Chapter 72: The Final Confrontation

A strange atmosphere hung between Lee Taesung and Jinhyang.

The tension was palpable, and it felt like they could charge at each other at any moment.

The problem was that I was caught in the middle of it.

Still trapped in Lee Taesung’s grip.

“Did you take the kid hostage?”

Jinhyang sneered at Lee Taesung, narrowing his eyes.

‘Why?’

I didn’t understand why he was provoking the person holding a hostage.

I couldn’t do anything about it even if I didn’t understand, so I just kept my mouth shut, hoping Jinhyang wouldn’t say anything unnecessary.

“Hostage?”

Crack.

Lee Taesung’s grip around my neck tightened.

The pain was so intense now that I struggled, grabbing his arm.

“Kek.”

Just when I thought my neck might snap and I was about to say goodbye to this life…

Whoosh!

Lee Taesung threw me backward.

While my neck throbbed with pain and my senses were focused on it, my body instinctively took the fall position.

I landed safely on my two feet, but then my legs gave out, and I collapsed backward.

‘Huh?’

My legs wouldn’t move.

I looked down in surprise, and my legs were trembling as if they were having spasms.

It wasn’t that scary.

I couldn’t understand what was happening, so I sat down and rubbed my neck.

It was then that Lee Taesung cracked his neck, releasing his body tension.

“I don’t even need to do that. I’ll rip you apart.”

Lee Taesung let out a sigh, his aura radiating with menace.

The pressure coming from him was so overwhelming, it felt like it shouldn’t even be contained in one person’s body.

Although it was clearly directed at Jinhyang, I, who was standing behind him, felt suffocated by the intensity.

Jinhyang, however, remained calm, unlike me.

“I thought you were going to take a hostage in a cowardly manner.”

“A cowardly act needs a certain level of skill. Why would I take a hostage against someone I can just beat to death?”

“Hmm…”

Jinhyang nodded slightly in surprise, and Lee Taesung smirked, opening his mouth again.

“Come at me. I’ll end this now.”

Lee Taesung drew a massive greatsword from his back.

But for some reason, Jinhyang didn’t enter a combat stance.

He remained calm, just like usual.

If this goes on, something bad is going to happen.

I nervously watched Jinhyang, but he spoke to Lee Taesung.

“Sorry, but I like cowardly acts.”

“What?”

Just as Lee Taesung expressed confusion,

Bang!

A loud gunshot rang out, and something struck Lee Taesung’s arm hard.

“Kraak!”

Lee Taesung’s arm jerked violently before hanging limp, as if he had lost control over it.

‘That’s…’

A faint blue glow lingered around the wound.

It was the opposite color of Lee Taesung’s red magic.

It was clear that someone had attacked Lee Taesung.

Gunshot and magic.

With just those two things, I immediately realized who the attacker was.

A “Marhan.”

The only type of gun capable of killing a Hunter.

‘Marhan is incredibly expensive.’

A Marhan was a weapon that could overpower even a Hunter, as it was made by cutting through magical stones, but it was costly.

That was why ordinary military units had to yield to Hunters with special abilities.

But the price of a Marhan was astronomical, which is why monster hunting had to be outsourced to Hunters.

‘How much was that again?’

To injure Lee Taesung with a Marhan, it would cost at least millions.

Though it didn’t pierce Lee Taesung’s arm entirely, it had still left an impact.

‘But who shot the gun?’

I looked around, but couldn’t see anyone.

If it were a sniper, they wouldn’t be visible, but since no one in our group used guns as a weapon, it had to be a third party.

Just as I was considering that, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“Ugh!”

Startled, I turned around, and there stood Yoon Bora.

She smelled of gunpowder.

“Harang, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, but what are you doing here, Yoon Bora?”

“I came to find you.”

“I see.”

Nodding my head, Yoon Bora hugged me.

For some reason, an inexplicable sense of calm washed over me, and all the tension in my body melted away.

Even though I had never been truly scared before.

“Harang, should we head back now?”

“Huh? What about the boss?”

I looked at Jinhyang with a worried expression.

That madman Lee Taesung was determined to kill her.

“She’s going to deal with Lee Taesung.”

“…”

One of Lee Taesung’s arms was broken.

In the world of professionals, even a difference of one arm was huge.

I didn’t think there was any need to worry.

“The boss can’t lose.”

I was nestled in Yoon Bora’s arms, cheering for Jinhyang.

She didn’t look back at me.

Jinhyang had to focus on Lee Taesung, so it made sense she wouldn’t look at me.

The best thing was to leave quietly without causing any distractions.

At that moment, Jinhyang only had eyes for Lee Taesung, even as I was leaving.

