Chapter 79
The hunter had the power to summon wind. Eunseong recalled feeling the blue energy swirling inside him when he first gave him a buff. Now he could see the hunter’s energy even more clearly and distinctly.
It was as if he could see through the texture of life force. The flow of energy and its intersections, even the miracle created by the otherworldly energy that was alien to the human body—everything unfolded before his eyes.
That wasn’t all. As he increased his concentration, all the buff energy he had infused into the hunters began to be felt distinctly. Eunseong realized he was connected to all of them.
The circulation of power. A combat unit organically woven together. A balance maintained precariously.
Eunseong had never felt this sensation before. He could be certain of this regardless of whether he remembered or not. It was natural, since this was his first time entering a rift for combat participation, apart from when he fell during the plane crash.
No, was it just because this was his first rift battle that he awakened this sensation?
“…This isn’t protection, Dad.”
Eunseong muttered to himself as he faced the battlefield.
Like a beast wreathed in flames, Mujin sliced through the void. His entire body seemed to merge with the fireball as a crimson flash drew a fierce arc and plunged into the pit. Soon after, along with the monster’s roar, a violent pillar of fire rose to the top as if about to tear the rift apart.
Standing at the rear, Eunseong read the life force flow of the entire combat unit. He could feel how they were all concerned about protecting the rear, where the buffer ‘Han Geumseum’ stood.
“Another wave is coming!”
Taking someone’s shout as a signal, Eunseong also raised his hand. Energy flowing from his fingertips cut through the air and flowed into one person’s body. At that moment, the spear tip wielded by the hunter precisely pierced the core of the charging monster.
“Whoa, what’s this! Hunter Han Geumseum?”
“Focus!”
The hunter turned to look at Eunseong in surprise and was scolded by Choi Seongdo. Confused at first, his eyes widened in surprise when Eunseong’s energy flowed into him again. The hunters who were slashing, cutting, and bursting monsters around him also began to notice one by one. The hunter shouted again.
“That is Hunter Han Geumseum, right?”
Eunseong raised his hand, gesturing for him to look ahead. He smiled, inappropriately for the combat situation, feeling a sense of accomplishment for having done something, but when the other hunter smiled back, he felt camaraderie rather than embarrassment.
“Get away from the edge! A big one’s coming up!”
Mujin shouted as he grabbed and threw away the horn of a giant monster charging at him. His gaze at Eunseong was full of worry.
‘Yoo Eunseong! Step back, hide! Don’t do anything!’
It was as if Mujin’s voice could be heard vividly just through his eyes.
The movement of monsters rising from the pit changed. Dozens crawled up at once, like ants pouring out of an anthill. Before the startled front line could regroup, the ground shook and a thunderous roar erupted from the depths.
What emerged next was a monster with a massive body. It jumped above the pit, chewing and swallowing any monsters that blocked its path. With heavy armor and sharp pincer forelegs, it possessed energy far exceeding the monster grade that the Rift Control Agency had measured before entry.
“…That’s an unexpected grade, isn’t it?”
“When was their prediction ever right?”
Someone responded playfully to another’s panicked voice.
Mujin charged in silently, and Eunseong instinctively reached out his hand.
“At the belly! The joint section is the weak point, the core!”
Eunseong shouted while spreading his buff, weaving energy like a fine mesh. This was thanks to being able to see the monster’s energy flow once a white-light wave covered the entire combat area. Exclamations burst from among the hunters as enhanced power enveloped their bodies, making even their footsteps lighter, with tactical support following as well.
Mujin refined his flames to draw out a sharp red blade. He rushed to the front, slicing the monster’s foreleg and stabbing its eye with the blade. During this time, Choi Seongdo and three hunters dove underneath the monster. Eunseong tried to maintain the buff, even holding his breath.
Kyaaaa— The monster with its core pierced twisted its huge body violently. Eunseong, who had been watching the monster’s movements closely, shouted.
“Dodge!”
