episode_0446

From the magic, a high-temperature refined flame engulfs Kim Taeyang’s broad back.

Even amidst the anger-fueled flames, Kim Dojin’s delicate magic control shone brightly.

Not even a corner of the bedding beneath him, nor the body of the woman lying there, was touched by the raging flames.

The scorching flames, seeming to engulf everything they touched, only surrounded Kim Taeyang.

Whoosh!

Crackle!

A sudden ambush unfolded between them.

Yet, the massive flames couldn’t even singe a single strand of Kim Taeyang’s hair.

“Huh? What’s this?”

His body, sensing danger, instinctively reacted to the attack by thickening the magic around him.

An area closer to pure instinct than reason.

Or perhaps, one could say it even surpassed the savagery of a beast.

As the flames that momentarily obscured his vision dissipated, Kim Taeyang finally saw it.

The face of the intruder who had trespassed into his hideout.

“Kim Dojin…!”

It was him.

The one who had brought him unparalleled humiliation and disgrace.

“How on earth…?”

Confronting him here left him utterly bewildered.

This place was a secret villa shielded by concealment magic, where no one could ever find it.

Only he and a few trusted aides knew its true nature.

So how did he manage to target this place and stand before him?

Even with Association members in tow.

“Damn it.”

Uncertain.

Had a traitor emerged among his aides?

Or had he found his way here through some other means?

But one thing was certain.

He had come here to capture him.

Which meant he was caught in a trap.

“This situation is all messed up, isn’t it?”

Despite his foul language, his demeanor remained somewhat composed.

Even to Kim Taeyang himself, it seemed inexplicable.

But he quickly understood the reason.

‘With this power…’

He clenched and unclenched his fist, gauging the magnitude of the overflowing strength within him.

Confidence surged.

Feeling like he could face off against Nam Gung-hyuk, who was considered a master above him, or even Han Ju-hee and Son Si-woo, rated several levels higher.

‘As long as I have this power.’

Feeling his strength infinitely magnified, he grasped the essence of the world.

Power.

With this power, anything was possible.

What if he were to simply kill everyone here right now?

Would the government label him a villain and try to apprehend him?

‘Ha… They would bury the incident.’

Why?

Because an S-Rank Hunter was such a being.

And if he possessed the power to surpass even Han Ju-hee and Son Si-woo, who were considered the weakest among South Korea’s S-Rank Hunters?

For a government that would have to consider their retirement afterward, they wouldn’t easily cast him aside.

‘If I eliminate that bastard here, even Kim Dojin, hailed as the future of South Korea, will vanish at my hands.’

In truth, it didn’t matter.

‘With this power, I can survive anywhere, not just in South Korea.’

Even if they labeled him a villain, he could simply seek asylum in another country.

Japan, China, the United States, and more.

Countries hungry for power abound in the world.

Surely, they would accept him as part of their nation.

And offer even greater benefits than now.

So, he only needed to focus on one thing.

“Well… I was planning to pay you a visit anyway. This works out nicely.”

Kim Dojin.

Taking revenge on that despicable wretch who humiliated him.

Rising from the bed and stepping down underneath, he smirked.

“You made a mistake. If you wanted to catch me, you should have brought along other S-Ranks. Not those weaklings.”

He raised his momentum to its peak.

Simultaneously, the surrounding air began to tremble.

“Ugh…!”

“Argh!”

“Huh…?!”

One by one, the Association-affiliated hunters who couldn’t withstand it fell to their knees.

It wasn’t that they were weak.

It was just that the sheer magnitude of power displayed by Kim Taeyang was overwhelming.

Kim Dojin furrowed his brow as he observed the vivid flow of crimson magic swirling around him.

“How many are there?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“To get to this point.”

He enveloped those around him who struggled to even breathe properly, manipulating the magic surrounding them.

Then he continued speaking.

“Just how many people did you kill?”

Unwavering gazes burned fiercely in his direction, showing no signs of faltering before his power.

Witnessing this, Kim Taeyang’s face contorted in disgust.

“That bastard again.”

Those eyes.

Eyes that turned away at the slightest mistake, turning him into a target for ridicule, reminiscent of Son Siwoo’s gaze that looked down on him like an animal.

