Attack [24]

Choi Jong-In brought his fingers together and let out a low hum. Cha sat on the other side of the desk with a similarly thoughtful expression on her face. Lolikiano had left the room moments prior, leaving the two to sit and think.

After a few minutes, Choi Jong-In spoke up.

"Sung Jin-Woo is not a False Ranker. He received a re-evaluation yesterday, and he received the E-Rank, again," Choi sighed. "He may be the most valuable asset out of the three."

Cha softly nodded. "As such, I believe we should cut my pay by 35% and—in addition to the high A-Rank pay that the three will receive—give the split pay to each of them. Sung will receive 15%, while Ichigo and the other man will receive 10%."

Choi looked at Cha Hae-In with perplexed eyes.

"35% will certainly be a big drop in your pay for this month. Are you positive in such an extreme decision?"

Hae-In's gaze gave Choi an answer immediately, even before she began speaking.

"I may be an S-Rank now, but Ichigo is not an S-Rank out of her choice, rather than her skill level. Her physique certainly surpasses my own in several ways, and I am not ashamed to admit that I've only won against her when I was in my best condition, and she wasn't in hers."

Choi opened his mouth, but upon seeing Cha's expression, he closed it.

"I understand that's how fights are. Monsters don't care for our conditions or not, it's the result that matters," Cha shook her head. "Regardless, Ichigo's the one from the trio that I know of most through our past encounters, even if Sung and I knew one another when we were younger. However, we've both seen Sung's power today."

"…" Choi softly nodded.

"Kim Byung-Ho has never been known for his spectacular personality, but he's an incredibly reliable ally in a fight, and when he pumps up his physical abilities, he becomes a threat that neither I nor you can handle easily. Truly, I should be giving Jin-Woo—er, Sung—50% of my earnings rather than 15%. If he defeated Byung-Ho in a single blow like we believe, he's far more formidable than either of us imagined."

Choi swallowed.

"Out of respect for him, we absolutely shouldn't badger Sung with offers to join the Hunters Guild," Cha nodded, and her words suddenly sparked a fire within Choi, causing his eyes to shine with sudden inspiration.

After a moment, she continued, sighing softly. "It may not be my place to mention this but Sung isn't the type to say it himself. He takes care of his mother and his sister on his own, with little-to-no help, and he only receives money through Hunting monsters. You may remember that I recommended an E-Rank for the mining group a few years ago, right after I Awakened. That was him. Unfortunately, he never showed up and Byung-Ho was adamant about his poor behavior."

Choi looked away, a complicated expression on his face. "And I didn't believe you back then because I knew Byung-Ho for longer."

Cha nodded, unbothered. "The point is that Sung is a man who's lived a life more difficult than a lot. An E-Rank taking care of his sick mother and younger sister, unable to receive anything more than a few mana crystals every raid and becoming injured in most raids he joined. A Hunter who's well-known for being completely unable to grow stronger."

Cha took a moment to let the words sink in. "That is the man who Sung Jin-Woo is."

Choi slowly nodded. "An older brother taking care of his younger sister, huh. And I've only made this man's life harder. It seems that I've forgotten what makes the Hunters Guild like home for so many of our members. My sister certainly wouldn't enjoy my actions."

Choi rose from his spot, laying a hand on Cha's shoulder.

"It's getting late, so we should call it a day." He walked past her, opening the door, and taking a deep breath. "I'll reconsider the conditions of our deal with the three and get back to you tomorrow."

Choi left the room, closing the door behind himself softly.

Cha sat in the room quietly, holding her hands together.

"I've grown complacent. Whatever's happened to Jin-Woo, he's grown stronger. Meanwhile, I've just been sitting around, satisfied." Something deep burned within Cha's eyes. "I need to start training again, or else Goto'll gloat about being stronger than me."

-----

The next three days were slow. Lolikiano Mistrim left after the second day, noting that she had her own work to attend to. She didn't leave the three with any advice, but they were confident in not needing any.

