episode_0041

“You too… Happy birthday.”

I mechanically echoed her words.

And touched the rim of the glass to my lips.

The calm sea lingered in my mouth.

Gradually, the alcohol descended like waves down my throat.

Perhaps due to drinking it all at once, I ended up coughing incessantly.

“Fool. Who drinks cocktails like that?”

Sunye approached with a worried expression.

Then she pulled a chair close and sat down.

…”

She wiped my lips with a handkerchief.

But soon the bartender abruptly stopped his hand and stared intently at my face.

Her black pupils flickered under the moonlight.

I gazed fixedly at that sparkle.

And asked.

“Do you have something. To say?”

“How did you know if I had something to say?”

She chuckles softly.

Sunye felt her laughter was frivolous and covered her mouth with the back of her hand.

“We’re. Already three years into. Our time together.”

Asking casually about something unusual, I sipped my drink.

The Aqua Marine was almost empty by now.

“Yes. It’s been three years since we left there.”

Sunye gazed into the distance as if reminiscing about the past events.

Then, as if something struck her, she glanced at me briefly and said,

“During this time, you seem to have become much stronger.”

I chuckled and lowered my head.

It’s true that I’ve gotten stronger, but still, I’m barely in the top 30.

“Just followed. What you told me to do, that’s all.”

Without much thought, Sunye responded seriously to my words.

In a composed voice, she raised her finger.

“Just following orders won’t make everyone stronger. You learn faster and are more creative than others.”

“Anyone can. Achieve it. With effort.”

“Even so, becoming an S-rank Hunter in three years is impossible.”

Sunye chuckled and tousled my long hair.

However, I found this meaningless flattery uncomfortable.

Why is she suddenly showering me with praise?

The irritation soon turned into a question.

“So. What is it you really want to say?”

At my direct question, Sunye’s face momentarily stiffened.

She soon wore a melancholic expression, as if waking from a blissful dream.

“Actually… There’s something I’ve never said to you before.”

These are the words I’ve been waiting for.

The seed of suspicion that arose from being drugged by Tolkien has long thirsted for Sunye’s words.

“What is it?”

I set the glass down.

Is this the moment my curiosity will be satisfied?

“The day you become a Ranker. They will come to retrieve you from the facility.”

“What… Retrieve?”

Using the term “retrieve” for a person.

Unbelievable.

Moreover, the word “facility,” not heard in a long time, is very discomforting.

It feels as though all the time spent with Sunye in this inn was just a dream.

“They knew. Where we were.”

“They couldn’t have known.”

Sunye speaks with eyes as confused as mine.

The freshness in her eyes has long disappeared.

“Because I reported everything.”

The shop fell eerily silent at those words.

The sounds of cars outside.

The occasional meow of a cat.

All ceased to be heard.

“What…?”

“I reported how many times you swung your sword, how many times you went to the bathroom, how many hours you slept. Everything to the facility.”

I’ve felt the sensation of someone digging into my brain in the past.

And when I heard Sunye’s words, that sensation seemed to resurface after a long time.

“In fact, the facility let us loose on purpose. They watched you grow in reality.”

The entity digging deeper into my brain crept into even deeper folds.

And that pain began to make me colder and more ruthless.

So what’s the conclusion?

“Are you a traitor, meaning I have to kill you?”

“Why are you telling me this now? What’s the reason?” I asked her with a dry expression.

In response, Sunye spoke dully as if she had let go of everything. However, her thinly veiled eyes became moist as if filled with numerous emotions.

“Today is the day I send my final report. ‘S-Class Project’ ends today.”

A faint light sparkled outside the inn window. My clouded eyes instinctively caught it.

“If so, why not launch a surprise attack secretly? Why tell me now?”

Perhaps not sensing that light, Sunye still stared at me intently.

She said, “Because I liked you. I don’t want to see you being taken away…”

The moment I heard those words, my mind froze as if struck by lightning.

Thanks to that, my hands, out of control, were suddenly gripping Sunye’s neck.

Deceiving me.

Destroying again.

Trying to pass it off as just ‘liking.’

Unforgivable…

Sunye’s face trembled gently.

Soon, blood began to trickle from her nose.

“Run, Anna. To a place where no one knows you.”

Softly, Sunye spoke.

The blood dripped from her chin to the floor like raindrops.

With her last words, the inn’s glass window shattered.

Armed hunters on ropes burst in along with the broken shards.

As if anticipating their arrival, Sunye half-closed her eyes.

In her hand was a Colt revolver, though she hadn’t drawn it while pleading with me.

But she aimed that gun at our allies, not me.

The bartender, pouring drinks calmly, glanced over.

His gaze reflected his survivalist days of fighting to the death in the facility.

The gun fired.

“—!”

Three years had passed, but her skill remained unchanged.

Sunye perfectly hit the foreheads of the two falling men, then kicked a chair to shield the others’ view.

Seizing the opportunity, I drew my sword.

Simultaneously, I cleaved the third hunter in half.

“No time. Rankers from the facility will come soon!”

Sunye shouted.

But as she shouted, she began to vomit blood.

Firmly gripping the gun with both hands, Sunye fired warning shots at the hunters entering through the main gate.

However, they didn’t just come through the main gate obediently.

Dodging the gunfire, three more hunters rushed in through the windows.

I started engaging them one by one with my drawn sword.

Hitting the neck of the guy wielding a massive greatsword with the sword handle and thrusting the handle back to stab the chest of the attacker from behind.

But I couldn’t stop the last one.

The guy with a masked face leaped over me towards Sunye.

Why?

Clearly, they were after me, and Sunye should be on the same side.

