The Poisonous Healer

Gu Gyeon nearly covered Maria's eyes with one hand.

Though Maria had also roamed the battlefield and witnessed countless horrors, the scene before her eyes was truly horrific beyond imagination.

Bones, tattered clothing, and scraps of flesh were scattered everywhere.

Yoo Jiwon's bizarre form looked as though the muscles had been haphazardly assembled and stitched together.

Along with an indescribably foul stench and the metallic tang of blood.

Inside the derelict building, the only thing that could be considered ‘normal’ was the sight of Chun Haesun before their eyes.

"Chun Haesun...!!"

"...Why are you here..."

Chun Haesun, who had been speaking, paused and let out a bitter laugh.

"Well. It’s only natural for you to come looking, I guess. After all, both the perpetrator and the victims are from the Glory Guild.”

His gaze shifted to a small metallic object lying on the ground.

A Glory Guild badge, half-soaked in blood.

Both Gu Gyeon and Maria’s faces hardened immediately as they recognized the object.

"Don’t tell me… the owner of that badge was attacked by Yoo Jiwon?”

"He had just finished eating someone when I arrived and then spat that out.”

Eat.

Yoo Jiwon ate someone?

Gu Gyeon thought he had misheard.

But seeing Maria's ashen expression, he had no choice but to admit it.

No matter how berserk he was, for a person to eat another person.

He felt suffocated.

"How did you find Yoo Jiwon?"

"I don't think I'm obligated to tell you that."

Gu Gyeon felt his anger boiling inside, but he couldn't really argue.

If Chun Haesun had been part of the Glory Guild, following orders would have been expected, but he currently wasn't affiliated with any organization at all.

To obtain the information he needed, he would have to swallow his pride.

Fortunately, there was someone beside him who was willing to lower her head in his stead.

"Please, Mr. Chun Haesun. Our planned search operation was unable to locate Yoo Jiwon. If only we can find clues on why Hunter Yoo Jiwon went berserk…”

Chun Haesun remained silent for a moment, then slowly spoke.

"...I smelled something."

"Smell...?”

“I came to Haebang Neighborhood on some business, and I noticed a strange smell, different from the scent of blood or monster poisons.”

"......!"

At Chun Haesun's words, Gu Gyeon felt like he'd been sentenced to death for the second time.

If what the guy said was true, then their efforts to track Yoo Jiwon based on Aether reactions had been a complete waste of time.

“I didn’t detect any such smell in Haebang Neighborhood… It seems like something only Mr. Chun Haesun can sense.”

Chun Haesun didn't respond to Maria's words.

He just slowly brushed away the shimmering haze resting in his palm.

'What is that?’

Gu Gyeon's eyes widened at the change.

He recognized the intangible energy emanating from his palm.

‘It wasn’t there the last time I met him…’

Gu Gyeon hesitated, about to ask Chun Haesun, but he closed his mouth instead.

Just like before, he doubted that arrogant bastard would bother to answer.

"Even though his body was torn to pieces, he stitched himself back together. I'm out now, so you figure it out yourself."

No one in the world would speak to Gu Gyeon like that.

His arrogant attitude made Gu Gyeon's blood boil, but at that moment, something else demanded his attention more urgently.

Yoo Jiwon, having completed his regeneration, staggered to his feet.

Swoosh.

".....!!"

Gu Gyeon subconsciously drew in the Aether from his entire body.

There was one thing he had a clear advantage over Chun Haesun.

That was, ‘combat experience’.

Chun Haesun was caught off guard, but to a seasoned 'S'-rank Knight like himself, the danger posed by Yoo Jiwon was glaringly obvious.

'The Wailing Wall.’

As Gu Gyeon stretched out both hands forward, a transparent Aetheric energy spread widely to the left and right.

Although nothing was visible on the outside, a dense protective barrier had stretched out before Gu Gyeon.

It was the ultimate defensive barrier, impenetrable by any monster, unbroken even in combat against world-renowned hunters.

It was his Wailing Wall.

Crack.

As expected, Gu Gyeon's insight proved to be accurate.

As soon as he took his stance, Yoo Jiwon's teeth clashed against the Wailing Wall.

Screech.

Since the barrier was transparent, the altered form of Yoo Jiwon could be clearly seen.

The sight of his body, horribly twisted into a grotesque, naked form like a Dracula, being slammed against the barrier was enough to fill anyone watching with a sense of despair.

“Should I call for backup?”

