Chapter 133: Attraction (3)
The quadrupedal wolf rose onto two legs. Its size, which had easily carried a human in its mouth like a piece of gum, began to shrink. Its fur hardened further, transforming into armor-like plating. Its elongated claws resembled several scimitars drawn at once.
A full moon would have made the perfect backdrop. Unfortunately, it was only a half-moon, and its light was dim.
— Grrrr.
The Lycanthrope, though smaller now, still towered at twice Song Taewon’s height as it glared at me. More precisely, at my heart. Yes, it must look quite appetizing.
“The Lycan form specializes in one-on-one combat. It’s incredibly tough, has no elemental weaknesses, boasts faster burst speed than its wolf form, and its smaller size reduces its hitbox.”
I took out my thankfully intact phone, informed the Association of the S-rank monster appearance, and muttered, “I hope you survive till the end, my phone.”
‘Song Taewon caught it in my previous life too.’
Because it was so quick and rarely targeted civilians, I was told not to interfere since Yuhyun and Seong Hyunjae were more dangerous. Their firepower could have burned down the whole village.
“Do I just need to maintain contact?”
Song Taewon asked, his eyes fixed on the Lycan.
“Yes. But I can’t hold onto you. As you know, my stats are low, so I don’t know when I’ll lose my grip.”
Since I lack the strength to hold on, I have no choice but to be carried around, yes.
“I’ve raised damage nullification to SS-rank, so you can use me as a shield.”
At my words suggesting I could be useful if used properly, Song Taewon’s gaze shifted to me. Wait, if you look away now…
Scratch, with the sound of claws scraping the ground, the Lycan pounced. Song Taewon barely moved from his spot, extending his free arm toward the sharp front claws. His arm, enveloped in a black shadow, twisted slightly, going under the claws.
Rip.
The claws tore through the thin summer shirt and into my skin. A red line appeared on my arm, and blood splattered. Despite a proper scratch from the S-rank skill-enhanced claws, the wound was shallow. The skill was nullified by the swirling shadow, leaving only physical force.
Thud, Song Taewon’s hand gripped the Lycan’s wrist. Tendons stood out as his bent fingers dug into the fur. The SS-rank defense skill, Black Mist, was also neutralized.
— Keeek!
The startled Lycan tried to pull its arm back, but Song Taewon was faster. Crack, the beast’s arm twisted and was pulled. Then, a powerful knee kick, also shrouded in shadow, struck the joint in reverse. A loud cracking sound echoed.
In the blink of an eye, the mutt’s arm was mangled and dangling.
— Kyarrk!
The Lycan, barely pulling its arm free, leaped back and growled. Song Taewon lightly brushed his fingertips. The clinging blood and flesh fell away.
“Originally, it’s a skill with an extremely narrow range. It can’t be used on two or more places simultaneously.”
He murmured. He must be talking about nullifying the opponent’s skills. It would be overpowered if the range were wider.
Holding me with one arm as if scooping me up, Song Taewon moved. Weight shifted to his feet. A skill that controls the mass of the body and weapons.
It was doubled.
Crash!
With tremendous pressure, the asphalt shattered. Even the ground beneath caved in. Even for an S-rank, it’s a power difficult to achieve with human size and weight, especially while standing still.
Amidst the scattering black fragments, Song Taewon’s body shot toward the Lycan. The wolf reflexively ducked to avoid him. Just as Song Taewon seemed about to graze past the wolf,
Grab!
His outstretched hand seized the Lycan’s throat. His foot, which had spun a full circle in the air, slammed down on the black fur-covered back.
— Kyaak!
The wolf’s spine caved in, almost bursting, and it swelled up, spewing blood and screams.
Whirr
As it turned to flee, a wire suddenly wrapped around its neck. Naturally, it wasn’t an ordinary metal wire. But it wasn’t a weapon befitting an S-rank either. It was a common item even intermediate Hunters used only as an auxiliary tool.
As the wire tightened, the Lycan quickly swung its claws. Just before the claws made contact, a black light flowed through the wire.
Clang!