A callous gaze mixed with pity and disdain, making his body tense and anger flare up every time he saw it.

“Don’t look…”

“…What?”

“With those damn eyes!”

Kim Taeyang slammed the ground.

Crash!

Simultaneously, buildings’ floors and walls began to crumble around the spot where he stomped.

Closing the distance explosively, he reached Kim Dojin, roaring like a beast.

“Don’t you dare look at me, you son of a b*tch!”

His fist, wrapped in the flowing crimson magic, flew towards him.

With a speed several times faster than Kim Taeyang’s original, it was impossible to track with the eyes.

Anticipating the path through the flow of magic wrapped around his arm, Kim Dojin moved his body to evade.

But it didn’t end there.

Crash!

Another fist struck his side with a fierce impact.

Crunch!

“Ugh…!”

A dull pain radiated from his side.

It wasn’t a direct hit; he twisted his body to deflect the blow and even deployed a shield.

Even so, he was surprised.

“Even though I was prepared, the pain is this intense…”

If it had been slightly deeper, his right rib might have snapped.

“He’s stronger than I thought.”

Despite being caught at the scene of the crime, the calm expression on Kim Taeyang’s face was likely due to that strength.

Perhaps he harbored thoughts of killing everyone here and seeking asylum in another country.

“Hah… Aren’t you going to kill me?”

As if proving a point, Kim Taeyang, intoxicated by his own power, blustered.

“Frankly, damn it, how many people have I saved until now, huh? You should cut me some slack for this much. And if I become stronger and save more lives, isn’t that clearly beneficial? Huh?”

Nonsense.

No, calling it nonsense would be too kind.

“You go around saving people because you’re human, Taeyang.”

“Huh…?”

“If there were no Hunters, try imagining what a thug like you would be doing instead of being treated like a hero just for saving people with your brute force.”

Hunters save by killing.

That’s why it’s risky, but the rewards are certain.

Just by looking at the reasons why Kim Taeyang, despite causing an incident, still receives rewards, one can understand, right?

So, it’s ridiculous.

“It’s natural to enjoy, but pretending to save… ”

No matter how strong Kim Taeyang became, he seemed insignificant to Kim Dojin.

“A childish mindset like yours will never change, will it?”

He merely appeared as a kid with slightly stronger fists than others.

Shrugging off the pain in his side, he spread out his body.

Then, facing the transformed red-and-blue figure, he gestured defiantly.

“Come at me with that impressive power.”

Show me how futile that power truly is.

Head-on.

—

In a brief respite behind the shield I created while in a precarious state, I snatch the waist of an Association employee barely holding on.

“Let me borrow this for a moment.”

I borrowed a single blade.

The kid was struggling with severe fatigue, making it difficult to withstand bare-handed.

As the lad’s vehement cries echoed, crimson magic surged like waves following his outburst.

“Tsk.”

On the verge of collapse, the building was already precarious, and now this.

The lad rushed towards the unstable structure.

Feeling the sensation of magic, he supplements his lack of physical strength to evade the enemy’s attack.

Kwaaaah-!

A noise akin to thunder brushing past his ears.

At this rate, my eardrums will burst.

Once again, an attack flies towards his side, but he redirects its path by pushing his sword into it forcefully.

Pakang!

“Ugh…!”

The assailant grimaces as his attack, once experienced firsthand, fails to land.

“Hah…, just who are you exactly? A sorcerer who wields a sword so skillfully?”

His voice carries a mix of disappointment and strong jealousy.

Seeing talent surpassing his own is clearly a bitter pill to swallow.

“Enough with the boasting, come at me.”

“This bastard…!”

Fists and feet rain down like a torrential downpour.

Struggling to move within this onslaught, he eventually closes his eyes.

He realizes that with his current strength, he would only be a hindrance, not a help.

The human body is truly mysterious.

When one sense is relinquished, another sharpens naturally.

Thanks to this, he reads the flow of magic faster and more vividly than when his eyes are open.

Utilizing this, he dodges, deflects, and counters every single one of the enemy’s attacks.

Simultaneously, he analyzes.

The nature of that crimson magic.

It differs significantly from Yeopo’s deep red hue.

