Brothers (1)

“Pion will be safe. He’s a smart kid, so he’ll wait right there. We just need to complete the scenario and go back.”

(TL Note : Others are unaware of what a jellyfish’s gender should be, so they just use whatever pronouns they want to)

“The Constellation…”
“Yes. Just think about saving Cheon Sanho. We’re S-rank. And top-tier at that. There’s nothing the two of us can’t do.”
Han Sion closed his eyes tightly, then opened them as if he had come to his senses.
The light had returned to his eyes.
“Let’s go.”
“You’re a handful.”
“I’m sorry.”
No sooner had they taken a step than footsteps began to sound from the end of the hallway.
The two contractors raised their weapons.
“I heard an unknown voice!”
“An intruder? How did they get in?”
“I contacted the guards, and they said no one came in.”
“How on earth do you handle things…”
The two exchanged glances.
First strike wins.
PZZZZZT!
“Who are you! Identify yoursel— Uwaaak!”
“Team Leader!”
A man in a black suit was electrocuted and fell from Baek Jiye’s electric magic.
Judging by the smoke coming from his body, he was seriously injured.
‘An ordinary person?’
‘No, about E-rank.’
‘Confirmed.’
Although they had only met recently, the two had reached a point where they could communicate their intentions without words, simply by serving the same Constellation and being saved by that Constellation.
Han Sion took out the unidentified weapon, the Fragment of the Milky Way.
“We’re running. We don’t know Cheon Sanho’s location, so we’ll just push forward.”
“Confirmed. Haste.”
To keep up with Han Sion, who had an extremely high agility stat, Baek Jiye cast Haste magic on herself.
Her body became lighter, and a faint wind began to blow around her.
“Running.”
“Memorize. Lightning.”
The two, who had replied with a glance, kicked off the ground.
“Don’t come any closer! You, you’re the new S-rank… Ugh!”
“Boss! The S-rank is here… Aaaak!”
“Stop him! How did he get in!”
“I-I’m leaving! How can I stop an S-rank… Aak!”
SWOOSH, PZZZZZT!
FLARE-, KWANG! PZZZT!
Flames, lightning, and a breathtakingly beautiful white light cut through the desolate concrete hallway.
KWANG!
Whenever a door appeared in the middle, Han Sion would kick it open first.
Inside was usually a warehouse, or a space where armed illegal hunters were working on something.
“You’re the ones who broke in… Keuk!”
“Sion, don’t you think at least one person here knows Cheon Sanho’s location?”
“Ha! You think I’ll talk that easily!”
“I’ll kill everyone except that person.”
CRACK… CLANG.
Fragments of the sword scattered and became small stars.
The fragments then flew at Han Sion’s gesture and sliced through all the other hunters.
PABABABAK!
“Keuk!”
“Aaaak! My arm! My arm…”
“Crazy, how are we supposed to do this, Aak! Boss! Boss!”
SWOOSH, SWOOSH…
Han Sion cut down all the hunters except for one with emotionless eyes.
Blood splattered on the floor.
It was a rather cruel sight that would make one frown, but the two contractors didn’t even flinch.
Han Sion’s eyes were blinded by the Constellation’s command, and Baek Jiye had seen much worse things when she was suffering from Mana Disharmony Syndrome.
“E-even if you do this, you think I’ll talk…”
The illegal hunter in the black suit said.
Han Sion looked down at him with cold eyes.
“You’d better talk.”
SHING-
The Fragment of the Milky Way was held to the hunter’s neck.
Blood trickled from the hunter’s neck where it was held close.
“Unless you want to end up like those chunks of meat over there.”
“…”
“Are you going to keep your mouth shut and die for a secret that’s not even a secret, or are you going to talk?”
Gulp.
Every time his Adam’s apple bobbed, the wound on his neck deepened.
Finally, the hunter closed his eyes tightly and said.
“Cheon Sanho is in the last room…”
“Thank you.”
SWOOSH.