Sung Jin-Woo, Fanzer Leblanc, and Ichigo Jin-Sol all grew exponentially. Their growth was so great that Cha and Choi felt like they didn't need ten days to recuperate. Instead, they received three.

The five Awakened stood in the gym just like they did four days prior. It was as if the fight with Byung-Ho hadn't occurred because the gymnasium was in pristine condition. There weren't any unusual cracks, indentations, or uneven flooring. That was all the immaculate work of Bae Yoon-Suk, the leader of the Hunters Guild's mining team.

Fanzer was the first to speak up after Choi explained the change in the deal.

"So, if we want to join the Hunters Guild for three raids, we can. However, your heart just ballooned up three times larger overnight, and we can leave without any consequences. Am I understanding that right?" Fanzer questioned, making sure his utter disbelief in the situation was clear. "Because to me—and maybe I'm just crazy—that sounds like it's too good to be true."

Choi shrugged, his signature smile rising to his face. "A prosperous deal should be built on a fair partnership."

Fanzer let out a low hum. "Ah yeah, because this is so much better than the blackmail from before. Wow, you didn't go down any further, do you want a reward or something?"

Choi flinched. Fanzer opened his mouth to continue, but he went silent when Ichigo laid a hand on his shoulder.

"While I wouldn't put it exactly like that, Fanzer's right. The deal was fine for me, since I didn't have anything to lose, but Fanzer and Jin-Woo could've been put into dangerous situations because of your threats. Why have the sudden change of heart?"

Before Choi could speak up, Jin-Woo did.

"It was probably because they stand to gain more like this," Jin-Woo shrugged. Cha, Fanzer, and Ichigo's eyes fell on him. Choi's eyes stayed locked on the ground. "It may sound self-centered to say, but I'm ranked 'E' but took down one of their A-Ranks. If they wanted us to join their guild momentarily before, they may want us to join permanently now. It would help them out far more in the long run."

Ichigo's eyes lit up. "Because an E-Rank joining and the guild's efficiency rising would make it seem like the guild as a whole is becoming more efficient."

Jin-Woo nodded.

Fanzer groaned. "More politics and stuff, right? And what would happen if we spilt the beans to another guild?"

Choi's eyes locked onto Fanzer, cool and collected. "Then we're back to square one, aren't we?"

Choi and Fanzer met one another's gazes powerfully. The room's tension rose as their energies started leaking from their bodies. They both got ready for a fight, Fanzer flicking his hand and a card emerging from within while Choi's rings glowed, and powers gathered in the palms of his hands.

"Fighting amongst one another is pointless," Cha spoke, cutting through the tension instantly. Fanzer and Choi quickly took steps back, and Cha continued. "Our reasons are simple."

Cha's gaze was straight and true, and her tone left no room for hesitation. "The Hunters Guild is not trying to be the strongest guild in Korea because of pride, or wealth. We want to be strong to protect Korea, and to protect the people within our guild."

Choi sighed softly, nodding. "The members of the White Tiger guild are not our enemies. They have a similar goal as our own, to protect Korea through the power they're building. We are not here to hurt, instead we're here to help, that's what the Sovereign of Hunters has been trying to teach us lately."

Fanzer was quiet for a moment before letting out a sigh, his shoulders falling.

"Okay, yeah, fine!" He couldn't stop a smile from rising on his face. "I can see what you're trying to say. Somewhere along the way you forgot the kindness within your heart and now you're remembering it, blah blah blah, whatever. To skip all the other parts, I'll join the raids. It's not like I've got much else to do right now. Besides… it's not like I can just walk away at this point…."

Choi's eyes suddenly lit up, his smile seeming a bit less mischievous and a bit more genuine. He turned his gaze to Ichigo, who nodded happily.

"Of course, I'll join the raids! Seeing two S-Ranks in action is something that I wouldn't give up many things for!" She snickered.