Almost simultaneously, the monster’s tail exploded, striking a hunter who couldn’t escape in time. He managed to barely deflect it but staggered and nearly fell into the pit. Just as Eunseong instinctively tried to open a “passage,” Mujin launched himself first. He created an updraft with flames and successfully grabbed the hunter, escaping from the pit.
“I’m alive…!”
Just as these words of relief were spoken, another monster charged at Mujin’s back.
Energy exploding from Eunseong’s body was an instinctive action. His heart shook violently when Mujin was threatened, triggering his unconscious.
A bright white light flashed and burst forth. Concentric circles whirled around Eunseong and pulsated outward. The wave created rough explosive sounds as it swept over monsters and shook the ground. The entire rift seemed to hold its breath as the air stopped and silence enveloped everything.
Mujin slowly raised his head. He could see Eunseong standing in the middle of a pool of white light. Within the light that spread out as if driving away the darkness of the otherworld, Eunseong stood alone. He looked unfamiliar and beautiful, sparkling dizzily as if about to shatter at any moment.
“They’re all gone. What in the world…”
Choi Seongdo looked around with his mouth open. Mujin approached and stood in front of Eunseong, blocking his view.
“The one that created the rift is still inside the pit. Let’s regroup and enter.”
“Ah… yes, understood. Everyone, gather around! Check injuries by groups and assess your condition.”
As Mujin stood in front, even the hunters’ commotion seemed to be blocked. Eunseong looked up at him, breathing heavily. Mujin wiped away the sweat flowing down his forehead. His pitch-black eyes examined Eunseong thoroughly.
“I could have blocked that myself. Why did you use so much power?”
“It just, just came out. I don’t know either.”
“…You really don’t trust me, do you.”
As Eunseong shook his head, his vision blurred. Mujin grabbed the slightly staggering Eunseong and held his shoulders. A small sigh escaped through his teeth. Eunseong grabbed Mujin’s hand as it fiddled with the guide on his forearm.
“I can do it. I’ll… go all the way with you.”
“Your nose is bleeding, you know that?”
Heat had risen sharply due to the energy that rushed out from his heart like an explosion, causing a nosebleed. Mujin guessed that while the buff was Eunseong’s inherent ability that had been contained, the curse of Hwanghwa was what encouraged its over-output.
“I can control it now. I really think I can. If I just keep hiding, I’ll lose all opportunities. We need to find Curry too.”
Eunseong pushed Mujin away slightly and took recovery medicine he had brought. The bleeding stopped after he pinched his nose and endured for a while. Mujin also stood stubbornly, but he didn’t have the ability to force Eunseong to leave if he didn’t want to. Nor could he abandon the hunters in a rift that was higher grade than expected.
“Fine. We’ll go together. But don’t use buffs on other people.”
“I’ll control it well.”
“That’s not it.”
Mujin lowered his head to Eunseong’s ear, whispered something, and then stepped back. As if unwilling to say more once he had made his decision, he turned and approached the hunters. He spoke with Choi Seongdo to review the route for entering the pit.
Eunseong remained frozen in place. His face gradually heated up, then quickly turned as red as a tomato. This time it wasn’t from using his power.
‘I’m jealous, that’s why.’
He blinked his blue eyes endlessly, unable to believe what he had just heard.
* * *
The pit was endlessly deep like a vertical tunnel. This time, they left the motorcycle behind and Eunseong relied on Mujin. He reached the end of the sloped rock wall while being carried by him. When he hurriedly tried to escape from his embrace, strong arms wrapped around his waist again. There was no time to catch his breath, not even a corner to escape to.
And then another ground revealed itself before Eunseong.
Ruins of collapsing towers and buildings, huge craters scattered across the wasteland. His throat felt parched in the dark, gloomy air. Even the wind swept through his lungs dampply. The only plants were yellow roots entangled like thick ropes on the ground.
“It resembles our world a bit.”
If there were a doomed world, perhaps it would look like this. Mujin nodded at Eunseong’s words.
“The creature that dug the hole and created the rift is nearby.”
Just as Mujin finished speaking, black smoke rose in the distance. Soon after, an eerie cry echoed through the void. The entire monster’s nest was covered with a sinister energy, as if warning the intruders.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
