A Chinese Hunter twisted both my arms behind my back and cuffed me. Seeing them do this suddenly, that middle-aged man must have been non-Awakened.

“I should be saying, ‘how pleasant to meet someone from the same country in this far-off land,’ but… who are you again?”

As I approached the table, the middle-aged man stood up and twisted his lips into a smirk.

“I was once part of the Hunter Association. Thanks to Director Han—”

“Ah! I remember now! You’re Wanyong, right? Last name Lee? No wonder the Chinese folks were so detailed with my info. You’ve lived up to your name, Wanyong.”

Poison resistance was something a lot of people in hospitals knew, so that was understandable, but the Promising Talent skill was top secret. I only informed the Association side while negotiating with the Awakening Center.

At my words, Wanyong scowled hard and suddenly grabbed me by the collar.

“You damn punk, all you do is run your mouth!”

“Sure, but probably not more than you. How much did you blab, huh? Face all polished up—looks like you’ve been treated real well.”

“I was the HR Director of the Hunter Association—!”

“Yes, Mr. Wanyong. I know, I said that already.”

Look at that twisted face. He’s about to take a swing.

“If you sold out the country to secure your place, shouldn’t you be enjoying your meals quietly? Why’d you want to meet me? What all did you sell off? If you were in HR, you must’ve handed over all the Association Hunters’ stats. Good thing Chief Song wasn’t affiliated with the Association. They wouldn’t have just kicked you out, so you must’ve signed an NDA. Did you get cursed for breaking it?”

Just in case, I temporarily disabled curse resistance. If Wanyong suddenly lunged at me and hugged me or something, the curse might trigger. At my words, Wanyong cursed. So he hadn’t lifted the curse he got for breaking the contract? His limbs looked fine, so what kind of curse is it?

“I worked so hard from the early days of the Association to get where I was!”

“I heard. That you played a major role in pushing out the original members. Well, if you do the pushing, it’s only fair you get pushed out too. What goes around comes around. You reaped what you sowed.”

Did he meet me just to vent? I doubt that’s it. I didn’t expect the guys kicked out of the Association who avoided jail to live cleanly, but I didn’t think they’d start selling info this quickly either. Even if I had known, there wouldn’t have been a clear way to stop it.

‘They should’ve used a stronger contract.’

But the Association had to be mindful of human rights issues too. They couldn’t openly say, “If you talk, you die.” That’s why when Hunters register, even if they hide their skills or stats and someone notices, they usually let it go.

“Any other friends come along with you? What about MKC? They were working with China too, right? Did you sell a lot of info from the Breeding Facility? What about Haeyeon?”

When Haeyeon was mentioned, the grip on my collar tightened. Wanyong pulled me halfway up onto the table. The sharp edge of the metal table hurt a bit.

“Little brother or big brother, you’re both—”

He ground his teeth and muttered. Why is he bringing up Yuhyun?

“Why are you dragging someone’s little brother into this?”

“Don’t you know that when Han Yuhyun first awakened, the Association tried to take him in? Well, that punk caused a mess.”

…I know he was under temporary protection by the Association, but a mess? I frowned without meaning to, and Wanyong continued rambling on. That mouth’s definitely twice as alive as mine.

“He was a minor and an S-rank, so we tried to persuade him to stay with the Association. We said that if word got out about an S-rank Hunter with no backing, his family wouldn’t be safe.”

…That time Yuhyun went missing for a few days and came back distant flashed through my mind. So the Association guys said that kind of crap. I mean, they weren’t entirely wrong. If Yuhyun and I had stayed close, there would’ve been plenty of people who’d try to use me as a hostage to get their hands on a backless S-rank Hunter.

But threatening a kid with that? What kind of adult does that?

“Like you said, he was just a kid. And you tried to use his family to make him bow? You filthy bastard.”

Trying to use a kid’s weakness to manipulate him. Absolutely disgusting. Even between adults, using family as hostages is a low move. He was a minor. My blood boiled. The bastard sneered.

“You know that brat wiped out the temporary accommodations for high-rank Awakeners and beat up all the Association-affiliated Hunters, right? We tried to convince him nicely. Shit, he said he was going to build his own guild and that if anyone got in the way, he’d kill us first—”

“Good for him.”

That’s my Yuhyun, smart as always. I used to worry about how he’d prepare a guild on his own before Seok Gimyeong helped him, but if he used this bastard, I guess he had it under control. Glad he didn’t suffer more.

