Chapter 86

Siho will soon regain her strength.

Even if she regains her strength, it will take some time to adapt, but if she uses her regained strength to find Eva’s body, Eva can survive, and Song Hyuk-seo will no longer have a reason to stay in Giraseong.

If that happens, it will be one less headache for Ayu and Seolhyang, making it a perfect solution.

“Eva hyung.”

“Don’t confuse me with that guy, just call me Hyuk-seo hyung. My name is Song Hyuk-seo.”

He revealed his name without hesitation, even though he had attacked the Hunter Training Academy with Eun-namu and the remnants of Giraseong, he seemed to not recognize my face.

‘Did he only remember my name?’

At that time, only Eun-namu reached out to me.

Clearly, Giraseong had also noticed my presence and was moving, but it seemed he knew my name but didn’t remember my face.

“Then, Hyuk-seo hyung, have you heard about Eva noona’s situation?”

“…I have.”

He gave an awkward smile.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

As I said that, Song Hyuk-seo hesitated for a moment.

Seeing him hesitate, I suddenly remembered someone.

Wait a minute.

Isn’t there someone Seolhyang assigned to stay by my side?

‘Ms. Eun-hyeon.’

One person assigned to guard me.

The moment my thoughts reached Ms. Eun-hyeon, I reflexively turned my head outside.

At that moment, the store lights suddenly went out.

“What’s going on?”

“The lights went out, oh no.”

Thud!

The moment the chaotic sounds of people echoed from everywhere, people suddenly started collapsing.

A space as quiet as a dead mouse.

As Song Hyuk-seo’s eyes gradually sharpened, the shadow beneath his feet began to writhe.

And at that moment, a person walked in through the store entrance.

Ms. Eun-hyeon stood there, having removed her eyepatch and fully spread her nine white tails.

“Domi, hide with me for a bit.”

At that moment, Song Hyuk-seo pointed at Eva noona and slowly started walking out.

The shadows surrounding his body rippled like armor.

“Asura.”

“Silver Fox, what do you think you can achieve alone here?”

As he tapped the wall, a long Shadow Greatsword emerged from it.

Facing an imminent crisis, my mind raced quickly.

Right now, I can resolve the situation by talking with Hyuk-seo hyung.

But Ms. Eun-hyeon, unaware of this situation, is about to fight, thinking Hyuk-seo hyung came to kidnap me.

No.

I absolutely cannot let these two fight.

“You know what it means for me to spread nine tails, right?”

“You mean you won’t die easily, right?”

The moment their conversation ended, Ms. Eun-hyeon and Hyuk-seo hyung kicked off the ground.

Crackle!

The red lightning that erupted from my body forcibly stopped their movements.

The rampage of aura was too intense for them to ignore me and fight.

Both their gazes turned towards me simultaneously.

“Kang Ha-chan?”

“Domi? What’s that? And what, Kang Ha-chan?”

Seeing Ms. Eun-hyeon’s puzzled look and Hyuk-seo hyung’s flustered face, I suppressed the aura that had erupted and quietly spoke.

“Let’s talk first. I think I can resolve this situation. Please trust me.”

As I conveyed that, Ms. Eun-hyeon and Hyuk-seo hyung briefly looked at each other.

I had heard a bit about Asura Hyuk-seo hyung from Seolhyang.

He was once a member of the World Returner Association but left for Giraseong due to certain reasons.

And those reasons were undoubtedly related to Eva noona.

Then, those two were once comrades.

“Kang Ha-chan, please. Yes.”

“What’s going on? Haa.”

Thus, Ms. Eun-hyeon and Hyuk-seo hyung, not wanting to kill each other, obediently listened to me.

Thank goodness.

Feeling the tension dissipate, I felt the alcohol’s effects completely vanish as I carried Eva noona.

“Domi?”

Then, Eva noona, who had just opened her eyes slightly, looked at me with a dazed expression.

This noona, now is not the time for this.

“Nae-ki, wake up.”

“I’m already awake.”

As I tried to wake Nae-ki, she raised her hand while resting her cheek on the table.

She had already woken up, smiling slyly.

“Our Domi has charisma, huh? I was surprised.”

“Darn it, if you’re awake, help out.”

“I don’t want to get caught in the crossfire. I’m an outsider here, right?”

As she got up, she cheerfully raised her hand towards Hyuk-seo hyung.

“Eva hyung! Nice to meet you. It’s Nae-ki.”

“…Yeah, nice to meet you.”

“Don’t die. Come on, let’s move to talk!”

As Nae-ki, smiling brightly, helped me carry Eva noona, I sighed and walked over to Hyuk-seo hyung.

“Eva noona, can you trust me with this?”

Since I’m technically from the Association, I asked him, and he nodded.

“If you had any ill intentions, you would have taken her hostage from the start. You didn’t, and you’re asking to talk first, so I won’t suspect you. And.”

He let out a small sigh and walked forward unsteadily.

“Domi, I know you well too.”

After all, he was the Asura of Giraseong, but before that, he was the Eva hyung I knew.

He used dialect, was playful.

And very righteous.

Our guild member, Eva hyung.

Now, with Hyuk-seo hyung and Eun-hyeon, I found myself in a three-way confrontation at a café.

The problem was, given the tense atmosphere from earlier, the current situation was quite heavy.

This group was drawing too much attention.

With their striking appearances, every passerby glanced our way.

‘They really stand out.’

I took a sip of my Americano and glanced at Hyuk-seo hyung.

Despite his appearance, he was drinking a strawberry chocolate frappe.

Come to think of it, he liked sweet things.

I recalled a memory from when he was very young, wanting to be a barista and baker.

