Life for a Life

Boom!

“Over there!”

“Get them!”

The wooden structure ignited instantly, the fire leaping from beam to beam. The cultists giving chase were no match for Baek Hee-do’s monstrous speed. He vaulted over branches, a blur of motion as he put distance between us and the Fire Spirit Sanctuary.

‘…He’s incredible.’

I kept the thought to myself, naturally.

Even after nearly an hour of sprinting, Baek Hee-do didn’t slow down. That meant the pursuers were still on our tail.

‘Or is it because of me that he can’t shake them?’

A wave of self-loathing hit me. I clung tighter to him, and though he caught my eye for a fleeting second, he said nothing.

My suspicion was correct. At the front of the tracking party were Lee Hong and Lee Hye, looking down at us mockingly from atop a grotesque, chimera-like creature.

“You shouldn’t burn down a man’s palace and steal his blueprints before making your exit, Baek Hee-do.”

“Tch.”

They already knew who he was. Baek Hee-do finally skidded to a halt in a forest clearing, and I slid from his arms. Before we could move, dozens of cultists—likely having used movement skills to keep up—surrounded us in a tight perimeter.

‘This is bad….’

I knew the stakes. Lee Hong, the Lord of the Fire Spirit, was an R-rank like Baek Hee-do, and his brother Lee Hye was an S-rank Awakened. Facing them alone would be exhausting, but Baek Hee-do had to fight while protecting me from the rest of the cultists.

Drawing his blade from its white sheath, Baek Hee-do dropped a short command.

“Stay behind me.”

Even in this moment, he had no intention of abandoning me.

“…….”

I was stunned by his decision, and a strange sting pricked my eyes. I bit my lip and squeezed the strands of hair I had snatched earlier. My heart thrummed, and I instantly sensed the owner of the hair.

‘It’s Lee Hye’s.’

Just as the realization hit, Lee Hye leapt gracefully from the creature and landed in front of Baek Hee-do. He led with his monstrous arm, using the limb itself as a weapon. Baek Hee-do didn’t flinch, holding his stance.

“I want to hear their story, so capture them—leave at least one tongue intact.”

Lee Hong, still perched atop the floating beast, barked the order and snapped his fingers.

Snap!

In an instant, the eyes of Lee Hye and every cultist present glowed a predatory red. Their mana flared, rising to a bone-chilling level.

A shudder ran through me. Lee Hong wasn’t a mental-type; he was an R-rank Buffer. There was no Thunder Spirit Sword in the Sanctuary, but there was a buffer capable of boosting everyone’s rank by a full tier.

‘Right now, Lee Hye isn’t an S-rank. He’s fighting like an R-rank.’

I finally understood why the followers served Lee Hong so blindly.

Screeeech—Clang!

Lee Hye lunged first.

He used his monstrous arm to parry Baek Hee-do’s blade. Fortunately, Baek Hee-do’s refined swordsmanship held firm against Lee Hye’s brute, augmented strength.

The problem was the others. The cultists weren’t just standing by; they moved in a coordinated formation, a sword-array designed to keep Baek Hee-do under constant, suffocating pressure.

He was fighting a lone battle against at least a dozen A-rank swordsmen and the near-unstoppable force of Lee Hye. And Lee Hong hadn’t even joined the fray yet.

‘…If this keeps up, Baek Hee-do is going to die.’

Slash!

A cultist’s blade grazed Baek Hee-do’s shoulder. Blood sprayed, staining his black clothes. Because he was shielding me, his range of motion was severely restricted.

He was taking hits he could have easily dodged, all because of me. I tried to back away further, but….

[Hahahaha!]

The monster Lee Hong was riding—a beast that emitted a chillingly human-like laugh—began to creep toward me.

If that creature joined the fight, it was over. I had to make a choice. I couldn’t let Baek Hee-do die because of me.

“Baek Hee-do.”

“What.”

He answered calmly, even as another blade nicked his side.

“I’m giving you one opening. Don’t waste it.”

“…….”

He didn’t offer a sarcastic retort this time.

Clutching Lee Hye’s hair, I twisted the ring on my finger to the left. The artifact seemed to recognize my intent, and with a terrifying thirst, it began to drain my blood at a rate that made my head spin.

With pallid lips pulled back, I unleashed the curse.

“[Binding Fetters]!”

I focused the curse on a single point: Lee Hye’s left ankle. Even so, blood erupted from my nose and surged up my throat.

But it worked.

“Hye!”

Lee Hong screamed. Lee Hye’s upper body lurched forward as his leg snapped into a frozen state, and in that split second, Baek Hee-do’s blade tore through his chest. Hot blood sprayed across Baek Hee-do’s face.

“Gack…!”

As Lee Hye staggered back, the swordsmen in the formation hesitated.

Baek Hee-do did not. With fluid lethality, he took the head of the first swordsman, then buried his blade in the hearts of the second and third.

With Lee Hye down, the gap between an R-rank and everyone else was a chasm that no buffer could bridge. Since Lee Hong was a support-type and not a combatant, there was no one left to stop Baek Hee-do.

‘Thank god….’

Watching Baek Hee-do rage like a wild tiger was the last thing I saw before my eyes closed and I collapsed.

Baek Hee-do wanted to take Lee Hye’s head right then and there, but the sound of the thud behind him demanded his full attention. He retreated.

The cultists in the sword-array were all dead. Lee Hong glared at him, but Baek Hee-do ignored the look as he scooped up the stupid—no, the actually quite useful—Exorcist. The kid’s condition was dire at a glance.

‘Internal injuries.’

Baek Hee-do struck a few pressure points on the Exorcist’s body to stem the bleeding and looked up at Lee Hong.

“Try anything, and I’ll take your brother’s head.”

“Do that, and I’ll hunt you for the rest of your life.”

“Terrifying. You know how many bastards like you I already have in line?”

“…….”

Without another word, Baek Hee-do opened a gate to ‘this’ world. He looked into Lee Hong’s bloodshot eyes one last time.

‘This is going to be a pain.’

He had a premonition that a nasty new rivalry had just been born, but his priority was the Exorcist, whose body temperature was beginning to drop.

Fortunately, the gate closed behind them without interference.

“Ugh….”

My head throbbed like the morning after a heavy binge. I tried to push myself up, but I ended up vomiting blood and collapsing back down.

“Blegh….”

“Hey, dammit! That’s the only blanket!”

Baek Hee-do’s voice echoed above me. I forced my eyes open.

He looked like he had just stepped out of the shower—he was shirtless—but the thick scent of blood still clung to him.

“Ugh…. Where are we…?”

“Shut up. Don’t talk. You have internal injuries.”

Scowling, he wiped my mouth roughly with a towel. He then shoved the fabric between my jaws, telling me to bite down on it. It hurt so much I teared up.

He clicked his tongue at me.

“Are you suicidal? A C-rank throwing a curse at an S-rank?”

“……Ptooey.”

I spat the towel out and gripped my dizzy head, snapping back.

“You’re alive because of that. You should be thanking me.”

“You’re alive because of me, you shrimp.”

“What? Ugh….”

I didn’t have the energy to argue with him. I slumped back into the bed. Looking up, I noticed the ceiling was exceptionally high, and the bedding was incredibly soft.

‘Baek Hee-do lives in a place like a hotel….’

Wait—this is a hotel.

I realized I was back in the luxury suite. I turned my head slowly to look at Baek Hee-do.