Recalling their last unpleasant meeting, Sang-woong felt uneasy about Heo Dong-sik’s friendliness, wondering if it was a facade or if some other scheme was afoot.
“There are far fewer antidote potions this time compared to last,” Heo Dong-sik noted.
“They’re not something I can produce endlessly,” Sang-woong replied.
“If you need materials, we can supply as much as you want. There’s nothing we can’t get our hands on. If you could make more antidote potions, we’d support you with all the materials you need. That way, it’d be a bigger profit for all of us,” Heo Dong-sik said confidently.
Sang-woong furrowed his brow. The man’s words carried a dangerous implication, essentially demanding the recipe for the antidote potions—a thinly veiled threat.
Sang-woong was stunned by Heo Dong-sik’s audacity. “What are you saying? The ingredients for the potions are strictly confidential. Asking for them is…”
He trailed off, letting out a deep sigh.
“I understand, Passi-nim. But we have our own unavoidable circumstances. You know how much we’re banking on these potions. If you could just make a small concession…” Heo Dong-sik tried to coax him with a sly smile.
But Sang-woong shook his head firmly. “If this is how it’s going to be, I can’t continue this deal.”
Without hesitation, he declared the transaction over. It might be a hassle, but he could find another black market.
“You cocky punk, cutting off Hyung-nim like that? I’ve been too lenient, and now you’re acting out. Wanna die?” Lee Chung-woo stepped forward with a menacing glare, as if he’d been waiting for this moment.
Only now did Sang-woong clearly see through their hidden intentions. “Hah, I knew something was off from the first meeting. Finally showing your true colors, huh?”
He sighed deeply, clicking his tongue, unfazed by Lee Chung-woo’s growling. “Good, now that you’re being honest, maybe we can actually talk. You were planning this from the start, weren’t you?”
At Sang-woong’s cold, mocking tone, Heo Dong-sik finally dropped his mask. With a sinister glint in his eyes and a vile smile, he replied, “Heh, you arrogant brat. Think you’re untouchable because your stuff’s good? The world’s not as easy as you think. Hand over the antidote potion recipe nicely, and I’ll let you live.”
As he spoke, a menacing aura slithered around Heo Dong-sik like a snake, pressing down on Sang-woong.
But then, an unexpected burst of laughter erupted from Sang-woong, resounding like thunder across the dry ground.
“Puhahahaha!”
Heo Dong-sik froze like a statue at Sang-woong’s unpredictable reaction. His face contorted hideously, muscles twitching as suppressed rage boiled over, ready to erupt like a volcano.
“A thug like you dares to raise your voice? Have you no shame?” he spat.
“What did this bastard just say? You must be itching to die!” Lee Chung-woo was the first to react, his bloodshot eyes glancing at Heo Dong-sik before growling like a beast and clenching his fist.
Unable to tolerate the situation any longer, he charged at Sang-woong with ferocious momentum, his heavy fist slicing through the air like the claws of a starving predator aimed at Sang-woong’s face. The destructive force could shatter a jaw and rattle a brain.
But that was only if the attack had landed.
Sang-woong moved fluidly, like flowing water, effortlessly dodging the strike. At the same time, his foot was already poised for the next move.
With a swift motion, Sang-woong’s leg struck Lee Chung-woo’s unguarded abdomen with pinpoint accuracy.
“Ugh!”
A gut-wrenching pain made Lee Chung-woo let out a stifled groan, squeezing his eyes shut. He staggered back, crumpling like he’d been hit by a powerful blow.
“Chung-woo, you okay?” Heo Dong-sik asked urgently, his voice trembling with disbelief.
He hadn’t imagined that this seemingly clumsy guy could so easily evade an attack from Lee Chung-woo, a seasoned Rank 6 Hunter.
Humiliated by Sang-woong’s skillful counter, Lee Chung-woo gritted his teeth, his face twisted in pain. “I’m fine, Hyung-nim. I’ll tear this filthy rat apart.”
“Wait, hold on…” Heo Dong-sik, gripped by an uneasy premonition, tried to stop him, but Lee Chung-woo, blinded by rage, ignored him and charged again with a vicious expression.
“Damn you, die!”
Without hesitation, he drew a gleaming, razor-sharp sword from his waist and swung it with ferocious intent.
