Two severed Wolfruz heads tumbled down the rocks, rolling one after the other.
Nothing else caught the woman’s eyes.
Only the young man, tall and pale, standing firmly before her, occupied her gaze completely.
“You have to escape now. It’s dangerous here.”
The young man—no, more like a younger student than a man—helped the woman to her feet.
“Th-thank you. Thank you so much for saving me… Thank you! Ugh!”
The woman burst into tears.
The little girl clinging tightly to her mother’s legs began crying loudly as well.
“Sweetheart, you can’t cry right now. When kids cry, the Wolfruz sense it and come looking for them. So, try to hold it in a bit. If we go that way, they won’t come after us anymore.”
Smiling gently, the student comforted the child.
It was none other than Kim Seo-jun.
Thanks to Kim Seo-jun’s calm and soothing voice, the child soon stopped crying.
The woman, rubbing her injured arm, expressed her gratitude to the burly man and Kim Ju-hyuk before hastily running off in the direction Kim Seo-jun had pointed, carrying the child.
After the woman and child left, Kim Seo-jun glanced at the burly man.
“Joo Gwang-sik. Weren’t you supposed to be heading home?”
The burly man was indeed Joo Gwang-sik.
“I was about to take the subway, but an emergency alert popped up. I couldn’t just leave. I was going to try to sneak past the hunters if the front was crowded, but this side looked more urgent.”
“Did your pride swallow you whole? Running around bare-handed is why you ended up like that.”
Kim Seo-jun looked at Joo Gwang-sik’s injured arm with a hint of pity.
In truth, if not for Joo Gwang-sik, the woman and child might have died before Kim Seo-jun even arrived here.
Joo Gwang-sik had sacrificed his arm to block the Wolfruz, preventing a disastrous outcome.
“My pride is a bit demanding when it comes to what I can use.”
“Get treated first.”
Kim Seo-jun said that and walked toward the middle-aged man in a suit, Kim Ju-hyuk.
“What about the martial arts I taught you? That ‘body charge’ or whatever?”
Kim Seo-jun dusted off the worn suit and, stepping briskly forward, looked at the man while slipping an iron diet into his belt.
“Kim Seo-jun! Why did you come here? What about your mother?”
Kim Ju-hyuk asked with a somewhat hardened expression.
For him, more than being glad that his son had come to help, the fact that his wife, Baek Yeon-ji, was left home alone was what mattered most.
“If you were so worried about your mother, you shouldn’t have come here.”
“First, you should go back. Your friend got hit too, so he’ll need treatment. The hunters’ defense line has been breached. Of all the monsters, it had to be the Wolfruz pouring in… Anyway, I’m fine. Go check on Mom. At this state, I can’t move a step.”
Was it because his body had recovered from the chase and blood loss and he had started learning martial arts again?
Kim Ju-hyuk was burning with stronger righteous passion than ever.
“Leave the monsters to the hunters. You just saved two people. You’ve done your part.”
Kim Seo-jun added force to his voice and stuck out his tongue, then walked toward the Wolfruz that were stirring.
He kicked the head of one Wolfruz viciously.
The Wolfruz with its head cracked like that didn’t move anymore.
Kim Ju-hyuk, watching the scene, let out a short sigh.
“I’m a hunter. Even if I’m past my prime, how can I just abandon innocent civilians?”
Kim Ju-hyuk turned the same words he had told Baek Yeon-ji back to his son.
Kim Seo-jun shook his head with a wry smile, wondering if they even thought alike.
“Dad, before being a hunter, you’re the head of this household. And the beloved husband of Mrs. Baek.”
Kim Seo-jun looked Kim Ju-hyuk square in the eyes.
Though his appearance had changed somewhat, his sharp, stubborn personality—the one that had lost his voice 20 years ago—remained the same.
A man who could never ignore injustice and who wouldn’t hesitate to risk his life for others or for his gun.
Kim Seo-jun gazed at his father with earnest eyes.
“It’ll only be a few more minutes. When the higher-ranked hunters arrive, everything will be over. You should head back first.”
