"Right. This way, I've got no reason left to self-harm."
Han Yoojin said that as he brushed back his disheveled hair, slightly damp with cold sweat. His silver eyes moved slowly, looking at the three people standing in his way.
"I didn't even see which direction he went, and enough time's already passed. It's like trying to find Mr. Kim in Seoul—no, Mr. Sung. Though I suppose Sung is rarer than Kim."
"You won't make it in time. Just give up, Ahjussi!"
"You never know. I might find him more easily than expected. It's such a quiet city, after all. Since there's a chance he joined up with Sung Hyunjae-ssi, Chief Secretary Song probably didn't go too far. For one thing, he definitely didn't go in the direction where I am. And also."
Tilting his head slightly, Han Yoojin continued.
"He wouldn't have gone near the river either. I've got Yerim's skills too, after all. Even just to be safe, he'd avoid places with a lot of water. Crossing the river would make it too far, so in the end, Yeoksam, Nonhyeon, or at most Seocho and Bangbae?"
"Th-that's still huge."
"Yeah. It is."
A smile formed at the corner of Han Yoojin's lips. At first glance it looked soft and gentle.
"So how about you let me go quietly and head back to the hotel? There's no need for you to work so hard dragging this out."
But Bak Yerim, Han Yoohyun, and Noah alike showed no sign of stepping aside. Han Yoojin could simply slip away as things stood, but if he did so while they stayed on his tail, all that would do was help Sung Hyunjae and Song Taewon escape. Even if he shook them off, if another fight broke out they would eventually chase after him and interfere.
"I was trying to save my skills as much as possible."
An avatar body with S-rank stats could be maintained all the way until dawn. But once Chainling's power disappeared, most attack skills would become unusable. That was why Han Yoojin had been trying to limit his skill use as much as possible, relying on his body and items instead.
Above all, the opponent was Song Taewon, and on top of that, the current combination was Sung Hyunjae and Song Taewon. Just imagining it was enough to make his entire body feel sore. Han Yoojin let out a short sigh.
"No helping it."
Without even a preparatory motion, his body sprang forward. As if he had been waiting, Han Yoohyun raised his sword. The hem of Yejang, which had been hanging calmly, flared wide, and with the force of momentary acceleration added in, he met Han Yoojin head-on.
Kwaaaang!
The asphalt sank in, and beneath the surging flames it began to melt black. Thick tar clung to the bottoms of both men's shoes, then, unable to endure the heat, burned away. Bearing the force of his younger brother's sword while their blades were locked, Han Yoojin scattered poison without hesitation. At the same time, Han Yoohyun's dark blue-black flames devoured it all and growled viciously.
Once again came the sound of silver chains ringing. Han Yoohyun instantly sharpened his focus, but the chains did not fly toward him. They shot toward Bak Yerim. Bak Yerim evaded with teleportation, but the chains flowed along the moonlight and instantly chased after her.
Freezing mist scattered, and large droplets of water floated up around Bak Yerim. Splash, splash! The moment the chains pierced the droplets, crackcrackcrack—the water froze rapidly. It was not difficult to deal with the heavy movement of chains now burdened with beads of ice.
However, the distance between Bak Yerim and Noah had widened.
Han Yoohyun, quick to notice that, pressed even closer to Han Yoojin in order to keep him locked to himself. Unlike spatial movement, teleportation was not impossible to interrupt midway. He tried to drive Han Yoojin toward the building to reduce his movement paths as much as possible, and right before his eyes—
"...!"
Willow leaves appeared.
Without the slightest sign, a sudden torrent of leaves roared in, and Han Yoohyun's attack was deflected for an instant. Han Yoojin did not miss that brief opening, and his figure vanished. Instead of teleportation, and instead of the relatively slow flight skill, he ran on the leaves and shot toward Noah at terrifying speed.
Of course, Noah did not simply stand there blankly. Scales and feathers rapidly rose over his hands and arms. Sharp claws, gleaming a more vivid gold than before, flashed in the light. Rather than dodging, he layered partial reinforcement with a support skill in order to protect his vital areas.
If he was injured, he could return it again. The wing or anywhere else.
But Han Yoojin—
Tak!
Instead of attacking Noah, he grabbed Noah's wrist. Then he pulled it with all his strength toward his own shoulder. Noah, with stats suited to support types, could not overcome Han Yoojin's strength. His claws dug deep into Han Yoojin's shoulder.
