Chapter 45

“Si-ho, take care of Seo-ho first. Yekaterina, help him with the chain. Let’s run away immediately.”

No one knew the exact situation, but they knew Seo-ho was safe. That alone was enough for now.

‘While we’re at it, let’s settle some more grudges while we undo the chain.’

I approached Gwak Sa-yeon, who was whining. She flinched when a shadow fell over her and looked up at me. Despite shrinking back, her eyes still held her pride.

“Who are you? How dare you do this to me? Do you know who I am?”

“I know well. How come you haven’t changed in five years?”

Should I be glad that my target for revenge hasn’t changed? Or should I feel disgusted seeing that annoying face that brings back old memories?

It was a complicated feeling.

“Do you really not remember me?”

“Why should I care about someone like you?”

“Someone like me? Want another taste of my kick?”

“Eek!”

Seeing her genuinely not remember me made my head feel like it was about to explode.

What’s wrong with her? Is she even human?

Not only did she ruin my life with false accusations, but she also cursed me and doesn’t even remember my face. Even if perpetrators don’t remember their victims, this is too much.

“Ah, okay.”

To her, I was just a small incident. While I suffered for five years, she had long forgotten and moved on.

“Seo-ho, Seo-ho, help me! Stop this lunatic!”

Then she started screaming at Seo-ho, whom she had imprisoned.

“What a crazy bitch.”

Seo-ho’s cold eyes met hers. Seeing that look, even Gwak Sa-yeon, who didn’t flinch at my kicks, faltered.

Like a child abandoned by their parents.

Then she started trembling, tears streaming down her face.

“How could you do this to me? I loved you so much! I would have done anything for you!”

I stepped back from her, feeling a chill.

This was something I shouldn’t have gotten involved with.

The myriad of emotions in her eyes was grotesque.

“Whether you loved me or not, what does it matter? I never cared about a crazy bitch like you.”

Seo-ho’s cold words shattered Gwak Sa-yeon’s world.

“You should have just let me die back then.”

That one sentence sent her into despair.

“No, no. Our Seo-ho, Seo-ho isn’t like that.”

Gwak Sa-yeon was broken.

Watching her without pity, I asked, “Do you find everything amusing?”

I knew she had feelings for Seo-ho, but she ruined everything for that one thing.

This isn’t love. It’s twisted possessiveness.

Gwak Sa-yeon was a pathetic trash who never grew up.

“…What, what is it? You ruined it! You!”

“In 2025, exactly five years ago, I supposedly sexually harassed you.”

I clenched my fist and stepped closer to her. She flinched and pointed at me, shouting.

“Ugh, of course you did! I didn’t do anything, so why would I say that?”

“Yeah, right. I didn’t even want to sit next to you.”

“So who…?”

I had said enough. Even someone as stupid as her would remember.

Her twisted face slowly relaxed, the expression of someone piecing together a memory.

“That idiot? It was you?”

And the look of disdain, as if she was looking at something far beneath her, was the cherry on top.

“You know who I am and you’re doing this? Sexual harassment? Ha, haha, now you want to accuse me of rape and assault? You bastard!”

Thud!

Before I could do anything, Gwak Sa-yeon flew into the wall.

“Eek, ugh, ugh.”

She gasped for breath, the impact making it hard to breathe. I turned around to see Si-ho’s hand extended.

“It was you.”

Si-ho had done it. I was more surprised by her reaction.

“Si-ho, you…”

“…I heard from Ji-eun. The reason you joined the company.”

Come to think of it, I had mentioned it to Ji-eun in passing. Since we met often for work, I had casually mentioned why I ended up like this.

Si-ho must have heard it from Ji-eun.

“Gah, gah.”

Si-ho twisted the space around Gwak Sa-yeon’s neck, her face turning blue as she struggled. She looked like she was about to suffocate.

“It’s better to get rid of that.”

For some reason, Si-ho’s eyes were even angrier than when she looked at Seo-ho. Only Yekaterina seemed confused, standing awkwardly.

“Kang Ha-chan!”

At that moment, Baeksan called me. Before I could answer, he shouted.

“Get down!”

I reflexively ducked. I trusted Baeksan that much, and in a place like this, he was the most reliable person.

Swish!

In that instant, a few strands of my hair flew as the wall was sliced. Something from beyond the wall had tried to cut me down, sending a chill down my spine.

“Cough, cough! Ugh, what, cough, what is it?”

Gwak Sa-yeon, near the sliced wall, coughed incessantly, covered in dust. It seemed Si-ho’s spatial ability had temporarily lifted.

I hope she gets bronchitis.

With that desperate wish, I called the person I needed most.

“Yekaterina!”

As soon as I called, Yekaterina stood beside me with a blue lightning flash. She was terrifying as an enemy, but as an ally, she was incredibly reassuring. She was looking beyond the wall, though she kept glancing at me nervously.

Thud-

With the sound of falling debris, someone slowly walked out from beyond the wall. He was a man in a suit, holding an umbrella and wearing a fedora.

“Lucky. I was prepared just in case. Who would have thought a gold mine would appear?”

As he smiled slyly, Yekaterina’s expression darkened.

“Umbrella.”

“Nice to see you, Lady Brain Dragon. You look well.”

It was Giraseong. As soon as Yekaterina recognized him, I acted immediately.

“Si-ho, take Seo-ho and run!”

“Manager, that’s…”

Si-ho looked at me in panic. She had been holding Seo-ho’s arm tightly, trying to send him away as soon as he appeared.

“It’s a Sealing Chain for high-level Hunters. A top-grade one optimized for S-class Hunters. Giraseong has been hiding and hoarding it. Hunters are weak to it. We need to break it first for spatial movement to work.”

Baeksan’s advice followed. It seemed Seo-ho’s chain was preventing Si-ho’s spatial movement.

“It’s no use. If we try to run, they’ll kill us.”

At that moment, Umbrella opened his umbrella. Simultaneously, his umbrella turned red, and a crimson beam aimed at us.

“I must take those two with me.”

In my hand was a white wooden gun. But his beam was faster than my bullet-making speed.

Crack!

But it’s not just them who have Returners. Before his beam reached us, Yekaterina blocked it with blue lightning.

“Lady Yekaterina, even if you were tricked by the Sealer, this isn’t right.”

“…”

Yekaterina didn’t answer. She just trembled slightly, afraid my bullets might hit her.

Fear injection at its best.

“Understood. If that’s your will.”

But he didn’t know Yekaterina’s fear, thinking she was on our side. Soon, his crimson beam clashed with Yekaterina’s blue lightning.

Boom!

The explosion filled the area with black smoke.

“Kyaaah!”

Gwak Sa-yeon’s scream echoed through the chaos. Meanwhile, I was gathering a red spark in my hand.

The one technique I learned from Baeksan.

Thunderbolt (雷牢)

One of the two weapons Baeksan, a Returner, brought from his world—Keravnos Astrafe’s bullet-making technique.

How much I suffered to learn this.

“Originally, I wanted to teach you swordsmanship, but this suits you now. Don’t worry about aura capacity; pour everything into one bullet.”

I repeated Baeksan’s words. I couldn’t control my aura well, so I couldn’t make precise Thunderbolt bullets.

So, Baeksan and I chose to pour all my aura into one fatal shot.

“Remember. You’re only allowed two Thunderbolts.”

I aimed the gun downward, feeling the exhaustion wash over me.

But now wasn’t the time to aim at the enemy.

‘My Thunderbolt is unstable.’

Returners are strong. If they see me doing something, they’ll dodge. It’s better to aim for something certain.

So, I chose this.

Click-

The sound of the bullet loading echoed.

I pulled the trigger.

Boom!

The red spark exploded, and the stone floor collapsed. We all started falling instantly.

Yekaterina, quick on the uptake, jumped and caught Seo-ho, who was in a normal human state. Good. Seo-ho is safe…

‘Wait, I’m also a normal human except for firing Thunderbolts.’

I stared wide-eyed at Yekaterina, who was moving away. The exhaustion from using Thunderbolt left me weak.

But Yekaterina didn’t seem to have any intention of helping me.

To Yekaterina, I was a superhuman who could take her down in one hit.

So, she didn’t even think of saving me.

“Manager!”

As I was about to scream while falling, Si-ho appeared in front of me. I had never been so glad to see her.

I reached out, and she grabbed my hand, instantly teleporting us. Turning my head, I saw Yekaterina holding Seo-ho in a princess carry.

Yekaterina, being tall and muscular, somehow made it look fitting. If only she didn’t avoid eye contact with me.

I looked up at the gaping hole in the ceiling. My one Thunderbolt did that to the building.

“Our Kerafe is the best.”

“You bastard, are you calling my gun that again?”

But Keravnos Astrafe is too long.

“Seo-ho, show me your neck.”

I hurried to Seo-ho and checked the chain around his neck. It looked like a simple metal necklace, but it was blocking his powers.

“Uh, um.”

At that moment, Yekaterina called me. I turned to see her trembling, avoiding eye contact.

“If you cut it carelessly, it will explode. I, I couldn’t touch it either.”

Unlike Si-ho, Yekaterina could have cut it. It seems the chain’s effect on Hunters doesn’t apply to Returners.

“Then what should we do?”

“Find an expert or the person who put it on…”

Damn it, Gwak Sa-yeon.