Choi's eyes landed on Jin-Woo last, who seemed to have a dissatisfied expression on his face.

"What's wrong?"

Jin-Woo was quiet for a moment. "I'm fine with joining as well, but…."

Ichigo picked up on what Jin-Woo was saying. "We still want to fight Cha."

Confusion rose on Choi's face. "But why?"

Fanzer sighed. "It's a… power thing, I think."

Jin-Woo shook his head. "I'd like to see my limits, that's all. Facing my limits and pushing past them is what'll give me the power to protect those I hold dear, so I don't want to walk away from a chance to push my abilities even further. I have to grow faster, now more than ever."

Choi's eyes widened. He looked at Jin-Woo silently. He glanced at Cha, who had a small smile on her face.

"Sung Jin-Woo?" He spoke, causing Jin-Woo to look up to him. His magenta eyes met Jin-Woo's golden ones. "Your father was…?"

"Sung Il-Hwan," Jin-Woo nodded, confused.

Choi softly chuckled, shaking his head. "Fate has odd ways of pushing things together," he laughed, nodding. "Your father… was the inspiration for the Hunters Guild's creation. I can't believe I forgot that golden gaze. That truly is the gaze of a conqueror."

Fanzer blinked, looking between Jin-Woo and Choi.

"Wait, wait, wait! Your dad's the Conqueror?! Why didn't you tell us you were famous?!" Fanzer gasped. "Now your golden eyes make so much sense! I thought they were just contacts!"

Ichigo had a similarly surprised reaction. "You're the son of Sung Il-Hwan? My Master said that he was one of her closest confidants."

Jin-Woo blinked. "I've… got no idea what you all are talking about. My father was a Hunter, yes, but he was no… 'Conqueror.'"

The three went quiet, blinking.

"Could we be mistaken?" Fanzer spoke up. Jin-Woo tried to relax his fingers.

"Well… it's not impossible for two men to have the same name," Choi nodded. Jin-Woo brought his fingers together, forming a loose fist.

"But the golden eyes do tell a different story," Ichigo interjected. Jin-Woo clenched his hand.

Jin-Woo clenched his jaw, and before he could speak, Cha did.

"While a lot of people know about the stories of the Conqueror, those stories aren't relevant now, are they?" Cha asked, pulling Fanzer, Ichigo, and Choi out of their almost fanatic curiosity.

"Ah, yeah, that's right. Sung, Jin-Sol, Leblanc, if you'd like to fight Cha, I've got no problems with it. We've got two weeks until our next scheduled raid day, so learning of your limits now can help us all in the long run," Choi gestured to the three before nodding towards Cha. "Of course, that's if you don't mind."

Cha shook her head, meeting Jin-Woo's gaze for a moment. He gave her a soft nod, which she returned.

"I don't mind. I've been wanting to fight against you three since you've all clearly changed since our last time fighting," Cha smiled, nodding towards the three softly. "Ah, but it's up to you three whether we'll fight one-against-one, or one-against-three."

The three looked at one another, blinking. Ichigo and Fanzer shrugged, but Jin-Woo spoke up.

"Strength… must stand on its own before it can stand with others, so I'd prefer to fight alone first," Jin-Woo spoke up, causing Fanzer and Ichigo to continue blinking.

Ichigo nodded slowly. "I can understand. If that's what you want, we'll hang back." Ichigo softly patted Jin-Woo's shoulder, giving him a smile. Fanzer gave him a smile and a thumbs-up.

Jin-Woo glanced at Fanzer and Ichigo. He was impressed by their growth. Compared to when they first met, they'd all grown drastically.

The Gambling Thief and the Healing Gourmet took a few steps back, settling and sitting on the stands of the gym. They were completely out of the way. Choi took the same precautions, standing far back enough to not get caught in the two's crossfire.

Jin-Woo took a few deep breaths, feeling his mana flow over his body in an incredibly natural way. This was one of the ways he learned how to use Umbra Control.