Kim Ju-hyuk’s resolve was unshakable.
If the family were in danger, he would drop everything and protect them first.
But since that wasn’t the case, he was worried about the safety of the civilians right in front of him.
“I can’t go alone either.”
Kim Seo-jun’s stubbornness was just as strong.
As just witnessed, even Kim Ju-hyuk might be able to handle two or three Wolfruz, but no more.
Leaving his father alone was too risky.
“What can a first-year academy student possibly do here?”
“You just saw what a first-year can do.”
Kim Ju-hyuk had definitely seen it.
His son had moved with a speed that even in his prime few could match, slicing through a Wolfruz’s neck in one swift stroke.
Though Kim Seo-jun had low-tier magic and mediocre stamina, Kim Ju-hyuk knew his son’s skill well.
Seeing him take down two Wolfruz with bare hands felt almost unfair.
Of course, Joo Gwang-sik, who had fought two Wolfruz bare-handed, was no pushover either.
Kim Ju-hyuk looked away from Kim Seo-jun and raised his head toward the dark night sky.
Then, calmly, as if reminiscing an old story, he spoke.
“Nineteen years ago… Im San-bu was surrounded by monsters that had poured out from the Rift, death right at his doorstep.”
At the sudden mention of the past, Kim Seo-jun was puzzled, and Joo Gwang-sik, who had his arm bound with a metal splint, came closer, intrigued.
“That woman was nine months pregnant, full term. Hunters who were supposed to block the Rift, including me, were all elsewhere, so there was no one to save her.
But someone with a touch of healing magic was there.
Though he was a lowly Grade 6 hunter with negligible magic, he risked his own life and jumped into hell to save that pregnant woman.
Like your friend, he lost an arm but saved two lives.
He did what even I, her husband, could not.”
Kim Ju-hyuk’s final words shocked both Kim Seo-jun and Joo Gwang-sik.
The pregnant woman, Baek Yeon-ji—and the child in her womb—was none other than Baek Yeon-ji herself and Kim Seo-jun.
“Do you understand now? I’m not being stubborn for nothing.
Like that hunter back then, I’m doing my best to save even one more person who might be in danger somewhere.
That’s how a hunter like me can be born again, and how a life that might have disappeared can be given a chance to live brilliantly in this world.”
Only now did Kim Seo-jun truly grasp his father’s stubbornness.
It was a noble sense of mission that went beyond just saving people or fulfilling a hunter’s duty.
It was a heart wanting to repay the grace he had received by giving it to others.
“So it wasn’t coincidence that our benefactor saved us in the past!”
Joo Gwang-sik interjected, causing a flicker of doubt in Kim Ju-hyuk’s eyes.
“Benefactor? Have you seen me before?”
“No, sir. Nine years ago, the benefactor saved me, my older brother, and countless children at the Hope Orphanage.”
“Nine years ago… Could it be—Hope Orphanage?”
Kim Ju-hyuk immediately recognized the story.
“Ha! Yes, the Hope Orphanage. Thanks to the benefactor saving me back then, I was able to protect two lives just now.”
An incredible coincidence.
If Kim Ju-hyuk hadn’t saved Joo Gwang-sik nine years ago, the woman and child might have died earlier.
Kim Seo-jun fully understood the meaning behind his father’s words.
“Father, I want to help too. But promise me you’ll go home as soon as the higher-ranked hunters arrive.”
“You want to help?”
Kim Ju-hyuk hesitated briefly before Kim Seo-jun pressed.
“Even now, innocent civilians are dying.”
“Fine, then.”
Kim Ju-hyuk made a quick decision.
Rather than waste time arguing with his son, it was better to move quickly and save at least one more life.
“I can’t let you join…”
Joo Gwang-sik tried to protest,
“No way.”
“No. Get treatment first.”
Both Kim Seo-jun and Kim Ju-hyuk rejected him simultaneously.
“Is your arm okay?”
Joo Gwang-sik waved his arm around, but when Kim Seo-jun pressed on the injury, he yelped in pain.
