Episode 77
‘Attack first,’ Yoo-seong thought, ’before you get beaten up.’
It was simple.
There was only one reason why Jin Wei-baek would visit him personally.
‘I guess he’s interested in the Volcano.’
What better way to show it to him than trying it against him? Yoo-seong also wanted to test his skill against Jin Wei-baek.
He wanted to find out how far Yang Jeong-cheon, the former second place in the Ship Zone, was from Jin Wei-baek. That was the reason why he pressed the button and drew the sword with plum blossoms.
A beautiful and majestic weapon that could cut through steel.
Jin Wei-baek responded quickly. He drew a semi-circle in the air as if he was turning the steering wheel of a car.
Paang-!
Massive pressure was sent in all directions.
Yoo-seong felt the same when he faced Yang Jeong-cheon’s Red Dragon. It was as if an overwhelming force was trying to crush him.
He bounced back, traversing the inside of the oversized luxury room. He smoothly landed past the bed and picked up a weapon he wanted.
A crossbow.
It was a piece of equipment he made while trying out the Combination function. Its firepower was comparable to that of a firearm.
Go-oh!
The crossbow’s arrow buzzed with Aura as Yoo-seong shot a Parasitic Bee toward Jin Wei-baek. Jin Wei-baek dodged it effortlessly.
“Nice try,” the old man laughed.
He had the expression of a grandfather dealing with a grandchild. Then, Jin Wei-baek stepped forward toward Yoo-seong.
‘Here we go,’ Yoo-seong thought, as he activated the Parasitic Bee. However, Jin Wei-baek ran to the side, avoiding the explosion.
Yoo-seong expected it. A thick cloud of purple blooms around his body as he prepared for Jin Wei-baek.
However…
“Ahhh!”
Something came between him and Jin Wei-baek.
It was Seoyu. She had tried to intervene in a battle way beyond her level.
She was facing Yoo-seong, and he could see her tightly closed eyes and lips. It was as if she was trying to be his shield.
‘You’re insane,’ Yoo-seong thought, as he lifted the button.
Then, with a leg coated with Aura, he kicked Seoyu.
Thud-!
She was thrown to the other side of the room. It was highly possible that some of her ribs had been smashed.
Surprisingly, Jin Wei-baek also halted and landed gently. He first looked at Yoo-seong, then at the fallen Seoyu.
Then, he laughed.
“She almost died,” he said, between chuckles.
It was the same reason why Yoo-seong kicked Seoyu. It was because he had an intuition that, if she did not get out of Jin Wei-baek’s trajectory, she would be split in two.
“Is it your place to interrupt us?” Jin Wei-baek’s tone suddenly changed.
Yoo-seong looked at the old man in a different light.
Somewhere, beneath his cheerfulness and youthful energy, some cruel and overwhelming powers lay hidden.
Jin Wei-baek was shaking his head as if he found Seoyu’s intention unacceptable.
“I’m sorry, I’m terribly sorry,” Seoyu knelt on the floor and bowed.
It was hard to tell whether her ribs were broken. She was controlling her emotions well.
“Done,” Jin Wei-baek dismissed her apology.
There was no mercy in his eyes. He looked at her as if he was looking at an insect.
“You are free to act,” Jin Wei-baek raised his hand, “but you have to pay the price.”
“She just saved his boss’s life,” Yoo-seong spoke.
Jin Wei-baek turned to him with a puzzled expression.
“She has a loyal heart. In a way, doesn’t it compliment you that she chose to help me because she believes you’re much stronger than I am?”
It was the best course of action for Yoo-seong. This was something he had learned in China.
The most important thing for these people was their pride. There was no better way to distract Jin Wei-baek from Seoyu’s act and bring his focus back to the fight.
Jin Wei-baek’s eyes darted between Yoo-seong and Seoyu.
He gazed at Seoyu’s bloodshot eyes, then back at Yoo-seong, who had a fiery expression. Then, he laughed again.
“Ha ha ha ha!”
Both Yoo-seong and Seoyu were confused. The old man had both hands on his belly, rocking with laughter.
“It’s a masterpiece! It’s a masterpiece. You know very well how to deal with us now, huh?”
Jin Wei-baek was in tears. After a while, he recovered.
“You two made me laugh so much. That girl was quite annoying, but I forgot about it.”
Then, Jin Wei-baek’s expression darkened again as he looked at Seoyu.
“If you hadn’t made me laugh like that… you would have died.”
Yoo-seong tried to say something, but he froze when he saw what Jin Wei-baek held.
Jin Wei-baek just took out a medicine case from his pocket.
Click-!
The Golden Pill.
It was the same ancient treasure that strengthened Yoo-seong’s veins.
“That’s…”
“Five operations,” Jin Wei-baek cut him off.
It was the deal he had with Tenz. Despite the fact that Yoo-seong had been staying in China for a while, he had only gone through one official operation.
The Shanghai Shock didn’t even count.
“It’s not yet the time for me to give it to you,” Jin Wei-baek said.
“I understand.”
“But I need you to do something…”
“And if I did it?”
“Then you don’t need to complete five hunts. This will be yours. Or, should I say, this will be on your Master’s hands soon.”
Yoo-seong took a deep breath.
It was an indeed excellent opportunity. However, what could it be in Jin Wei-baek’s mind that could compensate for five operations?
“Do I have to kill people? Directly or indirectly?” Yoo-seong asked him.
“No,” Jin Wei-baek answered. “It’s not something that a hunter wouldn’t do.”
“Then,” there was no hesitation in Yoo-seong’s voice. “Tell me.”
His eyes were fixed on the medicine case. Jin Wei-baek’s explanation wasn’t too long.
It only took about five minutes.
“You are out of your mind…” was the only thing Yoo-seong could say afterward.
“But that doesn’t mean you won’t do it, right?”
Jin Wei-baek immediately placed the medicine case back in his pocket. He didn’t even wait for Yoo-seong’s answer.
Yoo-seong’s eyes were on the medicine case throughout the conversation.
“Take a rest. You have a big day tomorrow,” Jin Wei-baek started to turn, leaving a silent Yoo-seong.
Suddenly…
Jin Wei-baek turned in an instant, heading towards Yoo-seong.
Yoo-seong’s arm immediately bounced like a spring to press the button.
Go-oh-oh!
Instantaneously, purple blossoms scattered in the air. Jin Wei-baek stopped and admired them with awe.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen them,” the old man remarked.
“A perfect plum blossom,” Jin Wei-baek closed his eyes and allowed one of them to drop on him.
The blossom cut a horizontal line on his cheek. A drop of blood flowed out of the tiny wound.
Jin Wei-baek lifted his index finger to wipe it away. “It’s been a long time since I bled. Let’s see… the last time… it was probably in this same city. Against a Red Dragon. Have you met anyone?”
“If you took a step back, you would not have bled,” Yoo-seong said.
Jin Wei-baek turned his head back again and laughed. He seemed to be in a good mood.
“You can go anywhere and tell anyone about it,” the old man chuckled.
“Tell them you made Jin Wei-baek bleed. I won’t deny it.”
With that, Jin Wei-baek left.
As soon as the room door closed, Yoo-seong sighed deeply. He supported Seoyu and helped her to her feet.
Then, he lay in bed, trying to suppress the beating in his heart.
‘Tomorrow,’ he thought, ’I would do a crazy thing no hunter in a Dive has ever tried.’
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