Gu Gyeon shook his head at Maria’s words.

The 'Wailing Wall' he had just deployed couldn't be breached, so backup wasn't necessary.

Besides, with an S-rank Knight and a Healer already on the scene, who else could possibly come to assist them?

“It’s fine. Even though he's fast, this thing’s lethality is…”

Crack.

“?!”

Gu Gyeon couldn’t even finish his sentence and had to look at the front.

To his astonishment, cracks began to form in the 'Wailing Wall,' which even an 8-star monster couldn't penetrate.

'This can't be...!!!'

Maria's eyes widened like a startled rabbit as she stared at the scene before her.

Even though she had gone back and forth through major dungeons with Gu Gyeon countless times, this was something she had never experienced before.

The 'Wailing Wall' was cracking under teeth that seemed utterly ordinary at first glance.

Maria narrowed her eyes and closely examined Yoo Jiwon's teeth.

And soon enough, she discovered something unusual.

'What is that...?'

At first glance, it seemed like he was simply gnawing with his teeth, but a faint liquid was oozing from their tips.

An unidentified substance with a purple tint.

This substance was eroding the 'Wailing Wall,' created from compressed Aether.

Crash!

With the sound of shattering glass, the 'Wailing Wall' finally broke apart completely.

As if he had anticipated this, Gu Gyeon retracted his right hand and threw a punch.

A force so immense it seemed capable of obliterating flesh with mere wind pressure alone.

However, Yoo Jiwon's movements were so swift that not even Chun Haesun's 'Poison Steps' could keep up.

He twisted his body in an eerie manner, dodging Gu Gyeon's punch, then sank his teeth into his right thigh.

Crunch.

Just like with Chun Haesun, his teeth couldn’t penetrate too deeply into his body.

Gu Gyeon's trained physique rivaled Chun Haesun's self-defense ‘Body Protection’ ability.

In fact, it was almost unfair how he suffered more injury than Chun Haesun.

But Gu Gyeon was infuriated simply by the fact that Yoo Jiwon had managed to land a hit on him.

"You bastard…"

Snap.

Gu Gyeon, using his grip strength to lift Yoo Jiwon by the head, hurled him toward the wall as if throwing a spear.

Crash!

'Damned savage.'

Chun Haesun whistled silently to himself.

It was fortunate the building had no roof; otherwise, the entire abandoned structure might have collapsed from the impact.

Gu Gyeon pulled something out from inside his coat.

At first glance, it looked like an ordinary cord, but the outside of the rope was thickly coated with a sticky Aether substance.

That was probably a device used for capturing monsters.

'Will that work?'

Chun Haesun silently observed Gu Gyeon's actions.

As far as he was concerned, capturing it wasn't the most critical step at the moment.

Even he, known as the 'King of Poisons,' had felt a slight dizziness.

No matter how high an 'S' rank he was, this was no ordinary poison that any hunter could withstand.

Stagger.

As Gu Gyeon tried to take a step, he suddenly lost his balance.

His mouth hung open while he examined various parts of his body, as if unable to believe the situation.

Before he knew it, purple veins began to appear on his face, and Maria, realizing the gravity of the situation, quickly approached him.

Shrrr...

"Ugh!"

Even as the healing process was underway, Gu Gyeon repeatedly vomited bile onto the ground.

This meant that even Maria's healing wasn't taking effect properly.

Chun Haesun could once again feel the power of the poison Yoo Jiwon contained.

Even if he himself could endure it, the properties of the poison he carried was so vicious that even other 'S'-rank hunters would struggle to cope with it.

-Krik.

Yoo Jiwon, embedded in the wall, let out a metallic screech as his feet landed on the ground.

Since he hadn't died even when his body was torn to pieces, a physical impact like that was nothing but a trivial nuisance.

However, Gu Gyeon was still in no condition to even stand up.

Maria, too, was stunned, lost in shock.

She wasn't the type to be overconfident, but any abnormal condition would quickly return to normal through her own healing abilities.

But now, she was barely managing to keep the worsening condition from deteriorating further.

She exerted all her energy to activate her healing powers, but Gu Gyeon's condition showed no signs of improving.

If Yoo Jiwon approached in such a situation, it would certainly lead to a fatal injury.

Without even realizing it, Maria's gaze shifted toward Chun Haesun.

He had stepped back with the attitude of 'let the Glory Guild handle it themselves,' but now he was cracking his interlocked hands forward.