In contrast, Ms. Eun-hyeon was drinking an espresso, perfectly matching her appearance.

But she seemed to have trouble with hot drinks, blowing on it before sipping.

A cat’s tongue.

Meanwhile, I slapped Nae-ki’s hand, who was braiding Eva noona’s hair beside me.

“Nae-ki, stop playing with Eva noona’s hair.”

“Okay.”

Anyway, this awkward situation.

I cleared my throat and looked at Hyuk-seo hyung.

“Hyuk-seo hyung, you probably know about me.”

From his earlier reaction, he seemed to know my name.

Probably similar to Eun-namu’s case.

“Yeah, Domi, I know you’re close with Ha Si-ho, and about the death of the spatial mage and the capture of the Brain Dragon and Umbrella guys by the World Returner Association.”

“That’s all?”

“Giraseong’s Korean branch is almost wiped out because of the World Returner Association. So, gathering information isn’t easy.”

As he said that, Hyuk-seo hyung shot a dissatisfied look at Ms. Eun-hyeon.

Ms. Eun-hyeon, still blowing on her espresso, glanced at him and narrowed her eyes without the eyepatch.

“That’s Giraseong’s fault, isn’t it? If you have complaints, you shouldn’t have done illegal things.”

“You guys aren’t exactly legal either, are you?”

“At least we don’t harm people. The selfish acts Giraseong has committed aren’t just one or two.”

“That was before I joined. Now it’s business. Business. What’s so bad about selling artificial dimensional gates?”

“Creating rifts in dimensions isn’t bad? You’re a criminal group that doesn’t hesitate to commit kidnappings.”

These two don’t get along.

But I agreed with Ms. Eun-hyeon.

Giraseong’s actions are criminal.

They tried to kidnap Siho, used dangerous artificial dimensional gates without hesitation, and threatened many people.

Not just that.

In Korea, it might have stopped at this level, but globally, Giraseong is an irredeemable criminal group.

Knowing that, Hyuk-seo hyung clicked his tongue and didn’t argue further.

Even he knew that, yet he joined Giraseong.

“Are you doing well in Giraseong?”

As Ms. Eun-hyeon asked, Hyuk-seo hyung rested his chin on his hand.

“Living like crap. I don’t want to be in a place like this.”

His gaze was directed towards Eva noona.

The emotions in his long sigh were vaguely understandable.

“But what can I do? You guys don’t mess with dimensional stuff at all.”

“That’s right. We don’t know what consequences it might bring.”

“I’m not asking for your understanding. But I have no choice.”

Having left the World Returner Association to save Eva noona and joined the criminal group Giraseong, he smiled bitterly.

Ms. Eun-hyeon, knowing this all along, didn’t say much.

“So, what do you want to talk about?”

Anticipating his question, I gave him the answer he was probably thinking.

“You probably know about my relationship with Siho.”

“Yeah, I know you’re close. So, you’re asking for help to find Eva’s body?”

“On September 14th, Siho will regain her strength.”

I brought that up to persuade him.

“If we ask then, we might be able to find Eva noona’s body.”

As I continued, Hyuk-seo hyung started tapping his chin with his finger.

Then, he slowly laughed and looked at me.

“Domi.”

“Yeah.”

“Her regaining her strength is one thing. We also knew she wasn’t normal. But Domi, in her current state, she can’t save Se-hee. I’ve done a lot of research. Maybe later, but at her current level, the probability is fifty-fifty at best.”

“We don’t know that. We haven’t tried.”

“No, we can know. We can gauge the output of her spatial abilities.”

Giraseong isn’t stupid.

Hyuk-seo hyung said Giraseong had already investigated Siho thoroughly.

“Clearly, it will be resolved later. She will keep growing. Someday, it won’t be a difficult task.”

Later.

That was the problem for him.

Hyuk-seo hyung’s eyes turned towards Eva noona.

“But I don’t have that time.”

“…But Giraseong kept trying to kidnap Siho.”

“There’s a way to forcibly awaken future abilities.”

Hearing that, my face stiffened.

“That method is doping. Of course, there are side effects, and it’s dangerous. One wrong move, and it could be irreversible.”

Hyuk-seo hyung was deliberately honest with me.

And that honesty meant he was willing to do this for Eva noona, even knowing it was wrong.

“…Hyuk-seo hyung, Siho is only 19.”

“I know. Giraseong isn’t a criminal group for nothing. They exploit everyone, kids, adults, elders. I don’t have any affection for Giraseong, but I need them now. Doping, the power to kidnap Ha Si-ho, dimensional knowledge, Giraseong has it all.”

Knowing that, he stayed with Giraseong.

Only for Eva noona.

“But you wouldn’t want Siho to be doped, right?”

“…Of course not.”

That’s unacceptable.

And that means I can’t help him.

I started to feel anxious.

If I let him go without reaching an agreement, what would happen?

I felt a sense of dread that he would become irredeemable.

No.

I absolutely can’t let that happen.

“But if Siho becomes proficient…”

“Next month is almost the limit.”

I tried to hold him back, but Hyuk-seo hyung bluntly presented the reality to me.

Next month is the limit.

That means Eva noona won’t survive past next month.

“That’s too short a time to wait.”

“Are you saying you’ll kidnap Siho and forcibly awaken her with doping?”

I couldn’t accept that, and as I looked at him, he met my eyes.

The emotions in his eyes felt like sparks.

And seeing those emotions, I slowly swallowed.

“Domi, I’ll do anything to save her.”

His determination to do anything for his twin sister was unbreakable.

“Even if it means betraying the younger brother I was close with.”