“You said you’d spare me?”
The Fragment of the Milky Way slit the hunter’s throat.
Thump, thump, thump…
The terrified head rolled on the floor.
“When did I say that?”
SWOOSH.
Han Sion flicked the blood off his sword and said impassively.
“I told you to talk, I never said I’d spare you.”
“You ruthless bastard.”
After wiping the remaining blood on his clothes, Han Sion started walking.
Now that he knew the location, there was nothing to hold him back.
Thump, thump…
The sound of two people’s footsteps echoed in the empty hallway.
At first, the two were tense as they walked, but they soon felt something was strange.
‘There’s no one here.’
‘Nothing’s getting caught by the detection magic either.’
No, to be precise, something was getting caught by Baek Jiye’s detection magic, but it was all on the floor above or below.
And the people over there seemed to have no intention of approaching the floor where the two contractors were.
It was then.
Snap, snap…
The sound of fingers snapping was heard.
Baek Jiye froze.
‘I’m sure nobody was left alive.’
But what was this sound?
“Sion, wait a minute.”
“I hear the sound too.”
“Yes. But it’s not being caught by the detection magic.”
No matter how simple the detection magic was, the hunters they had met so far should have been caught by it.
But for them not to be caught, and to deliberately make a sound like this…
‘Strong.’
Maybe S-rank.
An S-rank in this unknown facility where the highest was B-rank and the lowest was E-rank.
It was a little, no, very strange, but what could they do about what had already happened.
The two readjusted their weapons and approached the source of the sound.
Snap, snap…
Thump, thump-
And when the sound was close enough.
Snap.
The sound stopped.
“There must have been some B-ranks mixed in… Well, it’s not like that grade could withstand an S-rank.”
A low, beautiful voice was heard.
His appearance was hidden in the darkness.
The flickering incandescent lights were broken as they approached the door where Cheon Sanho was presumed to be, so the area in front of it was filled with darkness.
Unnaturally so.
“It was annoying to go looking, so I waited, but too many died… I’ll get an earful from the Constellation.”
“…”
“Sion?”
Han Sion’s sword trembled.
Baek Jiye felt a strange feeling.
Wasn’t he the fanatic who had calmly come this far, slicing people’s heads off just a moment ago?
But for that Sion to be shaken?
“Sion, why are you…”
“Ah, Sion. Han Sion?”
Just then, the unknown hunter interrupted Baek Jiye.
“Isn’t it strange? My younger brother, born to a worthless mother, must have been crawling on the floor, but suddenly he appears before my eyes like this…”
Thump. Thump.
The darkness around the opponent began to recede.
The opponent began to walk out of the darkness.
The appearance that was finally revealed was shocking.
A handsome man, sharp cat-like eyes, and jet-black hair.
His lower face was hidden by a black gas mask, and he wore an all-black techwear outfit.
And…
Golden eyes that were exactly like Han Sion’s.
He was strikingly similar to Han Sion.
Baek Jiye’s eyes widened at the sight.
Han Sion pointed his sword at the man and said in a trembling voice.
“Hyung…”
“My beloved younger brother, you’ve returned successful.”
At those words, Han Sion growled.
As if his voice had never trembled.
“Cut the crap! Weren’t you supposed to have joined a large guild? Isn’t that why you abandoned me and mother and left!”
“She’s your mother, not mine.”
“Shut up!”
“How did your mouth get so foul?”
“Sion, what’s going on! Your brother? Who is your brother?”
“I’ll explain for the young lady.”
He smiled with his eyes.
As if the enraged, trembling Han Siyoon and the confused Baek Jiye were cute.
Han Sion’s older brother, Han Siyoon, bowed his head and greeted them in an exaggerated manner.
“I am Han Siyoon, the 4th-ranked black hunter in Korea, the shadow of the underworld, and… Han Sion’s half-brother. A rookie hunter.”

Han Sion was born between a conglomerate chairman father and a worthless, but kind mother.
Meaning, he was an illegitimate child.
It might seem strange to have an illegitimate child in the 21st century, but it was a common occurrence in the upper class.
Naturally, the legal wife did not like the illegitimate child, Han Sion.
Well, how could she like the child of her cheating husband and his lover?
But at least Han Sion’s mother had an excuse.
She didn’t even know he was married, and he was the one who seduced her first.
The two had a very sweet romance.
Until Han Sion was born and everything was revealed.

“Live quietly.”
For a conglomerate chairman, he could have at least given them a large house, but he only gave them a single room on the outskirts of Seoul.
Han Sion’s mother, whose career was cut short by giving birth to him, had no choice but to live a hard life with Han Sion.
But there was a comfort.
Han Sion’s half-brother, Han Siyoon.

“She is my younger brother’s mother, but she is also my mother.”
Han Siyoon, who had said that, often visited Han Sion’s house.
He did not hesitate to provide financial support when Han Sion’s family was in difficulty.
Fortunately, as the legitimate son of a conglomerate executive, Han Siyoon had a lot of money.
They lived like real brothers.
For a very long time.
Han Siyoon changed around the time Han Sion entered middle school.

“I don’t think I’ll be visiting anymore.”
No, it would be more accurate to say that he kindly revealed his true nature.

“That’s right, Siyoon, you awakened as an S-rank! Congratulations. Are you too busy to come?”
“Hyung, is that true? My dream is to be a hunter too!”
Han Siyoon spoke in a kinder voice than ever before.

“Wake up from your dream, Sion.”
“Huh?”
“You can never be like me, even if you die and come back to life.”