#113
“Ugh!”
Reflexively, he curled up, covering his head. Every time the sharp edges of the stairs hit his back, intense pain pierced through his skin.
Yet, thanks to that pain, his dizzy mind cleared somewhat. By the end of the stairs, he could maintain his balance to some extent.
Using the momentum from rolling, Yoon Pa-ran planted his hands on the ground and propelled himself upward. Landing properly on the first floor, he immediately pushed off with his legs and dashed forward.
“Haa, haa…”
Despite the simple movement, he was out of breath from the start. It was different from accumulated fatigue. The strange state of his body felt as if he had been stabbed with a knife.
Outside the cafe was surrounded by a dense forest. Yoon Pa-ran chose to move towards the forest rather than the road where cars passed. Because it seemed safer there.
That’s what he clearly thought.
At least until he suddenly came to his senses, feeling the sharp touch of tree branches against his face.
“Haa, ugh.”
Why did I come into the forest?
“Haa, hurgh.”
His breathing mixed with the rustling winter wind of the mountain, creating an ominous atmosphere. He thought he was running in the right direction, but suddenly he was surrounded by nothing but dry trees.
How long had he been wandering in the mountains like this?
He couldn’t remember well. His instincts kept warning him about his mental state, which seemed seriously wrong somehow.
Then, he heard the sound of dry branches breaking behind him.
“Ugh…!”
He reflexively turned around. At the same time, Yoon Pa-ran had to quickly twist his head.
Park Jung-hoon, who had somehow caught up, suddenly thrust out his sword.
“You…!”
Before he could shout “What are you doing?”, the sword came flying again. Yoon Pa-ran quickly launched his body, trying to escape the sword’s range.
However, true to his A-rank hunter status, Park Jung-hoon closely pursued Yoon Pa-ran. The trajectory of the sword, more ominous than the winter wind, cut Yoon Pa-ran’s hair and barely grazed his ear.
It wasn’t easy to concentrate. Moving almost instinctively, Yoon Pa-ran tried to figure out how to survive somehow.
Just then, Park Jung-hoon’s balance was slightly disrupted as he stepped on a stone hidden among the fallen leaves.
“Ugh…!”
Quick as lightning, Yoon Pa-ran seized that moment to kick Park Jung-hoon in the stomach, sending him flying.
With his remaining foot, he kicked off the trunk of a tree and launched his body. Then, reaching out, he grabbed a thick branch and widened the distance even further.
“Damn it.”
He regretted leaving all his equipment at Dan Joo-hyuk’s house.
Should I have brought the sword even though it wasn’t inside a gate?
“……”
Park Jung-hoon, who had been sent flying, slowly got up.
Yoon Pa-ran, who had created some distance as if in a standoff, deliberately shouted at him. He was trying to buy time to stabilize his spinning vision.
“You! What the hell are you doing?”
Park Jung-hoon had the same gentle expression as when Yoon Pa-ran saw him at the cafe earlier. Even when he was kicked by Yoon Pa-ran’s foot just now, his facial muscles didn’t even twitch.
His eyelids still didn’t blink. As if he was wearing a mask.
Yoon Pa-ran felt extremely ominous about his strange face. His instincts strongly warned him that he shouldn’t touch not only the guy’s sword but also his body.
Having regained his balance, Park Jung-hoon kicked the ground with his doll-like face, without answering.
Almost simultaneously, Yoon Pa-ran fled in the opposite direction.
“Haa, haa!”
Although he had bought some time, his vision still didn’t return to normal. Moreover, the mountain slope was thickly covered with dry leaves like a soft blanket. Because of this, he nearly lost his balance and fell several times, which was a big problem.
The shoe item Dan Joo-hyuk had given him had never felt more essential. The sound of screaming leaves continued to ring in his ears. The sound, disproportionately loud compared to Park Jung-hoon’s pursuing movements, seemed to whisper right into his ear.
At this rate, I’m going to die.
Park Jung-hoon’s sword persistently aimed for his neck. Yoon Pa-ran knew well that the opponent wasn’t simply trying to subdue him.
The opponent was an A-rank hunter fully equipped. It was obvious that he, in his abnormal physical state, would soon be caught and killed.
What should I do, how can I survive?
Even with his seemingly crushed brain, Yoon Pa-ran desperately kept thinking. Then, what happened inside the volcanic terrain gate flashed through his mind.
“Ha, huu… haa.”
Just then, he saw a tree growing diagonally at the bottom of the slope.
As soon as he saw it, Yoon Pa-ran threw himself down the slope without hesitation.
“Ugh…!”
The dry leaves made Yoon Pa-ran’s body slide down smoothly like soft sand. Park Jung-hoon pursued him in the same way, following Yoon Pa-ran who was rapidly distancing himself downwards.
As soon as the targeted tree came into view, Yoon Pa-ran stretched out his arm. The moment he felt the solid tree firmly catch his hand, he used it as an axis to launch his body upwards.
Park Jung-hoon, who weighed more than him, had somehow caught up to be right behind him. When Yoon Pa-ran escaped into the air, he reflexively tried to swing his sword upwards.
However, as Yoon Pa-ran had expected, Park Jung-hoon’s arm stopped abruptly, unable to move beyond a certain angle.
“…!”
