TS 014

Yoon Taehwa leaned against a pillar and let out a low sigh as he changed his magazine. He had initially thought they weren’t amateurs when seeing how they divided their hostages into three zones and utilized tall buildings. However, it turned out exactly as expected.

‘Well, these guys were under surveillance by the Center, so they wouldn’t be pushovers.’

As soon as Han Suryeon used his ability to reverse the bullets, the attackers swiftly altered their strategy, switching to knives for close combat.

“Shit! How many are left?” A rough curse echoed from behind a nearby column.

“The one with strange hair color disappeared towards the opposite side. The other seems hidden around here.”

Yoon Taehwa composed himself, maintaining a stoic expression. His initial suspicion proved correct after realizing Han Suryeon’s leadership role among the Kasatkas. Judging by the scattered bodies, it was evident that they enjoyed playing with their prey before striking.

He was left alone here because Han Suryeon had gone to deal with the fleeing monsters. It seemed Kasatka enjoyed cornering its prey and then playing with them.

“Isn’t that weird-haired bastard using psychokinesis?”

“Yes. He disappeared.”

The sound of reloading echoed, followed by a barrage of bullets slamming into the pillar. Yoon Taehwa could feel cracks forming behind him. Despite losing his cover, he maintained an expressionless face while accurately counting the number of bullets fired. Regardless of it being a machine gun, ammunition would eventually run out.

“Fuck!” The man spat out curses as soon as his count ended. Instantly, Yoon Taehwa moved away from the pillar, aimed his Glock, and fired.

Bang!

Before even seeing the panicked expression, the bullet pierced through the forehead. A clean execution.

“C-Cheolmin! Y-You son of a bitch!”

The dead man’s unique trait was unknown, but it seemed clear that his apparent leader was an Esper. The fact he drew his knife immediately after leaving the pillar indicated excellent reflexes and vision.

As soon as Cheolmin’s body fell backward, the remaining man charged forward. With one less person, the distance between them quickly shortened.

Yoon Taehwa dropped his gun and instantly pulled out a knife. It wasn’t easy to kill an Esper with a gunshot at close range. Slitting their throat would be more efficient.

“Die!” Enraged by his colleague’s death, the man swung a military knife menacingly. The sound of air being sliced carried a palpable threat.

Yoon Taehwa slightly leaned back to avoid the blade, then seized the opportunity when his opponent stumbled, delivering a powerful elbow strike.

Bam!

The man staggered back after being hit squarely on his solar plexus. Yoon Taehwa didn’t miss this brief opening. As he turned to his right, he extended his leg, striking with his sturdy boot at the same spot where his elbow had connected earlier.

“Ugh!” Unable to withstand the impact, the man stumbled. Without hesitation, Yoon Taehwa bent down, picked up his gun, and pulled the trigger immediately.

Bam! Bam!

“Aaaargh!”

Bam!

Two bullets shattered both knees, and the last bullet pierced through the hand holding the knife.

“Arghh… ugh.”

Yoon Taehwa’s expression remained as dry as before as he walked towards the man. The sound of his footsteps echoed gloomily amidst the chaos.

‘Strange… He still doesn’t know my purpose.’

As Yoon Taehwa approached closer, the crouching man shuffled backward on his buttocks, leaving long trails of blood from his knees.

“Don’t come near me, don’t come!”

The mole below his lip stretched as his thin lips parted slightly, emitting an ambiguous breath that could be interpreted as either a sigh or a sneer. Despite the man’s screams, Yoon Taehwa continued walking past him.

“Ahhh! Aargh! Ah… haa, haaaa, haa…”

Just as the frantic cries began to fade into relieved breathing, a shadow loomed over the man.

“If you were afraid of dying, you shouldn’t have done such things in the first place.”

Yoon Taehwa stood behind the kneeling figure and knelt down on one knee. His slowly extending hand showed no hesitation.

“Aaaaargh!”

Soon, his left hand was filled with tangled strands of rough hair. He forcefully tilted the man’s head back by grabbing his hair and lightly twirled the military knife around.

“Ah, it seems to be over.”

Han Suryeon emerged from the opposite corner, dangling another male captive by his fingertips. It was one of their prey whom he had chased just minutes ago.

“I obediently followed your order, Team Leader, to kill everyone except those at the top,” he spoke in a playful voice, reminiscent of a child seeking praise.

“…Well done, capturing the guild master alive.”

Yoon Taehwa finally examined the man’s face. The once intact features seen on the tablet were now half-destroyed.

“I told you my intuition was good… He kept spilling information like crazy. There are three Espers, one Shooter and three Seekers guarding the remaining hostages.”

Yoon Taehwa lowered his gaze as this flood of information continued. The face gripped within his hand had turned pale. In any case, if Han Suryeon captured the guild master, then the captive in his grasp became useless.