[Umbra Aura | Lv. 1 | MP: 1000]

Mana manipulation is one of the basic concepts for living beings, but those who are dead have no need for it. However, those who've seen death and come back have a higher understanding of the manipulation of Mana of Death, doubly surpassing the power of those who wield Mana of Life. The skill is only forcibly deactivated when MP hits zero.

Passive 50% increase to Strength, Dexterity, Agility, Vitality, and Intelligence.

When active, additional 50% increase to the same stats.

When active, double HP regeneration.

Costs 1000 MP per minute while active.

The skill was truly incredible, and it was simply a "Mana of Death" version of what every Awakened used naturally. With Umbra Boost, Jin-Woo's stats were essentially doubled—although the boosts skipped over Faith and Luck. Regardless, the depth of the skill was unfathomable, especially because the skill was only at level one.

However, the cost of the skill was similarly steep, so Jin-Woo couldn't afford to use it for long.

Fanzer shivered as he stared at Jin-Woo. Ichigo gave the Thief a small sideways glance.

"Ugh, every time I seem to get used to his aura, he goes and changes something about it. He's clearly a good guy, worrying about his sister and all, but sheesh, I feel the pressure of death always on my shoulders now," Fanzer sighed, causing Ichigo to give him a small shrug.

"Maybe, but… well, death isn't a new thing for me at least. It probably isn't for you either, or else, why would we stick so close to Sung?" Ichigo asked, a small smile on her face. It was a bitter smile, but the bitterness wasn't directed at Jin-Woo. "It seems like the three of us all had hard times getting here, but at least we're together now."

Fanzer was quiet, slowly nodding to himself. "I hadn't thought about it like that."

Jin-Woo took a few deep breaths and focused his attention on Cha. Unrelated nervousness settled in his stomach.

"This is an armed match; the match will be over when…." Choi's voice faded away from Jin-Woo when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.

He didn't have much of a chance to pick up his phone, because the phone stopped ringing before he could even reach towards his pocket. The timed beeps in the gym started. He could see Cha readying herself, both of her blades in her hands.

'That may not even be Jino, I'm probably just overexaggerating.'

The second mark.

'But what if it is her? If she really needed something, fighting isn't anywhere near as important as Jino.'

The third mark. The battle began, and Cha got ready to leap towards Jin-Woo.

'This shouldn't even be a question,' Jin-Woo held his hands up, suddenly causing Cha to hesitate.

"Sorry, sorry, just…." Jin-Woo pulled his phone from his pocket, looking to see that it was indeed his younger sister who called him. He called her back, holding the phone up to his ear and waiting for a moment.

After a few uncomfortably long seconds, someone answered the phone. Jin-Woo heard crying, and his stomach dropped to his feet.

"Jin-Woo, we need help, please—" The phone suddenly cut out.

Immense, almost immeasurable bloodlust shot out from Jin-Woo's spot. He was sprinting, darkness coating his legs before anyone in the room could realize what was happening. As soon as he was gone, Cha took a breath in, the impossible weight of Jin-Woo's bloodlust fading in an instant.

Choi looked at the spot where Jin-Woo stood, nervous sweat running down the side of his face.

Fanzer and Ichigo stared at one another, expressions in sync.

-----

Just minutes earlier, Alnair knocked on the door to the Sung residence, and Jino opened that door with a smile.

"Hey, Alnair! What's the occasion, hmm?" Jino asked, lingering in front of the door excitedly. "You know more than anyone that I won't let you in without a bribe. So, what have you got?"

Alnair shook his head with a smile, pulling his hand up softly and showing off an impressive brownie sundae. Jino's eyes shimmered with sudden glee. She grabbed the brownie sundae and dashed into her home, leaving the door wide open while she went to grab a spoon.

