The Regrettable Thing Is This Side
The construction site, turned into a total mess from the battle between Jo Kang-tae and Yoo Jin-hyuk.
Screeech.
Jin Yun-ho, Gu In-jun, and Min Yu-kyung stepped out of the sedan that had come to a stop.
The three of them moved toward the collapsed site.
It wasn't as urgent as when they'd rushed over to lay down the road.
They had already seen it on the way.
That the fight was over.
Even as they walked side by side, no conversation passed between them.
Their eyes were on the site, but in their heads, the video they'd just seen replayed over and over.
Jin Yun-ho, Gu In-jun, Min Yu-kyung—none of them were exempt.
"Ughhh."
A groan came from the distance.
The three of them headed there and stopped in their tracks.
Gu In-jun was the first to speak.
"Team leader. Player Jo Kang-tae—what floor is he on?"
"45th."
"Huh."
Gu In-jun and Min Yu-kyung let out exclamations and pressed their hands to their foreheads.
The battle had been so one-sided compared to the given conditions.
While watching the fight, the two of them had formed one hypothesis.
That Jo Kang-tae's cleared floor might be lower than announced? That hypothesis.
But it was wrong.
The reason Jo Kang-tae had been overwhelmingly defeated wasn't elsewhere.
It was simply that the Runner was overwhelmingly stronger than Jo Kang-tae.
"Wh-who's there?"
Perhaps sensing the presence.
Jo Kang-tae, barely regaining consciousness, pushed himself up.
The moment he saw Jin Yun-ho's face, Jo Kang-tae's expression brightened.
"J-Jin Yun-ho Team Leader! You know me, right?! I'm Jo Kang-tae! Please help me out! I fell into a trap and got completely done in...."
Slaaap!!
He didn't even have time to wonder what this was.
A heavy slap to the ear kept coming.
"Ughhhh...."
Only after his head lolled forward did Gu In-jun step in to stop Jin Yun-ho.
Jin Yun-ho let out a deep sigh and grabbed Jo Kang-tae by the hair.
"You fucking bastard Jo Kang-tae. Get ready. I'll make sure you rot in a cell for life. If you want to run to the Tower, then run. Whether you get torn apart by monsters with your hands and feet bound or starve to death cowering, that's none of my business."
If he could, he'd really beat him to the brink of death.
He was that furious.
Because of the accident with freelance hunter Jo Kang-tae, the Hunter Agency was taking heat? Or because he'd wrecked a building in the old town? Neither.
It was because he'd touched the Honor Scroll Runner Yoo Jin-hyuk.
That one fact alone made his head throb with rage.
"Haa."
Jin Yun-ho squeezed his eyes shut.
He hoped the flies wouldn't swarm.
That's why he'd been devising measures from all angles to divert people's attention from the Runner.
Of course, he couldn't stop the Honor Scroll update itself.
At this rate, the chances of it continuing to update were high.
But the public was a creature that quickly grew accustomed and adapted.
After some time passed, this alone wouldn't draw the same level of attention.
If only Lee Chang-gi and Jin Yun-ho had kept their mouths shut and bided their time a little longer.
This crazy whiny bastard had gone and ruined everything.
Swipe.
He lowered his gaze to his phone.
It wasn't just the Tower site and SNS.
Every site on the internet, with a bit of exaggeration, was ablaze.
Runner Catches the So-Called Saint Jo Kang-tae!You a Saint? At Least Get Your Eye Level Right First!Playboy Jo Kang-tae Falls! Before the 'Real Deal,' Cleared Floors and Fancy Gear Meant Nothing!
The comments were explosive too.
Praise for the Runner and massive ridicule for Jo Kang-tae.
Content that would make Jo Kang-tae himself dizzy if he saw it, packed to the brim.
Runner here, Runner there.
This blaze couldn't be extinguished no matter how hard you tried.
Team Leader Jin Yun-ho. Even the God of Concealment Couldn't Hide This One.