“No! No! Spare me!” The man started to struggle violently. Yoon Taehwa clicked his tongue, placing a military knife against the man’s neck. With no bullets left, cutting off the head was now the best option. Espers were not easily killed. When he glanced down at the man’s hands, the punctured skin was slowly regenerating.

“Spare m…. urk!”

Suddenly, the man stopped resisting and emitted a choking sound. Yoon Taehwa’s eyes rolled upwards to meet Han Suryeon’s gaze. He smiled beautifully while tilting his head slightly; bloodstains marred his otherwise pale face.

“Don’t make things difficult for our team leader, okay?”

The man appeared immobilized, as if his body had turned rigid under some psychic influence.

“…..”

Yoon Taehwa twirled the military knife in his hand once before deeply slicing at the man’s neck.

“Gaahh… ugh…”

Ignoring the agonizing groans, Yoon Taehwa maintained his unwavering focus on Han Suryeon. His persistent stare was similar to how he used to observe him intently without blinking. Surprisingly composed for someone who claimed to be squeamish about blood.

“Did I do well?”

Han Suryeon broke the short silence. He smiled gently as if it was a habit, and tears welled up beneath his eyes. It seemed like he wanted praise again, just like a child.

“Thanks to you.”

As Han Suryeon stood with his legs pushed back, the lifeless body collapsed sideways with a thud. Yoon Taehwa dispassionately wiped the blood from his knife blade. As he moved his hand, there was an unpleasant sound from his leather gloves, which remained free of any blood.

“What about that bastard?” Yoon Taehwa asked, gesturing with his chin towards the man dangling limply from his smooth hands.

“He is still alive.” Despite emphasizing ‘still’, his voice sounded cheerful. To confirm he wasn’t lying, a gurgling, labored breath escaped from the man’s throat. His eyes were swollen, nose bruised, and lips torn. The injuries appeared more deliberate than accidental, suggesting manual infliction rather than his ability.

“He talks well too. I didn’t touch his jaw on purpose.”

Han Suryeon stared at Yoon Taehwa with a puzzled expression as if not understanding what was wrong. Yoon Taehwa looked back and forth between the bloodied man and the giant adult being dragged effortlessly by one hand. Unlike himself, who preferred clean handling, it seemed Han Suryeon had a habit of rough treatment.

‘Of course.’

As expected from someone leading an elite team within a civilian guild rather than government-affiliated, this approach made sense. In disputes between guilds, overwhelming force was often the most effective strategy to gain dominance.

“You said you were scared of blood, yet you handled him quite well.”

“I’m genuinely terrified! Right now, I feel like throwing up but am holding it in just because I’m looking at your face…” Yoon Taehwa’s eyelashes fluttered, trembling slightly as they drooped. With a sardonic twist of his lips, he pulled his gloves back on.

“Earlier, you mentioned three Espers, one Shooter and three Seekers?”

His steps naturally headed towards where the hostages were being held.

“Yes.”

“We’ll have to fight them hand-to-hand since we don’t have any usable guns.”

Han Suryeon had destroyed most of their firearms with his ability, and the remaining ones had been emptied by the terrorists.

‘I’ve used up all my bullets.’

The terrorists might still possess guns and ammunition, but Yoon Taehwa’s team did not.

“As soon as we enter, break their guns first. We wouldn’t want any stray bullets hitting the hostages.”

“What about the Shooter?”

“It doesn’t matter; my power works on them too.”

Nullification affected both Espers and regular Ability Users alike. Dealing with Shooters unable to use their abilities was much easier for him. Their physical capabilities were ordinary, lacking even regeneration, making them no different from civilians.

“I thought it only nullified Esper abilities.”

“It seems to be similar for both Espeers and Shooters.”

“Is this just your perspective, Team Leader?”

“Maybe.”

Yoon Taehwa readily agreed without any hesitation. To him, they felt similar since he could neutralize them with his ability. It was the same even if the opponent was a demihuman.

“If we meet on the field, I’m not dangerous but rather our team leader is.”

“If you know, behave yourself until we return.”

“I am already being good, like a dog waiting for praise.” Yoon Taehwa frowned at the word ‘dog’. He had never treated Han Suryeon as a dog, nor did he understand why he suddenly referred to himself that way.

“It seems our trainee doesn’t know yet how I treat dogs.” A low voice echoed through the quiet hallway, contrasting sharply with his silent footsteps, which were hidden due to his ability to mask his presence completely. In between, there was also the faint sound of a man being dragged along while barely able to breathe.

“Will you tell me?”

“You’re curious?”

“Yes, if it’s only about treating me like a dog and not others…”

For a moment, Yoon Taehwa wondered whether Han Suryeon intentionally brought up associations with bed-related matters or if he was just overthinking things.

“For example, on a bed?” The person responsible for causing unnecessary doubts easily resolved it themselves. Instead of looking incredulous, Yoon Taehwa chuckled amusedly.

“Oh, you want to be treated like a dog in bed?”

A black leather-gloved hand touched his pale face.