“You must’ve been terrified since using the family hostage card failed, and you were stuck with an S-rank Hunter with no weaknesses. If he snapped, he could kill all of you and flee overseas, where he’d be welcomed. So to stay alive, you had to quietly clean up after my little brother. Thanks, by the way.”

Once the guild is established, threats like that don’t work. Using them recklessly could damage the guild. But before that? There’s nothing to lose, so even if he went wild and announced it to the world, it wouldn’t matter. He could’ve become a liability after founding the guild, but Seok Gimyeong probably handled that well.

Wanyong cursed. I glanced around quickly. Two Hunters were standing guard at the door. Cho Hwawoon stood next to them with a bored expression. There was one more inside by the table, but he wasn’t standing too close. Didn’t look like a high-rank Hunter either.

“So, Mr. Wanyong, are you still in contact with Korea? I know they cleaned house in the Association, but since they didn’t burn it all down, I’m a little concerned.”

They only cut out the most serious parts. They’ve been tidying things up inside since, but there’s no way to eliminate everything. Iron table corner. Could this work? Should’ve worked out more.

“I mean, I can’t really escape from here anyway, so let’s hear it. Who are the spies? …Ah, this posture’s uncomfortable.”

Let go of my collar, I grumbled, and casually sat up onto the table.

“You think I’d tell you that? But I can give Director Han a word of advice.”

Hmm, is this that scene? The one where a defector goes, hey, if you want an easier life, blah blah. I’ve seen one of those ‘Comrade something’ scenes before.

Anyway, this bastard’s going to keep leaking info from Korea and even threatened my brother.

“Wow, you’re picking a fight while pretending to give advice? Terrible at your job.”

“You’re the one who picked the fight first! Those S-ranks you clung to so desperately, and now look at you dragged here—”

I threw my upper body backward. My back hit the table and the bastard grabbing my collar staggered. At the same time, I kicked up from the table. My bent knee struck the bastard’s neck from behind, and I rolled my body completely, driving my knee—and the bastard’s neck—down into the table’s corner.

Bang!

With a crash came a cracking sound—his neck broke. A Chinese Hunter rushed over a beat too late and grabbed me. Wanyong’s body slid down under the table and collapsed.

“Healer, no, he’s dead!”

A knee kick’s dangerous even on its own. Add a steel table, and if it lands properly, a non-Awakened wouldn’t survive. Cho Hwawoon walked over slowly and lightly kicked Wanyong’s body with his toe. Then he looked over at me. His face wore a smile, like asking if I had a problem.

“You’re more ruthless than you look.”

“No reason to let a traitorous dog live. Especially when he went after my brother.”

If I left him alive, he might leak info about any rescue efforts from Korea. Better to deal with it while I can. Cho Hwawoon reached out and grabbed me by the back of the neck. Like handling a rat, he lightly lifted me and threw me to the ground.

“Ah, shit.”

It hurt. With my wrists tied behind me, I had no way to break my fall and ended up sprawled on the floor.

“A newly Awakened F-rank Hunter, less than six months in. A support type, too. And yet you killed someone without hesitation.”

“I may be newly Awakened, but I’ve been through a lot. My life wasn’t easy before, either. I’m practically a veteran when it comes to getting kidnapped.”

Counting before regression, more than ten times on both hands.

“And I can tolerate a lot, but not when someone messes with my little brother or my kids.”

I locked eyes with the cold gaze staring down at me.

“If anyone touches my kids, I’ll kill them, S-rank or not.”

Maybe he thought I was bluffing, because Cho Hwawoon silently smiled. I wasn’t. Then he pressed his foot down firmly on my right leg.

“Someone died under my watch. You’ll pay the price.”

“Bullshit, like you gave a damn whether he died or not.”

You were standing off to the side doing nothing, and even looked away. You’re an S-rank Hunter—if you’d tried to stop me, you might’ve succeeded. Yet you came crawling over slow as a turtle, and now you’re talking nonsense? But Cho Hwawoon didn’t even respond.

“…!”

He pressed down with force. My leg bone snapped instantly. A blinding flash filled my vision. I clenched my teeth and barely managed to exhale, only for him to start grinding the broken bone, like he was trying to completely crush it.

“Aagh, ugh! You crazy…”

My entire body trembled from the intense pain. Without realizing it, my fingers were clawing at the floor. This psycho bastard, ugh…

Finally, the foot crushing my leg lifted, and the guy pulled out a potion. The moment I saw it, a chill ran down my spine.

