* * *
“What?”
My brows furrowed before I even realized it.
What the hell did he mean by that?
Hedgehog suddenly stepped forward and reached toward me.
I instinctively grabbed his wrist and twisted it hard.
Before, I’d been at a disadvantage—either blinded or held back by the Numenstone—but not this time. I had no intention of going easy.
“Agh!”
Caught off guard, Hedgehog let out a pained scream as he fell forward.
He looked visibly shaken, clearly surprised that he’d lost in both speed and strength.
What’s that in his hand?
Frowning, I looked closely at his gloved hand—and saw something squirming, like strands of hair.
At first, it was so fine and faint I hadn’t noticed, but it was unmistakably alive.
“No way…”
So this was the infamous Slave Worm I’d only heard about. It looked nothing like its brief depiction in the movie.
Now I understood why Seo Inho had chosen this bug to kill Do Soohyuk—it had that kind of sinister presence.
Its existence was so faint, I wondered how anyone even managed to find it buried in desert sands.
“This is insane…”
It was my first time seeing one in person, and I couldn’t take my eyes off it.
So… he was planning to use this to control me?
Disgust and horror crept up my spine, and I broke out in goosebumps.
Chirp! Chirp!
But then, something even more horrifying happened.
Chirpy, who had been calmly nestled in my pocket, suddenly leapt out and launched himself at the bug.
And—shockingly—he grabbed it with both hands and began munching away.
“W-what the hell…”
It was so surreal I couldn’t believe my eyes. I reflexively drove my knee into Hedgehog’s gut.
My only thought was to stop Chirpy, and my body moved before I could think.
Caught off guard, Hedgehog dropped the bug and tumbled helplessly across the ground.
“Urgh!”
“Chirpy! What are you eating?! Spit it out! Ptooey!”
I tried tapping his back, even attempted to snatch the bug away—but there was no way I could keep up with an S-Class spirit’s agility.
Like a slippery eel, he dodged all my efforts and chomped the bug down to the last bite.
The way he tore it apart, you’d think it had killed his entire family.
“Why…?”
I was completely dumbfounded. I couldn’t make sense of Chirpy’s behavior.
Even Hedgehog, now lying face-down on the ground, looked just as stunned.
But it didn’t take long for him to realize his plan had failed. He jumped to his feet.
“You brought this on yourself. I’m taking you back—even if I have to force you.”
With those words, his expression darkened, and he began gathering power.
Streams of water swirled violently above his raised hands.
I’d wondered how someone with such weak stamina made it to S-Class, but it seemed he’d been hiding some serious power.
Just like Seo Inho.
“….”
Still, maybe I’d just seen too much already.
Even this display didn’t impress me.
Compared to Do Soohyuk’s skills, this barely registered.
Honestly, I was more worried about the surrounding property getting wrecked.
“It’s going to hurt, but bear with it. I’ll heal you as soon as we get to China.”
The hedgehog fixed its gleaming eyes on my ankle, staring in complete silence.
It looked ready to swing that sharp stream of water and slice clean through without hesitation.
There was a clear determination to drag me off to China, even if it meant using extreme force.
Honestly, I just wish it would leave my legs alone…
They’d already been broken multiple times under torture.
Sure, I’d been healed repeatedly with potions, but even the memory of that pain still made me shudder.
With a quiet sigh, I lifted my head.
Chirp chirp!
Before I knew it, Chirpy had transformed into smoke and was circling above my head.
Probably frustrated it couldn’t activate any abilities in the EX dungeon, it was now practically bursting with excitement at the chance to put up a barrier.
Given that, I figured I didn’t need to step in personally this time. I could just wait for the right moment, smash the bastard over the head, and drive him off so he’d never come near me again.
Of course, if even one piece of property got damaged, I planned to bleed him dry in compensation.
“Inho?”
But as I said, accidents always happen when you least expect them.
My father, clearly worried by the commotion, had unknowingly wandered closer.
By the time my eyes—until now cold and indifferent—snapped wide open, the hedgehog was already mid-cast, just about to unleash that water blade.
Judging by the size of the skill, it was unclear whether the effect would reach where my father stood.
But even if it didn’t, my father was unawakened and frail—an elderly man with a weak constitution.
Even a small shock could be life-threatening for someone like him.
Damn it!
