DEB 63

“To say something like that, you must be out of your mind.” 

It was a mutter, but it was intended to be heard. 

The cold voice, contrasting with the usually gentle impression, chilled the room.

 Juan read the mood and grabbed Nameless’ arm, lowering his voice.

“Hey, no matter what, how can you say that in front of Huigang?”

“It’s not like I said anything wrong.” 

“You… wow…”

Despite the reprimand, Nameless only blinked his eyes as if he didn’t understand the issue, making Juan marvel in disbelief. 

It became clear why Yasha once suggested Nameless try using honorifics.

Both in the past and now, black dragons lacked social skills and empathy significantly. 

Because of this, they lived with an attitude of indifference to others, even when insulted. 

While such behavior might have been somewhat acceptable when he was a black dragon, in his current human forms and as members of society, it was a spectacle hard to endure, doubling his infamy.

“Ha.”

The chuckle wasn’t Juan’s. 

Huigang, who had overheard their conversation, let out a bitter laugh.

Usually, he seemed as gentle and kind as could be, but now, as he ran a hand over his face and reached into his pocket for a cigarette, he exuded an air of cynicism. 

He clicked his tongue as he saw Huiyun still unconscious and put the cigarette pack back.

His cynical demeanor chilled the room even more. 

Seeing the mask of gentleness slip off Huigang’s face made Juan sigh internally.

‘Ah, this is bad.’

His premonition, honed as the red dragon with the best intuition, was never wrong.

Click, click.

Unable to smoke, Huigang fiddled with his lighter by the window.

“I don’t quite understand what you mean by changing bodies… What exactly does that entail?”

The voice was much colder than before. Sensing the warning, Juan pulled Nameless aside. 

Jiwook, also sighing, reached out to cover Nameless’ mouth, but Nameless easily dodged the hand and snapped his fingers. 

Small skeletons emerged from the floor, clambering up Jiwook’ body to restrain him.

“Moot…!”

Jiwook’s voice rarely rose, but now it did, only to be stifled by the skeletons. 

Nameless, unperturbed, replied lightly.

“It means extracting the soul and transplanting it into another body.”

Click.

Huigang, who had been fiddling with the lighter, stopped and looked at Nameless.

“Did Huiyun agree to this?”

“He refused, but eventually-.”

“Of course, he refused. Even though he tends to overdo it, his thinking is normal.”

“…”

Huigang cut off Nameless’ words, not expecting an answer. 

He put the lighter back in his pocket and smirked.

“He wouldn’t indulge in such a ridiculous circus act.”

Nameless narrowed his eyes and stared at Huigang with his pitch-black eyes. Despite the suffocating silence, Huigang walked slowly to the hospital room door, then threw it open and looked back at the S-ranks.

He had no intention of holding onto even the semblance of civility anymore. 

None of the S-ranks had shown any respect to him or Huiyun, so why should they endure such madness just because they was weaker?

Maybe Huiyun could. 

But not Huigang.

He was tired and didn’t want Huiyun to be pushed around by these lunatics any longer.

There was always a way out.

He had heard that the closer hunters got to S-rank, the more likely they were to become unhinged, but he hadn’t expected it to this extent. 

Isolating his brother from these dangerous individuals was also his duty as a brother.

“At first, I thought I just needed to endure for a few weeks, but now I see I was too naive.”

Huigang began to speak slowly, glancing at the open door.

“Please leave now. I will request a restraining order from the Bureau. If the Bureau refuses or if you three act coercively, I will consider emigrating to the United States with Huiyun. He’s not in great shape, but if I mention a new S-rank hunter, the U.S. will offer enough money for Huiyun to live comfortably, even with mana hypersensitivity treatment. This conversation is being recorded, so don’t try anything drastic.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiwook’ eyebrows shot up, prompting Huigang, who knew his temper well, to hold up the recording device.

“The recording is being transmitted to a laptop in real-time, so even if you kill me, you won’t get what you want. And I’ve taken additional precautions with the laptop.”

“…You’ll need a good reason to file for a restraining order.”