While Yeopo and his minions sport a rich crimson, the assailant’s shade is tinged with pink.

Yet their essence is similar.

It felt like imbuing ordinary magic with the powers of the Seven Sins resulted in such a feeling.

In other words, the involvement of the Seven Sins in gaining power through sacrificing women.

Clearly, there is another faction of the Seven Sins that he has never encountered before.

“Sloth, greed, pride, lust….”

It must be one of these four, but which one exactly?

Well… he could just ask the guy directly.

“Why… why isn’t it working, why, why, whyyy!”

A voice filled with frustration echoes.

Seems like he’s really angry.

“It’s because it’s not your power.”

Merely absorbing power into oneself doesn’t make it wholly yours.

Easily taken and forcibly extracted power may exist within one’s body but doesn’t integrate fully with existing power; it remains superficial.

To meld them together, training is ultimately the answer.

Effort is required to unify the split powers into one.

However, the assailant didn’t bother.

The ease with which the flow of magic was read also played a part.

The magic that should hide completely within the fist kept extending prematurely beyond it, revealing its path ahead of time.

“You might enjoy having a free lunch, but at least digest a bit of it.”

“Shut up!”

Continuously evading, he leaves cuts on the assailant’s tough physique at opportune moments.

Scars, far from being life-threatening, gradually accumulate.

Thin streaks of blood seep out, slowly staining the assailant’s body.

Of course, excessive bleeding or any decisive factors leading to cumulative wounds don’t occur.

This is merely a form of proof.

Pshh!

Pshk!

Skkk!

The power gained through sacrificing others is essentially nothing more than a futile display of pumping.

One, two, three, four.

With each wound, the assailant becomes more frantic.

“Damn it, damn it…!”

No matter how much his rational mind resists, instinct begins to realize the truth.

That the power gained through killing others is ultimately useless.

When that realization hits, faith wavers.

Am I truly as strong as I thought?

What will become of me if I lose here?

The anxiety born from wavering faith becomes shackles.

And the attacks pouring from clenched fists and legs gradually lose their strength.

“Foolish boy.”

Dodging the punches thrown in fear rather than anger, he swings his sword decisively, aiming to sever his opponent’s lifeline this time.

The magic lingering in the domain of the activated dominator adheres to the sword.

Instantaneously generating a sword aura.

Its hardness could rival that of past sword auras without falling short.

“Let’s end it here.”

The sword descends.

“Urgh…!?”

The startled individual hastily surrounds themselves with magic, but it’s too late.

The hastily gathered magic is insufficient to block the current strike.

Swish—

A menacing sound is heard as the arm in the path of the descending sword is smoothly severed.

Thud!

The arm falls powerlessly to the ground, twitching.

And blood spurts forth.

“Ughhh!”

The individual clutches their severed arm, sinking to the ground and letting out a pained scream.

The bleeding that drenches the ground soon ceases.

The individual’s body, pushed beyond its limits, must have instinctively stopped the bleeding to staunch the flow.

“Urgh, gasp, ugh…!”

Yet the pain persists as the groaning individual, tears streaming, lifts their head towards me.

Their eyes reflect anger, despair, unease.

And distrust.

Through gritted teeth, they inquire.

“You… What’s your relationship with that bastard Son Siwoo?”

Seems like they’ve caught on.

They’ve realized that the swordsmanship I just displayed is strikingly similar to Son Siwoo’s.

Even if they rot, their discerning eyes haven’t completely vanished.

I smirk at the individual.

“I’m the son Son Siwoo kept hidden, punk.”

With those words, I deliver a punch.

Thwack!

The blow accurately slashes through the right cheekbone, causing the individual to collapse weakly.

Confirming that their consciousness has been completely severed, I turn away.

Then, facing the dumbfounded gazes of the Association hunters, I gesture.

“What are you waiting for? Arrest him quickly.”

“Yes…? Oh, yes, sir!”

Only then do the compliant hunters rush forward and restrain Kim Taeyang with specially crafted restraints.

“Hunter Kim Taeyang, you are under arrest for murder… as a suspect in a series of murders.”

Kim Taeyang, subdued while unconscious, is dragged out by the two senior hunters.

Watching him, I can’t help but feel a bit unsatisfied.

“Disappointing…”