In the end, Joo Gwang-sik had no choice but to head to the emergency clinic despite his objections.
“Here.”
As Joo Gwang-sik left, Kim Seo-jun handed his sword to Kim Ju-hyuk.
It was the sword his father had given him, but now it seemed more needed by his father than himself.
Kim Ju-hyuk glanced at the sword but shook his head.
“The sword’s owner is you now.”
“You’ll need a weapon if you want to lead the charge.”
“I’m not the one leading the charge. I’ll back you up.”
Kim Ju-hyuk’s backup.
According to Shin Woo-jin, until five years ago, hunters had to queue for a number just to get backed up by Kim Ju-hyuk in the guild.
That showed just how exceptional Kim Ju-hyuk’s support skills were.
Though his glory days had faded with time, many hunters still felt secure simply knowing Kim Ju-hyuk had their backs.
For that reason, Kim Seo-jun couldn’t help but feel reassured.
Having recently experienced his father’s mystic power firsthand, his expectations grew even stronger.
“Don’t stab me in the back.”
“If you don’t run now, you’ll be on fire.”
“Alright already.”
Kim Seo-jun strapped the sword back to his waist and dashed toward the Wolfruz, sensing their murderous intent.
Behind him, the sturdy middle-aged man, Kim Ju-hyuk, trailed closely, his blood-stained suit fluttering.
*****
A dazzling neon sign flickered on the street.
Not long ago, it had been crowded with people and packed with cars, but now it lay utterly desolate.
Vehicles were haphazardly stopped in all directions, and corpses of Wolfruz, either torn apart or burning fiercely, lay scattered everywhere.
Broken and dead streetlights cast dim shadows on the road, while severed human limbs and torn bodies spilled entrails across the pavement, painting a grisly scene.
Amid this horrifying chaos, Kim Seo-jun stood with Kim Ju-hyuk.
They watched the battlefield filled with countless flashing lights and explosions.
Hunters of the Ahom Guild were fiercely fighting twenty-three Wolfruz.
To Kim Seo-jun, the hunters were in dire straits.
Most had shattered armor or were grievously wounded, and three were bleeding heavily from arms or ribs.
Only seventeen minutes had passed since the Rift opened and monsters poured out.
Yet four of the twenty-six hunters gathered at Joongsan Station had already died.
The remaining twenty-two hunters were scattered across the city to hunt down the dispersed Wolfruz.
Thanks to the Ahom Guild’s massing here, the Wolfruz had been tied down, reducing casualties.
“This looks dangerous.”
Kim Seo-jun hesitated to jump into the fray.
The one who looked dangerous wasn’t the hunters but his father.
“Don’t be afraid. As long as I’m backing you up, you won’t get hurt.”
Kim Ju-hyuk, worried about his son, was ready to throw himself into danger to protect him.
“It’s not because I’m scared… sigh. No matter what, Dad, don’t go overboard. If you think it’s too dangerous, pull back first.”
Kim Ju-hyuk looked proudly at his son, who had changed recently.
Though his heart was fierce in protecting his parents, his son had always been passive in dangerous situations.
It was hard to imagine him being this bold, much less worrying about his father’s safety.
But now it was the exact opposite.
He was ready to jump into battle any moment and even cared about his father’s well-being.
The childish Kim Seo-jun now felt like a mature adult.
Perhaps that was why Kim Ju-hyuk felt a little teased.
“Mind your own business.”
“I’m perfectly capable.”
“Don’t act so full of yourself.”
Kim Ju-hyuk chuckled.
Then, sensing the situation had escalated, Kim Seo-jun’s expression hardened.
“I’m going in now.”
Kim Seo-jun shouted loudly and dashed toward the battlefield.
Kim Ju-hyuk closely followed.
The thirty-meter gap between them closed in an instant.
Just as Kim Seo-jun neared the front, Kim Ju-hyuk activated his mystic power.
His eyes glowed golden.
His mystic was Multiplayer.
It could be used on himself, but it was more effective when used on others during combat.
Simply put, it increased the mana concentration of the hunter he supported, greatly amplifying the power of his mystic.
