Chapter 92

Chapter 92

I kept my mouth shut and stayed silent. And the man still holding me in his arms comforted me in a voice that sounded like he was gently coaxing me.

“Well, don’t be too discouraged. I’m sure Andres will only say harsh things to you and try to scare you, but we have no intention of treating you carelessly. You’re the only ‘Adjuster’ in this entire world, aren’t you?”

“……”

I wasn’t discouraged, nor was I even despairing. That was because these people knew nothing about Jeong Seojin.

He wasn’t an ordinary S-Rank hunter.

Jeong Seojin was never just some guy who happened to rank first among the mediocre S-Rank hunters of a small country, like they thought.

‘If it’s a trap meant to steal the time of the number one S-Rank…’

I closed my eyes.

‘To an S+-Rank hunter, that’s nothing more than a toy.’

“And if you agree to our request, we’ll send you back safely. Of course, we’ll take some measures to make sure you don’t disclose the terms of our contract to outsiders, but—”

“No.”

I gazed beyond the darkness before my eyes at what dwelled within me. Thump-thump, beyond the sound of my heart beating faster than usual, there was a familiar sensation. Mana that coursed through my entire body—if I had to describe it in color, it was gold. Three knots at the end of a flow that was hazy like mist yet clear as water.

One was green.

Another was black.

And the last one was…

I opened my eyes again. At the end of the knotted mana, the owner of the golden-tinged mana, just like mine, was rushing toward this place.

“That won’t happen.”

“…What are you suddenly talking about… Andres!”

The man holding me urgently called out the name of the man walking ahead. But it was already too late. Rumble, a sound like distant thunder echoed faintly. And then.

CRASH!!

The ceiling that had been firmly above our heads just moments ago shattered entirely. It was a shock as if the clear sky itself had collapsed.

“Damn it…!”

As Olive, looking quite flustered, pulled out something like a round shield, and the man ahead stepped back with a face mixed with irritation and surprise, a familiar hand grabbed me and pulled me away from Olive.

“Cough, cough…!”

“Honestly, the moment I take my eyes off you for even a second, you always end up tangled in some incident, my master.”

The familiar hand carefully gripped my shoulder, and then a deep sigh fell from above my head. When my coughing subsided enough, I lifted my head.

“Cough, I’m sorry. Things just ended up like this somehow…”

“Don’t apologize for something that isn’t your fault. The one who should be apologizing to me right now, even if it means banging his head on the ground…”

Jeong Seojin’s gaze, which had been fixed on my face, turned toward the man across from us. The look in Jeong Seojin’s eyes as he stared at the man was filled with the tenacity and coldness of a predator chasing its prey.

“Is that bastard.”

“I didn’t think you’d hold out until the end… but still, I didn’t expect you to break through such a carefully prepared trap this quickly.”

True to being an S-Rank hunter, the man seemed unfazed even under Jeong Seojin’s predatory, tenacious gaze. No, it wasn’t just that. He didn’t just seem unfazed—he actually seemed to find Jeong Seojin interesting. His blue eyes, which had been beautiful but mineral-like, like a gemstone just moments ago, were now brimming with life.

“You really didn’t want to let go of the ‘Equipment Adjuster,’ did you?”

“That’s none of your business.”

Of course, Jeong Seojin didn’t seem to care whether the man reacted or not. As if he had no intention of continuing the conversation, Jeong Seojin immediately waved his hand through the air and pulled out a silver sword. It seemed he was using the ‘Second Tariq’s Old Sword.’

“I have no intention of having a pointless conversation with you. Draw your weapon, ‘Eri.’”

“Hm? So you knew my name too?”

“There’s no one else bold enough to pull a stunt like this but you. Britain’s number two S-Rank, ‘Eri’ Andres August.”

So that man’s name was Andres August. Come to think of it, that Olive guy had called him Andres earlier too. I guess I was so tense back then that I couldn’t hear what people around me were saying.

Bang!

For a brief moment, silence and wariness piled up between Jeong Seojin and Andres, when a loud explosion rang out and something red shot past between us, heading toward the window on the opposite side.

CRASH. Naturally, the window couldn’t withstand the man’s heavy weight. His body began to plummet past the window, toward the parking lot far below. And then, a yell fading fast into the distance.

“F-U-C-K-K-K!!”

