Chapter 53
Why was this happening?
Mujin recalled the monsters he had torn apart in rifts over the years. If this was a message of revenge they were sending, shouldn’t it properly reach him?
If they wanted to provoke him, the changgui should have chosen the appearance of ‘Yoo Eunseong.’ Mujin felt puzzled that it had gone to the trouble of manifesting ‘Yoo Jaeseong’s’ form instead.
It had already been over ten years since Jaeseong died in that accident. Not knowing how they had manifested him made Mujin’s mouth go dry with anxiety. The biggest variable in battle was always an unknown enemy with no available information.
‘If they want to get Eunseong’s attention, they’ll have to get past me first.’
Whatever the reason for targeting that harmless guy who had no combat ability and couldn’t do anything, Mujin intended to block it all at his level.
[Target confirmed, tracking team moving simultaneously. Location Da-213 sector, North Avenue 12th entrance direction. Tracking teams 2 and 3, please respond.]
Hearing the communication, Mujin quickly changed direction. Leaping across the eight-lane road in one bound and entering the city’s alleyways, he pressed the communicator button and asked briefly:
“Face, confirmed?”
[Yes, confirmed. Identical to previous entity. 98.4% match with Yoo Eunseong’s appearance.]
The moment he heard the answer, Mujin exploded with energy and shot upward. Creating a hazy afterimage, he climbed vertically up a high-rise building. The hunter who had been chasing him with all his might nearly lost his balance and tumbled from being caught in that momentum.
“Ah shit, crazy. I’m gonna get fucking wrecked again.”
The hunter cursed repeatedly while following the increasingly distant Baek Mujin with his eyes.
The target’s location was in front of a large shopping mall. The plaza with its street trees, shrubs, flowers, and benches was a hot spot that people often used as a meeting place. A song announcing the hour rang out from the clock tower in the center of the plaza where hundreds of people were coming and going.
Mujin pushed through the crowd and headed straight for the target. He no longer needed the information being transmitted through the communicator. The round head, brown hair, height, and body silhouette were familiar enough to recognize even in dreams.
[Distance to target 20m, 18m, 16m… Tracking team tightening the perimeter.]
Even with Mujin’s confident movements, the briefing continued to update steadily.
The changgui specialized team was cooperating with Mujin because of Woo Nayeong’s orders. Even if they withheld information and tried to shake him off, he wasn’t someone they could control at will, and in the middle of the city center, they needed to move as precisely as possible to minimize civilian casualties. Moreover, since Mujin was rampaging to kill every changgui that resembled Yoo Eunseong as soon as they appeared, Woo Nayeong had no ability to stop him.
[White shirt with beige cotton pants, wearing a blue bag, sneakers on.]
Mujin approached the target slowly while listening to the communication. From the direction Mujin was approaching, only the changgui’s back was visible. The blue bag on its back made him automatically frown. It was something he knew well.
The tracking team hunters cleared away the crowd while tightening the perimeter. The hunters formed a circle around the target, creating a fence with their bodies. When the circle with about a 5-meter radius was finally empty with only the target remaining, Mujin stepped inside.
As if what it had been waiting for had arrived, the changgui that had been standing still slowly turned its body toward Mujin.
“Damn, fuck.”
The disgust that had been climbing up his spine from the moment he saw its back seemed to explode in his head. The back of his head felt completely numb. Red flames that rippled like blood formed at Mujin’s fingertips.
There was no fear on the changgui’s face as it looked at that red color. Mujin ground his molars at its innocent smile.
“What kind of prank is this supposed to be?”
Below the white shirt collar, a checkered tie was playfully tied in a ribbon shape. Mujin’s gaze was caught by the yellow smiley-face pin that had been inserted to secure the knot. His eyes hurt as if they might pop out from his boiling blood with rage.
The thing was wearing the exact appearance from the day the plane crashed and Jaeseong died. It was none other than Eunseong who had untied the necktie and tied it in a ribbon shape.
‘This way, everyone won’t get confused.’
Before heading to the boarding gate, Eunseong’s expression as he playfully tied the ribbon around Jaeseong’s neck appeared vividly before his eyes. The smiley-face pin that resembled his bright smile was something Mujin had given him.
Why had he forgotten? At the time, Eunseong had received a shield that wasn’t meant for him and had suffered so much from surviving instead of his older brother.