Most people thought Kim Ju-hyuk’s mystic only had this effect, but it did more.
By synchronizing mana waves with the target, it massively boosted their cognitive abilities.
More precisely, spatial awareness.
Even if Kim Ju-hyuk’s mana wasn’t high, it guaranteed a certain level of enhancement.
If mana waves were well synchronized with Kim Ju-hyuk’s mystic, incredible synergy could be produced regardless of mana size.
Kim Ju-hyuk activated his Multiplayer mystic on his son.
Ping—
Kim Seo-jun, who was running ahead, suddenly noticed a streak of light crossing his vision horizontally and was momentarily surprised.
When the light vanished, Kim Seo-jun felt as if all the surroundings within 360 degrees around him were captured in ultra-high-resolution photographs, etched vividly into his mind.
From any angle, distance, or height, he knew exactly what was where and what actions were being taken.
He even knew what movement would happen next.
Incredible.
It was the second time experiencing the mystic Multiplayer.
The first time had been in a calm situation, so the impact had been average.
But now, the sensation was powerful.
In some ways, it was similar to the reverse-engineering effect observed when absorbing enemy attacks, where the surroundings become clear.
But the crucial difference was that the reverse-engineering required active will and strength, whereas Kim Ju-hyuk’s mystic automatically perceived and processed everything around without his doing.
It felt like having a supercomputer integrated into his body, providing direct support.
Thanks to the drastically enhanced spatial awareness, Kim Seo-jun could instantly judge which hunter was most in danger and who needed help.
He felt like he was moving at the speed of a runner underwater, striking the rooftops of cars with powerful kicks and launching himself into the air.
Make minimal movements for maximum effect.
With a squad of 001/ units around, he couldn’t show a one-man show using all his strength.
He had to take down the Wolfruz efficiently enough to be acceptable to others.
Raising the Sun God Technique, Kim Seo-jun gently infused his sword with inner energy.
He spotted a Wolfruz slanting its attack toward a hunter.
That was his target from the start.
Knowing the exact direction the Wolfruz would attack, Kim Seo-jun dropped right on its head at perfect timing.
Thud.
The sword pierced through its two skull bones, with the blade protruding below its jaw.
Crunch crunch crunch.
The Wolfruz rolled on the ground with the sword stuck in its head.
Kim Seo-jun pulled out the sword and swiftly moved toward the next target.
His movements were short and lightning-fast.
Without hesitation, he moved along the fastest route to pre-selected positions, swinging his sword fiercely.
Slice.
Thud.
One Wolfruz down per strike.
Precisely cutting the head, he swiftly took down five more.
Meanwhile, a hunter who had been bitten by a Wolfruz had his arm badly mangled and bleeding, but thanks to Kim Seo-jun’s efforts, no hunters died.
Before long, the Wolfruz were down to eleven.
Sensing Kim Seo-jun’s presence, they ceased their attack and gathered on one side, growling and preparing to assault him all at once.
Before he knew it, Kim Seo-jun was alone facing the Wolfruz, with all the other hunters behind him.
Suddenly, Kim Ju-hyuk behind him began panting.
His mana is depleted.
Though he possessed high mana at level 62, using his mystic for three minutes had completely drained his mana and stamina.
The superb support came at the cost of short duration.
Pushing further would be dangerous.
“I’ll cover your back.”
Kim Seo-jun didn’t want to step up this much, but he couldn’t refuse for his father’s sake.
With just about a minute left before the higher-ranked hunters arrived, it was time.
Even though the confrontation would be brief, the monsters would launch a full assault if the hunters were careless.
Kim Seo-jun decided to play his cards.
There was no more backup from Kim Ju-hyuk.
But even without it, Kim Seo-jun had enough power to annihilate the monsters before him.
He quickly surveyed the eleven Wolfruz.
Though they all looked the same, the leader who commanded the pack always existed.
If he took down the leader first, wiping out the rest would be easy.
Kim Seo-jun activated his sharpened sixth sense.
Ping.
Golden light