Chapter 231: Alpha
The man was trembling. In his hand was an item that suppressed mana recovery. With eyes urging him forward, he swallowed dryly and took a step. His foot landed on a faintly glowing magic circle. Though the formation absorbed mana, it had no effect on the unawakened.
At the center of the crudely intertwined magic circle lay an unconscious young man.
Achates’ Alpha. An SS-rank guard.
The strongest being in this city, yet now his very breathing was faint. There was no sign of him waking up. Perhaps due to his mana being drained, even the overwhelming presence he once carried had significantly weakened.
Nevertheless, the unawakened man could not hide his fear. He had heard countless times about the power of high-ranking guards. On rare occasions, he had even seen it with his own eyes. Just a few days ago, the entire second commercial district had burned to the ground.
‘Not a single building was left standing.’
That was what the people who had seen the aftermath had said. Fortunately, Alpha’s rampage had occurred in the middle of the night. Since the area had already been evacuated, there were no civilian casualties. But everything had truly been reduced to ashes.
Even the special buildings, designed to withstand attacks from mid-tier monsters, had been left with only charred remnants. Thick stones and steel structures had barely left any traces. If those sturdy materials had turned to nothing in the flames, how long could an ordinary human last?
They would be reduced to ash without even fully registering that they were burning.
The man, a member of the Achates City Defense Bureau, was unawakened and had little reason to cross paths with high-ranking guards. This was his first time seeing Alpha in person.
Cursing his own misfortune, he cautiously knelt beside Alpha.
“Hold position!”
The officer in charge of managing Alpha shouted. It was impossible to use the mana suppression item while the mana absorption formation was still active. The item itself operated on mana, so not only would it fail to function properly, but it could also be damaged.
“Attach the item just below Alpha’s imprint, then activate it on my signal.”
“…Y-yes.”
With trembling hands, the unawakened man fumbled along the back of Alpha’s neck. A faint red glow emitted from the imprint, releasing traces of mana. Being an SS-rank guard, Alpha had a powerful protection imprint, yet it was unable to resist the absorption formation connected to the mana hall. His mana was being steadily drained away.
With a soft click, the item settled beneath the imprint.
His instincts screamed at him to activate it immediately and run, but if anything went wrong, he would be shot dead on the spot. His family would not escape unscathed either.
“5, 4, 3…”
The countdown began, and on cue, the glow of the absorption formation flickered and died.
The unawakened man activated the item and practically scrambled away. Almost simultaneously, S-rank guards rushed toward Alpha.
“Handcuffs first! Make sure he can’t use his inventory!”
Someone shouted, and an S-rank guard loosened the restraints binding Alpha’s arms behind his back. The current restraints were made from SS-rank monster remains, incredibly durable, but still insufficient to contain the strength of an SS-rank guard.
Another S-rank guard swiftly secured mana-activated restraints around Alpha. They not only bound his arms but also completely encased his hands, ensuring he couldn’t access his inventory.
Just as the restraints were nearly fastened and shackles were being prepared for his ankles—
“It’s almost—”
The S-rank guard pulling the last knot of the restraints caught sight of a pair of crimson eyes peering at him from beneath disheveled black hair.
At the same time—
“Urk!”
The S-rank guard holding Alpha’s ankle was violently kicked away.
The guard securing Alpha’s arms immediately reached for his weapon.
But Alpha was faster.
His limp body snapped upright in an instant, and with a swift motion, he wrapped his long legs around the neck of the S-rank guard in front of him.
Crack.
The sickening sound of bones breaking rang out as the guard’s body went limp. Thanks to his high-rank gear and S-rank stats, he barely clung to life, but his combat ability was completely neutralized.
“Damn it, we can’t let his arm restraints come loose!”
“What about the mana absorption formation?”
“He’s already outside its range! He can’t use skills, but we have to stop him before he recovers his mana!”
The mana hall was not far away. Even with the mana suppression item attached, if he reached the mana hall, he would restore his energy in no time.
The S-rank guard who had been kicked into the wall drew his weapon. To match the speed of an SS-rank guard, he activated multiple auxiliary skills and accuracy-enhancing abilities, stacking them in succession.
The barrel of an assault rifle, infused with magic, locked onto the exit rather than Alpha himself.
Bang!
A heavy sound echoed as a bullet struck the floor, sending sharp fragments flying.
Alpha, who had been dashing toward the exit, swiftly changed direction.
Another waiting S-rank guard lunged at him. In one hand, he gripped a long knife; in the other, a pistol.
The knife was the first to be thrown at Alpha. It streaked through the air with a faint glow, likely enhanced by a skill, moving at a terrifying speed. With his arms bound, Alpha did not block or deflect the attack. Instead, he lowered his body and slid across the floor.
In an instant, his foot reached the S-rank guard’s ankle. The guard reacted quickly, leaping into the air to avoid the trip while simultaneously aiming his handgun downward at Alpha.
