By Zephyria Crazy Brat
Eui-jae swung the stainless steel ladle he had brought along into the air. It was obviously more durable than a green onion, so it wasn’t a bad piece of equipment to have on hand for emergencies. Eui-jae continued to twirl the ladle as he thought of places Ha-eun might have gone.
There had been no emergency Rift alert text, so she wouldn’t have left Grandmother behind to evacuate somewhere… Could she have gone to the playground at this hour? Or maybe she sneaked out to buy more after eating that ice cream earlier. Eui-jae hurriedly racked his brain as he headed toward the main road.
He had to find Park Ha-eun and bring her home before it got too late. Eui-jae closed his eyes with determination.
Beneath his reopened eyelids, his pupils glowed with a blue light. The scenery before him simplified into lines and planes like a building blueprint, and soon he could see right through the buildings, peering into their interiors. ‘Eye of the Tracker’ was a skill that allowed him to see someone’s unique light, often useful when searching for someone like now.
In places where people had been, white lights flickered like candles instead of shadows. A child’s light was usually a bit smaller than average. Eui-jae strained all his senses as he scanned the surroundings, but it seemed Ha-eun wasn’t in this area.
Just as Eui-jae widened the skill’s range a bit more—
Whoosh!
A fierce violet flame instantly seized his gaze. It was the brightest and largest flame he had ever seen in his life, raging so violently it seemed to swallow everything around it.
…A flame?
His hesitation was brief. Eui-jae quickly moved toward the flame.
Only Awakened, including Hunters, manifested not as simple light but in the form of flames. Although this neighborhood had many Hunters, a flame burning so vividly and fiercely couldn’t be from an ordinary individual. It was sharp and massive, closer to a Monster than a typical Hunter.
So he had to check it out himself. Whether it was just a Hunter with strong presence or a threatening entity. If it was the latter… Ha-eun could be in danger. Eui-jae tightened his grip on the ladle.
The flame was burning in an alley not far from the Hangover Soup Restaurant. As he got closer to the flame, thud, thud, thud… the dull sounds of kicks and choked, suppressed groans grew louder. Someone was beating a person.
At the end of the alley he finally reached, a place bathed in bright moonlight.
In the midst of the raging violet flame, a large figure dressed in black was mercilessly kicking someone curled up on the ground. A sinister aura emanating from it sharply pierced his skin.
And at the same time, Eui-jae’s sharp intuition flashed. He could instinctively feel it. The size and presence of the flame, comparable to a Monster, pressed down on the surroundings with an oppressive force. The figure before him was…
An S-rank like me.
The figure kicking the man snapped its head toward him. Eui-jae hastily deactivated his skill and stepped back. Only then did the figure, blurred by the flame, become clearly visible.
A man wearing a gas mask that covered his entire face, dressed in black techwear, with leather shoes that gleamed as if stained with blood. His attire screamed Hunter from every angle. The gas mask, which had fixed its gaze and remained silent for a while, pointed a black-gloved finger directly at Eui-jae.
“You.”
“…….”
Eui-jae stood motionless even at the voice calling him. The gas mask spoke in a languid tone.
“I saw everything, you crazy brat in an apron.”
“…….”
As Eui-jae took a step back into the shadows, the gas mask added, as if telling him not to think about running.
“The ladle too.”
Eui-jae subtly hid the hand holding the ladle behind his back. Was it visible because it was a stainless steel ladle? This bastard has good eyes too. Starting tomorrow, I should wear a real apron or something.
Just then, the man who had been lying down twitched and moved, and the gas mask kicked the man’s stomach again. His head was still turned toward Eui-jae.
“Guh!”
“This crazy brat, if he sees an opening, he’ll crawl out excitedly again…”
The gas mask muttered in an irritated tone, then stomped on the man’s stomach while staring straight at Eui-jae.
“Civilian?”
“Yes.”
“Working late, huh…”
Whether it was a polite inquiry or not, the following words felt insincere. After a long silence, the gas mask added another question.
“But what are you doing outside with a ladle at this hour?”
“I came out to look for my niece. They said she’s not home.”
Eui-jae deliberately answered in a gentle voice, waving his hand palm-down around his waist height.
“By any chance, have you seen a little girl about this tall? An elementary school student with her hair in a single ponytail.”
When Eui-jae asked brazenly, the gas mask shrugged his shoulders.
“Don’t know.”
“I see. Then may I go now?”
“Wait. I’ll ask this guy too.”
The foot that had been stepping on the man lifted briefly, only to kick his side again with a thud. But the man seemed to have already lost consciousness, only letting out a low groan.