Alnair looked around, his golden eyes shining, and walked into the room. He carefully closed the door behind himself, his actions delicate. His eyes swept over the house and instantly noticed some cobwebs in the corner of the ceiling.

"When was the last time you cleaned up around here?" Alnair asked, causing Jino to let out an exasperated gasp.

"Ughhhh, probably a while ago. School's been so busy recently! Why?" Jino's mouth was full of ice cream already, so her words came out a bit muffled and slurred. Alnair just silently pointed to the cobweb he noticed. Jino let out a soft sound before looking closer and nodding. "Ooooh, yeah, I'll take care of that. Now come, sit!"

Jino excitedly gestured to the couch, which Alnair then went to sit on. After a moment of sinking into the comfortable—old and aged, but comfortable—couch, Jino looked at Alnair with sparkling eyes.

"Okay! What's up?" Jino asked, taking another large bite of her sundae.

Alnair scratched the side of his head nervously. "Nothing much."

Jino huffed, slowing down, and looking at Alnair for an intense second. "What is it? You're normally so direct and all 'this is the situation and here's how we should solve it!'" Jino spoke with a bad impression of Alnair, shaking her head back and forth dramatically.

Alnair laughed, "I don't sound like that."

Jino nodded. "You do, you totally do!"

Alnair shook his head. "I just didn't know how to ask if you and Jin-Woo have any plans for Christmas."

Jino blinked, scratching the side of her head. She laughed, shrugging, "Ah… probably not. We haven't done anything for a few years, since he's been a bit busy, and it's just been the two of us." Jino's eyes lit up when she looked at Alnair. "But if you guys make up, we could both find a way to convince—"

Jino's voice stopped short when she saw Alnair's facial expression. She went back to eating her sundae before letting out an exasperated sigh.

"Neither of you actually told me what happened. Jin-Woo probably didn't tell me because he's like that, but you're normally more open compared to him. Do you have any plans of actually saying what happened?" Jino asked, receiving utter silence from Alnair. When she looked up to meet his gaze, Alnair looked away.

Jino puffed up her cheeks, swirling the remaining ice cream around in her cup before sighing.

"Just answer one question, and then I'll drop it, okay?" She looked up. This time Alnair did meet her eyes, and she made a big effort to use her puppy-dog eyes to convince the white-haired man. He sighed, softly nodding. Jino let out a small cheer before asking her question. "You want to talk it out, right?"

Alnair's gaze didn't falter, but he didn't utter a word. After a minute of silence, he spoke up, his words coming out quiet, nigh silent. Jino had to lean forward to hear his words properly.

He spoke with utter seriousness. "Pineapples on pizza aren't as bad as people say."

There was a moment, an impossible to notice instant where Jino's face was filled with understanding before she flew back, cackling wildly.

"No way you just said that with a completely straight face! You treated it like you were Eren Yaeger saying 'tatake' or something! PSH HAHAHAH!" Jino laughed and laughed, causing Alnair to sigh, a smile rising to his face.

However, despite Jino's laughing, her brain was racing to find an answer. Years prior, Alnair and Jino made a little code in case some situation where they couldn't speak about something came up.

Alnair would say something ridiculous without flinching, and Jino would laugh. That was their way of acknowledging that they wanted to talk but couldn't. In a world of supernatural abilities, they never expected to use it, but now it was finally coming in handy.

After Jino calmed down, the two talked leisurely about Christmas, not hitting any topics that were important for a while. Eventually, Alnair rose from his spot and prepared himself to leave, making sure to pick up Jino's trash and throw it away.

"Remember to—"

"'Not tell Jin-Woo that I was here.' Yeah, yeah, I won't mention you being here. Jeez, you've been in and out of here for the last four years and I'm 18 now, I've got a decent idea how to keep a secret!" Jino groaned, causing Alnair to throw his hands up in submittance.

"Okay, okay, I'm heading—" Alnair suddenly stopped speaking, his eyes shimmering. His head snapped towards the window to the house. His eyes turned to slits, his skill, Elder Dragon's Eye, activating.