Their bodies crossed paths, one above and one below.
A gunshot rang out, and a deep hole was blasted into the floor. It seemed almost impossible to dodge at such a range, yet Alpha was already gone. At the same moment, a sharply bent knee drove into the still-airborne S-rank guard’s side.
“Ugh!”
There wasn’t even time to activate a defensive skill. Alpha’s knee strike slammed into the guard, and before the opponent could recover, Alpha lifted his foot high, preparing to deliver a devastating blow. If the attack landed, even an S-rank guard clad in protective gear would have his spine completely shattered.
Vwooom!
Just before Alpha’s heel could strike down on the fallen guard, magic bullets sliced through the air in rapid succession.
Smoothly, as if flowing like water, Alpha retracted his leg and dodged the incoming projectiles, weaving to the side. His foot slammed into the ground, launching him toward the S-rank guard who had been trying to retreat. He was about to pursue—
More magic bullets came flying, shielding the guard.
But it was a feint.
Instead of pressing forward, Alpha kicked off the wall, reversing his trajectory mid-air. He spun, almost defying gravity, running along the wall toward the exit. The S-rank guards and magic bullets chased after him in a desperate attempt to stop him, but it seemed unlikely they would catch him in time.
Just as Alpha reached the exit—
BOOM!!
The door exploded with a deafening blast.
The thick metal door shattered into fragments, flying in all directions. A wave of scorching air and intense pressure crashed into Alpha, sending him hurtling backward.
The pursuing S-rank guard swung his blade at the off-balance Alpha.
Alpha twisted his body, swiftly positioning the restraints binding his arms in the path of the sword. The S-rank guard, startled, instinctively twisted his blade away, while the sniper S-rank called out in alarm.
The guard withdrew, and Alpha took a few steps back as well, his eyes now locked onto the shattered doorway.
Two new S-rank guards stepped through the wreckage.
One was a large man with red hair, and the other was a tall woman with white hair.
“This just got annoying. And we can’t go all out with firepower in an enclosed space.”
“Firepower? You’re talking like a campfire could do anything against Alpha.”
These guards had been stationed near the mana hall but had rushed over upon receiving the emergency call. Now, all the nearby S-rank guards had gathered.
Four remained standing, aside from the one who had been rendered combat incapable.
The difference in rank was substantial, but when working in sync, multiple S-rank guards could take down even an SS-rank monster.
Besides, their opponent was currently low on mana, unable to use his skills properly, unarmed, and even had his arms bound.
“What kind of rank is this? You guys are struggling against a tied-up Alpha with no mana.”
The red-haired man stood in front of the broken door and activated a skill. A white ripple spread beneath his feet, and a transparent barrier materialized, completely sealing off the exit.
“There’s no getting out through here, so just give up and let us capture you!”
Even an SS-rank couldn’t break through an S-rank defensive skill barehanded, especially within an area that weakened the opponent’s stats. This skill combination had even been used to block attacks from SS-rank monsters before, so the red-haired man was confident.
At the same time, buffs were applied to the white-haired woman and the other S-rank guards.
A sniper and two melee fighters.
The white-haired woman and the close-combat S-rank maintained a strategic distance while encircling Alpha, forcing him further inside.
Two cold, crimson eyes calmly observed them.
“He doesn’t seem to be in a berserk state. Hey, Alpha, if you’ve calmed down—”
Before the white-haired woman could finish her sentence, Alpha’s leg lifted.
His other foot was planted firmly on the ground, as if nailed in place. The raised leg swung with immense force—
BANG!!
A full-powered kick struck the wall.
Cracks spread out in a spiderweb pattern from the point of impact. The white-haired woman and the other S-rank guard paled and immediately lunged at him.
“Shit, do you know how reinforced that wall is?!”
“If he breaks through, it leads straight to the mana hall!”
Both guards swung their weapons, infused with skills, to stop him. Magic bullets were fired with precise aim, trying to restrict Alpha’s movements.
Despite being drained of mana, unable to use his inventory, and with both arms restrained, Alpha maneuvered skillfully.
The two melee guards found themselves unable to attack freely. Alpha remained close to the cracked section of the wall, making them hesitate—if they weren’t careful, they might end up helping him break it down.
On top of that, Alpha kept deliberately pushing his restraints into the trajectory of their weapons.
If this dragged on, the advantage would shift in Alpha’s favor.
Even with the mana suppression item, it only slowed recovery—it couldn’t stop it entirely.
“Do we have any more mana absorption items?!”
The red-haired guard shouted.
The officials in charge of Alpha, who had taken cover in the corner, shook their heads.
Mana absorption items strong enough to work on an SS-rank guard were already rare. They had used up their entire supply during Alpha’s last rampage.