“W-wait! If you use a potion now…”

It’s not just a clean break—the bone’s shattered. If you use a mid— or low-grade potion, the injury won’t heal properly. It’ll recover in a ruined state, making it even harder to treat later. …I knew that from experience.

But the bastard poured the potion on my leg anyway. The pain lessened but didn’t vanish. I tried to move the injured leg slightly.

“…Ugh.”

A sharp pain shot through me. Seriously, bastard.

“I’ll show you the place you’ll be living from now on. Follow me.”

He walked past me toward the door. Hey, you piece of shit!

“I can’t even get up, you know?!”

“Then crawl.”

The way he looked down at me made my skin crawl. Compared to this guy, Sigma was a sweetheart. The food there was better too. I really missed my Dali.

“You know what they say, you see what you are. Guess I’m a dog in your eyes since you’re a dog yourself. Telling me to crawl. Woof. I just cursed you. Can you guess what I said?”

Cho Hwawoon’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.

“Didn’t catch that? If not a dog, then meow? Nyaa~. Or maybe… moooo?”

“Pick him up.”

At Cho Hwawoon’s command, a Chinese Hunter lifted me. The moment I tried to put weight on my right foot, pain shot through me. Cho Hwawoon approached the door. No way, how does he expect me to walk…

The Chinese Hunter pushed my back as if urging me forward. Reflexively, I stepped—and collapsed forward with a loud crash.

“He can’t wal─”

“Pick him up again.”

Cold command dropped. What… the hell. Among all the bastards I’ve met, this one’s definitely top tier. No wonder even Park Hayul seemed wary. This guy’s beyond insane. My body was lifted again, and I gritted my teeth, trying to walk, but I barely made two steps before collapsing again.

“Pick him up.”

I want to go home.

“Chao Lake Special District is where Awakened who require special monitoring are sent.”

Surprisingly, Cho Hwawoon gave a proper explanation as he led the way. If you excluded the part where he dragged along someone who could barely walk, there were some parts worth listening to.

“Among them, Nosan Island’s No.1 Special Awakened Management Facility houses those with rare or significant skills.”

Is this an invitation to be looted? But the surveillance was indeed strict. Just among the S-rank Hunters currently stationed here, including Cho Hwawoon and the woman called Miss Gwan, there were three. It was a rotation system, but they said there were always at least three present. In emergencies, they could also request reinforcements from Shanghai.

‘Shanghai is a huge city, so there must be at least three or four S-rank Hunters.’

How far is it from here? I’d better assume seven or more S-rank Hunters could gather here within a few hours. On the other hand, the number of S-rank Hunters from our side who could come here… maybe five at most? Some have to stay in Korea, too.

“This is Cafeteria 2.”

“…Not interested.”

Just let me go, you bastard. My back was soaked with cold sweat. Cho Hwawoon turned back and smiled at me.

“If you can adjust your poison resistance, I’ll give you a painkiller.”

“Can’t. And why would I take anything from you? You think I’m an actual dog?”

Even a dog wouldn’t eat it. How do I know that’s really a painkiller and not a truth serum or some shady drug? Cho Hwawoon started walking again. I turned and fell again. I’ve lost count of how many times now. My whole body must be one big bruise.

‘He’s trying to break me down, that damn bastard.’

Maybe if I cried and said I was sorry, he’d let up here. That’d be easier, but damn it. Let him eat shit.

Dragged through the building, we eventually stepped outside. The sun had already set, and the wind blowing off the lake chilled me to the bone. Stairs—damn it, stairs. At least when it looked like I was about to smack my head on the edge, he did stop me. I practically rolled up the stairs with my whole body until we reached an observation deck overlooking the lake. No, I was crumpled onto it.

I crouched by the railing, leaning ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ on it, glaring at the mad dog bastard.

“You good at torturing people or something?”

He didn’t just inflict pain. He wore people down. Cho Hwawoon leaned against the railing and pulled out something like a cigar. Did China already develop high-grade Awakener cigarettes? Or was it just for show? He cut the end with practiced fingers, lit it, and put it in his mouth.

“Since we’ll be seeing a lot of each other from now on, make sure you remember it clearly.”

“Remember? Don’t make me laugh.”

I scoffed at him. Dream on.

“When I get home, I’ll get proper treatment and live a good life. Nice try, but this? This is nothing. Really nothing at all.”

There’s only one person who tore my heart apart and left it unable to heal. Compared to that, this was truly nothing. I narrowed my eyes and stared through the gap in the railing at the rippling black water. A watchtower’s light stretched over the lake and then faded.

What is everyone doing right now?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep