Chapter 231: Alpha

Episode 231: Alpha

The man trembled, holding an item that suppressed mana recovery in his hand. Amidst his urgent gaze, he swallowed dry saliva and took a step forward, stepping on the ancient pattern emitting a faint light. It was a mana-absorbing array, but it had no effect on non-magic beings.

In the center of the intricate array, a young man lay unconscious.

Alpha of Acatess. SS-grade guard.

Once the strongest presence in the city, now his breath was barely audible. There was no sign of awakening, and even the aura of his formidable strength seemed dimmed, likely due to the loss of mana.

Nevertheless, the non-magic man couldn't hide his fear. The power of the superior guard had been heard countless times, and he had even seen it with his own eyes. Just a few days ago, the entire second commercial district had burned down.

"There wasn't a single building left intact."

People who had witnessed it said so. Fortunately, the alpha had gone berserk at midnight when the evacuation was complete, sparing civilians from harm. However, everything was turned to ashes, leaving nothing behind.

Even special buildings designed to withstand attacks from intermediate monsters were reduced to traces. Thick stones and iron pieces might resist, but how long could an ordinary human endure the flames?

The man, despite being affiliated with Acatess City Defense Agency, rarely encountered high-level guards due to being a non-magic being. Seeing an alpha directly for the first time in his life, he couldn't help but reflect on his misfortune as he cautiously kneeled beside the alpha.

"Wait!"

The Alpha management officer shouted. It was impossible to use an item that suppressed mana recovery with the mana absorption array active. Moreover, as the item operated on mana, it not only wouldn't work properly but also risked malfunctioning.

"Attach the item below Alpha's mark and activate it with the signal."

"Yes, sir."

The trembling hands of the non-magic man fumbled around Alpha's neck. The faint red glow of the engraving that released mana caught his eye. It bore the powerful protection mark of an SS-grade guard, but it couldn't prevent the continuous drain of the owner's mana.

With a click, the item was securely attached beneath the mark. Although he wanted to activate it immediately and flee, if things went wrong, he knew he would be executed right afterward. The safety of his family would also be jeopardized.

"5, 4, 3."

As the countdown began, the signal turned off the light of the mana absorption array. The non-magic man activated the item and half ran away. Almost simultaneously, S-grade guards rushed towards Alpha.

"Restrain him, starting with handcuffs! Prevent him from using the inventory!"

Someone shouted, and an S-grade guard untied the ropes binding Alpha's arms behind his back. Although the ropes used to tie Alpha were made from materials obtained from SS-grade monsters, they were insufficient to withstand the strength of an S-grade guard.

Another S-grade guard quickly applied a mana-activated restraint on Alpha. It covered not only his arms but also his hands, preventing the use of the inventory. As the arm restraints were almost secured and the ankle restraints were about to be applied...

"It's done..."

In the view of the S-grade guard tightening the last knot of the arm restraint, two narrowly opened eyes appeared. Under disheveled black hair, crimson pupils moved slightly. Simultaneously.

"Snap!"

The S-grade guard holding Alpha's ankle was forcefully kicked away. The S-grade guard pulling the ropes was about to draw his weapon, but Alpha's movements were faster.

The body, which had been lying powerless on the ground, rose swiftly, wrapping long legs around the neck of the standing S-grade guard. With a thick sound, the S-grade guard's body collapsed. Despite being fully equipped with advanced gear, he had completely lost combat capability.

"Darn it, don't release the arm restraints!"

"The mana absorption array?"

"It's already out of range! Just catch him somehow since he can't use skills!"

The S-grade guard who had been kicked against the wall drew his weapon. To catch up with the movements of an SS-grade guard from a distance, various auxiliary skills and accuracy enhancement skills were repeatedly used, and the muzzle of the assault rifle was aimed at the exit, not at Alpha. The magical weapon fired silently and rapidly, with the bullets hitting the floor.

"Thud!"

With a dull sound, sharp fragments scattered. Alpha, who was about to head towards the exit but swiftly changed direction. Another S-grade guard, who was waiting for Alpha to leap backward, attacked. In one hand, he held a long knife, and in the other, a pistol.

The knife was thrown towards Alpha before anything else. It came with a faint light, indicating that a skill had been applied, and it approached at a terrifying speed. Instead of blocking or deflecting the knife, Alpha, with his arms restrained, slid low to the ground, avoiding the attack. Alpha's toe reached the ankle of the S-grade guard, who was barely standing.

"Ugh!"

No chance to use a defense skill. Alpha's knee strike hit the S-grade guard, who tried to evade quickly, and then his foot lifted high, delivering a powerful kick. Even with top-notch protective gear, facing such an attack would result in a completely broken spine.

Woosh—

Just before Alpha could finish the kick, magical bullets soared through the air in rapid succession.

Alpha smoothly retracted his leg as the magical bullets burst forth. His gaze fixed on the approaching S-grade guards, he rose quickly. Simultaneously, more magical bullets flew, protecting Alpha from the S-grade guards.

However, it was a feint. Instead of moving forward towards them, Alpha, who had leaped, kicked the wall with one foot, throwing his body backward. It was in the direction of the exit. Twisting his body like a spider, he ran along the wall, defying gravity. The guards and the magical bullets urgently chased him, but capturing him seemed challenging.

Just as Alpha swiftly reached the entrance.

Bang!!

With a deafening sound, the door exploded. The thick door shattered into pieces, rising into the air with hot air and powerful pressure engulfing Alpha. In an instant, Alpha was pushed back, and the S-grade guard who had followed him attacked with a swinging blade.

The S-grade guards unleashed skills to wield their weapons. Even though Alpha was constrained by mana depletion, inability to use inventory, and various restraints, the two close-quarters guards couldn't attack freely because Alpha only moved in the vicinity of the reinforced wall. Any wrong move might help in breaking the wall.

Even Alpha, with one arm almost bound and unable to use inventory, deliberately placed the restraint in the path of the weapon attacks. If he wasn't moving only around the wall, the guards could have attacked more freely. Moreover, Alpha constantly pushed one of his arms towards the weapon's attack path. If he continued this way, it would become advantageous for Alpha over time. Even with the mana recovery suppression item, it couldn't completely prevent the recovery.

"Do you have any more mana absorption items?!"

At the cry of the detection leader, the Alpha handlers hiding in the corner raised their heads. The high-grade mana absorption items were scarce to begin with, and during the last rampage, they had used them all. That's why they had requested Sigma of Sollemnis to prepare for Alpha suppression in case of emergencies.

Even the only guard with a high-grade mana absorption skill was in a combat-disabled state. If it continued like this, they might miss capturing Alpha. At that critical moment, a sense of urgency filled the air.

"Alpha! I've captured your brother! "

"…!"

Alpha's two eyes flickered. The coldness in his gaze momentarily blurred as if he had lost consciousness, and his movements became sluggish. It was a very brief moment.

However, the seasoned S-grade guards didn't miss the opportunity.

Thunk!

A metal arrow shot from Baekbal's fingertips pierced Alpha's leg. The arrow, skillfully applied with overlapping skills to seize the opportunity, deformed. The part that pierced through the flesh extended, splitting into two branches, as if wrapping around Alpha's leg. Baekbal pulled strongly on the chain hanging from the arrow. Simultaneously, another S-grade guard targeted Alpha's remaining leg without hesitation.

Alpha's body staggered forward with a thud. Even the awakened SS-grade entity couldn't withstand it with both legs subdued.

"Ankle restraint! Right now!"

The restraint was thrown, and Baekbal rushed in, unleashing a stat-reduction skill centered on the fallen Alpha. The target was solely Alpha, maximizing the stat reduction.

"Don't touch him!"

Suppressed, Alpha roared fiercely. His voice, reminiscent of a wild beast's roar, carried a sense of anxiety and restlessness.

"Prepare the branding technique!"

"Calm down, Alpha. We're not here to harm you."

Alpha's head was pressed down, and a gag, prepared for emergencies, was fitted in. Two S-grade guards, their strength stats reduced, held him firmly, preventing any movement. A scissors-cutting sound as part of the clothing was removed. A skill focusing on the vulnerable area above the exposed shoulder was used, reducing defense, followed by a special needle piercing the skin.

It was all incredibly disturbing.

A muffled breath escaped from Alpha's gagged mouth.

Even when he was young, he, awakened as an S-rank, had never been so miserably crushed by others. Moreover, Han Yoohyun despised contact with others to the point of being obsessive. After parting ways with his older brother, he became more aggravated in his nature. Suk minyeong had even gone through the trouble of persuading him about clothing coordination. Yoon Gyeong-su, who had thoughtlessly provoked a young S-rank, also suffered the consequences.

Even after reconciling with Han Yoojin, he had become lenient enough to include Park Yerim in his daily life. However, the touch of unfamiliar people remained horrifying.

'…Hyung.'

Amidst the complex whirlwind of emotions, memories not belonging to him emerged in Han Yoohyun's mind. It was the memories of the Alpha, the host of the body he currently inhabited.

In front of Alpha, a corpse lay. The person who could be considered the nurturer, the one who took care of him.

Not his older brother. The gender was different. Even the awakened skills of the woman and the nurturer title were slightly different. Despite Alpha awakening as an SS-rank, she held the title of 'Ordinary Nurturer,' having raised an A-rank awakener.

Still, it was perplexing. Right after arriving in this place for the first time, he couldn't endure the anxiety and ended up going berserk.

"It's over!"

"Extract the mana immediately!"

Amidst the people's shouts, Yoohyun's mana, which had somewhat recovered, was once again sucked away through the branding. Despite the pain spreading along his spine, Yoohyun couldn't feel it properly. His consciousness was filled only with the safety of his brother in Alpha's body.

But he had to go find him.

By any means necessary, even crawling on the floor. He tried to move his bound and pressed body, but he couldn't make any progress. Powerlessly, his eyes blinked, and his eyelashes became damp.

"It's too fast for recovery."

"Now that the mana absorption is off, he's almost at a level where he can function normally... Seems like Alpha's body hasn't adapted to the absorption."

"Even after several days... Maybe we need to modify the branding technique and carve it anew."

Still, with the modification of the imprint, suppressing Alpha would be easier than before. At that moment, an employee from the Defense Bureau entered through the broken entrance.

"We received a message from Sigma of Sollemnis. They've accepted the request to suppress Alpha."

"...Now?"

It was perplexing, but if Sigma was coming, it would make it easier to check Alpha's condition. The Alpha handlers sighed with relief and conveyed the response before Sigma changed their mind.

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