Crack! The fireball Mujin launched grazed past the changgui and hit the ground. Seeing that it had dodged what he’d thrown unexpectedly, Mujin felt that his instincts were correct. The increasingly sophisticated disguises and even movements… the thing was definitely evolving.
“Where are you?”
Mujin quickly closed the distance before the changgui could straighten its posture. Gripping the snow-white neck just below Yoo Jaeseong’s face as if to break it, he asked in a low voice:
“Your main body, I mean. Since you’re evolving without collecting entities, you’re definitely connected. Seeing that you can’t come out directly, is hiding in rifts like a rat and playing pranks your hobby?”
The changgui’s neck stretched limply and its head fell to the side with a thud. It split its lips wide and laughed loudly.
“Don’t torment me! Bad! Bad! You’re the bad ones!”
The voice that finally flowed out didn’t seem human.
“It hurts! Aah! Aaaaah! It huuuurts!”
The changgui’s face, hanging upside down, swelled up. Its wide-open pupils repeatedly changed from bright blue to brown.
“Stop messing around, and if you want to have a conversation, do it with me. It’s no trouble to listen once before killing you.”
“Baek Mujiiiiin-!”
The changgui screamed. It wasn’t a sound that could come from a human throat but was closer to a roar. Heat rose from the changgui’s body as it swelled up in irregular shapes. Beneath the snow-white skin that had imitated Yoo Jaeseong, a bright red net was drawn in crackling patterns.
“Hunter Baek Mujin, energy reaction! It’s going to explode-!”
Someone’s urgent shout burst out from behind Mujin.
In an instant, heat that seemed to burn even the air rose from Mujin. Dense heat that enveloped both Mujin and the changgui stretched up toward the sky, and the next moment.
KWAAAAANG-!
With a explosion, a bright red pillar of fire shot high into the sky.
* * *
Splash, the water surface rippled.
It was because Eunseong, who had been lying in the bathtub, suddenly moved. The core of his heart was beating irregularly, making even his breathing rapid. As he struggled to get up, Park Jiwon, who had been pressing his forehead with his fingers, made a “tsk” sound with his tongue.
“It seems like you felt something just now, so why are you trying to stop? You need to take one more step deeper from there.”
“No, that’s not it-“
“Shh, be quiet and concentrate. Buff techniques require resonating with yourself first rather than external targets.”
“Didn’t you just hear some loud sound?”
“That’s a sound coming from within Geumseum-nim’s heart. It’s a good sign.”
“I’m telling you there really was an explosion sound.”
“Now, let’s be quiet and look deeper. You have to know yourself first before you can examine others.”
Park Jiwon muttered words that could have come from a self-help book while circulating power once more. The energy stream that started from his fingertips and entered Eunseong’s forehead touched the core and circulated through his body. In response to that energy, the bathtub’s vibration device began making a low humming sound and stimulating Eunseong’s body.
The bathtub, about two spans high, was a special training facility that Joo Hyeonwoo had made at Sayeong Guild’s request. Precise formulas were carved into the bottom to circulate the buffer’s energy, and the water filled to soak the body served to lower Eunseong’s resistance.
Several days since training began. Until now, Eunseong had silently followed Park Jiwon’s instructions. He nodded at everything he said, surrendered his body, and concentrated on awakening his senses. But this time, it was difficult to keep his body still.
“Wait, wait a moment! Just a second…”
Eunseong pushed Park Jiwon away and raised his body out of the water. As he wiped his wet face with his hand, the back of his hand, completely drained of color, was pale. Eunseong clenched his finely trembling hand tightly.
After a cool sensation swept down his spine, an explosion sound hit his ears. That sound was so loud it felt like something had exploded inside his head. Startled, he had frantically asked Park Jiwon if he hadn’t heard any sound, but now he thought he understood. Something had happened to Mujin.
“Hyung, what’s wrong? Why are you like this? Are you feeling unwell?”
Joo Hyeonwoo approached Eunseong, who was struggling to get up. Before Mujin left to catch the changgui, he had instructed that during buff training, he must always be with a guild member. Today’s assigned person was Joo Hyeonwoo.
“Contact Mujin.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t have a phone. Quickly, I’m telling you to contact him!”
Joo Hyeonwoo was bewildered and hesitated at the unexpected urgent request. Park Jiwon from Sayeong Guild, who was in charge of training, was equally flustered.
“Hurry up!”
Eunseong didn’t care about their strange expressions and raised his voice while urging them on.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
