𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟕: 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫
The icy chill swept through the office, seizing the space between them like a wildfire.
Choi Dae-soo grinned, delight evident in his expression after experiencing such a sensation after a long time.
It was a nostalgic feeling from the old battlefields.
The adrenaline and dopamine surged through him, electrifying him.
The pressure of being on the brink of death, which he had not felt in the last 10 years, was thrilling.
His heart pounded at the exhilarating sensation.
“Long time no see, Min Siwoo.”
“Indeed, Choi Dae-soo.”
Their gazes locked, and the animosity they held for each other was apparent.
An oppressive silence hung between them, like a calm ice sheet.
It was cold and chilling.
A subtle current of hostility crackled sharply in the air.
Choi Dae-soo spoke first.
He counted his fingers one by one, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
“Let me see. It’s been about 10 or 11 years since you died? No, you didn’t die, so I guess you’re missing.”
“Thank you. Coming from someone who was too busy manipulating the presidential election to notice such things.”
Siwoo’s sarcasm made Choi Dae-soo laugh, his lips curling up to reveal the numerous scars etched on his face.
“Kukuk. How peculiar. The pursuit hunters clearly stated that you were not in ‘this world’. Did they lie, or—”
“Perhaps because I was in the ‘other world’.”
“Ah, the other world. So, you lived comfortably there and then came back here. How did you manage that?”
Choi Dae-soo pointedly tapped his fingers on the floor of his office.
“I don’t know. Do I need your permission to return?”
“. . . Of course not. If I had known you would come back from the afterlife, I would have prepared a welcoming party.”
“Thanks, but no thanks. I don’t eat dog food.”
A moment of silence passed.
The tension, taut as piano strings, threatened to snap.
It felt like a battle could erupt if either of them made the slightest move.
The suffocating stillness hung heavy between them.
Thud.
“By the way.”
A footstep. A deep, husky voice.
Choi Dae-soo broke the silence.
“You haven’t aged a day. It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years. Is it because you’ve been sucking the life out of others with your abilities?”
“Maybe. Or perhaps because I haven’t been beaten up by your shitty fists.”
Siwoo’s cold sarcasm.
“Kukuku. Good, very good. That damn mouth of yours is still the same. It’s refreshing after all this boredom.”
Choi Dae-soo chuckled and surged his mana.
Whoosh!
The released mana coursed through his body, amplifying his heartbeat and blood flow.
The ground beneath his feet crumbled like ice cream, and the space distorted as if it were expanding.
The supreme monster of his time, the so-called God of Combat, had unleashed a fraction of his immense power.
Siwoo didn’t just stand there and watch.
The mana he drew from his dantian spread through his muscles in an instant, propelling him forward.
His condition had only recovered by about 50%, but Siwoo spared no effort as a combat hunter.
Clank. . . Clank. . .!!
The two formidable forces collided.
Invisible currents clashed in the void, and the force of their mana enveloped them.
A rift formed in the space, like a crack between Siwoo and Choi Dae-soo, dominating the atmosphere.
Neither of them gave an inch, their fangs bared like wild beasts.
“Kukakak! You crazy bastard, you’re still alive!”
“Damn. Should I knock some sense into you?”
“If you can! Kukukuk. In return, I’ll rip off your balls and hang them at Gwanghwamun!”
As the shockwaves from the two immense forces were about to collide,
“Y-Your Excellency!!”
“Don’t move!!”
“Are you alright?!”
A commotion broke out as more than a dozen people rushed in, armed with guns and weapons designed for hunters, surrounding Siwoo.
Really, should I say? Or perhaps, as expected?
Siwoo sighed at their predictable actions.
Had the skills of combat hunters declined this much these days?
If it were me, I would have severed their tendons first and stuffed a towel in their mouths to prevent them from biting their tongues.
A warning in a hunter’s fight?
“You idiots are getting in my way.”
“What??”
Woooosh!
The blurry concept took on a concrete form, unfolding a spell as mana filled it, conforming to its flow and symbols.
Hundreds of shapes—circles, lines, triangles, squares, and stars—appeared around Siwoo, shimmering with light.
“W-What is this—!!”
“Suppress—”
But before the guard’s incantation could be completed,
Thud. . . Thud. . . Thud. . .
They began to lose their vitality, collapsing like withered leaves.
They were literally withering away.
In just a second after Siwoo had cast his spell, all fifteen of them collapsed to the ground.
Choi Dae-soo clicked his tongue at the sight.
“Dammit, don’t kill them. They’re guards who eat from the national treasury, no matter how they look.”
“The level of hunters these days has hit rock bottom. If it were our time, they would have been wiped out already.”
“Kukuk. They call that generation the 1st generation these days. It’s a different dimension. Anyway, these kids have ruined my mood.”
Choi Dae-soo wrinkled his nose in disgust.
He had been looking forward to stretching his body, but the change in atmosphere dampened his spirits.
Siwoo also released his mana.
He hadn’t come here to kill them anyway.
“So, did you come here to ask me that?”
Choi Dae-soo took out a cigar from his drawer, cut the tip, and lit it.
The end of the cigar burned red and turned to ash.
The scent of vanilla and nuts from the cigar wafted towards Siwoo on the wind.
“I’ll ask properly.”
“. . . . . .”
“. . . Did you order Min-jun’s death?”
Choi Dae-soo took a deep drag of his cigar.
The rising smoke subtly obscured his gaze.
“No, I didn’t.”
Siwoo had been observing the mana emanating from him for a long time.
The mana waves fluctuated subtly, maintaining a consistent pattern.
A lie. . . No, it wasn’t.
Of course, Siwoo didn’t trust Choi Dae-soo 100%, but it was clear that he hadn’t ordered it.
“I see. If not, then that’s fine.”
Siwoo turned to leave, intending to return to where BESTIA was gathering.
His companions might be in trouble if he delayed any longer.
However, Choi Dae-soo’s voice stopped him in his tracks.
“Kukuk. Min Siwoo, I’m not the same as I used to be. I don’t know where you crawled out from, but don’t think of me as the same as 10 years ago.”
“I’m not particularly curious. . . What’s changed?”
Siwoo asked, feigning disinterest.