The metal wire, which should have snapped instantly, was half-severed but held. Caught off guard, the Lycan was dragged forward. Song Taewon yanked the wire down and simultaneously raised his foot.
Crack!
His descending heel tore almost half of the wolf’s thick neck like an axe blade. The Lycan barely twisted its body, avoiding instant death.
Despite being an S-rank monster with a tough and resilient body, it was being pulverized without any weapons. Faced with this one-sided violence, the Lycan rolled on the ground, its tongue lolling out.
— Kyaaaang!
A blood-soaked hand slammed upward and gripped the wolf’s lower jaw as it bared its fangs in defiance. The lower and upper jaws were pressed together, and Song Taewon’s thick wrist twisted in a large circle.
Thud!
The Lycan’s head was slammed into the ground, flipped over. Asphalt fragments scattered like blood. Song Taewon’s knee pressed down on the wolf’s neck, and his hand twisted the remaining arm.
— Kruk, krrr!
Even if their stats weren’t identical, they were both S-rank. There should be a difference in strength proportional to the more than double difference in size, but the Lycan was pinned down, unable to move, only its legs struggling.
This was because Song Taewon’s current weight was heavier than the Lycan’s.
With its back broken, the Lycan’s kicks couldn’t reach, and Song Taewon nonchalantly broke the remaining arm. Then, he took out a knife, imbued its tip with the black shadow of the nullification skill, and stabbed it under the Lycan’s jaw.
Crunch.
The blade pierced from under the jaw to the top of the head. Then, it twisted, and the struggling movements beneath Song Taewon’s knee gradually ceased.
Amidst the thick, bloody stench, Song Taewon dropped the knife and stood up. Since I was being held by one arm, I also rose with him.
“Now you should finish dealing with the gate, right?”
I said, observing Song Taewon’s expression. His face still looked impassive and calm. Outwardly, he seemed indifferent to the skill sharing. Unlike Seong Hyunjae’s covetousness, he seemed more inclined to be wary and push it away.
So, he should be letting me go soon.
‘Why isn’t he budging?’
His dark, sunken gaze turned to me. His eyes slowly dropped to my chest, stopping on the wound revealed between the torn clothes.
“What kind of wound is that?”
“It’s nothing.”
“If it were nothing, it wouldn’t still be there. You have access to both healers and potions. Moreover, the Haeyeon Guild Leader wouldn’t have left it alone.”
Well… that’s true now.
“It’s a wound Yuhyun doesn’t know about. I’m the type to conserve potions, you see.”
“If he doesn’t know, it must be recent. You lost your top at the lake dungeon.”
If the wound was from before that, many people would have seen it, and Yuhyun would have heard about it, is that it?
“People get hurt sometimes.”
“It’s not common to get stabbed in the chest.”
He said, taking out a potion. The potion flowed over the scar, but there was no change.
“The wolf kept targeting you. The bees also seemed to be chasing you, not Hunter Noah. A drone even broke off and attacked you.”
What did you do? His voice was heavy with gravity.
“You’re not obligated to answer, but…”
Song Taewon’s hand firmly gripped my arm. Please calm down and resolve this through conversation.
“You were composed even in front of monsters, not just high-rank Hunters. Is your abnormal lack of fear also due to a skill?”
I didn’t come here to be interrogated. It seems it was a mistake to act normal even when the wolf was gnawing at me, trying to eat me. I should have pretended to be a little scared.
When I didn’t answer, Song Taewon gripped my neck.
“My skill is called Seeping Plunder. During combat, brief contact allows me to momentarily nullify a portion of the opponent’s skills, but given time, I can achieve greater effects.”
“…Wait a minute.”
As I felt a sense of foreboding, Song Taewon used his skill on me. The contract’s effect activated simultaneously, but…
‘…This is useless.’
The contract’s penalty was temporary paralysis. That would be enough time for another allied Hunter to pull me away if I were attacked. But now, I was alone, and I couldn’t break free from Song Taewon’s hardened grip.
I hadn’t considered that someone who received my skill would attack me. If they used an offensive skill on me in a corner, there would be no one to save me, the skill would continue, and there would be no penalty. I should exclude myself from the “fellow Hunter” clause in the contract.