In the beginning, Lee Chang-gi had been making calls left and right, but now even he'd declared defeat.
All they could do now was watch.
To see what form this massive inferno would take when it came roaring back.
"You fucking son of a bitch!"
Jin Yun-ho kicked Jo Kang-tae once more and turned away.
"The transport team's coming soon, so In-jun, take him to the Hunter Agency. Yu-kyung, you're with me."
"Team leader!"
Gu In-jun looked at Jin Yun-ho with pleading eyes.
"Can't I come too? Yu-kyung can handle Jo Kang-tae."
It was obvious where Jin Yun-ho was headed next.
That's why Gu In-jun wanted to go too.
He wanted to see it for himself—the very spark that had ignited this uncontrollable blaze, the Honor Scroll Runner.
"You don't have healing abilities. No."
Jin Yun-ho flatly refused and resumed his halted steps.
Min Yu-kyung followed behind, waving with a smile.
"Good luck, In-jun. See you at the Agency."
Gu In-jun squeezed his eyes shut.
At this moment, he envied his colleague more than ever.
"Whew."
Gu In-jun exhaled and placed a hand over his left chest.
His heartbeat was still racing.
It had been that long since he'd felt it.
A fight so dazzling it made his mouth fall open without realizing.
One-sided, yet a scorching battle that set fire to a man's heart.
How could anyone watch that and not become a fan of the Honor Scroll Runner?
"H-Hunter, sir... Pl-please spare me...."
Smaack!!
"Shut your trap, you piece of trash."
Gu In-jun smacked the back of Jo Kang-tae's head and grabbed him by the scruff, dragging him along.
The sin of keeping him from going to see the Runner.
For that grudge, he'd smack him a few more times before the transport team arrived.
Tap.
"Ughhhh...!"
Jin-hyuk stifled a scream with his fist pressed to his mouth.
Seira, whom he'd just tapped, shook her head slowly.
"Luckily, your whole hand isn't broken."
Tap.
"Eeeeek...!!"
"Seems like two or three fingers."
The final blow that had shattered Jo Kang-tae's armor.
There'd been no recoil at all? No.
The iron chain wrapped around his hand had shattered to pieces, and beyond that, the hand itself was a bloody mess from the damage.
"Master, that last one was too reckless. The aura-wrapped chain absorbed most of the impact, or your entire arm might have shattered."
"Yeah... I guess I got too excited without realizing."
He decided to admit it straightforwardly.
In the face of such a sure opportunity, his eyes had glazed over, and he'd thrown it with all his might for that satisfying finish.
"The judgment itself was excellent. If you don't end it when you can, variables creep into the fight. Kancho."
"I got it!"
Seira took the wet cloth from her and wiped Jin-hyuk's hand.
"But Master isn't Dark, after all. You need to prioritize your body a bit more and fight with caution."
"I'll keep that in mind. Seira. So, could you wipe a little gentler?"
"The boss's eyes look like they're gonna pop! They're super red!"
"He's shaking all trembly!"
Kancho and Momo chimed in one by one with their impressions.
"Does it hurt here? Here? This too? No? Then how about here?"
"You gotta check every spot! Don't hold back if it hurts—tell us!"
Kancho and Momo began poking at various parts of his body with their short, plump fingers: poke-poke-poke-poke-poke.
Watching them, Jin-hyuk made a pained expression.
It hurts, so stop! He didn't even have the strength to shout it.
"Huh? Someone's here! Two of 'em!"
Not long after Kancho spoke, the doorbell rang.
Kancho, in stealth mode, toddled over and peeked out the window.
Kancho returned and reported his reconnaissance.
"It's that Hunter Agency team leader! And a lady I've never seen! Same clothes!"
"Yeah? Everyone, drop the stealth."
Jin-hyuk rose and headed to the entrance.
He took a deep breath, then opened the door.
"Mr. Yoo Jin-hyuk! Are you okay?!"