Just as I tilted my head up to send Chirpy out—
KA-BOOM!
A blinding bolt of lightning suddenly tore down from the sky, bleaching the world white.
Even though it was already bright midday, the light was so intense I couldn’t keep my eyes open. T
he boom swallowed every sound around us.
Is this what it feels like when a bomb explodes right in front of you?
Clutching my ringing ears, I looked around with effort.
The shockwave had triggered every parked car alarm nearby, all blaring at once.
Thankfully, the lightning didn’t seem to have reached where my father stood.
I spotted him standing there in a daze, clearly stunned.
As he started to move like he might rush over, I raised my hand to signal I was okay.
What the hell just happened?
For a second, I thought the hedgehog had used a skill—but no, it wasn’t water. It was unmistakably lightning.
And that lightning strike had landed right on the hedgehog’s head.
“What the…”
The only one lying in a crater on the ground was the hedgehog.
Unfortunately for him, he’d been wrapped head to toe in water.
The damage looked even worse because of it.
His shoes were nothing but scorched remnants, and smoke curled up from his charred clothing.
Still… the fact that he was barely clinging to life proved he really was S-rank.
“A lightning bolt from a clear sky…?”
“Haha, sorry about that! My bad.”
A cheery, bright voice called out behind me—completely at odds with the situation.
I turned around, cautious from the unfamiliar presence, and saw a man approaching, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.
No wonder his tone sounded off—like the hedgehog, he had a small translator clinging to his ear.
He was at least a head taller than me, his jet-black hair reaching down to his waist.
Dressed in traditional Chinese clothing—a qipao, I think—it wasn’t hard to guess where he was from.
He was obviously the one who did this to the hedgehog, yet for some reason, he looked irritatingly cheerful.
“…”
Something felt off, so I instinctively took a step back, eyeing him with open suspicion.
But the man didn’t seem offended in the slightest.
He casually grabbed the back of the unconscious hedgehog’s neck like he was hauling luggage.
That kind of effortless handling made it clear he saw the guy as nothing more than cargo.
“I’ll be taking this guy with me. You’re Seo Inho, right? I’ve only seen photos—first time meeting in person.”
He chuckled like we were mutual friends and added a ridiculous, “You look even better in real life,” before bursting into hearty laughter.
But his laugh didn’t last long.
“…Who are you?”
My question wasn’t meant to be rude—just genuine curiosity.
But the moment it left my lips, his bright expression visibly cracked.
“What?! You don’t know me? I’m not as famous as S3, but still, come on! You seriously don’t know who I am?”
Do I need to know foreign Hunters too…?
His over-the-top reaction just left me more confused.
Even a child could tell this guy was a genuine Qinglong-rank—unlike a certain someone who was only one in name.
This man was the real deal, someone with real influence, like Woo Jaehyun had mentioned.
Still, that was all in China.
It had nothing to do with me. I didn’t need to know his name or rank.
I was just curious why someone like him had bothered to help me.
As I shook my head with a disinterested look, the long-haired man just shrugged as if he didn’t mind.
Oddly enough, he accepted it faster than I expected.
“Well, I guess that happens. I came from China to grab this guy. Woo Jaehyun called me.”
“Woo Jaehyun?”
“Yeah. Said this guy was getting annoying.”
He casually waved a hand, making the hedgehog dangle side to side like a rag doll.
“He’s always been clueless. That’s why he has no friends. You seem like a generous guy—cut him some slack.”
“…”
I couldn’t help but be surprised.
Sure, Woo Jaehyun had mentioned he knew a Qinglong-rank… but I never imagined this was the guy.
Even if the hedgehog was a lower-tier S-rank, he was still technically a Qinglong-rank.
And this man had taken him out effortlessly.
And Woo Jaehyun could just order him around?
What the hell is he?
“I hope I never see you again. Unlike this idiot, I know how precious life is.”
“…What?”
I blinked, caught off guard by his cryptic words, but he simply waved casually and vanished before I could say anything else.
Just before disappearing, he gave me a strange look—like he pitied me for some reason.
Frowning at the odd feeling settling in my chest, I was about to brush it off when it hit me—
“Oh.”
Wait a second—what about the damages?!
I stared in dismay at the cracked windshields, the cratered asphalt, and finally just grabbed my hair in frustration.
* * *