She couldn’t afford to think about Harang, not for even a moment.

In the world of Hunters, a single moment of carelessness could cost a life.

Jinhyang intended to strike the moment Lee Taesung let his guard down.

Of course, once Lee Taesung’s arm was severed, Jinhyang’s victory was assured.

Lee Taesung’s greatsword was too heavy to wield with one arm.

Without the ability to use his weapon, Lee Taesung was no match for Jinhyang.

“Still as stupid as ever, huh?”

“You…!”

At Jinhyang’s mockery, Lee Taesung ground his teeth.

He bit so hard that blood began to seep out.

But this had nothing to do with Jinhyang.

The mocking continued.

“I thought maybe you had leaked information to the association, but you’re the one who’s with the kid.”

But in reality, it wasn’t just the two of them.

Yoon Bora, the sniper, was with them.

‘I’m glad I bought the Marhan.’

A sniper could sometimes surpass even the top-tier Hunters.

With the expensive Marhan in hand, Jinhyang was undoubtedly in a position to overwhelm.

Of course, she had already more than made up for the cost.

Lee Taesung was now incapacitated.

“How do you like the gift?”

Jinhyang tilted her head while glancing at Lee Taesung’s arm.

It was a clear taunt.

“You damn b*tch!”

Whoosh!

Lee Taesung swung the greatsword toward Jinhyang, but with only one arm.

The speed of the incoming strike was incredibly slow, and the power behind it was pitifully weak.

His balance was completely off.

Jinhyang had no reason to even consider evading such a futile attack.

Boom!

Jinhyang closed the distance, diving into Lee Taesung’s body.

Her target was his neck.

With a firm grip on his thick neck, she slammed him to the ground.

Crash!

“Choke!”

Lee Taesung coughed up a handful of blood as his body slammed into the floor.

The blood splattered, some of it even hitting Jinhyang’s arm, but she didn’t flinch.

She only tightened her grip on his neck.

It was revenge for what had been done to Harang.

“Y-You crazy… crazy b*tch. Do you think the association will just let this go if you kill me?”

They won’t let it go.

There were plenty of people in the association who disliked Jinhyang.

Of course, that would only be the case if there was proof left behind that Lee Taesung had been killed.

“How did you get here?”

At Jinhyang’s question, Lee Taesung’s expression paled.

He had come here without telling anyone, quietly, so that no one would know.

He had intended to kill Jinhyang and leave no trace behind.

On the other hand, it meant that if Lee Taesung died here, no one would know.

“O…..!”

Sensing the end was near, Lee Taesung reached his hand out toward Jinhyang.

He tried to crush Jinhyang’s small head.

But Jinhyang had already grabbed Lee Taesung’s neck.

Crack~!

With just a firm grip, it was enough to strangle the life out of Lee Taesung.

“Hmm…”

Jinhyang looked down at the lifeless Lee Taesung.

There was no sense of satisfaction.

She just thought that she should go back to her family.

That was the only thought in her mind.

I was being carried in Yoon Bora’s arms, heading back to the villa.

Silver was walking alongside, matching his pace.

“Silver.”

“Grroowl.”

At my call, Silver turned to look at me.

“You did well.”

I never thought Jinhyang and Yoon Bora would actually come.

I reached out my hand to pet Silver.

“Ugh.”

But my hand couldn’t reach him.

It almost felt like my hand had stretched too much, but in the end, it didn’t reach.

I could only awkwardly stretch out my thumb.

“Haah.”

The moment I felt safe, all my strength drained from me, and I couldn’t do anything.

It seemed like I hadn’t realized how tense I had been up until that point.

‘Well, it’s over.’

It was all already over.

I burrowed deeper into Yoon Bora’s embrace.

I just wanted to feel her warmth.

As I pressed my face against Yoon Bora’s shoulder, the strong smell of gunpowder from earlier hit my nose again.

“Yoon Bora.”

“Hmm?”

“Did you shoot the gun?”

At my question, Yoon Bora flinched.

“Uh, yeah. I shot it. Was it really scary?”

“No? It was cool.”

I couldn’t believe Yoon Bora was a sharpshooter.

It was romantic, stirring up a man’s emotions.

“Cool?”

“Yeah. Bora, can you teach me how to shoot?”

“Uh-uh, no way.”

“Huh?”

Wasn’t now the perfect time to ask?

I looked up at Yoon Bora with a confused expression, and she gave my head a light tap.

“Do you know how dangerous guns are?” she asked. “Harang.”

“Yeah. I know.”

A weapon that can easily kill someone.

Not knowing the danger of a gun would be strange.

“Then you understand why you can’t, right?”

“Yeah.”

For now, I decided to return to the villa and wait for Jinhyang.