"I'm a little disappointed. I knew it'd be tough to handle, but still."

At those provocative words, Gu Gyeon's bloodshot eyes flashed.

But unfortunately, that was the strongest reaction he could muster.

Even the slightest loss of focus on the Aether would cause him to cough up blood, leaving him unable to even respond to the yellow-haired brat.

[T/N: ‘Yellow-haired’ is a Korean phrase which means ‘inexperienced’, ‘newbie’, ‘rookie’ etc.]

"Let's kill him."

At Chun Haesun's words, Maria blinked her doe-like eyes in surprise.

She had thought he might offer to help with the healing, but instead, it was the opposite.

He wasn't offering to heal Gu Gyeon, but to kill the opponent.

"Even if we tear his body apart, he just regenerates. Then we have no choice but to turn him to dust. Capturing him would be easier in many ways, but he’s not the type to hold back in a fight."

Gu Gyeon and Maria were left speechless.

Turn his body to dust?

Who?

And how?

It was hard to dismiss it as a joke when Chun Haesun's expression was so utterly serious.

‘Wait a moment…'

Now that he thought about it, there were more than one or two things he was curious about.

How was Chun Haesun able to confront Yoo Jiwon?

He may be an 'S'-rank, but fundamentally, he was a 'Healer.'

Unless you're a Knight or an Esper, facing Yoo Jiwon one-on-one is tantamount to suicide.

But he clearly stated that Yoo Jiwon had been torn apart.

Who in the world could have delivered such a devastating blow to that menacing mutant?

Chun Haesun.

Was it him?

It didn’t take long to find the answer.

Right before Gu Gyeon and Maria's eyes, Yoo Jiwon was leaping toward Chun Haesun.

***

At first, I considered using 'Phantom Strike.'

But I concluded that wouldn't be a wise choice.

I might be able to deflect Yoo Jiwon's teeth with a momentary feint, but if the 'dead weight' behind me got caught in the attack, there would be nothing I could do.

Could he still have some sanity left?

The probability was high.

The reaction he showed after seeing my face was more than just instinct, it was a feeling of ‘hatred’.

Even when he was in his right mind, he’d feel inferior and act crazy.

Anyway, if he still had his sanity left, it might actually make capturing him easier.

Thud.

It was a relief that his attack pattern was so predictable.

What was once invisible to the eye has now become quite familiar.

As before, I extended my right arm to lure his attack.

Crunch.

And just as expected, he bypassed my right arm and bit into my side.

"Chun...!!"

Maria let out a startled cry, close to a scream.

If I get poisoned after Gu Gyeon, we'd truly be in an irrecoverable situation.

‘As expected.’

The bastard still had some shred of reason left.

If I beat him enough to keep him from dying, maybe we could even have a conversation.

I, too, had so many questions I wanted to ask him, but he was already way over the line.

Thud.

With my side bitten, I walked forward.

His weight must be at least 200 kg, but my physical level could handle that much without issue.

Dragging a giant monster while staggering along was a grotesque sight even to my own eyes.

In any case, after putting a reasonable distance between myself and the pair of men and women, I placed my palm against his head.

-Squeak.

A bewildered sound came from him.

He must be wondering why an attack that even brought down the mighty Gu Gyeon on his knees had no effect on me.

Go to hell and find out.

I raised my right palm and aimed it at him.

Up close, his pupils were invisible.

His eyes, darkened like an abyss, seemed to ask me a question.

If you fire 'Poison Flame' in my direction, you won't come out unscathed either.

That’s what he seemed to be saying.

If I were to actually blow his head off in this direction, the aftermath would affect me as well.

The problem is that 'Poison Flame,' which would be fatal to him, does no harm to me at all.

"Goodbye."

The haze rising from my palm suddenly intensified, unleashing a crimson-black flame directly toward him.

Boom!!!!!!!!

I would have never thought that being unable to control the intensity would be so helpful.

The 'Poison Flame' I aimed at his head incinerated everything in its path.

"......"

Half of my clothes were inevitably burned, but my body remained unharmed.

Only Yoo Jiwon, his entire body reduced to ashes, bore the brunt of the damage.

Except for the pale, sharp teeth embedded in my side, there was nothing left that could be called 'Yoo Jiwon.’

With a single blast of 'Poison Flame,' the berserk hunter had been reduced to ashes.

"Just as I thought. It seems he can’t regenerate from this."

Gu Gyeon and Maria watched with shocked expressions as I began pulling out the teeth one by one.