That was precisely why they had requested Solemnise’ Sigma to be on standby in case of an emergency.
Even worse, the only guard with a high-grade mana absorption skill was now incapacitated. At this rate, they might lose Alpha. A thick sense of urgency filled the air.
And then—
“Alpha! We have your brother!”
One of the lower-ranked awakened personnel, who had been keeping their distance, suddenly shouted.
They had recalled the details in Alpha’s rampage report and, in desperation, threw out those words.
“…!”
Alpha’s crimson eyes wavered.
The cold, emotionless gaze momentarily lost focus, as if dazed. His movements dulled for just an instant.
A fraction of a second.
But for seasoned S-rank hunters, that brief opening was more than enough.
Thunk!
A metallic arrow shot from the white-haired guard’s fingertips pierced through Alpha’s leg.
The arrow, enhanced with multiple overlapping skills, morphed upon impact. The tip that had exited his flesh extended and split into two, wrapping tightly around his leg like a snare.
The white-haired guard yanked the chain attached to the arrowhead.
At the same time, another S-rank guard lunged in, aiming for Alpha’s remaining leg without hesitation.
Thud!
Alpha’s body crashed forward.
No matter how powerful an SS-rank awakener was, there was no way to resist once both legs were restrained.
“Ankle restraints! Now!”
The restraints were thrown over, and the red-haired guard sprinted in, activating a stat-reducing skill centered around Alpha. He maximized its effect, limiting the debuff to Alpha alone.
“Don’t touch him!”
Alpha roared. His voice was like a beast’s snarl, but beneath the fury, traces of desperation and unease were unmistakable.
“Prepare the engraving procedure!”
“Calm down, Alpha. We’re not trying to harm you.”
His head was pinned down, and a precautionary gag was fastened. Two S-rank guards, taking advantage of his weakened strength, held him down firmly.
The snip of scissors echoed as part of his upper clothing was cut away. A skill was activated to momentarily lower the defensive power of a small targeted area on his exposed shoulder.
A special needle pierced into his skin.
It was a revolting sensation.
His breath came out in short, muffled gasps through the gag.
For Alpha—no, for Han Yuhyun—this was an utter disgrace.
Even as a young S-rank, he had never been overpowered and humiliated like this by another person.
Han Yuhyun despised physical contact to an almost obsessive degree.
Ever since being separated from his older brother, his aversion had only intensified. Seok Gimyeong had struggled to persuade him when coordinating outfits, and Yun Kyungsu had faced an awkward situation after casually touching him without thinking.
Even after reconciling with Han Yujin, he had only let Park Yerim into his personal space. The touch of unfamiliar hands still filled him with unbearable discomfort.
‘…Hyung.’
Amidst the storm of emotions, a memory surfaced—one that didn’t belong to him.
It was a memory of Alpha, the original owner of this body.
A corpse lay before him.
The lifeless body of the person who had raised him—his caretaker.
It wasn’t his brother.
The gender was different.
Her awakening skill and even the title of “caretaker” varied slightly.
Despite that, confusion overwhelmed him.
When he had first arrived here, he had lost control, rampaging because he couldn’t endure the anxiety.
“Since we’re dealing with Alpha, we can’t predict how long the anesthesia will last.”
People moved busily around him.
The engraving procedure was a modification of the protective imprint, allowing only specific individuals to draw out his mana.
It was a failsafe to make neutralizing Alpha easier in case of another crisis.
This, however, also meant weakening the effectiveness of the protection imprint, increasing the chances of Alpha being placed in danger in the future. But at the moment, they had no other choice.
Even with anesthesia, pain crawled up his spine.
But Han Yuhyun barely registered it.
With his thoughts twisted into chaos, the only thing filling his mind was his brother’s safety.
He had to find him.
No matter what it took, even if he had to crawl.
He struggled to move his bound, pinned-down body. But it wouldn’t budge.
Helpless, his vision flickered, and his eyelashes grew damp.
“It’s done!”
“Extract his mana immediately!”
As voices rang out, the slight amount of mana Han Yuhyun had recovered was siphoned away through the engraving.
His consciousness faded.
With him now unconscious, Alpha’s handlers let out weary sighs.
“His recovery rate is too fast.”
“The mana absorption formation was deactivated, yet he almost immediately returned to full functionality. It’s possible his body has adapted to it.”
“It’s only been a few days… Do we need to modify the magic circle and engrave a new one?”
At the very least, now that the engraving had been altered, suppressing him should be easier.
Just then, a Defense Bureau staff member entered through the destroyed doorway.
“There’s a message from Solemnise’ Sigma. They’ve agreed to Alpha’s suppression request.”
“…Now?”
It was frustratingly late, but with Sigma here, checking on Alpha’s condition would be much easier.
Before Sigma could change their mind, Alpha’s handler ordered them to confirm the acceptance immediately.
–TL Notes–
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