“Chung-woo! No! If you kill him, what about the recipe?!” Heo Dong-sik shouted, panicked by the murderous aura emanating from the blade, which even made him flinch.
But Sang-woong dodged the predictable attacks with ease, as if following a slow-motion shadow. No matter how sharp the weapon, Lee Chung-woo’s movements were painfully obvious to Sang-woong’s keen eyes.
Crack!
Finally, Sang-woong’s solid fist landed a heavy blow on Lee Chung-woo’s jaw with lightning speed. The dull sound of breaking bone echoed as the powerful strike dislodged his jaw.
“Guh!”
The excruciating pain of a dislocated jaw overwhelmed Lee Chung-woo. Before he could finish his agonized scream, he collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth, convulsing, and slipping into unconsciousness.
“You damn bastard!” Heo Dong-sik’s face flushed with rage and shock at Sang-woong’s overwhelming strength and ruthlessness.
He’d never imagined this unassuming guy could be such a powerful hunter. At their first meeting, Sang-woong had seemed like a naive, backwoods nobody—wearing a cheap t-shirt, worn-out track pants, and dusty sneakers. Yet this shabby-looking guy had subdued a seasoned hunter in an instant.
It was a reality Heo Dong-sik’s common sense couldn’t accept. “This bastard’s been playing us all along!”
He glared at Sang-woong with murderous intent, but Sang-woong merely scoffed, letting out a short chuckle. “What a pathetic human. How can you be so self-centered?”
Sang-woong hadn’t actually harmed them. He’d only raised the price of his antidote potions to protect his own interests.
At that moment, a suppressed fury boiled up from deep within Sang-woong, erupting like molten lava. His anger became a cold, sharp blade, chilling the surrounding air.
“Gasp!” Heo Dong-sik felt a bone-chilling fear, his hair standing on end. He instinctively realized Sang-woong was an overwhelming presence far beyond his ability to handle—possibly several times stronger than he’d imagined.
His pupils shook as if caught in an earthquake, and he stumbled back, driven by primal fear.
“Damn it, I should’ve brought Do Seung-woo!” He glared at the crumpled Lee Chung-woo with regret and resentment, cursing his decision to exclude the mercenary.
But deep down, he knew even Do Seung-woo wouldn’t have changed the outcome. Sang-woong was just that formidable.
Always one to dodge responsibility and make excuses, Heo Dong-sik inwardly blamed Lee Chung-woo even now. His final choice was cowardly flight.
Abandoning his long-time partner, he turned to flee for his life. But his clumsy movements were as futile as a bug caught in a spider’s web.
In an instant, Sang-woong moved like a shadow, swiftly grabbing Heo Dong-sik’s collar with a firm grip.
“Ugh!”
With suffocating pain, Heo Dong-sik’s body was lifted into the air and slammed mercilessly to the ground like a ragdoll.
“If you treat others’ lives so cheaply, shouldn’t you be ready to risk your own? How dare you try to run?” Sang-woong’s icy gaze glinted with murderous intent.
Gripped by terror, Heo Dong-sik desperately pleaded, “W-wait! Please, let’s talk this out. We’ll make it right, I swear—argh!”
His pathetic excuses were cut off by a horrific scream as Sang-woong’s foot ruthlessly crushed his ankle, shattering it.
“You think I’d ever go easy on trash like you?”
Before his regression, Sang-woong had encountered countless hunters. He knew that showing mercy to the likes of them only invited greater trouble.
As his foot pressed down with even more brutal force, Heo Dong-sik’s ankle crumpled like malt candy under a press.
“Stop! Please stop, you crazy demon!” Realizing Sang-woong’s cruel intent too late, Heo Dong-sik thrashed desperately to free his ankle, but the searing pain consumed his entire body.
Crunch!
The sickening sound of breaking and grinding bones rang out as his ankle shattered beyond recognition.
“Aaagh!” Unable to endure the agony, Heo Dong-sik let out a wretched scream, rolling on the ground.
“Does it hurt?” Sang-woong asked, looking down at the writhing man with a cold, emotionless voice, as if observing a pebble on the roadside.
“You evil bastard, you call that a question?!” Heo Dong-sik, failing to read the situation, mustered his last ounce of strength to shout in furious defiance.
Sang-woong’s expression hardened into an icy mask.