“It’s already been reported that you three visit Suil Hospital frequently. I’ll request a restraining order on the grounds that your mana is causing difficulty for a mana hypersensitivity patient. If that doesn’t work, I can always go public with a story like, ‘Mana hypersensitivity patient in a coma due to exposure to the mana of three S-rank hunters.’ While the Bureau and you deal with that mess, I’ll make contact with the U.S. and secure a good deal. Besides, the Bureau chief seems to have a favorable view of Huiyun, so it’s unlikely he’ll refuse.”

Huigang responded calmly, showing no intention of backing down. 

Given his rising frustration from Huiyun’s deteriorating condition and Nameless’ nonsense, his resolve had only hardened.

Juan and Jiwook exchanged glances, assessing Huigang’s state. 

Even as Nameless seemed ready to argue, Vita, who had been watching, furrowed his brow and covered Nameless’ mouth.

“You had this problem with your mouth before, and you still do. You lack manners.”

“…”

Annoyed, Nameless frowned, but Vita shoved him toward Jiwook.

“In the end, it’s all because Yasha’s current body is weak, right? If that’s the case, there’s a solution. You all should leave. You’re not helping and only worsening Yasha’s health.”

Vita’s sharp tone and dismissive hand gestures left Jiwook and Juan sighing. 

They realized that any attempt to persuade Huigang would be futile. 

Besides, there was no denying that their presence wasn’t beneficial for Huiyun, who had just suffered a severe seizure.

Recognizing the situation, Jiwook spoke first.

“…We’ll leave it to you this time.”

“Don’t give me that. Just get out. You’re not helping.”

“We’re counting on you, Vita. We’ll go.”

With nothing else they could do, Juan and Jiwook, dragging a muffled Nameless, left the hospital room.

Despite getting the S-ranks out as he wanted, Huigang couldn’t shake off a feeling of unease. 

Realizing that the S-ranks now had an excuse to return made him glare at Vita with frustration.

“I’ve read about you. You’re quite a famous hunter in Thailand. I don’t know why you’re here with my brother, but S-rank mana is detrimental to mana hypersensitivity patients, so please leave.”

His tone was soft, but the message was ice-cold. 

Vita looked at Huigang, whose concern for his brother was evident, and then walked over to Huiyun.

“Didn’t you hear me? I stayed because I can solve your brother’s problem.”

“How exactly are you planning to do that? And what is your relationship with Huiyun?”

Deciding that expelling Vita immediately was impossible, Huigang sought to gather information. 

Vita, not rejecting the conversation, fiddled with the sword at his waist and smiled.

“Well… In the past, we had a close master-disciple and lord-servant relationship, but now he seems determined to ignore me.”

Master-disciple? Lord-servant?

Huigang blinked at Vita’s words, unable to comprehend them.

Vita.

He was a famous prophet in Thailand. 

Known for over fifty years, even before his awakening, he still maintained a youthful appearance, making him a mysterious figure. 

If he had become known post-awakening, it could be explained by the slowed aging process of awakened individuals, but this was not the case.

Some called him a mountain god, while others speculated that he was a hybrid of some divine entity, making him a living legend in Thailand. 

Huigang, pondering why such a person was involved with his brother, recalled a conversation with Huiyun.

Inheritance of power.

Thinking it might be related to what Huiyun had received through the system, Huigang was about to delve deeper into his thoughts when Vita suddenly spoke.

“Shall we begin?”

The S-rank from another country drew the sword at his waist. 

Startled by the sharp blade, Huigang raised his guard.

“What are you doing?”

As Huigang’s voice rose, Vita held the sword in reverse, pointing the blade at his own body.

“Don’t worry. I have the right to share his pain.”

Before Huigang could stop him, Vita stabbed himself in the abdomen.

“What the…!”

Huigang, witnessing the unimaginable, gaped. 

As he hurried to press the call button, Vita grasped the bed and leaned toward Huiyun.

“Sorry, Yasha. I didn’t want to do this, but we need to find Zenith quickly. And I don’t want to see you have another seizure… Just this once, I’ll act without permission.”

Coughing blood, Vita wiped it and let it flow into Huiyun’s mouth.

“Vita!”

Huigang, witnessing the inexplicable act, felt his neck veins bulge.

Light began to emanate from Huiyun and Vita’s heart areas, filling the room.