“Sorry. This crazy brat doesn’t know anything. His brain’s rotted from drugs.”
Contrary to his words, the gas mask didn’t sound particularly sorry. At this point, it seemed like he just wanted to make an excuse and hit him one more time. But for Eui-jae, who was more focused on finding his niece than the fact that some all-black weirdo was beating someone up, he just shook his head without adding anything more.
“No, it’s alright. You’ve had a tough time. Then I’ll be going.”
“Hold on.”
As he turned to leave the alley, the gas mask abruptly grabbed him. The gas mask stared intently at Cha Eui-jae’s face for a long time, then tilted his head with a click. His every movement seemed slow, perhaps due to his relaxed tone.
“Weird.”
“…….”
“Have we met somewhere before?”
“No.”
“…Really?”
Eui-jae stared back at the gas mask with a look that asked why he would ask such a thing. Without a hint of falsehood, they were complete strangers. There was no way he would forget such an obviously attention-seeking concept enthusiast who wore a gas mask everywhere. Eui-jae guessed this black-clad concept enthusiast must be a newly Awakened Hunter who emerged while he was inside a Rift.
After scrutinizing Eui-jae for a moment, the gas mask raised a single index finger to his lips. It meant to keep quiet and not think about telling anyone what he had seen. Well, getting involved with the police or the Management Bureau would complicate things.
Eui-jae, who understood the struggles of beating someone in a back alley without getting caught, gladly nodded. He had nowhere to report it anyway, so he could just pretend he hadn’t seen anything and move on. The gas mask waved his hand as if telling him to go.
That’s when it happened.
Screech… creak…
Screeeech!
Sharp spikes piercing through the crouching man’s back flew toward Eui-jae in an instant. Eui-jae wasn’t startled by the sight of the spikes charging fiercely. Instead, he calmly stepped aside, adjusted his grip on the ladle, and put strength into his arm. And then…
Clang!!
He perfectly batted away the spike!
Maybe I should have pursued my dream of becoming a baseball player. It might not be a home run, but it feels like a triple at least. Eui-jae felt a sense of pride inwardly, clenching and unclenching his hand a couple of times, then unconsciously looked at the gas mask. He was gripping the spike Eui-jae had hit with his bare hand.
“…….”
“…….”
Did he… catch it for me?
Contextually, it seemed so. Protecting civilians was a basic principle for Hunters, and he was, by his cover, a civilian who had come out with a ladle late at night to find his niece. No matter how he had just swung at the spike with a ladle, he was still someone who needed protection, so it made sense for the gas mask to shield him.
A cold sweat trickled down Eui-jae’s spine. An awkward silence continued.
“…….”
“…….”
I’m screwed.
What civilian in this world would swing at a spike madly lunging toward them? Eui-jae wanted to punch himself for failing to play the role of a good citizen trembling in fear before the spike.
Running away right now would be impossible in anyone’s eyes. Then do I have no choice but to knock out the gas mask? Where on the head and with how much force should I hit to make him lose his memory just enough? It’s probably okay to hit an Awakened a bit harder.
The fact that the weapon he was holding was a ladle made it hard to gauge the force. Just seeing how he caught the suddenly redirected spike barehanded showed that the gas mask bastard wasn’t someone to take lightly. Eui-jae stood frozen like a broken robot, lost in profound contemplation.
Meanwhile, the gas mask stuffed his glove into his pocket and slowly crossed his arms. Since he seemed to be waiting for a response, Eui-jae pulled himself together and faced him.
Sigh…
Life is shit…
In this situation, it’s a frontal breakthrough—no, a frontal escape. Eui-jae stared into space for a moment, then politely bowed his head.
“…I’ll be going. I need to find my niece urgently.”
Beginning reality evasion.
“Hey thereee—”
But the gas mask didn’t back down easily. Instead, he drew out his words and strode closer. Don’t talk to me anymore. Eui-jae took two steps back, but the gas mask, who had somehow gotten right in front of him, put his hands behind his back and slightly leaned his upper body forward.
A long shadow, as tall as his height, completely enveloped Eui-jae. The voice leaking from behind the gas mask was filled with thick laughter.
“What’s your name?”
“I don’t have a name.”
“Aha… So you haven’t decided on a Hunter name yet?”
“No. I just don’t have a name.”
“Then should I give you one?”
“Do you run a naming service or something?”
“Thinking of setting up a temporary one.”
The conversation was like a swamp that dragged him down the more he tried to escape. Once you’re stuck in a swamp, the more you struggle, the deeper you sink. There was no choice but to cut off this conversation somehow. Eui-jae took a deep breath and steadied his voice.