wеre аfraid thе focus might shift tо thеm.

Аs еxpеctеd of Hound Dоg.

It sеemed they rulеd nоt only outsiders but evеn thеir own guild members through violеnсe and fеar.

“…Тhаt’s right, I just hаd а great idea. Yоu, join our guild. Оur guild is grеаt. Unlike othеr guilds, wе hаve freеdom! You сan do whatevеr уou want.”

“Whаtеver I wаnt?”

“Yeah. If уou want somеthing, just takе it. If sоmeone pisses уou оff, just kill thеm. Тhat’s thе freedоm living сrеatures аre suрроsеd tо havе. Yоu сan еvеn make your subordinates pay tribute. In our guild, those below can do whatever they want.”

“Is that so?”

“So, what do you say? Won’t you join Hound Dog? If you join the guild, I might even overlook your actions up until now.”

“I see.”

Hound Dog was at least a mid-tier guild.

It was large in scale, and rumors said valuable items circulated within the guild.

The Asuto from before might have found this recruitment offer appealing.

But—

“Your answer?”

“I decline.”

Freedom and doing as one pleases are different.

Freedom comes with responsibility, but a self-indulgent way of life has neither responsibility nor decency.

Asuto’s goal was Kanzaki Mao from her prime.

The Ice-Blood Princess, who shouldered the responsibilities of a Hunter alone and challenged monsters above her rank.

Since Hound Dog was the polar opposite, he felt not the slightest attraction.

“Is that so, is that so? Well, then there’s nothing to be done.”

The man lightly raised his hand.

Simultaneously, the other Hunters spread out to the sides.

“…Sorry, but I don’t have time for this. Please move aside.”

He didn’t have time to fight Hound Dog.

If he didn’t get to the hospital where Kanzaki was right now, her mother’s life might run out.

If her mother died, all his efforts until now would be for nothing.

“You think I’m just gonna let you pass? ‘Yes, sir’?”

“—!”

As Asuto tried to pass by, he sensed killing intent and performed a Backstep.

The man’s toes passed right before his eyes.

Asuto rested his hand on his weapon, carefully surveying the Hunters.

“…………”

If they were all Close-Combat Hunters, he could manage by disrupting them with movement.

However, among the Hunters, there were those holding staves.

If he had to deal not only with magic attacks but also debuffs flying his way, escaping would be nearly impossible.

More fundamentally, he strongly questioned why they were here.

Right now, it was 4 a.m., before the sun had even risen.

No matter how much this was the city that never sleeps, foot traffic was quite sparse.

Most people didn’t even know a Gate had appeared in this location.

How had they managed to learn that Asuto had entered here at this hour?

Even for an excellent Information Broker, it was far too quick to have pinpointed Asuto’s location.

(…A mole, then.)

When a Gate is discovered, the first discoverer has an obligation to report it to the Hunter Association.

Unless one assumed there was someone within that Hunter Association who was connected to Hound Dog, it was impossible to explain how they had gathered here so quickly, and with the specific aim of targeting Asuto.

(Dammit, what’s wrong with the Hunter Association’s management system?)

Asuto inwardly cursed.

“It’s been a while since we had a fool who openly picked a fight with Hound Dog. I’ll take you on personally.”

The man smiled and loosened his tie.

It was a twisted smile, as if beating people to death was the joy of his life.

“Please, put up at least some resistance. Otherwise, it won’t be any fun.”

The man took off his shirt.

His body was well-proportioned, to the point of even feeling beautiful.

His muscles weren’t unnecessarily bulging. They weren’t for show, but existed solely for actual combat.

He took a pair of knuckles, shining a dull gray, from his pocket and put them on.

(A boxer, huh? Troublesome.)

Boxers, like Assassins, were a type of Hunter who used Agility to confound their opponents and unleash One-Hit Kill attacks.

Their rank was about the same or slightly higher.

(This is no time to be wasting time here…)

Anxiety and impatience swelled in his chest.

Asuto was racking his brains when it happened.

His eyes were drawn to the tattoo on the man’s shoulder.

The tattoo depicted a wolf at its center.

There was no way Asuto could forget this pattern.

(…I see. It was them.)

Last time, the group that assaulted Kanzaki and took everything from her.

That group was Hound Dog.

Instantly, the anxiety and impatience vanished.

Deep in the pit of his stomach, a scorching flame ignited with a thump.