Through his vision, the darkness of the night faded away. On an opposing building, a middle-aged man with greying hair and light red eyes smiled devilishly. The red-eyed man's tattered black robes flowed calmly in the wind. Alnair's eyes fed him information that would normally be impossible to learn. The man's name—Yogumunt—his emotional state, his species—not human—and a bit about his general set of abilities.

"Jino, call the Hunters Association. Inform them of a monster that escaped a Gate," Alnair spoke to Jino calmly, tenseness rising to his face. He sat down the bag of trash carefully, as if not to startle the monster on the opposing building. The white-haired S-Rank glanced at Jino, noting her confused expression. He repeated himself, "Jino, I need you to—"

The red-eyed man grinned before hopping from his spot. The surrounding building wasn't damage at all, but his little hop was enough to send him flying towards the window of the Sung household. The man flowed on the air like it was the ground, never losing control as light red mana flowed underneath his feet.

The monster tapped his fingers on the window, a wave of mana pulsing from where he tapped. The mana flowed to cover the entire wall before the mana rushed inwards shattering the wall to the Sung household. The rubble, however, didn't fall into the house, instead, it just floated around softly. The rubble where the man stood moved around him, allowing him to softly step into the home.

All the monster's actions happened in a fraction of a second, too fast for Alnair to respond to. Jino fell to the ground, stumbling backwards as the man looked at her. She shivered. He looked back up to Alnair, seeming completely unbothered by the freezing cold racing winds.

"Antares! I didn't know you cared about humans! They killed your brother, don't you remember? You started this war, to—"

Alnair blitzed forward, his hand reaching up and grabbing the man's throat in one fell swoop. The man went silent in an instant, his smile faded.

"Yogumunt, whoever the hell you are, get the hell out of here or die," Alnair's voice held no hesitation, and it caused Yogumunt to let out a small sigh. A wave of red mana slammed into Alnair's leg, knocking him back before it slammed into his chest, lifting him off the ground and causing him to hit the ceiling.

Yogumunt's hand traveled up to his neck, rubbing it softly. He sighed. "Antares—"

"His name is Alnair!" Jino rushed to Alnair's side, helping him up as he groaned softly.

Yogumunt looked at Jino, blinking. She growled at him, holding her arm over Alnair.

"I don't like that look in your eyes, human. You aren't even an Awakened one, so you're useless to me," Yogumunt's eyes met Jino's, but she didn't flinch back. Yogumunt held his hand out towards the two, aiming towards Jino. "You should know your place as trash."

Mana shot out towards Jino, and she closed her eyes, flinching backwards. Right before the attack could touch her, Alnair grabbed the Unawakened girl and held her close to his body before leaping from the room, out the now shattered wall. He turned in the air, his back slamming into the corner of a nearby building. He let out a gasp of pain before the two started falling towards the ground.

"Alnair!" Jino screamed, and the golden-eyed man flipped around in the moment before they'd hit the ground, pulling Jino closer and landing on his feet, grinning tiredly.

"You're fine, you're fine. Jin-Woo would kill me if I—" Alnair suddenly leapt into the air, the ground underneath his feet being assaulted with heavy fits of red mana. "—let you get hurt."

Alnair landed on the ground and sat Jino down, who slightly winced after setting her bare feet on the freezing-cold ground. His eyes stuck to the Sung household, where Yogumunt was standing on the edge of the flooring calmly.

"Do you have your phone?" Alnair questioned.

Jino shook her head, "Yeah, I've still got it." Before Alnair could say anything, Jino was already typing in the Hunter Association's number, but she suddenly changed it, typing in her brother's number instead.

A wave of red mana shot towards Jino, but Alnair's hand snapped up at the last second, blocking it. Yogumunt's eyes widened ever-so-slightly.

Alnair met Yogumunt's gaze with a grin. "I get the bullshit principle behind your attacks, old man."