Fortunately, she effortlessly blew the head of the charging man with the gun.

The last armed hunter who invaded the shop fell lifelessly.

Thanks to that, the bar fell silent as if all life had been extinguished.

“…”

Strange.

If they knew I was an S-Class Hunter, they wouldn’t send such amateurs.

It feels like being put through a test.

Slowly scanning the surroundings, I soon looked at Sunye.

There must be a powerful Ranker like the man I saw in the lab back then…

That was the moment.

A giant hand emerged from the wall Sunye was leaning against.

And that hand protruded from…

The center of Sunye’s abdomen.

Completely piercing her body, it emerged.

“Ah…”

Was it due to that shock?

Sunye’s eyes, which had flashed, began to dim gradually.

“Sunye.”

I murmured as I watched her.

That fleeting moment of her collapse shook even my calm mind that had been fighting rationally until now.

My head swayed like a dream writhing as if barely restrained.

The arm that had pierced through the defense was suddenly pushed back against the wall.

As a result, she collapsed to the ground, blood soaking the wall.

Before long, a man with sunglasses entered through the store’s main entrance.

The man, his hands covered in blood, walked leisurely.

There was no one left to threaten at the main entrance anymore.

Occupation: S-Rank Hunter, 10th place.

Information: A person who reached 10th place through assassination, not raids.

A member of the National Hunter Association of South Korea.

Adjusting his sliding sunglasses, he looked at the collapsing defense.

Changyun lowered his head and muttered,

“How foolish. If only the ambush had succeeded, the situation would be over, so why act like this now…”

“…”

A Ranker.

And one within the top 10 at that.

But I didn’t even spare a glance at him.

I only had eyes for Seonye, bleeding profusely from her arm.

Understanding my stance, Changyun moved.

Very discreetly and swiftly.

The hand drenched in Seonye’s blood lunged straight for my throat.

I wanted to ignore that hand.

But a past drug that had entered my brain seemed to command my body to defend itself.

Block it.

I hadn’t seen it clearly.

It wasn’t even a visible attack to the naked eye.

But following the sound of air being torn, my arm moved.

My head, tracking the sound, gave the command, and my hand immediately grasped the sword.

The blade revealed from the scabbard intercepted his fist.

“—!”

Though barehanded, a metallic sound resonated as his hand clashed with the blade.

Taken aback by my momentary defense, Changyun let out a surprised grunt.

“Most people couldn’t even dodge this… You’re definitely different.”

The hand gripping the blade slipped.

Loud friction sounds and sparks began to fly.

It was a strong force.

But I didn’t yield either.

The slipping blade aimed for my abdomen, bypassing the edge of the sword.

I twisted my body just enough to evade the attack.

My shirt tore apart.

My navel was exposed.

A red gash appeared on my bare skin.

Having tasted blood, he immediately followed up with another strike.

With a sword in hand, he didn’t give me the opportunity to swing mine.

Knowing this, I didn’t try to wield my sword immediately.

I simply struck the floor forcefully with the sole of my foot.

The opposite end of the trampled floor rose.

And soon, the sharp edge pierced Changyun’s neck.

“—!”

Taken aback by the unexpected attack, he grabbed his neck.

Black blood trickled from his torn skin.

Seizing the opportunity, I immediately swung the sword.

He swiftly stepped back to avoid the attack.

“Indeed…”

The high-ranking Ranker, who had barely distanced himself, took a moment to catch his breath.

He shook his head as if regaining composure, flipping his flowing bangs.

“You were said to be an experiment worth looking forward to… It wasn’t just empty words.”

With a face filled with memories, he muttered.

As if enjoying the situation…

“This time…?”

His provocative words furrowed my eyebrows.

“Oh, it seems she hasn’t mentioned that yet. Besides you, many other test subjects have been sent out beyond the island.”

He grinned proudly.

His irregularly twisted teeth were repulsive.

“Most specimens used the training methods learned in the facility and ended up dying by my hands. But you are certainly different. Creative.”

He evaluated my skills like a civil servant.

To him, killing people was merely about achievements and missions.

But I found his coldness rather appealing.

Since I, too, had mastered the art of killing someone.

Words and actions would align well between us.

The corner of my mouth twitched.

Excitement surged.

I had yearned for such a tense fight all my life.

It was the first time since the Ranker who had subdued me in the lab.

In response, the specialist in slaughter lunged towards me, cutting through the air.

Fast.

No matter how long the sword, when it stuck so quickly, it was hard to counter.

Swerving to avoid the claw that lunged before swinging the sword.

Eventually, I find myself being cornered.

“Your movements are good, but if you keep dodging like that, you’ll end up in a dead end.”

As if trying to impart a lesson, he speaks leisurely.

I do not respond to his words and calmly find myself pushed towards a dead-end wall.

His sword hand flies towards my face.

In that moment, I bend my body as if falling down.

Just like piercing through a dancer’s abdomen, his arm completely pierces through the wall.

However, there…

It’s made of tiles.

And behind those tiles are iron bars.

“—!”

His nimble and long fingers poke into the iron bars.

And the iron bars crumple to fit the shape of his fingers.

“T-This is…”

The Ranker in the top 10 gazes at the twisted iron bars between his fingers.

“Did that arrogant Hunter not properly survey the prey’s habitat?”

I smirk.

Seeing that fierce smile, the boy’s eyes tremble.

His pupils, once relaxed, shrink slightly.

His hand stuck in the iron bars doesn’t budge.

Even if he struggles wildly to pull it out, the wall only shakes.

He never releases his audacious hand that dared to invade him.

This time, it’s my turn to teach him a lesson.