So this was what ‘Fuck’ sounded like in the birthplace of English. I gained a very belated and absurd realization as I checked on Hunter Joo Minju’s condition. As if the battle had been rough, Hunter Joo Minju was in a pretty tattered state. Her clothes were covered in dust and torn in several places, and her hair, which had been neatly tied back, was now loose and disheveled—her hair tie must have vanished somewhere during the fight.

Hunter Joo Minju swept her stray hair back irritably, then spat onto the ground with a *cough-hock*. Actually, it was more like a clump of blood than spit. Had she taken internal damage during the fight? Before I could even voice my concern, she wiped her mouth roughly with her sleeve and stared at Jeong Seojin.

“Fuck… Hey, Jeong Seojin. What took you so long?”

“And you, what were you doing that let Yoon Seohee fall into the hands of a bastard like that?”

“…Shit. Can’t argue with that.”

Maybe it was because of the combat. Unlike usual, Hunter Joo Minju’s face was twisted in a very rough expression as she spat out curses in a hoarse voice.

“Fuck. I didn’t think a bunch of S-Rank bastards would gang up like a bunch of dickheads. Fucking assholes.”

‘…I’ve heard there are hunters whose personalities change during battle, but…’

I never thought I’d see such a case right in front of me. I pressed myself closer behind Jeong Seojin as I watched Hunter Joo Minju. She slammed the long rifle she was holding into the ground with a *thud*.

“Cough, ptoo.”

Hunter Joo Minju gathered another mouthful of spit, then spat a reddish-tinged glob onto the floor, which now looked more like a construction site than a hotel hallway. She stared at the bloody clump with an indifferent gaze, then turned her fury-filled eyes toward the man across from her.

“Hey, Jeong Seojin. I’m fighting that bastard first. I already took a hit from him, you know? I won’t feel better until I pay him back.”

As she spoke, Hunter Joo Minju’s hand rummaged through the air. Before long, a silver pistol with a design identical to her long rifle appeared in her grip. She ground her teeth audibly and aimed the pistol at Andres.

“Hey, you son of a bitch. Eat thi—”

“That’s enough.”

With a *thud*, Hunter Joo Minju’s body, which had been triumphantly aiming her pistol at Andres, crumpled. Jeong Seojin, who must have moved before anyone could see, caught her falling body roughly and then hurled her straight toward me.

Yes, hurled. Literally, *whoosh*.

“Whaaa—?!”

I threw myself in the direction Hunter Joo Minju was flying. Fortunately, I wasn’t too late, and I managed to catch her safely. Feeling my heart pound wildly from the sudden situation, I glared at Jeong Seojin.

“How can you just throw a person like that?!”

“An S-Rank like her isn’t going to get hurt from something like that.”

“Th-that’s true, but still! There’s such a thing as manners, you can’t just throw people…!”

“Ah—save the nagging for later. I do enjoy a good scolding from my master, but right now I have to fight.”

Jeong Seojin waved a hand dismissively and, true to his word, looked ready to fight Andres at any moment. He drew the silver sword I’d seen during my first attempt at ‘Equipment Adjustment.’ This time, though the sword looked identical to the one before, it wasn’t rusted or chipped.

“The answer’s probably the same, but I’ll ask anyway. Do you plan to back off?”

“…Do you think I would?”

Andres smiled faintly. One of the lights that had miraculously survived this violent battle cast a soft glow on his smiling face.

“Even if we did back off quietly, you wouldn’t let us go, would you?”

“Well, that’s true. I’m not enough of a pushover to let someone who dared lay hands on my people go easily.”

“I figured as much. Olive.”

Andres, who had been talking with Jeong Seojin, suddenly called out to Olive, who had been standing nearby with a bewildered expression.

“Huh? Why me all of a sudden?”

“Go after Lee Yoomyeong.”

“What?”

What was he talking about? Startled by Andres’ sudden remark, I looked around. And only then did I realize that someone who should have been here was missing.

‘…Hunter Lee Yoomyeong, where did he go?’

It wasn’t just Hunter Lee Yoomyeong. The woman with the multicolored hair, who had been locked in battle with him moments ago, had also vanished. I scrambled to my feet and looked around, but they were nowhere to be seen either.

“What… Hazel was definitely supposed to be handling him…!”

“He’s a man skilled in sorcery, especially curses, so he probably pulled some trick. You’d be able to chase him down, so go on and get after him.”

“Hah… I knew we should’ve recruited him back then. Anyway, got it.”