It was a movement characteristic of hunters who had once had their shoulder shattered. It was also a phenomenon that occurred when the brain still refused such movement, even though it had actually healed.
Yoon Pa-ran remembered well Park Jung-hoon’s actions showing this movement several times in the volcanic terrain gate earlier.
“Huu!”
As his floating body began to fall, Yoon Pa-ran put strength into his legs and struck downwards. He aimed for that brief moment when Park Jung-hoon hesitated.
As he fell, his vision flowed slowly. Along with a waterfall of various thoughts.
The sudden nausea, the cold piercing his skin. And somehow, this dark smell.
They were all things felt from monsters.
As soon as he realized this, Yoon Pa-ran activated his skill. His descending leg glowed white, filled with the power of [Sacred Energy].
The white trajectory accurately struck the nape of Park Jung-hoon’s neck as he was sliding down the slope.
“…!”
“Ah…!”
Almost simultaneously, Yoon Pa-ran’s mind cleared sharply, as if he had been doused with icy mountain water.
“……”
Park Jung-hoon staggered greatly, enough to drop the sword from his grip. Yet even at that moment, he remained silent without making a single groan.
Yoon Pa-ran reflexively reached out towards Park Jung-hoon’s flying sword. However, he stopped abruptly just before touching the sword handle.
I shouldn’t grab it.
A chill ran down his spine as he made an intuitive judgment. He had thought there would be no problem since he was the same A-rank as Park Jung-hoon, but something was off.
The same energy as that suspicious stone was emanating from the sword. The smell of rot stung his nostrils.
“Ugh!”
At that moment, the fallen Park Jung-hoon reached out and grabbed one of Yoon Pa-ran’s ankles. It happened in an instant while he was overwhelmed by the sword’s energy.
Once again, the dark energy penetrated his skin.
“Let, go…!”
As a temporary measure, Yoon Pa-ran kicked the sword handle. The horizontally flying sword deeply embedded itself in Park Jung-hoon’s thigh.
Feeling the strength leave Park Jung-hoon’s grip, Yoon Pa-ran shook off the captured leg with all his might.
“……”
Only then did Park Jung-hoon tumble down the steep slope.
“Haa, haa… Ugh.”
However, Yoon Pa-ran’s condition wasn’t good either. It was better than when that congressman had grabbed him earlier, but the putrid energy had forcibly penetrated his skin.
His mind became hazily blurred. Even in this situation, Yoon Pa-ran stubbornly moved his steps towards the top of the mountain.
However, in a state consumed by dark energy, it was merely an instinctive movement.
“Argh.”
It felt like all the organs in his body were being turned inside out. It also felt like rotten pus was circulating inside his body, decaying everything.
He needs to get out of the mountains quickly before Park Jung-hoon chases him again.
While thinking this, Yoon Pa-ran couldn’t find the right direction and mindlessly moved towards the mountain peak.
“Haa, ha, urgh, haa…”
His legs kept giving out, causing his whole body to stagger. Maybe because it was a winter mountain, it was so cold that his jaw seemed to be chattering.
Then Yoon Pa-ran recalled what had happened a little while ago.
It was as if a ray of light was twinkling from afar. As soon as he recognized this, Yoon Pa-ran infused [Sacred Energy] into his arm.
Then he struck a nearby rock.
“Ugh.”
With a loud bang, the rock shattered. The [Sacred Energy] skill circled his body once and then faded away.
This time, he felt an extreme urge to vomit.
“Urgh!”
Yoon Pa-ran bent over and vomited. What came out from inside spilled onto the fallen leaves like black blood.
Once again, he felt as if cold water was cleanly washing his brain.
Now his mind had fully returned.
“Haa, haa, ugh.”
While breathing heavily, Yoon Pa-ran shook his head vigorously. Instinctively noting that from now on, he should activate this skill immediately if something feels off.
His whole body trembled. Although his mind had returned, unfortunately, his physical strength was depleted.
Eventually, Yoon Pa-ran slumped down against the side of the rock he had just shattered.
“……”
How long had he been wandering in the mountains? His mind had returned, but his sense of time seemed completely cut off.
What kind of guys are they?
The first thing that crossed his mind was, of course, that strange stone. The dark energy was quite similar to the energy felt from the strange stone or monsters.
Are they aiming for Dan Joo-hyuk after all? Come to think of it, that dead secretary was also trying to target Dan Joo-hyuk.
If so, he needed to inform Dan Joo-hyuk about this fact.
But contrary to his thoughts, the strength slowly drained from his limbs. As if facing Park Jung-hoon earlier had been his last spark.
…Where is this place?
Ominous bird cries continuously rang out from all around. On a mountain slope covered with dry fallen leaves, Yoon Pa-ran looked up at the sky helplessly.
Although it was still midday, the sky strangely looked dark. As if black night had fallen.
I need to go home.
I need to get up, but.
While he was neglecting the black despair seeping into his body like a chill, he heard someone stepping on the undergrowth.
“……”
Yoon Pa-ran weakly lifted his head and looked towards the source of the sound. It seemed Park Jung-hoon had already caught up.
I don’t have the energy to face him this time, what should I do?
A rough resignation forcibly climbed up his throat. As Yoon Pa-ran was chewing on that bitter taste, a very familiar voice rang in his ears.
“…Yoon Pa-ran.”
Unexpectedly, it was Dan Joo-hyuk who appeared.
