DEB 19

Why is there a scream from over there…?

It seemed like the others around hadn’t heard the scream, or they were simply startled by the earthquake. 

Just when he wondered if he had misheard, another scream pierced through, striking Huiyun’s eardrums. 

His shoulders twitched.

…It’s a real scream.

He tried to turn away, but he couldn’t. Juan had moved far enough to deal with the gate that had opened on the left, out of Huiyun’s sight. The chance of him noticing this disturbance and coming back to resolve the situation was slim.

Damn it.

Eventually, he turned his head to confirm where the sound had come from, and in the distance, he saw monsters popping out and attacking people.

Monsters resembling giants with two pairs of arms and legs. 

They were mutated creatures.

As Huiyun observed people fleeing about 1km away, he clenched his fists.

Although Hong Juan wouldn’t come immediately, as a hunter, he would clear the gate and return to resolve the commotion. In that case, Huiyun would eventually have to meet him.

He and the other two S-rank individuals could smell something if he used his Yasha abilities.

 Considering that, it would be right to do nothing…

“Kyaaaa! Go away! Go away!”

“Minseo! Step back! Let me handle it for now, cough!”

“Report it! Someone, please report it!”

“Is there no hunter? Please call a hunter!”

“Kyaaa!”

…It would be wise to do nothing, but isn’t his power supposed to have been created to help the weak in the first place?

Whether it was during Yasha or Huiyun’s time.

As he felt the foundation of existence trembling, strength surged into his clenched fist. Just moments ago, people who were whispering at him and Hong Juan were now fleeing the earthquake with distraught faces. 

This side was in chaos due to the distortion caused by the gate, while the other side was chaotic due to the gate out.

Huiyun, lost in thought, soon realized the cause of the gate out.

“Could it be that the gate out was caused by the distortion?”

The higher the rank, the larger the scale of the distortion caused by the gate, affecting the area greatly. If the other gate was force open due to the distortion, there was a possibility of an error occurring, leading to the gate out.

“This is driving me crazy.”

When one thing went wrong, everything went wrong.

As the park quieted down quickly due to people evacuating, Huiyun, standing alone, closed his eyes and calmed his breath. By now, someone must have made a report, but it would still be at least five minutes until support arrived. Even though it was close to the Bureau, it would still take sometimes.

“Cough!”

As he hesitated, more people got hurt. Their pitiful cries seemed to be asking if he wouldn’t move even now. 

At that moment…

Flash!

[A special quest for the hesitating savior!]

Are people dying and for some reason you can’t save them? We have prepared this for you!

[Second aftercare service for saviors!]

Rescue people from the gate out and find peace of mind!

Objective: Save 10 or more people from the monsters’ attacks.

Reward: 5% progress

※ The quest will fail if there are more than 20 casualties

Clear the quest to obtain rewards and keep your conscience clean! Awaken now to guarantees a 100% quest success rate!

The guy that had been quiet for a while now reappeared with a quest. However, unlike usual, it didn’t feel malicious or unpleasant. Instead, it felt like it was pushing him forward to save the people.

Letting out a bitter laugh, Huiyun, who had to think carefully in the dire situation, pushed himself off the tree he had been leaning against.

Yeah, let’s do it.

If not me, then who will do this? If I let innocent people die just because I’m waiting for hunters, would I be able to sleep peacefully?

As he urged himself on, focusing his gaze, the chaotic situation where the gate was out becoming clearer to him.

There were many monsters.

Maybe about twenty of them. They didn’t seem like the creatures that came out of the lowest-grade gates. Huiyun, who checked the fallen people after rolling his eyes, regained his composure.

“Don’t make a fuss. It’ll attract their attention. Since I will deal with them at a closer distance than usual, I have to be more careful and discreet in dealing with them.”

He reminded himself with muttered words, trying to keep his focus. In the middle of a park like this, creating a huge commotion or the like would surely expose him to someone. As he pondered how to quietly hold the monsters until support from the Bureau arrived, one memory crossed Huiyun’s mind.

Yasha’s ability that he first used against the boss on the last gate. If he used that, he could silently subdue the monsters.

But the relief from the flash of inspiration was short-lived, as Huiyun realized the extent of his lack of control and let out a groan.

“I don’t want to make them commit suicide…”

The day the boss committed suicide haunted Huiyun in his dreams even now. He was surprised by the fact that he himself had created that sight, not someone else.

This time, he shouldn’t push it to that extent. He should only use it to restrain them momentarily, not to that extent.

He can do it.

“I am Yasha. If not me, who else will do it?”

Muttering to himself, Huiyun reached out his hand after controlling his mind.