Jin Yun-ho, who'd been waiting anxiously, strode forward.
Jin-hyuk nodded with a smile.
"Yes. I'm fine. No need to worry...."
Tap.
Yu-kyung touched his hand without hesitation.
'Good job holding it in, Yoo Jin-hyuk.'
He'd nearly let out an unseemly scream.
"Hmm, looks like this is broken?"
Before she could touch it again, he quickly spoke up.
"Feels like my fingers are broken. Wrist and arm seem fine."
"May we come in for a moment? Hunter Min Yu-kyung can treat you."
The best option was to move him to the Hunter Agency hospital, but doing that now would be like advertising to the whole Agency that Yoo Jin-hyuk was the Runner.
"Please do."
Jin-hyuk politely bowed his head and stepped aside.
Once inside, Jin Yun-ho glanced around the house.
'Don't.'
He reminded himself and averted his eyes.
It was rude to snoop around when someone had kindly let him in.
"Could you sit here and extend your hand?"
Yu-kyung closed her eyes and clasped her hands together.
Her bracelet on her wrist seemed to glow, and something began to squirm into existence.
"Don't be startled. This is my spirit."
A plump spirit infused with light green energy latched onto Jin-hyuk's arm.
"Oh. The pain's easing up."
"Her name's Lily, a healing-type spirit. She maximizes your body's recovery power."
"She's a great friend."
"It won't be a perfect cure, so be careful until it's fully healed. Once it's settled, get it checked at a nearby hospital to make sure it's set right."
"Yes. I'll definitely do that. Thank you."
He leaned back on the sofa.
With the pain gone, he finally felt alive.
Jin Yun-ho, who had been gazing at Jin-hyuk, spoke up.
"I completely misjudged you, Player Yoo Jin-hyuk."
"Hm? Was my first impression that bad?"
"No, not that. I just thought you were someone serene and peaceful, like a calm lake, who loved tranquility. I figured you'd do anything to avoid conflict, but when you deem it necessary, you're ridiculously bold."
"Haha... Yeah, I guess."
Jin-hyuk scratched his head.
It wasn't entirely wrong.
If he'd really wanted to avoid it, he could've just tossed the pen Jo Kang-tae had planted and gone into hiding.
But what could he do?
To borrow Kancho's words from last time, Jin-hyuk was a soda-pass type who absolutely hated being dragged around like a frustrating sweet potato.
Jin Yun-ho, about to ask another question, swallowed his words.
'...Let's drop it.'
He decided not to pry.
He was certain even without an answer.
There were still some unresolved parts, but the protagonist of that abandoned factory incident last time was definitely the Yoo Jin-hyuk in front of him.
"Hmmmmm."
Jin Yun-ho let out a long sigh.
Thanks to Jo Kang-tae's trolling, the old town was already exposed.
Even without the exact address, people could easily track down the area.
If a specific country or organization dug in with intent, they might uncover that Yoo Jin-hyuk was the Runner.
'He doesn't seem to have any intention of hiding it tightly in the first place.'
If it stayed hidden, great; if not, oh well—that mindset.
To put it bluntly, Jin-hyuk's stance was 'What the fuck? What're you gonna do about it? What can you even do to me?'
'The one who's anxious is over here.'
Jin-hyuk had a laid-back personality in worldly matters, but when he said he didn't want to join the Hunter Agency, he'd been more sincere than anyone.
Asking again would be pointless.
The regrettable thing was that it was the Hunter Agency, with no other options.
—Even just the Flick's subspace bag was too much given to an outsider. Getting additional support would be tough.
Lee Chang-gi had said that for sure, but the situation had changed now.
"Mr. Yoo Jin-hyuk."
"Yes?"
Jin Yun-ho leaned forward with a smile.
"Let's move. The Hunter Agency will cover all the moving costs and residential expenses."
The Honor Scroll Runner.
He had to protect him, no matter what.
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T/N:
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