Chapter 249. Total crisis
The alien wearing the skin of a human thought to himself.
'I think I can win.'
Given the current situation, with the full support of the S-rank curse, it wouldn't take long for Jung Haseong to overpower the opponent in front of him.
Tuk.
However, as a certain sensation brushed against his skin, Kim Giryeo quickly stiffened his expression.
Tuk, tuk...
A faint, blunt nod, like something frozen in a freezer, gently tapping at a person's arm—such a trivial sensation.
Water. It's a droplet of water.
Tuk, tuk, tuk...Whoosh...
Soon, the sky began to pour water down like a tank with holes. This was something he truly didn't expected. He had noticed the thick clouds lingering around, gluing off a musty, oppressive feeling, and now it was finally the manifestation of a summer rainstorm. As an alien being unfamiliar with atmospheric phenomena, the archmage stared blankly at the air, spitting out cold water in disbelief.
'Oh my...'
At this rate, things are going to change drastically from here on.
A downpour. The surrounding humidity skyrocketed, and the temperature dropped. Above all, the continuous supply of moisture made this phenomenon a truly deadly natural disaster for fire mages. Logically, how could it ever be easy to start a fire in water?
'That's why fire mages were rare in my hometown...'
From this moment on, Jung Haseong would need to expend more than double the usual amount of mana just to cast a spell. Of course, the rainwater would also cause significant interference when setting the coordinates for the magic.
'I'm screwed.'
No matter how much he had studied and trained, his apprentice was ultimately a mage who, by nature, was hopelessly on the clumsy side. Suddenly this variable will happen.
'Huuh.'
In the span of three seconds, Kim Giryeo let out a deep sigh and ran a brief mental simulation in his mind. More specifically, he imagined what would happen if Jung Haseong and Kang Changho were to face off again in this environment.
But as expected, the result was not good. Jung Haseong still had an unresolved, fundamental weakness, one that should never be fixed going forward. So how could he ever claim that he could defeat that man carelessly?
'It's raining.'
While Jung Haseong, with a tense expression, was looking for an opportunity to recover, the one with the dragon's eyes observed the wetting ground and began with the first words.
"Come to think of it, I forgot to check the weather forecast for Incheon."
"-_-"
"Representative Seo, and even Jung Haseong... They're both such powerful people, and they go so far as to commit crime just to protect you no matter what. Honestly, up until just now, I was pretty jealous of Hunter Giryeo connections, you know?"
"Crime?"
"But at least the sky's on my side. By the way, the crime I just mentioned was assault."
Kim Giryeo cast a wary glance at Kang Changho, who continued the conversation. The massive figure in front of him could act friendly one moment, only to flip his attitude and seize the upper hand at any given moment.
"If, while talking normally like this, he suddenly charges at Haseong again like before...?"
Kang Changho would never miss such a rare opportunity. A battle in a torrential downpour, even lasting only about 3 minutes, would be deadly to the fire mages' safety. Making his judgement, Kim Giryeo swallowed a dry gulp of anxiety.
However,
"Anyway, shall we call it a day here?"
The sentences that came out of Kang Changho's mouth afterward...
"Because it rains."
Whoosh.
As the people involved remained silent, the sound of the rain filled the empty space.
"Why is everyone so surprised? What, did you think I'd lose my sense of direction and keep struggling in this situation?"
"Kang Changho."
"This is just a shower, it won't last long. And above all, it's too outnumbered."
Kang Changho raised his burned arm and wiped the rainwater trickling down his face. Then, he chuckled lightly.
"Even I can't win a 3-on-1 against S-rankers."
"-_-"
"Since it's raining anyway, let's start wrapping up the pointless stuff. Jung Haseong! Don't you think this is much better?"
A few seconds ago, he was charging at the young hunter as if he were about to crush his head, but now he's raising the white flag? It seemed like Jung Haseong couldn't quite understand either, as someone's brow furrowed. But whether their hair was dark or light, neither of the two men could easily open their mouths.
"Hmm, it seems like your magic is still unsettled."
"-_-"
"So what are you going to do? If we keep fighting like this, it'll be after you lose a leg or two before any victory is claimed. Is this really something that benefits our dear Jung Haseong?"
The third S-rank from Korea genuinely widened his eyes, as if he couldn't understand it at all.
"Moreover, you can't kill people."
"That's...?"
"So, what can you even do by clinging here? Hey, Hunter Jung. Suppression is only possible when you're far stronger than me in the first place..."
"-_-"
"Oh. Wait a minute, did that guy with the dyed hair solve that problem for you?"
What followed was a shocking insult, as if poking at someone's weakest point.
"Did Kim Giryeo teach you how to casually kill someone in broad daylight while still sleeping soundly? This is bad. Now I'll have to get ready to leave with my wallet too."
What he mentioned was related to an incident that had briefly been exposed to the media. Kang Changho continued the conversation with a calm demeanor, as though reciting light humor. However, the listener, Haseong, soon showed a strong, intense reaction.
Swoosh.
His fingers turned completely red as he clenched his fists tightly, holding his breath, and his chin trembled uncontrollably. The swirling negative emotions caused the disciple's magic to destabilize. Despite not knowing the details of the incident, Giryeo gave a stern, decisive reprimand, cutting off any further questioning.