"Agh, ngh!"
That had not been Han Yoojin's scream. Noah clenched his teeth and let out a groan. Noah's skill, Silent Scream. If it had only been about twice the pain of a shoulder wound, then for Noah, who was already accustomed to pain, it would not have been difficult to endure. But with the doubled attack-skill effect added on top, and the natural enemy effect against the curse poison dragon species, his consciousness blurred in an instant.
Whirl—wire shot out and wrapped around Noah's body as it started to fall. Holding the tightly bound Noah in his arms, Han Yoojin patted his back gently.
"My beloved Noah-ssi, sleep well."
Have good dreams. Pat pat, hush now. As expected, against the curse poison dragon species, the effect had indeed doubled. On top of that, because it hit immediately after his consciousness had wavered and he had gone through intense pain, it worked even better. It was like how sweetness tasted stronger after eating something bitter or salty.
Without managing so much as a proper resistance, Noah fell asleep.
"Don't try to wake him. The skill effect is strong enough that he won't be getting up easily."
Han Yoojin said that while lowering Noah onto a building rooftop. Crunch, crack, the chains dug through and shattered the ice binding them and came after Bak Yerim again to tie her down. Standing atop the rooftop railing, Han Yoojin looked down, and Han Yoohyun looked up at him.
Under the black sky with no stars, only moonlight drifting through it, those silver eyes shone like a pair of little moons.
"Want to take Noah-ssi and go back to the hotel?"
"No. More importantly, hadn't you never used Azure Willow Leaves before?"
"They say that for skills that create a concrete shape, it's easier to use them if you say the skill name. But that doesn't mean you can't use them if you don't say it."
Han Yoojin's hand slowly brushed the back of his neck.
"If your mana control is good enough, you can use them through sheer intent alone. Just look at the transcendents. Except Elder. Apparently Elder is weak in that regard."
Tap. Han Yoojin lightly kicked off from the railing and jumped down. Keeping his eyes on him as he landed lightly on the sidewalk, Han Yoohyun once again took up his battle stance.
"I don't want to hurt my cute little brother any more than this. Body aside, I mean your heart."
"If I did something wrong, tell me. I want to know more. Everything about you that I didn't know."
"People live with each other by keeping some things hidden in moderation. No matter how good a person is, it's hard for them to have no dark side at all. If you rashly say you want to know everything, it usually ends with both sides wounded and done."
"I would love any kind of you. And you want to accept all of me too, don't you?"
Han Yoojin glanced up at Bak Yerim, who was defending against the chains with water and ice while at the same time keeping them tied down so they could not target Han Yoohyun, then ran down the road. Han Yoohyun followed right behind him.
"You didn't do anything wrong."
Kwarrr. Beneath Han Yoojin's kick, paving stones rose like dominoes and flew toward Han Yoohyun. Han Yoohyun lightly swung his sword and knocked them aside. Crash! A display window burst from a glancing blow, glass fragments soaring into the air.
"If there was any fault."
The wire swung in a wide arc. The flower shop display stand was swept away, the glass shattered, and petals burst into the air. Crackle, the wire laced with electricity and poison ran toward him, and bending back his upper body to avoid it, Han Yoohyun slid right up in front of Han Yoojin. Buds crushed beneath his feet released their fragrance.
"It would be mine."
Lowering his body, Han Yoohyun swung his sword sharply upward. Han Yoojin caught the blade by both ends of a pitch-black spear and brought it down to block it. Kagang! Right after the loud crash, the Ruler's Sword lengthened like a whip and shot up toward Han Yoojin's neck.
Han Yoojin twisted his neck at once. The blade scraped his skin and passed by, staining his pale nape red.
"The cake bought by the twenty-nine-year-old me."
Han Yoojin's foot flew toward Han Yoohyun, who was still low to the ground. Han Yoohyun planted one hand on the floor and spun, slipping away along the ground. A pile of flowers that had spilled from the display stand was caught in the force and scattered between them.
Crunch! Han Yoojin stomped hard onto the ground and, using the leg he had brought down as an axis, swung the other leg at his younger brother. Whiing, black hair brushed past the tip of his foot and scattered wildly.
"That was for the twenty-four-year-old Han Yoohyun."
My pitiful little brother.