Yogumunt blinked, a grin of his own rising. "You still don't remember who you are, King of Dragons? Interesting. I guess I'll have to start an experiment on how to bring back memories after reincarnation! First experiment, through trauma; through the death of that human!"

Yogumunt flicked his hand, and a volley of mana raced towards Alnair and Jino. The attacks twirled around the two with stunning speeds, but Alnair smacked them all away without fail, his speed rising with ridiculous intensity.

Jino somehow managed to call Jin-Woo even with all the chaos around her, the bone chilling cold causing her to shiver as she held her phone up to her ear. It rung, and it rung, and it rung.

"Come on, Jin-Woo, please, please," Jino begged, but despite her begging, Jin-Woo didn't pick up.

Alnair shot around Jino to block another ball of energy, but it suddenly split into several more pieces and raced towards Jino, the little pieces coming together and targeting her head. She barely pulled her arms together, but unlike Alnair, her body wasn't enhanced by massive amounts of mana, so her arms were shattered in an instant, her body being flung through the air like a broken doll.

"Jino!" Alnair grabbed Jino as softly as he could manage, sliding to a halt with her in his arms. He looked down at her condition, noting her incredibly bruised and darkened forearms. In that instant, he knew that she would've died if she didn't shield herself.

Jino still held her phone within her hands, holding it tightly, and eventually, it started ringing. Jin-Woo called her back.

Before her brother could even begin to speak, Jino tried to hold back the sobs of pain that threatened to spill out and spoke. In the end, the sobs escaped her throat.

"Jin-Woo, we need help, please—" Jino was suddenly stopped as a stone rushed towards her, piercing through her phone but crumbling away before it could touch her body.

"Antares, you've changed in the last decade or so. Protecting a human? Getting help from humans?! You're the King of Dragons! The strongest Sovereign behind the Primordial Sovereign, behind our leader! Your soul is the same, so why have you changed?!" Yogumunt laughed, seemingly equally manic and shocked.

Alnair's glare shot into Yogumunt.

"You son of a bitch. I'll make sure you die, whatever I have to do, you hear me?!" Alnair roared. But despite his rage, he didn't move forward. He kept his mana wrapped around Jino, trying to comfort her as she sobbed out in pain.

Rather, he moved backwards, keeping his eyes on his enemy.

"Jino, I've gotta get you to safety. I'm sorry, but it'll probably hurt your arms a bit, because I won't hold back any of my speed," Alnair warned Jino before preparing himself to run. However, Jino's quiet voice stopped him.

"No… what if he attacks someone else…?" She spoke, shivering and huddling closer to Alnair. He increased the density of his mana, warmth coating his and Jino's bodies.

"Tch… is it really the time to be worrying about others? Listen, he hasn't been attacking anyone else. He's just here for us, so—"

"But can you be sure…?" Jino questioned, causing Alnair to let out a groan.

"You're really worrying for others at a time like this? Okay, fine. But I can't let Jin-Woo see me. It'll be more trouble than it's worth for both me and you," Alnair kept his eyes locked onto Yogumunt, and he dashed away from his spot when he felt a wave of mana rushing towards him. The spot where he stood before was destroyed a fraction of a second later.

Yogumunt tsked.

"Get your priorities straight…!" Jino sniffled, causing Alnair to let out a little snicker.

"Okay, fine, I'll face the problems head-on…! For now, just rest up. I'll take care of this," Alnair's vision locked onto Yogumunt, dodging a volley of attacks with Jino held in his arms. Alnair glanced at the ground, seeing an average-sized rock sitting there. He kicked it up with his feet before kicking it towards Yogumunt. The rock shot through Yogumunt's mana pane and slid past the Sovereign's face, a thin line of red blood forming on his cheek. "If I can't use my arms, I'll use my legs. I'll keep on adapting. That's the only way to become the Sovereign of Hunters!"