"You crazy b*stard, can't you shut your damn mouth?"
But the voice that came back was calm and refreshing.
"Kim Giryeo. This really isn't the time for you to be worrying about someone else, is it?"
Tuk, tuk—tuk...
The relentless downpour continued. Unlike the pyromancers, it seemed that Kang Changho had no aversion to water. Without hesitation, he pointed his finger at someone through the rain, his lips curling into a smirk.
"Let's wait and see."
Soon, what followed was an old, worn-out sentence that no longer seemed capable of serving as a threat. Just wait and see. It was the kind of line you'd hear from insignificant street thugs, uttered after getting beaten senseless by someone stronger. But this time, for some reason, the weight behind those words felt different.
"Let's take our time and see what kind of aftermath I'll deal with this in the future."
This might be because the man, with blood dripping from one eye, still didn't lose his smile and threatened with a sharp expression.
"And you, Jung Haseong, stop glaring at people already."
Sssk.
Kang Changho turned his back on the awakened individuals who were clearly showing hostility and walked off in a different direction. He was seen retrieving his belongings that he had left nearby.
"I unconsciously spoke a bit harshly because people who weren't even related kept interfering. In fact, I'm the one who cares about you more than anyone else in this place."
"F*ck! What did you say?"
"I didn't know you could curse too. Well, anyway... it's still a sincere statement, so keep it in mind. Even now, I'm trying my best to save you."
After packing his belongings into the polyester Boston bag, Kang Changho turned toward the direction where the industry hard. His gaze no longer reflected the bewilderment from earlier, but there was still a certain lingering emotion.
Doubt, suspicion, discomfort, and perhaps...
"It was me today, but next time, it will be you."
Kang Changho pointed his index finger toward Jung Haseong's direction and finished speaking.
"Thinking about it, there's no rule that a hunter who hid their rank from the entire nation would only lie to one person."
That was the last thing his opponent said. Soon, Kang Changho quickly disappeared from the scene using the vehicle he had come in. Jung Haseong seemed to want to stop him, but due to the flow of mana, Kang Changho was still in that state he could chatter the potion if his enemy attempted to recover, even after turning his back. The Awakened with black hair could only take the potion after Kang Changho had left.
"The situation has gotten complicated."
Of course, the subsequent actions of the assault convict were just as concerning for this side. However, in a situation where the downpour was relentless, and the Earthling still suffering damage to their liver and brain, the odds of defeating the enhanced sorcerer were quite low.
Giryeo, understanding the current situation where he had no choice but to let Kang Changho go, approached Haseong. He observed Haseong's healing body and pondered deeply.
"What should I do from now on?"
For now, he planned to contact Esther immediately and began taking their own countermeasures. But what if Kang Changho didn't easily get caught by the Searchers' pursuit? In the case of Su Yehwi, they were lucky that Esther happened to be an Awakened who wasn't affected by the brainwashing—but this time, it would by no means be a one-sided hunt. There was even the possibility that the other side might launch a public opinion campaign first, preventing them from initiating any kind of private sanction in the first place.
'Kang Changho already has a history of quietly burying trouble with the media. There's no way he's someone without a plan.'
Then what on earth should he do? For the time being, maybe he could ensure some safety by using Jung Haseong as a kind of bodyguard? Judging by the look of it, Jung Haseong also seemed to harbor quite a bit of discomfort toward that guy. If he just prodded him a little from the side, getting him to keep taking up the fight in his stead wouldn't be all that hard... The Archmage had noticed the trails of the primal caster and was now devising a sly plan to take advantage of them.
"Hunter Kim Giryeo..."
But just a few seconds later, this alien loses all his wicked schemes and ambitions in vain.
"But, are you okay?"
It was because the alien, whose hands not yet fully healed and who exhaled with the discomfort of a person with a pneumothorax, uttered these first words.
"Earlier... you said something like, your current condition isn't good. That you couldn't muster your strength...? Something like that..."
Kim Giryeo stiffened for a moment when his weakness was mentioned. However, Jung Haseong showed no interest in his rank or strength. Even if it were revealed that he was an F-rank Hunter right here, he wouldn't be as enraged by the deception as Kang Changho had been. This was something even the archmage, who had never pried into the hero's mind, could be certain of.
Why?
"As expected... You said you were sick. You said you wanted to retire because of health issues at the budaejigae restaurant. That was true... wasn't it?"
"What?"
"Are you really okay?"
Kim Giryeo didn't answer the hero's question for a moment. Instead, a different thought crossed his mind.
A fugitive who had lived his entire life on a planet called Alphaurt, and had been tormented by its selfish culture until he moved to a new planet, still couldn't shake off his old habits. Logically, he knew that the best strategy was to use the number one ranked individual to his advantage without caring about the well-being of others.
'I may not be able to die in water, but...'
Such a repulsive, crude, and shameful thought. When thinking about continuing life like this, for some reason... it didn't appeal to him at all.
The blonde hunter paused, as if recalling an unknown sentence, and then continued speaking.
"It's okay, Jung Haseong. I'll take care of everything and wrap it up quickly. So don't say anything unnecessary and just drink more of your medicine."
It wasn't a lie. At that moment, a new and certain solution had formed in Giryeo's mind