As I learned the lesson that writing contracts is indeed difficult, Song Taewon recovered from the paralysis. And the momentarily paused skill resumed. Because it was directed at a skill, not a Hunter, my damage nullification didn’t work.
“This, the effect is…”
“It can lower the rank of one of the opponent’s skills.”
Flustered, I opened my status window.
[Fear Resistance (L)(SSS) — Nullifies intimidation below Legendary grade]
The rank of my Fear Resistance skill had dropped. Since the L rank remained, it seemed temporary.
(SS)
It dropped another level, and soon, it went down to S-rank. Perhaps because it was now the same rank as Song Taewon, I felt a slight chill. Still, it was manageable.
“How far can you lower it?”
“Usually about three levels.”
Then, since it’s currently doubled…
(A)
My heart sank. Shit, wait.
“I’ll explain, so please stop here.”
Song Taewon completely ignored me. Then B, then C. The smell of blood suddenly became nauseating. My heart beat a little faster. Damn it.
“The duration varies depending on the opponent’s rank. I haven’t used it on an S-rank yet, but it lasted about half a day on an A-rank. For an F-rank, I assume it would be at least three days.”
“So, are you going to threaten me to reveal everything I’ve been hiding?”
“So stop being a walking item shop for monsters. Before I break you.”
“Huh?”
Song Taewon continued calmly.
“I’ve fully grasped why the Sesung Guild Leader is interested in you. You’re quite useful. To the point of being overly stimulating. I even felt a slight urge to try hunting monsters with you.”
He probably didn’t mean “monsters” literally. Noah, please don’t come this way.
“At the same time, I thought I shouldn’t leave you alone.”
“I’ll revise the contract and use it diligently.”
“Show some fear. Enough to refuse being dragged into dangerous places. And enough for me to not want to harm you.”
The oppressive pressure suddenly intensified. My body trembled involuntarily. But even stronger was the Teacher skill. As I directly felt his strength, my whole body shuddered, and I felt mentally choked.
I quickly deactivated the skill, finally able to breathe. I can’t use the Teacher skill without Fear Resistance.
“Song Taewon. Whether I feel fear or not, I’ll do what I need to do.”
I said through gritted teeth. I survived five years without the Fear Resistance skill. If I were to stay home just because I’m a little scared, I would have done so long ago.
After all, the thing I fear most isn’t some S-rank Hunter’s threats.
“And the one who’s truly afraid is you, Song Taewon. Stop using others as an excuse. You want to get rid of me because you’re attracted to me.”
He mixed other people into his excuses, but ultimately, it was Song Taewon himself who felt the urge and the desire to harm me. I reached out and grabbed his collar. As our eyes met, I felt a fear so intense it made me nauseous.
“Just be honest. Tell me what you want to do. But you’ll have to choose. If you want to maintain your current position, I’ll erase your influence. Because you’re in the way. If you want to live a normal life, then be a normal public servant.”
“Do you have the ability to do that?”
“I’ll manage somehow. I’ll tie you up in a dead-end job and use every method to prevent people from asking you for help. Since you’re a public servant, you have to follow orders from above, right?”
It wouldn’t be easy, but if Song Taewon acted like a true public servant, it wouldn’t be impossible.
“Behave yourself, and forget everything that happened today.”
“…You’re a truly troublesome person.”
He murmured, placing his hand on my wrist. More precisely, on my bracelet. My heart suddenly pounded. His thick fingers gripped the bracelet. At the same time, a blue bird popped out.
— Beep! Beep!
Immediately after its high-pitched cry, as if in warning,
Whoosh!
Flames suddenly erupted. Crimson flames separated Song Taewon and me, and unable to withstand the heat that extended beyond the range of his Plunder skill, Song Taewon released me and quickly retreated.
— Beep beep!
Grace landed on my wrist. Next to it, a red lizard, Iryn, appeared.
“Iryn? How did you…”
— You said you wouldn’t go out. What are you doing here, hyung?
“…Yuhyun?”
Coming from the lizard was definitely Yuhyun’s voice.
–TL Notes–
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