He imagined checking each monster that came into view and grasping their ankles.

Without harming them, just holding them…

As he whispered to himself, his heart raced as energy flowed through his fingertips. It was just like back then.

The energy transmitted through his fingertips, carried by the wind, reached out ahead.

Giruk?

The monsters, who had been rampaging to attack people, all stopped moving and tilted their heads curiously. Whether they hadn’t grasped the situation yet or ignored the strange feeling, they tried to move forward, but their feet remained firmly stuck to the ground. Huiyun bit his lip.

Just a little more like this.

Kiruk?

Several times, the monsters, who had tried to break free from the force, found that their bodies didn’t follow suit. Scratching their throats in frustration, they screamed while twisting their torsos and swinging their fists wildly around. Although people had already fled the area, fearing the strange monsters, they were still frightened.

“Easy…”

Huiyun murmured soothingly as he folded one finger.

Keeeeek?

With his gestures, the monsters’ arms snapped, making a cracking sound, and they fell to the ground.

“Ugh!”

Damn it. He used too much force.

Huiyun, who had intended only to slightly control their movements to prevent people from panicking, groaned as he weakly relaxed his grip on his hand.

Drip. 

Sweat dripped from his forehead to his chin before falling to the ground.

Ping.

It felt like his vision spun around for a moment. As Huiyun staggered, the monsters, realizing that the control restraining them had loosened momentarily, began to struggle and wriggle, trying to break free from the ability. His heart pounded harder at the chaos.

Thump thump thump thump thump!

His heartbeat raced so fast that he wondered if there was even a moment to rest. As he coughed heavily, blood splattered on his chin. Huiyun, trying to calm his anxious mind, wiped his mouth with a smile and refocused his attention on his fingertips.

“…It’s though.”

It was much harder than when he held onto the boss. Perhaps because there were more of them, he had to divide his focus in all directions, and trying to control each one perfectly felt scooping water with his hand. Huiyun, who vomited blood once more, just clenched his fists tightly.

As they kept struggling, his temper increased and the intensity of his dominance increased.

Kerrruk! 

thud! 

thud!

thud!

“W-What is that…!” 

“Why, why are they like that?” 

“Are they going crazy?” 

“Should I check?” 

“Are you crazy? Don’t go near them! 

“What if they suddenly change and rush at you!”

The people were surprised and muttered at the struggling monsters. Huiyun sighed, thinking that it would be a good idea to subdue them without noticing it. He felt it would be more comfortable to just stay like this, so he sat down against the tree and kept his fist clenched.

His nails dug into his palms, and drops of blood fell. How much longer could he hold on? It felt like it had been at least three minutes since he started using his ability to hold onto their feet.

He hadn’t used his ability for this long even during the boss fight.

He felt out of breath. Huiyun, who felt the signal of his body giving in as he vomited blood, clenched his hands tightly. 

When he felt like he might release his grip if he relaxed even a bit, he bit his tongue to keep his vision from getting blurry.

“Hey, it’s a hunter!”

“It’s backup! We’re saved now!”

Voices of relief could be heard from afar. 

Ah, it’s finally over.

Realizing that he had succeeded in holding onto the monsters until the hunters arrived, Huiyun relaxed his grip without any regrets and collapsed forward. 

Just before his head hit the ground…

“-Ah…!”

He heard a familiar voice. They’re already here.

He thought it would take at least ten minutes for the hunters to come after organizing the gate, but Juan was flying towards him from a distance. 

Huiyun had doubted the usefulness of his S-rank status, but now he was glad he could rely on it in times like these.

“Hey, Huigang’s lil bro!”

Juan, who had suddenly appeared by his side, put his hand on Huiyun’s shoulder and called him. Although it seemed like Huiyun was coming to his senses, he had no strength left in his body, and he weakly let go of consciousness drifting away.

“Wake up! …Your eyes!”

As his vision completely darkened and the faint voices faded away, Huiyun suddenly lost consciousness. Startled, Juan hugged his body. At that moment, a faint smell wafted from Huiyun.

It wasn’t properly discernible due to the scent of blood and perhaps being carried away by the wind, but it was unmistakable.

“Yasha…”

The man gazed at Huiyun blankly murmured the beloved name.

As Juan’s gaze focused on Huiyun, who was slumping limply, Juan furrowed his brows as if sensing something amiss. Then, he lifted Huiyun while holding him close.

“You… really make things intriguing.”

Juan let out a faint smile, his gaze still fixed on Huiyun, who was limp in his arms.

Juan, who maintained a soft expression, let out a small laugh. 

Apparently, thing would be interesting for a while.