Han Yoojin's low whisper burrowed into Han Yoohyun's ears.
"There are truths you're better off not knowing."
"But, Hyung!"
"I'm sorry, Yoohyun-ah."
Han Yoohyun's movements abruptly halted. Han Yoojin missed no such gap. He snatched up Han Yoohyun's arm and pulled him in so close it was almost an embrace. Sharp nails raked across Han Yoohyun's shoulder, and Han Yoohyun's instinctive counterattack tore open Han Yoojin's waist.
At the same time, Han Yoojin used Silent Scream.
"Kh...."
Han Yoohyun's hand grabbed tight at Han Yoojin's back, at the fabric of his clothes.
"Don't apologize to me. Tell me I was the one in the wrong."
He could not bring himself to ask about the truth that might be hidden inside the words I'm sorry. Han Yoojin reached out and stroked his younger brother's hair.
"Don't worry, my little brother. Hyung loves you the most. No matter what kind of younger brother you are."
Paralytic poison seeped directly into the inside of the shoulder wound. On top of that, Quiet Wound, the skill that lowered the opponent's stats at one-minute intervals, activated as well.
Han Yoohyun clung tightly to his brother and panted for breath. The scent of flowers mixed with the smell of blood was almost unbearably strong. Han Yoojin patted his younger brother gently.
"There, there, Yoohyun-ah. Forget what just happened. Hyung will come back to you soon."
Not long after, Han Yoohyun's body went limp in Han Yoojin's arms. Han Yoojin's silver eyes lifted into the air. The chains were withdrawn, and Bak Yerim, now free again, approached with a stiff face.
"I know this isn't what you want, Ahjussi."
"Yerim-ah."
"But you're still the one getting hurt, Ahjussi."
"There might still be Hunters wandering around. So take both of them back safely to the hotel. You will, right?"
Bak Yerim bit her lip and nodded.
"Even if… even if you fail. Even then, we'll still be on your side, Ahjussi."
Even if Song Taewon died at Han Yoojin's hands.
"I'm sorry to Chief Secretary Song, but I'd still say it wasn't your fault."
"You mustn't do that."
"Then don't make us do something we shouldn't. We'll protect you no matter what and say it's okay, and if it were Han Yoohyun, he'd probably even fabricate fake evidence and get you acquitted."
Han Yoojin's brows curved as if troubled, and he carefully lowered Han Yoohyun's body to the ground.
"I'm sorry for not being enough."
"What do you mean, not enough! I'm seriously getting annoyed, okay? You're a hundred times better than Han Yoohyun, Ahjussi! Han Yoohyun would agree too!"
"Our Yerim is kind—"
"I'm not kind. Even if you killed someone while in your right mind, I'd still cover for you, so how am I kind?"
Han Yoojin scratched his cheek. He looked down at the collapsed Han Yoohyun, then raised his gaze toward the rooftop where Noah was sleeping. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then shut it again. And then Han Yoojin vanished from the spot.
Bak Yerim narrowed the space between her brows and lifted the unconscious Han Yoohyun.
Golden wings spread beneath the dark night sky. Han Yoojin purchased a tracking item from the item shop. Then a small bead of ice appeared before him. Inside that ice bead was a drop of red blood.
It was Sung Hyunjae's blood, which he had secretly taken while pretending to smooth his coat collar.
"…Honestly, this is a loss. Tracking items that use a body part instead of a contract are expensive. And the radius has to be broad too."
Han Yoojin muttered.
"I know I have to kill Chief Secretary Song. But it doesn't end with that, does it? I'm spending way too many points. I've already used who knows how many items. I even bought new wire."
He said it again, as if insisting on it to himself.
"I'm already doing the best I reasonably can. And it's Chief Secretary Song and Sung Hyunjae, right? I probably won't even have time to use items. The moment I pull one out, they'll try to snatch it away, and if I'm careless I'll only trap myself with it."
Dropping the blood from the ice bead onto the tracking item, Han Yoojin kept talking.
To convince himself.
"So in order not to do anything stupid. Because it really would be something stupid. Newcomer! Can you temporarily close my point shop?"
A moment later, a system message window appeared.
[The point shop will be closed until sunrise!＞?＜b]
Now he could no longer buy new items from the point shop. Han Yoojin let out a long sigh and then used the tracking item. A butterfly emitting blue light appeared and started fluttering off somewhere.
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